The Prince of Mobei had already dispatched guards to scout the area around the camp to see if there were any hidden guards. Fortunately, the shadow guards around Yin were mostly selected from the Dragon Guard, and they had strict requirements for stealth. The guards from the various Mongol tribes were no match for these men.
Qingyan sat down next to Yin and listened to the veiled hints from the Prince of Mobei. Her mood instantly soured.
Many Mongol leaders had some bad habits, such as enjoying playing with women. Today, the Prince of Mobei saw that she had a pretty face and reminded a certain direct descendant of the Khorchin clan that he liked such a young man.
As soon as he finished speaking, Yin's face darkened. A businessman wouldn't sacrifice his brothers for a single deal.
At the very least, even in his current position, he would not make anyone sacrifice his brothers.
"Chief, thank you for your kindness, but there are only my brother and I in my family. I will not choose that path," Yin quickly replied.
Qingyan felt relieved upon hearing his answer; at least, Yin hadn't chosen to sacrifice her to obtain intelligence.
Previously, Lady Yin Genjueluo had mentioned the Crown Prince's mission. At that time, the Crown Prince chose to sacrifice his wife to obtain useful information. Fortunately, that was a scheme set up by Emperor Kangxi to train the Crown Prince. Otherwise, the Crown Princess would certainly have been secretly disposed of by the royal family for her loss of chastity.
"Fourth Prince, you will suffer a considerable loss." Seeing his unwavering resolve, the Prince of Mobei quickly tried to dissuade him.
"No, Your Highness, there's no need to say more. My younger brother is the apple of my parents' eye." Yin felt that the Prince of Mobei's suggestion was a bit excessive and quickly refused.
"Are you really unwilling?" the Prince of Mobei asked one last time.
At this moment, Qingyan's palms were sweaty. Tu Lichen's expression made her unsure whether she should really agree.
"Well, Linglong Pavilion has already offered the best possible discounts. If you still think it's too expensive, you can choose other places. The master wouldn't allow us to make such a deal." Qingyan was very stubborn and used some improper means to gain benefits from his subordinates.
The Prince of Mobei was taken aback. Linglong Pavilion was established by the Fourth Prince's wife, and its rules were stricter than those of ordinary shops. The Mongol leaders guessed that Qingyan was worried that Linglong Pavilion would leave a bad impression on the people.
Many ordinary people who run shops will use any means necessary to make even a little profit.
They preferred to cooperate with shops like this, and the Prince of Mobei regarded this as a test. Observing the actions of the managers of Linglong Pavilion, he felt at ease.
"My lord, there are no hidden guards outside!" The head guard who came with the Prince of Mobei deliberately stayed outside to observe for a while, fearing that someone might be lying in ambush around.
Half an hour passed, and seeing that there was no movement around him, he walked over with peace of mind and reported to the leader that this group of people was not sent by the royal family.
Previously, some leaders sent word from Kangxi's camp that the Fourth Prince might have been sent out by Kangxi. They repeatedly asked Kangxi to visit the Fourth Prince, but Kangxi directly stopped them.
“Hmm,” the Prince of Mobei nodded slightly, and smiled even more brightly at Yin and Qingyan. “This is my head guard. If we need to order jewelry from Linglong Pavilion, he will personally lead the way.”
After some thought, the Prince of Mobei decided that the jewelry from the Linglong Pavilion in Jiangnan was cheap, and if the women were to want some, he would follow Yin's advice.
A whole roasted lamb was being cooked around the campfire. When the men brought by the leader of the northern desert saw the head guard enter alone, they all lowered their guard and began to address the people around them as brothers.
Yin pursed his lips tightly. No wonder, his father always said that the leaders of the northern deserts were all driven by profit.
She used just a small discount to completely get the leaders talking.
Some people had drunk a bit too much and began to speak freely in front of the people Yin had brought, even revealing some news from within the tribe in their conversations.
These chieftains who were not qualified to hunt in the royal hunting grounds were mostly petty people who had risen to power, and were all from illegitimate branches who succeeded to the throne in place of the legitimate son.
They were all somewhat proud of themselves. When their father was alive, the legitimate sons received much attention from him, while the illegitimate sons remained unknown. Some were even suppressed by their primary wives, who feared that these illegitimate sons might be more outstanding than the legitimate sons.
Now that all the outstanding legitimate sons have fallen from grace, these men have inherited their fathers' thrones, and even the concubines are starting to gloat.
Years of patience had made them suppress their longings, but once everything settled down, they wanted to vent their frustrations.
"Is that so? You can just order it directly from Linglong Pavilion in Jiangnan." Yin nodded and glanced at the head guard.
This man was about 30 years old, with a burly build, and looked like a strong Mongolian.
"This is your..." Qingyan noticed that the head guard looked at the Prince of Mobei with disdain, which aroused her gossip-loving heart.
“These are the chief guards left behind by my father.” The Prince of Mobei knew that these chief guards were basically trained by the eldest son himself.
After they took over the throne, they were constrained by some rules left by their father and had no way to replace these people.
She was stunned. The previous chieftain had predicted that Kangxi would target the tribe's eldest son.
The banquet, which lasted for several hours, came to a successful conclusion thanks to Yin's mediation. Back in her tent, Qingyan swallowed a pill, which restored her original appearance and voice, before she leaned wearily against the soft couch.
"Fourth Brother, did the previous leaders anticipate that Father Emperor would take action?" Qingyan felt that the Mongol leaders might not be as the outside world claimed, having already prepared a way out for their eldest son while the Empress Dowager was still alive.
Yin nodded and said, "It should be. Those princes are the Empress Dowager's closest people. The old lady is a wise woman, and she would definitely have given instructions in advance."
Emperor Kangxi respected the Empress Dowager, yet he was also wary of her.
"Father has always been wary of the Mongols growing too powerful, and the Empress Dowager has been guiding them from behind the scenes. Not only has the Qing Dynasty been subject to many restrictions, but even the princesses who have married into the Qing Dynasty have been somewhat passive." Yin had many complaints about the Empress Dowager.
After Consort Tong passed away, the Empress Dowager treated him very kindly. However, this kindness came with a condition: if Consort Tong had not chosen a daughter of the Ulanara clan as his wife beforehand and had it approved by Emperor Kangxi, his wife would have been a noblewoman from Mongolia.
“Little darling, this old lady loves to help her maternal family the most. This place is even farther than Khorchin, and the Empress Dowager’s hand has been reaching out to us for a long time.” He said disdainfully.
The head guard who had accompanied them was clearly sent by the Khorchin. Since entering, his eyes had been darting between him and Qingyan, indicating that he was suspicious of their identities.
The other side claimed there were no hidden guards, but after the leaders returned, the head guard didn't go back. Instead, he stayed a short distance away, carefully observing the camp. (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for it on Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please read at m.qidian.com.)
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