Inside the Cining Palace, the Empress Dowager eagerly awaited the arrival of the Yin family. Su Mo'er stood at the door, waiting for them to arrive. Consort Tong arrived early and reassured the Empress Dowager not to worry too much, as the two little ones were perfectly healthy. Hutu Lifengsheng Zhalafen was frightened by the nanny's actions.
At dawn, Yin brought the nanny over. Li Dequan had already prepared for the interrogation himself, and soon the truth would be revealed.
"Lanya, you say that the fourth prince and his wife don't know how to take care of the children. The two little ones just got sick, and now they're going to the palace as soon as they wake up. What if the children get cold on the way? They won't even care!" The Empress Dowager complained that Yin and Qingyan were too hasty, but in her heart she was very satisfied with how much the two men valued her.
Consort Tong smiled knowingly. She understood the Empress Dowager's thoughts. Emperor Kangxi respected his stepmother, and the Empress Dowager was very self-aware; she would definitely be confused when necessary.
"They're here!" Su Mo'er's voice rang out. Qing Yan followed Su Mo'er in, carrying a golden swaddle. The child was wrapped in the thickest swaddle, while she wore a royal blue casual dress. Her long hair was only tightly bound with two or three gold hairpins, and even her little double swallowtails were not combed. One look was enough to tell that she was a worried mother.
Consort Tong was very satisfied with Qingyan's attire; this simple and elegant look would please Emperor Kangxi.
"Greetings to Grandmother and Mother!" Yin and Qingyan, holding the swaddled baby, greeted the two women seated on the table.
"Get up quickly!" The Empress Dowager looked at the dark shadows under Yinhe Qingyan's eyes and felt even more resentful towards the culprit.
After Yin got up, Consort Tong personally came over to take Yiken'e away. The swaddling clothes were lifted, and Consort Tong's smiling face came into Yiken'e's view. The little guy showed a flattering smile.
Consort Tong smiled instantly. Yiken'e rarely saw her, yet he could smile at her slightly, which was clearly not something Yin had taught him.
"Empress Dowager, this is Yiken'e. She looks much heavier than before!" Qingyan took great care of the two little ones. When Imperial Physician Yuan returned, he reported that the little prince and princess had never been so healthy.
Qingyan's educational methods are somewhat unconventional, but they have gradually helped the two little ones become healthier. Initially, the twins were born with a low weight, but now they weigh about the same as full-term babies.
Su Mo'er took Hutu Lifengsheng Zhalafen from Qingyan's arms and placed the two swaddled babies in the Empress Dowager's arms. She looked them over from left to right and nodded in satisfaction. The two little ones' faces were rosy, and they seemed to have not suffered from the illness of the previous night.
"Little darling, what exactly happened?" The Empress Dowager looked at Qingyan, the three leaders who had caused a ruckus yesterday hadn't slept well.
"Grandma, Imperial Physician Yuan said that the two little ones used a small amount of tapioca flour!" Yin said quickly.
After he finished speaking, the Cining Palace fell silent. Infants would be poisoned by tapioca flour, but adults would not.
The matrons in the Imperial Household Department all had given birth to more than two children, and they would receive training before starting their jobs.
“Cassava flour!” Qingyan exclaimed softly.
Her face immediately turned pale; her children had escaped a deadly predicament.
"Didn't the fourth prince say anything?" Consort Tong noticed Qingyan's changed expression and knew that Yin must not have said anything.
Qingyan nodded, his eyes glaring angrily at Yin.
Normally, she would go along with Yin to resolve things, but now, she would absolutely not tolerate it.
"Yin, this is where you went wrong!" The Empress Dowager also reprimanded Yin.
A mother has the deepest affection for her child. Men usually have many sons, but mothers are different. Little Darling only has these twins, a boy and a girl. Their healthy growth is more practical than gaining Yin's...favor...love.
"Grandma, your grandson knows he was wrong!" Yin knelt on the ground and quickly begged for forgiveness.
He took all the blame so that Xiao Guai wouldn't be blamed.
"My dear son, how are the servants in the mansion managed?" Consort Tong knew her son too well and directly saw through Yin's scheme, pointing the finger at Qingyan.
Qingyan froze, her face pale as she looked up.
"Mother, Xiao Guai and I have investigated it thoroughly." Yin believed that the Imperial Household Department was too murky.
Consort Tong sighed. Xiao Guai was being protected too well by Yin. It was Yin who investigated the wet nurse's affairs. Qingyan was only responsible for managing the mansion.
"Little darling, send all the servants of the Imperial Household Department back to the Imperial Household Department!" Consort Tong was not at ease with the servants of the Imperial Household Department, since most of the Yin family's residence was purchased by Yin from private servants.
ah?!
Qingyan looked up at Consort Tong in surprise. Wasn't this a bit too sensitive?
"Send them all back!" The Empress Dowager looked at Xiao Guai and said in a low voice.
Those servants need to be dealt with; all the servants in the prince's residence need to be cleaned up.
"Su Mo'er, you go and investigate personally. Investigate every prince's residence. No one is allowed to scheme against the royal offspring!" The Empress Dowager was furious. The twins were probably not the beginning. How many of those children who died young were framed?
Now, the Empress Dowager believes this is the best excuse to conduct a thorough investigation. Su Mo'er has been able to keep an eye on the servants' schemes, and the Imperial Household Department's plans are no match for them!
"Yes!" Su Mo'er left.
The Empress Dowager held the two children and looked at Yin and Qingyan.
"You two need to be more careful!" The Empress Dowager looked at the two of them. "You are too young. If the people from the Imperial Household Department can't target the adults, they will target the children."
Consort Tong chimed in from the side, "Little Darling hasn't experienced any of this, but what about you?"
Yin lowered his head; his connections were still too poor.
"Mother, I was wrong!" Yin bowed his head and admitted his mistake. Consort Tong was right. He should have been more alert than Xiao Guai and had noticed the servant's unusual behavior in advance.
While Consort Tong showed a good attitude in admitting her mistakes, her actions in reality fell far short of expectations.
"You are the pillar of this mansion, yet you cannot protect your wife and children," the Empress Dowager said, taking a sip of tea.
Qingyan caught a glimpse of Yin's self-reproachful expression out of the corner of her eye and couldn't help but feel a little strange.
"Little darling, when you handle matters at the residence, you should use people from the Ulanara residence. Try to use as few of the nannies and maids from the Imperial Household Department as possible!" Consort Tong instructed from the side.
The Empress Dowager chimed in, saying that Consort Tong's experience in handling palace affairs meant she truly held lucrative positions.
"Yes, Mother, I know. The servants in the mansion are mostly bought from private maids." Qingyan told Consort Tong about the servants' background.
Consort Tong nodded. Loyalty is the top priority for the servants around the two little ones. If such a problem were to occur again, Emperor Kangxi would definitely not let them off easily.
"Fourth Prince, you must protect the two children. Otherwise, if you, the pillar of the family, cannot protect your wife and children, don't you feel ashamed?" Kangxi said directly as he entered from the doorway and looked at Yinzhi.
"Yes, Father Emperor!" Yin accepted his punishment. He knew how much the royal family valued these twins; even his own brothers envied his good fortune. (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for it on Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
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