As dinner time approached, Erlu returned with his men, his face grim. It was clear that the place had been targeted; it was the perfect spot to attack the camp.
Looking at the abandoned campfire, it was estimated that there were quite a few people who had hidden themselves, probably close to fifty. These people must have been professionally trained to get here. If they hadn't been discovered beforehand, they would have been caught off guard. At that time, if Kangxi had been in danger, they would have all been exterminated along with his entire family.
Yin felt a chill run down his spine when he thought about it; the fact that they hadn't gone up the mountain meant there was a much bigger problem.
"Fourth Master, the Master requests your presence as soon as possible!" Li Dequan appeared in front of the tent, respectfully inviting the Prince.
This time it was fortunate that Yin and Qingyan wandered around aimlessly and accidentally ran into that group of people. If they had been careless, the entire camp would have been destroyed, and those military officers who followed them would have had to bear the infamy for the rest of their lives.
Among them, Fei Yanggu and his two sons would definitely have to hand over the power of the new army. Suo Xiang wanted to kill three birds with one stone, which greatly angered Kangxi.
"Fourth Princess Consort, Your Highness also requests your presence!" Shu rushed over from behind, and Qingyan wanted to follow as well, since both Yin and Qing were involved.
"Yes!" Qingyan saw that the children had fallen asleep peacefully, got up, changed her clothes, and followed Yin to the imperial tent, leaving Sushu in the tent and watching over the twins.
Stepping out of the tent, Qingyan noticed a significant increase in the number of guards in the camp, some of whom were black-clad guards he had never seen before; they belonged solely to the Dragon Guard, the emperor's command.
The new army did not change its garrison, and its numbers gradually increased.
She felt slightly relieved. Ah Hun and the others were still trusted by Kangxi. Now that Kangxi was not yet old, there were not so many suspicions.
"Fourth Princess Consort, please come from the back with me!" Shu saw that they were about to reach the imperial tent, so she quickly stepped forward and called Qingyan over.
Qingyan turned to look at Yin, who nodded slightly, allowing her to relax.
They came to the side door of the imperial tent and heard noises coming from inside. Many of the court ladies had arrived.
She took a deep breath and stepped into the imperial tent.
"Greetings to Mother!" Qingyan said respectfully, bowing.
Two seats were vacant below Consort Tong's seat. Lady Yin Genjueluo was already seated in the lower right seat. After paying her respects at the banquet, she sat directly next to Consort Tong.
After taking her seat, she looked around and saw that the ministers who followed the Crown Prince and the Third Prince were all gathered in the lower left position, while the remaining ministers were sitting behind Qingyan.
Consort Tong wore a royal blue plum blossom palace dress, with an outer layer of ivory-white fragrant cloud gauze. Her hair was adorned with a gold hairpin with magpies bringing good news, and three plum blossom pendants were worn on each ear. At the half-high collar of the palace dress, she wore plum blossom collar buttons specially designed for her by Emperor Kangxi.
"Little darling, sit down and wait a bit!" Yin Genjue Luo said softly.
The Crown Princess was clearly putting on airs and didn't take anyone seriously.
Inside the palace, the Crown Princess had always wanted to take control of the palace from Consort Tong, but Emperor Kangxi sided with Consort Tong, preventing the Crown Princess from achieving her goal.
"Yes!" Qingyan nodded, while the expressions of the court ladies opposite him were not very pleasant.
The Crown Princess and the three consorts basically represent the royal family. Now that Lady Yin Genjueluo and Qingyan have arrived first, it is clear that the Crown Princess and the three consorts do not take Consort Tong seriously.
Inside and outside the palace, everyone knew that Consort Tong had always been Emperor Kangxi's favorite. He cherished and doted on her, and in his heart, Consort Tong was already the Empress.
If Emperor Kangxi hadn't been so lucky, he probably would have immediately placed Consort Tong on the Empress's throne.
"Your Highness, the situation outside..." The wives of the military officers were secretly pleased. The Crown Princess always treated them with a superior attitude. In fact, when the Crown Prince wanted to unite with their husbands, the Crown Princess wanted to suppress them.
One person on the east side had a stern face, while the other played the lenient one; they had anticipated this situation long ago.
Now, everyone is waiting for the two of them to arrive.
"Alright, Shu, go and tell the Crown Princess to hurry up," Consort Tong said impatiently. In front of outsiders, the Crown Princess always tried to compete with her for face. "I called you here for everyone's safety."
Today, Tulichen discovered an unknown force hiding in the mountains. As Consort Tong spoke, she carefully observed the court ladies on her left. Among them, many had connections with the Hesheli family.
Everyone was shocked; they all thought something had happened to the royal family that had summoned them.
Qingyan pursed her lips. Tulichen took all the responsibility upon himself, and Kangxi was clearly preparing to put Yin in the spotlight.
"Your Majesty, is what you say true?" asked Yin Jitai's wife.
Yin Jitai went back to reorganize the military camp ahead of time. If His Majesty were to fall into a predicament because of his departure, he would become a sinner for all time.
"Yes, Madam Yin, it is His Majesty's arrangement to send Lord Yin back." Consort Tong gave a slight hint, extricating Yin Jitai from the discussion.
Madam Yin sat next to Qingyan, and as soon as she finished speaking, she could hear Madam Yin breathe a sigh of relief.
She was secretly pleased. Ah Hun and the others returned to the military camp with Yin Jitai. Father temporarily controlled the power of the new army, and their family was firmly behind the Emperor.
"My lady, should we send a message to the capital?" The ladies of the Suo Xiang faction were getting restless; they needed to send a message to their families so they could prepare.
"No need, His Majesty can arrange it as he sees fit. The reason I summoned you all here today is to make it clear that anyone who dares to send messages to the capital without authorization will face my ruthlessness." Consort Tong made this clear beforehand to make these people understand her situation.
The Crown Princess was at the side door of the imperial tent, listening to Consort Tong's words, unsure whether she should go in.
"Your Highness, His Majesty is waiting for you and the Third Princess." Shu looked down on the Crown Princess. Inside the palace, Yuqing Palace and Chenggan Palace were not on good terms. Outside, Shu's attitude was very respectful, which made the Crown Princess uncomfortable, but she could not find any fault with her.
"Come in quickly!" Consort Tong said with a slight smile.
Qingyan couldn't help but give Shu a thumbs up in her heart. The Crown Princess probably felt embarrassed and didn't intend to come in. As soon as Shu spoke, her actions were seen by the court ladies, who also had to think about it. The Crown Princess was portrayed by Kangxi as a model of being knowledgeable and reasonable.
Now, Consort Tong has directly shattered this high and mighty model, which is clearly the Emperor's intention.
"Your Highness, did you call for me?" The Crown Princess smiled, showing no sign of embarrassment.
Qingyan admired the Crown Princess immensely. If she and the Crown Princess were in the same situation, she would obviously collapse.
"Yes, please sit down." Consort Tong didn't intend to embarrass the Crown Princess, and smiled slightly.
The Crown Prince's principal wife must be respected; the court ladies have no intention of getting involved in the battle between the two most powerful women. (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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