At dawn, Yin Jitai rushed to the camp, accompanied by a large army that brought some officials. As soon as they arrived at the imperial tent, Kangxi dismissed the officials from their posts in order to save face for the royal family.
Kangxi could only use Qiu Mi's disappearance as an excuse. Kangxi also had too many difficulties with these officials. Every year, Kangxi would point out a few typical cases as a warning to others. These could not shake the likes of Suo Xiang. They were just pawns pushed out.
Qingyan sat in the inner tent with Consort Tong, watching the officials' wives who had come with them. Upon seeing Consort Tong, they all had their own little schemes.
This year is not the time for the general election, but it is still the time for the minor selection. In the backyard of the adults, there are also young ladies selected by Emperor Kangxi. Those ladies are extremely favored and cannot be dealt with by the adults. They can only rely on Consort Tong to give away more ladies to defeat those women.
They were carefully trained by prominent families within the Imperial Household Department, and many were specifically trained for the princes. Kangxi was well aware of this, as he wanted to avoid having too many spies around his princes.
There would always be one or two spies from the Imperial Household Department around the ministers. Kangxi meant well, hoping that his sons would be surrounded by cleaner people. His approach was correct, but he did not expect to leave himself with a hidden danger.
Qingyan twirled the handkerchief in her hand. The officials' wives opposite her were very nervous. Yin Jitai had brought the adults over, and the officials' wives had prepared for the worst.
Consort Tong merely chatted with them about everyday matters, but they were filled with even more fear and anxiety.
On their way to Beijing, they discussed the need to gather as much intelligence as possible from both sides.
As lunchtime approached, Consort Tong dismissed the women, and Qingyan was also allowed to return to her tent.
"Sulan, hurry and see if the kitchen has anything good to eat?" Qingyan instructed as soon as she returned. "I heard that the kitchen sent over some baby lambs. Make some roasted lamb chops for lunch, and remember to add plenty of chili peppers."
Yin has not yet returned, and the situation at the front tent is unlikely to improve much. Consort Tong has not given the women any useful information, leaving the men in fear and the women feeling uneasy as well.
The imperial tent was too oppressive, and Qingyan really didn't feel comfortable with it.
“Master…” Su Lan was stunned.
When the primary consort and the ladies returned from the imperial tent, they did not serve them a meal. Why were their mistresses acting so differently?
"Go and prepare quickly. Make a good dressing of the sand onions we bought from the county town, and also make two delicious cold dishes," Qingyan hurriedly instructed.
Su Lan quickly wrote down the dishes her mistress wanted to eat. They were all local specialties, including mussels, which were very appetizing.
Fortunately, when Qingyan went to a new place, he would have people specially collect local vegetables, which greatly reduced the pressure on the imperial kitchen.
Lunch was served, and Yin returned to his tent looking disheveled. Qingyan quickly brought him a cup of tea, and Su Peisheng brought him water to wash up. After he changed into a set of casual clothes, Yin sat comfortably on the soft couch. The twins had not yet woken up, and they could finally have some time alone together.
"Little darling, how's the situation inside the tent?" Yin waved away the servants, and there were two people having a meal inside the tent.
Now, Yin has gotten used to not having servants serve him meals anymore, and he is slowly starting to enjoy time alone with Qingyan.
With the birth of his children, he gradually began to adapt to the rhythm of being a father. In the past, he was a hands-off father, busy with business all day long, and rarely had time to spend with his children.
"Use more. Tomorrow, we should be able to prepare some simple dishes here. Don't serve the big fish and meat dishes like in the imperial kitchen. Everyone in the camp is hot-tempered. If we serve big fish and meat dishes, everyone's temper will be ignited without anyone fanning the flames." Yin was filled with countless emotions. The ministers brought by Yin Jitai were unaware of their fate.
They thought that the Emperor had personally appointed them to accompany him on his autumn journey, which was a glorious and honorable task for their ancestors.
"Fourth, the women seemed to want to find out what was going on. Mother didn't plead for us, and we were just sitting there like slaves all morning. I didn't even say a word." Qingyan angrily chewed on the scallions. These were all flavorful, and she couldn't use such strong-smelling things when she was going to see Consort Tong.
"Eat more, haven't you been wanting to eat wild onions?" Yin picked up some wild onions and placed them on the plate in front of her.
The little guy had been looking forward to eating it, and now that the opportunity had finally come, Yin naturally hoped that the little guy could fulfill his wish.
"Aren't we going to have dinner today?" Qingyan ate her cold dishes, still feeling a little uneasy.
Yin nodded. Yin Jitai had brought his men over. The Emperor would definitely be meeting with his ministers, and their arrival would undoubtedly cause trouble.
Moreover, he didn't want to give people the impression that he was always trying to find out about his father's affairs. Yin was prepared to create his own future with his own abilities. Looking at Xiao Guai's smiling face, he felt that this little sacrifice was worthwhile.
The princes wanted to spend more time with their father, the Emperor, but he did the opposite, which gave the ministers a good impression of him.
Moreover, the Ulanara clan was never competitive, and the three members of the Feiyanggu family were the mainstay of the court, whose positions could not be shaken by the other ministers.
Many court ladies began to gather around Qingyan, hoping that he would agree to let the girls they had trained enter the Fourth Prince's residence. However, Yin had not agreed and wanted Kangxi and Consort Tong to bestow upon him the girls.
Every election brings many families with high hopes, only to leave disappointed.
"No need, it's good for the children to enjoy some family time," Yin instructed.
After dinner, Qingyan accompanied Yin to look at the memorials. Under the oil lamp, she began to make exquisite sachets. In the sewing basket were two delicate little sachets, filled with honeysuckle. They were made especially for the two children, and the small sachets were just the right size for them to hold in their hands.
"Is this for me?" Yin asked.
Qingyan had been busy making sachets for the twins and had completely forgotten about his sachet.
He shook his head with a wry smile; he was so content now.
Since the birth of his children, all his attention has been focused on them, although his clothes and purses have not decreased in number, but the styles are not as exquisite as before.
"Little darling, come here!" Yin put down his pen and beckoned to Qingyan.
She put down her purse and walked to his side, her small face full of confusion.
"Look, he only made two purses for me this year, but how many did he make for Yiken'e?" Yin had always told himself not to compete with his son for attention.
He couldn't control his jealousy. Seeing the child frequently changing the sachets that Xiaoguai had made by hand, he felt incredibly sour.
"Haven't I been making them for you all along?" Qingyan didn't directly reduce the number of clothes and purses she gave her husband like Yin Genjueluo did; she just wasn't as attentive as before.
The design on the purse wasn't as exquisite as before, something he'd noticed but hadn't bothered to comment on. This time, however, it was different. (To be continued. If you enjoy 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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