As Yin and Yin left the capital, Yin Si dispatched many people to search for their whereabouts. Yin received the news early and managed to eliminate all of Yin Si's spies in their residences.
Qingyan was sitting at his desk, writing a letter to his two wives. This letter, which appeared to be a family letter, actually hinted at the identities of the servants who had been dealt with.
Yin Si was indeed a formidable figure. The servants he dispatched were mostly from the lowest ranks, and some of them were even the people Yin and Yin Si trusted the most.
Yinze sat on the chaise longue and reviewed memorials at the kang table.
"Fourth Brother, is there anything like that in our courtyard?" Qingyan asked worriedly.
Beneath the seemingly calm surface of Beijing, undercurrents are already surging, with some people even getting involved from the sidelines.
"Yes, but I cleared them out beforehand. Now it seems there won't be any more," Yin said directly.
Some time ago, Yin had his men from the Sticky Rod Office run a thorough search, and they found that there were indeed Yin Si's spies in the mansion. Although they were on the periphery, they were slowly getting closer to the core.
"Fourth Brother, most of the people we appoint to important positions have their entire families living in the mansion. How could there be..." Qingyan asked in surprise.
“Although we are all one family, we have taken in quite a few orphans. Those people were all sold into slavery, and some even signed life-or-death contracts. That’s why we trust these people.” Yin walked over to Qingyan and sat down next to her, a disdainful smile on his face.
Qingyan put down the brush in her hand and listened to Yin talking beside her.
"Yes, I know that!" Qingyan nodded. "However, didn't you investigate whether the origins of these servants were genuine, and dismiss all those with doubts?"
"It's precisely because the investigation was so thorough that it's so perplexing!" After considering it for a moment, Yin decided to tell Qingyan everything.
"Fourth Prince, Yinsi must have gone to great lengths to win him over." Qingyan was somewhat taken aback. This kind of person is the hardest to bribe. If he is not a savior, then he must have been bribed at a high price.
"The spies in Yin and Yin's residence have really opened my eyes. They weren't just people sent in by Yin Si, but even the Crown Princess..." Yin had many details of the investigation that he didn't tell Qingyan.
The Crown Princess did many things for the Crown Prince, but the Crown Prince felt that she did too much, interfered too much, and had no freedom at all!
"The Crown Princess is far superior to Consort Li Jia in every way except for her looks. Who among you looks down on the Crown Princess in any way?" Qingyan asked, puzzled.
Emperor Kangxi set an example by taking great care of his Imperial Noble Consort, Lady Tongjia, and the princes below followed suit, valuing their wives highly.
The Crown Prince was an exception. He actually valued his concubine, Lady Li Jia, highly, and even allowed her to attend several gatherings that were originally reserved for the Crown Princess, replacing the Crown Prince's wife.
"It's not that I look down on her, it's that I think the Crown Princess is too controlling. She wants other people's power but doesn't want to be subject to any constraints." Yin laughed disdainfully.
Qingyan sat to the side and listened, feeling sorrow for the Crown Princess.
The Guarjia clan was tied to the Crown Prince by Kangxi. Even the Ninth Prince's wife could not compete with the Crown Princess. Apart from the Ninth Prince's wife's lineage, the rest of the clan were all working for the Crown Prince.
"The Crown Prince's behavior is becoming increasingly eccentric, and the more disdainful he is of the Crown Princess, the more Shi Bingwen and others will gradually drift away from him!" Yin sneered. "The Crown Prince has not yet truly broken the Crown Princess's heart. Once the Crown Princess's heart turns cold, the Crown Prince will truly have no one left on his side."
In the end, Shi Bingwen decided not to support the Crown Prince anymore. He even ordered his entire family to gradually lower their profile. The Crown Princess preferred to suffer harm herself and her child, and ultimately, her entire maternal family was severed from the public eye.
"Fourth Prince, should we help the Crown Princess?" Qingyan thought that with the Crown Princess in front, everyone's attention would be on her, and no one would focus on them.
"We should lend a hand!" Yin agreed with Qingyan's idea. "When the Crown Princess and the Crown Prince break ties, you can help Shulu then."
The Crown Princess only has one daughter, and they are certainly grateful to the Crown Princess for helping Shulu.
“Sure, Shulu and Hutulifengshengzhalafen have a good relationship. Although the two girls can be a bit mischievous at times, it’s still worthwhile to lend a hand!” Qingyan nodded directly.
After a moment's consideration, Yin realized that the Crown Princess had been tolerating the situation. However, as Li Jia's family became increasingly arrogant and caused a lot of trouble in the capital, they were even more like the Crown Prince's in-laws than the Guarjia clan.
"Father Emperor won't keep the Li Jia clan for long. Hongxi caused a lot of trouble for Yiken'e in the Imperial Study. Once the Li Jia clan declines, I won't stop Yiken'e from dealing with them." Yin had been suppressing Yiken'e's revenge.
Li Jiashi had several censors in the court, and Yin made this decision to prevent Yiken'e from being targeted by them.
"Really?!" Qingyan asked happily. "Yiken'e is waiting for a chance to take revenge. In the past few years, Hongxi has become more and more arrogant. He not only messes with Yiken'e behind his back, but has even made a move against the princes."
Currently, the princes studying in the Imperial Study are ranked lower, and Yinzhen and others all hope to recruit them. Hongxi's actions have put the Crown Prince in a very passive position.
“Yiken’e has a good relationship with those people. If I hadn’t been keeping an eye on them, they would definitely be like brothers to each other!” Yin said directly.
Qingyan burst out laughing. Yiken'e was definitely a natural at making friends, and with his status as a twin, even more people wanted to get close to him to share in his good fortune.
"We shouldn't restrict the children's social interactions. When they grow up a bit more, Yiken'e will start making her own choices!" Yin Dao was relieved. Kangxi was watching over Yiken'e and would definitely not let her go astray.
Qingyan put the letter aside, and Ninth Prince Consort left with her daughter. When Yin brought Qingyan over, Hutuli Fengsheng Zhalafen had become the leading elder sister again.
"Be careful with our daughter. I suspect some people in the south are plotting against Hutuli Fengsheng Zhalafen." Yin was furious about this. He wouldn't let anyone who dared to use his daughter get away with it.
Upon hearing this, Qingyan thought even more deeply about the possibility that Hutuli Fengsheng Zhalafen might be harmed.
"Which of the women I'm keeping an eye on would dare to cause trouble behind my back? Someone must be instigating this!" Qingyan thought carefully about the officials' wives in the south. They had all been very well-behaved in the previous encounters, and no one had ever dared to provoke them. However... if Yinsi's side were to interfere in the south, the officials' wives' intentions would be uncertain.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
