In the evening, Yin held Qingyan's little hand and walked side by side. The Yuanmingyuan Garden was brightly lit, and the winter plum trees planted on both sides of the corridor had already blossomed.
"Fourth, Lady Tong Guowei has arrived!" Qingyan was puzzled as to why Consort Tong would so utterly belittle Longkodo.
"Yes, Mother advised Lady Tong to give up on Longkodo, didn't she?!" Yin asked in a low voice.
She turned around in surprise. How did Yin know?
"It's easy. It must be Father Emperor's order. He let Longkodo off easily because of Empress Dowager Tong's reputation and Mother's reputation. Otherwise, given Longkodo's actions, he certainly wouldn't have had a good ending." Yinzao guessed.
Tong Guowei and his son used arguments to reassure Emperor Kangxi, which was also for the good of the family. Although the father and son seemed to be irreconcilable, in reality, wasn't it all for the prosperity and strength of the family?
"Is it all because of that woman?" Qingyan asked, puzzled.
He shook his head. Xiao Guai's view was too one-sided. The royal family's reputation was maintained by a lot of bloodshed. How many princesses had to live a lonely life because of these two words?
"It's just about setting an example." Looking across the court, it's hard to find an example like Longkodo.
How many capable ministers have fallen into the hands of women?
"Set an example? It has to be Mother's own brother?" After the banquet, arrangements were made. Ulanara only had two legitimate sons. If the Fourth Prince ascended the throne, would one of the two brothers be used as an example?
Yin noticed Qingyan's concerns and simply smiled, thinking that the girl was overthinking things.
“Longkodo walked right into Father Emperor’s clutches. Originally, the plan was to target the imperial clan. During that time, the imperial clan members all restrained themselves. Fourth Sister was too blatant. As a concubine, she detained the principal wife, wore bright red clothes, and even wore the headdress of a noblewoman, which was against the rules.” Everything Yin said could have made Fourth Sister die without a burial place.
Qingyan's eyes widened. Was all of this just a facade?
"You guessed it. Actually, the most dangerous thing about Fourth Brother is that he instigated Longkodo to accept bribes and even helped some people clean up the mess, taking on all the legal issues. This is something Father Emperor cannot tolerate." Yin repeatedly instructed Feiyanggu to keep a close eye on the Jue Luo clan.
The Jue Luo family was a potential breakthrough. Many female relatives who wanted to cause trouble for Qing Yan tried to get through the two wives of the Jue Luo family. Fortunately, Fei Yanggu was very vigilant, and the Jue Luo family had severed ties with their family early on. Those two wives, no, especially the second wife, did not gain much benefit.
"Fourth Brother, where is Lady Jue Luo?" Qingyan asked.
Qingyan had heard rumors about the second wife of the Jue Luo family. She told outsiders that she could be in charge of ordering from Linglong Pavilion.
Many uninformed court ladies thought that Qingyan was using the Second Madam as a pawn.
Soon, they discovered that the second mistress was only taking money and doing nothing. Having discovered the truth, everyone went to Lady Jue Luo to complain.
Jue Luo took out a lot of her private savings to help her family make up for their losses.
"If my mother-in-law can't handle this, I don't mind taking matters into my own hands." Yin was giving Qingyan a hint.
Qingyan sighed. Today, Fei Yanggu and his two sons returned to Yuanmingyuan for dinner, and she planned to have a serious talk with Fei Yanggu.
"Father is coming over for dinner tonight, let's talk to him first," Qingyan said to Yin in a slightly coquettish tone.
After thinking about it briefly, Yin agreed.
At this moment, Fei Yanggu and his two sons had arrived at the Yuanmingyuan. Yiken'e was carried into the hall by Su Lan, and Fei Yanggu looked at the chubby little guy and happily hugged him.
“Guoluo Mafa…” Yiken’e looked at Feiyanggu and mumbled four words.
Fei Yanggu laughed heartily. Yiken'e was as intelligent as young Qingyan, and quickly recognized the relatives around him.
"Yiken'e, how have you been lately?" Fei Yanggu asked directly in Manchu, as Yiken'e only knew a few words of Manchu.
"Okay!" Yiken'e hugged Feiyangu's neck and drooled over him.
Saito's hands were itching; he wanted to take Ikene from Feiyangu's arms.
"Stay away, you're too rough." Fei Yanggu rarely had the chance to see Yiken'e, so of course he didn't want Saito to take the child away.
During the southern tour, Yiken'e stayed by Kangxi's side the whole time. When Feiyanggu came to pay his respects, Kangxi teased Yiken'e about handing over his maternal grandparents with a smug look on his face, which made Yiken'e's eyes show jealousy.
Whenever this happened, Kangxi would feel extremely happy, while Fei Yanggu would only complain that Kangxi was showing off.
“Father, I see Yiken even less often, can’t you let your son have some fun first?” Saito complained to his father.
In fact, Yiken'e was like a lucky baby, often held in Kangxi's arms when entertaining ministers, and Kangxi would not shy away from discussing state affairs with Yiken'e.
For those loyal to Emperor Kangxi, the position of Crown Prince was unreliable, and the lack of a legitimate son was the biggest drawback.
If Kangxi had lived to see Yiken'e reach the age of service, the succession to the throne might have changed. No wonder Suo'etu was anxious.
"You two should reduce your contact with Yiken'e. People outside are always watching the young prince." Fei Yanggu felt sorry for his grandson, but he couldn't let his son interfere too much, after all, this was a royal matter.
“Ama…” the two Seto brothers called out at the same time.
"Shut up, just listen to my arrangements!" Fei Yanggu stopped the two from continuing. The situation in the court was delicate, and as the maternal family of the Fourth Prince, they had to consider many things.
Seto shut up, but his mind was in turmoil.
“Father, I think my elder brother is right. Even if we try to avoid suspicion, we’re still labeled as the Fourth Prince and the Little Prince. As long as the Little Prince is still around, we can’t change sides.” E’shuo also felt that having more contact with Yiken’e was like having a powerful backer for him.
“His Majesty hasn’t issued a secret decree for us to make contact yet. Remember, the only person a subject is truly loyal to is the Emperor. The prosperity and longevity of a family depend on Qingyan having a strong backer. If Fourth Prince does anything wrong, the new Emperor, seeing the loyalty of the Ulanara family, can also ensure Qingyan has a stable life.” Fei Yanggu had always considered things from a long-term perspective. The situation with the Crown Prince was, for the time being, quite stable.
After he finished speaking, Saito and Eshuo fell silent. They understood what Feiyanggu meant.
Seeing Yiken'e's large, watery eyes, they had some thoughts in their minds. If that position could fall into Yiken'e's lap, they would feel more at ease. They had to get married as soon as possible, and when Yiken'e chose a study companion, her family members would definitely support her.
"Fourth Prince won't let any of his children serve as companions to Yiken'e. If Qingyan has another son, the family's lineage will have a very high chance of continuing." Yin needs to keep the Ulanara clan in check. Xiao Guai will enjoy favor in the harem for life; without other families to counterbalance her, the young princes need to be kept in check. (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.)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
