Three days later, in a small county town in Jiangnan, Fei Yanggu and his two sons finally met Emperor Kangxi and his entourage. Upon seeing Fulin, Fei Yanggu quickly paid his respects.
In the suburbs, the three members of the Fei Yanggu family deliberately chose an open area, so that even if someone wanted to spy on them, they would be exposed to everyone's gaze.
"Saituo and Eshuodao are quite good. They've built the new army up to this level, which is also serving the royal family." Fulin couldn't help but laugh as he looked at Saituo's shy appearance.
Consort Tong covered her mouth with a handkerchief and laughed. The two brothers, Saito and his brother, were both at the age where they had to get married. If they were so shy, how could they possibly be a good match?
"Your Majesty and Empress Dowager, how are you feeling?" Fei Yanggu looked at the two elderly people, who were in high spirits, and felt a little envious.
The situation was perilous at the time, and Kangxi secretly ordered Fei Yanggu to safely escort the two to Jiangnan. On the way, they indeed encountered numerous ambushes. There were even disguised Mongol cavalry; to this day, they have not been able to determine whether the order came from the Grand Empress Dowager or the Empress Dowager herself.
"Yes, Fei Yanggu, let's go into the city first." Kangxi nodded. With the two groups reunited, their safety could be somewhat guaranteed.
Once back on the carriage, Yin relaxed. For the past three days, Kangxi, Yin, and Yin had barely slept, fearing that someone might ambush them on the road.
The Imperial Guards hadn't slept for days. When they saw the new army, they relaxed and became exhausted. Several of them were even dozing off on their horses.
"Once we get to our lodgings, you should rest for a bit." Qingyan was so sleepy that she leaned against Yin, her eyelids drooping.
They arrived at the entrance of a courtyard in the bustling downtown area of the county. This was where the county's high-ranking officials and nobles lived. Fei Yanggu had bought ten houses here in advance, and the whole group could live here. All the surrounding residents had been checked one by one.
The advance troops of the new army have been here for almost a month. They have bought houses and even acquired a lot of property, as if they were outsiders who came here to settle down.
“Huh,” Qingyan looked out the car window and saw several two-courtyard houses next to her own, with their back doors locked, as if no one was home. “Sisi, have someone take a look and buy those two-courtyard houses as well.”
Yin glanced at the back gates of those courtyards, which were the only way they could go back. Now that these courtyards had fallen into the hands of the Eastern Palace, their movements would be under strict control.
According to Kangxi's wishes, they should stay here for a longer period of time, so there can be no negligence here, just like in Fulin's residence. Otherwise, they will really have a headache.
The carriage slowly came to a stop, and Qingyan followed Yin down from the carriage. Fei Yanggu specially arranged for the carriage to take Fulin and Kangxi, father and son, to their respective courtyards.
"Father... why did you come out early?" Ever since the Southern Tour, Qingyan had been looking for Fei Yanggu. A few days ago, Su Lan reported that Fei Yanggu had gone on official business and had not returned.
"Well, little darling, the journey may be a bit tough. Please take good care of the four of them's meals." Fei Yanggu and Fulin had a very good relationship. When they were young, Fei Yanggu became Kangxi's study companion. He spent much more time in the inner palace than outside, and Fulin became their temporary father.
Qingyan nodded quickly. After entering the room, she greeted all the servants and sat down. Then she looked at Fei Yanggu and his two sons.
"Father, how is that person still alive? No one in the palace has received any news all these years?" Qingyan's gossip-loving heart was ignited.
Many royal secrets have been sealed away in the torrent of history.
"Back then, when the Empress Dowager was still alive, she was very demanding. The Empress Dowager was no pushover either. To get a prince, she killed quite a few concubines. His Majesty's birth was also thanks to the Tong family's protection of sovereignty, otherwise..." Fei Yanggu shuddered as he thought about his time in the palace.
The Empress Dowager was very kind to the younger generation, and no one could imagine that she would use every means to deal with the struggles in the inner court.
"Father, the Empress Dowager was the Empress back then, the legitimate mother of all the princes. She was able to raise all the princes, so why did she have to punish the palace concubines?" Qingyan still remembered that the status of Mongolian noble ladies was extremely high back then. After the Manchu noble ladies entered the palace, none of them could compare with them, and the Manchu palace concubines were often suppressed.
"No, Manchu noblewomen have a very low status, while Mongol noblewomen represent the interests of different tribes. Their struggles become increasingly intense, and some noblewomen even join forces to frame others. Empress Dowager Tong and others seem to live in the cracks." After Fei Yanggu entered the palace, he served as a student for the princes born to Manchu concubines.
The Mongol concubines looked down on them. When they were in the Imperial Study, the Mongol concubines would cause trouble, making it impossible for the teachers to continue their lessons. In some cases, the concubines would even punish the princes directly.
“The Empress Dowager has toned it down a lot. When Xiao Guai entered the palace, I was worried that the Empress Dowager would make things difficult for Xiao Guai.” As Xuan Ye’s half-brother, Fei Yanggu had been harassed by the Empress Dowager quite a bit.
Xuan Ye was devoted to his filial piety towards Consort Tong. Even though the Empress Dowager began raising him when he was six years old, her kindness towards him was merely a facade. No royal offspring are innocent; they all understand that there are interests at play.
"Father, the Empress Dowager is alright. Hasn't she been living in Cining Palace for a long time? How could she frame me?" Qingyan asked in surprise.
Everything delivered from outside Chengqian Palace to Qingyan Hall was sent to the small kitchen in case someone poisoned it.
Su Zhu would check every day. When she first entered the palace, many of the things sent by Cining Palace had been laced with additives.
At the time, Qingyan was puzzled. She didn't have much contact with the Empress Dowager, so why would she directly poison her?
When news of the birth of twins reached the palace, Fei Yanggu's informant in the Cining Palace said that all the children sent to the princes' quarters had been baptized with secret medicines from various Mongol tribes. The Empress Dowager was furious with the nanny. The Khorchin had a princess of marriageable age, and Yinzhi was the most suitable among the princes. Without mentioning it to the Empress Dowager, Kangxi directly arranged a marriage for Yinzhi, causing the Khorchin to miss a golden opportunity.
“Little darling, it’s alright to be cunning in the palace and your residence, but when the prince arrives, if you don’t have some cunning, you might not even be able to give birth to twins.” Fei Yanggu shook his head and explained the problem that the spies in Cining Palace had discovered.
After he finished speaking, Yin's face instantly darkened. The Empress Dowager's smiling face made him feel disheartened.
"Father, does the other side know?" If Kangxi knew, he would probably warn the Empress Dowager.
"I'm warning you. When you were about to give birth, even the midwife was bribed by several people, including the Empress Dowager. You had a bunch of twins, which was perfect for paving the way for that noble lady." The Empress Dowager's plan was well-thought-out, and Fei Yanggu did a lot of things to trip her up afterward.
Empress Yin became frightened. Xiao Guai had been very cautious, otherwise, the adorable twins would not have been born.
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