As dawn approached, Yin still hadn't returned, and Qingyan realized that things must be serious.
Fei Yanggu picked up his strong tea and took a sip, a hint of worry showing in his tiger-like eyes. Empress Hesheli was already restless; Suo'etu believed that Yinzhen was the greatest threat to the Crown Prince, after all, the birth of twins was something His Majesty had gone too far with.
"Father... was this done by people from the East?" Qingyan pondered. If it was done by Yuqing Palace, she would have to retaliate. Otherwise, the East Palace would always be so arrogant.
Fei Yanggu glanced at her but didn't speak. The people sent by the Sticky Rod Office and the Ulanara Clan were secretly investigating. Tu Lichen personally led the Dragon Guards to arrest all the assassins, but no one knew where they were taken.
"Little darling, we'll have to wait until Fourth Master returns before we can discuss anything." Fei Yanggu didn't want Qingyan to get involved in royal affairs. After all, everyone in the palace had their own agendas, and no one could stand behind the scenes.
The women of Yuqing Palace have tried many things to get to the position of Crown Princess. Now that the Crown Princess only has one daughter, Shulu, how many of them have made moves against her? The powerful families who could succeed her as Crown Princess would also make their moves.
Even the Empress Dowager, who was high and mighty, wasn't she one of these people? For the sake of Mongolia's interests, the Empress Dowager clearly had many grievances against the Crown Princess.
Emperor Kangxi saw all this but always turned a blind eye and never offered any help to the Crown Princess. Even Shi Bingwen only cared about the benefits his daughter could bring to the family and never cared about the suffering his daughter endured in the palace.
After Shi Bingwen's wife entered the palace, she always mentioned to the Crown Princess the desire to have a legitimate son, but no one learned the Crown Princess's true health condition from the imperial physician.
Fei Yanggu admitted that he couldn't be as ruthless as Shi Bingwen. His daughter had been hurt to such an extent, yet he, as her father, was still completely bewildered.
"Father, could it be someone from the Crown Princess's family?" Being away on tour is the perfect opportunity to strike.
There is only one rank difference between the Empress and the Crown Princess, but it makes a big difference to the woman's family. In particular, Shi Bingwen still wants the title of the Imperial Brother's Mansion.
The wives and families of the Emperor and the Crown Prince represent two completely different kinds of power. Ever since Shi Bingwen's daughter became the Crown Princess, Shi Bingwen has been showing off among his colleagues. Now that his daughter has not given birth to a legitimate son, and the Empress Dowager is putting even more pressure on the Crown Princess, Shi Bingwen is preparing to strike first.
"Father, do you think this whole thing is aimed at my sister?" Saito hates it most when anyone tries to harm Qingyan. For Qingyan, Saito and his brother Eshuo would risk everything for her.
Fei Yanggu shook his head directly. This matter was far more complex than they imagined; there were likely many other issues involved. The twins might be one reason, but not the main one.
“There’s one of the men in there whom I’ve met before. He’s one of Suo’etu’s men. He just came up into the house, and I saw his eyes. I’m sure of it.” Saito has a photographic memory. If someone has met him before, he will definitely recognize them if they reappear.
"Are you sure?" Fei Yanggu looked directly at his son. They had very few leverage points. To ensure Qingyan's safety, they had to secretly help Tu Lichen.
"Definitely. That person was sent to the New Army by Suo'etu's men, but because he was a bad person, we eliminated him directly. After all, the people in the New Army are supposed to be loyal and devoted to each other. If someone dares to do anything bad behind the scenes, it could bring great danger to the New Army." At the beginning of the establishment of the New Army, Kangxi repeatedly instructed Saito that no matter who offered him a favor, the person must be of high quality, and no one should be allowed to interfere with the New Army.
This secret order was known only to the three leaders of the new army; even Fei Yanggu was not entirely clear about it.
"Ah Hun, you said that person is one of Suo'etu's men. How could Tulichen not know that?" Qingyan thought that Kangxi might have withdrawn the New Army and the forces of Fei Yanggu and Yin Jitai in order to protect the Crown Prince's face.
After all, if the royal scandal were to be exposed this time—that the Crown Prince had bribed assassins to kill Emperor Kangxi—it would likely cause quite a stir.
"Little darling, Tulichen should know. That person should have delivered a message for the Crown Prince. However, we must try our best to keep it a secret." The ministers must pretend to be ignorant; Kangxi's intention was to ensure their survival.
Fei Yanggu nodded. The moment the assassin appeared, Yin Jitai had communicated with Fei Yanggu that neither of them should show their full strength. Fei Yanggu was worried about Qingyan coming directly, and he also wanted to remind Yin that no matter what happened, he should not force his way in, otherwise things would get out of control.
At this moment, Qingyan fell silent. The royal family truly had no kinship; face was all that mattered.
"Furthermore, Songgotu is not sure if the Emperor Emeritus is still alive." Back then, noble ladies from Khorchin were not suitable to be empresses, and it was only after the Empress Dowager bribed Sony that the Emperor Emeritus's two empresses were both noble ladies from Khorchin.
From that moment on, Empress Hesheri became a thorn in the side of the retired emperor. Now, Kangxi's first empress was Sony's granddaughter. In the retired emperor's eyes, this was a special reward from the Empress Dowager to Sony.
Fortunately, that old scoundrel Sony is dead; otherwise, the Emperor Emeritus would certainly not have been able to tolerate even the Crown Prince.
"Madam, His Majesty requests that all the ladies come over." Su Peisheng came in from outside, saw that Fei Yanggu and his two sons were there, quickly bowed, and then said to Qingyan.
Qingyan straightened her clothes and helped Sulan leave.
Upon arriving at **, Qingyan discovered that all the servants in the courtyard had been taken into custody, and a group of black figures surrounded the courtyard.
After Qingyan bowed, he sat down directly beside Yin. Several people were kneeling in the main hall. One of them was someone Saito knew, and the other surprised Qingyan.
At the Linglong Pavilion in the capital, this person would often order jewelry, and the price of each order would vary.
"Fourth Brother, this person should be from the Tong family. I remember that the price of the jewelry you order varies each time, but this person is always running errands," Qingyan whispered to Yin.
When Kangxi heard what Qingyan said, he glanced at Consort Tong.
"Little darling, are you sure?" Consort Tong recognized the man at first glance and immediately told Emperor Kangxi his identity. Longkodo was also drawn into the matter.
Yin frowned. Actually, he didn't want Xiao Guai to recognize people.
"Yes, I've been tormented by Si'er several times. This person always stands behind Si'er, and it's possible that he was kicked out by the Tong family." Si'er is considered a troublesome servant of the Tong family, so how could he be kicked out directly? Consort Tong also issued an edict requiring Lady Tong Guowei to eliminate all traces of Si'er.
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