Chapter 1872 Consort Tong's Punishment
Inside the villa, servants kept sending messages to the Fourth Prince. It has to be said that these were all agreements reached between the imperial family members and Yinzhi and Yinsi during their imprisonment. Once they returned to the capital, these people would come forward and prepare to cause trouble for Yinzhen.
Although Yinzhen made arrangements and Yinti personally led troops to rescue everyone, these people were not grateful. Instead, they kept in mind the agreement they had reached with Yinzhi and Yinsi, which was more tempting.
After the members of the imperial clan were rescued, Yinti, Yinzhen, and Yintang did not rush back. Instead, they strolled along the beach and learned some things from the fishermen's homes.
“Little darling, the Eighth Prince… has crossed Father Emperor’s bottom line. It seems we should make Tulichen accept it.” Upon hearing the people’s comments, Yinzhen specifically sent Erlu to find Tulichen.
"Fourth Prince, if we just give up now, what will Father Emperor say?" Qingyan was very worried. Yinzhen had never abandoned a mission so directly before.
Yinzhen smiled wryly. If his father had really let him handle it, he wouldn't have sent Tulichen so close behind.
"We can't move for now. The prefects of the coastal prefectures have all been watching from here for a while now, and they're very influential in the local area," Yinzhen said with a sigh.
The carriage slowed down considerably, and all three families prepared to close their eyes and rest, intending to report back to Emperor Kangxi upon their return.
Inside the imperial tent, Kangxi had already received firsthand information. He summoned both Yinzhi and Yinsi, and Consort Tong even summoned the Third and Eighth Prince's wives.
The Eighth Prince's wife was from the Gioro clan. After hearing what Yinsi said, she kept thinking about Yinzhen and Qingyan's return and hoped to go and plead for them, at least to prevent them from speaking ill of Yinsi in front of His Majesty.
Yinzhen and his entourage did not return; Kangxi had already summoned Yinsi away.
"Your Majesty, the young masters have woken up. Look..." Shu Rong whispered in Consort Tong's ear.
The Third and Eighth Prince's wives were kneeling very close to her, so she could hear them very clearly.
"You two kneel here and reflect on your actions." Consort Tong helped Shu Rong away.
The Third and Eighth Princess Consorts exchanged a glance, their hearts filled with resentment. Consort Tong actually valued the twins, while they had so many things to do in their own residences. How could she make them wait so long?
Inside the side hall, Shu Rong kept a close eye on the two consorts in the main hall. She noticed that Consort Tong was behaving in a rather unhurried manner, which made her slightly worried, as neither of these consorts were easy to deal with.
"Qingyan's mother has already severed ties with the Jueluo clan, so there's no need for her to care about that relationship anymore. It's wishful thinking for Eighth Prince's wife to plead for her," Consort Tong sneered.
An hour later, Consort Tong left the side hall with Shu Zhu to watch over the twins, and then left with Shu Rong. The two consorts had already begun to move their knees slightly.
"Get up and kowtow." Seeing that the punishment was almost over, Consort Tong waved her hand, signaling the two to rise.
With a look of helplessness on their faces, Consort Tong finally allowed them to rise. With the help of the maids, the two ladies-in-waiting took their seats.
"Noble Mother, today..." The Eighth Prince's wife looked at Consort Tong with a strange expression, hoping that Consort Tong would explain.
"His Majesty summoned the Third Prince and the Eighth Prince. You should know why. For the sake of the royal family's reputation, this matter won't cause a commotion. You should know that we won't always be so lucky," Consort Tong sneered.
The two wives felt a chill run down their spines. They knew a little bit about the situation: after the imperial clansmen were imprisoned, Yinzhi and Yinsi had been drinking and chatting happily in a separate courtyard, saying that they could cause trouble for Yinzhen.
Now, the two wives are quite annoyed. It's obvious that Kangxi and Consort Tong are protecting Yinzhen. After the Golden Festival, they have completely lost hope and can only submit to Qingyan.
“My dear mother, the master never tells us what he does outside,” the Third Princess Consort said directly.
Now, the Third Prince's wife would rather absolve herself and let Yinzhi take the blame directly.
"Fine, since you think it's the third prince's fault, let the two of you discuss it when he returns." Consort Tong had some reservations about the third prince's wife.
The Empress Dowager is right. This woman has definitely gone too far. She's actually pointing fingers at the royal princes.
"Eighth Prince's wife, what are your thoughts?" Consort Tong asked, looking at Lady Jue Luo.
"My dear mother, I really don't know anything about Master's affairs. I hope you can forgive me this time. In the future, I will definitely ask Master beforehand if anything happens," Jue Luo Shi quickly said.
While the group was locked in a stalemate, Shu Hua walked in from outside and whispered something in Consort Tong's ear.
"Your Highness, Fourth Master and Fourth Princess Consort have returned and are currently waiting in the courtyard to pay their respects." Shu Hua's words gave the two princess consorts a sudden inspiration, hoping that Qing Yan could intercede on their behalf.
Even between sisters-in-law, appearances still need to be maintained, so the two had already prepared a plan in mind.
Yinzhen brought Qingyan into the palace, first paying his respects to Consort Tong, and then standing respectfully to the side.
"Mother, this trip was short, so I couldn't go sightseeing. I only bought some trinkets to amuse you," Yinzhen said directly.
Qingyan stood aside with a smile on her face, as if she were agreeing with Yinzhen's statement.
"Alright, you two are both good children, sit down first," Consort Tong said, pointing to the seats next to her.
After the two sat down, Qingyan looked at the two sisters-in-law kneeling on the ground with suspicion.
"Mother, what are Third Sister-in-law and Eighth Sister-in-law doing here..." Qingyan stared at Consort Tong.
"No need to say more, His Majesty has ordered the two to be punished, so it's best to obey the decree." Consort Tong resolutely stopped Qingyan from getting involved.
With her two sisters-in-law's plans thwarted, Qingyan breathed a sigh of relief and obediently sat to the side, waiting for Consort Tong to send the two away.
As the sun set, the two left Consort Tong's tent, and were helped by their personal maids to their own tents.
Consort Tong, seeing that there were no outsiders in the tent, looked at Yinzhen and asked, "What exactly happened? Why were you kidnapped and taken to the coastal area?"
"The imperial relatives have reached an agreement with the third and eighth princes. There must be something special going on. Now that they've been released, it seems they have some complaints about me." Yinzhen never hid anything from Consort Tong.
Qingyan sat to the side, her eyes fixed on the twins who had been brought over; the two little ones were happily holding hands in the hall.
"The Empress Dowager wants to protect the imperial clansmen, so she must have something to say. You must be very careful and absolutely do not let them have any leverage over you." Consort Tong had clashed with the imperial clansmen several times, but she was always the one who was pushed around by them.
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