As evening fell, the twins reluctantly boarded the carriage, snuggling close to Qingyan, their little faces full of gloom.
She reached out and touched the heads of the two children. Apart from taking a nap, she spent the rest of the time playing with the two brothers, Seto, in the yard, something she could never do in the other courtyard.
"Mother, when can we come over again?" Yiken asked Qingyan, tilting her little head.
In the south, their lives were rather difficult. In the mansion, Yin controlled the entire mansion, so the children could play in the main courtyard.
The situation was different in the villa. They couldn't completely control all the servants, so Yin had to restrict the twins' activities.
"Let's come again as a family in a few days when your father is on leave, okay?" Qingyan asked lovingly.
This villa belongs to Fei Yanggu, so there won't be any spies around for the time being. Fei Yanggu only uses guards dispatched from the secret service, which can completely guarantee the safety of the two children.
"Come here, and bring only your personal maids if you wish. Don't bring any more servants." Fei Yanggu didn't want his villa to be exposed. It was near the suburbs, the best place for retirement. If it were exposed, there would be a series of problems.
Qingyan nodded obediently, hoping that her two children would no longer have to live a life of restraint.
She turned to look outside, where the people were already on their way home, their faces beaming with happy smiles.
“Father, the scenery in this villa is beautiful, but it’s a bit far from the city.” Qingyan liked the scenery here. On the way back, there was a field cultivated by the people, which was very different from the capital.
“Yes, that’s why I chose to buy it. This was originally the mansion of a wealthy merchant, but he had to sell it because his offspring were unfilial.” Fei Yanggu said with great emotion, after all, unfilial offspring are something that any family will face.
If ancestors worked diligently to build their businesses, but their descendants don't provide them with a proper education, they may squander everything that their ancestors worked so hard to acquire.
"Hmm, are there any other places nearby?" Qingyan asked Fei Yanggu.
It's good that Yin has an extra place to rest every year.
“Little darling, one villa here is enough. Too many will only attract too much attention.” Fei Yanggu also had his own ideas.
The Hesheli clan relentlessly pursued them, and Suo'etu mobilized a significant portion of his connections to begin paying attention to the in-laws of each prince.
Dong E and Ulanara held military power, which made Songgotu very nervous, fearing that these people in charge of the military might take some extra actions.
"Father, did Hesheli and Guargia cliques collude?" Qingyan remembered that the twins almost got into trouble, and Guargia clique's arm was among them.
With the two families behind Yuqing Palace clashing, Emperor Kangxi probably won't be happy about it.
"Hmm, Shi Bingwen doesn't trust Suo'etu. Besides, His Majesty's ideas are fickle. Shi Bingwen wants to protect his family, but he also wants to rise to power through the Crown Prince." Fei Yanggu sneered. No family can rise to power overnight.
Qingyan understood that few of Shi Bingwen's sons were successful, and the Crown Princess's brothers were basically only in their current positions because of the Crown Princess.
"Ahs, are the Guarjia brothers also in the military camp?" Qingyan recalled that when the Guarjia brothers were in the military camp, the Crown Princess had boasted about it for a while.
"Saitu nodded. Those two brothers overestimated themselves and wanted to join the New Army. However, they couldn't pass the first physical test, and in the end, they had to leave the New Army's training camp. That very night, when the two returned to the Guarjia residence, Shi Bingwen came to see Father, hoping to get them into the New Army for training." Saitu had a great dislike for those who got in through connections.
This new army was ordered by the emperor to disregard lineage and judge solely on ability.
What? !
Qingyan's eyes widened. Shi Bingwen actually knew how to use connections?
Not to mention, Shi Bingwen is a low-key person who rarely uses connections. Even as his family gradually declined, he did not, like others, get involved in the factions of powerful officials.
"It was His Majesty's arrangement of the marriage that gave Shi Bingwen such aspirations," Fei Yanggu concluded.
Shi Bingwen would use all his connections to place his sons in every important position, even if they couldn't become the backbone of those positions, as long as they could gain a foothold, that would be enough.
In fact, Shi Bingwen was hoping that after the Crown Prince ascended the throne, as long as the Crown Princess could secure her position as the primary consort, their family would prosper and flourish again.
"Little darling, you should reduce your contact with the Crown Princess." Fei Yanggu finally decided to reduce his interactions with the Guarjia clan.
Qingyan nodded in agreement, planning to have a proper discussion with Yin after returning home. Fei Yanggu, after all, was a seasoned official and must have discovered some problems.
Generally, Fei Yanggu would never ask Qingyan to reduce his contact with a certain prince. Apart from the scandal of Dong E, Fei Yanggu rarely spoke out.
"The Crown Princess has always disliked me, probably because of Ah Hun and the others," Qingyan muttered.
Fei Yanggu laughed. Xiao Guai was slowly starting to consider things comprehensively. Among the women, every gathering was a battle over men.
"Father, they're not stupid, they just don't like fighting," Qingyan complained, sticking out her little mouth.
Fei Yanggu laughed heartily. Every time Qingyan complained about him, Fei Yanggu felt extremely happy. Saito and Eshuo did not understand their father's humor, but their little sister's angry little face was really pleasing.
“Guo Luomafa, Hutuli Fengsheng Zhalafen doesn’t want to go back.” Hutuli Fengsheng Zhalafen looked at Fei Yanggu, hoping to stay in the villa where she could find her favorite flowers and swing.
Inside the separate courtyard, Yin also restored the scenery of the mansion completely according to his daughter's habits. However, Hutuli Fengsheng Zhalafen did not like it there. Every time she played in the courtyard, she could feel someone watching them.
“Well, not now, Hutuli Fengsheng Zhalafen. We agreed that in a few days, your family of four would come and stay for a few days. Guo Luomafa has to be on duty tomorrow and can’t accompany you!” Fei Yanggu softened his voice and said to Hutuli Fengsheng Zhalafen.
The little girl tilted her head and thought for a moment, then decided to listen to Fei Yanggu and wait for Yin Xiu to rest.
“Father, that person doesn’t even allow members of the Cao family to have an audience.” Qingyan said, pointing to the sky.
Fei Yanggu nodded. His Majesty was clearly giving Cao Yin one last chance. If Cao Yin remained obstinate, Kangxi would not show any mercy.
For several years, Cao Yin had been giving gifts to his superiors or officials who controlled the salt route. Kangxi had always kept this in mind, though he didn't say anything, he was very annoyed. Every time he made a southern tour, he would give Cao Yin some face, but now he was not going to do so anymore.
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