The hall was quiet. As soon as Yin finished speaking, Cao Yin cautiously responded.
"This servant is a Manchu bannerman," Cao Yin replied cautiously.
As Qingyan listened to Yin's question, she silently lit a candle for Cao Yin. Being targeted by Yin, life was bound to be difficult.
"Then you should follow the Manchu rules. Why should you be like the Han Bannermen and pay so much attention to your reputation?" Yin asked.
Pfft!
Emperor Kangxi couldn't hold back any longer and spat out his tea.
"No!" Cao Yin felt a chill run down his spine. None of the princes were simple. Even the calm Fourth Prince was adept at setting traps for others. A simple question almost made him lose his composure in front of Kangxi. "This servant dares not think that way. This girl is my illegitimate daughter. Her mother is a Han woman. This girl has always grown up under her mother's care, and she is somewhat biased towards the rules of the Han Bannermen."
Cao Yin directly shifted the blame to his concubine, refusing to take responsibility for the crime.
Yin laughed coldly. It is said that Cao Yin doted on this concubine, which is why this daughter was sent to him.
“Cao Yin, the old nanny has always been well-mannered; don’t tarnish her reputation,” Consort Tong said directly.
Madam Cao was filled with apprehension. It was clear that Emperor Kangxi and Consort Tong did not want to keep the child. It seemed that the child would definitely be sent to the family temple.
"This servant begs Your Highness to spare her this time." Madam Cao decided to save the person first.
This incident happened suddenly, and Cao Yin's actions were even more outrageous, causing a great uproar throughout the city, and Kangxi's expression grew increasingly grim.
"Hehe, according to you, how should this matter be resolved?" Consort Tong looked at Madam Cao with disdain. This little servant doesn't know her place. It seems that she has been too lenient with them.
Cao Yin inwardly cried out in alarm. Consort Tong was known for her straightforward temper and her fierce protectiveness of her own. Yin had already changed the jade tablet, making him considered Consort Tong's offspring.
"This servant dares not. I beg Your Majesty and Your Highness to spare her life, considering her young age," Cao Yin interrupted Madam Cao and quickly said.
forgive!
Qingyan sighed. Cao Yin was truly a good father, taking care of his daughter's every need. But Madam Cao was not so fortunate, as she did have a legitimate daughter.
"Fourth Prince, you decide," Kangxi said, acting as if he were the one to relinquish control.
After Yinzhen got married, he was to be able to take on responsibilities independently, and Kangxi had gradually begun to let go of his responsibilities. Today, when Li Dequan talked about what was happening in Yinzhen's villa, he was so angry that he smashed a cup. Consort Tong persuaded him and calmed Kangxi down.
Upon meeting Cao Yin and hearing Madam Cao's words, he couldn't help but chuckle. With such a legitimate wife, how could the girls in this mansion possibly behave?
One by one, they curry favor with the powerful and wealthy. The princes' harems were basically filled with maids arranged by Lady Cao. Yin was an exception. This woman did not go in and they were stuck here.
"Your Highness, I'm back." Granny Liang returned. She was a confidante of Consort Tong. She whispered a few words in Consort Tong's ear, and Consort Tong's expression immediately improved.
"Fourth Master, I beg you, even if it means sending my daughter to the villa in the capital, I hope you can take her with you. If she stays in the south, she will surely die." Cao Yin wanted to plead for his beloved daughter, who was his favorite daughter and whom he had always cherished.
Cao Yang was really going all out for the Cao family.
"A villa?!" Yin sneered. "My villa isn't for taking in people."
Kangxi's lips twitched; what Yin had said was a headache.
"Fourth brother!" Yin was both amused and exasperated; Yin was showing Cao Yin no respect whatsoever.
"Fine, even my elder brother has come out to stop me. I'll have Erlu send someone to escort me back to the other residence." Yin relented. "However, I can only go there as a servant."
Qingyan looked at him suspiciously. Should he be taken to another courtyard?
"This servant thanks Fourth Master," Cao Yin quickly said, expressing his gratitude.
In fact, Cao Yin had already anticipated what Yin said. If he could get Yin into the villa, he could also arrange some manpower in the villa.
"Cao Yin, this is the last time!" Yin compromised, and Kangxi was very satisfied, so he simply dismissed Cao Yin.
Cao Yin left with his wife. Cao Yang had already been put into the Cao family's carriage, her eyes staring blankly outside.
At this moment, Yin looked at Kangxi without a trace of a smile on his face.
"Father, this is the last time. My villa isn't for taking in women," Yin complained directly. "Third Brother's villa isn't full yet. We can send these women over there. Third Brother likes to have beautiful women by his side."
As Qingyan listened to Yin and Kangxi arguing, she tugged at Yin's sleeve with her small hand, telling him to stop talking.
“You… I asked you to take in Cao Yin’s illegitimate daughter, also for your own good,” Kangxi pointed at Yin. “You did a good job this time, sending her directly to another residence. Cao Yin is unlikely to lay a hand on you. Xiao Guai is not one to cheat people. He owes you a favor.”
Qingyan lowered her head, feeling somewhat uneasy. Her father was clearly talking about her.
“Xiao Guai has done a good job.” Consort Tong stood on Qingyan’s side. The women in the family did not want too many women around their husbands. “Moreover, the princes’ wives are generally very sensible. It’s just that Dong E’s wife is a little too jealous.”
Consort Tong disliked Lady Dong'e, so any girls that Yinzhi took in who fell out of favor were sent to a separate residence.
"Alright, you handle the women's affairs. Take your daughters-in-law to the inner chambers," Kangxi said to Consort Tong, his tone softening.
Consort Tong got up angrily and summoned her two daughters-in-law to the inner chamber. After the three of them sat down, Consort Tong looked at her two daughters-in-law with a kind expression.
"You two did a good job in the south, Xiao Guai. Remember to send more people to keep an eye on the villa, and make sure it doesn't cause any trouble." Consort Tong didn't believe that the Cao family would give up this opportunity.
Cao Yang was carefully cared for and trained by Cao Yin, so she must have more tricks up her sleeve than the other women in the Cao family. Xiao Guai, on the other hand, is a woman without any tricks up her sleeve.
Now, Consort Tong is worried that the Qingyan banquet might be plotted against. Cao Yin is a shrewd man, and he actually sent his daughter inside ahead of time.
A strategic retreat?!
These four words flashed through Qingyan's mind. Sure enough, Cao Yin had been working in the officialdom in the south, and every step he took was deeply calculated.
"Mother, I will be careful. I may need Yuelai Inn and Linglong Pavilion to investigate Cao Yang." Qingyan remembered the name as soon as she heard it and prepared to have the two managers investigate him directly.
Consort Tong nodded in agreement. When it comes to the safety of the twins, no one can afford to be careless.
"Yes, that's right. Remember not to let her get close to the twins." Consort Tong nodded. "I'll handle the Empress Dowager's side. You keep a close eye on this girl."
None of the girls from the Cao family are simple.
“It’s not that they’re particularly skilled, but rather that the girls in the Cao family are all very good at putting on a show,” Yin Genjue Luo Shi said directly.
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