At the banquet, everyone wore smiles, but Qingyan couldn't feel any real warmth. Instead, the way several officials' wives looked at her sent chills down her spine.
"Sister-in-law, whose family are those three officials' wives on the outermost right side?" Qingyan glanced at Consort Tong carefully taking care of the two children and asked Yin Genjueluo Shi directly.
From the moment they entered, the three officials' wives stared at her, occasionally revealing a hint of hatred.
At this moment, she felt somewhat lost, knowing that she was not good at socializing, something that Lady Yin Genjue Luo should be aware of.
Yin Genjue Luo turned her head to the right and saw the three women Qing Yan had mentioned. She was slightly taken aback. These three were all spies carefully arranged by Cao Yin.
After arriving in the south, Yin Genjue Luo would occasionally participate in gatherings of the women and learn some secret information.
These three women were Cao Yang's aunts, and were sisters with Cao Yang's mother.
Ever since Cao Yang was sent directly to a villa in the capital by Yin, Cao Yang's maternal family has wanted to use her as a connection to get in touch with Yin.
When news of Yin's disdain for Cao Yang reached them, her entire family was furious. Cao Yang had schemed against Yin, but she was still Yin's woman. Apart from his primary wife, Cao Yang was one of the few women Yin had taken into his household. They hoped that Fei Yanggu would act rashly in anger for his daughter.
In this way, Qingyan's most powerful backer disappeared, and in order to balance Yin's position in the court, Kangxi also had to arrange for Yin to take a concubine.
Contrary to expectations, just as everyone was speculating about how Fei Yanggu would make his move, news arrived that Cao Yang had safely arrived in the capital, leaving them disappointed.
Fei Yanggu was a military general, but also a shrewd one who understood what was going on and knew Kangxi's plans.
"Fourth Princess Consort, is there any secret to the success of Linglong Pavilion?" The woman sitting closest to the door walked towards Qingyan and asked loudly as she approached the group of people who were not with Qingyan.
"That's a ridiculous question. What kind of principal wife would personally handle business? I don't recognize you, Madam. Whose official's wife are you?" Qingyan looked at the lady outside the circle with a confused expression and asked directly.
The lady was probably around thirty years old, and her appearance was starting to decline. She had applied a thick layer of face cream, and it looked like she was carefully dressing herself up to win her husband's favor.
The ladies watched the woman appear as if they were watching a play.
"This is the principal wife of the seventh-rank prefect, Madam Li," the wife of the salt commissioner quickly reported.
Qingyan turned to look at Li Shi. Perhaps she should rebel against Li Shi. Back then, there was also a Li Shi who was preparing to enter the Fourth Prince's mansion, but in the end, Yin interfered and prevented her from entering.
"Fourth Princess Consort, why are you looking at me like that?" Li asked anxiously.
It is said that the Fourth Prince's wife was difficult to get along with, and Li was even more worried that she would be targeted by the Fourth Prince's wife, so she had no choice but to compromise.
"Sister-in-law just wants to know who taught you your manners," Yin Genjue Luo sneered. This woman didn't even have a shred of manners.
The women fell silent, realizing that this was not an ordinary gathering in Jiangnan, but rather an audience with Consort Tong.
Instantly, the hall fell silent as Consort Tong watched the spectacle from her elevated position.
"Why take it so seriously, Fourth Sister-in-law? This lady is probably just asking out of curiosity," the Crown Princess quickly stepped forward and said.
As soon as the Crown Princess finished speaking, Qingyan's face instantly turned ugly. The Crown Princess had embarrassed her, and her sisters-in-law all shut up. For the past few days, the Crown Princess had been making trouble for Qingyan.
Consort Tong frowned slightly at the door; the Crown Princess was going a bit too far.
"Alright, it's a rare occasion for everyone to gather together today, so please take your seats." Consort Tong stood on Qingyan's side, and she wouldn't tolerate the trouble caused by the other women.
At this moment, the Crown Princess regained her senses. Listening to Consort Tong's words, she secretly realized something was wrong.
Recently, she has been harboring a grudge. Shi Wenbing's status has been declining, while Fei Yanggu and his two sons have been rising in status. The families of her sisters-in-law are generally more outstanding than those of the Guarjia clan.
The Crown Princess's mood became increasingly unsettled. While urging her family to improve themselves, she also spent more time searching for Qingyan's weaknesses. She believed that as long as she suppressed this top person, there would be no problem.
“Mother, Second Sister-in-law is absolutely right. Outsiders only see the prosperity of Linglong Pavilion. As part of my dowry, everyone is certainly curious about how it is managed,” Qingyan said casually, while the women around her perked up their ears. “Actually, as part of my dowry, all the management and operations of Linglong Pavilion were handled by people found by Father. I don’t know anything about it either.”
As soon as the words were spoken, the women all sighed. It was said that the Fourth Prince's wife was the best at getting information out of people, and now they thought she had become quite capable.
"What Xiao Guai said is true. Who here doesn't have a dowry? And who manages their own?" Consort Tong was very satisfied with what Qing Yan said, and she could finally rest assured.
Qingyan nodded and briefly met with Madam Yingenjueluo in the office control room. She noticed that Madam Cao was carrying a small handkerchief and instantly realized that Madam Li must have been instigated by Madam Cao.
By saying these things directly during the audience, Zhao Cheng failed to leave a good impression on Consort Tong, which might affect his husband's promotion.
Qingyan admitted that Madam Cao was quite shrewd. She used Li Shi to make trouble for Cao Yang, and made Cao Yang feel wronged. If outsiders were to say anything, it would be that Cao Yang had mentioned it to Li Shi before leaving, which led his aunt to make trouble for him.
She slightly curled the corners of her lips, plotting how to retaliate. Madam Cao looked at Hutuli Fengsheng Zhalafen with a strange gaze. Qingyan activated the space's protection system, enveloping Hutuli Fengsheng Zhalafen in a protective shield. Even if Madam Cao made her move, Hutuli Fengsheng Zhalafen would still be protected.
"Your Majesty is truly blessed to have twin grandchildren, a boy and a girl." Madam Cao composed herself and began another topic.
The royal family publicized the birth of the twins extensively, so that scholars in the south would understand that the Qing Dynasty was recognized by Heaven; otherwise, twins would not have been born into the royal family.
"Hmm, you're not bad either. You already have several grandsons, and I've heard your granddaughter is quite adorable." Consort Tong was also familiar with the Cao family's affairs.
Before leaving the capital, Emperor Kangxi made a point of learning about the Cao family's descendants.
It is said that Madam Cao did not like her granddaughter, but Cao Yin regarded her as a ladder to advancement and planned to carefully cultivate and invest in the third generation of the royal family.
"Yes, this little girl is very fortunate, and she happens to be about the same age as Prince Yiken'e," Madam Cao said, keeping it a little secret.
Instantly, Consort Tong looked at Madam Cao, and even her smile vanished.
"How old is Yiken'e now? Even in the future, it will be His Majesty who decides." Consort Tong implied to the women that they should not have any ideas, as Kangxi would not allow Yiken'e to have another primary or secondary consort of Han Chinese bannerman blood.
Lady Cao was humiliated by Consort Tong, but she could only accept it with a smile.
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