Later that evening, An Yi handed Yin and Qingyan over to Tu Lichen and quietly disappeared with the Dragon Guards.
Emperor Kangxi and Consort Tong strode over, surrounded by a dense troop of Imperial Guards. Yinzhi and the others also arrived, Yinzhi carrying the twins in his arms; both were somewhat startled.
"Fourth brother, thank goodness we got there. We had just brought the twins out when your main courtyard caught fire." Yin was still a little scared. If they had been any slower, the two children would have really been in danger.
"Brother, thank you so much. I was worried about the two children, but we were trapped here and couldn't worry about that anymore," Yin said sincerely.
The Crown Prince swaggered over, and upon hearing what Yin said, a dark expression flashed across his face.
"Fourth Prince, we should investigate this thoroughly. They're not even sparing the children." The Crown Prince glanced at Yiken'e, the little guy who was a bit scared and was clutching his collar tightly.
As Kangxi's imperial carriage approached, the sound of whips drew near. Yiken'e twisted his body to look outside, and the Crown Prince happened to see this scene, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes.
Yin and Qingyan both took in that look, and felt extremely annoyed.
Everyone knelt on the ground to pay their respects. Kangxi got off the imperial carriage and quickly walked towards Yin. Seeing Yiken'e's aggrieved little expression, he immediately hugged her in his arms.
"Is Mafa's Yiken'e injured?" Kangxi asked in a low voice.
The princes kneeling nearby all wore complex expressions. The crown prince clenched his fists and blew on his sides.
“Mafa, sister!” No matter where she is, Yiken’e will never forget Hutuli Fengsheng Zhalafen.
Consort Tong stepped forward, took the little girl away, and the two of them, holding the child, looked down at the crowd on the ground.
"All of you, begin to kowtow," Kangxi commanded.
He, however, did not hand Yiken'e over to Yin, but always held him in his arms.
"You two will also come with me. From this day forward, Yiken'e and Hutulifengsheng Zhalafen will be by my side." Kangxi was also annoyed. An assassination attempt had actually occurred on the way to the south.
Yin followed the princes toward the main courtyard. Yin would probably be staying in the imperial palace, as his other residence had been burned down.
After sending everyone back, Tu Lichen quietly withdrew.
"That's enough. From today onwards, none of you are to return. Arrange for servants to clean the palace courtyards." Kangxi gave the order, and all the servants around the princes were taken away.
The prince and others sat on chairs, with Yiken'e and Hutulifengsheng Zhalafen held in their arms.
"Father, what trouble has the Fourth Prince gotten into?" Yin asked directly.
Kangxi looked at the Crown Prince and saw that his face was full of expectation.
The atmosphere inside the hall was extremely oppressive, and the princes all slowly endured it.
Yin pursed his lips, feeling displeased.
"The fourth prince did as I instructed, only discovering a problem with the betting point. It seems he has infringed upon the interests of some people in the south." Kangxi felt that all the children had been beaten and each had their own ideas.
The Crown Prince looked somewhat embarrassed. In the officialdom of Jiangnan, the greatest beneficiaries were the Hesheli clan.
"Father, the Crown Prince is absolutely right. This matter must be thoroughly investigated. We absolutely cannot let the Fourth Prince's family suffer such a great loss," Yin said frankly.
The Yin family had always loved twins. Songkelierha had been taking care of her younger brother and sister the whole time. She saw that the two children were frightened and spent a long time comforting them on the way.
Kangxi and the others turned their attention to Yin, hoping that Yin would come forward and make his request.
Li Dequan entered carrying teacups, placing a cup of warm tea beside each person. He bowed slightly and waited beside Kangxi.
"Father, it was my oversight during the investigation that allowed others to see the flaws." Yin smiled coldly. He had memorized all the names written on the document and would never allow the twins to suffer any injustice.
The Crown Prince was secretly pleased. Yin had said he had personally investigated, and later, someone specifically attacked Yin. For the sake of his father, the Emperor, he tried his best to eliminate Yin during the southern tour.
The gray income from the south was one of the important sources of his luxurious lifestyle in Yuqing Palace, and these absolutely could not be cut off.
Moreover, betting on the dragon boat race every year is also a major source of his funds, with each bet accumulating into a substantial sum.
"Fourth brother, did you place a bet?" Yin Zhi remembered that his subordinates had mentioned that every year during the dragon boat race, someone would set up a betting pool, and the bookmaker would basically be someone who could win 90% of the time.
The southern region is home to many civil officials who are fond of refined pursuits and occasionally indulge in a little gambling for pleasure. When Yin Zhi finally came over, he was also led by them to place bets.
Yin was taken aback. How did Yin Zhi find out?
"Third Brother... do you know the inside story?" Yin asked suspiciously.
Yinzhi nodded, stood up, and bowed to Kangxi.
It turned out that on their first day in Yangzhou, Yinzhi was summoned by the local officials to watch the dragon boat races. They even made an appearance on the luxurious boat, composing poems and painting. By chance, Yinzhi noticed the betting stalls at the dock. He just wanted to take a look, but the officials told him that these stalls were run by people who had connections with the dragon boat racers and were using money to participate in the races.
What they truly profited from was the people's money. Most importantly, they gained the influence of the salt merchants. On the surface, the salt merchants had no connection with officials.
"These people are clever; they've actually come up with this method of dealing with things," Yin said directly, being a straightforward person.
Upon hearing this, Kangxi's expression darkened further. He had a slight idea of who had set it up.
"Father, we must investigate. We can't let the people think that the court is taking money under the guise of bribery." The Crown Prince, hearing his brothers talking, had no choice but to step forward and express his opinion.
Even though his heart was bleeding, he was contemplating how to push that person out as a scapegoat.
Qingyan paid close attention to the Crown Prince's thoughts, worried that Yin's accounts were being dug too deep.
Kangxi has directly exposed Yin, and the Crown Prince will likely take even more actions against him. It seems Yin must be constantly careful. She looked up at the two children, who were still staring at her blankly.
"I ordered Tulichen to conduct a thorough investigation, but the fourth prince has been framed." Kangxi directly exonerated Yinzhi, with one in the open and the other in the shadows.
Everyone's attention was drawn to Yin, and Tu Lichen tried his best to dig deeper.
Yin knew he was in trouble. Tulichen was only loyal to his father, the Emperor, and he couldn't use the Crown Prince's authority to force him to hand over the account books.
"Fourth Prince, you and your wife take the children to see Imperial Physician Yuan for a pulse diagnosis." Kangxi decided to send the two away. The Crown Prince's unnatural behavior caused Kangxi to lose face.
Originally, Consort Tong had said that the Crown Prince would definitely extend his influence to Jiangnan. Before the southern tour, he confidently said that the Crown Prince would not do so, but now he no longer had that confidence.
"Yes!" Yin and his companion, carrying the twins, disappeared from the main hall.
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