On the way back to the capital, Yin lazily hid in Qingyan's carriage. The two of them often used the carriage as cover to sneak out into the space to rest.
The air in the space was fresh, but Yin often stayed in the audio-visual room. He was more concerned about the situation in the capital. Qingyan's mysterious place was more useful than the shadow guards she had carefully trained.
Being able to send messages back at any time prevents them from being too passive.
"Little darling, can the news from the Hesheli residence be sent back?" Yin was worried that the Crown Prince had gone astray. He still remembered that Kangxi had fallen seriously ill before he was about to depose the Crown Prince.
"Fourth Prince, His Majesty says that no matter what sounds you hear later, you must not show yourself." Li Dequan's voice rang out from outside as Qingyan pulled Yin out of the space.
Yin lifted the carriage curtain, and two pairs of bewildered eyes stared directly at Li Dequan.
"Princess, you must keep an eye on the Fourth Prince. No matter who says anything to you, you must not utter a sound. Once everything is safe, His Majesty will come in person." Yin noticed that the people around their carriage had been replaced by the Dragon Guards.
Immediately, his unease grew. He looked at the screen and saw the number of pedestrians outside gradually decrease. The place he had just passed through was once known as the ancient Loulan Kingdom, but now it had become a small city. Yin gazed at the endless yellow sand and felt a deep sense of emotion.
The once prosperous street scenes have all vanished with the wind, just like the Qing Dynasty of yesteryear.
"Little darling, let's not go out for now." Yin realized that the black saris were really bad; it was impossible to tell whether those were women or not.
On the street, people in black saris walked in twos and threes, some of them with a murderous look in their eyes. Yin finally understood why he was so nervous.
He pursed his thin lips, his eyes gleaming coldly. Kangxi probably sensed something was wrong and ordered Li Dequan to come over.
Those people were all watching the carriages' retreat. As they set off, Kangxi strictly forbade any disruption to the people's normal lives. Qingyan's chubby little hands were pinching his little mouth as he kept eating snacks.
The atmosphere outside grew increasingly tense. Looking at the situation on the screen, she felt she couldn't handle it on her own. The passersby strolling on either side seemed almost unreal, like they were wearing makeup.
"Little darling, have you found any flaws?" Yin didn't care. He needed to conserve his energy. He looked down at the little one in his arms. He thought this was a good opportunity and was ready to teach her a lesson in intrigue at any time.
Qingyan looked at the package carefully. Was it any different from usual?
She quickly shook her head. Afternoon was the day when ladies went shopping. Weren't these people in black saris married women?
“Look at the pedestrians on the street,” Yin said, pointing to the screen.
"They're all wealthy ladies shopping!" Qingyan ruffled her hair. What's so strange about that? Some of them were followed by one or two girls dressed in colorful saris. "Those behind them must be maids, right?"
The saris worn by upper-class ladies and servants were similar in color, but their textures were vastly different.
She hadn't paid attention to any of this, and the eyes of the vendors on both sides were also shifting, as if they were investigating something. Suddenly, Qingyan's thoughts slowly became clear.
“There are no small children. Generally speaking, older children will stay at home and come out.” After Qingyan left the old house, Fei Yanggu would take her out with him every time he went out.
Yin patted her small shoulder, confirming that she was indeed not a hopeless case.
“Women in black saris aren’t necessarily women.” Yin gazed at her, something he wouldn’t normally say.
"Not a woman?" Qingyan was stunned. Their figures were truly exceptional; most men would be aroused just looking at them. "Such hot, sexy figures, how could they not be women?"
She stole a disdainful look at him.
Immediately, Yin became furious. He had received a secret report that some people in the border fortresses had trained a group of transvestites.
"A transvestite!" Qingyan was stunned as soon as Sisi uttered those words.
Ladyboys are prevalent in Thailand, which is quite far removed from the Qing Dynasty. How did they manage to cross the ocean?
"Really?" Qingyan didn't believe it at all.
Initially, Yin was unsure. Later, Kangxi arrested several people from the city, and after being interrogated by the Dragon Guards, they discovered this secret. Kangxi didn't hesitate to use himself as bait to completely dismantle the forces on this side.
"Father Emperor investigated." Yin frowned. The events of the past few years were largely the same as in his previous life, yet there were many differences. Consort Tong's daughter had not been born, and her health had not been completely ruined by pregnancy.
Each time, he felt fortunate that he had returned early and prevented Consort Tong from dying prematurely.
As soon as Emperor Kangxi's imperial carriage passed, the vendors at the very back of the stalls began packing up. She surveyed the small town; most of the houses were built of yellow mud, and the men on the street wore their hair in the traditional rat-tail style and dressed in their finest local attire. Their faces seemed to wear smiles, but their eyes betrayed a cold indifference.
"Were all these people arranged?" She recalled reading in novels that some prefects would secretly arrange for their servants to pose as ordinary people so that Emperor Kangxi would praise them. She voiced her guess, and Yin burst into laughter.
Qingyan turned her head and looked at his smile. Is this guy really Iceberg Four?
"Little darling, you've been reading too many storybooks." Yin was speechless. No one had ever been able to cause trouble under the Emperor's nose.
She pouted. But when the time truly comes for the struggle for the throne among the nine princes, all these speculations will become reality.
Yin recalled past events, in which officials, led by Cao Yin, had embezzled a considerable amount of silver.
“Storybooks originate from reality,” Qingyan muttered angrily.
"The ministers who were exiled to the frontier were basically the Emperor's most loyal followers. They would never do anything to betray the Emperor." Yin did not deny their loyalty.
Back then, during the struggle for the throne among the nine princes, the central ministers had to choose sides simply because they wanted to leave a better future for their sons. However, they overlooked the fact that none of the royal princes were easy to deal with.
Qingyan played with his slender fingers; his right hand, worn smooth from years of holding a pen, had developed thin calluses.
At the gates of the county town, the guards began to slowly let the shopkeepers leave. Today, many stalls closed early. She figured that some were preparing to go back to seek refuge. With the emperor stationed in the county town, things probably wouldn't be peaceful for the next few days.
Ordinary people were filled with fear, and returning home to seek refuge as soon as possible was the best course of action.
"Sisi, will something happen?" Some of the vendors and shops on both sides of the street had already closed their doors, and dinner hadn't even arrived yet; something was clearly wrong.
Under the protection of the Imperial Guards and three armies, they slowly entered the city, and the small county town became overcrowded.
Yin was secretly delighted; Qingyan was perceptive and could sense that something was amiss.
"Yes," Yin replied.
Previously, Fei Yanggu and others had put forward three plans, ready to await Kangxi's orders at any time.
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