When the army was preparing to return to the capital, Songgotu frowned upon hearing the news. They had hoped that Galdan's rampage could slow down Kangxi's advance and delay the return to the capital.
It even caused Kangxi's army to completely disappear on the grasslands.
Kangxi was aware of all the schemes of the Hesheli family. What pained him most was Yinzhi's complete betrayal, which caused him great distress.
"Lanya, how could this child have turned out like this?" Kangxi held Consort Tong's hand. Kangxi had sacrificed too much for Yinreng Lanya. She was even framed by the Empress Dowager, causing her own daughter to die young.
The person he felt most sorry for in his life was Lanya. His son's mistake sent chills down his spine.
“Xuan Ye, the child has grown up and it has nothing to do with you. Suo'etu must have something to do with him.” Lan Ya had a good relationship with Yin, and she did not believe that Yin was as bad as Kangxi said.
At this moment, Yin, leading Qingyan, came to pay his respects. Standing at the tent entrance, he overheard Kangxi and Lanya's conversation and couldn't help but feel angry and resentful. His mother was unaware of how arrogant Yin would become in the end, leaving Kangxi heartbroken and dejected for the crown prince he had raised and protected.
"Little Fourth, come in." Upon hearing Kangxi's summons, Yin pulled Qingyan into the tent.
She looked at Kangxi suspiciously. Tomorrow, the army would return to the capital. His mood was terrible. Qingyan was curious, but dared not use the spatial system to investigate, for fear of causing herself unavoidable pain.
"Father, have you had breakfast?" Yin asked cautiously, regaining his composure.
Kangxi smiled and nodded. He felt a sense of warmth from Yin's words; there were still good sons among his sons.
Su Lan respectfully handed over the fruit, much of which she had obtained from local farmers.
Consort Tong only took Qingyan to the inner tent. The conversation between Emperor Kangxi and his son Yinzhi reached their ears intermittently, but Consort Tong did not say a word.
Qingyan fiddled with her small handkerchief, using the screen in the space to observe the situation outside.
Yin was essentially being blamed; the Crown Prince had thoroughly enraged Kangxi.
"Qingyan, you don't need to get involved in the power struggles between royal brothers, and you certainly shouldn't get involved." Consort Tong looked at Qingyan, who was too young to understand the situation she was about to face.
Qingyan nodded. In her memory, the Crown Prince was not removed from power because of this incident, and Kangxi even protected the Crown Prince.
At lunchtime, Consort Tong and Qingyan came out, and the atmosphere inside the imperial tent became even more tense. Qingyan sat quietly next to Yin, and he used the table as cover to hold her soft little hand. Earlier, Yin had been severely scolded by Kangxi, and he knew that this was just Kangxi taking his anger out on him.
Qingyan had a stomachache after the meal. He never expected that the Crown Prince would tacitly allow Suo'etu to take such a drastic action against Kangxi. No wonder Kangxi was furious.
Before leaving the imperial tent, Emperor Kangxi issued an imperial edict that the army would set off for Beijing early the next morning.
Even if someone from the Hesheli family was in the military camp, and the news was relayed back by fast horse, it would probably be three days later, and by then it would be too late for preparations to be made in the capital.
That night, many people in the camp were unable to sleep. The casualty rate in this campaign was significantly lower than in previous years, and some of those who had been conscripted felt quite relieved.
Before the war, many people from the same village or hometown formed sworn brotherhoods, hoping that after their sacrifice, someone could send a message back home.
Just after Chen Shi (7-9 AM), Su Peisheng quietly called out to Yin.
"Have Sulan prepare some food; Qingyan probably won't be able to get up." Yin shook his head helplessly. He warmed himself up in front of the heated floor before quickly entering Qingyan's bedroom. He carefully wrapped her in a blanket, then put a cloak over her, letting her bury her face in his chest.
Fei Yanggu and the others were already fully prepared to depart. The three of them, father and sons, couldn't help but laugh as they watched Yin Xing's hurried figure.
At this moment, Qingyan must have been asleep, and even Consort Tong was carried out by the Emperor.
Qingyan hid in the space, comfortably eating barbecue. The temperature on the grassland was extremely low in the morning and evening, and you could feel the winter as soon as you went out.
We arrived in the capital just before the Spring Festival.
"Little darling, get up and have some breakfast first." Su Lan put breakfast on the table, and he held Qing Yan in his arms, telling her to fill her stomach before going to sleep.
"Mmm..." Qingyan was awakened by the aroma of the wontons. How could the barbecue in the space compare to the pure, natural, and pollution-free tiger prawn wontons?
Qingyan obediently opened her mouth, letting Yin feed her spoonful by spoonful.
"Sisi, why are you leaving early?" Qingyan thought she could relax for two days and have Feiyanggu take her for a stroll in the dense forest.
While feeding her, Yin whispered something close to her ear.
Soetu wanted to take advantage of the New Year to let Yin control real power in the capital.
Upon hearing Kangxi's order, he chuckled inwardly. Soetu hadn't truly grasped Kangxi's intentions. If the Crown Prince had behaved himself, the other princes would have had no choice but to submit. But the Crown Prince was restless, and that was when their opportunity had arrived.
"Be good after we return to the capital!" Yin stroked Qingyan's hair and whispered his instructions to her.
Consort Tong informed him that during this period, he and Qingyan should not enter the palace easily; at the very least, they should not be discovered to have made any moves.
"Hmph!" Qingyan gave a haughty snort, which might have been acceptable if the other princes had heard it.
The Dong E clan's residence was far from peaceful. Her system was constantly reporting on the movements of the other princes, including the Third Prince and Consort Rong's backer, Lady Ma Jia. They appeared to be standing by Yin's side, but in reality, they were causing trouble behind the scenes.
After finishing breakfast, Qingyan tightly gripped Yin's clothes with her little paws and whispered to Yin about the Dong'e family mansion.
His slightly surprised expression didn't last long. After a moment, he closed his eyes briefly and whispered to Qingyan to be careful.
"Little darling, don't tell anyone about this." Yin Tai understood Yin Zhi. In his previous life, Yin Zhi valued civil officials. In the end, Kangxi sent him to the Wenchang Pavilion to compile books, which was nothing more than a disguised form of protection. He hoped that this son could be protected. Yin Zhi did not understand Kangxi's good intentions.
Yin instructed Su Peisheng to carefully deliver tea to Fei Yanggu, using this opportunity to keep Fei Yanggu and the other two away from the princes' infighting.
She had no idea that her reminder would ensure the safe arrival of Fei Yanggu and his two sons in the capital, preventing them from being implicated in treason. Of course, that's another story.
When Fei Yanggu received the secret message from his daughter, he was devastated. He was loyal to Kangxi, but he did not want his children to suffer as well. Kangxi's unusual behavior made him even more cautious.
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