In the evening, Kangxi summoned Yinzhi and his wife, and with a dark expression, he instructed them to protect the children as much as possible. In the past few days, men in black had searched the nearby courtyards, and several families with children of similar ages had been drugged with sleeping potions, but their family was the only one that had not been targeted.
During his visit, Tu Lichen overheard the servants of various households gossiping. He kept it to himself and, during the conversation, managed to extract a lot of information. The incidents usually occurred around midnight, and the servants had been patrolling the area, so very few people noticed.
“From tonight onwards, there will be hidden Dragon Guards in both of your courtyards until the person is caught. We cannot let the children suffer any injustice!” Kangxi did not want to send Dragon Guards to Yinzhi and Yinzhi’s side, so that the two of them would have any concerns.
The two exchanged a glance. This was the first time Kangxi had given advance notice of the dispatch of the Dragon Guards. They quickly stood up and respectfully agreed.
"Eldest daughter, little darling, move all the children to the inner chambers these next few days." Consort Tong thought for a moment and prepared to let them take all three children back.
She worried that there might be spies inside the facility, so she placed the children with their own parents, where they would be more easily protected.
Later that evening, Yin and Qingyan left the courtyard with the children in their arms. As they walked towards their residence, they made a special trip to the garden to admire the lotus flowers. Many servants saw the twins clapping their little hands happily as they followed their parents home.
After dinner, Yin and Qingyan skipped the study and instead played with the two children in the side chamber. The servants could hear the children's clear laughter very well.
The nanny for that night was chosen by Yin, and both of them came from the Imperial Guard. Qingyan wanted to take the child back, but the news wouldn't be leaked.
After coaxing the twins to sleep, Qingyan transported the children into her spatial dimension and placed two lifelike dolls of the same height inside the blankets. The two dolls were specially made to resemble the twins. Songkelierha also had one, and Yinhe and Yingenjueluoshi planned to use a similar method.
As they walked out, Yincai instructed the maids to go in and keep watch. The two of them walked hand in hand toward the inner chambers. In the garden, several servants who were sweeping caught Yincai's attention.
After dinner, the courtyard does not need to be swept. A few days ago, Xiao Sula said that it was Li Dequan's order that after the improvements were made, the courtyard should be swept one more time to prevent mosquitoes from breeding and biting the two young masters.
Yin even had Su Peisheng inquire about it, and it turned out that Li Dequan had indeed issued the order. He was a lowly eunuch from the south who always said that there were more mosquitoes in the evening.
After gathering information, Erlu personally went to investigate and found that the eunuchs who were sweeping the streets in the evening were all from Jiangnan, the same place as the person who made the suggestion.
"Little darling, do you think that person... has any problems?" Yin was unsure.
If he were in power, he would certainly rather kill one innocent person than let one guilty person go free. Now, however, Yin is somewhat at a loss, unsure whether these people were arranged by Kangxi.
As an observer, Qingyan was better able to offer Yin some suggestions.
"Hmm?!" Qingyan has been feeling a bit lost lately, and has been slow to gather information from the south.
The White Lotus Sect has always been a troublesome force for the Qing Dynasty, opposing the imperial court. Recently, news from the Yuelai Inn has made Qingyan somewhat panicked, as the White Lotus Sect may have a great secret.
"Fourth Brother, let's go inside first." Qingyan decided to share the news with Yin, as she couldn't make the decision on her own.
Yin glanced at Qingyan and realized the little girl was in trouble, so he quickly went back.
After entering the inner chamber, Su Lan and Su Peisheng helped the two of them wash and change into their undergarments before they were quietly wheeled out.
Seeing that no one was in the room, Qingyan took the child out and placed him on the inside of the bed.
"Fourth Sister, let's talk over there!" Qingyan lowered her voice unconsciously. After settling down at the octagonal table, she took out a letter from her spatial storage. "You'd better read this first!"
Yin glanced at her suspiciously, then took out the letter, skimmed through it, and looked at Qingyan in surprise.
The above was written by the innkeeper of Yuelai Inn. This person had dealt with the White Lotus Sect and noticed some subtle differences.
"The higher-ups are actually speaking Mongolian!?" Yin looked at Qingyan in disbelief. This...
Emperor Kangxi's crackdown on the White Lotus Rebellion was a major undertaking, so it's unlikely they were acquaintances.
"You haven't heard of it?!" Qingyan was also puzzled. If the White Lotus Sect members were really sent in by the Mongols in advance, Yin should have known about it.
Yin nodded; the shock was too great.
"Furthermore, I've had people investigate, and those people don't really look like people from the south. Wait a minute, there are two portraits!" Qingyan took out two more portraits and placed them on the table. "These are based on descriptions from people who have seen their faces. Take a look."
After the portrait was unfolded, Yin carefully examined it, hoping to find some clues.
As the second picture was unfolded, Yin's pupils contracted slightly, and he looked startled. This woman...
"Little darling, you're not allowed to take this portrait out again." Yin handed the woman's portrait directly to Qingyan, telling her to keep it safe.
The woman in the second portrait was probably the most capable head palace maid during the reign of the Empress Dowager. She was personally trained by Su Ma La Gu and was truly ruthless.
"Actually, Su Ma La Gu is quite capable. She only gradually became more compassionate after the Empress Dowager left. She would often come out to help when the princes were punished." Yin was grateful to Su Ma La Gu. Back then, the Empress Dowager often punished Consort Tong, and in the end, he was also implicated. If it weren't for Su Ma La Gu's persuasion, Yin couldn't imagine whether he would still be alive and healthy.
"Really?!" Qingyan had heard Fei Yanggu mention that Su Mala Gu's every move would affect the Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager.
But what is the relationship between this woman and Sumalagu?
"This woman comes from a collateral branch of the Khorchin clan, and should be a noblewoman from Mongolia. Before my mother entered the palace, the Empress Dowager arranged for this woman to stay in the palace for a while. Her relationship with my father was quite good, and he helped her keep it a secret. She liked the prince from the grasslands, and it was said that the two of them would get engaged directly after she returned to Mongolia." Yin took a sip of tea and said, "I don't know what happened in between, but this woman angered the Empress Dowager, and that prince was secretly dealt with directly. Her family was also demoted to the bondservant banner by my father on a pretext. I asked a former servant, and this imperial edict was issued by my father under pressure from the Empress Dowager."
After saying this, Yin gave a bitter smile. He was very worried that the farce was only due to that imperial edict from back then, and that the Empress Dowager had always controlled the Qing Dynasty.
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