At dawn, Fei Yanggu put on the armor of the Plain Yellow Banner and waited at the gate with his two sons. Today, they would be going to war with the army. There were still many things to tell him about at the mansion, so he handed over the difficult task of waking Qingyan to Yin.
The child is excellent. He changed his clothes early in the morning and went to Qingyan's room. Xiaoguai's morning grumpiness caused the maids who served him a lot of trouble, and Yin was clearly one of them.
Looking at Qingyan sleeping soundly, his heart softened. It was just past 1:15 AM, and according to Qingyan's habits, she was completely immersed in her sleep.
"Su Peisheng, Su Lan, you two prepare Qingyan's things and put them in the carriage." Consort Tongjia had already provided the two little ones with her own carriage. Yin redesigned it according to the carriage reference drawings given by Qingyan. Sure enough, the Consort's carriage became a multi-functional one-bedroom apartment.
He carefully wrapped Qingyan in the cup on the bed, then draped a cloak over her and put on a hood. He placed her little face on his shoulder, picked her up, and carried her outside.
Saito and Eshuo were stunned by Yin's behavior. This guy was clearly protecting her and didn't care about anyone else.
"Father...Fourth Prince..." Qingyan was undressed and carried into the carriage by Yin, which was considered unruly by anyone.
Fei Yanggu smiled, thinking that it was truly remarkable that Fourth Master had gone to such lengths.
The imperial concubine's bright yellow carriage stopped in the courtyard of the Ulanara family mansion. The interior of the carriage was divided into two spaces by a screen, and there was a carved soft couch inside, enough for the two of them to rest together.
The outside was used as a reception room. Unlike other carriages, the carriage driver could only ride a horse, and the interior of the carriage was laid horizontally on top of the vehicle.
"Let's go!" Fei Yanggu mounted his horse. With the time running out, they had no choice but to head to the meeting place.
Once inside the carriage, Yin settled Qingyan on a soft couch. The carriage had been modified so that even on the most bumpy journeys, the passengers wouldn't feel any discomfort.
"Hmm..." Qingyan opened her eyes half-asleep. Yin didn't pay much attention and just patted Qingyan's back to help her fall asleep quickly.
"It's still early, sleep a little longer!" Qingyan listened to Yin's words and hid in the space again, where the bed was much more comfortable than the one outside.
Half an hour later, Fei Yanggu arrived at Shenwu Gate with his son and the guards of the mansion. The imperial concubine's carriage slowly drove up, and everyone bowed to the carriage.
After Consort Tong left the palace, the girl in the carriage must be the daughter of the Fourth Prince and Fei Yanggu.
These two children grew up together as childhood sweethearts, even going to war together.
"Your subject greets Your Majesty!" Yin, dressed in a small, bright yellow battle robe, stood respectfully beneath the carriage and greeted Kangxi. "Qingyan is still sleeping."
Yin spoke the second half of the sentence very softly. Kangxi slowly felt guilty. Qingyan rarely went out, and this trip was fraught with dangers ahead.
"Get up!" Consort Tong stood side by side with Emperor Kangxi. "Lanya, let's use the imperial carriage instead. Yours has been modified into a mess."
Kangxi spoke softly to Consort Tongjia. She looked up and saw that the bright yellow carriage stood out conspicuously among the carriages of the other women.
"Pfft, Xiao Si's mind is quite sharp." Consort Tong was very proud of her son's intelligence.
In his letter, he mentioned changing the appearance of the carriage, aiming to make Consort Tongjia more comfortable. To outsiders, Yin's actions seemed like indulging in frivolous pursuits, but Suo'etu was quite pleased. The Fourth Prince was a pragmatic man who could avoid the limelight of the Crown Prince.
Everyone knew that Fei Yanggu's daughter had followed the central army, but now, at the mobilization rally, the little girl was nowhere to be seen. The censor and some law-abiding officials all thought that Qingyan was just doing his duty.
Some people who wanted to see Qingyan in person were having doubts.
"Set off!" After a long string of words of encouragement, Kangxi issued the order to set off.
As the bugle call to battle sounded, the first thing Yin did after climbing into the carriage was to glance at Qingyan, worried that she would be awakened by the noise outside. He went into the inner chamber, but the little girl showed no signs of waking up.
"You brat, all you do is sleep." Yin chuckled. "Sulan, you may all leave."
Yin gestured for Su Peisheng to remove his battle robe, leaving him in only his undergarments, and leaned against Qingyan.
As the sun rose, more and more people were out and about. Today, because the emperor was personally leading the expedition, the road was paved with yellow earth and surrounded by yellow curtains.
While Qingyan was leisurely playing chess with the Duke of Zhou (a figure in Chinese mythology associated with dreams), news of her departure for the expedition reached the ears of the noblewomen of the upper-class families. The strained relationship between the Jue Luo clan and Qingyan was no secret in upper-class society, and now, the Emperor had openly slapped the Jue Luo clan in the face.
Her maternal family sent someone to tell her that she shouldn't go back unless there was a reason. Her affair was getting bigger and bigger, and basically none of the women in the Jueluo clan were able to find good husbands.
"Damn it!" Jue Luo smashed two cups. Fei Yanggu actually asked His Majesty to leave with Qingyan. If she stayed in the capital, how many people would talk behind her back about her being an unkind mother?
Meanwhile, Dong Eshi's room had long been turned into a sea of porcelain shards. As soon as the army set off, Dong Eshi returned to her study. Last time, at the old lady Dong Eshi's birthday banquet, Dong Eshi Wanting offended the fourth prince, bringing shame to all the girls in the family.
He submitted a memorial requesting to participate in the war, but the Emperor did not appoint him. Instead, he had Fei Yanggu take his place.
"Father, I heard that Princess Faulana also went to war with the army?" Dong Eshi looked at Dong Eqishi, wanting to know if these were just rumors from outsiders and not true.
She never expected that the girl she once looked down upon would stand in front of her, not only favored by the Empress Dowager, but also protected by the Emperor and Consort Tong. Compared to her, she felt like she had been abandoned.
"Yes, he went to war with the army. I'm useless as a father; I couldn't even fight for a chance for you." Dong Eqi was somewhat dejected. Fei Yanggu and he had been competing since they entered the royal academy.
In their youth, they compared academic achievements; as they grew older, they compared military exploits and their wives. The foolish things that Lady Jue Luo did made Dong E Qi Shi laugh for days, but alas... Fei Yang Gu held a higher position in the emperor's heart than he did.
"Hmph, she's just an unwanted wild girl!" Dong E sneered. She admitted that Qingyan was too well protected, and many of them, the socialites, were envious and jealous of her.
Dong Eqi smiled. He knew that while they were currently enjoying their success, it might not last. Fei Yanggu was getting old, and his two sons hadn't yet achieved much military merit. If anything happened to Fei Yanggu, the Ulanara family would be ruined.
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