The Crown Prince was in a state of great anxiety, hoping to clear his name as soon as possible. Li Qiao was sent by the Imperial Household Department, and those people needed to be dealt with; it was uncertain who had sent her.
Liqiao followed Tulichen, hoping that Liying would withstand the pressure and not expose her.
The family, following Suo'etu's instructions, seized every opportunity to bring down the Fourth Prince.
Aside from the Crown Prince, the Fourth Prince was the only prince who enlightened Emperor Kangxi. Therefore, if the position of the Crown Prince was unstable, the Fourth Prince's influence would increase.
She walked nervously into the tent, and after bowing respectfully to everyone, Consort Tong did not tell her to get up.
"Urig, look, aren't these two people the ones who were trying to pass on a message to you?" Consort Tong was also defending the Crown Prince. In front of the Mongol leaders, it would be more dignified for any prince's wife to do this than for the Crown Princess to do it.
Emperor Kangxi secretly gave Consort Tong an approving look. If the crown prince were to commit a crime, it would be a scandal in front of the Mongols.
"Your Highness, both of them are here. I believe that if one is found, the other will appear as well." Urig wasn't stupid. He was well-read and observant, which was why he was cherished by Dari Achi among his many children.
Dari Achi felt a pang of pain in his heart as he looked at his daughter's pitiful expression. If it weren't for the Crown Prince, his daughter wouldn't have been scolded by Consort Tong, and might even have had trouble with her marriage.
"Hmm." Consort Tong nodded. The little girl was sensible and quite good. "Liying, you go first."
In front of the other masters, Liying explained the whole story. Liqiao, who was in the same tent as her, had been talking about the Fourth Prince when she returned from outside. Liqiao said that by currying favor with the princesses, one could gain more trust from the Crown Princess.
Qingyan curled her lips. This Liying was good at talking. She was thinking of currying favor with the Crown Prince, but she said it out loud for the sake of the Crown Princess.
Prime Minister Suo promised them high-ranking positions and generous rewards. Everyone knew that if the Crown Princess fell, they could still stay by the Crown Prince's side, but if the Crown Prince fell, everything would be in vain.
At this moment, the Crown Princess stared at Li Ying with half-closed eyes. Before, she thought Li Ying was a good person and was prepared to promise her the status of a princess. Now, she was going to change her mind.
"No... I didn't make things up. I heard it from my maids in the inner quarters." Li Qiao was unwilling to give up. If she couldn't find the source, she would definitely be beaten to death by her masters.
Everyone looks out for themselves!
Liqiao said in a flustered voice, "My little sister serves Zhou Ying and is one of the Third Prince's people. She said she heard it from the Third Prince's maid, Lianxin."
In an instant, the atmosphere inside the imperial tent froze, and Kangxi's icy eyes turned to Dong E.
Yinzhi glared angrily at Dong'e, wondering what excuse he could use.
"My dear mother, your daughter-in-law has something to say." Dong Eshi felt that Lianxin's identity was something that could be used to her advantage. She had deliberately kept Lianxin behind so that one day she could replace her.
"Speak!" Seeing Dong E's confident expression, Yin Zhi felt relieved.
He didn't want to take the blame for others, and if his wife dared to nitpick behind his back, he wouldn't hesitate to divorce her.
“My dear mother, Lianxin comes from the Imperial Household Department. Her older sister is a princess who serves by the side of Gerfen, the son of Prime Minister Suo. I only recently found out about her daughter-in-law.” The Third Princess looked aggrieved, even though it had nothing to do with her.
Qingyan looked coldly at the Third Princess Consort. His sister-in-law had never gotten along with him and often teamed up with the Crown Princess to cause her trouble.
"The people around Gerfen?" Consort Tong looked at Lady Dong'e. The Third Princess Consort didn't understand Kangxi's meaning at all.
"My daughter-in-law is also very angry, but I feel that Lianxin has not done anything to harm the royal family's reputation, so I kept her by my side." Dong Eshi also felt that she was wronged. These were all troubles caused by the maids around her, and she could only teach them a lesson.
The Crown Prince's face darkened. Suo'etu had arranged many people in the palace, but he rarely mentioned them to him. Most of these people were only revealed to the Crown Prince after the situation was exposed, and Suo'etu only told the Crown Prince about them in order to rescue them.
At this moment, the Crown Prince only wanted to get through the ordeal himself; he didn't care about the people demanding the prime minister.
"Your Highness, do you know these people?" Kangxi wanted to give the Crown Prince a chance. After all, if the Crown Prince did not defend Songgotu in front of the Mongols, it might chill their hearts.
The Crown Prince sighed helplessly and said, "Father, I have never heard Prime Minister Su mention that these servants in the Imperial Household Department often slander their masters."
Emperor Kangxi nodded in satisfaction. The Crown Prince was sensible; at least he hadn't been framed by those servants.
"Tulichen, is Algishan at the camp? Have him come over." Minister Su sent Algishan to deliver a memorial of greetings. He is still resting at the camp and is preparing to return to the capital tomorrow.
Tulichen left directly. The Crown Prince hoped that Algishan could hold on, as long as he didn't assume that the other party was one of Suo'etu's men. He didn't need those people from the Imperial Household Department, as they always caused him all sorts of trouble.
Qingyan looked at Yin and felt that in the end, only a few servants would come out to take the blame in this round of shifting responsibility, while the real culprit would hide.
"We'll get our revenge someday!" Yin silently noted down the names of the real culprits, waiting for the right moment to avenge his wife and daughter.
Emperor Kangxi glanced at Yinhe and Qingyan out of the corner of his eye. The young couple hadn't said a word, and he felt a pang of guilt. For the sake of the Qing Dynasty's reputation, he had still let the twins suffer.
With both Yinzhi and Yinzhi's families involved, Suo'etu and the Imperial Household Department were merely targets.
"This servant greets Your Majesty!" Arjishan was woken from his sleep. He saw the Crown Prince and the others sitting there, and even Lianxin looked like she was pleading for help. He understood what was going on.
“Algishan, Lianxin said, she was following Songgotu’s orders to sow discord between the Mongols and the Fourth Prince.” Kangxi looked at Algishan. Songgotu’s two sons should not be too stupid.
"This servant is terrified. Lianxin's sister was taken in by my elder brother, but she has not contacted the family for a long time. How can you say that this servant's father ordered it?" With one sentence, Algishan directly shifted the blame, and Lianxin looked at Algishan in shock.
"The Imperial Household Department!" Kangxi was furious. He knew that Lianxin still needed to be protected, and he would investigate everything after they returned to the palace. The safety of the twins still needed to be considered.
“Urigge, this matter is related to your biased listening. It would be better to select candidates for you. Dariachi, take him back and discipline him strictly.” Consort Tong knew that Urigge was implicated, so strict discipline would suffice.
"Yes, this servant will reflect on her actions." Urig felt much better after hearing that there was no real punishment.
Qingyan lowered her head, a surge of anger rising within her. (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for it on Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
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