After dinner, Qingyan strolled along the palace path under the night sky for the first time. She saw that the palace lanterns on both sides of the long path were already lit. The bright red palace walls and the soft palace lanterns gave her the feeling of being on a modern television filming set.
The sight of genuine eunuchs passing by on both sides calmed her.
Inside the palace, one must be extremely careful; violating palace rules will certainly result in punishment.
"Sisi, slow down!" Sulan and Suxin surrounded Qingyan, but she felt a chill in her heart.
Yin turned around and saw the little girl walking behind him with a pale face. He took her little hand in his, and the warm touch made Qingyan feel a little warmer.
"Little darling, don't be afraid, there are people all around!" Qingyan's eyes sparkled; Yin had always been by her side whenever she needed support.
"It's eerie!" Qingyan said in a low voice.
Yin smiled calmly. He had lived here for decades and was used to the eerie atmosphere on the palace road after nightfall.
The Forbidden City has been built for so long, and there must have been quite a few wronged ghosts among its inhabitants.
"Don't think about these things, just think about how you'll be at the prince's place soon!" Yin Gui advised her.
For the next few years, Qingyan will have to live in the palace for a long time, and he won't be able to be by her side every time.
Upon arriving at the prince's residence, Qingyan finally felt completely relieved, sensing that she had relaxed entirely.
"Fourth Prince, where do I live?" Qingyan's little head started to turn. The Prince's residence only had a few main rooms. Yin Ke hadn't asked Su Peisheng to prepare any other rooms.
"Live with me, just like before. All the servants who can reach the main courtyard are loyal, so there's no need to worry about any rumors spreading." Yin had long anticipated that before the Empress Dowager passed away, Kangxi would send Fei Yanggu and his two sons to the border of the grasslands to keep watch.
She went into the study and lay down on the soft couch, her little face puffing out.
Life in the palace must be exhausting!
Having to maintain a certain air about oneself while dining at Chenggan Palace, strictly adhering to the tradition of not eating more than three meals a day, must have been quite disheartening for the food-loving young lady.
"Su Peisheng, have someone bring up the seafood hot pot." Before leaving, Yin instructed the kitchen to prepare another meal for the little guy, as he would definitely be hungry when he returned.
Upon hearing Yin's instructions, her large almond-shaped eyes instantly lit up, which was truly delightful.
After the pot was served, Qingyan noticed that it contained not only seafood, but also some vegetables and tofu products, which was much better than what was made in the small kitchen of Chenggan Palace and suited Qingyan's taste better.
"Mother can't eat things that are hard to digest for dinner. From now on, you can go over and have dinner with her. Before you leave, tell her to prepare her favorite foods. That way, even if we bump into each other, there won't be any gossip." Yin was worried that Xiao Guai was too shy to speak up.
As Qingyan ate her rice and dishes, her little head kept nodding, as if she had heard what Yin had said.
***********************
At three-quarters past midnight, Yin quietly got up, looking at his sleeping little darling beside him, his heart warmed. The huge mahogany bed was no longer cold. He leaned down to kiss her little face, then lowered the bed curtains and quietly left the inner chamber.
Su Peisheng had prepared washing and toiletries well in advance, and according to Yin's habits, he certainly wouldn't wake Xiao Guai up.
"Your Majesty, breakfast is ready!" Su Peisheng had the small kitchen prepare a light banquet breakfast in advance, as instructed by Yin, while Yin's breakfast was brought from the Imperial Kitchen.
"Yes, the red date and millet porridge has been kept warm and has been prepared. You're not allowed to eat it cold, as she says." Yin didn't care much about the food, but the little guy had a bit of a temper, which gave him a lot of headaches.
Su Peisheng shrank back. It would be better if the Fourth Prince explained these words to the Princess himself, since they were all suppressed by Qingyan.
"Alright, you're no good anyway. Sulan, I'll have dinner with her when I get back from court!" Yin looked at the stew on the table, but he didn't have much of an appetite anymore.
The small kitchen was exquisitely prepared, better suited to Qingyan's taste. He had been eating the dishes from the imperial kitchen for decades and was already tired of them.
Having explained everything, Yincai left the princes' quarters in his court robes. As soon as he stepped outside, he saw Yinzhi with dark eyes.
"Fourth Prince, is Princess Ulanara staying here with you?" Yin Zhi heard from Consort Rong that Qingyan had been arranged by Emperor Kangxi to live in the Prince's quarters. However, the people they sent had not entered the inner courtyard, so they were not very clear about where Qingyan was staying.
Yin nodded. With Kangxi's decree issued, no one could use the reputation of Qingyan as an excuse.
Immediately, Yinzhi felt resentful. Kangxi's attitude towards Qingyan and Dong'e was too obvious, and Dong'e's status was not as high as Feiyanggu's.
"Third Brother, is there a problem with Xiao Guai staying here with me? Father Emperor thinks she's too young and shouldn't be moved around too much!" Yin Bu mentioned that Fei Yanggu had gone on an errand, and there was no one to take care of Qingyan at the new residence.
Yinzhi was speechless. He had originally wanted to ask about the whereabouts of Fei Yanggu and his two sons, but Dong Eqi secretly sent someone to deliver a message that the three of them had gone off to carry out an errand. This errand was most likely to involve plotting against the Khorchin. Yinzhi wanted to redeem himself in front of the Empress Dowager. If he could make Fei Yanggu and the others botch the errand, Kangxi would certainly not be so biased.
“Yes, you two are not yet married, so it would be better to let Qingyan return to the mansion first!” Yin Zhi did not miss any opportunity to argue with Yin.
Yin smiled slightly; Yin Zhi was meddling a bit too much.
Kangxi did not take the initiative to disclose the whereabouts of Fei Yanggu and his two sons, but others had ulterior motives and wanted to find out. When he returned, he would give Qingyan a proper instruction to make sure he didn't let anything slip.
The Empress Dowager's health will deteriorate in the next few days, so they should be respectful. Yinzhi's stains cannot be washed away even with the best efforts. Seeing this person trying to take Qingyan down with him, he could not suppress his anger.
“Third Brother, Father is worried. There are few people in the new residence. He’s afraid someone might bribe a servant and harm Qingyan.” Yin looked at Yin Zhi and directly refused. “Let’s go to court first. If you think it’s not good for Qingyan to stay here, you can tell Father directly.”
After saying this, Yin left Yin Zhi behind and left first.
Yin Zhi stared in astonishment at Yin's retreating figure; the other party had actually shown him no respect.
The farce that occurred at the entrance of the Prince's residence had already spread throughout the palace by the time Qingyan regained consciousness. The concubines knew that Kangxi kept Qingyan in the inner palace for two reasons: one was to protect Qingyan's safety, and the other was to control Fei Yanggu's favorite, so that he could focus on his duties.
Some concubines wanted to provoke Qingyan. They couldn't touch Consort Tong, and Qingyan, being young and a daughter of a court official, was the perfect target in the deep palace. She was also Yin's weakness, which made many people covet 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 read at m.qidian.com.)
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