Inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, everyone's attention was focused on Qingyan. From the Yin Genjue clan to the Dong E clan, no one raised any objections regarding the betrothal gifts.
Before their wedding, they had all been cheated out of their money. They had only discussed it with their father, but the elders in the family restricted them from talking about it openly.
Kangxi held his teacup, glancing at Fei Yanggu out of the corner of his eye. He wanted to see if Fei Yanggu would rebel in court.
"Princess Ulanara, this servant knows his mistake. Later, this servant will make up for the missing betrothal gifts." The head steward of the Imperial Household Department noticed that among the main seats, only Qingyan's reading was the shallowest, so they focused their attention on her.
Qingyan stared at him in astonishment. This man was only around thirty years old, and the sharp glint in his eyes made her feel uncomfortable.
Si Si stepped forward and stood beside her, preventing the head steward of the Imperial Household Department from getting close to her.
"Insolence!" Yin slammed the teacup to the ground, his face growing even colder. "Damn servant, you've embezzled!"
"Fourth Prince, this servant dares not!" The head of the Imperial Household Department was newly appointed, and the rules continued the old ones. When he took over, the people under him were like a pile of loose sand.
Qingyan peeked out from behind him and noticed that the several stewards of the Imperial Household Department behind him had basically isolated him. It seemed that he had been ostracized by those people.
Her little hand tugged at Yin's belt. He had already discovered this matter. The newly appointed head of the Imperial Household Department was an honest official, but he was deceived by those below him.
"Galuk, Hailasun prepared this?" Kangxi narrowed his eyes. Hailasun was the former head of the Imperial Household Department who had been dismissed and was now being held in the Ministry of Justice awaiting interrogation.
Garu nodded. After taking over, he found that many things didn't match up, which annoyed him greatly.
Upon hearing the name Hailasun, Qingyan understood that Hailasun, the Minister of the Imperial Household Department, had a rather prominent reputation. He had taken over the Imperial Household Department in the fifth year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, but how much he had embezzled from it remained unknown.
Perhaps the person in history was different from the person we know today.
"Your Majesty, Hailasun has gained quite a few benefits!" Among the chief stewards of the Imperial Household Department, there are three Grand Ministers, who are considered the most capable subordinates of the Imperial Household Department.
None of the stewards below wanted to sit in that position; those bondservant families could reap numerous benefits simply by sitting in a small managerial position.
Despite the fact that in recent years, those powerful families of the Imperial Household Department have become increasingly unruly, with their embezzlement and greed allowing them to control the imperial offspring.
Qingyan smiled coldly, thinking that it was good that they had managed to get everything back.
"Mother, I'll take Xiao Guai to Chenggan Palace to wait first." Yin noticed that Qingyan's expression was a little off, so he quickly told Kangxi and the others.
Go to Chenggan Palace?
Qingyan looked at Yin suspiciously. The matter hadn't been resolved yet, and she, the person involved, was just leaving. Was that a good idea?
"Go!" Qingyan had several unruly servants beaten to death. In private, he cried all night. Kangxi knew about this and didn't want Qingyan to see those unpleasant scenes.
After bowing to Qingyan, Yin left the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
Only when she reached the door did her face finally relax completely.
"Little darling, where are we going?" Yin asked.
Qingyan rarely gets to enter the palace. In the past, she would go to see the Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager, and after paying her respects, she would accompany them as an attendant.
“Let’s go to the Imperial Garden!” Qingyan said.
In modern times, when she goes to the Forbidden City, the first thing she does is visit the Imperial Garden. Many of the flowers and plants there have stories to tell, thanks to years of maintenance and growth that have allowed them to withstand the disasters of those years.
"Fourth Prince, why exactly was Hailasun imprisoned?" In Qingyan's memory, Hailasun shouldn't have gotten into any trouble. Later, he followed Kangxi on his second campaign against Galdan, and because he couldn't bear the burden, those things happened.
"Corruption!" Yin's tone was icy. In both his lives, he hated greedy people the most.
He slowed down, and she walked leisurely behind him on her flowerpot-soled shoes.
"Fourth Brother, will the people from the Imperial Household Department cause trouble during our wedding?" Qingyan was very worried that they would be framed by the people from the Imperial Household Department.
He shook his head. If they told the truth, they would eventually be dealt with by the Emperor.
Moreover, since the Empress Dowager was in charge of palace affairs, in their eyes, Yin was someone to be flattered.
"Little darling, now is the best time to visit the Imperial Garden. You can come and stroll around here more often. It's also very close to Mother's palace." Yin held her little hand and explained the layout of the palace in detail, hoping that the little darling could remember it as soon as possible.
Unfortunately, Yin's expectations of her were a bit too high. The little one has a terrible sense of direction and will only learn to navigate slowly over a month.
"Fourth Sister, do the nannies all know the route?" Qingyan tilted her little head and pouted.
Pfft!
Seeing her aggrieved little face, Yin couldn't help but laugh.
“Of course, they’ve lived in the deep palace for decades, so they definitely know the rules better than you.” Yin led Qingyan to the pavilion, where they could see the roses that Kangxi and Consort Tong had planted themselves. “Do you see that red rose? Father planted it for Mother.”
Envy flashed in Yin's eyes. In his past life, he had personally lost the love and affection he had shared with his partner. In this life, he would never make the same mistake again.
Qingyan was surprised. Kangxi was an emperor, could he really be so romantic?
"My little darling, your mother has the best fate; many people envy her." Yin recalled how, when he was young, the concubines would often speak ill of Consort Tong. In his past life, Qingyan must have suffered so much. "From now on, I will make everyone envious of you, but I will not let those people bully you."
Yin's promise brought a touch of warmth to her heart.
"Fourth Sister, remember what I said!" Just as Qingyan stepped into the pavilion, several palace maids approached from afar, carrying trays with their injuries.
Qingyan sized up the group of people, who were dressed in light green palace attire and had no headdresses or ornaments.
Inside the palace, palace maids were not allowed to wear any jewelry or headdresses, as the imperial concubines wanted to prevent the maids from standing out in front of Emperor Kangxi.
Yin looked closely and became annoyed. Even without Wuya Shi, Song Shi still appeared in front of him.
Initially, Emperor Kangxi selected two palace maids to guide Yinzhi, and Song and Li were sent to Chenggan Palace to serve him.
"Little darling, don't meddle with those two palace maids!" Yin didn't want Qingyan to hear about the two women's identities. Song Shi and Li Shi had become a laughing stock among the palace maids, and many people said that if it weren't for them, Yin would definitely have accepted them.
He merely smiled coldly. These two were truly restless. His mother hadn't sent them back to the Imperial Household Department; perhaps she felt she owed them something. (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.)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com