"Mother!" Two soft, childlike voices rang in Qingyan's ears. She closed her eyes, thinking that she was hallucinating because she missed the twins so much.
Four chubby little hands landed directly on her face. Qingyan felt a slight stinging sensation on her cheeks and quickly opened her eyes. The two children's eyes were bright and sparkling. She quickly reached out and pulled the children into her arms.
"Yiken'e, what brings you here?" Qingyan asked softly.
Yiken hugged her neck, his little face rubbing against her cheek. Their delicate smiles made her feel an instant surge of joy.
Not far away, Yin leaned against the doorway, looking at his wife and children on the bed, a warm feeling rising in his heart.
She looked in his direction. Why had the twins come all the way from there? Who sent them?
The twins returned to Qingyan's side, and she took off their outer clothes and placed them in a silk quilt. Since they arrived so early, the two little ones might wake up very early.
"Sisi, why are the children here?" Qingyan asked softly.
"Father has something to attend to and is preparing to leave Qingdao for the newly built naval base," Yin whispered in her ear.
In the early morning, he was taken aback when he saw Tu Lichen bring the three children over. He quickly carried the sleeping children inside, and the twins opened their eyes as soon as they entered.
"Who brought them here?" Qingyan asked. She got up, changed her clothes, and asked Sulan to take care of the children. She accompanied Yin to the study.
Outside the courtyard, the servants had already begun sweeping the yard, and the servants of the twins were also standing in the yard, where Su Peisheng was instructing them on the rules.
"Tulichen personally delivered it. He just took his leave, saying that Father Emperor is not staying at the Yuelai Inn for the time being," Yin said directly.
The location of the new naval base was extremely mysterious, so Kangxi would not stay at the Yuelai Inn, as that would reveal the base's location to them.
"Very well, Yuelai Inn doesn't want to cause trouble, and neither do I." Qingyan was finally relieved.
He looked up at Qingyan, and the two of them were of the same mind, neither wanting to get involved in this matter.
Before leaving, Fei Yanggu instructed Yin and Qingyan not to inquire about military power again.
"Fourth Brother, will our eldest brother find out?" Qingyan asked.
The navy is definitely a lucrative prize, and many princes are waiting for their own people to get a piece of it.
"You should know by now. My eldest brother is not up to the task of naval operations. Initially, Father Emperor's best choice was probably Saito or Eshuo." Yin recalled that Fei Yanggu had become cautious. Faced with Kangxi's repeated probing, Fei Yanggu and his two sons had denied any interest in naval power. To avoid trouble, they made their stance clear to the outside world. "Father-in-law did the right thing. Judging from the current situation, the Crown Prince, the Third Prince, and the Eighth Prince should all want to get involved."
Behind the Eighth Prince's Consort, Lady Guoluo, stood the residence of Prince An. The military power of those men had been taken away by Emperor Kangxi, and since then, they had always hoped for a successor.
"Fourth Prince, I understand. Before I came out, I heard that the Eighth Prince's wife was doing some research." Kangxi revealed a little bit of information. The Eighth Prince's wife was maneuvering among the officials' wives, hoping to get their help.
Two days before leaving, Qingyan received a symbolic invitation from the Eighth Prince's wife, who said that a flower-viewing banquet would be held at the villa in four days. Qingyan declined directly, citing the need to take care of the twins.
"Hmm," Kangxi's departure from Qingdao was probably already known to someone who had inquired about it. "Tomorrow, we'll be moving to a different place. How far is the next Yuelai Inn from here?" Yin asked, holding his teacup.
He was figuring out a way to keep an eye on the scholars without revealing where they lived.
"It's only a half-day's journey. It's said to be located between this place and the sealed-off fishing village." Qingyan had already learned the exact location of Yuelai Inn beforehand. The innkeeper had just changed, and some of the people there weren't very reliable.
Yin pondered for a moment and said, "Su Peisheng, tell my elder brother that we will set off today."
The appearance of the three children early in the morning must have attracted attention. Tu Lichen led a large number of guards to protect the three children along the way, as it was not advisable to stay here for long.
"Sulan, go pack everything up. We'll leave before noon." Yin gave the order directly, as he always felt that pursuers were following us. "Xiaoguai, I'll go with you to the front."
Su Lan accepted the order and entered the inner chamber. Qing Yan looked at him. He had originally planned to stay for a few more days, but Qing Yan had not yet come up with a final design plan.
Upon arriving at the counter, the newly appointed manager was checking the account books left by his superiors. He quickly came out to greet the two of them.
"Master, did you come here to give me some instructions?" This man was only about thirty years old. He was someone who had trained the new army in Saito. Because his family was from a merchant background, Eshuo arranged for him to come in.
"Xie Rui, we'll be leaving soon. Yuelai Inn will be temporarily closed. I'll have someone deliver the blueprints once they're ready," Qingyan said to Xie Rui.
Yin Zhen stood guard to the side, carefully observing Xie Rui's actions. The people trained by E Shuo had a strong ability to withstand pressure. Even when Xie Rui released the emperor's aura, he was not afraid at all.
"Yes, this servant has woken up." Xie Rui was trembling with fear. He was well aware that the princes were vying for the position.
Yinzhen was chosen by Ulanara. She found that the powerful pressure emanating from the Fourth Prince was somewhat similar to that of an emperor, and she was overjoyed.
"Alright, after we leave, if anyone comes to harass us, don't tell anyone else when we're leaving," Yin added.
Xie Rui quickly bowed and greeted them. After the two left, Xie Rui felt that the air was no longer thin. He was extremely grateful to Qing Yan for allowing him to escape this predicament.
It is understood that the Fourth Prince is very exclusive and distrustful of outsiders. Xie Rui was not surprised that he would come to test the waters. Qingyan was well protected by the three male members of the Ulanara clan, and the Fourth Prince took care of her in every way. The thing that Eshuo was worried about probably would not happen.
At 3:45 AM, the carriage slowly left through the side gate, and the twins, still asleep, were transferred back into the carriage.
Qingyan sat beside the cradle, watching the children's sleeping faces, and the emptiness in her heart was filled.
During the days away from them, she worried about the children's safety every day, and Yin would sigh at night. He was also very inadequate in handling affairs and had to wait for Kangxi's instructions at all times, not daring to disobey in the slightest.
The cases of scholars committing suicide continue to expand. Every few days, a scholar who took the imperial examination this year dies. Erlu's investigation revealed that these people were all involved in the worship of the God of Wealth in front of the examination hall.
On that day, several hundred scholars carried the God of Wealth through the streets and then placed him at the entrance of the examination hall for worship for several days.
After this incident, the teachers at the Southern Academy were filled with anxiety, fearing they would be drawn into the Daoist sect.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com