In just one hour, Qingyan felt like she was in hell. Sweat soaked her back. She knew that no matter how brilliant the enemy was, the assassin would never betray his master.
When she actually faced such a scene, she had to admit that it really made her a little scared.
Consort Tong noticed that Qingyan's face was pale, but she did not stop the interrogation. Instead, she gave Sulan a look, signaling her to speed up the interrogation and resolve the matter as soon as possible.
"Little darling, sit up!" Qingyan leaned back in his chair, his eyes somewhat unfocused. When Consort Tong noticed this, she whispered a reminder to Little darling.
The maids were all adept at reading people's expressions; if their mistress relaxed even slightly, they would seize the opportunity to take advantage. Consort Tong had learned her lesson from these women, and seeing that Xiao Guai was softening, she quickly urged Xiao Guai to firmly uphold her resolve to punish them.
"Your Highness, this servant is truly innocent!" Almost all the servants from the small kitchen had been brought here. Some of them were indeed innocent, but Consort Tong dared not believe it. After all, Xiao Guai's safety should be the top priority.
The cries for help made Qingyan feel uneasy. These people were indeed shrewd; they knew exactly who to plead with to save their lives.
Those people miscalculated. Xiao Guai had already seen through the situation in the palace. Moreover, what they wanted to harm was her and Si Si's child, which she absolutely could not allow.
“Mother, they probably don’t want to betray their master. I admire such servants who are willing to dedicate themselves to their master to the point of death.” Qingyan coldly looked at the people below who were begging for mercy, and they couldn’t help but shiver.
Isn't the Fourth Prince's wife the most soft-hearted? They've already said that, so why say such things?
They were somewhat dazed. The Fourth Princess rarely entered the palace. In Chenggan Palace, Qingyan was an easy-going mistress, and the maids all liked to serve her.
"This servant...I'm innocent, Fourth Princess Consort! This servant has served you so many times before, when did something happen to you?" Among them, a nanny in her thirties knelt on the ground with a pale face.
Qingyan received the highest reward among the wives, which made them all very fond of serving Xiaoguai.
She dared not say a word. She gave them a reward every time they served her. Wasn't that enough?
"The bounty is your reward!" Qingyan didn't care much about what was happening around her, but she had to admit that the woman's words made her feel a little uneasy.
Consort Tong didn't care, but Xiao Guai's tone was a bit unpleasant.
"This servant wouldn't dare!" Qingyan retorted, making it clear to those kneeling on the ground that if they said another word, Qingyan would turn her back on them.
The courtyard fell silent instantly. They prayed silently that someone would rescue them. Their masters were probably about to abandon them. After all, they couldn't afford to be enemies with the Tong family and the Fourth Prince. This made them feel like they were on the verge of death.
"I wouldn't dare, but I'm just glad you're so bold." Qingyan hated being threatened more than anything in her two lives. These people had a huge order, and at this time, they were still trying to scheme against her.
Even while pleading for her, they didn't forget to set a trap for her.
What does it mean to serve her so many times?
Is it possible for a servant to criticize his master, which is tantamount to rebellion?
"Fine, I've finally had a grandson, but I can't let you ruin your karma. If you reveal who your master is, I'll punish you and your families." Consort Tong smiled and put her teacup aside.
Qingyan was taken aback. They were just going to let it go like that?
“This servant says…” Two old women spoke first, their hearts filled with growing unease.
Qingyan watched the play leisurely, knowing that Consort Tong would definitely not make a move in front of her, so she decided to stay out of it.
The commotion at Chenggan Palace was quite significant, and the palace concubines sent people out to investigate. However, the palace gates were tightly closed, and the servants who were trying to gather information could only eavesdrop. But soon, Emperor Kangxi arrived.
Before the imperial carriage passed, the sound of whips made many servants quickly hide in the palace passageway. Some who were slow to move were discovered by the imperial guards and quickly knelt down beside the palace wall.
Kangxi looked down at the servants, many of whom were junior servants who served as attendants to the concubines and would often pay their respects to him when he passed by.
Yin also discovered several of the concubines' later confidants, and his brows furrowed.
The fact that Chenggan Palace kept its gates tightly closed during the day was spread to Cining Palace by many people. Fortunately, the Empress Dowager was not the Grand Empress Dowager, otherwise she would have definitely sent Su Mo'er to reprimand her.
"Li Dequan, go and open the door!" Kangxi sat on the dragon carriage, his face icy cold. Yin, standing beside him, radiated coldness as if it were free. Even Kangxi couldn't help but touch his arm. This brat was really making him anxious.
He glared at Yin directly, but the latter did not back down in the slightest.
"If you keep doing this, Xiao Guai will be scared!" Kangxi said.
As soon as he finished speaking, Yin's icy aura instantly subsided. Kangxi felt his body warm up. Even in the dead of winter, he tried his best not to keep Yin by his side, because Yin would radiate coldness if he was even slightly displeased, and Kangxi couldn't stand it.
While the father and son were still talking, the people from Chenggan Palace opened the gate from the inside, and Shu knelt by the door to pay his respects to Kangxi and Yinzhen.
"Little Darling!" After paying his respects to Consort Tong, Yin noticed that Qingyan's complexion was very poor and couldn't help but feel worried. Little Darling rarely had such a look in her eyes.
Did the servant bully her?
Yin turned his head and glanced at the kneeling servants. There was no need to keep the servants from the small kitchen. They all had such high and mighty attitudes. Su Lan had reported that when the people from the small kitchen sent gifts, Qing Yan would give them a lot of rewards, hoping that they would take good care of Mother when they were not around. But she never expected that the servants would take the money but not take care of her. Instead, they came back to ask for Mother's share of the reward money.
If it weren't for the fact that he couldn't handle these glib-tongued people, Yin would have dealt with them immediately.
“Fourth! Fourth!” Qingyan turned to look at Yin.
She behaved very dignifiedly in front of Emperor Kangxi. Emperor Kangxi sat next to Consort Tong, pointed to the spot where Xiao Guai had just been sitting, and asked the couple to sit down.
"Lanya, it's quite lively here. There are quite a few people standing outside the palace walls." Kangxi's lips curled up slightly. Consort Tong rarely resorted to torture. If it weren't for the Qingyan banquet, she probably would have tolerated it.
Consort Tong snorted coldly. The servants in the small kitchen were all handpicked by Emperor Kangxi. If they weren't severely disciplined for a few years, some of them would turn against him.
"I didn't expect my sisters to be so concerned about things in my palace." Consort Tong couldn't help but chuckle. The other concubines clearly wanted to take this opportunity to make trouble and show Emperor Kangxi that Consort Tong couldn't even manage Chengqian Palace properly, let alone the vast harem. It was somewhat inappropriate to leave the Phoenix Seal in her hands.
Yin whispered in Qingyan's ear, inquiring about what had just happened. She didn't hide anything and told him directly. Yin's face instantly darkened. (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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