The Crown Prince was left to interpret Kangxi's words on his own. Back in his courtyard, the Crown Prince asked, "Where is Lady Yang?"
"Reporting to Master, Miss Yang has gone back to her room to rest."
The person who answered was unsure of the situation and didn't know what the Crown Prince's attitude was towards this Miss Yang. So they didn't mention that Yang Qing had been given a hard time today. After all, if she really had the ability, she should come and complain herself.
"Yes, let her rest well these next few days!"
This means that he can't see her for the next few days. The servants immediately understood the Crown Prince's meaning and knew how to treat Yang Qing, so they were relieved.
"This servant will have someone convey this message to Miss Yang immediately."
It is about Miss Yang. According to Yang Qing's status, she should have been a concubine or at least a secondary consort when she entered the Crown Prince's harem. But in reality, she was not even as good as a princess and was just given the title of "Miss".
In the Crown Prince's harem, only concubines who were one rank lower than Gege were addressed with this title. It seems that neither the Crown Prince nor those around him take Yang Qing seriously.
Is Miss Yang here?
"Our young lady has gone to sleep. May I ask what brings you here, sir?"
Upon hearing this, the eunuch said coldly, "It's nothing serious. Master said that Miss Yang should rest well these few days. By the way, Master is busy and probably won't have time to come to Miss Yang's place. Please tell Miss Yang this after she wakes up. Also, just a reminder, Miss Yang has now entered Master's courtyard, so she is now Master's person. It's not appropriate for you to call her 'Miss' anymore."
Before Yang Qing's maid could react, the eunuch finished speaking and left.
The maid was furious, but she had nowhere to vent her anger.
Before lunch, Yang Limin's crimes were determined: concealing a silver mine, manufacturing weapons privately, and raising an army in secret. Yang Limin's immediate family members were beheaded and their heads displayed in public, his collateral relatives were confiscated, and those in office were dismissed. Overnight, the Yang family was finished.
The fact that things went so smoothly was indeed due to the Crown Prince taking a concubine. Yang Limin did lower his guard because of this and realized what he was doing. Yang Limin did have some means of protection. If he had been sober, it probably wouldn't have been so easy, and there would have been bloodshed.
Yang Qing had just dozed off for a while when she woke up and heard the news. Her head was buzzing and she felt a bit overwhelmed.
"How could this be? Father... how could Father do such a thing?"
Yang Qing simply couldn't believe that her Yang family had vanished in the blink of an eye. Although the crime didn't apply to married daughters, what hope was there for her in the Crown Prince's backyard, with the title of daughter of a disgraced official?
Given her status, she probably wouldn't even be able to conceive.
Yang Qing was so dejected that she felt like dying.
"Miss, you mustn't frighten me!"
The Yang family was gone, Yang Qing's parents and relatives were gone, and so were her maid's parents and relatives. In truth, the maid's grief was no less than Yang Qing's. However, their statuses were different, and Yang Qing felt the disparity was too great and found it difficult to accept. While her maid was sad, she was also somewhat relieved that at least her life had been saved.
"No, I need to see the Crown Prince."
Yang Qing's desire to see the Crown Prince was not to plead for the Yang family, as she knew the Crown Prince couldn't do much given the severity of their crime; she simply wanted to save her aunt's life.
The maidservant beside her quickly advised, "Miss, I didn't mention it earlier, but while you were sleeping, the Crown Prince sent someone over to tell you to rest well. He's busy and doesn't have time to spare."
Upon hearing this, Yang Qing's heart truly turned cold. She could feel the Crown Prince's affection for her in the past, but how long had it been? From yesterday to now, it had only been a day, and he had already turned his back on her.
Seeing the coldness and sadness in Yang Qing's eyes, the maid advised, "Miss, the Crown Prince is probably really busy. Also, if the Crown Prince comes at this time, it will surely cause gossip. He will definitely come back to see you after a while."
Upon hearing this, Yang Qing immediately understood. What was the point of going to the Crown Prince now? Would he really do anything for her? It would only make him more annoyed, and he would even take his anger out on her because of her status. It was better to preserve this affection and use it where it was needed later.
Yang Qing said casually, "I hope so!" and then remained silent.
To be honest, Yang Qing's attraction to the Crown Prince was just a passing fancy. A beautiful young lady from a prominent family who rarely left her secluded home was rescued from danger by a handsome and dignified man. Naturally, some wonderful chemical reactions would occur, such as a reaction product called "love".
Of course, these reactants are quite remarkable; each sample yields a different product, and different people, reaction times, etc., will all affect the final product.
Just like Yang Qing and the Crown Prince, their initial reaction was like having a catalyst added. But when the catalyst ran out, the boy stopped reflecting on his actions altogether.
Naturally, there's no longer any reaction material, and that little bit of love isn't enough for the two of them to sustain each other.
Yang Qing regained her senses within a day of entering the Crown Prince's residence, faster than ever before.
"By the way, miss, would you like something to eat?"
The Yang family is beyond saving; they should at least take care of themselves.
"Okay, go and prepare some for us!"
Yang Qing was indeed hungry.
"Yes, Miss."
After Yang Limin's charges were settled, the First Prince, the Third Prince, and the others were relieved. They had been unhappy yesterday when they saw the Crown Prince take a beautiful bride.
It wasn't that they were unhappy that the Crown Prince had such good fortune with a beautiful woman, but rather that they were unhappy about the woman's background. After all, she was someone who had once been close to Emperor Kangxi, and yet the Crown Prince was able to bring her into the family. How could the two of them be happy about that?
What they value is this respect.
Seeing the Yang family fall from grace today, and witnessing the Crown Prince's awkward situation, I felt a surge of satisfaction.
They're happy when the crown prince is unhappy.
Emperor Kangxi paid no heed to the subtle exchanges between his sons; he was too busy. Yang Limin was a prefect, and it would be difficult to find a suitable replacement for him in a short time.
Being the prefect of Yangzhou was a decent job; if done well, one could achieve something significant. Given this incident, Kangxi naturally became even more cautious.
So he temporarily took over the affairs in Yangzhou.
I was already busy, and now I'll only be busier.
Meanwhile, Youqing had some free time. Although she still had some account books left, she wasn't in a hurry because Anle's birthday was approaching.
For a baby's first birthday, a traditional "first birthday celebration" (抓周宴) should naturally be arranged.
Youqing was not one to wrong her daughter. Not only did Anle have to have everything others had, but she also couldn't be lacking in anything. After all, Anle was the first person in the Kangxi era to be granted the title of Princess Gulun at birth.
With the title of Princess Gulun, the first birthday celebration could not be taken lightly, otherwise it would be extravagant. Moreover, Emperor Kangxi did not pay much attention to his daughter, and Youqing was not short of money, so naturally he did not want his daughter to suffer any grievances, and therefore he took great care in organizing it.
"Master, what do you think of this fabric? Is it suitable?"
An old woman came over and asked.
Youqing touched the fabric and nodded, "Okay, let's use this one."
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