Yang Qing didn't take the maid's words to heart. She went to her aunt's place and found that nothing serious had happened, so she went back.
On the other side, the Third Prince felt that it was a bit strange that the Crown Prince suddenly came to attend a flower appreciation banquet, so he kept an eye on him.
However, it wasn't so easy to keep an eye on him. But we did know that the Crown Prince went out for a while, taking a trusted confidant with him. As for why, we didn't find out. After all, it was someone else's residence, and the Third Prince's network of connections wasn't that extensive.
That evening, the Third Prince, embracing the dancers brought by his servants, drank and said, "Find out what the Second Prince was doing during the time he disappeared from the Yang family."
No matter what you do, you should always know that sometimes a seemingly insignificant piece of information can be crucial.
"Yes, sir."
After the servants attending to the Third Prince left, Wu Ji took the opportunity to feed the Third Prince a sip of wine and said, "My lord, I heard that you went to the Yang family today?"
Upon hearing this, the Third Prince's expression changed: "Why are you asking these questions?"
The dancer hurriedly said, "You've only been in Yangzhou for a short time, so you might not know, but the Yang family has a famous beauty. I was fortunate enough to see her once, and I felt incredibly ashamed. Just now, I heard you say that the Crown Prince disappeared from the Yang family for a while. I wonder if it's related to this third young lady of the Yang family?"
Although the Third Prince's arrival was not as grand as the Crown Prince's or the First Prince's, he did quite a bit in secret. He associated with men and no one mentioned the Yang family's daughter to him, so he really didn't know that the Yang family had a beauty.
Now that he's heard about it, the Third Prince naturally wants to investigate further. If he can find something useful, that would be the best outcome.
The Third Prince laughed and said, "You're quite clever. I'll take you with me when I leave."
Upon hearing this, the dancer immediately smiled radiantly: "Thank you, sir."
That dancer was a specially trained Yangzhou "thin horse" (a term for a woman who is thin and weak), her body was already ruined, she couldn't have children, and she wouldn't live much longer. Being able to live a life of luxury and honor while she was alive was her only dream. With the Third Prince's words, she didn't have to worry about being sent to a brothel or similar place after he left.
The Third Prince may not stand out among the princes, but once released, he is a fine young talent with outstanding looks and demeanor. He can serve only one person; who would want to be someone whose jade arms are used as pillows by a thousand men and whose lips are tasted by ten thousand?
The Third Prince was quite satisfied with the dance. In the past, when he was in the capital, the women around him were either concubines or princesses brought up by palace maids, or princesses selected after the imperial concubine selection. The former were obedient, but too submissive, which made them seem somewhat devoid of affection. The latter had good family backgrounds and could discuss poetry and songs with each other, but the Third Prince felt that women raised in aristocratic families were too aloof.
This Yangzhou dance combines the advantages of both.
She was completely obedient to him and could even discuss poetry and literature with him.
To put it simply, while she was elegant, she also had many other ways of engaging in vulgar romantic relationships, which the Third Prince found novel and interesting.
Now that he's aware of the situation, the Third Prince feels that it's no big deal to take one more person with him when he leaves. He's just a prince, it's not like he can't afford to support someone.
What happened next was even more obvious: the man and woman, after some back and forth, soon ended up lying together.
On the other hand, Kangxi and Youqing's journey to Yangzhou went very smoothly, and they did not encounter anything that made them want to stop. Of course, one reason for this was that they were in a hurry and naturally did not have much time to stop.
When Kangxi arrived in Yangzhou, he did not cause much of a stir; even the crown prince was woken up from his sleep.
"Your Majesty, His Majesty and the Empress have arrived."
The Crown Prince was taken aback. He had just fallen asleep, and his father, the Emperor, had come all night.
"Hurry up and prepare to welcome Father Emperor, I'm coming right now."
The crown prince rushed over in a panic to greet him.
The eldest prince, the third prince, the fourth prince, and several younger princes also received the news.
They went to greet him almost one after the other, just like the Crown Prince.
Kangxi looked at his sons, and thinking that it was getting late, he said a few words and then dismissed them.
Exhausted from the journey, Kangxi sent his sons away and then went to wash up and rest with Youxi, leaving Prefect Yang, who had rushed over, outside the door.
Emperor Kangxi was unaware of this, and Prefect Yang probably wouldn't care either.
When Kangxi woke up the next day, the Crown Prince and other princes were already waiting outside the door, saying they were there to pay their respects. At this time in the capital, Kangxi would naturally have been up by now, but since he had returned late the night before and did not have to deal with state affairs, he had naturally slept well before getting up.
"Want to sleep a little longer?"
"Sleep a little longer. The Crown Prince and the others should have arrived by now. They can't just stay hidden forever."
After all, they were his own sons, and Emperor Kangxi also wanted to know about their situation.
Youqing nodded groggily, "Okay, then you go!"
When Youqing woke up again, the sun was already high in the sky.
"Your Majesty, you and His Majesty have only just arrived, and the invitation from the wife of the Prefect of Yangzhou has already arrived, inviting you to a banquet the day after tomorrow."
Youqing was getting dressed. They had been keeping their identities hidden for almost the entire journey, and it had been a long time since they had attended such a banquet, so they were all somewhat dazed.
Go!
I heard from Emperor Kangxi that Yangzhou is not particularly peaceful, so I'll take this opportunity to see what kind of person this prefect's wife is.
"yes."
After the baby finished washing and rinsing, the wet nurse brought Anle over.
Le'an was born in June, and her birthday is just around the corner. Putting everything else aside, the first birthday celebration should be a grand affair, and I reckon it will be held here in Yangzhou.
"Your Highness, the princess just woke up and needs you!"
Xiao Anle can already talk, although she can only say a few words at a time.
Youqing took her daughter from the wet nurse and said with a smile, "Come, Mother, let's see our Anle."
The baby was soft and squishy, and Le'an was a rather well-behaved child, so it was very fun to hold and tease him.
As soon as Kangxi entered, he saw this scene: his empress was all smiles, holding their daughter in her arms, which made Kangxi extremely satisfied.
As soon as Youqing looked up, she saw Kangxi standing at the door in a daze, so she said, "Why don't you come in? What are you doing standing at the door?"
Upon hearing this, Emperor Kangxi entered with a smile, took Anle from Youqing's arms, and said, "I haven't had time for Anle lately, let Father Emperor take a look."
Little Anle giggled in Kangxi's arms, and the father and daughter looked exceptionally harmonious.
At this moment, Youqing spoke up: "The Prefect's wife sent an invitation to a banquet the day after tomorrow. What are your plans regarding the Prefect of Yangzhou?"
Before I came here, I heard from Emperor Kangxi that things were not peaceful in Yangzhou, but I didn't know exactly what was going on or how much it had to do with the prefect of Yangzhou.
This question is also for the sake of planning for the day after tomorrow.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com