"Since His Majesty has granted your permission, seize the opportunity and inform Yinlu as well. Time waits for no one."

Xiuning is right. After all, no one knows if Kangxi will change his mind next time. It won't be easy to make money legitimately to fill one's stomach then.

Yin Yi nodded upon hearing this. He wasn't the kind of person who couldn't see the situation clearly. His father's thoughts changed almost every day. Taking advantage of the current opportunity, and since he was about to get married, he definitely wanted to save up some money for his wife.

"However, there are still not many. Compared to the Crown Prince and his second brother, the son is not given much attention."

It wasn't jealousy; Yin Yi was simply reflecting that there was still a significant difference between legitimate and illegitimate sons. Moreover, the Jiangnan clans highly valued and respected the hierarchy of seniority and legitimacy. No matter how unsatisfactory his second elder brother, the Crown Prince, was, he still received the most.

As for the princes like Yinyi, they only took the opportunity of eating meat to drink some meat soup.

With a pout, Yin Yi's eyes darted around, and he leaned close to Xiu Ning to complain again.

Xiuning: ...

Xiuning simply rolled her eyes. "Although you can't compare to the Crown Prince, you can hold your own against the Sixth Prince, and even slightly surpass the Tenth Prince. The Fifth Prince and others are no match for you. Yinyi, don't be too greedy."

While not as good as the best, it's more than enough compared to the worst. As the main concubine who receives the families of officials on a daily basis, Xiu Ning has already made a lot of face. Just the fact that Yin Yi comes from a certain background is enough for this kid to make a fortune. He's still complaining here. Isn't he afraid of his tongue getting twisted by the strong wind?

Xiu Ning's 'ruthlessness' made Yin Yi a little embarrassed, but Yin Yi was thick-skinned and didn't care at all. He just scratched his head, smiled, and let it go.

Well, there's nothing wrong with what he did; nobody complains about making too much money.

There are plenty of places to spend money in the capital. As a prince with ideals and ambitions, Yinyi may complain to his mother, but he will not be a parasite and gnaw on her property. This is a matter of principle.

Shaking his head, Yin Yi told Xiu Ning his thoughts and explained why he wanted to complain. He had no greedy intentions; he simply wanted to vent.

Xiuning: ...

It has to be said that as children grow up, their thought processes become different from those of others.

Shaking her head speechlessly, Xiu Ning waved her hand, indicating that Yin Yi should leave quickly if there was nothing else. She was very busy lately and didn't have time to waste with Yin Yi here.

Yin Yi chuckled and, before leaving, made sure to tell Xiu Ning about the recent itineraries of his adopted brothers, especially the Sixth Prince Yin Yu and the Ninth Prince Yin Tang. These two were acting more and more arrogant than the other, relying on their mother's presence.

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. I'm afraid I won't be able to take care of you and Yinlu lately. You two, take care of yourselves."

The benefits sent by the officials below were not enjoyed by Xiuning alone. Tongjia Rongyue and Consort Yi also received a considerable share. Among the remaining people, Consort Wang received the most, because she had relatives serving in Jiangnan. Even Emperor Kangxi liked to bring Consort Wang to certain banquets, implying that she was the most important person below the rank of consort.

Yin Yi nodded, responded, and turned to leave.

Not long after Yinyi left, Chunyu came in from outside the door carrying a wooden box.

"master"

The wooden box was exquisite, and a small brass lock was placed on it.

"Was it sent by Consort Wang?"

I was talking about this person before, and it turns out that people really do keep talking about them.

Chunyu grunted in agreement, and with a click, the copper lock opened, revealing a thick stack of silver notes inside the wooden box.

Silver notes?!

Xiu Ning looked up, a smile appearing on her lips, "Consort Wang is truly capable."

To be able to produce so much silver all at once, roughly speaking, must have amounted to tens of thousands of taels, which is even higher than the monthly allowance she has received in the palace over the years.

Chunyu also took a deep breath. She hadn't expected the other party to be so generous; she had only thought a few thousand taels was a token gesture.

"Master, shall we accept this silver?" Chunyu asked hesitantly, unsure of Xiuning's attitude.

Xiuning pondered for a moment, then finally nodded, "Accept it. Since it has already been delivered, we cannot let it down." If we return it, not only will it be troublesome, but we also have to consider what Wang Shi will think.

Originally, the conflict between Xiuning and Wang Shi stemmed from a transaction. Now that Wang Shi has sent silver notes, whether she wants to sever ties or strengthen the connection, Xiuning is not surprised.

Since her private treasury had shrunk considerably due to Ning Chuge's marriage, Xiu Ning had no reason to refuse the offer of supplies from someone else.

Chunyu bowed her head and replied, "Yes," then quickly locked the wooden box back in place.

...

Xiuning lived a very comfortable life in the days that followed.

The task of summoning his family members had already been completed, but Kangxi still needed to stay here for a while due to various miscellaneous matters. Therefore, Xiuning took this opportunity to directly ask Kangxi for an imperial decree, changed into ordinary clothes, and went out discreetly.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Bu'er and Dai followed, and the mother and daughter spent a sum of money to tour the entire Jiangnan region.

Of course, although local officials managed things during this period, injustices often occurred. However, Xiu Ning always maintained an attitude of not listening, not seeing, not hearing, and not speaking, so she did not cause herself any trouble.

Just because Xiuning is safe doesn't mean everyone else will be.

And then, Tong Jiarongyue got into trouble.

Well, the one who got into trouble wasn't Tong Jia Rongyue, but actually her beloved son, Yinyu.

"Let me go, let me go, let me go..."

Yinyu shouted and yelled at the top of his lungs. Because he was the master, the servants dared not hit him too hard, resulting in many injuries to themselves, and they could not control their master.

"My lord, the Empress forbids you from going out, you..."

The young eunuch serving him kept groaning and earnestly tried to persuade his master to calm down.

Is Yinyu a calm person? If he were, he wouldn't have such a bad reputation.

"Sanbao, this is none of your business. Get your men out of here right now."

Yinyu gritted his teeth in resentment and looked toward the door with hostility.

The door was already firmly locked with a copper lock. Tong Jia Rongyue begged Kangxi not to give Yinyu any chance to escape.

Yinyu was even more furious. Why couldn't he go out? He had only killed the son of a minor official, and the other party wasn't even pursuing the matter. Why was his mother so anxious?

Yinyu couldn't understand it because he had been well protected since childhood. But Tongjia Rongyue was different. Although she was in poor health, she had received an education from a prominent family and was skilled in intrigue. Now that Yinyu had been framed and gotten into big trouble, how could she, as his mother, not be anxious for his future?