Starting with the reign of Emperor Shunzhi, Beijing implemented a system of separate residences for Manchus and Han Chinese. Liulichang was located in the outer city, and most Han Chinese officials lived nearby.

Han Chinese were adept at studying for the imperial examinations, so guild halls were built nearby. Booksellers from various regions also set up stalls and shops here, selling large collections of books, as well as writing implements. Officials and candidates for the imperial examinations often gathered here to browse the book market or resided in the area.

In conclusion, Liulichang can be described as a "refined place for leisurely strolls in Kyoto".

However, besides that, Liulichang is also a place to buy exquisite trinkets, where you can find many fine antiques and porcelain items.

Orondai, skilled in martial arts but not in literature, clearly wasn't there to feign refinement. He was simply browsing antique shops.

Tong Guogang was Emperor Kangxi's respected maternal uncle and the head of the Tongjia clan, so his residence must have been in the best location in the inner city.

Some of the less favored members of the imperial family were allocated residences that were not as well-located as the Tong family mansion.

When Orondai returned from Liulichang, Tong Guogang had already pulled Yinreng aside and asked him many questions about Tong Wanyan.

He also had many fine items taken from the private treasury and asked Yinreng to take them back to Yuqing Palace and give them to Tong Wanyan.

My father-in-law's excessive enthusiasm is quite a headache.

Neither Yinreng nor Yinzhen were particularly warm or friendly; they were naturally aloof. Under Tong Guogang's earnest advances, they were quite overwhelmed.

When Orondai returned, he saw the two men's excited expressions and felt flustered.

Although he's a rough man and a bit silly at times, there's always something fishy going on when things are unusual. These two gentlemen must have something bad going on that he's going to have to take the blame for.

"This servant greets the Crown Prince and the Fourth Prince!" With his mind in turmoil, Orondai bowed to Yinreng and Yinzhen from a distance.

Putting aside other matters, the Tong family was very law-abiding and never abused their status as the maternal clan of Emperor Kangxi to do wrong.

Even if he's a bit straightforward, he's still doing good things.

"Your Highness, Fourth Prince, Orondai has returned. This servant will go to the yamen first." Tong Guogang had no intention of listening in here.

Yinreng raised his hand: "If Lord Tong has nothing urgent, please sit down and listen."

Two scoundrels would be more useful.

Since Yinreng has spoken, Tong Guogang will stay.

After hearing what Yinreng had to say, the father and son were extremely excited and eager to get started.

"Your Highness and Fourth Prince are wise! They should recover all the debts owed to the national treasury. Those people eat and drink well every day, dressed in fine silks and satins, and are fat and bloated. They should be slaughtered and bled dry!" Tong Guogang slammed his fist on the table in excitement.

Orondai clenched his fists, his eyes gleaming as if he were about to go to the battlefield to kill: "Your Highness, Fourth Prince, this servant believes that we must be tough on these people. They are all incredibly thick-skinned; we must just take a knife and cut their skin off."

What was supposed to be a simple matter of collecting a debt was made incredibly bloody by Tong Guogang and Orondai.

Yinreng and Yinzhen felt that they had made the right decision to come.

"From the late Emperor to the current Emperor, the national treasury has lent out a considerable amount of silver; these are old debts. At the time, there was no agreement on when it would be repaid. Those who could borrow were all powerful and influential, and the Ministry of Revenue dared not pursue the repayment. Everyone knew the debts were insignificant. The Fourth Prince, who works at the Ministry of Revenue, should know that the Ministry actually keeps the IOUs they wrote back then." Tong Guogang, who had previously repaid his debts, spoke with great confidence about others.

Yinzhen nodded: "Keeping the IOU is like keeping a useless thing."

“How can you say this is useless? We should always speak with integrity. With their fingerprints on the IOU, whatever we do is justified. Paying back debts is a matter of course,” Tong Guogang said, looking up.

Yinreng said, “The reasoning is sound. Lord Tong understands the current situation in the court. If things were peaceful and stable, it wouldn’t hurt to stir up trouble in the court, so that the reserve officials could be replaced and take office, and they would adapt after a while. But now that officials are in office, it’s not easy to transfer them. It’s frustrating because it affects everything.”

Tong Guogang smiled slyly: "Strike the snake at its vital point, Your Highness knows that, right?"

His smile told Yinreng that the main event was about to begin, and the old rogue was about to stir up trouble.