After hearing Qingfu's words, Kangxi's eyes flashed with a hint of sternness, and then he chuckled.

"You said the money Tong Haifu gave you was the restaurant's profit? Then do you know who owns the restaurant?"

Tong Guowei felt bad when he heard it. He secretly called him a fool and quickly pleaded guilty for Qingfu.

"Your Majesty, this is all my fault. I taught this evil creature to be ignorant of the suffering of the people. I beg Your Majesty to punish me!"

"Uncle, please don't rush to speak for him. I just want to understand. I don't mean to blame him."

Kangxi had a smile on his face, but his tone remained unchanged.

"Qingfu, go ahead."

Qingfu glanced at Tong Guowei with a guilty look on his face, and after a moment's hesitation, he replied,

"Besides cousin Haifu, there's also the Fan family."

"Which Fan family?"

"The Imperial Merchant Fan Family."

"How much is your monthly allowance?"

"Thirty taels of silver."

"How much money did Tong Haifu give you last month?"

He used the word "divide" instead of "give", and successfully lowered Qingfu's guard.

He replied,

"One thousand eight hundred taels."

Kangxi pondered for a moment, and the smile on his lips became even colder.

The children of the Tong family received an official monthly allowance of thirty taels of silver, which was considered top-tier among the nobles. Before the princes reached adulthood, their monthly allowance was only forty or fifty taels.

The silver that Qingfu got from Tong Haifu was dozens of times his monthly salary, no wonder he was so tempted.

"Do you have any other shops under your name?"

"have."

"What is the monthly profit of each shop?"

"...Last month, the silk shop made the most profit, 370 taels."

"Where is the silk spread?"

"On Deshengmen Inner Street."

"Deshengmen Inner Street... Heh."

Kangxi sneered and finally stopped asking questions.

The royal estates he controlled only earned a few thousand taels of silver a year. How could that shabby restaurant earn as much as the annual income of the royal estates in just a few months?

And Qingfu finally understood where the problem lay.

His silk shop was located in the inner city, where all the people who lived there were high-ranking officials and dignitaries. His monthly profit was less than 400 taels. Even if he could make more money in the outer city, it would be impossible for him to make more than 5,000 taels in a month.

The 1,800 taels that Tong Haifu gave him could never be the entire profit of the restaurant.

Qingfu just felt cold sweat breaking out.

Tong Guowei closed his eyes in pain. After Qingfu told him the amount, he knew that there was no way Qingfu would get away with it today.

"Your Majesty, I would like to ask if that restaurant sells anything it shouldn't."

Qingfu asked this question tremblingly, his face full of hope.

If he wants to find some excuses to exonerate himself, he must know how he was cheated.

"Indeed, but as one of the owners, you should know more than me. Why are you clueless now? Or is it that you just took that little bit of silver and don't even know which way the restaurant's door faces?"

"That's not the case. When the restaurant first opened, I often went there to entertain colleagues. After the restaurant became famous, I became busy with work and rarely went there anymore."

When Tong Guowei heard this, he felt a little relieved.

Kangxi raised his eyebrows.

"You mean you didn't know anything about what they sold later?"

"Your Majesty, please understand!"

"Then you've never suspected that their profits are unreasonable?"

"I was blinded by greed and wanted to...want to get more silver. I know my crime!"

"laugh!"

"This silver is really a good thing. When you're fishing for it, you don't mind how hot it is. But when something goes wrong, you start looking for excuses to get away with it."

Kangxi had no intention of indulging Qingfu.

Regardless of whether he knew that the restaurant was selling opium or not, he got the benefits. It doesn't make sense for him to take the benefits and let others take the blame.

The irony in Kangxi's words was too strong, and Tong Guowei's heart was pounding. It seemed that the things Tong Haifu and Fan Yuliang sold must be extraordinary, otherwise he would have brought Qingfu to admit his mistake in person. There was no reason for Kangxi to keep harping on it.

He is really angry and anxious now.

The Tong family is wealthy and powerful. Although the monthly allowance for Qingfu is only thirty taels of silver, if he goes to the accounting office to withdraw money, the accounting office will always give it to him.

Greedy stuff!

"It's all my fault. I didn't discipline him properly. I beg Your Majesty to consider his young age and forgive him this time!"

"I am old, and now I only wish for the safety and well-being of my children and grandchildren..."

As he spoke of the end, Tong Guowei burst into tears.

"Father! It's all my son's fault. I admit my sin and repent. Please don't do this..."

Kangxi: “…”

This father and son are addicted to acting in front of him, right?

He hasn't punished Qingfu yet!

Thinking of this, Kangxi couldn't help but be stunned for a moment, and then he was speechless.

If he had seen his uncle begging him like this in the past, he would have softened his heart and let Qingfu go. But now, perhaps because he had been with Yinreng for too long, he saw through the fact that these two people were playing tricks on him.

Perhaps it was not that he didn't understand before, but he just couldn't bear to let the people around him, who were so old, beg him so humbly.