The Eighth Prince quickly replied, "My wife's kindness is so kind; how could I possibly find fault with it?"

So, under the watchful eyes of his wife and a host of servants, the Eighth Prince insisted on drinking the soup she had prepared. Seeing that she couldn't stop him, the Eighth Prince's wife wondered if her hand had trembled and she hadn't added too much salt.

She suddenly forgot exactly how much salt she had shaken into the pot, but it was too late to remember now.

The Eighth Prince picked up the bowl and drank from it with a spoon.

After taking the first sip, the Eighth Prince's expression became somewhat strange.

I was overwhelmed by the saltiness.

The princes of this generation probably followed Kangxi's habits and were very keen on health preservation. Most of them preferred to eat light food. This soup was indeed too salty for the Eighth Prince.

The Eighth Prince's wife had been staring at him. Seeing that his expression was off, she quickly asked, "Is there something wrong with the taste? This is my first time making soup, so I don't have much experience. If it doesn't taste good, don't make it hard on yourself."

Looking at his wife, the Eighth Prince thought that he had originally thought she was just adding some ingredients to the pot and that the rest was done by the kitchen staff. But as he savored the salty taste in his mouth, he realized that she probably really did it herself.

Thinking about their recent cold relationship, he didn't want to live like this anymore. He was willing to let her be the only one in the backyard, not only because her family background was beneficial to him, but also because the Eighth Prince liked her personality.

He was used to his mother's gentle and unassuming nature, but he preferred his proud and radiant wife.

Thinking this way, the Eighth Prince felt that he could not "waste" this medicinal soup.

So he forced a smile and said, "The soup that Fujin made is very delicious."

After saying that, he downed the rest of the soup in one gulp. The extremely salty soup made the Eighth Prince almost lose control of his expression.

The Eighth Prince's wife sensed something was wrong; his expression didn't seem like he was enjoying a delicious meal.

She had some doubts about the taste of the soup.

Just as she was about to say she wanted to try it, the Eighth Prince suddenly said, "By the way, Madam, there's something I need to tell you since we arrived today. Let's go inside to talk; the kitchen isn't very convenient."

The Eighth Prince really didn't want to stay in the kitchen anymore. He felt that the whole kitchen was filled with a salty smell, which made him feel uneasy.

Upon hearing this, the Eighth Prince's wife, who was already inclined to soften her stance and make peace, said, "Alright, let's go back to our room and talk."

On the way back, the Eighth Prince felt like his throat was on fire and desperately wanted to drink water.

While thinking about drinking water, he also had to think about what he would say when he got back to his room. It was just an excuse he came up with on the spot to avoid staying in the kitchen any longer.

One lie requires many lies to cover it up.

Therefore, the Eighth Prince not only desperately wanted to drink water, but also desperately wanted to come up with a reason.

Upon entering the room, the Eighth Prince's wife asked, "What does Your Highness wish to say?"

The Eighth Prince said, "Come with me tomorrow. We've come all this way to Guangzhou, so we should buy some things for Mother to take back. I don't know what to buy, so you can come along and give me some suggestions."

The Eighth Prince's words were clearly an excuse; his real purpose was to go out with his wife.

The Eighth Prince's wife naturally understood his meaning. Although she still couldn't forget what happened on the pleasure boat that night, if she continued to dwell on the past, she would be the one who had a hard time later.

The Eighth Prince's wife nodded: "Buying gifts for Mother is my duty as a daughter-in-law. Your Highness is being too polite by saying that."

The Eighth Prince smiled upon hearing this, knowing that it meant the ice had finally been broken after such a long stalemate between the two.

That night, the Eighth Prince stayed behind. After their marital relations, the Eighth Princess Consort did not nestle in his arms facing him as before, but instead nestled in his arms with her back to him. It seemed that nothing was different, but something had changed.

As for Yinzhen, after thinking it over, he felt that he should start by addressing the conflicts among his family members.

Although the methods may sound a bit low-level, as long as they work, it doesn't matter how low-level they are.

These days, Yinzhen has been reading those files every day. He knows everything about the affairs between the families of officials who colluded with pirates, and even their whereabouts.

He heard from someone that the prefect's eldest daughter and the pacification commissioner's youngest daughter would be going to the Treasure Pavilion to buy jewelry the next day. Also going with them would be the prefect's two illegitimate daughters and the pacification commissioner's wife's family.

The reason for focusing on these five people is that there are many conflicts among them. Also, the prefect and the pacification commissioner are of the same rank, one is a civil official and the other is a military one, making them the most suitable targets for retaliation.

If the two develop a rift, all the civil and military officials in Guangzhou will have to choose sides.

The prefect and the pacification commissioner of Guangzhou were both corrupt, and they were doing the same thing, colluding with each other. So, when it came to dividing the spoils, the military officer, the pacification commissioner, naturally took more.

The seeds of conflict between the two had been sown long ago.

All that's needed now is a starting point.

That night, before going to bed, Yinzhen told Tong Cheng'er about it.

"I'm going to the Treasure Pavilion tomorrow, will you come with me?"

Treasure Pavilion?

It sounds like a shop selling jewelry and antiques.

Tong Cheng'er: "What are we going to the Treasure Pavilion for?"

Yinzhen gave a brief explanation.

Tong Cheng'er had no other thoughts or opinions after hearing what he said.

The next day, the two got up very early, had breakfast, and then set off for the Treasure Pavilion.

Treasure Pavilion is a well-known local jewelry shop. The jewelry inside has novel and elegant designs, and women of all ages can find the jewelry they want.

Therefore, the Treasure Pavilion was very popular among the women of wealthy families.

Although they got up very early, they ate slowly, taking quite a while.

By the time the two arrived at the Treasure Pavilion, it was already quite late.

Upon arriving at the Treasure Pavilion and alighting from the carriage, a man with an honest-looking face immediately approached. He appeared to be in his thirties, with an average face, the kind that would be easily lost in a crowd.

When he met Yinzhen and Tong Cheng'er, he first bowed and then said, "Master, those who were supposed to go in have already gone in, and the items have been given to the shopkeeper, who has agreed to consign them."

Yinzhen nodded: "Yes, well done. Lead the way."

"yes."

Tong Cheng'er was a little confused, but she didn't want to ask in public, so she followed into the Treasure Pavilion with a belly full of questions.

As soon as Tong Cheng'er entered the Treasure Pavilion, she saw a set of jewelry displayed on a counter directly opposite the entrance.

The jewelry looked somewhat familiar to her; it didn't seem to be the kind of jewelry popular in Guangzhou, but rather resembled items from the Imperial Household Department in Beijing.

Thinking this, Tong Cheng'er looked at Yinzhen, who squeezed her hand but said nothing.

In addition, there were several well-dressed young ladies with a group of maids next to the counter.

As you get closer, you can hear what sounds like an argument.

"Ming Shu, this is something I set my sights on first. It's not right to snatch it so blatantly."

Upon hearing this, the girl called Mingshu laughed and said, "Sister Ji, what do you mean by 'robbery'? That sounds awful! I didn't pay for it, and this set of jewelry isn't even in your name. How can it be yours? Even if you're older than me and look like an elder, you can't do this!"