Following the canal incident, a climate of fear gripped the officialdom of Jiangnan. Emperor Kangxi ordered his secret police, led by Tulichen, to investigate all officials. The emperor's powerful crackdown prompted Jiangnan officials to consider whether they should properly address the incriminating evidence against them. (To read more... 1kabooknshu...)

That day, Yin sat in his study, looking at the news about Yuelai Inn with Qingyan. Of course, after Yin's personal review, several innkeepers had been dismissed, and the number of news items continued to increase.

"Fourth Brother, are these kinds of messages really useful?" Qingyan asked.

Yin nodded. Some of the messages were only just received by the Dragon Guards. Qingyan placed them on the table.

Led by officials from Jiangnan, the Crown Prince frequently frequented places of pleasure and romance, which greatly annoyed Yin. After all, his elder brother had been drawn into the vortex, and the Crown Prince's constant contact with salt merchants had assimilated many of his ideas.

"Remember, you must not mention the Crown Prince's meeting with the salt merchant in front of your mother." Yin repeatedly instructed Qingyan that she absolutely must not say anything.

Emperor Kangxi valued his reputation, so if Qingyan went too far, he might end up thinking that Qingyan was trying to sow discord between the brothers.

Qingyan was taken aback, but he also realized that what he was talking about was very important. Kangxi had been paying close attention to the messages sent by Yuelai Inn.

The news from Yuelai Inn became increasingly chaotic. Yin first selected one side himself, trying to avoid those that would give Kangxi an opportunity, and then sent Qingyan to take a look.

Yin made his selection first, and then Qingyan looked at it. She thought this method was good, but Yin still felt it was not safe.

Soon, officials from Jiangnan came knocking, hoping to see Yin. (From Yikan Book · 1 ·)

The guards at the villa were ordered by Yin not to let any visiting officials in.

At the entrances of the princes' villas, there were spies dispatched by Emperor Kangxi.

Yin and Yin were the first to receive the news. To avoid trouble, they decided to resolutely refuse to see any of their subjects.

Every day, the princes' every move was reported to Emperor Kangxi. He also discovered that the relationship between the Crown Prince and Yinzhi was not good, as they were in contact with salt merchants.

"Li Dequan, summon Yin and Qingyan." Kangxi wanted to see the two little ones.

Among the princes, Yin was the most sensible. Qingyan had also dealt with merchants in Jiangnan, so he needed to thoroughly understand the status of salt merchants in the Jiangnan business world.

Soon, Yin and Qingyan arrived. Qingyan followed Yin into the main hall and noticed that Kangxi's expression was very bad. She immediately reminded herself to be careful.

After bowing, Consort Tong also came out of the inner chamber. Since the Crown Prince had a problem, she had to listen in; otherwise, if the Empress Dowager returned to the palace to inquire, she would have to be in charge of the whole situation.

Now that the Empress Dowager has been imprisoned by Emperor Kangxi, they will have to release her once she returns to the palace.

"Alright, everyone, please sit down." Kangxi gestured to the seats, indicating that everyone should take their places.

Kangxi glanced at the information sent by his secret guards, which detailed what the salt merchants had prepared specifically for the Crown Prince and Yinzhi. These were the biggest problems.

"Little darling, how many dealings have you had with the salt merchants?" Kangxi asked Qingyan directly.

Qingyan thought about it and realized that the salt merchants held a high position and had money to bribe all officials, which was the most troublesome thing.

"On several occasions, in the south, most of the exquisite jewelry worn by Linglong Pavilion was purchased from the residences of salt merchants," Qingyan recalled for a moment, preparing to speak.

Upon hearing this, Kangxi realized that the situation was not optimistic.

The Crown Prince had at least two boxes of precious jewelry, valuables, and silver given to him by the salt merchants. Even Emperor Kangxi couldn't predict what Yinzhi had actually agreed to.

“These salt merchants aren’t afraid to spend money; they’d rather collect money. What they should get in return is more volume,” Yin also offered his opinion.

What the Crown Prince could agree to was for the salt merchants to issue more salt permits, since with these permits, the salt merchants could do more business.

"Fourth Prince, how much do you know about the salt merchants?" After listening to Qingyan's words, Kangxi had a general idea of ​​what was going on.

Kangxi learned that Yin had seen the news in advance and sorted it before Qingyan would watch over it.

Therefore, he needed to listen to Yin's advice. Previously, Yin had given several particularly good suggestions, which made Kangxi think that Yin's ideas were good.

“Father, as long as they can make more money, these people will still know their limits. But I am more worried that their appetites will grow bigger and bigger, which will cause some problems.” Yin pondered for a moment and then spoke directly.

After listening to Yin's words, Kangxi had a better understanding of the situation.

For the time being, the salt merchants' demand is not high, and if it is satisfied without restraint, there may be some trouble.

"How deep are the ties between the Cao family and these salt merchants?" Kangxi's question surprised Yinzhi and Qingyan.

In just a few days, Kangxi discovered the close ties between the Cao family and the salt merchants. In fact, Yinzhi knew more than just what his father knew.

“You don’t need to be shy, I’ve already discovered it. If the Cao family hadn’t colluded with the salt merchants, Cao Yin’s mansion wouldn’t be so luxurious.” Consort Tong sighed. What Cao Yin least wanted Kangxi to discover had been laid bare by Kangxi.

"Yes, I noticed that when the old lady visited me a few years ago, she had changed. The things she used had become increasingly luxurious." Consort Tong also had her own thoughts.

Perhaps the competition among the women has slowly led the Cao family into a predicament.

What?

Everyone present was stunned. Granny Cao had been with Emperor Kangxi all along and had seen all sorts of exquisite things. Emperor Kangxi would also give Granny Cao some exquisite gifts. If it were just these things, Consort Tong wouldn't have had a headache. But now, the problem was serious. It wasn't just these things anymore; there were also some that the salt merchants had specially ordered.

Yin had instructed Qingyan beforehand that all valuable jewelry from the south, and whoever purchased it, should have their purchases recorded, so that he could better understand the situation in Jiangnan.

When Qingyan accompanied Consort Tong to meet Madam Cao and others, he saw more than once the jewelry that had been purchased by salt merchants on the wives of officials in Jiangnan.

Back at the villa, she couldn't hold back any longer and spoke directly to Yin.

Kangxi fell silent. Now, the real war had begun. The business community and the families of officials had formed a united front, a true alliance between officials and merchants.

"The news of your departure was probably leaked by the Cao family." Kangxi had no specific evidence and did not want Qingyan and Yin to hold a grudge against the Cao family.

Fei Yanggu and Cao Yin had a good relationship. If Yin became enemies with him, it would definitely affect Fei Yanggu's relationship with the Cao family.

"Yes!" Yin and Qingyan didn't say much. After learning about the situation, they didn't say a word to Kangxi, because they didn't want this matter to affect Fei Yanggu.