"They investigated, but it seems suspicious. We'll need more time to find out the specifics."

In other words, it is suspicious, but there is no concrete evidence yet.

Hearing this, Youqing knew how to treat the prefect's wife the day after tomorrow.

How long do you plan to stay in Yangzhou this time?

"About half a month!"

This timing is roughly in line with what Youqing had expected.

The Yang residence.

"Madam, Her Majesty the Empress has agreed."

Upon hearing this, Madam Yang smiled and said, "Alright, alright, hurry up and prepare. Remember, make sure everything is prepared properly, don't be negligent."

"Yes, madam."

While Youqing accepted Madam Yang's invitation, Lord Yang also hosted a banquet and extended an invitation to Emperor Kangxi.

On the same day, at the same time.

Kangxi knew that Yangzhou was aware of their plans, so he agreed.

The next day, Youqing rested and began to deal with some trivial matters. There were account books sent from the capital and Yunnan, as well as some other miscellaneous things. Some required her to make decisions, while others required her approval before they could be implemented. She was busy!

After dealing with a day's trivial matters, the situation on Kangxi's side was similar. His whereabouts were uncertain, and many memorials had piled up. He had some useless memorials of greetings (flattery) filtered out, but there were still quite a few left, and it would take a lot of effort just to read through them.

"It's all nonsense, not a single sentence out of ten is of any importance. I don't know how these people even studied."

No wonder Emperor Kangxi was annoyed by it.

No matter how diligent and caring he was, he couldn't withstand reading so many memorials every day. If they contained meaningful information and addressed serious matters, that would be fine, since Emperor Kangxi did care about the people's livelihood. But what were those memorials all about? One key point was interspersed with three or four sentences of sycophantic nonsense.

He could barely manage to read one or two memorials, but any more would make him sick of them. Not to mention that the flattering words written in these memorials were all the same, as if they had been taught by the same teacher. Reading too many of them would hurt his eyes. But he couldn't not read them either, since they weren't just simple greetings; there were some important matters in them.

This gave Emperor Kangxi a headache.

"If you think this is not good, then just have them change it."

"I do want to make changes to the imperial examination system, but moving one thing will have far-reaching consequences."

He can't just move whenever he wants.

If things were done according to his plan, the literati would inevitably criticize him, saying that it was really not easy for a Manchu to become emperor for a Han Chinese.

When I'm free, I enjoy listening to a few lines of sentimental poetry to cultivate my mind, but when I'm busy, I don't have that kind of leisure, so I just want things to be simple and clear.

It's a pity that those who came through the imperial examinations were so afraid that no one would notice their literary talent that they all used ornate language, which gave him a headache.

In the past, Manchu officials were better off, but in recent years, it's not that anyone started this trend, but they've all been writing increasingly longer and longer memorials.

This is similar to reading comprehension; even a top student with excellent learning abilities will find reading long articles unpleasant!

"If you don't like this, find an excuse to do it again later. Do it a few more times, and your subordinates will know that you like a simple style. In the future, the reports will naturally not be so complicated, and you can save some energy."

Kangxi thought about it. If he really did that, he would inevitably be criticized for being rude by those pedantic scholars. However, considering the thick stack of memorials, he figured he might as well let them say what they wanted. It wouldn't really hurt him. He had come to understand that these pedantic scholars initially studied for the sake of the country, but in the end, most of them studied for the sake of their families.

There's nothing wrong with doing that, it's just that some people are simply insatiable.

The two talked, and the process wasn't particularly tedious or boring.

...

"Remember, we have distinguished guests visiting today. Be smart, everyone. If you offend them, you'll be in for a world of trouble."

The nanny serving Madam Yang was giving instructions to the servants in the mansion.

The people below all shrank back and readily agreed.

In Madam Yang's courtyard, Yang Qing, dressed in a pink ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), stood before Madam Yang like a flower. Looking at her attire, Madam Yang was satisfied. She had never seen anyone more beautiful than her, a concubine's daughter.

"Mother, did you call me here because you have something to say?"

“You’re almost fifteen this year, and you’ll soon be of marriageable age. Your father has invited some important people to come with you today.”

Yang Qing wasn't stupid; upon hearing this, she immediately understood what Madam Yang meant.

"Mother, is it inappropriate for me to go out and meet people with Father?"

Madam Yang said in a deep voice, "There's nothing wrong with it. You know how the family has treated you all these years. You can't be willful."

Yang Qing lowered her head upon hearing this. She had lived a good life at home all these years. Madam Yang had not mistreated her because she was an illegitimate daughter. On the contrary, she had spoiled her. Of course, she knew that this was conditional. She had never thought there was anything wrong with it before. After all, her two half-sisters had lived like this and were now married well and living a decent life.

She hadn't minded before, but thinking about the person she met that day made Yang Qing feel a little uncomfortable.

However painful it was, she couldn't refuse.

"I'll listen to my mother."

Madam Yang then smiled and said, "You are a good child. If this really happens, the wealth and honor will be immeasurable. Listen to your father carefully, and be smart about what to say and what not to say."

"Yes, Mother."

After giving a few more instructions, Madam Yang had Yang Qing taken away.

Yang Qing was taken away and changed into another set of clothes, which better accentuated her figure and demeanor compared to her previous outfit.

"Granny, are these clothes not quite right?"

What she meant was whether it was too exaggerated.

She had never worn such clothes before. As someone famous for her looks, Yang Qing cherished her reputation and always acted appropriately in public. She would never have dared to wear such clothes before.

The old woman said, "This was specially prepared by the Madam for the Third Miss. The Third Miss should not waste the Madam's good intentions."

Yang Qing remained silent.

After getting dressed, it was almost time, and Yang Qing was taken to the front yard.

Prefect Yang was a traditional and proper man. He entrusted the education of his daughter to his wife, and when his son reached a certain age, he was sent to the front yard for education. Yang Qing could be counted on one hand the number of times she went to the front yard from childhood to adulthood.

"Father," Yang Qing greeted Prefect Yang respectfully.

Looking at his daughter, Prefect Yang nodded in satisfaction: "Get up!"

The father and daughter didn't say much before leaving the mansion together.

On the other side, Youqing also came out of the post station.

Kangxi accepted the invitation from Prefect Yang and didn't plan to go alone; he brought all his sons with him.

The groups of people launched their attacks at almost the same time.

When Youqing arrived at the Yang residence, Madam Yang came forward to greet her as soon as she got off the carriage.

After exchanging greetings, Youqing was ushered into the Yang residence.

When facing Youqing, Madam Yang showered her with compliments as if they were free. Youqing even felt that if Madam Yang wasn't the wife of a prefect, it would be great for her to be a shopkeeper in her shop.