Chunyu tidied up the things on the table, turned around and went out, then called someone to go to the storeroom to get things done.
Thanks to Xiu Ning's years in the imperial harem, she made the storerooms of Qixiang Palace exceptionally abundant.
Chunyu led the people inside, and then carried them out box by box.
Fortunately, it was getting dark, and the Emperor did not send anyone to announce his arrival. Otherwise, just looking at the boxes piled up in the courtyard would easily lead to misunderstandings.
Often, you won't know until you see it, and then you'll be shocked when you do.
Xiu Ning receives rewards every now and then, so no one has any doubt that Xiu Ning is a rich woman.
However, Xiuning has never shown these things to anyone else (except her own children), which has led to others having a lack of understanding about money.
People don't take things seriously when they don't see them, but once they see them clearly, they have a different opinion.
As a palace maid, Chunyu was at the bottom of the harem and knew a lot about this.
Therefore, whenever Xiuning asked her to fetch something from the storeroom, no matter how much or how little, she would arrange it at a time when other people couldn't easily come over, because this would not only save effort but also avoid a lot of trouble.
"Aunt Chunyu, it's all ready."
The young palace maid handed the newly compiled document to Chunyu with a fawning expression.
Chunyu nodded and said, "Checked it carefully, are there any mistakes or omissions?"
Although she was expressionless, Chunyu had gained considerable prestige among the servants because she had been by Xiuning's side for many years.
With just a few simple words, the young palace maid trembled with fear and quickly agreed.
"Send the items directly to the side hall, then go down to collect your reward."
With a wave of her hand, Chunyu dismissed the little palace maid and turned to quickly enter the main hall.
Inside the main hall, Xiuning had changed into casual clothes and was preparing to have her meal.
The meals were prepared by the small kitchen, by the same two chefs who had been sent by Emperor Kangxi earlier. Their skills were top-notch, and Xiuning had not changed them over the years.
"master"
Chunyu walked up to Xiuning and picked up the chopsticks next to her to serve her food.
As the master's most favored person, Chunyu had long since memorized Xiuning's tastes.
Quickly placing the food into a porcelain bowl, Chunyu then served her master a bowl of chicken soup.
"Alright, I don't need any more service here. You must be tired after a long day of work."
Go home and rest early, come back tomorrow.
Xiuning wasn't mean to her master, and besides, she had a close relationship with Chunyu, so there was no need for her to take advantage of Chunyu alone.
Chunyu smiled and said, "I'll go back to rest after I've finished serving you, Master."
While they were talking, Chunyu put another plate of food on Xiuning's plate.
Xiu Ning's appetite wasn't particularly large, but it was still better than that of the average concubine.
Although the current trend in the imperial harem is for women of the Han ethnicity who are graceful and elegant, women of the perfect weight and figure, like Xiu Ning, are not without their appeal.
Emperor Kangxi occasionally needed to change things up; a harem with a hundred beauties in bloom was essential for a long and lasting dynasty.
After finishing her dinner with Chunyu's help, Chunyu didn't insist anymore. She called over two newly trained palace maids to wait and serve her, and then turned and went back to her room.
Just then, another visitor arrived.
"Yinyi, do you know what time it is right now?"
Are you out of your mind? You dare to come here at this hour, as if you're afraid Emperor Kangxi won't suspect anything.
Rubbing her slightly sore temples, Xiu Ning sat down at the octagonal table. "Speak, what brings you here?"
Yin Yi's expression was not good; he was not at all as relaxed as when he took his son out of the palace before. He did have something to do this time.
It concerns the previous dynasty; the group of ministers he had previously cultivated have run into trouble.
To be precise, it had nothing to do with Yin Yi; he was simply implicated and suffered an undeserved misfortune.
He reached out and rubbed his face vigorously, then said bitterly, "Mother, what do you think we should do about this?"
He was really unlucky; he ended up getting involved with the boss.
It's also my own fault for not being careful enough and not having someone investigate more thoroughly, otherwise the boss's schemes wouldn't have affected me.
Xiu Ning didn't speak, but pondered what Yin Yi had just said.
He tapped the table with his fingers, "Do many people know about this?"
You princes are about to leave the palace, so keep some money in your pocket. Your Emperor won't mind.
This doesn't mean they could be corrupt and take money from court officials. As long as they didn't cross the line drawn by Emperor Kangxi, it wouldn't be a big problem.
Yin Yi's voice was deep. He had thought about this matter before he came here. Unfortunately, the other party's tribute was of dubious origin and could not withstand investigation.
“Mother, it was my mistake. Although I only accepted a thousand taels, that person’s money was all mixed together. Who knows if it was really involved in the dike repair project?”
The original intention of building dikes was to prevent floods, but some people embezzled and accepted bribes, replacing all the materials used to build the dikes with inferior ones.
The dike failure has directly caused flooding of farmland downstream, affecting grain production and open planting. The Emperor is currently furious in court, and all the princes want to get rid of the impact of this matter.
Xiuning sighed, "Then we can only plan for the worst."
This person is probably not just one of the eldest prince's men. If he can secretly pledge allegiance to Yin Yi, he must be able to pull others along like an octopus.
"Let's find these people. There's strength in numbers. Let's think of a solution together."
Since you can't extricate yourself from the situation, try to drag as many people down with you as possible.
There was nothing that could be done; Xiuning couldn't possibly throw her own son in there.
Furthermore, the thousand taels that the biological son received was truly a paltry sum.
It should be noted that this minister's tribute to the eldest prince was at least ten thousand taels of silver each time.
"Compared to us, the one who is most worried is the eldest prince. Behind the eldest prince are the eighth prince, the ninth prince, and the tenth prince, who are a few years younger."
If we trace it further back, Consort Hui and Consort Yi will also be implicated.
There's no guarantee that Yinqi won't get dragged into this too.
This is only what's on the surface. What about the hidden forces outside the palace, the other powers behind the First Prince? Tsk, Xiu Ning doesn't believe that all these people are innocent.
After hearing what his mother said, Yinyi immediately clapped his hands and said, "Mother, you are right."
He was too hasty; he only thought about the surface level. If he had people dig deeper and investigate thoroughly, they might have been able to bring the Crown Prince, the Fifth Prince, and the Sixth Prince into the mix as well.
If none of my brothers can escape then, what am I afraid of? If we're going to be unlucky, we'll all be unlucky together. Does Father Emperor not want any more sons?
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