Seeing that the Emperor was in a good mood, Qingping hesitantly spoke the proposal she had prepared, "Imperial Brother, there is something I would like to ask you about, relating to Sister Zhenmin."
The Emperor straightened up, "About Cousin? What is it? Go on."
Qingping looked at the Emperor. "Imperial Brother, the property that Derui Crown Prince and Princess Consort initially gave to Sister Zhenmin, it’s in your hands, isn’t it? When Su Rong came to the capital, did you give it to her?"
The Emperor paused, "No."
Qingping looked at him, "Why... why not? Has it been considered confiscated since the person has passed away?"
"No," the Emperor shook his head. "I have had it managed, and it has not been poured into the state treasury."
Qingping tentatively asked, "Is it because Su Rong decided to go to Nanchu?"
"Not that either," said the Emperor. "At first, I didn’t think about it. But later on, when it came to my mind and since she was going to Nanchu to become a princess, all that property could not be taken with her, so I didn’t mention it."
He paused and sighed, "I also have my selfishness. I didn’t know about Su Rong’s identity before. So I’ve been managing Cousin’s property all along, and each year’s revenue has been put into her private treasury, as if she were still around."
He looked at Qingping, "Did you remember it yourself or did Su Rong ask you?"
Qingping shook her head, "Su Rong didn’t ask. She probably doesn’t know, or maybe she does and just doesn’t care. I remembered it."
The Emperor nodded, thought for a moment, and asked, "You said Su Rong sent a gift to Duanhua via a merchant caravan? Which merchant caravan?"
"Her own merchant caravan. The Guest Reception Hall in the capital is her property," Qingping said straight out.
The Emperor had a sudden realization. "I had it investigated. The Guest Reception Hall originates from Jiangning County’s ’Welcome Guest’. So, it’s Su Rong’s." He pondered for a moment, "I can send a representative to give her Cousin’s private treasury. As for those properties in the capital, they were technically the property of the Imperial Family, let’s leave it at that!"
He finished speaking, looked at Qingping and said, "It’s not that I don’t want to give it, but now that she is the Nanchu Princess, whether she cares for it or not, her own property earned in Daliang can be disregarded. But the property of the Daliang Imperial Family cannot be given to Nanchu."
Qingping nodded, "Imperial Brother, your reasoning is sound."
She smiled and said, "As long as you give Su Rong Sister Zhenmin’s private treasury, I don’t see any issue with your course of action."
The Emperor laughed, "What counts as the Imperial Family’s property? Do you know that the Derui Crown Prince purchased many hidden properties for Sister Zhenmin back in the day, of which even the late Emperor and I were unaware? They are likely now in the hands of Xie Yuan, who is managing them on behalf of Su Rong. Otherwise, how could the small government office in Jiangning County have so much silver to look after the multitude of beggars fleeing there, and ensure everyone has food to eat?"
Qingping had a realization, "Su Rong said that when she was young, she was always short of silver, so there probably isn’t much in hidden properties."
"I wouldn’t know about that. To support so many people, no matter how much, it probably isn’t enough," the Emperor said. "Su Xu manages Jiangzhou quite well. Even without Xie Yuan’s assistance, he is still somewhat capable. I heard that his wife is preparing to travel to Nanchu? It seems she will be staying for a long time. What about Su Xu? Is his wife not taking care of him?"
Qingping answered smiling, "The Inspector Su has six concubines. His first wife living in Nanchu for two or three years won’t be a problem, and Inspector Su won’t have an empty room."
The Emperor was taken aback, "This Su Xu. Perhaps that’s why Cousin chose him because he had many wives and concubines in his residence? He’s a lucky one. He raised Su Rong."
He also said, "I heard that Shen Yi went to Nanchu? Do you have any news about her?"
"Who is Shen Yi?" Qingping asked confusedly.
"Imperial Concubine Zhen, taken to Nanchu by her," the Emperor said. "It was agreed upon by the Crown Prince. He secretly let her out of the Imperial Mausoleum, and she followed Su Rong and took back her original name."
"Oh, Imperial Concubine Zhen. I haven’t heard Su Rong mention it in her letters," said Qingping.
She looked at the Emperor, "Su Rong didn’t write to me, and Duanhua also just received a letter from her. After returning to Nanchu, there was chaos for a long time. She was busy with state affairs every day and had little time to write letters."
The Emperor nodded.
Qingping asked, "Imperial Brother, do you still remember Imperial Concubine Zhen?"
"After all, she served me for many years. I sent someone to the Imperial Mausoleum, only to find out that the Crown Prince had already let her go." The Emperor didn’t appear overly angry, "I was just asking. If you don’t know, it doesn’t matter."
He waved his hand, "You’re pregnant now, so don’t run around too much. Take care and nourish the fetus, after all, it’s something you’ve longed for many years. Hurry back now!"
Qingping stood up, "Since I made the rare trip to the palace, let me pay a visit to the Imperial Sister-in-law."
The Emperor waved his hand, "Be careful, running around everywhere. I’m worried for you, you aren’t as young as you used to be."
Qingping blushed, "I understand."
She excused herself from the side hall and headed towards the Empress’s Fengyi Palace.
Seeing her arrival, the Empress curiously looked at her, "Why did you come to the palace today? Your pregnancy isn’t very far along yet."
Qingping did not conceal anything from the Empress as she sat down next to her and elaborated about her reasons.
The Empress laughed, "Turns out it’s for this reason. Let me add a few more items for you."
"Thank you, Imperial Sister-in-law. I will specify in the letter which items are from Imperial Brother and which are from you. Xiaoqi will surely be very happy." Qingping spoke contentedly.
The Empress smiled while sipping her tea, "Since you put it that way, I’ll have to send a few more items. After all, I can’t appear stingy."
Qingping quickly said, "No need for more. I am not here to rob you. I am only robbing Imperial Brother."
The Empress chuckled, "I’ve heard that the Crown Prince and Duanhua are getting along very well. I’m happy for them too." She patted Qingping’s hand, "You should know, the Crown Prince’s marriage has always been the most important matter in my heart. Now that it’s finally settled, I feel relieved. I’ll have someone check my private treasury later and send it to you."
"You can also send it to the Crown Prince. He said he would help Duanhua reciprocate," Qingping said, her eyes full of laughter.
"My goodness." The Empress exclaimed in surprise, "I never noticed it before. I always thought he had an indifferent personality. Now that he has his Princess Consort, he’s being different toward all the girls."
"It’s Duanhua’s good fortune," Qingping thought repetitively in her heart.
"Fortune is certainly something that can’t be envied. Duanhua is indeed very fortunate," said the Empress. She wasn’t boasting about her own son, but someone hard to find even with a lantern. Whether as a Crown Prince or a son-in-law, she had heard, even in the deep palace, that whenever the Crown Prince encountered food or toys on his way back to the Eastern Palace, he would send them to Duanhua. Regularly sending something every few days was well-known in the capital, and many people were envious of Duanhua.
"Yes, she is more fortunate than me," admitted Qingping. "Yesterday, the Crown Prince stayed with Duanhua in the Eastern Palace for most of the day. Although he fled to the Eastern Palace because the ministers in the Council Hall were causing a headache, he still accompanied Duanhua. The spoiled little girl said that next time a minister annoys him, she will have her cousin inform her, and she will come to rescue him. Can you believe what she said? Yet the Crown Prince agreed smilingly." 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂
The Empress was surprised for a moment, then laughed, "That’s good. It’s great how they are."
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