When the Fourth Prince learned from the Thirteenth Prince that Lady Zhaojia had actually contributed 1.5 million taels of silver to cover the national treasury's deficit, he suddenly became extremely curious about the income of his concubine, Lanqin. He knew that Lanqin had branches in major cities across the country, and her annual income was not insignificant, but he had never cared about such things. As long as his wife managed the Yong Prince's residence well and didn't go out in public unnecessarily, he didn't concern himself with such matters. However, upon learning from the Thirteenth Prince that Lady Zhaojia had suddenly produced so much silver, the Fourth Prince couldn't help but wonder how much private money his concubine actually possessed.
That day, the Fourth Master returned home a little earlier than usual and went straight to the South Courtyard. Just as the Fourth Master's long robe stepped into the South Courtyard, he heard the sound of maids building a snowman inside.
Lanqin was preparing fur cloaks for Wuxiha, Bechuk, Fucha Mingyu, and Ulanara Xueying, who were in the Yuanmingyuan Garden, as well as for Hongli and Hongzhou. This year's furs were better than in previous years, and Lanqin specially reserved some for the children.
Snow-white fox fur suited Wuxihafucha Mingyu, while blackish-gray sable fur suited Bechuk and Xueying. Hongli and Hongzhou both had gray fox fur.
"Nianxia, tomorrow you go to the Yuanmingyuan and have the Fourth Princess and the others measured, including Miss Fucha and Miss Ulanara, understand?" Lanqin instructed Nianxia after examining the leather pieces one by one.
“Yes, I’ve got it. I’ll take the embroiderer with me tomorrow to get measured. It’ll also be a good opportunity for her to check on the figures of all the princesses and princes,” Nianxia said.
"Yes, that's right." Lanqin looked outside and saw the Fourth Prince's shadow reflected in the window. She smiled and said, "Go and have Yuebai prepare dinner, according to the Prince's preferences."
After he finished speaking, Fourth Master's men entered. He saw that Yu Xiao and Bao Qin were both covered in fur, and asked, "There's a lot of fur this year. These would make excellent cloaks."
"Yes, I was really preparing to make it for Ushihabechuk and the others. Why did Your Highness return earlier than usual today?" Lanqin stood up and personally reached out to untie the sash of the Fourth Prince's cloak.
"Today, I've come specifically to ask my concubine how much silver she has," the Fourth Prince said, wrapping his arm around Lanqin's waist.
Lanqin was taken aback, then understood, and a smug look appeared on her face as she said, "Your Highness only now remembers the money here?"
Fourth Master stared at Lanqin. He knew this young woman would always surprise him with unexpected things, but he never imagined she would have so much hidden money. If Lady Zhaojia could produce over a million taels of silver, one could only imagine how much silver Lanqin must have!
"Your eyes are like a wolf's, are you trying to devour me?" Lanqin said with a double meaning.
"I would like to, but I can't bear to part with it. Qin'er's money is all earned by Qin'er herself. If I were to ask a woman for money, I would be unworthy of being a man. But I just want to know how much money my concubine has in her private savings?" the Fourth Prince said earnestly.
Lanqin blinked, looked at Fourth Master, and smiled gently, saying, "Why don't you take a guess, Your Highness?"
Fourth Master thought for a moment and said, “Three million taels is possible. Thirteenth Sister-in-law has one million five hundred thousand. You have more shops than her. The location may not be as good as the first one, but you have branches in eight major cities.”
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