"I can guess even higher!" Lanqin smiled, looking like a little fox who had made a fortune.
The Fourth Prince was even more surprised this time. He hadn't expected that while he was worrying about the national treasury's deficit every day, Lanqin's silver could easily solve his problem.
"Could it be less than five million taels?" Fourth Master guessed, as that amount of silver was almost the annual income of one or two different identities.
Lanqin made an "eight" gesture and said with a hint of arrogance, "If you need money, Master, I can lend it to you."
For the first time, the Fourth Prince felt utterly ashamed of his poverty in front of Lanqin. He thought about how the construction cost of his Yong Prince's Mansion was only 500,000 taels of silver, his annual salary was only 10,000 taels, and the various annual gifts and rewards were no more than 100,000 taels. Then there were the tributes for ice and charcoal from various places. The Fourth Prince was a very self-disciplined person and would never accept money from others. So compared to Lanqin, he felt like a middle-class person meeting a rich woman.
Seeing the Fourth Master's expression, Lanqin knew he was shocked by the amount of money she had earned, so she quickly said, "Master, why don't you sit down and have dinner? I'll tell you everything slowly."
After the maids brought out the dinner and arranged it properly, they withdrew as Lanqin had instructed.
The Fourth Prince sat facing Lanqin, unsure how to ask her anything. He still held traditional male-dominated ideas, and the thought that Lanqin's wealth almost surpassed his own as Prince Yong made him feel uneasy.
Lanqin glanced at the Fourth Prince's expression and knew what he was thinking, so she said, "Wenxiu wanted the Thirteenth Prince to receive Doctor Liang's treatment as soon as possible, which is why she took the initiative to bring this up with the Thirteenth Prince. I have noticed that Your Highness has been looking gloomy these days, which must be because of the end-of-year matters. So I think that if I can help Your Highness, I will be very happy."
Seeing Lanqin explaining herself to him with a wronged expression, Fourth Master felt embarrassed and said, "I underestimated your business. You don't need to explain to me. Is it wrong to make money?"
Lanqin was even happier to see that the Fourth Prince was so understanding. She said, “Your Highness, I have no use for this money. Why not use it where it is needed? You don’t need to feel guilty, okay? Besides, if it weren’t for what you did for me at the beginning, how could I have opened the shop in another province so smoothly? So please don’t feel guilty. Just consider it as interest.”
"That deal of yours is too good to pass up, with such high interest rates?" Fourth Master couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth and say.
"Yes, that's because Master has excellent judgment, so the returns are high," Lanqin said with a smile.
The Fourth Prince suppressed his smile, took Lanqin's hand and said, "Qin'er, thank you for your timely help. I need to borrow three million taels of silver from you for disaster relief! The snow disaster in the southwest this year is severe. The imperial court has allocated some silver, but the effect has been minimal. I need to go and see for myself."
Upon hearing this, Lanqin's heart tightened, and she quickly said, "My lord, the year is drawing to a close, and the court cannot do without you! If the money is allocated and a young and capable imperial envoy is sent to supervise, everything should be fine."
Lanqin actually had other plans in mind. Kangxi's days were numbered, and if the Fourth Prince went out at this time, it might cause some unforeseen events. Therefore, Lanqin absolutely could not let the Fourth Prince go out at this time!
Upon hearing this, the Fourth Prince thought it made sense and pondered, "It's not easy to send an imperial envoy. He must be someone I can completely trust, and he must also be capable of keeping those people in check. Actually, Thirteen is the most suitable, but he needs to be treated for his leg ailment soon and cannot go. I also can't bear to see him go out again after just returning from such a harsh place."
Lanqin thought for a moment and said, "Your Highness, I have someone I can recommend, but I don't know if Your Highness would like to use them?"
The Fourth Prince looked up at Lanqin and asked, "Do you know anyone else in the court who can be of use?"
Lanqin said haughtily, "Your Highness, besides the Thirteenth Prince, you have other brothers. I heard that the Seventeenth Prince, Yinli, just came of age this year. I was even invited to sit with Consort Chen in the palace. I think this Seventeenth Prince is brave and valiant, and seems to be a capable person. He is also favored by Father Emperor now. Perhaps it would be appropriate to let him go?"
In fact, Lanqin knew perfectly well that the Seventeenth Prince, who later became Yunli, was the only brother besides the Thirteenth Prince who was highly valued by the Fourth Prince. That's why Lanqin suddenly brought him up to the Fourth Prince at this moment.
"Yinli?" The Fourth Prince pondered the name carefully. He had indeed paid little attention to his younger brothers.
“Yes, it’s the Seventeenth Prince! Your Highness, why don’t you meet him first and test him to see if he has the ability?” Lanqin said.
After thinking for a while, the Fourth Prince nodded and said, "Let's have our meal first, and we'll decide what to do when I go to see him later."
Lanqin knew that Fourth Master had always been a cautious person, so she was no longer in a hurry to recommend Seventeen and waited according to his wishes.
A few days later, when the Fourth Prince was leaving court, he specially sent his coachman to the Seventeenth Prince's residence. The Seventeenth Prince had built his residence outside the palace last year, not far from the Thirteenth Prince's residence.
Thirteen was finally ready to receive treatment from Doctor Liang at the mansion, as Fourth Master had already forbidden him from going to court anymore.
This was the first time Fourth Master had visited his seventeenth brother's place, and he hadn't sent a door invitation beforehand.
Fourth Master stood at the entrance of the Seventeenth Prince's Mansion, wrapped in his black fox fur cloak. He looked at the plaque of the Seventeenth Prince's Mansion, then turned around and looked at the surroundings of the Seventeenth Prince's Mansion.
The door opened behind him, and a tall man wearing a moon-white cotton cloak came out.
"Seventeen greets Fourth Brother!" Upon learning that Fourth Master was standing at his front gate, Yinli immediately put on a cotton cloak in surprise and came out to greet him.
"Yinli, is it a pleasure to welcome your fourth brother who has suddenly come to your residence?" the Fourth Prince chuckled.
"I'm overjoyed that Fourth Brother has graced us with his presence. Please!" Yinli stepped aside and gestured for them to enter. The two brothers then went inside together.
After the two men reached the main house in the front yard and sat down as host and guest, and the servants served tea and refreshments, the Seventeenth Master said, "Fourth Brother, is there something you need that you've come to visit so suddenly?"
The Fourth Master had been observing his younger brother and found that he had indeed grown up, with a calm and composed demeanor that suited his taste.
"Alright, then I'll get straight to the point. Yinli, you're eighteen now, the age to take on responsibilities. Your fourth brother has a major task at hand, and I need someone absolutely loyal to the court who can get things done. After much thought, your fourth brother thinks it's worth a try!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
