"Fourth Brother~" The Eighth Prince suddenly left a minister who was talking to him and walked between the Fourth Prince and the Thirteenth Prince.
"Eighth Brother, you must be tired from your journey. Your inspection of the Yellow River estuary for Father Emperor was a truly meritorious act for the court. Father Emperor is very pleased." Fourth Prince said, but his heart sank as he thought about the silver that Eighth Prince owed on the books.
"I heard that Father Emperor has asked Fourth Brother to handle a task. I wonder if it's related to the officials owing money to the court." Eighth Prince was informed of this by a messenger carrier pigeon even though he was far away.
At the time, they were discussing friendly relations with officials from various tribes who had come to pay homage in Mongolia when they were suddenly shocked to learn that the Fourth Prince was preparing to collect outstanding debts.
"This is an order from Father Emperor not to be made public for the time being, so I cannot disclose it to you. The official document will be issued when the time comes." The Fourth Prince and his advisors have been working day and night to check the IOUs and verify the treasury funds.
"His Majesty has arrived!"
As a high-pitched, throaty voice rang out, Emperor Kangxi, dressed in a bright yellow leather dragon robe, entered accompanied by palace attendants.
Immediately, all the royal ministers, princes, and noblewomen present patted their sleeves, knelt down in unison, and shouted, "Greetings to His Majesty! Long live the Emperor!"
"Chongqing, rise!"
Kangxi's voice was never loud; in fact, it sounded rather soft. This was quite different from the Kangxi Emperor as portrayed by later generations. Lanqin knelt on the ground, silently contemplating this.
After everyone was seated, Kangxi nodded to Liang Jiugong beside him, and Liang Jiugong said, "Let the banquet begin!"
A row of palace servants carried imperial meals and filed in one by one through the open single door, placing plates of dishes featuring the emperor's specialties on the square tables in front of each person.
Lanqin glanced around and saw that Prince Zhi and his wife were not present. The Crown Prince and Crown Princess were seated to the left of Emperor Kangxi, followed by the Third Prince and his wife, the Fifth Prince and his wife, the Seventh Prince and his wife, and the Eighth Prince and his wife...
Lanqin couldn't stand it anymore; they were all accompanied by the principal wives, making her own status seem out of place. However, given the Fourth Prince's personality, he would never make such a mistake; it must have been with Kangxi's permission.
However, some people didn't like Lanqin, such as the Third Princess Consort. She stared at Lanqin as if she wanted to kill her with her gaze.
The men were clinking glasses and exchanging pleasantries, while the women were admiring others' clothes and jewelry. Lanqin felt a lot of eyes staring at her, making her quite uncomfortable.
"Princess Niu, is Fourth Sister-in-law unwell? Why didn't she come to the palace today?" The Fifth Princess Consort was closest to Lanqin, and she turned her head to ask.
Damn it, do you think I wanted to come? It was the Fourth Prince who sent me, it was Emperor Kangxi who sent me. If you don't like it, go ahead and talk to Emperor Kangxi.
Lanqin forcibly suppressed her discomfort and put on a perfect smile in response to every unfriendly glance directed at her.
"I am very pleased today, as my sons have fulfilled a wish for me. Let us raise a toast to them for accomplishing what I entrusted to them," Kangxi said, raising his wine cup.
Everyone immediately raised their wine cups and toasted Emperor Kangxi.
"My lords," Kangxi said solemnly, his gaze sweeping over the faces of everyone present, "I have another matter to announce today. I have ordered the Fourth Prince to investigate and organize all the IOUs from the 22nd year of my reign onwards. Starting in three days, each person will be given a detailed list of the amount of silver they owe the court, delivered by a special envoy. Anyone who receives the list must repay the debt within fifteen days."
Upon hearing this, the Hall of Mental Cultivation immediately fell silent as everyone pondered Kangxi's words. Starting in the 22nd year of Kangxi's reign, high-ranking officials and local officials had been borrowing money from the court, a debt that had now accumulated over 21 years. Unraveling this enormous and long-overdue debt and recovering it would be no easy task.
Lanqin noticed that many people didn't look as relaxed as they had at the beginning, guessing that they had all borrowed a lot of money.
The atmosphere took a sharp turn for the worse after Kangxi announced those words. These high-ranking officials and princes, faced with the emperor's sudden and forceful rebuke, seemed somewhat at a loss. They didn't actually know how much they had borrowed; they only knew that asking the court for money had become a habit. Now, suddenly, the court was no longer lending them silver and was demanding repayment of everything they had previously borrowed—a sum they feared they could never repay.
The banquet continued for a while, then Liang Jiugong called Lanqin to speak with Kangxi. The others were less interested in pleasantries and more preoccupied with how much silver they owed the court.
"Girl, are you getting used to living in the palace?" Kangxi asked Lanqin, asking her to sit to his right at the table.
"I'm quite used to it, but I can't move around freely, so sometimes it feels a bit stuffy," Lanqin said honestly.
Liang Jiugong stood next to Kangxi and sweat dripped down his face. He thought to himself: This little princess is really bold. She actually dared to say in front of His Majesty that the palace is too stuffy.
"Then accompany me to appreciate some calligraphy and paintings when you have time?" Kangxi didn't seem angry, and suddenly changed the subject to ask something else.
"I'm afraid I'm not good enough to see clearly, so I dare not show off my skills in front of His Majesty." A bead of sweat fell from Lanqin's forehead. This old man Kangxi probably misses his daughter again and wants her to act as a substitute. Well, serving the emperor is like walking on thin ice, so it's best to stay far away.
"Are you rejecting me?" Kangxi asked, looking at Lanqin.
"If Your Majesty requires Lanqin to go first, I will obey." Lanqin had no choice but to submit to Kangxi's "tyranny".
Kangxi smiled, gestured for Lanqin to leave, and after sitting for a while, he took his leave.
Once the emperor left, the people below couldn't sit still any longer.
The Thirteenth Prince didn't leave; he just kept drinking, which made the Fourth Prince frown.
Lanqin walked over and said to the Thirteenth Master, "Thirteenth Master, is something bothering you? Drinking too much wine can be bad for your health."
Thirteenth Master said dejectedly, "Little sister-in-law, I can't pay it back anyway, so I might as well drink myself to death."
Upon hearing this, the other brothers also began to drink in silence. Asking them to repay the silver they had borrowed from the imperial court over the years was like asking for their lives. They probably didn't even know how much silver they owed the court.
"Some people will stop at nothing to flatter others." Peach Blossom Nine took a big gulp of wine, her face already flushed, clearly she had drunk too much.
"Ninth Prince, what are you saying?" the Thirteenth Prince suddenly shouted. He regarded the Fourth Prince as his only elder brother. Although he was worried about repaying the debt, he still spoke up to defend the Ninth Prince without hesitation when he saw him making trouble.
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