The next day, the Fourth Prince led his men to Yuqing Palace, but this time he did not go to drink. Instead, he showed the Crown Prince all the receipts for the silver that the Crown Prince had borrowed from the national treasury since the 30th year of Kangxi's reign, totaling more than 80,000 taels.
The Crown Prince stared at the receipts, somewhat bewildered. He hadn't expected to borrow such a large sum of money from the national treasury. The expenses of Yuqing Palace were all determined according to the Crown Prince's salary and status; where exactly had such a large sum of money gone? The Crown Prince simply stared blankly at the receipts.
"Fourth Prince, are these really the ones I borrowed?" The Crown Prince still looked at the receipts in front of him in disbelief.
"Indeed, every single one has your signature. There shouldn't be any mistake." The Fourth Prince thought about the Crown Prince's salary and realized that it would be difficult to raise this amount of money in a short time.
"How am I supposed to return it all at once? Even if I moved everything in Yuqing Palace, I probably still wouldn't be able to pay it back. Fourth Prince, you have to give me some time." The Crown Prince looked at the Fourth Prince with a worried expression.
Normally, the Fourth Prince was always very respectful to the Crown Prince, but when it came to this matter, his attitude was so firm that even the Crown Prince found it difficult to compromise.
"Father is now reorganizing the national treasury, presumably in preparation for dealing with the Dzungars later. Crown Prince, as the heir apparent, if you can step forward and set an example in this matter, it will greatly benefit Father's future fundraising efforts," the Fourth Prince said earnestly, looking at the Crown Prince. He felt that as the heir apparent, the Crown Prince should naturally support Kangxi's decision. Moreover, deep down, the Fourth Prince also supported Kangxi's sudden pursuit of these debts. The principle of repaying debts is a matter of course.
"But where am I supposed to get all this silver out of me so quickly? You all know my salary," the Crown Prince said, looking helpless and at a loss.
The Fourth Prince ultimately failed to obtain a promise from the Crown Prince regarding when the money would be repaid, and returned to Lanqin's place for lunch with a sullen expression.
Lanqin and the others were tending to the flowers and plants in the courtyard with Cui Niang, while Nianxue and Xicha, following Lanqin's instructions, were naturally preparing the portioned dishes brought from the imperial kitchen in the small kitchen.
"Niang Cui, among the former Fujin, Sister Li, and Sister Song, which one do you think was more favored by the Fourth Prince?" Lanqin had become familiar with Niang Cui these days, and the latter also felt that this little princess was indeed a sentimental person, and unlike other masters, she did not give orders to servants casually and was cold and ruthless.
"Initially, it was Consort Song who was favored by the master. She was gentle and kind, and kind to the servants. Then came Consort Li. Her personality was completely different from Consort Song's. She was lively, loved to laugh, and was also very beautiful. She quickly diverted the master's attention," said Consort Cui.
"And what about the Fujin? I heard she arrived after the two princesses, Song and Li," Lanqin asked.
"That's right. The master married when he was 16, and his wife was the eldest daughter of the Ulanara family, who is now the Fourth Princess Consort. The Princess Consort is calm and composed, but her relationship with the master has never been very close. Not two years later, they both left the palace with the master to establish their own residences." Cui Niang's eyes flickered, and she quickly skipped over the topic, seemingly not wanting to go into more detail.
She got married at 16, which means she already had two princesses before she turned 16. It seems that people in ancient times really started learning about this very early.
As Lanqin was thinking this, she noticed that Fourth Master walked in with a sullen face.
"Master~" Lanqin stood up, put down the small scissors in her hand, and went to greet him.
When Fourth Master saw Lanqin come to greet him, his expression softened slightly.
As the two entered the inner room, Nianxue and Xicha had already prepared lunch and set it out at Lanqin's instruction.
"My lord, please try this dish that I had them cook today." Lanqin picked up a piece of food for the fourth master with her chopsticks, but the latter still had a gloomy face and could not smile.
"My lord, is it not going well with the collection of money? If I'm not mistaken, the problem must have started with the Crown Prince." Lanqin remembered that the biggest obstacle the Fourth Prince encountered in pursuing the debt owed to Kangxi came from the Crown Prince and the officials involved behind him.
Fourth Prince was surprised that Lanqin guessed his question so quickly, and asked suspiciously, "How did you know it was the Crown Prince?"
Lanqin swallowed and said, "I heard from Sister Li that she came to see me a few days ago and mentioned the Crown Prince's debt. I guess the Crown Prince is the one you will find hardest to talk to."
The Fourth Prince gave Lanqin an approving look, thinking to himself: This little princess is really thoughtful. She never asks about my affairs, but her observation and ability to connect things are truly remarkable.
"In your opinion, how should I ask the Crown Prince to return this money?" the Fourth Prince asked.
“His Majesty said at the palace banquet that as the heir apparent, the Crown Prince should be the first to respond to His Majesty’s call!” Lanqin said, looking at the Fourth Prince’s expression.
"But the Crown Prince said he doesn't have that much silver and can't pay it back in a short time." The Fourth Prince finally managed to ease the weight on his mind, because the Crown Prince's attitude was crucial. Whether he took the lead in this matter would directly affect many people underground.
“But I see that the calligraphy and paintings on the walls of Sister Li’s room are priceless. Just how much silver does the Crown Prince owe to the national treasury?” Lanqin continued to ask.
"At least eighty thousand taels." The Fourth Master's head started to ache when he mentioned this number. If one person owed so much money, then how many people in the court would be in debt? If the debts weren't collected, the national treasury would probably be completely empty.
“The shareholders in Sister Li’s room have more than 80,000 li of silver. The Crown Prince must have the money, but he just refuses to return it!” Lanqin said decisively.
“Those are just paintings and calligraphy, they can’t be returned as silver. He said he didn’t have the money to get pregnant, I have to find out if he has the ability to repay these silver, otherwise should I just rob him from his palace?” The Fourth Prince said with a sullen face, it seemed he had no appetite.
"Doesn't the Crown Prince have any profitable ventures outside? If we can find some, it will prove that the Crown Prince has the ability to repay the debt." Lanqin thought for a moment and then used her science-oriented mind to say to the Fourth Prince.
This sentence was like a drop of water thrown into a pot of hot oil, immediately causing the oil to boil and churn.
Fourth Master slapped his thigh and said, "You're right. If we find out whether the Crown Prince has any private property and the profits from the estate, we can force him to repay the debt."
Lanqin chuckled and said in a sweet, coquettish voice, "Grandpa, do you have an appetite now?"
Before Lanqin could finish speaking, Fourth Master suddenly raised his hand, picked up his chopsticks, and began to eat.
"Master, eat slowly, don't choke." Lanqin looked at the Fourth Master with a smile, wondering if she had said too much and if it would arouse the Fourth Master's suspicion.
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