Yinzhen caught his son with one hand and his daughter with the other, and with his legs spread apart the two dogs, he used all his strength to catch the four pounced dogs.
He had just breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Qian Shengyan, who was also joining in the fun, quickly walk over. He was stunned and was hesitating about which one to throw away when someone suddenly pounced on him and hugged his waist.
"...You, you need to be more serious...the children are here!" Yinzhen couldn't free his hands to push the person away, so he could only scold them in a low voice.
Qian Shengyan didn't care. After hugging the man enough, she opened her arms and hugged her children as well. The whole family laughed and joked together. Even Hongli, who considered himself a "big kid," blushed with laughter in his father and mother's arms. Although he was a little embarrassed, he was still very happy.
After making a fuss for a while and having dinner, Hongli was about to return to Xifeng Xiuse.
Qian Shengyan asked her son carefully and was relieved to know that there was nothing wrong with him living alone. No teacher has come to teach yet. Yinzhen said that they would have to wait until after the fifteenth of the first lunar month. However, the teacher surnamed He is mainly teaching Hongshi. Hongli and Hongzhou are still too young, so he is only teaching them for now.
However, Hongli himself loved reading and could stay in the study all day if no one disturbed him. If Li Yu hadn't boldly used Qian Shengyan's words as an order, Hongli probably wouldn't have been able to exercise every day, and he would probably have even had to eat his meals hastily in the study.
“It’s just that my fifth brother is always crying, and his crying is quite loud.” Hongli pursed his lips, clearly disliking his crying brother. “My sister is not even a year old and she rarely cries. I don’t know why my fifth brother still cries so much. He cries for a while every day.”
To be honest, Qian Shengyan was also heartbroken. Yinzhen was probably happy to suddenly have two more sons who were established, and he kept thinking about raising them together. But Hongzhou was only two years old and should be snuggling in his mother's arms.
She couldn't very well go to Yinzhen and explain her modern theories, like cultivating a sense of security before the age of three, because she figured he wouldn't listen anyway. She could only comfort Hongli, saying that once they installed glass windows, they wouldn't have to keep them open all the time; the glass would be soundproof yet let in light, and they wouldn't be able to hear the crying from across the street.
After talking with Hongli, the little boy returned with a group of servants. Qian Shengyan was really reluctant to part with him and wondered if it was possible to get Yinzhen to withdraw his order and send Hongli and Hongzhou back to their mothers to be raised.
It's somewhat difficult.
"What are you thinking about?" Yinzhen's voice rang out. Qian Shengyan looked up at him, still with a thoughtful expression on her face. She slowly said, "I was just thinking, should I go to the Thirteenth Prince's residence tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow? That's fine too." Yinzhen sighed as he thought of Yinxiang. He wanted to help, but Kangxi had no trust in Yinxiang and had treated him like a prisoner for the past few years.
Yinxiang now has a large family, but he is still a bald prince. Yinzhen can only help him privately, but he doesn't want too many people to know. So he instructed Qian Shengyan not to send things over during the New Year holidays.
Qian Shengyan nodded: "The last time I went to the Thirteenth Prince's residence was in the winter month. There were many people and things to do before the New Year, so I haven't been able to go. I was thinking that things are more relaxed now, so maybe I can send the prepared materials and money over there."
"Alright, you can arrange it as you see fit." Yinzhen had no objections to her arrangements.
Qian Shengyan nodded, then nestled close to Yinzhen and explained to him in detail the various incomes and expenses of the household.
She only fully took control of the entire manor in the latter half of last year, and the accounts were only just sorted out before the end of the year. After figuring out the income of such a large manor, Qian Shengyan was truly shocked.
At that time, a prince's salary was 10,000 taels of silver and 10,000 shi of grain per year. It may not seem like much, but if converted to RMB, it would be about 5 million to 6 million yuan. It sounds like a lot, but it's enough to support a whole household!
Fortunately, Yinzhen still owned many estates, lands, and horse farms. In addition, now that Yinzhen was in charge of the Bordered White Banner, his servants would send tributes on time and during festivals, such as ice tributes, charcoal tributes, and New Year's tributes. Although Yinzhen received relatively little, it still added up to a considerable sum of money.
But with so much money, not much is left at the end of the year. There are four concubines in the mansion: one primary wife, two secondary wives, one concubine, and four young masters, plus servants everywhere. It costs quite a lot.
At the end, Qian Shengyan gasped as if she had a toothache: "I didn't know before, but in the future... Your Highness should bring in fewer people."
If you really want something new, why not rummage through the maids in the mansion? Even proper young ladies like Guo and Liu, who were selected as princesses, don't skimp on their allowances.
Yinzhen was amused by her stingy expression and patted her head: "Good, you can do the math now. That's a good reason, much better than being jealous and sour."
"Master!" Qian Shengyan turned away in dissatisfaction and said reproachfully, "If you like, it doesn't matter if you take in a few more people. I will take good care of them. If they can give you a son or daughter, I will not hesitate to spend all the money!"
"Hahaha, you really are just being generous with my money." Yinzhen laughed, but then added, "In the past, the accounts for the front courtyard of the mansion were handled separately. Su Peisheng has my little treasury. If you ever need money, just ask him."
"That's money for official business, it can't be used casually," Qian Shengyan muttered. But she wasn't stupid; it was already good enough that Yinzhen said so. So her small complaint was mixed with a satisfied happiness, which made Yinzhen laugh.
Qian Shengyan was also considering whether to take advantage of her time travel to open a shop and make money, but... at this time, even the princess of the royal family had a lot of trouble going out. She was accompanied by servants, and apart from attending the weddings and funerals of relatives and friends, or going to temples to worship, no one would go out for a stroll or shopping for no reason.
What's more, she wasn't even a Fujin (a high-ranking official's wife); to put it bluntly, she was just a maid in a prince's mansion. She even needed someone to accompany her when she went to the Thirteenth Prince's residence, let alone open a shop...
Never mind.
Let's be thrifty and manage our household well.
That's what she thought, but Qian Shengyan didn't take any action. After all, when Ulanara was in charge, everyone ate and drank well, but when she took over, the quality dropped. Wouldn't that just make people gossip?
The household is not yet at the point of starvation. If Yinzhen takes in two fewer new concubines, it will be much more economical than if everyone eats one less dish.
Before they knew it, it was the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. Early in the morning, Yinzhen and Ulanara went to Changchun Garden to pay their respects to Emperor Kangxi and returned before lunch. However, Yinzhen seemed to be in a slightly bad mood when he returned. Qian Shengyan didn't ask too much, but gently changed the subject, asking him to give a few riddles to hang up for everyone to guess that evening.
After coaxing Yinzhen into going to the study, Qian Shengyan breathed a sigh of relief and continued arranging the banquet.
Qingxue, who was watching from the side, couldn't help but ask Qian Shengyan, "Isn't Master curious about what happened to the Prince?"
Qian Shengyan shook her head honestly; she wasn't curious, really.
At this point, it was easy to imagine that Kangxi wouldn't be in a good mood with his group of grown and strong sons. In fact, according to the rules, Yinzhen and the others were supposed to have a banquet in the palace that evening, but they were all sent back before noon.
So, is Yinzhen really happy about this? He's not stupid; who wouldn't want to be the emperor's favorite?
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