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As evening fell, the group emerged directly from the secret passage. There, a completely different world existed from the one above under the sunlight. It was the first time Yin had ever seen the world below.
As boxes of spoils were brought up, Yin looked at them and felt a pang of melancholy.
The brothers were besieged on all sides, and they had been hoping that Kangxi's secret edict would arrive ahead of schedule. These items were like a heavy burden in their hearts, and the days of waiting were really hard to bear.
The two brothers were in a state of turmoil because the imperial decree from the capital had not yet been issued.
Inside the study, Yin sat in a grand chair with a gloomy expression, while Qingyan brought a tray of food to the table.
"Sisi, why don't you have some lunch first? You didn't eat anything at noon," Qingyan advised from the side.
Yin waved his hand, feeling a bit resentful, thinking that Kangxi was deliberately delaying to find out what they had.
“Little Darling, you know, it’s not good to leave these things here all the time, and those boxes are exposed to the sun.” Yin felt guilty. If these things had been left behind, they would have been able to contribute to the development of the naval port, and there would have been no need to go on another expedition for a while.
Qingyan sat down beside him, holding a small bowl and eating some with Yin. During lunch, Yingenjueluo Shi also mentioned that Yin's appetite had been gradually decreasing these past few days, which made him feel somewhat awkward.
“Definitely. Those things have been in the secret room for too long. Putting them in the silver vault won’t work either. Don’t move the wooden furniture out; leaving it there is the best choice!” Qingyan said directly.
Erlu led his men to investigate the area. The secret chamber led to a dense forest, which would protect the young naval forces should there be any enemy activity. Kangxi thought that Yinzhi and Yinhe had chosen a good location.
“I also know that Imperial Physician Yuan is sorting through that gold, preparing to buy a Western warship so we can better understand the performance of Western warships!” Yin said in a low voice.
Previously, Yin and Yin had discussed that if they could buy one of the most advanced Western warships, they could discover how much of a gap there was between them and the West.
"You want to see the difference?" Qingyan was taken aback. Their ships were much more advanced than those of the West. Even though the blueprints Qingyan had were from a long time ago, they were still more advanced than the current blueprints.
Yin nodded: "We must look at the gap. Even if our ships are more advanced, we need to see how much more advanced they are."
Qingyan listened to Yin's complaints. She understood that in the several naval battles near the coast, their ships were of excellent performance and very powerful. Every time they went to war, Yin was full of pride, and every victory he won seemed like a matter of course.
"Master, the Dragon Guard has delivered a secret decree!" Su Peisheng appeared at the door. Yin quickly put down his bowl and chopsticks and walked straight outside. When he reached the door, he turned around and glanced at Qingyan.
"Come with me!" Yin thought his accounting skills were lacking, and Qingyan could speed things up.
In the study in the courtyard, Fei Yanggu frowned as he looked at the memorial, which contained a secret edict written by Emperor Kangxi, instructing the two brothers to handle it themselves.
"Fourth Prince, Father Emperor instructed us to handle this ourselves, without needing to consult with the higher-ups." Yin directly handed the secret decree to Yin, and then gave the account book to Qingyan, which contained the silver that Kangxi had specially converted into cash.
"The evidence has been sent to the capital?" Yin glanced at the last sentence written by Kangxi. Linglong Pavilion sent the items and Consort Tong's headdress to Chengqian Palace. When Kangxi saw the evidence, he was almost furious. He did not expect that the people he sent had dug such a big trap.
Fortunately, the brothers Yin and Yin were quick-witted and suppressed the evidence, sending it to the capital as quickly as possible.
"It's been sent to the capital!" Yin replied directly.
Qingyan began rapidly calculating the accounts, finding that the amount of silver was now equal to the old amount.
"Fourth Prince, what should we do with these tributes and silks that have been bestowed upon us?" Qingyan asked Yin.
Yin stepped forward and took a closer look at the tributes and silks. They were mostly stockpiled by the Imperial Household Department. If these hadn't been distributed, they would have been sold to wealthy merchants within the Qing Dynasty.
"Father's intention is that these things are all being transported to the West!" Yin glanced at the secret letter, preparing to hand them over to Qingyan for handling!
Qingyan was taken aback. Sending all of these to ships and transporting them to the West would indeed be enough to exchange for a considerable amount of goods.
"Wait, are there any fine items among these tributes?" Qingyan's eyes lit up as she instantly remembered Yin's scheme.
"Of course!" Yin pointed out all the exquisite items. "What use are these?"
“Let’s trade! Didn’t you want a warship? In France, the naval commander really likes Chinese things. The manager of Linglong Pavilion has made connections with him, and he’s basically sold all the good stuff to him. This time, buying a decommissioned warship from him is also an option!” The manager of Linglong Pavilion has been doing business abroad and has seen a lot; he’s not a frog in a well anymore.
"What?!" Yin and Yin both exclaimed in surprise.
"Is that all?" Yin pointed with his finger. "Can these really be exchanged for warships?"
At this moment, Yin could hardly believe that Qingyan could replace these things with new types of ships.
"Just wait and see." Qingyan smiled. "Sulan, go and call the managers of Yuelai Inn and Linglong Pavilion who are going out this time!"
Yin accompanied Qingyan on a walk around and looked at the silks and satins that had been transported from the capital. They were mostly for the imperial use and were of medium to low quality, not the best.
"Fourth Brother, these are all better than the things in Linglong Pavilion. We can really make a lot this time!" Qingyan said happily. "What are you planning to do with the things in the ancient tomb?"
"Load everything onto the ship, leave nothing behind!" Yin suggested from the side. "How can we keep these things that have been tainted with bad luck around us?"
Yin nodded in agreement, but Qingyan felt that it would be good if those Yuan blue and white porcelain pieces could be kept. Under Yin's strong urging gaze, she had no choice but to compromise.
"Alright, take all of these!" Qingyan included the Yuan blue and white porcelain in the list, and Yin breathed a sigh of relief.
"Little darling, if you like, I can go and get two or three more items, but these are not allowed to stay!" Yin's tone was firm. With the twins by his side, these things were not to be touched.
"Alright, you've said it!" Yuan blue and white porcelain is very expensive now, and Qingyan already has several pieces in her small storeroom. "I will leave these to my children as a family heirloom."
"I'll also prepare some Yuan blue and white porcelain for you, all to be given to Songkelierha as part of her dowry!" Yin thought Qingyan's approach was good after hearing her explanation.
"Okay!" Yin Genjue Luo Shi agreed, knowing that Yin was doing it for her daughter's good.
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