In the evening, Fei Yanggu returned to his study and Qingyan complained that the Shuntian Prefecture was too inept at handling things.
"Father, I want to renovate the inn." Qingyan the bandit thought, he wanted to turn the front into a hot pot restaurant and open it as an inn, and take over the shops on both sides of the road during this fire.
“Little darling, we’re going to have to pay a lot of money in compensation.” Fei Yanggu was worried that she would get anxious, so he quickly comforted her from the side.
“Yes, we can’t rule out the possibility that someone in the surrounding area is trying to extort money from us. We need to not only have the people from Shuntian Prefecture keep an eye on the amount of compensation, but also on who might be up to no good,” Yin said from the side.
"Fourth Master, why haven't you returned to the palace?" As soon as Fei Yanggu finished speaking, Yin was speechless. He was such a big man, and he had been walking in for half an hour, yet Fei Yanggu hadn't seen him at all.
Pfft!
Qingyan was in high spirits, but his father was also quite upset by the fire. When he went to court, there were probably quite a few people preparing to take action against his family.
“Father, I’ve asked Sisi to stay behind so we can discuss the compensation tomorrow. Su Peisheng talked to those people, and the compensation is over a thousand taels. The shops will only cost a thousand five hundred taels.” After understanding the market situation, Qingyan prepared to fight this price war with Sisi.
Fei Yanggu was stunned. Those people agreed to write a settlement agreement, and after discussing it privately, he felt that this was the best possible outcome.
During the morning court session, the censors seized the opportunity to launch their attack, putting him in a difficult position.
"You've calculated it all?" Upon hearing Qingyan's words and the shop's true price, Fei Yanggu realized he had been taken advantage of.
Qingyan nodded, and waved to Su Lan from Apple, signaling her to bring up all the prepared silver. Sure enough, there were neatly arranged five-hundred-tael silver notes.
"A total of 30,000 taels of silver, which is the maximum amount I can get. Father, if you agree, please help me choose a few reliable display cases." Yin and she have very few people they can use. The only reliable ones are either Kangxi's spies or Fei Yanggu's connections.
The sticky rods trained by Yin could only be placed in the dark, just in case.
"What do you need so many places for?" Fei Yanggu believed she wouldn't waste money, but he was worried and wanted to help her with some advice to make sure she didn't cross Kangxi's bottom line.
Qingyan looked at him suspiciously; Fei Yanggu never interfered in her business affairs.
“Little darling, explain all the plans to your fourth uncle. As the princes grow up, Father Emperor’s suspicions will only increase. He will worry that the princes will use the Yue family to seek personal gain.” Yin smiled bitterly.
She stared blankly at Fei Yanggu and Yin, then told them about opening a hot pot restaurant and a barbecue shop.
barbecue?!
The two of them were a little exasperated. Which high-ranking official couldn't have a barbecue at home?
In the capital, many prominent Manchu families still maintain their traditional customs.
"Father, these two shops can't possibly cross the line, right?" Qingyan was full of confidence. The barbecue they served was definitely different from what was used outside the pass. One was high-quality barbecue, and the other was an un-evolved version.
Qingyan pouted, and under the suspicious gazes of Fei Yanggu and Yin, decided to cook a proper meal so that these barbarians could have a good taste.
"Alright, it's good that you understand the current situation." Fei Yanggu shook his head helplessly. This little guy. "Go back to sleep, and go to the shop to negotiate prices tomorrow."
********************************
The next morning, Qingyan washed and dressed early and went to the flower hall for breakfast. Yin, dressed in comfortable home clothes, looked at her leisurely appearance with a slight surprise.
"Isn't Xiaoguai scared?" Su Peisheng came to report that the owners of the two nearby shops were not good people. They were very stingy with money and even wanted to rip her off.
Outsiders all know that the shop belongs to the Ulanara residence, and the imperial censors often come here to loiter, hoping to find some bad places.
They could easily persuade Feiyangu to compromise with just a casual remark.
"Si Si, those people are probably fearless. Have the censors given them any explanation?" Qing Yan looked through the records that Su Peisheng had brought over. They contained the compensation amounts that the shop owners had directly stated, each amounting to no less than a thousand taels.
"Heh, which businessperson isn't shrewd? Even without hints from above, those censors can come up with all sorts of crooked ideas just by wandering around." Yin was disgusted by these people; they were simply intolerable.
Qingyan pouted, "Greedy people exist in every dynasty."
After breakfast, Yin and Qingyan headed to the Yuelai Inn.
Today, Yuelai Inn is surrounded by many surrounding shops, most of which suffered some damage in the fire.
Some people are kind-hearted and, since the loss was small, they don't intend to ask her for compensation. Su Peisheng and Acton apologized sincerely, and many people, upon learning that the Yuelai Inn was set on fire, were even more determined to help Qingyan catch the culprit. In this way, their shops could be more peaceful.
The Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture was already waiting there, accompanied not only by the auditors but also by more than forty yamen runners.
Extortion did occur here. Yin informed the prefect yesterday that the shop owner there was very likely taking advantage of their youth to try and extort more money from them.
The Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture was secretly pleased, finally having another chance to redeem himself. His earlier actions had undoubtedly challenged the authority of the imperial family.
After Qingyan and Yin got off the carriage, some shop owners saw the two children coming over, and Fei Yanggu did not follow. Their eyes flickered slightly, preparing to ask for an extra 10% when they asked for more money.
"Dear shop owners, the Yuelai Inn was set on fire the day before yesterday, causing you all some losses. Today, we will make compensation first. The Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture will send an auditor to each shop to check and give a reasonable compensation amount. We have also given serious consideration to the amounts you reported before." Qingyan directly warned the shop owners that any tampering would be discovered. "In addition, we want to expand our shops, and if anyone is willing to sell, we would be happy to buy."
After Yuelai Inn opened, many restaurants and inns experienced a decline in business, and some owners even wanted to take advantage of the situation to sell quickly. However, the owners of the shops located on both sides of the street did not want to sell; they had their own ulterior motives, believing that holding on until the end would yield a higher price.
An hour later, the auditors returned and announced the compensation amounts for all the shops in public. Most of the shop owners did not overreport the amount, which was considered quite fair.
"Princess, our two shops suffered the most severe damage. Look, the amount the auditors quoted is a bit low!" The shop owners on both sides weren't exactly docile; they sensed her intention to sell their shops. (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for it on Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please go to m.qidian.com to read.)
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