As noon approached, someone from the Dong'e clan finally arrived. The steward could only pretend not to see the pleading looks in the eyes of the two shopkeepers.
The Ulanara residence and Yinzhen are people they cannot afford to offend.
"This servant greets the Fourth Prince and the Princess." Qingyan was not yet married, but she was already confirmed as the Fourth Prince's wife.
Yin waved his hand, signaling the steward to get up quickly and not kneel on the ground.
“Originally, I didn’t plan to have you come, but these two kept saying they were entrusted by the Dong’e clan chief, so I had no choice but to come and inquire,” Yin said helplessly.
The butler was inwardly resentful. If they hadn't spoken up, this master wouldn't have been able to find fault with them.
"The arson case of this shop has already been handed over to the Ministry of Justice. I can't let so much silver go to waste," Qingyan said, looking at Dong E's steward with a somewhat apprehensive expression.
As soon as he finished speaking, Dong Eshi's steward repeatedly agreed, but at that moment he was very worried that she might think that Dong Eshi had done it.
"You can make the decision now?" Qingyan raised an eyebrow and asked directly.
"Yes, what are your instructions?" The steward sensed something more in Qingyan's words. The shop owners had only offered a small sum of money as a tribute; there wasn't much involvement involved.
Manager Liu was frightened. The steward of Dong E was very respectful. The two of them were not as harmonious as he had guessed.
"We were planning to take over these two shops, but they wouldn't allow it, saying they couldn't make the decision themselves!" Qingyan smiled coldly; these people were just cannon fodder pushed out by others.
"Sure." The steward quickly agreed. The power of the Dong E clan in the court was slowly declining, while the power of the Ulanara clan was on the rise. Anyone who wasn't stupid would understand that it was better to mess with people than to mess with them.
Manager Liu and Manager Huang were completely stunned; their influence was nowhere near that of Qingyan and the others.
She glanced at their awkward expressions and sneered inwardly.
"Princess, I have offended you." The two were blaming each other. They hadn't even bothered to find out Qingyan's identity before they started making trouble. Now, not only were they suffering, but even their masters were preparing to abandon them.
Qingyan waved her hand, indicating that she had generously forgiven them. Yin, watching from the side, couldn't help but chuckle. This girl was really taking advantage of the situation and acting innocent.
An hour later, all the shops that Qingyan had been annoyed with were now under her control.
"Princess, the score is settled." After the two shopkeepers signed and sealed the document, one of them left with two thousand taels of silver.
They were very grateful to Qingyan, who generously gave them 500 taels of silver as compensation, which was much more than they had expected.
Seeing Qingyan make a move, Dong Eshi's steward could only swallow his anger. He felt that his master's actions were not very kind, which was why Qingyan was preparing to retaliate.
Qingyan and Yin were completely relieved after watching the steward of Dong'e leave.
"Little darling, you've softened your heart again?" Qingyan had given those two a lot of money. "Don't do this again."
Yin was worried that Qingyan would be harmed by outsiders who were plotting to take advantage of the benefits Qingyan could bring.
"Si Si, I just don't want to feel guilty!" Qing Yan understood that the two shopkeepers relied on the Dong E clan only in the hope that their businesses would not be targeted by outsiders. Now, the shops where they lived were gone.
Even if they go to other places, they still have to start from scratch.
Yin pinched her little face. "You still feel guilty towards those who hurt you?"
He shook his head helplessly; this girl was just too easy to talk to.
"Little darling, do you have any plans for this land behind here?" Yin changed the subject. "The arsonists were just the surrounding businesses. If you want to know the truth, you'll probably have to investigate secretly."
In the capital, people wearing yellow and red sashes are everywhere. Seeing the Yuelai Inn making a fortune every day, who wouldn't be envious? They are probably all plotting how to make Qingyan compromise. Kangxi probably also had this plan when Yin married Qingyan, hoping that Yin could control the sources of information about the Yuelai Inn.
"Fourth Brother, I'm heartbroken!" Qingyan moved closer to Yin, transferring all her weight onto the Fourth Brother.
The royal family's habit of discarding loyal officials after they have served their purpose is disheartening, especially those who have risked their lives for the royal family.
Yin smiled wryly. From the perspective of the emperor, Yin felt that Kangxi was right. From Xiao Guai's perspective, Kangxi's actions had angered Qingyan.
As the two were complaining to each other, Su Peisheng stood at the door and informed them that Yinzhi and Dong'e had arrived.
Qingyan frowned. The appearance of these two people was definitely not going to cause any good trouble.
"Let him in!" Yin said.
To outsiders, Yinzhi was always Yin's elder brother, and it was definitely not appropriate for the two of them to stay outside.
"Sit to the side and don't interrupt!" Yin warned.
Qingyan was secretly surprised that Lady Dong'e had received the news so quickly; she must have come to try and appeal to family ties.
Although Yin and Yin Zhi did not have a good relationship, they were still brothers. Qingyan had to give Yin Zhi some face and, incidentally, let Dong E Shi off the hook.
After she understood, she couldn't help but feel annoyed. The Dong E clan was always haunting her. Before, the Dong E clan had schemed against her many times, almost ruining her reputation. Now, they were using Yin Zhi to oppress Yin.
"Third Brother, what brings you here?" Yin asked sarcastically as he watched Yin Zhi enter.
"Fourth brother, look at what you're saying. Your third sister-in-law said that someone in the family is causing trouble for your younger brother and sister-in-law. As their elder brother and sister-in-law, of course we have to come and see." Yin Zhi shook his head helplessly. Yin Zhi was not one to suffer losses. He probably already understood who was plotting against him.
His advisors were no match for Yin's; even Qingyan understood the complexity of the matter.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have sent someone directly to find Dong E's steward to cause trouble.
Dong E twisted her handkerchief, a look of sorrow on her face, but Qing Yan showed her no sympathy. This woman wanted her husband's favor, and she also wanted her sisters-in-law to listen to her.
“Sister-in-law, it was the servants in my sister-in-law’s household who acted improperly, making it impossible for the compensation matter to proceed.” Dong Eshi made no mention of the fire.
Qingyan gave a cold laugh; Dong Eshi was clearly shirking responsibility.
“Sister-in-law, I’ve already taken over all the shops in the back. No matter how much trouble people cause outside, nothing like this will happen again. But there’s a wine thief in the wine cellar, which is a bit bad.” Qingyan looked coldly at Dong E’s wife. She wouldn’t forgive this woman easily.
Those two jars of medicinal wine almost made Emperor Kangxi want to kill Fei Yanggu, which Qingyan could not tolerate.
"Sister-in-law...it would be wonderful if we could take it over; at least we wouldn't have to worry about those who betray us," Dong Eshi quickly said. (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for it on Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
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