As the evening glow shone into the courtyard, Qingyan and Yingenjueluo were still interrogating the servants. Soft cushions were placed around their waists, and even though they were exhausted, they wanted to resolve the matters in the courtyard as quickly as possible.
Qingyan's face was very ugly. Not only was there a lack of money, but the rules were also in disarray. Some of the servants on duty in the courtyard were taking the opportunity to slack off.
After the Spring Festival, it felt like everything had returned to square one, and Qingyan felt completely exhausted.
"Little darling, don't get angry!" Yingenjueluo Shi persuaded Qingyan, "The child is the most important thing."
Qingyan nodded, understanding what Yingenjueluo meant. Seeing these greedy people, she could not suppress her anger.
The deputy steward also mentioned that the princes had given him many valuable gifts. He put all the items on the list last. Qingyan looked through the list and found that there were also the jewelry she had given to Songkelierha.
"Sister-in-law, look around the courtyard. Besides these things, what else is missing?" Qingyan handed the light tea to Yingenjueluo.
She took the list and looked at the items listed on it. Yingenjueluo sneered. The servants all treated people differently based on their status. If Qingyan hadn't been angry, this servant wouldn't have dared to hide anything and would have brought out all the registration information. Otherwise, the evidence wouldn't have reached their hands.
"There are also some valuable jewelry items, but those people know their limits. They didn't touch any of the Emperor's gifts. However, Master is missing some rare books on warfare!" Lady Yin Genjue Luo hoped to get these secret manuals back, as their names were not on the pawn list.
Qingyan thought for a moment and decided that he should have Fourth Master search the places where those people lived, and then he should be able to find those secret manuals.
"Does Big Brother have a list?" Qingyan asked.
“I also sent a list. It lists twelve rare books that are missing. These are all the fruits of Master’s labor.” Madam Yin Genjue handed Qingyan a list with the names of the twelve books. Fei Yanggu had two of them. If Father knew, he would definitely be up to something new.
“Father really loves these books. If he finds out that Prince Zhi has them, he’ll definitely go and borrow them!” Qingyan whispered to Yingenjueluo.
“If it were Lord Ulanara, it would be fine to lend it out for viewing, and the master certainly wouldn’t mind,” said Lady Yingenjueluo. “However, if these servants take it without asking, that’s stealing. The master isn’t a stingy person. He’ll lend it to as many people as they want, but they must return it.”
Yin Genjueluo understood the military generals. When they encountered rare books, they would definitely be ecstatic. Back then, Yin had paid a lot for these rare books. When Kangxi learned of this, he gave Yin a lot of silver as a subsidy. Otherwise, the Prince Zhi's mansion would certainly not have such a large and prosperous estate.
In the past few years, Qingyan has helped out even more, and life at the mansion has gradually improved, so there isn't much money left.
“Sister-in-law, everyone understands this principle. Besides, military officers treasure these rare books, so those people certainly won’t hand them over easily,” Qingyan said, rubbing her temples.
The servants in the courtyard had been kneeling all afternoon, and several of them had fainted. Qingyan had the accompanying imperial physician examine them, and then had Bayan thoroughly investigate them. Only after confirming that there were no major problems did he release them back to their dormitories.
"Aren't you tired?" Yin Genjue Luo looked down at them. Some of them looked very unhappy, but the two of them didn't soften their stance. If they didn't take a firmer stance, their courtyard might become a mess again.
"We are not tired!" The servants dared not say a word more, even if they were too tired.
Yin Genjue Luo Shi and Qing Yan exchanged a glance. These maids were really resilient; they had actually been kneeling for an entire afternoon and still said they weren't tired.
"Little darling, what's wrong?" Yin returned with Yin and looked at the servants kneeling all over the courtyard, feeling rather puzzled.
"Fourth Brother, these are the items that were pawned. They were all selected from my sister-in-law's courtyard," Qingyan said directly.
Yin reached out and took a list. The list of items and people on it made Yin's face darken.
Most of the people here are members of the imperial family whom Kangxi can use. If they are to be dealt with, Kangxi must be informed first. If they are not punished, the rules within the naval port will be in trouble.
"Little darling, are you sure all these things have been pawned?" Yin asked suspiciously.
“Yes, the deputy steward handled it personally!” Qingyan nodded, and Yingenjueluo Shi echoed her sentiment.
"Deputy Chief Steward, is all of this true? You should know that you can't afford to offend any of these people!" Yin said, looking at the deputy chief steward kneeling at the front after he sat down.
"Yes, this servant dares to swear on his life that these are definitely true!" The deputy steward knelt before Yin, shrinking himself even smaller.
Yin handed it to Yin, asking him to check if anything was missing.
"Where are the rare books?!" Yin exclaimed in surprise when he discovered that the twelve rare manuals were not on the list.
In fact, he had always hoped that he could find these rare books on the pawn list.
"Brother, it's not those secret manuals, is it?" Yin rubbed his temples. Those rare and precious manuals were merely nominal in front of Kangxi.
"Yes!" Yin said helplessly, "I'm still looking for it. If it can be returned, I won't say anything more."
"Tulichen, search those people's dormitories. Make sure you find those rare books!" Yin knew that Kangxi still wanted to examine those rare books. "If you find them, remember to write it down, noting whose room you searched and what rare book you looked for!"
Tulichen accepted the order and left. Yinhe looked at the servants in the courtyard; these people needed to be reprimanded.
"How long have you been kneeling?!" Yin asked Yin Genjueluo.
“It’s been an afternoon already,” Yin Genjue Luo Shi replied.
Yin nodded and said, "Servants, sometimes it's time to practice your manners properly. Let me help you into the hall to rest. You must be feeling unwell after working here all afternoon!"
With their help, Qingyan and Yingenjueluo returned to their respective courtyards. As soon as she returned to her inner chamber, she slumped against the soft couch, her whole body aching.
"Little darling, just come in next time. Look how tired you are!" Yin felt very sorry for Qingyan, who had been busy all this time and had no time to rest.
"Fourth Brother, my sister-in-law is over there, I can't just leave her outside. Those servants are too cunning. If it weren't for the money from Linglong Pavilion and Yuelai Inn, how could they have so easily given in?" Qingyan said helplessly.
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