In the following days, the camp was filled with a tense atmosphere, and the guards patrolled more frequently, fearing that they might cause trouble again.
Last time, when the camp was besieged, none of the Mongol leaders came out, which infuriated Kangxi.
"Little darling, let's get a roasted lamb leg," Consort Tong recalled the roasted lamb leg that Qingyan had shared with them in the tent last time. It was much more tender than the one at the bonfire party outside, and the spicy lamb chops had made Kangxi exclaim with delight. "That one has been thinking about it quite a bit lately."
Consort Tong helplessly pointed to the sky, and Emperor Kangxi also felt that a human brain was better.
Pfft!
The emperor was spitting out tea at the banquet. Every few days, Emperor Kangxi would hold a bonfire party with the leaders of the grasslands. At that time, they would eat roasted lamb legs. Wasn't that enough?
It's not just lamb legs, there are many other kinds of meat.
"Mother, besides roasted lamb leg, what else would you like to have?" Qingyan blinked. Recently, she had eaten a lot of roasted food and was now craving roasted fish.
"Roasted vegetables are also excellent!" Qingyan's cooking skills are quite good; she can always make a lot of delicious food, which makes Emperor Kangxi and Consort Tong feel that their meals have improved a lot when they go on tours.
Qingyan stepped out of the tent and quietly instructed Sulan to fetch something from the imperial kitchen. She then sat down and chatted with Consort Tong.
As the hunt went on, the chieftains and their wives stopped causing trouble, which Qingyan found very strange.
In the past few days, he had been constantly trying to get her permission, whether by being greedy or by subtly probing, hoping to obtain her permission to have his daughter selected for the Fourth Prince's residence.
"Mother, why haven't those chief wives come over these past few days?" Qingyan looked at the palace account books and took the opportunity to ask while Consort Tong was instructing her on managing the household.
Consort Tong looked up at Qingyan. The little one probably didn't understand how powerful the wolf pack could be. The grassland chieftains feared wolves, especially since the chief who had witnessed the wolf pack had entrusted his offspring to Qingyan's care. This instilled a sense of respect in many chieftains and their wives towards Qingyan.
"Heh, if these people dare to cause trouble again, the snowball under your feet is the son of the wolf king of this grassland." Consort Tong sneered. "If those wives dare to come again, those leaders should think about the consequences."
The Mongols had great faith in these beliefs and would never dare to kill the wolves of the steppe.
"My goodness," Qingyan picked up the wolf cub from beside her feet, "this little thing can bring me this benefit?"
Snowball's injuries had healed considerably, so Qingyan allowed the staff to bring it out without worry. The snow leopard was too aggressive, so Qingyan simply kept it in Longzi.
"Snowball, I'll give you something delicious in a bit!" Qingyan tapped the little wolf's nose, its icy blue eyes darting around.
"Little darling, if these two are properly raised, they can save your life in a crisis." Consort Tong smiled. Once, she had a young snow fox by her side, who was framed and beaten to death by Empress Hesheli. Only then did she realize how cruel the struggles in the palace were. To prevent the little one from suffering the same fate as herself, she still spoke out.
Qingyan blinked, surprised that Consort Tong would say such a thing.
Inside the tent, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law taught and learned, and the palace affairs were quickly finished. Looking at the account books submitted by the Imperial Household Department, Qingyan had a headache. Those account books were too cumbersome. After the Fourth Prince takes control of the country, she must change the way of keeping accounts.
"Alright, now that you've seen the account books, what are your thoughts?" Consort Tong said with a kind smile, teaching Xiao Guai these things using methods that Empress Dowager Tong had taught her when she was young.
Back then, Empress Dowager Tong, despite her illness, taught Consort Tong, hoping that her two most beloved children could be together happily. Now, her wish has come true, but she will never see it.
"Mother, there's a lot of money to be made in the Imperial Household Department's procurement!" Qingyan had to admit that it was hard to say exactly where all that money went from the procurement. Just the daily purchase of fruits, vegetables, meat, and eggs alone could earn half of the profit!
Consort Tong was somewhat unaware of the prices outside. She had been raised in the manner of a noblewoman from the Upper Three Banners and had very little contact with the outside world.
"Hmm, why do you say that?" Consort Tong asked, looking at her.
"If meat and eggs were from a farmer, it would only cost a few copper coins. But once they reach the Imperial Household Department, they become more than ten copper coins. Does that mean that the meat and eggs supplied to the Imperial Estates are more expensive than those from outside?" Qingyan looked at Consort Tong with a blank expression. She didn't understand how much money those people were making. She only knew that if she didn't speak up, these parasites would empty the Imperial Household Department's coffers.
"What?!" Kangxi, standing at the doorway, exclaimed in surprise upon hearing Qingyan's question.
Emperor Kangxi had his trusted servants inquire about prices outside the palace. The reports that the prices were similar to those in the imperial estates dispelled his doubts. It seemed that his methods had been too lenient, which had made these parasites think that things had calmed down.
Yin frowned. Back then, he had fought many battles with these people. In the end, he got the money back, but his reputation was ruined.
The silver in the national treasury was spent by that unfilial son Hong, and it is unknown how much the servants of the Imperial Household Department obtained from it.
"Father..." Qingyan saw Kangxi at the entrance of the tent, quickly got off the soft couch, and bowed to greet him.
Snowball only opened one eye, glanced at Kangxi, and then went back to sleep.
Kangxi's lips twitched. This little snow wolf looked down on him. It was very well-behaved in front of Consort Tong, but if only Kangxi and Yinzhen were present, it would probably cause trouble.
"Speak!" Kangxi looked at Qingyan, "What are the prices like outside?"
Emperor Kangxi was deeply saddened. He felt it was time to investigate those trusted bondservant officials of the Imperial Household Department. They had actually managed to deceive him, which was definitely not what he wanted to see.
Qingyan fell silent; this was not a matter for her to report.
Women should not interfere in politics!
These words made her uneasy, fearing that people would gossip about her.
Seeing Qingyan's frightened expression, Kangxi understood what had happened!
"Fourth Prince, you tell me!" Kangxi didn't make things difficult for Qingyan and passed the question on to Yin.
Yin glanced at the account book handed over by Consort Tong. He had to admit that the servants in the Imperial Household Department had done a very good job. If Xiao Guai hadn't frequently sent people out to investigate, they certainly wouldn't have known about these accounts.
"At least two-thirds water! Just one of these eggs is worth ten times the price!" Yin muttered to himself.
Kangxi's face darkened; the price hadn't changed in years. (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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