Emperor Kangxi was furious about the matter concerning the Imperial Household Department. Yinzhi and Qingyan, as obedient as little quails, quickly sat down to the side and waited for his questioning.
Yin quietly squeezed Qingyan's small hand, telling her not to say anything more, since the Empress Dowager was involved in these matters.
"Lanya, who read the ledgers at the beginning?" Kangxi noticed that the handwriting at the very beginning of the ledgers was different from Lanya's.
Consort Tong's face flushed with fear, as she was afraid of being scolded. She had just taken over the account books from Cining Palace a while ago and hadn't even had a chance to finish reading them before she went on her inspection tour.
"Cining Palace?!" Kangxi asked in a hoarse voice.
Seeing the bitter look in Kangxi's eyes, Qingyan realized that these things might be related to the deceased Empress Dowager.
Some time ago, Qingyan overheard the wives of the grassland women complaining that even when the Qing Dynasty was facing difficulties, the rewards bestowed upon the emperor were always exceptionally generous. Now, although the Qing Dynasty's treasury has improved considerably, it is not as abundant as it used to be.
Some wives complained to her that the Qing Dynasty did not take their tribe seriously.
Those people probably understood that Qingyan wouldn't say much, which is why they acted so arrogantly.
"Yes!" Consort Tong replied with a pursed mouth. "Little Darling noticed something was wrong, but I didn't know it!"
Kangxi was very satisfied. The primary consort he had specially chosen for Yinzhi was quite good and could directly address any loopholes.
"Has it been sent to the grasslands?" Kangxi was aware of the Empress Dowager's actions behind the scenes. At that time, the national treasury was really tight, and although he wanted to bestow rewards, he didn't have much to offer. The Empress Dowager directly diverted a lot of tribute from the Imperial Household Department to reward the Khorchin, and he tacitly approved it.
Consort Tong, Yinhe, and Qingyan lowered their heads, afraid that Kangxi would notice something was wrong.
"Alright, you three don't need to hold back anymore. Say whatever you want to say!" Kangxi looked at Consort Tong. His little cousin had been avoiding the topic, and his maternal grandmother had argued with him many times about her. Now it seemed that he hadn't been too biased.
Qingyan was concerned about her face. Things in the palace were often sold off. Even things belonging to the princes were often replaced by servants with high-quality fakes. Fei Yanggu and his two sons often went to Liulichang to look for bargains.
"Little darling, is there something you're hiding?" Kangxi noticed that Qingyan's face had changed several times, and Fei Yanggu always seemed hesitant to speak, which puzzled him.
Qingyan turned to look at Yin. If that matter were exposed, it would probably cause a huge uproar.
"to be honest!"
Kangxi stared at Qingyan, determined to thoroughly investigate the shady dealings within the Imperial Household Department. Xiaoguai's secrecy only made him feel uneasy.
"Father, the prince sold all the valuable items and put the fakes back where they were!" Qingyan said quickly, knocking on Kangxi's stunned eyes before lowering her head again. "Father often goes to Liulichang and found that one of my hairpins has been sold."
Qingyan was furious. Even if the hairpin wasn't good, it was a gift from the imperial concubines. If other people found out, they would think she had sold it for money.
What!
Kangxi slammed down his teacup and looked at Yin, receiving an affirmative answer.
"When did this happen!" Kangxi was secretly annoyed, as he hadn't heard a word about it.
"When I returned to my parents' home, Father brought me that headdress, and that's when I realized it was a gift from Consort Rong," Qingyan whispered.
"How did you find out?" Consort Tong asked curiously. All the headdresses for the consorts were the same. How did Qingyan notice that they were different?
Qingyan twirled her handkerchief, her small face showing a helpless expression.
"I have a habit of marking the jewelry I don't like, and I'll give it away when I have the chance, so it doesn't take up space!" The last five words were spoken very softly.
Yin covered his face, wondering why his wife was so honest.
Pfft!
The person above spat out their tea. Although Xiao Guai was stating a fact, what she said made a bit of a joke.
“You…” Kangxi pointed at her, “Can you say that?”
Fei Yanggu, that rough and straightforward guy, is quite similar to the little fellow in temperament!
“Father, I’m telling you the truth,” Qingyan replied, tilting her head back.
Yin coughed a few times. Qingyan was very straightforward in front of his father, the Emperor, and although he had some ulterior motives, they wouldn't offend Kangxi.
Feiyanggu is indeed a good teacher!
Consort Tong also felt a headache coming on; the little guy's mouth was both funny and exasperating!
"You brat, what else did Fei Yanggu discover?" Kangxi didn't believe that Fei Yanggu had made any other discoveries.
Before leaving Beijing, Fei Yanggu must have discovered something big.
"And there's also that painting of Guiguzi descending the mountain that you liked!" Yin answered for Qingyan. "My father-in-law bought it for you too. I'm thinking of secretly replacing it with yours later!"
Yin felt particularly uneasy thinking about the painting in his bundle.
Fei Yanggu bought the painting for 10,000 taels of silver, handed it over to Yin, and then extorted 12,000 taels from him. Now, Father Emperor has brought the painting "Guiguzi Descending the Mountain," and Yin wants to exchange it on the grassland.
Emperor Kangxi smashed the teacup in his hand. The painting was one of his favorites and had always been kept in the Hall of Mental Cultivation. When was it replaced?
"Are you sure what you sold was genuine?" Kangxi had to admit that some forgeries were also extremely well-made.
Yin nodded. He knew that the "Guiguzi Descending the Mountain" painting was not returned to the palace until the tenth year of Yongzheng's reign, when officials' homes were confiscated.
"Several renowned calligraphers and painters have confirmed it!" Yin secretly sent people to verify it, and they all said it was an authentic work.
Kangxi's face darkened instantly, while Qingyan's heart pounded. This matter involved her father; what could she do? She absolutely could not let her father and the children get involved.
"Father, Father and the others just like to go to Liulichang to collect some pretty porcelain for me!" Qingyan explained dryly.
It was common knowledge in high society that Qingyan loved blue and white porcelain. Fei Yanggu was a doting father and gave all the Yuan blue and white porcelain he had acquired as part of Qingyan's dowry when she entered the palace.
Back then, Emperor Kangxi mentioned to Tong Gui that Xiao Guai's generous dowry was even more than the betrothal gifts prepared by the Imperial Household Department!
"Um."
"When Father was looking for things, he found some items from the palace..." Qingyan swallowed hard. "Moreover, many of them were locked up and couldn't be redeemed until a certain period of time had passed."
The Ulanara family opened a pawnshop, which was done at the personal order of Feiyangu, who had some of her whims.
"Did it come from your family's pawnshop?" Fei Yang had told Kangxi a long time ago that his family owned a pawnshop, not to compete with Min for profits or to lend money, but simply to collect some things that Xiao Guai liked.
Qingyan nodded; the pawnshop's profits were quite good. (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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