Traveling in the middle of the night was a novel experience for Qingyan. She couldn't fall asleep and sat on the mat by the window, watching the guards walking outside with lanterns hanging in the dim light.
Aside from Qingyan, the rest of the people were already used to walking at night. She leaned against the window, a big smile on her face, her big, watery eyes sparkling. Yin sat to the side reading a book, watching Qingyan's little face, but didn't say much. He placed three bright luminous pearls on the tea table and the desk, which were specially given to Yin by Kangxi last time.
This is a long journey, and most of the time will be spent in the carriage. At night, it gets dark early, and it's not safe for Yin to read by candlelight.
Several bright, luminous pearls were sent from Jiangnan. A few were placed on the imperial carriage, and the rest were given to the princes.
"Little darling, come here." Yin beckoned to Qingyan, "Let's read together!"
Qingyan kept a straight face and gave a snort.
"No, the scenery outside is much better than in the storybook!" Qingyan recovered from the lack of beautiful night views outside. He was worried that at first, these beautiful views would definitely attract Xiaoguai. The journey from the grasslands to Jiangnan was long and would take several months. If Xiaoguai kept looking at the same night view, he would definitely lose interest.
Fortunately, they left the grasslands first, which prevented them from being stopped by the grassland leaders. If Kangxi had been a day later, they wouldn't have been able to leave so easily.
"Something's happened in the capital?" Yin's face was grim. Qingyan had been very careful ever since she got into the carriage, afraid of angering Yin.
The servants of the imperial kitchen set off on the second day and were almost besieged by the leaders. The things they brought out of that place were only enough for a month.
"Yes, things have changed. Moreover, the food brought by the Imperial Kitchen was only enough for the main force for a month, and the rest was withheld by those leaders under various pretexts!" Yin had to admit that it was hard to refuse the leaders' excuses. To the outside world, Kangxi only said that he was going to visit the surrounding towns incognito.
A month is definitely enough time. If we take too much food, the leaders will become suspicious.
"Fourth Brother, we have a grain shop at home, why do we need to bring those things!" Qingyan didn't understand. Going to the south of the Yangtze River is not like going to the northwest. There are grain shops belonging to the Ulanara clan everywhere. The servants of the Imperial Household Department can just bring silver to buy them, wouldn't that be enough?
Yin slapped his forehead. How could he have forgotten such an important thing!
“Little darling, the people from the Imperial Household Department definitely won’t pay in silver when they sell grain; they’ll probably use IOUs!” In his previous life, Yin had seen many such IOUs in the Ministry of Revenue. Some merchants had their entire family’s business ruined because of debts owed to the Imperial Household Department.
Even though Qingyan meant well and wanted to help, he didn't want the Ulanara family's businesses to run into trouble.
"What?!" Qingyan was puzzled. Wasn't it only possible to sell things with silver? Why were there IOUs appearing?
"The royal family has given their guarantee, so who can say that these IOUs can't be exchanged for silver?" Yin smiled bitterly. The Ministry of Revenue was not in a good position, and the loan process had just begun. If the matter of the IOUs could be exposed, things wouldn't have ended up like they were back then.
Qingyan frowned. Shops in Jiangnan had often talked about IOUs. Every time Emperor Kangxi went to Jiangnan, people would give merchants IOUs, but never pay them in silver. Some people even used these IOUs as cash and kept trading them, which could easily lead to a spiral of debt.
"Hmph, someone will leak it out, but it has nothing to do with me!" Qingyan whispered to Yin.
His eyes widened instantly as he looked at Qingyan's sly little expression, and a sense of unease welled up inside him.
"Little darling, we've agreed that if anything gets involved with your family's business, don't touch it anymore, stop immediately!" Kangxi was extremely protective of Fei Yanggu and his two sons. Without Saito and Eshuo in charge, the new army would definitely descend into chaos.
Qingyan sat down next to Yin, her little face looking a bit confused.
"Ah Hun's role is so great?" The New Army was unprecedented in Qing history, and the two sharpest butcher knives, Saito and Eshuo, were firmly nestled in Kangxi's wounds.
Yin smiled and said that Saito and Eshuo had made more contributions than Yin. Even Kangxi had to consider their opinions when fighting.
To outsiders, they would be more favored by the emperor than Feiyangu in the future.
"My God, really?" Qingyan was full of surprise.
After returning to their new home, Fei Yanggu and his two sons rarely talked about military matters. Therefore, Qing Yan assumed they were just ordinary soldiers who complimented Saito and Eshuo out of respect for Fei Yanggu.
"Little one, do you really look down on your Ah Hun?" Yin pinched Nei Qingyan's little nose and hugged her soft little body tightly.
Outside, people flatter him, whether they flatter Xiaoguai or not; most of these people are only after their own benefit.
"No, it's because I feel that I don't have the same status as my father. In Xinzhai, many people are talking behind my back about finding a partner for Ah Hun!" Qingyan is already married, and if it weren't for Fei Yanggu's obstruction, matchmakers would probably be knocking down the door.
Ugh!
Yin was speechless. Could Kangxi really allow Saito and Eshuo to marry unrelated people? The power they held meant that they could never marry at will.
"Hehe, why am I worrying? Ah Hun must know, otherwise they wouldn't have chosen this path!" Qingyan smiled bitterly. She never wanted her favor to be earned by Ah Hun and the others at the cost of their lives.
She has always lived under the protection of the Fei Yanggu father and his two sons, and it was a dream they built for her.
“Little one, Saito and Eshuo like this job. Otherwise, who could make them leave the Imperial Guard?” Yin comforted Xiaoguai.
Before the marriage, Fei Yanggu and his two sons specially took a day to talk to him, saying that when Saito and Eshuo's identities were exposed, they had to soothe the little guy's emotions.
"Hmph! It was clearly Ah Hun who concealed the truth, and Fourth Brother, you're an accomplice too!" Qingyan waved her little paws, her face full of resentment. "When Father and Ah Hun have their days off, the special meals for the four of you will be suspended three times!"
Every time they had a day off, Qingyan would cook special meals for the four of them to nourish their spirits. But this time, things got a little out of hand, and they had to stop enjoying the meals they looked forward to the most.
Yin was stunned. Why would Xiao Guai throw such a tantrum? He was somewhat bewildered when he realized she was angry.
"Little darling, let's talk this out. We'll need you to arrange as much good food as possible on the road." Yin couldn't help but feel a headache coming on when he thought of Kangxi's secret order.
The fact that Qing learned about the nature of Saito and Eshuo's new army at the banquet was also leaked by Kangxi.
"What arrangements?! Aren't you all so capable? You've left me completely unprepared, expecting me to face the possibility of losing my father and father at any moment during the campaign?" Qingyan was annoyed. It wasn't that she didn't support their work; if they had spoken calmly, she wouldn't have been unreasonable. This kind of deception only annoyed her! (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for it on Qidian. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please go to m.qidian.com to read.)
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