The old man quickly knelt down, wanting his young wife to marry the still-young man, but the man's expression turned even uglier.
"Little darling, what did you say!" Consort Tong looked at Qingyan with disapproval, but her eyes were full of laughter.
"Your Majesty, it was my daughter-in-law who behaved improperly." The old woman quickly apologized, but her youngest daughter-in-law seemed oblivious to the consequences for the villagers after obtaining the gold hairpin.
Consort Tong noticed the man's greed and couldn't help but wonder if the thousand taels of gold that had been thrown away last time would have become a disaster for these villages.
"Mother..." The old woman's youngest daughter-in-law's face turned cold. Even the noble people hadn't said no, but the mother-in-law had rejected it outright. If she wasn't going to give it to her, why did this young lady take it off in the first place?
Qingyan and Yingenjueluo exchanged a glance. They lowered their heads and used the teacups beside them as a cover to hide the slight upward curve of their lips.
"Little Darling, you handle this." Consort Tong directly brought up the problem with Qingyan. These jewels were all given to Qingyan by Yin, and Little Darling would definitely be reluctant to part with them.
Qingyan smiled, her bright, watery eyes fixed on the other person. The latter didn't want to give up; instead, she was waiting for Qingyan to bestow jewelry upon her, which annoyed her greatly.
The two exchanged a glance, and the village woman's eyes were glued to the jewelry in Qingyan's hand, unable to tear themselves away.
Consort Tong frowned, somewhat disdainful of such a woman.
"My lord, my youngest daughter-in-law is a troublemaker, please don't take it to heart." The old man looked at Qingyan pleadingly, hoping she would forgive his daughter-in-law.
The young village woman didn't think much of it. These noblemen had so much jewelry; what did it matter if they were given one or two pieces as a reward?
The old woman's eldest daughter-in-law secretly glanced at Consort Tong's unpleasant expression. She reached out and tugged at her younger daughter-in-law's sleeve. They were family, and after being disliked by the noblewoman, their lives were bound to be difficult.
“My sir, my sister-in-law is a bit greedy, but she certainly won’t cause you any trouble,” the other party quickly said.
Qingyan's face tightened. Yin Genjueluo squeezed her little hand, urging Qingyan to move up a bit. After all, they represented the dignity of the royal family, and they couldn't let outsiders say that they weren't even given some jewelry.
At this moment, Qingyan was furious. She took a deep breath and carefully observed her two sisters-in-law; their relationship was probably not good. After a moment's thought, she decided to give the gifts to her eldest daughter-in-law.
"Sigh, you should have brought some things since you came last time. Sulan, go and get two sets of jewelry, one for the old lady and the other for this lady. Since this young daughter-in-law has taken a liking to the gold hairpin, I won't give her any more gifts." Qingyan directly instructed Sulan to fetch the items; two sets of ordinary jewelry were still within her capabilities.
Instantly, Consort Tong and Lady Yin Genjue Luo were secretly delighted, knowing that this girl would definitely not let those people off easily.
The two sisters-in-law kneeling below had different expressions on their faces.
"Thank you, sir!" the old man quickly expressed his gratitude.
"This thousand taels of gold is to make up for the time you've wasted." Consort Tong smiled, unconcerned that Qingyan was giving gifts in front of her.
"Liu Ru, go and get those fabrics. Your mother and fourth sister-in-law have already given them to you, so I can't be any different!" Yin Genjue Luo Shi waved her hand, instructing her personal maid to prepare the items.
The youngest daughter-in-law's eyes lit up. All these things belonged to them. There were so many. She had been married into her husband's family for several years and rarely had the opportunity to make new clothes. During holidays, she would just make a few sets of clothes for the children.
Later, Qingyan dragged her tired body back to the carriage with Yin. She leaned against the examination cushion, looking at herself in the small mirror with a huff, her hair completely bare.
"Little darling, where is your hair ornament?" Yin noticed that Qingyan's pomegranate-shaped gold hairpin was missing.
The little girl pouted, and her big, watery eyes became misty.
"Good girl, who is it?" Yin knew that Qingyan cherished the jewelry he designed, and if she didn't press him, she definitely wouldn't give it away.
Qingyan gave a bitter smile and told Yin what had happened. She rarely spoke ill of others, but she truly couldn't bear it anymore.
"It's okay, it's okay if it's not there. I'll prepare another set for you!" The carriage slowly moved, and he quickly hugged Qingyan into his arms, carefully comforting her. He absolutely couldn't let the little guy get angry.
Qingyan pouted. "You can find awful villagers anywhere," she thought, feeling particularly annoyed.
"Fourth Prince, I'm unwilling." Yin Genjueluo Shi was determined not to disgrace the royal family; he certainly wouldn't give the items away.
Yin fell silent. For the sake of the royal family's reputation, how much had been taken away by the grassland chieftains? Back then, he felt that his father had gone too far by giving his sisters so many dowries when they got married. Later, these dowries did not return to the royal family when his sisters died young, but were distributed to the sons of those chieftains.
Later, when he married off his brothers' daughters as princesses, he finally understood that deep sense of helplessness.
"Don't be angry. If you don't have the jewelry, I'll prepare another one for you. Don't be angry!" Yin coaxed her. That set of pomegranate gold hairpin jewelry was her favorite. She would always take it with her whenever she went out. Over the years, no matter how many new pieces of jewelry she had, her love for that set of jewelry never diminished.
Qingyan pouted, looking at the sunset outside the window. After they had all been given valuable gifts, the local magistrate arrived. Kangxi chased them off the imperial carriage, not letting them hear anything more. Seeing this situation, Kangxi must have been furious. Otherwise, he wouldn't have had someone block the people's view when they left and had the magistrate flogged forty times.
The people watched as the old man descended from the imperial carriage. Three women who went in to pay their respects carried many gifts. Consort Tong instructed Shu to deliver the imperial decree, which was to hand over one thousand taels of silver to the village chief in person, and another one hundred taels of gold to the old man.
"Your mother got revenge for you. She openly told those people who the rewards belonged to them. They're definitely going to have a hard time now!" Yin whispered to Qingyan. She had always lived in the Ulanara mansion and had never been in a normal family. Some of her valuable jewelry had been stolen by others.
Yin leaned close to Qingyan's ear and noticed that her arrogance was gradually being suppressed. He was even happier, as she finally stopped causing trouble.
"Fourth Prince, Father Emperor didn't mention who was behind it all!" The county magistrate shouldn't have the audacity to purge the people; he must have someone backing him up in the capital.
Instantly, her eyes lit up, and a gossipy mind began to stir.
He pulled her into his arms, his eyes fixed on the outside.
The Crown Prince meant well but caused a problem. The county magistrate was an outsider of the Hesheli family, and they were all under the leadership of Suo'etu. Therefore, the problem must have been caused by someone sent by the Crown Prince.
Emperor Kangxi couldn't bear the humiliation, so upon seeing the county magistrate, he immediately expelled both Yinzhi and Yinzhi.
The two of them had already noticed the situation and were both thinking to themselves, "The Crown Prince is really courting death!" (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for it on Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please go to m.qidian.com to read.)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
