Emperor Kangxi opened the account books and examined them. He had to admit that the numbers on these account books were shocking. He was even more annoyed by the list of people recorded on them. The people on the list were all selected from the top scorers in the imperial examinations over the past few years.
He sent Fei Yanggu and Wei Dongting to investigate the backgrounds of these people, but their families were all quite well-off, so they shouldn't be greedy for these things. Everything changed when they arrived in Jiangnan; not only did some greed emerge, but ambition was also cultivated.
"Little darling, are there no other names on this list?" Kangxi noticed that even the lowest-ranking officials in Jiangnan were on the list, but the higher up the list, the fewer names were included.
"Yes, the list the shopkeeper gave me is complete, without any omissions!" Qingyan realized that Kangxi was suspicious. They had simply conducted a more detailed investigation, and this was the list that was publicly available.
"Fourth Prince, take a look!" Kangxi handed another list of secret guards to the fourth prince, which included the factions behind these officials.
The salt administration was a murky affair, with almost all the officials in the capital involved, Mingzhu and Suo'etu being the most deeply involved. Longkodo was also involved, and Yin couldn't help but glance at Consort Tong.
Consort Tong smiled, knowing that while she had given up on Longkodo, Tong Guowei and his wife would not.
"Xuan Ye, as long as Longkodo survives, that's enough. Don't worry about anything else!" Tong Guowei was certain that he would protect Longkodo. "As long as Fahai is not implicated in any way, that's fine. Every family needs a pillar. My uncle has Orondai, but my family doesn't have a legitimate son to support us. Fahai is the best choice."
Consort Tong smiled, relieved that she no longer needed to clear obstacles for Longkodo; she could just continue to be suppressed.
Kangxi laughed. Every time Lady Tong came to Consort Tong to talk about Longkodo, she would complain to him.
"Little darling, from now on, when you encounter members of the Tongjia clan in your shop, you won't need to offer any discounts." Even deep within the palace, Consort Tong knew that Longkodo never paid when dining at the Yuelai Inn or buying things at the Linglong Pavilion.
ah?!
Qingyan was stunned. The Tongjia clan was Yin's maternal family, so it was only natural that they would receive such benefits.
"Yes, little darling, there's no need for any more discounts. Even the discounts for the imperial family members should be increased." Kangxi thought the jewelry prepared for them by the Imperial Workshop was quite good. He couldn't just send one set to Qingyan and then have the Imperial Workshop give them another set according to their allowances. Double sets of jewelry would only make these women even more ambitious.
After saying that, Qingyan gave an awkward laugh.
Waaaaah!
With the promotion of these women, the ladies of the court will surely buy jewelry from Linglong Pavilion.
"Father, this... I will send jewelry to those people who are the principal wives. When they go to gatherings, they will all have suitors. The business of Linglong Pavilion is usually mostly repurchased by these people," Qingyan explained.
Emperor Kangxi smiled. Xiao Guai's business acumen was all focused on the families of officials. That was good, since a significant portion of the Ministry of Revenue's tax revenue came from Qingyan's shops.
"Mother's jewelry is exquisite, and it is also the only one that Linglong Pavilion mentioned. There is only one of its kind, and there is no template!" Qingyan does not like to wear the same headdress as others. Apart from the one specially designed by Yin, it is the only one that Linglong Pavilion mentioned.
Qingyan's thoughtfulness made Consort Tong very happy. When the officials' wives paid their respects, her own mother asked why none of her jewelry was in Linglong Pavilion.
"Little darling, does the Tong family want my jewelry?" Longkodo's concubine must have caused a lot of trouble for the manager of Linglong Pavilion. Madam Tong always said that she probably hoped Consort Tong could talk to Qingyan and ask her to make a few more sets.
Qingyan felt a particular headache coming on when she heard about Longkodo's concubine. Every time, the people at Linglong Pavilion showed great dislike for Si'er, who always acted more arrogantly than the Princess Consort of a Prince. The three-story private rooms were reserved for imperial relatives; the Tong family only had one because of Consort Tong. These were only for the principal wife, so what did that small room matter?
"Hehe..." Qingyan didn't want to say more.
“Mother, even concubines can use Madam Tong’s private room, and they’re all bossy and arrogant, going out in bright red palace dresses. This is hell for the legitimate wife!” Yin smiled coldly. Longkodo couldn’t even manage the most basic respect for others.
Kangxi slammed the teacup down beside him, and Yin immediately shut up.
"Fourth Prince, stay here and go back to Qingyan first. Come over for dinner later. You can go back tomorrow morning!" Kangxi's expression was very bad.
After the two left, Kangxi became gloomy.
"Lanya, when you get back, you must deal with Longkodo strictly. Fortunately, Qingyan didn't say much, so the royal family wasn't smeared. Yin and Longkodo have never gotten along since childhood, so it's no big deal if he makes a few sarcastic remarks!" Kangxi shook his head helplessly. Longkodo and Yin were naturally at odds.
The two returned to the courtyard, and Qingyan sat down on a chair to the side, fuming.
"Fourth Prince, why won't you let me complain?" Qingyan didn't understand. Kangxi had clearly asked what the situation was, so why wouldn't Yin let her speak?
"If Father asks, and you say too much about the Tong family's faults, he will be very disgusted. I have never gotten along with Longkodo." When Yin was young, he would make a fuss whenever he saw Longkodo. Apart from Longkodo, everyone else was fine when they got close to Yin, but as soon as Longkodo got close, he would start crying loudly.
He explained the reason, and she couldn't help but laugh. It turned out that when she was young, she really wasn't straightforward.
"Most importantly, you said that Mother would be unhappy. You specially reserved a private room for the lady of the Tong family, which already made Father Emperor unhappy. Your explanation was very good, and Father Emperor didn't find any fault with it!" Yin analyzed in a low voice.
Qingyan had more contact with Kangxi than the other wives, so it was best for her to figure out Kangxi's thoughts as soon as possible. In this way, she could better establish her authority among her sisters-in-law.
snort!
She turned to look outside. Every year, she sent a lot of silver jewelry and headdresses, but most of them were confiscated by that fourth son, so she had to prepare a special set to send to Tong Guogang's residence.
Both Mrs. Tong Guogang and Mrs. Orondai were well-behaved and would always make some kind of gesture each time. The first few times, she thought Mrs. Tong Guowei would hand over the jewelry from Tong Guogang's branch, but in the end, she had to be careful.
“Tong Guogang and Tong Guowei have never gotten along, and now it’s becoming more and more obvious!” Yin said. “From now on, there’s no need to prepare anything for Madam Longkodo anymore; the legitimate wife has probably already been dealt with.”
"Send it directly to Madam Tong Guogang?" Yin had chosen a side, and Qingyan could only obey Yin's orders.
"Alright, I'll give the instructions. From now on, will the private rooms also be handed over to Mrs. Tong Guogang?" Qingyan disliked dealing with Mrs. Tong Guowei; every time she went, it left her in a terrible mood. (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for it on Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please read at m.qidian.com.)
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