As the twelfth lunar month approached, the Fourth Prince's residence began to bustle with activity. Qingyan took charge of preparing for the New Year. The tribute items had been prepared since October, and recently, Linglong Pavilion delivered them to the residence. It must be said that she had to worry about the tribute items every year. Before, she only had to be responsible for preparing the foreign headwear and jewelry.
Now, she has to direct all the servants in the mansion to start preparing all the tributes. It has to be said that without her father's help, she is in a bit of a mess.
"Fourth Brother, you're finally back." Qingyan had just mustered her courage when she saw Yin coming over and quickly rushed over.
Yin was slightly taken aback when he entered. Qingyan had never been so enthusiastic before. She must want something from him, otherwise, this girl would never be so obsequious.
"Little darling, let me get used to it first!" Yin glanced down at himself, still wearing his court robes, and reassured the little girl. "Go and arrange our dinner!"
Yin turned and went to the inner chamber. Qingyan had something on her mind and couldn't help but stare blankly outside, wondering if she should add something to the single word.
At this moment, Su Lan stood quietly to the side, waiting for her master to give her instructions.
"Master, His Majesty has asked you to arrange dinner!" Su Lan broke the silence in the hall, pulling the flustered Qing Yan back to his senses.
"Just send it according to the menu I've prepared!" Qingyan waved her hand, dismissing all the maids.
It's best if no one disturbs her during dinner time, so she and Yineng can calmly think things through.
After a cup of tea, Yin came out of the inner chamber and sat down beside her.
He glanced down and saw that she was holding a list of tribute items. He was a little surprised, since everyone should be busy cleaning the mansion this time.
"You're starting preparations now? There's still at least a month left!" Yin was puzzled. Usually, the Ulanara residence would only be fully prepared about half a month before the preparations were complete.
"Could you check for me and see if there's anything I've missed?" Qingyan smiled ingratiatingly.
Yin carefully reviewed the list. Everything Ulanara had prepared for the new residence had been arranged by Xiao Guai. At least, there weren't many things missing from the list.
"You have too many headdresses and imported goods. If you show them all to your mother, many people will be envious," Yin said, pointing to the worn-out imported items.
The families of the imperial concubines were all preparing to use this opportunity to enhance their reputation, and many would make purchases from Linglong Pavilion, keeping the pavilion constantly busy since November.
"Fourth Prince, send more imported goods to Mother for her to use as rewards. Isn't it almost New Year's?" Qingyan disagreed. It's better to use the items they themselves have presented as rewards in the palace. Those imperial gifts are rarely convertible to cash, but these are different. They don't have the royal mark and are easy to convert to cash. In this way, when Consort Tong sends those people things that guarantee their investment, they are a grade higher than the other concubines, which also shows their noble status.
Yin pondered for a moment, then shook his head. Kangxi was currently rectifying the officialdom, and if the mansion were to send these things away in a grand manner, those people would definitely not say anything good about it.
During dinner, Qingyan pondered Yin's analysis, her lips pursed. Polish products were simply too dazzling here.
The first-class imported goods in Linglong Pavilion were mainly tributes sent to the old house, the new house, and her own residence. The remaining imported goods were sold in Linglong Pavilion.
After dinner, Qingyan sat in the study, staring intently at the list, which consisted mostly of items she would need.
"Little darling, let me see the list again!" Yin put down the memorial in his hand, preparing to look at the list again to see if he could secretly send some of it into the palace first.
Qingyan moved to his side and handed him the list that had been filled in.
He looked at the records again and had to admit that Xiao Guai had taken very comprehensive care of everything. Looking at each item on the list, it was basically what his mother needed.
“Starting tomorrow, I will bring something with me every time I go to the palace. Is that alright?” Qingyan was pulled onto his lap. She pouted her little mouth. After finishing dealing with the tributes for the mansion, she still had to prepare things for the new house tomorrow. Her father and his concubines definitely couldn’t handle the tributes for the harem.
Yin underlined several of the valuable imported goods, and she looked at him suspiciously.
After a moment, he opened his thin lips and said, "These are on the tribute list to be sent to the new residence."
She quickly shook her head; these valuables were intended for Yin.
“The mansion still has some fine items; we don’t need to confiscate imported goods,” Yin said.
As midnight approached, Yin and Qingyan finalized a new list of tribute items. Qingyan handed the list to Yin, intending for him to give it to Fei Yanggu when he went to court the next day.
The next morning, Qingyan entered the palace as usual. Today, she was followed by the largest number of servants.
Many of the servants found the situation rather strange. Qingyan was a very disciplined person and rarely overstepped the rules. Today, however, she had increased the number of servants to the maximum.
"Mother, have Aunt Shu take these boxes inside. These are all imported goods, intended for you to give as gifts!" Qingyan smiled.
Consort Tong glanced at Shu, who then opened the box. The valuable imported goods inside astonished the servants in the hall, and Consort Tong herself looked even more surprised, as these imported goods were usually acquired at high prices!
"My dear, did they send all the imported goods first?" Consort Tong asked with a look of surprise.
"No, these are just the first ones we're going to send. Fourth Brother said they're a bit too conspicuous!" Qingyan quickly explained. "Mother, these are only a portion. Our mansion can't send such conspicuous things!"
Yin was, after all, a prince, and she didn't know much about official matters. She was sure that what Yin said was true, and at the very least, she couldn't let the censors find any fault with him.
During this period, both Hesheli and Magia were impeached by many people, and in the end, they both implicated the Crown Prince and the Third Prince.
Therefore, she was extra careful, fearing that Yin might also be implicated.
"Shu, send everything to the Imperial Treasury!" Consort Tong knew that it was Yinzhi who had agreed, so it must not have much of a problem.
"!" Shu quickly agreed.
Consort Tong beckoned to her, beckoning Xiao Guai over.
"Little darling, you're not allowed to send so many things over again. If the concubines see this, they'll gossip!" Consort Tong was even more worried about Little darling's safety. None of those concubines were easy to deal with. If Little darling brought these things over, they would definitely keep an eye on her.
Qingyan verbally agreed, but didn't really care.
"Mother, these aren't important. Linglong Pavilion sells imported goods. If your rewards aren't good, people will definitely criticize me and Yin." Qingyan isn't greedy; her biggest goal in earning money is to provide a better life for her family. (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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