Qingyan remained tight-lipped, much to the regret of the Mongol principal wives who felt they shouldn't have made any moves against him.
Their carefully laid plans have all been ruined. What are they going to do now?
Qingyan sat to one side, holding a teacup, glancing at the Mongolian wives out of the corner of her eye. They really thought she was stupid.
She doesn't like to use her brain, but that doesn't mean she's brainless. Once she's been tricked by these people, there's probably no other way out.
"This... Fourth Princess Consort, we were just unsure, which is why we didn't realize our headdress was fake," Gega's primary wife quickly said.
She used the influence of Linglong Pavilion to deal with Granin, which caused quite a stir.
If Qingyan stops doing business here, all the money she spent to recruit the artisans will be wasted.
"Nazai, the person you recruited has only been learning for less than a month, he hasn't even graduated yet!" Qingyan said lightly.
Ever since she suspected that someone had come to Mongolia to help these Mongolian principal wives make fake headdresses, she had been investigating their whereabouts. One craftsman who had been learning the craft for a month suddenly disappeared, and even his family members were nowhere to be found.
According to the man's neighbors, it was several Mongols dressed as Manchus who took him away.
In an instant, Yin understood that these primary wives wanted Qingyan to continue to be their helper.
What?!
Kangxi looked at Qingyan in surprise. No matter how cruel the struggle in the inner court was, Kangxi didn't think much of it. However, when the hand was pushed into the royal family, Kangxi was in a bad mood.
"My little darling, is this news true?!" Consort Tong asked.
If Nazai can control people, then can't the families of the imperial concubines do the same? Besides, how many people in the public are actually associated with Linglong Pavilion?
“Mother, it was Erlu who investigated it personally!” Yin said, helping Qingyan.
Emperor Kangxi and Consort Tong looked displeased; this was clearly a frame-up.
The Mongol leaders trembled inwardly. These women were truly short-sighted. Every concubine in the palace wore jewelry from Linglong Pavilion. These people knew to some extent that, apart from Qingyan's designs, all the jewelry from Linglong Pavilion was designed by hand by artisans.
Even if the imitated headdresses look very similar, there are still differences between them.
"I had no idea you had extended your reach into the capital!" Kangxi looked down at the leaders.
No wonder Qingyan always says that Linglong Pavilion seems to be being targeted. Whenever a certain kind of headwear appears, someone will quickly make a copy.
These counterfeit headdresses must have brought considerable benefits to these princes.
"Father, moreover, these fake headdresses have also flowed into the capital!" Qingyan has arrested the manufacturers several times, but the results have not been very good.
Consort Tong was somewhat surprised. What could these Mongols possibly be unhappy about that they would even cut off Linglong Pavilion's source of income?
Qingyan stood up, twisting the small handkerchief in her hand. Lang Sheng said, "Business is business. If any substitutes appear, I won't be surprised. After all, there has to be competition in the business world. However, don't you think it's a bit much to do it this way? Imitation of other people's headwear and using Linglong Pavilion's reputation to do it. It seems you must have made quite a bit of money, right?"
Qingyan's words were like ice blades, piercing directly into the hearts of each leader.
This year, they did make a lot of money by taking advantage of those craftsmen, but now they are somewhat unhappy. Qingyan directly pointed this out.
Kangxi's gaze grew increasingly cold. They had been feigning poverty and would demand silver and grain at set times.
"You have something to say, I should have given you enough silver and grain, and now you want to make up for it by taking it from my daughter-in-law?" Kangxi was amused and annoyed.
Have they all become obsessed with money? Every time, Yin would say that Qingyan was like a little Pixiu, a creature that only takes in and never gives out. But now, he feels that Xiao Guai has already done a lot.
"No, we dare not!" Gega and the others dared not speak and immediately knelt on the ground.
They received a considerable amount of silver and grain, but that was for the entire tribe to use.
They used Linglong Pavilion to sell fake jewelry, and that's how they made their own money.
"Father, I've helped Xiao Guai search for the place where fake jewelry is made several times." Yin's gaze toward the leaders grew increasingly cold. "We haven't been able to find it. I never imagined it had hidden on the grasslands!"
Consort Tong suppressed a laugh; Yin's words were somewhat cutting.
"The allowances for the princes and dukes are probably not enough. Granny Angguma is still here, so she should give them extra gifts to prevent these leaders from running out of money." Yin didn't care whether he offended these people or not; what angered him most was that Xiao Guai's Linglong Pavilion was almost destroyed.
Kangxi was secretly pleased with what Yin said. If anything happened at Qingyan's place, Yin would definitely be implicated.
"Your servants wouldn't dare, Fourth Master! These were all things done by the women; we servants were unaware of them!" The leaders quickly stated that they knew nothing about it.
A hint of surprise flashed across the women's faces. Qingyan felt sorry for them, and when necessary, her husband made them scapegoats.
“Gege, Nazai is a descendant of the Empress Dowager’s brother,” Kangxi paused, “The matter isn’t too serious, so let’s just let it go!”
Any problems with the direct line of the Khorchin clan would be a scandal for the royal family at any time.
The Empress Dowager has done so much for the Qing Dynasty that outsiders feel she has sacrificed a great deal for the Qing. If they were to punish her now, they would say that the Qing and the Mongols are ungrateful.
Gega clenched his fists, unable to control his anger. When did he ever need a woman to help him?
"This servant...understands!" Gega could only swallow his anger, since Nazai was the direct descendant of the Khorchin.
Nazai breathed a sigh of relief; in the end, it was her family that saved her life.
"This servant knows her crime!" Nazai quickly apologized. She was already doing so well to save her life and was determined not to make any more mistakes.
Gega stopped going to her tent long ago. She took action because she hoped that the Crown Prince could be raised by her and that someone could take care of her until the end of her life.
On the grasslands, Prince Gega was born to a concubine, and unlike the customary system of raising him under the care of the primary consort, he was personally taught by Granin.
After investigating the truth, Emperor Kangxi wanted to let it go, since it was Gega who had not followed the rules and caused a tragedy.
Qingyan, however, was not having an easy time. Not only did the primary wife have to help manage the household, but she also had to raise the illegitimate son. Any woman would feel resentful.
Now, Nazai has no way to refuse and must confess her guilt here. (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.)
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