In the following days, Kangxi would take the princes hunting every day, while most of the women stayed in the camp. Consort Tong always kept Qingyan by her side and would sometimes suppress her, telling her not to go against some of the Mongolian women.
That day, Qingyan was humiliated by the Princess of Khorchin and was in a very depressed mood. Even though she had given birth to twins for the Qing Dynasty, she did not think she was anything special. She only hoped to give her family a peaceful life. Who would have thought that this primary wife would keep talking badly about Qingyan behind her back?
Since counterfeit Linglongge jewelry appeared in the headscarves of many Mongolian women, Qingyan issued another order to the managers of Linglongge, requiring all purchases of Linglongge headscarves to be made under their real names.
In modern times, real-name registration is commonplace, so here it seems like a novelty.
The real-name registration system had barely been implemented when the Mongolian wives complained about it to Consort Tong.
"Fourth Princess Consort, the jewelry from Linglong Pavilion is exquisite, and we won't cause any trouble. We just hope we can order more!" They knew that after the fire, it would be difficult to buy jewelry from Linglong Pavilion.
They did not expect that Qingyan would use such methods to suppress them.
"It only means that you need to specify who ordered it, but it doesn't say there's a limit to the quantity!" Qingyan shook her head. What were these women trying to do?
Consort Tong chuckled inwardly. Every time she came to Qiu Mi, she would be teased by these primary wives, who said that without children, her life would definitely be difficult after the Emperor passed away. Xiao Guai's method, however, had given her a lot of peace and quiet.
The leaders all had their own favored concubines, and these women regarded the headdresses from Linglong Pavilion as a symbol of their favor. Therefore, when the head wife offended Qingyan, many new rules were added to the ordering of headdresses from Linglong Pavilion. The leaders, being mostly rough and uncultured, found it rather troublesome to find it difficult to specify whose headdress it was and even write down their identities.
This tactic led to the favored concubines speaking ill of the primary wives, causing the leaders to flock to the primary wives' tents to cause trouble.
Qingyan took a sip of tea from her cup, then turned to look out of the tent. The weather was really nice today, perfect for going out for a stroll.
"Mother, shall we take the children out for a stroll after lunch?" Qingyan blurted out, catching Consort Tong off guard.
Consort Tong turned her head to look at Qingyan, and seeing her disdainful look, nodded with a smile.
"Fourth Princess Consort, we are discussing the Linglong Pavilion matter with you. Could you please not talk about anything else?" The Princess Consort of the Khorchin Prince was annoyed. With the Empress Dowager still alive, Qingyan certainly wouldn't dare to speak to them like this.
With the Empress Dowager gone, the treatment of the Mongols plummeted, as evidenced by the reduced rewards they received. It was clear that Emperor Kangxi's affection for the Mongols had waned.
Now that Kangxi has brought the Empress Dowager along for the autumn harvest, who knows what schemes might be brewing here.
"Hmm? What about the jewelry? My lady, I didn't limit the number of pieces you ordered. I just asked you to state your family name when you placed the order." Qingyan looked coldly at the Princess Consort of the Khorchin Prince. "I think you understand what I mean, right? The Granin affair always involves Linglong Pavilion. Am I wrong to think about the reputation of my own business?"
When women get married, which family doesn't bring a few shops as part of their dowry? Everyone keeps track of their finances, and shops with good reputations naturally generate more profit.
"No..." The wife of the Khalkha prince quickly interjected, "Fourth wife, the wife of the Khorchin prince only said that she hoped this requirement for real-name registration could be waived?"
The wife of the Khalkha prince found the term "real-name system" rather strange, and when her servant reported it to her, she said it aloud.
Outsiders thought Qingyan was heartless, but she thought it was a good idea. Every family that ordered what kind of jewelry and how much money they spent was recorded in detail in the account book. Not only could they know how much money their master had spent when they settled accounts every year, but they could also find out how much money those little vixens had hidden away.
"Borjichite, what business is it of yours that I am speaking to the Fourth Prince's wife?" The Khorchin Prince's wife was always proud and arrogant, taking pride in her family's close blood relationship with the Grand Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager.
Previously, when the imperial court sent tribute, the Borjigit clan took the lion's share. Now, Emperor Kangxi has finally treated everyone equally, and the remaining tribes are very respectful to His Majesty, hoping that this treatment will continue.
The grasslands were too far from the capital, and much of the news from the capital could not be transmitted quickly. Several tribes were fooled by Suo'etu and almost incurred the wrath of Emperor Kangxi.
The Khorchin prince and his primary consort played an indispensable role in this incident.
Consort Tong and Empress Hesheli had a bad relationship, and Suo'etu had many spies in the palace drug Consort Tong. If it weren't for Qingyan's pearl powder, her health would have deteriorated long ago.
"It has nothing to do with me. I can't stand your arrogant attitude. Among the tribes, you are the richest. Although this matter was not caused by your tribe, I remember that Gega's primary wife is from the Borjigit clan. Oh, I forgot, the primary wife is the prince's younger sister." Borjigit's face was not good. None of the other primary wives said anything, but she was the one who talked too much.
Consort Tong was taken aback. Was that so?
"Back then, the eldest daughter of the Khorchin clan didn't participate in the imperial concubine selection. She was directly betrothed to Gega by the old prince. From the beginning, this primary consort was not favored, and in the end, she didn't even have any children. The current heir is also the son of Granin," the consort of Prince Khorchin reported. "In those years, Gega's harem was in chaos, involving the harems of most of the leaders in the northern desert. None of Gega's children survived; they either died young or died during childbirth, with both mother and child dying at birth."
Qingyan was secretly surprised. She remembered that some novels said that the Khorchin had the Qiyan clan's secret medicine, which even the Empress Dowager had. The poison on Consort Tong and her three sons, Fei Yanggu, was all the work of this old lady.
As soon as she finished speaking, Consort Tong's expression turned sour. She remembered the Empress Dowager's handiwork. These secret medicines must have been given to every legitimate daughter of the Khorchin.
"You can't say such things!" The Khorchin Prince's wife felt guilty. These secret medicines were brought back by the Empress Dowager, who said they were meant to give the women of the Borjigit clan control over the mansion.
"Who's talking nonsense? Our concubine is also from the Borjigit clan. If the prince hadn't discovered that she had tampered with my pregnancy, I might not be alive today!" The wife of Prince Khalga looked displeased; she still remembered the grudge from back then.
At this moment, the Khorchin Prince's wife was in turmoil. No wonder the Khalga Prince's concubine was initially favored, but was later imprisoned by the prince. (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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