With the issuance of Emperor Kangxi's order, the atmosphere in the commercial districts of the capital became increasingly oppressive. Many merchants began to adjust their policies, unwilling to compete with the imperial merchants of the Imperial Household Department and the shops of the Fourth Prince's Consort.
They were all very self-aware; they didn't have that much money to back them up, nor did they have any high-ranking officials or wealthy patrons to rely on, so they could only avoid those things directly.
"Little Darling, how are you?" After returning to the mansion, the first thing Yin did was to go to the study to find Little Darling. She was sitting in the armchair, her little face tense. Although she had been feeling very unwell lately, she had been working hard to manage the Da Run Supermarket, fearing that the Nian family would find a loophole and expose her identity.
Qingyan pursed her lips, feeling very irritable, her little face full of despair.
"This is bad. People come to cause trouble every day, and there are all sorts of problems." Yin sat down next to her and quickly asked.
Previously, when Nian appeared alone, the bondservants of the Imperial Household Department gradually discovered Nian's method. Although it did not damage the reputation of Da Run Supermarket, it would interfere with the normal operation of the supermarket, which was the best solution.
In an instant, Qingyan's troubles increased. Pregnant women are known for their bad temper, and the shopkeeper was often scolded by Qingyan after he arrived.
"Yes, I'll take care of that. Right now, your priority is to get your health back. We can't let our child suffer because of this!" Yin valued this point highly.
He once thought that Consort De would take care of Qingyan, but reality caused Honghui to die young. Now, it is best for him to keep Qingyan by his side to take care of her.
The mansion houses a family of midwives and a nutritionist specially hired by Yin. These are all people that Qingyan and the children need.
The palace maids all belong to different factions. Once, Qingyan only gave birth to Honghui, and then there was no good news. He would never believe there was nothing fishy about that.
He had prepared his men well in advance. He would use the people sent by Consort Tong, but he wouldn't fully trust them. The people he found himself had their families under his control, and he would never allow his wife and children to suffer any more problems.
"But... look at what I have in my hand, how can I not be anxious!" Qingyan pouted and opened the file on the table, which recorded the losses over the past few days. A large part of the losses were due to the price war among restaurants, resulting in significant losses of staple food at Da Run Inn.
Yin took a closer look and couldn't help but frown. What exactly were these servants trying to do?
Xiao Guai didn't have many loyal servants, and she was tricked by the people of the Imperial Household Department, leaving her no room to resist.
Kangxi watched their actions closely, preparing to give the Imperial Household Department a major overhaul.
“I’ve been keeping an eye on these people. These two are related to the Dong E clan’s residence, and these two are from the Guarjia clan.” Yin pointed to four of the ten servants.
Qingyan was dumbfounded. Everyone here was already taken?
"Guarjia clan? Dong'e clan?" Qingyan was stunned. Even the sisters-in-law were about to interfere and get a share of the pie.
Yin pulled Qingyan into his arms, touching her lower abdomen, and his lips couldn't help but curl upwards slightly.
"Those people are short-sighted. Father Emperor's decision is not known to those below!" Yin smiled. Outsiders probably thought that Kangxi did not take action against Qingyan because of his reputation, hoping to bring a better life to the mansion.
In fact, Emperor Kangxi had made arrangements long ago. The restaurant's profits were declining, which worried the servants, who feared they would not be able to pay the bills by the end of the year.
Short-sighted!
Qingyan sprayed tea directly at the banquet, and the word "four" sounded a bit strange.
"Fourth Prince, what you said..." Qingyan asked doubtfully, "Did Father really say that?"
Yin nodded. Kangxi had said beforehand that the servants of the Imperial Household Department should submit their account books in advance, as the profits had been declining in recent months, which was attributed to problems with the large supermarket.
In fact, Kangxi also understood that Xiao Guai had suffered considerable losses as well.
"Little darling, one of these ten people is Father Emperor's man," Yin whispered.
Qingyan was stunned for a moment; Kangxi's people were also doing business.
"Father Emperor has also sent people?" Qingyan wants to balance the business world, which requires a lot of money. Those people are joining forces to fight against Darun Supermarket.
"Hmm!" Yin didn't want to say more.
Kangxi's people were still the same ones he had always had, people who had been personally handed over to him by Kangxi, so he was very familiar with them.
OMG!
Qingyan was startled. Wasn't it said that Emperor Kangxi disliked merchants the most?
"Um... why would Father Emperor allow someone to use such an identity?" Qingyan whispered close to Yin's ear.
“Heh…” Yin chuckled coldly.
Every industry has the Emperor's spies, but these people have never been exposed, and the court officials are unaware of it.
For several days in a row, Yin replaced Qingyan in the study, discussing matters with the managers. Qingyan merely listened from the sidelines, offering his ideas, while the specific implementation plans were discussed by Yin and the others.
As her pregnancy progressed, she became increasingly exhausted. Sometimes, Qingyan would be very sleepy, and from the time Yin left for the morning court session until he returned for lunch, Qingyan would be asleep.
"Sisi!" Qingyan was picked up by Yin, her little face flushed from sleep. "Why are you back so early!"
Yin opened the pocket watch beside him and pointed the dial at Qingyan.
She opened her dazed eyes and looked at the hands of the clock! 12:10...
Waaaaah!
She smiled helplessly. Su Lan had been preparing lunches for the past few days, and she had no experience preparing them herself, which was a bit of a pain in the ass.
"Little girl, your health isn't good, but don't worry, it will gradually improve after this period." Yin knew that Xiao Guai's physical condition was just an instinctive reaction, and even Consort Tong had said that Xiao Guai had to go through these hardships.
She nodded wearily, not wanting to get out of bed at all, but rather wanting to sleep forever. However, Kangxi would not let her off so easily.
"Sisi, we're going to Darun Supermarket this afternoon!" Qingyan had made an appointment with the shopkeepers to visit Darun Supermarket during this time.
The Nian family has never let go of Darun Supermarket, even opening a new store opposite it. Such business competition left Qingyan somewhat stunned. It seems that the Nian family must be older than her when they transmigrated.
"Is your body alright?" Yin was very worried that Qingyan's body might be unwell. Consort Tong even said that Qingyan's period should have been spent recuperating at the mansion.
Emperor Kangxi had considered letting Xiao Guai give up Da Run Supermarket, but due to the tax system, he had no choice but to let Xiao Guai take on this challenge.
Yin's ideas were ultimately inferior to Xiao Guai's.
"Alright, we've already spoken with the managers. If we don't go, they'll definitely panic." Qingyan understood that the managers were afraid of taking responsibility; the more Da Run Supermarket expanded, the more people wanted to take advantage of them. (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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