After several days of rapid marching, as evening approached, Kangxi specially ordered the returning troops to stop and rest. The camp was quickly set up, and Kangxi dismounted from his imperial carriage. The carriages that his consorts had ridden in were moved to their respective tents.
Today, the local garrison was dispatched by Emperor Kangxi. To avoid unnecessary trouble, Kangxi directly ordered all the women to disembark before the emperor. When the princes' wives alighted, they were surrounded by their respective personal guards.
Qingyan stepped down from the horse stool and looked around curiously. The campsite was different from usual. The Imperial Guards and the New Army were only responsible for the royal campsite, while the surrounding area was occupied by local garrisons.
"Four...four..." Qingyan stepped into the tent, sensing something amiss with the situation outside. "Outside..."
She personally helped Yin change into a set of casual clothes, then leaned close to him and whispered a question.
"Rest here for two days. Yin Jishan will send people to protect you. Don't go out during these two days," Yin instructed Qingyan from the side.
He glanced at the approaching guards, who didn't seem to follow the rules. The pressure on the new army was even greater. No wonder, Saito and Eshuo hadn't come over for their meals; even their dinners had been delivered to their tents.
She looked out of the tent window, her face tilted slightly upwards. Outside, the bright moon hung in the sky, and countless stars twinkled. The new army had completely surrounded their tents. She even had to look at the heads of the guards to see the stars.
"Fourth Brother, let the new army move aside," Qingyan said, pouting.
"No, Father Emperor personally decreed that we cannot show our faces in public until Yin Jitai's men arrive," Yin said, shaking his head.
Among those soldiers outside, how many are spies of the Chen family? Their every move is under their watchful eyes. Xiao Guai's position is so conspicuous, so for her safety, she should be kept away from outsiders as much as possible.
"Huh?" Qingyan looked at him in confusion. Weren't those people soldiers?
"Yin Jitai's subordinates are the most loyal, and those outside are basically spies for their respective families. Father Emperor is planning to use this method to reassure those ministers," Yin whispered to her.
She fastened the buttons on his collar and was led by him to sit on the soft couch. He made sure she sat comfortably on his lap and pinched her cheeks twice with his large hands.
"Now is not the time for you to step forward." Among the soldiers outside, some had come specifically to see Qingyan. The jewelry from Linglong Pavilion was not easy to buy, and these people hoped to work for Qingyan so that they could get one or two pieces of jewelry to take back to their mothers or wives, which would be a good gift.
Um?
Does she still need to intervene?
"Fourth Brother, is there a problem with the Linglong Pavilion here?" Qingyan noticed that many Linglong Pavilion shops in the northwest area were limiting the number of purchases.
Certain exquisite headdresses were not left undisplayed on the counter; only those items sold in the shops had been selected by the Mongol leaders.
"Hmm." Yin sent people to investigate beforehand. The shops here had the most serious problems. Xiao Guai opened the shop here, partly to better gather intelligence, and partly in the hope of earning more silver from the Mongol tribes.
After discussing it together, they gradually realized their respective wishes. Yin hoped that these things could weaken the power of the Mongols, and Kangxi sold the discarded firearms to the Mongol tribes.
Those firearms were far more advanced than those of Tsarist Russia, so the leaders of the Mongol tribes were happy to spend those sums of money.
"Si Si, did you go to investigate?" Qing Yan poured a cup of hot tea and took a sip.
He nodded slightly, and not only Linglong Pavilion, but also the operating conditions of Yuelai Inn and Minsheng Pharmacy were investigated.
Of the three businesses that Xiao Guai started herself, apart from Minsheng Pharmacy, the rest are doing quite well.
"The business at Yuelai Inn has declined significantly. Didn't you notice? In the villages we've passed through, many people are sick. They'd rather stay home than go to the local pharmacy." Qingyan, sitting in the carriage, had also sent his people to gather more information.
During her rest, Su Lan went to a local villager's house to ask for some water, which she obtained by asking around.
In some cases, the breadwinner of several households would fall ill.
"Did Su Shu go to ask?" Yin realized that something was wrong. The people would rather stay at home and get sick than go to the Minsheng Pharmacy to take medicine.
In principle, medicines should be distributed free of charge here. It is autumn now, which is the peak season for infectious diseases. If things go wrong, it could become a disease that affects the entire village.
"Yes, three or four households have had their able-bodied men fall ill. Before, I thought it was because they were busy during the harvest season." Su Shu had guessed this outcome when she returned to report.
"It's not harvest time yet," Yin said directly.
“Yes,” Qingyan nodded, “Later, I realized the problem was quite serious.”
During the autumn harvest, the able-bodied men are extremely busy. Those from well-off families can make up for it with food, but some from poor families have trouble even getting enough to eat.
"I will send someone over to check how many people are sick, just in case there really is an infectious disease," Yin whispered to Qingyan. "When Fulaishun is buying grain, also keep an eye on this issue and collect some herbs."
Yin was no longer willing to place his hopes on the servants of the Imperial Household Department. After the People's Livelihood Pharmacy was handed over to them, in addition to the sales volume declining steadily, even the welfare provided to the people gradually disappeared.
After all, the pharmacy was related to the life and death of the royal family, so those people wouldn't dare to openly embezzle it. However, the prices in the pharmacy would definitely rise sharply.
"We need to buy herbs too?" Qingyan was a little puzzled. Wasn't it just buying grain? Why did they need to buy this?
"I can't trust anything from the Imperial Household Department," Yin said directly. "Besides, would you dare use the medicine you got from the Minsheng Pharmacy?"
He shook his head immediately, saying that the things from the Imperial Household Department were absolutely unusable, as they might have had their medicinal effects removed.
"I'm not sure. I used herbs from Neimin Pharmacy before, and they really didn't work." Qingyan pursed her lips. "The medicinal properties were significantly reduced."
Yin smiled and said, "The things in the Imperial Household Department are basically taken from the private treasury; they are all discarded items from the Imperial Hospital?"
"Elimination?!" Qingyan looked at her in disbelief. "How could this be?"
“This is the cheapest way to source goods. Not only does it clear out all the stuff from the Imperial Hospital, it also saves on capital costs,” Yin explained to Qingyan. “In the eyes of the common people, anything that has the word ‘royal’ on it is considered the best.”
Qingyan leaned on his shoulder, her eyes somewhat vacant. How could she be like this?
"The herbs have no medicinal properties; using them would be bad for the people's health," Qingyan said discontentedly. (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for it on Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
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