As winter gradually approached, Qingyan received news from the south that most of the red leaves had been sold, although not many were preserved, and the prices were still quite reasonable.
"Fourth Prince, the account books from the south have arrived. It's no longer suitable to continue." Qingyan said this disheartening news while noting that Yinzhen was in a good mood.
After the first Chrysanthemum Banquet at Qingyan, many women were waiting for Qingyan to hold another banquet. The reputation of the Fourth Prince's Mansion's cuisine spread throughout the upper-class women's circles.
In the backyard, without the men's affection, food and clothing became the things the women valued most.
The principal wives not only had to manage the mansion, but also take care of the concubines, so they had very few hobbies.
"Yes, I will submit a memorial to Father Emperor, mentioning that we should hold another banquet after the Spring Festival," Yinzhen inquired.
Qingyan sat up straight, her eyes showing a puzzled look.
In the past, Yinzhen did not want her to participate much in activities among the women. Why is she acting so unusually today?
“Children need to be sociable. Sukelierha is a girl, and Yiken’e needs playmates.” Kangxi hinted to Yinzhen that he needed to consider Yiken’e’s well-being.
It's impossible for Yiken'e to enter the Imperial Study before starting to make friends.
Qingyan pondered for a moment. With winter approaching, preparations for the New Year were underway, leaving very little time for banquets. The date chosen by Yinzhen was quite good.
"That's fine. When shall we return to the residence?" The weather was getting cooler and the days were getting longer. Within the Yuanmingyuan, the time it took for Yinzhen to travel to court was greatly reduced.
At the mansion, Yinzhen would get up an hour earlier than he does now. She had the craftsmen of Linglong Pavilion make a lot of braziers for him to use in his sedan chair.
"With the Spring Festival approaching, start preparing for the New Year's shopping now. Make a list of the items to be purchased and show it to me!" Yinzhen instructed. In the few years since Xiaoguai married into the royal family, the tributes prepared for her have been outstanding.
Her sisters-in-law were all watching her every move. Last year, Xiao Guai was almost tricked by Dong E Shi.
Qingyan quickly agreed. Both residences needed to prepare things, and a lot of fresh delicacies were being transported from the south. Although the journey was long, Yuelai Inn delivered the goods on the spot.
Early in the morning, Qingyan had just finished breakfast and was sitting cross-legged on the soft couch reading to the children when Sulan hurriedly walked in from outside the door.
"Master, the Third Princess Consort has arrived!" Su Lan looked at her master with concern.
Dong Eshi was clearly up to no good. She didn't usually visit, but she would come over before the time came to prepare the New Year's tribute.
Is he playing the victim? Or is he planning to steal the pre-prepared list again?
Two thoughts flashed through Qingyan's mind. Last year, if her two children hadn't been so young, preventing her from paying much attention to them, she wouldn't have almost made a mistake.
This year, Lady Dong'e visited again, and Qingyan became even more cautious.
She wore a pale yellow cheongsam with arrow-sleeved top, covered with a light blue magnolia-patterned wide-sleeved outer garment. Her hair was styled in a simple straight line, adorned with two magnolia hairpins carved from mutton-fat jade. She also wore magnolia earrings made of gold wire. All of these were prepared to prevent the twins from scratching Qingyan.
After finishing her makeup, Qingyan, wearing 3-inch flowerpot shoes, twirled around in front of the bronze mirror before being helped to walk towards the front hall.
At this moment, Lady Dong'e was already seated on the left side of the table, patiently waiting for the banquet to begin.
When Qingyan's beautiful figure came into view, Dong'e's mood worsened.
She was less than five years older than Qingyan, but the two looked like they were from two different generations. She looked more like the primary wife and mother, and the signs of time were evident on her face.
In contrast to her, Qingyan was radiant. Since her marriage, Dong'e had strived to be dignified and rarely wore pink clothes anymore, whereas the concubines in the mansion often wore such colors.
Lady Dong'e always considered pink to be something only a concubine could wear, and the stark contrast between Qingyan's color and hers made her face look even more unpleasant.
"Third Sister-in-law, you've come so early?" Yin Zhi's villa wasn't far from the Old Summer Palace; in Qing Yan's memory, it was near Tsinghua University in modern times.
The Third Princess Consort was dressed in a bright red everyday dress embroidered with gold thread depicting flowers of wealth and prosperity. She wore an exquisite five-treasure gold hairpin in her hair, making her look exceptionally wealthy. Even Qingyan was a little speechless, wondering if she was flaunting her status.
"My dear, your sister-in-law is going to have to trouble you again." Dong Eshi's words were firm and unyielding, not at all like someone begging.
Su Lan served two cups of hot tea, bowed, and withdrew.
After listening to Dong Eshi's words, Qingyan picked up her teacup and took a sip. The rich red date flavor warmed her whole body.
"Third sister-in-law, what trouble could we sisters-in-law possibly have? As long as I can help, I will definitely do my best to help you." Qingyan wouldn't give a direct answer, and Dong'e hadn't yet mentioned the specific troubles.
Lady Dong'e noticed a significant difference in Qingyan's behavior compared to last year. She was no longer foolishly manipulated like she had been last year, but instead spoke with perfect clarity. Could it be that Yinzhen had given her special instructions before the morning court session?
"Sister-in-law, your third brother's estate doesn't have any shops selling imported goods. Your sister-in-law hopes to import some items from your mansion's shops as tribute." With these words, Dong Eshi directly denigrated Yinzhen as a prince who was competing with the people for profit.
Qingyan frowned slightly, her mood extremely bad, and said, "Third sister-in-law, what you're saying is ridiculous. How could there be such a shop under my master's name? You'd better not talk nonsense. Besides, the shop selling imported goods was opened by a shopkeeper that my mother helped. When he was in trouble, my father gave him some money to help him through the crisis. He is a grateful person and insisted on signing a contract to sell himself into servitude."
After speaking, Dong Eshi was secretly alarmed. She couldn't find any loopholes in Qingyan's words. If someone was willing to become a servant, how could she possibly interfere? Besides, the shop had nothing to do with the Fourth Prince's residence, so she couldn't find any fault with it at all.
Qingyan noticed out of the corner of his eye that Dong Eshi's expression changed several times, and he felt relieved. There were already rumors outside that the shop selling imported goods belonged to Yinzhen, which would leave a bad impression on Kangxi.
In the Qing Dynasty, merchants had a very low social status, and princes were absolutely forbidden from engaging in this line of work.
"What my sister-in-law heard is not entirely true. I hope my sister-in-law can lend a hand." Dong Eshi was still unwilling to give up. As long as Qingyan helped, this crime could be sealed.
“I’m sorry, I can’t help you with this, sister-in-law. You can have the steward of the manor arrange it himself. Father has said beforehand that even though that person has sold himself to the Ulanara clan, we cannot ask for anything from our master.” Fei Yanggu doted on Qingyan, and when it came to matters of principle, Qingyan would be taught a lesson by him.
Lady Dong'e knew in her heart that this attempt to frame him would not succeed, and Qingyan simply did not take the bait.
"Well... how about you ask one of your servants to help introduce her?" Dong Eshi just needed to find another way, as long as Qingyan got involved.
"Hehe," Qingyan covered her mouth with a handkerchief and laughed. Her silvery laughter annoyed Dong'e. "Sister-in-law, none of the people around me have ever seen that manager. How can you say he was introduced?"
All the roads were blocked, so Lady Dong'e had no choice but to get up and take her leave.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
