Inside the main hall, the women chatted happily. Yin Genjue Luo Shi discovered that Song Ge Li was a sensible person, and her younger siblings encouraged her from the sidelines.
"Madam, I've remembered everything you said. I'll definitely tell the master when I get back." Songgeli sighed helplessly. As always, Lady Yingenjueluo was nagging.
"Hmph, don't think I don't know what you're thinking. You probably think I'm nagging. This matter is very serious. Songkri, you persuade Selenge not to make a foolish decision," Ingenjueluo said directly.
"Yes, I see that the young prince and princess are both very healthy, and I envy you." In a short time, Songgeli got along well with the prince's female relatives and even talked to her with peace of mind.
Qingyan admired this person from the bottom of his heart. He was indeed a person who could turn the tide in the circle of officials' wives in the south. Not only was he very shrewd, but he also had his own ideas.
"Madam, you should be careful. There are quite a few people in the south who are keeping an eye on these gentlemen." Songgeli often frequented the women's circles and knew which families were training people for these gentlemen.
"Hmph, they dare to send it." Yingenjueluo sneered. "Do they have the ability to send it to the Fourth Master's residence? These gentlemen are by the Fourth Master's side, their methods are definitely not bad."
"Sister-in-law... why are you bringing this up again?" Qingyan was speechless. She hadn't expected that in just one hour, everyone would go from talking about the affairs of the previous dynasty to the affairs of the inner courtyard.
"Fourth Princess Consort, I must remind you that once the salt administration is touched, the situation may become more serious. At that time, their methods will become more drastic, and then..." Songgeli looked at the several princess consorts in front of her and sighed.
The wives of the princes were not very old, so they certainly didn't hear about these things. It has to be admitted that these ladies had been in power for a long time and didn't understand what these women would do to survive.
"Could it be that it can be sent to another courtyard?" Yin Genjue Luo asked curiously.
“My lady, I’m just trying to warn you, but those people always use bribery as their tactic. Money is nothing but a piece of paper to them,” Songgeli said helplessly to Yingenjueluo.
Yin Genjue Luo was slightly taken aback. No wonder.
"Don't worry, I've thought it through. I won't make things difficult for you," said Yin Genjue Luo Shi, nodding.
He turned around and discussed with his wives that they must be on guard this time. They must not touch any of the women sent by the salt merchants. Once they enter the courtyard, they will definitely get entangled in complicated matters.
"Take good care of the mansion yourself." Qingyan looked at Songgeli and relaxed after hearing their assurances.
“There won’t be any problems with my residence. We’ve been on guard all along. Those salt merchants will only try to bribe me with money.” Songgeli checks the servants in the courtyard every three days. If he finds any who have been bought with money, he sends them all away.
The sisters-in-law exchanged glances. Their servants were all brought from the capital, so they certainly wouldn't have these problems.
"Don't worry." Yin Genjue Luo Shi nodded.
Around noon, Songgeli got up to say goodbye. Yingenjueluo invited all her sisters-in-law to stay for lunch. After the children went to rest, the sisters-in-law sat around the eight-immortal table and began to discuss what to do next.
"Sister-in-law, how much information do you think Songgeli can give us?" Qingyan asked, looking at Yingenjueluo. "I think she has basically nothing to hide. The female relatives of salt merchants may have joined forces with the female relatives of salt officials."
"Pretty much. Before you came, Songgeli and I reminded you to be careful around the twins, especially around Yiken'e." Yingenjueluo said to Qingyan, "There are some people in the south who don't want things to go well for the Great Qing. Their target is Yiken'e."
“Isn’t it the same every year? The people around Yiken’e are all handpicked by Father Emperor. If there’s really a problem, it’s definitely something we can’t solve,” Qingyan said helplessly.
Pfft!
The sisters-in-law all laughed. What Qingyan said was very funny, but it was absolutely true.
"It's true, but you should still be careful, lest something really happens." Madam Yin Genjue rubbed her temples. "The salt permit matter will be handled by Ninth Brother. Ninth Sister-in-law, when you came, you said you would accompany Ninth Brother out?"
“Yes, sister-in-law, fourth sister-in-law, the master told me that the salt merchants will definitely host a banquet. If Ninth Prince is alone, it won’t do. It will be easier for those salt merchants to scheme against him.” Ninth Prince’s wife was unsure. Not only was Yin worried, but what Songgeli said made Ninth Prince’s wife even more determined to go with Yin.
“Ninth Sister-in-law, if you insist on going, we won’t stop you. However, you must remember a few things: when you go to the salt merchant’s residence, you must not drink alcohol, and if you are invited to a banquet, you must not eat.” Qingyan said to Ninth Princess Consort.
"Why?" Ninth Princess Consort asked.
Everyone looked at Qingyan, waiting for him to answer their questions.
“The salt merchants’ products are definitely not that delicious. There are very few things they can keep out of uncleanliness. They see you as outsiders and may want to find something on you, or…” Qingyan said, looking at Ninth Princess Consort.
As soon as she finished speaking, Ninth Princess's face turned pale. It turned out that there were so many shady dealings behind these banquets.
"Fourth Sister-in-law, are you saying that those people might poison us?" Ninth Princess Consort looked at her in surprise.
"It wasn't poisoning. Women in the south have many tricks up their sleeves, from incompatible foods to objects that are harmful to their health. So, you have to be extra careful when you go out to socialize." Qingyan had to explain clearly.
The wives were all frightened. If that were really the case, they would better stay home as much as possible.
"This... I already promised you, what should I do?" Ninth Princess Consort was stunned.
"Do you have any maids who know about medicine?" Qingyan thought of Suzhu and quickly asked.
“There are two.” Ninth Princess nodded. If Father hadn’t been looking at Suzhu beside Qingyan, he definitely wouldn’t have thought of this.
"Have them follow you around. Every time you're about to put something in your mouth, let them see it first. Remember, no matter what it is, make sure they see it first," Qingyan said directly.
Upon hearing this, Ninth Prince's wife was completely dazed.
"Fine, I understand!" Ninth Princess looked at Qingyan dejectedly. Sure enough, one must be careful at all times; a slight misstep could lead to falling into the traps set by those women.
"Fourth sister-in-law, it can't be that bad, can it?" Yin Genjue Luo looked at Qing Yan, thinking, "There shouldn't be... this much precaution, right?"
"Better safe than sorry, so let's be as careful as possible. Nothing bad will happen." Qingyan revealed a faint smile.
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