As the twelfth lunar month approached, the wives of the princes and princesses began to get busy. Qingyan was also busy preparing clothes for the twins for the New Year. While drawing the patterns for the clothes, several maids would come in to report on things.
The twins were taken to Changchun Garden by Consort Tong, which made Qingyan feel more relaxed. She gave the servants a list of all the things she had bought, and they carried the list from her residence to Yuanmingyuan.
"Master, the servants at the manor have already started preparations. Do we still need to bring the winter clothes that were prepared in advance?" Su Lan asked quickly.
Qingyan pointed to the wardrobe against the wall. Sulan opened the wardrobe and looked at the casual clothes inside. Two-thirds of the casual clothes were not yet worn.
Most of these everyday clothes could be worn during the Lunar New Year. The headdresses associated with each piece of everyday clothing were also gradually sent to the Yuanmingyuan.
"Bring in the children's clothes, and also bring over the dried goods that were dried earlier." Qingyan counted the clothes for the twins and realized there were very few they could wear.
Children grow up very quickly, and when making clothes for them, the clothes are always made to fit their current size. After ten days or so, the clothes are no longer usable.
"Destroy all those clothes that are unwearable!" Qingyan was preventing anyone from using clothing to transfer unclean things onto them.
Qingyan instructed Sulan to personally burn all the unusable clothes. Not a single garment made for the twins could be overlooked; they had to all be burned.
Two months ago, the nannies around Yiken'e noticed that the young prince's clothes were too small and could fit their own children, so they secretly took them away. Sulan inspected Yiken'e's clothes and found something amiss, so she directly detained the nannies around him.
After some interrogation, the nanny who took the clothes was caught. Yin ordered Su Peisheng to administer the punishment, and the nanny was given 30 lashes. Her entire family was then handed over to the Imperial Household Department.
From that moment on, the people serving the twins dared not let their guard down any longer, and every piece of clothing they wore, even their bibs and diapers, was carefully stored away.
At the end of the month, the Sulan points will be destroyed.
"Your Majesty, Her Majesty says all the clothes for the young masters should be new." Qingyan always said that the children only needed enough clothes. Compared to the other princes and princesses, the twins had the fewest clothes.
"Alright!" Kangxi liked to see the two little ones in onesies. Every time they appeared dressed in various animal costumes, he would first scold Qingyan, and then look at the two little ones with a smile.
He watched with satisfaction as the two little ones walked and crawled on the soft carpet. When Yin returned, he told Qingyan that the children should wear onesies whenever they went to Consort Tong's side.
"These patterned garments should all be made in three days. After they all pass inspection, each person in the Imperial Clothing Bureau will receive ten taels of silver." Qingyan looked at the thick stack of patterns in her hand and decided to have all the garments made. "Also, have the embroiderers make two sets, one of which should be slightly larger."
Dozens of outfits require a considerable amount of work.
Fortunately, there are only four masters in the mansion. If there were more masters, even the clothes for the New Year would have to be cut up.
"Yes, this servant will go and tell them right away!" Su Lan hurriedly left. The young masters' clothes needed to be carefully checked, because even the slightest carelessness could give malicious people an opportunity to take advantage of them.
Qingyan put down his pen, relieved of a huge weight in his heart. From birth, the royal children were constantly competing with each other. The twins had a high starting point, being raised by Kangxi's side at all times. Many members of the imperial family and officials hoped to see the extraordinary qualities of the two children.
She rubbed her neck, picked up a piece of cheese and took a bite. The cheese here tasted good, unlike the cheese bought in modern times; it had a richer milky flavor. According to someone, this cheese was made from mare's milk.
"Master, the head steward of the small kitchen has come in!" Su Zhu led in a nanny in her forties or fifties. This woman was the head steward of the small kitchen in Yuanmingyuan. She came from the Sticky Rod Office and was loyal to Yin and Qingyan.
Qingyan nodded. The old woman knelt on the ground and took out an account book and two lists of names from her clothes. One of the lists was given by Qingyan, instructing the old woman to personally take stock of the kitchen staff at the Yuanmingyuan.
The people on the list were mostly cunning and dishonest, while one list contained those who had embezzled valuable tonics and silver.
All four members of their family received salaries, and the tributes were sent from the Imperial Household Department. In the past few days, the people in the small kitchen have gone a bit too far. Not only did they take away the rouge rice for the two children, but they also took it back to cook porridge for their own offspring. The complementary food for the twins was changed to rouge-colored rice.
"Eru, confiscate the property of all the families on this list. Bring every single one of their relatives in their courtyards and mansions here. Register all the stolen goods and bring them here as well." Qingyan planned to take action before the New Year.
After the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month, she would have to be extra careful so that there would be a way for the censors to impeach her for the banquet.
Therefore, she dispatched Erlu to guard against these servants slacking off, as they might take advantage of the New Year holiday to visit the families of the Imperial Household Department.
"Granny, go back and keep an eye on things. In a moment, please kneel to the side." Qingyan treated the nannies sent by Yin with great respect; some of them were part of Consort Tong's dowry.
"You flatter me, Your Highness." The old woman dared not be arrogant. Despite her young age, the Fourth Princess's decisive and efficient methods were indeed the mark of someone from a military family.
Qingyan smiled, knowing that the nanny was sensible, and she felt at ease entrusting the small kitchen to her.
Inside the courtyard, many servants watched as the old woman knelt on the bluestone floor of the corridor. Some of them quietly slipped out through a side door. Suju was waiting in the corridor, having already silently counted down the list of those who had slipped out. These people were preparing to pack up together.
After the palace maids tipped them off, they were all detained. When Erlu searched his house, he frowned as he looked at the tribute items that were found.
The Fujin was preparing to make a big effort to rectify the situation. Erlu summoned his servants and quickly copied the list of confiscated property, then had a capable person deliver it to the Fourth Prince of Changchun Garden.
"Don't tell the Fujin (principal wife), tell the master to come back quickly." Erlu had a premonition that the Fujin would take drastic measures after seeing this list.
He stood in the courtyard, looking at the boxes of sealed items. The old women in the courtyard kept clamoring that they had taken care of the Fourth Prince and believed that the Princess Consort should respect her.
Erlu sneered, "A third-class nanny, expecting the Princess Consort to treat her with respect? Guards, take her away."
Inside the main courtyard, Qingyan held a cup of hot tea, his eyes fixed on the servants being dragged over. All of his family's relatives and in-laws had been brought here bound, some even from their previous jobs.
"Master, spare us!" The servants were perceptive enough to notice Qing Yan's grim expression and immediately begged for mercy, hoping he would spare them this time. (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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