Upon arriving at Linglong Pavilion, Yin seized an opportunity to inform Kangxi that he hoped Li Dequan could have a beard made, otherwise their identities would be too easily exposed.
Kangxi looked in Li Dequan's direction, and his fair chin was indeed attractive.
"Have someone prepare the banquet," Kangxi nodded.
Inside the Linglong Pavilion, Qingyan specially hired makeup artists who would use new products to showcase makeup looks during events. Therefore, these artists could help Li Dequan change his appearance.
Li Dequan and Xiao Shunzi bowed and went to the room next door. The innkeeper had arranged for a makeup artist to wait and prepare their costumes.
"The fourth prince has good observation skills. He should always be careful when going out in the future," Kangxi said, stroking his goatee.
Yin also felt that he had been too careless; otherwise, they wouldn't have received so much attention.
"Father, it was my oversight. The servants around Yin are too young. Anda and Xiaoshunzi are old enough to start wearing makeup." Yin apologized to Kangxi in advance, intending to take all the blame upon himself.
At this time, Kangxi did not blame the two children. At the very least, Li Dequan would pay some attention to him when he was away from home.
"Father, should Wu Liangfu also get dressed up?" Kangxi looked at the Emperor Emeritus, where Wu Liangfu had already put on a white beard.
Kangxi's expression instantly turned grim. Wu Liangfu had spent a long time among the common people, so he was very cautious about these things.
When Wu Liangfu first left the palace, he would often forget about his beard, and he would be surrounded by onlookers in the market whenever he went out. After this happened several times, Wu Liangfu learned his lesson and took precautions to avoid being surrounded by onlookers again.
“Young master, this servant has already dressed up. I go out more often these days, and if I don’t dress up properly, I might attract a lot of attention, and some people might even ask me all sorts of questions.” Wu Liangfu was not used to this, but with the fake beard, his days were gradually becoming more peaceful.
The Emperor Emeritus glanced triumphantly at Kangxi. Yinzhi and Yinzhi exchanged a look, then lowered their heads, pretending they hadn't seen anything.
"Fourth Prince's wife, prepare more for Wu Liangfu, and make sure he doesn't let you down at a crucial moment," Kangxi said with a cold snort.
Qingyan quickly got up and turned to walk outside.
In the next room, the makeup artists were applying makeup to Li Dequan, preparing to attach a gray beard to him, since Li Dequan's hair was already nearly gray.
"Fourth Princess Consort, what brings you here?" Li Dequan was annoyed by his carelessness. Seeing Qingyan approaching, he assumed that Emperor Kangxi had something to discuss, so he quickly got up and asked.
"It's alright, Anda, you can go to Father's place after you've disguised yourself properly," Qingyan said with a smile. "Shopkeeper, go and prepare some white beards."
The shopkeeper was clever; he noticed that the four people serving him were mostly eunuchs.
Even though he had a beard, the man serving the Emperor had already guessed what was going on.
"Yes!" The shopkeeper hurriedly went to prepare. The items in Linglong Pavilion were definitely treasures. Even these disguises were made of real beards. Therefore, all the items in Linglong Pavilion would be very expensive.
The shopkeeper prepared only the most precious items in Linglong Pavilion, so Li Dequan and the others couldn't help but marvel at how Linglong Pavilion produced such rare treasures.
"Fourth Princess Consort, could you buy a few of these braids for this old servant?" Li Dequan asked in a low voice.
As these stewards get older, their braids become thinner and thinner, and they have to use wigs instead. Right now, his braid is at that stage.
"Okay!" Qingyan nodded, and the makeup artist quickly prepared a few and placed them in front of Li Dequan. "Anda, if you need them, just take them."
Linglong Pavilion has the most complete selection. Some elderly people often come here to buy braids for aesthetic reasons, which makes Qingyan happy for a long time. He even joked with Yin that he might have to wear a wig to show himself in the future.
During the conversation, the shopkeeper had prepared everything, including a complete set of beards and some braids.
"Master, shall we send all these things to the courtyard?" The shopkeeper knew where everyone was staying, and Qingyan nodded.
"Send it over and say it's for Wu Anda," Qingyan repeatedly instructed.
"Yes, this servant will have a reliable person handle it," the shopkeeper quickly promised.
“Even those that Anda selected, have them sent to the courtyard!” Qingyan pointed to the few strands of gray hair.
Linglongge's wigs are categorized by age group, allowing customers to choose according to their needs.
After giving his instructions, Qingyan turned and walked towards the private room.
At this moment, the private room was very lively. Empress Dowager Tong, Consort Tong, and Lady Yin Genjueluo were selecting exquisite headdresses, each set being the masterpiece of the artisans.
"Little darling, come here quickly, the jewelry over here is quite interesting." Consort Tong waved towards the door.
Qingyan walked in with a smile. She was very satisfied with the three women, which made her quite happy. These women were mostly transferred from Yangzhou. They had left in a hurry and hadn't brought many things with them, so Qingyan had them prepared.
"Mother, these are all for you. Please choose first, and pack up whatever you like to take home." Consort Tong had been wearing the same set of jewelry for the past two days.
Inside the palace, this was clearly a dereliction of duty by the servants; however, when traveling, such honors are unavoidable.
"Little darling, these will cost you a lot, won't they?" Empress Dowager Tong was aware of these prices, so she was genuinely worried about Qingyan's finances.
"Mother, that girl is a little rich girl, there's no need to worry." Consort Tong wasn't worried at all; she knew a bit about financial matters.
Empress Dowager Tong was taken aback. Consort Tong was not one to boast, so she decided to just choose one set of jewelry.
"Grandma, your sister-in-law is the wealthiest among all of us sisters-in-law." Yin Genjue Luo was also one of the people in the know, so she would definitely choose with confidence.
Empress Dowager Tong was finally relieved to see that the two of them seemed completely unconcerned.
"Alright, since Little Darling has brought in these fine items, Granny Ma should also reward her with something." Empress Dowager Tong happily accepted the gift, but she would not let the little girl lose money.
Qingyan's eyes lit up; the reward given by Empress Dowager Tong must be even more to her liking than that given by the Empress Dowager herself.
"Alright, little girl, after we return to the capital, Granny Ma will have someone send her to the Fourth Prince's residence." Empress Dowager Tong decided to return to the capital with Emperor Kangxi and the others.
As soon as he finished speaking, Emperor Kangxi was stunned. He and Consort Tong had been urging the Empress Dowager to return to the capital with them so that they could take care of them closer to home.
Who would have thought that with just one sentence from Xiao Guai, the matter would be settled?
"My little darling is my lucky star." Seeing Empress Dowager Tong's cheerful expression, Kangxi's mood gradually improved.
From the moment Qingyan was born, he would bring good fortune to Emperor Kangxi at every crucial moment.
"Yes, the little girl is indeed quite good," the Emperor remarked.
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