After the group had chosen their headwear and accessories, and Li Dequan and Xiao Shunzi were fully disguised, they slowly left Linglong Pavilion.
On the street, they no longer felt the gazes that had passed them before, and Qingyan gradually relaxed.
The two children looked around, with Yiken'e's gaze fixed on Li Dequan, sensing that something was amiss.
Emperor Kangxi caught a glimpse of Yiken'e's gaze out of the corner of his eye, but pretended not to notice.
In the past, if Yiken'e had to show such a pitiful look, Li Dequan would have already picked him up and held him in his arms. Today, however, he dared not act on his own. His beard had just been applied and was not yet a reliable disguise. Yiken'e's little hands were definitely strong, and if he pulled the beard off, it would be a disaster.
"Li Dequan, hold Yiken'e in your arms." Kangxi couldn't stand Yiken'e's pitiful look, so he directly sold Li Dequan out.
After saying that, Li Dequan immediately gave a bitter smile. If his beard were to fall off, who knows what people outside would say?
“Master…this beard of mine is unacceptable!” Li Dequan had been by Kangxi’s side for many years and had never rebelled like this before.
Consort Tong burst out laughing; Emperor Kangxi had always been eager to see Li Dequan make a fool of himself.
"Forget it, he's had a tough time too. If you want to hold him, go and hold him yourself." Empress Dowager Tong couldn't stand it anymore. Li Dequan had worked diligently for many years, but in the end, he was treated like a toy by Emperor Kangxi.
Kangxi glanced at Empress Dowager Tong and fell silent; his mother rarely spoke ill of him.
Since the Emperor Emeritus and Empress Dowager Tong came out with them, Kangxi has really changed a lot, and he often causes some minor troubles.
Kangxi felt as if he were a child of Western Xia, enjoying the company of his parents. This was a feeling he hadn't experienced in many years.
Qingyan followed behind, holding Yiken in her arms, a faint smile on her face.
"From now on, I will accompany Amado on outings." Kangxi quickly said, noticing the warning look in the Emperor Emeritus's eyes.
Kangxi was now the head of the family, with elderly parents and young children to care for. He could no longer play around as he used to. Therefore, Kangxi cherished every opportunity to be with his parents.
Yin and Yin felt the same way, and they relaxed a lot in front of Kangxi and Consort Tong.
On the streets, very few families would come out together, and many stall owners cast envious glances at the people strolling leisurely.
As noon approached, the group entered the Yuelai Inn. The lobby was packed with people, and there were diners waiting for tables at the entrance with their numbers.
Qingyan had specially booked three private rooms a day in advance. When the manager saw his master arrive with a large entourage, he quickly went forward to greet them and personally led them to the private rooms on the second floor.
When Emperor Kangxi went upstairs, he noticed that there were many differences among the diners in the main hall, and even the tables used for serving food were different. He was a little puzzled as to why there were so many differences in dining in one place.
Upon entering the private room, Kangxi couldn't help but sigh. Private rooms at Yuelai Inn were always in high demand and difficult to book. Today, Qingyan had generously opened three private rooms, which was quite a show of respect for him.
After everyone was seated, Kangxi asked Qingyan why there were differences in the tables.
“Father, the prices for diners in the main hall vary. The tables at the outermost edge are mostly occupied by ordinary people, many of whom have membership cards. Every month, Yue Lai Inn introduces new dishes, and these people are the ones selected to try them. They also provide feedback through their free tastings,” Qingyan said.
The second tier consists of wealthier merchants who are not particularly concerned with spending. With free dishes available, they might be tempted to take advantage and simply grab a portion.
The third category consists of distinguished guests who couldn't book a private room. Therefore, their tables are separated by screens, which can be considered as a small private room.
At the third-class tables, there is a clear difference in the price of the dishes compared to the prices of the dishes served at the wrong tables.
After Qingyan finished explaining, both Yin and Yin admired Qingyan's quick thinking; she had changed her mind so quickly.
"Little Darling's idea is quite good. It allows for separate dining, and with different prices, the level of refinement of the dishes also varies greatly." The Emperor nodded in agreement. Qingyan had some forward-thinking ideas regarding tiered pricing.
Kangxi could also use this experience to reward his ministers by differentiating them according to their rank, without having to follow all the rules.
Kangxi pondered for a moment, understood the Emperor Emeritus's meaning, and started to consider these officials from the south.
Each time the emperor made a southern tour, the Ministry of Revenue would spend a large amount of gold and silver, causing a huge deficit in the ministry. In addition, the officials who came to the south were all extremely wealthy, so the emperor's rewards were just icing on the cake for them.
If these rewards could be used for the benefit of the people, it would definitely be a considerable expense.
"Fourth Prince, did the Ministry of Revenue bring a lot of things this time?" Kangxi decided that he would just reward inanimate objects first.
"Yes, Father Emperor brought it according to the usual distribution." Having spent a long time in the Ministry of Revenue, Yin understood that the Ministry's gold and silver were in short supply, and each reward required the movement of a large amount of gold and silver.
The retired emperor understood the situation of the Ministry of Revenue under Kangxi, and could only think that even if the looted items were kept in the Imperial Household Department, they could not be exchanged for silver as rewards. Giving all these inanimate objects to the ministers would have been a different story.
"Yes, let's distribute those inanimate objects as rewards first." The Emperor Emeritus agreed with Kangxi's opinion.
"Father, this year's sudden change, what will happen to the officials in the south...?" Kangxi hesitated. After the southern tour, he still had to go on the autumn mourning period. In that case, the rewards from the Mongol tribes would all become worthless.
"They gave the Mongols too much gold and silver. It's better to replace it with inanimate objects. Besides, even if they take the gold and silver, they still buy weapons from Tsarist Russia." The Emperor looked down on the Mongol tribes. Their leaders were not very capable. With a shout from their advisors, they all went to Tsarist Russia to buy firearms.
The Qing Dynasty had just acquired superior equipment, surpassing even that of Tsarist Russia. However, the Mongols were not content with this. In Kangxi's harem, the status of Mongolian noblewomen was declining, and Kangxi's daughters rarely married into Mongolian families. These developments were markedly different from those during the Shunzhi era, and the Empress Dowager's position was also unstable.
During the autumn harvest, all the rewards were replaced with gifts, which served as a warning to the Mongol tribes and made it clear to them that anyone who disobeyed or dared to get involved with the Russians would be met with direct military force.
"Father, this way, the Ministry of Revenue can save a lot of gold and silver." The Southern Inspection and Qiu Mi were the most troublesome tasks for the Ministry of Revenue. The leaders of the various Mongol tribes often quarreled over the amount of silver reward. The officials sent by the Ministry of Revenue to deliver the silver were often punished by the leaders. Therefore, the vice ministers of the Ministry of Revenue regarded this task as a difficult job, and basically no one would go.
Emperor Kangxi was unaware of this matter, and his ministers were also keeping it from him.
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