The spring scenery in Jiangnan was boundless. Yin and Qingyan strolled along the canal, holding the twins in their arms. In the past few days, Yin and Qingyan had been investigating information and found that the Hesheli clan and the Guarjia clan had joined forces and were preparing to take action against the twins.
"Little darling, let's go out more often in the future," Yin said with a sigh.
Qingyan, holding her youngest daughter, walked along the canal with Yin. Flower boats rowed by from afar, and the soft, melodious Suzhou storytelling of the singers came from inside the cabins, which aroused Qingyan's curiosity.
Each of the pleasure boats basically had a singer. After Emperor Kangxi arrived, these pleasure boats were mostly cleared out. These few boats were officially registered by the government and should be considered as official pleasure boats.
The Crown Prince and Yinzhi had also visited the pleasure boat twice, and they often exchanged messages on board.
"Why would there be a flower boat?" Qingyan asked, puzzled.
The innkeeper of Yuelai Inn had given Cao Yin some pointers. Before Kangxi arrived, Cao Yin had received some information and sent all the pleasure boats to the Xiaoqinhuai River.
Nowadays, the pleasure boats that can appear on the canal are basically those registered by the government or those with good relations with the Cao family.
“Little darling, these pleasure boats mostly belong to merchants who have business dealings with the Cao family. They all contribute a considerable amount of money to the Cao family every year,” Yin said directly.
After all, it's not easy for the Cao family to have such large expenses.
"What?" Qingyan asked, puzzled.
After all, the Cao family's expenses were enormous. Even if it was ancestral property, it was only because Kangxi placed Cao Yin in an important position in Jiangnan that he received a large amount of silver.
"In fact, the Cao family is also in business, but their income is definitely not comparable to that of Yuelai Inn and Linglong Pavilion. Therefore, Cao Yin has always hoped to control Linglong Pavilion and Yuelai Inn. So, before Kangxi came, he specifically instructed Hesheli and Guarjia to pave the way, hoping to get shares from Qingyan."
The servants of the Imperial Household Department were all watching closely, hoping to get the silver back from Qingyan as soon as possible.
"Fourth Brother!" Yin Zhi poked his head out of the cabin. The window was opened, and Yin Zhi sat cross-legged in the cabin, listening to Pingtan.
"Third Brother!" Yin looked out the window and saw that the people sitting in the cabin were all officials and literati from Jiangnan. They were probably reciting poems and songs.
The singers were probably there to entertain the guests.
"Fourth brother, do you want to come up and have some fun?" Yin Zhi nodded to Qing Yan and asked Yin.
"Never mind, Third Brother, Yiken'e doesn't like the cabin." Yin shook his head and refused directly, "Maybe next time."
Yin Zhi did not insist. After receiving Yin's refusal, he simply ordered the boat to set sail.
"Fourth Prince, will he...?" Qingyan didn't want the ministers to think that Yin had no ambition.
"Don't worry, they're just scholars. They're probably just getting together because of poetry and literature." Yin didn't like dealing with scholars; they had given him a headache in the past.
Furthermore, Emperor Kangxi had repeatedly ordered that princes were absolutely forbidden from entering or leaving the pleasure boats, and Yinzhi was clearly violating this rule behind the scenes.
etc!
Qingyan looked at the stern of the flower boat and felt uneasy.
"That's no ordinary pleasure boat!" Qingyan remembered that Fei Yanggu and his two sons had told her that in Jiangnan there was a kind of invisible pleasure boat. These were sent to music halls by ordinary families and officials who wanted to climb the social ladder and have their daughters properly trained.
During Emperor Kangxi's southern tour, these trained young ladies from ordinary families found a way out. Some were sent to the side of various men, while others were sent to pleasure boats, where they would serve the noblemen who entered the boats.
Despite their higher social standing, these women, while engaging in brothel-like activities and behaving more openly, still maintained the demeanor of well-bred ladies.
Therefore, many powerful officials would take one or two concubines in Jiangnan.
"Little darling, you're not talking about some kind of pleasure boat, are you?" Yin also remembered Fei Yanggu's instructions.
Saito and Eshuo were warned several times that if they dared to board the pleasure boat behind their backs, Feiyanggu would definitely not let them off easily.
“It should be. There should be a special sign on the back of such a flower boat. I saw a similar sign on the back of that flower boat.” Qingyan had been taught by Fei Yanggu for a long time to be able to identify the identity of the flower boat.
After all, if she were to step onto such a pleasure boat, people might gossip about her and it could implicate Yin.
"Eru, take the two children to Mother's place. We'll wait for you at the teahouse up ahead." Yin didn't want the two children to know too much too early, so he sent them to Consort Tong's place to take care of the tail number.
Qingyan had a stern face, but her heart was also in turmoil.
"Don't worry," Yin said, gripping Qingyan's hand tightly after seeing the children off.
After all, the appearance of these pleasure boats along the canal proves that some people can no longer contain themselves.
“Father is still in charge of the Emperor’s safety. Now, if something happens to Third Master on the pleasure boat, Father and Ah Hun will definitely be punished.” Qingyan directly criticized Yin Zhi for being irresponsible and causing trouble.
Furthermore, Consort Dong'e was definitely not a kind person. Seeing Yinzhi board such a pleasure boat in front of her, which was strictly forbidden by Emperor Kangxi, she would definitely target Fei Yanggu.
"Well, let's not stand here yet, let's wait for Third Brother to come and find us." Yin Zhi was a man of pride, so he greeted him openly and honestly several times. He took Qingyan to tour the canal, while he left Dong Eshi at the villa. This was clearly a contrast.
Besides, Lady Dong'e, who is seventy years old, has also arrived. She certainly has the right to lecture Yinzhi.
"Wait for him?!" Qingyan was stunned. Yinzhi could still come over?
Yin smiled mysteriously, knowing that Yin Zhi would definitely send someone to find them within half an hour.
After all, if Dong Eqishi finds out what Yinzhi did, well, there'll definitely be a good show to watch.
"Of course, we can't let Dong E Qishi find any fault with us. Both the legitimate and illegitimate daughters of the Dong E clan are in Yin Zhi's courtyard, which in itself binds the entire Dong E clan to Yin Zhi. To avoid any loss of the family's interests, Dong E Qishi will definitely keep an eye on Yin Zhi. Rong Fei's family doesn't have much of an interest either; these are things that the wife's family can provide," Yin explained directly.
Soon, Qingyan understood that Yinzhi and Dong Eqishi had some past grievances, and that some of the things Dong Eqishi had proposed were not to Yinzhi's liking.
In addition, the Third Princess Consort was arrogant and domineering, and she couldn't even accept the concubine's daughter from her own family, let alone outsiders.
"Actually, Father-in-law's point of view is very correct. If we can have one female relative, that's enough. There's no need for too many female relatives around." Yin Dao had gotten used to Qing Yan's company. Yin Zhi was always running around, which was related to the struggle between the two women, Dong E Shi and Yin Dao.
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