When the group entered Shandong province, the weather was clear and sunny. Qingyan leaned against the carriage, watching the bustling street scene outside. They were traveling on the official road, and many locals had already tidied up their courtyards and backyards near the road early in the morning.
The twins woke up very early this morning and are still fast asleep. Qingyan stared blankly outside, while Yinze began to organize the documents submitted by the Ministry of Revenue for silver applications over the past few days.
Since Kangxi's southern tour, Yin's desk has been piled high with messages from various ministries requesting money.
Snap!
Yin smashed another empty teacup, and Qingyan turned to look at him.
"It's nothing, Sulan, come in and clear away the teacups." Yin ordered coldly. "Come here!"
Qingyan approached Yin directly, but felt somewhat timid.
In the past few days, Yin has lost his temper quite often, and with the arrival of memorials from the capital, the atmosphere around him has become increasingly oppressive.
Kangxi, however, showed no restraint whatsoever, often bestowing generous rewards, which worried Yinzhen and others.
The princes were well aware that the national treasury was empty. The crown prince lived a life of luxury, but he rarely embezzled from the national treasury. Instead, he mostly used his influence in local government offices.
"Sisi, if you feel uncomfortable, just vent it!" Qingyan said helplessly, her little face scrunched up.
Yin pinched her face hard, and instantly her whole face scrunched up.
Her interruption eased Yin's mood considerably.
pain!
He was pinched four or five times before his mood gradually improved.
"Alright, my little darling has suffered." Yin said unkindly.
Recently, Yin's mood has been fluctuating greatly. All the pressure from work has piled up on his shoulders, and the Crown Prince's actions in the south at any time have forced him to lower his head and deal with the situation.
"Sisi, just have fun when you're out having fun, don't worry about so much," Qingyan advised.
Since the southern tour, Yin's temper has become somewhat worse, and his face darkened even more when he saw the memorials sent from the capital.
Yin didn't say much, but drank the plum juice from the newly replaced teacup. The expenses for coming to Shandong came entirely from Kangxi's private treasury.
The Crown Prince, who remained in Yangzhou, was very generous. In just a few days, he had given out 400,000 taels of silver as a reward, all of which had to be paid by the Ministry of Revenue.
"The Crown Prince is too ruthless!" Yin opened the memorial and let Qingyan see for herself. The amount recorded on it clearly exceeded the amount of rewards left in the south.
To minimize cash expenditures, His Majesty even used some items brought from the palace as rewards. The Crown Prince, however, disdained this and continued his extravagant habit of bestowing rewards.
The Ministry of Revenue officials who remained in Yangzhou immediately submitted their memorials on horseback, fearing they would bear various responsibilities.
"What should we do then?" Qingyan was also at a loss. It was definitely a mistake for Yin to come out with them.
The Ministry of Revenue was stretched thin due to the expenses of the southern tour. If it weren't for the Crown Prince's generous rewards, the Ministry of Revenue could have survived until the end of the tour.
"Send it to Father Emperor, I really can't handle this anymore!" Yin finally had no choice but to take the memorial to Kangxi's carriage first.
Before lunch, the convoy slowly stopped in front of the Yuelai Inn. Qingyan breathed a sigh of relief. The Yuelai Inn guaranteed quality, and most importantly, there was already fresh seafood available in Shandong.
"Master, everything is ready." The innkeeper stepped forward and led everyone to the private room.
Qingyan nodded, and Kangxi and the others entered the private room. The private rooms reserved for Qingyan were all decorated in a similar style.
"My dear, this private room is quite nice." Consort Tong really liked the Chinese style; a screen could separate the female guests.
She touched her hair shyly, and a smile crept onto her face.
Su Lan went out and arranged the meal plan for everyone, then came back in and nodded to Qing Yan.
"Mother, let's go inside first." Qingyan and Yingenjueluo helped Consort Tong on either side. The nannies led the children behind the screen. Behind the screen was a hidden world. A round octagonal table faced the window, offering a view of the scenery below.
At this moment, the windows of the private room were wide open, and the bustling sounds of vendors outside continuously reached their ears.
"What's wrong? Something happened?" Consort Tong noticed with keen sensitivity that Qingyan's small body had stiffened.
Looking into Consort Tong's serious eyes, Qingyan could only nod.
She moved closer to Consort Tong and Lady Yin Genjueluo, and spoke in a low voice about the silver bestowed by the Crown Prince.
Clang!
The sound of a teacup shattering reached my ears.
Consort Tong waved to her sisters-in-law, silencing them.
Outside the screen, Emperor Kangxi's face was extremely grim, his cheeks flushed red. He had been trying to find a way to present a facade of peace and prosperity to his southern court officials.
The Crown Prince's actions clearly exposed the emptiness of the national treasury to the officials.
"Who ordered him to bestow this reward?" Kangxi looked at the reason for the reward written on it, and a cold smile crept onto his face.
Yin lowered his head, looking as if he had done something wrong, but he seemed completely indifferent.
"Fourth Prince, reject this proposal outright." Kangxi firmly disagreed.
After speaking, Yin was slightly troubled. In front of the Crown Prince, he was always at a disadvantage. If he rejected the suggestion, it would be a clear disrespect to the Crown Prince.
"Alright, Li Dequan, go get pen and ink." Kangxi decided to issue the decree himself.
Qingyan was about to get up when she was stopped by Consort Tong's gaze.
"No need to go!" Consort Tong shook her head. That was a matter of the previous dynasty. If Qingyan went out to deliver things, Kangxi would think they were eavesdropping.
A moment later, Li Dequan took out the ink and brush for imperial approval from the carriage, and Kangxi, sitting at the octagonal table, directly wrote the word "rejected".
After issuing the order, Kangxi immediately instructed Tulichen to send someone back, letting Yinzhi know his stance.
Yin was instantly relieved. This meant that even if the Crown Prince had objections to the thorny issue, he couldn't blame him.
It was also possible to investigate when the officials from the Ministry of Revenue who accompanied the emperor on his southern tour would report back.
"Fourth Prince, if the Crown Prince asks, just say that Tulichen saw the Ministry of Revenue officials coming and took it directly from Su Peisheng's hands," Kangxi said directly.
Kangxi was well aware of the Crown Prince's methods, and to prevent anyone else from being targeted, he took full responsibility.
"Yes!" Yin and Yin both stood up and replied.
Qingyan finally felt relieved. She had originally planned to use the jewelry from Linglong Pavilion as compensation, which would have saved her a lot of trouble.
“Little darling, we’ve stayed at Yuelai Inn all along the way, and I noticed that each inn has a different signature dish,” Consort Tong asked curiously.
Qingyan quickly nodded and said, "Mother, it's based on the location of Yuelai Inn, using local ingredients to make the representative dishes."
One by one, the lunch dishes were served and presented to everyone. They were delicacies with Shandong cuisine characteristics, with seafood taking up most of the table.
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