On the observation deck, Yin held a telescope and looked out at the sea with Yin. Sure enough, they could see the situation in the nearby sea area, and even all the buildings on the coast.
"Fourth brother, Xiao Guai has made a good choice of this place. No wonder Fei Yanggu likes it so much."
(To be completed at 2:30 PM, Fengwu is receiving an IV drip due to fever)
As you travel along the coast, the sea breeze blows, and Qingyan sits by the window, able to smell the faint scent of the sea.
She held a scroll in her hand, looking at the manufacturing process of rouge, which also included the method for making rouge from the Western Regions. Yesterday, she bought a lot of rouge and sent it all to Linglong Pavilion, asking the shopkeeper to distribute it to various places today, so that the craftsmen at Linglong Pavilion could replicate it.
"Little Darling," Yin put down the memorial, looked out the window, and saw Qingyan bathed in sunlight. "What should we do?"
Yin Genjueluo had never traveled far before, so Yin and Yin entrusted Qingyan with the entire travel route. He arranged the time to visit the villages and consulted Qingyan in advance.
"We won't go to the fishing village today. We'll go check it out tomorrow morning. We need to go out early to catch seafood," Qingyan said with a smile.
They went to the village in the early morning, and when the officials questioned them, they had an excuse.
"Moreover, there is a Yuelai Inn near the fishing village," Qingyan said in a low voice.
Fei Yanggu specifically instructed that the Yuelai Inn be opened in three locations, and this was one of them.
Yin was stunned. How could such a remote place actually have such a business?
“This is a crucial location, offering a panoramic view of the surrounding sea. The Yuelai Inn is built against the mountain, occupying a commanding position on the coast, allowing everyone to have a clear view of the sea. This Yuelai Inn has three floors; the top floor is specifically prepared for wartime, and is outwardly claimed to be for the inn’s owners,” Qingyan explained. “We can stay on the third floor, where you and your brother can enjoy the scenery!”
Qingyan heard that there was a harbor by the sea, from which everything could be seen, so he placed a telescope at the best monitoring point.
"Three floors?!" Yin exclaimed in surprise. He had to admire Fei Yanggu for being able to think of this in advance. "Father probably mentioned it to Father-in-law beforehand."
Wei Dongting's wholesale shops outside the pass and Fei Yanggu's Yuelai Inn within the jurisdiction of the ancient city should both have received Kangxi's support.
"Si Si, what do you think of Wei Dongting?" The wholesalers from Linglong Pavilion were preparing to purchase goods, and Fei Yanggu said they wanted to get some from Wei Dongting's shop. "The wholesale goods from outside the pass need to be sourced from Wei Dongting's shop, so I have to think about it more carefully."
Qingyan rested her chin on her hand and stared at him. She had never met that person before, nor had she investigated his shop or checked the quality of his goods, yet Fei Yanggu had already made a strict decision.
"It should be pretty good. Are you sure your father-in-law wants you to order from his shop?" Yin asked repeatedly to confirm.
Whenever there was any disturbance beyond the Great Wall, Wei Dongting would secretly send out messages. In fact, the princes with iron caps all had their own information channels, which made things difficult for Wei Dongting.
"Yes, Father said he's already had someone check it out, and they said the quality is quite good." Qingyan nodded, truly annoyed that she'd been dragged into this mess.
After pondering for a moment, Yin directly brought up Wei Dongting's status outside the Great Wall with Qingyan. Upon hearing this, Qingyan frowned slightly.
"Those people over there are restless?!" Qingyan could only come to this conclusion, as Fei Yanggu rarely interfered in the affairs of merchants.
This time, however, things were different. Not only was Qingyan forced to purchase goods from there, but even the medicinal herb shops outside the pass were also designated.
“Those shops are all imperial merchants. I need to place orders from them, which might cause some trouble,” Qingyan said helplessly. “Fourth Prince, do you think it would be possible to ask the Governor of Shanhaiguan to do me a favor?”
On the one hand, Qingyan had to deal with the troubles himself, and on the other hand, he had to do what Fei Yanggu wanted. The commander of Shanhaiguan could control the road into the pass.
"When entering the customs, the commander-in-chief's men must investigate all the goods and record the identities of both the ordering and purchasing parties in detail. Goods from imperial merchants will be subject to three times the tax!" Qingyan calculated that ordering those batches of goods would increase the cost by about 10%.
Therefore, the price of leather jackets will continue to rise this year. In the past, they would order directly from Liehu, which would have been cheaper.
After speaking, Yin pondered how to avoid these taxes.
“Many people are definitely watching this business. The taxes from Shanhaiguan must not be less!” Yin quietly told Qingyan. “The censors are in contact with the staff of the princes’ residences outside the pass. They follow the instructions of the princes and have been keeping an eye on every transaction of the imperial merchants. It is easy to smuggle letters into the goods being transported through the pass.”
Over the years, Kangxi was able to get a general understanding of the situation outside the Great Wall, and most of the news came from Wei Dongting's shop.
Damn it!
Qingyan had a bad feeling. Every time her caravan came in from outside the pass, the checks were extremely strict. Some shopkeepers even said that some guards could not be bribed with silver and could only be searched by them.
"Fourth, if it's about transporting messages, my caravan won't do. We need to find smaller caravans. My caravan can act as a target to help cover up the smaller caravans' delivery of messages. Some people can't be bribed, and in the end, they can only be searched. What if the messages are discovered?" Qingyan directly explained the situation at Linglong Pavilion.
Perhaps it was because Linglong Pavilion's signboard was too eye-catching that Linglong Pavilion outside the pass was also walking on thin ice. When the Prince's Mansion ordered jewelry, they usually wouldn't settle the bill directly. They would always wait for half a year before they would come to settle the bill. This made Qingyan particularly annoyed.
"Are you sure?!" Kangxi and Fei Yanggu discussed it many times before deciding to use Qingyan's caravan to send the message. "After we get back, I need to tell Father Jade Emperor."
The relationship between Linglong Pavilion and the royal family is too delicate; the princes are probably worried that information might be leaked from there.
"The shopkeepers said that the guards who couldn't be bribed were basically connected to the guards of several princes' mansions. Some were Qin Juans of those princes, and some were relatives by marriage." Qingyan also tried to find out more, but the price they were asking for was too high, so they had to consider giving up.
Yin breathed a sigh of relief. It was good that the situation outside the pass could be investigated as soon as possible, since it was not yet time to go and make purchases.
"Father will make up for the tax!" Yin remembered that Kangxi once said that if the Qingyan caravan was used to transport goods, the customs duties would be paid from Father's private treasury.
Qingyan's eyes widened. Really?
"Now that the taxes are paid, I'll cover the expenses for bribing the people!" Qingyan said he wouldn't mind helping Yuelai Inn if things went smoothly.
The location of Shanhaiguan is too important. Many of the officials who are looking to make a fortune here are related to the governor-general here. Some even send gift lists to his family.
"I should learn from the way the imperial merchants do things and send the gift list directly. That way, things should be easier for me!" Qingyan sighed.
Well then, she'll start making arrangements after returning to the capital; she can't possibly disobey the imperial decree.
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