Amidst the crickets' quartet, everyone ate breakfast. The ministers who had accompanied them were somewhat uneasy. Seeing that the two princes, Yin and Yang, had a very good relationship and did not seem to be fighting, they were puzzled. The Crown Prince had extended an olive branch to them. Should they prepare to defect to the Crown Prince?
Emperor Kangxi and his three sons all resided at the Cao residence, so he should have had accurate information. When Kangxi and the others came downstairs, everyone couldn't help but gather around Cao Yin.
Qingyan caught a glimpse of this scene out of the corner of his eye and couldn't help but wonder why Cao Yin was so popular.
"Little darling, what kind of gourd do you want?" Consort Tong didn't know much about these things like Tian Duo. The three women and the young girl walked together, while the three men in front remained silent, listening to the discussions behind them.
Qingyan shook her head. She hadn't studied these things, but weren't they made from gourds?
“There are many kinds of materials used to hold crickets. Some are made of sandalwood and other materials, while others are just made of gourd material!” Yin Genjue Luo explained from the side.
"Sister-in-law knows so much!" Qingyan's eyes lit up. She still only had a vague understanding of these high-level matters and there was still a lot she needed to learn.
Pfft!
Consort Tong and Lady Yin Genjueluo both laughed. The wife of Prince Zhi knew these things, but not from home. Yin was very fond of cricket fighting and grasshopper fighting, and there were many of those things in the mansion.
After several years of marriage, she has gone from a novice to an expert.
"Mother, let's buy one with exquisite carvings. As for the material, let's not worry about it!" Gourds bought on the street are unlikely to be made of particularly good materials. If we have too high expectations, we're more likely to be disappointed.
Consort Tong agreed with Qingyan's idea. Songkelierha held two small cages in her hands. When the crickets chirped, she would happily shake them, and the crickets would stop chirping.
"Girl, if you keep swaying like that, the cricket will get dizzy." Madam Yin Genjue Luo had a headache; her daughter really wasn't afraid of these things.
Cough cough cough...
At the front, Yin coughed a few times, telling Yin Genjue Luo Shi not to worry too much about Songkeli Yierha.
Qingyan led Songkelierha around aimlessly, and soon they spotted a few inconspicuous gourds at a stall.
At this time, wealthy families were buying crickets for their children to play with, and only wealthy families could afford those gourds.
"Mother, look at this!" Qingyan held a cricket gourd made of gourd material in her hand, with the Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea carved on it. The exquisite carving skills were no less than those of famous artists.
Consort Tong walked over and her eyes lit up when she saw the gourd in Qingyan's hand. The palace paid too much attention to the materials when presenting tributes, burying these fine craftsmanship skills among the common people. This kind of gourd is also excellent.
"That one is nice too!" Consort Tong preferred the one with the carved lotus pond!
"Grandpa, please bring me all the gourds!" Qingyan said softly to the old man.
The vendors on this street were told that the people who came back to shop today were definitely not ordinary people. They wanted to raise prices, but dared not do so, as they were informed by the government officials.
"Alright, these are all the young ladies have!" The old man took out all eight gourds, and Qingyan's eyes lit up. The skill in carving these gourds would surely earn her a thousand taels of silver in the capital.
Young lady!
Upon hearing this address, Qingyan couldn't help but smile.
"Sushu, go and call the manager of Linglong Pavilion to me!" Qingyan turned around and whispered to Sushu.
Consort Tong and Lady Yin Genjue were both captivated by the exquisite carvings and couldn't help but lament that such a great profit could only be buried here.
"Grandpa, I'll take all of these. Do you have any more carved ones at home?" Qingyan looked at the gourds, wanting to buy them all. "Sushu, come back first!"
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that some of the stall owners were looking at her strangely. She glanced at their stalls and saw that they also had a few gourds, but the carving was definitely not as exquisite as the old man's.
"Yes, yes, my son carved it. He has difficulty walking, so he couldn't come out. Young lady, are you sure you want them all?" The old man addressed the young lady, which was overheard by Kangxi and his two sons. Yin couldn't help but look at Yin with amusement.
"I'll take them all. Please deliver the items to Linglong Pavilion." Qingyan no longer concealed anything; only a person of high standing could help the old man's family.
Yin was stunned. Qingyan hated it when people talked about their status.
"Okay, that's definitely no problem. I'll deliver it as soon as we close up shop!" The old man thanked him profusely. If Linglong Pavilion could handle these things, his son would have a powerful backer. He was getting older, and it would be easy for those people to bully him.
Kangxi listened to Qingyan's words and followed her gaze to see the people beside her. He couldn't help but nod. Xiao Guai was very clever and knew how to help.
"These cost 3 taels of silver!" The old man looked at the remaining eight gourds. These were the gourds with the most carving effort and the most expensive. No one had bought them before, but now that they were all sold, the family would have enough for at least a few months' expenses.
Qingyan took five taels of silver from his purse and handed it directly to the old man.
"Grandpa, the extra money is a deposit for you. Your son is quite skilled. If the manager of Linglong Pavilion takes a liking to him, the father and son can work there." Qingyan likes exquisite jewelry, and skilled carvers are not common. She will accept those with superb craftsmanship at any time.
"Thank you, young lady!" The old man quickly packed up his stall, preparing to go back and tell his family the good news.
"Su Peisheng, go there yourself and tell the shopkeeper that I said there's no problem with the person, and send him to Linglong Pavilion in the capital!" Qingyun ordered a batch of sandalwood to carve wooden hairpins. Craftsmen dared not work with those rare wooden jewelry pieces, fearing they would ruin the wood.
"Yes!" Su Peisheng left. Kangxi coldly observed Qingyan's handling of the situation and couldn't help but think that Xiaoguai's talent was being wasted because he wasn't born a boy.
Yin was not satisfied with the title "young lady," but under Kangxi's pressure, he had no choice but to acquiesce.
“Father, I love wood carving. I came here to find these skilled craftsmen to carve exquisite jewelry for me.” Qingyan quickly explained, realizing that Kangxi was paying attention to her.
"You think the current headdress is too heavy, right? Once it's finished, send it to your mother!" Kangxi couldn't help but sigh inwardly, thinking that Consort Tong and Qingyan, this mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, were too alike.
Consort Tong blushed instantly and, taking advantage of the moment when no one was looking, rolled her eyes twice. How could Emperor Kangxi say such a thing!
"Yes!" Qingyan replied with a smile. The surrounding stalls, which were in similar condition, all regretted not having brought out their best items and missing out on this opportunity.
Two people were considering whether they should try to get closer to the old man's family.
The carving craftsmen Qingyan selected would all move their entire families to prevent the blueprints from being leaked. (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for it on Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
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