After Yinhe Qingyan discovered the problem, he began to pay attention to the actions of the stewards of the Imperial Household Department. They were basically all making money, which made him feel a little bitter.
"Fourth Brother, can those people still be used?" Qingyan tilted her head, thinking about those people.
Since Emperor Kangxi granted Yin the right to make purchases.
They sampled many items and made a list of what they planned to buy, then delegated the purchasing to their subordinates.
Yin instructed Su Peisheng to secretly inquire about the situation, and it was discovered that the stewards had been taking kickbacks, which directly angered Yin.
He despised corrupt officials who took kickbacks. Emperor Kangxi always said, "Clear water has no fish," but Yin dared not agree.
He had dealt too harshly with the officials in his past life, which caused them to harbor resentment and directly damaged his reputation.
"Little darling, we can still use it. Those people will be fine after Father Emperor teaches them a lesson." Yin had no hope for them anymore. The people were counting on this silver to celebrate the New Year. If they lowered the price, the people would definitely not object, which would leave them without enough money for the New Year.
Originally, it was an extremely honorable thing for the emperor to spend the New Year in this small county town. While it appeared glorious on the surface, it actually caused suffering for the common people. How could they possibly agree with that?
"Fourth Prince, all our guards have been sent out to inquire about prices." Kangxi said after hearing that the people of the Imperial Household Department had taken kickbacks and that the common people were suffering terribly.
Emperor Kangxi immediately ordered the Dragon Guards to take over the investigation, and all the actions of the chief eunuchs were presented to the emperor.
Cao Yin, who was in Jiangnan, was also caught up in this incident. Back then, Cao Yin, Wei Dongting and Nalan Rongruo were loyal ministers by Kangxi's side. Now, the three of them are in different positions. Cao Yin and Wei Dongting are considered regional ministers, while Nalan Rongruo can only stay in the capital due to family limitations.
All three were Kangxi's most trusted men, and as long as there was a way, Kangxi would never touch them.
"Little darling, I will punish those corrupt officials sooner or later. This time it might not be possible. Father Emperor won't let us touch the Cao family. The stability of the Jiangnan court still needs his contribution." Yin poured cold water on Qingyan, and this action made him feel a little upset.
Qingyan blinked. Emperor Kangxi actually allowed the people he trusted to bring disaster to the people. Upon hearing this, Qingyan was completely shocked. He never imagined that powerful courtiers could restrain the emperor.
"Fourth, Cao Yin is..." Qingyan looked confused. She really didn't know anything about the Cao family, only that after the Cao family declined, a man named Cao Xueqin emerged.
That person wrote Dream of the Red Chamber, and many of the scenes in it were recorded according to the Cao family's heyday.
"Little darling, Cao Yin, Wei Dongting, Nalan Rongruo, and Fourth Uncle were Father's study companions when he was young. Fourth Uncle took the military route, entering the army from the Imperial Study ahead of time. The remaining three became Father's right-hand men in the court." Yin briefly introduced the situation of the three court officials. Fei Yanggu was the first to leave that circle of wealth and power and was also able to stay away from the affairs of the Crown Prince.
At this moment, Yin realized that Qingyan had been designated as the fourth prince's wife long ago, and the court officials, including Suo'etu, were well aware that the power of the Ulanara family had been completely handed over to Yin.
At the time, Yin did not understand Kangxi's meaning. Fei Yanggu's careless behavior led to him being directly poisoned, resulting in Honghui's early death and other incidents.
Yin will not shirk any responsibility; he is responsible for Honghui's early death.
The infighting in the backyard affected his offspring, and Uya clan was constantly fanning the flames. Li clan and others thought they had found a stable backer, so they directly began to provoke Qingyan. These were the sources of Qingyan's change in personality.
After Yin returned, he gradually began to pay attention to the harem. He witnessed firsthand how the concubines used their offspring to gain Kangxi's favor. Originally, the Sixth Princess and others could have survived, but their mothers, in order to gain more benefits, allowed them to fall ill, which ultimately led to tragedy.
At first, the Sixth Princess was merely frail, but now she is bedridden. It's questionable whether she will be able to hold on during the New Year.
Fortunately, Emperor Kangxi was not in the palace this year, and the matters such as ancestral worship were arranged by the Imperial Clan Court, so the concubines, princes and princesses in the harem did not need to go to the Fengxian Hall.
Several of the weak princesses escaped this calamity. Unlike the previous generation, none of Kangxi's daughters married into Mongolia; instead, they found suitable husbands in Beijing.
The princes of Mongolia harbored resentment. In order to gain the favor of Emperor Kangxi, some of them had already begun studying Chinese classics, and some were even preparing to go to the capital to take the imperial examinations. These were things that Mongolian nobles had never done before.
The Empress Dowager is getting old, and to put it bluntly, she doesn't have many more years to live. They must find a stable support for the family while she is still alive.
Qingyan turned to look at Yin's expression. In the eyes of outsiders, Yin's actions were excellent.
Following Kangxi's advice, he relaxed some conditions for the chief stewards. Although Yinzhen was still intolerant of any wrongdoing, his small stature and limited power prevented him from intimidating the servants.
He could only rely on Kangxi's edicts to slowly make a living. He had seen Qingyan being threatened several times, and he looked down on the arrogance of those Mongol princes.
"Master, someone has come to report something." Su Peisheng looked at the chief steward of the Imperial Household Department below him and gave a cold laugh.
When Yin had no right to make purchases, Su Peisheng would always make excuses whenever he went to the Imperial Household Department to collect Yin's salary.
Later, Emperor Kangxi issued an edict entrusting the New Year's procurement to Yinzhen, and even gave him all the silver.
How could those stewards feel good seeing the power they used to hold fall into Yin's hands?
"Let him in," Yin ordered.
Just two days ago, they distributed silver to the stewards. Today, whoever comes in will be treated as a typical case and dealt with directly.
Emperor Kangxi shared the same sentiment; outsiders rarely obeyed Yinzhen's orders. The stewards were causing quite a ruckus here, and many people were waiting for the royal family to make a spectacle of themselves.
Qingyan leaned back in her chair, her small face tense. She thought the servants wouldn't cause trouble. They were afraid of Kangxi; if Yin said anything more, they would shut him down to prevent him from implementing any new measures that would reduce their kickbacks.
This time, both of them have become the ringleaders. Kangxi entrusted this matter to them for a reason. They are both young children, so even if they cause trouble, it is understandable and no one will say anything.
"Si Si, I'm going inside. You handle these matters." Qing Yan also wanted to prevent the censors from using this incident to attack Fei Yanggu.
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