As evening fell, all the boats docked at the pier. Yin and the others disembarked, but Yin and Qingyan remained unmoved. Even the twins were carried out by Kangxi and Consort Tong.
After arranging for guards to accompany him, Tu Lichen went directly to the Fourth Prince's ship to discuss with the Fourth Prince's wife the arrangements for staying at the Yuelai Inn when traveling by land.
Just now, Su Peisheng mentioned to Tu Lichen that they were preparing to complete all the security facilities.
"Fourth Princess Consort, can all the orders at the Yue Lai Inn in the south be cancelled?" Tu Lichen was well aware of the taboos in doing business, and he wanted to ensure the safety of His Majesty while also hoping not to put the Fourth Princess Consort in a difficult position.
Qingyan was taken aback. How could Tulichen have thought of these things?
"His Majesty has advised that if there is really no way to cancel the stay, then just book the entire courtyard you're staying in," Tulichen relayed Kangxi's decree.
Qingyan smiled bitterly: "To be honest, many of those who booked the courtyards were the families of officials who accompanied us on our tour."
The number of people accompanying the officials was strictly controlled. In the past, many officials would have their favorite concubines accompany them, and when the ship docked at the pier, these favorite concubines would be allowed to board the ship.
Emperor Kangxi was somewhat aware of these matters, and out of consideration for his officials' situation, he mostly turned a blind eye.
"Fourth Prince, should we have Erlu come with me to do errands?" Tulichen followed Kangxi's instructions and prepared to train some capable servants for Yinzhi.
Yin asked in surprise, "This is exactly what we want. Whether Tulichen will have any trouble or not, the shopkeepers are very familiar with Erluyu. Letting him go will allow for better communication."
"Then this servant will shamelessly ask Erlu for help. Madam, this servant also needs a list of the family members of the order." Tulichen had to investigate the background of all the residents.
“That’s no problem. At this time of year, the people who can afford to stay at the Yuelai Inn are all officials.” Qingyan sat cross-legged on the kang table and wrote down the list of people whose schedules clashed with Kangxi’s.
The Yuelai Inn is located in a prime location where every inch of land is precious, and it was designed by Qingyan himself, so the room rate is very high. During the peak tourist season, only powerful officials and wealthy families can afford such high fees.
Of course, many salt merchants in the south would curry favor with officials and help them pay for the rooms they had booked.
"Fourth Princess Consort, this servant would also like to ask, among these families, are there any that do not handle their own settlements?" Tu Lichen had been keeping a close eye on the salt route in Jiangnan, and among these families, there were several people who managed the salt route.
From the capital to the elder brother of the Governor-General of Liangjiang, everyone was on the list.
She pursed her lips, unsure how to speak, as this involved the residents' **.
The innkeeper was very reluctant to reveal any questions about the guests, so Qingyan was in a difficult position.
“Little darling, you don’t need to be shy. Tu Lichen won’t tell anyone about our conversation,” Yin advised.
“Alright,” Qingyan conceded, “As far as I know, there shouldn’t be any.”
Tu Lichen's face darkened. Their investigation had been correct; these officials all had connections with Jiangnan. If the salt merchants had intervened, things would get very serious.
“I have investigated a bit, but I haven’t found much evidence of collusion with the salt merchants.” Tulichen hoped to seek Qingyan’s help.
However, Tu Lichen made this request in front of Yin because he hoped Qingyan could step in and help.
"Xiao Guai rarely interferes in business matters. If you have any requests, just tell the managers directly." Yin protected his wife well.
These matters in the imperial court have little to do with Qingyan. Even if the clients know about what they've been spreading, they won't hold Qingyan accountable.
After listening, Tu Lichen pondered for a moment and could only nod slightly. The Fourth Master's firm attitude made it impossible for him to force the issue any further.
"Fourth Master, this servant is preparing to depart tomorrow. Is there anything the Princess Consort would like to tell her?" Having received such a great benefit, Tulichen was not stingy in acting as a messenger.
Qingyan quickly shook his head, indicating he had no intention of asking for a favor.
Tulichen did not offer much advice. The Fourth Princess rarely troubled anyone, and many of the maids said that she was the easiest mistress to serve.
Fourth Master's courtyard was very orderly, with a clear division of labor, so no one would make a mistake.
Tu Lichen, on the contrary, felt that they should learn more from the Fourth Master's rules. Some of his subordinates were disobedient; shouldn't they be dealt with according to the Fourth Master's rules?
"If Your Highness has no further instructions, then this servant will take his leave." Tulichen bowed and departed.
Watching Tu Lichen's departing figure, Qingyan felt a weight lifted from her heart. Without the pressure, she rested her right hand on the back of the soft couch, gazing at the beautiful scenery outside the window.
After lunch, Yin brought this news. Qingyan had been worried all along, always feeling that Yuelai Inn would not be able to complete this mission. Inns are always places with mixed crowds, and unless they are completely booked, the news will definitely be leaked.
Now that Tulichen has fully accepted the task, she no longer needs to worry about the Emperor taking out all his anger on Yuelai Inn if it fails to complete the mission.
"Little darling, can you go out now without worry?" Yin smiled. He had been worried that Qingyan might suffer from insomnia if the problem wasn't resolved soon.
“That’s right, without pressure, I can relax.” Qingyan relaxed; the moment Tu Lichen appeared, her nerves were completely on edge.
Before the matter was even discussed, she was even afraid that Kangxi would give some other orders.
Imperial Edict!
As soon as those two words were mentioned, she got a little angry.
“Tulichen probably didn’t finish speaking,” Yin sensed that Tulichen hadn’t explained clearly, so he directly cut off Tulichen’s question. “Little darling, remember that no matter what questions Tulichen has, you should pretend you don’t know.”
Qingyan was stunned, but nodded to indicate that she had remembered.
As the sun set, Qingyan looked at the beautiful scenery, so different from her mansion, and couldn't help but feel a little hungry.
"Sulan, is dinner ready?" Qingyan felt hungry for the first time since the southern tour.
Su Lan hurried in and replied, "Madam, it's all ready. Shall we send it over?"
"Take it here and use it." Yin pointed to the kang table on the soft couch.
Qingyan simply put the items from the kang table into the tall cabinet on the soft couch.
"Fourth Prince, do you think Father and the others went out for a meal?" Apart from the Imperial Ship, only the small kitchen on the Qingyan Ship was used.
Whenever the prince and his entourage stopped, they would go down to find food.
The meals delivered from the imperial kitchen were mostly cold, which angered the Crown Prince several times.
"Go out to eat?!" Qingyan asked in surprise.
Doesn't the Crown Prince always respect his status and never eat out?
"Well, there's nothing we can do about it. The food in the Imperial Kitchen is no good; it's quite different from what's served in the palace." Yin thought the Crown Prince was troublesome; even though he was inconvenient to travel, he still had to put on airs.
The courtiers all noticed that the Crown Prince was actually more arrogant than Emperor Kangxi.
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