The people sent by Consort Tong kept watch for about half a month and found that there were indeed several people who used to serve in Yongshou Palace living in the estate. The key point was that these people were very trusted by the owner of the estate.
These results made Consort Tong wonder what was going on, but she thought it was impossible. How could this be?
She didn't believe anyone could fake their death and escape from the palace; it was simply impossible. Besides, if that were the case, how could His Majesty forgive a concubine who wanted to escape from the palace?
She kept telling herself it was impossible, but a thought in her mind told her that her guess was true, otherwise such a coincidence would not have happened.
Because of this matter, Consort Tong was tormented every day. After a few more days, she felt that she really could not continue like this, so she ordered someone to send a letter to her family.
Tong Guowei, from the Tong family, was somewhat surprised to receive the letter, which contained instructions to kill You Qing.
He naturally already knew that the young master You was someone protected by the Emperor, and Tong Guowei was also afraid of making a mistake, so he was somewhat conflicted.
Just then, Longkodo came over, and Tong Guowei told him about it. Longkodo was also a little surprised after hearing it.
"Does Your Majesty say why this busy work is necessary?"
There always needs to be a reason to kill someone.
"The Empress said in her letter that Young Master You is a menace and cannot be kept alive. As for the specific reasons, she did not say. The Empress also said that if this matter is accomplished, she will agree to bring your sister into the palace."
"Does Your Majesty really say that?"
Consort Tong had been in the palace for many years, but she had not conceived. The Tong family's current status was largely due to the favor of Emperor Kangxi's mother. Having tasted the benefits of being related to the emperor, the Tong family set their sights on the next emperor.
Although the Fourth Prince was raised under the name of Consort Tong, he was still recorded as the son of Lady Wuya on the imperial register.
The Tong family no longer hoped for a son from the Tong family's daughter, so they pinned their hopes on the Tong Imperial Noble Consort's younger sister. However, Emperor Kangxi had been selecting concubines in recent years without keeping any, so if they wanted to send someone into the palace, they still needed to go through the Tong Imperial Noble Consort's connections.
When Consort Tong learned of her family's thoughts, she was naturally unwilling. She was perfectly fine! It would be best if she could give birth naturally, so she had firmly refused the Tong family's previous suggestions.
This time, Consort Tong actually compromised, on the condition that You Qing be killed.
"The letter is here, take a look for yourself."
Longkodo took the letter and looked at it; it was indeed so.
"What is Father thinking?"
“A merchant is nothing special, but he has a close relationship with His Majesty, and Father is afraid that His Majesty will investigate our Tong family.”
"Actually, we don't necessarily have to get involved in this."
What are your thoughts?
"Although You Qing is favored by His Majesty, not many people know about this. If others make a move, it has nothing to do with our Tong family. You Qing has made a lot of money and blocked the path to wealth for many people. It's just that some people thought she had a strong background and no one dared to touch her. If I subtly indicate that You Qing is just bluffing, I believe some people will not be able to resist."
With a little encouragement from behind the scenes, they'll see that he's just a businessman and won't amount to much.
Tong Guowei thought about it and felt that it was feasible. The main reason was that he also disliked You Qing. Because of her, the Tong family had lost a lot of face. Although the fault lay with his wife, he would not reflect on the mistakes of his own people. He would only think that it was the outsiders who did it inappropriately.
"Alright, I'll leave this to you. Just don't leave any evidence against you."
"Yes, Father."
Longkodo was quite capable and knew many people from all walks of life in the capital. Indeed, some people couldn't stand how fast You Qing made money, and these people couldn't get away with causing trouble in the shop.
They were almost ready to give up, but Longkodo's hints made them reconsider their actions.
Longkodo's implication was, of course, rather subtle. Youqing's business mainly impacted the cosmetics shops. He simply found a few people with unusual relationships with those shop owners, got drunk, and let slip that Youqing's backing was weak and that it was more of a bluff than a threat.
In addition, he secretly arranged for several people to stir up trouble, which made those people restless.
Then, as expected, those people started to have murderous thoughts. They weren't originally that vicious, but they were instigated by the people sent by Longkodo.
Once he had the idea, he decided to hire someone to kill. Longkodo was worried that the people these people contacted might be unreliable, so he secretly helped "recommend" a few more trustworthy gangs.
Thus, on the surface, there was almost no trace of Longkodo's involvement. Even if the matter was exposed, it was just a murder for money, and had nothing to do with the third young master of the Tong family.
Youqing spends most of her time living on the estate, and she will visit the shops regularly to check on things and correct any problems she finds.
Youqing would come out once every ten days. When she went out, there was usually only one carriage, one coachman, and one maidservant, a total of three people.
Zhuangzi was in the suburbs, and there was a long stretch of road that almost no one walked on, which gave those people a good opportunity to commit crimes.
"Master, the shop has been inspected, and all the issues you mentioned have been noted down."
"Alright, it's getting late, we should head back."
The carriage slowly made its way from the bustling streets of the capital to the outskirts. Just as it passed the inner city gate, it encountered Emperor Kangxi's carriage.
The two carriages stopped, and Liang Jiugong got off his carriage. He went to Youqing's carriage and whispered, "Master Shu, His Majesty wants you to get into his carriage. He has something to discuss with you."
Youqing got off and boarded Kangxi's carriage.
"What's the matter?"
"Dai Zi has designed a musket. I would like to invite you to come and see how powerful it is the day after tomorrow. Would you be willing?"
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