After getting up and having breakfast, Youqing finally had some free time.
Throughout the year, Youqing was actually quite busy, busy with business dealings and making money.
She has the skills, such as glassmaking and skincare and cosmetic products from Yan Yue Ge, but having the products alone is not enough; she also needs the methods.
Friction is inevitable in business. Although you have a strong backer, you can't rely on Kangxi for everything.
Seasonal events, new products, and unexpected situations all require energy and time to handle.
Monthly and quarterly audits are also crucial and cannot be taken lightly. Although she has help, she cannot completely shirk her responsibilities.
In addition, Yan Yuege's branches in other places have also opened one after another, and she needs to arrange or confirm the staff for the branches.
Glass has become a new fashion trend in Beijing, but other places still have to put in a lot of effort to save costs and ensure quality.
We're also preparing to open shops in Mongolia.
Youqing had other plans, though not as busy as Kangxi, but about the same as the average minister.
During the Lunar New Year holiday, she refused to let anyone visit her, which gave her a few days of peace and quiet.
Since his visit on the first day of the lunar new year, Emperor Kangxi had not come again for several days afterward, as he was indeed very busy. When we saw Emperor Kangxi again, it was already past the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. After the Lantern Festival, Emperor Kangxi moved from the palace to Muqing Garden.
Youqing's side also got busy.
Just as You Qing was checking the accounts, Sangzhu rushed over anxiously.
"Don't worry, what happened?"
Although Sangzhu is not as composed as Chengying, the people managing her estate have matured over the years and have long since established themselves. They are not usually in such a hurry.
"Your Majesty, the ladies in the palace have requested to leave the palace."
Youqing was stunned, her eyes wide open.
Requesting to leave the palace?
Was she dreaming?
She's had dealings with those people before, so how could she not know their personalities? How could those concubines in the harem possibly know them?
"Who told you that?"
"This servant heard from the eunuchs who serve His Majesty that the news has spread throughout the palace, and His Majesty has already agreed. The ladies have all left the palace."
"How is this possible? Have they gone mad?"
"Why don't you ask His Majesty what's going on?"
That evening, Kangxi came to Youqing's place. After dinner, Youqing finally asked, "I heard that all the concubines in the palace have requested to leave. What did you do?"
After much thought, Youqing concluded that those people could not have left the palace voluntarily; they must have been forced to leave. Only Emperor Kangxi could have made them leave the palace collectively.
"How do you know it was me who did it? Couldn't it have been that they couldn't stand the loneliness and did it voluntarily?"
Youqing glanced at him: "I'm not stupid. How could a woman who enters the palace leave voluntarily? Many of them have children, so it's even more impossible. You must have done something to force them to leave the palace."
"I did do some things. Their leaving the palace was a voluntary choice after weighing the pros and cons. I did not force them."
Emperor Kangxi did not accept this charge.
"Yes, you didn't force them. So, you have some leverage over them, don't you? That's right. If you're willing, you can find anything. And what you find is certainly enough to be used as leverage."
Youqing thought about it for a moment and guessed it.
"Since they did it, they have to bear the consequences. I didn't force them to do those things back then."
Youqing thought to herself, it's true that you didn't force them, but being in the harem, they don't have any special abilities. If they want to survive, if they want to live well, and if they want to climb up the ranks, how can their hands be clean?
He's just talking without any sense of the pain.
Seeing her expression, Kangxi continued, "I know they also have their own unavoidable circumstances. I have no intention of taking their lives. I have given them a choice: whether they want to marry or not, I can guarantee them a life of wealth and honor. This is the limit of what I can do."
He can't give me anything else.
Youqing also knew that Kangxi was already doing a good job by doing this.
It was not surprising that Kangxi discovered what the concubines in the harem had done; it was nothing more than framing each other and fighting for power, and the same things happened even more badly than in previous dynasties.
He used to turn a blind eye, and as long as it didn't involve his offspring, he wouldn't interfere. Now he's intervening, but only because he needs to.
"I no longer have a harem, can you give me a chance?"
Youqing fell silent.
To be honest, she really didn't expect that Kangxi would actually dismiss the harem. Although the way he dismissed them was a bit unusual, it was true that there was no one left in the harem now.
Kangxi went to such lengths that Youqing couldn't possibly be unaware. But should he really be given a chance?
Just as Youqing was lost in thought, Kangxi brought over a box and handed it to her: "Here, take a look at this first."
Youqing took the box, opened it, and saw that it contained an imperial edict.
He opened it, looked at it, and after thinking for a while, said, "Let's give it a try first."
The imperial edict stated that Youqing could leave at any time, regardless of her status.
Imperial edicts cannot be faked, and with the system around, Youqing felt she could trust him this once. If Kangxi were to betray her in the future, it wouldn't be as simple as just leaving him.
Emperor Kangxi smiled broadly upon hearing this.
He was genuinely happy. It had been two years since he had "coaxed" Youqing back from Yunnan. In those two years, Kangxi had done a great deal, handling everything meticulously, and had finally warmed people's hearts.
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