Chapter Thirty-Seven

  The Kangxi Emperor's consort had the highest rank and sat at the top, with Quan Pei sitting next to her. Andala's mother-in-law was also seated on the other side of the Kangxi Emperor's consort due to her seniority as the child's grandmother. Because of the relationship between the Kangxi Emperor's son and his consort, Andala's mother-in-law felt a sense of closeness with the Kangxi Emperor's consort and spoke with extra familiarity: "......Why didn't the Crown Prince's consort come? It was quite an effort for you to come over, but it's just a small child's full moon celebration, really..."

  Kang Qinwang's consort dabbed at the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief: "As the eldest grandson of Lord Fei Yanggu and the nephew of Fourth Consort, he should come at least once."

  In the end, it was because of Fei Yanggu and Quan Pei that Gong Qinwang's wife could come, and had nothing to do with Zhao Jia or Anda La. Anda La's mother forced a smile: "You're right."

  After all, it's the fifth aunt of Yue's mother, it's too embarrassing. It doesn't seem right either. Quan Pei changed the subject and asked about her uncle Wang Runnian. Auntie Wang said: "He is a second-grade official in the Ministry of Rites, and he was transferred to Beijing at the same level. He stayed in Suzhou for a long time, and after entering Beijing, it took him some time to adapt to the climate."

  Although the Suzhou governor and the left servant of the Ministry of Justice are both second-class officials, one side is more free to speak than the other. It's not that they can't adapt to the climate, but rather that they can't adapt to the constraints after entering the capital. In Suzhou, all the ladies-in-waiting follow Wang's lead in everything, but in the capital, there are too many big shots, and even at this one table, there aren't many people she can afford to offend.

  "My brother-in-law is diligent and conscientious in his work. He has done a good job as the Left Servitor, and it's possible that after a few years, the Emperor will promote him to an even higher position."

  "Then I'll borrow your auspicious words!"

  Kang Qinwang's consort looked at the medicinal pills emitting a refreshing fragrance for half a moment, and the maid beside her said: "The imperial physician said that the medicine is definitely not problematic, but as for what kind of effect or composition it has, he also can't make it clear..."

  Kang Qinwang's consort took a deep breath, and the fourth consort gave her a pill, telling her to take it first, and next time she saw her, she would give her another one, don't know if it really works...

  Kang Sheng Wang came in from outside, Kang Sheng Wang's wife quickly stood up and before she could sit down, she heard Kang Sheng Wang ask: "How was the conversation with Fourth Fu Jin?"

  "The Fourth Mistress really didn't want to quarrel with us and was willing to talk things out nicely, but she refused the thing I gave her."

  Kang Qin Wang's hand holding the tea bowl paused: "Not receiving? What does that mean?"

  "She wants to ship two shares of stock."

  The tea bowl in Kang's hand clattered heavily on the table: "What a big tone!"

  The princess habitually remained silent for a while, waiting for Prince Gong to calm down, before slowly opening her mouth: "Actually, in my opinion, this may not necessarily be a bad thing."

  Kang Qinwang furrowed his brow.

  "Our maritime business is getting big, and there are many people who are jealous of us. If we don't pull in a few more people, someone might try to sabotage us from behind. The Fourth Prince is close to the Crown Prince, so if we can get on good terms with the Fourth Prince, it's like having a connection to the Crown Prince too. In my opinion, two shares are nothing compared to ensuring our family business remains safe and sound. Besides, the Fourth Prince seems like someone with a bright future ahead of him, and he's just starting out. If we can offer him some support now, when he really has power and influence in the future, he might still remember our kindness today, even if it's just a tiny bit... that would be a huge blessing!"

  The wrinkles on Prince Kang's brow gradually smoothed out, and Princess Kang took a slight breath of relief, again thinking about the pill given by Quan Pei.

  Tianxiang Pavilion has returned to normal, although it was out of stock for a while. The owner of Wenrui Xuan is willing to share some of his goods with Tianxiang Pavilion to alleviate the urgent situation, and things have stabilized. Although there were losses, they were not too great, and it's not irreparable.

  "Master said that this time it's nothing, but if such a thing happens again in the future, I'm afraid it won't be so easy to solve..."

  After boarding the Kangqinwangfu's sea transportation, the spice supply will also be self-sufficient and such incidents will not occur again.

  Through the open window, she could see the tender buds on the branches, about the size of a grain of rice. The sunshine was just right, and spring had arrived. Guan Pei lazily responded with a single word: "Tell Master to wait."

  Jiugong had asked Xiaorong to do some chores earlier, and didn't call her back until noon. Quan Pei had just washed her hair and was sitting by the window, with Xiaoyue kneeling behind her, using a towel to dry her hair.

  "...it was Empress Dowager who came, and she talked to the Queen Mother for a long time. I only vaguely heard a few sentences, it seemed to be about Galdan and Eighth Prince."

  An Qingwang and Eighth Brother are both on expedition outside. If they are properly disposed of, the two can gain fame and benefit...

  The sun was still warm, but no longer too dazzling. Guan Pei got up and called Naiya to take Bao Ge'er outside to bask in the sun. Song Shi and Li Shi saw this and also took out their two gege (princesses). The flower racks in the courtyard already had a thin layer of green, revealing a vibrant vitality. The several children made the courtyard even more lively. Da Gege was cleverly leaning against Song Shi, Er Gege was still sleeping soundly, while Bao Ge'er was babbling and seemed to be about to walk on the ground, as if he could take his first steps at any moment.

  Quan Pei leaned back in the soft cushioned chair, her eyes slightly closed, and the warm sunlight shone on her body, making her feel so comfortable that she almost fell asleep. In a daze, she seemed to see the faces of people from her past life again. She opened her eyes somewhat uncomfortably, and Nalan Mingyue and Wu Ruoxi were also standing in front of her, hurrying forward to ask after her well-being.

  A small eunuch rushed into the Yonghe Palace, like a stone thrown into a calm lake: "Consort De requests the presence of Fugui."

  "Get changed and go over."

  The Empress's magnificent attire seemed to have just been put on, the golden hairpin with a magpie perched on plum blossoms on her head shone with dazzling brilliance. Seeing Quan Pei, her eyebrows and eyes lit up, and she slightly reproached: "Why are you so late?"

  "My hair has just been washed and I've just combed it."

  De Fei seemed to be in a hurry and didn't care about these things, opening her mouth with a few urgent words: "That careless Fourteenth just hit the young grandson of An Qin Wang Fu Jin, his nose is bleeding profusely. An Qin Wang Fu Jin is still in the Empress Dowager's palace right now, I need to go over there immediately and urgently think of a solution."

  Ruan Yu frowned: "What's going on? Why did the 14th go to Cining Palace?"

  "The emperor is not around, these few young princes are probably lawless, sneaking out to have fun, and ran into the youngest grandson of Prince An's consort."

  "Why be so serious? Fourteen is just a prince, and children will fight. You were beaten in front of Queen An's consort, does she dare to make things difficult for him?"

  "What are you talking about? Where can... " This method is too simple and crude, but it indeed shut up Anqin Wang Fujin's mouth. De Fei sighed: "This fourteen should be beaten!"

  In the Cining Palace, the Empress Dowager was looking at the young grandson of Prince An: "Really, this child is also too......" The wife of Prince An was unhappy, but she couldn't show it too much, and only frowned with concern: "Why can't this bleeding be stopped?"

  Fourteen stood by with his head hung low, not making a sound. When he heard the palace staff say that Empress De had arrived, his eyes lit up. But what he didn't expect was that as soon as Empress De entered, she gave him a loud slap on the buttocks and then pulled him into a bow to apologize: "It's all because this child doesn't understand things, please don't take it seriously." She then busied herself comforting Prince An's little grandson.

  The Empress Dowager's eyes flashed with a hint of light: "Look, it's just fourteen beats, after all, it's just children making trouble, don't be too angry."

  The empress dowager was willing to speak, which was the best. The virtuous consort hit the 14th prince a few more times, and then the princess consort of An said: "Alright, don't hit the 14th prince anymore, they are all just naughty children, it's not a big deal." The princess consort of An relaxed her tone, and the virtuous consort finally let out a sigh of relief.

  Wait until Empress Dowager walked away, the Queen Mother intentionally left behind De Fei and said a few words: "... With me around, there's no way Fourteenth would be taken advantage of. After all, I'm naturally on your side. I also told Empress Dowager that it's strange for adults to intervene in children's fights, so she didn't dare speak too much." Looking at it this way, things could have gone smoothly only if the Queen Mother had exerted her influence behind the scenes. De Fei hastily stood up again: "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

  The empress smiled with narrowed eyes: "What are you thanking me for? You just need to know that I consider you one of us."

  One of her own? Consort De felt a little frightened, even though Ninth Princess was raised by the Empress Dowager, she never thought that she would become one of the Empress Dowager's people, today this statement came out, really didn't know whether it was good or bad luck......

  The empress turned her gaze and looked at the wronged and young fourteen, and the light in her eyes seemed to have increased a little...

  Soon after, a message came from the Prince's palace: "The prince said that although the eldest son's wife was wrong first, but for no reason to blame the second wife, there must be some explanation."

  Kang Sheng Wang Fu hopes that Quan Pei can also take out benefits sharing.

  Quan Pei played with the pure silver eight-tone music box sent by Prince Kang's mansion: "By the second year, I will also divide two shares of the profits from sea transportation to Prince Kang's mansion."

  After all, it's still a draw, just a waste of effort.

  Kang Qinwang's face turned red with rage and he sneered: "This Fourth Mistress is really good at playing dumb, I will definitely cooperate with her, treating people like fools?"

  Kwon's pills made Consort Kang sleep much better at night and she could eat during the day, and seeing her spirits lifted greatly. She knew that if Kwon's investment didn't go through, even if they weren't sworn enemies afterwards, it would be difficult for them to interact peacefully in the future. So how could she ask Kwon for more pills?

  The Empress Dowager Kang wiped away tears with her handkerchief: "These two children are so disappointing, the eldest is too weak and the second one is always causing trouble. If we don't make arrangements for them now, what will happen to them after we're gone? Is it worth offending the Fourth Prince over such a small amount of money? Do you want the Fourth Prince and his wife to hold a grudge against us? Even if we can get by while we're still alive, what about after we're gone? Doing business with the Fourth Princess may seem like we're at a disadvantage now, but in the long run, having someone to interact with is actually beneficial for us. Just consider it as spending money to ward off disaster for the sake of these two children!"

  The Empress Dowager's words hit the Prince Gong's weak points one by one, leaving him no room to retort, defeated and speechless. The silence was oppressive for a long time, until the sound of his grandson's laughter came from outside. Prince Gong sighed: "Alright, I agree..."

  Weng quickly received the news, and Wu Ge, as a representative, had a conversation with Prince Kang's son. He took the contract book, and this matter was basically settled. Wu Ge smiled and discussed with Prince Kang's son: "Not to mention other things, in the future, when we go out to sea, we will have to pull various spices, and the cost will be borne by us."

  The Crown Prince of Kang Shizi said generously: "From now on, we are all our own people, and you are too polite!"

  The goods supply is stable, and Quan Pei has planned another shop. Tianxiang Pavilion will open a branch store, and in the future, when there are goods transported back from overseas, they also need to have a store to sell them. However, due to limited funds at present, they can only wait for the dividend from the sea transportation to arrive before having the energy to set it up. Quan Pei instructed someone to pass on a message to Wu Ge, asking him to choose one or two capable men from among those brought back by Xiang Yun to run errands and handle matters in the future, so that Wu Ge wouldn't have to go out to take care of everything.

  The author has something to say: Although I've seen a lot of skeptical voices, there are also many supportive sisters, so I'm very happy, thank you for supporting me o(n_n)o~！！！！Thank you to the sister who gave me the king's vote, by the way, after writing for so long, this is the first time I've seen a rocket cannon, the king's vote makes me feel like I'm still popular o(n_n)o~ confidence is at an all-time high