Although Primary Consort Eighth had already received her punishment, when Yingtang recalled her gloating expression from the previous night, along with those probing and scrutinizing gazes that had landed on his own primary consort, he still felt intensely indignant.
“Speak! The Prince wants to know precisely who was running their mouth outside.”
Hearing the fierce anger in his voice, Li Dacheng knew that this time the punishment would not be light, and he silently lit a symbolic funeral candle in his heart for the culprit outside.
“Reporting to Your Highness, it is Xiao Xizi. Yesterday afternoon, someone spotted him meeting up with Xiao Linzi, who serves by Primary Consort Eighth’s side.”
“It was actually him!” Both husband and wife were somewhat surprised.
Xiao Xizi originally served in the front courtyard; his appearance was clean and refined, and he handled matters with crisp efficiency.
Yingtang had assigned him to her specifically because he figured his primary consort had just entered the palace and lacked capable hands to wait upon her, never expecting that he would betray his master so quickly.
Half-furious and half-mortified, he muttered, “The Prince truly misjudged him.”
“Has it been cleared up why he leaked matters concerning the Primary Consort’s quarters?”
Li Dacheng nodded. “His elder brother is preparing to take a wife, and the bride price demanded was quite high. Unable to scrape the money together on short notice, he went to find Xiao Linzi and borrowed a hundred taels.
This servant originally assumed he was close to Xiao Linzi simply because you, Your Highness, are close to the Eighth Lord, which led to frequent traffic between the two sides, and didn’t think much of it before. But upon investigating this time, we discovered that the two of them were actually fellow townsmen who entered the palace together to learn the rules, and their bond is deeply rooted.”
“Xiao Linzi told Xiao Xizi he didn’t need to repay the money, as long as he routinely leaked news about what was happening around the Primary Consort.”
“This silver note was searched out from his living quarters.”
Yingtang took it, took one look, and then slammed his palm down onto the small table with a resounding bang, cursing, “What a thoroughly ungrateful dog-slave who bites the hand that feeds him!”
“Drag him out, give him twenty heavy cane strikes, expel him from the Four-Halls, and penalize him to hard labor at the Southern Park.”
After thinking for a moment, he added, “When the punishment is being administered, summon everyone from the Four-Halls to watch so they can all engrave this lesson into their memories.”
“Understood.”
Li Dacheng bowed respectfully and withdrew.
Although the internal mole had been rooted out, Yingtang was far from happy.
“This Xiao Xizi is unfaithful and unjust, but if Guwalgiya hadn’t sent someone to entice and lure him, how could he have betrayed his master?”
The more he spoke, the angrier he grew. “This Guwalgiya actually had the audacity to come and buy off people around the Prince! No, the Prince is going to go ask her what kind of intention she harbors! What her true plot is!”
His wrathful appearance made him look as though he were off to beat someone up. Yet, if he truly raised a hand or started a confrontation against Primary Consort Eighth, even if he held the moral high ground, he would inevitably invite imperial reprimands.
Ignoring her shoes, Wuyunzhu rushed after him and pulled him back.
Yingtang was reeled back onto the kang, where he sat puffing out his cheeks in irritation. “Why is the Primary Consort stopping me? The Prince was heading over to demand justice for you.”
Wuyunzhu hurriedly handed over a cup of cool tea and coaxed him softly, “I know Your Highness is doing this for my sake, and I am deeply grateful in my heart.”
“Then why are you still stopping me?” Yingtang took a sip of the tea, his anger subsiding just a fraction.
Wuyunzhu sat down beside him, waving a round silk fan as she spoke in a gentle murmur, “While Your Highness is looking out for me, I must also consider things for Your Highness.
Imperial Father has already punished Primary Consort Eighth and placated myself and Third Sister-in-law, which can be considered bringing that matter to a definitive close.
If you were to chase after her now to question her account, wouldn’t that be equivalent to slapping Imperial Father across the face, implying that his handling of the matter was inadequate or improper? When that time comes, how would Imperial Father view Your Highness? Would he think you are narrow-minded and lacking in proper respect and affection toward your elder brothers and sisters-in-law?”
Naturally, she also had her own selfish calculations.
After all, she had only married in three days ago, and yesterday she had already hogged the spotlight once. If another storm were to be kicked up today, would Kangxi begin to think of her as a troublemaker who stirred up domestic turmoil and robbed the household of peace?
This line of reasoning left Yingtang completely speechless. Indeed, his impulse just a moment ago had been rash, failing to account for these broader repercussions.
“It’s still the Primary Consort who thinks things through thoroughly.”
“So we’re just letting it go like this? We suffered a blow in the dark and swallow it for nothing?”
“Didn’t Imperial Father bestow a reward upon us?
Head Eunuch Liang came with great pomp and fanfare, making quite a stir, so I expect everyone in the palace now knows that I received the Emperor’s ruyi scepter.
She originally intended to ruin my reputation, but it backfired in a roundabout way, helping me establish an even better standing and reputation instead. Would you say this isn’t turning a misfortune into a blessing?”
“Put that way, it really does seem to be the case. If she realizes this angle, she’s probably furious enough to burst.” A smile returned to Yingtang’s face.
With his mood elevated, he turned his attention to other matters. “Did the Primary Consort finish all her tasks this morning? Does the Prince need to help with anything?”
Wuyunzhu nodded. “With Caiyue and Caixia helping me, it’s pretty much all sorted out. However, I noticed there’s one thing Your Highness seemed to have forgotten to handle.”
“What thing?”
“The household account books and tally tokens, of course. Third Sister-in-law told me that right after she finished kowtowing to Imperial Consort Rong, Third Brother handed those items directly over to her.”
Wuyunzhu complained half-playfully and half-seriously, “Your Highness hasn’t given them to me yet. Did you honestly forget, or did you never intend to give them to me at all?”
Yingtang slapped his own forehead. “No, the Prince simply forgot. Yesterday and today, one incident piled on top of another without pause, and it slipped my mind for a moment.”
“Come, the Prince will take you right now to inspect our family fortunes~”
Front Courtyard Study.
Gazing at the two boxes placed before her, Wuyunzhu felt a surge of excitement.
This was none else than the private treasury of the God of Wealth himself, Ninth Lord! Who knew how much silver was stuffed inside?
With high spirits, she popped open the first box. Inside lay the tally tokens and keys—nothing particularly mesmerizing about them. After registering their exact count and craftsmanship, she set the box aside.
The second box did not disappoint. It was lined with a thick layer of silver notes, accompanied by three ledgers resting on top.
The first ledger recorded various rewards and bestowals, mostly consisting of gold and jade artifacts, screens, and ornamental curios.
The second ledger recorded the daily operational expenses of the Four-Halls.
Under the current rules, imperial princes residing within the palace had all their living expenses provided by the Imperial Household Department, which also covered the stipends of the household servants. However, rewards given to servants and the acquisition of fine curios from the Imperial Household Department had to be paid for out of the prince’s own pocket.
Consequently, the expenses of the Four-Halls were not massive—budgeted at around a thousand taels annually, which Yingtang’s yearly imperial stipend was more than enough to cover.
The third ledger recorded social courtesy gifts and congratulatory exchanges.
Previously, as a younger prince, Yingtang had relatively few social obligations to attend to, restricted mostly to the birthdays of Kangxi, Consort Yi, and the Empress Dowager. In recent years, as his older brothers and sisters married off, the tally had grown somewhat; but as a younger brother who held no official administrative duties, the congratulatory gifts he sent were not particularly heavy.
The very latest entries in this ledger recorded the wedding gifts received during their grand nuptials, and Wuyunzhu perused these few pages with extra meticulousness.
Kangxi bestowed one imperial estate in Tongzhou, 500 mu of land, and two thousand taels of silver.
The Empress Dowager bestowed one thousand two hundred taels of silver and a jade-carved pomegranate sculpture…
Consort Yi bestowed one thousand taels of silver and an ivory woven mat…
At this, she cast a questioning look at Yingtang. Had Consort Yi’s entry been accidentally omitted? It looked rather sparse.
The Empress Dowager went without saying; she was the supreme matriarch. As for Kangxi, though the ledger recorded a modest cash sum here, he had also footed the entire bride-price allocation from the Imperial Household Department.
As if perceiving her perplexity, Yingtang took the initiative to explain: “Imperial Mother privately gave me thirty thousand taels, but she was afraid recording it here would attract too much notice.”
Wuyunzhu’s pupils dilated in shock. Thirty thousand taels! We’re rich, we’re rich!
Noticing that joy was spilling from every corner of her eyes and brows, Yingtang felt happy just looking at her, and added with a touch of smug pride, “Imperial Mother said that when we move out of the palace to establish our own estate, she will grant us another sum of silver—only more than this time, never less.”
There’s more?! Consort Yi was truly a wonderful mother and an exceptional mother-in-law.
Although living off one’s elders was shameful, it was undeniably blissful.
Right then and there, she resolved that from now on, she would become a devoted mother-in-law’s pet daughter-in-law!
Suppressing her bubbling joy, Wuyunzhu continued reading down the list.
The Crown Prince bestowed one thousand taels of silver and a celadon twin-tube vase…
The Eldest Prince and Third Prince each sent eight hundred taels of silver and several precious treasures.
The Fourth, Fifth, Seventh, and Eighth Princes each sent six00 taels of silver and several precious treasures.
The younger brothers and sisters further down only sent a selection of precious curios without any cash gifts.
However, a small marginal note had been added next to both the Fifth and Tenth Princes: beside the Fifth Prince was “additional silver of 600 taels,” while beside the Tenth Prince was “additional silver of 1,000 taels, plus a three-courtyard residential estate in Ju’er Hutong.”
Judging from this gift registry, among all the brothers, the ones who treated Yingtang the best were undoubtedly the Fifth and Tenth Princes. Conversely, the Eighth Prince—whom Yingtang constantly had on the tip of his tongue—did not necessarily possess quite that level of genuine goodwill.
Beyond this, there were entries from collateral clansmen, high-ranking nobles, and ministers. Since Yingtang had not yet entered official service and had limited interactions with these figures, the congratulatory gifts were relatively scarce, totaling only three thousand taels altogether.
After inspecting the ledgers, the most thrilling moment arrived: counting the silver notes!
The box looked full and heavy, leading Wuyunzhu to assume there were tens of thousands of taels of silver notes inside; instead, beneath the top layer, the rest was filled with pearls and gemstones, with only a single layer of silver notes laid across the top, amounting to just three thousand taels in total.
Wuyunzhu was puzzled. “Why is there only this much?”
Yingtang guiltily rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Those other silvers were given to Eighth Brother.”
What?!
These words landed with the impact of a thunderbolt crashing straight down on Wuyunzhu’s head.
Anyone who had ever heard of the “Nine-Dragon Contention for the Succession” knew full well that the Ninth Prince was the financial backer and wallet of the Eighth-Prince Faction; whether the Eighth Prince was currying favor with ministers, buying off eunuchs, or even consulting fortune tellers, he always looked to Yingtang to foot the bill.
Yet right now it was only the thirty-seventh year of Kangxi’s reign, the Crown Prince’s position was rock-solid, and the Eighth Prince ought not to have harbored ambitions for the throne yet. He shouldn’t have required expenditures on such a massive scale, let alone need to ask Yingtang for money at this very stage.
“What does Eighth Brother need so much money for?”
Yingtang’s eyes darted away evasively. “Eighth Brother said he had an urgent use for it. Don’t worry, Primary Consort, it was for a legitimate matter.”
Heh. What legitimate matter couldn’t be spoken aloud? Asking her not to worry when such a massive pile of silver had vanished into thin air—how could she possibly not worry?
Suppressing her rising displeasure, she asked as calmly as possible, “When?”
“When did Your Highness give the money to him?”
She had checked the ledger and knew that the bulk of Yingtang’s funds originated from wedding gifts; his giving silver to the Eighth Prince could only have occurred within the past few days. Since the time elapsed since the loan was short, she wanted to see if it might be recoverable.
“The day before yesterday.”
That meant right on their wedding day.
Wuyunzhu felt a sharp pinch of distress in her heart. Just what kind of soul-charming brew had the Eighth Prince fed Yingtang to make him hand over his money on the exact day he received it, passing it straight to the Eighth Prince?
“Your Highness, you should go find Eighth Brother and demand the money back.”
Yingtang shook his head violently. “The silver has already been handed over; who knows, Eighth Brother might have already spent it all. How could we possibly ask for it back now?”
Going back on his word like that—if the brothers found out, wouldn’t they laugh their heads off at him?
“You…” Wuyunzhu felt her liver and lungs contract in anger.
The Ninth Prince giving silver to the Eighth Prince was purely like tossing a meat bun to a dog—it went off on a one-way trip with zero hope of return.