Chapter 122 – Qing Transmigration Tale (31)
Fourteen looked at the scene of harmony, and was almost blinded. His own brother was so warm and close with his wife and children. But to him, the only full younger brother, while he did not hope for any warmth, he would be overwhelmed by the favor if the other did not look coldly at him.
He saw his fourth brother looked at him, and the smile immediately disappear. Fourteen immediately did not feel good. How much silver did I owe you that you dislike me so much?
Humph! You ignore me, I do not want to pay attention to you.
He smiled and said to Lin Yu Tong, “Then I will trouble Fourth Sister-in-law today. I want to taste Fourth Sister-in-law’s skills.”
Hong Hui and Hong Yun saw Fourteenth Prince arrive and hurriedly bowed. However, they were standing in the water, and this looked out of place.
The mud fish in Hong Shi’s hand was still jumping, so he only gave a verbal greeting. Fourteen did not realize what kind of greeting was it with a mud fish when Hong Zhao hugged his leg. The child was holding a grasshopper, and trying to hand it over.
Fourteen unconsciously could not help but show a smile.
The children were so adorable, and Si Ye was so dislikeable!
Moyaqi went over and picked Hong Zhao up. “Do not hold on to your Fourteenth Uncle. Sister will take you to play.” Then she ran away with Hong Zhao.
Fourteenth Prince found that Lin Yu Tong watched Moyaqi carry away Hong Zhao. She was a shu daughter, and she was carrying away the di-son. This Fourth Sister-in-law did not care. On the other side, Hong Yun was preparing to get up, and along the way, he picked Hong Shi up. Hong Shi laughed and rubbed the mud on his feet on Hong Hui. Hong Hui did not mind. But when Hong Yun got up, he hit Hong Shi’s butt. Hong Hui was worried that Hong Shi would be hurt and evaded.
If he did not know, he definitely would not think that these were children from two different eniang.
Lin Yu Tong saw Fourteenth Prince look curiously at the children and said, “They are very mischievous. Fourteenth Brother, do not laugh at them.”
“Humph!” Si Ye washed the mud off his feet in the water and said, “Even as mischievous as they are, they are not as troublesome as Fourteen back when he was a child.”
Fourteen was full of grief and indignation.
A hedgehog would feel that their children were bare. Even the dung beetles would feel that their children smelled well. You feel that your children were good. Eniang would feel that he was…… good?
Lin Yu Tong pulled Si Ye. How could he speak like this? The other was also a a-ma. He was grown. How could he speak so directly now?
“Ye and Fourteenth Brother have things to talk about. I will go to the kitchen first to prepare,” Lin Yu Tong said and then left.
Si Ye put on his shoes and headed for the pavilion on the side. He sat on the stone bench, pointed opposite him and said, “Sit.”
Su Pei Sheng was very perceptive and served tea before taking everyone else and walking far away to avoid hearing things they should not.
The brothers sat opposite each other. No one spoke first. Si Ye was waiting for Fourteen to speak first. Fourteen thought, I made a special trip here, you do not even ask. So he did not speak first. He just coughed repeatedly, indicating for Si Ye to speak.
Due to his cough, Si Ye even felt an itch in his throat.
“Speak, why have you come to find Ye?” Si Ye was unable to endure it and asked first. Then he took a sip of the tea. Otherwise, he would have to cough to clear his throat.
Fourteen’s face grew more black. This was too rude. So he said, “Fourth Brother, you are not good. You ran out to enjoy yourself, but Eighth Brother is in a predicament.”
Si Ye looked coldly at Fourteen. “All things have history. Just follow what was done before. This is nothing difficult.”
“Fourth Brother truly does not care about the silver?” Fourteen smiled coldly and said.
Si Ye looked down. He truly did not want to speak to this idiot. This was something that Eight should be worried about. Why would you step up and pretend to be a hero? You think that because you come, Eight will owe you? He truly thought people were stupid.
He did not want to say an extra word to Fourteen.
Who would not desperately evade this matter? He was heading right at it, and his head would break and blood would flow sooner or later.
“All right, do not try to find trouble for me here. If you have nothing, then just return, why spend your time here at my place? If you have nothing to do, just read more books at home, and do not roam around outside.” Si Ye stood up, looking like he would not see the other off.
It was almost mealtime, and he was being asked to leave. Where would he go to eat? Starve for a meal?
Fourteen had made the trip just to show to Eight. He did not think that his good fourth brother would give him face and involve himself in the matter. But he had not thought that he would be treated so coldly.
“Fourth Brother, what do you mean? You do not bear to even give me a meal? It is just some bad fish and trash shrimp you got from the sewer ditch? Who wants that?” Fourteen shouted at Si Ye’s back.
Si Ye immediately paused in his steps. “Su Pei Sheng, kick him out.”
Lin Yu Tong who was carrying a food box heard Fourteen’s shout from afar and thought, he is truly an imp. One day, if he truly made Si Ye angry, he would suffer.
She took two quick steps and said, “What is this? The food is done. Eat before leaving. It is such a time. Fourteenth Brother, will you starve yourself? No matter how urgent the matter is, you have to eat first.”
Then she pulled Si Ye back to the pavilion and pressed him down on the stone bench.She directed Shi Liu and Su Pei Sheng to set the table.
“I thought since it is late in the day, I just made some simple dishes.” Lin Yu Tong was full of smiles like she did not know about the unhappiness between the brothers.
It was soy braised carp, red braised mud fish, and stir-fried swamp eel, wild vegetables with almonds, and a pheasant soup. The food were all in rough bowls.Accompanied by the thatched roof of the pavilion, it was truly countryside food.
It was also done in the manner of farming families.
However, the smell was so tempting. Fourteen had traveled, and was hungry to start with.
Su Pei Sheng considerately handed over a wet handkerchief. Fourteen took it and wiped his face and hands. Not caring for everything else, he picked up the chopsticks and started to eat.
He did not look at Si Ye’s black face, fearing that it would affect his appetite.
He had to say that it was good to smell and even more delicious to eat.
Si Ye snorted inside. Now, he did not mind the bad fish and trash shrimp.
After a bite, Si Ye looked at Lin Yu Tong, “You truly cooked yourself.” This was Princess Consort’s craftsmanship.
“A brother has come, as the sister-in-law, I have to show some sincerity.” Then she said to Fourteen, “How is Niangniang in the palace?”
Fourteen immediately felt guilty. He did not know this. “I will call Princess Consort to visited Eniang in the palace.”
The emperor was not present. Adult a-ge like him rarely went to the palace when they did not have any matters.
Si Ye nodded. This was better.
Lin Yu Tong looked at the two fighting over the food, and felt a bit better. Do not fight so much. Regardless of how much feeling there was, it could not last.
Fourteen wiped his mouth and drank the tea before standing and making his farewells to Lin Yu Tong. Then he ignored Si Ye, walking a few steps and saying, “Ye only thanks Fourth Sister-in-law. If not for Fourth Sister-in-law’s good skills, those things are still just bad fish and trash shrimp.” Then he ran off.
The imp. Look at how Si Ye was regulating his breath in his anger.
“This disgrace……” Si Ye was on the edge of erupting.
Lin Yu Tong thought, this Fourteen was able to eat meat, and then forget it all and curse right after he put down his chopsticks. No wonder Si Ye was so angry.
She urged, “Ye, just think of Fourteen as Hong Hui and Hong Yun, you will not be angry then.”
“Hong Hui and Hong Yun, if they are like him, Ye will beat him black.” Si Ye stood up angrily and walked back.
Only at night did Si Ye tell Lin Yu Tong why Fourteen had come.
“He is just fantasizing!. He thinks that Ye is an idiot? Or that Eight is an idiot?” Si Ye laughed coldly.
Lin Yu Tong sighed for Fourteen inside. Regardless of whether it was Si Ye or Eighth Prince, they were not people he could deal with. Jumping between these two smart people, he may accidentally become a clown that people will laugh at.
After a few days, she heard that Eighth Prince had sent a memorandum explaining the state of the Imperial Household Department. They truly did not have any funds at all.
In the end, the emperor send a reply to draw some of the stored silver from the Ministry of Revenue for the imperial procession to rush back from Jiangnan. By the time they reached the capital, it was already the sixth month.
The weather had turned warm.
The imperial procession did not go to Chengde to avoid the heat, and returned to the Forbidden City.
Si Ye and Lin Yu Tong took the children back to the establishment before the imperial procession returned.
The court had to face a problem at this time, the Ministry of Revenue did not have any silver.
Where had the silver gone?
They had been lent to the families of the officials.
Lin Yu Tong could not understand the meaning of Kangxi’s grace in doing this no matter how hard she thought.
“The emperor is going to demand payment of the debts?” Lin Yu Tong said, already knowing the answer.
Si Ye shook his head. “It is not so easy to make such a decision.”
When lending the money, it was give grace, but if one demanded payment of the debt, the grace was greatly discounted.
But who, after eating, would proactively return it? They would just avoid. In any case, when all committed the crime, they could not all be punished.
“Does our establishment also owe?” Lin Yu Tong suddenly broke free of Si Ye’s arms and sat up.
Si Ye saw her so alarmed and thought something had happened. So it was because of this. He smiled and said, “We do! When leaving the palace, we followed everyone and borrowed a hundred thousand.”
A hundred thousand!
Such a relaxed tone. Si Ye had borrowed a hundred thousand. Then the other princes would only have borrowed more, not less. Just these brothers added together was a large sum. Adding in the enormous imperial house, how much silver was this?
There were also the aristocracy, the important Manchu Families, and all the officials of different ranks. She did not dare to imagine.
“We have to repay it soon,” Lin Yu Tong said.
“This will depend on the timing.” Si Ye pulled Lin Yu Tong back to bed. “You do not understand such matters. Ye knows.”
Lin Yu Tong did not ask more. She thought that when one did not have silver, demanding payment had to be done quickly.
But it was not.
After a long time, rumors spread suddenly that the emperor had reprimanded the crown prince for being extravagant, and not knowing to be frugal.
Then the entire capital started to be frugal.
After a few days, Lin Yu Tong realized and asked Si Ye, “The emperor is bewailing his poverty?”
Si Ye smiled profoundly and did not speak.
The emperor was bewailing of his poverty, but also cautioning the crown prince. The retainers of the crown prince and the people of Songgotu’s party had borrowed a lot of silver from the Ministry of Revenue in the last two years. Without the crown prince making waves, this matter would not have suddenly been exposed.
- Grafting Life Chapter 121 – Qing Transmigration Tale (30)
- Grafting Life Chapter 123 – Qing Transmigration Tale (32)
Tell me something