149. Chapter 149: Bureaucratic Tone

Hearing the Eighth Prince bring up his illness so straightforwardly, the Ninth Prince could not help but sigh inwardly. He said to Yanyan, "Yanyan, go quickly and arrange some dishes that the Eighth and Tenth Brothers like. Today, the three of us brothers are going to have a proper chat."

Knowing that the Ninth Prince wanted her out of earshot, Yanyan smiled in assent and led Xuan'er to the room shared by the three little ones. The only flaw in the design of the Qimeng Garden was its lack of a proper study, which meant Yanyan always had to make herself scarce.

Once Yanyan had left, the Ninth Prince looked back at the Eighth Prince and sighed, "To not keep anything from you, Eighth Brother, I have no idea how I fell ill. I only remember that on that particular night, I intended to discuss some matters with the Dongge woman, but finding the heavy fragrance she wore rather displeasing, I ordered her to open the window. Perhaps it was because of the sudden chill that rushed in and made me shiver—in any case, I came down with a fever the very next day."

The Eighth Prince frowned and asked with a puzzled expression, "Even so, one doesn't simply contract the plague."

The Ninth Prince sighed, "Who is to say otherwise? Fortunately, I am blessed and have now safely awakened. As for how I came to be infected, Eighth Brother, do not trouble yourself searching for answers; I shall investigate it myself in due time."

The Eighth Prince nodded. "What the Ninth Brother says is true, but you must be much more cautious in the future." Adopting the demeanor of an elder brother, he glanced around the room and added, "And given how things stand in your manor, no matter how much you favor the Yan woman, she is, after all, only a secondary consort. You must give the Primary Consort the respect she is due. What good can possibly come to you from offending the Dongge family?"

The Eighth Prince spoke with earnest concern, while the Ninth Prince simply listened quietly, neither agreeing nor refusing. What struck the Ninth Prince as odd was that throughout this discussion, the Tenth Prince sat silently to the side. Ordinarily, the Tenth Prince was the most talkative of them all, so his unusual silence left the Ninth Prince perplexed.

The Ninth Prince nudged the Tenth Prince with his foot and asked, "What are you daydreaming about?"

The Tenth Prince immediately broke into an embarrassed smile and said awkwardly, "Ninth Brother, since you are recovering, you should take back the duties at the Lifan Yuan after a few more days. Those foreigners are far too difficult to deal with, and I simply cannot manage them."

The Eighth Prince let out a short laugh. "Look at your lack of spine! His Imperial Majesty explicitly stated that you are to sign the agreement with the foreigners by the end of next month. You had better handle it yourself."

If the Eighth Prince had not mentioned it, it would have been fine, but at these words, the Tenth Prince wailed miserably, looking utterly devoid of confidence regarding the impending agreement with the foreigners.

The Ninth Prince laughed heartily from the side. "As for matters concerning the foreigners, your Ninth Brother cannot be of much help. However, I shall have Yanyan arrange a meeting with Anna for you in a few days."

The Tenth Prince instantly beamed. "Then many thanks, Ninth Brother." Upon hearing this, the Eighth Prince smiled faintly once more, yet said nothing further.

The Ninth Prince cast a fleeting, ambiguous glance at the Eighth Prince before resuming his discussion with the foreigners' affairs with the Tenth Prince. Neither of them noticed that the fist the Tenth Prince had been clenching behind his back slowly relaxed.

As noon approached, Yanyan finally had a table laden with fine wine and dishes served in the main room. Naturally, the Ninth Prince was excluded from enjoying them; the meal prepared for him remained light and bland. At the sight of the simple noodles before the Ninth Prince, the Tenth Prince burst into uproarious laughter, though he did not abandon his principles to let the Ninth Prince eat anything else. He vowed earnestly to Yanyan, "Little Sister-in-law, rest assured, I shall keep a close eye on the Ninth Brother."

Yanyan smiled instantly. "Then I shall have to trouble the Eighth and Tenth Lords." Yanyan invariably addressed the Ninth Prince’s brothers as "Lord," even though the Ninth Prince had once corrected her, telling her that terms like "older and younger brothers" would suffice. Yanyan believed, however, that adopting such casual forms of address would only incur deeper resentment from the Dongge woman.

With the dishes served, Yanyan withdrew. According to the customs of the Great Qing, women had no right to be seated at the table when the men were dining. Even women of the highest noble rank would have to set up a separate table in another room. Although this inevitably carried a hint of gender discrimination, Yanyan was actually quite content. At the very least, she knew that other concubines were required to stand at attention and observe the household rules while the Dongge woman dined, whereas she herself had never been subjected to such treatment.

Once Yanyan had departed, the Eighth Prince looked over the table of light, appetizing dishes and remarked mildly, "This Yan woman does have a considerate heart."

The Tenth Prince chuckled. "Eighth Brother is quite right. Ever since my birth mother passed away, I have never enjoyed a meal at anyone's table quite as much as this. The Ninth Brother is truly blessed; even the person he picked up while drunk is so pleasing to the heart."

The Ninth Prince shot the Tenth Prince an exasperated kick. "Shut your mouth and eat your food."

Instead of picking up his chopsticks, the Tenth Prince looked at the Ninth Prince and smiled, "Ninth Brother, you may not know this, but everyone in the capital is currently envious of you for marrying such a virtuous secondary consort. If nothing else, her talent for making money is enough to make people green with envy."

The Ninth Prince narrowed his eyes slightly, gazing at the Tenth Prince with a faintly dangerous expression. Seeing this familiar look, the Tenth Prince felt a surge of comfort wash over him. Indeed, it was wonderful that the Ninth Brother had recovered; even receiving a glare from him brought warmth to his heart. Thus, the Tenth Prince beamed with absolute contentment, infuriating the Ninth Prince to the point of a near-recoil.

The Eighth Prince kindly offered an explanation for the Ninth Prince, though his tone carried a subtle, lingering nuance: "The taxes for Beiwu Village were submitted with exceptional promptness this year. Not only were the land taxes paid in full, but even the poll tax was paid down to the very last coin. Since the Ninth Brother has been ill these past two days, you may not yet know: a few days ago, a family from Houying Village wished to join their relatives in Beiwu Village and went to the official authorities to transfer their household registration. Who would have guessed that before the people of Beiwu Village could even say a word, the other residents of Houying Village raised a massive outcry, and in the chaos, they went ahead and burned the family's house to the ground."

The Ninth Prince listened in utter astonishment, then let out a sarcastic laugh. "So, this debt has been pinned on me?"

The Eighth Prince smiled serenely. "In any case, His Imperial Majesty is already aware of the matter, though he has temporarily set the memorials aside. Now that you have recovered your health, I suppose it is time to deal with it."

Lost in thought, the Ninth Prince refrained from slamming the table in fury. Instead, he tilted his head and looked at the Eighth Prince. "In Eighth Brother's view, how should your younger brother handle this matter?"

The Eighth Prince sighed helplessly. "Things have reached this point; what else can be done? We can only minimize the fallout as much as possible. However, Ninth Brother, while your method of using greenhouses for vegetables is commendable, applying it to the development of an entire village is still rather rash."

The Ninth Prince smiled faintly and replied, "That is a sentiment I cannot agree with, Eighth Brother. How can increasing tax revenues for His Imperial Majesty ever be considered rash?"