A very secret and tense conversation took place in the Eastern Palace.
By the end, as people left the Eastern Palace, some had solemn expressions, while others were incredibly relaxed.
It was as if the long-awaited event was finally about to happen.
However, all of this was happening covertly.
From the outside, everything in the Crown Prince's mansion appeared normal.
This was because the actions they planned to take required the deployment of troops.
But the troops stationed in the capital, aside from the Imperial Guards and the Forest Army directly controlled by the Emperor, were only the Three Thousand Battalion.
The Three Thousand Battalion was stationed outside the capital and could not be moved without an order.
Moreover, they were constantly under the surveillance of the Imperial Guards and could not enter the capital at will.
Any movement would be equivalent to revealing their intentions.
Therefore, they had to go to other places to mobilize troops, a more roundabout approach.
The Northern Frontier Army was engaged in combat with the Northern Di people, and the Northern Frontier Army belonged to Duke Yu.
They were largely loyal to Prince Duan and could not be utilized.
Thus, the Crown Prince and his group intended to deploy the forces from the Western Frontier.
Their commander was Huang Yuwang, the eldest legitimate son of Duke Huang.
Mobilizing his troops would be a sure thing.
However, the Western Frontier was far away.
All matters had to be carried out in secret. To avoid attracting too much attention, the troops had to be broken down into smaller groups and enter the capital disguised.
This way, the time required for troop mobilization would be even longer.
Without complete certainty, they could only wait patiently.
Meanwhile, Emperor Xingzhao's condition had stabilized.
His mind had also become clearer.
He realized that in his fit of rage, he had made the decision to depose the Crown Prince.
Later, however, he suddenly hesitated.
After all, he had already deposed a Crown Prince once.
When the Crown Prince was suddenly deposed, the court was in turmoil.
It took him a considerable amount of time to barely stabilize the situation.
Now, he was about to do the same thing.
But with his current capabilities, could he once again step forward to turn the tide and stabilize the court?
The answer was no.
He was old, plagued by illness, and could no longer withstand any upheaval.
Therefore, at this point, he hesitated.
Shen Yun and his companions were not in a hurry.
The imperial decree was there; when it would be read was not an issue.
Instead, it could be used as a bait that automatically exuded ač „å³ (fishy smell).
It would lure those cats who loved to steal fish to take the bait.
At this time, they also only needed to wait patiently.
As the scent of this bait spread, those people would eventually be unable to resist.
Then, when they made their move, they would be caught and apprehended all at once!
Under such circumstances, both parties harbored their own thoughts.
As a result, the previously imminent conflict eased.
There were also fewer disputes in the imperial court, which was rare.
In the coldest part of the year, everyone managed to complete their year's work in rare peace.
Seal the official yamen!
Su Xiaoqi had prepared everything needed for the New Year long ago.
She had stocked up on food, drinks, and new clothes for the family.
She had also prepared welfare benefits for all the shop employees.
Today was the twenty-ninth of the twelfth lunar month, and she wanted to finish all her tasks before the holiday began.
Tomorrow, on New Year's Eve, she wanted to stay at home, stay warm by the fire, and rest, without going anywhere.
Upon learning that she was going out, Shen Yun also changed into his down jacket for going out and decided to accompany her.
They first went to Liuyuan in the southern suburbs of the capital.
Liuyuan would be closed today and would reopen on the seventh day of the first lunar month.
Therefore, everyone working here could take seven days of leave.
And it was paid leave.
The employees working at Liuyuan were excited to know that they could have seven days off, do nothing, and still get paid.
But they did not expect that on the last day before the holiday, their owner, Su Xiaoqi, would arrive.
She brought them New Year gifts and was going to distribute year-end bonuses.
When Su Xiaoqi arrived, He Qiulei was already there. He had asked the steward, Little Magpie, to gather everyone in the reception hall of Liuyuan.
There were a total of forty-eight employees here.
Adding He Qiulei's attendants, the people sent by the Grand Princess, Du Yiyi's people, and Su Xiaoqi's entourage.
Plus some servants originally from the estate.
The total number was around sixty people.
As everyone sat in the spacious hall, it actually felt a bit crowded.
Su Xiaoqi first gave a passionate speech that made everyone feel enthusiastic and brimming with energy, wishing they could work for another ten days or half a month.
Then came the main event.
Bonuses were distributed based on performance.
The employees of Liuyuan, depending on their job type, each received an additional two months' salary, plus ten catties of pork and a beautifully decorated gift box.
The gift box contained Su Xiaoqi's specialties: a box of bitter buckwheat tea, a box of lotus root powder, a box of white fungus, and a box of coffee.
These items could now be produced by Su Xiaoqi's spatial dimension, so they were not much to her.
However, in the capital, they were still rare and expensive goods.
Upon seeing them, everyone's eyes widened in surprise.
One tall female employee stammered, "Owner, are... are these for us?"
Su Xiaoqi smiled and said, "Of course they are for you. You have worked hard. Throughout the year, you have made great contributions to our Liuyuan. This is Liuyuan's way of giving back to you."
Su Xiaoqi then gave them words of encouragement and left the floor to Little Magpie, the actual manager of Liuyuan.
She would speak and be responsible for the distribution of benefits.
This took over an hour.
Later, the servants from the estate also received double their wages and a gift box containing the four-color items.
Everyone was overjoyed.
Some even shed tears.
Su Xiaoqi did not forget the tenant farmers behind the estate either, sending them ten catties of rice and flour and two catties of pork so they could have a good New Year.
Everyone was touched once again.
As farmers, nothing made them happier than receiving grain.
Moreover, as tenant farmers on Su Xiaoqi's estate, they had always paid only thirty percent of their rent.
This was much less than the fifty percent paid by others.
They already felt very fortunate.
Unexpectedly, they received generous gifts for the New Year, and each of them vowed to farm more diligently next year and pay more rent to live up to the benefits provided by Owner Su.
Su Xiaoqi entered the inner chambers and, with He Qiulei, reviewed the accounts with Madam Xu, sent by the Grand Princess, and Ling Yu, sent by Du Yiyi.
"Liuyuan has been open for over half a year. The first month had pre-sale membership cards, so the sales were impressive, totaling one hundred thousand taels. Subsequent sales declined, but the total over five months reached fifteen thousand taels."
Su Xiaoqi said, while rattling the abacus beads, and after calculating all the costs, she presented a profit figure: eighty thousand taels.
Because she had previously agreed to bring Du Yiyi and the Grand Princess in as shareholders, the ownership of Liuyuan was divided into four parts.
Now, naturally, the four parties would share these eighty thousand taels.
Twenty thousand taels each.
However, Madam Xu, on behalf of the Grand Princess, spoke up at this time.
She meant that they had not invested any capital and had not provided much supervision in their daily operations, so they should not receive this dividend.
Su Xiaoqi, however, said, "Liuyuan's popularity and booming business in the capital are largely due to the Grand Princess's influence. This dividend should naturally be distributed."
Ling Yu, representing Du Yiyi, echoed the same sentiment. Compared to the Grand Princess, her mistress, although she occasionally came to visit, truly only came to visit and play. She had not done anything practical for it.
"Yiyi is also a skilled salesperson. Looking at the account books, many members were introduced by Yiyi."
The most important thing for a club is service, but sales are equally important.
Otherwise, if the service cannot be sold, what is the use? It cannot be converted into cash.
Su Xiaoqi convinced everyone one by one and then handed the banknotes to the four parties.
He Qiulei said nothing. He had worked very hard for Liuyuan.
But gaining twenty thousand taels in just half a year already exceeded his expectations.
Therefore, he did not refuse and accepted it generously, saying he looked forward to their more pleasant cooperation next time.
Su Xiaoqi smiled, knowing that he was referring to the business of down jackets and cotton-padded clothes.
She would get involved in these matters later.