Reborn in the last years of Kangxi

Chapter 1024 Golden Branch
Cao Mansion, front yard, main hall.

Watching the housekeeper Cao Yuan send the servants who delivered the decree to leave, Mrs. Li and Chu Yu's mother-in-law and daughter-in-law looked at each other in blank dismay.

Mrs. Li was a little taken aback, always felt that she had heard it wrong, and asked, "Daughter-in-law, what does the emperor mean by this edict?"

In Chu Yu's heart, she was also inexplicably surprised.

Before Emperor Daxing died, he took back the three handles of Ruyi, which was to preserve the Li family and at the same time cut off the entanglement between the Li family and the royal family.

After the death of Emperor Daxing, the new emperor only bestowed relics, and did not pass on Li's spirit to pay homage to him. It seemed that he had acquiesced in the decision of Emperor Daxing.

Now, the new emperor seems to have changed his mind and asked Mrs. Li to follow the carriages of several eldest princesses to send off the spirit.

"Perhaps it is because the emperor has a heart of compassion for his mother-in-law that he issued this decree of kindness." Chu Yu said after deliberating.

Mrs. Li's expression fluctuated, she took two steps back and sat next to a chair, showing a little tiredness, and said in a low voice: "Make a fuss about it, and make people laugh."

Chu Yu stood by and didn't know whether the emperor's "grace" was good or bad for her family.

Mrs. Li shook her head, and said, "The first emperor...is it a hundred days before he gets fired?"

Chu Yu thought for a while, and said: "My daughter-in-law doesn't know the specific arrangement. It's just that I have to sacrifice to the Xiantai Temple and the Family Temple at that time, and I have to wait for the auspicious day before I can start it. I don't think there will be a delay of a few days. I guess it will be the end of the month." I'm going to leave Beijing soon."

Into April, the weather is hot.

"In this way, it won't be a few days." Li Shi said: "Since you have to go out, you have to worry about the trivial matters."

Seeing that her face was not looking good, Chu Yu accompanied her back to the Orchid Courtyard.

Mrs. Li returned to Lanyuan, hesitated for a while, and said: "I'm going to go out for ten days, I'm afraid I can't hide it from your grandmother. It was agreed that I will go to Haidian Garden in the next few days, but it will be delayed. Forget it. Forget it, if she asks about it, she will only say that the wives will go with her."

Chu Yu complied, followed by Xiu He and the two who served Mrs. Li and went outside to get some clothes.

Mrs. Li sat on the kang, Chu Yu confessed her guilt, and went back to Wutong Garden to arrange travel.

Although Chuyu was not mentioned in the emperor's oral decree, when the mother-in-law went out, she, the daughter-in-law, always followed her to serve her.

"The old lady and my carriage covers must be replaced with plain ones, and those who sit and lie on the carriage should also be made of blue fine cloth." Chu Yu sent someone to send several daughter-in-laws in charge, and ordered them one by one.

"The girl and boy who are going with me will also make a few sets of plain clothes again."

"The luggage and items you bring can't see silk or embroidery."

"Prepare two boxes for silver locks, and two boxes for silver hairpin rings, for the old lady to reward people."

Chu Yu arranged things in an orderly manner, and then supported her forehead, thinking about what else was left behind.

Thinking about going out for ten days, there must always be someone in charge of the house.Cao Yong is a second-rank servant, if there is no accident, he will probably follow the holy driver.

Chu Yu was a little hesitant, and it was easy for others to say, just tell the butler to close the door, and ask Uncle Dongfu to help take care of things outside.

In the inner courtyard, there is a Gao family, who is an elder.

If Mrs. Li and her are not around, Mrs. Gao will hear about the Li family, but it will not be very good.

Although it is rare to see outsiders in the gate of the house, it is necessary to prepare in advance.

It's just this, I have to wait for Cao Yong to come back and let her husband call the shots.She is a daughter-in-law, and she has to take into account her mother-in-law's emotions, so it's not easy to directly make arrangements for this matter.

When Cao Yong came back, he listened to Cao Yuan hearing that someone from the palace passed the decree to let Li follow the funeral of several eldest princesses.

Speaking of it, this can be regarded as a "benevolence".

Thinking of Yongzheng's cold voice outside the Yonghe Palace today, Cao Yong couldn't guess what Yongzheng was thinking.

It's obviously a mother-son fight, why do you think of the Cao family at this time?

Although he was surprised in his heart, he was still thinking about the affairs in the yamen, and told Cao Yuandao: "Let people inquire about what happened to He Cheng'e's family... or what happened to the members of their family who are working outside..."

He Chenger is an old man in the Ministry of Household Affairs, he is used to working in the Sixth Ministry, so he will not get in the eyes of the emperor for no reason, only if there is something wrong.Cao Yong has worked with him for several years, and he has a little understanding of how he behaves, and he doesn't seem to have the courage to violate the law.

Is Yongzheng going to rectify the six departments, or to cleanse dissidents?
Cao Yuan, as the general manager of the Cao Mansion, was usually in charge of human relations, and he also knew who He Chenger was.

"My lord, He Cheng'er has a younger brother who is in Daotai in Sichuan." Cao Yuan thought for a while and said.

"Sichuan..." Cao Yong thought of Nian Gengyao all of a sudden, and felt a little uncomfortable: "Well, it makes people have to inquire about it in the past two days to see what's wrong. Prepare 100 taels of silver, and prepare two catties of the best ones. Tobacco leaves, the white jade-mouthed pipes sent by the Sixteenth Master a few years ago were also found, and they were handed over to Xiao Man tomorrow morning, and brought to the yamen."

He Chenger is a pipe-smoker, and in his early years he never left his pipes and pans, but in recent years he has changed his pipes.

He Chenger bought several sets of the pipes and cigarette holders that Brother Sixteen launched a few years ago.

As a colleague of Junzizhizhi, it is enough for Cao Yong to prepare this Chengyi.

After arranging these, Cao Yong returned to the inner courtyard.

Mrs. Li just came back from the Shaoyuan, and met Cao Yong at the gate of the Lanyuan, and the mother and son entered the yard together.

When she got to the upper room, she pulled her son to sit by the kang, touched the auspicious clothes on his body, and said: "It's strange, but wearing it makes you look energetic."

Seeing that she had no abnormal expression, Cao Yong said: "Master Shiliu is making glass, why don't mothers replace the glass windows earlier?"

"Glass is too expensive to make windows. How can ordinary people use it? The window paper is freshly pasted at the beginning of the month, and the window screens are changed in May. How can glass be used?" Li waved his hand and said.

Beijing is hot in summer, and window screens are changed in summer.

Cao Yong said with a smile: "In this way, Master Sixteen's plan to make a fortune may not be effective until after the Mid-Autumn Festival."

After hearing this, Mrs. Li had to ask a few questions.

Cao Yong told the story of Elder Sixteen raising money. After hearing this, Mrs. Li hesitated for a moment and said, "Yonger, why are there gossips outside, saying that Master Sixteen donated the wealth of the royal family, look at our side... ..."

"Mother, since it's a gossip, why take it to heart. Anyway, it's a matter between the sixteenth master and the emperor's brothers. What has it to do with our family?" Cao Yong said.

After hearing this, Mrs. Li breathed a sigh of relief, and said: "Who cares about those Lao Shizi, as long as you are safe and sound, I will be happy to eat chaff and swallow vegetables."

Cao Yong knew that she was frightened by the changes of Li and Sun's family, and comforted him: "The emperor can think of sending someone to pass the decree, which shows that he cares about affection. Mother, don't worry, even uncle's side will eventually be peaceful. of."

Mrs. Li didn't want to mention this with her son. When talking about the trip, she said: "Do you want to follow the guards of honor of the eldest princesses all the time? They are not familiar with each other. Wouldn't it be embarrassing to meet them?"

Cao Yong briefly mentioned the situation of several eldest princesses. Among them, Princess Rongxian and Princess Jingjing, who married the Sun family, had lived in the capital for a long time, and Li had also seen them in the Pingjun Palace.

Mrs. Li thought for a while, and said, "Can you not follow the princess, but follow the wife's class?"

Cao Yong didn't understand Yongzheng's intention of this move, said: "Tomorrow, I will find the Thirteenth Master to inquire about it, and see the emperor's intention before making arrangements."

When the Emperor Daxing went to the funeral, most of the clan's wives went to attend the funeral.

The Seventh Fujin, the Thirteenth Fujin, the Sixteenth Fujin, and the Seventeenth Fujin were all familiar with the Cao family, and Prince Pingjun Fujin would also go there.

However, even if the Li family does not follow the princesses, according to the rules, they are not qualified to go with these princes and county king Fujin, and must be ranked behind everyone.

"Ask me, I can change it if I can, otherwise, I always feel uneasy and difficult to see people..." Mrs. Li let out a long breath, and said, "With you few, I have long been satisfied, and I really don't have the desire to cling to wealth." ..."

After the mother and son said this, Chu Yu also came over.

It is unavoidable to mention the township examination in April. Tianyou begged Cao Yong early and registered in Shuntian Mansion in advance.Although Zuo Zhu and Zuo Cheng were greedy, their grades in the college examination were low, so they were not eligible to directly participate in the provincial examination.

Deep love will not last, and wisdom will be hurt.

It is a good thing for the son to be motivated, but Cao Yong is also afraid that he will be tired.

"If you count the days, you will almost rush back from the imperial mausoleum. It's just that these days, you should take care of him and don't make him too tired." Cao Yong said.

Chu Yu nodded, feeling a little worried about the eldest son.

Everyone was talking about their daily routine when they heard hurried footsteps coming from the yard.

It was Cao Fu who came.

He was still wearing a uniform robe, and it seemed that he had just returned from the Imperial Academy.

He entered the house, greeted everyone first, and Li Shi asked: "I'm so in such a hurry to come here, but what's the matter in Dongfu?"

Cao Fu smiled and said: "What can be the matter, but my nephew is missing my aunt, come here to say hello to my aunt, and talk to my eldest brother about the end of brother Li."

Seeing him like this, Mrs. Li thought that he came to visit because he heard that there was an order from the servant to worry about him, and said with a smile: "It's fine."

Cao Fu has always been close to Li Shi, and said a few words with him, but the corner of his eyes kept looking at Cao Yong.

Seeing this, Cao Yong got up and said: "Mother, I just have something to talk to Xiao Wu, let's go to the study first."

Mrs. Li waved her hand and said, "Go, go, it's just that the meal will be set in a while, and Xiao Wu is not allowed to leave. Today, Changping Zhuangzi sent a lot of wild vegetables over, and asked someone to make wild vegetables for you." The last sentence, But it was to Cao Fu.

Cao Yong and Cao Fu agreed, picked up the curtain and went out.

After leaving the orchid courtyard, Cao Fu said anxiously: "Brother, trouble is coming, what should we do?"

When Cao Yong heard this, he felt a "thump" in his heart, and said, "Speak carefully, what's wrong?"

"A woman came to the door, looking for the second brother." Cao Fu blushed and said: "What is this called? I have a big belly, looking at it like that, it may have been six or seven months...Second brother today My son was on duty, but he was not at home, and the housekeeper didn’t dare to report it, so he placed him in the concierge, so people welcomed me..." As he spoke, he complained a little: "Second brother is too confused, and second sister-in-law has been struggling for years. He is still like this, isn't this slapping the second sister-in-law in the face?"

After hearing this, Cao Yong frowned and said, "Where is the woman from? What's the name? Can you find out clearly?"

"I only said that I came from Xining, but I refused to say anything else, and said that I would only say it after seeing my second brother." Cao Fu said.

Cao Yong rubbed his eyebrows, feeling annoyed.

Cao Song went to the northwest to join the army and took in women, so he was charged with crimes.If it was just a dewy marriage, how could they be recruited into the family?
Jing Hui had no children for ten years. If Zhao Jia knew about this, no matter what Cao Song and Jing Hui thought, she might put the woman down...

(End of this chapter)