Reborn in the last years of Kangxi

Chapter 111 Finger Marriage
From the 22nd day of the twelfth lunar month, Cao Yong was very busy.

22 is Ningchun's wedding banquet. As Ningchun's best buddies, Cao Yong and Yongqing can't escape the job of blocking the wine.Both of them were very drunk and were sent home by their entourage.

23 Xiaonian is a family feast.This day was also the day when Sheng Jia returned to Beijing, so on the next 24 and 25 days, he went to the study room for two more days of class before officially taking his annual leave.

Immediately after 26, it was the [-]-day banquet for the fourth elder brother of Pingjun Wangfu. Early in the morning, Cao Yong and Cao Song brothers put on formal clothes and came to Pingjun Wangfu.

Cao Song was in high spirits along the way, for a while he chatted with Cao Yong, and for a while he hummed a little song and looked at the street scene.He was so happy for no other reason, but because he was so unhappy that he had destroyed Nanny Zhang's prestige in the past two days.

It turned out that two days ago Cao Song took in the maid Yuqin in the room. He was drunk and confused, but after waking up, he knew what he had done, so he regarded her differently in his heart.As a result, he went to school on the front foot, and Yulong was beaten by Nanny Zhang on the back foot.When Cao Song came back and heard about it, he was very unhappy. When he turned around to look for the small ingot in the Baibaoge, he couldn't find it. He asked Yuchan, but was told that Madam Zhang had gone to drink.

Cao Song's anger rose from his heart, and the evil came to his gallbladder.The little ingot was originally a rule of the brothel, if you pick up a boy, you have to give him something small, for auspiciousness.This small ingot was a gift from Xiangqin during Cao Song's first night, and now, for Cao Song, it is the only thought left by Xiangqin to him.

Cao Song's heart was full of evil, and the nanny Zhang was extremely pessimistic. When she heard Cao Song came back, she came to scold him again, saying that Zhao Jia's second master was hardworking but not up to date.

Cao Song didn't have a good face, so he drooped his face and said a few harsh words.

After Zhang Nanny heard this, she became more angry, and cursed at Yuqin again, saying that the little whore is better than the younger whore, and she only said that Yuqin pretended to be a fox charmer to coax the second master, so that the second master would not listen to her and so on.

Cao Song was also in a hurry, and couldn't help arguing with Zhang Mama.Cao Song became more and more noisy and angry, and then he kicked Mama Zhang to the ground without even thinking about it, and scolded: "Who made you become an ancestor? But after a few days of breastfeeding your mother, you really treat yourself Is it a serious elder? An old servant who doesn’t have eyes, why don’t you kick him out and clean everyone up!”

Cao Yong and Amethyst heard the sound and rushed to pull them away.

Cao Yong glanced at Madam Zhang who was sitting on the ground covering her heart and weeping loudly, and dragged Cao Song out.Cao Song was still unconvinced, and yelled that he would drive her out.

Zijing hurriedly called for someone, helped Zhang Nanny to go down, and persuaded Cao Song gently: "Second Master, she is the second wife's nurse, even if you don't look at other things, you still have to look at the second wife's face. Besides, she is old When you grow up, nagging is inevitable, you are a master, what do you care about with her old woman."
Cao Song calmed down and knew that this nanny was the most embarrassing on Zhaojia's side, and it was absolutely impossible for her mother to kick her out.It was such a quarrel today, and when he went home later, he had to suffer from his mother's board if he didn't keep it clean, so he felt a little bit regretful in his heart.

On the second day, Cao Song was still a little apprehensive, fearing that Nanny Zhang would not have a good face.In the end, Nanny Zhang said she was so angry that her heart ached and she pretended to be sick in the room and couldn't come out.I just don't know how Zijing suppressed her, she just pretended to be sick quietly, but she didn't make a big fuss.

Cao Song was usually the most impatient of Nanny Zhang's nagging, but now she pretended to be sick and ignored him, and it happened that her ears were clean, so she was naturally overjoyed.But at home, he was still afraid of Nanny Zhang's gossip, so he should restrain himself somewhat. When he went out today, his long-suppressed joy burst out.

When they arrived at the Prince's Mansion, the Cao Yong brothers were first brought into the inner courtyard to see their elder sister Cao Yan and their two nephews, Fu Peng and Fu Xiu, and then they were led to Rui Theater Building, the opera building of the Prince's Mansion.

Cao Song stared at the stage, and kept asking the boy who led the way what class he was hiring today, and if there was any play.

Cao Yong smiled and shook his head: "We also invite theater troupes in the mansion during the Chinese New Year, and you can order the plays later. Don't lose the rules and make people laugh."

Cao Song's eyes lit up, and he talked about a few martial arts dramas in one breath, and said the names of two martial arts students with good kung fu, asking Cao Yong to come.Cao Yong responded with a smile and told him to turn around and tell Mr. Zhuang that Mr. Zhuang was responsible for inviting the troupe.

In Ruixi Building, from the lobby on the first floor to the private room on the second floor, there are dozens of tables and seats, and there are quite a lot of guests.Today, seven or eight of the people attending the banquet are senior to Cao Yong. Cao Yong is really not interested in going back and forth to invite An to play. When he went upstairs, he saw Detehei and Shuming, and went to their table. The location is biased and not eye-catching.

Naersu knew Cao Yong's disposition, came over to chat with him, but did not invite him to the chairman.Only Cao Song felt that this position was uncomfortable for watching a play, but his brother might have invited a play troupe at home in two days, so he accepted it.

Not long after the banquet started, two young servants came to invite Brother Cao Yong, and they only said that Fujin was looking for them.

The two brothers followed into the inner courtyard, Wenqin came out, and whispered: "The old Fujin asked about our Fujin brothers and wanted to meet them, so Fujin asked them to be called uncle and second master."

After hearing this, Brother Cao Yong knew what he was doing. He straightened his clothes and followed Wenqin in.

As soon as Cao Yong entered the room, he glanced at it and lowered his head, saluting and greeting all Fujin wives in a well-mannered manner.He was busy bowing his head because of etiquette, but also because the room was full of pearls and emeralds, shining brightly and dazzlingly.

There were a dozen or so noble ladies sitting in the room, ranging in age from teens to fifties, and more than half of them were wearing the fragrant dresses of princes and county kings Fujin, shining golden.

Several older old Fujin sat on the kang, smiled and called the two brothers to the side, looked them up and down, and kept boasting: "It's really Ping Wang Fujin's real brother, there is no difference in appearance and demeanor. !” He held his hand again, and asked carefully about his age, schooling, etc.Then everyone brought out their meeting gifts one after another, most of which were golden prizes such as "No.

Cao Jia smiled and thanked the brothers on behalf of the two brothers. Everyone said that they came in a hurry and didn't prepare a gift, and it was too simple, so they shouldn't blame it.

In fact, the gold coins given by everyone were quite a lot, and these were more than a hundred gold, which was converted into more than a thousand taels of silver, and the brothers really made a small fortune.

As the saying goes, "27, wash away the guilt; 28, wash away the sloppy", the 27th and 28th of the twelfth lunar month are the days when people in Beijing take a bath before.After a year, the leftover baits were also thrown away at the gate, and all the prescriptions used were burned, taking the auspicious meaning of "losing all diseases".Up and down the Cao Mansion, pasting the window panes, pasting New Year pictures and paper-cutting, is already full of festive atmosphere.

In a blink of an eye, on the [-]th day, Cao Yong hurried into the palace in the afternoon.Today, Kangxi gave a banquet in the Hall of Supreme Harmony to the Mongolian vassal king, ministers, academicians and guards in the afternoon.Although Cao Yong is now the companion of the sixteenth brother, his position is in the bodyguard, but he is going to receive the emperor's grace.

Detehei, Shuming, Nalan Fusen and others have already arrived, and when they saw Cao Yong, they got close again.Cao Yong is the youngest among all the people, and it is indispensable to pay a thousand New Year greetings.

Cao Yong followed the prairie and had seen the situation where Kangxi gave banquets to foreign vassals, but compared with the feast of the Taihe Palace in front of him, those outside the Great Wall are nothing compared to the big witch.For the banquet of thousands of people, the palace people kept coming and going, and all kinds of exquisite utensils, which were invisible to the outside world, filled with various delicacies and wines, came up one after another.

Before the banquet began, guards like Cao Yong and the others had another honor, that is, to be given "blessed meat".It is boiled pork in white water for sacrifices, without a trace of salt, fat and thin, and almost no red color can be seen.Each guard has a big piece, not a catty, but also eight taels, and he is already full by looking at it.Fortunately, Cao Yong is not Xiaobai, the bodyguard. Although it is the first time he has seen this legendary "blessed meat", it has been known for a long time.There was a prepared fine salt packet in the purse, I quietly took it and sprinkled it, and gritted my teeth to eat it.Looking at other people, there are also small movements.

Half a catty of fat meat went down, even if there were delicacies from mountains and seas in front of him, Cao Yong lost most of his appetite, but he just picked up novelty ones and put two chopsticks on them.It was not easy to wait until the second quarter of Shenzheng (04:30 p.m.), the banquet was over, and everyone went out of the palace to disperse.

On the gate of Cao's mansion, the door gods of couplets were pasted up early, and the porter's servant was also dressed up. When Cao Yong came back, he came up to lead the horse attentively.

Back to Sunflower Courtyard, changed into guard clothes, Cao Yong drank two cups of strong tea hard to relieve the greasy.For this palace banquet, it seemed that he only remembered the smell of greasy meat.

When Cao Song heard that his brother had returned from the palace, he rushed over with a smile, and also put on new clothes from the inside out.Seeing his flushed face, Cao Yong thought that he was both a "singing prostitute" and a "houseman" these days, so he didn't like him.However, think about it, I really don't bother to talk about him when it's Chinese New Year.

Cao Song sat across from his brother and curiously asked about the palace banquet.

Hearing that what he ate was fatty pork, and the other dishes were lukewarm and lukewarm, Cao Song suddenly lost interest.

The family banquet in Cao's mansion is divided into two places. The seats for Cao Yong, Cao Song, Mr. Zhuang and others are set in the inner courtyard and the main hall.The house here is spacious and divided into east and west rooms.There are two tables in the west room. On the kang are Cao Yong, Cao Song, Mr. Zhuang, and Cao Wu. On the ground table are the brothers of the Wei family, Cao Zhong, the chief steward, and He Maocai, the steward of Changping.There are three tables in the east room. On the kang are Cao Zhong’s family, Nanny Zhang and two elderly women. On the ground is Zijing with jade dragons and some daughter-in-laws in charge, and the other table is Sunflower Courtyard and Huai Courtyard. The eldest maid.

The rest of the rough envoys, maids, guards, concierge boys and others ate wine in the front yard.It is also divided into two places for men and women, each of which is lively.

Although the old butler Cao Wu is 83 years old, he believes in death and will never eat with his masters.Brothers Cao Yong and Cao Song persuaded him again and again, and the old man sat down next to the kang.

As the food and wine came up, the Wei family brothers below all began to change glasses.Cao Yong also raised his cup, first respected Mr. Zhuang and Cao Wu, and then thanked several people on the ground for their hard work for half a year.Everyone raised their glasses, saying that it should be done, not thanks.

After drinking for three rounds, Cao Wu also became interested. Starting from the grandfather of the Cao family, and talking about his dignity today, the old man couldn't help but wiped away two tears.

Mr. Zhuang didn't talk much, he watched everyone joking, and occasionally said a word or two to Cao Yong.

The food and drink in the room was just right, and I saw Xiao Man rushing in through the door: "Master, there is someone from the palace, it is the father-in-law who came back from the sixteenth master, please come forward to receive the order!"

Brother sixteen is here?Still have purpose?When Cao Yong got off the kang, he felt a little doubtful. Is it a reward for those who celebrate the Chinese New Year?Gold, silver, or land, it can't be a "blessing" character, right?
Amethyst heard the movement in the east room and came over, knowing that Cao Yong was going to receive the order, so she called Zhuer and Tweety to go back to the sunflower courtyard with him to change clothes.Although Cao Yong wore new clothes, they were ordinary clothes, and it seemed disrespectful to wear them to receive orders.

Cao Zhong and He Maocai went to the front yard first, preparing to receive the incense table for the decree.

When Cao Yong changed into big clothes and went to the main hall of the front yard, Elder Sixteen was sitting there drinking tea happily in a brand-new golden prince's suit, with Erlang's legs raised slightly, it could be seen that he was in a good mood.The servant sitting under his head is Wei Zhu, the eunuch of Qianqing Palace.

Seeing Cao Yong coming in, Elder Sixteen raised his head, looked him up and down, and smiled a bit wickedly.Cao Yong was baffled by him, and he still bowed his hands to say hello to the two.

Only then did Brother Sixteen stand up slowly, flicked his sleeves, and stretched out his hand to Wei Zhu.Wei Zhu had already stood up and presented the imperial edict respectfully.

The sixteenth elder brother stood facing south and facing north. After Cao Yong knelt down, he cleared his throat, opened the imperial decree, and read aloud.

The imperial decree is not long, but Cao Yong feels inexplicable when he hears it, and he doesn't know whether to be happy or sad.The first decree is that Cao Yong's title is promoted to a higher level, and he is promoted from the first-class light car captain to the third-class man; the second decree is that from now on, Cao Yong will have an extra fiancée, the big princess of Chunjun Wangfu - and Princess Rui.

Brother Sixteen endured for a long time, and after Cao Yong received the imperial decree, he couldn't help laughing out loud, and patted Cao Yong's shoulder vigorously: "I didn't expect it, I didn't expect it, in the future you will call me Uncle Sixteen!"

Wei Zhu was at the side, and congratulated Cao Yong with a smile: "Master Cao, my servant also congratulates you!"

The marriage event finally has a clue, but why is he so sore in his heart, but Cao Yong doesn't show it on his face, he just smiles and asks sixteen elder brothers: "Didn't you hear that there will be a palace banquet at night? Why are you free?" come out?"

Brother Sixteen smiled and replied: "It's not because of your great joy, Brother Seven is quick to act, no wonder since he returned to Beijing, he has been entering the palace to meet Huang Ama one after another, but it is because of this matter!" Having said that, She winked again and said, "I heard that my sisters-in-law have visited you, and they are very satisfied!"

Cao Yong smiled, thinking of the room full of jewels and emeralds that he met in the Prince's Mansion of Pingjun on the 28th, no wonder he felt a little strange at that time, how did these Fujins think of meeting their relatives.He couldn't stop smiling wryly in his heart, elder brother Qi was only [-] or [-] years old, yet he became his father-in-law?How old is his daughter?After all, it has something to do with the royal family, but the other party is the usually low-key Chunjun Palace, which is considered a blessing in misfortune.

Brother Sixteen didn't stay any longer, and hurried back to the palace.On Wei Zhu's side, it was inevitable that he received a big reward, and he was very satisfied.

Cao Yong sent the two to the gate of the mansion, and the sound of crackling firecrackers sounded in his ears, and the New Year was here.

(End of this chapter)