Reborn in the last years of Kangxi

Chapter 1253

Cao Mansion, Guest House.

Zhuang Yanping looked at the couple in front of him, startled and angry: "What do you call elder brother-in-law? We are here to have a wedding, not to rob people? Why did the words come out? Go talk to Mrs. Cao's family?"

He is Zhuang Chang's middle-aged son. He is a few years older than Cao Yong, but he is not yet forty. He is wearing a light blue dress that is probably new, with a bit of elegance.

The couple were in their 40s and dressed much brighter.

The woman looked a little rich, with pomade on her head and thick powder on her face, her hair was shining golden, she was wearing a full set of golden hair and face, and she was wearing a new big dress of purple silver flowers.

The man was lean and brand-new, with royal blue moiré gown, black gauze official boots on his feet, a long face, narrowed eyes, a hooked nose, and shrewdness.

That woman is Zhuang Xi's eldest daughter, Zhuang Shi. She lost her mother when she was young, and Mr. Zhuang went to Suo'etu Mansion as a cover in secret, so her siblings have been fostered at Uncle Jiangnan's house.When they grew up, the sisters of the Zhuang family were all decided by their uncle and married into two proper gentry families near Jiangning.

It is not grace at this time to set out the flag for the people, it is just that the Zhuang Chang brothers had citizenship in the south of the Yangtze River because of their secret identities.

Except for Niuniu, the other children of the Zhuang family are also of civil nationality, so the marriages are the same as those of the Han family.

The two gentry families only knew that the elders of the farmer were from the curtain management business and had a rich family background, but they didn't know anything else.When the two daughters of the Zhuang family got married, they both brought fertile farmland with them. The uncle in the family had donated officials, so the two daughters-in-laws were considered excellent.

After Zhuang Chang's brothers passed away one after another, Zhuang Yanping also grew up. He had a great reputation and his family had more than a hundred hectares of land. They lived well and well, so the two married daughters of the Zhuang family also had their natal families to rely on, and they didn't suffer much. .

The Zhuang family's husband's surname is Chai, and his grandfather was a petty official. He also has a reputation as a scholar. He has been in the exam for half his life, but he failed in the exam, so his temper is a bit extreme.I just feel that the examination room is dark, and those "true talents and real learning" scholars like him all fail.

For the Cao family, he looked down on him even more in his bones.

Even Cao Yong's taking in Lianqiu's mother and daughter was regarded by him as a "money-seeking act".

It was because he knew that the banker's family was accumulated through the shady business, and two classmates who had no hope of starting a career entered the yamen as the shackles, and the money was rich.

Thinking of how much good things my father-in-law had saved in the Cao family for over ten years, how could the Cao family take advantage of it for nothing?
Thinking of this, he drooped his face and said, "Why is my uncle surprised? After all, the two aunts are their own parents, and there is no rule of taking care of them in other people's homes. When my father-in-law just left, my second uncle and I discussed taking them back to the south of the Yangtze River. But they are nostalgic for the wealth and honor of the capital, and they probably want to rely on the Cao family as a backing to say a good marriage to my aunt. Now that my aunt is getting married soon, there is no reason for them to stay in the Cao family, so naturally they should follow us back to their hometown."

Zhuang Yanping has dealt with this brother-in-law in the lobby for half his life, so he knows his temperament and nature, and he is used to this face. It seems to be high-sounding and eloquent, but it is mostly selfish and irrational.

The uncle had no sons, nor had he had any step-heirs, but his nephew could not let him live underground.

Therefore, he also turned cold, and said: "Since you know that the two aunts are elders, you should abide by the principle of superiority and inferiority. Uncle's tomb is in the capital, and the two aunts have also lived in the capital for a long time, so why have they traveled thousands of miles to other places?" The reason for keeping the chastity? Even if the Cao family is not easy to live in, there is no need for brother-in-law to worry about it. My younger brother has already asked someone to buy a house in Nancheng. If the two aunts want to leave Cao's house, they can move there to live."

What he didn't say was that he bought the house over there as a gift to his cousin as a dowry, so he didn't go to live in it. Instead, he accepted the Cao family's persuasion to live here to see if he could do his best for the wedding. Power.

Seeing his cousin's complexion, Mrs. Zhuang hurriedly said: "Brother, your eldest brother-in-law has no other intentions, but our family is not a small family, and it doesn't sound good to live under the fence. Besides, my father is not poor and poor, why bother to let the Cao family Is it cheap to be nice?"

Seeing his cousin and cousin's husband displaying the score of the rich man in the country, Zhuang Yanping only felt a pain in his temple.

This cousin-in-law is really blind and shrewd. He has taken the imperial examination for half his life, and he just wants to be an official. With the friendship between the two generations of the Cao family and the Zhuang family, it is not difficult to ask the Cao family to help him.

Zhuang Yanping remembers clearly that when he came back to Beijing to celebrate his uncle's anniversary, Cao Yong also took the initiative to ask him about his future plans, with the intention of helping him.Or he obeyed his father's order, only took the Juren examination, then gave up the imperial examination, and settled down to study the family heirloom, and waited for his grandchildren to seek official careers, so as not to enter the official career and mention the grandfather's name.

Zhuang Chang is no better than Zhuang Xi, he only acts as a curtain with the Cao family in Suo'etu, he hides himself in Jiangnan Tongzhengsi, and has made many enemies in the officialdom, so he left a will to keep his descendants from serving in official positions for two generations.

This brother-in-law in the lobby is sour and greedy. He went to the funeral once, but he disgusted the Cao family. He has ignored Niuniu, his little sister, for ten years.

Now hearing that Niu Niu is going to get married, the husband and wife insist on following, and they are also here for money.

Although Zhuang Yanping didn't intend to become an official, he was grateful to the Cao family.

The officialdom in the south of the Yangtze River has always been chaotic, and land mergers have been serious. Without the care of the Cao family, he would not have dared to buy more fertile land and become a rich and noble squire.

The two couples in front of him came with him, how could he make them quarrel and hurt the relationship between the two families.

"When my eldest sister was in Chun'an, did you ever meet the magistrate's wife?" Zhuang Yanping calmed down and asked.

Mrs. Zhuang coughed twice, and said: "The old lady of the county magistrate's family celebrated her birthday last time. I almost saw her. I missed it because I went late. Why did my second brother ask about this?"

Zhuang Yanping snorted coldly, and said: "The magistrate's wife is Qipin'an, the Cao family's wife is Chaopin uncle's wife, and the Cao family's eldest lady is the emperor's nephew and princess. The eldest sister should know who is high and who is low. Don't say that the eldest sister is A scholar, even the wife of the governor may not be able to speak loudly when she comes to this mansion. The Cao family is expensive and rich, how can it be compared with us rural people? "

Mrs. Zhuang was embarrassed by the words, blushing and remained silent.

She also knew that it was inappropriate to go to Beijing to make trouble like this, but she was encouraged by her husband, and she became greedy after all.

They are also the father's daughters, but their sisters are still born in the first place, but they lived with their aunt since they were young, and the father and daughter haven't stayed together for long; the younger sister, who was born in concubine, was raised by the father when she was young, like a baby. support.

Chai Xiucai couldn't help becoming angry when his brother-in-law exposed his thoughts. He stood up and said, "I don't believe it. There is no reason in this world. Isn't the Cao family shameless? We are small people in the countryside, and the Cao family may not be able to cover the sky with one hand."

Zhuang Yanping heard from him that he wanted to take advantage of Niu Niu's marriage and make trouble. If the Cao family cherished their name, they might get their way.

They don't want to think about what weight they have to blackmail the Cao family.

The county magistrate who destroyed the family, Fu Yi who destroyed the family, not to mention the powerful family like the Cao family.

Hearing their husband and wife quarreling, Zhuang Yanping was also very annoyed, and said with a cold face: "This is the dealer's business, so don't worry about it! It seems that it is my fault, and I should not have accepted the two beggings , and brought the two of you to Beijing. Seeing what the two of you mean, you didn’t come to have a drink. This is the earl’s mansion, it’s the Shangshu’s mansion. Think about how the second brother-in-law’s uncle’s family was defeated. Make a fuss, don't get tired and innocent." Speaking of this, he didn't take care of the couple, got up and picked up the curtain to go out.

The rest of the couple, Mrs. Zhuang and Chai Xiucai, looked at each other in blank dismay.

After all, the Zhuang family was timid, and said in a low voice: "My lord, let's forget it. The Wang family just had a bad relationship with the county Wei's family, so the family was almost ruined, let alone the Cao family."

Chai Xiucai was full of resentment and had nowhere to vent.

The last time he went to the funeral and was expelled from Beijing, he still held grudges.Originally, he thought of passing the examination to raise people and Jinshi, and then to avenge his revenge after entering the officialdom;

Now that he came to Cao's house, half of them wanted to make money, and half of them wanted to expose the hypocrisy of Cao's family in front of others and vent their anger.

Being knocked and beaten repeatedly by his brother-in-law made him feel a little timid.

But thinking that the eldest son of the Cao family won the Jinshi before reaching the crown, he was even more jealous, gritted his teeth and said: "Who knows what benefits Zhuang Yanping has gained, he actually helps others to speak. Hmph, he is not a good thing, he has a long hair Snobbish eyes. When sister Xiu came out of the cabinet, he only gave 200 taels of silver, but this time when he came to Beijing, he brought several boxes of silver."

He also thought that the servants of Cao's family came to deliver a message, and only asked Zhuang Yanping to talk to him after dinner, and treated him as nothing. All the scruples in his heart were forgotten, and his eyes became more and more gloomy...

*
After dinner, Cao Yong came to the front yard to meet Zhuang Yanping.

At the moment when he first met Zhuang Yanping, Cao Yong felt like time was turning back.

The last time we met, I didn't feel that the current Zhuang Yanping was six or seven points like Mr. Zhuang after years of precipitation.It's just that he is still young. If he is a few years older, his figure will be slimmer, just like Mr. Zhuang who just came to Beijing back then.

After a few words of greeting, the host and guest are seated.

Cao Yong sighed in his heart, with a bit of kindness on his face, he said: "I haven't seen you for several years, how is Jiu Ru doing?"

"Thanks to my lord's concern, life is still peaceful." Zhuang Yanping got up and said.

Cao Yong stretched out his hand and pressed it, saying: "You don't need to be so polite, just sit down and talk."

Zhuang Yanping just sat down and started talking with Cao Yong.

When he heard that Zhuang Yanping's eldest son had won the Juren, and his eldest grandson had also invited Mr. Kaimeng, Cao Yong couldn't help congratulating him.

Although there is an elder's will, Zhuang Yanping still attaches great importance to the education of his children and grandchildren, which shows that he has ideas in his heart.Cao Yong calculated the date in his mind, and when Zhuang Yanping's grandchildren entered the official career, at least 20 years later.

If the Cao family is in peace, I will help out; if the Cao family is in decline, what I say now is empty talk.

Therefore, he didn't say anything vain, he only said that his youngest son was also beginning to be enlightened, and the two children were about the same age. If he had the opportunity to bring them to Beijing, he could let the two children know each other.

This sentence has extended the friendship between the two families for another generation or two, but it is more stable than empty words.

Zhuang Yanping was grateful in his heart, and he was thinking more and more about his cousin and cousin's husband...

*
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(End of this chapter)