Reborn in the last years of Kangxi

Chapter 1308 Coincidence
Elder Sixteen didn't ask anyone to report, but just barged in.

What I saw was Cao Yong sitting on the kang, staring at the window in a daze.

Counting, he was ill for more than half a month before and after. Cao Yong's body was already thin, but now he is getting thinner, his eyes are sunken, and his complexion is very gloomy.

The anger in the sixteenth elder brother's heart was inexplicably extinguished, and he slowed down, followed Cao Yong's gaze, and saw nothing through the frosted glass window, wondering: "What are you looking at?" ? You didn’t even notice when you came in?”

When Cao Yong heard the sound, he turned his head, and Elder Sixteen had already walked to the edge of the kang and sat down.

Seeing this, Cao Yong couldn't help frowning, and hurriedly said: "Master Sixteen, stay away quickly, be careful if you are sick."

Elder Sixteen snorted coldly and said: "You don't need to worry about it, I'm not as afraid of death as you are. It's just a minor illness, and it's endless torment. You know how to scold your wife and children, so you can't be more promising?"

Cao Yong rubbed his face hard and said: "I didn't scold them, I just want to be quiet and quiet."

Although his expression remained unchanged, Elder Sixteen still heard the exhaustion in his words.

Elder Sixteen pondered for a moment, then asked: "I know, you are a life-saving man, but I didn't expect you to be so cowardly? If you were other old and weak, you might have to worry about your current illness. You You are in your prime of life, and you will get over it after a while, so it won't be like this. Or...you can't bear the lack of the Ministry of War..."

After listening to the previous words, Cao Yong didn't take it seriously; but when he heard the latter, he frowned and felt wronged.

Elder Brother Piansheng Sixteen kept talking about this matter: "If you were someone else, if you were not reconciled, you would still be able to move around later. Old Yi is Brother Thirteen's brother-in-law. Speaking of which, you are not as senior as you are, and you can do it again. I used to be the Minister of the Ministry of War, more suitable than you... I thought you were generous, but I didn't expect you to have such a small belly. How can you hide the news in Beijing, even if Lao Yi doesn't know now, return to Beijing I will get news later. I don’t know what he will think about just because he took up the position of Minister of the Ministry of War, and you are so angry..."

No matter how good-tempered Cao Yong was, he really couldn't listen to him.

Brother Sixteen said that other people are okay, but Yiduli has been friends with Cao Yong for many years.If this word spreads to the outside world, there will be a rift between the two.

"Okay, Lord Sixteen, please forgive me. Where is this going? I'm just feeling a little bored because of my illness." Cao Yong interrupted Brother Sixteen and said.

Brother Sixteen snorted softly, looked at Cao Yong and said, "Admit it now, it's because of my life!"

Cao Yong wished that he would not bring up the topic of Yi Duli again, so he nodded hurriedly and said: "Admit, admit, who can not be afraid of death? Typhoid fever is not a disease, and it is fatal to get sick. I am only in my early thirties, so I cherish my life. "

Interrupted by Brother Sixteen, the dull atmosphere in the room dissipated a lot.

The sixteenth elder brother squinted at Cao Yong, shook his head, and said in his tone that he hated iron and steel: "Look at your little bit of success? People who want to marry a daughter-in-law and have grandchildren, even if they are sick, they have to moan. You want to coax this, persuade that. It’s just that you are taking medicine for the ‘wind-heat attacking the lungs’ and taking a rest for a few days, and you will really go back as you grow.”

Cao Yong was also a little embarrassed after being hurt by Elder Sixteen, as if he really made a fuss over a molehill.

Birth, old age, sickness and death, can it be reversed by manpower?

It's really boring to regret this and worry about that.

He smiled, and said: "These days, I feel a little anxious, and the tired Sixteenth Master has to worry about it."

Brother Sixteen saw that his mood was no longer as lifeless as before, and his mood also changed a little bit, saying: "Didn't you always say that foreigners' medicine is good? They have already arrived in Macau, and the emperor has allowed them to enter Beijing after the next year, and they must bring some western things over then, and if they are not in order, there will be the western medicine you want."

"Franji country?" Cao Yong was curious after hearing this: "Portugal from Frangji cannon? They are doing well, why do you want to send envoys?"

From the emperors and ministers to the Li Shu, the Qing Dynasty claimed to be a kingdom of heaven, but in fact its diplomacy was not developed, and most of them were subordinate foreign countries around it.

On the European side, even if there are occasional visitors, they are mostly private businessmen and missionaries.

"What else can it be for? It's probably because of the prohibition of religion in Guangdong." Elder Sixteen replied casually: "It can be seen that Europa is thousands of miles away from the Great Mosque. The order to ban religion was issued in the first year of Yongzheng. After several years, they people come here."

Speaking of this, he thought of the foreign trade merchant ships of the Ministry of Household Affairs, and said, "Our merchant ships in the Qing Dynasty will only come back and forth in four or five years, right?"

Cao Yong shook his head and said: "How did it take so long? The sea route to Europe is used to go to Guangzhou. It took only three years before and after, and they came back the next year. The envoys from Portugal are mostly I heard the reason why the emperor allowed the Russians to spread the Orthodox Church in the Qing Dynasty."

Elder Sixteen heard this, and said, "Who knows what these foreigners are thinking? I have also read the Orthodox Church's teaching plan. It has the same origin as Catholicism, but it has two different appearances. Since it is contrary to our etiquette, I want to be here. The spread of the Qing Dynasty is just a dream. I don’t know why the emperor will compromise. If everyone believes in God Dongzheng, and there is no father and no king, wouldn’t the Qing Dynasty be in chaos?”

Cao Yong nodded, but in his heart he admired Brother Sixteen's foresight.

Catholicism and Orthodox Church have been suppressed by the imperial court, but they have not spread too far in China.However, after the Opium War, when the national power declined and the imperial court's control over the local area weakened, Christianity became a local language, and it didn't mean that there was a Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, and it became a life-saving pill for the Qing Dynasty.

"If it wasn't for the Portuguese government, but if they were just missionaries, they should be carefully screened out. If they are good, they can just stay in the capital and listen to the education." Cao Yong said unkindly.

At this time, most of the missionaries in Europe were educated and skilled. It would be even better if one or two of them were engaged in medicine.

Brother Sixteen couldn't help laughing when he heard this, "It's just for the sake of foreign medicines, even people are thinking about keeping them, or if the Lord recommends you to the Ministry of Rites, as long as you think of an explanation, you can justifiably keep people."

Brother Sixteen was just joking, but Cao Yong took his heart.

Although pneumonia is not terrible, the resistance is good, and with good medicine, it will get better after a period of support.But the disease is very easy to relapse, especially in autumn and winter seasons.

But autumn and winter seasons have always been the busiest time for the household affairs.

Now that the Minister of the Ministry of War is hopeless, he might as well go to the Ministry of Rites instead of staying in the Ministry of Households to help Zhang Tingyu.

Although there seem to be many things that need to be handled by the Ministry of Rites throughout the year, but fortunately there are rules everywhere, just follow the precedents, and it is the most worry-free yamen among the six departments.

Although there are old sayings in officialdom that non-jinshi are not allowed to enter the Hanlin, non-Hanlin are not allowed to be ministers of the Ministry of Rites, and ministers of the Ministry of Rites are not allowed to enter the cabinet, but the Qing Dynasty paid attention to the rule of people, not the rule of law.

"If that's the case, then I have to thank the Sixteenth Master!" Cao Yong pondered for a moment and said seriously.

Brother Sixteen was taken aback when he heard the words.

He stood up and looked at Cao Yong with surprise on his face: "Fu Ruo, are you telling the truth?"

Cao Yong nodded, with seriousness on his face: "It can't be true anymore. Even if this lung disease is cured, it is easy to relapse, especially at the turn of autumn and winter every year. The household department is the busiest at that time, and Mr. Zhang is now part-time. The official department, the energy allocated to the household department is limited, if it is because of me that the errands in the government office are delayed, wouldn't it be my fault?"

The sixteenth elder brother looked at Cao Yong, frowned and said: "Since you have said this, the Lord will believe it, but others can believe it? Although the Ministry of Rites is expensive, it is a government office for the elderly. How can it compare with the Ministry of Households? But the Ministry of Rites Shangshu is a vacancy that must be filled before entering the cabinet. If you change to other veterans, if you want to go to the Ministry of Rites, others can treat it as a pension. You are in your prime, who will believe you to go to the cabinet? I am afraid that most people will suspect that you have the heart to join the cabinet ?”

Cao Yong raised his eyebrows and said: "Does the emperor think so?"

Elder Sixteen thought for a while, shook his head, and said, "Your Majesty, Shengming, may be able to understand your difficulties, but his words are awesome. After all, you are young, so you don't want to go further in the officialdom?"

Unlike the Ministry of Households and the Ministry of War, which are easy to make achievements, the Ministry of Rites is really too rigid, and it is the most difficult place among the six departments.

Even if a university scholar wants to be a minister of the Ministry of Rites before entering the cabinet, most of them are part-time jobs, and they have other experience and achievements in other government offices.

Speaking of it, the Ministry of Rites is more like a place for the elderly.

When Cao Yin returned to Beijing, the emperor arranged for him to be the Minister of Rites, and he lived a very leisurely life.

Recalling his father's leisurely days in his later years, Cao Yong felt that he was so stupid a few days ago that he really wanted to enter the military department.

The Northwest War did not happen every year or two. It was not peaceful until Yongzheng passed away and Qianlong ascended the throne.Do you really want to go to the Ministry of War to work hard?

The Ministry of Rites is full of ministers, Laidu is sixty years old, and he is considered young among the six ministers, and he can't move his position for a while; but Han Shangshu Chen Yuanlong is over seventy, and he may be vacant at any time.Say hello to elder brother sixteen in advance, and mention a few words in front of elder brother thirteen another day, so you can do whatever you want when you don't get it right.

Cao Yong shook his head and said: "Based on my experience and age, the official to the first rank has already inherited the grace of the emperor, and I dare not ask for anything else. The sixteenth master knows my temper, and I am the most lazy. I have been trembling all these years. If I dare to slack off in official affairs, it is just trying my best to support, I don't want to live up to the grace. Change to a leisurely yamen, stay for a few years, and when God blesses me a few years older, I can retire."

Brother Sixteen looked at Cao Yong with a strange look on his face: "Did you get the news earlier, so you are waiting here for the Lord?"

This time it was Cao Yong's turn to wonder: "What news?"

The sixteenth elder brother looked at Cao Yong carefully, seeing that his expression did not seem to be fake, he breathed a sigh of relief, and said: "Fortunately, you really don't know, otherwise you can still have such calculations when you are sick, and you will scare me. "

Cao Yong became more and more confused when he heard it, and looked at Brother Sixteen puzzled.

Elder Sixteen smiled and said: "Lai Du handed over the bag to beg for the bones yesterday!"

When Cao Yong heard the words, he couldn't help but widen his eyes: "How could it be? Lai Shangshu has always been healthy, isn't he still wearing a uniform, why is he begging for bones..."

*
Tears, I owe five chapters.

(End of this chapter)