Reborn in the last years of Kangxi

Chapter 1382
Tianyou left Beijing and went south, and Hang Seng also moved back to the Prince's Mansion.

The county prince's mansion, which was half empty before, is now full again. It was the Mongolian coat that Brother Sixteen had allocated from the people under the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Cao Man, Wu En and his wife returned to the county palace again to help Hang Seng take care of internal and external affairs.

Every time Cao Yong came home from the Yamen, at the same time as the two points and one line, he was also thinking about Cao Song's response after he arrived in Beijing.

With Cao Song's disposition, as long as he explained clearly to him, dismissing from office for a few years is not a big deal, but the death of a son-in-law is not a trivial matter.

Cao Song's two sons came late, and his disposition was not as strict as other people's sons. Even in his cousin's family letter, he mentioned personally taking care of children's supplementary food.

And Jinghui, being the eldest daughter-in-law and sister-in-law in the second room, has suffered even more than Chuyu.With Cao Song going south for the past few years, he hasn't enjoyed any blessings. What if he really can't make it through this time...

Every time I think of this, Cao Yong feels uncomfortable, and regrets his decision to ask Cao Song to get close to Li Wei.

After all, Cao Song is an official from Liangjiang, not from Zhejiang. Even if he needs to cooperate with Li Wei in arresting thieves, if Cao Yong hadn't had an old relationship with Li Wei, he wouldn't be so close to Li Wei.

Now that Li Wei is the governor of Zhejiang, Cao Song is going to have a hard time. He also lost a son and his wife is critically ill.

It's just that on Li Wei's side, can you just do not know?I'm afraid that when the dust settles, there will be a handwritten letter of apology, and it's just an afterthought.

After waiting for a few days, I finally got accurate news from Cao Song that he had arrived in Cangzhou and would arrive in Beijing in a few days.

Cao Yong knows that since Cao Song bears the name of "waiting for trial", he will probably go to the prison of the Ministry of Punishment.

At this time, Cao Yong needs to avoid suspicion, but he can't avoid it too much. It's not easy to walk around the two ministers, so he can only look for the thirteenth elder brother.

The thirteenth elder brother's face was gloomy, his eyes were bloodshot, and he looked haggard.

Cao Yong was shocked when he saw this: "My lord, what's going on..."

The thirteenth elder brother waved his hand, signaling Cao Yong to sit down, and then said: "The emperor moved back to the palace last night... Brother Fuhui is afraid that it is not good, the master was originally in the palace with the emperor, the emperor saw that the master was tired, so he sent the master away return……"

Hearing this, Cao Yong couldn't help but startled, then frowned and lowered his head, showing a bit of worry.

He didn't dare to raise his head, for fear of inadvertently revealing his emotions.

He couldn't feel any sympathy for a prince who was marked to die young in history. Instead, he had some vague expectations because he died at this time.

Since Yongzheng was in the pain of losing his son, would he feel pity for Cao Song who also lost his son?
In Yongzheng's thought, Cao Song's situation will be different.

In the situation of Elder Brother Thirteen, Cao Yong couldn't open his mouth again. Just as he was about to find a reason to leave, he saw Zhao Feng hurried in and said on his knees: "Master, there is someone from the palace, Elder Brother Fuhui is dead..."

The thirteenth elder brother stood up immediately after hearing this, and said: "Prepare the horse, I want to enter the palace..." After finishing speaking, he turned to Cao Yong and said, "Go and see the emperor first... You don't have to worry about Cao Song. , Grandpa knows..."

Cao Yong saw that the thirteenth elder brother was worried, so he could only comfort him and left Prince Yi's mansion.

When I arrived at the government office of the Ministry of Households, before Cao Yong had finished reading today's official document, officials from the Ministry of Rites came to pass the oral order that the eighth son of the emperor died, and the emperor ordered that he be buried according to the prince's rules.

From Cao Yong and Zhang Tingyu to the miscellaneous members of the household department, they knelt in the yard to listen to the oral instructions, and then went to the hat tassel.

Burial according to the prince's routine is not something that can be done with a single sentence.

Clan members below Prince Heshuo, above General Feng En, officials below the Duke of Beijing, and above the rank of Cavalry Captain, and foreign wives below Princess Fujin and above the second-rank wife must go to the coffin to guard.

Without delay, Cao Yong immediately ordered people to return to the mansion to send a letter.

On the side of the government office of the household department, Jiang Jian was entrusted to watch over it, and he himself went to the palace with the ministers of the six nobles.

Although in Cao Yong's eyes, it's really funny for a Beijing hall to put down its ministries and mourn for the immature prince; but most of the ministers who came with him looked like they were in mourning, and they were very sad before they came to the imperial court. .

It's just that loud voice, faintly proud, chest that is higher than usual, what's going on?

When he arrived before the spirit, he scanned the crying ministers, and Cao Yong understood a little.

It doesn't mean that everyone is qualified to enter the palace to cry for the prince, even if he is in the capital and has no title, he is not qualified to come here to stand on duty.

The clansmen and officials got the news earlier, so before noon, almost everyone who was supposed to come came; the princess's wives arrived one after another in the afternoon.

When he saw that Mrs. Li and Mrs. Chu Yu had arrived, and Mrs. Zhao Jia was not around, Cao Yong secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

When he sent someone back to deliver the letter, he asked someone to tell Chuyu to stop Zhao Jia and "report illness" to Zhao Jia.

Although Zhao Jia's second-rank order has not been revoked, it is necessary to avoid suspicion at this time, otherwise, as the "mother of a criminal minister", being banned from entering and leaving the palace will only make people feel frivolous...

Cao's East Mansion, Shangfang.

Seeing the second rank in front of him ordered to serve, Zhao Jia cried like a child.

She was not crying about not being able to enter the palace, but thinking about her precious son Cao Song.

Even if she is ignorant of government affairs, she has lived most of her life without knowing the principles of human relationships.

With Cao Yong, the Minister in charge, Cao Song was escorted to Beijing to "pending trial". The reason is that Cao Song's rank is now high, and his movements are in the eyes of the emperor. It's not that his cousin Cao Yong can shelter him if he wants to of.

If the grade is low, it will not be the case.

Wearing imperial orders to serve and being flattered everywhere, one is certainly proud, but it is nothing compared to the safety of his son...

The emperor quit the court for three days, and the palace was dressed in plain clothes for three days, and the clan lords and wives had to enter the palace for three days.

That night, when the three of the Cao family returned home, it was already dusk.

Both Cao Yong and Chu Yu were worried about Mrs. Li, thinking whether they should go to Elder Sixteen to ask for help or to complain about illness.

Mrs. Li just looked a little tired, but she was in good spirits. She said to the two of them, "It's only three days' work, but I can still bear it... the old lady who is much older than me is suffering, how can I recover from the illness... I will wait a while It’s good to soak your feet, so you can relieve fatigue...You husband and wife are also tired all day, so you went back to have dinner and rested earlier..." Speaking of this, I looked at Chu Yu carefully: "Since the beginning of autumn, you have been Taking medicine, you should not be too tired, and if you can't stand it, don't hold back..."

Chu Yu hurriedly said with a smile: "It's just that the qi and blood are a little weak, and the tonification is almost the same, so there is no delay..."

After hearing this, Mrs. Li stopped talking and just urged them to go back.

Cao Yong was worried after all, so he asked someone to put the couple's dinner in Fuyuan Hall, and served Mrs. Li to eat the dinner, and the couple returned to Jiuruyuan...

Fortunately, it was only a three-day toss, and the rest just waited until the funeral.

Mrs. Li was just a little tired. After two days of rest, she went to visit Zhaojia's family in Cao's East Mansion.

On the other hand, Chuyu caught cold on the last day and had a fever at night, which scared Cao Yong.

Fortunately, I invited the imperial physician to see it, and said that the wind evil was decent, and after taking a few bowls of cold medicine, it was relieved.

When Cao Yong just settled down here, he got the news that Cao Song had arrived in Beijing.

Although Cao Yong was dismissed, he still has a title, and with Cao Yong as his cousin, no one in the Ministry of Punishment made things difficult for him.

At this time, there is also the term "release on bail pending trial".

Clan officials "waiting for trial", unless the crime is extremely heinous and heinous, the rest are more flexible.

Cao Yong went to find Brother Thirteen earlier, just to mention this matter.

However, even if the thirteenth elder brother said that he knew what he knew, Cao Yong would not believe the thirteenth elder brother if he talked about it again.

But looking at the thirteenth elder brother staying in the palace for a few days, it is obvious that he is busy comforting the emperor who is suffering from the loss of his son, so how can he not care about the outside world?
Cao Yong had no choice but to go to the Ministry of Punishment in person, thinking to appease Cao Song first, and wait for two days before talking about other things.

Unexpectedly, when I arrived at the Ministry of Criminal Justice, I saw Cao Song come out surrounded by several officers of the Ministry of Criminal Justice.

Cao Song's expression was dull, his eyes were dull, and he looked like a walking dead.

When Cao Yong saw this, he was horrified. Could it be that Cao Song already knew the news of his second son's death?
Several sharp-eyed officers saw Cao Yong and rushed forward to salute.

Cao Yong cupped his hands in return, hesitatingly said: "My lords, this is..."

A doctor who worked in the Ministry of Households earlier said: "Master Cao, just now a servant came to the Ministry of Punishment to pass the order, Mr. Cao...Cao Zongzhen does not need to wait for trial in the Ministry, but can go back to the mansion to live on his own, but he has to wait for the Ministry in recent days. It is said that it is not easy to go out of Gyeonggi..."

Cao Yong was overjoyed when he heard the words, bowed his hands to everyone, thanked everyone for sending them off, and took Cao Song to his carriage.

With no outsiders around, Cao Yong pretended to be relaxed, and thumped Cao Song's shoulder vigorously, saying: "Why are you crying, aren't you just a general soldier? Sometimes, it's not a bad thing to suffer..."

Cao Songqiang smiled, and his expression was uglier than crying: "Brother, I have disgraced the Cao family..."

Seeing that he didn't mention the matter of his second son, Cao Yong heaved a sigh of relief, snorted coldly, and said: "The ups and downs of the officialdom are common. I was dismissed from office back then. Did I also embarrass the Cao family?" It's..."

Cao Song drooped his head, covered his face with his hands, and sobbed: "Brother, my younger brother is not wronged for being an official... The river dam in fifty miles collapsed in three places and drowned 28 people. Fate, can't make up for it..."

After Cao Yong heard it, he felt that his eyes were dark for a while, and he almost didn't pass.

He knew about the flooding in the south, but he really didn't know that he could have such a direct relationship with Cao Song.

Immediately, he shook his head and said sharply, "What did you say? There is a county magistrate in the area. Even if your town mark sends troops to repair the dam, it is only to assist... If something happens, why not take it on yourself..."

That being said, he was a bit distraught after all.

Originally thought that Cao Song was innocent and implicated in the dispute between the two governors, but he didn't expect that he really couldn't get away with it.

It's just that Cao Yong was in Beijing and didn't get any news. It can be seen that the inside story is not exactly what Cao Song said.

Otherwise, it is impossible for Cao Song to be charged with a few minor crimes.

Cao Song wanted to speak again, but was stopped by Cao Yong: "What are you tired of, doing this way, do you want to urge Second Aunt to die?"

Cao Song sniffled and asked cautiously, "Mother, are you scared?"

Cao Yong glanced at him, and said: "What do you think? The second aunt died in her sixties. If it weren't for your aunt's persuasion, the fourth younger brother and younger siblings would serve her sooner or later, and she might have lost half her life. You He is heartless, he doesn't want to get rid of the crime as soon as possible and let his family feel at ease, but he is afraid that his guilt is not enough and he will put the shit bowl on his head."

Cao Song said awkwardly: "Brother, the fifty-mile river dam is indeed assigned to repair under the town mark...Even if there are guerrillas below and Mr. Qian is in charge, my brother is guilty of negligence..."

Cao Yong said in a cold voice: "The Guerrilla, who is Qian always? Who handled the stone and earthwork for the dam? You don't have any calculations in your heart? You are crying for those more than 100 lives. What were you thinking at the beginning?" Already?" At the end, there was a fire in his stomach.

Although he is not a good person, he has always been in awe of human life.

If not, he would not have been involved in flood control in Shengjing, because he was afraid that the people would die in vain due to the corruption and negligence of the officials below;

I didn't expect Cao Song to be so muddled and make such a big mistake.

The pain he felt for his cousin at first turned into anger. If it wasn't for being in the carriage, he would have to kick him twice to relieve his hatred.

Cao Song's face was pale, and he murmured: "It's Fan Shiduo's people, the stone and earthworks, I heard that they are also handled by the people from the Governor's Mansion...My brother didn't ask more questions to avoid suspicion..."

Although my cousin has no talent in his belly, and his personal morality is not good, but speaking of it, he is really not a cruel person.

When something like this happened, compared with the punishment of being dismissed from office, I am afraid that the guilt towards the people would weigh him down even more.

In Cao Yong's heart, the dissatisfaction with his cousin being "topped" has long since disappeared at the moment when he learned the truth.

The emperor is already kind, and he only thinks that Cao Song is guilty of "overseeing".

Even if Cao Song really just "overlooked", since hundreds of lives were involved, this is already a serious crime.

The capital did not mention similar news at all, presumably it was the emperor's protection of Cao Song.

Cao Yong sighed and said: "I have told you a long time ago that since you are an official, you must remember your responsibility... It is just a matter of one sentence for you, but it is a matter of life and death for the people... You yourself I also know it in my heart, and I won’t be wordy about the others. It’s just that guilt can’t be wiped away with a few empty words. You remember this lesson, and if you have a chance to recover in the future, it’s just to do your best for the people..."

When Cao Song heard the words, he remained silent, but his face was filled with anger...

When Cao Song returned home, everyone from the Zhaojia family to Cao Xiang and his wife was very happy.

It's just that Cao Xiang was overjoyed, mixed with hidden worries, and quietly asked his cousin for news from the south.

Although Tianyou went south for a few days, Jiangning is far away from the capital after all, so far no news has come back.

Unexpectedly, after a few days, there will be a letter from the south.

It's not a letter from God's Blessing, but Li Wei's personal letter.

In the letter, Li Wei proposed marriage to Cao Yong for his second son Li Xingju, and wanted to hire Cao Song's eldest daughter Nong Chao as his second daughter-in-law.

After Cao Yong finished reading the letter, his face immediately turned pale, and when he let go of his hand, the letter fluttered to the ground...

(End of this chapter)