Reborn in the last years of Kangxi

Chapter 161
After the Longevity Festival, there was another boom in drilling wells in the capital.Because the Manchus raced to enclose land when they entered the customs, the annexation of land in Gyeonggi was relatively serious, and most of the land was concentrated in the hands of the powerful.They don't think about the livelihood of the tenants, mainly because they are afraid that there will be no harvest in the village, which will affect the year's expenses.

The water department of the Ministry of Industry is also gradually getting busy. Due to the shortage of manpower, the heads of several other departments have been transferred, and Ning Chun is one of them.The Dushui Division is in charge of river canals, roads and bridges, etc. Their main task is to dredge the rivers, and they must do everything possible to do a good job of lifting and irrigation; where there are no rivers and waterways, they will build drought-resistant wells.

Ning Chun grew up in rich clothes and fine food, although he worked as an errand for half a year, it was mostly on paper, but this time he was stationed in Baoding Mansion.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Kangxi rank, and it’s okay to encounter natural disasters in other places. If these things happen at the feet of the emperor, it will really slap the "Shengshi Mingjun" in the face.After all, people's cognition is limited at this time, and they don't know that rain, wind and cloud are all natural changes, and no external force can intervene.

In people's cognition, since ancient times, it was because the government affairs of the imperial court violated the peace of heaven that they were punished by God and caused natural disasters.Of course, no one dared to criticize the superior emperor, and the emperor would not look down and think that he had done something wrong.Beginning in the Song Dynasty, whenever large-scale floods, droughts and other natural disasters occurred, the prime minister would become a "scapegoat" and be dismissed or relegated to a local place to calm God's anger.

In the Qing Dynasty, in order to centralize power, the emperor set up a cabinet of bachelors and had the name of prime minister, but he did not have the power of prime minister.This "scapegoat" was hard to find, which made the emperor shy away from natural disasters.

It was almost the beginning of summer, but the weather was still sunny and dry. There were only two sporadic rains, but the ground stopped without getting wet, and the water level in the well had dropped a lot.Everyone knows that the capital is afraid of a severe drought, but not everyone is like Cao Yong. Because of the drought, those farmers who depend on the land think of it.

For those bureaucrats who have already dug a well in their own Zhuangzi, it means that no matter how dry God is, it has nothing to do with them.They are concerned about the drought, the changes in the political situation, and the impact on their own future.

It has been 50 years since the emperor ascended the throne, and there are only a handful of dynasties who have been on the throne for 50 years. Does the severe drought in the capital indicate that the "heaven" is about to change?Although the crown prince has been restored to power for two years, his cronies and followers have already been cut down. Anyone who is not a fool can know that he is just a show.The political situation in the capital became strange unconsciously.

As for the Ministry of Household Affairs, a series of transfers began in late March. The servant Eqi was transferred to the right servant of the Ministry of War, and Wu Yifei, who had just taken office for a month, was transferred to the right servant of the Ministry of Officials.Under some people's scheming and anticipation, Kangxi was promoted to two cabinet bachelors, Li Zhongji and Ga Mintu, as household servants.Most of the people in the household department were startled and uncertain, and those who walked through the door and stood in line before were even more dumbfounded.

Although Cao Yong couldn't figure out what Kangxi's intentions were, but such a transfer method could reduce the need for party formation and selfishness.Now these individuals are afraid that they have to wait and see, to see how long their boss can do it, so that they can stand in line.

On the second day of April, Kangxi issued a decree to the academicians and Jiuqing. It is Lixia and the weather is getting hotter. It is very pity that prisoners in prison are prone to illness and death.This is an amnesty. Although the imperial decree did not explicitly say that it was for the severe drought in the capital, everyone knew it well.

For the rest, it is the turn of these great scholars and Jiuqing to have a headache. If they want to find a way to get rid of the "crime" of the emperor, they have to use words to "confess" on their own initiative. Someone must be the "scapegoat". It's not high, so everyone has to go up together.

When Tobe Langguan talked about these things, he couldn't help but gloated.Soon everyone's attention shifted, and the imperial decree promulgated new quotas for the provincial examinations, and began to appoint chief and deputy examiners from all over the country.According to the practice of the imperial court, not only people from the Imperial Academy were sent to the provinces to preside over the rural examinations, but doctors, Yuanwailang and even the principals of all ministries were qualified to be the chief and deputy examiners.

This is a great opportunity to be an examiner. Not only can you go to the local area to visit mountains and rivers, eat and drink, receive filial money, etc. Can be a help in the officialdom.Therefore, these individuals in the household department also racked their brains and activities, trying to find a job as an examiner.

People from the household department begged for relatives and friends, and after a lot of strife, Huang Shuwan, an inconspicuous head of the Shaanxi Division, was accused of being the deputy examiner of the Yunnan Provincial Examination.Although everyone was dissatisfied, they had nothing to say.Although Huang Shuwan is insignificant in the household department, his knowledge is convincing.Moreover, his family was once famous in the capital for "five sons enthroned"—Huang Shuwan and his four brothers of the same father were all Jinshi, and the eldest brother Huang Shulin was only 30 years old in the 20th year of Kangxi. The youngest of the Jinshi, it was a good story for a time.

Cao Yong also wanted to be an examiner, for no other reason than to be able to leave the capital once in a while to get some fresh air, and finally try to bring Chuyu with him.However, just thinking about it, these examiners have always been born as Jinshi, but he, like his younger brother Cao Song, is a supervisor who has been accepted since childhood, and he is two levels away from Jinshi, so he had to give up.

Since Ningchun knew that the people from the Ministry of Industry had left Beijing in a low-key manner, Cao Yong thought about how to do his best.He thought that Sili was also in charge of Zhili Minfu, so he found out nearly 20 years of account books and records, and called Bitie Shichade and Shi Dejin as assistants. Count it out.Then he asked the king of Chunjun to monitor the rainwater of the past 20 years from Qintian to distinguish the counties affected by drought and floods, and finally counted several counties prone to severe drought.

The data of the Ministry of Household Affairs cannot be leaked at will. He only listed the counties in the final statistics, wrote another letter, and sent someone to Ningchun, Baoding Prefecture.Even if the officials of the Ministry of Industry have doubts, as long as they send someone to inquire with the local people according to the list, they will naturally be able to verify the drought and flood conditions over the years.

Cao Yong did this silently, just for peace of mind, and did not seek fame and fortune.Seeing this, King Chun became more and more sure of his vision for choosing a son-in-law, and he became closer to him.

Perhaps this is why birds of a feather flock together. The young king of Chunjun suffered an accident, and he has a more thorough understanding of the world than others.Cao Yong does not have the frivolity of a rich and powerful brother, and is willing to do things down-to-earth. He does not need his elders to worry about dealing with others.Because he admired this son-in-law, he acquiesced to the closeness of the younger elder brothers to Cao Yong, and did not stop them from going to Cao's house for half a day every now and then.

Recently, there are no major accounts in the household department, and the positions of various positions have also been settled, so the group of people in the household department have nothing to make a fuss about.After Cao Yong sorted out the form for Ning Chun, his hands and ears were clean, and he finished his work early every day and returned home.

Cao Yong saw Cao Song coming back at the door, a little strange, because it was not time for him to finish school.

Cao Song got off the horse, wiped off his sweat before Cao Yong asked, and confessed: "Brother, I'm not skipping class, it's because the teacher in the school is sick and gave us a vacation!" Then, I couldn't help raising my head, looked at the sun, and complained: "It's only been a few days since the beginning of summer, and it's so hot, it's so hot that people can't live!"

"No matter how hot it is, can it be hotter than going to the south?" Cao Yong said: "I want to write to my parents and ask about the weather over there. If it is so different from previous years, it is really bad. You also give it to the second uncle. Second Aunt wrote a letter, so I can take it with me!"

Cao Song knew that his brother was worried about his uncle's body, so he thought about it and said, "Don't worry, brother, we guard the Qinhuai River in Jiangning, and it won't be as dry and hot as the capital, making people scratch their heads!"

Cao Song is now as tall as Cao Yong, with a strong body and looks very strong.Cao Yong took a look at him, unknowingly that child with thick head and thick head became an adult.

"There are still a few months until the township examination. You can make up your mind whether you want to take the Wenju or Wuju?" Cao Yong asked.

Cao Song clenched his fists, with a firm expression on his face: "Naturally, it's martial arts. Even if you can't make a name for yourself in history like your ancestors, you should make contributions on horseback like your ancestors and great-grandfathers!"

The ancestor Cao Song mentioned was Cao Bin, the founding general of the Song Dynasty.The Cao family is actually the descendant of Cao Bin, which Cao Yong only knew when he worshiped his ancestors for the first time.

Cao Yong knew that this younger brother was good at martial arts since he was a child, and he was happy for him when he saw his determination, but he couldn't help but said: "You have to think about it. If you really want to be a military officer, it's okay to be in the capital or Jiangning." , if you send it to other places, you will have to rely on yourself!"

Cao Song nodded: "I'm so old, I shouldn't rely on my family and my brother!" Speaking of this, a trace of guilt appeared on his face: "I also know something about the situation at home these years. I didn't think anything, I knew it was not easy for my brother when I arrived in the capital, but I can't help you as a brother!"

Cao Yong was very pleased to see that he was sensible, but he didn't want him to be burdened by this, so he shook his head immediately: "What are you talking about! Go back to the yard and change your clothes, you sweat so much!"

Cao Song responded, and Cao Yong returned to Wutong Garden.

Chu Yu is in the living room, sharing loquats with some maidservants.Seeing Cao Yong coming back, several maidservants leaned over to say hello, and then two bowed their heads strangely and retreated.

"It's so fresh! It just came from the south, did it come from the palace?" Cao Yong changed his clothes and asked Chu Yu.

"Yeah!" Chu Yu nodded, "Ama sent someone to send it over, but Huang Mafa gave it to us by name! I thought that Prince Ping's Mansion would naturally have a share, so I wanted to give some to my sister-in-law. , the rest of our house, uncle, sister Zijing, Mr. Zhuang needless to say, there is also Wei Guanshi, the old housekeeper and the others will also give some, so that everyone can try something new. Look at the forehead, it is not bad !"

Cao Yong nodded, thinking of Ning Chun, he went again: "Just save a copy, and ask Zijing to arrange someone to deliver some to Ning Chun's family!"

Chu Yu met Ning Chun and knew that she was her husband's best friend, so she agreed with a smile.

The next day, after Cao Yong went to the household department, Chuyu discussed with Zijing who would send loquats to Jueluo's house, because there were elders there, so they couldn't be as casual as Ning Chun's house, and just sent these loquats. And add some seasonal east and west good.The two hadn't reached an agreement yet, Xiyun called outside and came in, saying that the third aunt had returned.

Both Zijing and Chuyu got up and went out to welcome Cao Yi in.

When the two sides greeted each other, Chu Yu looked at Cao Yi with a worried look on his brows, and asked her, "Is my sister here in a hurry?"

Cao Yi nodded: "Our wife is sick, and I went to two doctors, took several medicines, but it didn't improve. I want to ask my sister-in-law, and I will take my brother's note and ask Chen Taiyi to show our wife."

Imperial Physician Chen has been friends with Cao's family for several generations, but he has never been with Jueluo's family. Cao Yi couldn't rush to invite him, so he had to come to his elder brother for help.

Chu Yu hurriedly ordered Xi Yun to go out to find the housekeeper and take Cao Yong's famous card to invite Dr. Chen, and then asked, "Why is my wife sick? What did the doctors say?"

Cao Yi frowned and replied: "My wife is always in good health. A few days ago, I went out to burn incense. I was afraid that the wind on the mountain was blowing. She came back and said that she had a headache. She vomited twice in the middle of the night and her body was a little weak. The next day she felt slightly feverish. , added coughing and vomiting, and said that the mouth was bitter. When I went to the doctor, I just said it was a cold. I took the medicine and took it, but it didn’t get better. It was only a little stable, but I still vomited and vomited from time to time. So I have some I couldn't believe Dr. Kaizi, so I thought about asking for Imperial Physician Chen."

Chu Yu said with concern: "The old man can't do this. There are still some ginseng medicinal materials at home. If you take some back, you can't eat anything, and you have to cook ginseng soup to hold it. If you want anything else, send someone to say it. Why bother?" Come here by yourself. Since you are busy, I won’t keep you, but you should pay attention to your body, don’t be so tired that you will miss me here.”

Cao Yi had no time to be polite, nodded his thanks, and followed Zijing to get some ginseng back.

When the steward who was sent to invite Chen imperial physician came back, Chu Yu sent him to the front hall and asked, "Can you go with me to Jueluo mansion? What does the old imperial physician say?"

The steward replied: "The old doctor said it was caused by the wind and cold, and he ate some cold food. He said that the medicines of the two doctors in front were too strong. He prescribed a warming and tonic medicine, and explained some things. Diet matters."

Chuyu had a solid idea, so she told him to go to Jueluo's house every day to inquire, and when she came back to report, she sent him away.

When Cao Yong came back in the evening, Chu Yu told him about it.Cao Yong thinks that the old man is also in her 60s and [-]s, and she will inevitably get sick when the seasons change, but the disease is a torment, not only for herself, but also for Cao Yi.So I asked Chuyu what Cao Yi was looking at.

Chu Yu said: "Look, she's just in a hurry, a little tired, but she didn't show anything else. I told her to pay attention to her body. I also told people to go to Jueluo Mansion every day to inquire about what's going on. I'll report back in time." Speaking of this, I thought of loquats: "I'm in a hurry today, but I forgot about those loquats. I will prepare some other tonic ingredients tomorrow, and sister Zijing and I will go to visit the sick!"

Cao Yong nodded, and told Chu Yu again that although the weather is hot and dry, don't be greedy for cold food, Chu Yu agreed with a smile.

After a few days, Mrs. Jueluo's illness eased and her body gradually improved, and everyone felt relieved.Cao Yong and Chu Yu prepared something again and went to visit.

In mid-April, there was still no rain, and reports of drought began to come in from various counties.

The atmosphere in the household department became tense again, because the imperial decree was issued, the speech was severely drought, or "political affairs were not fully appropriate", or "employees were not suitable", so the cabinet scholars and Jiuqing were ordered to conduct a thorough investigation of all officials, big and small, to see if there were any "Concealed party aid" and "cruel people" are still in positions; urge the Ministry of Punishment to check the prisons to see if there are innocent people.

The imperial decree pointed out the direction, and a top-down thorough investigation was vigorously launched in the six departments and other yamen.High-level officials, stretching out their hands and intertwined forces, how can they be easily moved?The key targets are those petty officials of the fourth, fifth and sixth ranks, who pull out carrots with mud, and pull out a bunch of them.Even in the household department, there are several doctors who are in charge.

After a few days of tossing, the farce came to an end, and both the University Scholars and Jiuqing wrote a prayer book, blaming the reason for the "slightly dry weather" on their "no status for their duties".Naturally, as the emperor, Kangxi had no faults at all, his administration was flawless, and he was careful in employing people.They also denounced those who form cliques for selfish purposes and have sinister intentions, greedy and jealous people, and begged the emperor to punish them severely.

On the side of the Fujian Division, because the chief officer, Cao Yong, doesn't like publicity and makes friends with people everywhere, by the way, these principals and pen sticking styles have also been quite peaceful these days, but they have just avoided this innocent disaster.

Thinking of those ministers who were stripped of their top hats and ruined their careers because of a drought and because of maintaining the emperor's dignity, everyone not only had lingering fears in their hearts.So what about studying hard for ten years, and what about being a Jinshi, if you don't have power to rely on, you will be nothing but grass in the eyes of the powerful.

The attitude of everyone towards Cao Yong was respectful in their closeness, and more and more people began to rejoice that there was such a chief official.As long as they acted according to their duties, even if someone wanted to play against them, they would have to worry about the Chief Officer Cao Yong.

Cao Yong is still the same as before, but he has a deeper understanding of the so-called "politics".

Now that we have come to a conclusion about the drought, the haze caused by the drought seems to have dissipated, and the world is clear again.
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(End of this chapter)