Reborn in the last years of Kangxi

Chapter 27 Another Year

Another half a year passed, and it was the 45th year of Kangxi in a blink of an eye.Cao Yong is twelve years old, and he is growing fast, comparable to Hui Xin and An Xiang.According to Cao Yong's own estimation, it should exceed 1.6 meters.Cao Song is the happiest in this year. His younger brother Cao Shuo is seven years old, and he will go to the ethnology school after the next year.

Gu Na took part in the provincial examination last fall, got No. 2 in the examination, and obtained the qualification for juren.At the same time as Gu Na, Ma Jun also took the exam, and he took the third place in the exam. The No.1 solution was won by Wang Yunjin, a native of Wuxi County, Changzhou Prefecture.According to the rules of the examination room, new candidates must thank the examiner.Cai Shengyuan, the chief examiner of the Jiangsu Provincial Examination this year, was the number one scholar in Kangxi's 21st year.

Cai Shengyuan saw that the first name Xie Yuan Wang Yunjin was nearly half a hundred years old, his face was full of wrinkles, and his hair was dark but thin, so he was not happy.Looking at No.2 Gu Na and No.3 Ma Jun, it is a pleasant surprise.Gu Naxu is fifteen years old, and Ma Junxu is eighteen years old. Both of them have elegant and handsome appearance, and their demeanor has the demeanor of a master.Cai Shengyuan was moved by his love for talents, and wanted to take the two of them as students, and bring them back to Beijing to teach them in person, in preparation for the next spring exam.

Ma Jun's father, Ma De, is the most rigid. He thought that if his son was with Cai Shengyuan, he might pass the Jinshi examination next year; if he failed the ranking next year and took the exam later, if he met Cai Shengyuan to participate in the general exam, he would have to avoid the exam as a disciple and delay his future. .Therefore, I declined.

Gu Na here, naturally let Cao Yin and Zhuang Chang decide.Zhuang Chang has a lot of affairs, although he intends to teach his disciples well, but most of the time he has to rely on Gu Na to study by himself.Cai Shengyuan was born as the No. 20 Scholar, and he has been a Hanlin for more than [-] years. It is really rare to find such a famous teacher.The two also thought about avoiding the exam, and because it was related to Gu Na's future, they explained the relationship to Gu Na and let Gu Na make up his own mind.After thinking about it all night, Guna decided to accompany Cai Shengyuan to Beijing.

In Jiangning Weaving Mansion, after Cai Shengyuan paid a visit to Cao Yin, he formally received the tea from Gu Na in the living room of Cao's house, which was regarded as formally accepting the student.After Cao Yong heard the news, he didn't know whether he should be happy for Gu Na. With Gu Na's intelligence, if there were no accidents, it shouldn't be a problem to try.After Gu Na became a Jinshi, he either entered the Hanlin Academy or went to the local county magistrate. Anyway, he had no chance to return to Jiangsu.A person, without parents to take care of, no brothers and sisters to support, is really lonely.Thinking of this, Cao Yong asked Huixin to prepare a silver ticket and a small box of gold leaves for Gu Na's expenses.Gu Na has the dividends he received from Lin Xiazhai before, and he is still rich, so he refuses to accept any more.Cao Yong thought of Yongqing, he did not join the army, but entered the guard camp under the arrangement of his grandfather, so he wrote him a letter, asking him to take care of Gu Na when he had time.

Now, Gu Na has been away from Jiangning for two months, and letters are sent every month. Although he doesn't talk much, he mentions that everything is fine and he is preparing for the exam with peace of mind.

During the first lunar month, the Jiangning weaving mansion was decorated with lanterns and festoons, and the old lady was in a happier mood than every year during the festival, because her natal nephew Sun Wenqi took the post of Hangzhou weaving last winter, and now the Sun family is visiting Jiangning.Although the Sun family is a big family, the only brother with the same father and mother as the old matriarch is Sun Wenqi's father.For the nephew of this direct relative, the degree of care of the old matriarch is no less than that of the two brothers Cao Yin.

On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the imperial envoy came down from the capital to pass the decree.In addition to rewarding the members of the Cao family, Kangxi also had a decree for Cao Yin and his wife.In addition to ordering Cao Yin's wife, Li Shi, to send her daughter to Beijing for candidates in August, she also mentioned that Cao Yin should go to Beijing in September.

Although the Eight Banners all draft women, they are different from each other.The Cao family, as a coat, was supposed to participate in the spring minor elections, not the general elections every three years.The object of this small selection is the daughter of Shangsanqi who is wrapped in clothes. If she is selected, she will enter the palace as a maid, and she can only be released when she is 25 years old.The three-yearly election of the best girls is to choose nobles.In addition to selecting concubines, the queen mother also proposed marriages to the princes, grandchildren and clansmen among the selected girls.

Kangxi's purpose was to promote Cao's family and show Cao Yan a good marriage.Cao Yin and his wife, thank God, and add countless gratitude.Only Mrs. Zhao Jia felt dissatisfied when she thought that Cao Yan, who was also the granddaughter of the old lady, was about to fly to the golden branch, but her daughter Cao Ying could only marry a grandson.But she didn't dare to reveal it in front of the old matriarch, because the old matriarch was in charge of this marriage, and the son-in-law was none other than the old matriarch's nephew and Sun Wenqi's eldest son, Sun Jue.

The granddaughter of the Cao family has three sisters. Cao Ying went to Beijing to run for election at fourteen three years ago, and spent money to lose the primary election, avoiding the errand of entering the palace.Afterwards, the old matriarch made the decision and promised Cao Ying to Sun Jue, and the wedding date was set in March this year.Cao Yan came to Beijing this autumn, and although Cao Yi was included in the genealogy, she was not eligible to be a candidate because she was an adopted daughter.

Corresponding to the four major families that appear in "Dream of Red Mansions", is the Sun family corresponding to the historian, or the Li family corresponding to the historian?Now that the Cao family, the Li family, and the Sun family, the three major weaving families in Jiangning, are related, why is there no trace of the Xue family among the so-called "Four Great Families in Jinling"?Cao Yong couldn't figure it out, so he didn't bother to think about it.

Sun Wenqi's three sons are all older than Cao Yong, and the youngest son, Sun Lin, is two years older than Cao Yong.Sun Wenqi's eldest daughter, Sun Yu, is 15 years old, two months younger than Cao Yan, and will be a candidate in Beijing this fall.Although the Sun family was an official in the north before, the brothers and sisters of the Sun family often came to Jiangning to pay respects to the old lady.The two sisters Sun Yu and Cao Yan have a good relationship, and they live in Yunyongzhai every time they come.

When relatives and sisters came, Cao Yi seemed lonely.She is nominally the adopted daughter of the Cao family, but she is not considered a blood relative after all, and it is not easy for relatives to be intimate with her.Cao Yong thought of that lively and lovely little girl, who became more and more like a lady in Cao's house, and felt sorry for her very much.Although he is physically the same age as Cao Yi, his mental age is 20 years older.Sometimes, Cao Yong loves Cao Yi like a daughter, so naturally he can't bear her being wronged.

In the Chunnuan Pavilion, Cao Yi smiled and said, "Brother, is this really for Ping'er?"

Cao Yong sat on the chair and replied with a smile: "Naturally, when have I ever lied to my sister?"

Fangcha came up to serve tea, and heard the words: "Is it just for our girl, or is it for the eldest girl and the two girls?"颙.After Cao Yi arrived at Cao's mansion, Cao Yong sent tea crystals to Chunnuanju because there were few waiters around Cao Yi.

After listening to Fang Cha's question, Cao Yong felt a little weird, and always felt that the words were familiar, but then he thought, this is not the line of Daiyu in "Dream of Red Mansions".Cao Yi's smiling face slowly stopped, and he lowered his head and did not speak.

Seeing this situation, Cao Yong knew that there must be a reason, so he asked Fang Cha: "What's the matter, some servants are disrespectful to your girl?"

Fang Cha replied indignantly: "Which of the housekeepers in our house has eyes for wealth and wealth? Our girls are not the flesh and blood of the master and wife, so they naturally take it lightly. It's okay to be negligent, but there is such a bastard who doesn't open his eyes Xingzi, got up with the idea of ​​the girl’s monthly bonus, and asked for money over and over again. If you don’t give it, the leftovers will be sent up. I’m going to find the old lady and the wife to decide, but the girl is just a patient. Now, unexpectedly There are all kinds of bastard words, and if you say that you are not a real lady, what kind of lady is Qiao Er."

When Cao Yong heard this, his face was livid: "What about my sister, she just stood by and watched?"

"Second Miss has been busy learning the rules for the past two years, how could she pay attention to these things?" Fang Cha said complainingly.

Seeing that Cao Yi's eyes were red, Cao Yong knew that Fang Cha's words were true, and he was quite annoyed, because he lived in the front yard and didn't know that there were such dirty things in the back yard.The old lady didn't care about it, and Mrs. Li has a good temper, so she was a little more relaxed with the servants, but she didn't expect to act recklessly.

Cao Yong asked the names of those in charge, and kept it in his heart. For those who are under the big festival, relatives are here again, so it is not easy to deal with them.When the first month comes out, there is always time to settle accounts.

After Fang Cha filed the complaint, she looked a little proud, and just circled around in front of Cao Yong, refusing to stop and go out.Cao Yong saw that she was wearing a pair of cat's eye pendants on her ears, which was the birthday gift he gave Cao Yi last year, and he frowned slightly, and said to Fang Cha: "Go to my yard and find Hui Xin, just say I want to play with your girls for a while Leaf card, let her prepare some change!"

Fang Cha went out in response, and Cao Yong asked Cao Yi: "What's the matter, why is Fang Cha wearing the pendant I gave you?"

Cao Yi lowered his head and murmured, "Sister Fangcha said she likes it!"

Seeing Cao Yi like this, Cao Yong had a headache, and it seemed that it was his own fault. If he thought Fangcha was troublesome, he would bring it to Chun Nuan Pavilion.

Seeing Cao Yi's pitiful appearance, Cao Yong stretched out his hand to touch the little Jingba in her arms: "This is specially bought to relieve your boredom, and you don't even have a big sister or a second sister? No matter who says you like it, you can I can't give it away anymore!"

Cao Yi raised his head, his eyes were bright, he couldn't hide his joy, and nodded vigorously: "Don't worry, brother, I'll take a good look at it, and no one can take it away?"

Seeing her childishness, Cao Yong couldn't help laughing: "Well, then you should give it a name and treat it well. Animals are good friends of human beings!"

"Human?" Cao Yi was slightly puzzled.

"Human beings are a general term for us, just like chickens are a general term for chickens, and dogs are a general term for dogs." Cao Yong explained casually.

Before Cao Yi could speak, he heard someone laughing outside the window: "Could it be that some human beings believe in the equality of all beings, otherwise why would they use chickens and dogs to compare the spirit of all things?" It was Cao Yan who arrived with his cousin Sun Yu.

Little girls have no resistance to cute things. When Cao Yan and Sun Yu saw the huddled puppy in Cao Yi's arms, they immediately forgot the girl's reserve and quickly surrounded it.

"A gift from my younger brother? Did the third sister name it?" Cao Yan hugged the puppy and liked it very much.

Cao Yi shook his head: "Sister is the most knowledgeable, please give the dog a name?"

Cao Yan pondered and said: "This dog's hair is as white as snow, let's call it 'Aoshuang', 'Aoshuang' from 'Aoshuang Fighting Snow'."

The little girls all thought the name was good, and called the puppy "Aoshuang", "Aoshuang".Cao Yong rolled his eyes in his heart, such a feminine name, this little Jingba is obviously a gentleman, okay?

(End of this chapter)