Reborn in the last years of Kangxi

Chapter 382
The red sun is setting in the west, the water surface is silent, the cold winter is getting farther, and the spring breeze is coming.

Cao Yong stood comfortably at the bow of the boat, looking at the mountains in the distance and the meadow in front of him. Under the reflection of the sunset, the evening mist blended together, like a light gray ink landscape painting.

Although he has been with the retinue several times, it is the first time that Cao Yong drove to Jidian with Kangxi Sheng.

Jidian is the outskirts of the capital, generally referring to the Zhili area.Kangxi inspected Jidian almost every year, mainly to inspect the river affairs.

Shengjia departed from Changchun Garden on the 26th of the first lunar month. The accompanying princes were the [-]th, [-]th and [-]th princes, who stayed in the rice fields that day.

On the 27th of the first lunar month, Shengjia stayed at Majiazhuang; on the 28th, at Neiqu; on the 29th, at Nanshakou.

On the first day of February, Shengjia boarded a boat from Nanshakou, and it was Ribo Zhaobeikou.

Cao Yong stood there, with a bit of thought in his mind.Now, it has been 53 years since Kangxi, and all the "first abolished prince" and "second abolished prince" he knew have passed away, and the rest is the event of the fourteenth elder brother's expedition in the last years of Kangxi.

At the end of last month, before the holy driver set off from Changchun Garden, the Dalai Lama of Tibet and Lazang Khan sent envoys to pay tribute.Judging from Lhasa's surrender to the Qing court, it should be the Mongols who started the rebellion.

Counting the days now, it can be regarded as more than ten years of peace. In the early years, there were constant rebellions in Mongolia, large and small.For the various tribes of Mongolia, what Cao Yong admires most is that there are hundreds of tribes from east to west, a large number of princes, Baylor, Beizi, and Taijizhong. Except for a few tribes, they all have the surname Borzigit. They are all descendants of the Mongolian Golden Family.

In order to compete for grassland or land boundaries, large and small frictions occurred, and the Qing court occupied a high position and acted as a mediator.Most of them are to contain the strong, support the weak, and control the growth and decline of the Mongolian ministries in disguise.

In which year did Brother Fourteen fight? Was it Kangxi 57 or Kangxi 58?That is the famous "General King", who has become the most potential prince among the princes.

Even if it was Kangxi who left the decree and passed it down to the fourth elder brother, the fourteenth elder brother still didn't believe it, and firmly believed that it was the elder brother who tampered with the imperial edict and stole the throne.

Thinking of this, Cao Yong couldn't help sighing. It had nothing to do with him whether the fourteenth elder brother's scenery was good or not, and he was not interested in meddling with the emperor's family affairs.But "the tree wants to be quiet but the wind doesn't stop", he is far away from his elder brothers, but it does not mean that his elder brothers are also far away from him.

From Hongshu's mouth, or from the sixteenth elder brother's mouth, Cao Yong knew that the fourteenth elder brother looked down on him the most.Hearing is believing, seeing is believing, when he saw the fourteenth elder brother sweeping past him with sharp eyes and a smile without a smile on the face of the court, Cao Yong wanted to kick him very much.

Even if it was for the sake of Yongqing, it would not be the case.Such a heart is not like a person who does great things.

Seeing that the fourteenth brother looked at each other coldly and couldn't hide his resentment, Cao Yong was really afraid that after he made a fortune, he would "make use of the problem" and find an excuse to retaliate against him.

The reason why the fourteenth elder brother was able to fight on behalf of the emperor is also because among the prince elder brothers of Kangxi, there are more literary ones and few military ones.The only one who is proficient in martial arts is the elder brother who was trapped. The fourteenth elder brother and the thirteenth elder brother are considered to be half-launched.

What if you think of a reason to let the thirteenth elder brother go out of the mountain and lead the army to the west?As soon as this thought appeared, Cao Yong immediately shook his head. In that case, the variables are too big, not only related to the honor and disgrace of Brother Thirteen, but also related to the result of hundreds of thousands of troops going out.

The fourth elder brother is close to the thirteenth elder brother who is in a down-and-out situation, but he may not be willing to be close to the thirteenth elder brother who is as beautiful as the "king of the general".Brother Thirteen is also the son of the emperor, if he really has power in his hands, who can guarantee that he will not have other thoughts about that chair.

Cao Yong was pondering here, when someone said: "What are you looking at? You've been looking at it for a long time!"

It was the sixteenth elder brother who came over with a smile. Cao Yong smiled, stroked the shore with his hand, and asked, "Is it pretty?"

Brother Sixteen stood beside him, stared intently for a while, shook his head and said, "It's gray, what's there to see? There are many swamps, wild ducks, and birds. Unfortunately, it's getting late today. Instead of shooting a few, it would be better to roast and eat them!" At the end, he babbled, looking very nostalgic.

Cao Yong glanced at him, and asked with a smile: "Why do you think of something to eat? Didn't you say that you are serving a banquet in front of the imperial court? Why, Lord Sixteen is not full!"

Elder Sixteen smiled wryly and said: "Mostly, I don't talk about the dishes, but I can only stand. It's strange to eat well! In addition, Huang Ama summoned the bachelor, asked about the river engineering, and talked about the few breaches last year. It seems a bit annoyed!" Having said this, he lowered his voice and said, "Mynah is going to be in trouble, I guess, Huang Ama is going to settle the old score!"

The eighth elder brother often took charge of the Ministry of Industry. The former Minister of the Ministry of Industry and Ma Jintai, the former Minister of the Ministry of Industry, are both members of the "Eight Lord Party". Downgrade call.

Cao Yong's heart moved, could it be that the eighth elder brother lost his power this year.Only when the eighth elder brother loses power, the fourteenth elder brother can replace him and become the figure who the "eighth elder brother" came forward to seize the reserve.

The sixteenth elder brother saw that Cao Yong didn't answer. He remembered what he had heard years ago, and said to Cao Yong seriously: "No matter what is the case with the starling, Fu Ruo should not have other thoughts and get involved in these things. The fourth elder brother He has a strict temper, if you have always been estranged from him, it’s okay, you can’t find anything wrong with him; otherwise, if you get closer and want to take a step back, it will become an enmity!”

Seeing his serious appearance, Cao Yong thought of him in his heart, nodded and said: "Well, don't worry about this sixteenth master, I know it well. But on the sixteenth master's side, since he knows the temper of the fourth elder brother, he usually treats him It’s better to be more respectful.”

Elder Sixteen couldn't help laughing, and said, "Fu Ruo, Fu Ruo, I really don't know where Fourth Brother is scaring you. If you don't tell him in person, even in private, it's hard for you to say anything about him."

Cao Yong said with a smile: "Fourth Master and I have saved my life, and he was my boss in the household department. If you count both, I am naturally much more honest!"

Elder Sixteen nodded and said: "Actually, it's not just you, it's just me who has a cold face all day, even me, I'm also afraid of him. Xiao Shiqi is funny, since he's afraid of Fourth Brother, he's willing to go The fourth brother is next to me. The fourth sister-in-law has sent people to send things to the nobleman several times, and he is really grateful." Speaking of this, he said to Cao Yong: "Your affection, Xiao Shiqi is also thinking about it."

The seventeenth elder brother is no better than the sixteenth elder brother. Although the concubine Wang is not as noble as the fourth concubine, she is also the most favored palace lady in recent years.Besides, apart from his biological mother, Elder Sixteen also has siblings who can support each other.

The dignitaries in Beijing are the most snobbish. They always flatter the sixteenth elder brother, but they deal with the seventeenth elder brother in a different way.Although he is a prince and dare not shame him face to face, but he underestimated him in his heart.

"The Seventeenth Master thought too much, why bother with those people? It's not better than anything else to live comfortably!" Cao Yong thought for a while and said.

Brother Sixteen said: "Hehe, Fu Ruo, you are the eldest son of the family, and the number of people in the family is small, so you can't understand our feelings. In the early years, in the study room, the masters would only teach us lessons. It is Hong Xin These little elder brothers, no one takes us seriously."

Because of the mention of the past, both of them were silent.

After a long while, Cao Yong asked: "There is an uproar in the capital, and they all say that elder brother Hongxi is going to take the throne, what does the palace say?"

Elder Sixteen said in a low voice: "I think it's just to reassure the second princess. The second princess is resting in the capital, and Hongxi and his wife are now often going to and from the princess's mansion to serve the sick. I don't think it's a big deal. It's nothing to give birth to those elder brothers." They all felt guilty, as if their tails had been stepped on, and they wanted to jump up."

Apart from elder brother in Beijing, Li Xu, who just returned to Suzhou, was eager to jump.

On the pier, Li Xu's eyes darkened when he saw the servants of the housekeeper waiting in full filial piety, and he seemed to faint.His first wife, Han Shi, died of illness three days ago.

Li Nai was already heartbroken, but seeing his father like this, he didn't care about his own sadness, so he hurriedly helped his father into the carriage.

Although Li Xu has been romantic all his life, he has deep feelings for this married couple.The two have been married for forty years, but now they are separated from each other for life and death, and they haven't even seen each other for the last time.

Xiang Tong supported Miao Yun to get off the boat, and before they got into the carriage, Li Nai told them to wait for them to go back.After explaining, he got on his horse and followed Li Xu's carriage one step ahead.

Xiangtong also knew about his wife Han's serious illness, and saw that the mother-in-law and stewards who came to greet her were all dressed in filial piety.She faintly felt joy, and whispered to Miao Yun: "I'm afraid my wife is gone!"

After hearing this, Miao Yun couldn't help panicking, and begged a little: "Then what should I do? Sister Tong still needs to teach slaves more... just teach me more!"

Xiang Tong looked at the woman in front of her, squeezed Miao Yun's hand and did not speak, but helped her into the carriage first.

Miao Yun saw her expression, as if she had something private to say, so she also pursed her lips.

It wasn't until the curtain was lowered and the carriage moved forward slowly that Miao Yun whispered: "What does Sister Tong want to tell me?"

Xiang Tong said: "You were also the son of the family in the mansion earlier, you should have heard something about the masters, right? Second master, it was not the wife's birth."

When Miao Yun heard Li Ding was mentioned, she grabbed the skirt of her clothes vigorously, nodded, and replied in a low voice: "I heard that everyone in the capital mansion said that although the second master was not raised by his wife, he will inherit the master's family business in the future. That's why I sent it to the emperor's lord as an errand."

Xiangtong said: "It's all allusions. The old man's wife was not the old man now, but the aunt of the concubine Wang in the palace. Both the old man and Mrs. Wang's wife were enlisted in the flag. Mrs. Tai was born in the Han family, and she felt that she was not a good match for the old man, so she told her a flat-headed wife, who is now Mrs. Tai.

Although the former Mrs. Yuan was not demoted to be a concubine, most of the outsiders only knew that the old lady was the first wife.Later, the lady passed away, and the old lady gave birth to six brothers of the old man. During this period, she also served the emperor in the palace. This is how the old lady and the old man have enjoyed decades of glory.

The old man is a scholar, and the most important thing is etiquette. Until his death, he felt sorry for Mrs. Wang.Although he helped many members of the Wang clan later on, due to the face of the old matriarch, he still felt that his efforts were not enough.Therefore, he wanted to let the master marry the daughter of the Wang family, so that the Li and Wang families continued to be related.

Where is the old lady willing to follow?He insisted on being stopped and told the master about his current wife.Although the Wang family was a prominent family in the early years, it fell into decline in the last years of Chongzhen.The young lady of the Wang family could only be wronged as the second bedroom.

Our second master is from the second wife.Although he is born of a concubine, the master only treats him as his son.In the past six months in the capital, the second master has often been angry about his status, now, now...

To say something heartbreaking, this wife is gone, and the second wife appointed her to be righted, and then the children in my grandma's stomach will be grandchildren and granddaughters, and my grandma's life will be easier in the future..."

Although Miao Yun's four-month-old body is not obvious yet, she wears loose clothes.After listening to Xiang Tong's words, she rubbed her stomach, and was at a loss when she heard the noise gradually coming from outside the carriage.

Li Xu, Li Nai and his son had already arrived at the Zhizao Mansion in Suzhou.

After entering the inner mansion, Li Xu couldn't help crying when he saw all kinds of white silks hanging.But within a few months, the son disappeared without a trace, and the old wife passed away again.

A steward had already brought filial piety clothes, knelt on the ground, and respectfully asked Li Xu and Li Nai father and son to change their clothes.

Li Nai took the filial piety clothes, waited for Li Xu to put them on, and then took off his hat, put on the filial piety clothes, and took the filial stick.

Then I heard a deacon yelling inside: "The master is back, the uncle is back!"

Li Nai led his father to the second gate, when he heard the crying approaching.In the main hall of the inner courtyard, Han's coffin, Li Xu's concubines, Li Nai's wife, Sun Shi, and Li Nai's children all knelt in front of the coffin, weeping.

Seeing Li Xu and Li Nai entering the mourning hall, the crying was loud...

*
PS: Li Xu's wife died in August of the 53rd year of Kangxi in history. Due to the development of the story, she asked to leave. .

At the end of the month, don't waste your monthly pass! March is coming, guaranteed monthly pass, so what. . .

(End of this chapter)