Reborn in the last years of Kangxi

Chapter 565
In the northwest of Cao Garden, after passing the Qulang, there is a other courtyard.

Different from the flowers in other yards, there are no flowers and plants in the front and back yards, but dozens of green pines and cypresses, which are elegant, quiet and full of vitality.

There are three north rooms in the courtyard, the buildings are simple, spacious and elegant.There are three rooms on the left and right respectively, which are connected to the main room by a verandah.

This place was originally cleaned up by Cao Yong to honor Mr. Zhuang.

Among the several courtyards in the north of the courtyard, this courtyard is opposite to the gardens of Cao Yong and Chuyu from east to west, and it is one of the main courtyards.

After Mr. Zhuang arrived here, he felt that it was too conspicuous.

After all, he was in Cao's house as a staff member, not the head of the clan, so he didn't choose this courtyard, but chose a smaller courtyard near the east gate to the south of Cao Yong's courtyard.

Since someone from the Li family came to tell the news that Mr. Gao had entered the capital, after the Li family discussed with Chu Yu, they tidied up the garden in the northwest and made it Mr. Gao's residence.

After entering the garden, after seeing the flowers, rocks, plants and trees along the way, and then seeing the elegant courtyard, Gao Taijun couldn't help nodding his head repeatedly, showing a look of satisfaction.

However, when he saw Li's protruding belly, the old man's expression was a little stiff.

Because of the turbulent journey, Li Shi and Chu Yu led people to wait on Gao Taijun to wash and change clothes, and then they brought the three Tianyou brothers to pay their respects to the ancestor.

Tianyou raised her in the south for a year and a half, during which Mrs. Li took her to visit Mr. Gao.It was the first time Gao Taijun saw the remaining two, Hang Seng and Tianhui.

Gao Taijun first pulled Tianyou in his arms, stroked it for a long time, and said in his mouth: "That's just a lot of work for us, it's just this tall."

Tianyou remembered some of the previous events, some didn't remember them, vaguely, he only felt that the old lady was amiable, so he followed his grandmother's order and called: "Mrs. Zu."

"Hey, good boy!" Gao Taijun's face became more benevolent, and he held up Hang Seng's little arm, and said to Li Shi with a smile: "This is Brother Yong's second boy? This tiger-headed tiger-brained man looks a bit like Cheng Cheng." When I was a child, I was just like that monkey, but this one is well-behaved."

The Cheng'er she was referring to was Li Cheng, Li Nai's third son, great-nephew and grand-nephew.

When he saw Tianhui, Gao Taijun showed compassion, hugged him in his arms and kissed him, and after seeing Chuyu, he was no longer as unfair as before.

Mrs. Li sat on the side, looking at the little girl brought by Gao Taijun, thinking of her dead nephew, she felt very sad.

This little girl, about the same size as Tianhui, is Li Ding's posthumous daughter, whose nickname is Xiangyu.

The one-year-old child got off the boat with his great-uncle and grandmother, and after a half-day car ride, he was already a little sleepy.

She was sitting on the kang, she couldn't keep her eyes open, and she brought a few children from the maidservant, including a girl who was almost the same as herself, so she was more energetic.

Gao Taijun had seen a few great-grandchildren, saw Xiangyu pursing her lips and staring this way, he waved to her with a smile, and said, "Xiangyu, come here, I have seen your cousins ​​from your aunt's house. .”

In a word, everyone's eyes turned to Xiangyu.

With a bit of restraint, Xiangyu looked at Gao Taijun timidly, got up and walked over, and stood next to Gao Taijun's arm.

"This is the first cousin, the second cousin!" Gao Shi pointed to Tianyou and Hang Seng, and said to Xiangyu.

Tianyou and Hang Seng's younger brothers also looked at Xiangyu with some surprise.

Among the girls they met, apart from Tianhui, who was the younger sister, the other four sisters, fifth sister, and Niu Niu were all "aunts".

I came to the garden here, followed my mother to the garden of Prince Chun's Mansion next door, and met Qi Gege over there once.Although she is only two years older than them, she is her own aunt.

Now there is a girl who is about the same age as Tianhui, calling them "cousin", the two of them really don't know how to get close.

One sentence, one sentence, asking about this and that, it is very unruly.

Seeing that the two of them had no airs, Xiangyu lost her timidity, her eyes were crooked, and two dimples appeared on her face.

Hang Seng looked into her furry eyes, doubts appeared on his small face, he pulled Tian Hui from next to him, closed his mouth, and said nothing.

Xiangyu turned her head to the side, and also looked at Tianhui, and finally her eyes fell on the tiger bone buckle on her front, with curiosity in her eyes.

When Chu Yu saw her, she couldn't help being a little embarrassed.

If it is other things, you can still find similar ones, but this is an ancient artifact that Zijing asked for from the nunnery.It turned out to be a pair, one on Cao Yong's body and the other on Tianhui's body.

After thinking about it for a while, she took off a string of seed jade bracelets from her wrist, stepped forward and tied them on Xiangyu's front, and said with a smile: "This is a gift from my aunt, Xiangyu should not be disgusted."

This bracelet is also a built-in item, and it was one of Chu Yu's dowry in the past.It is made of nine pieces of white seed jade, and each piece of jade is carved into wishful cloud patterns, which looks extremely delicate.

Because I like it to be cool to wear, Chuyu found it this summer and put it on.

Xiangyu lowered her head, looked at the bracelet on the front, pursed her lips, and looked up at Gao Shi.

Gao Taijun frowned inadvertently when he saw the bracelet, his expression turned pale, and he said to Chuyu, "It's too expensive, please spend it!"

Chu Yu didn't know where he violated the old man's taboo, so he replied embarrassingly: "It should be, you are polite!"

Fearing that his daughter-in-law would be uncomfortable, Mrs. Li hurriedly said to Chuyu, "Where are the lotus paste snacks from Daoxiang Village? We won't start the banquet until the master comes back. First, bring those lotus paste pastries to your grandmother to taste." Then, he smiled and said to Gao Taijun: "Mom, I remember that you like lotus seed snacks the most. This time, I will also try the ones made by Master Jingli."

In front of the children, Gao Taijun didn't want to keep a straight face anymore, and nodded with a smile.

Chu Yu breathed a sigh of relief, and went down with her maid.

After a short time, Chu Yu had already given away several lotus paste snacks, and she stood aside wondering if she should use the excuse of preparing the table to retreat.

For Mr. Gao, Chu Yu really felt guilty.

After all, she is an elder, and she has to take care of her mother-in-law. No matter what the old man's attitude is, she can only bear it.

In the end, it was because she was uncomfortable. Seeing that she didn't like him, she didn't want to take the initiative to move forward.Don't look at your face, it's uncomfortable.

Gao Taijun had already asked the children to bring some dim sum, and he took a piece himself, put it in his mouth, took a bite, nodded, and said: "Look, there are a few of them that are similar to the dim sum in Suzhou. This one is different, but there is another one. Kind of taste."

Mrs. Li said with a smile: "This is Cantonese style. The master invited it from Guangzhou. I heard that in addition to lotus seeds, there are also butter made by Western methods and sucrose made by Eastern methods in this stuffing."

"Tsk tsk! This is both Eastern and Western, so I can't blame it for being so fancy." Seeing that Mrs. Li was only talking but not eating, Mrs. Gao took a piece and sent it over, saying, "Try it too, it's soft and fluffy." , I don’t get tired of eating at all.”

Mrs. Li took the dim sum, but her face was a little embarrassed, she looked at the lotus paste cake, she lowered her head and said nothing.

Lotus seeds are used for midwifery, and they cannot be used lightly until the time of childbirth.The imperial physician had already ordered it, so Li Shi didn't give it to his mouth.

Chu Yu saw her at the side, confirming what she knew before, and became more and more certain that her mother-in-law was not Gao Taijun's own daughter, but the eldest princess's daughter.

If that's the case, the mother-in-law Li's actual identity is Huang Mafa's cousin, my aunt, and her husband is actually... his cousin...

Although there are many people who are not of the same generation as the clan women refer to marriage, Chu Yu still feels a little strange.

When she thought of her husband, she couldn't help but feel anxious.

From the Hongshu brothers, Chuyu accidentally learned the truth, and only then did she know that her husband had not gone to be naturalized, but to Outer Mongolia, and was going to the Northwest Army.

Husband and wife have always been in love.

During these years of marriage, because of Cao Yong's busy errands, almost every year there is a small parting time, but it is only ten months, this time it is more than three months.

Chu Yu's eyes were filled with worry...

*
Outside Xizhimen, Cao Yin, who came back early from Yamen because his mother-in-law went to Beijing, happened to meet Zhuang Chang, who came back from the opera at Qianmen, and they drove back to the garden together.

Cao Yin's complexion was a little ugly.

Mr. Zhuang hesitated for a moment, and said: "My lord is worried about Zhang Xiaoxian?"

"Xiaoxian" is the word of Zhang Boxing, the former governor of Jiangsu. He was impeached, accused good people as pirates, and killed several people under severe torture.

The imperial court sent Zhang Penghe, Minister of the Ministry of Officials, to the south of the Yangtze River for interrogation. Finally, it was found that Zhang Boxing "used good people to hide thieves and recruit bandits, which is not suitable." Imprisonment, executed after autumn."

Cao Yin shook his head, and said: "The emperor knows well, but in the end, there will be loud thunder and little rain, and he will save this old minister. I just feel bad for Zhang Xiao. I have been eunuchs in the south of the Yangtze River for many years. Although I rarely get close to each other, but when it comes to character But Zhang Xiaoxian is admirable."

Mr. Zhuang said: "This is the reason why too much is too much. The reason why you are so excluded by officials is that you are burdened by false fame. When the Gali case happened, the people of Yangzhou heard that Zhang Xiaoxian was dismissed. They cried loudly and went on strike to protest. To prevent civil unrest, the garrison of the Eight Banners had to go to the city to guard. When the ceremony was over, Zhang Xiaoxian stayed in Jiangnan, and tens of thousands of people went to Beijing to thank the emperor outside the imperial garden. Even Fujian, where Zhang Xiaoxian served, the people also Rushing to tell each other. Such an eminent official voice can be described as the No.1 in the country."

Cao Yin sighed, and said: "Although he is not flexible enough, he is indeed an upright official. If there is no him, the people in the south of the Yangtze River will lose their skin because of their greed. It's just that they are ministers and should not directly invite people's hearts. It's a pity. Yes. The emperor will certainly protect this subject, but I'm afraid he won't let him go back to the south of the Yangtze River."

Speaking of this, he paused, and said: "Nowadays, from the capital to the localities, there are not many officials who are not greedy. There are very few people like Zhang Xiaoxian. To be a good official, it is like this , This really makes people feel uncomfortable. I’ll let it go, the person who is buried in the ground, I don’t know when he will see his ancestors; Yong’er is still young, but in the future... I don’t know what will happen to him..."

Speaking of Cao Yong, Mr. Zhuang stroked his beard, put a smile on his face, and said: "My lord, it is really unfounded to worry about the sky. Fu Ruo is not impetuous, nor is he fond of fame. What to do is in his heart." The most rare..."

"Same with the light?" Cao Yin couldn't help showing disappointment when he heard this.

Seeing him like this, Mr. Zhuang shut his mouth and swallowed the words he wanted to explain and persuade.

It's not easy being a father. He "hopes for his son to become a dragon" and hopes that his son can realize his long-cherished wish and become famous, but he also worries about his son's kindness and kindness.

Wanting to be safe and secure, but also want to gain both fame and fortune, the expectations of his son are indeed too high...

*
Northwest, on the grassland.

Cao Yong had already bid farewell to the Great Lama, Funing'an and others, and left Heshuo with the imperial bodyguards, Chang Sui and others, heading for Wuyali Sutai.

"From simple to extravagant is easy, from extravagant to simple is difficult", this sentence is really true.

From the capital to Guihua, from Guihua to the residence of the Great Lama, everyone has gradually become accustomed to running around on horseback.However, on the way from the residence of the Great Lama to Heshuo, he slowed down the journey and learned to be lazy in the carriage.

After more than a month of leisurely work, everyone was really uncomfortable when they got back on horseback and rode all day.

No, when it was time for a nap at noon, some people began to complain.

He Shan stretched out his palm, gestured to Cao Yong and Nalan Fusen with a bitter face: "It is four thousand and two hundred miles from the capital to Urge, and it is not three thousand miles from Urge to Heshuo, but two thousand six or seven hundred miles." This is going to Wuyalisutai, which is another thousand miles or hundreds of miles. The back and forth is only ten thousand miles less. Calculated, the daily journey is hundreds of miles. Compared with us, Mr. Fu Those boys in front of the emperor seem to have come to the northwest to enjoy the blessings."

Nalan Fusen listened with a smile and rubbed his back.

He is the oldest person among the guards, and his figure is a bit fat, so riding a horse is really a bit of a pain.

Shi Yun happened to be at the side, and when he heard what He Shan said, he couldn't help nodding his head in agreement, saying: "Yes, yes, this is good, we have suffered a serious crime, and we can't go to the front of the army, so the military achievements we have won are gone. "As he said, he lay down on the meadow and sighed.

Some of the other guards were also thinking about their military exploits, but it was estimated that Cao Yong was just thinking about it;

Cao Yong's heart is relaxed, but his body is not very competitive, tired, and he doesn't want to speak.

Although it's only mid-July, the heat on the grassland has dissipated, and it's already cool in the morning and evening.Even at noon, the sun is still full.

The afternoon sun made people feel warm, and they wanted to sleep. Cao Yong also put down his body and fell back.

He stretched out his sleeves to cover his eyes, listening to the chatter of the guards, but what he was thinking about was the three-year agreement between Kangxi and himself.

The war in the Northwest has been delayed so far without any progress. The main reason is the lack of money and food.

This time I came to the imperial court, don't think about it, the appointment is also a matter of money.

What he imagined in his mind was originally worried about insufficient conditions, but now due to the war, there are many more stations on the Mongolian side, which seems to be considered cheap...

Three years of tens of millions of silver, Cao Yong felt a little heavy.

I'm not afraid of making money, and it's okay to waste my brain. As long as I can protect my family, the old scalper will do it too, just think of it as hugging Kangxi's thick legs.

It's just that there is no impenetrable wall in the world, and those princes and elder brothers are not fools.

After becoming an old scalper, it would be wronged if he was missed by others.

I have to find a way to express my position to the fourth elder brother without leaving any traces, so as to prevent the suspicious king from becoming suspicious of himself because of the fourteenth elder brother's hospitality...

All kinds of things, Cao Yong's brain hurts when he thinks about it.

Great lama, great lama, your life is the rice bug...

*
Thank you for your monthly pass, thank you, happiness, (*^__^*). . .

(End of this chapter)