Reborn in the last years of Kangxi

Chapter 630

"Three years like this, his husband returned. Guo said, 'Parents are here, I will return it to you now', and then he brought out another daughter, saying, 'Since I lost my virginity, it is unbearable to face each other, don't marry a woman, I will give it to you today ’, and then used the excuse to go to the kitchen to cook, and committed suicide. Such a strange woman, how can she not be embarrassing.” At the end, Yi Duli had already sighed, and his usual smile was also on his face, showing a little more respect .

Cao Yong followed with a sigh, but he didn't take it to heart.It's not that he is hard-hearted, but that etiquette cannibalize people, and there are still fewer chastity archways that the imperial court rewards every year?
Among other things, it belonged to Tianyou's wet nurse, Liu's family, and was also a victim of the chastity archway.

However, there was a look of discontent on Yiduli's face: "Having such a loving and righteous woman as his wife is just a good life to value. Her man looks ugly, how lucky is he to have such a wife? Parents are kind and support her, The newcomer who looks like a flower and jade is in front of him again. In a few years, who will remember this filial woman? I heard that she came back from selling medicinal materials in the pass and brought back a lot of money and servants. So rich, Guo But Shi didn't enjoy it for a day."

Speaking of this, he paused, and said: "Ants are still stealing their lives, let alone a good living person! If his husband is not prosperous, maybe the Guo family still has a way to survive; since he is well-developed, how can he be a slave? Tolerate a woman who is dishonest as the housewife? Even if Mrs. Guo has no intention of seeking death, she will be ashamed and indignant, and will not be able to live. In the final analysis, it is the man who did not take the responsibility."

Seeing him so outraged, Cao Yong didn't know how to persuade him.

Among other things, Yi Duli has one advantage that needs to be praised, that is, he is not as machismo as other men, and does not take women seriously.On his side, although he is a bit fraternal, he has a good heart.

After Yi Duli said these words in one breath, he finally got rid of his sullenness.Only then did he think of the business, and asked Cao Yong, "my lord, it's already the third day of junior high school today. I went to the garden to see some of the construction period. If I delay it, I'm afraid it will be too late. Although it's March this year , and there is only less than three months left. If the budget for the garden comes out, should we also start work?"

"Leap in March?" Cao Yong didn't pay attention to this point before, but only after hearing what Yi Duli said, he noticed this, and felt a little uneasy in his heart.

If there is no leap month, according to the old practice every year, one month before Shengjia arrives in Rehe, the security precautions will be strengthened here, and the idlers will be checked.

If it was March in leap and Shengjia arrived in Rehe one month later, then Cao Yong and the others would have to try to resist for two months.

Seeing Cao Yong's expression was a bit strange, Yidu looked over and asked curiously, "What's the matter here, my lord?"

"It's all right, it's coming to the Longevity Festival, how is the preparation for the birthday gift here?" Cao Yong didn't think about how to tell the "reward" before, so he cut the conversation and asked.

Yi Duli heard the words, his face became a bit more disappointed, and said: "How else can I prepare? Now I am a fifth-rank, and I have no qualifications to offer gifts, so I can only follow the crowd. My Ama is right. , I’m just a worthless bastard. In other families, at my age, there are no five-rankers. It’s really embarrassing, I don’t even have the face to meet my brothers and nephews in the clan.”

Cao Yong is really not good at persuading this word.Both belong to the same family, the Yidu Li family is not the same as the Cao family, they are the real nobles of the Eight Banners.The official careers of the two are just opposite. Cao Yong's official career is on the rise, but Yi Duli's official career is bumpy.

After Yi Duli complained, he felt a little embarrassed about his stature, raised his eyebrows and said, "What's wrong with me, what a mother-in-law! By the way, my lord, the princess has been in Rehe for a few days, and the subordinates haven't passed yet." Greetings, it is really impolite. If it is cheaper tomorrow, this subordinate wants to bring Mrs. Yang over to greet the princess."

"Lord Yi, they are all relatives. It's outrageous to say these things. There's no need to be like this." Cao Yong saw that he was so enthusiastic, so he was willing to invite him to have more banquets.

However, thinking that my family might not stop, it would not hurt the innocent, and hearing Yang's, I felt a little awkward, so I politely refused.

Yi Duli was very persistent, waved his hand, and said: "No, no, in terms of dignity, the lord is a superior and the princess is a noble daughter of the palace, we should greet you. No matter how much the lord says, he really doesn't regard us as relatives .”

As he said, he couldn't allow Cao Yong to refuse, so he walked out, turned his head and smiled and said: "It's settled like this, I'm going to bother you tomorrow...but if you don't get drunk, you have to prepare two jars of good wine Only then..."

Before the words fell, people had already gone out.

Cao Yong looked at his back with a smile on his face.It's rare to be over 30 years old, and still be able to be happy and angry. Living so calmly, it is enviable to watch.

It's just the Yang family, isn't it Yang Ruixue?

Thinking of this time, Cao Yong frowned slightly.He really didn't want to have any contact with that woman, he was worried that it would cause trouble and bring out the Li family's affairs.

Thinking about her life is going well, she added a daughter, and Yi Duli also praised her a few times inside and outside the words.

Just as Cao Yong was thinking, he saw Dong Changhai, a member of the construction department, holding the documents and bowing in.

It was the repair budget for the Xinggong Palace, which was reported one day earlier than what Cao Yong requested.

Cao Yong looked at the budget in his hand, glanced at Dong Changhai, and said: "Master Dong, Master Dong has read the budget this time, what do you think?"

Coming all the way together, Cao Yong is also familiar with the slightly dull Yuanwailang in front of him.He is Dong Dianbang's nephew and Dong Suxin's uncle.Cao Yong really doesn't want this honest man to take the blame for others, and if he takes care of him, he can be regarded as selling the Dong family's face.

Dong Changhai hesitated for a moment, and said: "Returning to your lord, the other subordinates don't know that the gold leaf is produced from the warehouse, and it seems that there is a discrepancy in the budget."

For Cao Yong, these budgets are just numbers.

A strong dragon does not overwhelm a local snake, he is new here, and he is not interested in risking the world's evil, "fighting corruption and promoting integrity".

Zhang Boxing was clean and honest, but in Kangxi's mouth, he ended up "excessively seeking fame".Later, Ren Heshou told the truth in the booklet to the emperor that he collected a lot of money and where it was used. Kangxi's comment was "truly Manchuria".

It sounds ridiculous, but that's how it is.

There are lessons learned from the past. Although Cao Yong has no interest in corruption, he has no idea to block other people's money.

But if those people are naked and greedy, then he has to beat and beat, always trying to put on a good face.Otherwise, wouldn't it be unfair to be targeted by the censors and take the blame for yourself?
He closed the budget and said to Dong Changhai: "Since Mr. Dong has doubts, take this budget to ask. He said that the money in the internal treasury is tight, and the repairs should be frugal. This budget allows them to carefully consider it." , if you can save one or two, the emperor will know that everyone has a heart to share your worries."

Dong Changhai bowed in response, took the budget document with both hands, and said: "The Chief Manager has been in Rehe for three days, and the local civil and military officials and the officials of the palace want to host a banquet to welcome you. Your Excellency was ill before, how is it now? I just stepped down from office. When I came, several adults had already asked about it, saying that if the adults are in better health, they would like to entertain the adults tonight."

When Cao Yong heard the words, he said, "I'd like to trouble Mr. Dong to help me convey the message. I said that everyone's kindness has been appreciated by Mr. Cao. After all, I came here on orders, so I can work on errands first. You will have a long time in Rehe, so don't worry about it." One or two days. After these busy days, the project will start to move, and someone Cao will treat the big guy to a drink."

These words were impeccable, and Dong Changhai was just a messenger, so he didn't say anything, he responded, bowed and retreated.

Cao Yong sat on the chair and tapped the table with his fingers.

The amount written on the budget just now is more than 97 taels of silver. If those people are interested, subtract 80%, and the remaining amount is less than [-] taels, which is not too eye-catching.

Even if it is less than 80, the oil and water in it are not a star.

This is the case with the Rehe Palace, and the project at the Tangquan Palace is no exception.The yamen of the Ministry of Internal Affairs is a well-known fat and deficient yamen, and it is rich in oil and water.The aristocratic families of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Beijing have lived more comfortably and comfortably than the prince's mansion after generations.

Cao Yong felt a little uncomfortable thinking that some of the money he had painstakingly raised went into the pockets of those people.But he knew that if he wanted to be an official, he could do anything else, but he couldn't do this money-saving job.

It is easy to provoke villains, and there will be endless troubles.

So he was just being mean, not in the mood to find out how much money fell into the pockets of those moths.It's just being double-faced.

It's ridiculous to say that it was less than a hundred years since the founding of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, and the corruption in the officialdom has reached this point.It cannot be said that no one is not greedy, but it is also difficult to find a few truly clean people.

Even if there are a few people with better character, how can officials keep such people around? They always try to win them over.

My own "holiday trip" doesn't seem to be peaceful either.

Cao Yong leaned back in the chair, took a copy of "Xu Xiake's Travel Notes", and read two articles. After all, he was a little upset, took out his watch, and checked the time.

It was only noon, and he was really bored, so he called Jiang Jian and others, and came to visit the garden under the pretense of looking at various repair places.

Although everyone followed the palace twice, they were all at the yamen of the main hall, and it was the first time they entered the mountain manor house, but their eyesight was not enough.

The scenery of the lake and the mountains, the beautiful spring day, Cao Yong looked at the scenery, and felt much happier...

*
The garden of Prince Chun's Mansion, the main hall in the front yard.

Chu Yu sat in the living room, looked at the crying woman on the ground, and listened to Zhiran's narration, and couldn't help but feel a little moved.

"How can there be such unscrupulous people in the world?" She still had some disbelief in her heart, so she couldn't help shaking her head, and said: "Guo's wife is so affectionate, it's too late to respect her and love her, how can she fight with swords and swords? He complained about his wife's loss of virginity, and there are also legal family rules, so it shouldn't be like this. The murderer dies, even a three-year-old child knows this truth. Even if it is a big hatred, few dare to swing a knife to hurt someone."

The woman on the ground raised her face when she heard the words, and said with a choked voice: "That man, that man, said that my sister committed suicide... If the little girl hadn't seen it with her own eyes, the little girl wouldn't believe it. My sister was ashamed and angry because of losing her virginity, so I just bought a little girl here. My sister has said many times that when the man comes back and Weng Gu has something to support, she will twist her hair and go to practice... Sister, I am so wronged, if I remarry soon, I won’t die... ..." By the end, she was already sobbing.

Rao had just listened to it once, but Zhiran still couldn't help being moved at this moment, put his hands together, and recited the "Diamond Sutra" in a low voice.

Although the woman spoke intermittently and incoherently, the mourning around her was not fake.

Chu Yu was also speechless for a while, but when she thought of that Guo family, she was really respectable and pitiful.

What is respectable is that a weak woman can have such an act of filial piety; what is pitiful is that she met an unkind person, worked hard for several years, lost her body and reputation, but ended up with a knife and an axe cutting her neck.

Only the woman's weeping and Zhiran's chanting were left in the hall.

Chu Yu seldom takes care of foreign affairs. Today, such a woman has entered the mansion. Although her words are touching, she still has some precautions in her heart.

She wondered if she should ask the woman about the place of the family, so that someone could go over and inquire about it, and then tell the truth.

At this time, I saw the big steward Qin Gui and Zhang Yi coming in one after the other.

It turned out that Zhiran had asked Zhang Yi to take a few people to Guo's house and the yamen to inquire about it, after hearing the woman's crying and telling the story.

But just as the woman said, Mrs. Guo was reported to have committed suicide, and the government also verified her integrity.

Because she lost her virginity to her husband, the magistrate originally judged her to be extinct from her husband and not allow her to be attached to the tomb, but Guo's death did not rest in peace.In the end, it was Guo's parents-in-law who interceded, saying that a daughter-in-law is a chaste woman, and she came here only because she served the elderly.He also said that tomb burial is a family matter, so there is no need to bother the government to make decisions.After saying this, Guo Shi closed his eyes.

The old couple insisted on recognizing the daughter-in-law but not the son, and they were also very indifferent to the bride.

According to their words, a son cannot provide for his parents, and avoids his wife instead. It is still unclear who is right, and why would he have the face to complain about his daughter-in-law's loss of virginity.

Because the Guo family sells flowers to support their parents-in-law, they are somewhat famous, and some are usually unworthy, and some are spurned.After this incident, everyone in the streets and alleys praised him.

There are even some libertines, who are shameless, call themselves benefactors, and show off more in their speech.It is unavoidable to attract the attention of others, and if they look at them a few times, they will be more secure.

However, Zhiran could hear something was wrong.

"Since you are here, who is the bride?" Zhi Ran asked.

The woman said: "Well, I don't know, the little girl, it was the man who brought it back last night. The man came back this time, saying that he made money by selling medicine, and brought a few servants back. There is another woman who said he was called Jin Qiao is neither a wife nor a maidservant, but she doesn't know her identity. My elder sister is afraid of being tricked by the little girl, so she never lets the little girl show up in front of people, presumably that person also heard about this and told Jin Qiao to trick me."

Last night, she accidentally witnessed the scene of Mrs. Guo being killed. She ran away in fright, was chased to the water's edge, was stabbed, and fell into the river.

But he survived the catastrophe, flowed downstream, climbed on the firewood train of the Wangfu, and then entered the garden of the Wangfu.

Seeing the blood stains on her chest and the lack of color on her face, Chuyu finally couldn't bear it, and said to Zhiran: "This is the end of the matter, let this girl rest and recuperate first, and we can talk about it when my son-in-law comes back."

Zhiran also meant the same thing, but he was an outsider after all, so even though his remarks were in line with the outside world, it was not easy to be too casual.

Therefore, he proposed to Chuyu to put the woman in the empty yard in front first, and asked Chuyu to assign two women to take care of her.

After Chuyu entered the inner garden, Zhiran said to Qin Gui: "I heard that Rehe is no more than other places, and the interrogation is stricter. Those who want to enter Rehe must find a clear eye. This traveler and merchant, but It’s best to bring people in. Butler, if you can notice the abnormal people at the inn, and pay attention to the residents and businessmen who have returned recently, you may be able to spot one or two.”

Qin Gui's eyes couldn't help but brighten up when he heard this, he said: "It's still the mage who thinks carefully, this way, he knows what's going on in his mind. But if there are any abnormalities, he can take precautions so that his son-in-law won't be put in danger."

Zhiran just smiled and didn't say much.Thinking of the dead Guo Shi, his eyes became more compassionate, counting the rosary in his hand, and then recited the "Diamond Sutra"...

*
Back in the west courtyard, Chu Yu lay on the kang, feeling a little dazed.

She has a noble status and has never worried about her livelihood since she was a child, so she can't understand the feeling of having no choice but to sell sex in order to support her parents-in-law.However, I also know the filial piety in it.

In this world, there are women who are so determined to support the family, but in the end they will be burdened by fame and die in desolation;

Although the fate is different, but I should cherish the blessing.

Even if he can't take on the heavy responsibility of the head of the family like that Guo family, but it's not as good as in the past.

She was a little confused as to whether women should be strong or weak.

The adoptive mother has a strong temper, but it makes Amah respectful and far away; the biological mother is always submissive and forbearing, but she stands firm in the confrontation with the adoptive mother for many years.

It is also the same in the clan, those Fujins with stronger personalities, unless the mother clan is powerful, how can there be a few good endings?

How many men in this world can stand the toughness of their wives?
However, if a woman is always weak, how can she share her husband's worries?

Because of the long tossing last night and getting up early again, she closed her eyes in a daze.

However, the picture is complicated, and all kinds of noisy voices continue, making people unable to rest for a moment.

For a while, she had a quarrel with Mr. Zhaojia, which made Mr. Zhaojia jump;

Chu Yu was at a loss, not knowing how to defend her husband.

After a while, the husband's figure was blurred again, and a bloody woman fell to the ground, staring at her with big eyes full of pleading...

"Ah..." Chu Yu was horrified, and couldn't help shouting, but she couldn't open her eyes.

"Ge Ge, Ge Ge... Is this a nightmare? Wake up..." Xi Cai hurriedly approached and called out when she heard something was wrong.

Only then did Chu Yu slowly open her eyes, but she broke out in a cold sweat.

"Gege had a nightmare? So did Master Zhiran. Those murders were the same as when I came back, so why bother Gege. Where did Gege hear this, so he must be afraid." Xicai threw a towel to wipe Chuyu's face , while complaining.

"I can't always be under the wings of my son-in-law. I have to know the world affairs. Since my son-in-law entrusts foreign affairs to Master Zhiran, I have my own cares about my son-in-law. If you complain like this, you must not mention it in front of your son-in-law." Chu Yu He took the towel and ordered.

After hearing this, Xicai stuck out her tongue and said: "Look at what Gege said, no matter how confused the servant girl is, she won't chew her tongue in front of the forehead? It's just that she loves Gege..."

Chu Yu, however, thought of the woman who died in the dream, stroked her chest, and was speechless for a long time...

*
Writing this chapter, my heart is quite heavy. No one can stay in an ivory tower forever, Zhiran is, and so is Chuyu.Well, rolling around asking for monthly tickets, life is still very good.

(End of this chapter)