Reborn in the last years of Kangxi

Chapter 662 Struggle for newness (begging for a monthly pass)

The Xinggong, the official office of the six retinues.

Because they were busy praying for rain, the errands delayed during the day had to be done at night, so many adults asked people to send food boxes at home.Because of their different origins, the cooks used at home are also different. The meals in this food box have both northern and southern flavors.

There is a lively and lively Minister of the Ministry of War, with a big belly, holding a rice bowl, trying this lord's dishes, and grabbing a piece of that lord's snacks.

When they saw Cao Yin's side, apart from two plates of green vegetables, they were black corn bread and pickles, and they couldn't help being dumbfounded.

Cao Yin didn't know when the food in the kitchen changed.Thinking of the emperor's fasting and praying for rain, when he sent people back to the mansion to pick up the food box, Cao Yin specially ordered, no meat dishes, only vegetarian dishes.

As a result, in the food box delivered, there was only a plate of mushrooms and rapeseed, and a plate of sweet and sour cabbage hearts, and the rest was the steamed bread and pickles.

Cao Yin has lived most of his life, so he will not be like Tianyou and Hang Seng who don't know what this is.

It's just that I don't remember that the food in my house has this. If I didn't look at the food boxes and dishes, Cao Yin almost thought it was mixed with other adults' food boxes.

"Lord Cao, this is..." The servant pointed to the black cornbread, with a bit of envy on his face, and said, "This one looks strange, what material is it made of, it looks like black sesame... I have heard for a long time that your family is rich, this food is not ordinary after all, why don't you let me taste it..." While speaking, my mouth was almost watering.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, this has been asked for clearly, can Cao Yin give it?
He had no choice but to bite the bullet and said: "Vulgar things may not be to the taste of adults, adults should just try something new."

The servant was overjoyed and had already held out a bowl to catch it.Cao Yin looked at the food, first put two sticks of pickled vegetables for him, and then put a cornbread. He didn't forget to ask first: "My lord, it's better to eat together."

The servant listened and nodded, holding his rice bowl to show off in front of the other adults.It caused everyone to look at Cao Yin.

Cao Yinshi couldn't sit still, so he used a cornbread in a hurry, and asked the boy to put away the food box.I stood up by myself, and went out for a walk to digest my food with my hands behind my back.

He just walked quickly, and the food box was sent home, or else there might be people who couldn't hold back their curiosity and wanted to ask for a bite or two.

After the waiter finished showing off, he held the cornbread happily, opened his mouth and bit the little half.

When he chewed it to the edge of his mouth, he lost his smile.Because everyone was watching, he didn't dare to spit it out. He had no choice but to see the pickle sticks, and he felt very kind.I couldn't wait to pick it up and put it in my mouth, only then did I feel that I could barely swallow it.

Because he was so choked that he burst into tears, he quickly poured half a bowl of duck soup from his food box and drank it.

In the eyes of others, it is as if he had eaten a peerless delicacy, which made many people swallow their mouths.

Someone asked: "My lord, is it that delicious?"

The servant glanced at Cao Yin in the yard, nodded with a forced smile, and said, "It's delicious, it's the first time I've tasted such delicious food in my life." Having said that, he quickly put the cornbread in his hand, Put it in the food box, and said: "This is so delicious, it's better to take it home and taste it carefully."

Others can say that he is playing tricks, but a censor couldn't help it, and said: "The people's livelihood is difficult, the emperor is fasting, all the adults should pay attention. It is really a shame to bring such extravagance into the yamen now." Shame on me and other officials."

The waiter blushed, looked at the chickens and ducks in his food box, and then at the half-baked cornbread, said in a low voice: "It's just a bite to eat, sir, don't worry about it."

The censor glanced at the courtyard and saw that Cao Yin had already gone out, so he snorted coldly, put on a proud and iron face, and said: "Even the emperor's old ministers who rely heavily on him should know how to measure. In order to have no rain in the capital, the emperor eats light food all day long, but the courtiers are 'never tired of eating', what is the reason..."

Others couldn't see him being so frivolous, and no one answered, humming and haha, each said their own words.

Only the Minister of the Ministry of War, with his rice bowl in his hand, has an unpredictable expression.

Zhang Tingyu, a scholar of the Hanlin Academy, was also in the room, and his eyes swept over the cornbread several times.His mother, Mrs. Yao Shitai, used to eat black sesame seeds to nourish her hair.Black sesame mixed with white flour is used to make steamed buns, which is a common item on Mrs. Tai's table.

Although the color is also black, it is not the same as the one that the Minister of War of Tongcai held just now.

Therefore, Zhang Tingyu was also curious, is that thing really made of black sesame as people guessed?

If it's really "never tired of food", the other side dishes should also be extremely luxurious and exquisite, but looking at the two plates of green vegetables and pickles just now, there is no difference...

*
Not to mention that other adults had different speculations, Cao Yin strolled outside the courtyard, and saw Cao Yuan approaching from a distance, approached and said: "Master, the servants are careless, they pulled down a food box, and they have been sent here. Master, look... ..."

Cao Yin waved his hand and said, "I've used it, let someone take it back..."

Cao Yuan agreed, he had already made up his mind, he had to go back and check to see who dared to be so negligent, even dared to be careless about the master's food, really lawless...

Not everyone finds this cornbread hard to swallow, but Wei Hei eats it very happily.

He held the steamed bread in one hand, and kept sending pickle sticks into his mouth with chopsticks in the other.Occasionally put down the chopsticks and take two big mouthfuls from the soup bowl.

When Qiniang saw her, she took a small bite of the cornbread in her hand, and felt that it was not so unpalatable; Xiangcao was afraid that her husband would choke, so she kept adding soup to him, saying: "Master, eat slowly, and choke carefully."

Wei Hei smiled and said, "Speaking of which, I haven't eaten this for more than 20 years. The taste is the same as what I ate when I was young. Hehe, eating this reminds me of my childhood. There was no disaster at that time, daddy My old lady is here, my second child and I are less than ten years old, and we can make three or four fist-sized cornbreads by ourselves, so I will worry about my mother, and call us 'debt collectors'..." At the end of the speech, on the face Already took the color of melancholy.

Xiang Cao added another half bowl of soup to her husband, and said: "If you miss your hometown, when you are not busy, let's visit the graves of your parents-in-law together."

"Tomb-sweeping?" Wei Hei heard this, thinking of his younger brother, and said, "I don't know what happened to my second brother and his wife. It's only been a few years, and we have had three sons. I think it's because our parents have spirits in the sky, and bless our old Wei." The family is thriving."

Hearing her husband mention "Ren Ding", she couldn't help touching Vanilla's heart, and she sighed inwardly.

Qiniang held the black bun in her hand, and said to Wei Hei and Xiangcao, "I didn't eat this black-faced steamed bun in the past. I haven't eaten this kind of bun before. It's all made of wheat bran... ..."

After seeing her for a long time, Xiangcao gnawed a shallow edge on the side of the pastry. Knowing that she didn't like it, she brought a plate of salt and pepper rolls next to her in front of her, and said with a smile: "If you don't like it, just eat it." Put it down and eat this."

Qiniang put down the cornbread in her hand, took a flower roll, took a bite, and said embarrassingly, "I can't blame Master Cao for naming this cornbread pickle 'Yi Ku Si Tian'. After eating that, and then eating others, I really feel that I have fallen into the In the honeypot."

After hearing this, Xiangcao said to Wei Hei: "I don't know what the uncle thinks. The uncle has been well-clothed and well-fed since he was a child. What hardships can he remember? It's the same as the third girl. The girl suffered a lot when she was young. I I still remember that when the girl first came to her wife's side in the early years, she couldn't eat a lot of oil, and she had diarrhea after eating. It took two or three years to turn around..."

Since Cao Yong was seven years old, Wei Hei has been guarding him.I don't know anything else, but I am well aware of his picky eaters. This "recalling bitterness and thinking about sweetness" rice is indeed made by Cao Yong; if he can eat it, Wei Hei won't believe it.

Cao Yong was just bored on vacation, and when he came up with the idea of ​​"Xunzi", he actually touched a person, that is, Jiang Jian and Jiang Feilin, who are currently in the hands of Cao Yong as his staff.

He and Zhiran have no family members, they live in the same house, and they also eat together.

Compared with Zhiran's love of meat, he, a monk who has returned to vulgarity, is a vegetarian and does not touch meat at all.

"Your Excellency has the style of an ancient benevolent..." Jiang Jian looked at the cornbread in his hand, sighed, and said: "Although I live in a luxurious mansion, rich in clothes and fine food, I still don't forget how difficult the people's life is. If it is not because of the burden of birth, If you take the imperial examinations, your lord will definitely be able to seal the court and pay homage to the prime minister."

In the early years, Zhiran followed the master to make orders, and also ate all kinds of miscellaneous grains in some lonely temples.Nowadays, with Wotou, braised elbows are served in brown sauce, which has a special flavor.

Like Wei Hei, he does not believe that Cao Yong can eat this meal.In the early years when Cao Yong was observing filial piety at Qingliang Temple, Zhiran still remembers how his eyes turned green from hunger because of an unhealthy diet.

Maybe it's just a moment of childlike innocence, but Zhiran doesn't think that lazy person can turn his temper from the bottom of his heart and become concerned about the country and the people.

It's just that he is not a talkative person. Since Jiang Jian looked like he was taking the lead, Zhiran followed suit.I also wondered in my heart, is Cao Yong's background really a "drag" like Jiang Jian's?

If it were someone else, would Cao Yong really be able to study stereotypes in order to become an official?
I'm afraid it's in line with his temperament to use a small brain, earn some money, be a local rich man, and not worry about anything all day long.

If Cao Yong didn't have the background of the Cao family, and Cao Yong, who had no ambition and means, wanted to climb to where he is today, wouldn't that be a dream?
After all, having a good father...

Thinking of this, Zhiran also felt uncomfortable in his throat...

*
After dinner in the east courtyard, Tianyou and Hang Seng went out to play. Cao Yong and Chuyu were talking about family matters, nothing more than the issue of their son's upbringing.

Needless to say, the daughter is the best of both of them.

Especially in this world, it is not easy for a woman to rely on her father and brother at home and rely on her husband at her husband's house.Cao Yong and Chu Yu only cherish Tianhui, and they wish to arrange their daughter's life well.

Tianyou is different from Hang Seng. When he grows up, he has to support his family and serve his father and ancestors. If he is not educated well and becomes a pampered son, how can he gain a foothold in the capital in the future.

If it were an ordinary official family, there would still be time to retire and return home.The Cao family has a noble and is in the banner. Apart from becoming an official, how can there be any other way out?

There are two husbands and wives, one "loving mother" who teaches the way of filial piety; one "strict father" who teaches how to live in the world.

In addition, Tianyou and Hang Seng are on a blind date, as parents, they are also happy.

The husband and wife were talking when they saw Xicai come in and report: "My son-in-law, Gege, my wife has returned home and has already entered the second gate."

Chu Yu was worried about her mother-in-law entering the palace alone, so she asked someone to guard at the second gate.

Hearing that Mrs. Li has come back, Cao Yong took Chuyu by the arm, and the husband and wife went to the room together to say hello.

When the husband and wife arrived, Mrs. Li had already finished changing, went to a big dress, and changed into homely clothes.Hearing the news from the corridor, Mrs. Li hastily asked someone to call the couple into the house.

Mrs. Li glanced at her daughter-in-law worriedly, and said angrily, "Didn't you not be allowed to come out? Why are you here again? Carefully stretch the wound." Saying this, he beckoned her to sit by the kang.

"Ma'am, my daughter-in-law is fine. I am not able to accompany my wife into the palace, and my daughter-in-law is also feeling uneasy. Mother-in-law is alone and doesn't know Mongolian, so I don't know how hard it is." Chu Yu said with some concern.

Mrs. Li said with a smile: "It's not difficult. Today, the empress dowager's mother Gao followed me. The empress dowager is in a good mood today, and she pulled me to say a lot of homely things."

Hearing what she said, Cao Yong and Chu Yu felt relieved.

Although there was a banquet in the palace, Cao Yong was afraid that his mother would not eat well, so he asked if he needed to set up another banquet, because the food was already reserved.

Mrs. Li waved her hand and said: "I can't eat anymore. I drank a bowl of porridge and ate a few pieces of pastry. I am full." Speaking of this, thinking of something, she ordered Xiu Ying who was standing beside her to bring back the jewelry she brought back. Box up.

This jewelry box is about one foot high, with four corners covered with gold, and many colorful pearls, emeralds and gemstones are inlaid on it, it looks extremely luxurious.

When it was opened, there was a red velvet lining inside, and it was taken out layer by layer. There were nine layers, and various jewelry were placed on each layer.

Even though Chuyu didn't lack this, she was dazzled by it.Cao Yong also stretched out his hand to take a jade bracelet, only to feel his fingertips were cold.

"It's about to catch up with Du Shiniang's 'treasure box'." Cao Yong sighed in his heart, but he didn't say it out of his mouth.

In the hearts of Li Shi and Chu Yu, the queen mother is the "mother of a country", the most noble woman.If Cao Yong dared to stand in front of them, he would draw a double reproach from his mother and wife if he used this analogy.

"This is rewarded by the Queen Mother. I am already so old, how can I use these? Daughter-in-law, you can choose what you like, and save the rest for their uncles and nephews to marry their wives in the future." Li said. .

"Daughter-in-law has jewelry, let the wife keep it." Chu Yu said with a smile.

Cao Yong had already put down the jade bracelet, and took a piece of jade pendant to play with.The jade pendant is made of white jade, engraved with the pattern of looking back at Fengniao Street Ganoderma lucidum.

"The style of this jade pendant is simple and unsophisticated. I haven't seen such a pattern at present. I think it has passed the age limit." Cao Yong said to Li Shi and Chu Yu.

When Mrs. Li saw it, she picked out another jade pendant that turned into a fish and a dragon from the box, and said, "Look at the two of them are made of similar materials, and their color is also yellowish, so they look like a pair."

Cao Yong took it and looked at it with his hands. The two jade pendants are vivid in shape and simple and vivid in carving style.

"Huh?" Chu Yu was beside her, and said in surprise, "I've seen this jade pendant before!"

She pointed to the phoenix bird pendant that Cao Yong had just seen, and whispered to Mrs. Li: "Ma'am, the empress dowager wore this pendant once. When my daughter-in-law entered the palace when she was a child, she heard the empress dowager talk about this pendant with several empresses. It is said that it was given by the Empress Dowager during her lifetime, and it is a beloved item of her old lady. It seems to be from the court of the previous dynasty, and it is said to be a very old thing."

When Li heard this, her expression changed drastically, and she said with a bit of anxiety: "Did the Queen Mother forget that she was in this box and didn't pay attention to it. It's a good idea, let's send it back."

"Mother, don't be impatient. There are more than one or two things in this box that are valuable. Since it was a gift from the Empress Dowager, please keep it. To be honest, as long as it comes out of the Empress Dowager's Palace, which one is not valuable. Careful Speaking of it, I'm afraid that these things have some origins." Cao Yong said calmly, comforting his mother.

The queen mother has been the "mother of a country" for more than [-] years, and I am afraid that she has a "treasure house" in her hands.

Although Cao Yong has no greedy heart, but looking at these things, he also pondered in his heart.If you can accumulate these things, find a jar, and bury them deep in the ground, will it be regarded as a "national treasure" for the country?

The Empress Dowager also gave a lot of things before, and they were not vulgar things, but not as many as this time.

Chu Yu also persuaded: "Yes, what the son-in-law said is right. Since the empress dowager bestowed it, the wife should keep it. Since the empress dowager is kind, it would be unbeautiful for the wife to decline."

After hearing what her son and daughter-in-law said, Mrs. Li finally felt relieved.Seeing that Chuyu refused to choose, she sent the pair of jade pendants to Cao Yong, saying: "The one with the dragon and the phoenix is ​​just right for Yonger and his wife."

Chu Yu was a bit afraid to accept it, and said, "My wife should keep it, this is too expensive."

Mrs. Li said with a smile: "You should wear expensive ones. You are the eldest son and daughter-in-law of our family. From now on, the master and I will rely on you to support us."

While talking, Mrs. Li picked out another pair of peony flower tines and a pair of begonia flower tines, asked someone to take the box and put them away, and handed them to Chu Yu, saying, "You are usually too simple and elegant, and young people also want to bring some flowers." Ah grass is good."

Chu Yu took it with both hands, thanked her mother-in-law, and said in a low voice, "I don't like those."

Mrs. Li shook her head, and said: "Don't get used to him too much, or as time goes on, he will get used to it and want uncle even more."

When Chu Yu heard this, she just pursed her lips and smiled, not knowing how to respond; Cao Yong was amazed when she heard the words, her mother was always the most virtuous, how did this teach her daughter-in-law "the way to control her husband"?

"Mother, did you eat something wrong for dinner?" Cao Yong couldn't help but asked.

Mrs. Li gave her son a white look, and said with a smile: "It was the queen mother who ordered me to protect me and not let me be wronged. If the master gets angry with me, her old man will make the decision for me and punish the master to the empress dowager." Kneeling in front of the harem...and saying that I shouldn't be too submissive, and I have to show off in the future..."

After hearing this, Cao Yong couldn't imagine what it would look like if Cao Yin, who usually looked at Fang Zheng and serious, was kneeling in front of the Empress Dowager's palace.

Chu Yu's face was smiling, and she was already sighing inwardly.The one who can make the Queen Mother so close and pampered, except for the fifth elder brother who was once raised in the Queen Mother's Palace, is probably her own tall mother-in-law.It's a pity that my mother-in-law is pure and kind-hearted, and never thought about the strange things...

(End of this chapter)