Reborn in the last years of Kangxi

Chapter 69

Capital City, Cao Mansion, West Courtyard.

Because she got the letter and knew that Cao Yong was going back to the house today, Amethyst got up early with a few maids.The courtyard on the west side was renamed Sunflower Courtyard as early as April.Because Cao Yong lived here, the people in the side yard always shouted awkwardly, so he wanted to change his name.

Most of the courtyards in the mansion are named according to the plants and trees planted in the courtyard, for example: the banyan courtyard where Mr. Zhuang Xi lived, the orchid courtyard where Mrs. Li lived after coming here, the chrysanthemum courtyard and osmanthus courtyard next to the garden, and the idle courtyard in the east. Pine Courtyard, Bamboo Courtyard, Huai Courtyard adjacent to Cao Yong's residence.

The courtyard where Cao Yong is is clean and clean, but the vegetation is sparse, only a few plantains at the door as a shadow wall.Whether it's the Bayuan or the Jiaoyuan, it sounds funny enough.There is a small flowerbed in the yard, some sunflower seeds were accidentally thrown by the little maids, and several sunflower seedlings grew.Cao Yong thought that the golden sunflowers were beautiful, so he asked the maids not to pull them out, and take care of them carefully, so the yard was renamed Sunflower Courtyard.

"Sister Zijing, what happened between Zhao An's family and Qian Kang's family!" the servant girl Zhu'er said at the door.

Zijing is looking at a list of seasonal clothes in the East Wing. Now that the uncle is the prince's companion, his status is different from before, and he needs to add more clothes of different colors. He can no longer let his temper and only choose fine cloth materials to save money. Lost identity, provoking jokes.

Zhao An's family is Cao Yong's former maid, Huixin, also known as Tortoise, who was originally a second-class maid beside the old matriarch, but was later pointed out to serve Cao Yong.She is one year younger than Zijing, and she was older two years ago. She married Zhao An, the son of the concierge in the south, and after she got married, she still worked as an errand in the mansion there.Qian Kang's family belonged to Anxiang, another maid of Cao Yong when he was a child, and she was released when she grew up to marry Qian Kang, a son of the family in the house.

When Cao Yong went to Beijing, he took only a few people to wait on him, among them: three maids, two long followers and one servant.Then Cao Yong had an accident in the capital and was beaten into a "serious injury". Li got the letter and went to Beijing in person. Because he thought that his son was not enough manpower, and the servants in the mansion here were unfamiliar, he was afraid that he would not be good at ordering him, so he went to the capital. He brought Zhao An and Qian Kang with him.

Hearing about Zhao An's family and Qian Kang's family, Zijing put down the clothes list in her hand and said, "Call them in!"

The mansion in the capital city has been empty for many years, and Cao Zhong's family was in charge of the Ermenli's affairs.Cao Zhong's family is over 50 years old, and he is not in good health. After Cao Yong came to Beijing, he lived in the mansion here.Cao Zhong's family was a bit careless, but luckily Zijing took over and everything was in order.Although Amethyst is a domestic slave in terms of her status, she is a maidservant who served the old matriarch, and she is respected by Cao Yong. All the stewards in the mansion call her "girl", and those of the younger generation rush to call her "sister". ".

Zhao An's family and Qian Kang's family were all dressed up as young women, and when they came in, they were shorter: "Sister Zijing!" The two of them knew Zijing from the south, and they still used the old address.

Zijing smiled and got up: "I'm so busy in and out of the house today, why do you have time to come to my side? Sit down and talk, there are so many rules between us sisters!"

Zhao An's family and Qian Kang's family sat down in response, and then Qian Kang's family got up first, and said, "Sister Zijing, Mr. Zhuang paid another ten taels of silver to the teahouse today. This month, from the first day of the new year to Today, I paid 230 taels of silver without pulling every day. I told him yesterday that my uncle is coming back today, but Mr. Zhuang is still out!"

The Mr. Zhuang that Qian Kang's family talked about was the teacher Cao Yin hired for his son, and he came to Beijing from Jiangning in April.

Zijing pondered for a moment: "Uncle specially ordered before leaving, don't neglect Mr. Zhuang, if you use silver money, you can withdraw it at will under a thousand taels. In the letter to Uncle two months ago, I mentioned that Mr. Zhuang likes to go out to drink tea. Son, the uncle said to let him go. In the future, for things like this, just keep the accounts as usual, after all, the uncle knows it well!"

"Yes, I got it!" Qian Kang's family agreed, and then sat down.

Zhao An's family saw that Qian Kang's family had returned from their errands, got up and said: "Sister Zijing, the cousin of Juyuan is not feeling well today, and she wants to rest for two days before learning the rules. , that person is shy and stiff, but it looks like he is really not in good health!"

After hearing this, Zijing frowned slightly: "These nuns are really confused, that nobleman is waiting for re-election with the Palace Liu brand, so they can handle it casually. On the side of the county prince's mansion, it is suppressed by Fujin." I don’t dare to be presumptuous, and now come to our house to be a domineering blessing!” As he said, he stood up: “Because she is a relative of the old matriarch’s natal family, my wife specially came here to take care of her, if it’s because of some ignorant mothers If you offend her, all of us are guilty!"

*
Outside the Anding Gate, Cao Yong led Xiao Man and Wu En into the city on horseback, and the two brothers of the Wei family followed behind on horseback.Ever since they knew that Shengjia was coming to Beijing today, the two brothers left the city early and stood guard outside the Changchun Garden to welcome Cao Yong back.

The two men had been by Cao Yong's side for eight years, and they had watched him grow up. The sudden half-year separation really worried them.It wasn't until noon today that the two brothers were relieved to see Cao Yong came out of Changchun Garden safely and soundly.

Cao Yong saw the two brothers of the Wei family, and asked about the recent situation of his mother, Li Shi, and his elder sister, Ping Wang Fujin. Only then did he know that his mother had gone back to the south at the end of August, and that his elder sister gave birth to a little elder brother safely a few days ago.Cao Yong was a little disappointed. He thought that after returning, he could stay with his mother for a few days and take a good look around the scenery of the capital with his mother.However, he was relieved afterwards that the family in the south was a big family matter. After all, Cao Yi was young and it was his daughter's family.

*
West of the city, Cao Mansion, the gate.

A blue-covered carriage was parked, and an old man with a white beard got out of the carriage.

The chief housekeeper, Cao Zhong, stepped forward and said, "Physician Chen, I'm sorry to trouble you again!"

The old man waved his hand: "I have been friends with your house for several lifetimes, what are you talking about!"

The two were exchanging greetings, only to hear the sound of "da da" horseshoes, and Cao Yong rode back on horseback.

The person who got on and off the carriage was a family friend of the Cao family, the Imperial Physician Chen who served in the imperial hospital, came from a medical family, his elder brother was once the envoy of the imperial hospital, and was sent to the south by Kangxi in the early years to take care of the old grandma of the Sun family.After careful calculation, the two have been friends for decades.Before Cao Yong left Beijing, he had met Chen Taiyi twice, so he recognized him. He hurriedly got off his horse, saluted as a junior, and said, "So it's Mr. Chen. Cao Yong pays his respects to you!"

Doctor Chen stroked his beard, looked at Cao Yong, smiled thoughtfully, and said, "Brother Yong is getting taller, and his appearance is getting better and better. I heard that your mother was going to help you negotiate marriage a while ago. I don't know whose daughter is cheaper!"

How does everyone know about this?Cao Yong was slightly embarrassed.Every time this doctor Chen saw him, he would try to make fun of him. He heard that there was a granddaughter in his family who was about the same age as Cao Yong and wanted to marry the Cao family.However, at the moment, Imperial Physician Chen should not be here to gossip about family affairs. Cao Yong looked behind him, and there was a young man carrying a medicine box.

"Master!" Cao Zhong, the housekeeper, came over and gave Cao Yong a thousand.

Cao Yong stretched out his hand to support him: "Everything is fine in the house, which one is sick, why bother Mr. Chen to come over?"

Cao Zhong replied: "Talking back to my uncle, everything in the house is fine. It's because Miss Biao from Changzhou who is waiting for election in Beijing is slightly ill, so I specially invited Imperial Physician Chen over."

"Miss Changzhou Biao, the daughter of the aunt who married into Chen's family?" Cao Yong thought of a relative when he heard Changzhou.The old matriarch has a niece from her natal family who is related to the Chen family of the Han Army Banner. The niece and son-in-law seem to have been working as Daotai in Changzhou in recent years.

"Going back to my uncle, it's the cousin of the Chen family who came to Beijing in August. My wife was there at the time. Because no one in the Chen family was in Beijing, she received us to live temporarily!" Cao Zhong replied.

Although this relative is not too far away, it's not too close either. Why didn't the mother avoid suspicion and arrange it at her own house?Cao Yong was suspicious, but with the old doctor Chen at his side, he didn't want to ask more questions, so he hurriedly said to the old doctor: "It turns out that you are a nobleman waiting to be elected, no wonder I want to trouble you, old man, please come to the mansion to have a cup of tea!"

Seeing that the man behind Cao Yong was carrying luggage, Chen Taiyi knew that he had just come back from the outside, so he let him take care of himself and follow the housekeeper to see patients.

Cao Yong rode the horse all morning, and there was a lot of dust on his body, and he was not polite to the old doctor, so he went back to the hospital to change his clothes.Xiaoman is a servant, and Cao Yong let him go down to rest if he didn't enter the second gate.Wu En followed Cao Yong cautiously, very well-behaved and docile.

*
Cao Mansion, Sunflower Courtyard.

The maid Cui'er was cleaning the dead leaves of plantains at the door, and when she saw Cao Yong coming in, she said happily, "Master is back!"

Hearing the voice, another maidservant in green came out of the room, and greeted her with a smile: "It's true that the master is back, the servants have been waiting for several days!"

Cao Yong didn't see Zijing, he was a little surprised: "Zhu'er, Cui'er, why are you two here? Where are your sister Zijing, Chai'er and Huan'er?"

Zhuer and Tweety were brought by Cao Yong to Jiangning, and they were the big maids in Cao Yong's room.The chai'er and Huan'er that Cao Yong asked about were also one of the big maids. They were selected from the children born in the mansion here after they arrived in the capital.Originally not called this name, Cao Yong was too lazy to think of a name for them again and let Amethyst arrange it.Zijing gave the two new names following Zhu'er and Tweety'er's names.

Hearing Cao Yong's question, Zhu'er replied: "Sister Zijing went to the chrysanthemum courtyard. I heard that Miss Cousin over there is not feeling well. Chai'er and Huan'er are in the kitchen, looking down at the uncle. Ready to eat!"

Cao Yong nodded, and said: "Call a few people to bring water over, the body is full of dust, you have to wash it well." He said, pointing to Wu En: "I brought her back from Mongolia, and she will be ours in the future. People in the house, she is still young, you should take care of her more, don't arrange errands!"

(End of this chapter)