Reborn in the last years of Kangxi

Chapter 776
Cao Yong was not surprised to see these "black-hearted cotton" from the Kangxi Dynasty in front of him.It was less than a hundred years after the Manchus entered the customs, and this corruption was more serious than the previous dynasties.He really doubted whether the Manchu Qing regime could have lasted for more than two hundred years without the decades of Yongzheng connecting the past and the future.

Brother Sixteen's face turned blue, and he frowned and said to Cao Yong: "It is said that the bitter cold in Urumqi is better than that in Ninggu Pagoda. What's the use of such cotton clothes over there?"

Cao Yong nodded and said: "Yes, the Northwest sergeant may not be able to enjoy the grace of the emperor this time. I heard that the emperor allocated 2 taels of silver from the inner treasury for the [-] pieces of cotton clothes. Silverfish's hand."

Brother Sixteen was angry and embarrassed again.

Now that the empress dowager is in mourning and the emperor's father is ill, if this is stabbed in front of the emperor, I'm afraid it will destroy the dragon's body; if it is concealed, the cotton-padded clothes that cannot keep out the cold will only increase the waste of the army if it goes to the northwest, which is also inappropriate.

Elder Sixteen only felt a pain in his temple, when he heard someone's footsteps in the yard, and then someone said hello.

Why is he here?

Brother Sixteen and Cao Yong looked at each other suspiciously.

At this moment, someone has already picked up the curtain and came in, with a white robe on the python clothes and a tassel on the hat, it is the fourteenth elder brother.

When he entered the room, his eyes fell directly on the few cotton-padded clothes that had been cut open to reveal the cotton wool on the desk.

"Brother Fourteen (Master Fourteen)." Brother Sixteen and Cao Yong both got up and met.

The fourteenth elder brother's face was ashen, he stepped forward to pick up a cotton padded jacket, snorted coldly, and said bitterly: "Is this Huang Ama's 'grace'?"

After speaking, he realized that he had made a slip of the tongue. In the eyes of outsiders, it seemed that he was dissatisfied with the emperor's father.He glanced at Elder Sixteen and Cao Yong next to him, twitched the corners of his mouth and said: "Those servants are so brave, and the errands that Huang Ama told me, some people are blinded by profit."

Cao Yong watched his nose with his eyes and his heart with his nose, and remained silent.

The [-] pieces of cotton-padded clothes were paid by Kangxi from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the matter was handled by officials from the Ministry of War.After all, this is a military supply, and it is different from others.

Whether it is the Ministry of Internal Affairs or the Ministry of War, they all don't want to do it with Cao Yong.

Now, it is New Year's Eve, and it will take several months for the cotton coat to be transported to the northwest, and the weather will be warm by then.

However, judging from the cotton padded clothes, the ones worn by the soldiers in the Northwest may not be much better.After all the military affairs in the past few years, the people in the Yamen of the Ministry of War are thinking about the designation of reaching out to make money, not just one or two.

Seeing the atmosphere of the fourteenth elder brother, the sixteenth elder brother's eyes lit up.

He also showed a bit of righteous indignation, and then said: "Yes, Brother Fourteen, my younger brother is also annoyed by this matter. But there is nothing you can do about it. Anyone in the military department can order it to move? In the usual way, younger brother Report to the imperial court early, and ask Huang Ama to make a decision. Now that the empress dowager is in funeral, Huang Ama is already uncomfortable, so it is not easy to spare him with these things."

Brother Fourteen gritted his teeth, not knowing what to think.

Elder Sixteen said again: "It's just that I suffered from the soldiers in the Northwest, chasing the enemy for the court, but was fooled by these unscrupulous things. Funing'an is smooth, and he will never offend the masters of the Ministry of War for these."

"How can you be a general who wants to be famous?" The fourteenth elder brother listened, his expression turned colder, and he raised his chin and said: "This matter is related to military affairs, and there is no need for the sixteenth brother to worry about it. I will personally ask who dares to fool the master? Except The [-] pieces that have been sewn, Huang Ama will allow another [-] pieces, Brother Sixteen just ask the Ministry of Internal Affairs to prepare the money."

In the 54th year of Kangxi, when Cewang Allah Butan invaded Hami, Fu Ning'an, who was the Minister of the Ministry of Officials, was ordered to sit in the northwest, and this year he was named General Jingni.

He was born in the prime minister's mansion, served as a bodyguard in the early years, later served as the governor, and then changed from a military officer to a civil servant, and then became a minister of the Ministry of officials. This is one of the most important ministers of Kangxi in recent years.

Because of his good reputation, he was praised by the royal mouth, so the fourteenth elder brother said that he was "fishing for fame".Such disgust is only because the other party can be in the northwest, and the fourteenth elder brother can only be detained in the capital.

This Funing'an was hated by the fourteenth elder brother, and he thought that he would suffer a lot in the next few years.But this is also his blessing, if he is treated by the fourteenth elder brother, then the suffering will be doubled in the future.

Hearing that the fourteenth elder brother asked for money, the sixteenth elder brother obediently agreed.The fourteenth elder brother glanced at Cao Yong, his eyes were a little deep, and asked: "Sixteenth brother, Cao Yong discovered the problem with this cotton coat?"

Elder Sixteen quickly shook his head and said: "He is not working in the Ministry of Internal Affairs anymore, why would he think about cotton clothes? I heard that the officers of the Ministry of War have been more comfortable recently, so I thought of this. It happened that Cao Yong came over and called He caught up."

Six yamen have been sealed.

National mourning and filial piety, high-ranking people keep more days, while low-ranking ones only enter the palace on a few days, and the days are comfortable.

The fourteenth elder brother said "oh", without saying anything, he said a few words to the sixteenth elder brother indiscriminately, and left first.

Now, he is the elder brother who is the director of the Ministry of War. His reputation should be cherished as well as his prestige.Taking advantage of this batch of cotton clothes, he still has a big fit, so naturally he has no spare time to grind his teeth with Elder Sixteen.

After he left, Elder Sixteen and Cao Yong were relieved.

"Take this as an opportunity, I'm afraid the Fourteenth Master will put manpower in the military supplies." Cao Yong said.

It seems that the fourteen elder brothers will go out on behalf of the emperor as known in history.

"Seeking benevolence and benevolence, he is thinking about going to the northwest, so naturally he will not be willing to compromise the troops there. He is also alone now. When myna was there in the early years, the ninth brother and the tenth brother always took the myna as the leader and would take care of him. Now that the starling is gone, the ninth brother has a grudge against the fourteenth brother in his heart, so it would be strange if he would help him." Speaking of this, the sixteenth brother took a bit of gloating: "Except that it came out of the belly of the concubine De, Plus Huang Ama's favor, what kind of ability does he have?"

"Brother Fourteen is not a fool. Knowing these shortcomings, he will definitely seek allies. Otherwise, how dare he leave Beijing rashly? Lord Sixteen will see, who will Lord Fourteen look for?" Cao Yong lowered his volume and said, "Master Fifteen Over there, I'm afraid it has nothing to do with it."

"I've tried to persuade him so much, but I have nothing to do. Brother [-] alone is not enough. Brother [-] will think of another way." Speaking of this, brother [-] took a look at Cao Yong and said: " Furuo, who do you think he will look for?"

Cao Yong stretched out a hand, and then put away his thumb.

The sixteenth elder brother "haha" laughed twice, and said: "That's right, it seems that in the first month, Concubine De will have to tell the fourth sister-in-law to enter the palace a few more times."

The fourteenth elder brother will stand in the new year, not the arrogant elder brother who acted according to his preferences in the early years.

In his eyes, I am afraid that there are only those who can be used and those who cannot.

*
Ningshou Palace, side hall.

The twelfth elder brother, with a bit of respect, drank tea with the fourth elder brother, and the one who stood on the ground and answered was Cao Qi, the head of the Ningshou Palace teahouse.

The twelfth elder brother glanced at the fourth elder brother, and seeing that he did not speak, he gave Cao Qi a few words and ordered him to go down.

The fourth elder brother remained indifferent until he was about to leave, before he said to the twelfth elder brother: "These days, you are so tired. The funeral is only half over, and you still have to endure it. You should also take care of yourself."

He has always been honest with others, Elder Brother Twelve has always been more afraid of this imperial brother than being close to him, how has he ever heard such soft words.

For a moment, he was stunned.

The fourth elder brother didn't look at him, and said casually: "I have two good ginseng plants, and I will send someone to your house tomorrow. See how much you have lost, so you can make up for it..."

Elder Brother Twelve was really flattered and quickly thanked him.

The fourth elder brother waved his hand, didn't say anything, got up and left.The twelfth elder brother personally delivered it to the gate of Ningshou Palace, and watched the figure of the fourth elder brother leave before turning back...

*
In the Yonghe Palace, Concubine De was sitting on the soft couch, looking at her son with some distress: "Are you exhausted from working in Ningshou Palace all day? Have dinner here, and Er Niang asked someone to prepare your favorite food." pot."

The fourteenth elder brother looked at the stool sitting on the side of the kang, his face no longer had the strong color of the main hall of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and said with a smile: "The relationship is good. I have endured a long time these days, and I am a little tired. I just feel tired." Appetite. With the hot sauerkraut pot, if you can use two more bowls of rice, it's still because my mother loves her son."

"Look, Hongchun and Hongming are about to reach the grade for marriage. You are like a child as an Ama, so we can be more stable." Concubine De blamed with a smile.

The fourteenth elder brother smiled and said: "Don't say it's a son marrying a daughter-in-law, or a grandson marrying a daughter-in-law. In front of Er Niang, the son is still like this. The other sons don't know, but the son only knows that the Empress loves her son the most in this world, and the son also loves her." All I want is to be filial to my mother, nothing else."

A daughter in the palace has no husband, only the emperor's master.The only man who can be relied on is a son.

After hearing Elder Fourteen's words, Concubine De's face became more benevolent, but she pretended to be stern and gave Elder Fourteen a look, and said: "If you are filial, you won't make people angry because of that little hoof outside. As a prince, you should know that women can't be favoritized, delaying the reproduction of offspring is a big deal."

Hearing this, Fourteenth Elder Brother didn't try to defend himself, instead he felt a little dejected, bowed his head and said, "Er Niang, Hongxuan is only twelve years old... My son's illness should have been known to the outside world over the years, so how dare we talk about it?" Adding children..."

Concubine De felt regretful when she saw this, she took Fourteenth Elder Brother's hand, and said, "Didn't you just take the medicine from the imperial physician? It was Er Niang's slip of the tongue, don't be annoyed. How old are you? Where's Brother Tim?"

The fourteenth elder brother was only depressed for a moment, then raised his head, still in high spirits, and said, "Don't worry, Er Niang, my son will not worry about this. My son already has four sons and four daughters under his knees. Among the sons of Huang Ama , sons and heirs are not the most, nor are they few. Besides, Hongchun and Hongming have reached the age of marrying wives and having children, so adding grandchildren is just a matter of a blink of an eye. Don't worry, my son will not become a member of the Aixinjueluo family. sinner."

Concubine De smiled and nodded, she had already made up her mind that in the next year's draft, she would choose a few good girls for her son.

The fourteenth elder brother said a few words with Concubine De, and said: "By the way, Er Niang, my son wants to visit the Fourth Brother's house. I also ask Er Niang to give you something, so that my son does not go empty-handed."

Concubine De couldn't help frowning when she heard this, and said: "Isn't it right that we will see you at Ningshou Palace all day long? Do you still have to hurry over there? If you have something to do with him, Er Niang will send someone to send him here."

Brother Fourteen waved his hands with a smile, and said: "It's nothing, it's just that the son wants to find a way to get out of the palace to get some air, and it's hard to go empty-handed in this new year, so I'm bothering my mother to spend money."

Concubine De glanced at him, and said, "I knew I was here to take advantage of Er Niang. It's cheap for you, and I happened to have a few bottles of loquat cream newly made by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. I heard that your fourth brother's side Fujin Nianshi was ill again, so you can take advantage of it." Send it over there."

Elder Fourteen was overjoyed, at this moment, Concubine De had already asked the Grand Palace Maid to fetch a lot of ointment...

*
Although banquets and banquets are not allowed during national funerals, this kind of human relationship is unavoidable.

On the days when he was not in the palace, Cao Yong took the place of his father, gave gifts and received guests, and was seriously busy for several days.

On the other side of the East Mansion, everyone was also busy.

Fortunately, Cao Yin gradually recovered, making Cao Yong feel relieved.What he meant was that after the end of the year, the funeral ceremony in the palace was over, and the father and mother were sent to Changping Zhuangzi to recuperate.

On Cao Yin's side, what he cares most about is the exams of his two nephews.There are less than two months left before Chunwei, which is the time to sharpen your guns.

Hearing that Cao Fu replaced Cao Song to entertain relatives and friends, Cao Yin disagreed very much.Otherwise, on New Year's Eve, when there was ancestor worship and reunion dinner, he would directly drive his nephews to Haidian Zhuangzi to prepare for the exam.

Because of this, he talked to Cao Yong several times.

Hearing his father's words, Cao Yong could understand his desire to become a scholar in the imperial examination.After all, this royal favor is nothing more than taking care of the family for one or two generations.If the aristocratic family wants to pass on, it is the foundation for the descendants to not decline.

After the Manchus entered the customs, only the two emperors, the mainstay of the imperial court, were the sons and daughters of aristocratic families whose father and son had passed the imperial examination for several generations.

Cao Yong began to reflect on whether he was too lenient to God bless them.

Children are still young and do not know the importance of reading.Whoever said that it is useless to select a scholar based on stereotyped essays is no different from the college entrance examination in later generations.

Reading can sharpen your mind; reading can also cultivate your sentiment.

Even if the sons aspire not to be officials in the future, but reading and knowing the etiquette is the foundation of a person.

But there is one thing that needs to be noticed right now, that is, there is Qian Chenqun, a famous Jiangnan scholar in Haidian Zhuangzi.For the Chinese New Year, the garden over there is deserted, Cao Yong thought of this, and specially asked someone to prepare a new year's goods and send them to the Haidian garden.

There is also Li Wei who is celebrating the new year in the capital. Although he seldom comes to Cao's house this year, he still has etiquette.

Thinking of Li Wei's carefree appearance, Cao Yong felt a little nostalgic for the lively scene in the mansion in the past.

Regarding the change of the daughter-in-law in charge of Meiyuan, Tian's side was not happy, but felt a little uneasy, found Zijing, and said quietly: "Miss Zijing, the other yards are fine, only this side, will it be okay?" Make grandma feel bored?"

Originally, this was all the master's business, Zijing couldn't say much about it.But there are some things that Cao Yong is inconvenient to say, but Chu Yu said it here, and Tian only took it as a courtesy.

Therefore, Zijing thought for a while, and said: "Grandma Tian, ​​it's not that I'm partial to my uncle. In my heart, I treat Young Master Song and Young Master Bai just like my own children. Otherwise, I wouldn't buy a pack of snacks from outside, and I would Let's share it here."

After hearing this, Tian nodded and said, "I know Master Cao's great kindness, and I am grateful for it."

Zijing sighed, and said: "Even if the uncle takes care of her again, in the future, Master Song and Master Bai will have to support the family. Now the uncle is taking care of her, and the eldest grandma treats her differently. Grandma Tian can take care of her daughter-in-law." I have wronged the young masters by coercing them. If the family is separated in the future, how will Grandma Tian be in charge of the family without the uncle and grandma? It is said that women are weak, but mothers are strong. Seeing the young master wearing an uncomfortable jacket, Shivering in the cold wind, Grandma Tian, ​​a mother, is she willing?"

What she said made Tian feel ashamed, so she heard Zijing continue: "If Grandma Tian had said it earlier, it would not have developed to such a degree that it would make uncle feel ashamed and grandma feel ashamed."

When Tian heard this, she couldn't sit still anymore, she stood up, and said awkwardly: "It's all mine, why don't I go and accompany Grandma?"

After Zijing heard this, she quickly waved her hands and said, "Grandma Tian is somewhere else, Grandma is thinking of how to compensate you, won't it make Grandma feel more uncomfortable if you talk about it?"

Hearing this, Mrs. Tian was a little undecided, and said, "Miss Zijing, what should I do?"

"I just ask Grandma Tian to be considerate of the grandpa's caring heart, and don't wrong yourself and the young masters. There are rules in everything. If the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law in this yard have short rules, tell me or grandma, and don't Grandma Tian is in trouble." Zijing said earnestly.

Where did Tian have an idea of ​​his own, he has already nodded in agreement.

Seeing that she really didn't look like a housewife, Zijing could only sigh inwardly.Speaking of which, not to mention others, even the two sisters, Lianqiu and Xiqiu, are more sensible than Grandma Tian...

*
Dongcheng, Jiubeizi's mansion, in the study.

Brother Jiu picked up a cigarette in his hand, took a puff, puffed out the clouds, and said with a sneer on his face, "It's really the sun coming out from the west. I didn't expect the fourteenth to start thinking about the fourth? Isn't that What is the joke? Short-sighted, these years he has grown old and not knowledgeable. With his weight, if he wants to swallow the fourth child, he may not know how to die?"

What he held in his hand was a handmade cigarette made according to Cao Yong's description.

This tobacco has been cured, which is different from the raw tobacco leaves sold in tobacco shops, so it has a mellow aroma.As soon as this thing came out, Brother Jiu fell in love with it, and he had to use two of them every day to feel comfortable.

On the small stool opposite him, sat an old scribe, Qin Daoran, a well-known Confucian in the Hanlin Academy.

After listening to Brother Nine, Qin Daoran twitched his beard and said, "Since the two and a half months since I returned to Beijing, Fourteenth Brother has already proposed three expeditions in front of the imperial court, and the Emperor has no intention of denying it. If the Northwest War can be quickly Pingding is fine, otherwise, if you choose one of the princes to go out on behalf of the emperor, I'm afraid it will fall on the head of the Fourteenth Lord."

Brother Jiu picked up the corner of his mouth, snorted coldly and said: "The old man is very biased, whichever is better, he is willing to give up if he doesn't praise him."

Qin Daoran hesitated for a moment, and said: "Jiu Ye, looking at the meaning of the fourteenth elder brother, it seems that he has given up on this side, otherwise he would not want to find the fourth elder brother. Although they are compatriots, they are not as close as ordinary people .”

"Give up? He's going to war, the fourth brother is in charge of food and grass, and let their brothers take over all the good things. It's a dream! Take my post and send someone to invite fourteenth brother. We two brothers should also be intimate." Ninth brother gritted his teeth and said. With a look of ferocity on his face...

*
It's the middle of the month, please ask for a monthly pass. . .

(End of this chapter)