Reborn in the last years of Kangxi

Chapter 904 Clouds and Mist
Not everyone is looking forward to getting ahead, such as Brother Jiu.

In the past two years, he repaired a garden in Rehe and enjoyed the days in Rehe very much.Who made him fatter and fatter, and couldn't stand the heat.

Although he knew that Prince Elder Brother would return to Beijing in June, Elder Brother Nine did not expect that it would be his and Elder Brother Ten's turn to do the errand.

Brother Jiu also ran to Yuqian deliberately, thinking about whether he could be relieved of his errands, but Kangxi only told him to do his errands well, and sent him to kneel down.

In the capital city in June, it is the hottest time, and the stove is like a stove.

Brother Jiu was not worried about resisting the edict, but he was not a diligent person either.Not to mention the "rectification" in Rehe for a few days, it was more than 300 miles from Rehe to the capital. He set off every morning in a carriage, and went to the post station to rest when the sun rose. He traveled for ten days.

If the tenth elder brother hadn't been impatient and really impatient, the ninth elder brother could still stay in Huairou and Miyun for a few days.The road dragged on, and it was already the end of June when the two elder brothers returned to the capital.

Even Elder Brother Shi, who never liked to worry, felt a little bit worried, and said: "Brother Ninth, Huang Ama knows about the long delay on the road, so I have to reprimand him, what should I do?"

Brother Nine gave him a blank look, and said: "Brother Ten only remembered this now, isn't it too late? I had written a note to Huang Ama long ago, saying that it was due to heatstroke on the road, which delayed the trip. Anyway, Huang Ama Those who know me are the least resistant to heat."

Speaking of this, he also took a bit of pride.

This "promising" is also a good thing, if it were anyone else, who would dare to delay the emperor's errand; only he has never paid much attention to political affairs, and the emperor did not really count on him, but let him have a name.

If he is really "conscientious and conscientious", I am afraid that he will be unsteady, and he will be the emperor's father.

This delay diverged from the manager of Beizi's mansion who went to Rehe to find someone.

When Brother Nine returned to Beijing, there was a difficult matter waiting for him.

"Fourteenth elder brother's outer house accidentally 'flooded'?" Ninth elder brother heard the news, his face darkened.

It's not when the sky is dry and things are dry, how can you "drain the water" when you are doing well?
Brother Jiu is the prince, so he dare not say anything else, he still has some knowledge.

For those who have anything to do with the rich and powerful, the "accident" is probably not an "accident".

Just like the seventh elder brother's "falling from the horse", it seems to be an "accident", but in fact the evil slave is mad and murders his master.

"Have you found out? Who did it?" Brother Nine asked.

The housekeeper bowed and replied: "Master, this happened just a while ago, I only know that no one was left alive, and the other servants are still being tracked down."

"Hands are hot enough!" Brother Jiu squinted his eyes, snorted coldly and said, "Is it the claws of those little brats from Wanyan's family?"

Although it was the fourteenth elder brother's outer house, not the ninth elder brother's, but after all, the fourteenth elder brother entrusted it to him before leaving, and he has taken care of it for the past few years.

The butler thought for a while, and replied: "Master, that doesn't sound like Fourteenth Fortune. Mrs. Wu is Fourteenth Master's favorite. Fourteenth Fujin also wanted to do something in his early years. Didn't Fourteenth Master give him a warning?"

Brother Jiu nodded, thinking of the "virtuous" Wanyan family who came before everyone, and said: "That's right, it shouldn't be her. Who is it that dares to commit murder in the inner city and is so rampant?"

He was only annoyed by the other party's arrogance, as for the people who were burned to death due to "running water", he didn't care about Brother Jiu: "I will pay 20 taels of silver to give Qiuhong's family a pension..."

Speaking of this, Brother Nine felt lucky.

Fortunately, he had prepared early, knowing that the more popular the fourteenth elder brother was, the more people would stare at the Wu family. A maid came out instead of Mrs. Wu.

The Wu family moved to a house under the name of Brother Nine and could not hide.

Even though there was no entrustment from the fourteenth elder brother, the ninth elder brother felt annoyed: "Check carefully, don't miss anything, but I want to see who is so brave and dares to break the ground..."

It is no secret among the clan that Wu is the favorite of the fourteenth elder brother.

Although she is not considered to be the official wife and concubine of Fourteenth Elder Brother, and she has not been included in the royal jade plate, many of the rich and powerful families in the capital know her.

When gossiping among the female relatives, they often talk about the fourteenth elder brother's pet, Wu's, and Ya'er's pet, Yang's, together.

Although Yang did not enter Prince Jian's mansion during his lifetime, he was the only favorite during his lifetime, which made the wives and concubines of the mansion shy away;

Earlier, some people speculated that this Prince Jian, Jifujin, had been robbed of the limelight by the Yang family. There were quite a few people waiting to see her jokes if he could accommodate the concubine.

Unlike Ji Fujin, who is not very old, but does things properly, without arrogance or jealousy, people can't find any faults.

Even the two elder brothers who were left behind by Fujin before treated their stepmother with sincerity and respect.

On Wu's side, it seems that she is not as decent as Yang's, and more like "Golden House Cangjiao". Few people have seen her.It is said that in the early years, the Fourteenth Fujin proposed to let Mrs. Wu enter the palace, but was rejected by the Fourteenth Elder Brother.

At first, everyone thought that the Fourteenth Elder Brother disliked Wu's status as an "official slave" and was too lowly to stand on the stage.

I don't want to, in the ten years since I got the Wu family, there have been no newcomers, nor a man or a woman by Elder Brother Fourteen's side.In this way, you can say anything.

You know, even when Yaerjiang A "only favored" the Yang family, he did not delay the addition of a family to the palace; when he was arranging the funeral for Yang's death, the palace also added side Fujin and Shu Fujin.

Mrs. Wu has long been a "fox spirit" who can charm people's hearts. Otherwise, why would the fourteenth elder brother be fascinated by a woman.

Strange to say, in the past before the accident, everyone thought that Fourteen Fujin was very popular, warm to others, would come to trouble again, treat the juniors close, treat the elders respectful, everyone should praise him.

When the fourteenth elder brother's house "runs into the water", everyone thinks that the fourteenth elder brother's favorite son, Mrs. Wu, has been buried in the flames, so they must "tsk tsk" twice and sigh a few words.

It was unanimous that they attributed this "accident" to Fourteen Fujin.

But within a few days, the rumors spread to Fourteen Fujin's ears. The words were so eloquent that even Fourteen Fujin's natal family thought she did it, and sent people into the palace to inquire.

Fourteen Fujin was really shocked and angry, ever since she knew about Wu's "accident", she felt uneasy in her bedroom.It's not that you are guilty of being a thief, but you are also guilty of not being a thief.

She knew it wasn't her size, even if she hated Wu Shi, she would not be so decisive and tear herself apart with her husband, but can her husband trust her?
Now, even her mother's family blamed her for being "reckless", how could Fourteen Fujin not be wronged?

She couldn't stand it any longer, and finally fell ill.

The imperial doctor only said that it was "stagnation of heart fire" and "exogenous wind evil", and let her rest with peace of mind.

I don't want to, in the eyes of others, she is sick at this time, and the real illness has become a "fake illness", and all kinds of gossip are unbearable...

Compared with the hustle and bustle of the capital, Rehe is much more peaceful.

On Taiwan's Fujian side, Cao Yong only knew that the imperial decree to attack Taiwan and suppress the rebellion had been issued, and now he was waiting for the good news from the Fujian Navy.

What makes people happy is that Shandong and Henan have successively sent news that it is raining.

Although seeing July, the rain is a bit late, but as long as there is no continuous drought, the rain will be good, the crops can be replanted, and the people will be less likely to starve to death.

The fourth elder brother also thinks so, and Cao Yong can see this from his relaxed expression.

As for Shanxi and Shaanxi, where there is no news of rainfall, the court's policies are different.

Shaanxi is in the northwest, and it needs to provide logistics for the Northwest army. If there is no chaos, Shi Shilun, the governor of water transport, has long been in Shaanxi to preside over the affairs of transporting grain to the west; If there is surplus grain”, the grain will be collected at a par price to help the victims.

Shanxi is in the hinterland of the Central Plains, and there are many troops stationed in the Eight Banners. Even if someone is dissatisfied with the imperial court's "robbing the rich and helping the poor", nothing will happen.

Although Kangxi rejected Cao Yong's relief policy and did not adopt it, it was not useless at all.

He also made a special decree to reprimand local officials, mentioning the disadvantages of officials embezzling food from local granaries.It's just that the decree only shows that he is a clear and clear king, and he is clear about the lack of food in the local granary, but there is no intention to strictly investigate and pursue it.

There is no other reason, but I still want the word "stability", not only beating and beating local officials, but not wanting to make waves because of this matter.

Cao Yong only felt sad, even though the old emperor knew that corrupt officials were rampant in this country, the people's livelihood was difficult, and the officialdom was stinky, he didn't have the courage to dig out the rotten flesh above.

However, although Kangxi "seeks perfection", he is not ignorant, and finally knows that the fourth elder brother is capable and sincere for the country and the people.

After the fourth elder brother recovered from his illness, Kangxi was lucky enough to have Wang Yuan, which seemed to resolve the rift between father and son due to different political views.

Inside and outside the palace, there was another picture of a loving father and a filial son, which made the third elder brother slander endlessly.

Even if he understands that the position is "indisputable", he will never make any small moves before.However, as the leader of the princes, it is impossible to completely give up.

Now, he only hoped that the emperor's father would live for two more years, and the fourteen elder brothers in the Northwest would be defeated, so maybe the throne would fall to him without a break.

Perhaps the position is different, and the perception is different.

In the early days, the third elder brother only thought that it was a good thing to be favored by the emperor's father if he followed the imperial court.

This year when I went to Rehe, hula la followed a bunch of princes, and the third elder brother couldn't help but think about it.

Rather than saying "favor", it is better to say "prevention". If there is no capable and independent prince in the capital, what is the emperor's father "preparing" for?
Don't think about it too much, it will make people tremble with fear.

In the comfortable life in Rehe, Cao Yong ushered in his 28th birthday.

Because it is not a whole life, the couple didn't want to make arrangements, but the vulgar customs in the officialdom, "three festivals and two longevity" are officials who must respect their superiors.

Especially when Cao Yong was promoted to the Minister of the Household Department, his birthday is no secret in officialdom.

As a result, there are quite a few birthday gifts from officials from the Ministry of Account Management and the Ministry of Internal Affairs.The Ministry of Households is directly under Cao Yong, and the House of Internal Affairs is where he stayed in the early years. Now many colleagues are still there. Everyone knows the friendship between Brother Sixteen and Cao Yong, and they are willing to maintain the relationship.

Cao Yuan from the capital city also wrote to him, and after mid-June, officials from the capital began to send birthday gifts to Cao's mansion, and relatives, friends, and old families also sent people to the door one after another.

As a result, Cao Yong couldn't keep a low profile, so he had to find a good restaurant, ordered two tables and waited for a meal in the garden, and thanked his colleagues.

As for the inner house, there were also two tables of wine, and Chuyu accompanied the female guests.

As for inviting theater troupes and acting in big plays, they are all exempted.Now that the northwest is fighting in the southwest, and the Central Plains is suffering from severe drought, Cao Yong dare not show off at this time.

Wouldn't it be wronged if he was targeted by the censor and randomly charged with crimes and offended Kangxi?

Among the princes and grandsons, Cao Yong only invited the fourth elder brother and the sixteenth elder brother who were officials in the same yamen.The fourth elder brother was "busy" with business, so he only sent gifts, and the sixteenth elder brother, together with Yi Duli, brought a few officials from the Ministry of Internal Affairs who Cao Yong knew well to have a drink.

In the hands of sixteenth elder brother, the emerald green one was the birthday gift Cao Yong gave him on his birthday a few days ago - the emerald cigarette holder.

Although Elder Sixteen quit opium, he was not spared because of the promotion of cigarettes in the capital in the past few years.

Cao Yong persuaded him several times, but he couldn't stop it. After all, this tobacco leaf is different from opium. It has been spread to China for hundreds of years, and the harm is not that great.

Even before there were no cigarettes, everyone smoked with pipes and pots for two to 300 years.

Fortunately, when it comes to cigarettes, Elder Sixteen regards them more as a pastime for men, and the eye addiction is not big, he just smokes one when others smoke.

Since Cao Yong couldn't persuade Brother Sixteen not to smoke, he found a piece of good jade and asked someone to carve a set of cigarette holders, and gave it to Brother Sixteen.

Cao Yong can't say whether it can be used as a deterrent, but he thinks that having a cigarette holder is better than not having one.

Unlike, this small cigarette holder has attracted the attention of the Mongolian prince.

The Mongolian princes have vast fiefdoms, cattle, sheep and slaves under their names, plus the rewards from the court, they cannot be said to be extremely rich, and they are much more generous than the princes of the imperial clan in the capital.

This cigarette has already been sold to various ministries in Mongolia by Nine Brothers.

Nowadays, it is common for Mongolian princes to carry a gold cigarette case or a silver cigarette case in their wallets.When meeting people, in addition to serving tea, you also need to smoke cigarettes.

But at this time, the cigarettes do not have filters, and the cigarettes cannot be smoked to the end, so half of a cigarette has to be thrown away.If you want to take two more puffs, you have to burn your fingers.

The cigarette holder in Elder Sixteen's hand caught many people's eyes. Many people asked where it came from, and wanted to ask Elder Sixteen to "transfer" it at a high price.

Brother Cao Yong would not "transfer" the birthday gift given by Cao Yong, but he was quick-witted, and immediately saw that this "cigarette holder" had a lot to do.

So, after reporting to Kangxi, some people hurried back to the capital.

A few days later, "inside made" cigarette holders appeared in Rehe.The materials are different, there are jade agate, gold and silver, some are inlaid with gemstones individually, and there are sets of different sizes.

Naturally, this novelty is expensive.

However, no one lacks these small coins, and even the face-saving Mongolian princes only buy expensive ones.

You know, this is an "inside-made" thing, even if outside craftsmen can imitate it, they don't have such exquisite craftsmanship.

In addition to their own use, many people also bought ten or twenty more.Those made of gold and jade can be used as gifts for relatives, and the worst thing is to buy only silver ones, which can be rewarded by others.

All of a sudden, cigarette holders can be seen everywhere in Rehe... Even those who didn't smoke cigarettes before, in order to show off their new cigarette holders, they still have packs of cigarettes in their pockets...

Otherwise, seeing everyone dragging long braids and wearing coats, Cao Yong would be confused in the clouds and fog...

*
Aww.It's the end of the month.Little KMB asks for a monthly pass...

(End of this chapter)