Chapter 71 Old Friend

Xicheng, Cao Mansion, front hall, small study room.

"Yinger, if you want the Cao family to be safe for a while, you can take care of that person. If you look at it in the long run, you will probably have to make an idea early!" Zhuang Xi said.

Cao Yong frowned when he heard this: "Sir, is this what my father meant?" He was quite dissatisfied with the Cao family. The Cao family was too close to the royal family, which made them passive everywhere. We should learn lessons. How can we get involved in the sewage of the throne? If there is any mistake, it will be the consequence of the family being confiscated and exterminated. In history, the defeat of the Cao family caused this disaster.

Zhuang Xi shook his head and said, "Ling Zun's loyalty has passed a little, and he has not thought about the safety of the family anymore!"

When Cao Yong thought about the origin of the Cao family's huge debt, he suddenly felt a little powerless. The Cao family seemed to have already stood in the line without realizing it. Although Kangxi knew that the Cao family was a pure minister, in the eyes of outsiders, he was afraid that the Cao family had long regarded it as a princeling. After all, the Cao family has served as one of the resources of the prince in the past ten or twenty years.

In Cao Yin's eyes, loyalty to the monarch and loyalty to the crown prince selected by the monarch is just a matter of the minister. However, how could other people think this way?

"After counting the emperors of various generations after the Qin and Han dynasties, only three or five people reigned for more than 40 years, and only Hanwu was reigned for more than 50 years. It has been forty-eight years since the end of the throne, and he has led his troops to fight in person many times." Zhuang Xi said.

Zhuang Xi was absent-minded, but Cao Yong understood what he meant. Not many emperors in ancient times lived longevity, and Kangxi was in his twilight years. Everyone thought this was the case, otherwise all civil and military officials would not be so keen on making friends with the prince.

Cao Yong laughed in his heart. It was only the 48th year of Kangxi, and there were thirteen years before the 61st year of Kangxi. At this time, it was a pity to please the prince.

"Sir, I have seen the emperor several times in the past few months. Even when I was sick, I could still drive two stone bows. Although there are not many emperors in ancient and modern times who have been in power for more than fifty years, it is not uncommon for those who have lived for more than seventy years. If so, how should I deal with it?" Cao Yong asked.

"If so..." Zhuang Xi let go of his eyebrows and pondered.

"If so..." Cao Yong's eyes were filled with calmness.

The teachers and students each wrote the one-four idioms on the desk and looked at each other and smiled.

After talking to Zhuang Xi, Cao Yong returned to Kyushou after having dinner together in the front hall.

*

Kwaiyuan, go to the room.

It is late autumn now, and even if a charcoal basin is set up in the house, it cannot dispel the heavy coolness.

The lights were already lit in the room, and Amethyst brought a few maids to do work on the kang on the east side. When he heard Cao Yong come back, he all came out to meet him, waiting for the changing clothes, holding water, and throwing the veil.

Smelling the smell of alcohol on Cao Yong's body, Zi Jing smiled and said, "Sir, I'm too polite to the uncle. I'll go to the royal palace tomorrow!"

Cao Yong replied, "Talk to the sir and say you're happy. Don't worry, just drank a few cups and a liang of wine! Did you eat the beef sauce I asked someone to send? That one tasted better than the one in our mansion!"

Since the old lady passed away, Amethyst began to eat half a vegetarian food. On the 15th day of the lunar month, her diet became lighter and lighter on weekdays. Cao Yong was afraid that after this time, Amethyst would become less and less angry. He was afraid that she would become a monk and become a sister-in-law by then, so he often advised her to eat some meat on weekdays.

Zijing nodded: "Thank you for your concern. I ate a lot, so I ate half a bowl of rice. It has a faint fragrance of herbs and no smell of meat. It is indeed a good thing. I can't blame everyone for going out to restaurants!"

"Since you like to eat, say hello to the purchasing in the kitchen. Buy it once every three or five days. It's not something you can't afford!" Cao Yong said while taking the wet towel to wipe his face.

"Just try it out. There is a certain rule in the kitchen. I have no shame to break the rules for my own greed!" Amethyst fiddled with the embroidery work in his hand and said.

After Cao Yong wiped his face, he handed the towel to Zhu'er. Seeing that she had wrapped several clothes layer by layer, he thought that Amethyst and the others were all from the south, so he was afraid that he could not stand the coldness in Beijing, so he said to Amethyst: "Don't there be a kang in our house? If it's cold today, let's get burned early to save you some cold!"

After hearing this, several maids covered their mouths and laughed. Cui'er, who had always spoken quickly, said, "Listening to the uncle, it can be seen that he is not a good person!"

Cao Yong was laughed inexplicably by several maids. Thinking about what he had just said, there seemed to be nothing wrong with listening.

Zijing pointed at Zhuer and Cuier with her fingers: "Who said 'Sister Zijing, why haven't you burned the kang yet' two days ago? Now she smiled with a shameless face and said, "

Zhu'er, Cui'er smiled but didn't answer. Cao Yong heard it and knew that there was an allusion in it: "Oh, it seems that there is nothing wrong with this kang burning, who will tell me!"

When Zi Jing saw Cao Yong come in, Chai'er and Huan'er were always restrained, she said to Chai'er: "Chai'er, tell me, there are indeed many rules in the north that are different from those in the south!"

"Yes, Sister Amethyst!" Chai'er responded first, and then said to Cao Yong: "Uncle, there are some specialties in burning the kang, but it is not burned every day when it is cold. The north is about not covering the windows in September or moving in. On the first day of October, worshiping ancestors and visiting tombs, and sending cold clothes to the ancestors to burn the kang and warm the house."

When Cao Yong heard this, he found it strange that although he lived in Beijing for more than 20 years in his previous life, the fire kang had become history at that time, and no one knew about these traditional customs.

After all, he drank some wine, and because of the long journeys these days, Cao Yong read a few pages of the book and returned to his bedroom to settle it.

*

The next day, I got up early as usual and moved my muscles and bones in the yard.

Today I am going to go to the Prince of Pingjun Mansion, bring some earthworks from the grassland, and I have to sort them out and send them there. Although Baoya is also in the escort and these things are prepared, they are ultimately a matter of love. This is the so-called relationship between people. Regardless of whether the other party needs it or not, the form of leaving should still be left.

After breakfast, Cao Yong changed his clothes, looked at the earth on the grassland, and remembered a thought, asking Cao Zhong to find a proper family member to come and arrange for him to go to Jiangning. In addition to paying respects to his parents and sending some gadgets to his younger brothers and sisters, Cao Yong also sent him a letter, asking him to pass it to Cao Fang after he arrived in Jiangning. The letter naturally asked Cao Fang to inquire about Wenxiu's family in the south.

As soon as he left the gate, Cao Yong met an old friend, Ning Chun, who had not seen him for more than three years.

In the 44th year of the reign of Emperor Kangxi, when the Shengjia was stationed in Jiangning, Cao Yong, Ning Chun, Ma Jun and Yongqing, as the chiefs of local officials, met Shengjia together and then went to the Qinhuai River to have a drink. Although the flower wine was not erotic this time, several young men had a friendship.

Not long after, Yongqing left home and returned to Beijing. Ning Chun's father was transferred to Jiangbei. Jiangning was left with only Cao Yong and Ma Jun. After Ma Jun passed the imperial examination, he stayed in Beijing for a long time to prepare for the exam, so he met less often.

Ning Chun is a little fatter than before. She is wearing a royal blue robe, her face is full of flesh, and her eyes are smaller, but the only thing that has not changed is that she loves to laugh, and her mouth is curved, like a big Ah Fu.

"Xiao Cao, I've been waiting for you. I'll take a break for a long time yesterday. Today I'll come to catch you!" Ning Chun jumped off the horse, handed the reins to Changsui behind him, and said with a smile: "Tsk tsk, I'm more handsome than when I was a child. Unfortunately, my eldest girl is less than ten years old, otherwise she would have to be rich and not flowed to outsiders' fields!"

"Brother Ning?" Cao Yong was very surprised and said with a smile: "In August, in Ma Jun's letter, you learned that your wedding date has been postponed to the end of the year. I thought you would have to go to Beijing later, so please come in quickly."

"My old man Ren Man returns to Beijing, and I will come back with me." Ning Chun responded, looking at Cao Yong's outfit: "This is a door, so it's a coincidence that I'm here!"

"I just arrived in Beijing yesterday and went to the Prince of Ping County to order Mao'er. It won't take long!" Cao Yong said, "Brother Ning went to the hall to have a cup of tea first, and I will be back in half an hour!"

"That's good. Ma Jun was released from office. I heard that we have left Beijing in the past few days. We will gather together well, which is to welcome you and also give him a farewell. Yongqing has been filial for half a year, and probably is so bored!" Ning Chun said with a smile: "You go quickly, there is no need to be too hurrying. Let's get together in the VIP building at the beginning of the afternoon!"
Chapter completed!