Chapter 759: Life

In the capital, on the seashore of Shicha, the fourteenth prince’s outer house welcomed several more distinguished guests today.

In addition to the thirteenth prince, the rare prince, the tenth prince, the sixteenth prince, the seventeenth prince, and the master, the fourteenth prince, the five princes of the dynasty gathered here.

The Seventeenth Prince was seriously ill and was much less clear. However, when he saw the Thirteenth Prince, he was still very happy. The two brothers got together and talked lively.

The Tenth Prince seemed to have suffered the first time, as if he was a little dissatisfied, and snorted coldly, glanced at the Fourteenth Prince and said, "Fourth Brother, you are too unauthorized. You don't even know this when you are so close to your brother's house."

"Didn't you mean to hide it from Brother Ten, it's not for Wu's sake, so it's not easy to be proud?" Prince Fourteen said with a smile.

"No, what's the big deal about raising a foreign house? Even the one Yaerjiang A loves is not as tight as the fourteenth brother." The tenth prince didn't care and said carelessly: "Your brother and sister are not jealous, so how can you not let you fill a woman?"

The 14th Prince smiled bitterly and said nothing.

The Sixteenth Prince was by the side, looked at the fourteenth Prince's expression and lowered his head to have tea. Is this fourteenth brother protected by Concubine De? Did he think he was a saint of love, and he looked like "deep love and righteousness".

This Wu family could not get into the palace. Not only did it be a Han woman, she also became a lowly family.

Since you are determined to fight for the throne, you are still making a fuss about being under the noses of a big guy. Isn’t this waiting for someone to deal with it?

Not to mention others, the Sixteenth Prince and Cao Yong investigated the Fourteenth Prince, the outer house. Wu was not only the daughter of the offender, but also his father and grandfather were also the "princeling party" in his early years, and Kangxi hated it the most. If someone really used this to make trouble, the Fourteenth Prince would not feel good.

The 14th Prince was proud, perhaps because he didn't expect this, or because he felt that he was the prince favored by the emperor, no one dared to wipe his beard.

The Sixteenth Prince laughed in his heart, afraid that even the Tenth Prince and the Thirteenth Prince and the Seventeenth Prince would pay attention to Wu.

The Seventeenth Prince was asking if there was any new foreign goods in the shop of the Thirteenth Prince. Seeing that it was the Sixteenth Prince's birthday, he had been recuperating in the palace and had not yet prepared a birthday gift for the Sixteenth Prince.

The birthdays of the Sixteenth Prince and Cao Yong are less than half a month apart, so the Seventeenth Prince has to prepare two more copies.

Seeing that he was thin and thin, his face was pale, the Thirteenth Prince sighed and said, "Why have you been sick for so long? How old are you? Be more open-minded and worry less. Your body is yours, and it is the most important thing."

Upon hearing this, the seventeenth prince raised his head, looked at the silver wire on the head of the Thirteenth prince, held the corner of his mouth, and said, "What can I worry about with my brother? It's just that wealth and honor are sick and messing around. If I were born in a poor family, I couldn't even drink batter, and I was afraid I would jump around. With this surname, what else can I do besides having children? People like my brother are useless in the eyes of others." At the end, I felt a little self-deprecating.

Although the Thirteenth Prince was not in charge, he was not blind or deaf. He had heard some news in the palace. The Seventeenth Prince had been married for many years, but he had no children. Several concubines in the harem had often stuffed people into the Seventh Prince's house in recent years. I heard that there were a few beautiful girls who kept the signs for the Seventh Prince, but they were not allowed to marry because they were still filial.

This is related to offspring and is the top priority. The Thirteenth Prince didn’t have anything to say, so he patted the seventeenth Prince on the shoulder and said, “How old are you, are you just anxious? When your younger brother and sister come out of the filial piety period, you will find a good imperial physician to regulate it, and it will naturally happen.”

"God of Brother Xie Shisan, do you have children? My younger brother doesn't want to force me, but he is not worried about the concubine. She is a soft-hearted and doesn't have a relationship with her brother. If there is no child, what can I do in the future?" There was a hint of sadness in her expression.

The Thirteenth Prince had not spoken yet, and the Fourteenth Prince couldn't help but listened, frowned and said, "It's just a sick person. Why is the Seventeenth Brother? I saw you as an open-minded person in my early years. The more you grow up, the less promising you will be."

"Brother Tsang is just sick." The seventeenth prince said lightly.

In a word, the Fourteenth Prince made him speechless.

The Sixteenth Prince was a little surprised that his seventeenth brother was not reckless. Could it be that he was sick and had a bad temper?

The seventeenth prince had already stood up, hugged everyone, and said, "My brother is uncomfortable, brothers sit slowly, brothers are not with you." After that, he turned around and left the yard without waiting for everyone to reply.

The 14th Prince didn't expect him to come like this and was very angry.

The Thirteenth Prince had already stood up and said to the Fourteenth Prince: "Fourth Brother talks with the Tenth Brother and the Sixteenth Brother first. I'm not worried about Xiao Shiqi, come and take a look."

After the 14th Prince thought about the words and wanted to keep him, the 13th Prince had already left the house and went to chase the 17th Prince.

Before he could start the banquet, two left, one of which was the host and guest today. The 14th Prince felt disappointed and regretted it. He shouldn't have invited the 17th Prince out.

I was thinking that the Seventeenth Prince and the Sixteenth Prince both had a good relationship with the Thirteenth Prince. If he had said that a few people had gathered together, his strength would be different from the past...

At the seaside of Shicha, the Thirteenth Prince and the Seventeenth Prince rode side by side on horseback, with smiles on their faces.

"Thank you, my seventeenth brother, I have performed this with me." The Thirteenth Prince said with a smile.

"It's just a matter of effort, why are the Thirteenth Brother and I polite to my younger brother?" The seventeenth Prince was a little puzzled and asked, "Looking at the Fourteenth Brother's spirit, even if I get out today, it's hard to guarantee that there will be no next time. The Thirteenth Brother can't always hide, and I have to think of a way."

"I left the door, just wanted to live a life quickly, not to come out to play with him. But now, I can't offend him, otherwise he would have other thoughts and move Concubine De, and he would be more worried." The Thirteenth Prince said, "Push it a few times first. After staying there for a long time, he would not use it on me when he saw that I was not useful."

The Seventeenth Prince hesitated for a moment, lowered his voice and said, "Thirteenth Brother, why are you still coming out? It's true that there is muddy water now, but you can't take any advantage. If my brother can open a house, he would rather live a free life in a closed door than have a scheming all day long."

The Thirteenth Prince sighed and whispered, saying, "Brother never thought of taking advantage of it, but he was afraid that the water would not be messy enough. You and my brother, in this position, have anything to look forward to? Isn't it just that you want to get into that position? Are you a kind person who is in love and good at your brothers and sisters?"

The seventeenth prince was shocked when he heard this.

It seems that the Thirteenth Prince is determined to enter the muddy waters of fighting for the throne again...

I go out early and come back late every day, and come for a few days in a blink of an eye.

Cao Yong walked alone and finally arrived in Kaifeng. Kaifeng is the headquarters of the Henan Governor's yamen. Now he serves as Henan Governor. Zhang Shengzuo was promoted from the position of governor of Anhui before the New Year.

Before coming to Henan, Jiang Jian had already prepared Cao Yong for his resume. He came from a great scholar's family, but he did not go on the imperial examination career, but entered the officialdom with grace.

In his early years, his official reputation was not obvious. Later, when he was a Taotai in Guangxi, he almost lost his official position because he offended the prince's slave who left the capital. In the 49th year of Kangxi, he was promoted from Taotai to Jiangxi Censor; in the 51st year of Kangxi, he was promoted to Anhui governor. I heard that this person had a good official reputation, but he was different from Zhang Boxing's kind of indomitable arrogance.

This time he was promoted to the governor of Henan, and it was Jiuqing Bao's report. From this, we can see that he is a sleek and understanding person.

Now, it is said that fugitives are holding back good people and causing chaos in the people. In fact, the truth is much more serious. It is not three or five bandits, but thousands of people from several counties gathered to revolt, besiege the yamen, and hijack the magistrate, which is no different from rebellion.

Since the completion of the "Criminal Zhu Sanzi Case", it has been unknown for decades that "rebellion" and has been in Henan.

Over the past month, Zhang Shengzuo's hair has turned gray.

The northwest is not peaceful. As the heartland of the Central Plains, if Henan Prefecture is really in trouble, it will be very lively. The court cannot afford to lose this face, and it cannot bear this responsibility.

He knew that he had been going well for six or seven years and his good luck was over. Now, he could only think about calming things down as soon as possible and protecting his mind.

Now in the past month, he did not dare to act rashly. He just blocked the news and issued an order to ask local prefectures to block the news and strictly prevent it. He just waited for the news from the court, whether to pacify or suppress it, it also depends on the imperial decree.

Henan has either floods or droughts in recent years, and people's livelihood is difficult. The northwest consumes money and grain, but I don't know that the local vassal treasury has been empty. This year, it has begun to collect next year's money and grain, and the funds allocated by the imperial court to raise horses, which is even heavier.

Zhang Shengzuo knew in his heart, but he had no choice but to do anything that the Holy Order should not be violated.

War requires money, the northwestern provinces need to be appeased, and money and grain are still being reduced. The taxes in Jiangnan are already heavy, and the court must show "benevolence and righteousness". Every year, it has to be kind to reduce taxes from some prefectures and counties; Zhili is at the foot of the emperor, and it is impossible to increase taxes if it is too peaceful and stable.

As a result, whenever the imperial court lacks silver, the tax increase will be imposed on the provinces of Shandong, Henan and Shanxi.

According to this addition, even if Henan Prefecture is not in chaos, there will be chaos in other places within three or two years.

I waited hard for half a month, just waiting for an imperial envoy to "investigate the case". Should I slap or suppress it? Zhang Shengzuo was also confused.

Cao Yong and Zhang Shengzuo met for the first time. Although Zhang Shengzuo returned to Beijing to meet again before the New Year, he did not stay in the capital for a long time and only sent people to send tan to the six ministers and their relatives' old mansions. Cao Yin was an old friend with him, so the Cao family also received his gift.

Zhang Shengzuo naturally had a channel for news about the capital. As a governor like him, he would stay away from the economy and leave a few confidant staff in the capital to pay attention to the current affairs of the court.

He had long heard of Cao Yong's name.

This time, the Henan magistrate went here to report the chaos, and even made a special trip to say, "In addition to the magistrate of Yongning, Gao Shiqing, the Henan magistrate, there is also Cao Xiang, the official who was abducted to the bandit camp.

The magistrate of Yongning was also a bad luck. The one who levies heavy taxes to avoid opposing the people was Zhang Yuhui, the magistrate of Yiyang. In addition to prepaying the taxes for next year, Zhang Yuhui also added 40% of the fire. The people had no way to survive, so they ran to the mountains to gather people to revolt. Because they were facing Yongnian County, they divided the granary in the county and robbed the magistrate and other officials.

When there was chaos here, the people from two counties responded and besieged the county town, and things started.

Cao Xiang made a note later, the second-class uncle Cao Yin's nephew, and the cousin of Cao Yong, the cousin of the Heshuo's son-in-law Cao Yong. After seeing this, Zhang Shengzuo made a special trip to Cao Yin to compile a letter.

Unexpectedly, the imperial envoy who came to handle the case was Cao Yin's parent-child Cao Yong.

When they finished speaking the official words and met with private gifts, Cao Yong also introduced Cao Song to Zhang Shengzuo, Zhang Shengzuo knew in his heart that the saints of the Cao family thought more heavily than outsiders.

Along the way, Cao Yong also figured it out.

Kangxi did not issue a direct order to pacify or suppress. No matter how many people were, as long as he mentioned the word "anti" and violated the dragon's reverse scale, how could he forgive him?

A spark can start a prairie fire. Facing hundreds of millions of Han people, Kangxi, as the ruler of Manchus, was unbreakable in preventiveness.

However, for the sake of his reputation as a "benevolent monarch", he refused to issue an order to "suppress" him.

At the welcoming banquet that night, Zhang Shengzuo couldn't help but ask Cao Yong: "Mr. Cao is the imperial envoy. What's the holy heart? Can you tell me one or two?"

Upon hearing this, Cao Yong hurriedly said, "The officials were only ordered to thoroughly investigate the prison escape case of the Kang brothers. As for the other issues, it was related to local civil affairs, so naturally the Futai University was the leader."

When Zhang Shengzuo heard this, he felt bitterness in his mouth.

It seems that the court has made up its attention and wants to take on this responsibility. Thinking of the news I received a few days ago, among the chaotic people, there are some White Lotus Sect members who are there, and he has a feeling of it.

It seems that there is no choice but to wipe out this morning.

Cao Yong was beside him, and when he saw Zhang Shengzuo, he looked at him for a while, and said slowly: "I think it's nothing big, I'm just a corrupt official and a few mobs. Since the emperor ordered Lord Futai to govern Henan, he naturally trusted him more than he could."

It’s not that Cao Yong was troublesome, but that he was afraid that Zhang Shengzuo would jump over the wall and would come to a massacre in order to shirk responsibility.

For the sake of peace in the local area, the leader cannot forgive the people, but it is not unforgivable to threaten the people. This is all that Cao Yong can do.

Sure enough, after hearing Cao Yong's words, Zhang Shengzuo's face relaxed a lot.

Yes, the emperor and the court want face, so this matter can only be turned into small matters and small matters. In this way, even if someone takes the blame and lets him take the blame, the crime will be much less severe.

Thinking of this, Zhang Shengzuo felt that he was in a desperate situation. He glanced at Cao Yong and had a plan in his heart.

He only stayed in Kaifeng for one night. The next day, Cao Yong took everyone to set off again and arrived in Luoyang in two days.

In Luoyang City, there were many soldiers patrolling each other. When Cao Yong saw it, he couldn't help but shake his head. How many troops would it take to capture the huge ancient city and the solid wall?

According to the Qing Dynasty, local officials have the rules to defend their territory, and those who violate the territory will be executed regardless of the reason.

It seems that this Henan prefect Li Tingchen is really a person who cherishes his life.

Cao Yong had a good guess. Li Tingchen couldn't sleep or eat these days, and would wake up from nightmares in the middle of the night because he was afraid of losing his head.
Chapter completed!