Chapter 778: Attracting the eyes

Cao Yong was not surprised to see these "black-hearted cotton" of the Kangxi Dynasty. The Qing Dynasty had entered the pass for less than a hundred years, and the corruption was more serious than in previous dynasties. He really doubted whether the Qing Dynasty's power could last for more than 200 years without the more than ten years that Yongzheng had connected the past and the next.

The sixteenth prince's face turned blue and frowned and said to Cao Yong: "It is said that the bitter cold in Urumqi is better than Ningguta. What's the use of such a cotton coat there?"

Cao Yong nodded and said, "Yes, the Northwest soldiers may not be able to enjoy the grace of the emperor this time. I heard that for the sake of these 10,000 cotton coats, the emperor allocated 20,000 taels of silver from the inner treasury, and half of them fell into the hands of the worm."

The Sixteenth Prince was both angry and embarrassed.

Now that the Queen Mother is in a state of demise and the Emperor's father is in a state of illness, if he is stabbed in front of the emperor, he will be angry. If he hides it, the cotton coat that cannot keep the cold will only increase the waste of the army, which is also inappropriate.

The sixteenth prince felt his temple hurt, and he heard footsteps coming from someone in the yard, and then someone asked for peace.

Why did he come?

The sixteenth prince and Cao Yong looked at each other, and they were both suspicious.

At this moment, someone had already picked up a curtain, covered the python with a white robe and the hat with tassels. It was the 14th Prince.

When he entered the room, his eyes fell directly on the desk of the book and several cotton coats that were cut and exposed.

"Fourth Brother (Fourth Master)." Both the Sixteenth Prince and Cao Yong got up to see each other.

The fourteenth prince's face was ashen, and he stepped forward and picked up a cotton coat, snorted coldly, and said hatefully: "Is this the 'grace' of the Emperor Ahma?"

After saying that, he realized that he had lost his words. This sentence fell into the eyes of outsiders, as if he was dissatisfied with the emperor's father. He glanced at the sixteenth prince and Cao Yong next to him, and said, "Those servants are so brave. Some people are also blinded by the errands of the emperor's oral assignments."

Cao Yong looked at the nose with his eyes, his nose with his heart, and remained silent.

Kangxi spent money on the Ministry of Internal Affairs to handle the matter, but there were officials from the Ministry of War. After all, this was military supplies, and the other things were different.

Whether it is the Ministry of Internal Affairs or the Ministry of War, Cao Yong doesn't want to do it.

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

However, judging from this cotton coat, what the Northwest soldiers wear may not be much better. After finally having military service in recent years, the military officials and other people in the Ministry of War were thinking about the designation of one or two to make money.

Seeing the fourteenth prince's atmosphere, the sixteenth prince's eyes lit up.

He also showed some indignation and said, "Yes, the 14th brother, my younger brother is also upset about this matter. But there is no way. How can anyone in the Ministry of War be instructed? If it were usual, my younger brother would have reported to the imperial court and asked the Emperor Ama to decide. Now in the mourning of the Empress Dowager, the Emperor Ama is already feeling uncomfortable and it is not easy to use these to spare him."

The 14th Prince gritted his teeth, wondering what he would think about again.

Then the sixteenth prince said again: "It was just a pain for the soldiers in the northwest to chase the enemy for the court, but was fooled by these unscrupulous things. Fu Ning'an is a sleek and will never offend the masters of the Ministry of War for these."

"How can those who seek fame and reputation be generals?" The 14th Prince looked even colder when he heard this, and raised his chin and said, "This matter is related to military and political affairs. No need to worry about the Sixteenth Brother. I will ask myself, who dares to fool me? In addition to the 10,000 pieces of sewn, the Emperor Ama also allowed 10,000 pieces. The 16th Prince only ordered the Ministry of Internal Affairs to prepare money."

In the 54th year of the reign of Emperor Kangxi, when Cewang Alabutan invaded Hami, Fu Ning'an, as the Minister of Personnel, was ordered to take charge in the northwest, and this year he was named General Jingni.

He was born in the prime minister's office and served as a guard in his early years. Later, he served as the chief magistrate. He was later transferred from a military officer to a civil servant to the Minister of Personnel. He was one of the most important ministers in the past few years of Kangxi.

Because he had a good reputation and was praised by Yugu, the 14th Prince said that he "seeking fame and reputation". He felt so disgusted because the other party could be in the northwest, so the 14th Prince could only be detained in the capital.

Fu Ning'an was hated by the 14th Prince. I think he would suffer in the next few years. But this is also his blessing. If he is favored by the 14th Prince, his suffering will be doubled in the future.

When the 14th Prince raised the silver money, the 16th Prince responded timidly. The 14th Prince glanced at Cao Yong, his eyes were a little deep, and asked, "Sixteenth Brother, did Cao Yong discover the problem of this cotton coat?"

The sixteenth prince shook his head and said, "He is not working in the Ministry of Internal Affairs anymore. How could he do anything about cotton coats? I heard that the officials of the Ministry of War have become more comfortable recently, so I remembered this. Cao Yong came over and asked him to catch up."

The six ministries have already sealed the pen.

The country is mourning and mourning. Those with higher ranks have more days to stay, while those with lower ranks only enter the palace on a few days of several days, and their lives are more comfortable.

The Fourteenth Prince said "Oh" and said nothing. He randomly said a few words to the Sixteenth Prince and left first.

Now, he is the director of the Ministry of War, and he has to cherish his reputation and establish his authority. With this batch of cotton coats, he still has a great attack, so he naturally has no time to grind his teeth with the Sixteenth Prince.

When he left, the sixteenth prince and Cao Yong breathed a sigh of relief.

"Taking this matter as an opportunity, the Fourteenth Master is afraid that he will install people in the military supplies." Cao Yong said.

It seems that the 14th Prince will go on the war on behalf of the emperor as we know in history.

"He wants to be kind and get kindness. He is thinking about going to the northwest, so he will naturally not be willing to lose the troops there. Now he is still alone. When his starling was there in his early years, the Ninth Brother and the Tenth Brother took the starling as the head of the horse and would take care of him. Now that the starling has passed away, the Ninth Brother has resentment towards the Fourteenth Brother, it would be strange if he is willing to help him." Speaking of this, the Sixteenth Prince brought some gloating: "Besides it came from the belly of Concubine De, plus the favor of the Emperor Ama, what ability does he have?"

"The Fourteenth Prince is not a fool. Knowing these shortcomings, he will definitely seek allies. Otherwise, how dare he leave Beijing rashly? Master Sixteenth Prince looked at him, which one would the Fourteenth Prince look for?" Cao Yong lowered his voice and said, "The Fifteenth Prince is probably inseparable from the Fifteenth Prince."

"I have no choice but to persuade him to do more. Brother Fifteen is not enough, and Brother Fifteen will think of another way." Speaking of this, the sixteenth prince glanced at Cao Yong and said, "Furuo, who do you think he would look for?"

Cao Yong stretched out his hand and then closed his thumb.

The sixteenth prince laughed twice and said, "That's right, it seems that Concubine Reed must be told that the fourth sister-in-law will enter the palace a few more times."

The 14th Prince is about to stand up in the year, not the arrogant prince who likes to act like to act in his early years.

In his eyes, I am afraid that there are only people who can use it, and those who cannot use it.

Ningshou Palace, side hall.

The twelfth prince accompanied the fourth prince to have tea with him, and the person who replied on the ground was Cao Qi, the headmaster of the tea room of Ningshou Palace.

The twelfth prince glanced at the fourth prince, and saw that he had not spoken, so he ordered Cao Qi to say a few words and ordered him to go down.

The fourth prince's expression was always faint. It was not until he left that he said to the twelfth prince: "I have been so tired these days. The funeral has only been halfway through, and you still have to endure it. You should take care of yourself carefully."

He has always treated people with perfect expressions. The Twelfth Prince has always been more afraid of this emperor than closeness to him. He has never heard these soft words.

For a moment, he was stunned.

The fourth prince did not look at him and said casually: "I have two good ginseng trees there, and I will send them to your mansion tomorrow. Look, you will be able to reduce your weight and make up for it..."

The twelfth prince was really flattered and hurriedly thanked him.

The fourth prince waved his hand, said nothing, and got up and left. The twelfth prince personally sent it to the gate of Ningshou Palace. He saw the fourth prince's figure leaving, and then turned around and came back...

In Yonghe Palace, Concubine De sat on the soft couch and looked at her son with a little distressed feeling: "Are you exhausted when you queuing for the Liningshou Palace all day? You can have dinner here for dinner, and your mother asked someone to prepare your favorite pot."

The 14th Prince looked at the stool sitting by the kang, and his face was no longer as powerful as he had in the inner hall of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. He smiled and said, "The relationship is good. I have been sluggish these days and I feel a little tired. I just feel like I have a hot sauerkraut pot. I can use two more bowls of rice, but my mother loves my son."

"Look, Hongchun and Hongming are all about to be married. You are like a child, so we can be more stable." Concubine De smiled and said angrily.

The fourteenth prince smiled and said, "Not to mention that the son is marrying a wife, even if the grandson is marrying a wife, the son is still like this in front of his mother. Other sons don't know, but the son only knows that the mother loves her son the most in this world, and the son is full of thought of being filial to his mother, and there is nothing else."

The daughter in the palace has no husband, only the emperor's master, and the man who can rely on is only the son.

After hearing the words of the Fourteenth Prince, Concubine De's face became even more kind, but pretended to be stern and glared at the Fourteenth Prince, and said, "If you are filial, you will not be annoyed by the little hoof outside. As a prince, you should know that women cannot be favored and delay the breeding of offspring, which is a big deal."

Hearing this, the 14th Prince did not defend himself, but was a little sad, lowered his head and said, "Mom, Hongxuan is almost twelve... Over the years, I have known my son's illness, so how dare I talk about adding children..."

Seeing this, Concubine De was already regretful and took the fourteenth prince's hand and said, "Didn't you keep taking the imperial physician's medicine? My mother is wrong, don't be upset. How old are you? The emperor has given up the younger prince in the past few years?"

The 14th Prince was only sad for a moment, and raised his head again, still looking very excited, saying, "Don't worry, my mother, my son will not be bothered by this. My son already has four sons and four daughters. Among the emperor's sons, the son does not have the most children, nor is it small. Besides, Hongchun and Hongming and the others are all at the age of marrying and having children, and this grandson is just a matter of a blink of an eye. Don't worry, my son cannot become a sinner of the Aisin Jueluo family."

Concubine De smiled and nodded, and had already made up her mind that she would choose a few girls who were suitable for her son to give birth to.

The 14th Prince accompanied Concubine De and said, "By the way, mom, my son wants to go to the Fourth Brother's Mansion. I would like to ask my mother to give me some gifts, so don't let my son go empty-handed."

After hearing this, Concubine De frowned and said, "Didn't you see him all day long? You have to go there? If you have something to do with him, your mother will send someone to come here."

The 14th Prince waved his hand with a smile and said, "It's nothing, but my son wants to find a Yuzi to leave the palace for some breath. It's not easy to go empty-handed during this New Year, so I'm worried about spending money."

Concubine De glanced at him and said, "I know I'll take advantage of my mother. I'll give you some advantage. I just happened to have a few bottles of loquat paste made by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. I heard that your fourth brother's concubine, Nian, is sick again, so you can send it there."

The 14th Prince was very happy. At this moment, Concubine De had already asked the palace maid to get the ointment...

Although there is no banquet during national mourning, this kind of relationship is inevitable.

When he was not scheduling in the palace, Cao Yong replaced his father and gave gifts and met guests. He worked hard for several days.

Everyone in the East Mansion was also busy.

Fortunately, Cao Yin gradually got better, which made Cao Yong relieved. What he meant was that after the New Year, the funeral in the palace would be over, and he would send his father and mother to Changping Zhuangzi to recuperate.

Cao Yin was most concerned about the exam by his two nephews. There were less than two months left before the spring exam, and it was time to sharpen the gun in the last battle.

When Cao Feng heard that Cao Feng was serving relatives and friends on behalf of Cao Song, Cao Yin was very dissatisfied. Otherwise, on New Year's Eve, there would be ancestor worship and reunion dinner, so he would directly drive his nephews to Haidian Zhuangzi to prepare for the exam.

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

When Cao Yong heard his father's words, he could understand his intention to go to the imperial examination and the imperial examination. After all, this royal favor is just to take care of the family for one or two generations. If a family wants to pass on it, the descendants will be able to remain undecayed.

After the Qing Dynasty entered the pass, only the two emperors and the mainstay of the court were the children of aristocratic families whose father and son had been admitted to the imperial examinations for several generations.

Cao Yong began to reflect on whether he was too relaxed to the boys like Tianyou and the others.

The children are still young and don’t know the importance of studying. Who said that it’s useless to pick up a scholar in the eight-legged essay? This is no different from the college entrance examination in later generations.

Reading can sharpen one's mind and nature; reading can also cultivate one's sentiment.

Even if the sons' future aspirations are not officials, reading and knowing etiquette is the foundation of their own life.

However, there is one thing that needs to be paid attention to now is that there is a famous Jiangnan scholar Qian Chenqun in Haidianzhuang. During the New Year, the garden is deserted. Cao Yong thought of this place and specially asked someone to prepare a New Year's goods and deliver it to the Haidian Garden.

Li Wei also celebrated the New Year in the capital. Although he rarely came to Cao's family this year, he did not spare the rituals.

Thinking of Li Wei's carefree appearance, Cao Yong missed the lively scenes in the past.

Tian was not happy about the replacement of the wife in charge of the Meiyuan, but instead felt a little nervous. He searched for Amethyst and whispered: "Miss Amethyst, this other yard is fine. Only this side will make the big grandma get tired of it?"

Originally, this was all about the master's affairs, so Amethyst was not easy to say. However, some things were not convenient for Cao Yong to say. After Chu Yu said this, Tian just regarded them as polite.

Therefore, Zijing thought for a while and said, "Grandma Tian, ​​it's not that I am biased against my uncle. In the heart of the uncle, treating Master Song and Master Bai like his own children. Otherwise, I wouldn't have bought a pack of snacks from outside, and I would have to share one here."

After hearing this, Tian nodded and said, "I know Mr. Cao's great kindness, and I am grateful."
To be continued...