Because there was no big girl in his house, Li sent a big girl named Xiuying over there to wait here with a few little girls.

Although there is no one to live in the house for a year, there is always someone to clean it. Soaking in the bathtub, Cao Hao looked at the familiar room and felt a little emotional. I set off for Beijing in March last year, and it has been nearly a year since then, and it has been very lively in the middle. It was only when I returned to this house that I found that I seemed to be tired and began to miss Jiang Ning's free and easy life.

It was too tired on the road, and Cao Hao closed his eyes unconsciously. By the time I opened my eyes again, it was already the time to hold the lamp. It was the bed curtain in his eyes, and it took a while for Cao Hao to realize that he was lying on the bed. I remember that just now in the bathtub, it seemed that someone was talking to him, and he was so sleepy and confused that he couldn't think clearly, and he couldn't remember it at this time.

Cao Hao was thinking about it when he heard someone ask, "Uncle is awake?" ”

"Hmm!" Cao Hao pulled the quilt on his body, turned over and sat up, and looked down at himself, a set of white obscene clothes, but it was a familiar style, but it was a little tight. It seems that it was made last year, but this year's dress doesn't fit.

It was the embroidered warbler who spoke just now, holding a robe of cyan pigment satin in her hand, and while serving Cao Hao's dressing, she said: "The clothes that the uncle said are too small to wear, this robe is the master's." When the wife found it, she asked the uncle to wear it first, and Ming'er called the tailor to make clothes for the uncle. ”

"Has Mother eaten dinner?" Cao Hao put on his clothes and looked at the wall clock in the lower hall, it was already two o'clock (half past seven in the evening).

"The wife was waiting for the uncle to come, but then she heard that the uncle was asleep, so she ate it herself. It's the third girl, because she has to wait for the uncle to eat together, it seems that she hasn't eaten yet! Just now, I came to see the uncle twice! As Xiuying was talking, she heard the sound of soft footsteps at the door, and it was Cao Yi who had arrived.

Seeing that Cao Hao had already gotten up, Cao Yi was full of joy: "Brother! ”

Cao Hao saw that her sister's chin was sharp, and remembered what her mother said, in the past half a month, because Cao Yin was sick, the Li family couldn't leave, and she had to worry about the trivial matters in the inner house, and she couldn't help but blame herself and feel guilty, and she lost a lot of weight all of a sudden.

Cao Hao was really a little distressed, and reached out and touched his sister's head: "I haven't seen you for a few months, how is Ping'er doing?" ”

Cao Yi nodded: "I'm fine, is my brother okay in the capital?" Second brother and sister Amethyst are okay? There are also Bao Gege and Sister Yongjia, and Jue ......" Speaking of this, his face couldn't help but flush, knowing that he was speechless, he hurriedly stopped talking.

Cao Hao saw that she asked a bunch of names in one breath, but she didn't know whether to ask "Mrs. Jueluo" or "Brother Jueluo" in the end, so she smiled and said, "When I go to see my father and mother first, let's have dinner while I go back, and I will tell you about the things in the capital at the same time." ”

The brother and sister went to Kaiyang Courtyard together, Cao Yin woke up before dinner, and now he drank the medicine and fell asleep. Li also looked at the lack, and the two talked with them for a while, and then went back to their homes first.

Vanilla and Chunya have already sent Cao Yi's rice over, and Xiuying and others have also set up Cao Hao's rice. The two brothers and sisters sat down and talked about the family affairs between Jiangning and the capital while eating.

Seeing that her sister was not only dressed plainly, but also did not wear any jewelry, Cao Hao remembered something. At the beginning of the month, he sent someone to the south to bring the gift of the Jueluo family to his sister, but he didn't know if he had arrived. Therefore, he opened his mouth and asked, "Ping'er, I sent someone back to give you a gift box a few days ago, have you received it?" Do you still like it? ”

Cao Yi smiled a little sourly: "My father is seriously ill, where do I have this thought, and I haven't opened it yet?" ”

"Silly boy, can it be that if you accompany your mother like this, your father will be able to recover early? You have to smile yourself to be able to make your parents happy. When you are in a good mood, the illness will naturally go faster! Seeing that Cao Yi's expression was faintly sentimental, Cao Hao inevitably persuaded a few more words.

Cao Yi nodded, and said that he knew, but he didn't know whether he heard it or not. The little maid came and said that Mr. Zhuang had sent someone to ask if the uncle was awake, and if so, he asked the uncle to go to the front hall to talk.

Cao Hao had eaten eight points full, and when he heard this, he put down his chopsticks and asked his sister to eat more, and he went to the front hall to have a look first. Cao Yi got up and sent his brother away.

* Weaving House, vestibule.

When Cao Hao entered, Zhuang Chang was sitting there, not knowing what to ponder. Zhuang Chang is five or six years older than Cao Yin, but he doesn't look very old now, he still looks like Cao Hao when he was a child, and he looks younger than Cao Yin.

Maybe he has been with Zhuang Xi in the capital for a long time, but now that he sees his brother, Cao Hao is no longer just curious and inquisitive like when he was a child, but a little closer from the bottom of his heart: "Mr. Zhuang, I haven't seen you for a long time, are you still healthy?" ”

Seeing Cao Hao come in to say hello, Zhuang Chang got up with a smile and hugged his fists: "Thank you for your concern, the old man is fine!" I heard that Gongzi 15 set off from the capital, more than 2,000 miles, and it only took less than seven days, Gongzi is really filial piety! ”

Such greetings come and go, and those who go are all polite words. Cao Hao shook his head: "This is what a child should do, but I don't dare to accept Mr. 's praise." It's just that the gentleman didn't come to me to praise me! ”

Zhuang Chang waved his hand, sent the little guy who came up to deliver the tea and withdrew, and said in the rear: "Son, the old man has to confess first!" Give a fold to the long-lived lord, and asking you to come back to serve the medicine is an old man's own opinion, and I hope that the son will not blame! ”

Cao Hao thought about what he knew from his mother before he had just eaten, although his father looked seriously ill, he was really not in danger of life, but Mr. Zhuang was in charge, and he only said that it was dangerous to the outside world. The deep meaning of this is not known to the Li family. It's just that when Cao Yin was not there, he entrusted the foreign affairs of the Weaving Mansion to Zhuang Chang, so although Li was puzzled, he didn't ask much, thinking that her husband arranged it like this. It wasn't until Cao Hao came back that Cao Yin said that Zhuang Chang was troublesome, and Li knew that it was Zhuang Chang's own assertion.

Long before Cao Hao was born, Zhuang Chang was a staff member of the Cao family, because Cao Hao also believed that he would not have malicious intentions, so he immediately asked: "Mr. is polite, since Mr. has arranged like this, he must have a deep meaning, but the kid is stupid and can't solve the confusion, and I hope Mr. will tell him directly!" ”

Zhuang Chang touched his beard, with a teachable demeanor, and first pushed a booklet down in front of Cao Hao's eyes.

Cao Hao took it, opened it and read it, which recorded the information of some large pearl divers in the northern and southern provinces, and there were labels behind it, some marked "the invitation has been delivered", and some marked "on the way". It seems that the transfer of the secret method of raising pearls mentioned to my father a few years ago is already underway.

Zhuang Chang explained: "Now that the adult is unwell, it is a little inappropriate to entrust it to the old man, after all, this is the private property of the Cao family, and it should be the Cao family." This is one of the reasons why the old design brought Childe back. ”

If there is one of them, there must be two, Cao Hao put down the booklet and waited for Zhuang Chang's next article.

Zhuang Chang pondered for a long time, and then asked, "I heard from the adult, the son knows the adult's errand in Jiangnan?" ”

Cao Hao nodded, remembering the fact that the Cao family withdrew from Jiangnan officialdom when he went to meet his father a few years ago.

"Then the old man will not hide it from the son, the lord is the chief official of the Jiangnan General Administration, and the old man has been the deputy of the lord for many years! This time when he returned from the capital, because he was persuaded by his son, the adult seemed to have the intention of retreating, but because he remembered the kindness of the Long Live Lord to the Cao family, he couldn't make up his mind for a long time. Now that the Cao family has raised the full flag, it stands to reason that the position of weaving should be self-sufficient, and it will not be the turn of the son. However, on the side of the General Administration, I don't know what the arrangement is. Now, the adults are fifty-three, and the old people are also sixty, but the long-lived lord has never arranged for anyone who can take over the duty to come to Jiangnan. Zhuang Chang paused, glanced at Cao Hao, and said, "The old man is just worried, the grace of the Long Live Lord is too much, and he will let the son take over the adult's class!" If that's the case, if the Cao family wants to get out of Jiangnan, I'm afraid they won't be able to! ”

Zhuang Chang said this, sighing: "I have been with my adult colleagues for nearly 20 years, and I know that although he rarely mentions Gongzi, he is very worried about you in his heart. If the Long Live Lord really has a mind, and after the adults go west, he will arrange for the son to return to Jiangnan, that is, the Cao family will be roasted on the fire! We are all old, how many years will the Lord be able to protect the Cao family? ”

Although as a subordinate official, it was a bit arrogant to arrange these people on his own initiative when Cao Yin was seriously ill, but Cao Hao only had gratitude in his heart. ——Risking the risk of bullying the king, isn't it still for the Cao family to bother planning like this! This kind of fist and fist exchange between ancient scholars and doctors made Cao Hao both moved and heartbroken.

Cao Hao immediately stood up from his seat and gave a respectful salute: "Thank you Mr. for your trouble, the kid is grateful!" ”

Zhuang Chang called Cao Hao "Gongzi", but in fact, he was like a nephew, and he had been planning for him for a long time, but this gift was at ease, and he stretched out his hand to help him up: "Childe doesn't have to be polite!" ”

When Cao Hao returned to his seat, Zhuang Changcai arrived again: "Now I borrowed the reason why the adult was seriously ill and invited the son back, I also want to explore the mind of the Long Live Lord." If the long-lived lord really has the heart to let the son come to pick up the adult's errand, I am afraid that there will be a will soon be a will to come down and arrange for the son to follow the errand. In that case, Childe knows what to do, and he wants to deal with it. It's a big deal to pick an inconsequential errand and make one or two mistakes, so that Long Live Lord extinguishes this thought. If the Lord of Long Live doesn't have the will to come down, the adults here should take the initiative to recommend one or two people to take over the duties of the two of us, so that the Cao family can have a buffer time to withdraw! ”

Cao Hao heard these words, and really thought about it properly, but when he thought of the incomprehension, he asked: "Sir, if my father is handed over to the errand of the General Administration Department due to old age, how will Banzai settle my father, and I will never do it!" ”

No wonder Cao Hao asked, because at this time, although the officials said this, they had to stay up until they were seventy or eighty, and they were really too old to do it, so they went back to the fold to "pray for bones" and tell the old man to return to his hometown. If you meet a courtier in the emperor's vessel, then the excerpt of the old man is even more refuted and refuted. For example, Zhao Jia's uncle, Shangshu Marhan, was only born at the age of seventy-six. With the relationship between the Cao family and Kangxi, and the fact that the Cao family is bankrupt and in deficit, Kangxi is afraid that he will never allow Cao Yin to become a master at fifty-three.

Zhuang Chang nodded helplessly: "Childe is right, and the old man has thought twice." Even if the adult resigns from the post of General Administration, I am afraid that the weaving house will still not be able to remove! This Jiangning weaving mansion was built by the boss in Jiangnan before, and Mrs. Tai and Mrs. Tai have been living here. Long live is the most sympathetic to the courtiers, how can you let the adults go to other places to retire? I'm afraid that under grace, the adults will be here for the rest of their lives. ”

Seeing Cao Hao frowning, Zhuang Chang comforted: "There are certain regulations for weaving yamen here, so you don't have to work too hard for adults, and you don't need to worry about it!" ”

Cao Hao thought that the capital seemed to be peaceful, but the crown prince's position was unstable, and the other princes might not all be safe in private. Earlier, before the abolition of the prince, the prince, the eldest elder brother, and the third elder brother all went to Jiangnan to fight the autumn breeze, and when Kali impeached the Cao family, he privately sent money to the elder brother. Fortunately, Cao Yin had already mentioned these things on the excerpt, and Kangxi knew what those sons were and would not suspect anything.

If the Cao family is still in the weaving position, I am afraid that there will be such a thing. When the future Yongzheng Emperor comes, will he be able to tolerate these in his eyes? Thinking of this, Cao Hao secretly made up his mind, if he encountered the matter of Brother extorting money again, he would first quietly give the fourth brother a big share, so that he could not be thorned in his heart because of this.

The big idea has been decided, and then we have to wait for the will of the capital to act. The two tacitly changed the topic, chatted casually for a few more words, and dispersed.

* In the next half month, Cao Hao looked like a filial son in ancient times, and every time he followed his mother to ask for medicine in front of his father's bed. In the first month, the subordinates who were sent to the big pearl divers in the northern and southern provinces to post posts also came back one after another, and Cao Fang sorted out the statistics and received messengers sent from all over the country. During this period, Kangxi also came to the decree once, but he asked about Cao Yin's condition. Cao Hao personally wrote a thanksgiving post, and said that his father's condition was gradually improving, and there was naturally an "worry" that could not be concealed.

In the blink of an eye, it was late March. Although Cao Yin was bedridden, his body gradually recovered. When Kangxi's Wanshou Festival was rewarded, Cao Hao and Zhuang Chang didn't know whether to rejoice or what to do. Because, in the secret edict to Zhuang Chang, Kangxi mentioned that Li Xu, a weaver in Suzhou, would take over the position of Cao Yin's political envoy to Jiangnan-

(To be continued)