Dongjiang Rice Lane, Chunjun Palace.

Hongzhuo pulled Cao Hao aside, looked at his eyebrows carefully, and said in a low voice: "Is it really as rumored outside, the wife of the in-laws is the emperor's aunt, and isn't that brother-in-law just cousin?" Is it a brother-in-law or a cousin? At the end of the day, he was a little confused.

Looking at his mysterious appearance, Cao Hao patted his head with a smile and said, "It's all rumors from outside, where can I believe it?" ”

Hongzhuo raised his eyebrows and said unconvinced: "That's not enough, I heard that the cousin of the third aunt's family is a person who can cause trouble, and my brother-in-law has been tossing less over the years?" Bao Buqi really has the blood of the heavenly family. ”

This kid has solid eyes, and Cao Hao can't help but laugh when he looks at the more he talks. It seems that in the eyes of outsiders, he has been like other gentlemen over the years, and he has caused a lot of trouble.

The eighth elder brother died less than a month ago, and Hongshu and Hongzhuo, as nephews, had to serve their filial piety for many years. Among them, Bai Xiao wears sixty days, and he can wear plain clothes in the future, and he can wear blue, blue, and gray casually, but he can't wear silk and satin, embroidery or something.

Now, both of them are white filial piety. Chu Yu also wore Bai Xiao 7749 on his side, and Cao Hao directly wore a blue plain suit.

It seems that not only Cao Hao, the niece and son-in-law, has no family affection for the eighth elder brother, but also can't produce a sad look; Even the two nephews, Hongshu and Hongzhuo, are just wearing filial piety clothes, and they don't mourn.

Heaven has no flesh and bones, and this principle is the same in ancient and modern times.

Hongshu was beside him, and seeing that Hongzhuo was speaking bluntly, he was afraid that Cao Hao would not come to the stage, so he glanced at him and said, "What nonsense?" The outsiders follow and talk, and you follow suit, so that Amma hears it, and the leather whip waits. ”

When Hongzhuo heard this, he hurriedly closed his mouth and looked around, and there was no one else, so he muttered in a low voice: "It's not just me who is curious, isn't the eldest brother also curious, but he doesn't say ......."

"Hirozo!" Hongshu scolded in a low voice, stopping Hongzhuo's muttering.

For these two brothers-in-law, Cao Hao also treats them as his younger brothers, where will he care about them.

Seeing that Hongshu was going to continue to train his younger brother, Cao Hao said with a smile: "There are many idle people in Beijing, so I wondered if there was any royal secret to use to make a conversation after tea and dinner." Ignore it, and wait for a few days when other news comes out, and no one will say it. Let's go to my father-in-law first, it's not good to keep my father-in-law waiting. ”

When Hongshu heard this, he glared at Hongzhuo and said, "Even if my brother-in-law says this, and you are born today, I will spare you this experience." Whether there is gossip or not, what others can say, but what can you say? If there is any more suffering, my brother-in-law will spare you, and I will not spare you. ”

Hongzhuo also felt that he was reckless and a little embarrassed. Where is there a son who gossips about other people's mothers?

He laughed twice, showed a mouthful of white teeth, and said to Cao Hao: "Brother-in-law, I'm just curious, unintentional, don't blame me." After talking to Amma in a moment, let's talk again. It's rare for you and your sister to come here, and Ama Eniang has been chattering for several days. ”

Today is Hongzhuo, because it is still a filial piety period, there is not much Zhang Luo here.

It's just that the two Fujin followed the seventh elder brother in Rehe for a few months, and they only came back a few days ago, and they missed their daughters, so they told Caofu in advance, and today they took their daughters, sons-in-law, grandsons, and granddaughters to the palace for a reunion.

When Cao Hao and Chu Yu arrived with the children, the seventh elder brother was in the ministry and had not yet returned. So Cao Hao followed his wife first, asked the Fujin people to say goodbye, and then went to Hongshu to speak. Hongzhuo, the birthday star, followed the seventh elder brother to the ministry, but he was not in the house.

After a while, an attendant came to spread the word, saying that the prince was back, and asked someone to ask Cao Hao to talk to the eldest brother's study.

When the two of them left the house, they were stopped by Hongzhuo and said this.

In the front yard of the palace, in the study.

The seventh elder brother is white, dressed in white filial piety, and looks quite young, and he looks much older than the Hongshu brothers.

In front of his son and son-in-law, the seventh elder brother was quite majestic.

For the Fujin to take their daughters and sons-in-law back for dinner, the seventh elder brother should not have been, but he also had something in his heart, and he wanted to talk to his daughter and son-in-law, so he nodded.

After Cao Hao saw the ceremony, the seventh elder brother nodded, motioned for him to sit down, and instructed Hongshu: "In the end, in filial piety, go and tell Fujin that the banquet should not be too extravagant, and you should choose some plain food." Your own flesh and blood, left and right, are not in this meal, don't break the rules. ”

Hongshu bowed down and withdrew to pass the word.

The seventh elder brother looked at Cao Hao at this time, with a little heaviness on his face, and said: "In the past ten days, it is the eighth elder brother's 'five seven', which should be presided over by the married daughter." There's only one Gege in the house over there, and he's still young. Among the nieces, there are many who are out of the cabinet, most of them are married to Mongolia and married to a few in Beijing, except for the two county lords who died of illness, there are only two of Chu Yu and Prince Yong's mansion. Because of the previous transfer of spirits, Bafujin had some resentment towards Prince Yong, and he was unwilling to let Ergege come to 'burn seven'. Today, she asked someone to invite me over, and told me that she wanted Chu Yu to go over and burn 'Wuqi' for Eighth Elder Brother. I mumbled, not nodding yet. ”

This is something that Cao Hao didn't expect, he didn't want to cause trouble, and he didn't want to get too close to that side.

Although it is true that according to the rules, it is true that a foreign-married daughter or a foreign-married niece burns "five-seven" for the deceased, but the son-in-law or niece-in-law who actually did it.

After all, in this kind of major event, the female dependents are crying spirits and guarding the spirits, and it is the men who entertain the guests.

Cao Hao can keep the ceremony, and it would be good to put on a pillar of incense in the past, but he didn't want to stop himself from doing this porcelain work.

"Father-in-law, the matter of moving spirits, caused by the rules, I really can't complain about the fourth master. Before the eighth master's death, he had always been good friends with the fourth master. Even if it's underground, I'm afraid I don't want the two families to have a disagreement. It is better to take this opportunity to have Ergege preside over the burning of seven, which can also ease the relationship between the two families. Cao Hao groaned for a moment and said.

The seventh elder brother looked at Cao Hao's gaze a little deep, and said in a deep voice: "Is it only Prince Yong's Mansion and Lian County Palace's Mansion that need to ease the relationship?" Lao Jiu was angry with you and made a move on you. Although you 'sue for illness', but who can you hide it, even if you don't take it to heart, will Brother Jiu think so? He will think that you have a grudge, and there will be a knot that you can't unravel. ”

Although being targeted by Brother Jiu is enough of a headache, it is much safer than being close to him.

Looking at the meaning of the seventh elder brother, it seems that he wants to pull the thread from it and resolve the grievances between Cao Hao and the ninth elder brother. But this is not something that can be said in one sentence or two sentences.

In this world, the hardest thing to figure out is the human heart.

Who can guarantee that Brother Jiu is generous, with happiness on his face, he will not blame the past in his heart. After all, there are several accounts between Cao Hao and Brother Jiu.

is still the same sentence, Seong lost his horse, and he didn't know if it was a blessing.

Cao Hao not only wanted to protect himself, but also didn't want his father-in-law to get too close to Brother Jiu, so he thought about it for a while and said: "Father-in-law, if the son-in-law responds to this matter, even if he can ease the relationship with the ninth master, he will offend another one, and I am afraid that there will be endless troubles." It just happened that there were still errands to be taken care of at Tangquan Palace, otherwise the son-in-law would have gone out to avoid a few days. ”

Seeing that his son-in-law didn't have the slightest intention of thinking about it, the seventh elder brother couldn't help frowning, a little angry in his heart, and a little strange Cao Hao's coldness. However, thinking about the disagreement between the Cao family and the ninth elder brother, I can't complain that my son-in-law made this choice...... * Goldfish Alley, the Thirteenth Elder Brother's Mansion, and the upper room in the inner courtyard.

Thirteen Fujin had a touch of excitement on his face, his eyes lit up, and he looked at Thirteen Elder Brother and said, "What the master said is true?" Are we really going to live in the hot spring Zhuangzi? ”

Although the Thirteenth Elder Brother's Mansion rarely interacts with the outside world, it also follows the rules and serves the Eighth Elder Brother with filial piety.

Thirteen Fujin did not "remove his hair and braid", he still combed two handfuls of hair, but just put a small lock on the left side of his head and braided it. The head is wrapped with a coarse black cloth, and two white velvet flowers are hairpinned. On the ears, it was also replaced with plain ring white fungus pliers.

plus the plain white cheongsam on his body, he really responded to that sentence, if you want to be pretty, you must be filial.

Although he was already an old husband and wife, the thirteenth elder brother couldn't help but reach out, held her hand and squeezed it, and said, "Look at you, you want to go out and go around?" ”

The Thirteen Fujin was still immersed in joy, nodded, and said, "The Zhuangzi over there has been cultivated for several years, so of course it's good to go and live for a while." It's mainly children, and it's better to be able to go out and have fun than to be confined in this house. ”

When the thirteenth elder brother heard this, his expression was a little gloomy, and he said in a low voice: "It's all because I, who is useless as an Amma, and they are so tired that they can only be in this cage." ”

Seeing the thirteenth elder brother like this, the thirteenth Fujin realized that he had lost his words, and his face added a touch of urgency, and said, "Master, I didn't mean that." It's just that Hongchang and Hongtun are talking about wanting to run a horse in the autumn, and the school field in the house is small, so I ......"

The thirteenth elder brother smiled and slapped her words, and said: "Okay, my good fortune, I know that you are a good mother, I think about my sons all the time, and I want to eat the vinegar of my sons." I've already thought about it, and we'll be comfortable in the future. If it is said that Huang Ama really can't see it, and wants to trap me, it is not too late for us to squat here again. ”

"Master ......" Thirteen Fujin heard this, and he didn't persuade him, and he didn't persuade him, he just felt distressed.

The thirteenth elder brother raised his eyebrows, turned away and said, "By the way, where is the account book of Taihu Zhuchang, take it out for me to see?" ”

"It's in the kang cabinet in the inner room, and I'll take it for my master." Thirteen Fujin said, got up and entered the inner room, and came out with a small box for a while.

Thirteen Fujin took out the account book, and while sending it to the thirteenth elder brother, he asked with a smile: "Ping Suye is the most impatient to ask about this, how did he think of reading this today?" ”

The thirteenth elder brother smiled, did not answer immediately, and borrowed the account book into his hand. After flipping through the account book from beginning to end, he closed the account book, nodded and said: "After five years of hard work, in addition to the return of the principal, he also gave birth to 100,000 taels of profits, so he should be content." ”

This was said without a head or brain, and the Thirteen Fujin was a little confused, and said, "Didn't you say that we have shares?" Cao Hao made people come? ”

The thirteenth elder brother shook his head and said, "Even if he doesn't say it, it's not good for me to take advantage of this cheapness." At the beginning, he said that he was borrowing money to turnover, but now he looks at it, but it is just a pretext, for fear that our livelihood will be difficult. Only then did this money-making bead field be sent to us in vain. ”

Thirteen Fujin was originally a crystal heart, and he knew this, and he was grateful to Cao Hao.

But he didn't know why, as if he had made up his mind to uncover the matter.

"In this world, the most unsatisfied thing is the human heart." The thirteenth elder brother said slowly: "In the past few years, I have been hiding in the house and not going out, thinking that I have been wronged, but I don't want to think that I can live so leisurely and contentedly, all by relying on the fourth brother to take care of me and Cao Hao. I only have resentment in my heart, even if I know that the two of them treat me well, I still suffer a lot, and I haven't even mentioned the word 'thanks'. By the end, a smile had already been put on his face.

"They are all close relatives, not outsiders, and the word 'thanks' is on the lips, which seems to be empty. When they are useful to us in the future, we will do our best. Thirteen Fujin comforted softly.

"Therefore, the most terrible thing about the human heart, and the insatiable desire is the human heart." The thirteenth elder brother shook his head, with a bit of self-deprecation on his face, and said: "I heard that the starling is a little uncomfortable, in addition to being a little uncomfortable, I also thought in my heart at that time, this is not a place to be vacated. If Huang Ama can remember the old thirteen, will I be able to get out of this cage and be a palm brother again? ”

Although her husband is in the house, he teaches the children to write big characters every day, or he tastes tea and reads, but he always pays attention to the government and politics. The Thirteen Blessings know this.

After listening to the words of the thirteenth elder brother, although she knew that there was little hope, she still said with a little excitement on her face: "Ye is right, this is the case." Among the princes and elder brothers, there are few people who can really help the emperor Ama share his worries. Huang Ama Shengming, a talent like the master, there is no reason to always be idle. ”

The thirteenth elder brother's gaze was a little misty, and he didn't know where to fall, and continued: "I heard that the Cao family was rewarded by the Queen Mother, so I thought, if I can subdue Cao Hao, I can not only take advantage of Mrs. Cao's power, but also have Cao Hao to make money, is there any hope for that position in the future?" ”

Even if it is a husband and wife's gossip, some things are not easy to say casually, after all, there is an idiom in this world, called "the wall has ears".

Listening to the thirteenth elder brother's planing, the thirteen Fujin had already changed his face in fright, and stretched out his hand to block his mouth, so that he didn't make a sound.

She hurriedly stood up, walked to the door, opened the curtain and looked, there were no maids in the hall, only two little maids in the yard to sweep the snow, and then she sighed.

When she turned around, she saw the thirteenth elder brother looking at her and asked, "Am I too greedy?" ”

Looking from the side, Thirteen Fujin's eyes fell on her husband's braids, which were dotted with stars and half white. She couldn't help but sour her eyes, shook her head, and said, "Don't be greedy." Ye is also the son of Huang Ama and the prince of the dynasty. In terms of talent, which brother is worse than him? Don't say it's a master, if I am a master, I'm afraid I think more than my master. ”

Looking at his wife's vigorous appearance, the thirteenth elder brother couldn't help laughing, and said, "Could it be that Fujin also wants her husband to become a Chan and wants to change his clothes and wear them?" ”

This is a pun.

Thirteen Fujin shook his head and said, "For the sake of that clothes, I want to give my husband to others, but I don't want to follow it!" I'd rather just guard the lord like this, I don't envy any woman in this world, I envy myself. ”

The husband and wife didn't say anything else, but they looked at each other, only felt that their hearts were connected, and they both smiled. It seems that so the haze does not exist, and everything is light and breezy.

"If you come back in the spring, it's a lot of months, and there are a ......lot of things you need to bring," Thirteen Fujin said with a smile: "I want to bring my favorite wine, and when the time comes, I will take my sisters to accompany me to eat wine." ”

The thirteenth elder brother also had a smile on his face, and said, "Nothing else is okay, the stove of the barbecue that Cao Hao sent two years ago should be carried, and the barbecue skewers for the children will be eaten when the time comes." ”

The husband and wife said a word, I said a word, and was talking about what to bring, when I heard someone go to the porch and say: "Master, Fujin, the ninth master is here, waiting for the master in the living room." ”

The Thirteenth Elder Brother and the Thirteenth Fujin were a little stunned when they heard this.

Since the thirteenth elder brother opened the mansion, the ninth elder brother has been here no more than three times, and he has not shown up in the past two years.

What did he come to do?

Stunned, I had to go to meet the guests. The thirteenth elder brother patted his wife's hand and said with a smile: "You make a list first, you don't have to worry too much, the left and right are not far away, if there is a fall, then let someone go back to the city to get it." I'll go and see, and I'll be back in a minute. ”

"Hmm." Thirteen Fujin nodded in response, sent the thirteenth elder brother to the corridor, watched him go out of the courtyard, and then turned around and entered the house.

* Front yard, living room.

Brother Jiu crossed Erlang's legs, looked at the little guy standing outside the door, and picked the corners of his mouth. There was a plain plaque outside the door, and the little girl was also dressed in gray plain clothes, it seems that the thirteenth elder brother is here, but he knows the etiquette.

Seeing the thirteenth elder brother coming in from the door, the ninth elder brother stood up and said, "Thirteenth brother, my brother is here uninvited today and is an uninvited guest." ”

Among the princes, the Nine Elder Brothers are rich in appearance. Now, after being sick for nearly a month, he has lost a lot of weight, his face is dark and yellow, and he looks much more easy-going, without his usual publicity.

The ninth elder brother spent a lot of money to do the funeral for the eighth elder brother, and the thirteenth elder brother also heard about it.

His heart softened, and he said with a smile: "Brother Jiu said that this is an outsider, this is a brother's family, you can come if you want, where do you still use those Laoshzi rules?" ”

Brother Jiu's eyes fell on the filial piety clothes worn by the thirteenth elder brother, and he didn't speak for a long time.

The thirteenth elder brother was a little uncomfortable, and said: "Brother Jiu, please take a seat, it just so happened that a few days ago, there was a new tea sent over, if Brother Jiu doesn't dislike it, try it too." ”

"Old thirteen, my brother is here to beg you today." The ninth elder brother did not sit down, his eyes moved from the filial piety clothes of the thirteenth elder brother to his face, and said slowly.

The thirteenth elder brother was stunned when he heard this, and said, "Ninth brother is tight? ”

Brother Jiu shook his head and said, "Other brothers don't dare to say anything, if you want to talk about silver, my brother really doesn't lack it." Speaking of this, he paused and said, "It's for the starling's burning seven." 'Five-seven' is 'big seven', which is indispensable. Starling's life is hard, and if he says no, it will be gone, and he can't even have a person who burns seven. ”

The ninth elder brother said a lot, but the thirteenth elder brother was still confused. His eldest daughter is fourteen years old, and she has not left the cabinet, nor can she go to burn seven for her uncle.

I heard the ninth elder brother continue: "The eighth sister-in-law means that she wants to ask the big Gege on the seventh brother's side to burn 'five seven' for the eighth brother. The eighth sister-in-law had already told the seventh brother, but the seventh brother did not respond, only said that he wanted to see his daughter and son-in-law. Cao Hao's side, I'm afraid that it will be because of me, and he won't respond to ......."

(To be continued)