One stone stirs up a thousand waves.

Although it is said that the new official has three fires in office, no one would have thought that Cao Hao would make such a big move when he first arrived in the Internal Affairs Office.

Since he was the head of the Internal Affairs Office of the Great Cao Hao Administration, everyone in the Internal Affairs Office also paid attention to his side, and his subordinate officials were also busy studying his resume after his debut.

This is the current atmosphere of officialdom, and before the chief official arrives, usually the subordinates know everything about the official's resume and family status.

Not to mention anything else, for the sake of "three festivals and two longevity", the birth of the chief official and the official's wife must be known, otherwise this filial piety is delayed, wouldn't it be rude?

Not to mention Cao Hao's wife, she is a big figure in the Chunwang Mansion, and her status is noble and difficult to climb.

Cao Hao Kangxi entered Beijing in the forty-eighth year, except for one and a half years in Yizhou, Shandong, the rest of the time were Beijing officials, household department, Taifu Temple, military department, three yamen.

Whether it is the official of the six ministries or the official of the Taifu Temple, Cao Hao's behavior is one word, that is, "Ping".

That's right, it's "flat".

Smooth, peaceful, ordinary, plain.

Even if the fame of Cao Jiazi's "tea boy" in his early years was more widespread, over the years, Cao Hao's mediocrity has also made the capital's magnates gradually forget these things.

Even if Cao Hao was promoted to the head of the Internal Affairs Office this time, no one would have thought that he would be able to play and change.

In the words of the elderly, the water in this internal affairs office is deep.

If you want to say how deep and dark it is, you can only understand it, you can't say it.

Although the subordinate officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs are mostly dressed in the Three Banners, their status is low. However, it is true that they are minions, but they are the minions of the emperor.

In addition to being the emperor's minions, behind them, there are more or less shadows of other clan magnates.

Even if it is a prince like the sixteenth elder brother and the seventeenth elder brother, who are in charge of the internal affairs government, they will not act rashly.

There is a difference between respect and inferiority, but ants bite elephants to death, and they move their whole bodies, which is what they are talking about the officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

"Cao Hao, are you crazy? How do you ......" The sixteenth elder brother strode into the inner hall of the yamen of the Internal Affairs Office, frowning, his expression was a little solemn, and when he saw Cao Hao, he couldn't help but raise his voice.

There happened to be a pen paste from the accounting department to send Cao Hao the accounts of the past few years, and he was bluffed by the high voice of the sixteenth elder brother, and he missed, almost scattering the stack of accounts he was holding in his hand.

Only then did the sixteenth elder brother realize that there was an outsider, and immediately closed his mouth, his brows still frowning.

Holding the account, he leaned down and saluted to the sixteenth elder brother.

Brother Sixteen's lips pursed tightly, and he waved his hand casually to the pen sticker.

Only then did he get up, send the account he was holding to Cao Hao's desk, and replied: "My lord, except for the accounts of the forty-seventh and fifty-first years that were damaged by watering and insects, the accounts of other years after the forty-five years are here. ”

The Accounting Department is the department that manages the Cashier of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and is responsible for every income and expenditure.

Such an organization will not even keep account books, and how many will believe it if it comes out with "watering and moth-eating"?

The missing two-year accounts happened to be the year when Kangxi abolished the prince twice, Cao Hao knew it, nodded, and sent the pen down.

The sixteenth elder brother stayed for a while, and his mood gradually calmed down.

There were only two of them left in the room, and the sixteenth elder brother pondered for a moment and said, "Fu Ruo, you have never been a reckless person, why are you like this this time?" Even if you want to make a move, or if you want to share the worries of Huang Ama, you must always think carefully. Even if you hold all these money-spending yamen of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in your hands, at most you can save a few silver coins, what can you do? If the province is big and loses the dignity of the royal family, it is too much. ”

When Cao Hao heard this, he didn't answer immediately, but took a blue and white tea cup, picked up the kettle on the small stove in the corner, and made a cup of tea for the sixteenth elder brother.

Seeing that Cao Hao was calm, the sixteenth elder brother couldn't help but be a little annoyed, took the tea, and said, "Hmph, hmph, this is to see, what kind of good tea you have here, and offer it to you." As he spoke, he looked at the color of the tea soup, but he couldn't help but be stunned.

The tea soup of this good tea is either red and bright, yellow and bright, or green. The tea soup in front of him is something that the sixteenth elder brother has never seen.

The color is slightly darker than boiled water, a faint yellow, and it is not bright to look at.

"Could it be the good tea that Fu Ruo pondered?" With a bit of curiosity, the sixteenth elder brother brought the tea soup to his mouth and took a sip, but he couldn't help frowning.

The sixteenth elder brother endured it, opened his mouth to drink, and drank the rest of the tea soup, revealing the residual tea at the bottom of the teacup.

The sixteenth elder brother plucked his fingers twice, and it was all broken tea stalks.

"Where did you get it? It's not a colorless one, so I'll give you a horse, right? Which minion died? Thinking of this possibility, the sixteenth elder brother couldn't help but be angry, stood up with a "Teng" sound, and asked.

Cao Hao had already pointed to the tea leaves in the teacup and said, "The sixteenth master is a little restless, I am the chief manager appointed by the emperor, whether I am convinced or not, who of them dares to defy the holy will?" There are many people who love tea in this capital, and there are two good teas and ten taels of gold. However, the prices of tea used in ordinary people's homes are different. This tea is the cheapest tea that can be bought in the capital, one pound and twenty-four yuan, one or two and a half yuan. ”

The sixteenth elder brother was a little puzzled, thought about it for a while, and said, "What does Fu Ruo mean by this procurement of the Internal Affairs Office?" Even if the price of this tea is cheap, it is impossible for the court to purchase it. Besides, in addition to the tribute tea from all over the country, the Internal Affairs Office also has its own tea house, this tea ......" said this, he couldn't help but widen his eyes, and said: "Could it be that Fu Ruo is worried about the tea ceremony outside the mouth?" ”

Cao Hao nodded: "In the past two years, I have been running to Mongolia a lot, whether it is Mongolian princes and nobles on the road, or ordinary herdsmen, this tea is indispensable." If they don't drink tea to dilute it, they will eat meat and milk all day long, and their bodies will not be able to survive. This pound of tea bricks is the cheapest place in Guanli, but it is only twenty or thirty Wen, but when it comes to the mouth, it can be exchanged for two sheep, and three or four can be exchanged for a horse. The price difference is exactly 100 times. This is still the naturalization side, and if you go further north, the price will be higher. When it arrives in Oros, I am afraid that the price will double again. ”

The tea and salt quotations outside the mouth are all distributed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and those who control them are all people with foundations.

This is an authentic imperial merchant, since the twenty-eighth year of the Great Kangxi, this naturalized to the Oros tea ceremony has been, these years have gradually matured.

When the sixteenth elder brother heard the hundredfold or hundredfold price difference, his expression was also moved, but then he thought about the interest disputes involved, but he couldn't help but worry about Cao Hao.

"The tea quotations issued every year are turned over and over, but there are only a few of them, and there are backers behind them. If Fu wants to move this, I'm afraid he will have to fight against the tree. If you think about it, it's not about offending one or two families. Brother Sixteen said.

Cao Hao took out a very delicately carved pineapple wooden box from the drawer of the case, and said, "Sixteenth master, take a look at this again." As he spoke, he sent it to the sixteenth elder brother.

The sixteenth elder brother stretched out his hand to take it, opened it and saw that it was lined with red velvet on the backing, and a row of palm-length and finger-thick paper rolls were neatly stacked on it.

I took one and looked at it, and the bread was finely chopped with shredded tobacco.

"This?" The sixteenth elder brother was puzzled.

Cao Hao said with a smile: "Cigarettes, the box is just for people, I think those grand dukes and nobles in Oros should like this." ”

Brother Sixteen has seen this cigarette, but this thing is unheard of.

He took one and put it under his nose to smell it, but it was faintly fragrant.

Cao Hao looked at the hand-rolled cigarette and couldn't help but feel a little proud.

Half a month after recuperating from his illness, he pondered the way to make money. Thinking about it, this silver is still the most in the people. Don't talk about others, just talk about the Cheng family he went to in Yangzhou. As a representative of salt merchants, although it cannot be said that the rich are in the world, there are rich ones.

The imperial merchants under the Ministry of Internal Affairs have Huai merchants and Jin merchants.

Whether it is a Huai merchant or a Jin merchant, one thing is the same, that is, the family origin, and the family resources are very tight.

What better way to raise money than to get money out of them?

The sixteenth elder brother closed the cigarette case, and was not in a hurry to ask, pulled a chair and sat down, looked at Cao Hao and said, "Look at your pride, this is all what you came up with in this ten months?" What else is there, hurry up and finish the business. ”

Cao Hao laughed twice, took out two brocade boxes, opened them sixteen years ago, and there were pearls of various colors inside.

"When the tea is shipped to the mouth, the price increases by a hundred times, but the tea is only equivalent to the tea leaves, or more than one or two times the price. This procurement bidding of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, this tea quotation, is one of the big bids. This tea brick is twenty or thirty wen a catty, and the tea citation was initially set at twenty times its size. Bidding for the imperial merchants under the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the price is awarded. If the bidding fails, the cigarette monopoly continues to bid, and finally the pearl. Cao Hao said.

In the past two years, the price of pearls has fallen due to the large number of cultured pearls on the market. The production of high-grade beads is limited, and the impact is better, and the price of ordinary beads has indeed fallen more than ten times.

The sixteenth elder brother's eyes couldn't help but light up a little, looked at Cao Hao, and stretched out his thumb: "I'm still afraid that you will be forced by Huang Ama, you can count it in your heart...... This is lively, but I and Seventeen want to participate in the ......"

The sixteenth elder brother has no intention of being in the big position, and he doesn't pay much attention to money, so he takes the initiative to participate, half of them listen to the excitement and want to see and understand, but on the other hand, they share risks and responsibilities for Cao Hao.

Cao Hao knew it in his heart, but he was extremely happy.

Fortunately, I was the companion of the sixteenth elder brother in my early years, and I didn't do other people's ......* Suzhou, weaving house, and study.

Li Xu frowned, looked at the brocade box spread out on the bookcase, touched his beard, and said, "Or so little?" What is the situation of other bead factories? ”

On the opposite side is Wan Dafu, the son of the Li family, who was Li Ding's long-term companion in his early years, and later went to Jiangning to be the steward of the pearl field.

"Master, the little one has been pushed around and asked, and several people who photographed the pearls back then were all raising pearls. In the past two years, the beads have also been on the market, and now the price in the market has plummeted. I haven't heard of anything that doesn't produce beads, but our side is still the same as last year. Wan Dafu bowed and said, "Master, could it be that the young master of the Cao family has done something...... When the second master was alive, when he talked about that person, he felt that he had some plans for the Li family. ”

Hearing the mention of Li Ding, Li Xu's face became more and more ugly.

It has been more than two years since his son died, and as a father, he doesn't even know the cause of his son's death.

However, when it came to the Cao family's calculation of the Li family, Li Xu didn't believe it.

This pearl field was photographed by the merchant Yang family, at that time; The Li family has not yet joined. Even if Cao Hao had to calculate the Li family, it would be impossible for him to prepare for so long.

Cao Hao's promotion to Minister of the Interior has been announced in the official newspaper.

Even with Cao Yin, there is a gap in his heart, and Li Xu's side is even more so.

Although he has the title of the head of the household department on his body, he is the official position of the second rank, but he is not as powerful as the head of the internal affairs department of the third rank.

Thinking of the Cao family's rising momentum, Li Xu couldn't help touching his forehead, and he couldn't tell whether he was happy or angry on his face. He coughed, straightened his face, and said to Wan Dafu: "Trouble comes from the mouth, what hands and feet, planning, in the future, don't be foolish in front of people, if you are not careful, you will deal with it by family law." ”

"Yes." Wan Dafu bowed down and said, "Master, there is one more thing, Yang Bai, the widow of the Yang family, with her stepson, is looking around, wanting to take back Bihelou and Zhuchang. ”

Jiangning's side is not only worried about Bihelou, but also the Bai family.

Because the only daughter of the Yang family is their daughter-in-law, even if Bai Er has died "immediately", he still wants to collect pearls with confidence. I had already made a fuss before, and I was scared in the end.

Li Xu didn't hear about many things, where was he impatient to listen to these trivial things about his mother-in-law.

He glanced at Wan Dafu and said, "How do you live more and more, and this little sesame thing is also used to talk about it." I'm not tired, I'm not tired, I'm tired of looking at it. ”

"Master, Mrs. Jiangning's family has moved, and other officials have also changed drastically. There are also a few tough people behind the Bai family. Fang Dafu hesitated and said: "Master, if you want peace, this Yang Bai clan and her stepson are not good to keep. ”

When Li Xu heard this, he nodded, and casually ordered: "No matter how you deal with it, you must be clean and neat." ”

*Beijing, Xicheng, Caofu, Lanyuan.

Li is out of confinement, and he is taking tonic every day, and his whole face looks red, and he sleeps a lot younger.

Changsheng was in the package, his little face was white and tender, waving his little arms, and he didn't know where to go.

Li sat on the edge of the kang and held Changsheng in his arms, but he couldn't see enough.

At this time, I heard footsteps, and a maid embroidered warbler came in.

"Madam, Lady Dong is here." The embroidered warbler said.

Li nodded, glanced at his son twice, and then reluctantly put down the swaddling clothes and let ** take him to Dongnuan Pavilion to recuperate.

The person who came had already been introduced into the house by the embroidered warbler, saw the Li family, and made a squatting salute.

Although she is a palace maid, she is a messenger in front of the palace, and the Li family does not dare to hold it up.

She turned sideways, got up and walked in front of Su Xin, pulled her to the bedside, and said, "Speaking of which, I have also met your mother." It was the last time I went to Beijing, well, Kangxi forty-eight years. ”

Su Xin sat on the side of the kang, but he still lowered his eyebrows and did not speak.

Li Shi looked at her appearance, and he was also a little embarrassed in his heart.

I really don't understand the meaning of the palace, is it that people like them are still qualified to use the people who are called by the emperor. What kind of thing is this, neither a guest nor a servant......

(To be continued)