The Holy Driver set off from Changchun Garden on April 26 this year, and the queen mother took refuge in the summer, and the princes who accompanied him were the third elder brother, the fourth elder brother, the seventh elder brother, the fifteenth elder brother, the sixteenth elder brother and the seventeenth elder brother.

On the fourth day of the fifth month, he arrived at the Rehe Palace, and he had been stationed for more than a month in the blink of an eye.

In May, in addition to the Mongol princes coming to the court one after another, the military situation in the northwest was also reported to the emperor quickly.

As early as April 29, Kangxi issued an order to allocate 500,000 taels of Hedong salt and silver as money and grain for the war in the northwest.

In the middle of this month, before the military intelligence was reported to the emperor, there were decrees issued one after another.

In addition to ordering the three-way men sent by the imperial court to defend against the enemy in the northwest, Kangxi also issued an order to the leader of the city surnamed Chukubai on the border of Oros, so that he could defend the border with intent and take in anyone who plotted to attack Alabutan.

At the same time, he also ordered the military department to give the princes of western Khalkha twelve arrows per Zasak, and when it was critical, he could send the arrows to the princes of the neighboring Zasak for help. If the order is received and the rescue of the troops is delayed, the crime must be punished in accordance with the military law.

In June, news came from the northwest that the war was still deadlocked.

Although the Heshuo army said that it was a year's worth of rice and grain to the outside world, Kangxi knew it in his heart, let alone a year, but it was not half a year, but it was just a few months of chewing.

In desperation, Kangxi had to make an order in the name of storing military rations, first ordered Zhili and Shanxi to open official warehouses nearby, use the regular money and grain, buy 15,000 horses and mules, transport 12,000 stones of rice, and drive to the Heshuo garrison in July; Then he ordered Shandong and Henan provinces to do the same, buy horses and mules, and send them to the army when the grass is green next year.

The mules and horses that transported rice and stone on these two occasions were left in the army to drive the load.

Kangxi remembered that Galdan had made the northwest erosive for several years, and his heart was also a little bottomless. Therefore, he also issued an order to order the Artillery Bureau to send 80 imperial sub-cannons to the Xi'an general's seat pillar, and 50 to the general Fei Yanggu for backup.

In this place, the silver of the inner treasury is used.

At the beginning of this war, more than 10,000 soldiers and horses were gathered, and there was already no money and food. Kangxi thought of this, and his heart was extremely heavy.

Now, I just hope that Alabutan can surrender, so that the court can have a leeway.

It's just that the Dzungar people are unruly and unruly, and they have always had wolf ambitions, and since they committed Hami this time, in addition to last year's snow disaster, they want to take the opportunity to open up the road to Tibetan Province.

Razang Khan's eldest son is still in his hands, and if he is in the name of escorting his son-in-law into Tibet to "protect the religion", then the trouble of the imperial court will not only be in the northwest...... Kangxi is worried about the overall situation in the northwest, and the third elder brother and the fourth elder brother are naturally willing to share their father's worries and control the affairs of the capital remotely.

The other few followers were very idle.

Especially the seventh elder brother, it was the first time he came to Rehe after the summer resort was repaired, and he also had a leisurely life.

He is the prince of the opened mansion, and he also has his own mansion outside the villa, and this time he is followed by the side Fu Jin Nara clan and the concubine Chen clan.

Chen is Xiyu, who married with Da Gege in his early years, and is the daughter of Chen Forty-nine, who is the prince of Chunjun. Because her surname is docile and her appearance is good, she has been favored by the seventh elder brother in the past two years.

It's already summer, and the prince and brother who follow him and the hundred officials of the clan don't have to stand in front of the palace, and they disperse after discussing it every morning.

The seventh elder brother doesn't like human contacts, and every time he comes back from the imperial front, he leisurely fishes in his yard and tastes tea.

Nala took the Chen family with him, and he was on the side, which was also comfortable.

Although it is inevitable that there is some jealousy in his heart, the Nara clan is not at all, and he is more and more virtuous and considerate.

Compared with Qifujin, she is more like the wife of the seventh elder brother. The two have three sons and two daughters, and the five children are all Chengren one after another.

Today, Hongshu has not yet been canonized as the eldest son of the county king, but in the past few years, he has begun to learn to be an errand boy, and outsiders are treated as the heirs of the county king's mansion.

On the seventh elder brother's side, he had already acquiesced, and in the interpersonal contacts that he was impatient to show up, Hongshu was mostly responsible for it.

Hongzhuo is already sixteen, and this year is the year of the draft, and at the end of the year, it is time to marry a daughter-in-law.

The Nala clan is now in the heart of competing for favor, and is only planning for the children, and treating Qifujin is also much more respectful than in the past. She really doesn't want to make any more twists and turns and affect the future of her children.

The Chen family has been quite favored in the past two years, but she knows that her family is from a low background, and these Fujin and Shu Fujin in the inner house are not something she can afford to offend. She acted very restrained, and did not dare to go beyond the slightest presumptuousness.

The seventh elder brother is Aijing's surname, and he has always avoided flamboyant women.

Because of the discordant relationship with Fujin over the years, in addition to the favored side Fujin, he can't stand Qifujin's somewhat arrogant surname.

Qifujin is the descendant of Mengge, one of the ministers of the Taizong Dynasty, and his father is a Fakha official to the deputy capital, and a noble daughter.

The side Fu Jin Na Lashi is her cousin in the next room, but because it is a side branch, her father has a low official position and his identity is not obvious.

Brother Qi's own background is not high, and because of the inconvenience of his legs and feet, he is somewhat inferior and depressed. In addition, he has no ambitions, and he does not expect his wife to borrow strength, so his relationship with the Yue family is only mediocre.

Today, I was lucky, and after sitting by the pond in the garden for a while, the seventh elder brother caught a few foot-long carp.

Na Lashi put the fish in a basin, filled it with clear water, and said to the seventh elder brother with a smile: "But for most of the hour, the master will catch six tails, and today's lunch will borrow the light of the master, but you can taste the river fresh." ”

The seventh elder brother turned sideways, looked into the basin, shook his head, and said: "It's too fat, this fish is too dense, the housekeeper threw many tails into this little big pool, and when he saw the food, he couldn't wait to jump out of the water." ”

But there was no interest in fishing, the seventh elder brother took the fishing rod, wondered if to send someone to send two books, and cooled off in the pavilion by the pool, and saw that there were sixteen elder brothers and seventeenth elder brothers coming in with the steward.

Seeing that the two princes were coming, the Nala clan had seen each other, and took the Chen clan to retreat.

The seventh elder brother brought a seat and served the two younger brothers to tea under the shade of the tree by the pond.

Seeing that the two younger brothers had changed into Ge gauze robes, holding folding fans in their hands, like the rich sons, the seventh elder brother said: "Even if it is really leisurely, there is no need to show it with such fanfare." Huang Ama is worried about the affairs of the northwest, be careful that you don't accept the punishment. ”

Among the princes and elder brothers, the seventh elder brother is a well-known "withdrawn" surname, and he is not close to his brothers. However, the sixteenth elder brother and the seventeenth elder brother are about the same age as his eldest daughter, and they are considered younger brothers, but the seventh elder brother is still a little genuinely concerned.

The sixteenth elder brother shook the folding fan in his hand, raised his chin, and said with a smile: "Who said that the brothers are idle? Even Huang Ama's side has already spoken, as long as I and the seventeen or two old people who are waiting for the Queen Mother. The third brother and the fourth brother are busy with government affairs, of course, they are worried about the emperor; I'm a friend of seventeen or two colorful clothes, and I'm also filial piety on behalf of Emperor Amma, isn't it? ”

The seventh elder brother listened with a smile, but he was a little envious of their ease.

Although the sixteenth elder brother and the seventeenth elder brother are also in their twenties and have families, they live in the palace because they have no separate mansions, and they still talk and act like children.

The seventeenth elder brother was drinking tea, and the sixteenth elder brother shook the folding fan violently, pointed to the fan, and said to the seventh elder brother: "Seventh brother, you hurry up and take a closer look, the sixteenth elder brother of the province is endless." ”

The seventh elder brother was quite puzzled when he heard this, and the sixteenth elder brother had already sent the folding fan to the seventh elder brother, and said with a little pride: "Seventh brother, what do you see here?" ”

The seventh elder brother looked at his hand, but it was a red piece, all of which were all kinds of seals, "five clouds", "body yuan master", "ten thousand opportunities to spare", and what else "cherish the yin", "I think of the ancients", "Ji Xi Jingzhi", and then look at the back, "Tianlu Yongchang", "Children and grandchildren use the association", "Taiping", "Guangfu" and so on.

Among them, some of them have been seen by the Seventh Elder Brother, such as the "Body Yuan Master" and the "Guangfu", who know that it is the private seal of the emperor's father.

This fan is a gift after the Dragon Boat Festival.

This is also an old practice in the palace, every year during the Dragon Boat Festival, the princes and ministers of the inner court have to give kudzu yarn and folding fans. Even foreign ministers, who have holy dependents, will also receive the reward of this season.

Although most of the other seals have not been seen by the seventh elder brother, since they are buckled on this imperial fan, needless to say, they are designated as the emperor's father's.

"If the third brother sees this, I'm afraid it will be secret." The seventh elder brother sighed as he looked at the penmanship of these seals.

The sixteenth elder brother raised his eyebrows and said with a smile: "If you do something else, he dares to keep it secret, I am afraid that this brother will send it to him, and he should avoid suspicion." ”

The seventh elder brother didn't like to hear these things, so he took the fan from the sixteenth elder brother and said, "You built it all yourself?" The fans given by the palace this year are all stamped by you, right? ”

The sixteenth elder brother nodded, shook his head again, and said: "I built the fan that the big guy gets, but this one is not, and I went to ask for it when I watched Huang Ama play with these private seals." ”

The two brothers, poking their heads out, gave a general comment on the seals on it. Among them, there are two parties that look familiar, like the handiwork of a gold and stone master.

Hearing them talk about something else, the seventeenth elder brother couldn't help but wonder, and said, "Sixteenth brother, didn't we come here on the orders of the Queen Mother?" How can this be said to be off-topic? ”

The sixteenth elder brother put away the folding fan and said to the seventh elder brother: "Seventh brother, the tribute in June has arrived in Rehe, there are bayberry, Korean ginseng or something, the queen mother has a decree, and several of them will be rewarded, except for the fifth brother, needless to say, this year, the seventh brother's side has taken up a large share." ”

The seventh elder brother listened, but he was puzzled.

How did the Queen Mother think of rewarding him with something here? Although he is the grandson of the Queen Mother, he does not occupy the eldest son, and he does not show his face more than the sixteenth elder brother in front of the Queen Mother.

"Ahem!" The sixteenth elder brother cleared his throat and said, "On the seventh brother's side, half of it is on the seventh brother's side, and half of it is pointed out to Da Gege." ”

Speaking of this, the two brothers were a little speechless.

Since the end of April, Cao Yin's wife entered the palace, and news has come out in a shadowy way. It is said that the Queen Mother did not like the Li family and reprimanded her; It was also said that the Queen Mother and the Li family lost their temper and looked at each other very much...... The queen mother's method of rewarding me doesn't know if it can be regarded as "saving the country by curve".

Before this, it was the emperor's father who also used this method and rewarded Cao Yan.

When the seventh elder brother thought of this, he felt quite strange in his heart, and he always felt like there was something he didn't know.

This feels weird, not only is it the seventh elder brother, but also the sixteenth elder brother.

Although the Queen Mother has been in the harem for most of her life, because of the protection of the Queen Mother in her early years, she has not suffered much, and she is not a sleek and sophisticated person.

Like an ordinary old man, her joys, sorrows, and sorrows are all on her face.

When talking about the Cao family with the sixteenth elder brother, the old man's face was undisguised with concern. That kind of concern is no less than the fifth elder brother who she personally takes care of.

is this by rewarding the great-granddaughter and rewarding the Cao family, this clear-eyed person, who can't see it.

The Queen Mother is the mother of the country, the most noble woman in the Qing Dynasty, everything is at will, but it makes the Cao family inevitably attract the attention of others.

In the heart of the sixteenth elder brother, he didn't want the Cao family to get into trouble.

Cao's family room is only one of Cao Yan's brothers, if there is something wrong, Cao Yan will have a headache in the end.

For this reason, the sixteenth elder brother tactfully dissuaded two sentences in front of the Queen Mother, saying that the road is far away, and the transportation is not cheap or anything, even if there is no these, the younger generations can also understand the Queen Mother's kindness, Yunyun.

Where can the Queen Mother understand this, the sixteenth elder brother said this because of the hot weather and the long way away, but she was also a little uneasy in her heart.

Only then did I remember that the seventh elder brother came and asked the sixteenth elder brother to come out and pass the decree, and asked the seventh elder brother to summon two appropriate people to send these tributes back to Beijing.

The seventh elder brother knew the cause and effect, and the deeper the doubts in his heart, he thought of his son-in-law Cao Yan who was on a business trip to Mongolia, but he really missed it a little......* Cao Yan, who was far away in Outer Mongolia, had already begun to travel long distances again, following the Great Lama, to the southwest of Hami.

This is not the hard work of coming, because Cao Yan is now left in his felt tent by the Grand Lama, and he no longer has to ride around on horseback.

The felt tent of the great lama was not dismantled, and every day during the day it was moved directly to the ox cart and pulled by a dozen oxen.

Although the speed of the ox-drawn cart is maddening, it is better to set off at this dawn, and it is said that it will take a long time to stay up, and it can walk dozens of miles a day.

I don't know if the great lama found out that Cao Yan had "wisdom roots", or if he had been a living Buddha for many years and was used to receiving disciples, and talked about Buddhism to Cao Yan.

Cao Yan, on the other hand, was a little lazy and a little curious about Tibetan Buddhism, and became a temporary disciple of the great lama half-pushed and half-on-the-spot, listening to him teach Buddhism.

The sect that the Great Lama believes in is the "Gelug School", also known as the "Yellow Sect", which is the same sect as the Panchen Lama, which is already the mainstream sect of Tibetan Buddhism.

They advocated that monks should take vows, not to take wives, not to drink alcohol, not to kill, and not to engage in farming. What they believe in is "the view of the emptiness of the surname of dependent origination", and they believe that "all the laws are waiting for the origin of the fate, after all, there is no self-surname".

In their eyes, heaven and earth are a network of origins, no matter what calamities they have experienced, the cause and effect are not chaotic, and the reason why the program is always coherent is because no matter what the reason for the calamities, there is only one true heart, which is what they call "their own heart and surname".

Cao Yan spent three years in Qingliang Temple in Jiangning in his early years, and he was not unfamiliar with Buddhist scripture theory.

Although he felt that the sect that this great lama believed in was more in line with the surname of the people than the Buddhism that had become much more empty talk in the Central Plains civilization for more than a thousand years, Cao Yan was not a disciple of Buddhism after all, and he was unwilling to comment at will.

He just listened to the great lama talk about the scriptures, and when he didn't understand, he asked a question or two.

The great lama seems to regard himself as the "origin" of persuading Cao Yan to become a Buddha, and wants to surpass him as an apprentice.

Cao Yan followed the big lama, and ate hand-handled meat and milk tofu for a while, and his face, which had been somewhat reduced due to the long journey, had meat again.

For Buddhism, Cao Yan only regarded it as a knowledge that he was not familiar with, and he knew more about it, and there was really no aside.

He has parents and parents, a wife and a weak child, and his son is living a life of fatigue with a taste of happiness, how can he have the heart of abandoning the world?

Sometimes, he also envied the monks' leisure, not physically, but spiritually.

But envy is envy, people live in the world, they must always be responsible, that is unavoidable.

When the great lama traveled, there were not a few monks and believers accompanying him, but there were also hundreds of people. Coupled with the seventy people who came with Cao Yan, this team was mighty and quite spectacular.

Because the nomads are accustomed to migrating on the grassland, the cattle and sheep all follow the crowd, and there is no need to worry about eating along the way.

On the right wing of the Khalkha Zasak, there are four hereditary rulers, including the prince, the county king, the Beizi, and the Guogong, and the rest is Zhutaiji.

When encountering the residence of these Mongol princes, the Grand Lama and Cao Yan would be treated with great hospitality.

Cao Yan was just using the name of "Qincha", but the great lama was regarded as a god and Buddha by the Mongolian subjects.

Not to mention all kinds of hatas, there are also several carts of butter, mare's milk wine, fried fruits, and other foods sent by the believers.

There are also some devout believers who have already driven their cattle and traveled with the great lama.

The great lama also persuaded others, but in the end, when he saw that what he said twice was invalid, he said no more.

Cao Yan didn't have anything unusual about butter, mare's milk wine, etc., and the happiest thing was that the Mongolian nobles offered rice.

This "white food" and "red food", occasionally a little pasta, are also fried noodles with mutton fat, Cao Yan really eats it to his stomach.

With rice, boil a pot of white porridge when you are stationed, and then eat other things, which can be regarded as delicious in the eyes of Cao Yan and others.

Cao Yan is a powerful person, but he eats a pot of rice with his servants, and these fall in the eyes of the great lama, and he is more and more sure that Cao Yan is a person with "wisdom roots".

When Cao Yan was fine, he sat at the door of the felt tent and looked at the grassland along the way in a daze.

How nice would it be if it was a little rape or something? Eating meat when you see the sky, and coming to green vegetables can also clear your stomach.

However, looking at it, looking at it, Cao Yan felt that something was wrong, and he only felt that the scenery in front of him was becoming more and more barren.

In other places, the green grass cannot be said to be kneeless, but it does grow to the calves.

Here, it's sparsely populated, and there's not much greenery in sight.

The Mongols, some of whom sensed that something was wrong, two middle-aged monks urged their horses to the felt tent and whispered something.

The ox cart had stopped, and the great lama walked down the felt tent with a solemn expression, and even Cao Yan noticed the strangeness of the atmosphere and followed the felt tent.

Ahead, as far as the eye can see, there are ...... steamed buns everywhere*

(To be continued)