Now, in mid-September, the weather is not cold, and the sake is placed on Kikuchi's side. I invited Mr. Zhuang to come over, and the brothers Cao Hao and Cao Song were accompanied. At the other table, Cao Yi pulled Amethyst and sat with the jade dragon in Cao Song's room. In addition, two tables were also set up in the front yard, and Master Wu of Cao Zhong, Cao Fang, Wei Hei, and Cao Song were invited to eat and drink. The others, the stewards of the various courtyards, also sent crabs over.

Cao Song has been in Beijing for nearly a year, and his other skills have not grown, but the amount of alcohol has risen. Cao Hao saw that he had drunk several glasses in a row, afraid that he would get drunk, so he frowned slightly and said, "Why do you drink like this, you are still young, be careful of hurting your stomach!" ”

Cao Song said disappreliantly: "Brother, I'm fifteen, and I'll be sixteen in a few months, why are I still young?" ”

Cao Hao looked at his cute appearance and shook his head slightly: "Master Wu has been invited for almost a year, how many stone bows have you pulled?" Let you relax for a few more days, and you should work hard! ”

Cao Song smiled "hehe": "Brother don't worry, my brother won't embarrass my brother, I will take the martial arts exam next year!" ”

Because Mr. Zhuang was sitting, and Cao Hao didn't love things in the cup, Cao Song felt bored after drinking a few cups, and went to the front yard to find Wei Hei after talking to the two.

Although Cao Yi's body was much better, the crab's surname was Liang, and he didn't dare to eat more, and he and Amethyst and Jade Dragonfly finished eating after a while.

Next to the chrysanthemum, only Cao Hao and Mr. Zhuang are left. Cao Hao stretched out his hand to lift the wine jug, poured a glass for Zhuang Xi, and filled it for himself, then picked up the wine glass and said: "I am not here for half a year, Jingzhong is all dependent on Mr. to bother, and today I will use this glass of wine to express my gratitude!" ”

Zhuang Xi raised his glass and drank, but he was slightly apologetic: "After all, it is a little old, and it is inevitable that there will be negligence." originally thought that since Gongzi had returned to the south, the capital should not affect the Cao family. Unexpectedly, this dispute between the superintendent and the governor almost involved the Cao family! ”

Before the banquet, Mr. Zhuang blamed himself a little because he said that someone in June had "kindly" recommended him to serve as the chief soldier in Jiangnan.

"What are you talking about, sir? Since someone is secretly doing something and failing to do so, how can there be news of it? It's just that I pondered for a long time, but I couldn't guess who it was, and why did it have to be arranged like this? Cao Hao frowned and said, "I always feel that it's just a bluff!" The general soldier of Wolf Mountain is the second rank, and I am currently the fifth rank, and there is a difference of how many grades in the middle! Besides, this is not a joke, how can there be any reason to appoint a sixteen-year-old second-rank general soldier? ”

Zhuang Xi smiled and nodded: "Childe can think of this, but it is not easy!" The old man also thought about what that person was doing like this, but for a while, he couldn't figure out whether he was friend or foe, maybe it was a rainy day, or maybe it was a stupid move! ”

Cao Hao thought for a while, and seemed to have an understanding: "What Mr. means is that the other party may have good intentions, and when he learned that someone wanted to detain me in Jiangnan, he deliberately went the opposite way and broke that person's means!" ”

"Hmmm! But there is a possibility! In May and June, there were rumors in the capital that there were pirates in Shandong this spring, and that the coastal areas of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Fujian had strengthened their vigilance and mobilized many green battalion soldiers. There are also those who say that the green camp over there is erosive, and the empty salary is serious, and it is necessary to strengthen military training. The birth level of the son, whether it is to go down to be a garrison of the fifth grade, a thousand households, or a propaganda envoy from the fourth grade, it is also reasonable. Zhuang Xi touched his beard and said slowly.

Whose eyes are you in the way of the capital? Cao Hao frowned slightly, a little puzzled.

Zhuang Xi also pondered for a moment and said: "At that time, the adults were sick, if the prince was left in the south for this opportunity, it would take a year or two to return to Beijing, but I couldn't think of their intentions for a while!" ”

"What else could it be? I'm afraid that the root of the curse is still on those tea gardens! Cao Hao thought for a while and said: "If you really leave me in Jiangnan, and my father is sick again, there will naturally be someone who can hold me." If I return to the capital, how many pairs of eyes are watching here, who dares to act rashly, even if I want to frame it, it will be difficult to be very secretive! ”

Zhuang Xi nodded, shook his head again, and said, "It's not necessarily that I want to take care of the son, I'm afraid that I also have the intention of wooing." Even if he doesn't rely on the adult's side, the prince has the relationship between the Pingjun Wangfu and the Chunjun Wangfu, and he is the companion of the sixteenth elder brother, so he is treated differently by the long-lived lord. Moreover, the son is the concubine of the Cao Mansion and the future head of the family. If you win over the son, the benefits are not small. There are too many avoidances in the capital, and it's true that it's hard to start! ”

Cao Hao couldn't help but smile bitterly, when he was a child, he still thought that being the prince's brother-in-law was very majestic, and he was also a gentleman, but he didn't expect to become the son-in-law of another prince. Seeing that the Cao family was about to get out of the sewage in Jiangnan, he became a fragrant dumpling again, and almost dragged people with ulterior motives into the water.

Now, since he mentioned the errand, Cao Hao remembered that the sixteenth elder brother said that he had to go to the sixth department to be an errand. He is the eldest son, and he has no other siblings, if he wants to support the portal in the future, he will always have to take the official career, and there is no reason to be idle in the capital all the time. Thinking of this, he opened his mouth and asked Zhuang Xidao: "What is the future of those guards, thousands of households, and Xuanfu envoys that Mr. Fang just said?" ”

"Childe wants to develop in the army?" Zhuang Xi hurriedly waved his hand: "No, no!" Although the son is raising the flag now, after all, it is not a pure Manchurian bloodline, and the family has no brothers and uncles in the army, so it is difficult to support it alone, and the future is limited. ”

Cao Hao also wants to know this, but the wind is surging in the capital, maybe one day it will be involved in his head, which is really tireless, if he can leave Beijing earlier, and then avoid the officialdom in Jiangnan, it will be very comfortable.

"Childe is young after all, even if he wants to go out, he has to stay up for a year or two, and although the errand here is tiring, promotion is also the easiest. With Gongzi's current grade, as long as there are no big mistakes, it is not difficult to be promoted. Zhuang Xi said.

What about promotions? Cao Hao remembered what he had said a few days ago to persuade Ning Chun, and secretly prayed that he would be on an errand, just avoid the most troublesome households. It's best to be a top and quiet yamen, and live a comfortable life. After staying up for a while, I also found a way to go out and be a parent official or something. When Ma Jun left that year, he still envied him that "there are people in Beijing who are good officials", and if he can take that road when he looks back, he can also rely on his brother-in-law and the old man to be leisurely in the local area for a few years.

* Chengnan, Songshu Hutong, Chengfu.

As soon as Cheng Mengxing's car entered the mansion, the little crane came out and whispered to Cheng Mengxing: "Master, the third master of the Hu family is here, waiting for you in the hall!" ”

Cheng Mengxing said "um", called someone to carry the crab down, and then ordered: "Tell the cook, pick out twenty fresh ones, soak them in water for a while, spit out the sand, and then steam them." Remember, tell them to only put the water on steam, and don't make tricks that spoil the umami. The rest is left in the water first. ”

The servant answered. Cheng Mengxing walked in, and asked Heming casually: "He came to fight the autumn wind again?" What do you say this time? I poured out my breath, knowing that I was waiting for me in the hall. ”

Heming replied: "Not this time, the third master also gave a courtesy." ”

Cheng Mengxing paused, and looked at Heming in a little surprise: "Gifts? It's new. What did he say? ”

Heming shook his head and said, "The slave doesn't know. It's just that the third master is proud today, but it is different from the past. ”

Cheng Mengxing shook his head, went back to the room to change his clothes, walked to the front yard hall, turned the road, and saw his cousin Hu Jiren, who had turned seventeen or eighteen turns to get a little kissed, stopping the two subordinates who were carrying crabs, and looked at the crabs and pointed and commented. The housekeeper Cheng Hai stood aside, with a helpless face, and he responded with a hmm-hmm.

Cheng Mengxing glanced at Heming: "What am I talking about, if he knows the rules and regulations, it will be too much." ”

Heming said with a smile: "I'm afraid that Uncle Hai can't mess with him, so the slave went over to talk about it." ”

Cheng Mengxing nodded and went straight to the front hall.

After a while, Hu Jiren entered the hall with a smile, saluted first, and then said with a smile: "My cousin is really good at picking crabs, it's good to look at it!" I'm going to be cheeky enough to stay and ask my cousin for a drink! ”

Cheng Mengxing glanced at him with a teacup: "Third child, why are you thinking about coming over today?" ”

Hu Jiren sat down by himself, and the little servant brought tea. He took a sip of tea, and Fang replied with a smile: "Thank you cousin for borrowing my money, I put on that road, and sure enough, I got a shortage in the household department, the head of the hall, is the sixth grade!" I have sent the good news to the house, and after a while I will return my cousin with the money. ”

This Hu Jiren is Cheng Mengxing's uncle's cousin, barely a relative, and he didn't know each other. Because both of them entered Beijing in 48 years to take the exam, and brought some relatives, they went to Beijing together, and Hu Jiren also lived in Cheng's house for some time. That year, Cheng Mengxing was unlucky and fell off the list, but Hu Jiren was only a little stronger, although he won the third list of Jinshi, he didn't really lack a place to go.

The Hu family also has some family assets, so Hu Jiren went around to make money, so he managed to do the pen post of the ministry first. Although his family is not without money, because the cost of many gifts is too large, and he bought a house in Beijing, he was pressed for money, so he opened his mouth to borrow money from Cheng Mengxing.

Cheng Mengxing's family is very generous, and he is a person who is full of hands, and he doesn't take money seriously. Hu Jiren opened his mouth, and he naturally borrowed it happily. Hu Jiren borrowed a few hundred taels every time he came to repay dozens of taels, making it look like he had to repay but it was really difficult, and then borrowed money again and again, and the excuse of borrowing money became more and more unreliable.

Cheng Mengxing didn't expect Hu Jiren to repay the money, but he was extremely tired of him finding some stupid excuses to perfunctory, and then he didn't bother to see him, so he just asked the housekeeper Cheng Hai to send him away.

However, a few days ago, Hu Jiren came early in the morning and blocked Cheng Mengxing at home, but he opened his mouth to borrow 10,000 taels of silver. said that he wanted 40,000 yuan to buy an official shortage, and he could make up 30,000 yuan himself, and he wanted to borrow 10,000 yuan from Cheng Mengxing, and he wrote an IOU very rarely, and there was also a signature of Cheng Mengxing's uncle on it.

Because Hu Jiren used to borrow no more than 1,000 taels of silver in order to make it easier to repay the debt. This time, Cheng Mengxing saw that he opened his mouth quite loudly, and the reason was reasonable, so he came so early, he looked anxious, and solemnly wrote the IOU, and even pulled his uncle as a guarantee, so he nodded and agreed, and borrowed him another 10,000.

Today, Cheng Mengxing saw that he came so quickly, and he didn't have enough money to buy officials, and he wanted to borrow more, but he didn't expect him to really donate to Shangguan, and he knew the word "repay". He nodded at the moment: "Congratulations first." Can you tell your uncle? ”

Hu Jiren said: "Rejoice and rejoice." I've told my uncle. I listened to the uncle's teachings. He paused and asked tentatively: "Yesterday, I drank with a few of the same year, and I heard that Brother Da said cousin, you are now helping others take care of the garden?" ”

"Well, help a friend fix the garden." Cheng Mengxing replied.

Hu Jiren looked at Cheng Mengxing's face and asked again: "I heard that it's the Cao family...... But the Cao family in Jiangning? ”

Cheng Mengxing said "um": "What, listening to your tone, do you recognize it?" ”

Hu Jiren shook his head and smiled: "Well, I don't recognize it." My cousin has been walking around a lot these months? Seeing Cheng Mengxing nodding slightly, he hurriedly said, "Then I have to ask my cousin about someone." ”

Cheng Mengxing said: "Because I just helped repair the garden, I didn't know a few people in the house over there." ”

Hu Jiren thought for a moment and sighed slightly: "Yes." I'm asking about an in-house relationship, and you may not have seen my cousin. He paused, "It's called Amethyst, I heard that he came to Yanjing with him, it should be from the Cao family's eldest son's room, right?" ”

Cheng Mengxing said strangely: "Do you recognize her?" ”

Hu Jiren also asked in surprise: "Do you recognize her?" ”

Cheng Mengxing looked at him carefully before saying, "I've only met twice." ”

Hu Jiren's eyes were shining: "She really came to Beijing." Seeing Cheng Mengxing's suspicious face, he smiled: "Speaking of which, he is also a relative of my family, and he still moved around in the early years...... Whew, I said it didn't work. Did my cousin see her? How is she now? I heard that in Cao's mansion, she is a steward girl......"

Hu Jiren asked seven or eight questions in one breath, which sounded extremely unreliable to Cheng Mengxing. After he asked, Cheng Mengxing couldn't help but smile and said, "I don't know what you're asking." How do I know about her? I've only seen her twice, and I don't know the rest. If you are a relative, how can you ......?"

Cheng Mengxing wanted to ask what was the maid of Caofu, but because he remembered that Amethyst was extraordinary, he was afraid that he had some background, so it was inconvenient to ask more. At that moment, he said something else.

Hu Jiren responded in his mouth, but he was absent-minded, and his mind was full of calculations to go to Cao's Mansion when he was resting.

(To be continued)