On March 28, Changchun Garden Arrow Hall, a small court meeting, the officials went to the recital: Zhao Hongcan, the governor of Guangxi in Guangdong, and Man Pi, the governor of Guangdong, did not hear about the price of rice in advance according to the truth, and ordered them to understand the recital and resume the clever decoration, which is a dereliction of duty. Zhao Hongcan and Man Pi should be dismissed.

Kangxi played on the spot, and Zhao Hongcan and Man Pi were both demoted to five levels to stay.

This is not an ordinary personnel appointment, these two people are the people who met His Majesty on the Wanshou Festival last year and His Majesty at the end of the year. The two of them were officials in the same province, and they both sent heavy gifts to the Eighth Elder Brother's Mansion.

Speaking of which, most of these non-local officials are afraid of entering Beijing. There is an old saying in officialdom, called "Beijing officials sigh for hardship, and foreign officials are afraid to enter Beijing".

It is the Cao family, the Earl's Palace, but the two-room population, Cao Yin and his wife are not in Beijing, and this year's throwing fee also needs five or six thousand taels of silver.

Like other royal palaces and Baylor mansions, which are heavily populated, they need to spend more. Where can I rely solely on the income of Yulu and Zhuangzi, and the main silver income is still in the filial piety of foreign officials entering Beijing.

Let's not talk about petty officials in other places, they have no identity and no money, even if they want to give gifts, they can't find a way. The governors, governors, political envoys, and officials of the provinces arrived in the capital, and the "ice respect", "charcoal respect", and "Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, and New Year's Festival" were sent everywhere, but the sea went.

The eighth elder brother is the chief elder brother, in charge of the criminal department, and also in charge of the official department, and the governor of this place has reached the capital, so naturally he has to pay filial piety in his house.

Because of the high voice of the Eighth Brother Lichu in recent years, many foreign governors are also worried. After all, "once a son of heaven and a courtier", they are not in the capital, and they can't get the merit of supporting it, so they have to sell it first.

It's hard to get to the position of governor, and then go one step further to worship the prime minister, who isn't enthusiastic?

Therefore, they also kept an eye on it, and took the opportunity to return to Beijing to see His Majesty, and came to the Eighth Elder Brother's side to pay respects.

Even if there are various banners, where can they hide the deep meanings from Kangxi's eyes?

The eighth elder brother has a good reputation among Beijing officials, but Kangxi can't tolerate his influence spreading to the local area.

Zhao Hongcan, the governor of Liangguang, and Man Pi, the governor of Guangdong, really had no good luck, just in time for Kangxi to have an attack on the eighth elder brother, so they cooked like this.

Although Cao Hao went to his home and his home to the yamen every day, he also pricked up his ears in the yamen and knew a lot about these things in the government and the opposition.

Besides, there is also Mr. Zhuang here. When the two of them were fine, they put on a game of chess, and when they talked about the matter of the eighth elder brother, they all thought that it was a dead end.

When the official recital was on, although the eighth elder brother's expression had not changed, his body was already stiff. He is the elder brother who is also in charge of the ministry, but he doesn't know about it, why is this?

A few days ago, the auxiliary state Gong Laishi, and now Zhao Hongcan and Man Pi, who are demoted, are all his people.

Could it really be that as rumored outside, the imperial father can't tolerate him? The eighth elder brother faintly gave birth to a little despair, and he fought hard because of the low position of his biological mother.

Whether it is knowledge or government affairs, he is worse than other elder brothers.

Why, why, the imperial father has never praised him well, and every time he looks at him, it is mockery and contempt.

Even as the "son of the maid of the Xinzhiku", you have also shed your blood. If you really look down on him because of your background, why should you let him be born into this world?

The eighth elder brother stood there, only feeling cold to the bone.

If there was no hope, there would be no such loss.

If it weren't for the recommendation of hundreds of officials after the "Abolition of the Prince" back then, then he, the "son of the Xinzhiku Cheap Maid", although he was also worried about the storage position, would not have taken such pains.

The storage position was only one step away from him.

For this step, in the past five or six years, he has not eaten well, slept well, bothered to plan, and lost half of his hair.

In the past five or six years, the prince has been reinstated and "two wastes", the third elder brother is busy repairing books, the fourth elder brother has a cold face and worships the Buddha, and he has been pushed high on the stage.

Where did he go on his own? If it weren't for the acquiescence and encouragement of the imperial father, how could he have come to this point?

As a result, Honghui grew up, and the emperor and grandson moved into Changchun Garden, imitating the rumors of the old story of "Ming Zu Li Jianwen", which caused a lot of uproar.

He, the elder brother who was pushed onto the table, became a litmus test. Those officials who are selfish and disloyal to the emperor's father, under the trend of **, have nothing to hide.

Eighth Elder Brother is not a fool, he has comforted himself again and again over the years, the imperial father is like this, it is a weapon to test him. Now, I can't even deceive myself.

Among the elder princes, except for the eldest brother and the second elder brother who were circled, the thirteenth elder brother who had not shown up for many years and the tenth elder brother who was sick, all the others attended the court meeting and stood left and right in the hall.

On the left are the third elder brother, the fifth elder brother, the eighth elder brother, the twelfth elder brother, the fifteenth elder brother, and the seventeenth elder brother, and on the right are the fourth elder brother, the seventh elder brother, the ninth elder brother, the fourteenth elder brother, and the sixteenth elder brother.

The ninth elder brother was not worried about the eighth elder brother, turned his head sideways, and looked at the eighth elder brother. I knew that he was uncomfortable, but because he had not dispersed, he could not say anything to comfort him.

Cao Hao knew in his heart, although he didn't mean it, but he also stared at the movements of these princes. The fourth elder brother is still as immobile as a mountain.

One less time, scattered dynasty.

Cao Hao wanted to sell his favor to the sixteenth elder brother because he wanted to exchange the land on the side of Xiaotangshan Hot Spring for Zhuangzi. Because it was the sixteenth elder brother who mentioned this matter to Cao Hao before, someone asked the sixteenth elder brother to ask.

Out of the arrow hall, Cao Hao stepped aside and waited for the sixteenth elder brother to come out.

I haven't seen the sixteenth elder brother yet, and the seventh elder brother arrived first.

Speaking of which, the seventh elder brother is only fourteen years older than Cao Hao, and he is only thirty-five this year, but between these words, there is more and more the majesty of Taishan's old father-in-law.

The seventh elder brother asked Cao Hao a few words about Chu Yu before leaving with his hands behind his back.

Cao Hao looked at the back of the seventh elder brother, and his expression was a little complicated.

A few days ago, he didn't sleep well at night because he was disturbed by Hengsheng's crying, and he rested in the back room in the middle of the day. Chu Yu happened to be not in the house, the maids didn't know that he was there, and he didn't intend to mention the joy of rain outside, and the road was to fly on the high branches.

As a man, Cao Hao is still a little envious of the seventh elder brother's Yanfu; But as a son-in-law, he is a little contemptuous.

However, after all, it is a matter from the palace, and it is really not the turn of Cao Hao, a junior, to speak.

Xiyu, but she looks so good-looking, strange and eye-catching. Fortunately, the number of times I saw it in this house was small, and if there were too many times, even if he didn't push it down, there was a thief's heart.

In that case, the seventh elder brother who eats tender grass for the old cow is afraid that it is not just jealousy.

Cao Hao was thinking wildly, and then he heard someone laugh and say, "What do you think?" staring at the back of Brother Qi, is this reluctant old man? ”

But it was the voice of the sixteenth elder brother, he came over with the seventeenth elder brother, and both of them were smiling.

Cao Hao said: "It's good, I'm just waiting for the two masters!" ”

The seventeenth elder brother said with a smile: "If Lao Fu bothered with Chu Yu, I saw the birthday gift, and I liked it very much." Fu Jin said, I want to thank you two for finding opportunities in the future! ”

The seventeenth elder brother was born on the second day of the first month of March, and the birthday gift had already been prepared, and he was sent to the palace a few days ago.

Cao Hao waved his hand and said, "It's good if the Seventeenth Master likes it, it's not a valuable thing, don't thank you once!" ”

Seventeenth Elder Brother smiled bitterly: "I don't thank you for money, I just thank you for the heart." There are a few people like you who can pay attention to my preferences and prepare a birthday gift for me carefully......"

Because the officials next to him were one after another, and before they were all gone, the sixteenth elder brother glanced at the seventeenth elder brother and said, "Okay, what are you doing about this?" ”

The seventeenth elder brother closed his voice, and the three of them walked slowly, found a secluded place and stood.

The sixteenth elder brother patted the seventeenth elder brother on the shoulder and said, "Where are you good at the scenery?" After reading today's starling, don't you think that you and I are blessed people? ”

Because Cao Hao is not an outsider, the seventeenth elder brother did not shy away from it in front of him, with a bit of schadenfreude, and said: "Although I thought that he would have today, I didn't expect this day to come so quickly!" Su said that he looked like a gentleman, and he let the ninth and tenth brothers carry such dirty things, but God has eyes and looks at it! ”

"It's not that God has eyes, it's that Huang Ama has eyes!" The sixteenth elder brother shook his head, he had seen a lot of such methods, and he was also cold.

What are these sons of theirs? A courtier is not a courtier, a son is not a son, he is like a cat and a dog.

When it is rare, he teases it twice and gives it a bone; It's not uncommon, close the cage of the cage, and the lazy one no longer cares, and if you want to kick it, you will kick it hard, which doesn't matter if it hurts you or not!

The seventeenth elder brother touched his head, a little puzzled, and said, "Sixteenth brother, Fu Ruo, tell the two of you, what is that person tossing?" I saw that he hadn't seen any success over the years, but the more he tossed, the worse he was before, as if someone was deliberately dragging his feet, he was grinding and grinding in place. ”

Cao Hao's heart moved, what role did the fourteenth elder brother who had been dormant for a long time play in the Eight Masters Party?

Speaking of which, the eighth elder brother also wants talents and talents, silver and silver, power and power, and he shouldn't make stupid tricks repeatedly, what's wrong?

Could it be that the fourteenth elder brother wants to plan for himself, and wants to fold the flagpole of the eighth elder brother, and then take over the power of the "Eighth Master Party"?

The sixteenth elder brother was impatient to listen to this, and waved his hand to the seventeenth elder brother: "What are you thinking about, bothering that thought, isn't it full of food?" Let the wind move, let's just look at the excitement! Speaking of this, he said to Cao Hao: "Since Fu Ruo is waiting for us, he expects that there is something, and let's talk about it!" ”

Cao Hao said that he planned to exchange the land on the side of Xiaotangshan for Zhuangzi, and the sixteenth elder brother immediately smiled and said, "Okay, okay, I should be determined about this Chinese person!" Since the Ministry of Internal Affairs is in the Xiaotangshan Practice Palace, there is no one in the various mansions in the capital who does not worry about repairing Zhuangzi Maodong. Helplessly, there are many people and few places, and many people really can't grab it. Those idle clans don't have enough money on hand, and several of them have already asked me, which is a good feeling! ”

Cao Hao rarely asked about these livelihood matters, so after the sixteenth elder brother finished speaking, he knew that Cao Hao had no money to spend, and said: "Now that your house has added population, there are many places to spend money, if you are tight, I still have some money there for you to use first!" ”

When the seventeenth elder brother heard this, he couldn't help but be surprised, and said, "Fu Ruo is still short of money? When Chu Yu came out of the pavilion, the seventh brother couldn't wait to accompany everything, plus the Zhuangzi given to Fu Ruo by Huang Ama and the Zhuangzi given by the sixteenth brother, Fu Ruo should be very rich! ”

Cao Hao nodded and said, "It's because my brothers are getting bigger, and the expenses will increase in the future, and I want to fill some public and middle school properties, which can be regarded as worthy of my uncle underground!" ”

Cao Hao is the eldest brother, but this is something that the sixteenth elder brother and the seventeenth elder brother can't understand.

Since the sixteenth elder brother responded to the help, he said to Cao Hao: "This time, I want to exchange two good Zhuangzi for you!" Let's go this time, it's the one with the highest price, and we will pick whoever is good! ”

Cao Hao thanked him with a smile, said goodbye to the two elder brothers, and went out of the garden to return to the yamen.

* Cao Mansion, Shaoyuan, Upper Room.

Zhao Jiashi was smoking a cigarette pouch and pot while listening to Cao Song's reply to his visit to Shilang's Mansion to greet his uncle and aunt.

Hearing that there was a vent over there and that it was going to be arranged for Ruhui to marry, Zhao Jiashi put down the cigarette bag and pot, glared, and said loudly: "What? Where did you hear this gossip? ”

Cao Song muttered: "Naturally, my aunt said it, it's about my cousin's reputation, can my son still make up nonsense?" ”

Zhao Jiashi only felt that he couldn't get up in one breath, his chest was suffocated, and he hurriedly patted it, and said: "Your aunt is like this, she doesn't speak in tune, and she is used to talking muddy!" With your uncle here, where is Ruhui's family turn to talk about a woman? ”

Cao Song heard his mother say this, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Mother, since this is the case, shouldn't the son's family affairs also be decided by the uncle and the eldest brother?" ”

Zhao Jiashi listened, glared at him, and said, "Your old son is gone, and the old lady is here, where is it to the point where you want a big house to give a parent?" What's the matter, you want to learn from Xiao Wu, you don't have a mother in your eyes, and you only recognize your uncle and aunt? ”

Cao Song glanced at his mother, and originally wanted to confess a few words, making it clear that he didn't like Ruhui. However, thinking that from my aunt's side, I didn't want to let my cousin to him, so it would be boring to talk to my mother about this.

Therefore, he shut up and took a piece of bread from the small table to eat......*

(To be continued)