Northwest of Cao Garden, after the curved corridor, there is a separate courtyard.

Different from the flowers in other yards, there are no flowers and plants in the front and back yards here, but dozens of pine and cypress trees, which are elegant and quiet, full of vitality.

There are three north rooms in the courtyard, the building is simple, spacious and elegant. There are three rooms on the left and right, which are connected to the main house with a hand-copying verandah.

This side was originally cleaned up by Cao Hao and honored Mr. Zhuang.

Among the several courtyards in the north of the courtyard, this courtyard is opposite to the gardens of Cao Hao and Chu Yu, east and west, and is one of the several main courtyards.

When Mr. Zhuang came here, he felt that it was too conspicuous.

After all, he was in the Cao family as a guest, not the head of the clan, so he didn't choose this courtyard, but chose a smaller courtyard to live in the south of Cao Hao's courtyard, against the east gate.

Since the Li family came and said the news that Gao Taijun had entered Beijing, the Li family discussed with Chu Yu, and then cleaned up the garden in the northwest and made it Gao Taijun's residence.

After entering the garden, seeing the flowers, stones, plants and trees along the way, and then seeing the elegant courtyard, Gao Taijun couldn't help but bow his head again and again, showing a look of satisfaction.

However, when he saw Li's bulging belly, the old man's expression was a little stiff.

Because of the wind and dust along the way, Li and Chu Yu took people to wait for Gao Taijun to freshen up and change clothes, and then they brought the three Tianyou brothers to ask the ancestor for peace.

Tianyou raised it in the south for a year and a half, during which the Li family also took him to visit Gao Taijun. The remaining two Hengsheng and Tianhui, Gao Taijun is the first time he has seen them.

Gao Taijun first pulled Tianyou in his arms, rubbed it for a long time, and said in his mouth: "This is more than our kung fu, it's so high." ”

Tianyou remembered some of the previous events, some didn't remember, and he only felt that this old lady was amiable, so he followed his grandmother's instructions and said, "Mrs. Zu." ”

"Hey, good boy!" Gao Taijun's face was even more kind, and he pulled up Hengsheng's little arm again, and said to Li with a smile: "This is Brother Hao'er's second son?" This tiger-headed tiger looks a little like Cheng'er when he was a child, but it's just like the leather monkey, but this one is decent. ”

The Cheng'er in her mouth is talking about her great-nephew, Li Cheng, Li Nai's third son.

When he saw Tianhui, Gao Taijun showed pity, hugged him in his arms and kissed him, and saw that Chu Yu was no longer as unpretentious as before.

Li sat on the side, looking at the little girl brought by Gao Taijun, thinking of his dead nephew, and sighing in his heart.

This little girl, about the same size as Tianhui, is Li Ding's widow, and her nickname is Xiangyu.

The eldest child in his life got off the boat with his great-uncle and grandmother, and was already a little sleepy after most of the car.

She was sitting on the kang, a little unable to open her eyes, and brought the maid to a few children, among whom there was a little girl who was about the same as herself, which was more energetic.

Gao Taijun had seen a few great-grandchildren, and when he saw Xiangyu looking at her with a small mouth, he waved to her with a smile and said, "Xiangyu came here, I have seen your aunt's cousins and cousins." ”

In a word, the eyes of the big guys turned to Xiangyu.

Xiangyu looked at Gao Taijun timidly with a little restraint, got up and walked over, and stood next to Gao Taijun's arm.

"This is the eldest cousin, the second cousin!" Gao pointed to Tianyou and Hengsheng, and said to Xiangyu.

Tianyou and Hengsheng's little brother looked at Xiangyu with a little strangeness.

The girls they have seen, except for Tianhui is sister, the other four sisters, five children, and Niuniu are all "aunts".

I came to this garden, followed my mother to the garden of Chunwangfu next door, and saw the seven grids over there once. Although she is no more than two years older than them, she is her own aunt.

Now there is a female doll about the same age as Tianhui, calling them "cousins", and the two of them really don't know how to get close.

East sentence, West sentence, ask about this, that, it's very unconstitutional.

Xiangyu saw that the two of them had no shelf, so she was timid, her eyes were crooked, and her face showed two small dimples.

Heng Sheng looked at her furry eyes, his little face showed doubt, pulled down Tianhui on the side, closed his mouth, and said no more.

Xiangyu turned her little head sideways, also looked at Tianhui, and finally her eyes fell on the tiger bone safety buckle on her front, and her eyes showed curiosity.

When Chu Yu saw it, he couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed.

If it was something else, it would be similar to it, but this was an antiquity that Amethyst had asked for from the nunnery. It turned out to be a pair, one on Cao Hao and the other on Tianhui.

After a little thought, she took off a string of seed jade bracelets from her wrists, stepped forward and tied them to Xiangyu's placket, and said with a smile: "This is a meeting gift from my uncle, Xiangyu should not dislike it." ”

This bracelet is also an internal thing, and it is one of Chu Yu's dowries. It is made of nine pieces of white seed jade, and each piece of jade is carved into a ruyi cloud pattern, which looks extremely exquisite.

Because she liked that it was cool to wear, Chu Yu found it out and put it on this summer.

Xiangyu lowered her head, looked at the bracelet on the front placket, pursed her lips, and looked up at Gao.

When Gao Taijun saw the bracelet, his brows furrowed inadvertently, his expression turned pale, and he said to Chu Yu: "It's too valuable, you will break the bank!" ”

Chu Yu didn't know where to violate the old man's taboo, and replied curtly: "It's right, you're polite!" ”

Li was afraid that his daughter-in-law would be uncomfortable, so he hurriedly said to Chu Yu: "What about the lotus seed paste sent by Daoxiang Village?" This will not be held until the master comes back, so I will send those lotus paste snacks to your grandmother to taste. As he spoke, he smiled and said to Gao Taijun: "Mother, I remember that you like to eat dim sum made of lotus seeds the most, and this time I also tried the one made by the master in Beijing." ”

In front of the children, Gao Taijun didn't want to keep a straight face anymore, and nodded with a smile.

Chu Yu sighed in his heart and went down with the maid.

One time later, Chu Yu had already sent a lot of lotus paste snacks, and stood aside to wonder if he wanted to retreat from the pre-dinner table.

For Gao Taijun, Chu Yu was really a little worried in his heart.

In the end, she is an elder, and she has to take care of her mother-in-law, no matter what attitude the old man has, she can only endure it.

In the end, she was uncomfortable, seeing that she didn't like herself, she didn't want to take the initiative to move forward. Save looking at your face, it's weird and uncomfortable.

Gao Taijun had already beckoned the children to take dim sum, and he also took a piece of it, put it in his mouth, took a bite, nodded, and said, "Look at a few things that are similar to Suzhou's dim sum, this one is different, but it has another taste." ”

Li said with a smile: "This is Cantonese style, the master was invited from Guangzhou, I heard that in this filling, in addition to lotus seeds, there are cream made by Western methods and cane sugar made by Oriental methods." ”

"Tsk! This is both Oriental and Western, and I can't complain about being so fancy. Gao Taijun saw that Li only spoke, but did not eat, so he took a piece and sent it over, and said, "You can also taste it, it is fluffy and soft, and it is not greasy to eat at all." ”

Li Shi took the snack, but his face was a little embarrassed, looking at the lotus paste cake, bowing his head and not squeaking.

Lotus seeds are a kind of childbirth, and they cannot be used easily until the time of childbirth. The imperial doctor had already given instructions, so Li didn't send it to his mouth.

Chu Yu saw it on the sidelines, confirming what he knew before, and he became more and more convinced that his mother-in-law was not Gao Taijun's own daughter, but the daughter of the eldest princess.

If that is the case, the actual identity of the mother-in-law Li is Huang Mafa's cousin, her aunt, and her husband's actual ...... It's my cousin...... Although the daughter of the clan refers to marriage, there are many people with poor seniority, but Chu Yu is still a little strange in her heart.

When she thought of her husband, she couldn't help but feel suspense in her heart.

From the Hongshu brothers, Chu Yu accidentally learned the truth, and then she knew that her husband did not go to naturalization, but to Outer Mongolia, and he had to go to the Northwest Army.

The husband and wife have always been in love.

Over the years of getting married, because Cao Hao was busy with his errands, there was a small farewell almost every year, but it was only a month, but this time it was more than three months.

Chu Yu's eyes added a touch of melancholy......* Outside the Xizhi Gate, because his mother-in-law arrived in Beijing, Cao Yin, who came back from the Yamen ahead of schedule, happened to meet Zhuang Chang who came back from listening to the play at the front door, and the two took a car back to the garden together.

Cao Yin's face was a little unsightly.

Mr. Zhuang hesitated for a moment and said, "Are you worried about Zhang Xiaoxian?" ”

"Filial piety" is the word of Zhang Boxing, the former governor of Jiangsu, who was impeached, falsely accused the good people of being pirates, and killed several people under severe punishment.

The imperial court sent Zhang Pengxi, the secretary of the ministry, to Jiangnan for interrogation, and finally found out that Zhang Boxing "harbored good people to harbor thieves and recruit bandits, which is very inconsistent".

Cao Yin shook his head and said, "The emperor knows in his heart, in the end, the thunder is loud and the rain is small, and he will protect this old minister." I'm just sorry for Zhang Xiaoxian. has been a eunuch in Jiangnan for many years, although he rarely gets close, but when it comes to style, Zhang Xiaoxian is admirable. ”

Mr. Zhuang said: "This is the truth that is especially too much. The reason why he was so ostracized by officials was because he was burdened by false fame. When the Kali case occurred, the people of Yangzhou learned that Zhang Xiaoxian was dismissed, and the cry shook the sky, and the city was boycotted to protest, in order to prevent civil disorder, the garrison of the eight banners had to enter the city to be on guard. After the completion of the Kali case, Zhang Xiaoxian stayed in Jiangnan, and tens of thousands of people entered Beijing to thank the emperor outside the imperial garden. Even in Fujian, where Zhang Xiaoxian was in office, the people also rushed to tell each other. With such a prominent official reputation, it can be said that he is the first person in the dynasty. ”

Cao Yin sighed and said, "Although he is not flexible enough, he is indeed a clean official." If it weren't for him, with the greed of Kali, the people of Jiangnan would be afraid that they would have to shed their skin. It's just that in the end, it is a minister, and it should not directly invite the hearts of the people, but it's a pity. Although the emperor will protect this courtier, he is afraid that he will not let him go back to Jiangnan. ”

Speaking of this, he paused and said, "Nowadays, from the capital to the localities, there are few officials who are not greedy. There are very few like Zhang Xiaoxian. Being a good official, but ending up like this, is really uncomfortable. I am still a half-buried man, and I don't know when I will see my ancestors gone; Hao'er is still young, and he will ...... in the future But I don't know what he will do......"

Speaking of Cao Hao, Mr. Zhuang touched his beard, added a smile to his face, and said, "My lord, it's really unfounded." Fu Ruo is not an impetuous surname, nor is he a vain person, what to do, he has the best idea in his heart......"

"Is it with the light?" When Cao Yin heard this, his face couldn't help but show a look of disappointment.

When Mr. Zhuang saw him like this, he closed his mouth and swallowed the words that he wanted to expound.

It is not easy to be a father, not only "hoping that his son will become a dragon", looking forward to his son being able to realize his long-cherished wish and become famous, but also worried that his son will be kind and kind-hearted, "the people are noble and the king is light", and he has committed a taboo as an official.

wants to be safe and secure, and also wants fame and fortune, the expectations of this son are a little bigger...... * Northwest, on the grassland.

Cao Hao had already said goodbye to the Grand Lama, Fu Ning'an and others, and left Heshuo with the imperial guards and the chief attendant and others, and went to Wuyali Sutai.

"It is easy to go from simplicity to luxury, and it is difficult to enter simplicity from luxury", this sentence is indeed true.

From the capital to naturalization, from naturalization to the residence of the great lama, everyone has gradually become accustomed to running on horseback. However, the journey from the Great Lama's residence to Heshuo slowed down the trip, not to mention, and also learned to get in the carriage and be lazy.

After more than a month, back on horseback, galloping, everyone is really a little uncomfortable.

No, when it came to the noon nap, some people began to complain.

Heshan stretched out his slap and said to Cao Hao and Nalan Fusen with a bitter face: "It is 4,200 miles from the capital to Urge, and there are not 3,000 miles from Urge to Heshuo, but 2,600 or 700 miles. This is to Uyali Sutai again, and it is a thousand miles and hundreds of miles. This back and forth is 10,000 miles smaller. That's a hundred miles a day. Compared with us, the boys in front of Lord Fu seem to have come to the northwest to enjoy happiness. ”

Naranfusen listened with a smile as he rubbed his back.

He was the eldest of the guards, and with his physical strength and a bit of a blessing, he was a bit guilty of riding a horse.

Shi Yun happened to be on the side, and after listening to Heshan's words, he couldn't help but nod his head and agreed, and said: "Yes, yes, it's good now, we have suffered a big crime, and we can't go to the front of the army, so the military merits in hand are flying like this." As he spoke, he lay down on the meadow and sighed.

Some of the other guards were also worried about military exploits, but it was estimated that Cao Hao was just thinking about it; Some of them are sober-minded, but they are secretly happy that they don't need to follow the great lama into the enemy camp.

Cao Hao's heart is relaxed, but his body is not very competitive, tired, and he doesn't want to speak.

Although it is only the middle of July, the summer heat on the grassland has dissipated, and it is already cool in the morning and evening. Even at noon, it's just a little bit of a head.

The afternoon sun shone warmly on people's bodies, and they wanted to sleep, so Cao Hao also put down his body and fell backwards.

He stretched out his sleeves, covered his eyes, listened to the chatter of the guards, but what he was thinking about in his heart was the three-year appointment between Kangxi and himself.

The war in the northwest has dragged on so far without any progress, mainly because of the lack of money and food.

This time in front of the Imperial Palace, there is no need to think about it, the designation of this talk is also a matter of silver.

What he had in mind was worried about the lack of conditions, but now because of the war, there are many more stations on the Mongolian side, which seems to be cheaper...... Three years of tens of millions of silver, Cao Hao's heart is a little heavy.

I'm not afraid of making money, and it's nothing to waste my brains, as long as I can protect my family, the old scalper has also done it, just hugging Kangxi's thick legs.

It's just that there is no impermeable wall in the world, and none of those princes and brothers are fools.

After becoming an old scalper, if you are remembered again, it is really wronged.

I have to think of a way to express my position to the fourth elder brother without leaving a trace, so as to save the suspicious king, because of the fourteenth elder brother's diligence, and then have a suspicion of himself...... There are all kinds of things, and Cao Hao thinks about it.

Great Lama, Great Lama, your son is a rice worm......

(To be continued)