Because Cao Hao and the sixteenth elder brother had arrived, the thirteenth elder brother was in a very good mood, so he prepared wine and food, and left the two of them to eat and drink.

During the banquet, the thirteenth elder brother couldn't help but praise Wang Quantai and said: "Cao Hao, I see that Wang Quantai is okay, his subordinates have two serious shots, and they are quite clear in their gestures. I asked, he has been wearing armor for more than ten years, so it is a bit of a big deal to join the businessman. "At the end of the day, it's a little regrettable.

In the early years, Wang Quantai resigned, although Wang Lusheng said that he would not do Cao Hao's business, but Cao Hao was like a mirror in his heart, that is, he was burdened by his own ban on burning pots.

This time, when Wang Quantai and his wife came to the capital, when Cao Hao asked him if he wanted to be a leader, he said no, but he was a little uncomfortable.

Later, in Wang Lusheng's letter, it was roughly mentioned, and Cao Hao knew the reason.

Every family has a scripture that is difficult to read, and Cao Hao is too lazy to talk about Wang Quantai's family affairs. However, even if he was introduced to the Thirteenth Elder Brother, there was a faint intention to make up for it in his heart.

Hearing what the thirteenth elder brother said, Cao Hao told him about the ban on burning pots three years ago.

Although it is an old thing in Shandong, the thirteenth elder brother and the sixteenth elder brother have long known it. The civil unrest, which affected half of Shandong, also shocked the government and the public, and hundreds of officials looked sideways.

Many of the palace's pot-burning Zhuangzi were looted, not to mention, and they were reprimanded by Kangxi later. The Thirteenth Elder Brother's Mansion also sent people to buy a pot Zhuangzi back then, but in the end, it was still gone.

There are also pot-burning Zhuangzi who have been preserved, and they have made a lot of money, such as Prince Jane's Mansion.

Hearing that Wang Quantai ignored the wealthy slaves of the palace and dared to seal Prince Jian's Zhuangzi, the thirteenth elder brother couldn't help but high-five: "Okay, not afraid of the powerful, he is a good man!" ”

The sixteenth elder brother said: "Courage is commendable, but if it is an official who is lost because of this, it is still a little reckless." This means that the palace over there got a bargain, and did not put this grievance in his heart, otherwise Yarjiang Ake is a famous Jianhua will be revenged, knowing this matter, can there still be this surname Wang is good? ”

"After the ban was checked, he resigned, went south to Guangzhou, and helped his cousin with the business." Cao said.

The sixteenth elder brother nodded and said, "This can be regarded as knowing the reason, and I can't complain that Fu Ruo has found such a person to enter Beijing." Your surname is the most cautious, if you are a stunned young man, you will not be called to Beijing. ”

"If you are not selfish and appease the place, if the military attachés can do this, then wouldn't the world be peaceful? was originally a meritorious person, and he should be rewarded, but he ended up resigning to save his life. The thirteenth elder brother smiled bitterly: "It's just a slave of the palace, and he can deter the six-rank officials of the imperial court like this, so powerful." ”

The sixteenth elder brother had already said that he was going to join the shares, and the thirteenth elder brother responded with a smile, but he understood it in his heart.

Seeing that the thirteenth elder brother was like this, he was afraid that he would be depressed, so he said with a smile: "Since the thirteenth elder brother appreciates him, he will accept him as a slave and promote him well." In that case, it will not be cheap in Kyoto in the future. Isn't it just a six-grade top, as long as the thirteenth brother commands, the younger brother will run errands. ”

Hearing this, the thirteenth elder brother looked up at Cao Yan.

The so-called "accepting slaves" in the mouth of the sixteenth elder brother is not to let Wang Quantai become a slave, but to enroll Wang Quantai into the flag nationality.

This Han man enters the flag, in addition to being the heir of the flag man, that is, he is a slave to the flag man.

This slave is divided into two kinds, one is in the name of a master and slave, but is not attached to the master's household registration, and is also a commoner, called "account opening person"; One is the "household person", who has no reading household registration.

The "account holder" is still a good book, except for some courtesies and obligations in front of the main family, the others are no different from the Eight Banners main household, you can eat the Eight Banners public food, and become an official.

The disadvantage is that the imperial examination cannot be carried out within three generations, and if the official is released, the foreign official cannot reach the third grade, and the Beijing official cannot reach the court official.

However, the rules are just rules, and there are many house slaves in the mansions of the princes and officials of the capital, and there are also eunuchs of more than three grades.

In Cao Yan's mansion, Wei Hei and Zheng Hu are both "account openings", and the Ren brothers are from the household.

The "household people" are lowly people, and they cannot take the imperial examination, and they cannot become officials.

Although with the identity of the banner man and the thirteenth elder brother as a backer, Wang Quantai's future in the future is limitless, but Cao Yan is not a person who is used to making decisions for others.

It's not so easy to take advantage of cheapness, after all, you have to wear the hat of a "minion". As soon as the master-slave relationship is confirmed, it is not Wang Quantai's business alone, and his children and grandchildren will all be the descendants of the thirteenth elder brother.

Cao Yan was born in the Cao family, and the identity of this "minion" cannot be chosen.

Although he had to admit that because of his identity as a banner, he acted as a "powerful man" at the beginning of his landing, with fine clothes and food, and no worries about his livelihood. But as a young person living in the afterlife, it is possible to enjoy it, but the shame of being subordinate to others is also uncomfortable.

Whether Wang Quantai is willing to join the flag for fame is his own choice.

"It's not good for me to make decisions for him, I have some friendship with his cousin, and I'm just mediocre with Wang Quantai." Speaking of this, Cao Yan paused and said: "Shandong people's surname is straightforward, and I don't know if he has any intentions, wait for me to ask him, and then let him come to thank the thirteenth master for his kindness." ”

The thirteenth elder brother listened to Cao Yan's words, waved his hand, and said with a smile: "What is not thankful, sixteen is just like that." If he wants to be a leader, it is better to hang it in your name than on my side. I heard you mention before that his wife Zheng took care of the pearl field a few years ago, presumably this foreign goods shop is Wang Quantaijing on the surface, but in fact Zheng is in charge, right? ”

Cao Yan nodded and said: "The Thirteenth Master is right, the Zheng family is from a family of pearl merchants, and he has a little eye for jewelry and jade, and he has followed the foreign goods in Guangzhou, so it shouldn't be wrong to hand over this stall to her." ”

When the thirteenth elder brother heard this, he just smiled, looked Cao Yan up and down, and said, "I look at you with a square behavior and a pedantic appearance, but I didn't expect that these subordinates are all women's soldiers." Speaking of this, thinking that Zheng was a married woman, he felt speechless, and said: "Whether it is the Zheng family, or the female shopkeeper of the dim sum shop, if I hadn't met you, Bole, maybe these women would have to hide in the depths, where can they have such a chance." After all, they should thank you for your kindness. ”

Cao Yan was embarrassed and smiled, not knowing how to respond.

It's not that he is willing to use the "women's army", but that there is no one else to do business.

Although Cao Fang can be in charge alone, it is difficult for the Cao family to come forward to operate. Besides, on the Cao family's side, there are still a lot of trivial matters for Cao Fang to be busy with.

The Qing Dynasty, like the previous dynasty, also "emphasized agriculture and suppressed commerce", and the status of merchants was not high, but on the side of household registration, they were not classified as lowly as in the previous dynasty, but were the same as "Shi peasant workers", which belonged to the same good nationality, which was different from slaves and prostitutes.

In this way, the status of the businessman has been improved.

Since Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty "deposed a hundred schools of thought and respected Confucianism alone", the world's common thought is that "everything is inferior, only reading is high".

People are accustomed to treating business as a "cheap industry" in their bones, and men in the world are interested in martial arts, and if they get involved in business, they will surrender their status.

For this reason, suitable businessmen are very rare, and they are hard to find.

Han Jiang and Zheng Woxue, although they are not very old and have shortcomings, but compared with others, their level is already too high.

Seeing Cao Yan smiling and not answering, the sixteenth elder brother opened the folding fan in his hand, shook it, and said: "I heard that the female shopkeeper of Daoxiang Village is quite beautiful, otherwise it would not have attracted Hui Se's fascination, and he was so tired that he lost his surname." Tell me, how did you hook up? It can't be a little lover in the south, right? I've heard you mention it once, my friend's niece, the old man of Jiangning. ”

In the end, the sixteenth elder brother raised his eyebrows and smiled very ambiguously.

Hearing the sixteenth elder brother say the previous words, Cao Yan's heart couldn't help but sink. He picked up the teacup and took a sip, a little worried.

In this admiration of "etiquette" to the extreme to the dynasty, in the present "chaste archway" everywhere, for women, "good name" is not a blessing.

Since ancient times, no matter what a man does, it is always a weak woman who will bear the infamy in the end.

Even if the Han Jiang clan relies on the power of the Cao family and the Chun Wangfu behind him, and has the experience of Hui Hui, no one dares to make up his mind for the time being. Sometimes, however, words can hurt and kill.

In other words, some women may not take it to heart. After all, the woman who came out of the Shangjia family was not a big girl or a little daughter-in-law who was raised in the inner house, and she couldn't go out of the door or enter the second door.

Even if you come out to be the shopkeeper, it is inevitable to show up.

Han Jiang has the cunning of a merchant woman, and also has the grace of a southern woman, and she is extremely polite in her speech and behavior, and she is not bad at half a point.

Han Jiang's family was innocently affected, and if he was stigmatized again, then Cao Yan would be guilty.

I haven't finished worrying here, the sixteenth elder brother said the second half of the words "patting, patting, patting", and the tea in Cao Yan's mouth has not been swallowed, so he didn't choke.

He "coughed" twice, hurriedly put down the teacup, and patted his chest.

"Haha, is this a lack of heart?" The sixteenth elder brother rarely saw Cao Yan's gaffe and teased.

Cao Yan glanced at him, and said with a smile: "I am not in good health, I don't have the good 'blessing' and good 'energy' of the sixteenth master, and I can sit and enjoy the blessings of all people." Now that I have arrived at the military department, my eyes are black, and I can't take care of this too much, but I don't have the time to talk about anything else. ”

Although the sixteenth elder brother is proud of his wife and concubine, he is a lazy man, and he can sit without standing, and he can lie down without sitting.

Although he is young, he looks very capable, and there is no sign of getting rich, but the sixteenth elder brother has to deal with a wife and concubine, and sometimes his physical strength is insufficient. I don't know who to listen to, so he began to look for some medicine.

It is a medicine that is three parts poisonous, not to mention that excessive indulgence hurts people, and medication will only add fuel to the fire.

After Cao Yan knew, he carefully persuaded him twice, but he promised it, but he couldn't accept it. It wasn't until a small illness later that he was considered to have a long surname...... Coming out of the Thirteenth Elder Brother's Mansion, the sun was setting, and Cao Yan rode back to the house with a little bit of alcohol.

It's April, and it's already summer, but unlike in previous years, it's very cool, and I don't feel hot or dry at all.

Cao Yan raised his head and looked at the gray sky. Although it doesn't rain much, it's rare when it's fine. Most of the time, it's so gray.

The snow in Shanxi and Gansu fell until March, but the rain in the south was as fierce as usual, and some dikes were washed away before the summer.

Cao Yan's mind is a little confused, is it the "year of the catastrophe"? He sighed in his heart, and really wanted to scold himself.

Is this because he doesn't have a surname to worry about, and he has a little tail cocking? There are some feelings of the world, and the heart has become softer and softer.

Others don't know how far this whole country has been governed by [***], but Cao Yan knows it clearly.

Let's not talk about anything else for the time being, let's just say that the granaries in these places are used by the imperial court to prepare relief or stabilize local grain prices. However, except for a few commonly used granaries in Jiangnan, other provinces are basically empty.

The reason why Shandong pot is so prosperous and so large-scale is that it is used as the grain of the official warehouse.

One time later, when he arrived at the mouth of the alley, Cao Yan happened to meet Cao Shuo, who came from another direction.

This has long passed the end of the school, Cao Yan glanced at Cao Shuo, and thought that he was staying in the school to work hard, and said: "Listen to your second brother, you often study until the second half of the night, in the end, your body is important, don't work too hard." Just learn slowly, no one will force you to take the test, don't burn your body. ”

Cao Shuo is now studying Manchu at the Eight Banners Official School, and he is very energetic in learning.

He doesn't talk much, but after all, at the age of sixteen or seventeen, he also has a bit of a strong heart. Since Baguwen can't do it, this Manchu text is rote memorization, and he wants to learn it well.

In his early years in Jiangning Private School, Cao Shuo also learned some Manchu, but he only knew a little about it.

Although he knew that it was not difficult to rely on his uncle and cousin to learn Manchu for a few years and enter the sixth department as a pen poster, Cao Shuo wanted to do his best.

Diligence can make up for clumsiness, and stupid birds fly first. Even if he can't compare to his younger brothers, Cao Shuo wants to be useful.

Seeing that his cousin misunderstood, Cao Shuo originally wanted to explain. When the words came to his lips, he thought that he could not learn and that the housework was still a mess, and he really didn't have the face to say it, so he bowed his head and was silent.

Are you more than "immoral"?

As a son of man, it is unfilial piety to affect the hearts of relatives and elders; As an elder brother, it is unjust not to set an example for his younger brothers; As a husband, it is unkind to fail to take care of his wife and suffer the pain of losing his son.

The person who is unfilial, unrighteous and unkind is him Cao Shuo!

Don't talk about others, even he is himself, and he looks down on himself in his heart.

Cao Yan blew the wind for a while, became a little drunk, didn't notice Cao Shuo's strange appearance, and said: "You are still young, even if you have studied for three years, you will only be twenty, don't worry." ”

"Big brother, I'm ...... Isn't it extraordinary......" Cao Shuo hesitated, but still asked out loud.

Cao Yan heard the frustration in his words, reined in the horse, and turned his head to look.

Cao Shuo drooped his head, unable to see his expression clearly, but his hand that grabbed the reins of the horse was trembling slightly, looking very pitiful.

"My classmates are doing their homework well, and you feel pressured?" Cao Yan thought for a moment and said, "Don't compare with others, only compare with yourself." What you didn't do yesterday will do today, and that's progress. Studying homework is also a matter of mood, sometimes it is easy to learn, and sometimes it is not easy to learn. Don't be burdened, make progress little by little, make progress every day, and take a big step forward than others. ”

Cao Shuo listened and wanted to nod.

Halfway through, he paused, looked up, and asked in a low voice, "What if...... What if I learn wrong, how can I ......?"

Seeing that he was serious, Cao Yan also thought about it carefully, and then said: "I'm not afraid of learning mistakes, I'm afraid that I don't know my mistakes, I can't listen to the advice of outsiders, and I will go to the dark one by one." In that case, not to mention the time and effort, this wrong knowledge will be deeply engraved in your heart, and you will see that what is wrong in the future is right. Knowing that he had learned wrong, he stopped first and pondered why he was wrong and how he learned wrong. If you figure it out, you won't make this mistake again next time. ”

Cao Shuo was ignorant, and he didn't know if he understood.

After Cao Yan finished speaking, he glanced at Cao Shuo twice, and couldn't help but wonder in his heart.

Doesn't this kid talk like homework? Wasn't he taken by his classmates, eating, drinking, and gambling? Do you want to ask now, or wait for Cao Song to rest in two days, talk to Cao Song, and let him inquire about the school?

Cao Yan was hesitating when he heard the sound of horses' hooves, turned around, and saw two fast horses galloping past him. Immediately, there were many figures, and it looked like the color of the guard's uniform.

It was only a few dozen meters away from Cao's Mansion, and the two horses stopped at the gate of Cao's Mansion.

The person who came turned over and said in a loud voice, "Where is Cao Yan in Heshuo's forehead and the soldier's department?" ”

Hearing movement inside, the housekeeper Cao Zhong had already taken someone out, and when he saw that it was the two guards, he hurriedly bowed down and saw it.

I heard that I was looking for my uncle, and the old housekeeper just wanted to say that he hadn't come back yet, but it happened that Cao Yan and his two brothers had also arrived.

The two guards, although they are not familiar with each other, have seen them all, and they are on an errand in front of the Qianqing Palace.

Looking for himself at this hour, Cao Yan felt strange in his heart, dismounted and asked, "Two adults... What's the matter with looking for Cao? ”

When the two saw Cao Yan coming back, they stood directly facing the south and the north, and one of them raised his voice and said: "Long live the mouth, Xuanhe Shuo's forehead and the military department Langzhong Cao can enter the palace to see the driver......"

*

(To be continued)