In the capital, on the shore of Shicha Sea, the outer residence of the fourteenth elder brother has welcomed several distinguished guests today.

In addition to the thirteenth elder brother, a prince who rarely shows his face, there are also ten elder brothers, sixteenth elder brothers, seventeenth elder brothers, plus the fourteenth elder brother of the master, and the five princes of the dynasty gathered here.

The seventeenth elder brother was seriously ill, and he was reduced a lot. However, he was still very happy to see the thirteenth elder brother, and the two brothers got together and talked lively.

The tenth elder brother seemed to be the first time to come over, as if he was a little dissatisfied, snorted coldly, glanced at the fourteenth elder brother and said: "Fourteenth brother, you can't be authentic, this is so close to your brother's house, you don't even say anything about it." ”

"Didn't you deliberately hide it from Brother Ten, isn't it for the sake of the Wu family, it's not easy to publicize?" The fourteenth elder brother said with a smile.

", what's the big deal about raising a foreign house, it's the one that Yarjianga loves, and it's not as tightly protected as the fourteenth brother." Brother Ten didn't care, and said with a big grin: "Brother and sister are not jealous, can you still fill in a woman?" ”

The fourteenth elder brother smiled bitterly twice and did not say anything more.

The sixteenth elder brother was beside him, and after seeing the expression of the fourteenth elder brother, he lowered his head and ate tea. Is this fourteenth brother too well protected by Concubine De, does he think that he is a saint in love, and he still looks like "deep love and righteousness".

This Wu family can't get into the palace, it's a Han woman, not to mention, and she has also entered the lowly status.

Since you have the heart to win the heir, and you still have a heart under the nose of the big guy, isn't this waiting for someone to clean up?

Not to mention others, it is the sixteenth elder brother and Cao Hao, and the fourteenth elder brother will be thoroughly investigated. Wu is not only the daughter of a criminal official, but his father and ancestor were also the "tide file" in the early years, and Kangxi hated it the most. If someone really uses this to do something, the fourteenth elder brother will not feel good.

The fourteenth elder brother is proud of the spring breeze, perhaps because he didn't think of this, or because he feels that he is the emperor's favored prince, and no one dares to wipe the tiger's beard.

The sixteenth elder brother laughed secretly in his heart, afraid that even the tenth elder brother, the thirteenth elder brother, and the seventeenth elder brother would pay attention to the Wu family.

The seventeenth elder brother is asking the thirteenth elder brother's shop if there are any newly arrived foreign goods. Seeing that it is the birth of the sixteenth elder brother, he has been recuperating in the palace and has not yet prepared a birthday gift for the sixteenth elder brother.

The sixteenth elder brother and Cao Hao's birth are said to be less than half a month apart, so the seventeenth elder brother still has to prepare two copies.

Seeing that his face was thin and pale, the thirteenth elder brother sighed and said, "Why have you been sick for so long?" How old are you, you want to open up everything, worry less, your body and bones are your own, the most important thing is to be. ”

When the seventeenth elder brother heard this, he raised his head, glanced at the silver thread on the thirteenth elder brother's head, tugged at the corner of his mouth, and said, "What can my brother worry about?" It's just that the rich and noble are sick, and they are tossing blindly. If you are born in a poor person's house, you can't even drink batter, and I'm afraid you'll be jumping around. With this surname, what else can you do besides having children? Like my brother, in the eyes of outsiders, he is a waste. In the end, there was a bit of self-deprecation.

Although the thirteenth elder brother is not a director, he is not blind or deaf, and he has heard some news in the palace. The seventeenth elder brother has been married for many years, without a son and a half daughter, and several chief concubines in the harem have not stuffed people into the seventeenth elder brother's house in recent years. I heard that there are a few show girls who left a brand, and they were kept for the seventeenth elder brother, but because they are still in filial piety, they dragged it out and did not refer to the marriage.

This is related to the heirs, it is the top priority, and the thirteenth elder brother is not easy to say, so he had to pat the seventeenth elder brother on the shoulder and say, "How old are you, so you are in a hurry about this?" When the younger siblings are out of the filial piety period, find a good doctor to recuperate, and it will be natural. ”

"Brother Xie Thirteen Jiyan, if there are any children, my younger brother doesn't want to force it, but he doesn't worry about Fujin. She is soft-hearted, and she is not close to her mother's brother, if she has no children by her side, what will she do in the future? There was a little sadness in his expression.

The thirteenth elder brother hadn't spoken yet, but the fourteenth elder brother was listening, and he couldn't help it, frowning: "It's just an illness, why is the seventeenth brother like this?" In the early years, I saw that you were an open-minded person, but the more you grow up, the more unproductive you become. ”

"Starling is just sick." Seventeenth elder brother said lightly.

In a word, the fourteenth elder brother had nothing to say.

The sixteenth elder brother is a little strange, his seventeenth brother is not a reckless surname, could it be that he was born sick and has a big temper.

The seventeenth elder brother had already stood up, hugged his fists at everyone, and said, "My brother is not comfortable, my brothers sit slowly, and my younger brother is less accompanied." After saying that, without waiting for everyone to reply, he turned and went out of the courtyard.

The fourteenth elder brother didn't expect him to come out like this, and he was angry.

The thirteenth elder brother had already stood up and said to the fourteenth elder brother: "The fourteenth brother will accompany the tenth brother and the sixteenth brother first, I don't worry about the little seventeen, follow the past and take a look." ”

When the fourteenth elder brother thought of the wording and wanted to say something to save him, the thirteenth elder brother had already left the house and chased after the seventeenth elder brother.

Before the feast could be held, two of them left, one of whom was still the guest of honour. The fourteenth elder brother only felt disappointed, and regretted it in his heart, he shouldn't have invited the seventeenth elder brother out.

I thought that the seventeenth elder brother and the sixteenth elder brother were all good friends with the thirteenth elder brother, if several people were closed, then his strength would not be what it used to be...... On the shore of Shicha Sea, the thirteenth elder brother and the seventeenth elder brother rode horses and walked side by side, both with smiles on their faces.

"Thank you, Brother Seventeen, for accompanying me to play such a play." The thirteenth elder brother said with a smile.

"With a gesture, what is the thirteenth brother still polite to his younger brother" The seventeenth elder brother was a little puzzled and asked: "Looking at the strength of the fourteenth brother, even if he gets out today, it is difficult to guarantee that there will be no next time." The thirteenth brother can't hide all the time, and he has to think of a way. ”

"I went out of the gate, just to relax and have a good time, not to play with him. It's just that right now, I can't offend him, otherwise he will have other thoughts, which will make Concubine Dongde more and more worried. The thirteenth elder brother said: "Let's push it twice first, and after a long time, he won't use me hard when he sees that I am not of great use." ”

The seventeenth elder brother hesitated for a moment, lowered his voice and said, "Thirteenth brother, it's a good peace, why did you still come out?" At the moment, it is a muddy water, but it is not possible to take advantage of it. If the younger brother can open the house, he would rather live a comfortable life behind closed doors than intrigue throughout the whole day. ”

The thirteenth elder brother sighed for a long time, and also whispered, and replied: "Brother didn't think about taking advantage, but he was afraid that the water would not be muddy enough." You and my brother, in this position, what is there to look forward to, isn't it just that I hope to ascend to that position, is it a person who is affectionate and treats my brothers and sisters well? ”

When the seventeenth elder brother heard this, he was shocked in his heart.

It seems that the thirteenth elder brother is desperate to re-enter the troubled waters...... * Every time he goes out early and returns late, he comes over in the blink of an eye.

Cao Hao waited alone, and finally arrived in Kaifeng. Kaifeng is the residence of the yamen of the governor of Henan, and the current governor of Henan is Zhang Shengzuo, who only rose from the position of political envoy in Anhui a few years ago.

Zhang Shengzuo's resume, before coming to Henan, Jiang Jian had already prepared for Cao Hao. He came from a Confucian family, but he did not take the imperial examination, but entered the government with grace.

In his early years, his official reputation was not obvious, and later when he was appointed as a Taoist in Guangxi, he almost lost his official position because he offended the prince's slave who went out of Beijing. In the forty-ninth year of Kangxi, he was promoted from Daotai to Jiangxi as an envoy; In the fifty-first year of Kangxi, he was promoted to the political envoy of Anhui. I heard that this person has a good official reputation, but he is different from Zhang Boxing's Geng Jie.

This time he was promoted to the governor of Henan, and it was Jiuqing Baozuo, which can be seen from which he is a smooth and accessible person.

At present, it is only said that the fugitives are holding good people hostage and causing civil unrest. In fact, the truth is much more serious. It was not three or five bandits, but tens of thousands of people in several counties, who gathered to revolt, besieged the yamen, and kidnapped the magistrates, which was no different from rebellion.

Since the conclusion of the "Third Prince Zhu case", I have not heard of the "rebellion" for decades, and it is spread out in Henan.

In the past month, Zhang Shengzuo has been in a hurry to turn his hair white.

The northwest is not peaceful, and Henan Province, as the hinterland of the Central Plains, is really noisy, it will be very lively. The imperial court can't afford to lose this face, and it can't bear this responsibility itself.

He knew that he had been smooth sailing for six or seven years, and that his good fortune had come to an end. Now, I can only think about calming things down as soon as possible and saving my head.

Now in the past month, he didn't dare to act rashly, just blocked the news, and at the same time issued an order, asking the local state capital to block the news and take strict precautions. is just waiting for news from the imperial court, whether it is to be soothed or suppressed, and it depends on the will of the imperial court.

In recent years, Henan has been either flooded or drought, and people's livelihood has been difficult. The northwest also consumes money and grain, and I don't know that the local treasury has long been empty, and this year it began to collect next year's money and grain in advance, as well as the funds for raising horses apportioned by the imperial court, and the burden is even heavier.

Zhang Shengzuo knew it in his heart, but he was helpless, and the holy order could not be violated.

Silver is needed to fight a war, the northwestern provinces need to be appeased, and money and grain are still being reduced. The taxes in Jiangnan are already heavy, and the imperial court must show "benevolence and righteousness", and also reduce the taxes of some states and counties every year; Zhili is at the feet of the Son of Heaven, and the requirements are too safe and stable, and it is impossible to increase taxes.

As a result, whenever the imperial court lacked silver, the tax increase fell to Shandong, Henan, and Shanxi.

According to this addition, even if Henan Mansion is not chaotic, it will not take three or two years to have chaos in other places.

I waited for more than half a month, just waiting for a "case investigation" Qin Cha, is this a soothing or suppression? Zhang Shengzuo was also confused.

Cao Hao and Zhang Shengzuo are still seeing each other for the first time. Although Zhang Shengzuo returned to Beijing to see His Majesty a few years ago, he did not stay in the capital for a long time, and only sent people to the old mansion of the six ministers and in-laws. Cao Yin and he are old friends, so the Cao family also received a gift from him.

News from the capital, Zhang Shengzuo naturally has channels. To be a governor like him, far away from the economy, he will leave a few henchmen in the capital to pay attention to the current affairs of the imperial court.

He had already heard of Cao Hao's name.

This time the Henan civil unrest, when the Henan prefect reported here, he also made a special trip to mention, don't kidnap the officials who went to the bandit village, in addition to Gao Shiqing, the prefect of Yongning County, there is also Cao Xiang, a subordinate official of the Henan prefect.

This Yongning Zhixian is also an unlucky egg, and it is Zhang Yuhui of Yiyang Zhixian who is tyrannical and avoids rebellion against the people. In addition to collecting next year's taxes in advance, Zhang Yuhui also privately increased the fire consumption by forty percent. The people had no way to live, so they ran into the mountains to gather a crowd and revolt. Because of the proximity to Yongnian County, the granaries in the county were divided, and the magistrate and other officials were robbed.

There was a mess here, and the people of two counties corresponded, besieging the county seat, and things broke out.

This Cao Xiang is noted later, the second-class uncle Cao Yin's nephew, and the cousin of Cao Hao. Zhang Shengzuo saw it, and after thinking about it, he made a special trip to Cao Yin to repair a letter.

Unexpectedly, the Qin Cha who came to handle the case was Cao Yin's parent, Cao Hao.

When Cao Hao introduced Cao Song to Zhang Shengzuo after finishing the official words and meeting each other privately, Zhang Shengzuo knew in his heart that the saints of the Cao family were more generous than outsiders.

Along the way, Cao Hao also figured it out.

Kangxi didn't directly make a decree because he was soothing or suppressing, no matter how many people there were, as long as he mentioned the word "anti", he violated the dragon's anti-scales, where would he be forgiven?

A spark can start a prairie fire, and in the face of hundreds of millions of Han people, Kangxi, as the ruler of the Manchurians, has an unbreakable heart of prevention.

But for the sake of the reputation of a "benevolent monarch", he refused to give the order to "kill".

At the reception banquet this night, Zhang Shengzuo couldn't help it, and asked Cao Hao: "Lord Cao is a Qincha, how is this sacred heart, can you tell one or two?" ”

When Cao Hao heard this, he hurriedly said: "Xiaguan is only ordered to thoroughly investigate the escape case of the Kang brothers, as for the rest, it is related to local civil affairs, so it is naturally headed by Lord Futai." ”

When Zhang Shengzuo heard this, he only felt bitter water in his mouth. It seems that the imperial court has made up its mind to take this responsibility. Thinking of the news he got a few days ago, among the chaotic people, there were still White Lotus Sect disciples haunting, and he felt a lot in his heart.

It seems that there is no choice but to exterminate this morning.

Cao Hao was beside him, and when he saw Zhang Shengzuo showing a decisive look, he thought for a while, and said slowly: "It's not a big deal to think about it, but it's just a corrupt official and a few mobs." The emperor ordered Lord Futai to patrol Henan, so he naturally trusted the lord. ”

It's not that Cao Hao is troublesome, but I'm afraid that Zhang Shengzuo will jump off the wall in a hurry, and in order to shirk responsibility, he will come to a massacre.

For the sake of local peace, the leader cannot be forgiven, but coercing the people is not an unforgivable sin. That's all Cao Hao can do.

Sure enough, after listening to Cao Hao's words, Zhang Shengzuo's face soothed a lot.

Yes, the emperor and the court want to save face, and this matter can only be turned into a big thing and a small matter. In this way, even if someone pulls out the back account and lets himself be in the tank, the crime can be much lighter.

Thinking of this, Zhang Shengzuo only felt that he was in a desperate situation, glanced at Cao Hao, and had a calculation in his heart.

Only stopped in Kaifeng for one night, and the next day, Cao Hao took everyone to set off again, and arrived in Luoyang two days later.

In the city of Luoyang, the guards are heavily guarded, and there is an endless stream of soldiers patrolling back and forth. When Cao Hao saw it, he couldn't help but shake his head, the huge ancient city and the solid city wall, how many troops do you need to take it?

According to the laws of the Qing Dynasty, local officials had rules for defending the land, and violators were to be executed regardless of the reason.

It seems that this Henan prefect Li Tingchen is really a person who cherishes his life.

Cao Hao's guess was right, Li Tingchen couldn't sleep well, and he would wake up with nightmares in the middle of the night, just for fear of losing his head.

Hearing that Qin had arrived, he only felt that his scalp was numb, and he hurriedly asked which adult it was. I heard that it was the household department that gave Cao Hao in the matter, and his face immediately added freshness, and he only felt that it was "the mountains and rivers are full of doubts, and the willows and flowers are bright and another village"......

(To be continued)