Cao Hao has always been worried about the release, and originally thought that the provinces of Shandong, Henan, and Shanxi are not far from the capital and Jiangnan, and they are more suitable provinces. But after Mr. Zhuang showed him the information of these provinces, he couldn't help but have a headache. Henan is notoriously flooded, and droughts and locust plagues in Shandong are also frequent.

After the epidemic in the capital, Cao Hao became more and more aware of the limitations of this era.

Mr. Zhuang muttered: "Or just think of a rut and go to Huguang!" ”

Cao Hao thought for a while and asked, "What such a good thing!" If Henan and Shandong ......" said this, falling into deep thought.

A hint of surprise flashed in Mr. Zhuang's eyes: "Hao'er, it can't be that I was addicted to epidemic prevention in the capital a few days ago, and I gave birth to the idea of going out to fight the disaster, right?" ”

Cao Hao nodded slightly: "If it's within my ability...... It's not a difficult thing to do...... "What he said was from his heart, although the surname was a little lazy and he had no ambition to achieve great things, but as a man, he always had to do something.

In the past two months, he was busy with epidemic prevention under the fourth elder brother, although he was busy and tired, but watching the epidemic gradually be contained and the people's lives returned to peace, his heart was also very happy.

Mr. Zhuang shook his head disapprovingly: "Although you are well-intentioned, it is not as simple as you think, these two provinces are often affected by disasters, and the money and food are frequently reduced, and the fire consumes less silver, but the silver for disaster relief is more!" ”

Although Cao Hao has been in officialdom for less than a year, he understands what he means when he hears Mr. Zhuang say this. I'm afraid that few officials from these two provinces are clean, and they all have the idea of disaster relief money. If you go to such a place to be an official, if you refuse to put down your position to accept the "kindness" of your superiors and subordinates and go with the flow, then how can they tolerate you with peace of mind? If you put down your body and join the stream, then what you will share is the people's relief money, and how can you get by on your conscience?

Thinking of Kangxi's connivance with corrupt officials, Cao Hao couldn't help but feel a little tired in his heart, and faintly looked forward to Kangxi's early past, and Yongzhengchao's early come, so that those corrupt officials could also be suffocated.

* In the blink of an eye, at the beginning of August, the sixteenth elder brother returned.

Cao Hao didn't get the letter before, he only knew that the twelfth elder brother and the fourteenth elder brother came back from Rehe, and the fourth elder brother and the ninth elder brother went over, and he didn't hear anything about the sixteenth elder brother.

When he returned to Beijing, the sixteenth elder brother went to Caofu.

Because the household department was catching up with the settlement of Fujian's disaster relief accounts in the first half of the year, it was a little busy, Cao Hao came back from the household department in the afternoon, and heard that the sixteenth elder brother was in the East Academy with Cao Song and Hongshu brothers. I haven't seen him for more than half a year, but I miss him a little, so I don't go to the inner courtyard to change clothes, and go directly to the east courtyard.

The sixteenth elder brother is a lot stronger, probably because he often hunts on the grassland, and his complexion looks much better than when he walks in the spring.

Seeing Cao Hao come in, in addition to the sixteenth elder brother, Cao Song, Hongshu, Hongzhuo, and Hongxin all put down the bows in their hands, and greeted each other with "big brother" and "brother-in-law".

The sixteenth elder brother pointed to Cao Hao's supplementary uniform and said with a smile: "Look at you, this official uniform also looks like it!" As he spoke, he looked at him carefully, nodded, and said, "It's okay, it's okay, although it looks a little less, it's still the same as before." I heard that you were on an errand beside the fourth brother some time ago, and I was still worried. I'm afraid that if you stay with him, you will be dyed with his cold air, which will make people feel cold and panicked! ”

Cao Hao saw that Cao Song and Hongshu were sweating, so he called a small servant and asked them to prepare some melons and fruits to eat. Hongshu thanked him with a smile, and the youngest Hongxin raised his head and said with a blank eye: "Brother-in-law, I want to go and see my sister!" ”

Hongzhuo couldn't help but echo: "Yes, yes, I want to go too, the sweet water in my sister's yard is the best!" ”

Hongshu looked at the greedy appearance of the two younger brothers, and couldn't help but scold in a low voice: "Second brother, fourth brother! ”

Hongzhuo thought of his speechlessness, looked at the sixteenth elder brother and then at Cao Hao, scratched his head embarrassedly, and said: "Hehe, sixteenth uncle, the nephew is not lying, but the food in the sister's yard is good, and the nephew and younger brother are worried about it!" ”

The sixteenth elder brother patted Hongzhuo's head with a smile, turned to Cao Hao and said, "Okay, are you still hiding your secrets?" How many times have I been in your house, why don't you give me food? ”

Cao Hao was wronged in his heart, although the sixteenth elder brother had been here a few times before, except for the time when he attended the wedding, which time didn't he come in a hurry and left in a hurry?

Because he had to deal with a few brothers-in-law first, Cao Hao said to Hongzhuo and Hongxin: "It's not someone else's house, you can go if you want to, your sister is in the house, and she is also boring, I am happy to be able to talk to you!" Speaking of this, he said to Hongshu again: "You go with you, your sister was still talking about you two days ago!" ”

"Yes!" Hongshu was a little shy. He also likes those who eat in his heart, but as an older brother, he is old and old, and he always has to look like a brother.

Cao Song took a few little brothers to clean their hands, Cao Hao accompanied the sixteenth elder brother to the living room to sit down, because this official uniform was uncomfortable, and it was another day of sweating, so he asked him to wait for a while, and went back to Wutong Garden to change his clothes and come back.

Because it was just about eating, Cao Hao asked Chu Yu to pick two plates that were refreshing and not sweet and greasy, and sent them to the front yard.

After the little servant brought the tea and retreated, the sixteenth elder brother's face immediately turned solemn, and he asked straight to the point: "You are doing a good job in the household department, why is it involved in the epidemic at this time?" ”

Cao Hao heard his strange question, and knew that there must be a reason for this, but he was afraid that it would not be a good thing, so he did not answer directly, and asked, "What?" What's wrong with that? ”

The sixteenth elder brother nodded, and said with a straight face: "Although I don't know what you did in the capital, but by the side of Huang Ama, listening to what you said, it is not one or two excerpts to impeach you!" ”

"Impeachment?" Cao Hao sighed in his heart, it seems that he really let Mr. Zhuang tell him. Although I knew that the epidemic could not be put on the table at this time, and I didn't expect to get any reward, but for two months, I went out early and returned late every day, risking the risk of contracting the disease to do this and that, and when I came back, I only exchanged a few "impeachments", who would feel comfortable?

"Impeach me for what? I just did what I did on the orders of the fourth master, what's wrong with this? Cao Hao smiled reluctantly.

The sixteenth elder brother couldn't help but shake his head and said, "Who told you to be good, go to the fourth brother's side!" The fourth brother has made such a great contribution this time, so you won't be blushing when you are someone else? Don't dare to go directly to the fourth brother, who will you join if you don't participate? This fourth brother is too, who is not easy to use, why did he come out of you? This is risky, not to mention, where is the errand that can be good? ”

Speaking of this, the sixteenth elder brother suddenly looked at Cao Hao with a little doubt, and only after a while did he say seriously: "You are telling me the truth, you, you can't have any thoughts about the fourth brother, right?" As we've said before, these things are not something that can be done at will! ”

Cao Hao didn't want to worry about the sixteenth elder brother, so he told him about the unintentional discovery of the epidemic at the end of April, and mentioned that he was in a panic, and he didn't know who to go to, so he went to the thirteenth elder brother's mansion, and it happened that the fourth elder brother was also there.

As for why the fourth elder brother came out by himself, Cao Hao smiled bitterly: "This inner city is full of powerful people, ordinary officials have gone, and some of the gates can't be opened!" Lord Cheng was 'sick', and the fourth master had to be busy with government affairs and the epidemic in the outer city, and the admiral was a smart man, so he wouldn't care about this kind of thankless work. There are many princes in this city, and they all have weight, but who is willing to suffer this? I looked, the fourth master couldn't do anything, and with the help of my knowledge, he caught me on the top cylinder! ”

Although the sixteenth elder brother knows some things about the epidemic in the capital, but it is not real, now listening to Cao Hao, he knows the danger and all kinds of hidden secrets, and he can't help but complain a little about the fourth elder brother: "The fourth brother is really, because you still respect him, why are you so inconsiderate?" I can't complain that you have reduced it, and you have been so busy for two months, so it's strange if you don't reduce it! ”

After saying this, the sixteenth elder brother suddenly remembered something, and hurriedly asked: "What do you say about the siege of the Dunwang Mansion?" ”

Cao Hao had repeatedly mentioned this incident to Mr. Zhuang, and he felt that the reason was valid at that time, and there was nothing inappropriate, even if he went to the front of the emperor, he could stand still. Therefore, hearing the sixteenth elder brother mention this, Cao Hao was slightly stunned.

When the sixteenth elder brother saw it, he became more and more worried, hesitated, and still asked, "But...... But the fourth brother motioned for you to do this? ”

Cao Hao hurriedly shook his head, he didn't plan to let the fourth elder brother carry the black pot, if it reached the ears of the "cold noodle king", and made a small note in his heart, then he would not be practical in the future: "Don't do the things of the fourth master, then when counting the number of people who died of illness in various mortuces, I happened to see that a maid died violently in the two Dunjun royal mansions, and it was the fever that disappeared, so according to the previous regulations, please ask the tenth master to temporarily restrain everyone in the mansion to save the spread of the epidemic!" ”

The sixteenth elder brother listened. couldn't help but widen his eyes, and pointed at Cao Hao, looking like he hated iron but not steel: "It's like this!" You, you, how do you tell me to say hello?! Even if you go on an errand, you don't have to be so serious, this is offending the starling brother and them alive, I'm afraid that in their hearts, you will be included in the fourth brother's gang! ”

Cao Hao remembered the two months of epidemic prevention, and said in a low voice: "In a month and a half, a total of 847 people died in the inner city, 1,369 people in the outer city, a total of 2,216 people!" This is already an inner city and an outer city, and the epidemic prevention has been comprehensively prevented and contained. If the epidemic can't be contained, then I don't dare to think about it...... At that time, it was so urgent, and the number of people who died was nearly 100, and I really couldn't think of anything else, and I couldn't take care of anything else! ”

"More than 2,000 people!" The sixteenth elder brother glanced at Cao Hao, and a little guilt appeared on his face: "I don't know this, no one on the Rehe side mentioned this, I can't complain that Huang Ama was sick in early July, I'm afraid it's also because of this!" ”

Cao Hao shook his head, dispelled the gloom in his heart caused by thinking of the epidemic, and said with a smile: "It seems that I have really become a target!" Originally, I thought that I could get some reward for two months of hard work, but I didn't expect it to be so surprising! ”

Although Cao Hao smiled, the sixteenth elder brother was already annoyed, slapped the table and said: "Those eight kings, in order to tie up with their respective masters, their conscience has called dogs to eat!" I don't know the inside story on the other side of Rehe, but I don't know it in Beijing? But in order to erase the exploits of the fourth brother, I will use you as a raft first, hum, I am not a thing! ”

Cao Hao didn't speak, maybe this is a good opportunity, there are more people who don't like him, so Kangxi can consider whether to decentralize himself; But there must be a scale problem, you can't completely lose your reliance, put it in the place, and then let these bastards slander themselves in front of Kangxi.

Seeing that Cao Hao was silent, when he was sad, the sixteenth elder brother hurriedly persuaded him: "With me, what are you worried about?" Besides, looking at the meaning of Huang Amma, it seems that he knows it in his heart. When I came back this time, Huang Ama specially instructed me to ask you to inquire about the affairs of the Dunwang Palace, and I was afraid that you would be deceived by others and used as a gunman! It seems that Huang Ama is too worried! ”

Although these words are good words, they make Cao Hao frightened when he listens to them, look at this meaning, Kangxi is also full of vigilance against these elder brothers who stay in Beijing, but he doesn't know whether it is aimed at the third elder brother or the fourth elder brother. Immediately I felt that I was heartbroken, the heavenly family has no flesh and bones, the third elder brother should be a little active in the first place, although the fourth elder brother is deeply hidden, but the age and ability are here, it is strange to be able to make Kangxi feel at ease.

"Don't worry, those villains will eventually see Huang Ama's face! After two temptations, I know that I can't deal with you, so I will naturally find someone else to bite! The sixteenth elder brother got up with a smile: "Well, I am also relieved in my heart, although you are not enthusiastic about ordinary people, you are a little too realistic to acquaintances, and I am afraid that you will suffer because of this!" Think about it, if the fourth brother really had such a scheming, he would not have fallen behind such a bad person! All the hard work has been done, but he can't get down at all, and he wants to be depressed! ”

Seeing that Cao Hao was still sitting, the sixteenth elder brother smiled and waved his hand: "Don't stay like this, go, follow me to the Dunwang Mansion." Although the incident of the epidemic siege of the palace is for his good, he is a county king after all, and he still has to be completed first! ”

(To be continued)