The red is sinking in the west, the water is quiet, the cold winter is getting farther away, and the spring breeze is coming.

Cao Hao stood comfortably on the bow of the boat, looking at the distant mountains and the meadows in front of him, and the twilight blended in under the sunset, like a light gray ink landscape painting.

Although he has been with him several times, it is the first time that Cao Hao has driven to Jidian with Kangxi Sheng.

Gidian is the outskirts of the capital, which refers to the area of Zhili. Kangxi inspected Gidian almost every year, mainly to inspect river affairs.

The holy car was set off from Changchun Garden on the 26th day of the first month, and the accompanying princes were the 12th elder brother, the 15th elder brother and the 16th elder brother, who were stationed in the rice fields.

On the twenty-seventh day of the first month, the holy driver was stationed in Majiazhuang; Twenty-eighth, stationed in the inner canal place; Twenty-nine; Stationed in Nanshakou.

On the first day of the first month of February, the holy driver boarded the boat from Nanshakou, which was called the north exit of Zhao.

Cao Hao stood there, comfortable with a little thought. Now, it is the fifty-third year of Kangxi, and the "first abolished prince" and "second abolished prince" he knows are all gone, and the rest is the last year of Kangxi, the fourteenth elder brother's expedition to the west.

At the end of last month, before the holy car set off from Changchun Garden, the [***] lama of Tibetan province and Lazang Khan sent envoys to pay tribute. Looking at the submission of Lhasa to the Qing court, it should have been the Mongols who rebelled.

Now that it is counted, it can be regarded as peaceful for more than ten years, and in the early years, there were many large and small rebellions in Mongolia. For the Mongolian tribes, Cao Hao admires the most about the hundreds of tribes from east to west, a large number of princes, beylors, beizi, taijizhong, except for a few tribes, all surnamed Borzigit, all of whom are descendants of the Mongolian golden family.

In order to compete for pastures or land boundaries, large and small frictions occurred, and the Qing court occupied a high position and played a mediating role. Most of them contain the strong, support the weak, and control the growth and decline of the Mongol tribes in disguise.

In which year did the fourteenth elder brother fight, was it the fifty-seventh year of Kangxi, or the fifty-eighth year of Kangxi? That is the famous "Great General King", who has become the most potential person among the princes.

Even if Kangxi left a will, which was passed on to the fourth elder brother, the fourteenth elder brother still didn't believe it, and resolutely thought that his brother had tampered with the holy decree and stole the throne.

Thinking of this, Cao Hao couldn't help but sigh, the scenery of the fourteenth elder brother had nothing to do with him, and he was not interested in getting involved in the emperor's family affairs. But "the tree wants to be quiet and the wind does not stop", he is far away from his brothers, it does not mean that his brothers are also far away from him.

Whether it is from Hongshu's mouth or from the mouth of the sixteenth elder brother, Cao Hao knows that the fourteenth elder brother looks down on him. Hearing is false, seeing is believing, when he saw the fourteenth elder brother sweeping over him with sharp eyes and a smile at the court, Cao Hao wanted to kick him twice.

Even if it's for the sake of eternal celebration, it won't be like this. With such a heart, he really doesn't look like a person who does great things.

Seeing that the fourteenth elder brother looked at each other coldly and couldn't hide his resentment, Cao Hao was really afraid that he would "use the topic to play" after he made his career and find a reason to retaliate against him.

The reason why the fourteenth elder brother was able to go out on behalf of the Son of Heaven was also because among the princes and elder brothers of Kangxi, there were many who were from literature and few from martial arts. The only one who is proficient in martial arts is the eldest brother who has been circled, and the fourteenth elder brother and the thirteenth elder brother are considered half-pulled, and they have a hobby, as well as a resume as an errand boy in the military department.

What if you want to make a reason for the thirteenth elder brother to go out of the mountain and lead the troops to the west? As soon as this thought appeared, Cao Hao immediately shook his head, in that case, the variables were too great, not only related to the honor and disgrace of the Thirteenth Elder Brother, but also related to the results of hundreds of thousands of troops.

The fourth elder brother is close to the thirteenth elder brother who is in a depressed situation, but he may not be willing to get close to the thirteenth elder brother who is as beautiful as the "general king". The thirteenth elder brother is also the son of the emperor, if he really holds the authority in his hands, who can guarantee that he will not have other thoughts about that chair.

Cao Hao was pondering here, when he heard someone say: "What is this looking at, look at you for a long time!" ”

But it was the sixteenth elder brother who came over with a smile, Cao Hao smiled, pulled his hand to the shore, and asked, "Is it good-looking?" ”

The sixteenth elder brother stood beside him, stared at it for a long time, shook his head and said, "Gray, what's there to see?" There are many swamps in this area, there are many wild ducks and birds, and it is not fortunate that it is late today, so if you don't go to shoot a few, it should be best to roast and eat! "In the end, it's a nostalgic look.

Cao Hao glanced at him twice, and asked with a smile: "Why did you think of eating, didn't you say that you would go to the palace to serve the banquet?" Why, the sixteenth master didn't eat enough! ”

The sixteenth elder brother smiled bitterly: "I don't talk about watching the discs, I can only stand, it's strange to eat well!" In addition, Huang Ama summoned the university scholar and asked about the river work, and talked about the execution of several places last year, which seemed to be a little annoyed! Speaking of this, he lowered his voice and said: "Brother Starling is going to have a hard time, I guess Huang Ama is going to turn over old accounts!" ”

The eighth elder brother often took charge of the Ministry of Industry, and the former Ministry of Industry Shangshu and the former Ministry of Industry Squire Ma Jintai were both members of the "Eight Masters Party", and in November last year, they were demoted to two levels because of the rude preparation of the furnishings and sacrifices before Concubine Shuhui's spirit.

Cao Hao's heart moved, it could be that the eighth elder brother had lost ground this year. Only when the eighth elder brother loses power, the fourteenth elder brother can replace him and become the figure of the "Eighth Master Party" who came forward to seize the throne.

Seeing that Cao Hao was silent, the sixteenth elder brother remembered the words he had heard a year ago, and said to Cao Hao: "No matter what the starling brother is like this, Fu Ruo should not have other thoughts and get involved in these things." The fourth elder brother's surname is strict, if you have always been estranged from him, it's okay, you can't find anything that is not coming; Otherwise, if you get close and want to take a step back, you will become a grudge! ”

Seeing him so serious, Cao Hao thought of him in his heart, nodded and said, "Well, don't worry about this sixteenth master, I know it in my heart." It's just that the sixteenth master, since he knows the temper of the fourth elder brother, he still has to be more respectful to him. ”

The sixteenth elder brother couldn't help laughing and said, "Fu Ruo, Fu Ruo, I really don't know where the fourth brother bluffed you." If you don't say it in person, it's hard to see you say that you don't say a word to him, even in private. ”

Cao Hao said with a smile: "The fourth master and I have the grace to save my life, and I once served as my boss in the household department, both of which are counted, I am naturally much more honest!" ”

The sixteenth elder brother nodded and said, "Actually, it's not just you, just the fourth brother's cold face all the time, it's me, and I'm afraid of him in my heart." Xiao Seventeen is funny, he is afraid of the fourth brother, but he is willing to come to the fourth brother's side. The fourth sister-in-law sent things to the noble man a few times, and he was really grateful. Speaking of this, he said to Cao Hao: "Your affection, Xiao Seventeen is also worried about it." ”

The seventeenth elder brother is not as good as the sixteenth elder brother, although the princess is not as noble as the fourth concubine, but she is also a more favored palace person in recent years. Moreover, in addition to his biological mother, the sixteenth elder brother also has half-brothers who can support each other.

The powerful in Beijing are the most snobbish, and they have always flattered the sixteenth elder brother, but they have a different response to the seventeenth elder brother. Although it is the identity of the prince in the end, he doesn't dare to give it faceless in person, but he looks down on it in his heart.

"The Seventeenth Master thinks a little more, why bother with those people? It's not better than anything else to live comfortably! Cao Hao thought about it for a while and said.

The sixteenth elder brother said: "Hehe, Fu Ruo, you are the son-in-law of the family, and the population of the family is also small, so you can't understand our feelings." In the early years, in the upper study, the masters would only teach us lessons. Even Hongxin, their little brothers, no one takes us seriously. ”

Both of them were silent because of the old story.

After a while, Cao Hao asked: "There is a lot of excitement in the capital, and they all say that Brother Honghui is going to take the throne, what does the palace say?" ”

The sixteenth elder brother said in a low voice: "I think it's just for the sake of the second princess's heart, the second princess is recuperating in the capital, and Honghui and his daughter-in-law are now often in and out of the princess's mansion to serve the sick, which is nothing in my opinion." Those brothers are weak-hearted, and they all seem to have been stepped on by their tails, and they can't wait to jump. ”

In addition to the elder brother in Jingli, there is also Li Xu, who has just returned to Suzhou.

On the dock, seeing the housekeeper and servant waiting with filial piety, Li Xu's eyes darkened and he fainted. His wife, Han, died of illness three days ago.

Li Nai was already grief-stricken, but when he saw his father like this, he couldn't care about his sadness, so he hurriedly carried his father into the carriage.

Although Li Xu has been romantic all his life, he has a deep affection for this married couple. The two have been married for 40 years, but now they are separated by life and death, and they haven't even seen each other for the last time.

Xiangtong helped Miaoyun to get off the boat, and before she got into the carriage, she saw Li Nai's confession waiting for them to go back. After the explanation, he turned over and got on the horse by himself, and followed Li Xu's carriage first.

Xiangtong also knew that his wife Han was seriously ill, and saw that the mother-in-law and stewards who came to greet him were wearing heavy filial piety. She faintly felt a little happy, and whispered to Miaoyun: "I'm afraid that my wife is gone!" ”

When Miaoyun heard this, she couldn't help but panic a little, and pleaded a little: "Then what should I do?" Sister Tong still needs to teach slaves more...... Teach me more! ”

Xiangtong looked at the mother-in-law in front of her, squeezed Miaoyun's hand and didn't speak, but helped her get into the carriage first.

Miaoyun looked at her demeanor, as if she had a private word, so she also pursed her lips.

It wasn't until the curtain was lowered and the carriage moved slowly forward that Miaoyun whispered, "What does Sister Tong want to say to me?" ”

Xiangtong said: "You were also the son of the house earlier, so you should have heard something about the masters, right?" The second master was not born by his wife. ”

Miaoyun heard Li Ding mention, grabbed the placket of his clothes, nodded, and whispered: "I've heard that everyone in the capital said that although the second master was not raised by his wife, he would inherit the old man's family business in the future, so he would be sent to the emperor on an errand." ”

Xiangtong said: "Speaking of which, it's all an allusion." The wife of the old lady back then was not the current old lady, but the aunt of the princess in the palace. The old lady and Mrs. Wang were both in the flag, and the old lady thought that Mrs. Tai was from the Han family, and felt that she couldn't match the old lady, so she gave a flat wife, which is the current Mrs. Tai.

Although the former Mrs. Yuan did not degrade to a concubine, most of the people outside only knew that the old lady was the wife. Later, the lady passed away, and the old lady gave birth to six brothers, and she also went to the palace to serve the emperor during the period, which gave rise to the glory of the old lady and the master for decades.

The old lady is a scholar, and she is the most important courtesy, and until she dies, she feels sorry for Mrs. Wang. Although he later helped the Wang clan a lot, because of the old lady's face, he still felt that his best efforts were not enough. Therefore, he thought of letting the master marry the daughter of the Wang family as his wife, so that the Li and Wang families continued to be related.

Where is the old lady willing to follow? I stopped it and told the master about the current wife. Although the Wang family was a prominent family in the early years, Chongzhen was defeated in the last years. The young lady of the Wang family could only make a second room aggrievedly.

Our second master is from the second wife. Although it is said to be a concubine, the master is only treated as a concubine. The second master has been in the capital for half a year, and he is often angry about the matter of fame, and now, now...... Say a word of heart-wrenching, this wife is gone, the second wife designates to be corrected, and the child in the belly of the little grandmother will be the grandson and granddaughter, and the little grandmother's words will be better in the future......"

Miaoyun will be four months old, although it is not obvious, but the clothes are loose. After listening to Xiangtong's words, she touched her stomach, and when she heard the noise gradually coming from outside the carriage, she was very dazed.

Li Xu and Li Nai, father and son, have already taken the first step to Suzhou Weaving House.

When he entered the inner mansion and saw all kinds of hanging white silk, Li Xu couldn't help but burst into tears. But after a few months, the son died without a trace, and the old wife died again.

There was already a steward who brought filial piety clothes, knelt on the ground, and respectfully asked Li Xu and Li Nai's father and son to change clothes.

Li Nai took the filial piety clothes and waited for Li Xu to put them on, and then he took off his hat, put on his filial piety clothes, and took the filial piety stick.

I heard a deacon shouting inside: "The master is back, the master is back!" ”

Li Nai carried his father to the second gate, and heard the crying approaching. In the main hall of the inner courtyard, Han's coffin was parked, and several of Li Xu's concubines, as well as Li Nai's wife Sun and Li Nai's children, all knelt in front of the spirit, crying mournfully.

Seeing Li Xu and Li Nai enter the mourning hall, the crying was immediately shocked......

(To be continued)