With the three giant Buddhas of Kangxi, the Empress Dowager and the Imperial Concubine in front of them, almost no one would turn their attention to the emperor's brothers who were following behind the three giants.
After Mrs. Sun was helped up by Kangxi, two middle-aged women, also wearing imperial attire, came quickly to meet her. They leaned over to Kangxi and others and said in unison:
"Ms. Li/Ms. Wang has met the Long Live Lord, the Queen Mother, and the Imperial Concubine."
"Hahaha, let's all be flat."
"Are these two the daughters-in-law of Ziqing and Cao Quan?"
Cao Yin and Cao Quan, who were standing aside, hurriedly leaned over and said yes. Then Kangxi turned to the imperial concubine and smiled and briefly introduced the Li family in two sentences.
When Qingyan heard Kangxi's words, she realized that Li was the biological sister of Li Xu, a weaver in Suzhou today.
Like Cao Yin, Li Xu was Kangxi's childhood playmate and one of Kangxi's few trusted confidants.
Standing side by side with Mrs. Li, Mrs. Wang lowered her head slightly, listening to the emperor mentioning her sister-in-law, but not mentioning herself at all. She couldn't help but pursed her red lips, feeling slightly dissatisfied.
Her mother-in-law, Mrs. Sun, made a lot of contributions by taking care of the saint who cured smallpox, but all the blessings brought by this contribution were enjoyed by their eldest family, and their second bedroom almost didn’t have anything!
Her husband Cao Quan, as the biological son of her mother-in-law, was not able to be a playmate for the emperor because of his young age. Later, he changed his original name "Cao Xuan" to "Cao Quan" because of taboos, and the word "Xuan" was used.
After changing it, it seems that their second wife will no longer be famous!
Look at how deep the relationship between the eldest uncle and the emperor was when he was the emperor's playmate when he was young. Now, the long live master doesn't even look at her husband Cao Quan in his eyes!
Wang's heart felt like she was jealous, she was so sour that she did not dare to resent the emperor's partiality, she could only feel resentful towards the lucky eldest family in her heart.
Although Mrs. Sun and Ms. Li were not as sour as Wang at the moment, they both had mixed feelings.
The last time the Holy Emperor went to the South to escort him was his direct cousin, the late Concubine Xiaoyi. This time the Holy Emperor went to the South to escort the imperial concubine who was famous all over the world.
When Sun was in Jiangnan, she had also heard about the imperial concubine's reputation on the battlefield. She had met the imperial concubine Xiaoyi last time and knew that the imperial concubine Xiaoyi and the imperial concubine were cousins. She originally thought that the imperial concubine must be extremely heroic.
, the female general whose appearance is indistinguishable between male and female, or else she is slender and frail like Concubine Xiaoyi.
Who would have thought that when she saw the true appearance of the Imperial Concubine today, she discovered that the Imperial Concubine actually combined these two kinds of beauty. She was slender, with hibiscus pink face and willow-leaf eyebrows. She looked like a wealthy flower in the world, but she...
There is no trace of flattery between her eyebrows and eyes, but she reveals a refreshing heroic spirit.
This kind of beauty, which can be said to be the most beautiful in the world, is not only liked by Long live the Lord, but also makes an old woman like her feel bright when she sees her.
Mrs. Sun looked at the imperial concubine with a kind smile on her face, as if she were looking at a beloved junior whom she had not seen for a long time, but a touch of regret could not help but slip through her eyes.
Although Mrs. Li standing next to her right hand has no ability to listen to people's voices, she has a deep empathy with her successor mother-in-law at this moment. The imperial concubine's face is as bright as a blooming peony. Even though she is older now,
Eyes are clear and a little tired
None of them. The few shallow fine lines growing out of the corners of her eyes not only failed to ruin the beauty of the imperial concubine, but also added an indescribable charm to the imperial concubine. It was an atmosphere that had been accumulated and polished by time.
Dignified and beautiful.
Even though Mrs. Wang is as beautiful as a pure lily blooming in the valley, and as young and tender as morning dewdrops, standing next to the imperial concubine, she seems to be slightly inferior...
No matter what the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law thought in their hearts, in reality it only took a few sentences.
Seeing that Kangxi and Cao Yin had finished their greetings, Sun found the right opportunity to step forward again and said with a smile:
"Since I received the news that Lord Long Live is coming to visit the South, I have been looking forward to His Majesty's arrival day and night. Now I have prepared all the courtyards early and invited Lord Long Live, the Queen Mother, and the Imperial Concubine.
The empress, the fourth elder brother, the ninth elder brother, the tenth elder brother, the thirteenth elder brother, and the thirteenth elder brother, Xenbeile, please follow me to the yard to have a rest, wash off the fatigue from the journey, and have a good meal."
Sun suppressed her thoughts and said to Kangxi with a warm smile.
Brothers Cao Yin and Cao Quan also hurriedly followed Sun's words. Zhuzi leaned over and said with a smile:
"What mother said is, please hurry up and take a rest in the other courtyard."
"Hahahaha, then, Queen Mother, Yan'er, let's follow Grandma and Ziqing into this other courtyard and take a look."
Kangxi and Cao Yin and Sun had a close relationship since childhood. After many years, Kangxi once again saw the elderly Sun and Cao Yin with a short beard on his chin. Cao Yin, who was nearly forty years old, couldn't help but feel filled with emotion.
Once again, there is a sense of melancholy that the years are like running water, making people grow older day by day.
After hearing what the mother and son said, they hurriedly turned their heads to look at the empress dowager and the imperial concubine standing on both sides of him and laughed loudly.
The Empress Dowager and the Imperial Concubine naturally smiled and nodded.
Yinzhen forced himself to look away from the crutch in Sun's hand, and with a handsome face, he and his brothers walked forward, following his mother and Mama Huang.
The Cao family, surrounded by the envious eyes of a group of Jiangnan officials, and the royal family entered the courtyard through the red-painted gate.
Sun's biological son Cao Quan was a talkative person. As he walked, he stretched out his hand and introduced the various beautiful scenery of the pavilions, pavilions, low mountains and flowing water in the courtyard to the royal party in detail.
The scenery in the south of the Yangtze River is beautiful. Even in late autumn, the flowers and leaves in the courtyard are still green, and the melodious music of the piano can be heard everywhere.
It can be said that every step in the courtyard is full of scenery. A large group of people are walking forward talking and laughing, looking at the excitement from a distance, as if they are celebrating the New Year in advance.
By the time the royal family, led by Sun and others, took a rough tour of the courtyard, more than half an hour had passed.
Kangxi took Liang Jiugong, Cao Yin, and Cao Quan to the front yard to talk.
The Empress Dowager and the Imperial Concubine also led their five brothers and Sun's mother-in-law and daughter-in-law to the backyard, the wing room of Luofengju, to rest.
After Mrs. Sun left with a large group of female relatives, Qingyan supported Qiqige and walked into the hall of Luofengju, with the five brothers following behind them.
When the seven masters were all sitting in the hall, Sister Wu Ren and Bai Lu, who were on the southern tour with the Holy Driver, sent away all the servants of the Cao family in Luofeng's house, and replaced them with palace servants inside and outside.
"Is the Queen tired?"
After Qingyan helped Qiqige sit on the carved armchair, she saw the tired look on Qiqige's face and couldn't help asking with a smile.
Qiqige couldn't help but sigh after hearing this, patted the imperial concubine's bare hand holding her arm with her right hand, and said with a smile:
"Little Hesheli, the Aijia family followed the emperor on a dragon boat down the south of the Yangtze River, and saw a lot of beautiful scenery in the south of the Yangtze River. Unexpectedly, the Aijia family was blind, and the most beautiful scenery was actually
Located in the Cao family's villa, the scenery in this courtyard is beautiful, and the people are also beautiful. The Ai family looked at the serving girls who were following the Sun family, all wearing gold and silver, with eyebrows and powdered eyebrows, and came out one by one.
She turns out to be more beautiful than the maids in our palace who participated in the internal affairs office election."
"Oh--"
After hearing what the Empress Dowager said with emotion and sigh, before Qingyan could speak, Sibeile Yinzhen, who was following behind her mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, let out a disdainful sneer.
"Fourth brother, who made you unhappy? I see that you have a dark face since you entered this courtyard, as if someone owes you money and has not paid it back?"
Yinzhen had noticed Yinzhen's stinky face a long time ago. He had been holding back this question in his heart for a whole time. Now that he heard that his fourth brother finally couldn't help but speak, he looked at Yinzhen curiously and asked.
After hearing what Yinzhen said, the three brothers, Yiner, Yinxiang, and Yinzhen, like a crowd of people, found the nearest armchair and sat down, waiting quietly for Yinzhen to speak.
There is nothing better than knowing a son like a mother.
Yinzhen was brought up by Qingyan, so she could naturally feel the deep anger that her eldest son had been holding in her heart.
After she sat down next to the Empress Dowager, she saw that her eldest son's handsome face was now so dark that it was almost dripping with water. She couldn't help but smile and joked:
"Fourth, what's wrong with you?"
Yinzhen pursed her thin lips and sat opposite the empress dowager and the imperial concubine. She frowned and looked at Qiqige and Qingyan and said:
"Huang Ma Ma, E Niang, the reason why I'm angry is that I feel that the Cao family is now too big-hearted! When I was at the gate of the other courtyard, I saw at a glance that the crutch in Mrs. Sun's hand turned out to be a dragon-headed crutch made of golden nanmu.
! How dare a mere slave of hers dare to overstep her bounds and openly use the same kind of crutch with Mother Ukuma!"
As soon as Yinzhen finished speaking, everyone present subconsciously frowned.
Sitting next to Yinzhen, Yinxiang pursed his lips and recalled some things, and found that the thing Sun held in his hand was really a dragon-head crutch!
"Not only did Sun's crutch make me unhappy, but there was also a group of warblers following Sun along the way. They didn't behave in the slightest!"
"These female relatives were actually looking at us secretly. I also unexpectedly saw a young girl who was at least sixteen or seventeen years old and wearing red Hanfu hidden in the crowd. Her eyes were full of spring water and she looked at Khan shyly.
Amma, I don’t know if Khan Amma noticed that woman, but I was a little bit confused anyway. The Cao family is now considered one of the richest families in Jiangnan, why are the rules in the house so bad!"
After listening to Yinzhen's speech, which seemed to be made by the dean of a later school to check class discipline, Yinzhen, who had just picked up the tea cup and was about to drink tea, stopped drinking the tea in his right hand. His eyes were confused and he looked at Yinzhen in confusion.
road:
"Fourth brother, what are you talking about? Isn't that girl in red always looking at me? I think she is about the same age as me, and she has been secretly looking at me?"
Yinzhen, who had been holding back his anger since entering the Cao Family Courtyard, was now like a barrel of explosives. After hearing Shi Shi's words and seeing Shi Shi's stupid look on his face, he became even more angry.
He said angrily:
"Fourteen, are you a fool? Is the point of this matter to argue whether the girl in red is looking at Khan Amma, or is she looking at you standing next to Khan Amma? The point I want to say is clear.
It’s the Cao family who are doing arrogant things everywhere!”
"Golden nanmu is a top-quality wood only for royal envoys. If the Cao family uses a crutch made of a different style, for the sake of Khan Amma, I will pretend to be blind and not see it."
"But is that dragon-head crutch that can be used by Mrs. Sun, which is used to beat the fainting emperor and the treacherous sycophant? Isn't she afraid of losing her life if she uses it?"
The more Yinzhen talked, the angrier he became. He stood up from the armchair with a "shua" and cursed as he walked:
"The dragon-head crutch is a famous 'imperial weapon'. Only civil and military ministers with outstanding merits in the past dynasties will receive this honor! ①"
"In the past, the Tianbo Yang Mansion was full of loyal people, and Taijun She owned a dragon-headed walking stick. Uku Ma assisted Khan Mafa during her lifetime. The two young masters of Khan and Ama also had a dragon-headed walking stick in their hands. The Sun family just
She is just a slave who serves people. Is it possible that the little credit she put into serving Khan Amma can still allow her to use a dragon-head crutch? "
Yinzhen pointed in the direction of the door with his hand, suppressed the anger in his heart and roared in a deep voice.
Hearing his fourth brother's concentrated reprimand, Fourteen couldn't help but shrink his neck, lowered his head to drink tea and didn't dare to say stupid things anymore. His brows also frowned involuntarily, and he later realized that his attention was really focused.
It's gone astray! The Cao family is relying on the high sky and the emperor's distance to become the local emperor in the south of the Yangtze River behind the back of their Aixinjueluo clan!
Yin Xiang, who was sitting next to Shi Shi, stood up from the arm chair, pulled Yin Zhen, who seemed to be angry, to sit on the arm chair, and said warmly:
"Fourth brother, calm down your anger. I know you can't tolerate sand in your eyes. However, Khan Ama and the Cao family have a close relationship. We are still staying in the Cao family's courtyard. We will talk about these things later. Don't ruin it.
You think you can notice things about Khan Amma’s mood during his tour to the south. It’s impossible for Khan Amma not to notice it. Along the way, I also felt that this courtyard is too rich.”
Qingyan glanced at her eldest son, whose face was flushed. She pursed her red lips and trembled her thick, curled eyelashes. When she entered this courtyard, she couldn't help but recall the incident in history when Emperor Yongzheng raided the Cao family.
It was precisely because the Cao family was plundered and experienced ups and downs that Cao Yin's grandson Cao Xueqin wrote a classic "A Dream of Red Mansions".
Historically, at this time in the Qing Dynasty, there was no such thing as cement or glass, which were extremely profitable tools. The Cao family was extremely wealthy.
In this world, Kangxi put the glass branch factory and cement branch factory in Jiangnan under the responsibility of Cao Yin out of his trust in the Cao family.
Since then, the Cao family has become even richer and extravagant than in history. The eldest son Yinzhen, who has a "property of property raiding", naturally looks like he has lice all over his body when he comes to this wealthy nest where "pearls are like earth and gold is like iron"
Generally, he can hear the "alarm sound" everywhere and feels that everything he looks at makes him angry.
In the final analysis, it is because the Cao family has too much wealth that is not commensurate with their status, and there is no other reason for this wealth except "corruption".
Qingyan rubbed her fingers and thought silently in her heart.
Sibeile Yinzhen, who had just been pulled into an armchair by his thirteenth brother Yinxiang, couldn't sit still again after hearing what his ninth brother Yinzhen said next.
After Yinzhen looked at his fourth brother and roared with dissatisfaction, their mother-in-law's eyelids were half-closed, and the old god was sitting there without saying a word. Their mother-in-law pursed her red lips, looking thoughtful, and
The tenth brother, the thirteenth brother, and the fourteenth brother were also silent.
He stood up from the chair and said to Yinzhen, whose face had not completely faded away from the redness:
"Fourth brother, you only noticed the dragon-head crutches. Could it be that Lao Ten, Lao Thirteen, and Lao Fourteen didn't notice it along the way?"
"Brother Ninth, what did you find?"
After hearing this, Yiner, who was sitting next to Yinzhen, immediately asked in support.
Yinzhen coughed twice, cleared his throat, pointed at various things in the hall, and introduced:
"The carved beams above our heads are also made of golden nanmu. The small square table with high legs next to the armchair is made of rosewood. The two antique vases under the window sill are from the Tang Dynasty. The thin blanket on the soft couch is made of golden camel hair.
The woven flower and bird paintings hanging on the wall are authentic works by Song Huizong..."
Every time Yinzhen said a word, Yinzhen's face became darker.
After Yinzhen finished talking about all the valuable things in the hall fluently, he touched his chin with his right hand and said in summary:
"I have made a rough estimate in my mind along the way. The money spent to build the Cao family's villa will definitely not be less than that of Khan Ama's Changchun Garden. The area of this villa is larger than that of the prince's second brother.
The Prince’s Mansion is even bigger!”
"Ah! According to Ninth Brother, the Cao family is really rich! But why are their families so rich? I feel like my mother's family is not that rich."
Yiner scratched the melon skin cap on his head with his hand and said with a smile.
"What else could it be because of? Their family must have been corrupted in Jiangnan behind Khan Ama's back! Aren't the Cao family also a baoyang family? In the past, Khan Ama chopped off the heads of many baoyi families, so what?
"The Ya clan.
"Old Fourteen! Shut up!"
Qingyan frowned and stopped her silly son before he could finish what he said.
When Yinzhen heard the word "Wu", he understood that what Lao Shisi wanted to say was "Wuya clan", and a flash of embarrassment quickly flashed across his slender Danfeng eyes.
Qingyan glanced at her eldest son's face and continued in a low voice:
"Fourth, ninth, tenth, thirteenth, fourteenth, you brothers can all see clearly what happened today. Your Khan Ama must also have a stronghold in your heart. The officialdom of Jiangnan is very deep. We don't want to be private."
Let’s discuss this below.”
"You five should also go and freshen up in your yard. When we have dinner together later, your Khan Ama will definitely summon Sun, Cao Yin and the others."
At this point, Qingyan paused slightly, and then said:
"I know that you brothers think that the Cao family is just a slave, but when your Khan Ama saw Sun, he affectionately called her 'his old man'. Cao Yin was also taken into consideration by your Khan Ama.
From the perspective of my confidants, when we have dinner, please control the expressions on your faces so that you don’t make a fool of yourself. If your Khan Ama feels embarrassed, think about it, which one will get beaten first, or will something happen to the Cao family first?
"
"E Niang/Emperor Niang, we know."
The five brothers looked at each other and spoke in unison.
"Okay, let's go freshen up."
Qingyan waved her hands and sent the five brothers away.
When only the empress dowager and the imperial concubine were left in the hall, Qiqige patted the back of Qingyan's hand. Although the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law did not speak, they both understood what the other was thinking: The Cao family is really too big.
If you are too high-profile, this incredible wealth will not last long.
…
On the other side, Mrs. Sun returned to her yard with the support of Mrs. Li and Mrs. Wang.
Sun's mood seems to be very good. Although she has not seen Jun Yan for several years, the emperor still respects her as before.
But no matter how much the emperor respects her, if there is no concubine in the harem who has good relations with her Cao family, it will be a shortcoming after all.
As soon as Mrs. Sun sat down on the soft couch, she sent the maid next to her to call in the handsome Wang.
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law who were sitting in the hall saw Mrs. Wang, dressed in red, walking in with gentle steps, her face flushed and shy, and they immediately understood that Mrs. Wang had fallen in love with Long Live Lord at first sight.
Cao Quan's wife, Mrs. Wang, also beamed with joy after seeing her beautiful distant niece.
Cao Yin's wife Li Shi bit her red lips with her teeth, with a hint of embarrassment in her eyes.
Mrs. Wang is a beauty from the south of the Yangtze River that her husband's family, Cao's family, and her brother Li Xu found together for Long Live Lord. It sounds really unpleasant to offer a beauty to the emperor.
As the head wife of the Cao family, Mrs. Li felt very uncomfortable, but when she thought of the huge deficit caused by her brother Li Xu when he was in charge of Suzhou Weaving, she pursed her red lips and let go of the trace of shame that came to her heart.
They were all wiped out again.
As the saying goes: "Look at the beauty under the lamp."
It's getting a little dark now, and all the candles in the hall have been lit one by one.
During the day, Ms. Sun was momentarily stunned by the beauty of the imperial concubine, but now, under the candlelight, looking at Ms. Wang's lovely, watery eyes, she felt clear again.
The imperial concubine is beautiful, but given her status as the imperial concubine and her achievements on the battlefield, she will never show a man the appearance of a little woman who loves him with all her heart and eyes.
I wonder which man in the world can tolerate a beautiful and young woman worshiping him like a god?
Even if this man is the master of the world, he can't do it.
Mrs. Sun squinted her cloudy presbyopic eyes, with a touch of kindness in her eyes. She waved to Mrs. Wang, took Mrs. Wang's soft little hand, and said with a loving smile:
"Good boy, if you follow me now you can see clearly what the Holy Emperor looks like."
Wang bit her pink lips shyly and nodded lightly.
When Mrs. Sun saw the little girl looking like she was in love for the first time, she smiled even more lovingly, patted the back of Mrs. Wang's hand with her right hand and said warmly:
"Hurry up and take a rose bath and let someone dress you up. It's time for the dinner later, and I want you to play the piano for Long Live the Lord to help entertain you."
Wang's eyes immediately lit up when she heard this. She was a Han girl and could not participate in the talent show in the palace. Her father was just a small magistrate and could not protect her beauty.
She is so beautiful that she really doesn't want to commit herself to being a mistress in a small official's home or a concubine in a high official's home. Now that a golden opportunity has come, she might as well take advantage of the Cao family and the Li family to go to the palace.
Take a chance on a great future.
Even though the emperor is not willing to have children now, and even though the emperor has not allowed anyone to enter the harem during the two Eight Banners elections, Wang believes that with her appearance, talent and scheming skills, as long as she is given a chance to be a Han woman, she will definitely be able to enter the harem.
She won a position of empress in the huge Forbidden City!
The imperial concubine is very good, but it cannot be resisted that she is already a "mammy" in her thirties, and she is still a "golden girl" who is less than eighteen.
With longing for a better future, Mrs. Wang leaned towards Mrs. Sun and followed the maids to take a bath.
After Mrs. Wang left, Mrs. Sun was worried about the abilities of her two daughters-in-law, so she went to host the dinner herself.