Shu Shu was a little curious and followed Brother Jiu to the front.
Cao Shun was sitting in the flower hall when he heard a movement at the door and stood up quickly.
"Nine Masters, Fujin..."
Although the Cao family is made up of Han people, they have already become Manchus, and they are now being killed easily.
Shu Shu had met Cao Shun. As early as during the southern tour, Cao Shun was sent by Cao Yin to learn errands from Brother Ninth and also ran errands for Shu Shu.
At that time, he seemed to be a respectable young master. Although he was a young man from the capital, he had lived in the south of the Yangtze River for more than ten years and had become somewhat refined. Now...
It's like two people.
Although he doesn't have a beard, his face is much darker, and his eyes are full of stories, with a weathered look, and he is also a little thin. He looks more than ten years older...
She was no longer wearing spotless silk and satin clothes, but an indigo blue coarse cloth robe, which looked faded and the cuffs were frayed with white edges.
Brother Jiu and Shu Shu sat down and motioned for Cao Shun to sit down too.
After looking up and down and looking at the dusty appearance, Brother Jiu had a rare episode of conscience and said: "Thank you for thanking you, I forgot about the distance of the road before, and I didn't let you rest in the capital, so I just continued on my way!"
The journey from Jiangning to Beijing is not close, and even taking a boat is tiring.
As a result, within three days of arriving in the capital, Brother Jiu sent him off to Yunnan.
What I wanted at that time was to leave early to avoid the cold winter and the inconvenience of rushing on the road.
Cao Shun smiled heartily and said, "I would also like to thank Master Jiu for giving me this opportunity. I have traveled thousands of miles and seen a lot."
Brother Jiu looked at him and said, "I heard that the southwest is full of natives?"
Cao Shun nodded and said: "Huguang is a mixture of Miao and Han people, with the Miao people from Yunnan as the main part and the barbarians from Guizhou as the main part. There are many different races inside. There were only a few Han people in the past, but in recent years the imperial court has also moved a lot of people there..."
Seeing that he was in good spirits and showed no resentment, Brother Ninth felt much more comfortable.
He just thought this morning that he couldn't just have the Gao family, but had to find two more people with two surnames from the Ministry of Internal Affairs to serve as eyes and ears. At that time, he was thinking of the Cao family, and Cao Shun was here, so he was in a hurry.
He said: "In this prince's palace, there is no formal ceremony needed now. I will appoint a third-class bodyguard for you. I will decide my future first, and I will still do odd jobs on weekdays..."
Cao Shun was born in the 17th year of Kangxi's reign. As early as the 29th year of Kangxi's reign, he had donated his life as a prisoner, so that he could directly supplement his position as a civil servant.
However, according to the employment of Baylor Mansion in the Prince's Mansion, there are only three civil servant vacancies, and there are no more.
Speaking of this, Brother Ninth paused and said: "When there is nothing wrong with me, you can follow Gao Yanzhong first. Lao Gao is from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and will go back later. From now on, you can take over from him...
…”
As for Zhang Tingzhan, he is not an ordinary ceremony, but also half a teacher.
The ancestors of the Cao family were in the army, but after joining the army, they switched to civil service.
Cao Shun's own riding and shooting skills were ordinary, and his strength was in general affairs. Otherwise, with the foundation of the Cao family in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, it would not be difficult to fill the gap in the military camp for Cao Shun.
It just so happened that Brother Ninth also lacked manpower in this field, so Cao Shun happened to be able to fill in, so that the manpower here in the Prince's Mansion would be spared.
Cao Shun immediately knelt down and said, "I thank you, Master, for your kindness!"
Brother Jiu raised his hand and said: "Okay, let's get up, there is no need to do all this nonsense. The rule here is that those who are capable work harder, and the more they work, the more they will get. There will be no slaves who are dawdling around."
Having said this, he looked at Cao Shun and said: "I remember how much older you are than me. Where is the bookstore? In Jiangning or in the capital?"
Cao Shun was the eldest son of the second wife of the Cao family. However, because his uncle Cao Yin had no children in his early years, he adopted Cao Yin's name and followed Cao Yin and his wife out of the capital to take up a post in Zhizao Mansion.
Later, when Cao Yin gave birth to his eldest son, he asked Cao Shun to return to the clan, but he still kept his nephew by his side to learn the errands.
It wasn't until last year when Ninth Brother followed the southern tour and was in need of manpower, Cao Yin promoted his nephew to come out.
At Cao Shun's age, he should have gotten married and had children long ago.
Cao Shun was in a low mood and said: "This slave is five years older than his master. He got married in thirty-five years. His son died during childbirth in thirty-seven years, leaving only one daughter. Last year, my uncle and aunt mentioned the matter of renewing the relationship.
Because I wanted to go to Beijing, I was delayed..."
Brother Jiu couldn't help but frown after hearing this.
He is extremely scared now.
I didn't pay attention to it at first and didn't think it was much. But when I paid attention, I realized that giving birth to a child was too dangerous.
The Empress of the Yuan Dynasty died at the birth pass, Xiaotang and Xiaosong's mother died at the birth pass, and now Cao Shun's first wife also died at the birth pass.
He couldn't help it, so he stretched out his arm to hold Shu Shu's hand and held it tightly.
Shu Shu glanced at him and smiled, soothing Brother Jiu's uneasiness.
When Cao Shun saw this, his face felt hot and he couldn't hold his head up, so he quickly lowered his head.
Upon seeing this, Shu Shu glared at Brother Jiu, pinched his fingers, and put down his hand.
Brother Jiu then put it down, coughed twice and said, "Does your family have a private residence in Beijing? Or do you live in an official residence in the imperial city?"
Cao Shun bowed and said: "I am still in the official residence of the imperial city, but I also bought a private house in Ciqikou a few years ago to prevent people from my hometown from coming over."
Ciqikou is already outside Chongwen Gate and is the boundary of Nancheng.
Brother Ninth asked: "How many official rooms are there in the imperial city? Are they spacious?"
Cao Shundao: "This is the house given to me by my grandfather during his lifetime. It has three courtyards and thirty-seven rooms..."
It's quite spacious among Bao Yi people's homes.
After all, Cao Shun's grandfather was a weaver in Jiangning during his lifetime, but later he held the title of Minister of Household Affairs.
Brother Jiu said: "You can see for yourself, there is still an empty yard behind the Prince's Mansion. If you want to move out, just move out. If you want to go home, go home..."
Cao Shun heard this with hesitation on his face.
Brother Jiu looked at him and said, "Why are you so undecided? Is it because your family follows Han rules and the eldest son needs to serve his parents?"
Cao Shun shook his head and said: "No, I also plan to move out..."
Speaking of this, he smiled bitterly and said: "I have been with my uncle and aunt since I was a child, and my relationship with my parents and brothers has gradually become estranged..."
Brother Jiu disagreed and said: "Then just move it. It's not just right. It also follows the old Manchu customs. What's wrong..."
Cao Shun nodded and said: "Master is teaching me that my slave is acting like a child..."
Brother Jiu asked about the journey on the road again: "It took you four months to go, but it was faster when you came back. After receiving your letter, I thought I would not come back until the end of May..."
Cao Shun said with a bit of embarrassment: "When I went there, I was not familiar with the road and was a little acclimatized. I was delayed for a few days in the middle. I didn't delay when I turned back. It will be soon!"
Brother Jiu was not surprised when he heard this.
Human beings are made of flesh and blood and are not made of iron. It is common for people to get tired from traveling and get sick.
Fortunately, Cao Shun was young and it seemed that there would be no serious problem except to reduce the amount. If he really got lost on the road, he would feel uneasy and would be reprimanded by the emperor's father.
He remembered another thing and said: "By the way, a few years ago, there was a walking surnamed Cao in the South Study Room. He was said to be the brother of Cao Zhiwei, the number one scholar in martial arts in the 33rd year, and the nephew of Cao Zhizao. That is your home.
Cousin?"
Cao Shun shook his head and said: "It's a level further away. It's the relatives from Fengrun's hometown..."
The ancestors of the Cao family were military attachés. Cao Shun's great-great-grandfather was serving as a military attache in Shenyang Zhongwei at that time. Later, the whole family was captured and put into Bao Yi.
The Fengrun side is indeed far away, and it's all related to the fifth server.
Brother Jiu satisfied his curiosity and said: "Okay, let's rest for a few days and take good care of ourselves. Later, I have some errands to tell you..."
Cao Shun stood up and responded, saying: "When I set out, I left two long followers behind to carry things slowly. In addition to tea cakes, I also followed the master's instructions and bought some Yungui earthenware. I estimate that it will be ready in five days."
Arrive in Beijing in the month..."
Brother Jiu asked: "What are they?"
Cao Shun said: "Two pairs of ivory, four boxes of poria, four boxes of cinnabar, four boxes of male essence, twelve boxes of dried mushrooms of various colors, twelve hams..."
Brother Jiu was very satisfied after hearing this. He nodded and said, "That's right. Go back and rest. I'll give you a ten-day holiday..."
As for the quantity of tea gardens and tea mountains purchased in Jingdong, Cao Shun had already reported it carefully in Cao Shun's previous letter, so there is no need to ask anymore.
Cao Shun agreed, said goodbye and left.
Brother Jiu looked at Shu Shu and said, "Don't you like to wake up these days? Poria cocos and cinnabar both have the effect of calming the mind and calming the mind. I'll ask Doctor Jiang how to use it..."
Shu Shu nodded, thinking more about the dried mushrooms and ham.
Mushrooms from Yunnan are extremely rare. Due to the inconvenience of transportation, they are only available in Beijing, but they are not complete.
Just thinking about it makes me greedy.
But the ivory came at just the right time.
"It just so happens that the Imperial Grandmother is short of gold and precious objects for her 60th birthday, so we can find someone to carve them as a first gift..."
Shu Shu said.
Brother Jiu nodded and said: "As long as it's useful, I won't do anything this time. Don't waste a good thing."
Having fulfilled his filial piety to Chenxiang Ruyi, he now has self-awareness.
Forget the agarwood, the wasted materials can be used, don’t worry too much.
As for ivory, it would be very distressing if the carving is damaged.
"Otherwise, it's just as good as it is? It's more practical than the other ornaments?" Brother Jiu asked.
Usable things are better than decorations. If they are decorations, they are either kept in storage or given to people, and are of no use.
Shu Shu said: "When the time comes, the shape of the ivory should be different..."
After dinner, the couple chatted, and Brother Jiu told Shu Shu about wanting to use the Cao family.
"There are four Cao Shun brothers. Apart from Cao Shun, the third one is the fifteenth brother's companion, and the second one in the middle seems to have reached adulthood..."
After hearing this, Shu Shu couldn't help but ponder. Although the ninth elder brother wanted to use the second brother of the Cao family, the old lady of the Cao family was still alive. The brothers divided their property and did not separate the family. They were still one with the outside world.
She said: "After all, they are the emperor's confidants. I should pass the Qi before the emperor and then use it directly over the emperor. I'm afraid the emperor will be unhappy."
Ninth Brother now has a coated population in his name, and he also knows this rule and is not allowed to stretch his hands too far. He nodded and said: "Well, I must say hello to Khan Ama..."
*
I got up late and just finished writing, lowering my head to draw circles.