West of the city, Pingjun Palace, the main house of the inner courtyard.

As the laughter of silver bells sounded, a little girl of thirteen or fourteen years old came in outside, dressed in a rose-red flag suit, covered with a silver shoulder, her little face was flushed, and she looked delicate and cute.

Cao Jiashi sat up slightly, and said to the two concubines in front of him: "Why don't you go and throw a handkerchief and wipe Gege's hands." ”

The little girl's eyes widened, and she came to Cao Jia's side: "Good sister-in-law, how do you know that Bao Ya only came back from outside?" ”

Cao Jiashi stretched out his hand and pointed to the ground, and Bao Ya lowered her head, only to find that she had half a grass on her shoes.

"Humph! Call that Tana proud, our red flag is all waste, even a few Mongolians can't compare, it's a shame on me! Bao Ya pouted and said very dissatisfied.

Cao Jiashi smiled: "Just inlaid with red flags, doesn't it mean that the people of the Zhenghuang Banner also followed us to run horses?" ”

Baoya took the handkerchief handed over by the two concubines and wiped her hands: "In the ordinary day, the whole day is on the three flags, and the three flags are boasting, it's not all waste!" ”

"Mongolians grow on horseback, and their equestrian skills are naturally exquisite, which can not be compared to these sons and brothers in Beijing. If you challenge other people's strengths, is there any reason not to lose? Cao Jia said.

"What about the next archery competition? What if we lose to the Mongols again? Bao Ya frowned, very distressed.

Cao Jiashi didn't know how to explain this sister-in-law who likes to be competitive, so he changed the topic: "Why is Fang Cai smiling so happily?" ”

Bao Ya listened to her sister-in-law's question, laughed again, and said while laughing: "Sister-in-law, you don't know, an interesting incident happened at the gate of the mansion just now!" That Nalan Chengping is really funny, I don't know who was plotting against him, and half a piece of horse manure was shot into his mouth out of thin air! ”

"Nalan Chengping, that nephew of the Prime Minister's Mansion?" Cao Jiashi shook his head: "That guy is too frivolous, he must have offended someone!" ”

Bao Ya nodded: "When I first entered the city, I seemed to listen to him molesting a female family, his mouth was not clean, and eating a mouthful of horse manure was cheap for him." ”

The two sisters-in-law were gossiping, and Cao Jia's dowry maid listened to Qin come in and reported: "Fujin, I have inquired clearly, it is indeed the uncle who entered Beijing and just arrived at the old mansion!" ”

Cao Jiashi couldn't help but smile, and while asking Tingqin to bring someone to invite, he instructed the people in the house to prepare a first-class banquet.

Bao Ya listened, and hurriedly asked: "Is it the brother that my sister-in-law is talking about, the one who is two years older than Bao Ya?" ”

Cao Jiashi nodded yes, and the face of a little teenager floated in front of him, he hadn't seen him for three years, and he didn't know what his younger brother had become now.

*

Jingzhong Cao Mansion, west side courtyard.

Cao Yan comfortably took a hot bath to wash away the fatigue of the journey. After taking a bath and getting dressed, he asked Amethyst to find out the gift he brought to his sister from Jiang Ning. Even if you want to go to Mafu for a banquet in the evening, the county king's mansion still has to go over first, and Ming'er will go to the palace to carry out the errand, and then you won't have time to talk about it.

Cao Yan asked the housekeeper Cao Zhong to pick two long-term followers, and it is inevitable that there will be errands or something around him in the future, and it is not good to ask the two Wei brothers to do it, which is a bit overkill.

Because everyone had just arrived in the capital and everything was fresh, Cao Yan asked the housekeeper to give the Wei brothers fifty taels of silver, give them half a day off, and let them go out for a walk. He himself took Xiaoman and the two new elders to visit his sister in the Pingjun Palace.

As soon as he left the gate of Cao's mansion, Cao Yan saw a carriage in front of the door, but Cao Yan's two wedding maids got out of the car, listening to the piano and tasting paintings.

"It's really the uncle who has arrived, the slave and maid greet the uncle!" Listening to the piano and tasting the painting, he smiled and leaned down to say hello.

Cao Yan saw that the two of them were wearing flag uniforms, with gold and silver on their heads, and they were more elegant than in previous years, and their words were not as shy as they were when they were in Jiangning in the past: "Why are you here?" I was about to visit my sister and wondered if it would be rude not to send someone to say hello in advance. ”

Tingqin said: "The girl has been talking about it for the past few days, and every time she sends someone to inquire about the uncle's news." As soon as he received the letter, he sent a slave and maid to welcome the uncle; If it weren't for the girl's inconvenience, I'm afraid she would have to come in person! "Because it was a dowry brought by his mother's family, although Cao Jia's family was called Fujin in the house, he was still called according to the old name in front of Cao Yan.

Cao Yan nodded, not surprised, in history, his sister seems to have given birth to five or six sons, and now there are only two in the belly. The eldest son Fu Peng, who will turn one year old, should be the one who was raised in the palace by Kangxi in history, and finally became Qianlong's companion.

Cao Yan got on the horse, listened to the piano and got into the car, and the group went to the Pingjun Palace.

Pingjun Wangfu is located in Xicheng Shijuma Street, which was built in the Shunzhi period. As one of the eight iron hat kings of the founding of the country, King Pingjun came from the first generation of Prince Li, the second son of Taizu. The first generation of the county king is Daishan's eldest son Yue Tuo, the great-grandfather of Nersu, whose title is "Keqin County King", which is posthumously sealed. When Nersu's father inherited the title, he was renamed the king of Pingjun by Kangxi, and the palace of Keqin County was also renamed the palace of Pingjun.

Although Cao Yan was in Yanjing in his last life, he was really unfamiliar with the authentic palace except for the Lama Palace. And the Lama Temple, as the place where two generations of emperors and dragons dived, has become a royal lama temple, more like a temple.

In front of me are five high polio-tiled gatehouses, three vermilion lacquer gates, the middle door is closed, only the west door is slightly hidden, and it seems that it is often opened.

Several people in front of the palace saw a young man riding a horse and coming with the carriage of the palace, and they didn't know what to call it, so they saw two girls in charge of the palace coming down from the carriage: "Don't hurry up to see the courtesy, it's Jiang Ning's uncle who is here!" ”

Jiang Ning, that's Fujin's maiden home. A few subordinates hit thousands of people, and they led horses, and they were very attentive. Cao Yan dismounted, motioned to Xiaoman to give a reward, and followed the two of them into the palace.

"A few big brothers, this is the wine money from my master, my brothers take the time to drink a cup to relieve their fatigue!" Xiao Man smiled and sent two ingots, and these subordinates were flattering.

Entering the gate, sparing the shadow wall, walking along the west side of the Yin'an Palace, listening to the qin and getting the book are hesitating whether to lead Cao Yan to the living room or the partial hall: the living room is too solemn, and the partial hall is afraid of being sluggish.

Cao Jiashi got the news and came out. She wore two handfuls of hair and a royal blue flag dress embroidered with red butterflies, but instead of picking the bottom of a flower pot, she wore a pair of blue satin-covered soft shoes. Although the belly is not visible, due to childbirth, Cao Jia's body is slightly plump than before marriage, and the original goose egg face is more rounded.

When he saw his younger brother, before he spoke, Cao Jia's eyes were already red.

Cao Yan's heart softened, and Shi Li said: "Sister! ”

The mothers-in-law behind Cao Jia's looked a little strange, this title is a bit inconsistent with etiquette, you must know that there is a difference between master and slave, even if it is a sibling, one marries into the palace as a concubine, and is a serious master; No matter how prominent his father and ancestor are, he is just a royal coat and a slave. It's just that there are no other elders in the palace, and the affairs of the inner house are all arbitrary decisions of Cao Jia's family, who dares to speak at this time?

"Hmm!" After Cao Jiashi nodded in response, he looked at Cao Yan: "I'm much taller, I'm an adult!" As he spoke, he took Cao Ning's hand and asked Jiang Ning's parents about the situation as he walked inside.

Although Cao Yan is a weak-crowned teenager, he is too old to enter the second door after all. Therefore, Cao Jiashi took his younger brother to the tearoom next to the palace study to talk.

The gifts brought by Cao Yan were not heavy, and they were brought in by the followers who listened to the piano and played the books.

The maid withdrew after serving tea, and only the two sisters and brothers were left in the room. Cao Jiashi saw that one of the gifts brought by his brother was particularly gorgeous, and couldn't help but open it. Inside is a string of pearl wristbands, the pearls are the size of a little thumb cover, and the most rare thing is a string of eighteen beads that look like the same, all of them are of the highest grade. In recent years, not only the amount of eastern pearls used by the emperor is small, but even the supply of southern pearls is not as sufficient as in the past, so good pearls on the market are hard to find. Such a string of beads can be worth at least a few thousand taels of silver. She frowned slightly: "It's all my own family, why bother taking these, it's too wasteful!" ”

Cao Yan smiled: "Sister, don't worry, these are the same as the 'Tieguanyin' and 'Longjing', and they are not bought outside." ”

"Ahh Cao Jiashi exhaled lightly, looked at the door, and asked in a low voice: "Our family is engaged in pearl diving, like that tea, it is still my brother's idea, right?" ”

Cao replied, "Yes! He picked up his teacup and took two sips

Cao Jia's expression was slightly sentimental: "No wonder the world is patriarchal, men are indeed more useful than daughters." ”

"What my sister said about this, it's just to help the family still lose money, after all, my father is old, if he hurts his heart because of these trivial things, it's not good!" Cao Yan put down the teacup and comforted.

Cao Jiashi frowned: "Since I made a fuss last year to check the deficit, I have followed the suspense." A few years ago, when my family was driving, I just thought it was lively. Now the head of the house knows that it is all a lively pile of gold and silver. Fortunately, my father later wrote to mention that the family had received a few tea gardens in the early years, added income, and began to pay back the shortfall. ”

Cao Yan pointed to the string of beads: "This year after tomorrow will also be able to make some money, plus the previous few tea gardens, it should be about the same in three or five years!" ”

Cao Jiashi breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good, since last year, my father has also served as the salt patrol envoy of the two rivers, and I am afraid that it is also the grace of the Lord Long Live for our family's deficit, so that we can use the tax money intercepted by the salt department to repay the debt." But after all, it's not a proper way, and if someone makes a fuss, it's not clean. Fortunately, there were other inputs, and my father didn't have to choose that strategy. ”

Cao Yan nodded, it is indeed not a good way to make up for the deficit with salt tax, it seems that in history, because of that, the Cao family's debts have not been paid off in the Yongzheng Dynasty.

Cao Jiashi saw Cao Yan pondering, and realized a little: "No wonder my father sent you to Qingliang Temple to keep filial piety, now I understand his old man's intentions!" ”

Cao Yan looked at her sister and was puzzled.

Cao Jia replied with a smile: "Although the younger brother was well-mannered in the past, he was always alienated, and he was no exception to his closest relatives, and there was a bit of arrogance in the estrangement. Now, it is like a sword in its sheath, and its edge is exhausted, leaving only gentleness and elegance, which is probably because of the boundless Dharma. ”

Cao Yan saw that her sister was joking, so she ignored her, but she agreed with her statement in her heart. When he inadvertently looked in the mirror, Cao Yan also found that he had changed in the past two years, and he looked like a good gentleman no matter how he looked at it. God Mingjian, he has a bad stomach, but he has no chance to play for the time being.