Although the Cao family and his party came early, the street outside the examination hall was already crowded, and they were all carriages and horses to send the scholars off.

Seeing this, Cao Hao picked a vacant place and made the carriage stop. Let the entourage take care of them here, he, Cao Song and Cao Fu sent Tianyou off on foot, and two little servants followed them with bamboo baskets.

Cao Hao saw that Tianyou's face was not good, and said in a low voice: "One game is going to be three, don't worry, if you are tired, you will sleep first after entering the number room." ”

Tianyou nodded, said goodbye to his father and two uncles, personally carried the bamboo basket, and lined up to enter the venue.

Cao Song wants to enter the palace on duty, Hengsheng also wants to enter the palace to accompany him, and the uncle and nephew ride to the palace together. The two brothers, Cao Hao and Cao Fu, sent the children back to the mansion and then went to the yamen together.

About to go to the Yamen of the Ministry of Households, Cao Hao continued to the east, Cao Fu was going to the south, and the two brothers each went to the Yamen.

When he arrived at the Yamen of the Ministry of Households, Cao Hao asked if the thirteenth elder brother had come.

He originally wanted to wait a few days to investigate the sales of opium in the capital and write a serious 800 excerpt. Then, thinking about the high profits of this opium, in addition to Brother Jiu, there are other powerful people involved in this matter, why do I want to make such a thankless limelight. It's better to quietly talk to the thirteenth elder brother, it's not good to implement it in words.

It just so happened that the news of the Li family came, and Cao Hao, who was a nephew, had to ask even if he wanted to stand by and watch. Because the Gao family is also a family member of the Li family, and Xiangyu is the granddaughter of the Li family.

After a while, I heard someone report that the thirteenth elder brother had arrived.

Cao Hao got up, went to the middle hall, and asked someone to pass through.

The thirteenth elder brother heard his voice and raised his voice to call him in.

He was not surprised that Cao Hao came over, and said: "The Li family's case is almost over, thinking that you should not be able to sit still." ”

Cao Hao was a little embarrassed, and said, "I want to disturb the Thirteenth Master again." ”

The thirteenth elder brother said: "If you don't come to me, I will hate you for seeing you." While speaking, he pointed to a chair and asked Cao Hao to sit down and speak: "Li Xu and his son have been escorted to the capital, and they will be able to arrive in Beijing in ten days and a half months." Lingtang's side, you should be more relieved, please rest assured, don't worry too much. ”

Cao Hao hesitated for a moment and said, "Thirteenth Master, what will you do with the Li family?" You also know that Chen's grandmother, Gao, with her great-niece and granddaughter, is now living in Chen's house. ”

The thirteenth elder brother stood up, paced a few steps, and said, "Cao Hao, I don't have much to say on the side, I just have a rough explanation with you." The Gao family has the grace of raising Lingtang, and the emperor always has to leave some dignity. She is Li Xu's respectful relative, not a humble relative. Even if the Li family is not, it should not be implicated in the Gao family. As for Li Xu's granddaughter, she is a humble relative, and she is on the roster of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, so she has to prepare a 'small election'. ”

This result was expected by Cao Hao.

But in front of the thirteenth elder brother, he still showed a little gratitude, and said: "The emperor is merciful, and the prince is also bothered." ”

The thirteenth elder brother shook his head and said, "It's nothing." According to my original intention, I wanted to help Li Weaving maneuver for one or two, not for the side, just to preserve the dignity of the former emperor and old ministers...... But this case involved some things in the early years, and the emperor was annoyed with him...... There is also a shortfall, you are on an errand in the household department, and you should also know the emperor's embarrassment......"

Cao Hao sighed and said, "The minister knows that the emperor is not easy, how many people look at ......"

If we don't use these foreign officials who have lost power as rafts, how can we rectify the rule of officials and enrich the treasury? There is no silver in the treasury, and the emperor is afraid that he has no bottom in his heart.

The thirteenth elder brother picked up a fold from the case and handed it to Cao Hao.

Cao Hao got up and took it with both hands. It was Li Wei's excerpt from official business, and Yongzhengjiao was dealt with by the thirteenth elder brother.

"The salt tax has been drastically reduced!" Cao Hao looked at it roughly and said in a low voice.

The thirteenth elder brother nodded and said, "That's exactly what I said." There are a few more salt wells than in the early years, and there are many more stones of salt produced, but the salt tax is only seen to be less, but not increased. Why? It's just that there are more and more corrupt officials, and there are more and more greedy ink. Li Weaving was involved in royal affairs in his early years, and in the past few years, he was greedy for salt tax silver. No matter how the emperor sentenced him, he was not wronged. ”

This was specially explained to Cao Hao, for fear that he would be frightened and speculate at will.

Cao Hao couldn't say that he didn't mind Li Xu's heavy sentence, so he had to divert the conversation and said: "Lord Wang, there is a thing that is quite alarming, opium is spreading in the capital, opium was only found in pharmacies in the past, and now it can be seen in other shops. ”

The thirteenth elder brother knew the harm of opium, and frowned: "Yes, there are still many people who don't know the harm and treat it as a good thing. I have already mentioned it to the emperor, and the emperor is asking people to investigate. The amount of opium imported by the Guangdong Customs is fixed, and there is a large amount of smuggled opium behind such a rapid spread. ”

Although there are still more than a hundred years before the Opium War, thinking about the impact of opium on the Chinese, Cao Hao cannot stand idly by.

Britain used the "East India Company" to dump opium in China in order to reverse the unfavorable situation of the trade deficit with China and export silver from China.

Although there is nothing to criticize from the starting point between countries, this method is really too bad.

Cao Hao did not have the ability to change the world, nor did he have the ability to turn stones into gold, making China, a large agricultural country, an impregnable wall, but resisting the historical collision of industrial emperors.

All he can do is to "treat others in their own way" and "prevent problems before they happen".

"Thirteenth master, the minister has heard that opium cultivation is also in Yunnan." Cao Hao said.

Thinking that the thirteenth elder brother really paid attention to this matter, he also knew this, and said: "It has been there since the end of the Ming Dynasty, but when it is planted as medicinal materials, there are not many of them." Now I don't know how, this is not only a grab, but also a ban, it really can't be done, only a ban. ”

Cao Hao said: "Thirteenth master, as far as the minister knows, this opium import, a box of one hundred and twenty catties, but it costs five hundred taels of silver, and one catty costs four taels of silver. A few years ago, when I went to Guangzhou, I saw a man who planted tobacco. In southern Yunnan, one acre of opium poppy can boil more than two catties of opium paste. If it is used for grain production, the rice yield per mu is one and a half to two stones, and the tax is only three to one penny. If opium poppy is grown, a heavy tax of 50 percent will be collected, and each mu of land can collect 4 taels of silver, which is dozens of times the ordinary field tax. If one million acres are opened, the tax management silver can increase by four million taels of silver a year. ”

Listening to Cao Hao's eloquent conversation, the thirteenth elder brother listened to it with relish at first, but after hearing it, his face changed, and he was puzzled: "Cao Hao, opium is a scourge, or did you tell me, why do you remember it again?" I know the Treasury is tight, but you can't come up with such a solution! This is drinking to quench your thirst! ”

"Thirteenth Master, the minister has not changed his opinion, this opium is still a scourge. It's just that blocking is not as good as sparse, and internal sparseness is not as good as sparse outside! Cao Hao said.

Hearing this, the thirteenth elder brother thought about it, and said with a smile: "I know that you are not a fool." It's just that it's not a matter of words, because we know that it's a scourge, and we want to spread to other countries, and it's not bright enough to lose the country's body. ”

"Thirteenth master, after this opium addiction, he is a wasted person. If all the people in Dzungar Mongolia smoked opium, they would not have made trouble in Western Xinjiang for all these years; If Russian subjects smoked opium, they could no longer show off their might in the north. It can also use local tobacco to supply domestic medicinal supplies, and cut off the opium import of the East India Company, and how much silver can be saved inside and out. Cao Hao continued to persuade.

This idea has been around for a long time, but it didn't take shape in the early years.

At present, opium is like a sharp blade, and if it is used well, it can also benefit the country and the people. Naturally, the impact on the people's livelihood and economy in other countries is not what Cao Hao is concerned about.

The Thirteenth Elder Brother's eyes were already shining, and he said: "The East India Company is British, they should know that opium is not a good thing, and they still smuggle and sell it to the Qing Dynasty, and they must also let them suffer for themselves!" ”

Now, Britain is beginning to colonize and expand, if it is not for the whip, I am afraid that China would have been worried about it a long time ago. Rao is like this, and they have not stopped, and after more than 100 years, they have occupied a Hong Kong past.

And Portugal, which occupies China's Macau, exposes the South China Sea to the eyes of these European wolves. If it weren't for the fact that China is too large, has a large population, and does not lag much behind the world in economic development, they would have tore it up a long time ago.

"Yes, my lord, maybe if you use opium well, you will be able to keep the enemy out of the country and destroy the enemy in the bud." Cao Hao said with a smile.

The thirteenth elder brother was overjoyed and said, "Exactly." ”

Looking at his appearance, he couldn't wait to go to the palace, didn't say much to Cao Hao, and hurriedly walked out of the yamen.

Cao Hao returned to his room in the East Hall, sat behind the bookcase, took a sip of the teacup, and the turbidity in his heart also dissipated a lot.

Li Wei happened to be in Yunnan, and the treasury was short of silver, so Yongzheng would most likely adopt his "suggestion".

The country is rich and the people are strong, and the people are strong and the country is rich, these two points are complementary to each other...... * Yangxin Palace, East Warm Pavilion.

After listening to the description of the thirteenth elder brother, the corners of Yongzheng's mouth have curved upward.

He is an emperor, not a gentleman. This uses opium to weaken the enemy, although the means are not bright enough, but as long as it has an effect.

"Cao Hao can spread from opium, and when he thinks of exporting opium, his mind is also active!" He smiled and praised.

I heard the thirteenth elder brother say: "I want my brother to say that he was bluffed by the emperor's successive graces, and he tried his best to think about how to repay the emperor's kindness." Otherwise, they would not have known the news of the spread of opium and came up with such a way to deal with it. ”

Mentioning this matter, Yongzheng remembered the previous decree, so he summoned the sixteenth elder brother to come over and asked about the Li family's maid and the man.

The sixteenth elder brother sorted out the roster yesterday, and today he was about to ask for an order, and when he saw Yongzheng asking, he entered the roster.

Yongzheng took it and looked at it, there were ten palace women, all of whom were selected to enter the palace last year, learned the rules for a year, and had not sent an errand. The picks are all ordinary women from the Baoyi family who have no official positions with their fathers and brothers, and the men and women of the six families are all enslaved by the Baoyi Banner because of their crimes, and they will not be resentful because they are given to their subordinates.

Ten palace maids, all of whom have parents and brothers in the register of the Ministry of Internal Affairs; There are also many men and women from six families, and many clansmen and relatives are on errands in the internal affairs office.

Yongzheng glanced at the sixteenth elder brother with a smile, and said with a little deep meaning: "Just give it to people according to this booklet." ”

The sixteenth elder brother was suddenly unconscious, and bowed down to receive the order.

When he returned to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the sixteenth elder brother sent people to mention these people according to the booklet.

The past of this large number of people is already a big trouble for the Cao family.

The sixteenth elder brother didn't want to make anything more difficult for Cao Hao, so he avoided asking them to pack their own luggage, saving them from carrying things. The clothes in the palace on the left and right have to be changed when they arrive at Cao's house.

Although it is written that there are ten palace maids and six male and female households, it actually includes the minor children of these six male women, a total of eleven people, so that the total population given to the Cao family is thirty-three.

Estimating the time for Cao Hao to return to the house, the sixteenth elder brother asked the subordinate officials of the Internal Affairs Office to prepare a few green cloth carts, asked the palace maids to sit separately with the women and children, and the six male servants walked to Cao's house and took them to Cao's house......

(To be continued)