Chapter 32 Chapter 1 The Story of the Cao Family

First of all, let us trace the time back to the period of the Longxing Battle of the Qing Empire, that is, the Nurhachi era. When Nurhachi was rising, he attacked Shenyang and successfully captured Shenyang City. In Shenyang City, he found a scholar with a young and strong young man with a child in his arms.At that time Nurhachi was overjoyed, waved his big hand and said, "Come here, what's your name?"What are you doing?The scholar replied: My name is Cao Shixuan, and my ancestors lived in Shenyang City for generations, and they used reading as their occupation.Upon hearing this, Nurhachi said, "Great, my favorite is scholars. From today on, you will be my slaves."Cao Shixuan laughed as soon as he heard it: Is there any mistake? We independent intellectuals can have their heads broken and their knees bent. If you want me to be your slave, go ahead and dream.Nurhachi listened:

Okay, this is tough, I like it, bring me someone, drag his little grandson out and crush him.Cao Shixuan hurriedly stopped him: Don't, don't, don't you just want me to be your slave?For the sake of my grandson, I will go all out, and I will call you master.In this way, Nurhachi got a scholar slave, or a scholar slave. Cao Shixuan was by Nurhachi's side, and there were no deeds to record in his life, but when it came to his son Cao Zhenyan's generation, there was a sentence in Qing history that said that Cao Zhenyan had a military exploit and was bestowed with half a future.What exploits?It turned out that it was Cao Zhenyan who followed Dorgon on the expedition and protected Dorgon to return to the camp safely in the face of extreme danger.According to the results of random research conducted behind closed doors by red scholars, this period of history is actually the period written by Cao Xueqin in which Jiao Da of Jia's mansion scolded people.What did Li say?This Jiao Da is just a servant of Jia's mansion, but he has the right to swear casually in Jia's mansion.Why?Because when the old man of Jia's mansion fought in the early years, it was Jiao Da who carried him back from the pile of dead people. There was no water to drink along the way, and Jiao Da drank horse urine by himself when he was thirsty.Because he has a history of drinking horse urine, he has earned the right to speak nonsense in Jia's mansion.

Cao Zhenyan and Nurhachi probably followed such a process, but we don't know the details.I only know that Cao Zhenyan has made great contributions to Nurhachi, and military merit is the most important thing in the Qing Dynasty. It is very rare to be able to write it into the official history. In the blink of an eye, it was the third generation of the Cao family.Who is the third generation?It was Cao Xi, that is, the child in the young man's arms when Cao Shixuan was captured by Nurhachi.When Cao Xi was born, his status was different.The Cao family has been loyal to the Aixinjueluo family for three generations, and has become the most reassuring and highly valued slave of the Aixinjueluo family.You know, in the Qing Dynasty, not everyone was qualified to be called a slave.

In the Manchu system, those who are called slaves are their own people, and Han ministers are not qualified to be called slaves, they can only be called ministers, and ministers are one level lower than slaves.And the Cao family has become the slaves of the Aixinjueluo family in Cao Xi's generation.What job did Cao Xi hold at that time?He is Yuanwailang from the Ministry of Industry, which is equivalent to the Minister of Infrastructure Engineering in today's words, and his task is to restore the imperial palace.When Li Zicheng evacuated Beijing, he bombarded the city and set fire to the palace, burning down many palaces, and Cao Xi's job was to rebuild these palaces.

When Cao Xi organized a repair team to restore the palace, Emperor Shunzhi came to him one day and said to him: Come here, Xiao Cao, and I will ask you, are you married?Cao Xi said: Master, you see, I am so busy with work every day, I don't have time to think about it.Shunzhi said: Let's do it, how about I will be your matchmaker and introduce you to a wife?Cao Xi asked: Who do you want to introduce to me?Shunzhi said: What do you think of my son's nurse?At that time Cao Xi said: No, no, you are not talking about the little thing that was thrown into the temple to give birth to pockmarks, right? Isn’t his nurse Lagu Su Ma?Old lady, I do not agree.Shunzhi scolded:

What's on your mind?How could I introduce the old lady to you? I am introducing you to his nanny, Mrs. Sun, who is young. There are not many records about Sun in history, but since she has become a nurse, she should not be a girl anymore.The specific details are unknown today, but in short, Cao Xi married this Sun family, and she was Kangxi's nanny. In the blink of an eye, Cao Xi and Mrs. Sun gave birth to a child. Who is this child?His name is Cao Yin, and he is a very smart child of the Cao family.When Kangxi was taken back to the palace from the temple to be taught by Confucian teachers, he needed a few children to accompany him.These children must be extremely smart and have a very high emotional intelligence to save the face of Emperor Kangxi.Cao Yin was selected.We can be sure that Cao Yin did not play a blocking role in the process of Kangxi's frenzied conspiracy to eradicate Oboi, or that he was a member of the process.After the incident, Cao Yin was sent to Jiangnan to be in charge of the Jiangnan Weaving Bureau. In today's terms, he is equivalent to taking charge of the taxation of all light industries in the south, and the money he collects does not have to go into the treasury, but is used exclusively Come for Kangxi to play.In other words, this money belongs to Cao Yin's own family, and he can spend it as he wants.So the Cao family soon became rich in the world.

Soon, Cao Yin also had a child, and his child was called Cao Yong.The history of the Cao family became blurred at this moment.Some historians have concluded that Cao Yong's wife has a background, but it is not clear what the background is. There is a view that Cao Yong entered the palace to see Emperor Kangxi one year, and Emperor Kangxi was very happy to see him, saying that you are a good-looking young man, do you have a wife?If not, I will marry my sixteenth daughter, Princess Marjorie, to you.Whether this period of history is convincing or not is still uncertain, but what we can be sure of is that red scholars have enough research and debate on this issue for a while.Some people said that Cao Yin married Princess Ma Qiao, while others said no.

According to the rhetoric of the school that said yes, many things happened later.What's the matter?They believed that if Cao Yong and Princess Ma Qiao gave birth to a child, then the child would be Cao Xueqin. One piece, how much love between children and daughters.If Cao Xueqin is a noble son of royal blood and rich in the world, why write it?What caused his outburst of writing impulse and creative inspiration?It can be said that it was Emperor Yongzheng who led Cao Xueqin to the road of literature. Emperor Yongzheng was the son of Kangxi. Soon after he ascended the throne, he imposed a fine on the Cao family in the south of the Yangtze River.What is penalty salary?That is to say, how much silver will be fined for your family to pay.There is no reason, to put it bluntly, it is because you are not pleasing to the eye.After the first penalty, the Cao family only lost a few bits and pieces, and it was enough to make up.Yongzheng saw that the Cao family still had money, so he ordered a second fine.This second time, the Cao family quickly got together to pay him the fine.

The Cao family's family business is too big, and there is plenty of money.Later, Yongzheng did an immoral thing - ransacking his home. According to information, after he ransacked the Cao family in the south of the Yangtze River, a woman came, threw and smashed into the palace, pointed at Yongzheng's name, and Yongzheng immediately hid from this woman. After the woman left, Yongzheng came out and asked, "Who was that woman just now?"Everyone told him: She is your sister, Princess Marjorie.Yongzheng said: Why is Princess Ma Qiao scolding me?People around him told him: because the Cao family in Jiangnan was raided, Princess Ma Qiao's family property was also confiscated. According to the laws of the Qing Dynasty, the princess's private property cannot be confiscated.

In the Qing Dynasty, if the son-in-law rebelled, the son-in-law's property could be copied or even killed, but the princess's property could not be copied.Why?You can't let the daughter of the emperor's family beg for food, what a shame!But Yongzheng did even this. It is not known whether Princess Marjorie's private property will be returned.However, the uncle who helped Cao Xueqin manage the family business was in bad luck. After checking the history, it can be found that his uncle was punished twice with a big iron shackle, but there was no charge and no reason. .