Chapter 17 Chapter Seventeen
After entering the back hall and making a bow, Yan Xunjian asked, "The old man has been summoned, what orders do you have?"
"Please sit down, please sit down." The county magistrate of Shangyuan Zeng said very politely, "Yesterday Zhitaiwei came to me, and he praised the old man very much, saying that you are willing to do things with sincerity; even my face is very honorable. "
"It's all cultivated by Tang Weng."
"Don't dare to do it, don't dare to do it." Zeng Zhixian said immediately: "But the platform made me ask again. Is there a false statement in the old man's official business?"
"Every sentence is true."
"That's good." Zeng Zhixian nodded deeply; then lowered his voice and said: "You have to worry about the situation of the Cao family, and often inquire. If there is any unusual behavior, please let me know at any time."
"yes!"
"This year's 'big plan'; dude must be 'admission.'"
I heard that the performance appraisal is listed as top-notch, and there is hope for promotion: Yan Xunjian immediately thanked An, and backed out with a smile.Zengzhi County is also very satisfied, because his words "every sentence is true"; it is enough to explain to Fan Shiyi, Governor of Liangjiang.
It turns out that since the Kangxi period, there has been a secret music system.Up and down traffic, the original extremely strict system, although the magistrates are qualified to write inscriptions when they are in the supervisory department; but the vassals and standard officials are subordinate officials of the governor, if they have something to say about official affairs, of course they must first report to the governor ; If the governor thinks it is necessary to make a performance, he will deal with it himself, and the supervisor will not overstep Chen Zou.Therefore, if it is said that the vassals worshiped and folded, they must participate in the impeachment of the governor; and the supervisor's participation in the feudal borders was also regarded as a taboo in the court.Because of this, although the supervisor also has the right to write an inscription, but this power can be said to have no chance to use it.
Because of this, the imperial court became even more estranged from the local situation, and everything only listened to the governor's Chen Zou; even the supervisor's opinion was unknown, and no one talked about prefectures and counties.
In order not to let the lower feelings be blocked by the upper ones, the first dynasty created the secret performance system to expand the ears and eyes.Except for generals, governors, and academic officials in all provinces, all imperial officials, such as weaving, can stipulate that they must write in their own handwriting; when they submit to Beijing, they will not go through the Secretary of General Affairs, but will be presented to the imperial court in a yellow box by the Da Nei Zou Shi Office.At the same time, it is stipulated that in addition to Chen Zou's own duties, all local accidents related to the national economy and people's livelihood can be reported to Chen Zou.The emperor also often inquired about it; no matter whether he was in charge or not, he had to inquire and make detailed and detailed reports.Ranked high in the ninth level, and the trivial things in the shopping malls are often known from the beginning to the end, relying on the use of this secret music system.
The current emperor is extremely scheming, and he has used this system superbly; he has also invented another method to test whether his subjects are honest - it is not surprising to put it bluntly, it is nothing more than seeing differences in the same place.For example, the first snowfall every year in winter must be reported as usual, and everyone said that it covered eight inches of snow; only one person said that it covered a foot of snow, so it is doubtful whether this person's words are reliable.Another example is the rain after a long drought, which must also be heard; if it is just a light rain, it will not be of much benefit to relieve the drought, but only the governor's road will be full of rain and cheers. This year will still have a good harvest; this person can be expected Being an official is just a pretense, only reporting good news, not worrying, let alone knowing what the people's livelihood is suffering.Such a big official in the frontier will be deposed.
This method has been practiced for a long time, and the mystery cannot be kept as a secret. Therefore, the governors are all wary of making secret reports, and strive to be true; Yan Xunjian's report needs further verification, and it is for this reason.
At this time, the governor of Liangjiang, also known as the governor of Jiangnan, was a descendant of a famous minister. His family was originally from the Fan family in Suzhou;During the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty, there was a Minister of the Ministry of War named Fan Si; his son was named Fan Shen, who was awarded the Commander of the Shenyang Guards because of his military exploits.
Fan Chen has a grandson named Fan Wencheng.When Qing Taizu raised his army, Fan Wencheng was a scholar; for some unknown reason, he actually served Qing Taizu; after talking with him, Qing Taizu was greatly impressed, and has since become a military adviser behind the scenes.When Emperor Taizong of the Qing took over the throne, it was even more important to use it; the Qing soldiers entered the pass and won the world, and it is generally recognized that they owe their strength to two Han people, one is Hong Chengchou and the other is Fan Wencheng.
Fan Wencheng had six sons, and the third son was Fan Chengxun, who was an official to the Ministry of War; he was Fan Shiyi's father.Fan Shiyi was only an assistant leader in the last years of Kangxi. The current emperor ascended the throne and was promoted to be the deputy general of Malanyu. A errand is done well, to be greatly favored.
This errand is to guard the fourteenth elder brother Xun County King.When the current emperor seized the throne, Empress Dowager Renshou, whose mother valued her son, felt sorry for her youngest son, King Xunjun; They met each other, and as soon as they met, the mother and son cried bitterly, which was really out of shape.In the end, Wen Jue, who claimed to be the second Yao Guangxiao, came up with a very unique move. In April of the first year of Yongzheng, when the first emperor was in peace, he ordered the king of Xun County to live near the mausoleum, so that " On the day of the Great Sacrifice, salute with all your heart." The purpose was to isolate him from the Queen Mother.
The mausoleum of Emperor Sheng Zuren, named "Jingling", is located in Changrui Mountain in Zunhua Prefecture; to the north of this mountain is the Great Wall, and from east to west there are Qingshan Pass, Xifeng Pass, Luowenyu Pass, and Malanyu Pass; This and Malan Pass for short is an important place for defense. In the middle of the Ming Dynasty, Mongolia invaded here several times, so a member of the general army was appointed to take the responsibility of defense.In the Qing Dynasty, Inner and Outer Mongolia had been subjugated, and Malanguan was no longer an important town in Bibian, but because the mausoleum was an important place and needed strict protection, the original establishment was retained and not abolished.
When the king of Xun County was ordered to guard Jingling, he lived in Tangquan, south of Changrui Mountain, and was also under the protection of the Malan Pass General. Therefore, he assumed the responsibility of strict guarding. Near the residence of King Xunjun, there was often martial law; the only road from Tangquan to the capital was set up with many checkpoints, and the interrogation was extremely strict. If pedestrians looked suspicious, they would be blocked or even Bring it into the camp and ask carefully.
Moreover, many "reverse traces" of the "rebellion" of the king of Xunjun were uncovered; once a "treacher" named Cai Huaixi was captured, saying that he went to the residence of the king of Xunjun to submit a letter, calling the king of Xunjun a "Emperor"; called the emperor's nine sons?His biological mother is the "Queen Dowager".When Fan Shiyi learned of this, he went to inquire about it; it is said that the king of Xun County shielded Cai Huaixi and cut off part of the "big rebellion" in the letter, and handed over the remaining insignificant parts to Fan Shiyi to take care of him " End it at your own discretion"; and Fan Shiyi reported the facts according to the facts; therefore, he was greatly appreciated by the emperor. In April of the fourth year of Yongzheng, he specially appointed the governor of Liangjiang, which has been up to now.
For Fan Shiyi, of course, he should be grateful and report it; at the same time, he is also very clear that he was favored and transferred to the governor of Liangjiang because the emperor saw that he could fulfill his duty of inspection and asked him to come to the south of the Yangtze River to rectify Nian Gengyao, Longkodo and others. A group of "traitors" who tend to be "Eight Beizi" and King Xun.Therefore, other government affairs can be put aside, but for this aspect, they dare not relax at all.
As for the matter of the Cao family, although he knew that Cao Fu was honest and prudent; and when the dispute over the seizure of the heir apparent shook the government and the public, Cao Fu was still underage, so it was impossible for him to be part of the "Eight Babies" party.It's just that Cao Yin has made friends with all the princes' houses in Japan; at the same time, Naersu, the king of Laoping County, who was in charge of the seal of General Yuan, failed to fulfill the emperor's appointment.That being the case, the inspection of Cao's family should be strict rather than lenient; therefore, after receiving the report from Yan Xunjian, the detailed statement of the facts in the secret memorial did not add much, but the tone was quite serious.
By the sixth day of December in the fifth year of Yongzheng, the emperor no longer had any worries.First of all, Nian Gengyao was given death for ninety-two major crimes. One son was beheaded when he was rich, and the rest of his sons were over fifteen years old. The elder brother Yinsi and the ninth elder brother Yinzhen died in confinement for no reason. The emperor called it "Fu Mingzhu"; Zhengfa, built three houses in the open space near Changchun Garden, and will be imprisoned forever", but it is predicted that "the emperor examines the spirit in the sky, and he will learn from his heart and punish him silently", so the fate can be imagined; in the end, this is the prince and minister The extension letter for the joint trial of twenty major crimes.
Yanxin's grandfather was Taizong's eldest son, Prince Su Hauge, who was a cousin of the emperor's common great-grandfather; like Naersu, the king of Laoping County, he was also ordered to take care of the seal of General Yuan, but he didn't know how to express his gratitude, so he stood on the side of Yinsi On the side of King Xun, he also implicitly protected Nian Gengyao, so he was hated by the emperor.The princes and ministers will try and convict, and please "execute according to the law"; the emperor decides to "exempt from death, and be imprisoned with Longkoduo", and wait for the first emperor "Zhaojian" to "silently execute" together.As for the ten princes to enclose the high wall; in the specially built hut next to the Shouhuang Hall, the king of Xun County encircled the palace, and sent the guards of the Ministry of Internal Affairs to guard it closely, saying nothing is enough to cause trouble.
The past five years were really exhausting; the emperor felt that he had wasted too much precious time, and he was still unable to put his mind to it and let go of the matter of rectifying the administration of officials.
Now, after all, that's all in the past; the time to really express your ambitions begins.
His ambition is to make people all over the world live and work in peace and contentment.Only when the shopping malls are calm can you live in peace; if you are light on taxes and poor on taxes, you can be happy in your career. Therefore, the two important policies he focuses on are: arresting theft and eliminating corruption; Hard-working talents.
As for the employment of the emperor, except for the ministers, governors and supervisors, and the generals of the military officers, the governors, and the townships, the emperor would always ask Prince Yi Yinxiang; but Prince Yi was also very cautious. Favoritism and shelter, dare not go too far.Because of this, after the emperor gave a demonstration of Shi Yi's secret performance, it was inconvenient for Prince Yi to speak for Cao Fu.
Jiangnan Sanzhidao, Gao Bin is new; Sun Wencheng is old and weak, and has already decided to transfer; this time, even Cao Fu's job is not guaranteed, and it is troublesome.
When the hot pot of whitebait and purple crab was in full swing, a letter was delivered to the door, but it was not for the owner Zhu Shi——Shang Zhishun, the head of the House of Internal Affairs, had a letter for Cao Fu and sent it to Cao Qi’s house; It was marked with the word "Urgent" the size of a walnut, so Cao Qi sent someone to send it to Zhu's house and forward it to Cao Fu.
"Shang Lao Qi wants me to go there immediately." Cao Fu handed the letter to Zhu Shi, "Fortunately, it's very close, I'll go for a walk and come back."
The letter only has two lines: "If you beg, just talk to me. Wait." The tone was urgent; Zhu Shi didn't stop him, but said: "I'm also 'waiting'."
"I will definitely come back."
I came back, and I came back very quickly; because Shang Zhishun's residence is only two alleys away from Zhu's house.However, Cao Fu's complexion was not very good.
"There is a very strange news. It is said that someone in my family secretly sent property elsewhere. Shang Laoqi told me privately that King Yi handed over the case to King Zhuang."
Zhu Shi was surprised and puzzled, "What case?" He asked, "Did someone read a book?"
"I don't know." Cao Fu replied, "I asked Shang Laoqi, but he couldn't tell; I already asked him to find out." He asked again, "Did you hear anything in the mansion?"
"Nothing. If there is such news, I will, of course, let it know at once."
"This, this is a bit strange." Cao Fu thought for a while and asked again: "Have you met with the county king this afternoon?"
"No."
"Then maybe it's too late to tell you." Cao Fu's face showed a little relief, "Please ask me for me tomorrow."
"Yes. I will see the county king as soon as I enter the mansion tomorrow."
The king of the county is Fupeng, the king of Pingjun; he walks in the inner court and meets Prince Yi every day in the court room.If there is anything related to Cao Fu, it must be handled and paid attention to; Prince Yi will often tell King Ping in person.This time, Prince Yi would not be ignorant of the news from Shang Zhishun; but instead of telling Ping County King, and directly handing it over to Prince Zhuang who is in charge of the House of Internal Affairs, the matter seems a bit strange!
This is why Cao Fu was uneasy at the beginning.But I heard that Zhu Shi and Pingjun Wang hadn't met in the afternoon, so I assumed that Pingjun Wang also knew about it, but he didn't have time to tell Zhu Shi and asked him to convey it; from this point of view, it was not too serious, otherwise I would definitely go to Zhu Shi immediately explain.
Zhu Shi also thought so, but came to a different conclusion.
He believed that King Pingjun didn't know; in other words, Prince Yi didn't tell King Pingjun.Why is this?Maybe the case is serious and needs to be kept secret; even the emperor specially ordered not to disclose it, so instead of reporting it to Prince Ping, he handed it over to Prince Zhuang for investigation.
Having said that, he did not dare to speak out his thoughts, so as not to add to Cao Fu's worries.But whether there will be a secret transfer of property, you might as well talk about it.
"Who would do such a thing?"
"I can't think of it." Cao Fu said with a wry smile, "My brother always knows about the situation in the house; anyway, my concubine would never dare."
"What about the sound?"
"Neither will he." Cao Fu replied, "He often runs into shortfalls and has nothing to move."
"It doesn't matter! The boudoir's private house, the transfer of the transfer, after all, has nothing to do with the affairs of the public." Zhu Shi comforted Cao Fu, "Please rest assured, there will be no big deal."
Hearing what he said, Cao Fu's heart became a little more relaxed; his drinking became better, and it was still a happy break up.
Sending off the guests and returning to the upper room; it is imperative to talk to Bi Wen about the unexpected news, "In your opinion," Zhu Shi asked, "Who would do such a thing?"
"Aunt Ji didn't dare; she was also pitiful, and had nothing at all. There was no one else except Grandma Zhen! But," Bi Wen was puzzled again, "Why did she move two boxes out when she was so fine? I'm afraid there was a misunderstanding."
"There is a misunderstanding! What a misunderstanding."
"The old lady left a lot of things, which she originally said would belong to Qin Guan; the last time Tai Fujin said that she wanted to set up a sacrificial field, she must have sold some things, making people look as if she was fleeing."
"Yes! That must be the case!" Zhu Shi has a habit of honoring his wife, so he praised again at this time: "It's you after all, you can see it accurately and predict it thoroughly——"
"Okay, I've got goosebumps all over again." Biwen interrupted with a smile; then she looked worried: "The fourth master is short of public funds; if there is such a misunderstanding, it's a bad report! You have to think about it on this matter."
"I don't care enough about the Cao family. Go to sleep, Chou is waking me up; I have to meet the county king before he goes to court."
Normally, Zhu Shi only came to Pingjun Prince's Mansion between Chen and Mao, and if he had to go on business, he always stayed in the mansion; it seems that it is extremely rare for him to get up in the middle of the night and go out in the dark.
Biwen asked the girl to go to the concierge to take care of Lao Liu, and informed the coachman that Yin was serving.I was also afraid that I would lose sleep and miss the time; I simply didn't sleep, and passed the time alone under the lamp with a dental card until the bell struck twice, awakening Zhu Shi, and taking care of him to wash.
"What?" Seeing that her make-up had not been removed, Zhu Shi asked in surprise, "You haven't slept yet?"
"If you go to sleep now, how can you wake up now? If you don't sleep, it will save you trouble."
"It's such a cold day—"
"It's such a hot brazier, why is it cold! It's you; the dripping water is freezing outside now, and you put on the big woolen robe that the county king gave you." Biwen said again: "There is a small pot of duck stewed on the Wugeng chicken. Porridge; I'll boil a cup of wine for you to drink, and you won't be afraid once your stomach is warm."
This daily tenderness and consideration, in Zhu Shi, feels that the king in the south is not easy to enjoy; drinking water and thinking about the source, he is more and more concerned about Cao Fu's future.Thinking in my heart, at this moment, it is necessary to plan from the disadvantages, which is the best solution; the case is in the hands of Prince Zhuang, how can I find a way to get it to King Zhuang?
"Come on!" Bi Wen greeted, opening the door curtain.
When Zhu Shi went to the outhouse, he saw a raging pot of fire burning; the table was covered with shochu, duck porridge, buns, lamb, dried fish, dried meat, and pickles for porridge.
"Why eat so much." Zhu Shi put his arms around her shoulders and said, "You also have a drink or two, and go to bed with a little bit of alcohol, it can't be more comfortable."
Bi Wen nodded, and asked the girl to bring another pair of cups and chopsticks; Da Heng sat down and asked, "When will Prince Ping enter the palace?"
"Always at the time of Mao. Before Mao in summer; after Mao in winter."
"It's still early, you can eat slowly." As he said, he lifted the lid of the square porcelain jar; the thin bodied wine glass sitting in the round hole was scalded by the boiling water in the porcelain jar so that the wine was steaming.
Zhu Shi took a sip and put a piece of lamb in his mouth. While chewing, he said to himself: "It doesn't matter, there is a way!"
"What are you talking about? About the fourth master?"
"That's right! King Yi has already handed over this case to King Zhuang; I think of a person who can speak well in front of King Zhuang. As long as King Zhuang is accommodating, the matter will not matter."
"Of course, Prince Yi, Prince Ping, and Prince Zhuang, can't take care of Jiangning Weaving, a seventh-rank official?" Bi Wen asked, "Who is that person you think of?"
"Fourth brother."
The fourth elder brother is Hongli, the fourth son of the current emperor; he was raised by the mother and concubine of Prince Zhuang Yinlu since he was a child, so the uncle and nephew have a very deep affection.In addition, there is also a teacher-student relationship-Yinlu's sky calculation firearms were taught by the first emperor in his later years;Today's emperor is grateful for Yinlu's efforts in cultivating Hongli; so not long after he came to the throne, his uncle, Prince Zhuang Boguoduo, died of illness and had no children.It is not uncommon to be a king, the emperor could have named himself; what is rare is that the old Zhuang king left a very rich legacy; this is the original intention of the emperor to make Yinlu his successor.
When Zhu Shi explained the whole story, Biwen was also quite relieved, but, "Who will ask the fourth elder brother for favors?" She thought for a while and asked, "Of course I still ask the county king first?"
"correct!"
"Then why don't you ask the king of the county to talk to the king of Zhuang himself?"
"There is no strength from the fourth elder brother." Zhu Shi said again: "If the county king really takes care of the uncle's family, he will definitely entrust the fourth elder brother instead of entrusting favors by himself."
"What if the fourth elder brother refuses?"
"No, never!" Zhu Shi said with great confidence, "The county king took care of the fourth elder brother in the past."
This is news in Biwen!She only knew that the king of the county had a good relationship with Hongli; but she couldn't imagine why the emperor's grandson had to be taken care of by a foreign vassal?
"When the children are together, one of them is bullied; the older one comes out to help and coax him. This is taking care of him."
Hearing Zhu Shi's explanation, Biwen understood that the fourth elder brother Hongli was often bullied by his playmates when he was young, and the third-year-old Pingjun Prince Fupeng always came forward to protect him.The childhood friendship is often never forgotten for life; but why is Hongli often bullied, and who is bullying him?
"Isn't he his cousin? The adults are snobbish, and the children are also snobbish; the fourth elder brother has a bad background, so of course he will be bullied."
This statement reminded Biwen of a mystery that had been in his heart for a long time and could not be answered; "I heard from Aunt Ji two years ago that now the emperor has an elder brother who is a man who does rough work in the Rehe Palace. It's from the palace girl," she asked, "but you mean the fourth brother?"
"Yes! It's him."
"Is it true or not?"
"Why isn't it true? The fourth elder brother was born with the name of Concubine Xi; but during the Kangxi period, Concubine Xi's name in Prince Yong's Mansion was just 'Gege'. The younger sister of General Nian, the concubine Nian who died the year before last; Brother's biological mother, Concubine Qi, was conferred the title of side Fujin at that time. According to the rules of the meeting, the prince can invite four side Fujin besides the first-born Fujin; , is from a Manchurian family; if she really has a son, why not ask for her seal? Just from this point of view, you can imagine."
Bi Wen nodded deeply, "No wonder! A child like this is not even qualified to be a concubine, so of course he was bullied." Bi Wen asked again: "But the county king was in his mansion at that time, and he was not in the palace. How to take care of him?" Can I get the fourth elder brother?"
"The prince's children are all studying in the 'study room', why can't they take care of them?" Zhu Shi said again. "Si elder brother is good with the county king, and there is another layer of connection. Then we have to talk about Prince Zhuang's biological mother, Concubine Mi."
Just at this point, the clock struck four times, and it was time to arrive at Yinzheng; Bi Wen stood up and said, "It's terrible! We've forgotten the time after chatting; you can have some porridge!"
After eating two bowls of duck porridge, Zhu Shi was full and warm, and arrived at the palace in a car full of energy. Just when King Pingjun got on the sedan chair, he had already put down the curtain of the sedan chair. He was really late and lost the opportunity to talk. Say it again.
It was the end of the afternoon and the beginning of the next court; Zhu Shi was preparing a memorial to celebrate the new year. He went to see the king of Pingjun on the pretext of sending the manuscript. After talking about official business, he really talked about Cao Fu.
"Today, King Yi specially sent guards to look for me." Prince Ping frowned and said, "Tell me something, it's really not good! He said: He can't take care of Cao Angyou's affairs. There is a case, I have already handed it over to Prince Zhuang. I was inconvenient to ask at that time, so I resigned and went to find Shang Lao Qi, only to find out that Fan Zhijun of Liangjiang had read a copy, saying that the Cao family had secretly sent the property elsewhere. He also said: It is probably true." , shook his head greatly, with a rather troubled expression.
When Zhu Shi heard this, he was secretly surprised that Prince Yi no longer cared about Cao Fu's words; because all those who the emperor thought could be cultivated despite minor faults, were entrusted to Prince Yi's care.Now that Prince Yi declares that he doesn't care about Cao Fu, it means that he thinks Cao Fu is unbearable.The case was handed over to Prince Zhuang, who was in charge of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which meant "business affairs".
Fortunately, Zhu Shi had known the news in advance; at the same time, he had considered the matter with Bi Wen, and immediately said: "Minister Shang sent a letter to Fourth Master Cao yesterday. I'm afraid there may be a misunderstanding about this matter; Tai Fujin once took care of——. "He may be selling off Mrs. Cao's relics and preparing to buy farmland; as a result, he was misunderstood as a transfer of property, and he explained it to King Pingjun in detail.
"As expected, it doesn't matter." Prince Ping thought for a while and said, "If this is the case, please write a letter to Prince Zhuang for me, explaining the reason; please let him take a step forward and put the case on hold." In addition, please inform my fourth uncle, and quickly find out by yourself; write a letter from home today and give it to me. I will deliver it to the post of the Ministry of War."
"Yes!" Zhu Shi asked, "I don't know if I can ask King Zhuang to fold the two rivers and make a copy?"
"This," Prince Ping said hesitantly, "I'm afraid it will be inconvenient to put it into words."
Zhu Shi immediately said: "However, friendship is enough." The friendship came from the Li family.In the thirty-eighth year of Kangxi, the Holy Patriarch served the Empress Dowager on a southern tour; when Li Xu was on an imperial mission, he selected a few well-mannered, dignified and intelligent Suzhou women to serve the Empress Dowager.Among them was the daughter of Wang Guozheng, a registered official named Wang Guozheng. Occasionally, she was favored by the holy ancestor and brought into the palace. She was made a secret concubine, and she was the birth mother of the sixteenth son of the emperor, Yinlu.Wang Guozheng was rewarded as a county magistrate, and died of illness not long after; his wife, Huang Shi, who was also the biological mother of Concubine Mi, was always taken care of by Li Xu until the summer of the forty-eighth year of Kangxi, when Huang died of illness, and Li Xu also submitted the family letter.With this origin, Zhu Shidao is "enough friendship".
King Pingjun was moved for him, "Well, after writing the letter, you go there in person and see if King Zhuang has time to meet you?" He said, "If you do, you might as well take a breather; if you can, do it. Never force it."
Zhu Shi agreed to draft the letter, and King Pingjun saw the transcript; then he rushed to Prince Zhuang's mansion to submit the letter and asked for an audience.The result was satisfactory; Prince Zhuang ordered someone to copy Fan Shiyi's original music to Zhu Shi, but he repeatedly urged not to leak it.
Of course, this manuscript cannot be shown to Cao Fu; but Zhu Shi decided to reveal the most important point, that is, in Fan Shiyi's original performance, it was indicated that the property transferred by the Cao family was entrusted to Li He Dang.
So Cao Fu wrote a letter to Cao Zhen overnight, and Zhu Shi got up early the next day to deliver the letter to King Pingjun before he entered the palace.The opportunity is very good. The Ministry of War is sending a court letter to Gao Qizhuo, the governor of Zhejiang and Fujian, saying, "I am not capable enough to handle the affairs of the two provinces; Li Wei was awarded the governor of Zhejiang to manage the governor's affairs; considering the current situation, Do it according to the person, not a rule for Zhejiang" - to go to Hangzhou, you must first pass through Nanjing; Cao Fu's family letter happened to be brought by the postman.Of course, this is something that the king of Pingjun can only do by entrusting the officials of the military department.
In ten days, the letter arrived in Cao Zhen's hands.When I took it apart, it was like a thunderbolt; I thought to myself: Who would do such a thing?The first suspect is Second Grandma Zhen. Then I thought again: Should I go back to Mrs. Mingma about this matter first?But it immediately occurred to me that we should first look for profits and losses, discern the truth, and then make sense. So he quietly went to Lihedang with Xing'er in a calm manner; when he saw Fang Zizhong, he first said: "Master Fang, let me take a step to speak." "Yes, yes!" Fang Zizhong said, "Please come here." The pawned houses are all crowded; Fang Zizhong brought Cao Zhen into the first courtyard, asked the young man to serve him tea, then avoided him immediately, and then asked why he came. "Excuse me, Shopkeeper Fang, has anyone in the dormitory used to pawn two boxes?" Fang Zizhong's expression changed slightly; he asked in a low voice, "Why did Second Master Zhen ask this question?" "Naturally, there are reasons. This matter is of great importance. Please tell the truth." According to the pawn rules, unless the government interrogates, the inside story cannot be revealed; but seeing Cao Zhen's serious expression, shopkeeper Fang was afraid that he would hide it and cause trouble, and he would not be able to bear it, so after thinking about it for a while, he decided to tell the truth, and to be honest. "It's also a son of a nobleman. I met him when we met; I can't remember the name for a while." "Is this it?" Cao Zhen wrote "Cao Shilong". The shopkeeper below couldn't pretend to be confused and nodded and said, "That's right, it's him." "What exactly is it here for?" "I don't know. The whole box is here, and a seal is added on it, so it's inconvenient to open it." "That's right. I know that there are rules in your industry, but you have to be someone with a high status and outstanding credit. Could it be that Cao Shilong is also qualified for this?" "Second Master Zhen is right. But there is a saying in it: first, this young master in your house is also an acquaintance; second, the job is not much, the risk is limited, so you might as well be accommodating." "How much?" "Only fifty taels of silver." "Okay!" Cao Zhen said, "Please take out those two boxes and have a look." "I can't take it out; I redeemed it." "Redemption?" Cao Zhen was greatly surprised, "How sooner or later?" "It's been a month." Cao Zhen was at a loss, recalled the whole process carefully, and finally found some clues, "Master Fang," he said, "You have to deposit the pawn slips you took back, right?" "Not necessarily. Only the valuable ones are kept; otherwise, they are destroyed." "Even if it is destroyed, there will always be a bottom account!" "yes." "Then, shopkeeper Fang, please check. Has the pawn ticket been destroyed? If it has been destroyed, please take the account and let me have a look." Cao Zhen continued, "I have no other intentions. I just want to clarify this matter. I will tell shopkeeper Fang that I have clarified this matter, and Yu Baohao will also benefit. I don’t need to explain why; please believe me.” Seeing his sincerity, the shopkeeper Fang felt that telling the truth was a smart way; so he found the original ticket and put it in front of Cao Zhen. It is taught by a master to write invoices in Chaofeng; there is another work for that stroke of wild grass, which no one except his peers can understand.Cao Zhen froze. After thinking about it for a while, I could only ask honestly: "Master Fang, what are these three words?" "Not three, but two words; 'Lan Ji'." Cao Zhen's heart was shocked; although it was expected, he still couldn't help feeling ups and downs, almost unable to hold on to himself, and said calmly: "The pawn always says 'recognize the ticket but not the person', why would the word 'Lan Ji' be written on it?" "Is it the name on the seal? Otherwise, what is the proof? I said it was these two boxes; if the Lord says no, then wouldn't there be a lawsuit?" "That's right." Cao Zhen thought for a while and asked again: "You didn't ask him, what is in the box?" "No." "According to your guess?" "It's impossible to guess." Shopkeeper Fang said with a smile: "Second Master Zhen, you have always heard that there are no valuable things in the eyes of our profession." This remark was incomprehensible at first, but after Cao Zhen had to think about it, he realized that the pawn was afraid of losing money, so he reserved room for it; good gold and silver utensils were written as broken copper and rotten iron on the pawn ticket.However, the unexpected meaning of his words is also very clear; it implies that the things hidden in the two boxes are not insignificant. "Excuse me, excuse me!" Cao Zhen got up to leave, and left another sentence: "Maybe I will come to ask for advice." On the way out to get in the car, I was very excited; but I couldn't help wondering, since Second Grandma Zhen used a fake method to send her property, why did she redeem it?Is it stored elsewhere; or Cao Shilong had the idea of "eating cotton in black" and swallowed the two boxes in private. These questions have been beyond my mind until home; but now there is another question, but I have to answer it myself: the matter is clear, what should I do? After thinking about it, he decided to directly appeal to Mrs. Ma.When I got there, I met Qiuyue; Cao Zhen stopped her and said, "It happens that you are here, let's discuss it together!" Qiuyue didn't know what was going on; just as she was about to ask, Mrs. Ma heard the voice and asked through the window: "It's Master Zhen, isn't it?" "It's Second Master Zhen." Cao Zhen also said, "Fourth uncle wrote a letter. I have something to reply to my wife. Let Qiuyue tell my wife what my fourth uncle believes." "Okay, let's all come in!" Entering the main room, Cao Zhen greeted Ann first; then he took out the letter and said, "There is something very bad. I need to ask my wife to make up my mind." Mrs. Ma was startled; Cao Zhen had already pulled out the letterhead and handed it to Qiuyue; seeing that Mrs. Ma was silent, she immediately asked, "Madam read it for herself, or should I read it?" Mrs. Ma was not very literate; she immediately said, "I'll listen to you." So Qiuyue read the paper carefully; after a few lines, she became worried, approached Mrs. Ma, and said in a low voice: "The fourth master sent a letter to inquire, and someone read a book in front of the emperor; he said that our family is moving property. The two suitcases are in Lihe Dang. Ask if there is any such thing? Is there a misunderstanding by selling the old lady's things? I want Second Master Zhen to find out quickly and write back as soon as possible." "How could such a thing happen?" Mrs. Ma frowned and said, "What does the old lady's stuff have to do with Li He Dang?" "My wife is right! It should have nothing to do with Lihe Dang; but I went to ask Lihe Dang's shopkeeper Fang, and there are indeed two boxes, which were sent by our family to pawn; only fifty taels of silver were pawned, obviously because of When it is a name, it is a reality." This time Mrs. Ma's expression became serious, and she hurriedly asked, "Who is our family?" "Officer Long—." "Oh, it's him!" Mrs. Ma breathed out, "He's right, how can we say that our family moved our property? Isn't it just random labeling of people?" "I'm not finished yet. These two boxes are sealed; the monogram on the seal is 'Lan Kee'". "'Lan Ji'?" Mrs. Ma asked with wide-eyed eyes, "You mean, your wife took two boxes of things and asked Long Guan to be in Lihe?" "I dare not say that. I came here to ask my wife for instructions." "Have you asked your wife?" "No." Upon hearing this, Mrs. Ma understood, and Cao Zhen said, "Don't dare to say that"; in fact, he had already determined that it was his wife's business, and the so-called "asking for instructions" was nothing more than "complaining".It was a matter of great concern; it was a great disturbance if it was not handled properly.Therefore, she refused to speak easily; she had to think before speaking. "You can always read your daughter-in-law's handwriting; have you ever recognized it?" "I think the same way, and I'll understand when I read the handwriting. Then I don't know! The things have been redeemed." "Why did you redeem it again?" Mrs. Ma was a little confused, looked at Qiuyue and said, "Isn't this unreasonable?" "That's right! If it's five hundred taels of silver, maybe Second Grandma Zhen needs two boxes of things for a short while. It's only fifty taels of silver, which is wrong." "I can only ask your daughter-in-law." Mrs. Ma immediately shouted: "Come someone! Invite Second Grandma Zhen." "I think there must be a misunderstanding." Qiuyue said to Cao Zhen, "Second Master Zhen, please ask your wife to ask you later." Cao Zhen understood her anxiety, and was afraid that the couple would conflict because of this, so he nodded and said, "I don't quarrel with her; I just want to clarify the matter, what's going on, and why did you send a long official to deal with it?" Upon hearing this, Mrs. Ma felt another lump in her heart; because Cao Zhen's tone was very obvious, and she planned to settle the old account again. Of course, Qiuyue was also discerning in her heart; she immediately became vigilant, and it was not appropriate to be in a place of right and wrong, so she put the letter on the coffee table, backed away quietly, and prepared to slip away. Mrs. Ma saw it, and immediately stopped her: "Don't go!" "Yes!" Qiuyue had no choice but to agree; but she didn't leave and couldn't be here, "I won't leave. My wife just calls me if I have something to do." After speaking, she blatantly left. "I remembered." Mrs. Ma suddenly asked, "The letter you wrote to your fourth uncle should have arrived long ago, right?" Cao Zhen counted the days and said, "Of course we will." "Look at your fourth uncle's letter, when was it sent? Did it mention it in the letter? Did you receive the letter from home at that time?" "Not then?" "Ah!" Mrs. Ma sighed heavily and paused, "The letter should have been mailed a long time ago. Your fourth uncle knew that he had repaid the 20,000 silver shortfall for him, so he gave a memorial in Beijing; there is this With the matter ahead, your fourth uncle is not afraid of ginseng. Now," she sighed heavily again, "I hope nothing will happen." When it comes to this level, Cao Zhen can't help but take the blame, because Mrs. Ma urged him several times, and he was lazy to write for some days, so he had to bow his head and keep silent at this moment.
Jin'er picked up a feather duster, held it upside down in her hand, and said in a rather majestic voice, "Stretch out your hand!" She was six years old, and she was picked from him when he was ten years old to be the boy who "runs to the house", and she was in charge; it can be said that under the power, she was powerless to resist, so she obediently stretched out her hand. How could Jin'er make such an easy move?原以为十六七岁的大孩子要顾体面，经她一威吓会说实话；不知他宁愿让人传出去当笑话：兴儿挨了手心！不吐真言。这一来倒让锦儿不知如何收篷了？ “你怎么这么死心眼啊！”她又气又恨，左手一指头戳在兴儿额上，咬牙切齿地说，“我真不懂，你怎么会想不明白，不巴结二奶奶，巴结二爷，有你什么好处？我问你，二奶奶许了你妈什么，你知道不知道？” 一问这话，兴儿对“二爷”的忠诚，于是打了折扣——从曹震自鉴心山房搬回去以后，震二奶奶就着手笼络兴儿；重阳以后，检点冬衣，将兴儿的娘找了来“翻丝棉”，一连七八天，每天都有穿旧了的衣衫鞋袜、吃不了的糕饼水果，让她包了回去。最后一天特为唤她一桌来吃饭，兴儿的娘真有受宠若惊之感；及至震二奶奶面许明年一定为兴儿择配成亲，好让她后年抱孙子时，兴儿的娘差点将赛观音常到她家的这段秘密都献了出来。 兴儿倒是识得轻重，一再提醒老娘：“只要关连着震二爷的事，千万别在震二奶奶面前说；一句都说不得！”但此时他自己却要说了；锦儿的话不错，巴结震二爷不如巴结震二奶奶，至少也犯不着得罪震二奶奶；反正到利和当去一趟，又不是私会赛观音，就说了料无大碍。 “你还是脂油蒙了心？多早晚才不糊涂？”锦儿一指头又戳上来了。 “好吧！你跟震二奶奶一定要我说，我就说；二爷到一家字号叫利和的当铺，去看了那里的掌柜。” 锦儿又喜又惊；表面上却装得若无其事地问：“去干什么？” “不知道。”兴儿唯恐她不信似地说：“真的不知道；那里的掌柜，邀了二爷到里头去谈，我又不便跟进去。” 料知从兴儿口中再逼不出什么话；锦儿便丢下鸡毛掸子，从怀中掏出一块两把重的碎银子，塞在兴儿手中，还替他捏拢拳头，然后在他背上拍了一巴掌，口中说道：“走吧！别说到里头来过；不然，你的好处全折了。” 兴儿也怕曹震发觉，一溜烟似地走了。锦儿当然立刻就告诉了震二奶奶——她听说驿站派人送了京信来；曹震接信以后，随即带着兴儿走了，便有疑惑。及至听说曹震一回家便去见马夫人，越发不安；才嘱咐锦儿跟兴儿去打听曹震的行踪。听说他是去了利和当，顿时像数九隆冬，冷水浇头，仿佛身在冰渊了。 “二奶奶，”锦儿吓得瑟瑟抖，扶着她坐了下来，“你、你怎么啦？” 好强的震二奶奶，从锦儿的表情中，发现自己大失常度；随即使劲一甩膀子，挺直了腰，走向一旁，口中是那种不在乎的声音：“没有什么！” 话虽如此，却还是要扶住椅背，才能站稳。见此光景，锦儿不敢去打搅她；去沏了一杯茶来，悄悄地摆在茶几上，然后坐在门口一张椅子上，静观变化。 就这时马夫人来召唤了。这在震二奶奶与锦儿，都不觉得是意外；因此，锦儿答一声：“马上就去。”随即向震二奶奶低声说道：“太太派人来请了。” 震二奶奶点点头走向梳妆台；等锦儿为她御去了镜套，细看了自己的脸色，一面交代：“绞个手巾把子来！”一面拿起牙梳，先撂头发。 用热毛巾捂了脸，又略施脂粉；然后提一个银手炉，出门时向锦儿说道：“什么事都没有！人家当当，跟咱们什么相干？” 锦儿一听就明白了：震二奶奶此去，应付的策略是，将这件事赖得一干二净。这样处置，倒也干净；就怕曹世隆的话不合符节。 怎么样得通知他一声才好！锦儿不断地这样在想。
“没影儿的事！”震二奶奶神态自若地，“一定弄错了。” “封条上的花押，可是'兰记'两个字。”曹震冷冷地说。 “天下莫非就是我的名字当中，有个兰字？”震二奶奶绷着脸说，“我不知道你把我看成什么人了！凡有坏事，都安在我头上——。” “你别说了！”马夫人深恐他们夫妇又起冲突，所以急急打断，“照你说，没有教隆官干这件事；那两个口箱子是怎么回事呢？” “太太这话，可把我问住了。也许是隆官自己在当当呢！” 马夫人点点头；向曹震说道：“这中间怕有误会！” “如说有误会，也非弄清楚了不可，这件事关系太大了。” “当然，误会一定要弄清楚了，赶紧给你四叔去信。”马夫人又说，“如今得找隆官去问。” “是！”曹震一面回答；一面已经移动脚步，“我马上派人去找他来问。” 说办就办，一点都不曾耽搁，但还是晚了一步——锦儿也有心腹，是坐夜的张妈；听她的指使，先一步找到了曹世隆。 她来传话，已非一次；所以曹世隆一见她来，不必动问，便就将她引到僻处，听她细说来意。 “锦姑娘让我来跟隆官说，回头也许府里会派人来找；请你马上避开，只说出门了，要明天才能回来。千万，千万！” 曹世隆自然吃惊，“怎么了？”他问：“是什么事？” “不知道！锦姑娘也没跟我说；喔！还有一句话：你今天回家越晚越好。明儿一早我再来；那时候，大概就知道是怎么回事了。”张妈又说：“我得走了。你也赶紧走吧！” 曹世隆不敢怠慢；等张妈一走，随即出门，临行告诫家人，说不论什么人来找，都说他下乡了；最快得明天才能回来。当然，也绝不可透露，张妈曾经来过。
曹震一直到第二天下午，才将曹世隆找到。经过将近一整天的反覆考量，他自觉已经能够从容应付了。 问话是在马夫人院子里，但马夫人并未出面；她与震二奶奶在里屋静听。只听堂屋中曹震在问：“世隆，你跟利和当的方朝奉熟不熟？” “算是熟人。” “怎么叫算是熟人呢？” “手头不便的时候，我去请教过他几次。”曹世隆是略带困惑的声音：“二叔，你问他干什么？” “你，秋天去当过两口箱子？” 曹世隆反问：“二叔，你怎么知道？” “你先别问。只说有这回事没有？” "some." “是些什么东西？” “无非衣服之类，不值钱的东西？” “不值钱的东西也能当？”曹震问说：“那你跟方朝奉的交情很不浅啰？” “交情不过如此。”曹世隆说：“我玩了个手法，故意贴上两张封条，说里头有点值钱的东西；好在只当五十两银子，方朝奉也就通融了。” “居然还有封条？”曹震是闲闲的语气，“他倒没有问，是谁封的？” “问了。” 听这一说，马夫人立即屏息侧耳；听曹震在问：“你怎么说呢？” “他问，封条上的花押是什么？我说：是'兰记'。我娘封的；我娘名字里头有个'兰'字。” 曹震默默无语。马夫人大感欣慰；转眼看震二奶奶，却没有什么表情，只偏着头仍在细听外面。 “后来呢？你把那两口箱子赎回来了？” “是的。”曹世隆紧接着问：“二叔，你问这些干什么？” “不是我要问。四太爷从京里写信来问；这件事不弄明白，关系甚重。”曹震又说：“我就不明白，这两年，你也很多了几文；何致于少五十两银子花？再说，当当就当当吧，弄那些玄虚干什么？别怪人家起疑，自己原有说不通的地方。” “二叔，家家有本难念的经；这两年二叔跟二婶很照应我，不错，境况比以前是好多了。可是，积下来的债务很不少；我娘生的又是'富贵病'，一剂药总得五六两银子，所以常常还有接不上的时候。至于弄那些玄虚，也叫迫不得已。如今请问二叔，这么件鸡毛蒜皮的小事，怎么又惊动了京里了呢？” “你当是小事！”曹震微微冷笑，“我告诉你吧，连皇上都知道这件事了！” 曹世隆顿时目瞪口呆，好半晌作声不得；曹震也怔怔地看着他。突然心中一动；觉得他的表情中似乎隐什么秘密。 因为如说此已上达天听，惊惶自在情理之中；但亦必不免于困惑，何以这样的小事，皇帝亦会知道？从而就会怀疑他是不是过甚其词；拿“皇上”来吓他？ 应该是始惊、继惑、终疑，变化分明的表情；而曹世隆不是。最使曹震印象深刻的是，曹世隆脸上无可掩饰的悔意——悔不当初！早知如此，绝不会去做这件事的神情。 曹震心头，疑云堆积，却不知如何去扫除疑云？就当曹世隆要开口告辞时，忽然想到一个法子，“你把那两口箱子，搬了来让我瞧瞧。”他说，“一定是那两口箱子惹眼，才会引起误会。” 此言一出，连震二奶奶亦知道百密一疏，是个漏洞；在曹世隆自然更有为人拿住短处之感，但不能不硬起头皮答一声：“是！我明天送了来请二叔过目。” “好！你明天一早就送来。” 在曹震只以为箱子必是在震二奶奶处，这一夜破工夫严密监视；让曹世隆无法移花接木，只能另外拿两口箱子来搪塞。那时只找了方子忠来认，如与原件不符，立即往下追究，不怕真相不现。 因此，等曹世隆一走，他亦毫不怠慢，外面派兴儿去侦察曹世隆的动静；内里自己监视妻妾，视线中总有震二奶奶或锦儿在。 这一着很厉害，将震二奶奶困住了。好不容易才找到一个跟锦儿私下交谈的机会；但彼此都无善策。 “听天由命好了。”震二奶奶的话，有些豁了出去的味道，“是福不是祸，是祸躲不过。反正只要隆官一口咬定，他又那里去辨真伪？” “只怕找方掌柜来认，那就糟了。” “如果他不松口，方掌柜又那里敢认定了不是？” “这话也是。”锦儿低声说道：“这话要通知隆官。” “不好！”震二奶奶连连摇手：“下午在太太那里，隆官刚一走，他就把兴儿找了来，不知交代了些什么？只见兴儿贼头贼头地，一溜烟走了；说不定就是叫他盯住隆官。如果要派人去，等于自投罗网，那时无利有弊，怎么样也辩不清楚了。” 锦儿想了一下说：“这样，我交代门上，明天隆官来了，先来通知我；找机会递一句话给他。” "That's fine." 到得第二天上午，一直到近午时分，门上才来通报，说隆官来了。锦儿是早有预备的问说：“震二爷在那里？” “在小花厅。” “好，你把隆官带到那里去。” 门上一走；她也走了，手里拿着一把象牙包金的筷子，如果让曹震遇见了，便有个托曹世隆到银楼重新包金的藉口。 时机把握得很好，恰恰在花厅门口，遇见曹世隆；门上看到她手里的筷子，便知有事交曹世隆办，交代一声，转身而去。 “你的箱子呢？”锦儿低声问说。 “我没有带箱子来。” “那，”锦儿急急问说：“你怎么交代？” “我自然有话。” 看他成竹在胸的神气，锦儿放心了，“好吧！”她说，“你进去吧！”包金象牙筷，当然也不必交给他了。 及至曹世隆进入花厅，曹震已知道他是空手来的；早就面凝寒霜，严阵以待。这副架势，自足以寒人之胆，但曹世隆已通前彻后，想了一夜，破釜沉舟在此一举，只得硬起头皮，好歹要闯过这一关。 “二叔，我替我娘陪罪！”说着，他双膝脆倒，在澄泥青砖上，“崩冬”磕了一个响头。 曹震大出意外，怎么叫替他娘陪罪呢？怎么想也想不通他这句话的意思。 “那两口破箱子，连些不值钱的衣服，让我娘卖给'打鼓的'了。我娘听说有这么一回事，又悔又急，一夜都不曾闭眼；叫我替二叔多磕两个头，替她赔罪。” 曹震这一气，几乎昏厥；颓然倒在椅子上，真有欲哭无泪之慨。好半天才冷笑着说了一句：“怪事年年有，没有今年多。” 曹世隆原以为有一场大闹，不道轻骑过关；胆便大了些，“二叔也别着急！”他说，“我再去找一找，也许能找着那个打鼓的。” 曹震根本没有听清他说的什么；为了这件不可思议的怪事，他一下子变得非常笨拙了，就像当头挨了一闷棍似地，只觉耳中“嗡嗡”作响，心里乱糟糟地，抓不着一个头绪。 “你走吧！” 听得这一声，曹世隆如逢大赦；出了花厅舒一口气，倒希望再遇见锦儿，让她带一个信给震二奶奶，难关过去了。
In ten days, the letter arrived in Cao Zhen's hands.When I took it apart, it was like a thunderbolt; I thought to myself: Who would do such a thing?The first suspect is Second Grandma Zhen. Then I thought again: Should I go back to Mrs. Mingma about this matter first?But it immediately occurred to me that we should first look for profits and losses, discern the truth, and then make sense. So he quietly went to Lihedang with Xing'er in a calm manner; when he saw Fang Zizhong, he first said: "Master Fang, let me take a step to speak." "Yes, yes!" Fang Zizhong said, "Please come here." The pawned houses are all crowded; Fang Zizhong brought Cao Zhen into the first courtyard, asked the young man to serve him tea, then avoided him immediately, and then asked why he came. "Excuse me, Shopkeeper Fang, has anyone in the dormitory used to pawn two boxes?" Fang Zizhong's expression changed slightly; he asked in a low voice, "Why did Second Master Zhen ask this question?" "Naturally, there are reasons. This matter is of great importance. Please tell the truth." According to the pawn rules, unless the government interrogates, the inside story cannot be revealed; but seeing Cao Zhen's serious expression, shopkeeper Fang was afraid that he would hide it and cause trouble, and he would not be able to bear it, so after thinking about it for a while, he decided to tell the truth, and to be honest. "It's also a son of a nobleman. I met him when we met; I can't remember the name for a while." "Is this it?" Cao Zhen wrote "Cao Shilong". The shopkeeper below couldn't pretend to be confused and nodded and said, "That's right, it's him." "What exactly is it here for?" "I don't know. The whole box is here, and a seal is added on it, so it's inconvenient to open it." "That's right. I know that there are rules in your industry, but you have to be someone with a high status and outstanding credit. Could it be that Cao Shilong is also qualified for this?" "Second Master Zhen is right. But there is a saying in it: first, this young master in your house is also an acquaintance; second, the job is not much, the risk is limited, so you might as well be accommodating." "How much?" "Only fifty taels of silver." "Okay!" Cao Zhen said, "Please take out those two boxes and have a look." "I can't take it out; I redeemed it." "Redemption?" Cao Zhen was greatly surprised, "How sooner or later?" "It's been a month." Cao Zhen was at a loss, recalled the whole process carefully, and finally found some clues, "Master Fang," he said, "You have to deposit the pawn slips you took back, right?" "Not necessarily. Only the valuable ones are kept; otherwise, they are destroyed." "Even if it is destroyed, there will always be a bottom account!" "yes." "Then, shopkeeper Fang, please check. Has the pawn ticket been destroyed? If it has been destroyed, please take the account and let me have a look." Cao Zhen continued, "I have no other intentions. I just want to clarify this matter. I will tell shopkeeper Fang that I have clarified this matter, and Yu Baohao will also benefit. I don’t need to explain why; please believe me.” Seeing his sincerity, the shopkeeper Fang felt that telling the truth was a smart way; so he found the original ticket and put it in front of Cao Zhen. It is taught by a master to write invoices in Chaofeng; there is another work for that stroke of wild grass, which no one except his peers can understand.Cao Zhen froze. After thinking about it for a while, I could only ask honestly: "Master Fang, what are these three words?" "Not three, but two words; 'Lan Ji'." Cao Zhen's heart was shocked; although it was expected, he still couldn't help feeling ups and downs, almost unable to hold on to himself, and said calmly: "The pawn always says 'recognize the ticket but not the person', why would the word 'Lan Ji' be written on it?" "Is it the name on the seal? Otherwise, what is the proof? I said it was these two boxes; if the Lord says no, then wouldn't there be a lawsuit?" "That's right." Cao Zhen thought for a while and asked again: "You didn't ask him, what is in the box?" "No." "According to your guess?" "It's impossible to guess." Shopkeeper Fang said with a smile: "Second Master Zhen, you have always heard that there are no valuable things in the eyes of our profession." This remark was incomprehensible at first, but after Cao Zhen had to think about it, he realized that the pawn was afraid of losing money, so he reserved room for it; good gold and silver utensils were written as broken copper and rotten iron on the pawn ticket.However, the unexpected meaning of his words is also very clear; it implies that the things hidden in the two boxes are not insignificant. "Excuse me, excuse me!" Cao Zhen got up to leave, and left another sentence: "Maybe I will come to ask for advice." On the way out to get in the car, I was very excited; but I couldn't help wondering, since Second Grandma Zhen used a fake method to send her property, why did she redeem it?Is it stored elsewhere; or Cao Shilong had the idea of "eating cotton in black" and swallowed the two boxes in private. These questions have been beyond my mind until home; but now there is another question, but I have to answer it myself: the matter is clear, what should I do? After thinking about it, he decided to directly appeal to Mrs. Ma.When I got there, I met Qiuyue; Cao Zhen stopped her and said, "It happens that you are here, let's discuss it together!" Qiuyue didn't know what was going on; just as she was about to ask, Mrs. Ma heard the voice and asked through the window: "It's Master Zhen, isn't it?" "It's Second Master Zhen." Cao Zhen also said, "Fourth uncle wrote a letter. I have something to reply to my wife. Let Qiuyue tell my wife what my fourth uncle believes." "Okay, let's all come in!" Entering the main room, Cao Zhen greeted Ann first; then he took out the letter and said, "There is something very bad. I need to ask my wife to make up my mind." Mrs. Ma was startled; Cao Zhen had already pulled out the letterhead and handed it to Qiuyue; seeing that Mrs. Ma was silent, she immediately asked, "Madam read it for herself, or should I read it?" Mrs. Ma was not very literate; she immediately said, "I'll listen to you." So Qiuyue read the paper carefully; after a few lines, she became worried, approached Mrs. Ma, and said in a low voice: "The fourth master sent a letter to inquire, and someone read a book in front of the emperor; he said that our family is moving property. The two suitcases are in Lihe Dang. Ask if there is any such thing? Is there a misunderstanding by selling the old lady's things? I want Second Master Zhen to find out quickly and write back as soon as possible." "How could such a thing happen?" Mrs. Ma frowned and said, "What does the old lady's stuff have to do with Li He Dang?" "My wife is right! It should have nothing to do with Lihe Dang; but I went to ask Lihe Dang's shopkeeper Fang, and there are indeed two boxes, which were sent by our family to pawn; only fifty taels of silver were pawned, obviously because of When it is a name, it is a reality." This time Mrs. Ma's expression became serious, and she hurriedly asked, "Who is our family?" "Officer Long—." "Oh, it's him!" Mrs. Ma breathed out, "He's right, how can we say that our family moved our property? Isn't it just random labeling of people?" "I'm not finished yet. These two boxes are sealed; the monogram on the seal is 'Lan Kee'". "'Lan Ji'?" Mrs. Ma asked with wide-eyed eyes, "You mean, your wife took two boxes of things and asked Long Guan to be in Lihe?" "I dare not say that. I came here to ask my wife for instructions." "Have you asked your wife?" "No." Upon hearing this, Mrs. Ma understood, and Cao Zhen said, "Don't dare to say that"; in fact, he had already determined that it was his wife's business, and the so-called "asking for instructions" was nothing more than "complaining".It was a matter of great concern; it was a great disturbance if it was not handled properly.Therefore, she refused to speak easily; she had to think before speaking. "You can always read your daughter-in-law's handwriting; have you ever recognized it?" "I think the same way, and I'll understand when I read the handwriting. Then I don't know! The things have been redeemed." "Why did you redeem it again?" Mrs. Ma was a little confused, looked at Qiuyue and said, "Isn't this unreasonable?" "That's right! If it's five hundred taels of silver, maybe Second Grandma Zhen needs two boxes of things for a short while. It's only fifty taels of silver, which is wrong." "I can only ask your daughter-in-law." Mrs. Ma immediately shouted: "Come someone! Invite Second Grandma Zhen." "I think there must be a misunderstanding." Qiuyue said to Cao Zhen, "Second Master Zhen, please ask your wife to ask you later." Cao Zhen understood her anxiety, and was afraid that the couple would conflict because of this, so he nodded and said, "I don't quarrel with her; I just want to clarify the matter, what's going on, and why did you send a long official to deal with it?" Upon hearing this, Mrs. Ma felt another lump in her heart; because Cao Zhen's tone was very obvious, and she planned to settle the old account again. Of course, Qiuyue was also discerning in her heart; she immediately became vigilant, and it was not appropriate to be in a place of right and wrong, so she put the letter on the coffee table, backed away quietly, and prepared to slip away. Mrs. Ma saw it, and immediately stopped her: "Don't go!" "Yes!" Qiuyue had no choice but to agree; but she didn't leave and couldn't be here, "I won't leave. My wife just calls me if I have something to do." After speaking, she blatantly left. "I remembered." Mrs. Ma suddenly asked, "The letter you wrote to your fourth uncle should have arrived long ago, right?" Cao Zhen counted the days and said, "Of course we will." "Look at your fourth uncle's letter, when was it sent? Did it mention it in the letter? Did you receive the letter from home at that time?" "Not then?" "Ah!" Mrs. Ma sighed heavily and paused, "The letter should have been mailed a long time ago. Your fourth uncle knew that he had repaid the 20,000 silver shortfall for him, so he gave a memorial in Beijing; there is this With the matter ahead, your fourth uncle is not afraid of ginseng. Now," she sighed heavily again, "I hope nothing will happen." When it comes to this level, Cao Zhen can't help but take the blame, because Mrs. Ma urged him several times, and he was lazy to write for some days, so he had to bow his head and keep silent at this moment.
Jin'er picked up a feather duster, held it upside down in her hand, and said in a rather majestic voice, "Stretch out your hand!" She was six years old, and she was picked from him when he was ten years old to be the boy who "runs to the house", and she was in charge; it can be said that under the power, she was powerless to resist, so she obediently stretched out her hand. How could Jin'er make such an easy move?原以为十六七岁的大孩子要顾体面，经她一威吓会说实话；不知他宁愿让人传出去当笑话：兴儿挨了手心！不吐真言。这一来倒让锦儿不知如何收篷了？ “你怎么这么死心眼啊！”她又气又恨，左手一指头戳在兴儿额上，咬牙切齿地说，“我真不懂，你怎么会想不明白，不巴结二奶奶，巴结二爷，有你什么好处？我问你，二奶奶许了你妈什么，你知道不知道？” 一问这话，兴儿对“二爷”的忠诚，于是打了折扣——从曹震自鉴心山房搬回去以后，震二奶奶就着手笼络兴儿；重阳以后，检点冬衣，将兴儿的娘找了来“翻丝棉”，一连七八天，每天都有穿旧了的衣衫鞋袜、吃不了的糕饼水果，让她包了回去。最后一天特为唤她一桌来吃饭，兴儿的娘真有受宠若惊之感；及至震二奶奶面许明年一定为兴儿择配成亲，好让她后年抱孙子时，兴儿的娘差点将赛观音常到她家的这段秘密都献了出来。 兴儿倒是识得轻重，一再提醒老娘：“只要关连着震二爷的事，千万别在震二奶奶面前说；一句都说不得！”但此时他自己却要说了；锦儿的话不错，巴结震二爷不如巴结震二奶奶，至少也犯不着得罪震二奶奶；反正到利和当去一趟，又不是私会赛观音，就说了料无大碍。 “你还是脂油蒙了心？多早晚才不糊涂？”锦儿一指头又戳上来了。 “好吧！你跟震二奶奶一定要我说，我就说；二爷到一家字号叫利和的当铺，去看了那里的掌柜。” 锦儿又喜又惊；表面上却装得若无其事地问：“去干什么？” “不知道。”兴儿唯恐她不信似地说：“真的不知道；那里的掌柜，邀了二爷到里头去谈，我又不便跟进去。” 料知从兴儿口中再逼不出什么话；锦儿便丢下鸡毛掸子，从怀中掏出一块两把重的碎银子，塞在兴儿手中，还替他捏拢拳头，然后在他背上拍了一巴掌，口中说道：“走吧！别说到里头来过；不然，你的好处全折了。” 兴儿也怕曹震发觉，一溜烟似地走了。锦儿当然立刻就告诉了震二奶奶——她听说驿站派人送了京信来；曹震接信以后，随即带着兴儿走了，便有疑惑。及至听说曹震一回家便去见马夫人，越发不安；才嘱咐锦儿跟兴儿去打听曹震的行踪。听说他是去了利和当，顿时像数九隆冬，冷水浇头，仿佛身在冰渊了。 “二奶奶，”锦儿吓得瑟瑟抖，扶着她坐了下来，“你、你怎么啦？” 好强的震二奶奶，从锦儿的表情中，发现自己大失常度；随即使劲一甩膀子，挺直了腰，走向一旁，口中是那种不在乎的声音：“没有什么！” 话虽如此，却还是要扶住椅背，才能站稳。见此光景，锦儿不敢去打搅她；去沏了一杯茶来，悄悄地摆在茶几上，然后坐在门口一张椅子上，静观变化。 就这时马夫人来召唤了。这在震二奶奶与锦儿，都不觉得是意外；因此，锦儿答一声：“马上就去。”随即向震二奶奶低声说道：“太太派人来请了。” 震二奶奶点点头走向梳妆台；等锦儿为她御去了镜套，细看了自己的脸色，一面交代：“绞个手巾把子来！”一面拿起牙梳，先撂头发。 用热毛巾捂了脸，又略施脂粉；然后提一个银手炉，出门时向锦儿说道：“什么事都没有！人家当当，跟咱们什么相干？” 锦儿一听就明白了：震二奶奶此去，应付的策略是，将这件事赖得一干二净。这样处置，倒也干净；就怕曹世隆的话不合符节。 怎么样得通知他一声才好！锦儿不断地这样在想。
“没影儿的事！”震二奶奶神态自若地，“一定弄错了。” “封条上的花押，可是'兰记'两个字。”曹震冷冷地说。 “天下莫非就是我的名字当中，有个兰字？”震二奶奶绷着脸说，“我不知道你把我看成什么人了！凡有坏事，都安在我头上——。” “你别说了！”马夫人深恐他们夫妇又起冲突，所以急急打断，“照你说，没有教隆官干这件事；那两个口箱子是怎么回事呢？” “太太这话，可把我问住了。也许是隆官自己在当当呢！” 马夫人点点头；向曹震说道：“这中间怕有误会！” “如说有误会，也非弄清楚了不可，这件事关系太大了。” “当然，误会一定要弄清楚了，赶紧给你四叔去信。”马夫人又说，“如今得找隆官去问。” “是！”曹震一面回答；一面已经移动脚步，“我马上派人去找他来问。” 说办就办，一点都不曾耽搁，但还是晚了一步——锦儿也有心腹，是坐夜的张妈；听她的指使，先一步找到了曹世隆。 她来传话，已非一次；所以曹世隆一见她来，不必动问，便就将她引到僻处，听她细说来意。 “锦姑娘让我来跟隆官说，回头也许府里会派人来找；请你马上避开，只说出门了，要明天才能回来。千万，千万！” 曹世隆自然吃惊，“怎么了？”他问：“是什么事？” “不知道！锦姑娘也没跟我说；喔！还有一句话：你今天回家越晚越好。明儿一早我再来；那时候，大概就知道是怎么回事了。”张妈又说：“我得走了。你也赶紧走吧！” 曹世隆不敢怠慢；等张妈一走，随即出门，临行告诫家人，说不论什么人来找，都说他下乡了；最快得明天才能回来。当然，也绝不可透露，张妈曾经来过。
曹震一直到第二天下午，才将曹世隆找到。经过将近一整天的反覆考量，他自觉已经能够从容应付了。 问话是在马夫人院子里，但马夫人并未出面；她与震二奶奶在里屋静听。只听堂屋中曹震在问：“世隆，你跟利和当的方朝奉熟不熟？” “算是熟人。” “怎么叫算是熟人呢？” “手头不便的时候，我去请教过他几次。”曹世隆是略带困惑的声音：“二叔，你问他干什么？” “你，秋天去当过两口箱子？” 曹世隆反问：“二叔，你怎么知道？” “你先别问。只说有这回事没有？” "some." “是些什么东西？” “无非衣服之类，不值钱的东西？” “不值钱的东西也能当？”曹震问说：“那你跟方朝奉的交情很不浅啰？” “交情不过如此。”曹世隆说：“我玩了个手法，故意贴上两张封条，说里头有点值钱的东西；好在只当五十两银子，方朝奉也就通融了。” “居然还有封条？”曹震是闲闲的语气，“他倒没有问，是谁封的？” “问了。” 听这一说，马夫人立即屏息侧耳；听曹震在问：“你怎么说呢？” “他问，封条上的花押是什么？我说：是'兰记'。我娘封的；我娘名字里头有个'兰'字。” 曹震默默无语。马夫人大感欣慰；转眼看震二奶奶，却没有什么表情，只偏着头仍在细听外面。 “后来呢？你把那两口箱子赎回来了？” “是的。”曹世隆紧接着问：“二叔，你问这些干什么？” “不是我要问。四太爷从京里写信来问；这件事不弄明白，关系甚重。”曹震又说：“我就不明白，这两年，你也很多了几文；何致于少五十两银子花？再说，当当就当当吧，弄那些玄虚干什么？别怪人家起疑，自己原有说不通的地方。” “二叔，家家有本难念的经；这两年二叔跟二婶很照应我，不错，境况比以前是好多了。可是，积下来的债务很不少；我娘生的又是'富贵病'，一剂药总得五六两银子，所以常常还有接不上的时候。至于弄那些玄虚，也叫迫不得已。如今请问二叔，这么件鸡毛蒜皮的小事，怎么又惊动了京里了呢？” “你当是小事！”曹震微微冷笑，“我告诉你吧，连皇上都知道这件事了！” 曹世隆顿时目瞪口呆，好半晌作声不得；曹震也怔怔地看着他。突然心中一动；觉得他的表情中似乎隐什么秘密。 因为如说此已上达天听，惊惶自在情理之中；但亦必不免于困惑，何以这样的小事，皇帝亦会知道？从而就会怀疑他是不是过甚其词；拿“皇上”来吓他？ 应该是始惊、继惑、终疑，变化分明的表情；而曹世隆不是。最使曹震印象深刻的是，曹世隆脸上无可掩饰的悔意——悔不当初！早知如此，绝不会去做这件事的神情。 曹震心头，疑云堆积，却不知如何去扫除疑云？就当曹世隆要开口告辞时，忽然想到一个法子，“你把那两口箱子，搬了来让我瞧瞧。”他说，“一定是那两口箱子惹眼，才会引起误会。” 此言一出，连震二奶奶亦知道百密一疏，是个漏洞；在曹世隆自然更有为人拿住短处之感，但不能不硬起头皮答一声：“是！我明天送了来请二叔过目。” “好！你明天一早就送来。” 在曹震只以为箱子必是在震二奶奶处，这一夜破工夫严密监视；让曹世隆无法移花接木，只能另外拿两口箱子来搪塞。那时只找了方子忠来认，如与原件不符，立即往下追究，不怕真相不现。 因此，等曹世隆一走，他亦毫不怠慢，外面派兴儿去侦察曹世隆的动静；内里自己监视妻妾，视线中总有震二奶奶或锦儿在。 这一着很厉害，将震二奶奶困住了。好不容易才找到一个跟锦儿私下交谈的机会；但彼此都无善策。 “听天由命好了。”震二奶奶的话，有些豁了出去的味道，“是福不是祸，是祸躲不过。反正只要隆官一口咬定，他又那里去辨真伪？” “只怕找方掌柜来认，那就糟了。” “如果他不松口，方掌柜又那里敢认定了不是？” “这话也是。”锦儿低声说道：“这话要通知隆官。” “不好！”震二奶奶连连摇手：“下午在太太那里，隆官刚一走，他就把兴儿找了来，不知交代了些什么？只见兴儿贼头贼头地，一溜烟走了；说不定就是叫他盯住隆官。如果要派人去，等于自投罗网，那时无利有弊，怎么样也辩不清楚了。” 锦儿想了一下说：“这样，我交代门上，明天隆官来了，先来通知我；找机会递一句话给他。” "That's fine." 到得第二天上午，一直到近午时分，门上才来通报，说隆官来了。锦儿是早有预备的问说：“震二爷在那里？” “在小花厅。” “好，你把隆官带到那里去。” 门上一走；她也走了，手里拿着一把象牙包金的筷子，如果让曹震遇见了，便有个托曹世隆到银楼重新包金的藉口。 时机把握得很好，恰恰在花厅门口，遇见曹世隆；门上看到她手里的筷子，便知有事交曹世隆办，交代一声，转身而去。 “你的箱子呢？”锦儿低声问说。 “我没有带箱子来。” “那，”锦儿急急问说：“你怎么交代？” “我自然有话。” 看他成竹在胸的神气，锦儿放心了，“好吧！”她说，“你进去吧！”包金象牙筷，当然也不必交给他了。 及至曹世隆进入花厅，曹震已知道他是空手来的；早就面凝寒霜，严阵以待。这副架势，自足以寒人之胆，但曹世隆已通前彻后，想了一夜，破釜沉舟在此一举，只得硬起头皮，好歹要闯过这一关。 “二叔，我替我娘陪罪！”说着，他双膝脆倒，在澄泥青砖上，“崩冬”磕了一个响头。 曹震大出意外，怎么叫替他娘陪罪呢？怎么想也想不通他这句话的意思。 “那两口破箱子，连些不值钱的衣服，让我娘卖给'打鼓的'了。我娘听说有这么一回事，又悔又急，一夜都不曾闭眼；叫我替二叔多磕两个头，替她赔罪。” 曹震这一气，几乎昏厥；颓然倒在椅子上，真有欲哭无泪之慨。好半天才冷笑着说了一句：“怪事年年有，没有今年多。” 曹世隆原以为有一场大闹，不道轻骑过关；胆便大了些，“二叔也别着急！”他说，“我再去找一找，也许能找着那个打鼓的。” 曹震根本没有听清他说的什么；为了这件不可思议的怪事，他一下子变得非常笨拙了，就像当头挨了一闷棍似地，只觉耳中“嗡嗡”作响，心里乱糟糟地，抓不着一个头绪。 “你走吧！” 听得这一声，曹世隆如逢大赦；出了花厅舒一口气，倒希望再遇见锦儿，让她带一个信给震二奶奶，难关过去了。