Chapter 1223 Old Things in Jiangning

"Later, there was no news about Cui Jinzhu. When I first arrived in Changsha County, I was busy with work, so I forgot about this. Unexpectedly, after many years, I heard about her again..." Speaking of this, Ma Junfang remembered that Cao Yong mentioned "daughter" and other things just now, and couldn't help but be surprised: "May Furuo met Cui? She has a daughter... She said it was mine..."

Seeing him realize this, Cao Yong couldn't help laughing and shook his head and said, "I met him not Cui, but Cui's daughter. According to her, she had to rely on her mother for life after she was beaten and remembered. Her mother gave her a name, Chengyuan, and told her that her father was an official in the capital, named Ma Jun. When she was ten years old, her mother was seriously ill, so she sold herself and bought medicine for her mother. As a result, her mother didn't last long and disappeared."

When Ma Jun heard this, he couldn't help but be stunned and said, "How could this happen?"

Cao Yong had already restrained his smile and said, "Although she is not your flesh and blood, this girl thinks you are a father in her heart. She grew up in such a dirty place, but her character is quite firm and she never forgets to go to Beijing to find her father. She is also a smart person. After only a few months in Beijing, she not only found out about your family, but also found out which one of your friends is. I dare not leave her outside, so I asked someone to ask for a contract and place it in the empty house where my inner son is dowry." At this point, she took out a contract from her sleeve and pushed it to Ma Jun.

Ma Jun took it and read it. It said that it was written by the words of selling one's body and being an adopted daughter because of poverty and no support. At the end, he had a bit of immature signature and seal.

Ma Jun has been in the officialdom for more than ten years, and of course he knows what Cao Yong means to say "not dare".

He stared at the body contract for a while and said, "Since I know how to sell myself to save my mother, I can see that I am a filial person. Although I don't know why her mother lied to her, since she has found her, I always have to help her."

He said it lightly, but a lonely woman is not so easy to establish a worldly life, so she can only help her.

Cao Yong saw that he was soft-hearted and said, "If it's cheap, it's better to tell her clearly as soon as possible, so she can save her thoughts that you don't recognize your bloodline and have resentment in her heart."

Ma Jun nodded and smiled bitterly: "That's right."

The left and right mother had settled down, and Ma Jun was annoyed by the rest, and Cao Yong left with no trouble.

Ma Jun sat in the chair for a long time. He was soft-hearted and said to Cui that he could not live, so he came to find him with sincerity. After all, he was his sister's friend and almost became his wife's girl.

Unexpectedly, after eighteen years, Cui's daughter was waiting for...

*

Ministry of Revenue, Zhongtang.

Cao Yong handed the written bid for sea trade to the Thirteenth Prince.

After the New Year, bidding will be required, from sea ships to cargo, and everything will be done. If it goes well, the Ministry of Revenue will not have to pay a penny of silver to support the fleet. In addition to the silver for merchants to bid, they can also pay 30% of the transaction tax when the fleet returns.

Judging from the current budget size, that is definitely not a small number.

The Thirteenth Prince looked at it and said with a smile: "I thought I had to wait for the day to come out, but I didn't expect it to be so soon."

Cao Yong said: "If the bidding is in February, the days will be tight. If you send the bid to various provinces before the New Year, you will have more time."

The Thirteenth Prince nodded and agreed.

After saying this, Cao Yong, general He Shan and others, wanted to interfere in the sea trade due to their difficulties in life.

After hearing this, the Thirteenth Prince was silent for a while and said, "Although the "respect of the silver for maintenance" has only benefited foreign officials, the officials in Beijing still mainly rely on "grace and double salary". Civil officials still have both ice and charcoal respects, and military officials can only rely on empty salary. Now the emperor is rectifying the administration of officials, and they know to be careful, and it is considered a good idea to want to plan for him."

When talking about this, Cao Yong must add a sentence: "Thirteenth Master, not only the military officers in the capital complain about their salary, but even the military officers outside are in a bad mood."

This was the first time that the Thirteenth Prince heard such words, and couldn't help but wonder: "Why is this? The money for the provinces is not distinguished from civil and military officials."

When talking about this topic temporarily, Cao Yong was not familiar with the situation in other provinces, so he took the distribution of clean bank in Zhili as an example: "Although civil officials and military officials all have clean bank in the maintenance of clean bank, the number is very different. For example, Zhili, the governor and the deputy governor are both second-ranks, and the governor and the deputy governor are 15,000 taels of clean bank every year, and the deputy governor are 15 times apart. The governor and the deputy general are both second-ranks, and the former are 9,000 taels of clean bank every year, while the latter is only 9,000 taels of clean bank every year, while the latter is only 900 taels of clean bank, and the latter is only 10 times apart. Even if they are both military positions, there are differences in clean bank in the maintenance of the Eight Banners and the local green camp. They are both third-ranks, and the city guards under the Eight Banners have only 200 taels of clean bank, and the local green camp gang is 600 taels of crisp silver."

When the Thirteenth Prince heard this, he was speechless.

Although the clean bank in other provinces is determined by the Ministry of Revenue, it is based on the proportion of Henan Province. The Thirteenth Prince only knew that civil officials were somewhat different from military officials, but he did not expect that there was so much difference.

After Cao Yong said this, he did not talk about it anymore. How to appease the capital and local military officers and make the reform of the administration go smoothly, naturally the emperor and the Thirteenth Prince were worried about it.

Because there were a lot of official documents, this busy day passed.

By the time Cao Yong finished his work, it was already time to fall into the yamen.

Outside the yamen, there was a carriage from the sixteenth prince waiting.

Seeing Cao Yong come out, someone had already come over and asked Cao Yong to come over.

In the carriage, the sixteenth prince had bright eyes, holding a silver wine pot in his hand, and was eating wine "splash".

Seeing that he was filled with joy, Cao Yong's mood couldn't help but get better, saying, "But the imperial edict for marriage was issued..."

The Sixteenth Prince nodded, laughed twice, and said, "I finally hope this day, now the Ministry of Internal Affairs can prepare for the princess's marriage."

Although the marriage had already been spoken, there was no order after all, and it was understandable that the Sixteenth Prince was worried about gains and losses.

Then the Sixteenth Prince continued, "It's a bargain for Hang Seng... That boy, if he dares to treat the third princess, he won't be tempted by your face..."

Cao Yong smiled and said, "Don't worry, Master Sixteen, that child is kind-hearted and a solid child. As long as the couple joins the marriage, they will definitely be a couple and beautiful..."

The sixteenth prince heard Cao Yong say half of what he said, and gave him a dissatisfaction and said, "I just looked at that boy because of your face. If there is anything wrong with him, it is naturally because you are not well educated. At that time, I will have to settle the score with you!"

This "father-in-law" mentality of worrying about gains and losses made Cao Yong laugh and cry: "Okay, okay, okay, all of them are from Master Sixteen..."

After all, it was joy. The sixteenth prince said a few words to Cao Yong, and then returned home with a smile.

Watching the Sixteenth Prince's carriage leave, the smile on Cao Yong's face is striking.

He himself has a daughter, so of course he can understand the kind fatherly heart of the Sixteenth Prince. Tianhui is the same year as the Third Princess. Even if he wants to stay for a few more years, when can he stay?

As early as a few years ago, the Sixteenth Prince had set his sights on Hang Seng and looked at him for years; it seemed that he should be open and touching the candidates for his son-in-law everywhere...

When he returned to the gate of Cao's mansion, a concierge came forward to report that Ma Jun was here and was waiting in the living room.

Cao Yong nodded, turned over and got off the horse, entered the yard, and went directly to the living room.

Ma Junjing sat there, frowned tightly, not knowing what he was thinking.

Cao Yong's steps were heavy, and Ma Jun woke up.

"Furuo..." Ma Jun stood up and said.

Cao Yong waved his hand and asked him to sit down. He said, "Tiancheng, have you been to Qingfeng Hutong?"

"Yes." Ma Jun rubbed his eyebrows and said, "Although this girl is not a mother, she looks very much like Mrs. Cui's wife, and she should be the daughter of Cui."

"Since he is the daughter of an old friend, what exactly did Tiancheng think?" Cao Yong asked when he saw that he was upset.

Ma Jun spread his hands and said, "Which is my turn? When the girl saw me, she began to cry loudly and fainted... She has indeed suffered a lot over the years... If it weren't for the idea of ​​finding her father, she would probably have been unable to get over..."

Cao Yong was not surprised by this result.

Among the friends Ma Jun and several young men in Yongqing, Ma Jun is the softest-hearted one.

If he hadn't been the only son in the family and was stopped by his parents, he would have long since abandoned his writing and practiced as a doctor.

"That's not good to be so vague. Even if you want to take care of her, you have to make it clear." Cao Yong said.

Ma Jun nodded and said, "I think so too, and I plan to make myself go to Hunan. I remember clearly that the two relatives of Cui were going to take her to Xiangtan. Since they were married and had daughters, they could always find out what they could do. As long as they found their relatives, they would not misunderstand that I was her biological father and would have a support for the rest of their lives."

Cao Yong waved his hand and said, "If you go to Xiangtan to find out the news, you don't have to make a special trip. Zhao Tong was promoted to the magistrate of Hengyang Prefecture a few days ago. Hengyang and Xiangtan are next to each other. I will send him a letter to ask him to inquire."

Upon hearing this, Ma Jun quickly thanked him, and then said, "No matter whether she can find her relatives, she has to stay in the capital for some time. It is not easy to bother the princess. I also have an empty house in my house, but I have been idle for too many years. I have to clean up for a few days before I can live in. I will ask someone to pick him up after a few days."

Cao Yong had no objection, but Ma Jun took out a few silver notes and wanted to replenish Cao Yong.

Seeing this, Cao Yong hurriedly said, "Don't give me this set, it's boring."

After hearing this, Ma Jun did not force himself and said, "Although Xiao Mom is not my daughter, I can show my feelings for protecting me in all kinds of arrangements."

It was rare for him to come over. It was time for dinner again, so Cao Yong kept his own guests.

Because Ma Jun had something to do and wanted to talk to Cao Yong, he was not in a hurry to leave.

It was cold in the 39th century, and Cao Yong really wanted to have a drink, so he asked someone to go back to Wutongyuan to ask for wine and food.

The hot sauerkraut mutton pot and the warm white osmanthus flowers make people's appetite proliferate.

Ma Jun started drinking one cup after another. Seeing this, Cao Yong guessed in a very unkind way, could he have something to do with Cui? Otherwise, how could he be so distressed?

For them, it was a troublesome to appear a girl called her "father". But that was in front of everyone, when someone was interested in spreading the news, as now, the slim mother was already in their hands, as if there was nothing to worry about.

Sure enough, after three rounds of drinking, Ma Jun couldn't help but talk about the old story: "Speaking of it, the Cui family was the father's work. For the sake of the failed marriage, the two families had a bad relationship. The Cui family was unwilling to accept it. They had a backer in the governor's yamen, so they wanted to plot against their father. After the father got the news, he took the initiative to take action first, and the Cui family was punished..." In the end, Ma Jun's face turned red and said, "Who is much cleaner than who is..."

This was the first time Cao Yong heard the inside story of this incident, and suddenly understood why Ma Jun was uneasy.

Jiangning was originally a prosperous place. Ma Jun's father served as the prefect of Jiangning for two and six years, which shows that it is not simple. If it were not for the clarification of the upper and lower levels, even if he relied on his elder brother who was the minister in the court, he might not be able to gain a foothold in the complex Jiangnan officialdom.

Although the Cui family suffered its own consequences, it was also because the Ma family helped fuel the fire.

The Cui family is sure to plot against the Ma family, but the Ma family cannot be clean.

Ma Jun has the aloofness and integrity of a literati in his bones, and it is normal for him to feel guilty and embarrassment for the past.

"The Cui family's fate is mostly caused by Cui Fucheng. Don't think about it too much. If I remember correctly, he not only involved in greed, but also committed other lawsuits, otherwise he would not have committed a death sentence and would have affected his wife and daughter." Cao Yong comforted him.

Ma Jun sighed and said, "I only regret that I didn't help Cui Jinzhu back then. Because I knew my family affairs, I was a little guilty and could not deceive my conscience."

Looking at his old friend, Cao Yong was a little powerless.

It's hard for him to be in his thirties, and he still retains a pure heart.

Ma Jun said he ate the wine, blushing and drunken, and slapped the wine cup on the table, saying, "Cause and effect are in sequence, every drink and peck, and there are certain numbers. God really has eyes. If there are no relatives, I will recognize this daughter..."

But this was not like that, Cao Yong couldn't help but frown.

He remembered that when Ma Jun was young, he hated the eight-legged career. Even if he passed the imperial examination and became an official, he was not as happy as others.

It seems that there is another inside story between Jiangning and Ma Cui families and the two sides of the country.

In the officialdom, unless one blow is fatal, there are few times when you break up.

However, the Cui family was defeated and their family was destroyed. It seemed that they were having a broken-out with the Ma family.

The officialdom of the world was dangerous. If he hadn't come over, the Cao family would not have ended up being a few points higher than that of the Cui family...

Before he knew it, Cao Yong ate a lot of wine.

Ma Jun was also drunk, and the frost was heavy at night. Cao Yong didn't dare to ask anyone to bother him, so he asked someone to help him in the guest room and sent someone to deliver a letter to Ma's house.

After relocating Ma Jun, Cao Yong returned to the inner house.

It turned out that there was nothing, and when the wind blew, his steps also swayed a little.

The upper room in Lanyuan was already pitch black, and the lights were still on in the west wing room where the maid and the old lady were there.

Cao Yong held the door of Lanyuan, looked at it for a few times before returning to Wutongyuan.

Seeing that Cao Yong was drunk and drank more than when he went out to visit yesterday, Chu Yu was shocked: "Is this accompaniment to Mr. Ma?"
Chapter completed!