Chapter Ten Reading Books

  Hangzhou, the yamen of the prefectural governor.

  Shi Guozhu felt a wave of relief, glad that he hadn't harbored any ill intentions and had spared the lives of those rascals. Otherwise, he would have offended the Cao family. Although Cao Yin's position was lower than his own rank, he was indeed a favored official of the emperor. The Cao family had deep roots in Jiangnan, where could these wandering officials dare to offend them? Thinking that one of the rascal children was actually a young master of the Cao family, Shi Guozhu felt a chill run down his spine. If something had gone wrong, his own career would be doomed. Although his mind was racing with thoughts, his face remained solemn. He first bowed to Cao Yin and said: "Lord Cao, please!"

  It turned out that Hangzhou Prefecture was about to try the case of Xing Er and others selling children, and Cao Yin sat on the left side of Shi Guozhu to listen.

  Cao Yin has been in Hangzhou for several days, originally thinking that he could take his son back to Jiangning. However, the imperial physician who treated Cao Gong said that within a month, it was not advisable to move him arbitrarily, fearing that the fracture would not heal well. Cao Yin had no choice but to send someone back to Jiangning to deliver a message. To the old lady, he made up another excuse, mentioning that the two young masters from Beijing were going to Jiangnan and that he was taking his son with him, and would return to Jiangning after a while. As for Li Shi's place, he asked her to hurry over to Hangzhou to take care of his son.

  Rehe Imperial Palace, library.

  The Kangxi Emperor held a purple hair brush in his hand, circled a character "衸" on a piece of Xuan paper spread out on the desk, and then put down the brush, with no joy or anger visible on his face.

  Eunuch Liang Jiugong, who was in charge of the imperial harem, stood by and attended to him. He couldn't help but wonder what was wrong with His Majesty, as he had been thinking about the movements of the Empress's belly for half a month now.

  Madam Wang, a Han Chinese, although her family had no power, only a cousin served as the Suzhou Weaving Factory Director, but in recent years she was very favored. In previous years, she gave birth to fifteen and sixteen princes one after another, and the other night she gave birth to eighteen princes again.

  The letter delivered in the morning seems to be from the two brothers who went to inspect the river works in Jiangnan. Is there something wrong with Jiangnan?

  Liang Jiugong only dared to think about it, but didn't dare to ask casually. The iron plaque hanging in the inner palace by the previous emperor Shunzhi, "Eunuchs are not allowed to interfere with politics", was no joke. Having served the emperor for over 40 years, he naturally knew his own boundaries.

  Perhaps it was the quietness of the house that made Emperor Kangxi rub his forehead: "Originally, adding a brother would have brought me great comfort, but thinking about the Cao family's affairs, I just can't get excited!"

  Listening to Kangxi's casual tone, Liang Jiugong carefully said: "As for the Cao family's affairs, isn't it that 'Feng Sheng Fu Ren' is not feeling well and the Emperor is really worried, sending two imperial physicians would be acceptable?"

  Kangxi nodded: "Sun's old lady is approaching her 70th birthday, this idea is good. Tomorrow, order the Neiwufu to select two mature ones and send them over. Also, the medicine mentioned in this memorial, gather it up and send someone with a fast horse to Jiangning." Saying this, he sighed: "This Cao Yin is too rigid!"

  Although it is said so, Kangxi was still relatively relieved in his heart. Cao Yin did not use his power for personal gain and was loyal to himself, which made him a trustworthy minister.

  How can he handle official duties when family matters are not peaceful? Think about Cao Yin, who is already over 40 years old and only has this little bit of flesh and blood. If something really goes wrong, even he as the master cannot bear it, let alone Sun Shi who is almost 70 years old. Fortunately, the imperial edict to use the Jiangnan Provincial Administration Commissioner's channel to search for Cao E was issued just a few days ago, and then received the memorials of the Fourth Prince and the Thirteenth Prince, saying that Cao E has been rescued.

  As for Cao Yin's only son, Kangxi had an impression of him. He saw him two years ago during his southern tour, a delicate and refined little boy, slightly older than the 16th prince.

  A child of this age was kidnapped by bad people for half a month, and suffered broken bones and loss of voice. How can one not be enraged? What is the Hangzhou government doing, allowing such evil people to run amok under the clear sky? And what about the Zhejiang governor, who just the other day submitted a report saying "the people are living in peace and prosperity, the world is at peace, and the people are becoming increasingly wealthy"? If such a case had occurred in a poor and remote village, it would be possible to make excuses for them. But since it happened in the provincial capital of Hangzhou, the two officials' crime of dereliction of duty cannot be escaped.

  Hangzhou, Cao's Villa.

  This place is not far from Lingyin Temple, it's a new house bought by Cao Yin. After all, Cao Yun still needs to rest for a long time, and living in an inn or hostel is inconvenient.

  Cao Gong still couldn't speak, but he didn't miss the news that Xing Er and those rascals had been sentenced to death and were waiting for the Ministry of Punishment's approval to carry out the execution. It had been almost a month since he came into this world, during which time he had gone through life and death, ups and downs, and had been transferred from place to place. People say that "the human world is heaven, Suzhou and Hangzhou are paradise on earth", but for Cao Gong, the lives in these two places were like hellish hardships.

  Lying in bed, Cao Kun thought more about his future life, never wanting to have such an experience again, and never wanting others to control his life and death. He warned himself in his heart that he must become stronger, able to take care of himself, not wanting to die at the age of twenty, not wanting to be exiled or annihilated. He narrowed his eyes, if all else failed, he would start saving money in two years, and after Yongzheng ascended the throne, he would go to Europe or America. The 40th year of Kangxi was equivalent to which year in the Gregorian calendar? The American colonies had just begun, why not recruit mercenaries to open up colonies himself? It's really a tantalizing idea.

  "Brother, brother, have some tremella cake!" The happy voice of a little kid.

  Cao Gong turned his head to look, a small servant girl holding a ceramic plate in her hand, on which were placed various colored taro cakes, ran to the bedside to present treasures. Behind her followed a woman in her thirties, muttering: "Aiyo, Miss Ping, let me hold it instead, be careful not to drop it!"

  Miss Ping, it turns out that the beggar who helped Cao Yun was none other than Ah Ping. A few days ago, at the relay station, everyone thought it was strange that although Ah Ping had wiped his dirty face, he refused to let anyone help him bathe and instead hid in the house to hastily wash and change his clothes. Because everyone was worried about Cao Yun's health, they didn't pay much attention to it. When they arrived at the new mansion, Cao Yin was afraid that the newly bought servants would not be careful, so he sent a message to the shopkeeper of the Cao family's store, asking him to find several reliable servants. Among them, Zhang Genjia was assigned by Cao Yin to take care of Ah Ping, who is now Cao Yun's wife in her thirties.

  Ah Ping was only seven years old, two years younger than the third son of Zhang Gen's family. Naturally, there was no need for evasion in Zhang Gen's household, and with two little maidservants, they thoroughly examined Ah Ping from head to toe, only then did they realize that this mischievous little scamp was actually a young lady.

  Cao Yin had heard from the Fourth Prince that Ah Ping was kind to his son, but he hadn't paid much attention to it at first. It wasn't until he saw the children who had suffered with Cao Gong that he asked his son about the details of that period in his life and realized that Ah Ping was indeed a lifesaver for his son. As a result, he felt even more grateful towards Ah Ping, and being a young girl, he pitied her even more, thinking she must have been kidnapped, so he sent people to search for her parents according to the clues she provided, but the outcome was shocking.

  This little girl is from Chun'an County, which is under the jurisdiction of Hangzhou Prefecture. Her father's surname is Liu and he is a carpenter. Her mother's surname is Ji, who passed away two years ago. This Ji was originally a maid in a wealthy family in Lin County, but she was driven out by her mistress and sold to a matchmaker when she was already pregnant.

  Liu Mugong didn't spend much silver, but got a beautiful daughter-in-law. At first, he thought it was his ancestors' blessing, but when he found out it was "buy one get one free", Ji Shi's belly had already grown too big to hide. Liu Mugong initially lost face, fortunately, there were no parents-in-law at home, and Ji Shi accompanied him carefully, so the days could still be barely passed. A few months later, Ji Shi gave birth to a baby girl named Ping. Liu Mugong raised a cheap daughter, naturally making the eldest son unhappy, every time he got drunk, he would scold and beat Ji Shi. Ji Shi died of illness after a few years, Liu Mugong wanted to marry again, but lacked betrothal gifts, so he sold Liu Ping for eight taels of silver to a matchmaker, who later somehow ended up in Xiang Er's gang.

  Her biological mother died, and her foster father was heartless and unrighteous. This little Liu Ping's fate is bumpy, except for the Cao family, there is really no place to settle down. Moreover, her biological father is none other than Cao Yun's brother Cao Yun.

  Cao Yin was both annoyed and relieved to learn of this. He was annoyed that his brother's wife, Zhao Jia Shi, had secretly sold the pregnant maid, but he was also relieved that the child had been fortunate enough to meet her relatives. Originally, he wanted to write a letter to inform Cao Zhuang of the truth, but he knew that his younger brother was timid and might not be willing to take action. Even if the little maid returned to the manor, she would still have to endure the cruel treatment of her stepmother, Zhao Jia Shi. Thinking about this, Cao Yin decided to come up with a more comprehensive plan. After all, she was his niece, and what difference did it make whether he raised her as his own daughter or not? He could use the excuse of repaying a debt of gratitude to raise her under his own name.

  Liu Ping was still young and didn't understand Cao Yun's thoughts, but seeing Cao Yun's kindness, she felt close to him in her heart.

  For his younger brother turning into a younger sister, Cao Yun was slightly surprised but didn't take it to heart. Whether it's a boy or a girl, they're all their own little benefactors, and they'll be repaid properly later. Although he still needs to rest in bed for a while, he doesn't want to waste any more time, so he asks someone to bring over many books. The complex characters are hard to read, but he can recognize about half of them, and with the context, he can guess and muddle through without much difficulty. Martial arts need to be learned, but one also can't become a foolish martial artist; in most cases, using one's brain is easier than using one's hands to solve problems - this principle has been true since ancient times.

  As time passed, Cao Yu's sunburn healed, the dead skin fell off, and he gradually regained his delicate and refined appearance. However, Cao Yi discovered that her son had changed. In the past, he was always lively and mischievous, and would become extremely obedient when he saw her, like a mouse seeing a cat. But now, he showed an unusual calmness for his age, started to enjoy reading books, and his expression no longer had the former obedience, but rather a hint of aloofness.

  Although Cao Yin did not lower his face to speak softly and warmly to his son, he was actually very tense about this son in private. All the things that children like to eat and play with were bought into the house one after another, hoping to please Cao Yun a little.

  Cao Yunzheng was so engrossed in reading that he didn't have the mood to pretend to be a good boy. This experience of being kidnapped could be considered a blessing in disguise, at least he wouldn't have to play the role of Little Cao Yunzheng from his memories anymore. After going through such twists and turns, it's also possible for a child's temperament to change greatly. Nowadays, his memory is really astonishing, flipping through two pages of a book and remembering almost everything. It's unknown whether this little body has an innate talent or if it's compensation from the King of Hell for making him cross over.

  Cao Cong had a mix of curiosity and satisfaction in his heart, thinking that it seemed he couldn't do anything about it himself after growing up, so he might as well take the imperial examination to become a Hanlin scholar, compiling things at the Imperial Academy. It would be a leisurely and easy life, which wasn't bad either. As he thought about this, he felt annoyed with his age, looking at those YY books where other protagonists who traveled through time were mostly adults, even if they were babies when they traveled, they were extraordinary from a young age, able to summon the wind and rain, accumulating power by the age of five or six. Unfortunately for him, after coming over, he hadn't enjoyed any blessings yet, but had already suffered all sorts of hardships first.

  Cao Gong disdained those toys and food, which made Liu Ping cheaper. However, the little girl was kind-hearted and didn't eat alone, every time she had delicious food, she would leave a portion for Cao Gong to bring over. They were all sweet and greasy, not suitable for Cao Gong's taste, but he would try two mouthfuls just to make the little girl happy.

  Cao Yin looked at the books his son had read and saw that he had marked all the unfamiliar words and phrases, knowing that his son was indeed studying hard. He felt half happy and half worried, happy that he was no longer as naughty as before, but worried that he didn't have even a bit of the appearance of a seven-year-old child, like a little adult, immersed in books every day, sometimes with a furrowed brow, sometimes with a smile on his face. Despite what he thought in his heart, Cao Yin still hired an erudite old scholar to come to this side of the house to teach Cao Yun.

  That old man, Song, although he didn't take the path of being an official, was a true talent with real learning. His father, Song Binchen, was a great calligrapher in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, who refused to be an official, passed down poetry and books through his family, lived a secluded life, and gradually faded out of people's sight. Cao Yin had control over intelligence from all parts of Jiangnan, so he naturally knew the details about the Song family. Originally, he thought of inviting Song Binchen to come out of retirement, but he was already eighty years old, bedridden for several years, so he could only try his best to invite his eldest son instead.

  After several days of recuperation, Cao Guang's throat had improved significantly. He could now utter single words and phrases like "this", "that" and "what does it mean". Master Song had taught many students before, but he had never encountered one as diligent and intelligent as Cao Guang. Naturally, he spared no effort in teaching him. Cao Guang didn't feel the slightest bit strained, instead, he felt like he was exploring an endless ocean of knowledge, as if he had opened up a whole new world for himself, which was different from what he had learned in his past life.

  Apart from explaining the Four Books and Five Classics to Cao Yin, Master Song also started guiding Cao Yun's calligraphy. As a modern person, Cao Yun's calligraphy was considered weak, but he wrote hundreds of large characters every day, his focused and determined appearance secretly earning Master Song's admiration.

  During the period when Songzi was teaching at Cao's secondary residence, he also brought a young boy over twice. The boy was one year older than Cao Kun and his father Zheng Zhiben was originally Songzi's first disciple, but in terms of seniority, he was considered to be Cao Kun's junior fellow apprentice.

  For that big forehead, sparse-haired kid, Cao Yun didn't pay much attention at first, but after hearing his name, he was surprised. The child's name is Zheng Xie, could it be that he is one of the famous "Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou" from the Qianlong era, Zheng Banqiao? Thinking about it, it's really possible. Zheng Banqiao was known for his exceptional skills in poetry, calligraphy and painting, the "poetry and painting" can be set aside for now, since he could get guidance from a master of calligraphy, it's reasonable that he could achieve something in calligraphy.

  Perhaps due to his young age, Little Zheng Xie didn't show any particularly outstanding appearance, and he treated Little Shifu with respect. Cao Yun stared at him for a while, feeling that it was really boring, so he sent Liu Ping to take him out to play.