Chapter Thirteen: Family and State

  In the 40th year of Kangxi, on September 8, Cao Kun was finally returned to Jiangning after being kidnapped for nearly two months. The Cao family's carriage had been waiting at the dock, and Cao Yin personally came to welcome his wife and children. Seeing that Cao Kun's injuries had healed, Cao Yin also breathed a sigh of relief. With only this one son, if he were to be left with any disability, not to mention how Old Lady would react, but even as a father, he couldn't bear the thought.

  Sitting in the carriage, Cao Kun thought back to his experiences over the past two months. He had been drifting aimlessly, content with just being a spectator, but the various hardships he had faced reminded him that this was a bloody and real world, and he was now a part of it. Unless he died, he could only drift in this world. He didn't have any grand ambitions for power or wealth; after all, this was the Kangxi era, when China's feudal imperial power was at its most concentrated - how could he possibly change history with just his own strength? All he wanted to do was survive, not die young, and avoid being purged by Emperor Yongzheng. For this goal, he decided to start working hard.

  In the Xiang Rui Hall, Old Lady had been muttering to herself for half a day. The several concubines of Eldest Young Master Cao Yan and Cao Yi were all accompanying Old Lady, waiting with her. When they heard the little maid outside report that Madame and Master had returned, Old Lady stood up and walked to the door to look out. From far away, she saw the figure of Cao Yun, and Old Lady's eyes were already brimming with tears, her mouth murmuring: "Grandson, my...!" Cao Yan had heard that his mother was ill in Suzhou, and he had been worried about it. Seeing that now she only looked slightly thinner, without anything out of the ordinary, he finally put his mind at ease.

  When Cao Guang followed Li Shi to the entrance of Xuan Rui Hall, before he could pay his respects, the old lady bent down and hugged him in her arms, with tears streaming down. Although the old lady was kind and loving every day, she did not lose her dignity. Everyone had never seen her so out of control. Anyway, everyone understood that Cao Guang was indeed the apple of the old lady's eye. But Cao Yan found it strange, why was his grandmother acting like this? Even if they were separated for two months, there was no need to be so emotional.

  Cao Yin's several concubines came forward to pay their respects to Li Shi, and Liu Li wore a peach-red dress following behind Feng Shi and Qian Shi, the two madams, with her hair styled in a bun. When Li Shi saw her dressed up like this, she knew that Cao Yin had taken her as his wife, and felt somewhat displeased.

  Xī Fǔ Zhào Jiā shì tīng dào xiāo xi, dài zhe hái zi men guò lái. Cáo Yǐng hái hǎo, yǐ wéi Cáo Yán yí yàng, cuò dé Cáo Nóng zhǐ shì qù le Sū Zhōu wài nǎi nǎi jiā, wèn qǐ Sū Zhōu de fēng tǔ rén qíng. Cáo Sòng què huán jì dì gē ge zài xué táng shī zōng de shì, xīn lǐ mǎn shì yí wèn, dàn yīn lái qián mǔ zhǔ nuò bù xǔ hú luàn wèn huà, bì qǐ zuǐ ba hào qí de kàn zhe Cáo Nóng.

  The old lady wiped away her tears, looked at Li with a hint of profundity, and then sent her back to change clothes. Before returning to the mansion, Cao Guang had already discussed the matter with his mother and was prepared to answer the old lady's questions. However, unexpectedly, the old lady did not ask any questions, but instead carefully examined Cao Guang, and only when she saw that he was unharmed did she seem relieved. Cao Guang felt uneasy in his heart, although both Cao Yin and Li had mentioned that they would keep the fact of his kidnapping a secret from the old lady, yet for some reason, he always felt that the old lady already knew the details, which is why she acted this way.

  Li changed her clothes and came over, mentioning that the people sent by the Li family to pay their respects were already waiting. The old lady nodded and asked someone to invite them over. Those two women often went to Jiangning during festivals, paid their respects to the old lady, and chatted with her for a while about trivial matters.

  The old lady followed the two and asked about the health of Madame Wen and Madame Gao, the mothers of the two families. She also thanked the Li family for taking care of Cao Fang during these days. The two women repeatedly said they didn't dare and presented the gift list prepared by the Li family. The old lady smiled and ordered someone to receive it, instructing them to take the two women to the guest room to rest.

  Zhao Jia's wife was already over four months pregnant, and her body easily got tired. After waiting for a while, she took the children back home. Li Shi wanted to ask her about Liu Ping's situation, but didn't know how to bring it up. Before going to Hangzhou, she had been recuperating in the Western Manor, thanks to Zhao Jia's wife who took good care of her and almost suffered a miscarriage due to exhaustion. Although Li Shi didn't say anything, she was grateful in her heart. The two sisters-in-law were now on better terms than before, without any estrangement between them. At present, the Western Manor's Bao Die had just given birth to a son, so bringing up Liu Ping's situation again would only add trouble for Zhao Jia's wife. Moreover, the old lady originally didn't get along with Zhao Jia's wife, and if she found out that she was responsible for the Cao family's misfortune, it might stir up another storm. After careful consideration, Li Shi decided to discuss it with her husband at night before deciding how to arrange Liu Ping's situation.

  Cao Gong saw Liu Ping enter the mansion but didn't see her anywhere, and quietly asked his mother about it. He found out that she had been temporarily placed in his mother's quarters, and only then did he feel at ease. Since they were keeping the fact that he was injured from Old Lady Cao, this "benefactor" Liu Ping couldn't just enter the Cao residence openly. They needed to come up with a reason for her to stay, so they could give her a plausible excuse to settle down in the Cao household.

  Weaving Bureau, Front Court, Study Room.

  Cao Yin slowly took a sip of tea, with a hint of an irrepressible smile on his face.

  Zhuang Chang watched from the side, his heart sighing endlessly. Cao Kun was safe and sound, and apart from the Cao family, Zhuang Chang was also very happy. After instructing Gu Na for two months, he was very satisfied with this clever disciple. The matter of Cao Kun, in the end, was the fault of Gu Na's father. If Cao Kun had made a mistake, Gu Na's identity would be awkward, and Zhuang Chang wouldn't want to keep him by his side either. During these two months after Cao Kun was kidnapped, Zhuang Chang saw Cao Yun's exhaustion from running around, "Pitiful are the hearts of parents in the world". However, whether it was too early to be happy now, Zhuang Chang shook his head and put a secret report from the Tongzhengsi on Cao Yun's desk.

  Cao Yin picked it up, scanned it a few times, and his expression became serious. There were two pieces of news in the secret report: one from Jiangbei, that the Tiandihui had opened its mountain stronghold in Xuzhou, Anhui; and another from Hangzhou, that there was an internal rebellion within the Tiandihui's Eight Halls, and after the total leader Wan Yunlong was poisoned and escaped, his whereabouts were unknown. His personally appointed disciple Bu Jing died. The Eight Halls split up, with Left Protector Su Hongguang leading Wan Yunlong's direct lineage of three halls to set sail from Fuzhou, while the Punishment Hall Master Mu Dajiang gathered the remaining five halls' forces and established himself in Jiangnan.

  The Tiandihui, also known as the Heaven and Earth Society, was led by Wan Yunlong. Externally it was called "Tiandihui", while internally it was referred to as "Hongmen". It originated in Fujian Province during the 13th year of Kangxi's reign. Due to its secretive nature, by the time the imperial court became aware of its existence, it had already amassed over 10,000 members. Cao Yin's father, Cao Xi, had submitted multiple secret memorials to Emperor Kangxi regarding this matter. After repeated discussions between the emperor and his ministers, they concluded that suppression was not as effective as co-optation. Even if the Tiandihui were to be eradicated, the numerous martial artists scattered throughout Jiangnan would still be impossible to control. It would be better to keep them under control and use this opportunity to gather intelligence on various factions. As a result, starting from Kangxi's 20th year, the imperial court sent a certain number of secret agents to infiltrate the Tiandihui every year. Over the course of twenty years, the originally secretive Tiandihui became transparent.

  The Nei Ba Tang rebellion was actually the work of Zhuang Chang, who had seen the rapid development of the Tiandihui in recent years and its trend towards expansion to Jiangbei. He conspired with Cao Ying after discussing it with him, and Bu Jingze, who was killed by Wan Yunlong, was one of the earliest infiltrators to join the Tiandihui. Originally, Zhuang Chang had planned for Bu Jingze to seize control of the Tiandihui's power, purge its anti-Qing elements, and turn the Tiandihui into a force loyal to the imperial court. However, things did not go as planned, and although the Tiandihui suffered losses, Bu Jingze, who was one of the highest-ranking infiltrators, died in the process. Now, Mu Dajiang, who holds real power, is actually an ardent supporter of "Anti-Qing and Restore Ming".

  "What a nuisance!" Cao Yin rubbed his forehead and asked, "What news is there from the Outer Eighth Hall?"

  Inside the Tiandihui, there are eight halls with only a handful of core members, so even if something goes wrong, it won't spread far; but if it involves the outer eight halls, things get complicated. The outer eight halls of the Tiandihui are located in eight provinces in the south, with over a million followers under their jurisdiction. If they lose control, local unrest is inevitable.

  Zhuang Chang sighed: "It's the Outer Eight Halls. The Zhejiang Hall has surrendered to Mu Da Jiang, the Suzhou Hall was eliminated by Mu Da Jiang, the Hunan Hall has gone into hiding, and the Hubei Hall has submitted to the imperial court. Guangdong and Guizhou are too far away, and no news has come out yet. However, the masters of the Yunnan-Guizhou halls are all people of the imperial court, so they shouldn't be able to cause any trouble."

  "Hunan Hall, Wu Tiancheng!" Cao Yin recited the name and suddenly understood why Zhuang Chang sighed. The master of Hunan Hall, Wu Tiancheng, was the adopted son of Wan Yunlong and had a reputation in the Tiandihui second only to Wan Yunlong and Su Hongguang. His Hunan Hall was the strongest among the eight outer halls, with the strictest management, and the spies sent by the Ministry of Justice had been unable to infiltrate it for years. The disappearance of Hunan Hall and its separation from imperial control would be a big trouble.

  "Things are not quite right in Jiangnan, the capital is involved too much, and below it's so unstable. In the future, we'll have to worry about each other!" Zhuang Chang stroked his beard and said.

  Cao Yin nodded, this time the Kangxi Emperor dismissed Jiangsu Governor Ha Zhan and Hangzhou Prefect Shi Guozhu on account of the Cao family affair, which had a deeper meaning. Ha Zhan was Mingzhu's student and belonged to the First Prince faction, while Shi Guozhu was the Crown Prince's relative and naturally belonged to the Crown Prince faction. The two men vied with each other in Jiangnan officialdom, doing their best for their respective masters. Although Mingzhu, the First Prince's maternal uncle, had been dismissed from office last year, the First Prince had accompanied Kangxi on a western campaign earlier and achieved great military merit, being conferred as the Prince of Zhenguo three years ago when the emperor enfeoffed his sons, with influence extending throughout the court. The Crown Prince remained vigilant against his elder brother's attempt to usurp the throne, developing his party in the imperial court and local areas under the support of his uncle Songgotu, opposing the First Prince Mingzhu faction.

  Thinking of the changes in Jiangnan, Cao Yin and Zhuang Chang looked at each other and said in unison: "Suo Ertu is going to step down!"

  Others are unaware, but Cao Ying is the most aware of Mingzhu's achievements. Pacifying the three feuds, recovering Taiwan, and negotiating with Russia, Mingzhu's merits are in the imperial court. Later, he shifted from being a capable minister to a powerful minister, and all provincial governors had to go through his door to get a job. Half of the six ministers were members of Mingzhu's party. No matter how great Mingzhu's achievements were, what he did had already touched the dragon's reverse scales, and the emperor could not tolerate him. Last year, the supervising censor Guo Xun impeached Mingzhu for eight major crimes, each of which could have led to his death sentence. The emperor was angry with him for "being too greedy for profit and having too many connections, unable to strictly follow official discipline", but thought that "right and wrong, achievements and faults should not be mutually concealed". He stripped Mingzhu of his position as Grand Secretary and gave him the empty title of Inner Minister.

  As for the fate of Mingzhu and the future of Suo E, Cao Yin was indeed worried in his heart, but he didn't take it to heart. He only wanted to be a loyal minister, knowing only to be faithful to the emperor, and not paying attention to the power struggles in the court. At this time, he still did not know the impact of the changing situation on the Cao family.

  Before arriving in Jiangning, Cao Kun was thinking that after returning, he would find Cao Yin to talk as soon as possible. He didn't want to live the life of "Little Cao Kun" anymore, being raised by the old lady in the inner house, and could only mix with the maids every day. There were too many things to learn, literary and martial arts, and having many skills wouldn't be a burden, no matter what the future held, he had to have some real skills.

  On the first day back at the manor, except for a brief encounter at the dock, Cao Yun didn't see Cao Yin until dinner time, but he didn't have a chance to talk to him. After dinner, Old Lady asked Li Shi to escort Cao Yun to the east wing room to rest, leaving Cao Yin alone to chat.

  Only two people were left in the room, the old lady stared at Cao Yin for a long time before sighing and saying: "Thank heaven, thank earth! Our ancestors are protecting us!"

  Cao Yin was shocked and asked in surprise: "Mother?"

  "Hmph!" The old lady glared at Cao Yin, pulled out a jade Guanyin from her sleeve and held it in her hand, angrily saying: "Now that things have come to this point, do you still think you can deceive me? Do you really take me for a deaf and blind old crone?"

  That Jade Guanyin was something Cao Guang had carried with him since childhood, after being kidnapped by Cao Guang it was pawned to a Suzhou pawnshop by Gu San, later redeemed by Cao Yan, and somehow ended up in the hands of Old Lady.

  Cao Yin saw the old lady get angry and hurriedly knelt down to apologize.

  The old lady saw Cao Yin's white hair on both temples and couldn't bear it in her heart. She waved her hand: "Get up, I've asked around, it's not your fault. Fortunately, the child is safe and sound, it was worth my eating vegetarian for two months!" After Cao Yin got up, she said again: "On Mid-Autumn Festival, forcing you to take a concubine was just in case. If something happened to the child, leaving behind some descendants would also be worthy of our ancestors. I've wronged your wife, these days she must have been worried and frightened too, you should comfort her well!"

  "Yes, Mother! It's all because of my unfilial son that our family is not at peace and you have to worry about it!" Cao Yin's eyes welled up with tears, feeling very guilty. From what the old lady said, she had known the truth long ago but didn't want to worry herself, so she pretended not to know and fasted for two months.