Chapter 013 Jinling Beauty
Chen Cao did not sleep with Li Fengchun. In his eyes, at least Li Fengchun was his own now. He was not a prostitute in a brothel who could be squeezed casually. Chen Cao's idea was to retain the best side and be poetic in any way. That's good, otherwise it would not give a good impression to Li Fengchun.
"Master, aren't you on duty today?" Li Fengchun put the tea on the desk and poured the tea into the cup gently.
"I don't think you need to call me master. I'm not that much older than you. Besides, you will be my Chen Cao's woman from now on. Please call me husband." Chen Cao said nonchalantly.
Li Fengchun's face turned red and his eyes were clear and bright. Chen Caode's words made Li Fengchun's heart flutter. Women of lowly status like them are not qualified to call their men husbands when they get married. They can only be called masters. Only the first wife can call her "kind". It is obvious that she has a great status in Chen Cao's heart, even though she has not slept with him for several days.
Chen Cao continued: "By the way, your maid Xiaolan is also quite pretty, um..."
"How about letting Xiaolan make your husband's bed tonight?" Li Fengchun asked with a blushing face.
Chen Cao felt happy, thinking that this was possible, but he was really embarrassed to show it, so he shook his head: "I just asked casually, don't take it seriously."
"Master, there is someone outside asking to see you." Xiaolan stood outside the study and whispered. It was obvious that she had heard a lot about the conversation between Chen Cao and Li Fengchun just now.
The person who came was a steward of Wei Guogong's mansion, and his intention was that Wei Guogong Xu Hongji wanted to see Chen Cao.
There is no need to kneel easily. With Chen Cao's current status, Xu Hongji will not lecture him too much.
In the second hall of Duke Wei's mansion, Xu Wenjue was reading a novel. After Chen Cao came in, he looked carefully and found that it was one of the Condor Shootings he had written. He couldn't help but laugh to himself. Xu Hongji was also a young man and had a certain fondness for this thing. .
Sure enough, Xu Hongji could not help but nod his head when he read the wonderful part, then drank tea, smacked his lips, and muttered something.
"General Chen Cao, I have met the Duke." After Chen Cao entered the hall, he still respectfully saluted Xu Hongji.
Xu Hongji raised his head: "Oh, Chen Cao, you're here," he said, putting down the book: "You have some talent, you wrote this kind of thing vividly, damn, it just lacks some erotic things."
Xu Hongji cursed, and the butler Wei Zhong beside him couldn't help frowning, but he didn't dare to be disrespectful to the Duke, after all, he was just a domestic slave.
"My lord, I've given you the prize. If you like it, I can write out the final chapter and give it to my lord to read." Chen Cao said, clasping his fists.
When Xu Hongji heard this, his eyes lit up and he said, "Really? It's so good. If you write well, I will definitely reward you." Then he looked at Wei Zhong and said, "Look, who said that I, the Duke of Wei, only have five big and three thick men?" ? This Chen Cao, I am not talking big words, at least he is better than those supervisors of the Imperial College."
Wei Zhong finally couldn't bear it any longer. Although Xu Wenjue said that he could ignore other things, he couldn't do anything reckless when it came to the court: "Master, be careful..."
Xu Hongji nodded, knowing that he had said the wrong thing, and then said awkwardly: "It's a pity that you are from a military household. If not, I think that with your literary talent, it is reasonable for you to be a Jinshi."
"Young Master, you are worrying too much. My Chen family is a general in the Duke's Palace. When I reach the end of my generation, I will naturally work for the Duke's Palace. If I can find a useful place for my general, please give me your orders."
Xu Hongji nodded with satisfaction, then chatted a few more words with Chen Cao, then praised Chen Cao for his actions in Liaodong, gave Chen Cao some rewards, and let Chen Cao leave.
On the way, Chen Cao came to understand that powerful people like Wei Guogongfu had their own way of controlling their subordinates. Even though Chen Cao's status was now more powerful than before, in this era of discussing the relationship between the beginning and the end, he He has always been inseparable from his relationship with the Duke of Wei, and his lackeys are people like Chen Cao.
'Cai Gen Tan must be published in advance. If you plagiarize it too late, you will not have the chance to make a name for yourself,' Chen Cao thought to himself.
Here Chen Cao is working hard to plagiarize, and over there in the private room of the restaurant in Qinhuaihe, Gu Linsheng and Zhao Cheng are also plotting the so-called major event.
"Brother Gu, is this really okay? That guy is now an official of Qianhu of Jinyiwei. He cannot be compared with the general banner at that time. If the matter is exposed, we will have no way to escape." Zhao Cheng was a little worried about Gu Linsheng's plan. After all, his family's wealth cannot be compared with Gu Linsheng's. The other party's family is full of officials, while his family is just a businessman.
Gu Linsheng also felt Zhao Cheng's worry, but after a moment he was overwhelmed by his hatred for Chen Cao, and said without worry: "Brother Zhao, there is no need to be like this, this time the plan is perfect, once it is accomplished, he will take off his clothes even if he does not die. Layers of skin.”
In March, Chen Cao's cheap grandmother passed away due to illness. After experiencing the heavy blow of her son's death in the war, the old man's health has been in poor health. The fact that he has been delayed until now is already due to luck. According to etiquette, it should be Chen Cao's. The father came to observe filial piety, and now there are only two brothers and sisters left in the Chen family. Chen Cao has the official status of Jin Yiwei. If he goes to observe filial piety for three years, the punishment of thousands of households will be over. Therefore, he can only let his sister Chen Qing went to pay filial piety for her father for three years.
In this era, the importance of observing filial piety after the death of parents was very important. In the Ming Dynasty, the country was governed by filial piety, and officials who observed filial piety were called Ding You. Of course, there are also situations where you cannot do without you. The emperor issued an order not to observe filial piety, which is called "grabbing love." As for Chen Cao, a small official in a thousand households, how could it be his turn to "win the love"? Fortunately, he still has a younger sister and the concubine Li Fengchun who has not married yet to help him. For Chen Cao, these three years of filial piety are already Not a big problem.
After organizing the funeral, Chen Cao realized that his home was too small. When thousands of households under him and relatives and friends came to attend the funeral, there was no way they could move out of the yard, so that when they were all placed in the alley, Chen Cao thought, It is necessary to buy a bigger yard.
The houses in Nanjing are not generally expensive. Many dignitaries who were retired from the imperial court live here, as well as various nobles left over from the founding of the People's Republic of China and the Jingnan period. The housing prices have increased compared with those in the capital. I am writing a novel in my own hand. And the total money received by thousands of households every month is only 50,000 taels, and it has to be managed up and down. The price of buying a two-room house in Nanjing City starts at 6,000 taels, let alone a larger yard. .
Therefore, in order to increase revenue and reduce expenditure, Chen Cao simply bought a ready-made four-bedroom house in the countryside outside Zhengyangmen. The total price was only five thousand taels. The original owner was from Zhejiang. He was an official in the capital and retired back to his hometown. The house in Nanjing was no longer wanted, so it was sold at a low price. If it weren't for the fact that the original owner was a member of the officialdom, Chen Cao wouldn't have wanted it.
This house was also helped by Song Che. He checked the news in the Five Cities Military and Horse Department, asked Yaxing to help inquire, and bought ten acres of good paddy fields by the way, and hired 20 households of tenants to help take care of the paddy fields around the yard. The cost was less than six thousand taels of silver.
As for Chen Cao, less than half a year after traveling here, he got a promotion and a salary increase and became a wealthy landlord outside Nanjing.
"Brother, our family is so big now. Do we need to buy some maids to take care of the house?" Chen Qing wore plain clothes because she wanted to observe filial piety, but the little girl was already very attractive, so Chen Cao had to take a few more glances. .
"Yes, brother, I will go to the city to find someone from the dental shop to help buy ten maids for me... No, for you to use." Chen Cao was afraid of letting slip, so he turned to look at Xiaolan next to Li Fengchun. Said: "Xiaolan, after buying the maid back, you will be the maid in charge of the backyard, how about it?"
Xiaolan blushed slightly, nodded and said, "Thank you for the promotion, Master."
"Well..." Chen Cao nodded, looking at the empty yard, thinking that in addition to the maids, he would also have to hire a few permanent cooks and cleaning servants.
"Is Mr. Chen at home?"
A woman was walking in a hurry at the gate, pacing back and forth looking anxious. Chen Cao heard the voice and walked out of the gate. Seeing that the person coming was a woman, he asked curiously: "Girl, I wonder what you want from me?" "
The woman settled down and asked, "Are you Chen Cao and Chen Qianhu?"
Chen Cao nodded: "It's a certain family."
After the woman was sure, she quickly knelt down and saluted Chen Cao, and then said urgently: "Please help Mr. Chen. The slave is Song Che's sister Song Yin. My eldest brother was kidnapped by people from the Yingtian Mansion Yamen not long ago. Before he left, I yelled for the slave family to come to the countryside outside Zhengyangmen to seek help from Mr. Chen, please save me."
Memories raced through Chen Cao's mind, and he remembered that Song Che did have a sister who was about the same age as him, so he asked, "What's going on with brother Shi Xiu? He is the chief flag officer of the Wucheng Military and Horse Division, Yingtianfu Yamen How could you have the right to arrest him? What did he commit?"
A series of questions were raised, which also made Song Yin suffer. She also had no idea what to ask. Song Che was sleeping at home, and suddenly someone from the Yingtian Mansion Yamen came in, arrested him and left. Apart from what she said to Song Yin, she do not know anything.
Looking at Song Yin's expression of anxious tears, Chen Cao couldn't help but pity him. The aggrieved look of Song Yin in front of him was so beautiful that Chen Cao felt his heart melt. However, after thinking about it, he realized that the occasion was inappropriate and he couldn't help but secretly thought that Song Che was being unreasonable. Don't introduce yourself to your sister.
"Don't worry, girl, Shi Xiunou and I are good brothers. I'll leave his affairs to me. You go home and wait. When there is news, I will come to your house to explain it to you, okay?"
Song Yin was at a loss, but now she could only listen to Chen Cao's words, so she nodded, wiped her tears and left first.
In the Qianhu House in Xuanwu Lane, Chen Cao was waiting in the middle hall. After a while, Zhao Xin came in and said, "Sir, I have inquired clearly. General Song Qi may be in serious trouble now."
Chen Cao almost jumped up from his seat when he heard this: "Tell me carefully."
Only Zhao Xin said: "Then General Song Qi had a dispute with a scholar in Zuixiang Building two days ago, and then the two of them fought. The scholar was no match for General Song Qi, so he suffered a loss and left Zuixiang Building cursing and saying: With provocation, he died at home the next day."
ah?
Chen Cao couldn't help but frowned. Things were getting more and more complicated. Zhao Xin continued: "After the scholar's death, their family members went to Jiangning County to report the case. Song Zongqi was arrested early this morning and taken away from his home. Then Bian found out the identity of his chief flag officer, and Jiangning County Magistrate felt troubled, so he escorted Song Zongqi directly to Yingtianfu Yamen, and heard that the trial would start tomorrow."
call...
Chen Cao let out a sigh of relief. The matter was in trouble. The person who died was still a scholar. There was a group behind the people who were famous. When Chen Cao was about to ask, Xu Kaixian also came in and whispered: "My lord, I understand." The name of the deceased was Zhang Liang, twenty-eight years old, from Jiangning, a scholar in the middle of last year, and his family had some money, so his family sent him to Nanjing Imperial College to study."
this...
For students at Nanjing Imperial College, things are even more troublesome.
Chen Cao took a breath of cold air because he felt that Song Che's situation was worrying.
"Xu Kaixian, you continue to check the scholar Zhang Liang's background and his social status. After summarizing, report to me." He stared at Zhao Xin and said: "Take someone to Zuixiang Building to inquire about the specific situation of the day."
After the two left, Chen Cao looked at Han Shizhong in the audience and said, "Han Shizhong, go to Jiangning personally and check out the situation around Zhang Liang's home. You must inquire carefully."
"yes..."
Chen Cao stood up as he spoke, adjusted his Feiyu uniform, and then said to Liao Yaowen who was standing next to him: "Take a few brothers, let's go to Yingtian Mansion Yamen."
Liao Yaowen was a little confused: "Sir, why should we go to Yingtianfu Yamen?"
"Investigating the case..." Chen Cao walked out without looking back.
As Chen Cao, when he went to Yingtianfu Yamen, the yamen servants not only did not dare to stop him, but also respectfully introduced him in. It happened that the person on duty today was also an old acquaintance of Chen Cao, Yingtianfu Tongjian Huang Chengxian.
The number of thousand households in the fifth rank is naturally larger than that of the general judge in the fifth rank, but this is the Ming Dynasty. In the late Ming Dynasty, civil servants were more valuable than military attachés. Normally, Huang Chengxian would definitely not take an official with a thousand households in his eyes, but Now, standing opposite him is Jin Yiwei, so naturally it cannot be generalized.
"Chen Qianhu, why did you come to my office today?" Huang Cheng first bowed his hands to Chen Cao in accordance with official etiquette.
Chen Cao had a bad impression of Huang Chengxian because he thought that Huang Chengxian must have taken advantage of the people behind him after being persecuted last time. This guy was not a good person.
So he said in a calm tone: "Huang Tongpan knows, do you know that the criminals sent to the magistrate's office today are from the Wucheng Army and Horses Division?"
Huang Chengxian stood up straight and his tone became calmer: "I know, I have already scheduled a trial with officials from the Beicheng Military and Horse Division tomorrow, so I don't need Chen Qianhu to worry about this."
Chen Cao smiled when he heard this: "Yes, but I have to worry about it. It is reported that the deceased is a scholar and a supervisor of the Imperial College. The matter involves the Imperial College. Of course, I, the Jinyi Guard, have to do a lot of work, not to mention that I, the Jinyi Guard, still have Quan asked about other cases, why, Huang Tongpuan wants to teach me how Jin Yiwei should do things, but it doesn't work?"
Chen Cao glanced sideways at Huang Chengxian with a sneer on his face. This sentence was a trap. Huang Chengxian was also a veteran, so naturally he couldn't be fooled, so he smiled helplessly: "Don't dare, don't dare."
"It's okay if you don't dare. Where is the offender Song Che? I want to see him."
Yingtian Mansion Prison is located in the northeast corner of the government office in a remote location. Chen Cao led people into the cell. Huang Chengxian, who was following behind, was stopped by the Jin Yiwei who was following Chen Cao.
"What do you mean?" Huang Chengxian frowned.
The captain shook his head expressionlessly: "Please forgive me, Mr. Huang, the cases that Jinyiwei intervenes are all imperial cases, and they have to be reported directly to the commander afterwards. Do you also want to know more about it?"
Huang Cheng was stunned for a moment, then shook his head: "No, no, in that case, you can do whatever you want, I still have things to deal with. When someone comes, you just wait. Once Chen Qianhu gives orders, you can just do it."
After the two yamen officers nodded, they also stood obediently behind the two captains.
Song Che was not wearing the military uniform of the Army and Horse Division when he was arrested, but due to his status as a Soldier and Horse Division, he did not suffer much except for being a little dirty.
"Yaozhong, you're finally here." Song Che saw Chen Cao walking into the cell with several guards in uniforms. He rushed forward and grabbed the cell door frame, looking a little excited.
Chen Cao looked back and saw that this was his first time in the prison cell where he was the Prison Department of Jinyiwei. He had only been to the separate prison room where prisoners were interrogated: "Come here, I want to interrogate this person. Please open the cell door."
Liao Yaowen turned around and stared at the two guards following behind him. One of them had a very sharp eye and knew that these guards were coming with bad intentions. He hurriedly opened the cell door with a smile and bowed his waist, and brought Song Che out.
In the interrogation room of the prison, Chen Cao looked at Song Che with a puzzled face, and after a long time he said, "How did you go to a brothel to fight with a scholar? And beat him to death?"
Song Che looked aggrieved, and then complained: "Yiushong, we have been brothers for so many years, and you still don't understand me? I went to Zuixiang Building that day just to collect regular money, but the scholar bumped into me for no reason without telling me. , he also yelled and cursed, scolding my sister and the dead old woman all over, how could that be possible? I only punched him in the eye."
"Is there any other place?" Chen Cao asked.
Song Che thought for a while and suddenly realized: "There is also the position below his right shoulder." He pointed to the right chest below the collarbone: "He was still cursing when he left, and said he wanted to find someone to deal with me, Zuixianglou Everyone can testify that the dozen or so brothers under me all know it."
Chen Cao nodded: "Your sister came to my house to find me and asked me to save you. You are not stupid." After teasing, he continued: "You are unkind. The girl at home is so beautiful and you didn't sue me. You are unkind. "
"Hey, you are still in the mood to joke with me now. I didn't know that person was dead until I came in. It's really unfair. I don't know what I did."
Seeing Song Che complaining, Chen Cao patted him and comforted him: "Don't worry, I don't care about our brother's friendship, just because of your sister's face, brother, I have to save you."
Song Che: "..."
After leaving the prison, the first thing Chen Cao did was to go to the North City Army and Horse Division to find their commander Liu Ping. To put it simply, the Five City Army and Horse Division belonged to the Duke of Wei, because the generals in it were all from the Duke of Wei.
Liu Ping received Chen Cao very politely, because Chen Cao is now more famous than Liu Ping in Nanjing, not to mention that they are actually a family.
"Master Liu, do you know about Song Che?"
Liu Ping nodded, and then said: "Jiangning County has sent someone to inform them this morning, and then someone from Yingtian Mansion came to inform them that the trial will start tomorrow. I wonder if Brother Chen has any good ideas?"
"Then what do Mr. Liu think about this matter?"
Liu Ping said solemnly: "Even if Song Che commits a crime, it will be handled by our Army and Horse Division in the end. Yingtian Mansion is just a formality, but what matters now is that the deceased was a supervisor of the Imperial College, so this This matter is very troublesome to deal with.”
Chen Cao took a deep breath: "I understand, leave everything to me. Please rest assured, Mr. Liu, Song Che's matter will definitely come to light."
Song Che's family is just outside Beicheng. Old Song died young and Song's mother died of illness the year before last. The family is the same as Chen Cao's, with only two siblings left. Chen Cao's family is much better than Song Che's. At least Chen Cao can make money. On the other hand, Song Che's family is much better than Song Che's. Song Che, when he walked into the Song family, apart from being smaller than his previous home, the only thing he felt was that he was poor.
So much so that Song Che hasn't gotten married yet, and his salary and little filial piety money have been given to his sister Song Yin. Now Song Yin has changed her clothes and put on a light-colored bijia. The weather in Jinling has begun to change, but it is not particularly cold.
"Mr. Chen," Song Yin returned home distractedly and forgot to close the door, so Chen Cao walked in directly.
"Your brother and I are good brothers. Both of our families are from the Duke's family. There is no need to meet anyone else. You can call me Brother Yaozhong, or Brother Chen." Chen Cao walked around in the small courtyard. After turning around, I found that there was nothing interesting to see, so I walked into the main room.
It is indeed small. This small hall is too polite. At most, seven or eight people can stand inseparably. Song Che does not drink tea. The Song family only has boiled water. Song Yin sheepishly brought a glass of boiled water, her face a little embarrassed: " Sir, don’t be offended, there is no tea at home, if you are waiting for me, I will buy it now.”
"Okay..." Chen Cao refused: "Girl, you should call me Big Brother Yew Chung from now on. You don't have to see me outside. I don't think I have been to your house for many years, but it has become like this."
After hearing this, Song Yin felt uncomfortable. Song Che would become even more hopeless after a run-down military household like theirs: "Sir, oh no, Brother Yaozhong doesn't know. How can my eldest brother's position be comparable to that of Brother Yaozhong?" Compare."
Chen Cao and Song Yin talked for a long time, and then said: "I know about Brother Shixiu's matter, and it is being dealt with now. His case is more troublesome, and the evidence on the surface is all against him, so I estimate the time when he will come back. Still uncertain.”
thump...
Song Yin knelt down in front of Chen Cao, lowered her head and cried: "Brother Yizhong must save my brother, he is innocent..."
"I know..." Chen Cao leaned over to pull Song Yin, but when he lowered his head, he saw a patch of white flowers inside Song Yin's open collar, and thought to himself that this girl didn't even wear a bellyband, and she only changed into emotional clothes. : "Get up first, we are all a family, how can you kneel down to me? If your brother knew about it, wouldn't he want to start a fight with me?"
After all, Chen Cao's eyes were always looking at Song Yin's chest. Song Yin couldn't help but raise her head and saw Chen Cao's eyes. Then she looked at her collar, and her face turned red.
Chen Cao felt embarrassed at that time and didn't know what to say. He took advantage of someone else's younger brother when his brother was in trouble. He was so inhumane.
But when I think about it, it’s really cool…
"Sister, leave your brother's affairs to me. You can just wait peacefully." In order to avoid embarrassment, Chen Cao stood up and was about to leave. Then he turned around and said, "If you feel scared to be alone at home, come to my house." , my grandmother passed away, and my little sister is also in a bad mood. It just so happens that you two can still move around frequently. After all, we are a family..."
Looking at Chen Cao's leaving figure, Song Yin murmured: "A family..."
