After eating the pastry, Brother Jiu came out of the east room.
Seeing the files on the fourth elder brother's desk, the ninth elder brother felt that he had better not cause trouble.
But he didn't stay in the West Room for a while. He remembered what happened to Ji Hong, so he entered the palace to look for his twelfth elder brother.
When he walked to the gate of the duty room of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Brother Ninth hesitated in his steps.
I had forgotten that Lao Ba was also in the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
well……
I don't want to meet him face to face.
I can't get close to you, and I'm not willing to be conceited.
"Master Jiu..."
It was Gao Yanzhong, who was coming out of the wing. When he saw Brother Jiu, he hurriedly took two steps forward to say hello.
However, the distance between this station and the station is a bit far.
Brother Jiu stopped, looked at him, and said in surprise: "Are you sick? Why are you so thin and old?"
His speaking voice was also a little hoarse.
Gao Yanzhong is also in his fifties, but before he looked younger, he looked like he was in his forties.
Looking now, he looks quite old, and his cheeks are deflated.
Gao Yanzhong hesitated for a moment and said: "At the beginning of the month, the grandson of my eldest son's family died. My mother-in-law is getting old, so she is not well..."
Since there is no mourning for children, there is no need to report the funeral, and not much is known outside.
"A flower? Why didn't you vaccinate?"
Brother Jiu was surprised and said: "Isn't your boss filling the gap?"
"I'm not even one year old yet, so I don't dare to get vaccinated. My eldest daughter-in-law didn't go out with her because she was heavy, so she moved back in."
Gao Yanzhongdao.
In fact, it was the assistant who made the fuss.
Gao Yanzhong's eldest son and his eldest daughter-in-law had already separated from the family. However, because Gao Yanzhong had an extra assistant, the eldest daughter-in-law was afraid that the news would spread to the two brothers-in-law's room, so she took advantage of her pregnancy to move back.
As a result, it was such a coincidence that the little one did not survive this wave of acne.
As soon as the pox epidemic breaks out, families with strangers and children will close their doors and refuse visitors, fearing that the pox epidemic will be brought in.
The same is true for the Gao family.
Unfortunately, Gao Yanzhong's mother-in-law is elderly. She fell down at the end of last month and is bedridden to recuperate.
Gao Yanzhong's sister-in-law heard the news, and in the name of being filial to her mother, she came over every day to "attend to her illness".
Back then, she had a bad heart and gave her husband's niece, who lost her virginity and became pregnant, to her nephew Gao Bin as a matchmaker. Later, the story was revealed and the two families broke off all contact.
Nowadays, the Gao family is prospering, but the aunt's family is in ruins, so she hopes to have the opportunity to get back together with her family.
It is unclear whether she brought this pox epidemic here, or whether Gao Yanzhong brought it back on duty every day.
The youngest grandson of the Gao family died in infancy.
Gao Yanzhong's mother-in-law felt extremely guilty, was completely ill, and had some signs of the next life.
Every family has sutras that are difficult to recite, and this is what I am talking about.
Brother Jiu thought of the four words "New Year's Eve is sad".
It seems that for those who are over 60 years old, every winter is quite dangerous.
Brother Jiu said, "Have you prepared the ginseng at home? If you need any medicine, please send someone to Baylor's Mansion to let us know. You don't need to see anyone outside."
Gao Yanzhong said gratefully: "We are ready. Mr. Xie Jiu is thinking about this slave."
At this moment, the twelfth elder brother picked up the door curtain and came out of the check-in room.
It turned out that the little eunuch beside him went out to the water room and saw Brother Jiu in the yard, so he turned around and went back to report.
"Brother Ninth is looking for me?"
The voice of the twelfth elder brother was a little cheerful.
The ninth elder brother nodded, waved his hand for Gao Yan to get out, and followed the twelfth elder brother into the check-in room.
The eighth elder brother was not here, so the ninth elder brother felt much more at ease and sat directly on the chair in front of the twelfth elder brother's desk.
"Isn't it too late this year for the Construction Department to settle the settlement of the Imperial Business?"
Brother Jiu asked straight to the point.
The twelfth elder brother shook his head and said: "It's not too late. The normal settlement and the Laba settlement are almost the same. I remember the paperwork. The last payment was made on the seventh day of the lunar month."
The ninth elder brother also entered the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and then he remembered that the twelfth elder brother was now in charge of the Construction Department.
The Ji family was the royal merchant who supplied Taihu stone to the construction company.
It's just that Brother Jiu also knows that the kid is difficult to deal with, and he is afraid that the junior officials below him will deceive him.
Seeing that it was not a matter of settlement, Brother Jiu dropped the matter.
Anyway, I will see someone in the afternoon, and I will know the reason then.
The ninth elder brother was chatting with the twelfth elder brother.
"Next year's longevity gift will be different from previous years. You should be more attentive and ask how Brother Thirteen prepares it. It should be similar to him."
The year after tomorrow, when my eighteenth brother was six years old, he had to move out of the palace if he wanted to go to the study.
There is no room left for my brother.
The day for the twelfth elder brother and the thirteenth elder brother to leave the palace is coming soon, and they will have to move out before the freezing weather next year at the latest.
I also need to spare some time to repair my brother's house.
Even if the two of them are not ennobled by then, the money and property of the divided family will still be appropriated.
After hearing this, the twelfth elder brother hesitated a little and said, "Isn't Khan Ama always fond of frugality?"
Today's imperial court also mentioned that officials are not allowed to prepare auspicious signs.
The ninth elder brother stared at the twelfth elder brother, hating that iron could not become steel.
"Do you still want to be frugal during the Wanshou Festival? Are you stupid? All your money was given by Khan Amma. Take the Khan Amma's money to honor Khan Amma. Even if you spend everything, Khan Amma can make you
Are you at a disadvantage?"
At this point, he lowered his voice and said: "You know this courtesy exchange, right? You are so picky with Khan Amma, and Khan Amma is not willing to reward you when he rewards others. He hid before, but now you can
This is not the time to hide, think about it, you will be leaving the palace next year..."
The twelfth elder brother knew that these were good words, even if they were not what he wanted, he still nodded obediently.
Brother Jiu said: "When the time comes, I will prepare a housewarming gift for you!"
The twelfth elder brother shook his head and said: "No need, I don't lack anything."
Brother Jiu hummed softly: "You are in the palace and don't worry about food, rice, oil and salt. You will know when you live your own life."
He came here just to ask about the Ji family. Since he had nothing to do, he sat for a while and then left.
When he returned to the household department to check in, Brother Jiu felt a little unbearable thinking about Gao Yanzhong's old state.
He then told He Yuzhu: "Take my post and go to the Imperial Hospital to see who is idle among the old and sick. Take it with you to Gao's house and show it to the old lady."
He Yuzhu responded, took Brother Jiu's post, and went to Tai Hospital.
By the time He Yuzhu came back, it was already lunch time.
The ninth elder brother and the fourth elder brother had just had lunch and were eating on the ground.
"Why did you come back? Is it serious?"
Brother Jiu looked at He Yuzhu and said.
He Yuzhu nodded and said: "The imperial doctor said that the previous prescription is fine. The old lady is indeed old. I will prepare whatever she wants to eat."
Brother Ninth: "..."
The fourth elder brother was listening in confusion and said: "Whose old lady? The one from the second room of Dong E's family?"
Brother Jiu shook his head and said, "No, it's Gao Yanzhong's old mother-in-law, the one who takes care of her in his home."
Gao Bin worked as a follower to the ninth elder brother for two years, and later followed the fourth elder brother to farm in Haidian. The fourth elder brother naturally knew who Gao Yanzhong was.
He glanced at Brother Jiu and said: "There is a difference between superiority and inferiority, but don't be too graceful."
To be honest, the father and son did not do anything for Brother Jiu, but they benefited a lot from him.
Gao Yanzhong has been promoted to the fourth rank, and he has also been awarded the rank of assistant.
When Gao Bin was in his weak years, other children of the Ministry of Internal Affairs at this age were still doing odd jobs and might not even be able to pass the ninth-grade examination. Gao Bin had already been a parent official for two years.
"It's a lot of difficulties for them, but for me, it's just a simple effort. There is bad news every year in the twelfth lunar month. I just look forward to the end of the year..."
Brother Ninth said.
Since the beginning of winter this year, many elders from the clan have passed away. However, due to the pox epidemic, most of them did not report their funerals, or held funerals simply.
Otherwise, they would have trouble doing nothing during the twelfth lunar month every year.
There is no movement in the clan now, but people around me, including elderly people at home, have heard several things and become uneasy.
When they came out of the Yamen in the afternoon, the ninth elder brother and the tenth elder brother met up.
He asked: "Has Ji Hong delivered a greeting card to your house?"
Brother Ten shook his head and said, "I haven't heard that the Ji family's New Year's gift is given at the beginning of the month, isn't it?"
Brother Jiu said: "It has nothing to do with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the foreign goods shop, so why did Ji Hong rush to Beijing in such a hurry?"
Having said this, he thought about the Ji family's roots in Jiangnan, and his hometown is more than 200 miles away from Suzhou.
"Isn't it because the Li family is making things difficult? How dare Li Xu?"
Although Ji Hong is not Ninth Brother's disciple, he does errands for Ninth Brother and has business dealings with Dunjun Prince's Mansion. If Li Xu bullies the Ji family, he will have to settle the score with him.
After hearing this, the tenth elder brother shook his head and said: "Li Xu doesn't know it. I heard that after Li Xu went to Jiangnan, he had a wider circle of friends than Cao Yin and was more popular. He was called 'Li Fo' and acted like a 'timely rain'.
Why would you embarrass the Ji family?"
Brother Jiu thought about it and said, "Could it be that the Ji family wants to be an agent for the export business of this material because cashmere is selling well in Jiangnan? If so, they have really good vision."
Businessmen seek profit.
It’s the coldest month of winter and we’re so far away.
If it wasn't for difficulties, it would be for profit.
While the brothers were talking, the carriage arrived at the Beiguanfang.
The ninth elder brother and the tenth elder brother got off the carriage.
The tenth prince pointed to the right side of the gate of Baylor Mansion and said, "I'm quite impatient. People are already here."
There was a carriage parked there, an ordinary blue woolen carriage.
After the tenth elder brother finished speaking, he had no intention of returning home and said to the ninth elder brother: "I haven't seen him in a year. Let's go over and have a look."
He was afraid that Ji Hong's clever words and seduction might deceive his ninth brother.
Ji Hong was waiting in the back room next to the concierge.
Hearing that Brother Nine was back, he hurriedly came out to see him.
Brother Jiu nodded and greeted him, "Come in and talk to me."
With that said, he led the people to the front hall.
When the guests and hosts were seated, Ji Hong handed over the gift list and said, "This is the gift list prepared by my father to congratulate Fujin in advance."
Brother Jiu raised his eyebrows and asked He Yuzhu to take the gift list and hand it over.
After briefly looking through it, he realized that this gift was a bit heavy.
A string of peach blossom tourmaline beads, a pair of purple-pink Yunnan jade bracelets, a pot of pink coral tree, and eighteen pink rubies of different sizes.
Although I haven't seen the actual object yet, it may be that Ji Hong's richest father took it out as a gift. The designation is unmistakable.
Brother Jiu looked at the gift list and complained, flicked it, and said: "You helped me buy and sell it in the past two years, but there is no such good thing. Is this hiding something?"
After Shu Shu gave birth, she liked pink clothes for a while. Brother Jiu bought a lot of pink tourmalines and gemstones to make her hair and face, and asked Ji Hong to inquire with Hangzhou Customs in Suzhou.
Ji Hong hurriedly explained: "This is the first time the student has seen these objects. If he had known about these objects, he would have asked the student's father to send someone to Beijing..."