My father-in-law is Kangxi

Chapter 1803 The Best of Both Worlds (Seeking a Monthly Ticket)

As they walked in front of the palace gate, the Ninth Prince and the Eighth Prince met head-on.

"Myna..."

"Ninth brother..."

The two brothers stood face to face, smiling politely.

Neither of them wanted to meet each other, but they ended up bumping into each other.

The Eighth Prince looked at the Ninth Prince and said that when Xiaotangshan is put into use next year, everyone will remember that it was the Ninth Prince who took the lead in building it.

and also……

Those loans...

All the princes owed the Ninth Prince a favor, including himself.

The Eighth Prince looked at the Ninth Prince with some inquiry.

If the Ninth Prince had other ideas, or favored that brother, the favors from Xiaotangshan might play a big role.

Unless the Ninth Prince continues to behave like he does now and not get involved in anything, he will become the target of his brothers' attempts to win him over.

The Ninth Prince didn't want to make eye contact with him, so he turned aside to make way, and said with a bow, "You are busy."

The Eighth Prince bowed and went to the Internal Affairs Department.

He always felt that it shouldn't be like this now. He should be close to the Ninth Prince, and the Ninth Prince should be his helper.

Unfortunately, there is no medicine for regret in this world.

The Ninth Prince returned to the Ministry of Revenue's duty room and sat behind the desk.

As for why the Eighth Prince was looking for the Fourth Prince, he had no interest in finding out.

He hesitated for a moment, wondering whether he should write to Cao Yin to ask about the new cashmere field, but then he denied the idea.

Cao Yin was on the same level as Li Xu, so he could not make decisions for Li Xu, and he could not stop him.

Besides, the Ninth Prince knew that he had already left the Imperial Household Department, so it would not be appropriate for him to interfere in this matter.

But doing nothing would make him feel worse.

When he left the government office and got into the carriage with the Tenth Prince, the Tenth Prince could see that he was unhappy.

"What's wrong? Is there someone in the government office who is blind and neglects Brother Nine?"

The ninth prince then told Li Xu about his plan to add a new weaving mill.

The Tenth Prince thought for a moment and said, "It is indeed not appropriate for Ninth Brother to meddle in Jiangnan affairs, but there are other people in Jiangnan. Compared with Suzhou, Hangzhou is more suitable for building a new weaving mill. There is a customs office there, and cashmere can be exported."

When the Ninth Prince heard this, he immediately laughed.

"Yes, yes, yes. Li Xu is Cao Yin's relative by marriage, but Sun Wencheng is his cousin. If both of them want to build new weaving mills, Cao Yin can't just help one and not the other. Then it will all depend on Khan Ama. Khan Ama is good at economics, so he naturally knows that Hangzhou is more suitable for building a weaving mill."

The Tenth Prince saw that the Ninth Prince disliked Li Xu.

"Khan Ama has become more nostalgic in recent years. The Li family is not only Khan Ama's confidant, but also has a relationship with Concubine Wang. Unless it is a serious offense, Huang Ama will not punish Li Xu."

The Li family was arranged by the emperor's father to check and balance the Cao family.

Jiangnan is important, and we need families like the Cao and Li families who are accepted by the literati in Jiangnan to infiltrate the inner circle and grasp the dynamics of Jiangnan in more detail.

Cao Yin was the nephew of the Gu family, a prominent family in Jiangnan, and Li Xu's ancestors were a prominent Confucian family in Shandong.

The two did not take the imperial examinations, but due to their family background, their knowledge was no less than that of the imperial examination officials.

Those good-for-nothings in the Ministry of Internal Affairs can't find anyone to replace the Cao and Li families.

There is also Concubine Wang. Now she has three princes. The emperor, out of pity for the weak, will keep Li Xu as external support for her and her sons.

The Ninth Prince knew the Tenth Prince's concerns and said, "When beating a dog, you have to look at its owner. He is Khan Ama's servant. I am not stupid and will not go against Khan Ama to confront Li Xu."

If that happened, he would not be in the right when he appeared before the emperor.

He couldn't just say that he suspected Li Xu of saying something bad about him and then punish him.

After returning to the mansion, the Ninth Prince went directly to the duty room in the front yard to meet Cao Shun.

"The masters of the Tongzhou weaving mill returned before the canal froze over, and they should be arriving in Jiangning soon. Write to your father-in-law and ask if the Hangzhou weaving house wants to set up a weaving mill as well. If so, quickly ask Cao Yin to lend them some people, or they will be snatched away by the Suzhou weaving house."

Cao Shun's second wife, Ms. Sun, was the eldest daughter of Sun Wen, the Hangzhou textile manufacturer.

Cao Shun immediately understood the Ninth Prince's intention and nodded, "I will write it right away."

The Ninth Prince said, "Officials and gentry in Jiangnan are all rushing to buy cashmere. Hangzhou's weaving mill can be larger in scale. In addition to supplying the palace and Jiangnan, it can also go directly through the customs."

Cao Shun took note.

After the Ninth Prince had made all the arrangements, his depression finally dissipated and he returned to the main courtyard.

Shushu was sitting on the kang in the east room, with a population register spread out on a small table.

The Ninth Prince came closer to take a look and said, "Are you looking at someone for Niguzhu?"

Shu Shu nodded and said, "First, look for a few people of similar age, and then ask someone to inquire carefully."

He is called a young servant, but he is more of a playmate for Niguzhu, so he has to choose one with good temperament and character.

She will be giving birth after the New Year, and then she will be in confinement for several months, and she will not have time to spare and will not have the energy to be with the children.

Fengsheng and Akdan can still keep each other company, and Niguzhu can also breathe a sigh of relief knowing that she has a little companion by her side.

The Ninth Prince thought of Cao Shun whom he had just met and asked, "How old is Cao Shun's eldest daughter?"

Shushu thought for a moment and said, "It hasn't grown any hair yet, but it should be soon. Before the Mid-Autumn Festival, it came in with Sun to pay respects. It looks to be eight or nine years old."

Although the Cao family was a Han army, they had been in the banner for many years and had become Manchu.

According to the old Manchu custom, children, both boys and girls, had short hair and only started to grow their hair when they were in their teens.

The Ninth Prince said, "Isn't this a ready-made candidate? She can be Niguzhu's companion, and is more suitable than someone with unknown background. Do you think that just because you found out that she is honest, she is really honest? When we were selecting the wet nurse before, wasn't there someone who was arrogant behind the scenes? Sometimes, this honest person is honest, but not really honest, but because of his status, he has no choice but to be obedient and has no chance to be dishonest..."

Cao Shun's daughter's nickname was Hui Jie'er, and she was a quiet little girl.

Her biological mother was the daughter of a marquis and had a flawless background.

Shu Shu was somewhat moved and said, "She is of the right age and status, and she is not spoiled."

The Ninth Prince said, "Cao Shun's step-wife is young, and the age difference between mother and daughter is not much. She can learn more rules by following Niguzhu and being influenced by the county lady."

Shu Shu looked at the Ninth Prince and said, "Then ask Cao Shun not to force it, otherwise a good thing will turn into a bad thing."

This is the daughter left by Cao Shun's original wife. The father and daughter have depended on each other for several years. Cao Shun may not be happy to let his daughter enter the mansion to serve as a companion to the eldest princess.

No matter how nicely he speaks, this imperial granddaughter's study companion is still a semi-servant.

This is also the reason why Shushu feels that Guizhen’s daughter is not suitable.

Guizhen grew up with Shushu. Even though she was a princess without a title, her status was more precious than that of Shushu, a servant girl. After they got married, their status was reversed.

When it comes to their daughter, the status gap widens further.

If Princess Guizhen felt resentful, it would be a big deal and would hurt the relationship between them.

The same goes for Cao Shun. It seems that the couple has the best of both worlds, but Cao Shun has to feel the same way.

The Ninth Prince nodded and said, "Don't worry, we are looking for a playmate for the eldest princess. This is respectable. If you are not willing, just find someone else."

Best of both worlds…

Shushu remembered Baiguo’s worries.

I had been thinking about telling the Ninth Prince, but I hadn’t opened my mouth yet.

She said, "Gui Dan is older than me. I said I would make the decision for Gui Dan, so I blocked my uncle's side. Is it time to find out?"

The Ninth Prince glanced at Shushu's belly and said, "It doesn't matter if you wait for half a year. Wait until you are out of confinement. I will find someone capable and capable of taking charge of the household."

Shushu asked, "What about Guiyuan? What plans do you have?"

The Ninth Prince thought for a moment and said, "Sun Jin's status is not high enough. I want Gui Yuan to go to Suzhou to see the pearl market after getting married. We need to find a decent family for this marriage. Otherwise, I will ask Gui Yuan. If he doesn't find someone he likes, we can help him find someone in the Red Belt family."

Guiyuan is a bondservant, otherwise the Ninth Prince would have thought that a member of the royal family who was idle would be more suitable. She is nothing in the capital, but in Jiangnan her identity as a princess can deceive people.

After hearing this, Shushu did not mention ginkgo.

Since the Ninth Prince wants to ask Gui Yuan first, if Gui Yuan is interested in Bai Guo, he will tell the Ninth Prince. If not, there is no need to force it.

When the Ninth Prince mentioned Juelu, he thought of the princess of the Shuncheng County Prince's Mansion who was "sold in marriage".

It is well known that it is difficult for a princess without a title to marry.

Because of the extravagant weddings nowadays, noble ladies from the Eight Banners all had lavish dowries.

Princesses of the royal family without titles have no dowry, and they need the emperor's grace to let the clan house prepare a dowry for them before their market price improves.

"See if there is a suitable princess from Guidan. Guidan's family has been promoted to the upper three banners, and he has the hereditary title of a captain. It wouldn't be considered too high a target for him to marry a princess from an ordinary general's mansion or an idle royal family." The Ninth Prince said.

Shushu nodded and took note.

Guidan has a Gioro female stepmother at home. If she finds a wife with a better status, she will not be suppressed by that side in the future.

A few days later, it was the fourth day of the twelfth lunar month, the day when Prince Shuncheng would marry off his daughter.

Although Lady Bo was unhappy, she still prepared a few boxes of gifts and asked Princess Guizhen to take them over.

Life is not easy for a woman, especially for a woman who has a bad father.

The lady prepared a set of gold headpiece, a set of jewel-studded headpiece, eight pieces of fine material, and four pairs of purses.

These can also be used as two dowries, and it is also a little gift from her to her niece.

Shushu's clothes were not good enough to go past the lady of the baron, so she only had a set of gold headdress, a pair of jewel-studded bracelets, four pieces of fine material, and two pairs of purses.

Her share was also brought over by Princess Guizhen.

In a blink of an eye, it was the sixth day of the twelfth lunar month, the day when Prince Shuncheng married off his daughter...

(End of this chapter)