My father-in-law is Kangxi

Chapter 1848 Opportunity
Main courtyard, west side room.

Shushu was talking to Sun, Huijie was sitting below Sun, with a platter of steamed buns on the small table beside her.

Shushu gave way, and Huier stood up to thank him, picked up a glutinous rice stick and ate it, then didn't ask for anything else.

This is a very well-behaved little girl.

The Sun family is about seventeen or eighteen years old, and there is an air of books.

Although both were bondservants, the Cao family adopted Manchu customs, while the Sun family still followed Han customs. The children raised by them were also quiet and shy.

Shu Shu couldn't help but wonder, "I heard that you moved south with your parents as soon as you could remember. Did you grow up in Guangzhou?"

That shouldn't be Baoqin's personality. Why does she look more like a lady from a Han family?

Sun had asked Xiaochun about the job before. Such extraordinary behavior was inconsistent with her delicate appearance.

The Guangdong Customs was located in Guangzhou. It was established in the 24th year of Emperor Kangxi's reign and was under the Ministry of Revenue. The officials who could be selected were all from the candidates of the Imperial Household Department.

Before Sun Wencheng was recommended by Cao Yin to be the Hangzhou Weaving Supervisor, he was working at the Guangdong Customs.

Sun nodded and said, "My father was appointed thirty years ago. I was two years younger than Hui Jie'er at that time. Because the journey was long, I never returned to the capital. I can be considered to have grown up in Guangzhou."

Shushu originally wanted to ask what Guangzhou was like today and the number of foreign merchant ships passing through the border every year, but after seeing Sun's grinning demeanor, it seemed that she didn't seem like someone who could wander around.

She looked at Hui Jie'er and didn't treat her as a child, but as a big child.

"Sister Hui, your father should have told you that the prince and I are selecting a study partner for the eldest princess. We will set up an inner school in the prince's mansion next year. However, because the eldest princess is young, she will spend the first two years half studying and half playing. We will also invite appropriate teachers to teach her. Are you willing to be a study partner for the eldest princess? Play with her and learn Mandarin and Mongolian with her?"

According to the Han Chinese custom, boys and girls cannot sit at the same table after they are seven years old; according to the Banner Chinese custom, children, regardless of gender, can keep their hair after they are ten years old.

This is a watershed moment.

Huijie is eight years old now, and it is not time for her to avoid men outside her family.

So this inner school was set up, and Fengsheng and Akdan would study together in it. When they were six years old, the brothers and sisters would separate.

Hui Jieer stood up and said, "Fujin, I am willing to be the eldest princess's companion in study. I heard that all boys from banner families in the capital can go to school, there are Zuoling School and Banner School, I also want to study..."

Shushu thought of Cao Gege, who came to Beijing when she was in her teens and already showed intelligence, and was not an ignorant girl.

Hui Jie'er is eight years old this year. She came to Beijing with her father two years ago. Before that, she lived in the Jiangning Weaving House.

Cao Yin had difficulty in having children, so his sons and daughters were obviously raised together.

It is not surprising that a little girl growing up in such an environment would want to study like boys.

Although Hui Jie'er lost her mother, she has the love of her father. She looks delicate and clever, speaks clearly and has a generous personality.

Shushu nodded and said amiably, "Try it after this year. If you are used to it, you can accompany the eldest princess to study. If you are not used to it, it's okay. There is an age difference between you two. You can ask your father to hire a teacher for you when the time comes."

"Uh-huh……"

Hui Jie'er nodded, sat down again, and listened to the two people talking quietly without looking around.

Shushu couldn't help but take another look.

This is the template for deceiving people into giving birth to daughters.

I want to tidy up the little girl's clothes and change them for fun.

When Hui Jieer noticed Shu Shu looking at her, she did not shy away. Instead, she pursed her lips and smiled slightly, revealing a pair of dimples.

Judging from the daughter and the mother, Cao Shun’s original wife must have been good-looking.

Shushu looked at Sun, she was just pretty.

She remembered that Sun had mentioned that she wanted to work as a government official, and wondered if she had changed her mind.

Xiaochun will have to take care of the baby in her belly next year, so she is really short of manpower.

Shushu then instructed Baiguo, "Take Huijie to Ning'an Hall to pay respects to Amu, and ask the kitchen to prepare some steamed buns and send them over."

Baiguo agreed and took Huijie away.

"I heard from Xiaochun that you asked about working in her mansion. Now that Cao Shun has been promoted to chief master of ceremonies, he can ask for imperial decrees to confer titles on female relatives after serving for three years. Will it be inconvenient for you to work there at that time?" Shushu asked.

When a husband is honored, his wife is honored; when his wife is honored, his children are blessed.

Cao Shun was a fourth-rank official, and could be granted titles for one generation, two imperial edicts, and one for his mother and his legitimate wife.

If the first wife has passed away, she can be named the second wife.

But that was all, the imperial edict was limited to one legitimate son and one heir.

This is the rule of the imperial court, which came with the "Great Ming Law".

But legal principles are nothing more than human feelings.

Many royal family members and nobles remarried, so later on there was a way: starting from the third wife, if one wanted an imperial decree, one had to "donate" in order to get it.

Since Sun was the stepwife, she could directly ask for the imperial edict without having to "donate" it.

The first wife died before being given a title, and was allowed to be posthumously awarded the title.

Sun said, "Lord Fu did not ask for an imperial decree, and neither did Lord E and Lord Fu. Our master will probably not ask for an imperial decree when his term of office is over."

Shu Shu: "..."

These are different.

According to the rules for requesting imperial decrees, the mother comes before the wife.

For example, if Fusong wanted to ask for a title to be bestowed on Zhang, he had to ask for titles for his deceased mother and stepmother first. Without a title for his mother, he could not give a title to his wife.

Fusong knew his stepmother's personality, that she was shallow, frivolous and ungrateful. He was afraid that something might happen if she received the imperial edict, so he did not ask for a title even after serving for three years.

As for Erhe and Fuqing, they were probably too embarrassed to ask for titles.

Erhe's mother was the wife of a super-rank duke and a daughter of a royal family, so she did not need an imperial edict for her youngest son.

The same is true for Fu Qing. His biological mother has passed away, and his stepmother is a first-rank lady, so there is no shortage of titles for his illegitimate son.

Shu Shu said nothing more, "My internal accounting office is indeed short of staff, and the work is not easy. Basically, I have to write off the monthly, quarterly and annual accounts of external industries, as well as the internal accounts of the Prince's Mansion, which also need to be checked on a monthly basis..."

Sun was a young wife and it was inconvenient for her to go in and out of the main courtyard frequently.

Shushu thought of the empty house in front of Ning'an Hall. He would set up the internal accounting office there. Sun would go in and out from the corner gate without having to pass through the main courtyard, which would be much more convenient.

Sun was delighted, she stood up and knelt down, saying, "Thank you, Madam. I may not be good at other things, but I am not afraid of checking accounts. Several generations of my maternal family have worked in the accounting department, and my mother has also been able to use an abacus since she was a child."

Shushu is not the kind of person who believes everything he hears.

seeing is believing.

She told Dongyue, "Go to the study and get the abacus and the account book on the desk."

The annual accounts of her dowry property had been moved to the study in the front yard, leaving only the annual account books of the expenses in the main courtyard and Ning'an Hall.

Dongyue agreed and went into the study to get the abacus and account book.

When the things were placed on the table in front of Sun, her expression changed.

His frail temperament immediately disappeared, revealing a bit of efficiency.

She rolled up her sleeves, opened a page in the account book, pushed and pulled the abacus at hand, and then there was the crisp sound of the abacus.

Shushu also knows how to use an abacus, and seeing the way she does it, you can tell that she is someone who often does the accounting.

Shushu smiled and said, "After the New Year, you can work in the government office..."

The Accounting Department uncovered a conspiracy two years ago and the old man was fined a lot of money, but Sun's maternal family was not among them.

After being investigated by the Ministry of Punishment, it can't be said to be 100% guaranteed to be innocent, but it's almost there.

Such a family tradition is very rare.

Shushu was somewhat curious about Mrs. Sun who was far away in Hangzhou.

At this point, she remembered the current rules, paused, and said, "I haven't asked you yet, have you told Lord Cao about this matter? It's only appropriate for the couple to discuss it."

The rules of the Three Obediences and Four Virtues are in place. If Sun makes his own decision, he will probably suffer.

Sun's face flushed, and she said with shame, "It was my negligence. I will tell our master about this when I get home today."

Shushu could see that the couple were obviously not very familiar with each other.

Come to think of it, it was a blind marriage, with a big age and experience gap between the two, and with a deceased wife and stepdaughter in between, it would take two years to get used to each other.

Shu Shu said, "Then you should tell Lord Cao that I am short of manpower and I am asking you for help. I want you to help me for a year or two..."

As for what will happen after a year or so, it depends on Sun’s mood.

This young couple may have a child someday and then the job will stop.

"Fu Jin..."

Sun didn't expect her to say that, so she took the matter over.

She looked more grateful, and looked at Shushu, and asked anxiously, "Did I make Fu Jin embarrassed?"

Her dowry was simple and her family lived an ordinary life in the past, but the Cao family was accustomed to a wealthy life.

There was an old man from the Marquis' Mansion around Hui Jie'er. He didn't talk to Sun directly, but he was on guard against Sun in front of Hui Jie'er as if she were a thief.

Sun then thought about asking for a job so that she wouldn't have to ask for money and could temporarily free herself from the disharmonious family relationship.

Shushu shook her head and said, "It's not difficult. You can see that it's really inconvenient for me. After giving birth, I have to rest for three to five months and can't bear the fatigue..."

Sun's parents and brothers were all in the south of the Yangtze River, leaving her alone in the capital, and she was in the situation of being a second wife and stepmother.

It seems that Sun has really suffered a lot in the past two years since her marriage.

Seeing Shushu being so kind, her eyes turned red, she lowered her head to wipe away her tears, and thanked him again...