As we all know, when Yongzheng wants to punish someone, he always starts with small details. For example, the overthrow of Nian Qianyao began with an idiom in the inverted play, and the attack on Cao began with the loss of the color of his clothes.
The clothes faded, and Yongzheng was very angry. He thinks it's the fault of the weaving. I checked it and it was made in Jiangning. So he ordered Jiangning Weaving Cao Fu to be punished for one year for disrespecting Jin weaving and dyeing, and New Suzhou Weaving Gaobin was fined half a year.
Azurite is dark blue in color, and dark blue silk fades easily. This is the limitation of the process. During the Kangxi period, the clothes faded severely. Kangxi just ordered a remake, but Yongzheng was more serious. He not only reprimanded Cao Fu, but was also fined for one year.
Of course, fines alone are not enough. Yongzheng was still not satisfied, and ordered the Internal Affairs Office to investigate the cause of the discoloration of the clothes. Interestingly, the investigation found that the cause of the discoloration of the clothes was the silk being transported from the canal, and water vapor entered the ship's hold, causing the silk to be damaged. Tide causes discoloration.
After the results of the investigation came out, Yongzheng ordered Jiangning Weaving, Suzhou Weaving, and Hangzhou Weaving to transport silk to Beijing by land instead.
This made Cao Fu, who was working as a weaver in Jiangning at the time, very worried. After all, the Cao family has been working as weavers for fifty-nine years. Transporting silk from the canal was the first time in decades that he had to transport silk by land.
In May this year, Yongzheng issued another holy decree:
This year is the ...... year for Gao Bin to return to BeijingGao Bin didn't have to go back to Beijing, he still asked Cao Fu to give him a satin gift. ”
Yongzheng's decree is very clear. He made it clear that he was not allowed to send it to others, and he specially asked Cao Fu to send it. Yongzheng made an order, and Cao Fu had to obey.
Cao Fu didn't travel by land, so he didn't know about the inn. And, at this juncture, he should have been very careful, but he still made mistakes.
At the end of November this year, Cao Fu was on his way to escort the royal clothes into Beijing, passing through Changqing County, Shandong Province and other places. When he tried to collect the silver from the station using the ancient "ritual", it finally caused a disaster. Disaster.
Going to the post station to ask for extra money has always been a common practice in the officialdom of the Ming and Qing dynasties at that time. In the past, the inn station did not dare to offend Cao Fu, the weaver girl of Jiangning, but this time, by chance, Cao Fu met a more serious place**. He was the governor of Shandong at the time.
Selen'e is a henchman who assists Yongzheng in rectifying officialdom. When he learned that Cao Fu was extorting money from the post station, he directly wrote a memo and sent it to Yongzheng.
In his book, Selen wrote this: "From Hangzhou and other places, weaving and transporting dragon clothes, passing through Changqing County and other places, outside the Kan River, asking for Dosov's horses, clothes, mules and other silver. ”
Sailenga said in the recital that "there are weaving in Hangzhou and other three places". In fact, the person who transported it was Cao Fu, and among the three major weavings, Jiangning weaving had the highest status.
It is mentioned in the note that in the process of transporting clothes to the emperor to the capital, Cao Fu abused the commoners, and also asked for silver from the places he passed by** and inns.
Emperor Yongzheng was very angry after reading the excerpt and ordered the Internal Affairs Office to strictly interrogate Cao Fu.
Cao Fu has been on trial since December and should have lost his personal freedom.
Cha Cao Fu was convicted of harassing a post station and is now shackled. ”
At this time, Cao Fu couldn't figure it out. Cao's Jiangning Weaving has always been loyal to the emperor. So, why is Yongzheng so angry about a matter of harassing the post station?
In fact, Yongzheng has not liked the Cao family for more than a day or two.
The decline of the Cao clan actually began in the later years of Kangxi.
The job of weaving in Jiangning is a very fat job. The first generation of Cao's Jiangning weaving was Cao Xi.
When Kangxi appointed Cao Xi, he had deep feelings for this. Cao Xi's wife, Sun, was the nurse of Emperor Kangxi. It is precisely because of this relationship that after Kangxi ascended the throne, Cao Xi was naturally trusted and taken care of. , became Kangxi's close confidant.
Internally, Cao Xi is Kangxi's loyal servant, and externally he is equivalent to the minister of the Qincha.
In the second year of Kangxi's accession to the throne, he entrusted Cao Xi with an important task and sent him to Jiangnan to serve as a weaver in Jiangning.
On the surface, Jiangning Weaving is just an official office in charge of silk, dyeing and weaving for the royal family. In fact, it's not that simple. Kangxi also gave Cao Xi an important mission, that is, to let him secretly act as his eyes and ears to help Kangxi understand the social dynamics and social trends in Jiangnan. Officials govern the people.
In 1663, Cao Xi officially became a weaver in Jiangning and settled in Nanjing. Since then, the Cao family has become truly prominent. They moved south for 60 years and developed into the heads of the four major families in Nanjing.
Cao Yin is the second generation of Cao's Jiangning weavers and Cao Xueqin's grandfather.
After Cao Xi died of illness, it didn't take long for Kangxi to order Cao Yin to inherit his father's position and succeed him as a weaver in Jiangning.
After Cao Yin succeeded to the throne, he was favored by Emperor Kangxi. After all, Kangxi's nurse is Cao Yin's mother. She has been Kangxi's companion since she was a child, and she served as Kangxi's forbidden army at the age of sixteen, and her relationship is naturally close.
During Cao Yin's reign, Kangxi was already middle-aged, and the government became more and more stable. Cao Yin was naturally deeply valued and appreciated by Emperor Kangxi. In addition, he served Kangxi loyally, so he served as Jiangning Weaver for 23 years and served five times. Ren Yan patrolled the imperial history, and undertook Kangxi's southern tour four times.
The Cao Yin period became the most prosperous and heyday period of the Cao family.
Cao Hao is the third generation of Jiangning weaving Cao's family.
In the fifty-first year of Kangxi, Cao Yin, who was most favored and trusted by Emperor Kangxi, died. After Kangxi's special decree, Cao Hao's eldest son Cao Hao inherited his father's throne and succeeded Jiangning Weaving.
But who knew that Cao Yong's fate was very bad. Less than three years after taking over, he died of illness at the age of twenty-seven.
But Cao Yong had no children, so there was no successor to this branch.
However, Emperor Kangxi still had some feelings for the Cao family. He didn't want Cao Yin's route to be cut off. In order to restore the family's decline, he issued an order to order Cao Yin's late brother Cao Xuan's son Cao Fu to adopt him. In the name of Cao Yin, he adopted his nephew as his son, inherited the incense of Cao Yin's lineage, and still inherited the position of Jiangning weaving.
Cao Fu is the *** descendant of Jiangning Weaving Cao.
From Cao Xi to Cao Fu's generation, there have been four generations of weaving cloth in Jiangning, a total of 59 years.
It can be seen that the relationship between Kangxi and Cao is indeed not ordinary. Because of these relationships, the girls of the Cao family have the identity of flag people and can enter the palace through the draft. Cao Fu's two daughters were also chosen as concubines.
Cao's *** Jiangning weaving has enjoyed infinite brilliance and can be said to be a brilliant place.
Cao Fu recalled those days, and the past glory of the Cao family seemed to be still vivid. But after Yongzheng ascended the throne, Cao's glory was difficult to maintain. At this time, the Cao family and Yongzheng were no longer the extraordinary monarch and minister relationship established by their ancestors during the Kangxi period.
When Kangxi was in power, the Cao family had many problems, but Kangxi always shielded and protected them, so that no one dared to touch them. As soon as Kangxi died and Yongzheng ascended the throne, the umbrella of the Cao family was naturally gone, and the fate of the decline of the Cao family was inevitable.
When Yongzheng succeeded to the throne, the household department was only eight million taels**, and the finances were very difficult. He issued decrees one after another, ordering him to make up for the shortcomings and straighten out the officialdom. He has said many times that anyone who is short of money and food will be removed from his post immediately.
At this time, the Cao family, who had been in charge of weaving in Jiangning (now Nanjing) for a long time, was regarded as a lucrative position in the eyes of everyone, and naturally it was also the focus of Yongzheng's attention, because Cao's absence was never repaid.
Speaking of the Cao family's deficit, this has to be thanked to Emperor Kangxi.
Kangxi toured the south six times and stayed at Cao's house four times. In order to **, the Cao family not only spent money like running water, but also embezzled hundreds of thousands of national treasury**, resulting in a huge deficit.
In "Dream of Red Mansions", Aunt Zhao once asked Concubine Yuan to visit relatives, and she said something like this: "I only went to pick her up once, and the money was spent like water in the sea." ”
This deficit also plagues the children and grandchildren of the Cao family.
Cao Yin said in his note to Kangxi that there were three main reasons for the deficit: "receiving the emperor's southern tour, building a palace, and paying tribute." Kangxi, like Spiegel, knew that most of the deficit was caused by his southern tour, so he was reluctant to sever the relationship. They did not punish Cao Yin, but privately told them to make up for the deficiencies as soon as possible.
In the forty-ninth year of Kangxi, because of Cao Yin's defeat, Kangxi wrote four "warnings" on Cao Yin's recital.
However, Emperor Kangxi just talked, and did not say that he would reward him with any money. Cao Yinshang went to ** to find money to make up for the gap? This made Cao Yin unable to return to heaven, and died of illness in Yangzhou two years later.
Cao Yin calculated on his deathbed that the treasury was still short of **230,000 taels, but he really had no money to make up for the shortfall.
After Cao Yin's death, Cao Yong's son, Cao Yong, continued to work as a weaver in Jiangning, but died of illness two years later. Kangxi ordered Cao Yin's fourth nephew, Cao Fu, to take over as a weaver in Jiangning, and he used the money he received to take up the position of weaver in Jiangning again. made up for the shortcomings left by Cao Yin during his lifetime.
However, this gap has never been filled.
At first, Yongzheng did not punish the Cao family for Kangxi's sake, and allowed Cao Fu to repay the deficit within three years.
But the deficit is too big, and Cao Fu has nothing to do.
To this day, Cao Fu not only did not make up for the shortcomings, but was also fined for one year for the fading of the brocade robe he paid tribute. In addition, the governor of Shandong, Sai Leng'e, participated in Cao Fu's performance and extorted money from the inn. Cao Fu was ordered to interrogate.
Now, Cao Fu completely hit Yongzheng's "muzzle".
Cao Fu was trapped in the capital for censorship due to the station case and lost his personal freedom. The Cao family suddenly fell into a decadent atmosphere. But what everyone didn't expect was that this was not the worst, and there would be worse things to come.
This year, Cao Xueqin was 12 years old, and the Cao family ushered in a real stormy moment.
After Cao Fu was captured, he knew that he was finished, and he also knew in his heart that the Cao family Jiangning Weaving *** was about to lose in his own hands. Thinking of this, he actually sent a message to his home, asking his family to move secretly. Property.
However, Yongzheng has many eyes and ears. How could Cao Fu's actions be concealed from Emperor Yongzheng's eyes?
Cao Fu's delusions of transferring property and his disloyalty to the emperor completely angered Emperor Yongzheng. Yongzheng couldn't help but hate this the most. Yongzheng was furious and yelled at Cao Fu:
Cao Fu, a weaver in Jiangning, behaved badly and lost a lot of money for weaving. Many times I have shown him grace and forgiveness and asked him to make amends. If I'm grateful for my kindness, I should serve her. "She is so single-minded, not only ungrateful, but secretly hid the things in her house, and moved elsewhere in an attempt to hide them, contrary to my grace, and it is extremely bad! ”
The wording of Yongzheng's decree is very obvious. He said Cao Fu misbehaved. Not only was he unable to make up for his shortcomings, but he also complained about poverty every day. Now he has secretly transferred the family property and violated the emperor's favor. It's so hateful!
On December 15, the fifth year of Yongzheng, because "the Cao Fu case has not been concluded", Yongzheng relieved Cao Fu of his official position and officially appointed Sui Hede as Jiangning Weaving.
According to custom, every year from the 23rd day of the lunar month, it is considered a new year. "Twenty-three, worship the stove day, twenty-four, clean the house ......”
However, at the end of the year, the Cao family ushered in a panic.
On December 24, Yongzheng issued an order to order Fan Shiyi, the governor of Jiangnan, to seize Cao Fu's family property and arrest Cao's family.
Before the update the next morning, the streets were already noisy, and the army sent by the emperor to raid the house had already surrounded Cao's mansion.
It's okay now, the Cao family is not "sweeping the house twenty-four times", but is going to be kicked out.
Yongzheng plagiarized the Cao family for two reasons: one is the loss of money, and the other is Cao Fu's secret transfer of property.
In the sixth year of Yongzheng, that is, in early February 1728, Sui Hede, a newly appointed weaver from Jiangning, received an order from Yongzheng to immediately begin to inspect the Cao family's property as soon as he arrived in Nanjing.
After the Sui Dynasty and De raided their homes, they gave Emperor Yongzheng a note detailing the number of items seized:
When the slaves arrived, they carefully inspected their own houses and their families' houses in 13 places, a total of 483 rooms; 8 plots of land totaling 19 hectares and 67 acres; The family members are one boy and one girl, and the rest are 14 people in total. There was nothing but tables, chairs, beds, a few old clothes, and more than a hundred pawn tickets, which was similar to what the governor had searched. Another family member reported that they owed Cao Yin more than 32,000 taels of principal and interest when they went out. The servants asked the debtors, and they all agreed to pay it back.
Let's take a look at this list of the Cao family's property after it was confiscated.
In terms of real estate, there are a total of 13 houses with 483 units.
It has a total land of 19 hectares and 67 acres. If calculated according to 1 hectare and 100 mu, the Cao family has a total of 1,967 mu of land.
The Cao family has a population of 114 people.
pawned 100 taels of silver, and the family paid off the debts owed by others, totaling more than 32,000 taels.
In addition to this, there are fixed assets, furniture, tables and chairs, and scattered small items, and nothing else.
After Yongzheng got the list, he took a deep breath and looked at it a few times with his glasses. He found that the money others owed to the Cao family was only 32,000 taels, more than 100 tickets, and nothing else. It's so "shabby", my heart suddenly went cold.
It is recorded: "I was dismissed from my post because of a deficit, and my family was entrusted with it. This silver is several thousand taels, and the pledge (i.e., pledge) is only worth a thousand taels of gold." silver). Not only did the emperor (referring to Yongzheng) feel pity after hearing this! ......
In addition, Sui Hede also claimed in the recital that Cao Fu lacked 31,000 taels of silver, and that he owed Cao Fu 32,000 taels of silver, "enough to make up for his shortfall."
However, although the gap was filled, after the confiscation, the Cao family was left with only real estate such as houses and land, and there was no money. This had to disappoint Yongzheng.
Not only did Emperor Yongzheng not believe in this result, but even the ** who searched the house did not believe it.
Unexpectedly, the Cao family has been in charge of Jiangning weaving for four generations, and has been ** many times. The official position of Jiangning Weaving is a well-paid job, which can be called a "rich man", but he will be so poor.
Although Yongzheng was very disappointed with this raid, considering that the Cao family had been operating in Jiangnan for decades, the common people had a good impression of them, so they couldn't kill them all. In order to win people's hearts, Yongzheng ordered that in addition to real estate and population, the new Jiangning weaver Sui Hede was also rewarded.
As for the Cao family, it is impossible to return to Nanjing. Yongzheng ordered seventeen and a half houses and three pairs of servants to be left outside the Chongwen Gate of Jingshi to accommodate the old and young of the Cao family.
The Criminal Department Transfer" recorded: "Outside the Chongwen Gate in the capital, there are seventeen and a half local houses at the entrance of the city, with three pairs of servants, and they are given to Cao Yin's wife and widow.
On the one hand, a vigorous and resolute search of the Cao family's property was carried out, and on the other hand, a slow investigation was carried out on the case of harassment of hundreds of taels. After review, in June of the sixth year of Yongzheng, Cao Fu was sentenced to pay 443 taels of silver. By this time, he had nothing left. Since he could not repay the compensation of more than 400 taels, he could only wear heavy wooden shackles and find a way to scrape together money to repay.
It is worth mentioning that Cao Fu was neither exiled nor imprisoned. Compared with Long Keduo, Nian Qianyao and others back then, he was much luckier.
However, the Cao family failed completely.
This year, Cao Xueqin was only about 13 years old.
In the autumn of the second year after the Cao family was confiscated, Cao Xueqin couldn't resist repeated urging and drove away the new Jiangning weaver Sui Hede. Cao Xueqin accompanied her grandmother, mother, aunt, maid Qiuyue, Xia Yun and other family members, and only brought some clothes and luggage. In the end, he said goodbye to Jiangning with tears and went north. He lived in the old house of the Cao family in the mouth of the garlic market outside Chongwen Gate and began to live a poor life.
Cao Fu chained the 60-pound wooden shackle around his neck for about two years, and was not released until the end of the seventh year of Yongzheng.
It was not until Qianlong ascended the throne that the Cao Fu case was concluded, and the 443 taels of compensation owed by the Cao family for the inn case were also exempted.
The funny thing is that as soon as you finished singing, I went on stage, but you thought that a foreign country was your hometown, and in the end, you still made wedding dresses for others. ”
The poem "Dream of Red Mansions" vividly reflects that the Cao family was raided, and the newly appointed Jiangning weaving Sui Hede accepted all the Cao family's property in Jiangnan.
For Cao Xueqin as a teenager, since his home was confiscated, his life in Nanjing no longer belonged to him, and his family's fortune was declining.
After Qianlong ascended the throne, in order to win the hearts of the people, he solved some old cases. Cao Fu regained the emperor's favor and served in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Unfortunately, the good times didn't last long. Five years later, King Zhuang's conspiracy was revealed, and Cao Fu was implicated. He was killed and has not been able to ** ever since.
In the eleventh year of Qianlong, in order to support his family, Cao Xueqin was introduced by a friend to the right-wing sect school in Xidanshi Hutong in the capital and found a job as a "li", which is equivalent to the level of university teaching today. Assistant.
However, because Cao Xueqin is young and the son of a criminal minister, she is often discriminated against by others. He resigned in anger after only three years here.
On a stormy autumn day, Cao Xueqin packed her luggage and took her wife back to Zhengbaiqi Village near Xiangshan in the western suburbs of Beijing to settle down and concentrate on completing ** "Dream of Red Mansions".
Life is full of hardships, and the feast is finally over!
Joys and sorrows are like empty dreams, ancient and modern dreams are completely absurd!
Cao Xueqin is a person who has experienced great wealth and wealth, but after experiencing all the vicissitudes of life, he realized the misery of the world and the harshness of the world. "Dream of Red Mansions" is more like a heroic elegy written by Cao Xueqin for her former carnival life!