There are two Cao Kun family houses in the Italian Style District of Tianjin, one is the Italian-style Cao Family Building at No. 94 Progressive Road, and the other is a small three-storey Western-style building on Democracy Road. Cao Kun was originally a native of Tianjin, and his family lived in Tianjin in his later years, which was the focus of attention of tabloid reporters at that time, leaving many hot topics.
Cao Kunsheng was born in a poor family on the coast of Dagukou, Tianjin, and his father Cao Bensheng was a worker who built wooden boats and gave birth to five boys and two daughters. His parents chose a woman surnamed Zheng from the same village as his wife for Cao Kun. In the third year after marriage, Cao Kun joined the army, and then defected to Yuan Shikai, from the pipe to the commander, the capital, and the viceroy, all the way to the promotion, until he was directly subordinate to the overseer, and the town guarded Baoding.
Cao Kun and his younger brother Cao Rui had the best relationship. Cao Rui was six years younger than Cao Kun and was an apprentice in Dagu Yusheng Rice Village when he was young, and after Cao Kun's discovery, Cao Rui became the director of the Qingxiang Bureau of Tianjin County, and later became the governor of the province. In addition to money, Cao Rui had almost no other hobbies, he bought knighthooded officials, arranged the military supplies of the directly subordinate armies, and the grain and clothing in the army had to pass through his hands. He himself invested in the establishment of rice farms, quilt factories, pawnshops, opened Tongfu Biscuit Company, invested in Hengyuan Spinning Factory, and bought many real estate. If there was no Cao Rui, Cao Kun would not have so much money. In 1923, Cao Kun believed that the time was ripe to become president, and Cao Rui helped him raise campaign funds, and eventually became the president through bribery.
Cao Kun
In the Second Zhifeng War, Feng Yuxiang spent more than 100,000 oceans to receive ordnance weapons, and he hated Cao Rui to the bone. Later, Feng Yuxiang launched an incident, imprisoning Cao Kun and Cao Rui in the Yanqing Building in Zhongnanhai, asking Cao Rui to hand over his property, and Cao Rui sacrificed his life and money to swallow opium and commit suicide.
At the age of 56, Cao Kun married the third lady Chen Hanrui and gave birth to her first son, named Cao Shiyue. Cao Shiyue did not go to school well when he grew up, and Dou Da's characters could not read a basket, coveted pleasure, and was debauched. In 1935, Cao Shiyue met Miss Yang, a hostess at the Star Cinema (later the Peace Cinema). After watching the movie, the two went to the Huizhong Hotel to open a private room, and after a few times, Miss Yang became pregnant and let Cao Shiyue Ming media marry. The Cao family is a famous person, how can they marry a waitress? Chen Ziyun, cousin of Cao Shiyue's wet nurse Wang Shaoshi, gave Cao Shiyue an idea and paid a thousand yuan of ocean compensation, and Miss Yang agreed to go to the hospital to have a fetus. Tabloid reporters hyped it up and spread it wildly.
At the age of 18, Cao Shiyue married Yuan Shikai's fourteenth daughter Yuan Huzhen, who was born to Yuan Shikai's eighth wife, a year older than Cao Shiyue, and was a widowed daughter, who had not yet been born when Yuan Shikai died. On the night of the wedding, Cao Shiyue found out that she was not a virgin, and blamed her, yuan Huzhen asked: "Are you a virgin?" Look at the lack of virtue you have done, and the waitress's belly has been enlarged, and the whole world knows it! Cao Shiyue was speechless.
After the marriage, Cao Shiyue did not change his heart, one night drunk and returned, Yuan Huzhen had a big fight with him, Cao Shiyue did not show mercy, and twisted Yuan Huzhen's arm with his hands. Yuan Huzhen called the police, and Cao Shiyue pulled out a pistol and broke the telephone. The Yuan family was furious when they learned of this, and Yuan Washuzhen was taken to the hospital and reported to the British Concession Patrol House. The patrol found eleven pistols at Cao Shiyue's house and transferred Cao Shiyue to the Tianjin District Court's procuratorate for detention in Xiyaowa Prison. "Tianjin Evening News" reported that at this time, it once again sensationalized Jinmen.
Cao Kun sent someone to apologize to the Yuan family for sending three thousand pieces of ocean, and then asked Wu Yulin, who had been the chief of transportation, to say peace. The Yuan family was headed by Yuan Shikai's eldest son, Yuan Keding, who befriended Cao Kun and agreed to reconcile. However, Yuan Huzhen's birth mother, Lady Eight, did not agree and insisted on confronting the Cao family, and Yuan Keding was powerless. Two months later, the Cao family asked Wu Peifu to be a peacemaker, and only then did they reach a settlement, Cao Shiyue compensated Yuan Huzhen for 63,000 yuan, returned 50,000 yuan for the dowry, the two divorced, and Yuan Huzhen left Tianjin for recuperation in the United States.
Cao Kun's fourth wife, Liu Fengwei, also gave birth to a son, named Cao Shisong. Liu Fengwei was born in a poor family in the southern suburbs of Tianjin, playing primary school drama, with the stage name "Nine Silk Red". Later, she maintained a simple habit of life, often admonishing her children to respect the servants, and establishing a family rule: after noon in the summer and before three o'clock in the afternoon, the family was not allowed to send the servants to the street to buy things, because it was too hot outside. After Cao Kun left the wilderness, he worked as a duke in Tianjin, and in the September 18 Incident in 1931, the Japanese came to invite Cao Kun out of the mountain several times, but was strongly opposed by the fourth lady Liu Fengwei, and finally Cao Kun did not become a traitor and saved the late festival. (Text: He Yuxin)
Former residence of Cao Kun in Tianjin