Yesterday we said that Wei Dongting is a figure made up out of thin air, and his real prototype is Cao Yin. And the extent to which Cao Yin and the Kangxi Emperor had an iron relationship can be seen through Kangxi's letter to Cao Yin.
First of all, the Kangxi Emperor's letter to Cao Yin has a prominent and unique sign, that is, to draw a small red flower in the letter and note three words next to it. This is unique in Kangxi's letters to civil and military officials. Moreover, Cao Yin was in trouble with malaria, and Kangxi actually sent eight hundred Lijia emergency people to send Cinchona cream to Cao Yin, and also instructed in the letter on the use of the drug, when to eat, how much to eat, and how to eat! For a courtier who made the emperor care so much, it is estimated that there is no one but Cao Yin? That said, who is this Cao Yin of Kangxi? How can it be so ironclad, so valued and cared for by Kangxi?
Speaking of the relationship between Kangxi and Cao Yin, Cao Yin is the wrapping of the white flag, and this wrapping is the meaning of slave! At that time, the Manchus captured many Han prisoners and asked them to do things for the Manchus, which was called wrapping clothes. Cao Yin's grandfather was like this. Later, the Zhengbai Banner was also under the direct jurisdiction of the emperor and became the Shangsan Banner, and naturally, the Cao Yin family also became the royal coat. It was also when Cao Yin was a child that Cao Yin's mother became Kangxi's nursing mother, so it is indeed not false to say that Cao Yin and Kangxi were small and grew up together. This is the same as the depiction of Wei Dongting in the TV series "Kangxi Dynasty". Because he grew up together, Kangxi knew Cao Yin very well, and he also saw Cao Yin's ability to do things and his loyalty to geng Geng. Therefore, not long after Kangxi came to power, Cao Yin was made a Jiangning weaver.
Where is Jiangning? Now Nanjing. Although the weaving official was not large and did not seem to have any real power, it played a very important role for Kangxi. Weaving, outsiders seem to be making clothes for the royal family, in fact, he also controls the procurement of copper in Jiangnan and the management of grain prices, including the later Kangxi let Cao Yin supervise the salt administration, you see, which is the lifeblood of the Great Qing Kingdom! In these aspects, Cao Yin did a very good job, conscientiously, and deeply satisfied with the Kangxi Emperor. Why would he give Cao Yin a small red flower alone!
In addition, Cao Yin was also the "gold medal undercover agent" installed by the Kangxi Emperor in Jiangnan. Specially for Kangxi to make a secret report. As early as 1697, Cao Yin had secretly reported to Kangxi the situation in Jiangnan, such as rice prices, agriculture, local conditions, and so on. Including the retired Jiangning university scholar Hubu Yuan Shangshu Xiong Zhilu at home, Kangxi asked Cao Yin, how is Xiong Zhilu's recent situation? You see, not only let Cao Yin stare at the place, but even people stare. It is said that if this play alone is said to be unconvincing, Cao Yin's secret agent is not very convincing, after all, it is normal for the emperor to inquire about the local situation to the officials. But the Kangxi Emperor wrote a reply to Cao Yin in 1704, and you will know that it is not normal when you listen to it! Say: If there is a difficult matter, you can secretly fold the request, and everything that is folded cannot be written, but there is a wind and a sound, and the relationship is very close. Be careful, be careful, be careful. Look at the important things and say them three times. If it is not lurking, if it is not a good relationship, can you say so? No way!
In addition, Kangxi went to Jiangnan six times, and four of them lived in Cao Yin's house, one was to reflect the good relationship, and the other was mainly to listen to Cao Yin's report on the situation in Jiangnan. Cao Yin's place in Kangxi's heart was known even to the later Yongzheng Emperor. Because Kangxi once said a sentence in public, "Without Cao Yin, there is no Jiangnan"! How deep does this sentence have to be! It can be seen that Kangxi's trust and relationship with Cao Yin are good. Of course, because of the relationship with Kangxi, Cao Yin's family was extremely wealthy, and he also made a lot of money from it, which was prominent for a while. This can be seen in Cao Xueqin's "Dream of the Red Chamber". Because Cao Xueqin's "Dream of the Red Chamber" is not written about her own family? What about Kangxi? You know? We all know! Just don't say it! Including the later deficit in the national treasury, Cao Yin borrowed a lot of money because he received the Kangxi Emperor in Jiangnan, and he could not repay it, and the Kangxi Emperor repeatedly came forward to let him not be in a hurry to repay it slowly. In 1712, cao yin suffered from typhoid fever and then converted into malaria, Kangxi also sent people eight hundred miles to rush to cao yin to deliver medicine, but unfortunately the medicine did not reach Cao Yin and died, which made Kangxi grief.
Cao Yin's death heralded the decline of the Cao family, Kangxi was keeping the money back, Kangxi was dead, Yongzheng succeeded to the throne, and sooner or later the money owed would have to be repaid. This was the only way to raid Cao Yin's home. Therefore, the relationship between Cao Yin and Kangxi is much closer than that of the TV series Kangxi and Wei Dongting. He was not only a capable minister, but also a confidant and eye of Kangxi, or a good brother.
![The Cao family was defeated: When they were raided, they were poor, and Yongzheng was disappointed when he saw the list[fig]](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAP///wAAACwAAAAAAQABAAACAkQBADs=)