After the whole family was swept away, I lay down flat

Chapter 1097: Hai Family’s Connections

The Hai family's carriage took Zhang Yingfeng to the avenue in front of the Zhang Mansion and stopped in front of the gate of the second branch of the Zhang family.

After the car stopped, Mother Li got out and knocked on the door, and delivered a message to the servant of the second branch of the Zhang family. After a while, there was a commotion from inside the door. Mrs. Zhang held the hand of her mother-in-law and hurried to the front door to greet her returning daughter.

She tightly grasped her daughter's hands, looked her up and down, and tears instantly fell: "It's good that you're okay, it's good that you're okay! When I heard from the people of the direct lineage that you had offended the Empress Dowager, the Concubine Dowager had to punish you slightly in order to prevent the Empress Dowager from punishing the Zhang family. She sent the carriage and servants back to the mansion first, and I was extremely worried. Your aunt also said that in half an hour, she would send someone to drive to the gate of the imperial city and quietly bring you back. I didn't expect you to come home so early..."

Zhang Yingfeng looked a little unhappy when she heard her mother's words. She was afraid that if her mother continued to talk, outsiders would know more about the Zhang family's jokes, so she interrupted her mother and said, "Mother, it was Miss Hai who sent me back."

Mrs. Zhang was stunned for a moment, then looked out the door. She saw a beautiful and graceful girl standing beside the carriage, smiling at her and bowing. She immediately realized that this was Miss Hai. She blushed immediately, thinking that she had not noticed the guest, so she pulled her daughter to cry, which was really rude. She wiped away her tears with a handkerchief, put on the manners of a dignified lady again, and greeted Haitang with a amiable smile: "This is Miss Hai, right? I am really rude. Today, I am really grateful that you sent my daughter home, otherwise I don't know how much suffering she would have to endure! Please come to my house for a cup of tea, so that I can thank Miss Hai again."

"You're welcome." Haitang bowed to her. "I have to hurry home to welcome my grandparents back to Beijing, so I'm sorry to waste your good tea. Today's matter is just a small favor. Miss Zhang and I hit it off right away. We will definitely meet each other in the future. We can chat later. I'll take my leave now. Please stay."

Haitang did not stay for long and left without hesitation. Mrs. Zhang Er watched the Hai family's carriage go away and sighed: "He is a man of decisive character, but unfortunately his family background is ordinary. Marrying the nephew of the Queen Mother, he will have to deal with those royal relatives who are arrogant in the future. I don't know how he will be despised!"

Zhang Yingfeng did not say anything, but helped her widowed mother back home and ordered people to close the door. After returning to the upper room of the inner courtyard, she dismissed the people around her and whispered to Mrs. Zhang Er: "Mother, did you hear those comments about Miss Hai from your aunt? In my opinion, mother should pay less attention to these gossips. Your aunt only sees the royal relatives and dignitaries, how can she know the situation in the court? Although the Hai family is only a fifth-rank family, it is said that the old man of the Hai family has helped the exiled Wu family for many years. The old people of the Wu family all respect him, and his cousin Xie Tanhua is the lifelong friend of Tao Ge Lao. You know, now in the court, the Sun faction is declining, Wu family is more and more important, and Tao Ge Lao has the final say in the cabinet. With such connections, how can the weight of the Hai family be measured by the fifth-rank official position of the old man Hai?!"

Mrs. Zhang Er heard this and felt that her daughter's words made sense: "Really? I don't know this. But what your uncle and aunt said was not nonsense. If the Hai family is really so important, then why did the late emperor marry the Hai family's granddaughter to the empress dowager's nephew? Didn't the late emperor fear the power of his relatives and didn't want the empress dowager to marry the daughter of a powerful official for his nephew, so he deliberately found a girl from a small family for him? It just so happens that the Hai family is the benefactor of the Jin family. If Jin Jiashu doesn't want to be called an ungrateful ungrateful person, he can't neglect the Hai family's daughter. Therefore, no matter how reluctant he and the empress dowager are, they can only accept this marriage..."

Zhang Yingfeng used to agree with this statement, but today, after seeing Haitang with her own eyes and listening to other ladies' private discussions, she had a different opinion in her heart. She shook her head and said, "Miss Hai is both talented and beautiful, and she is well-mannered. If I didn't know her family background, I really couldn't believe that she was just from a small family. I would believe it if I said she was the daughter of a noble family. In addition to being the nephew of the Queen Mother, Jin Jiazi is just the son of a juren and a gentry. He was lucky in his previous life to be able to get such a good marriage. "Besides, this marriage may seem inconspicuous on the surface, but it is very practical inside. When Jin Jiazi married the daughter of the Hai family, he had the connections of the old Wu family and could also get in touch with Tao Ge Lao. When he was in Chang'an, he was a neighbor of the Hai family and had a friendship for many years. He also became a disciple of Xie Tanhua, so he must have known the connections of the Hai family for a long time. He entered the Tao family's private school when he first came to Beijing, and he must have relied on Xie Tanhua's favor. If there was no Hai family, relying solely on the ability of his Jin family, even with the support of the Queen Mother, could he have obtained these benefits? Think about that Concubine Lu and Concubine Liu were both daughters of noble families in the capital. When they were at their peak, could their nephews and nieces have such dignity and blessings? "

Mrs. Zhang was stumped by the question. After thinking about it carefully, it was indeed the case: "Yes, I heard that Jin Jiashu is smart and studious, and is favored by the Empress Dowager. He also came to the new emperor to make contributions to saving the emperor. His future is limitless. That's why I think it's not surprising that he can study at the Tao family and be appreciated by civil officials. But when he first came to Beijing, he was just a country boy with no money. Why did he enter the Tao family? Several cousins ​​of your direct line wanted to enter, but they were rejected without hesitation. Could it be that his status is higher than that of your cousins? At that time, I just thought that it was because the late emperor favored the virtuous concubine and interceded for Jin Jiashu, so the Tao elder was relieved. I didn't expect it to be the Hai family... So, this marriage with the Hai family is really excellent!"

She couldn't help but sigh: "If your aunt had discovered this earlier and asked for a marriage for one of your cousins, wouldn't the connections of the Hai family be used by our Zhang family? What a pity, Jin Jiashu got the advantage!"

Zhang Yingfeng resisted the urge to roll her eyes and whispered, "Since Jin Jiashu knew about the benefits of the Hai family, there is no way he would not have told the Empress Dowager. Whether the late emperor favored the Empress Dowager and gave her nephew this benefit, or wanted to suppress the Empress Dowager's power, but still let her nephew get this benefit, this is the Empress Dowager's ability. This benefit has already fallen into the hands of the Jin family, and others have no place to be jealous. In the future, the son of the Jin family can rely on the connections of the Yue family to study for the imperial examinations with peace of mind. When he passes the exam and enters the court in the future, there will be many civil servants to escort him. He has a bright future, so why should he care about dignitaries? Why should his wife worry about being despised by the royal family?"

The wife of the Zhang family's head who can only see these is the fool!

Mrs. Zhang Er understood. She was silent for a while, then said, "Mother knows that you have many complaints about the legitimate branch. But your father died early, and you don't have any legitimate brothers to help you. We can only rely on the legitimate branch to survive. No matter how much resentment you have in your heart, don't show it. Follow your mother and try to please your aunt. At least you have to coax her to prepare a generous dowry for you, so that you will suffer less when you enter your husband's family in the future."

Furthermore, the Wu family had been in decline for many years, and now that they had just returned to Beijing, they had not yet sorted out their family business. Once their daughter married in, she would have to be the head of the family, taking on the heavy responsibility of managing household expenses and dealing with interpersonal relationships. How could a young person do this? At that time, Zhang Yingfeng would have to rely on her aunt's help to gain a foothold in the circle of royal relatives and nobles in the capital.

They, mother and daughter, cannot offend the eldest branch of the legitimate family!

Zhang Yingfeng pursed her lips, feeling aggrieved in her heart: "Mother, I understand this truth. But do you know what I went through in the palace today?!"