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

Chapter 738 Self-Defense Class

"Is it possible that Magistrate Xin is closer and more indulgent to people from the capital?" The next day, when Jin Jiashu came over, he heard Haitang talking about Ma's complaints and made this comment, "In the past, Chang'an didn't have so many wealthy merchants and caravans from the capital. Most of them had a rich family background. Ma Ma once mentioned a few of them to me and asked me to be extra careful."

Haitang heard this and thought for a while: "Is it because the dignitaries in the capital found that Chang'an is also profitable? Although the Hu people are still in civil strife, the Western Region caravans have changed their trade routes. Suzhou may no longer be as prosperous as before, but all kinds of goods can still be transported to Chang'an for transit. In the past, the caravans in Chang'an transported goods to the capital, Jiangnan or Shuzhong for sale, and the Northwest Frontier Army also benefited a lot from this. The dignitaries in the capital are jealous and want to get a piece of the pie. When Prefect Huang was in office, the relationship between Chang'an and the capital was still a little ambiguous, and the dignitaries' caravans had an extra layer of constraints. Now that the relationship between the palace and the Zhou family has eased, the dignitaries have fewer concerns, and they can also feel at ease to send their caravans to Chang'an to look for business opportunities. After Prefect Xin took office, he opened the door for the wealthy merchants in the capital. If someone committed a crime in the city, he would choose whether to deal with it severely or turn a blind eye according to the other party's background."

As a result, the public security in Chang'an City will naturally be worse than before.

The Northwest Frontier Army and the local officials and people in Chang'an naturally did not want to see this happen. But the emperor stood behind Prefect Xin. Seeing that the situation had improved, the Duke of Zhenguo naturally did not want any more conflicts between the Northwest Frontier Army and the emperor's confidants. Therefore, as long as the situation could be controlled, he would not interfere in local government affairs. The public security situation in Chang'an City depended on Prefect Xin's personal ability and conscience.

At the moment, it seems that he still has some ability to govern the local area, but it is not top-notch, and his conscience cannot overcome his desire to curry favor with the powerful people in the capital.

Haitang was therefore suspicious: "Brother Jin, is Prefect Xin really reliable? Although he still appears to be an upright official, he may do things against his will due to fear of the emperor's will or some other reason. But it is a fact that he did not govern Chang'an as well as Prefect Huang did. If such a person marries into the Wu family, will it really not have a negative impact on the Wu family?"

Jin Jiashu was silent for a while before he said, "I think he's doing okay and he understands the truth. I don't blame him for deposing me, he was just following orders. He's not a clean and resolute man, but he's fine as Wu Ke's father-in-law. Sister Hai might think he's too smooth, always giving in to the dignitaries in the capital, and deciding to marry into the Wu family because he's worried about revenge from the Wu family in the future. He's not a gentleman. But he's afraid, so he won't easily offend people he shouldn't offend and bring disaster to the Wu family. Besides, the emperor's favor for him is undiscounted."

Haitang sighed, "That's true. Officials that are valued by the emperor are not necessarily honest and upright gentlemen. As long as they can get things done and help the emperor solve problems without causing trouble for him, they are officials he appreciates. If the current emperor liked upright gentlemen with outstanding talents, my cousin and other Wu family members would not have been wrongly exiled for decades because of a small matter, and the Wu family would not have died tragically. They would have to wait for many years before the emperor would posthumously confer titles on them. This posthumous title is just a title, without any real value. It is done purely to disgust the Sun family."

Jin Jiashu had known about this for a long time, but it was not until today when he heard Haitang's straightforward narration that he realized that this was the truth. The illusion that the emperor was wise because he took his "aunt" as a concubine and brought new hope to his life has almost disappeared now. Jin Jiashu clearly realized that his new "uncle" was not actually a wise and capable monarch. The fact that the treacherous minister Sun Ge Lao in the court could run rampant for decades was naturally not just because he was treacherous and cunning enough.

Jin Jiashu sighed softly, but his mood was not bad. In the past, only Haijiao would speak so bluntly in front of him, and now even Haitang said so, he felt that his relationship with her had become closer.

He whispered to Haitang, "I understand. The emperor... is just like that. We can't really regard him as a benevolent and wise ruler. We can't trust him too much. We have to be more cautious!"

Haitang glanced at him and said, "In short, no matter whether you are a good person or a bad person, no matter whether you have your own selfish motives, as long as you can make the emperor feel that you are capable, can help him, and will not cause him trouble, he may look at you differently. Don't take feelings too seriously. If you really have the opportunity to go to Beijing, don't think that everything will go smoothly with an aunt behind you. Madam Xu also has to consider the emperor's face, and she is just your aunt, not your biological mother, and it is impossible for her to think about you wholeheartedly. Even if you are wronged and fail to achieve your goal, you don't have to be too disappointed. As long as the green mountains are there, there is no fear of running out of firewood. The worst that can happen is to return to Chang'an, study for a few more years, and take the provincial examination again. Life in Chang'an is not difficult, and you are still young, so it's okay to wait a few more years."

Jin Jiashu lowered his head and chuckled: "I know, sister Hai, you don't have to worry about me." Haitang nodded and asked again: "Have you told Mama about what I told you before?"

Jin Jiashu said: "Mammy is often not at home now, you just come and teach me. My place is bigger, there are fewer people, it is more convenient." Although the Hai family is very good, there are too many people, and many things are not convenient...

Haitang couldn't help but roll her eyes at him. "You have a small family, so it's inconvenient for me to go over there! Besides, it's just a matter of practicing some martial arts and learning some self-defense techniques. What's the big deal if there are more people watching? It's impossible for me to come down and practice with you in person. Maybe I'll have to find someone to cooperate with you!"

Jin Jiashu was a little confused: "Cooperate with me? Cooperate with what?"

Of course, it is combined with practicing self-defense.

A quarter of an hour later, Jin Jiashu stood in the open space of the second courtyard in a daze, allowing Xiao Shitou, who was a head shorter than him, to stand behind him, put his right arm around his neck, and used his left hand to hold a wooden "dagger" to gesture at his waist. Haitang stood in front of him and signaled to him: "Now you can choose to attack backwards with your elbow, or step on his feet, or try to poke his eyes with your fingers..."

Even though Xiao Shitou was still young and not very strong, he grew up in the Hai family after all. His father Hai Changan, who was very skilled in martial arts, taught him many martial arts tricks. His martial arts level was not comparable to that of the weak scholar Jin Jiashu. Even though he tried his best to step on Xiao Shitou's feet, hit Xiao Shitou's ribs with his elbow, and even tried to stick his fingers into Xiao Shitou's nostrils, he was easily knocked to the ground in the end.

In the autumn, the grass on the ground in the second courtyard was growing lush and thick, and it was very soft. When he fell to the ground, it was like landing on a thick cotton pad, and he didn't feel any pain at all. But Haitang also knew this very well, and immediately urged him to get up and come again.

Jin Jiashu stood up and sighed. He knew what Sister Hai was going to teach him to do.

However, if he really learned these skills, his personal safety would be more secure after entering Beijing, right?

(End of this chapter)