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

Chapter 746 Connections
Haitang asked Jin Jiashu: "Brother Jin can figure out something, so how can Madam Xu not figure it out? Could it be that she has other plans?"

Jin Jiashu shook his head quickly: "What plans can she have? She is afraid that I will be alone and helpless after I go to Beijing, and will be bullied, so she wants to find a prominent Yue family for me to support me so that no one will look down on me."

But he felt that these were all empty talk. Even if the Zhang family wanted to marry off the younger generation of the future empress dowager's family, they were reluctant to use their own daughter, but instead pushed forward a niece from a side branch who had lost her father. This showed that the Zhang family didn't really care about him. This marriage was not a good match, and there was no point in getting married. Concubine Xu hoped that with the support of the Zhang family, he could gain a foothold in the circle of dignitaries in Beijing, but she didn't expect that he would be looked down upon in the Zhang family first.

He lowered his head and whispered, "The Zhang family has been royal relatives for three generations, and they are from noble families. They marry either princesses or descendants of noble families. How could they possibly be interested in a mere scholar like me? Even if this marriage is really done, they are only doing it for my aunt's sake, and they want to get benefits from my aunt or the Eighth Prince in the future. But if they are really talented people, with their family background, they don't need to have connections in the palace to make a name for themselves. The reason they can't do it must be because of their shortcomings. It won't work if they take an honest approach. If, because of me, my aunt and the Eighth Prince have to get benefits for those who are lacking, what if it causes trouble?! I can't help my aunt and the Eighth Prince, and I have to rely on them to worry about and take care of me. How can I cause them trouble? Therefore, it's better not to do this marriage."

Haitang glanced at him, feeling somewhat curious.

In her previous life, she didn't have a biological son like Jin Jiashu, so Empress Dowager Xu regarded Jin Wu, her nephew from her ex-husband's family, as a substitute for her son. She helped him in every way and even helped him marry the daughter of the Zhang family's side branch. According to her brother Haijiao, this grandmother was very smart and capable. After entering the family, she supported the grassroots family of the second branch of the Jin family with the pomp and dignity of a royal relative, and she didn't make a loss. If it weren't for the fact that the second old lady Jin and Jin Liu were too much, and easily believed the lies of the Sun family, and instigated Jin Xin to stab Empress Dowager Xu, the whole family would not have ended up in ruin.

In this life, she had a son named Jin Jiashu, but Concubine Xu, who had not yet become the empress dowager, still chose the daughter of the side branch of the Zhang family for her son. How outstanding was this girl? Did Concubine Xu choose her as her daughter-in-law in both lives?

However, no matter how outstanding this Miss Zhang is, it is useless. Born in a family like the Zhang family, because the uncles in charge are reluctant to marry their own daughters to new relatives of low birth, they make her a tool for marriage. Jin Jiashu can at least study, have a reputation, good looks and good character, and a promising future. What did Jin Wu have in his previous life? He still had a large family of troublesome relatives. In order to get closer to the new queen mother and the new emperor, the Zhang family even let her marry down. After the second branch of the Jin family fell into decline and returned to its original state, this Miss Zhang didn't know whether to leave Beijing with them. Even if she could return home peacefully, her life in her natal family would not be easy. It was clear that she was a victim of the failure of the Zhang family's marriage strategy.

With her status, even if Jin Jiashu refused to marry her, she could only be used as a tool for the Zhang family's marriage. It was unknown whose son she would fall into this time!
Haitang had no aversion to Miss Zhang. Instead, she felt sorry for her. After sighing twice, she said to Jin Jiashu in a serious tone, "Brother Jin, I think... Madam Xu may not understand your current situation very well, so she thinks you are a helpless little poor thing. She is afraid that you will be eaten alive by those powerful people as soon as you enter the capital, so she wanted to find a good backer for you early. No matter what the Zhang family's background is, his family has been prominent in the capital for many years, and it is respectable enough. Except for the powerful officials like the Sun family who really have power in their hands, I guess most powerful families will give them some face and not make things difficult for their son-in-law. But even the Zhang family can't do anything against the Sun family, otherwise, would they have to marry their daughter to a scholar? It can be seen that the Zhang family's respectability is also limited, and they may not really be able to help you. The connections you have are not necessarily worse than those of the Zhang family."

Jin Jiashu was stunned: "My connections? Sister Hai, I... Although I was born in the capital, I was still a baby at that time and I don't remember anything. I don't know any nobles in the capital. Even if I have an aunt, she lives in the palace and can't come out. What connections can I know?!"

Haitang smiled and said, "You know the Zhou family. The Zhou family has two lords, the Duke of Zhenguo and the Marquis of Cheng'en! General Zhou Si serves in the Imperial Guards, and his son Zhou Yijun is your good friend. If you go to Beijing, won't you visit the elders? You studied under Uncle Xie, who was the top scholar in the imperial examination that year and was a close friend of Tao Gelao. He is also a student of Wumen, and has many friendships with the students of Wumen in Beijing. As his disciple, you are also a junior in the circle of students of Wumen. If you go to Beijing, there is no reason not to meet the elders of the school. Moreover, you are familiar with our Hai family. Many students of Wumen were exiled to the northwest, and almost all of them received help from our Hai family. To this day, some people write back to greet my grandfather and grandmother every year. Aren't these your connections?"

Jin Jiashu's ears burned when he heard this, and he said embarrassedly, "Sister Hai, you are joking. How can these be considered my connections?" He usually received the protection and care of the Hai and Zhou families, but he didn't dare to say that he had the connections of these two families, and he didn't have the face to ask for anything from his benefactors. Besides, although Teacher Xie knew many old students from Wumen, he himself didn't plan to use these connections to benefit himself, so how could he, a student, have the face to ask for it?

He paused: "Old students of the Wu family... should be more willing to take care of Wu Ke, even Geng Tianyou!" Wu Ke is the orphan of the Wu family, and Geng Tianyou is a relative of another old student of the Wu family, Zhuang Shitong. Unlike him, he is the nephew of Concubine Xu, and the relationship between Concubine Xu and Empress Wu, the daughter of Lord Wu Wen'an, is so complicated...

Upon hearing this, Haitang said, "In fact, you and Wu Ke are brothers from the same sect. As long as you are willing, the Wu family can also be considered as your network. You are also a disciple of my great-uncle, so you can get the same care that Wu Ke gets. However, Wu Ke's future prospects are limited, and you may be the one who can go further. Who can get more support from the old students of the Wu Sect is still unknown!"

Jin Jiashu couldn't help but remind her: "Sister Hai, you just complained to me that I wasn't sincere enough to Wu Ke!"

Haitang smiled and said, "What is sincerity? If you are friendly to him in every way, can give him advice, and help him do what he wants to do, even if the result is not satisfactory, he will remember your kindness and regard you as a close friend. You are more thoughtful than him, and you have no intention of harming others. As long as you pretend to be sincere for a lifetime and don't let him see your fake intentions, this fake intention will become true intention. If he thinks you are sincere, how can he not return the favor?"

Young man, since you have no roots and do not want to rely on your mother, you have to use everything you can. Even if the Wu family has some grudges against you, what does it matter? They will not give you a cold shoulder in person. As long as you can be ruthless and thick-skinned, you can have enough connections. Isn't this more stable than relying on marriage to the Zhang family and relying on people's faces to get a backer?

(End of this chapter)