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

Chapter 996 Good Words and Bad Words
Zhou Ma knew that she had said something wrong and hesitated for a moment. Thinking that she had nothing to worry about in front of her own sister, she apologized humbly and admitted that she had said something wrong.

But after admitting her mistake, she also told Ma her true thoughts - she really had no confidence in Zhou Xuejun becoming the candidate for the new emperor and empress.

She had watched Zhou Xuejun grow up, and she recognized that her little niece was beautiful, gentle, considerate, intelligent, and a very likable girl. But were these enough to make her fit to be a queen?
The Empress Dowager was also the legitimate daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion. When she was in the boudoir, she was a famous beauty in Chang'an! What kind of treatment did she receive after entering the palace? Even if she could not be called out of favor, she was definitely not favored. After her biological son died, all the concubines in the harem dared to look at her coldly, no matter who they were, and the emperor did not protect her. She successfully became the Empress Dowager by relying on the adopted prince without a mother, but this adopted son did not have much filial piety towards her, and was just a face-saving favor. The maids she brought into the palace from Chang'an had been calculated to death, sick, or demoted to the palace over the years, and there were only a few left... Whether in the past or now, the Zhou family has always held military power in the northwest and shouldered the heavy responsibility of guarding the border. But this does not add much bargaining chips to the daughter in the harem, and it cannot make her suffer less.

With the precedent of the Empress Dowager, Zhou Ma was afraid that Zhou Xuejun would follow in her great-aunt's footsteps and live a bad life. Not only would the family not benefit, but would suffer instead.

Firstly, Zhou Xuejun was not a stunning beauty, and she was a few years older than the new emperor. By the time the new emperor came of age, she would be almost an old maid, and would age even faster in the future. Even if she could win the new emperor's favor for a time, it would probably not last long. If she failed to give birth to an heir, or if the prince she gave birth to did not grow up safely to succeed to the throne, she would be bullied by the newcomers in the harem and would once again follow the path of the Grand Empress Dowager.

Secondly, although Zhou Xuejun is the granddaughter of the Duke of Zhenguo, her father, General Zhou Si, is not the Duke of Zhenguo's biological son, but an adopted nephew. The Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion will obviously be inherited by General Zhou in the future. The blood separation means that the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion cannot be the wholehearted support of Zhou Xuejun. This will undoubtedly reduce the weight of Zhou Xuejun in the eyes of the new emperor. If General Zhou Si can continue to be valued, it will be fine, and he can also support his daughter; if not, Zhou Xuejun has no help behind her, and even if she sits on the throne, I am afraid she will not be able to sit firmly.

Thirdly, the new emperor has no blood relationship with the Zhou family. Although his biological mother was born as a palace maid of the Grand Empress Dowager, in fact, that was just a title made up to protect the seventh prince. When the late emperor took a fancy to Empress Dowager Xu, the Grand Empress Dowager opposed it. Now, looking back, even if the Grand Empress Dowager had the grace to protect both Empress Dowager Xu and the new emperor, this favor might not be extended to other people in the Zhou family. Although the Zhenguo Mansion had helped Empress Dowager Xu take care of her nephew, this favor was really limited, and the weight of the nephew was not enough. Once the Grand Empress Dowager died of old age, the favor between Empress Dowager Xu and the Zhou family would be cut off by half. At that time, what would Zhou Xuejun, who was alone in the harem, do? If she could not be favored by the new emperor, the protection of the Grand Empress Dowager alone would not be enough for her to gain a foothold in the harem.

Ma Ma talked a lot, which made Ma Ma feel uneasy. Zhou Xuejun and Haitang were good friends, and she watched Zhou Xuejun grow up, and she liked this quiet and intelligent girl very much. When she thought that she might not be happy after entering the palace, Ma Ma couldn't help but worry: "Is it really like this..."

"Of course not!" Haitang couldn't stand it anymore and immediately interrupted the two old sisters' chattering, "How can the Zhou family not be alert after seeing the precedent of the Grand Empress Dowager? They are not the kind of family that would use their daughter to marry off to seek benefits. They agreed to let Zhou Xuejun marry into the royal family, so they must have made preparations long ago."

Besides, times have changed.

When the Empress Dowager married into the royal family, she was the successor to Emperor Longding. Not only did the palace already have princes left by the previous Empress, but there were also many concubines who had given birth to princes, and they had long been fighting each other. The Zhou family had been stationed at the border for a long time and had no allies in the capital. The Empress Dowager was weak and alone, and Emperor Longding was a playboy and ruthless person. All of his favorite concubines were not easy to deal with, so the Empress Dowager was naturally easy to suffer. But now, Zhou Xuejun was chosen as the Empress of the new emperor. The new emperor was young and there was no one in the harem. The two of them could be childhood sweethearts, get along early and cultivate their feelings. Even if the new emperor has a new love in the future, at least there is still the friendship they had when they were young. Besides, the Empress Dowager was still alive, Prince Kang was related to the Zhou family, and General Zhou had made contributions in saving the emperor. More and more people from the Zhou family came to Beijing to take up positions. How could Zhou Xuejun be isolated and helpless?

The new emperor is different from the Longding Emperor. Since the Longding Emperor was appointed as the crown prince, his position has been stable and his throne is unshakable, so he can do whatever he wants without caring about the power of the concubines' families. But the new emperor's family is in decline, and it was completely pulled up by the previous emperor, the Deguang Emperor. Among the forces supporting him now, whether it is the Zhou family, the cabinet or the civil officials, how many people stand on his side wholeheartedly? Isn't it all for the sake of the previous emperor, the Empress Dowager, the King Kang and the Wu family?

Before the new monarch truly grasps the real power, he still needs to weigh various factors and win over various forces to increase his bargaining chips. How precious is the Zhou family, which does not interfere in government affairs, holds a large number of troops, concentrates on guarding the border, and is loyal and reliable? Why does he bother the queen from the Zhou family? Once he really makes a mistake, even if the Empress Dowager is gone and Empress Dowager Xu forgets, he still has two good brothers, Prince Kang and Jin Jiashu, to remind him!

Haitang still has great confidence in Zhou Xuejun. This girl looks quiet, but she is actually a person with a plan in mind. Although she is trapped in the palace walls and loses her freedom as a queen, she knows her responsibilities clearly and will live a good life.

Haitang said many good things about Zhou Xuejun to Ma and Zhou Ma, and analyzed the differences between the new emperor and Emperor Longding, which made the two elders look embarrassed. Especially Zhou Ma, her face was burning, she felt that people from other families had such confidence in Zhou Xuejun, but she, an elder of the family, always thought the worst of everything. Zhou Xuejun hadn't entered the palace to be crowned as the queen yet, but she said so many discouraging words. If other people in the Zhou family heard it, how would she live? !

Ma Ma blushed and lowered her head without saying anything. Seeing that she was ashamed, Ma pulled her granddaughter's sleeve and winked at her, hinting her to stop talking. Although she knew that her granddaughter was speaking up for Zhou Xuejun, she was still a daughter of the Zhou family. The eldest sister said something wrong, and the granddaughter reminded her. The eldest sister also knew that she was wrong. If she continued to talk, she might get angry. There was no need to put her relatives in an awkward situation for the sake of another girl.

Haitang received a hint from her grandmother, so she decided to stop while she was ahead and picked up the teacup to drink tea.

Madam Zhou recovered her breath and tried to pretend that nothing had happened. She continued to chat with her sister, and her tone of voice had changed: "What you said just now makes sense. The new emperor is quite different from his father and grandfather. His reputation is much better. I have seen him in the palace. He is handsome and young, but very gentle and polite. He treats the officials and imperial edicts very kindly. He feels sorry for us crying in the wind in the cold weather, and even specially asked people to put up screens and add braziers for us. It is obvious that the Empress Dowager and Empress Dowager Xu have taught us well. Empress Dowager Xu is also a kind and gentle person. She has been in the palace for so many years and has never made any mistakes. People in and outside the palace have only praised her. Xuejun has met such a husband and mother-in-law. Good days are still to come!"

You've said all kinds of good and bad things. Aren't you changing too quickly?!