Traveling to Daliang Kingdom starts from falling into the water

Zhou Shun heard his third son-in-law say that this senior brother-in-law had a princess aunt and that senior brother-in-law had a prince consort uncle.

At the very least, their grandfathers were famous ministers who served three dynasties, not to mention that there was also a junior uncle surnamed Liang among them.

His reputation is terrifyingly high.

No wonder Brother Qi said those things to him when they were in the capital. It's true that none of his elder brother's fellow disciples are inferior to the Gao family.

He even thought that Brother Qi was afraid of him and that he was afraid of Lord Gao, so he deliberately used his elder brother's fellow disciples who were still in the capital to embolden him so that he could face Lord Gao with composure.

In fact, Qi's statement that his elder sister stayed at the Gao residence out of respect for Old Madam Gao might not have been a joke.

Even the Qi brothers, who once studied at this academy, weren't among these thirteen. It's likely that the eldest sister is even more capable than they say.

After all, even if his elder brother knew about his brother's background at that time, not only had the Liang State Duke's mansion fallen, but he was also the son of a criminal who had escaped. Taking his elder brother as a disciple would not be without risk.

If they have absolutely no idea, then there's even more to say.

His thirteen disciples were all from extraordinary backgrounds, except for his eldest brother, who at most came from the prestigious Zhou family of Yangzhou.

However, the Zhou family was merely a prestigious clan, not truly one of the top families in the region. When the Duke of Liang's mansion fell, they were hardly able to benefit from it.

If it weren't for my elder sister pleading with the late emperor, the Zhou family would not be the prestigious clan it is today. It would be a miracle if they hadn't been exiled and their property confiscated.

I reckon it's because the eldest sister not only enjoys the late emperor's favor, but even though she's in the Gao family, she still has the power to not only protect her elder brother's life, but also ensure his lifelong well-being.

This makes sense, as my elder brother said—my elder sister gave me all her family's wealth a long time ago, and the money she used to support the clan was all earned by her own efforts.

Oh, what a wonderful older sister she was, how could she have been so heartless as to leave us first!
"...That's why I said everyone has their taboos. Unless they're really at their wits' end, not to mention the Wen family, even Master Gao wouldn't easily offend my master."

Of these thirteen people, although my husband and Uncle Qian hold the highest official positions so far, their powerful backers are undeniable.

Furthermore, you must have heard of my grandmaster's reputation, right? He was indeed a renowned Confucian scholar; before retiring from officialdom, he even taught the current Emperor.

Thursday nodded.

He knows that.

The child's grandmaster can truly be called an imperial tutor.

Of course, it may also be because he was not only the tutor of the current emperor, but also the tutor of the current emperor's brothers when they were princes.

Even when the late Crown Prince was still alive, he retired from officialdom before he was forty to observe mourning for his parents. After completing his mourning period, he stayed at Qingshan Academy and refused to leave.

In the words of his daughter Sanya, this is a cunning fox who may have been trying to win over the hearts of the people in Jiangnan for the sake of the current emperor, who was still a prince at the time.

Of course, this shouldn't be said casually; it's just something he and his daughter chatted about in private. After all, Qingshan Academy is the Imperial Academy of the current Emperor.

"That's why I agree with Dajiang going there to study. No matter how talented a person is in his studies, if he wants to pursue a career in government, he definitely won't succeed without connections."

Yes, just like Sanya said, it's difficult for children from poor families to succeed. Not only are they less well-off than other families, but they also can't get into certain social circles.

What about now?
In the words of his daughter Sanya, her younger brother had all the advantages of timing and location, and all that was left was to see if Dajiang could handle things well outside.

“What kind of connections are better than the friendship between fellow students from the same academy? It’s no exaggeration to say that ‘if one of us suffers, we all suffer; if one of us prospers, we all prosper.’”

The key point is that not all students from the lineage of the master entered officialdom. Some became civil officials, some became military generals, and some even did not pursue their proper careers.

The diverse range of talents and professions is truly remarkable. If everyone were to become an official in the court, and half the court were filled with ministers from Qingshan Academy, then the country would be doomed. What's even more ingenious is that not only do not all students from our master's lineage aspire to official positions, but many talented senior disciples are also indifferent to fame and fortune.

Furthermore, since the teacher taught by the master and Uncle Qian are only loyal to the current emperor, why would Master Gao want to be an enemy of the teacher unless he has a life-or-death feud with him?

This is why I dare say that as long as Mr. Gao is alive, there is absolutely no way that Mr. Gao would team up with anyone to deal with him; it would be too much of a loss.

By being at odds with my lord, I've offended far more than just him. Leaving aside Uncle Qi and the others, how could these thirteen people tolerate my lord being bullied by Master Gao?
Not to mention the brothers of Mr. Gao's generation, even among my generation, the three brothers of Senior Brother Qian would be the first to jump out and fight against the Gao family.

Once Senior Brother Qian and his two brothers step forward, how could their cousins, who are also my eldest uncle's sons, not stand together with them?

No matter how outstanding or numerous the Gao family's descendants are, they are still just descendants of one family. Their chances of winning are too low; it's more in their best interest to cultivate a good relationship with them.

That's true. He's already the Minister of Personnel, what's the point of competing? If he keeps competing, he'll become the Second Grand Secretary soon. His older brother doesn't want to be the Second Grand Secretary, so why bother competing with him?

"Unless, he secretly pledges allegiance to some dragon prince, and his ambitions differ from yours, and you cannot work together; your paths are incompatible, and you cannot be of one mind with him, then it is possible that he will become your enemy."

What?
Thursday, Shun's heart, which had just settled down, jumped again in an instant.

"The problem is, which prince would he dare to secretly pledge allegiance to? Some things can only be done once, not twice. Pledged allegiance to the current emperor once is already the limit."

If Lord Gao hadn't been acting on imperial orders, and had dared to pledge allegiance to any of the emperor's sons, even if that son was the emperor's own flesh and blood, he would be doomed.

Zhou Shun agreed with this statement.

He doesn't understand big principles, but you know, you relied on me back then, so how could I not wonder if you'd go back to rely on one of my sons now that I'm getting old?

Just like his older brother!

Even if his elder brother didn't say it, he knew why his elder brother couldn't even stay in the capital after clearing his family's name. It was because all the princes had grown up, and there was only one throne. If they didn't run away, would they be forced to choose sides?

He understands this, so Gao Daren should understand it even better.

Moreover, His Highness the Crown Prince is still peacefully serving as the heir apparent, while Lord Gao's son-in-law is neither the eldest nor the legitimate heir, and is ranked tenth, not even qualifying as the Emperor's youngest son.

The idea is to let Master Gao choose for himself; he shouldn't choose which dragon prince has a better chance of winning.

Currently, His Highness the Crown Prince is the legitimate heir, while the Second Prince and the Third Prince are evenly matched.

No matter who you choose, you only have a 30% chance of winning.

Besides, there are more than just these three princes; the other princes are not to be trifled with either.

Even his elder brother wouldn't dare say which dragon prince has a better chance of winning, so how could Master Gao be more powerful than his elder brother?

This—unless Master Gao secretly pledges allegiance to one of the dragon princes?

No need to think about it anymore.

"Then I won't worry. As long as they don't gang up on your husband, it's none of our business."

correct answer.

"Father, Sixth Brother, are you hungry?" (End of Chapter)