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

Chapter 425: Don’t seek fame
When Hai Jiao returned to the main courtyard to report to his grandmother Ma, he naturally ignored Duke Zhen Guo's plan to win over Concubine Xu Xian, and focused the topic on the third room of the Zhou family: "Gong Zhen Guo planned to have a private talk with Tu Tongzhi first. It depends on how far he has investigated. If the matter is not serious and will not implicate others, then that's it. If the matter is too serious, then the clan members should be notified and Mrs. Ma will be expelled from the house directly. He is a senior citizen and has an imperial edict, but when it comes to the honor of the clan, they cannot ask the clan leader to divorce his wife on behalf of the third-fang old man. "

Ma felt that the Zhou family should have done this a long time ago: "When she showed her true colors earlier, the Zhou family should have kicked her out. If they hadn't softened their hearts at that time, why would they have done anything for her now? Are you worried about the bad things you have done? Even the whole family may be implicated!"

However, Ma is still a little worried: "She has been expelled from the Zhou family. Will the things she committed still involve the third room?"

Hai Jiao said: "Justice Zhenguo is thinking of a way. If it is unavoidable, then he will only implicate those who have been her accomplices, whether intentionally or unintentionally. At the worst, it will be enough to implicate her own children and grandchildren. . My great-uncle's family has suffered a lot from her. It would be too miserable if they were to be implicated again because of what she had done in the past.

"However, if something like this happens to the third wife, it will cause criticism in the clan in the future. The Duke of Zhen Guo feels that it is better for my great-uncle to resign and become an official. He can educate his children well at home, or he can preside over clan studies and teach the young people in the clan. It is a good thing to study and cultivate more seeds of reading, so that the Zhou family can produce a few civil servants who can go to Beijing. Anyway, my great-uncle's official position is free, so why bother to occupy his position? "

And if Zhou Shigong had the merit of teaching his nephews to be successful in the family, his bad reputation for being weak and stupid and indulging his stepmother to do evil would gradually be wiped away. Even if his eldest son Zhou Jinpu fails, when his second son Zhou Jinlin makes contributions in the frontier, the reputation of the third brother of the Zhou family will be reestablished.

After Ma understood the intention of the Duke of Zhen, he couldn't help but recite the Buddha's name: "The Duke is still thoughtful. My brother-in-law has such a temperament that it would be better not to be an official, but to just study at home. Anyway, he is in the army. "Zhong Ye can't do anything. Since he is a famous scholar, he can just be a scholar and join the border army."

Ma decided that when she went to see her eldest sister today, she must explain the seriousness of the matter to her and ask her to help persuade Zhou Shigong to nod and accept the proposal of Duke Zhen Guo. The town government is willing to take action against such a big disaster. Are they still unwilling to obey the arrangement?
Thinking that her eldest sister's family might be able to get out of trouble, the Ma family became much more energetic. She quickly sent someone back to the Ma family to urge them, asking when the Cui family and his wife would be back.

Seeing his grandmother busy calling people, Hai Jiao quickly winked at his sister Haitang, and the brother and sister left the room.

Hai Jiao told his younger sister the news he had just heard from Cao and Lu, the two elders, and said with a smile: "Grandpa Lu praised you many good things in front of my cousin, saying that you are extremely smart and knowledgeable. Please advise your cousin." Cultivate you well and don't let your talents go to waste. My cousin was so surprised that even the Duke of Zhen couldn't help asking!"

"Why does Grandpa Lu praise me?" Haitang blinked, "Didn't you come up with the good idea, brother? If they want to praise me, it's you who should praise me."

Hai Jiao smiled and said, "I know in my heart that any good ideas I have came from your reminder. It's not because I'm smarter than others. Can my brother deny your credit? What's yours is yours. . If the Duke of Zhen looks at you differently..."

Haitang couldn't help but interrupt him: "Can I go to the battlefield or be an official? Even if the Duke of Zhenguo looks at me differently, he can at most just arrange a good marriage for me. It would be okay if the marriage is in Zhili , If we are in Chang'an, are we going to be separated from my whole family by thousands of miles? Then I would rather the old man thinks that I am just an ordinary girl!"

Hai Jiao was stunned, and his face suddenly stiffened: "Ah... I didn't expect this level..." The Hai family will return to their hometown in Zhili sooner or later! If the Duke of Zhen Guo decides to marry his younger sister to a young talent from Chang'an City, she will really be separated from her relatives. Even if their family had the ability to send their future sister-in-law to the guard station in Zhili, it would be impossible to send their sister-in-law’s family there too! The young talents that Duke Zhen Guo can like are either from the Zhou family or rising stars in the military. They are most likely to be descendants of the generals. Their family background cannot be lower than that of the Hai family. When encountering such in-laws, they are also separated from each other. The relatives of the girl's family will definitely give in in the end. Then won't it be the sister who suffers?

Hai Jiao simply couldn't imagine that situation, and said hurriedly: "The Duke of Zhen Guo will not meddle in this nosy matter. As long as grandpa and grandma don't agree, he will never be the master of your marriage!" "But if Duke Zhen Guo really "Can grandpa and grandpa really refuse?" Haitang muttered, "It's better to do less than to do more. I don't want to be in the limelight. Why do you want to promote this kind of reputation to me?" "Brother, if you do well as an official in the future, I will be able to enjoy wealth and peace at home comfortably, so I don't want to pursue the false reputation of being smart!"

Hai Jiao pursed his lips: "Don't worry, my brother will definitely not let you worry about such a thing."

Haitang saw that he seemed to have made up his mind, and did not want to increase his psychological burden, so he changed the subject: "Did you make an agreement with Jin Jiashu? He has looked around in the yard several times."

Hai Jiao came to his senses and said hurriedly: "Yes, I made an appointment with him to talk. My little sister, you can come with me. Let's go see the inner seal on his box of gold."

It turned out to be for this matter.

Haitang responded and followed Haijiao to the second courtyard. When they met Jin Jiashu, Hai Jiao first mentioned the matter of looking at the mark, and did not forget to tell him the whole story.

Jin Jiashu had never suspected that the Hai family was greedy for the gold given to him by the government in his box. If they wanted to, they should have removed the thing while he was injured and still unconscious. It would be convenient to blame it on the killer anyway. At this time, he heard that the matter involved the life experience of the third wife of the Zhou family, and he felt that the Hai family brothers and sisters treated him sincerely and even kept secrets from his in-laws.

He immediately took out the box containing the inner gold ingots. He couldn't let the boy do it for him, so he went to carry the box himself. Because the box was too heavy, it was difficult for him to lift it, but Haijiao came forward to help, and the two of them successfully moved the box to the kang.

A box of gold ingots cast by the inner palace are all in the box at the moment, not a single ingot is missing. There are clear internal marks on the box and on each ingot of gold.

Haitang took out the picture she drew and compared it with the marks on the box. She felt that although there were differences between the two, they were definitely from the same series. It was also possible that they were engraved between the gold ingots made by the inner palace and the daily necessities. Imprints are inherently different.

Jin Jiashu looked at the two pictures, and his heart moved slightly: "I wonder what that comb looks like? Does Sister Hai have a pattern? I was about to write a letter to my aunt. Maybe I can send her a pattern so that she can help with it. Would you like to check it out? If we can find out the source, we can be more sure of the old lady’s origin.”

Haitang's eyes lit up, and she and Haijiao looked at each other, and both felt that this was the most efficient method.

Wouldn't it be more time-consuming and labor-intensive to investigate through Concubine Xu Xian's channel than through the Duke of Zhen's Mansion or Tu Rong? If Concubine Xu Xian can whisper in the emperor's ear, maybe she can directly ask the clan's mansion for questioning, then Mrs. Ma's identity can be determined faster!
(End of this chapter)