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

Chapter 672 Analysis
Jin Jiashu explained for a long time and his mouth was dry.

He cleared his throat and wanted to drink some tea, but he didn't want to leave the Hai brothers and sisters, so he simply endured it.

Haitang glanced at him and guessed what he was thinking. She stood up without saying a word, floated over the courtyard wall and returned to her home. She brought back a pot of hot tea and three tea bowls from her room. The three of them held the tea bowls and drank the tea.

They stayed in the back garden for quite a long time, but no one came near. Ma Shangyi probably thought that Jin Jiashu was in a very bad mood, and with Haijiao coming to comfort him, he would eventually come to his senses, so others should not disturb him at this time. She only told Aunt Lu in the kitchen to prepare chicken soup and send it to Jin Jiashu's room, where it was kept warm on the stove. The noodles were also cooked, drained, and turned upside down in the pot. When Jin Jiashu came back, he would be able to eat hot chicken noodle soup without any trouble. Apart from that, she did not plan to do anything else, and only focused on writing letters.

After Guard Lin knew what happened, he looked towards the back garden from a distance. He did not see Haitang sitting in the shadow, but only saw Jin Jiashu sitting in the middle of the thatched pavilion and Haijiao leaning against the pavilion pillar. He saw the two young men talking calmly, and guessed that nothing would happen, so he turned around and left, and specifically told everyone in the front yard not to come to the back garden.

This allowed Jin Jiashu and the Hai brothers and sisters to have some quiet time to exchange information and analyze Jin Jiashu's future situation.

Hai Jiao said: "It seems that although the court has basically determined that the Eighth Prince is the recognized crown prince, and once the emperor has something wrong, he will be the next new emperor, but because of the obstruction of Sun Ge Lao, he has never been able to determine the title of crown prince, and his succession to the throne in the future may not be smooth. For example, some court officials still believe that the Seventh Prince is the orthodox one, and Prince Ji is still unwilling to give up, thinking that there will be a day when he will return to the clan. Therefore, in order to ensure that there is no problem with the ownership of the crown prince, the emperor will never allow anyone who may bring risks to Concubine Xu and the Eighth Prince to go to the capital at this time? Even if you will not do this, he has been on guard first?"

Jin Jiashu pursed his lips. He was indignant in his heart, but it was the fact, so he could only nod with a sullen face.

Hai Jiao thought for a moment and said, "But what's the point of Elder Sun blocking the Eighth Prince from taking the throne now? He has nowhere else to go, right?"

The former supporter of the Prince of Ji has already regarded the Sun family as an enemy because of the non-cooperation between Concubine Sun and the current Princess of Ji. Even if they can still maintain their face on the surface, they are not sincere. If the Prince of Ji's plot fails, it will be fine. At most, he is just a prince of the royal family without real power, and he can do nothing about the powerful ministers; but once his plot succeeds, he will be high above and hold great power, and I am afraid he will stab the Sun family in the back. For such an unreliable ungrateful person, if the Sun family continues to support him, it would be a foolish act!
But without Prince Ji, the Seventh Prince had an irreconcilable blood feud with the Sun family, and it was even more impossible for him to accept the Sun family's overtures. In this way, only the Eighth Prince was left.

The Sun family wanted to get closer to the Eighth Prince, but they were strictly guarded by the emperor. The reason why the Sun family refused to give in on the document of establishing the crown prince was because they could not control the Eighth Prince and were afraid that once the crown prince was established, they would no longer have any value to the Eighth Prince and would only be marginalized. The Sun family was now hoping to win over the Eighth Prince to their camp before the emperor died, so as to plan for the future. However, with the emperor blocking them, their plan was not so easy to succeed.

Hai Jiao said, "In this case, no matter whether the Sun family can win over the Eighth Prince or not, they have no choice but to support him to succeed to the throne. Because in the eyes of the Sun family, no matter which of the other two heirs comes to the throne, they may immediately turn against the Sun family and put their entire family to death. On the contrary, the Eighth Prince has no deep hatred for the Sun family, so it is relatively easier to talk to him." He paused, "If Lord Sun acted more cunningly, he might really be able to earn a living for the Sun family. Even if the Eighth Prince becomes the new monarch, no matter how much he dislikes the Sun family, he can't do anything about them, and he has to continue to tolerate the Sun family and their cronies running rampant in the court."

Just like what happened in the previous life. Jin Jiashu thought thoughtfully: "So... the Eighth Prince's succession to the throne is still very stable. Although the emperor is worried, he is actually worrying too much. Elder Sun is impossible to oppose the Eighth Prince's succession to the throne?"

Hai Jiao smiled and said, "How could he possibly object? If the crown prince is the Seventh Prince, the entire Sun family will be dead without a burial place; if the crown prince is the Prince of Ji, the Sun family will also be doomed. Even if the Prince of Ji kneels in front of Lord Sun and the Princess and begs, saying that he was dissatisfied with the Sun family before, but he was blinded by greed, and he knows he was wrong and will never have such thoughts again in the future, and will always regard the Sun family as his closest relatives... Can Lord Sun believe it?"

Of course, Elder Sun would not believe it. Some things happened and they are done. Since Prince Ji said that he would take revenge on the Sun family after using them, the Sun family must be alert that this risk will always exist. Who dares to gamble? This is related to the life and future of the entire Sun family! As long as the Sun family has other choices, Elder Sun will not turn back to believe Prince Ji.

In this way, the Eighth Prince's ascension to the throne was a foregone conclusion. Emperor Deguang didn't know whether he was too concerned or exaggerating, but the risk that Jin Jiashu would bring to Concubine Xu was definitely not as great as he thought.

Jin Jiashu took a deep breath and sneered, "Whatever, my aunt also mentioned in the letter that the emperor is a suspicious person, and my aunt has been living in fear in the palace. It doesn't matter if he doesn't believe me. Anyway, everyone knows that he is seriously ill and will not live for a few years. When he dies, the eighth prince will definitely succeed to the throne, and my aunt will definitely become the empress dowager. Am I still afraid that they will issue an order to let the examiners of the provincial examination depose me again? It's just waiting for another three years!"

Jin Jiashu's mood improved, but he soon thought: "But what if... the emperor left a will not allowing relatives to serve as officials in the court..."

Haitang interjected, "It's impossible. The emperor can't openly issue an order to do this. That would be a disgrace to Concubine Xu and the Eighth Prince, and a blow to the new emperor's authority. He is looking forward to the Eighth Prince's smooth succession to the throne, so how could he do such a thing? At most, he would instruct the ministers to learn from the lessons of the time when Lord Sun was in power and not to allow relatives to occupy high positions again. But Brother Jin is not going to be a Lord, you are just going to participate in the provincial and metropolitan examinations, and follow the most orthodox path for scholars.

"You have real talent and knowledge, and you can take the imperial examination on your own. Which official would stand in your way? To tamper with the normal imperial examination, no matter what their intentions are, is to break the rules, and if it gets out, they will be despised by the world! Even if they really want to be wary of relatives taking power, they will wait until you are promoted. Before you become the head of the six ministries and five temples, or a powerful minister above the third rank, they will not take you seriously. There are many idle government offices in the court, or positions that are respectable but have no real power. Where can't a nephew of the queen dowager be employed? There is no need to be too extreme. It will offend the queen dowager and the new emperor, and it will not benefit them either."

Haitang paused and looked at Jin Jiashu: "Brother Jin, what do you think? Do you want to take the imperial examination in order to hold great power and call the shots like Lord Sun, or will you be satisfied with fame, a position as an official, and a life of wealth and respect?"

(End of this chapter)