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

Chapter 696 Coming soon
Haitang knew the news that Wu Ke was about to meet the daughter of Prefect Xin no later than her cousin Xie Wenzai.

She received letters from Wu Qiong and Zhou Xuejun successively.

Wu Qiong was very dissatisfied. She still remembered that Xin Zhifu's order caused her cousin to lose the opportunity to study in the Imperial College in Beijing as a deputy tribute. How could the matter that made her so sad at the time now be regarded as Xin Zhifu's intention to recruit a son-in-law and therefore deliberately avoided suspicion? Why should her cousin's future be used by Xin Zhifu, who had nothing to do with him, to prove his integrity and impartiality?

She would rather have Haitang be her sister-in-law. But the wife of the Duke of Zhenguo and her mother-in-law both thought that Miss Xin was a good match for Wu Ke, and that Prefect Xin would be more helpful to Wu Ke when she returned to the capital in the future, so she couldn't say much. No matter what she thought, the future of the Wu family was countless times more important than her personal wishes. She could only complain a few words in a letter to her bestie, worrying that the Xin family and the Wu family would marry, perhaps because of the emperor's order to monitor the orphans of the Wu family.

After reading the letter, Haitang shouted "Amitabha" in her heart. Miss Xin was originally looking for a marriage, but now she is willing to give up the half-planned marriage and take the initiative to meet Wu Ke. Whether it is out of personal will or the emperor's instruction, it is a blessing for Haitang. The family background of the Hai family is naturally not comparable to that of the Xin family. With Miss Xin in front, Wu Ke will not consider other candidates. She doesn't have to worry about being arranged by someone to meet Wu Ke, and it also saves everyone from embarrassment.

Zhou Xuejun’s explanation in her letter is more detailed.

Prefect Xin took the initiative to reveal to the Duke of Zhenguo his intention to marry into the Wu family. The Duke of Zhenguo also tried to test whether he was following the imperial edict, but Prefect Xin denied it.

He claimed that he was optimistic about Wu Ke, thinking that he was a good young man with a good temperament, good character, and a bright future. He was also from a famous family, so he was willing to choose a match for his eldest daughter. As for the half-arranged marriage of his daughter, the other family seemed to be insincere and kept dragging their feet and refused to give a definite answer. He was too lazy to pester them anymore. What if he delayed his daughter's blooming period? Anyway, he and the other party were only discussing the marriage. They had never exchanged engagement letters or made any promises. The other party had already spread rumors that they were looking for someone else. Even if he now changed his daughter's promise to the Wu family, it could not be considered a breach of promise.

Miss Xin is of good condition, with good temperament and upbringing. Lady Zhenguo had met her several times and could not find any fault with her. She felt that she was a good match for Wu Ke. As for her appearance, a pretty face was enough. The noble families valued marrying virtuous women. What the Wu family needed was a lady who was worthy of their family as the head wife. Appearance was not important. What's more, Miss Xin was not ugly, she was just not beautiful. Wu Ke was quite satisfied with her.

Wu Ke had no objection. The Duke of Zhenguo and his wife also felt that if he could marry the daughter of an official trusted by the emperor, it would be easier for him to return to Beijing and settle down in the future. The emperor's past dissatisfaction with the Wu family had nothing to do with the younger Wu Ke and Wu Qiong. There was no reason for the two children to continue to bear the debt owed by their family ancestors. But Empress Dowager Zhou had finally improved her relationship with the emperor. It was hard enough to ensure the eighth prince's position as crown prince and protect the seventh prince and the Zhou family. It was not easy to divide part of her energy to persuade the emperor to treat the descendants of the Wu family well. At this time, if there were officials trusted by the emperor who could say a few good words for the Wu brothers and sisters, it would only benefit the Wu family more than it would harm them.

As for whether the benefits of this marriage will still exist after the emperor's death... Prefect Xin is still very capable, and his family has no grudges against the crown prince, the Zhou family, and the Wu family, and has an average relationship with the Sun family... Such officials are exactly the talents that the new emperor should attract and use, so why not use them? With such a father-in-law who can serve as a high-ranking official in the court, Wu Ke's future will be brighter when he returns to the capital in the future.

The Duke of Zhenguo and his wife chose the daughter of the Xin family for Wu Ke's future. If nothing unexpected happens, his marriage with Miss Xin should be settled. But the matter has not been spread yet. Apart from the Wu and Xin families, only the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion, Xie Wenzai and a few close families know about it. Prefect Xin hopes that before the marriage is officially finalized, everyone will keep it secret and not let the news leak out. After all, his daughter's previous marriage proposal was not successful. If there is any change in this marriage proposal, his daughter's reputation will be affected. The Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion can understand his concerns and agreed to his request. However, within the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion, the news has already spread.

Zhou Xuejun privately told Haitang in a letter that she thought that Xin Zhifu's request for everyone to keep it secret was not entirely because he was worried that his daughter's marriage would be affected by another unsuccessful marriage. This time, the emperor did not issue an order from the capital to order Xin Zhifu to marry the Wu family. Maybe he did it privately without asking for the emperor's opinion. What if the emperor was angry? The emperor has always disliked the Wu family. If he knew that his trusted official secretly married the Wu family, would he really not be angry? As for Xin Zhifu himself... I guess he is also considering whether he, who once hindered the future of the Wu family orphan and Concubine Xu's nephew, can continue to rise to prominence after the emperor's death?

Haitang agreed with Zhou Xuejun's guess.

It is true that Prefect Xin is now highly valued by the emperor. When his term as prefect of Chang'an is over, he will probably return to Beijing to serve as one of the Nine Ministers, just like the previous Prefect Huang who was transferred back. But he has not yet completed his term! What if the emperor can no longer hold on before his term is over? By then, the emperor has his own ministers, and no one will transfer him back to Beijing. Wouldn't he have to waste his life in the local area? Others may not care that he is acting in accordance with the emperor's edict and does not intend to make things difficult for Wu Ke and Jin Jiashu. He himself does not want to take risks, so it is human nature to use marriage to eliminate the negative impact of the previous events. Anyway, Wu Ke is not bad in terms of conditions, and is destined to have a rich and prosperous future in the future. It is also a good destination for his daughter.

Haitang sorted out the conflict of interests in this matter, and wrote back to Wu Qiong and Zhou Xuejun. She did not comment too much on Wu Ke's marriage in the letter, so as not to make people misunderstand that she was very interested in this matter. She just talked about some daily casual topics and discussed the new fashion clothes this winter, and then got away with it.

Before the day for Wu Ke to meet Miss Xin arrived, General Zhou returned to Chang'an first.

Tu Rong, the commander-in-chief of the Shaanxi Regional Command, completed the handover with him in just one day, and then quickly notified everyone to prepare to set off for the capital in the early morning of the last day of this month.

Haijiao quickly packed all the luggage, fed the horses, and waited to set off tomorrow morning.

Since he had to leave as soon as the city gates opened at daybreak, all his close friends came to say goodbye to him a day in advance, and even Tu Jinbao was no exception.

Tu Jinbao looked at him, feeling reluctant: "I don't know if I can see you again in this life... I will also go to Ganzhou in a few days, and I don't know when I will be able to return to the capital. Can you take a letter home for me? It's for my grandmother."

Hai Jiao was puzzled. "I left with your father. You had a letter for your grandmother, so why didn't you let your father take it with you?"

Tu Jinbao sighed, "If I ask my father to deliver the letter, I'm afraid he will peek at it halfway through. It's hard to say whether my grandmother will be able to see my handwritten letter. Maybe my father will get angry after reading it and burn it. Who knows."

Hai Jiao raised an eyebrow, guessing that the content of his letter must be related to his stepmother and his brothers and sisters. He did not ask about his family affairs, but only asked: "Didn't you say that you would go to Ganzhou next spring? Why are you leaving in a few days? Aren't you staying in Chang'an for the New Year?"

Tu Jinbao sighed, "No more. Zhou Liushu is in a hurry to go to Ganzhou to take over, and can't wait until next year. It is said that there are some unusual movements over there among the Hu people, so just in case, he has to rush to Ganzhou to take charge!"

Haijiao sat up straight immediately: "What happened to the Hu people?"

(End of this chapter)