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

Chapter 730 Good intentions
Haitang feels the same way.

However, she could also understand Zhou Ma's rejection. Not to mention the hardships she had suffered under her stepmother-in-law in the past, Zhou Ma had endured for more than 30 years and finally had a few years of stable and comfortable life. Her children were around her, and her grandchildren were also going to be married. Although her husband was not worry-free, she was no longer at the age where she could not live without her husband, and she could live well with her son and daughter-in-law. She lived a comfortable life as an old feudal lord in Chang'an, and had nothing to worry about. Suddenly, she had to go to a completely unfamiliar place, make friends with unfamiliar social circles, adapt to an unfamiliar living environment, and could not bring her children with her. How could she be happy?
Haitang couldn't help but speak a fair word for Zhou Ma: "Aunt has never left Chang'an for decades. She must be nervous when she heard that she was going to Beijing. She doesn't know anyone in Beijing, and the living conditions in Beijing are different from those in Chang'an. She has also heard rumors for years that people in Beijing don't like the Northwest Frontier Army. If she really wants to go with her great-uncle this time, her uncles, aunts and cousins ​​can't go with her. Aunt will naturally be even more confused."

Ma thought about it and thought of something more: "When your great-uncle goes to Beijing, he might bring the Zeng brothers and sisters with him and let them go back to reunite with their father and uncle. If the Yingchuan Marquis's Mansion is unwilling to take them in, your great-uncle will have to take them with him. In this way, your aunt will have to face the three uncles and nephews at home in the capital, but her own flesh and blood cannot accompany them. If they quarrel, they will seem weak and alone... No wonder the eldest sister refused!"

Ma understood Zhou Ma's concerns and sighed for her. However, even if she sighed, as long as the emperor really issued an order to transfer Zhou Shigong to Beijing, Zhou Shigong had to go. This was not only for his personal career prospects, but also for the future of the Zhou family. As Zhou Ma's wife, if she refused to go with him, she would not be able to rest at home.

Ma sighed again and again, and whispered to Haitang, "I'm going to advise your aunt today. No matter how reluctant you are, you have to follow me to Beijing. You can't let your great-uncle have the opportunity to marry a concubine. She is already old. In the past, when Madam Ma wanted to put someone around her, your aunt always handled it. How can she let others take advantage of her when she is old?! The family already has Zhou Jinpu and his son and Zeng's brothers and sisters who are secretly doing tricks. If a new person comes and gives birth to one or two children, won't your cousin Jinlin and the children be the ones who suffer in the end?!
"After hearing what I said, your aunt got a little flustered and stopped making a scene about not wanting to go to the capital. But your cousin Jinlin has work to do and it's impossible for him to go with you. But Zhou Jinpu and his son wanted to go with you under the pretext of studying. The Zeng brothers and sisters also tried to please your great uncle. If I really want your aunt to go with you, she'll have to fight so many people alone, and your great uncle is such a fool... I'm really afraid that she'll suffer!"

Haitang said, "I wonder when my great-aunt's appointment will come down? Our family will also go to Beijing next year, and then we can help each other with my great-aunt."

Ma thought about it and felt a little relieved, but she was still worried about her eldest sister: "If the emperor issues an order before the New Year, your great-uncle will have to go to the capital at least after the beginning of spring, and our family will have to stay in Chang'an until the second half of the year! There is a gap of half a year between the two, and I am afraid that your great-uncle is no match for those people. She has suffered countless losses in the past six months."

She couldn't feel at ease after thinking about it, and was thinking about finding a way to persuade Madam Zhou to let Zhou Jinlin and his son stay in Chang'an. Anyway, Zhou Shicheng was watching over him, and Zhou Jinlin didn't need his father's guidance, and he could study hard and prepare for the exam. There was no need for him to follow his father to study in Beijing. There were many famous teachers in Chang'an who could guide him with his knowledge, so there was no need to disturb the famous teachers in Beijing. If people in the literary circle in Beijing thought that the literary level of the Zhou family's children was so low because of him, and looked down on the Zhou family, it would be bad for the reputation of the Zhou family.

As long as Zhou Jinlin and his son do not go to the capital, there will only be two brothers and sisters from the Zeng family, so there will not be much of a problem. Although the brothers and sisters of the Zeng family grew up in the capital, the capital is their home court. As long as Zhou Shigong and his wife do not participate in various banquets and social activities after entering the capital, this home advantage will not affect Zhou Ma. If the Yingchuan Marquis Mansion does not like them, they will have to find a way to please Zhou Ma. Just pleasing Zhou Shigong is not enough. Zhou Shigong can take Zeng Boqing out to meet people, but can he take Zeng Chunlin with him?
The marriage of the Zeng family brothers and sisters seems to have not been settled yet! They always want to go back to Beijing, to Yingchuan Marquis Mansion, so how could they miss the opportunity to discuss marriage in Beijing? They can't count on Zhou Shigong, a nerd, for such a thing. If the wife of Yingchuan Marquis and the new wife of Zeng Er Laoye do nothing, they can only count on their aunt Zhou Ma. If they offend someone too much, they will suffer.

Ma sorted out her thoughts and had already thought about what she should say to her eldest sister when she went to the third branch of the Zhou family tomorrow.

After putting this important matter aside, she finally had time to ask her granddaughter about her experience today: "Did you have fun out of town today?"

"I am happy. The autumn scenery outside the city is beautiful and the weather is good. I rode horses with Xiao Shitou to enjoy the autumn and taught him a lot of riding tips." Haitang paused and decided to make the meeting with Jin Jiashu clear so that Ma would not find out from others and have unnecessary suspicions. "We also met Brother Jin near Baqiao. He also took Lu Ga Wa to practice riding in that area. I saw that he was not as good as Xiao Shitou, so I couldn't help but give him some pointers. He was quite embarrassed."

Ma was a little surprised, then she thought, "He should practice riding well. Your brother and his friends invite a bunch of friends to go out of the city to play together, and every time he is invited, he is always the one who lags behind. Your brother doesn't mind that he rides slowly, but others don't always give in to him. Now your brother has gone to the capital to participate in the military examination. If he passes, he will have to stay in the capital to be appointed as an official. It is not known whether he will return to Chang'an in the future. If your brother doesn't come back, he will have to find a way to keep getting along with other friends. If his riding skills always lag behind, he will not look good when he goes out with friends in the future. After a long time, who will be willing to invite him?"

Speaking of this, Ma couldn't help but feel that Guard Lin was too careless about his job: "Didn't he say that he was specifically responsible for teaching Xiao Jin? He was not at home for three days and two days, and no one knew where he went. Even when he was at home, he didn't pay attention to teaching Xiao Jin. He just let Xiao Jin study hard every day, and put riding, shooting and martial arts behind. I also know that Xiao Jin's family is a scholarly family, and he will take the imperial examination in the future. But if he lets the child study hard in the house all day long for the sake of the imperial examination, regardless of his health, that is not a long-term solution. If Xiao Jin doesn't have a good body, no matter how well he studies, it will be difficult for him to pass the provincial and imperial examinations."

She had long wanted to persuade Ma Shangyi not to just urge Jin Jiashu to study, and to spend more time practicing riding and archery. But Ma Shangyi seemed to know what was going on, and told her not to worry about it, so she couldn't say anything more. Now that Ma Shangyi was busy, Guard Lin was not at home, and Jin Jiashu wanted to practice riding, could their family help? In fact, Ma Changnian's riding skills were not bad, and he would practice with Xiao Shitou every day. Later, he would ask him to take Jin Jiashu with him to the small training ground to exercise together. They didn't have to leave the city, nor did they have to stay at home...

Ma was kind enough to arrange horse riding lessons for the neighbor boy Jin Jiashu in the near future.

(End of this chapter)