Chapter 75 Zhu Family Lineages
"Sir, the prince of Zhao and the princess of Shou'an have arrived at the government office!
Duke Yan's younger brother, Marquis Xu's third son, Princess Changning, and other members of the Zhu family have also set out and are on their way to the government office!
However, some Zhu clan members, such as the third brother of Duke Qi, refused to come to the government office, saying that they did not want to get involved in King Ming's family affairs.

According to the yamen runners who went there, Duke Qi's third brother packed his bags and left the city as soon as he received the message from the government office!"

Just as Fu Bisheng was wondering about the chances of the prince being involved in the assassination, a servant came in to report.

Fu Bisheng came back to his senses and listened carefully to the servant's report.

After the servant finished his report, Fu Bisheng nodded with satisfaction to the servant.

Although this servant was just a servant, his ability was much stronger than the previous two yamen runners.

I really don’t know how the people below select and employ people.

Fu Bisheng decided to promote this servant to a yamen runner as soon as he returned.

As for the two yamen runners mentioned earlier, let them go outside the government office and make their own contributions!

"Prince! County Lady! You've been waiting for so long!!"

As soon as he saw the Prince of Zhao and the Princess of Shou'an County, Fu Bisheng greeted them warmly from afar.

"Master Fu is busy with official duties! We, father and daughter, can understand!

Since it is Lord Zhao who has summoned us, Lord Fu should take us to meet the old Lord first!"

The Prince of Zhao said this when he saw Fu Bisheng arrive.

Fu Bisheng was stunned by what the prince of Zhao said.

As a member of the Zhu clan, he should first meet Zhu Zhiying, the left ancestor of the Dazongzhengyuan, and Zhu Wusi, the thirteenth son of King Ming.

As a witness to the injury examination, he went to examine the wounds of Liu Zhengyi, Zhao Jinniu and many constables and captains without waiting for other Zhu clan members.

Instead, he asked to see Zhao Yuguang first!
What is this operation?
As a member of the Zhu clan, do you want to cause trouble for Zhao Yuguang and challenge him?
But listening to what the Prince of Zhao said, that doesn't seem likely!

"Summon me", "Meet me"... Listen to these words, is this something that someone who is looking for trouble would say?
Or……?
But the father and daughter of the Prince of Zhao are relatives of the Zhu family!
Countless thoughts emerged in Fu Bisheng's mind, but in the end, Fu Bisheng still obediently followed the request of the Prince of Zhao and took him and his daughter, Princess Shou'an, to where Zhao Yuguang was resting.

Unexpectedly, Fu Bisheng took the prince of Zhao and his daughter for a distance and had not yet reached Zhao Yuguang's room.

But I met Zhu Zhiying first.

"Hmph~~"

When Zhu Zhiying saw the Duke of Zhao and his daughter being led by Fu Bisheng, his face immediately turned cold and he snorted coldly.

"Master Zuo Zongren!"

The Prince of Zhao was not affected by Zhu Zhiying's cold attitude at all. Instead, he bowed and showed full courtesy.

"Zhu Zhigong, you are still as hypocritical as ever!"

Looking at the polite Prince of Zhao, Zhu Zhiying's eyes revealed disgust.

"Zhu Zhiying, don't insult my father. You are just a small earl! How dare you be so rude to my father, the son of a duke!"

Princess Shou'an was not as cunning as her father, the Prince of Zhao. When she heard Zhu Zhiying's words, she exploded on the spot.

"Zhu Zhigong, will you hide behind a woman?
In the past, it was your sister Yun'an, and now it is your daughter Shou'an!"

Zhu Zhiying ignored the angry Princess Shou'an and brought the topic back to Zhu Zhigong, the son of Duke Zhao.

Princess Shou'an was a junior, and if Zhu Zhiying had an argument with her, it would be embarrassing if he lost, but if he won, he would be accused of bullying the weak.

Why bother?
"Zhu Zhiying, you still have the nerve to mention..."

Princess Shou'an wanted to say something else, but the Prince of Zhao grabbed her and pulled her behind him.

"Zhu Zhiying, after all these years, you haven't changed at all!

He can only play some shady tricks, it was like that in the past and it is like that now!

In the past, because... you were lucky enough to escape!
I didn't expect that not only did you not repent, but now you want to do it again and make it worse!
You didn't expect that you would kick a hard rock this time.

Marquis Fu'an is not easy to assassinate...

In order to rescue your captured accomplice, you let Lord Zhao catch you by surprise!

I'm very curious about how you will defend yourself this time!"

At this time, Zhu Zhigong no longer maintained outward courtesy.

After all, his daughter has stood up for him. If he still acts timidly, he would be unworthy of being a man and a father.

If it weren't for the education he received since childhood, Zhu Zhigong would have had royal etiquette ingrained in his bones.

If Fu Bisheng hadn't been standing by, Zhu Zhigong didn't want to be laughed at by outsiders who looked down on the Zhu family.

If I hadn't been in the officialdom for a long time, I would have been used to smiling on the surface and being so...

The moment Zhu Zhiying jumped out, Zhu Zhigong wanted to punch Zhu Zhiying in the face.

"Zhu Zhigong, I'm telling you, don't spit blood on me!

I didn’t even know about the assassination of Marquis Fu’an before! "

Zhu Zhiying is not a member of the Zuo clan for nothing. He is able to stand out from many other Zhu family members. How could he not hear Zhu Zhigong's sinister intentions?

Zhu Zhigong wanted to tie him to the assassination of Marquis Fu'an.

"Ha~

Zhu Zhiying, stop quibbling!

Lord Zhao is highly respected and experienced. If he had not already investigated the matter thoroughly, he would not have easily taken action to control you.

I advise you to tell the truth, so as not to continue to be innocent! "

Zhu Zhigong still remembered Zhu Zhiying's initial contemptuous "humph~", and now seizing the opportunity, Zhu Zhigong immediately responded to Zhu Zhiying with an even more contemptuous interjection "ha~".

Looking at Zhu Zhiying and Zhu Zhigong who were humming and hawing at each other, Fu Bisheng on the side couldn't understand that although the Prince of Zhao and the Earl of An were both descendants of the Zhu family, they were not of the same kind.

"It's Zhigong coming!"

Just when Fu Bisheng was considering whether to persuade the Prince of Zhao and Earl of An, Zhao Yuguang's voice was heard from a room not far away.

In order to prevent Zhu Zhiying from escaping, the room where Zhao Yuguang lived was not far from the rooms where Zhu Zhiying, Zhu Wusi, Gu Santong and others lived.

It was also because of this that the Prince of Zhao and his daughter met Zhu Zhiying on the way to Zhao Yuguang's room.

"Old Marquis Zhao, it is the junior!"

Hearing Zhao Yuguang's voice, Zhu Zhigong bowed and replied.

Then, Zhu Zhigong no longer paid attention to Zhu Zhiying, nor did he ask Fu Bisheng to lead the way. He knocked on the door and walked into the room where Zhao Yuguang was.

"Hmph~

Birds of a feather, unworthy of being a descendant of the Zhu family!"

Seeing Zhu Zhigong and his daughter enter Zhao Yuguang's room and close the door, Zhu Zhiying uttered a disdainful and angry sound.

Zhu Zhiying held a high position and knew far more secrets of the upper class than Fu Bisheng, the prefect of Xuzhou.

Zhu Zhiying knew about the close relationship between the Zhao family and the lineage of Duke Zhao.

But in Zhu Zhiying's view, this close relationship was a betrayal of the Zhu clan by the lineage of Duke Zhao.

He would rather be close to an outsider than to someone from the Zhu family.

The reason why the Zhao family can become second to none and above all other families is not only due to the strength of the Zhao family itself.

Relying solely on the Zhao family's own strength, the Zhao family only has one grandmaster, Zhao Yuguang.

There were many aristocratic families in the Ming Dynasty whose power was no less than that of the Zhao family.

The reason why the Zhao family has been able to maintain its position as the next largest clan for decades is largely due to the huge network of relationships that the Zhao family has due to its status.

In particular, the network of court relations brought about by Zhao Yushan's position as queen and the network of warriors and military relations brought about by Zhao Yuguang's dual identities as master and general.

Although the lineage of Duke Zhao is a clan of the Zhu family, it has never fallen into decline.

Although the position of Duke was hereditary, without power and money, the title of Duke was just an empty title. In the court and within the Zhu family, Duke Zhao's Mansion was an "invisible man."

It was not until several decades ago, when the current Duke of Zhao was still the crown prince, that he gave up his peaceful life and chose to join the army in order to regain the glory of his ancestors and get rid of the embarrassing situation of being an "invisible man".

As the current Duke of Zhao gradually gained power in the military, the Duke of Zhao's Mansion slowly regained its style and status.

After all, if you have power you have money, and if you have both power and money you naturally have status.

When the current Duke of Zhao joined the army, his immediate superior was Zhao Yuguang, who was already gradually emerging.

During military training and in battle, Zhao Yuguang helped the current Duke of Zhao a lot, and even saved the current Duke of Zhao's life.

After that, their relationship grew better and better, to the point where they agreed to become in-laws for their children.

If the position of queen promised by King Ming was not too tempting, maybe Zhu Chengwu's mother, Zhao Yushan, would have been betrothed by Zhao Yugang to the prince of Zhao.

But even if Zhao Yushan and Zhu Zhigong did not succeed, it would not affect the close relationship between the Zhao family and the lineage of Duke Zhao.

Zhao Yushan and Zhu Zhigong had not met each other much before, and they were not a pair of infatuated lovers who were forcibly separated by their elders.

Therefore, they will not hold grudges and affect the relationship between the two ethnic groups.

And while this couple didn’t make it, many others did. For example, Zhao Yugang’s niece married the illegitimate son of the current Duke of Zhao.

This is the advantage of having many members in a wealthy family. If this marriage doesn’t work, you can just change to another one!

Of course, the most important reason why the Zhao family and the lineage of Duke Zhao have been able to maintain such a close relationship is that Zhao Yuguang and the current Duke Zhao are still alive, and they each still have great influence in their own families.

"Zhigong, sit down!"

"Shouan, you sit down too!"

Zhao Yuguang greeted Zhu Zhigong and his daughter Princess Shouan.

"Given by the elders, I dare not refuse!"

Zhu Zhigong bowed his hands to express his gratitude, then sat down with Princess Shouan.

"Thank you, Grandpa Zhao!"

Princess Shou'an also thanked her in a coquettish voice.

"Hahahaha~
Zhigong, your daughter is much more talkative than you were when you were young!

The disciple is better than the master! "

Zhao Yuguang was stunned when he saw Princess Shou'an speaking in a hoarse voice and calling him sweetly and affectionately, then he laughed and said to Zhu Zhigong.

“They’re all spoiled!
I am sorry to make the old marquis laugh!"

Zhu Zhigong looked at Princess Shou'an with a doting look and said so.

“You’re wrong to say that!
Your Shouan is famous for being smart and cute!
I wonder how many handsome men in the capital are thinking about your Shou'an!
How can you say you are spoiled? "

Hearing Zhao Yuguang's praise, Princess Shou'an looked at her father Zhu Zhigong proudly.

It seems to be saying, how about it, I have made you proud!
“It’s all the favor from everyone!

By the way, Lord Zhao, how confident are you that you have controlled Zhu Zhiying this time?
What can I do for you?"

In order to prevent his daughter, Princess Shou'an, from getting too cocky, Zhu Zhigong brought the topic back to business.

"Based on the current situation, Zhu Zhiying is the most suspicious. The wounds in the "Nine Arrows of Death" cannot be faked!

Although I don't know if Zhu Zhiying is really so stupid that he would use his special skills to rescue prisoners? Or does Zhu Zhiying have other plans?
But it’s always right to control him now and keep him under my nose!
Now, don't do anything!

Just check Jinniu's and the others' injuries honestly with the other Zhu clan members, identify the martial arts that caused the injuries, and report the truth to the court and Zhu clan members when they arrive!"

Zhao Yuguang told Zhu Zhigong not to do anything.

Fu Bisheng didn't know, but the bigwigs in the capital knew that the Duke of Zhao's Mansion had a very good personal relationship with the Zhao family.

The more you do, the more mistakes you make!

If they could do more, someone might eventually find a way through the Zhaoguogong Prince and his daughter, allowing Zhu Zhiying and the Crown Prince to slip away.

At this time, the prince of Zhao and his daughter should just be honest and behave themselves and be an inconspicuous member of the Zhu clan.

"OK!
"Old Marquis!"

Zhu Zhigong felt slightly relieved when he heard Zhao Yugang say that he didn't need to do anything.

Although the Duke of Zhao's Mansion is on good terms with the Zhao family, the Duke of Zhao's Mansion is ultimately also surnamed Zhu.

If Zhao Yugang asked him to do something shady in order to prove Zhu Zhiying's assassination of Marquis Fu'an and frame the prince, Zhu Zhigong really didn't know what to do.

Do as Zhao Yuguang instructed!

Once exposed, the Duke Zhao's Mansion would be cut off from the Zhu family.

Don't follow Zhao Yuguang's instructions!
It will definitely destroy the deep friendship and tacit understanding that has existed between the Zhao Mansion and the Zhao family for decades.

It was because he was worried that Zhao Yuguang might have some private arrangements to make, so after receiving the news, Zhu Zhigong hurried to the government office with his daughter, Princess Shou'an.

It was just to meet Zhao Yuguang before other Zhu clan members arrived.

It’s no wonder that Zhu Zhigong suspected that Zhao Yuguang might have some private instructions.

It was really such a coincidence that all this happened.

And the direction of the series of events happening now is becoming more and more obvious.

Prince!

Zhu Zhigong didn't know whether all this was really done by the prince or whether Zhao Yugang was behind it.

While the prince of Zhao and his daughter were communicating with Zhao Yuguang, other members of the Zhu clan also arrived at the government office one after another.

"You said, was it really the Zuo Zongren who rescued Huang Jun, who assassinated Marquis Fu'an?"

The one who spoke was the third son of Xu Hou.

Although Xu Hou is over 50 years old, his third son is very young, only 18 years old.

The young third son of Marquis Xu was the most impatient and was the first among the Zhu clan members present to speak and get to the point.

Different from ordinary people and rich young men who get married and have children early, the children of wealthy and powerful families who are truly valued often get married late in order to study literature and martial arts.

Like Zhu Chengwu, the prince of Zhao, and the contemporary Marquis Xu.

Even Zhu Chengwu's father, the contemporary Ming King, is the same.

The current Ming King was over 30 years old when he married his first wife.

This means that although the current Ming King is nearly 80 years old, even Zhu Chengwu's eldest brother, the crown prince, who is the eldest son, is only in his 40s.

However, who would have thought that once the topic of the third son of Xu Hou came up, the lively atmosphere of the conversation suddenly became quiet.

“No one can say for sure about this matter!
No investigation, no right to speak.

We don't know anything about the situation right now, so let's not discuss it too much.

For such a big matter, the imperial court and the Dazongzhengyuan should arrange special personnel to investigate.

We will know when we see the results of the investigation!"

In the end, it was the younger brother of Duke Yan who spoke up to ease the embarrassment of the third son of Marquis Xu.

The lineage of Duke Yan and the lineage of Marquis Xu have a close relationship and both have profound backgrounds. They have always been indifferent to the issue of succession to the throne.

"Hmph~ I don't think Lord Zhao has any concrete evidence!
All this might not just be Lord Zhao's wishful thinking!
We all know that the father is old...

Zuo Zongren supports my brother again!

Lord Zhao is now framing Zuo Zongren, and his intention is obvious..."

At this time, Princess Changning spoke.

Princess Changning is the prince's sister.

After she came of age, she was granted the title of Princess Changning and betrothed to the Chang family in the northwest.

The Chang family in the northwest is also a major family with deep roots in the Ming military, and the family's real strength is not much weaker than that of the Zhao family.

This gave Princess Changning considerable say among the Zhu clan members.

The marriage between the Crown Prince's sister, Princess Changning, and the Northwestern Chang family also made many people feel that King Ming intended to consolidate the Crown Prince's position in preparation for the handover of power and the check and balance of the Zhao family.

It was precisely because of the presence of the Northwestern Chang family and the Shanxi family behind him that the prince was able to barely hold on to the throne despite the attack from the Zhao family.

The Shanxi family is the prince’s maternal family!

The prince's late mother, the first queen of the current Ming King, was born in a family in Shanxi.

At the same time, the Crown Prince's wife is also from a Shanxi family.

Before the marriage, the Crown Prince's wife was the Crown Prince's cousin.

With the help of the Shanxi family and the Northwest Chang family, the Ming Wang tendency is also more obvious.

Over the years, the prince's followers have increased, and his position has become more and more stable.

He even began to gain the upper hand in the confrontation with Queen Zhao and the Zhao family.

　今天只有2章，明天开始恢复1天1章（4000+）了。作者也会不定时加更的，尽量保证1周10章。作者非全职，加上手速有限！实在抱歉！请各位书友多多原谅。拜谢！
　　
　
(End of this chapter)