The snow disaster killed many people, freezing and starving them to death. At that time, the Great Zhou Dynasty had been established for less than 20 years and was short of money everywhere. When it suddenly suffered a major disaster, everyone in the court, from the late emperor to officials of the sixth or seventh rank, was worried. Almost every day, hundreds of people died in the snow disaster.

All eyes then turned to the two strong contenders for the position of crown prince, standing at the very front of the council hall: the seventh prince Zhu Lin and the eighth prince Zhu Zhen.

Almost all of the late emperor's many sons died in the great war with the previous dynasty. In the end, only the three brothers Zhu Lin, Zhu Zhen, and Prince Hui survived.

King Hui was seriously injured when he was fifteen years old during a battle with the army of the previous dynasty, and he would never be able to have his own children.

The succession is crucial to the stability of the country. A prince who cannot have children is not eligible to inherit the throne. Therefore, he was enfeoffed as a prince early on and was excluded from the selection of the crown prince early on.

Zhu Zhen became the biggest obstacle on Zhu Lin's path to the throne.

The two were of similar age, and more importantly, Zhu Zhen was humble, polite, and talented, which made him a favorite of the late emperor. His only shortcoming was that he was not the legitimate son of the emperor.

As for Zhu Lin, apart from being born of the legitimate wife, he is nothing.

There are growing calls within the court to establish Zhu Zhen as the crown prince.

However, Zhu Lin held the status of the eldest son and the legitimate heir, and with the ancient precepts in place, he also received the support of many ministers.

For a moment, even the late emperor found it difficult to make a decision.

Therefore, the late emperor and his court officials discussed and decided that whoever could make great contributions in this snow disaster would be made the crown prince.

Both men were putting in their best efforts. Zhu Zhen personally went to the countryside to inspect various places, interacted with different wealthy merchants, and persuaded them to donate money to help the people. He also ordered his own soldiers to help the people rebuild their homes.

For almost the entire winter, Zhu Zhen was constantly on the go.

The difference is that Zhu Lin is thinking about how to get rid of Zhu Zhen and make himself the only candidate for crown prince.

As Consort Xian thought of this, tears welled up in her eyes. She picked up a handkerchief and gently wiped them away, but her voice remained soft and slow, as if she were recalling the most beautiful past.

"Do you still remember the person you kept behind to lie to the late emperor?"

The old emperor shuddered: "Wasn't he dead? He threw himself into the moat after leaving the palace."

"Yes, he threw himself into the moat after returning from the palace. But, Zhu Lin, you only saw him jump into the river, did you see his body?"

"Of course I saw it. Twenty days later, the ice on the moat melted, and his body floated to the surface. I confirmed that it was indeed him."

"Heh." Consort Xian sneered, "How did you confirm that the corpse was swollen and rotten? Just by the clothes he was wearing? Or by the right hand with a missing finger? Zhu Lin, you have something to hide, so you don't dare to go closer and confirm it yourself!"

The old emperor did not deny it. At the time, he only glanced at the man from afar. The man was wearing the uniform of a soldier from the Eighth Prince's residence, and was missing a finger on his right hand, just like the man he knew.

Consort Xian said softly, "Not long after you left, he was rescued by the Eighth Prince's people. The corpse you saw was just a spy you planted in the Eighth Prince's residence."

No wonder he couldn't contact that person later on.

"Impossible! He was poisoned, personally fed by me, and given only two hours to live!" the old emperor asked grimly.

"So, you won't admit your incompetence? Ha, I just said the Xie family is a family of doctors. How could I not cure snake venom?"

"You mean, he's still alive?" The old emperor's face grew even paler.

"What, if he were still alive, Zhu Lin, would you kill him again? Ha, you'll never know where he is!" Consort Xian sneered.

"Longshan, burying the dragon with earth, Zhu Lin, what a vicious thought you have!"

Zhu Heng, his mouth agape, laughed loudly: "Let me tell you, he is Xiao Song's father! Not only is he alive and well, but he's also married and has children. Hahahaha, you dog emperor, you didn't expect that you would be entrusted with guarding your palace all this time, did you? Oh, by the way, he's not at Xiao Song's residence."

"What? He is Xiao Song's father! Where is Xiao Song? Bring Xiao Song to me! I want to interrogate him myself!"

The old emperor had almost lost his mind, roaring at everyone like an enraged dog.

He had been led by the nose by Consort Xian and Zhu Heng to say so much, which proved to everyone present that he had indeed pushed Zhu Zhen off Longshan Mountain and buried all the people Zhu Zhen had brought with him in that man-made avalanche.

Zhu Yu looked at the old emperor with mixed feelings: "He's dead."

Upon hearing this voice, the old emperor abruptly turned his gaze: "You killed him, didn't you?"

The old emperor's voice was as cold and gloomy as an ice pool: "Lu Xiaoyun, the eldest daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, how wonderful! I had no idea that you possessed such superb martial arts skills. I have truly underestimated your Duke of Zhenguo's mansion! What, even a mere young lady from a noble family practices martial arts? Are you trying to emulate Zhu Heng's rebellion!"

At the end, the old emperor's voice suddenly rose.

Zhu Yu frowned slightly: "Your Majesty is overthinking it. If the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion wanted to rebel, wouldn't today be a good time?"

Lu Xiaoyun was extremely displeased to hear the old emperor's obsessive suspicion and said coldly, "The Duke of Zhenguo and his son are loyal and would never rebel. Please think twice before you speak, Father."

Think before you speak! Don't you even consider your current situation? The Virtuous Consort is right; only incompetent people are always wary of others being better than themselves.

She glanced at Zhu Zhi, who remained silent behind the old emperor. Zhu Zhi's incorrigible stupidity was just like that dog emperor's.

The third brother, Zhu Chen, is as vicious and ruthless as he is.

Fortunately, Zhu Yu and Zhu Dan are not like him.

Zhu Dan frowned slightly and said, "Father, I can assure you that the Duke of Zhenguo and his son have no disloyalty to our Great Zhou."

The old emperor seemed to realize that today was not the time to say such things, but it was true that even the women in the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion knew martial arts. He gave Zhu Yu a cold look but said nothing more.

Consort Xian smiled, and everyone present heard her soft laugh.

The old emperor, his face grim, looked at Zhu Yu as if he had suddenly realized she shouldn't be there: "Why are you still here? Who gave you permission to be here! Why didn't you leave with the others? Lu Xiaoyun, you are no longer my royal daughter-in-law!"

Lu Xiaoyun's brow twitched. Oh no! She should have let Zhu Yu and Feng Yan leave together. That damned emperor might kill Zhu Yu to silence him, just to keep his shameful secret.

After all, although she, Zhu Dan, and Zhu Zhi all heard it, they were still the old emperor's sons.

But Zhu Yu is now in her body, and in the eyes of the dog emperor, he is a complete outsider. How can an outsider know the despicable things he has done?

Lu Xiaoyun moved forward, shielding Zhu Yu behind her.

Zhu Dan also said, "Father, Miss Lu wouldn't talk nonsense."

The old emperor was always exceptionally lenient with his fifth son. He glanced at Zhu Dan, snorted coldly, and said nothing more.