My grandfather was so wise.

But so what? In the end, it couldn't withstand the indifference of the royal family.

Even Zhu Yu knew this so well, how could the old emperor not know?

The old emperor must have met his grandfather when he was a child, so why did he have such a strong prejudice against the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion and his father and brothers, and even went so far as to trick his father and brothers into coming to the capital in the name of the crown prince?

Could it be that the old emperor obtained the throne through some extraordinary means, and that the grandfather knew the inside story, and the old emperor was afraid that the grandfather would tell the father?

Lu Xiaoyun frowned, looking at Zhu Yu with deep eyes.

She suddenly asked, "Zhu Yu, was your father the eldest son of the late emperor?"

Zhu Yu's hand tightened suddenly at his side. He hadn't expected Lu Xiaoyun to be so perceptive, and he began to doubt her statement about "pretending to be weak to eat the tiger."

He had Feng Yan investigate and found that Lu Xiaoyun was a complete idiot in the backyard of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion. Feng Yan had flipped through the books in the secluded courtyard where she lived, and they were all low-brow stories. The Duke of Zhenguo's stepmother had never hired any great scholars to teach her to read and understand reason.

I can't recognize many of the tiny characters.

Could such a woman possess such high insight and keen perception?

Lu Xiaoyun then said, "Now, of the Emperor's brothers, only Prince Hui remains. As far as I know, the late Emperor had many children."

Zhu Yu pursed his lips. He was unwilling to say much about his father's family history: "My grandmother was my grandfather's second empress. The late empress dowager died of serious illness before my grandfather ascended the throne. My grandfather had ten sons, but most of them died in battles against the previous dynasty. My uncle, Prince Hui, was also seriously injured in battles against the enemy and had no children."

Lu Xiaoyun understood. So this old emperor was not actually the most outstanding of the late emperor's sons, but he was the luckiest and most resilient, surviving to the end and naturally obtaining the supreme position.

As for Zhu Yu's claim that most of them died in battles against the previous dynasty, some may have, but not all of them. After all, by that time, the previous dynasty no longer had much fighting capacity, and the late emperor had no need to send so many of his sons out to take that risk.

Therefore, the emperor must have used some dishonorable means to obtain the throne. It is highly likely that his father has some leverage over him, or perhaps he simply hasn't changed his nature, which is why he is in such a hurry to eliminate the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.

Oh!

Lu Xiaoyun sneered.

Zhu Yu looked at her and saw that her originally gentle expression suddenly turned cold and hard again, with a hint of anger between her brows and her hands clenched tightly.

He sighed softly, his feelings incredibly complex. He knew the meaning behind Lu Xiaoyun's cold laugh.

Lu Xiaoyun only knew one side of the story. How could her father so easily give up the idea of ​​eliminating the entire Lu family of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion?

He told her to hand over the tiger tally tomorrow, but this was only a temporary measure. At least until their bodies were switched back, he wanted to ensure the safety of the entire Zhenguo Duke's mansion.

The reputation of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion is too great.

Ten years ago, his father agreed to let him join the army. At that time, he already knew that his father wanted him to check the Duke of Zhenguo and that one day he would uproot the entire Lu family.

He was merely a pawn used by his father to deal with the Duke of Zhenguo.

His mother abandoned him, and his father used him. He had little affection for his family since childhood. In the past few years, he had seen too many ups and downs and the coldness of human relationships. What else was there that he didn't understand?

But as long as Lu Xiaoyun hands over the Northern Army Tiger Tally in her hand at court tomorrow, catching her father off guard, he will feel uncertain.

Therefore, the Emperor will have to think twice before taking any action against the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion again. At least this time, the Emperor will not take any action against the Duke of Zhenguo and his son when they come to the capital.

After all, this Northern Army had been under his command for ten years, and everyone in the army, from the deputy generals to the centurions, was loyal to him. His father had no idea why the Tiger Tally had to be handed over, or what his true intentions were.

Because the Emperor knew all too well that a tiger tally could not truly give him firm control over the 200,000 Northern Army troops.

His confidants in the Northern Army would also have doubts. This time, he handed over the Tiger Tally without consulting the soldiers. This move would definitely cause a great shock in the army, and it wouldn't be long before the Emperor heard about it.

Therefore, at this time, after weighing the pros and cons, the Emperor dared not act rashly against the Duke of Zhenguo and his son, and might even use the military power held by the Duke of Zhenguo and his son to restrain him.

This is why a tripartite balance of power has been formed, preventing any one party from making any rash moves.

This was done in order to temporarily preserve the Duke of Zhenguo and his son, as well as the entire Lu family.

However, such preservation can only be temporary.

After all, in addition to their two large armies, the Xishan Military Camp stationed outside Shengjing City also had 150,000 troops, plus the Imperial Guards and the troops of the Five Cities Garrison, and there were also troops stationed in various prefectures.

This situation will change sooner or later.

How ridiculous! The Emperor both wants to use him and is wary of him.

To be frank, in his heart, there was not much difference between his son and the Duke of Zhenguo and his son, who were not of the same surname.

The emperor feared that the Duke of Zhenguo and his son would wield too much military power, and he also feared losing control over his son.

It is said that the royal family is cold-hearted, but even the affection between fathers and sons, brothers and kin, can still generate some genuine feelings when facing that supreme chair.

In the court, the Emperor allowed the Crown Prince and the Third Prince to fight each other. How could the things they did in secret escape the Emperor's eyes? But as long as they did not endanger the Great Zhou Dynasty or challenge his imperial authority, the Emperor would turn a blind eye and pretend not to know, letting them make a fuss.

Even the Fifth Prince Zhu Dan, who had been away from Shengjing for a long time, was personally taught and taken in by the Imperial Preceptor by his father, who had accompanied him on his travels in recent years.

His appearance resembled his mother's; he was gentle and refined, a handsome man with an otherworldly appearance and a jade-like complexion, which contrasted sharply with his hard and cold demeanor.

As for him, he was abandoned by his mother in less than three months, and the few times he saw her, she never gave him a kind look.

At that time, he was grateful that his father, the emperor, often came to see him and often took him with him, so the palace servants did not dare to neglect him.

Before he was five years old, his life could still be called a normal life.

However, everything changed on his fifth birthday. On that day, he wore brand-new clothes and took a wooden sword to find his father, asking him to teach him martial arts. In the distance, he saw a royal guard dressed in black talking to his father. He couldn't hear clearly, but he vaguely heard words like "merchant" and "wanderer".

However, he saw that his father's face was terribly gloomy.

As he walked over, his father saw him and suddenly knocked the wooden sword out of his hand, sternly telling him to get lost and never appear in front of him again, or he would be killed.

From then on, his father's gaze towards him lost its former warmth, replaced only by disgust, which grew stronger with age.

On several occasions, he even saw murderous intent in his father's eyes.

His father had considered killing him.