Chapter 133 A Good Eagle Does Not Stand on a Dangerous Wall (Two Chapters Combined into One)

Lord Zhu took a long time to enter the palace, and Emperor Yongjia had lost his patience. I sent someone to summon him to the palace, but he was late. This was clearly disrespectful to me!

After Lord Zhu entered the palace, he lowered his head and looked straight ahead, so he did not see Yan Xia lying on the door panel.

He bowed respectfully and heard a majestic voice coming from above his head.

"Lord Zhu is so arrogant."

Lord Zhu was startled, knowing something bad had happened. He quickly knelt down and kowtowed, "Your Majesty, please calm down. I deserve death, but I really came here as soon as I heard the summons. I dared not delay for a moment."

"Haha!" A cold laugh was heard, and Lord Zhu thought to himself, which old man dares to laugh at me? Wait until the court is over, and I'll see how I'll deal with you.

But then, Lord Zhu heard a very familiar voice: "Lord Zhu, you didn't stay at the Marquis' Mansion last night, did you? You stayed at Baihua Tower or Ruoyu Pavilion? Oh, by the way, it's rumored that Lord Zhu has a new pair of sisters and has bought a concubine's house in Hongxiu Hutong. Could they have come from Hongxiu Hutong? It's really far away."

Lord Zhu...

How did the Duke of Weiguo know that he bought a house in Hongxiu Hutong?

Just as he was about to open his mouth to deny it, he heard the emperor's voice again: "So that's how it is. I was wrong about Lord Zhu."

Lord Zhu...

He knelt on the ground and kowtowed again: "Your Majesty did not blame me wrongly. It was my own slowness that kept Your Majesty waiting."

Emperor Yongjia nodded slightly and said, "Duke Weiguo, Marquis Baoqing is here now. What do you have to say?"

The Duke of Wei bowed to the ground and then said loudly: "I accuse the Marquis of Baoqing of lax management of his family, allowing his mother to commit murder, and intending to sever the bloodline of a founding hero. His intentions are sinister and he deserves death!"

Lord Zhu was stunned and couldn't help but look up: "What?"

Wasn't it about Zhu Yu being arrested? How did it become like he allowed his mother to commit the crime? Besides, Yan Xia was just a junior, so what if he got hit by the old lady a few times? And he committed the crime? Isn't the Duke of Wei afraid of being caught off guard?

"Yan Xia is not dead again!"

Lord Zhu had already seen Yan Xia. Although he was lying on the door panel, he could still tell the living from the dead, and Yan Xia was alive and well.

Upon hearing this, the Duke of Weiguo looked at Emperor Yongjia and said, "Your Majesty, you heard this, didn't you? Marquis Baoqing still regrets that my son is still alive? It's thanks to the blessing of our great grandfather and the mercy of King Yama that my son didn't die at the hands of a villain."

Lord Zhu was so angry that he was fuming. The villain that Duke Weiguo was talking about was obviously his own mother.

"Your Majesty, please believe me. The Marquis of Baoqing and the Duke of Wei have no grudges against each other, so how could they intentionally harm each other? It was a misunderstanding. Yes, it was a misunderstanding. My mother is old and her eyesight is dim. She mistook Prince Yan for her own grandson and gave him a few small scoldings. Really, it was just a few small scoldings."

Duke Wei's eyes widened in anger. "Mr. Zhu, since this is a misunderstanding, can you let me give you a little scolding?"

Lord Zhu hurriedly said, "Duke Weiguo, you are unreasonable."

Duke of Wei: "My son is about to be beaten to death by your mother. How can I reason with you?"

Lord Zhu: "Your son is clearly not dead yet."

Duke Weiguo: "If you dare to curse my son, I will fight you!"

Two eunuchs quickly supported the Duke of Wei, one on each side, and said, "Duke, please calm down. Don't disturb the emperor."

Seeing that the two were about to fight, Emperor Yongjia shouted, "How can this be allowed in the court?"

The two men knelt down reluctantly, and Emperor Yongjia said, "Lord Zhu, is it true that the wife of Marquis Baoqing injured Yan Xia?"

Lord Zhu wanted to say no, but he didn't dare. Yan Xia didn't go to the Marquis' Mansion alone. He brought so many people with him. It was no secret that his mother had beaten someone.

"It is true, but..."

Emperor Yongjia didn't want to hear his explanation. On one side was the Duke of Weiguo's Mansion, which was loyal to me, and on the other side was the Marquis of Baoqing's Mansion, which was always causing trouble for me and could do nothing. Who should I side with? Is there any need to ask?

If I don't punish Madam Wei, I'm already giving face to Concubine Li.

There was no sign of joy or anger on Emperor Yongjia's face, but the more so, the more uneasy people felt.

Everyone subconsciously held their breath, and the hall was completely silent.

Emperor Yongjia tapped his fingers lightly on the dragon table. It was only a slight sound, but it made Lord Zhu, who was kneeling below, tremble.

"Lord Zhu, do you know how many memorials have been filed against you for your tyranny? If they were piled up, they would be higher than the gate of your Marquis Baoqing's mansion!"

Lord Zhu was sweating profusely and kowtowing on the ground.

Emperor Yongjia snorted coldly and said, "However, I have only just realized today that those imperial censors were too lenient."

Marquis Zhu's forehead was already bleeding, and his robe on the back was soaked with sweat: "I have failed to educate my son..."

Emperor Yongjia interrupted him and said, "Is it just that you don't know how to educate your children?"

Lord Zhu knew very well that Yan Xia was still lying there. Of course, he was not only a bad parent, but Yan Xia's injuries were caused by his mother. But he could not take care of his own mother.

"I have failed to educate my children and manage my household properly. I accept the punishment."

If something can be solved with money, it is not a big deal.

Emperor Yongjia ignored him and looked at the Duke of Wei. "What do you think, my dear Lord Yan?"

Duke Wei wiped away a tear and said, "My poor son, his life or death is uncertain. I am useless and cannot even afford to buy him some ginseng to keep him alive."

Lord Zhu gritted his teeth and said, "Listen, this shameless guy just wants money."

"Then let the Baoqing Marquisate pay more silver as compensation, my dear Minister Yan, what do you think?" said Emperor Yongjia.

The Duke of Weiguo hurriedly said, "Your Majesty is wise. My son's injuries are too severe. Without fifty thousand taels, I'm afraid he can't be cured. Alas, the Ministry of Justice still has a case waiting for my son to handle."

Lord Zhu was so angry that he wanted to curse, "How dare you ask for it? You ask for 50,000 taels right away."

Emperor Yongjia nodded. "Since that is the case, I will fine you one year's salary and order you to discipline your family and maintain order in your household. Since Crown Prince Yan was injured because of your mother, I order you to pay the Duke of Wei fifty thousand taels of silver in compensation. You cannot delay."

The emperor's words were golden, and Lord Zhu was speechless, unable to express his grievances. He could only accept it and shout "Thank you, Lord, for your grace" with Duke Weiguo.

Lord Zhu had no idea how he had left the palace. When he returned to his residence, Old Madam Wei had already returned. Seeing him, she hurriedly asked, "Why did you come back by yourself? Where's Yu'er? Didn't you go to the Ministry of Justice to pick her up?"

Lord Zhu was stunned. "Did Concubine Li agree? Is Yu'er okay?"

Madam Wei snorted and looked at the red gold and ruby-studded nail guards on her hands. "Isn't it just a dead body dug up in the manor? What's the big deal? Can't we just hand over the murderer and let him go?"

Lord Zhu breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "Son, you know that as long as mother is there, no matter how big the matter is, it won't be a big deal."

He became curious again: "By the way, mother, where did you find the murderer?"

Madam Wei glanced at him and said slowly, "Is there any need to look for it? Whoever killed that bitch is the murderer. Anyway, this matter has nothing to do with our Yu'er."

Lord Zhu was startled again, and suddenly thought of someone: "Madame Niu?"

Madam Wei sighed, "Lao Niu has been with me for decades. Who would have thought she was such a ruthless person? Sigh, she's willing to kill people. Now, no one can help her."

Lord Zhu quickly comforted her, "Mother, don't be sad. It's not worth it for such a lowly thing. She doesn't deserve it. Oh, mother, you injured Yan Xia. Today, the emperor fined his son a year's salary and asked us to pay 50,000 taels of silver to the Duke of Wei. Look at this silver..."

The Baoqing Marquisate has not yet been divided. Although in the eyes of Marquis Zhu, all the money in the marquisate is his, the amount this time is a bit large. Taking out so much at once, the second brother will not say anything, but the third and fifth brothers, as well as the fourth brother who is away, will definitely not let it go.

That year, Zhu Yu simply took the third son's daughter to her own room, but the third son's wife insisted on going to the emperor to file a complaint, not afraid of being embarrassed. When she was stopped from going, she pretended to be crazy and stupid, and wanted to chop Zhu Yu with a knife. She was only calmed down after the old lady slapped her several times.

However, since then, the third daughter-in-law has been at odds with the eldest son's wife, and she often makes indirect accusations. If it weren't for the ancestral order not to divide the family, she would have kicked the third son out long ago.

Lord Zhu was annoyed just thinking about it, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and ask Madam Wei for the money.

Madam Wei slammed the table and said, "They've rebelled! They've rebelled! When will it be our Baoqing Marquisate's turn to pay the silver?"

But having said that, Madam Wei knew in her heart that if she had not entered the palace today it would have been fine, but she had just come out of the palace, and if she went to see Concubine Li again for the 50,000 taels, she was afraid that this favor would not be useful.

"Then let's delay it for now." Mrs. Wei said unhappily.

But ideals and reality are often far apart.

Just as Madam Wei and Marquis Zhu were ready to "drag out" the debt, the Duke of Wei's Mansion came to collect the debt.

The people who came were the four masters and eleven young masters of the Duke of Weiguo's Mansion.

Duke Weiguo has five brothers, all of whom are born to the same mother. The four younger brothers have always followed the lead of their eldest brother, Duke Weiguo. As the saying goes, like father, like son. Yan Xia is the eldest brother, and the younger brothers also listen to him.

As for his youngest brother, he was still breastfeeding and could be ignored for the time being.

That's right, there are two lucky girls in the capital this year, one is Princess Jiayi and the other is Lady Yu, the wife of Duke Weiguo. Princess Jiayi gave birth to a girl as she wished, but Lady Yu was not so lucky. She dreamed of having a daughter, but gave birth to a boy instead.

What the Duke of Weiguo's Mansion lacks most is daughters, but unfortunately none of the five brothers have daughters.

There are a total of sixteen males in Yan Xia's generation. Except for the injured Yan Xia, the six-year-old Thirteenth, the five-year-old Fourteenth, the three-year-old Fifteenth, and the infant Sixteenth, the rest have all come.

In fact, the Duke of Weiguo's mansion had been divided a long time ago, and only the Duke of Weiguo and his family of five were still living in the mansion. However, when they heard that Yan Xia was injured, the four uncles came with their sons.

Brothers fight tigers together, fathers and sons fight together in battle, if you want to fight, then go together, this is the family motto of the Weiguo Mansion.

Now, more than a dozen people, big and small, were all standing in front of Lord Zhu.

Give money!

In the courtyard, Lord Zhu just said: "Can you guys take it easy for a while..."

The four Master Yans didn't say anything, they just looked at him and laughed, making him feel creepy.

Just at this moment, an eagle flew over from somewhere and stood opposite Lord Zhu to watch the excitement. Its little eyes looked as if it knew everything, which made Lord Zhu want to jump up and down.

Just as he was about to continue to find an excuse, he heard Master Yan Wu say to the eleven Master Yans behind him: "Children, it's up to you."

Second Young Master Yan Yuan shouted, "Alright, please come in! Brothers, come on!"

As soon as the Second Young Master Yan gave an order, the children, big and small, scrambled to climb up the roof. The youngest, Yan Twelve, was only eight years old and was dragged up by his brothers.

Lord Zhu was confused. What were these little monkeys doing upstairs?

Before he could react, he saw the four Master Yans retreating one after another. Then, Lord Zhu saw something being thrown down from the roof. It was not until those things fell to the ground that Lord Zhu saw clearly that they were tiles!

The maids and servants were so frightened that they hid everywhere, and even the eagle that was watching the fun flew into the air.

A good eagle never stands on a dangerous wall. This is the rule of being an eagle.

Lord Zhu was unable to dodge and was hit on the shoulder. When Lord Yan Er saw this, he shouted at the rooftops, "You little bastards, look carefully and don't hit anyone!"

"Uncle, don't worry. We have good aim and we can't hit anyone!" Young Master Yan said with a smile.

Master Yan Er frowned, "If it doesn't hit anyone, it won't be good if it hits a pig or a dog. Look, didn't it hit Lord Zhu?"

Lord Zhu: I am your ancestor!

"Who told you to lift the tiles? Come down, all of you! Come down!" Lord Zhu shouted loudly. Seeing that the masters of the Yan family were still watching with smiles, he had no choice but to shout, "Come here, pull them down, come quickly!"

The servants of the Baoqing Marquis' Mansion climbed up under the tiles that kept falling down. Unfortunately, although the boys of the Yan family were not very old, they had all practiced martial arts since childhood. When they saw the servants were about to climb up, they kicked them down.

There was a loud crashing sound coming from the house. Lord Zhu knew what was going on without even looking. The tiles were blown off and all the dirt and sand on the roof fell down.

There were eleven boys, the oldest was eighteen years old and the youngest was eight years old. They were all at an age with endless strength. In just a short while, they had almost removed all the tiles from the houses.

They jumped onto the house next door and continued to climb up the roof and remove the tiles.

The guards from the Baoqing Marquisate rushed over. They were quite skilled in martial arts, but as soon as they reached out their hands, the four Yan masters started yelling, "The Baoqing Marquisate is beating people. You're bullying the weak. Beating one isn't enough. You're trying to wipe out our Yan family! You Zhus are too cruel!"

Lord Zhu was almost fainted from anger.

You can’t fight, you really can’t fight.

I hit one yesterday, so I have to pay 50,000 taels today. Now there are eleven of them, which means eleven 50,000 taels.

This guy named Yan is so shameless!

Tiles were thrown everywhere, and seeing that another roof was about to be ripped off, Lord Zhu gritted his teeth and said, "Isn't it just 50,000 taels? I'll give it to you, right now!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the eagle that was watching the fun flapped its wings and flew away.