Chapter 400 The Zhu Family

The residence of Imperial Censor Zhu.

In the study, after reading the secret letter sent from the palace, Imperial Censor Zhu's face suddenly turned ashen.

Madam Zhu asked anxiously, "Master, what did the letter say? How is Zhenzhen doing lately?"

"Take a look, you've raised such a fine daughter," said Imperial Censor Zhu coldly.

After reading the letter, Madam Zhu couldn't help but shed tears. "What mistake did Zhenzhen make that she had to be punished by the Crown Prince to copy the palace rules? The Crown Princess is also unruly, and the Emperor punishes her too. Why is it my daughter who is being punished?"

"If I had known she was so useless, why would I have let her enter the palace? I should have let Yiyi go in her place." Imperial Censor Zhu was very angry.

"Zhenzhen has been wronged, and you don't speak up for her, sir. You even said you want Zhu Yiyi to enter the palace. Sir, Zhenzhen is the legitimate daughter of the Zhu family!" Madam Zhu was furious, thinking that her daughter had suffered some injustice in the palace.

Just then, Aunt Xue swayed in, carrying a bowl of ginseng soup. She placed it on the table and said sweetly, "Miss Zhen came from Madam's womb, and Miss Yi came from mine, but they are both Master's daughters! Madam's words really show that we, mother and daughter, are being treated differently!"

"That's not what I meant. Don't make a big deal out of it. Zhenzhen is working hard for the Zhu family in the palace, and Yiyi is living the life of a pampered young lady at home. How am I being different from you?"

"It's true that Yiyi is a concubine's daughter. She's just unlucky to have been born into the Madam's womb. Otherwise, she wouldn't have had to abdicate as a young lady." Aunt Xue's eyes were filled with tears. "After the Second Miss entered the palace, I thought she had some great skills to win over the Crown Prince. In the end, she was still punished by the Crown Prince to copy the palace rules. She was perfectly pregnant, but she lost her child. Who can she blame?"

Aunt Xue was very beautiful and was the favorite of Imperial Censor Zhu. Her daughter was also well-raised and almost indistinguishable from the legitimate daughter. It was just a pity that the Empress had her eye on the legitimate daughter of the Zhu family, so her daughter had no chance to enter the palace.

Now, her tearful plea touched the heart of Imperial Censor Zhu.

Since the Zhu family already has a legitimate daughter residing in the Eastern Palace, there is naturally no reason to send another daughter into the palace; otherwise, what would the ministers say about Imperial Censor Zhu?

It's just that people might think that Imperial Censor Zhu harbors some wicked intentions, wanting all imperial heirs to come from the Zhu family. These kinds of rumors are not pleasant to hear.

Imperial Censor Zhu had high expectations for Zhu Zhenzhen's pregnancy. As the saying goes, "a new emperor brings a new court," and the Great Zhou Dynasty would soon belong to His Highness the Crown Prince, as well as the ministers. Only a family whose daughter could give birth to an imperial heir would be considered a member of the imperial family.

Even though Imperial Censor Zhu already held a high position and great power, he was still unwilling to accept that no one in his family had become an imperial heir.

Just like the Su family, they made so much money, but in the end, they not only didn't get to go to their graves with it, but also ended up with a bad reputation for all time. If Consort Su had given birth to a prince instead of a princess, the Su family could have competed for the position of crown prince instead of rebelling.

The imperial court and the harem, ministers and monarchs, are like a circle. Everyone needs each other, and only by using each other can they survive indefinitely.

Hearing them arguing, Imperial Censor Zhu said sternly, "Stop talking. She deserves to be punished. She had a child, but she ruined it herself. Who can she blame? The Crown Prince favored her the most, but her womb was uncooperative and she couldn't get pregnant. It's her own fault. What use is a woman who can't have children?"

Upon hearing this, Madam Zhu burst into tears, disregarding her image. "Zhenzhen can't just end like this! Master, you have to help her... Zhenzhen was such a clever child at home, you know that, Master. Looking around Shengjing, which daughter of any noble family is as well-behaved as my Zhenzhen? She would definitely be favored by the Crown Prince if she entered the palace. Now that she's like this, someone must be trying to harm her!"

At this point, Aunt Xue said, "Master, with Zhenzhen's intelligence, how could she have lost so badly? I think someone must be trying to harm her. Please ask the imperial physician to give the second young lady a thorough examination. Is someone secretly doing something to prevent her from conceiving?"

Censor Zhu was stunned. He had planted people in the Eastern Palace, but he hadn't found out who would harm Zhenzhen!

He also had people in the Imperial Medical Academy, and his health had been steadily improving. If anyone were to tamper with things, he would have known long ago, unless there was someone even more powerful behind it all.

Who could this person be?

Aunt Xue said, "Has the master never suspected the Crown Princess? Has he forgotten that last time the young general from the Su family came to our door, and we helped him..."

Imperial Censor Zhu glared at Aunt Xue, then walked to the door, looked outside again, closed the door, and said, "Some things, if you see them, just pretend you didn't see them; if you hear them, just pretend you didn't hear them. It's all in the past. Otherwise, the fate of the Su family will serve as a warning to the Zhu family."

Aunt Xue lowered her voice, "The people are all dead, so it has nothing to do with us anymore. Why did Su Xuan go to such lengths to destroy the Jiang family? Is there no reason? I don't believe it. The Crown Princess seems so amiable on the surface, but what happened to Su's daughter in the end? She died and her body was never found. Who is behind this?" Women understand women best. Men are all driven by lust and blinded by desire.

The power struggles within the inner palace were just as fierce as those in the imperial court. Her daughter would never risk entering the palace until the crown prince ascended the throne.

As expected, the eldest daughter of the Zhu family, who prided herself on her intelligence, has ended up being punished by the Crown Prince to copy palace rules.

Imperial Censor Zhu clenched his fingers. In truth, he would have been happy if Su Xuan had been able to eliminate the Jiang family and the Crown Princess, but unfortunately, he still failed in the end.

Next, there was another important matter: the position of Minister of Revenue was vacant, and there was fierce infighting among officials in the court behind the scenes.

Imperial Censor Zhu understood the Crown Prince's meaning: he wanted to hand over the position of Minister of Revenue to Jiang Jinyan. He was currently the Vice Minister of Revenue, and given the current momentum of the Jiang family, having Jiang Jinyan fill the vacancy would elevate the Jiang family to a higher level.

He absolutely cannot let this happen.

Imperial Censor Zhu thought to himself: Perhaps he could use the time Jiang Jinyan was on leave to push someone else up, but he didn't know what the Emperor thought.

Aunt Xue came out of the study and went straight to Zhu Yiyi's bedroom. She saw her daughter calmly playing the zither, and a hint of anxiety flashed across her face. "My dear young lady, you still have the mind to play the zither? I heard from the master that he wants you to enter the palace as well. What are your plans? If you don't want to enter the palace, you should make plans as soon as possible. You might as well let another girl go."

Zhu Yiyi raised an eyebrow. "I knew Zhu Zhenzhen would end up with a bloody head. She prides herself on being the legitimate daughter, superior to the concubine's daughters, but it turns out she's nothing special after entering the palace."

She sneered, "Who said I didn't want to enter the palace? I just wanted Zhu Zhenzhen to test the waters of the palace. Now it seems that the most difficult one to deal with is this Crown Princess of the Eastern Palace."