Zhu Xiong Ying turned his head slightly and winked at Lan Yu, who understood and said, "I second that!"

Zhu Xiong Ying nearly spat out a mouthful of blood. He felt he had done a great deal of credit for Lan Yu not being skinned alive and stuffed into straw. But what about you? All these years you've been single-mindedly thinking about fighting, haven't you!

Just then, Chang Mao, who had returned to Yingtian Prefecture, seemed to understand something. He argued with Yang Jing, the Minister of Justice, expressing his different views. However, Chang Mao, lacking real insight, was quickly defeated.

Chang Mao, his face flushed red, had lost the verbal battle. The dignified Duke of Zheng was rendered speechless by a mere scholar.

Since verbal sparring failed, and Yang Jing made a somewhat disdainful remark about Chang Mao's lack of literary talent, things escalated. Chang Mao immediately launched into a tirade against Yang Jing, showering him with punches...

This is what a real uncle should be like!

Chaos erupted in the court, and the civil officials felt deeply humiliated. Chang Mao, the Duke of Zheng, single-handedly took on ten men in the court, and several other nobles were also eager to try their luck, showering the civil officials, who had won the verbal battle, with punches and kicks.

"You insolent fool!" Old Zhu roared in fury at Chang Mao, "This is my court, not a place for you to run wild!"

Chang Mao immediately knelt down to beg for forgiveness, but Old Zhu was still furious. "Guards, take him away and send him to the Imperial Clan Court."

Um

Um?

The Imperial Clan Court?! What merit or ability does the Duke of Zheng possess to be sent to the Imperial Clan Court? What kind of royal family member is he?!

Enraged, Emperor Zhu dismissed the court, having no interest in dealing with Chang Mao, who had dared to punch in the courtroom. This meant that the matter of punishment that the civil officials had just argued about would simply be dropped.

Zhu Xiong Ying offered some words of comfort to the beaten civil officials, and as they lamented their situation, Zhu Xiong Ying himself appeared quite troubled. "My dear uncle, what am I supposed to do? You always say relatives should cover for each other, but now you expect me, a prince, to be punished the same as a commoner? That's such a double standard!"

After finishing his business in the court, Zhu Xiong Ying hurriedly returned to the Wu Ying Hall.

Old Zhu saw Zhu Xiong Ying and chuckled wickedly, a hint of schadenfreude in his voice. "I've told you before, those scholars are all cunning. Now you know?"

Zhu Xiong Ying's face darkened, and he said, "Those bastards are the best at making a mountain out of a molehill and using this as an excuse to stir up trouble. They even said this was an opportunity to slightly abolish some harsh laws. Since that's the case, let them worry about it. I'm not in a hurry."

“Ying’er, it’s your turn to speak up on this matter. It will earn you a good reputation, and we’ve also been willing to abolish some harsh punishments.” Old Zhu said earnestly to Zhu Xiong’er, “There are just some things that you can’t do directly. Go and communicate with your trusted men later, and let them take the lead. Remember, when we get angry, you have to protect them and argue with us.”

Zhu Xiong Ying immediately realized what was happening and said, "This time, my grandson was too hasty and shouldn't have been so eager for quick success. Let's wait a bit, and I'll discuss it with someone later."

“Chang Mao is quite clever, but we have no choice but to punish him,” Old Zhu said to Zhu Xiong Ying. “Go back and talk to him, but don’t be too blunt. We’re punishing him, but you should still reward him as he deserves.”

Zhu Xiong Ying nodded and said to Old Zhu with a smile, "Originally, I wanted Lan Yu to handle it, but that person is too stubborn and can't understand at all."

After a moment of silence, Old Zhu spoke up to Zhu Xiong Ying, "Ying'er, Lan Yu is quite capable. However, he is too arrogant and domineering. If he is not easy to use, it will be a troublesome matter."

"Grandfather, Lan Yu is ultimately one of my men, one of the Crown Prince's men." Zhu Xiong Ying thought for a moment and then revealed, "Grandson knows what Grandfather is worried about. It's better to keep Lan Yu. Let's see how things go first, at most we won't let him go out to command troops. Lan Yu and Fu Youde should both be kept."

Old Zhu didn't object to the two men, and it was fine to leave them to Zhu Xiong Ying. But in an instant, Old Zhu said, "What about Feng Sheng? He's having a great time fighting with your fourth and seventh uncles in Japan, and he's arrogant now."

"Grandpa Emperor, they still rely on the court for grain and weapons." Zhu Xiong Ying said with a smile, "Grandpa Emperor, I know what I'm doing. It's not that I think too highly of myself, but the people you left me have been trained over the years. If they can't even hold onto the throne, then I'm incompetent, and it wouldn't be a shame if I lost."

Old Zhu was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter, "Good, as expected of our grandson, he has ambition and a broad mind!"

Putting aside matters of magnanimity, Zhu Xiong Ying felt that she truly held a winning hand. If she lost, she would truly deserve it!