Slowly rising, Zhu Yunying looked down at him and asked, "Confucius revised the Six Classics and wrote the Analects. The title of Duke Yansheng is also a result of successive emperors' gratitude to Confucius. However, this Duke Yansheng should be someone who follows the virtues left by Confucius."

Zhu Yunying's expression turned serious, and he pressed further, "Is the Duke Yansheng the eldest son of the legitimate wife?"

Zhu Yunying's words had barely faded when the Fengtian Hall erupted in chaos. It seemed that not only were the court officials making a 'trouble,' but their emperor himself was also now challenging them.

Kong Ne, now confident, quickly replied, "Your Majesty, in the second year of the Yuan Yanyou era, members of the Kong clan submitted a memorial. After personally examining the Kong clan genealogy, it was determined that the heir to the throne should be Kong Sihui."

Zhu Yunying nodded slightly, then asked with a smile, "Kong Sihui, is he the eldest son?"

Kong Ne was filled with fear and confusion. "Your Majesty, I dare not deceive you. My ancestor was indeed the eldest son of the legitimate wife!"

Zhu Yunying spoke calmly and slowly said, "I believe the Kong family also has a genealogy. However, after Kong Duanyou in the Song Dynasty, due to the conflicts that arose during the Song, Jin, and Yuan dynasties, the descendants of Confucius were enfeoffed into the Southern and Northern branches. Kong Duanyou's younger brother, Kong Duancao, had a son named Kong Fan who was the Duke Yansheng and presided over the sacrificial rites at the Confucius Temple in Qufu. He was Kong Duanyou's younger brother and the originator of the Northern branch."

Many civil and military officials exchanged glances and whispered among themselves. They initially thought that the Prince of Lu's heir was merely questioning whether the Duke of Yansheng had served in the Mongol Yuan dynasty. This wouldn't have been a big problem; it could have been easily dismissed, since many scholars and military officers had served in the Mongol Yuan.

But the current emperor is directly questioning the legitimacy of the Duke Yansheng, fundamentally questioning the identities of Kong Ne and Kong Kejian. The distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children remains quite clear.

While Kong Ne was sweating profusely, Zhu Yunying continued, "After Kong Fan became Duke Yansheng, Kong Zheng, Kong Su, and Kong Yuancuo inherited the title, forming the Northern Branch. Kong Yuancuo moved to Bianjing with the Jin regime, and his cousin Kong Yuanyong presided over the sacrificial rites at the Confucius Temple in Qufu. When the Mongols occupied Qufu, they successively appointed Kong Yuanyong and his son Kong Zhiquan as Duke Yansheng. Thus, during the Song, Jin, and Yuan dynasties, there was a Duke Yansheng in each of them."

Zhu Yunying smiled and then said, "Soon after, Kong Yuancuo entered the service of the Mongol Yuan dynasty."

This is actually a euphemism; the Jin dynasty, to which Kong Yuancuo served, was destroyed by the Mongols. Fortunately, Kong Yuancuo was the Duke Yansheng, only his ruler changed, becoming the Duke Yansheng of the Mongols.

Zhu Yunying looked down at Kong Ne and asked, "You previously said that the Kong clan demanded the eldest son of the legitimate wife, and that because Kong Yuancuo had no son, his brother Kong Yuanhong's grandson Kong Zhen was to be the heir. The Kong clan said that Kong Zhen did not perform ancestral rites, was not the head of the Kong clan, and that his mother had remarried, so he could not be the head of the Kong clan."

At this moment, Kong Ne quickly said, "Your Majesty, during the reign of Kublai Khan of the Yuan Dynasty, Kong Zhu, the 52nd generation descendant, returned to the Yuan Dynasty and abdicated in favor of the eldest son of the royal family in Qufu."

Kong Zhu declined the title of Kong Zhiquan because he was the last Duke Yansheng of the Southern School. During the transition from the Song to the Yuan dynasties, the so-called use of Confucian wisdom to calmly deal with coercion and temptation, adherence to loyalty, filial piety and righteousness, and preservation of the Confucius family were all part of this strategy.

Kong Ne's meaning is quite clear: although the Kong clan is not the direct line nowadays, it is a legitimate successor.

Zhu Yunying remained noncommittal, then smiled and asked, "Oh? So the Northern School is the legitimate line?"

This completely revealed Zhu Yunying's true intentions, causing an uproar in the court. The current emperor was thoroughly questioning the lineage of the Duke of Yansheng, and was questioning the legitimacy of the so-called Northern Branch.

With a cold snort, Zhu Yunying said sternly, "Confucius is the ancestor of all literature in the world, and the members of the Confucius clan should also abide by etiquette and law! Kong Zhu's relinquishment of his title was perhaps a result of the Mongol Yuan dynasty's tyranny! But in all these years, have you ever thought about relinquishing your titles, have you ever thought about the direct descendants of Confucius?!"

Kong Ne suddenly looked up and cried out in a mournful voice, "Your Majesty, I am a direct descendant of the Kong family!"

Zhu Yunying disregarded all that and stated directly, "The direct line of Confucius is of paramount importance to the nation and must not be confused! I am determined to trace back to the source, and the legitimate and illegitimate lines must not be confused. For collateral branches to attempt to replace the legitimate line is the greatest farce in the world!"

This panicked not only Kong Ne, but also many civil and military officials.

They felt that Kong Ne was right, because Kong Zhu's decision to relinquish the title at that time seemed to be a voluntary transfer of the direct line to Kong Ne's ancestor.

But the current emperor isn't wrong either. Kong Zhu's lineage is the legitimate one, while Kong Ne's lineage was entirely fostered by the Mongol emperors. To put it bluntly, Kong Ne's lineage was considered the legitimate one by the Mongol emperors, the direct descendant of Confucius recognized by Kublai Khan!

This is a bit tricky!