No, actually. This father and son are considered royalists. They even tried to dissuade Zhou Xianfei and the Ninth Prince when they realized that they were vying for the throne.
Later, Zhou Yan noticed something amiss from Consort Zhou's few words and secretly discovered that Consort Zhou and the Ninth Prince had poisoned the Crown Prince. This led him to the Tan family father and son and Xiao Zhuo Shi, and he learned Consort Zhou's true identity.
Before the father and son could report it, the crown prince died.
The father and son wanted to report this to His Majesty, but Consort Zhou discovered it and falsely accused them of colluding with foreign tribes.
Guess what? The senile emperor, who had been poisoned and gone mad, actually believed it, and the entire Zhou family, except for the married-out daughters, was wiped out.
Consort Zhou Xian also gained a reputation for upholding justice and sacrificing her own family for the country, and she and her two children became even more favored than before!
Emperor Mingxi, defined by the system as senile and poisoned: Is this something I could do years from now? Just how much of a spell did that bitch Zhou Yunxin cast on him? He believes everything she says!
"The Zhou family isn't raising a daughter, they're raising an enemy! The kind that kills the whole family! Why does this sound so familiar? It sounds a lot like that Yu Ningrou!"
The three Yu family members, especially Yu Qinchun, were reminded of their unpleasant memories and suddenly felt that they and Zhou Yan were in the same boat.
[Who can argue with that? They enjoyed no blessings, yet suffered just as much hardship.]
Zhou Yan: It's still the Divine Artifact Master who understands the suffering of the father and son.
Zhou Qingyu, however, gritted his teeth, mustered his courage, and stepped forward, saying, "Your Majesty, I, Zhou Qingyu, request that Your Majesty withdraw the imperial plaque bestowed with the inscription 'Adding Blessings and Longevity'!"
Emperor Mingxi immediately replied, "Why is that, Minister Zhou? As the maternal family of the Ninth Prince, Consort Zhou Xian has rendered meritorious service in bearing children for the royal family. That plaque is rightfully yours."
Zhou Yan instantly understood his son's meaning. This was truly the perfect time to sever ties with Consort Zhou Xian. So he knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, I beg you to punish me for deceiving the Emperor!"
As he spoke, he solemnly took off his official hat and gently placed it on the ground. Zhou Qingyu followed his father's example and took off his official hat and placed it on the ground as well.
The father and son touched their heads to the ground, silently awaiting Emperor Mingxi's judgment.
Emperor Mingxi was also a good straight man. In order to prevent the Divine Artifact and the Junior Tutor from realizing that the present was different from the original historical timeline, he needed to have a good excuse.
The Zhou father and son are practically handing him a knife!
So he said seriously, "Minister Zhou, since you say you have committed the crime of deceiving the emperor, then tell me what you have done, and why you, as an official of the court, would deceive the emperor?"
Zhou Yan knelt upright and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, eight years ago, the Ministry of Rites, by Your Majesty's decree, ordered that eligible daughters of officials of the fifth rank or above in the capital be selected. All three daughters in my family were among those selected."
"My second daughter, Zhou Yunxin, was fortunate enough to be chosen to serve Your Majesty, which should have been an honor for my entire Zhou family. However, however… recently, my wife, Madam Zhuo, fell seriously ill and thought she wouldn't make it, which is why she told me a great secret!"
"Is this the secret you used to deceive the emperor? Continue."
"Yes, Your Majesty. My wife told me that Consort Zhou Xian is not a daughter of my Zhou family. Her biological father was a scholar who passed away more than 20 years ago, and her mother has remarried."
Zhou Yunxin is not a daughter of the Zhou family, yet she entered the palace to serve the emperor as one. This is due to Zhou Yan's incompetence in managing the household and his deception of the emperor. I beg Your Majesty to punish her!
"Little Pearl, didn't you just say that the Zhou family father and son wouldn't know about Consort Zhou's background for another eight years? How come they know now? And you even said it in the morning court."
I don't know either! The "Records of the Great Yan Dynasty" that I read only mentions it briefly in the history book compiled by the new dynasty, the Great Wei, more than 300 years later after the society had stabilized. Could it be that the historical record is wrong because of the long time interval?
Or perhaps it's because you, the master of this world, suddenly appeared, and with a gentle flap of your butterfly wings, a different outcome was produced.
You see, many things have changed since you became the Junior Tutor.
The immortal once taught us that everything in the world is constantly changing, and we must view things with a developmental perspective, rather than sticking to old rules or blindly believing in the original history.
Yue Fuguang nodded and said, "Perhaps you are right, but I have forgotten all of Master's teachings. Please remember to remind me from time to time."
Emperor Mingxi and his ministers secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, they had managed to fool them. Just a moment ago, they thought they were about to be exposed.
A loyal minister who was unaware of the truth and could not hear the voice of the people stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I believe that what Lord Zhou did does not constitute deceiving the emperor."
The Zhou family raised Consort Xian, and Consort Xian was also registered in the Zhou family. Although she wasn't their biological daughter, she was considered an adopted daughter; both were daughters of the Zhou family, and daughters of the Zhou family were eligible to be selected for the palace.
The key point is that once someone is listed in the Zhou family genealogy, they are considered a Zhou family woman, even if they are not related by blood.
Zhou Yan glanced at the colleague who had pleaded for him with a complicated expression, then bowed and said, "Because of concealing Zhou Yunxin's identity, my wife felt guilty towards the Zhou family. When the child was young, she made an excuse to prevent me from adding her to the family genealogy. Later, I got busy and forgot about it. Therefore, Consort Zhou Yunxin is not on my Zhou family genealogy."
So this scourge that killed the whole family, whoever wants it can have it, they don't want it anymore!
Emperor Mingxi pondered for a long time and said, "Since that's the case, considering that you and your son were unaware of the situation beforehand and that you have always been dedicated to the country and worked diligently, I hereby demote Zhou Yan and Zhou Qingyu by one rank but allow them to remain in their posts. I hereby revoke the imperial decree and rewards bestowed upon Madam Zhou, Zhuo, and punish her by having her copy the 'Women's Virtues' text a thousand times and confine her to her home for a year to reflect on her mistakes."
Upon hearing Emperor Mingxi's decision, Zhou Yan and his son Zhou Qingyu breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that their Zhou family had finally passed this test.
The two kowtowed three times, one to Emperor Mingxi and the other to Yue Fuguang.
Without the divine artifact master and the little immortal lord, the Zhou family would have followed the same path of extermination, and the whole family would have perished before the fall of the Great Yan Kingdom. It was truly tragic!
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