The atmosphere in Rongqing Hall of the Duke of Dai's mansion was solemn.
In the hall, the direct descendants of the Fu family gathered to listen to Fu Zhen recount the controversy between the civil and military officials of the court and Emperor Chengping regarding Fu Ya, which shocked everyone.
The old lady sat upright in the main seat, her face gloomy, and asked, "How could Fu Ya, a member of a collateral branch, gain the favor of the Qian Yuan Immortal Sect?"
No wonder he dared to beat the drum to appeal to the emperor?
Ultimately, he even gained the favor of the retired emperor, who bestowed upon him the title of viscount. Why?
"Ancestor, the Immortal Sect is powerful, and the dynasty dares not provoke it easily. Only by befriending the Immortal Sect can we strengthen the imperial power and national strength, and the conquest of the world will be just around the corner."
That is all the power of the royal family, and has nothing to do with my Fu family.
"Ancestor, the Fu family has declined!" Fu Zhen said indignantly, causing the direct descendants in the hall to feel indignant and helpless, and sigh repeatedly.
The Fu family's fortune, built by the two dukes of the Yong Dynasty, lasted for four generations before declining.
In the Great Li Dynasty, starting with the title of Duke, the succession of titles was based on a demotion system. If the heir did not make outstanding contributions to the court, the title would be reduced by three ranks at once, which is equivalent to lowering the rank of a title.
Kings, dukes, marquises, earls, viscounts, and barons are all ranked in three classes, with the third class being the lowest and the first class the highest.
Among them, the royal titles are divided into princes, dukes, and vassal kings.
The remaining titles are all of the first to third class.
The two Dukes of Yongdai reigned for one generation, and now Fu Zhen and Fu Lian have inherited the title of First-Class Viscount, which is much better than the other four Dukes whose mansions exist in name only.
In the current political climate, only five newly appointed marquises hold military power.
This means that the military power inherited from the six old dukes has completely disappeared.
It is customary for viscounts and barons not to command troops.
Unless a dynasty is engulfed in war and lacks generals to command troops, the dynasty will employ viscounts and barons to lead troops in battle, quell unrest, and defend against foreign enemies.
There is only one reason: the inheritance of ancestral titles is nominal and without real power.
Even newly promoted viscounts and barons seem inexperienced and unsuitable for holding military power; at best, they can serve as subordinate generals, learning and obeying orders.
The restrictions that benefited the country and its people undoubtedly reduced the descendants of the six dukes to the lowest ranks of nobility.
Zheng Ya beat the drum to appeal to the emperor, but before he could succeed, he was suddenly promoted to a higher social status.
This infuriated the entire Fu family. The old lady gritted her teeth and scolded, "You worthless wretch! As the head of the Fu clan, what kind of mess have you made?"
"Grandmother, this is not my fault!" Fu Zhen complained, unable to express his grievances.
Mr. Yu, representing that man, was pressuring her hard, and Fu Zhen, knowing that the other party had leverage over her, dared not disobey.
The old lady, unaware of the reason, sneered, "Zhen-ge'er, are you harboring wicked intentions and planning to wipe out the entire Fu family?"
"Grandfather, you flatter me. It's far more than that. I, your grand-nephew, would never dare to do such a thing..." Fu Zhen stood up in surprise, bowed and apologized, but couldn't explain why.
The entire hall of Fu family's direct descendants glared at him angrily, giving him no pleasant looks.
The old lady slammed her hand on the octagonal table angrily: "Zhen-ge'er, things have come to this point, why don't you confess honestly? Do you really want to send the entire Fu family to the guillotine before you're satisfied?"
"Young man Zhen, are you courting death?" Fu She roared angrily, his murderous intent rising.
He once served as a tutor to the former crown prince, valuing both literature and martial arts. He was also a first-class marquis, commanding 30,000 imperial guards in the capital, and was decisive in killing.
Unfortunately, the Crown Prince's attempt to force the emperor to abdicate failed with the help of Fu She, resulting in him being stripped of his marquisate and demoted to a commoner. He only managed to save his life thanks to the remaining military power established by the old Duke; otherwise, rebelling would have resulted in the confiscation of his property.
This incident almost caused the old Duke of Yongdai to lose his title.
After the retired emperor recovered from his serious injuries, he was grateful for the achievements of the two old dukes of Yong and Dai, as well as their remaining military prestige. In order to stabilize the court and the morale of the army, he bestowed upon Fu Zhen and Fu Lian the title of third-class viscount.
Both the title and the status were awkward.
Currently, Fu Zhen is forcing Fu Ya to annul the engagement, causing so much trouble that the entire Fu family was almost executed.
Fu She was furious, and Fu Zheng followed closely behind: "Zhen boy, as the head of the Fu clan, you disregard the safety of your clansmen and have caused such a disaster."
Even if the two emperors do not punish the Fu family, do you think Fu Ya will forgive your crimes?
He has the support of a powerful sect. If they attack, the entire Fu family will be implicated and killed.
For the safety of the entire Fu family, you'd better confess honestly what you've been hiding. Speak now!
"Uncles, please calm down. There are some things that are inconvenient to say..." Fu Zhen bowed and apologized with a bitter face.
The old lady waved her hand to dismiss the younger generation of direct descendants from Rongqing Hall before speaking to Fu Zhen, "Alright, now there are only five of us in the hall. Shall we speak?"
“Ancestor, I am ashamed to say this.”
As the Yong and Dai families gradually declined, the grand-nephews thought of bringing glory to their ancestors and discussed with their cousin Fu Lian about making achievements and restoring the family's legacy as dukes..." Fu Zhen couldn't resist the coercion of the mother and her two sons and told them the truth.
Fu Lian immediately became agitated upon hearing this and hurriedly tried to stop him: "Cousin, we agreed to make a name for ourselves, and I would only contribute money, but you're making me take the blame..."
"Enough, Lian-ge, shut up. Let him finish what he has to say, and then we'll have a fair judgment." The old lady scolded, and Fu Lian lowered his head and retreated to the side, sulking.
Seeing that she could no longer hide it, Fu Zhen braced herself and said, "Grand Ancestor, this is a long story."
In order to restore the glory of my ancestors, I arranged to meet with Marquis Ningwu, intending to use him to defeat the enemy and achieve merit.
Marquis Ningwu warned his grandnephew that the two emperors were determined to erase the military power and personal connections built up by the two dukes of Yongdai, so he should forget about joining the army and making meritorious contributions.
This made the grand-nephew realize the crisis of the clan's extinction, so he decided to start with trade routes, selling salt and iron to the Great Yan Dynasty..."
"What?! You're committing treason..." Fu She roared and threw a punch, striking Fu Zhen squarely in the left eye. Fu Zhen was sent flying, screaming as she crashed to the entrance of Rongqing Hall: "Ah, no, don't hit me..."
"Stop! Isn't it chaotic enough already?"
"Zhen-ge'er, get over here and explain yourself! If you really want to die, don't say anything. Your clan will beat you to death to give the court an explanation..." the old lady angrily scolded.
Fu She stopped his momentum from rushing forward to kill Fu Zhen. Fu Zheng went up to help Fu Zhen up, and kicked him three times in the process: "What are you yelling for? Get up and answer me?"
"No, don't hit me, you've all misunderstood."
Selling salt and iron to the Great Yan Dynasty was a scheme devised by me and Marquis Ningwu. The intention was to lure a certain force within the Great Yan Dynasty into a trap, seize the opportunity to manipulate a large army of the Great Yan Dynasty, and achieve a great feat.
This was all planned out perfectly, but, but…” Fu Zhen started crying as she spoke, crying like a helpless child, completely out of control.
The old lady said sympathetically, "Alright, alright, explain yourself before you cry. Don't act like a woman, crying and making a scene. What kind of behavior is that?"
"Ancestor, our entire plan was overheard and secretly followed. They found out that we were plotting against the Huyan family of the Great Yan Dynasty. During the salt and iron trade, they led a large army to surround us and threatened us to serve them in their attempt to usurp the throne! Waaah!" Fu Zhen cried as she revealed the truth.
The old lady laughed in exasperation: "You guys are really stupid!"
"So stupid as to let yourself be caught red-handed, then manipulate you into serving them, and finally scheme against Fu Ya, plotting a marriage alliance with Earl Dai—what a grand scheme!"
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