Chapter 423: Brothers' Standpoints
After seeing off the imperial envoy and his entourage, Zhu Haocheng couldn't wait to approach his father and ask, "Father, what does this imperial decree actually mean? What have you done?"
Zhu Bowen glanced at him. "Are you questioning your father?"
"I wouldn't dare, I'm just too anxious." No matter how urgent he felt, Zhu Haocheng didn't dare anger his father further. As the eldest son, he understood better than his younger siblings the depth of the bond between his father and Uncle Hua. While other families' long-standing friendships often involved mutual interests, these two were different.
He remembered one year when his father had displeased the Emperor and nearly faced demotion. It was Uncle Hua who, through numerous indirect efforts, managed to smooth things over. Later, when his father remained stagnant in his official position for years, it was again Uncle Hua who helped pave the way, both openly and discreetly. He could understand his father's protectiveness toward the Hua family, but not at the cost of jeopardizing the Zhu family.
"Father, think of Ziwen, think of the future of the other children in our family. I know you value your relationships and can't abandon the Hua family, but only when we are secure can we better protect them. If the Zhu family also gets dragged into the mire, who can we rely on then?"
Zhu Bowen remained silent for a moment, then sighed deeply and turned to his second son. "Haodong, what do you think?"
"Of course I don't want anything to happen to the Zhu family either. But over this past year, I've come to see what kind of person Zhi Er is—she would never touch anything she shouldn't. For instance, in her business ventures this year, aside from food-related items, she hasn't engaged in anything else. Is it because she can't? Yet we still hold the soap formula she gave us. I believe she knows what's important. By focusing on food, even if others are envious, it doesn't encroach too much on others' interests. Even so, she hasn't monopolized anything; instead, she has secured protectors for each of her ventures. She understands that this is the way to ensure safety. I don't believe she would cause any major trouble, and even if problems arise, they wouldn't be of her own making."
Zhu Haocheng, though restrained in front of his father, held no such reservations with his younger brother. He sneered, "That sounds fine, but then explain to me what this decree means."
"Why not just ask Zhi Er?" Zhu Haodong disliked his elder brother's attitude of avoiding the issue before even understanding what was happening. He recalled how cheerful his brother had been when discussing marrying Zhu Shan into the Hua family before.
Zhu Bowen glanced at his second son. He wondered what had gone wrong with these prominent families—it seemed the younger sons were often more capable than the eldest. He had previously thought his own eldest was decent enough, but now it appeared he was just average.
A single tree cannot form a forest, and the same holds true in court. That was why factions formed. While he appeared to rely on no one, he had always been bound to the Hua family—not just because they were in-laws, but because the only person he truly trusted was Hua Yizheng; even Sun Qi came second.
With his hands clasped behind his back, Zhu Bowen looked at his wife, who wore a worried expression. "It's nothing serious. Send someone to the Hua family and have Zhi Er and that Lu Xiansheng come over."
Calling them over when it was already dark—how could it be nothing? The old lady's heart tightened, but she didn't press further. "Zhinang, you go, and make it as quick as possible."
"Yes."
"Alright, let's have dinner."
Only after the old master's reminder did everyone realize how long they had been busy and that they hadn't eaten yet. Suddenly, they all felt ravenous.After a hasty meal, the men of the Zhu family, including Zhu Ziwen, entered the study. Zhu Bowen instructed the steward, "When Zhi Er arrives, bring her directly here."
"Yes."
As soon as they were seated, Zhu Haocheng anxiously wanted to press for answers, but when he looked up and met his father's calm gaze, the words died on his lips. He lowered his head, not daring to provoke further.
Zhu Bowen felt disappointed but couldn't scold his son in front of his grandson. He could only shake his head and say, "Zhi Er already came to see me earlier today to give me a heads-up. The Emperor has taken notice of her business acumen."
Zhu Haodong brightened, "That's good news! If Zhi Er can help the Emperor earn more money, perhaps he'll be pleased enough to release the Hua family members?"
"Dream on," Zhu Haocheng snorted lightly. "If the Emperor were truly pleased, he wouldn't have taken this attitude."
Ignoring his two sons, Zhu Bowen turned to his thoughtful eldest grandson, "Ziwen, what are you thinking?"
"There's a rumor circulating in the capital, Grandfather. Have you heard it? They say Cousin has the ability of turning stone into gold." Zhu Ziwen frowned. "I'm wondering if someone might be deliberately spreading this."
"I've heard colleagues joke about it. Is the rumor widespread?"
"Yes, practically the entire city knows about it."
Zhu Bowen thought for a moment and shook his head. "It's hard to say. If someone is behind it, how could they have known the Emperor wants to dig a canal? Without knowing that, how could they have schemed this? But I also don't believe there's no one pulling strings behind the scenes. There are always those with ill intentions who can't stand to see the Hua family do well."
But by now, their attention had shifted from the rumor. They all thought they had misheard. Zhu Haocheng asked, "Dig a canal? To where? Why hasn't there been any news about this before? And with the national treasury depleted, plus this year's land tax exemptions due to natural disasters—no income, only expenditures—what funds are there to build a new canal?"
"That's why the Emperor needs to use Zhi Er."
"If the Emperor wants to use Zhi Er, why is his attitude like this?" Zhu Haocheng didn't believe it was that simple. "That edict didn't seem like good news to me. And why did the Emperor say that about 'keeping the Hua family company'? Is it because our Zhu family has consistently supported the Hua family, displeasing the Emperor?"
"If he were displeased, he would have been so long ago. Why wait until now?" Zhu Haodong blocked his elder brother's words again. Just as he was about to rebut him further, the steward's voice came from outside, "Old Master, the young lady has arrived."
"Bring her in quickly."
But it wasn't just Hua Zhi who came—Gu Yanxi accompanied her. They had just finished their meal when they encountered Zhi Niang.
Knowing her grandfather had received the edict and hearing Zhi Niang relay its contents, Hua Zhi couldn't help but feel a surge of guilt. Since the Hua family's downfall, her greatest fear had been implicating the Zhu family because of her. Yet, it seemed unavoidable.
Upon entering the room, Hua Zhi knelt to apologize, "It is my fault for involving you."
"Even without you, the Zhu family couldn't escape this turmoil." Signaling his second son to help his granddaughter up, Zhu Bowen sighed and said, "In the court, aside from a few frontier generals who absolutely must not take sides, the Hua family never needed to choose factions. Others only have the choice of whom to support, not whether to choose at all. I've delayed as long as I could. Now that the Hua family is tied to the Sixth Prince, the Zhu family naturally won't choose anyone else either.""Father!" Zhu Haocheng was greatly alarmed. With outsiders present, he forcibly swallowed his objections, yet the anxiety in his eyes remained unmistakable. How could they choose the Sixth Prince? Even if they had to make a choice, shouldn't they select the Fourth Prince whose mother held a higher imperial rank?
Zhu Bowen paid him no heed. "Ziwen stays. You brothers may leave."
"Father..."
"Leave."
Zhu Haocheng gritted his teeth, turned around, and strode out. Zhu Haodong, meanwhile, offered his niece a reassuring smile before departing—their differing levels of closeness were immediately apparent.
OpenNovel