Zhu Yuanzhang, who commanded the wind and rain, lived a long and arduous life.

Madam Lü said irritably, "Nonsense! Your imperial grandfather and your father naturally know you can't cook noodles! What they care about is your heart!"

“As long as you have the heart, even if your cooking is terrible, they will still feel sweet inside. That’s how my mother was back then. She would say it was bad, but she was really happy inside, thinking how filial her son was.”

"Alright, don't ask so many questions. This is a token of my appreciation, and it will make your grandfather and father happy! I have other things to do. I need to curb the influence of Tianyun Temple, which belongs to the eldest son. Maybe I can bring Tianyun Temple to its demise!"

By the end, Lady Lü's face had become indifferent and cold-blooded.

She wants to disrupt Tianyun Temple.

Firstly, to restrain the eldest son, and secondly, to avenge his father.

She was chosen by the old man himself to become Zhu Biao's concubine.

The old man prioritized filial piety above all else, and the Ming Dynasty also governed the country based on filial piety.

The old man chose her because of her inherent filial piety.

Her father suffered a loss in silence at Tianyun Temple, and the position he had been hoping for for several years was snatched away by Tianyun Temple. How could she not be angry?

Although there are immortals in Tianyun Temple, can immortals see into people's hearts? As long as I don't show myself and plan properly, even immortals won't be able to find out about me.

They might be able to find out, but Madam Lü no longer cared about that; her mind was now completely consumed by anger.

Another reason is that if Zhu Xiong Ying's power is not curbed and the old man continues to eliminate the mother and daughter's political resources, they will not have the strength to seize any opportunities that arise in the future!

now.

Looking at his mother's face, Zhu Yunwen suddenly couldn't help but gasp.

But she was still very well-behaved and went to cook noodles by herself.

.

.......

Lady Lü returned to her bedchamber and, under the dim light, began to write on paper.

"Someone, immediately deliver this letter to the Jiangxia Marquis's residence!"

Marquis Zhou Dexing of Jiangxia is currently in Yingtian Prefecture.

He was originally living a carefree life as a marquis in his hometown of Fengyang, but after Empress Ma and Zhu Xiong Ying died and fell ill respectively, he rushed from his hometown of Fengyang to Yingtian Prefecture to mourn.

I haven't gone back yet.

.

…….….….….….

"I wonder when this rain will stop."

Inside a bustling mansion on Yingtian Avenue, Marquis Zhou Dexing of Jiangxia stood with his hands behind his back, watching the torrential rain from the sky.

"Keep pouring more, don't stop!"

"If it doesn't rain, how will those farmers grow crops? If there's no grain, how will we buy it and then sell it to the imperial court at a high price to make money?"

Zhou Dexing chuckled to himself.

Just as Zhou Dexing was wearing a smile, Zhou Ji arrived.

Zhou Ji is the only son of Zhou Dexing and currently serves as the commander of the Imperial Guard in the palace.

This official position sounds impressive, but to put it bluntly, it's just the head of the imperial guards. He usually just wanders around the palace and has no real power.

"Father, please don't go back to our hometown of Fengyang tomorrow."

"My cousin sent a letter saying she's in a hurry and needs your help."

Upon hearing that a letter had arrived from the Lü family, Zhou Dexing's expression turned somewhat serious.

Although he was Zhu Yuanzhang's childhood playmate, he received the lowest reward, only becoming a marquis. Now he has been banished back to his hometown of Fengyang and is not even allowed to stay in the capital.

In contrast, the Xu, Chang, and Fu families were all Zhu Yuanzhang's childhood friends from the same village. Why were they all granted the title of Duke?

How unfair!

Speaking of fighting, when Zhou Dexing was fighting in Sichuan, didn't he spare no effort to take it over?

Therefore, Zhou Dexing actually hated Zhu Yuanzhang, but he just didn't dare to say it out loud.

Zhou Dexing slowly opened Ms. Lü's letter and carefully examined it.

He now places all his hopes on his great-nephew, Zhu Yunwen.

During the period before Zhu Xiong Ying's death, he also rallied officials to visit Zhu Yunwen's residence.

Now that Zhu Xiong Ying has been resurrected, the position of the eldest grandson of the emperor can only be returned to its rightful owner.

but….

Zhou Dexing still harbored a glimmer of hope. As Lu Shi once said, "If Xiong Ying can die once, will he die a second time?"

If Xiong Ying dies, then his eldest grand-nephew will once again be the eldest grandson of the emperor.

It was impossible to rely on Zhu Yuanzhang's kindness to bestow titles upon them; the only chance was to wait for Zhu Yunwen to ascend the throne.

Although the chance is extremely slim, it is worth waiting for.

Once Zhu Yunwen ascends the throne, he will be a founding hero and a relative of Zhu Yunwen's family. It will be impossible for him not to rise to the highest position in the court!

After Zhou Dexing finished reading the letter, his originally solemn face immediately became contorted.

Zhou Ji was terrified. "Dad, what's wrong? Don't scare me."

Zhou Dexing stared blankly at Zhou Ji for a long time before finally uttering seven words: "The old man is not doing anything human."

what?

Zhou Ji was extremely anxious: "Father, why are you keeping me in suspense with your own son? Tell me!"

Zhou Dexing swallowed hard and said, "He's eliminating Yunwen's lineage. I was sent back to my hometown of Fengyang. It's not that the old man dislikes me; it's that he wants to pave the way for Zhu Xiong Ying. I'm on Yunwen's side, which doesn't suit his wishes, so I was sent back."

"What? This..."

Zhou Ji stared wide-eyed at Zhou Dexing.

Zhou Dexing looked at him seriously: "He kicked me out, and you probably won't be far behind."

“The old man will not tolerate the existence of anyone in the court who threatens Zhu Xiong Ying. Even if you hold a nominal position, he will not allow it. He cannot tolerate any injustice.”

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ji gritted his teeth and said, "Father! I don't want to go back to that small place, Fengyang. Yingtian Prefecture has everything I need, and I'm used to it!"

"How about... I send someone to get rid of Zhu Xiong Ying? Let him die a second time!"

Snapped!

Zhou Dexing slapped him across the face: "Could you be any dumber? Putting aside whether you can avoid the investigation by the Embroidered Uniform Guard after this happens, just look at the boss's identity, Lan Yu, Chang Mao, Fu Youde, Feng Sheng, He Rong... Hiss!"

"I'm not going to say anything more. Just look at these nobles and military men. You think you can beat any of them? They can make us die without a burial place, understand?"

Zhou Ji became anxious.

"Dad, this won't work, that won't work, so what should we do? Are we just going to watch the old man drive us all away?"

Zhou Dexing snorted, "If we can't use force, can't we use gentleness?"

“Your cousin is clever and pointed us in the right direction. First, we should set up Tianyun Temple so that the old man will be too busy to deal with it and Zhu Xiong Ying will have no support.”

"Go and bring me the golden seal!"

Zhou Ji suddenly trembled: "Father, are you going to rebel?"

The Zhou family possessed a gold seal, the imperial seal of the Mongol Yuan dynasty, which they had looted and kept when they and Zhu Di conquered Dadu.

Zhu Yuanzhang later sent people to search for it, but to no avail, and the matter was eventually dropped.

Zhou Dexing's cheeks twitched as he stared at his son. To be honest, if this wasn't his own son, he would have kicked him to death.

Even with a hundred heads, it wouldn't be enough to cause a rebellion?

With the old man alive, no one can turn the world upside down!

"Are you an idiot?" Zhou Dexing roared. "Go and find a way to send this golden seal to Tianyun Temple."

"Not many people recognize this golden seal. If the old man finds out, he'll be lucky to escape with his life!"

"Even if Tianyun Temple has a good impression on the old man, seeing this golden seal will probably make him investigate Tianyun Temple."

"When the old man investigates matters, he believes in 'better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free.' Over the years, many innocent people have died because of the phrase 'you are an accomplice of Hu Huaiyong.' Placing the golden seal at Tianyun Temple is a way of creating a connection between Tianyun Temple and the Yuan Dynasty."

"Given the old man's temperament, even if he fears that the immortals haven't eliminated Tianyun Temple, he would still forbid Zhu Xiong Ying from associating with Tianyun Temple."

"In this way, we can also achieve what your cousin said: severing Zhu Xiong Ying's ties with Tianyun Temple."