At night, Cheng Guogong Mansion.
Hu Xi took advantage of the darkness and hurriedly entered the mansion. As soon as she entered the door, she saw a graceful, dignified and beautiful woman standing not far away, looking worried.
Seeing him come in, the woman immediately stepped forward and shouted: "Dad, you are finally here."
This woman is none other than Hu Hu's youngest daughter, Mrs. Hu, the current mistress of Chengguo Duke's mansion.
Seeing that her daughter was so helpless, Hu Hu couldn't help but frown: "It's so late, what happened?"
Originally, Mrs. Hu could barely hold on, but when Hu Xi asked her, she almost shed tears.
"Dad, please go and have a look. My husband has been in a state of despair since he came back in the evening. He locked himself in the study. My mother-in-law and daughter took turns trying to persuade me, but they refused to open the door."
"My daughter asked the boy who went on duty with him and said that it has been like this since he was summoned by His Majesty. When he left the palace gate and got on the carriage, he almost fell."
"My husband always listens to your words, but my daughter really has no choice but to disturb her father late at night."
After hearing Hu's description, Hu Xi couldn't help but frown, and without any nonsense, she said directly: "Take me over and have a look."
So, Hu Xi followed Mr. Hu through the hall and came to the outside of the study.
It was getting very late now, but there was no lamp in the room, so it was pitch black.
At the door was the Zhu family's old lady Wang, standing outside with a cane and wiping tears, knocking on the door. Next to her was Zhu Yi's younger brother Zhu Ji, who also had a worried look on his face.
Beside them are a group of maids, each holding a lantern. They can be seen vaguely, and there is someone sitting in the room.
Hu Hui stopped outside the house, bowed politely, and asked.
"Hu Mou has met the old lady. Yueniang just said that the young master has locked himself in the room since he came back and has not come out?"
At this mention, the old lady felt sad again and said.
"Yes, it's so late and it's rude to disturb the in-laws, but I really have no choice. After my master went away, Yi'er suffered a lot. At such a young age, she had to take up the important role of Chengguo Gongfu. Now, I don’t know why, but when I came back, I locked myself in the room without saying a word. How can this be a good thing..."
Hu Xi nodded, glanced at the large group of maids gathered, frowned and said.
"Old madam, I think the young master is in a bad mood. It is better not to let so many people surround you, otherwise you will think that something happened to Duke Chengguo's house."
Mrs. Wang nodded, so Zhu Ji beside her immediately went over and dismissed the surrounding maids and servants, leaving only a few confidants to serve.
Seeing that everyone had almost dispersed, Hu Hui winked and signaled Mrs. Hu to help the old lady away, then stepped forward and knocked on the door.
After a while, seeing that there was still no response, he took two steps back and kicked the door open.
This move startled the old lady of the Zhu family, but before she could speak, she saw Zhu Yi sitting beside the case, her eyes red, sitting blankly.
As if he heard the sound, he raised his head, tried his best to put on an ugly smile, and said: "Mom, father-in-law, you are here."
The voice was hoarse, and the old lady of the Zhu family burst into tears in an instant.
Hu Xi frowned and strode into the room. Without saying anything, he asked directly: "What did your Majesty say to you?"
Zhu Yi was stunned, but did not answer Hu Hui's words. Instead, she showed a smile that was uglier than crying and said.
"Mom, the child is unfilial, and the lintel of Chengguo Palace will be destroyed in the hands of the child..."
After a lot of twists and turns, he finally calmed down the excited old lady and asked Zhu Ji to help the old lady down to rest. Hu Hao dragged Zhu Yi and sat down opposite him. He said with a look of hatred for iron. .
"What are you doing with a sad face? When your father was here, he taught you many times to be calm during big events. Why are you so unable to withstand the situation now? Is it possible that His Majesty has reduced your father's title?"
If the title is really reduced, that would be a good thing.
Hu Hui has not been in vain in the court all these years. He has really reached the point where he gives it a go and unites his old friends and relatives to cause a fight. He doesn't know what the final result will be.
At this time, Zhu Yi gradually came out of her depressed mood, shook her head and said.
"No, His Majesty gave me two months' leave and asked me to go to Yao'er Ridge to pay homage and bury my father's spirit."
Hu Hui obviously realized something, leaned down and said.
"Tell me exactly what you said during your duel with His Majesty today. Don't miss a word!"
Zhu Yi let out a long sigh, and truthfully told Hu Hui about the situation in the palace. At the end of his words, he smiled miserably and said.
"...My father-in-law, I am not belittling my son-in-law. Although I have been practicing martial arts since I was a child, I have never understood the art of war. I can only use cavalry and archery to be somewhat useful. But if I want to go to the battlefield and regain my title with military merit, I hope Miao Mian, your majesty’s move is clearly to eliminate me from becoming the lintel of the Duke’s palace!”
In contrast to Zhu Yi's pessimism, Hu Hui frowned, closed his eyes and went through what Zhu Yi just described in his mind, shook his head and said.
"That shouldn't be the case. If your Majesty has no interest in Chengguo Duke's government, then he would just put the matter aside. Why should he suppress it like this instead? If so, why did he send Li Xian over in the first place?"
When Li Xian, Duke of Feng Kingdom, came to visit late at night, Hu Hui knew that Duke Cheng's mansion was being targeted by the emperor.
At this point, it was useless to reduce the sense of presence, but what Hu Hui couldn't figure out was that the emperor had no backup plan.
Previously, Li Xian, Duke of Feng Kingdom, made some kind of donation to get Zhu Yi the position of escort general.
Hu Ming originally thought that he would continue his efforts and use any tricks to help Duke Chengguo get his title back, but it didn't happen. After that, Duke Feng never mentioned the matter, as if nothing happened.
In the end, Hu Hui couldn't bear it any longer and looked for an opportunity to gain some leverage by making insinuations.
He felt that the emperor was waiting for a certificate of surrender.
Therefore, at the risk of being impeached, Hu Hu placed a cousin from Zhu Yi's mother's family on the draft list.
Things started out quite smoothly, and the Queen Mother in the palace was also very satisfied. The last step was just to stamp the Queen's phoenix seal on it, and then the canonization ceremony could be carried out.
As a result, I got stuck at this last step.
To be honest, Hu Hui didn't care whether the Wang family could enter the palace or not. What he cared about was what the emperor thought.
Judging from Zhu Yi's description, the emperor's attitude was very firm and he refused the marriage to the Wang family.
It was even stated clearly that marriage could be granted to Wang and her lover, which was tantamount to completely blocking this road.
But if it’s not the draft, what does that day really want?
Zhu Yi looked at Hu Xi frowning and thinking, and then said after a long while.
"My son-in-law was also thinking about this matter after leaving the palace today. Perhaps, your majesty initially intended to conquer the Chengguo Palace. However, after sending his cousin into the palace, rumors spread in both the government and the public. In order to gain fame, your majesty may have to give up. Come on..."
This is the most reasonable explanation that Zhu Yi can think of at present.
But after hearing this, Hu Hu snorted slightly, shook his head and said.
"Perhaps I made a mistake about the draft, but you don't know His Majesty well enough. He is by no means a person who gives up so easily. There must be a deep meaning behind doing this. When you play the match again, His Majesty's every move will be explained. I listen."
