Trying to Win Over

Pan Yun touched her share of silver, feeling it was still a bit lacking.

She needed to send some money to her father; Datong was poor, and they had left in a hurry, not bringing many things with them.

Although her second uncle had sent some things over later through someone, it definitely wasn't enough.

Given their status, if they wanted to live a better life, money was essential.

Therefore, the more money, the better.

Secondly, she also needed money for her cultivation.

She wanted to become stronger, and currently, cultivation was the most direct and controllable method for her.

As long as she was strong enough, she would always be able to rescue her father and brother.

So, she still needed money.

Pan Yun glanced at Xuan Miao, who had been rewarded, and really wanted to step forward and give Prince Zhou a lecture on feudal superstition.

But, being too eager wasn't good business, and there wasn't a suitable topic at the moment.

Princess Zhou, seeing Zhao Yuansong leave, let out a sigh of relief and said to the crowd still crowding the room, "His Highness is tired. Zijin, have your wife take the child down. He's been very frightened lately; we'll have a doctor examine him later. You entertain the three Daoist priests, and we'll thank them properly once His Highness has rested."

Zhu Zijin and Madam Gu quickly agreed. One stepped forward to hold the child, while the other invited Tao Ji and the two others to walk outside.

Zhu Youjue also felt it was inconvenient to stay longer and said to the Princess, "I'll leave my elder brother in your care, sister-in-law."

With that, he led his two sons away dejectedly.

Zhu Zijin stepped aside respectfully, letting his fourth uncle go first.

Zhu Youjue paused in front of him, glanced at him, and then turned to leave.

This was the first time Zhu Zihou and Zhu Zifang clearly felt their father's displeasure towards their cousin, and both were quite disheartened.

Zhu Zifang was alright; though his face was pale, he managed to stay composed. Zhu Zihou, however, had reddened eyes and his chest heaved erratically.

The brothers quickly bowed to Zhu Zijin and then hurried after Zhu Youjue.

Zhu Youjue did not usually live in Prince Zhou's Mansion; his fief was in Xiangfu County, and his Prince of Runan mansion was also there.

It was only because Prince Zhou's condition had worsened recently, and it was said he didn't have many days left, that Zhu Youjue had come to Kaifeng.

At present, he was staying in a courtyard in the west corner of Prince Zhou's Mansion.

Before coming, he had been enjoying the cool air and napping in the waterside pavilion. When the informant from the main courtyard quietly reported, he immediately got up, changed, and rushed over, but he didn't expect to be so late.

Zhu Youjue returned to the waterside pavilion with a grim expression, unable to suppress his anger. With a sweep of his sleeve, he knocked all the fruit plates and tea from the stone table to the ground. The clatter startled the servants nearby, who turned pale and bowed, retreating.

Zhu Zihou's chest heaved. He shook off Zhu Zifang's hand and stepped forward to question, "Why is Father angry? Isn't it a good thing that Eldest Uncle has designated Cousin as the Heir of Prince Zhou?"

Zhu Youjue turned sharply to look at him, his face dark. "Zhu Youxian disregarded human decency, framed your grandfather, your uncle, and me, and committed so many illegal acts. In the end, it's still his son who becomes Prince Zhou. Is this justice from heaven? How can it be a good thing?"

Zhu Zihou emphasized, "Cousin is Eldest Uncle's adopted son. Second Uncle never raised him for a day, and Cousin only recognizes Eldest Uncle as his father."

Zhu Youjue sneered, "Your Eldest Uncle is Prince Zhou. Zhu Youxian has been reduced to a commoner, so of course, he only recognizes your Eldest Uncle as his father."

Zhu Zihou disagreed, "Father, Cousin is not that kind of person."

Even Zhu Zifang said, "Father, although Cousin is a bit weak in character, he is kind and filial. He is not someone who abandons righteousness for profit."

He paused and then added, "Regardless of the title, Cousin was raised by Eldest Uncle and Eldest Aunt since he was a child. When Second Uncle took him away, he was already twelve years old. There was no affection between them as biological father and son. When Second Uncle was still the Prince of Runan, he treated Cousin poorly, often beating and scolding him. I heard that after he was demoted to a commoner, Cousin's life became even more difficult; he was treated worse than cattle and horses in their home. Isn't it because of Eldest Uncle's upbringing and affection that Cousin respects and loves him?"

Zhu Zifang asked, "If you suspect Cousin's filial piety towards Eldest Uncle is because of the title of Prince Zhou, then what is the reason for my elder brother and me showing filial piety to Eldest Uncle?"

Zhu Youjue was furious and slapped him. "Insolence!"

With a "snap," Zhu Zifang lowered his head, but his back remained stubbornly straight.

Zhu Zihou stepped forward to shield Zhu Zifang, also looking at his father stubbornly.

Zhu Youjue's anger surged. He suddenly came to his senses. For years, partly to comfort his elder brother and partly because he had his own plans, he had often sent his children to Prince Zhou's Mansion. As a result, they had become increasingly close to his elder brother and were less obedient to his father's discipline.

Especially Zhu Zihou and Zhu Zifang, who had lived in Prince Zhou's Mansion since they were two years old, only returning to the Prince of Runan mansion a couple of times a year.

Prince Zhou's Mansion felt more like their home, and the Prince of Runan mansion felt like a relative's house.

This was simply losing the wife and soldiers. Zhu Youjue was so angry his chest ached. He turned his head, looking for something to hit the children with.

Zhu Zifang thought for a moment, then pushed his brother. "Let's run."

Zhu Zihou hesitated, unwilling to run.

Zhu Zifang pulled him and ran. "Little brother, let's go. It's clear Father wants to beat us to death. To prevent Father from regretting it later, we'll run first. Otherwise, if he feels bad later, wouldn't that make us unfilial?"

Zhu Zihou thought his reasoning made sense, so he followed him and ran.

Zhu Youjue was still looking for a suitable tool when he turned around and saw the brothers running away hand in hand. He ran after them in anger. "You scoundrels, get back here! Ow--"

Zhu Youjue slipped and fell half-submerged in the water.

Zhu Zihou and Zhu Zifang ran even faster, disappearing in a flash.

Meanwhile, Madam Gu, who was carrying the child back to the room, was having someone fetch hot water for him to bathe while asking him about what had happened recently.

For half a year, Zhu Tongqie only remembered his father and mother; he didn't recall other things very clearly.

He didn't know how he got lost either. He only remembered, "There were so many children, bad people took us into holes, then many people came, holding knives and torches. I was scared, so I scrambled around everywhere, and Third Grandpa took me away."

"Third Grandpa was a very good grandpa. When he found food, he'd share a little with me, and my stomach wouldn't be hungry anymore." As he said this, Zhu Tongqie even reached out to Madam Gu and recited his begging lines, "Give me a bun, give me a sip of soup, and may you live a long and healthy life~"

Zhu Tongqie smiled, looking up at his mother with a fawning expression.

Upon hearing this, Madam Gu was overcome with heartache. She let out a cry and pulled him fiercely into her arms, sobbing uncontrollably.

Zhu Zijin had arranged for Tao Ji and the other two in the guest rooms. As soon as he entered the courtyard, he heard his wife's cries. Startled, he grabbed his robe and rushed inside, "What's wrong? What's wrong?"

Zhu Tongqie looked frightened, retracting his small hands, completely bewildered as to why his mother was crying.

Seeing his father, he also burst into tears.

Madam Gu, holding her child, threw herself into Zhu Zijin's arms and cried, "Husband, let's leave. Qie'er has suffered too much. I'm scared, I'm afraid..."

Zhu Zijin held his wife and child, his eyes red as he shook his head, "No, Father is gravely ill. If we leave now, wouldn't that be a betrayal? And Mother..."

He held Madam Gu tightly and said, "Don't worry, I, I will protect you both. This kind of thing will never happen again."

Madam Gu shook her head, not believing him.

It wasn't that she didn't trust his abilities, but rather that over ten years had passed between them and Prince Zhou's Mansion. They were also struggling financially with no one to help. Even if Zhu Zijin had the will, it would be difficult to protect them completely.

Zhu Zijin said, "I'll go ask Mother. Don't be afraid, and don't talk about leaving. Father has already submitted the memorial requesting the Heir Apparent, so what would leaving now mean?"

After crying, Madam Gu's grief lessened, and her reason returned. She also knew that it was impossible to bring up leaving now.

Or rather, from the moment they left the village and the capital, they had no turning back.

Madam Gu wiped away her tears and choked out, "I understand. After I give him a bath, I'll take him to see Mother."

In this household, besides the Prince, the Princess could also protect them.

The Prince was now gravely ill and didn't have the extra energy, but the Princess could.

As long as they could gain her sympathy, she would surely take better care of them.

Zhu Zijin accompanied her to bathe Zhu Tongqie, and at the same time, he asked about the three Daoist priests.

Zhu Tongqie had just been frightened and was now a little timid, whispering, "Sister is a good person, very powerful..."

He said some things about how amazing Pan Yun was.

He didn't remember much, but he remembered that Xuan Miao took one look at him and said he was an "Imperial Scion" and wanted to take him home, and then she indeed brought him home.

Zhu Zijin pondered, "There are always extraordinary people in the world. Although there are many deceivers, there are also many with real talent. It seems our Qie'er was lucky to have met someone with true skill."

Zhu Zijin was moved. He glanced at his young son, then at his wife, and finally took that step. Gritting his teeth, he said, "These three people are capable. I will ask them to stay; perhaps it will be of assistance."

Zhu Zijin had no one to rely on, and although Tao Ji and the other two were Daoist priests, he was unwilling to give up on them.

Moreover, outsiders were more trustworthy, especially since they had this connection with Qie'er.

The couple quietly discussed it. After bathing Zhu Tongqie and feeding him a little, Madam Gu took the child to see the Princess, while Zhu Zijin went to try and win over the three Daoist priests.

The three Daoist priests were sitting at a table in a confrontational posture. Oh, Pan Yun wasn't a Daoist priest yet.

Xuan Miao believed they should leave, "The person has been delivered, why should we stay?"

Pan Yun: "I'm not at ease about the child. I want to ensure he can live safely in this mansion."

Pan Yun looked up at her, a half-smile on her face, "Daoist Priest Xuan Miao, you are so powerful, you must have seen his fate of early death, right?"

Xuan Miao: "From the moment he returned to Prince Zhou's Mansion, his deathly calamity has been resolved."

"Is that so?" Pan Yun looked skeptical. "I don't think it's resolved, or rather, that one deathly calamity has been resolved, but a new one has appeared."

Xuan Miao: "...Everyone must die eventually. Can you still wait here until he reaches old age?"

Pan Yun: "Didn't the Daoist priest see the half-room full of people on the verge of death? So many people about to die violently surrounding him, how can that not be dangerous?"

Xuan Miao frowned and looked at her, "That is because of martyrdom sacrifice. When Prince Zhou dies, according to regulations, all childless concubines must be martyred, along with their personal attendants, maids, and wet nurses. However, Prince Zhou has already submitted the memorial requesting the Heir Apparent, and as soon as the imperial decree arrives, half of the people can be saved. The remaining people who must face their fate cannot be saved."

Follow-read game, screenshot of follow-read ranking after update, ten lucky numbers will be randomly selected at the end of each chapter to receive Mo Yan's deep love.

The lucky number for this chapter is the number ending in 9. Screenshot as proof. The screenshot deadline is the update time of the next chapter. The winning book friends can add the group "Sword Goes Sideways Great Ming" to claim their prize.