Glory of the Star Peak Family · Aristocratic Clan: Decisive Battle

In the enchanting back garden, ***Yan nestled happily in Zhang Xingfeng's arms, gazing at the Spiritual Qi flowers and plants around her...

"Second brother, the Emperor is here! Second brother, come out quickly!" Lang Feng's voice reached Zhang Xingfeng's ears directly. Zhang Xingfeng frowned, looked down at Yu Yan in his arms, sighed, and said, "Yu Yan, the Emperor is here. We need to go out!"

"Come on, now that the Emperor is here, we should go out. In a few days, I'll take you to see the whole continent!" Zhang Xingfeng said with a smile, pulling Yu Yan's hand.

"Really?" Yu Yan suddenly raised her head, her big eyes sparkling, and asked in surprise.

Zhang Xingfeng smiled and nodded. Of course, he had long planned to travel the entire continent. The dyeing wasn't solely for a honeymoon with his wife; another reason was to find a truly auspicious location to establish the Tianxin Sect's mountain gate.

Yu Yan was overjoyed and immediately grabbed Zhang Xing and ran outside.

Zhu Li, accompanied by his third son Zhu Ming, waited for Zhang Xingfeng in the main hall. Zhu Li showed no sign of annoyance at the wait.

Hearing footsteps, Zhu Li immediately turned around, and there she was, excitedly pulling Zhang Xingfeng along as they ran in. Zhu Li couldn't help but laugh heartily, "The Zhang Family head and his wife's relationship is truly enviable! Hahahaha..."

Zhang Xingfeng was taken aback. Although Zhu Li treated him as an equal, he used to call him Marquis Zhang or Young Master Zhang. When did he start calling him Head of the Zhang Family? Usually, only the head of a noble Aristocratic Clan would be addressed by the emperor in such a way. Is the head of an earl Lineage worth it?

"I've come here today to discuss bestowing upon you the title of Duke. Doesn't Patriarch Zhang Family welcome this?" Zhu Li said with a smile.

Duke Zhang Xingfeng was taken aback, but quickly realized what was happening and immediately said, "How could we not welcome His Majesty? Your Majesty, please take a seat, please take a seat!"

Zhu Li smiled and nodded, then strode to the main seat. Zhang Xingfeng followed and sat down next to Zhu Li. The two sat on either side of the main seat.

People from the palace were all standing on Zhu Li's side, so Lang Feng and his group could only stand next to Zhang Xingfeng.

Zhu Li first took the imperial edict from Zhu Ming, and then handed it directly to Zhang Xingfeng, saying, "This is the imperial edict conferring you the title of Duke. Just take it; there's no need for any further pronouncements."

Zhang Xingfeng was genuinely taken aback. Even the imperial decree had been omitted. However, it was still the emperor's decision, and having his brothers kneel down to proclaim the decree was quite troublesome. Zhang Xingfeng was happy to accept the decree with a smile. Just as he was about to open it, his sister-in-law, Yan, snatched it away and began to read it.

"By the mandate of Heaven, the Emperor..." Just as Li Er was about to gamble, ***Yan grabbed the imperial edict and shouted it out, glaring fiercely at Li Er. Only Zhang Xingfeng could enjoy ***Yan's gentleness; others only experienced her fierceness.

Li Er immediately shut his mouth. With his master's wife acting like this, how could he dare to say anything? Besides, his master was definitely on his master's wife's side.

Zhu Li and the others burst into loud laughter upon seeing this. "The lady of the Zhang Family seems to be quite formidable indeed, not bad, not bad!" They laughed heartily as they spoke.

Upon hearing this, Yan seemed a little shy, her face flushed, and she stood behind Zhang Xingfeng without saying a word.

Although there was laughter and joy here, everyone was filled with excitement. What did an Aristocratic Clan represent? Even if a prestigious Aristocratic Clan fell into ruin, it was not so easy. The fact that a prestigious Aristocratic Clan's assets had to reach at least 10 billion taels of silver was not something that could be easily achieved.

Even with Zhang Xingfeng's immense wealth, relying on various means, he only amassed a few hundred million taels of silver over the past decade or so! Zhang Xingfeng started his gambling den with the five hundred million taels of silver from the Tuoba Family, and only later did he begin to truly make a fortune thanks to the furs from the Primordial Era. Even so, he only made around six hundred million taels a year, and this is still the peak period. In two years, it is estimated that he will only make around three hundred million taels a year!

In other words, even if Zhang Xingfeng used all sorts of means, he couldn't have amassed that much wealth without the hundreds of millions of taels of gold from Dingzang.

But a miracle happened. Finally, an Aristocratic Clan was established in less than a hundred years. In fact, it took far less than a hundred years, only a dozen years!

This is yet another miracle that cannot be surpassed!

To become Aristocratic Clan, besides having 10 billion taels of silver, one must also have a monopolistic economic power, capable of completely controlling the economy. Zhang Xingfeng currently possesses this strength in jade and fur! The gambling house is almost there as well, completely monopolizing the mid-to-high-end business.

Monopoly, what a difficult task that is! Who can monopolize it? The Li Family used to be involved in both private salt and gambling. Their cloth business was only an alliance with the Yuwen Family. Moreover, their gambling business has now been almost completely taken over by Zhang Xingfeng's Tianfeng Casino.

In other words, the Li Family now only has a complete monopoly on private salt! Even the most powerful Aristocratic Clan in the world only has one aspect to monopolize, and you can imagine how difficult it is to achieve that.

This is just one of the conditions for becoming Aristocratic Clan family!

Aristocratic Clan —what an honorable title! Zhang Xingfeng's childhood dream, and now it had finally come true. Was Zhang Xingfeng calm at this moment? To say he was calm would be a lie. But at this stage, Zhang Xingfeng knew that becoming Aristocratic Clan was a foregone conclusion, so he was only a little excited.

Why would Zhu Li, an emperor, personally come here to deliver an imperial edict just to tell Zhang Xingfeng about this matter?

Zhang Xingfeng looked at Zhu Li and couldn't help but smile, saying, "Is there anything else Your Majesty has come for this trip? I see a hint of anxiety in Your Majesty's expression!"

Zhu Li was taken aback. He was still wondering how to put it, but when he heard Zhang Xingfeng speak directly, he smiled and said, "I really do have something to ask Patriarch Zhang Family this time! This matter is beyond my ability to resolve."

Zhang Xingfeng was taken aback and asked in confusion, "What problem can't the Emperor solve when he governs the entire Ming Dynasty?"

Zhu Li said with a wry smile, "It's that ancestor of the Li Family and that ancestor of the Yuwen Family!"

Zhang Xingfeng asked in confusion, "I also heard about their disappearance. These two have a thousand-year-old feud, but their duel doesn't seem to have much to do with the Emperor. Even if the two old guys fight fiercely, I guess nothing will happen to them?"

Zhu Li's expression grew even more sullen. He said, "Don't you know? Those two old guys have already sent me a letter saying that they will have a final showdown in the Forbidden City in three days. What am I supposed to do?"

Zhang Xingfeng frowned. Why did the duel between Li Yang and the two ancestors of the Yuwen Family have to take place in the Forbidden City? It seemed a bit excessive. Where couldn't they have a duel?

Seeing Zhang Xingfeng's puzzled look, Zhu Li smiled wryly and said, "I have already asked the two heads of the Li Family and Yuwen Family about this matter. They said that this matter was decided by the two ancestors and has nothing to do with their Aristocratic Clan. It is a private matter of the ancestors!"

Zhang Xingfeng was also annoyed for Zhu Li; these two old guys, both over a thousand years old, were really troublesome when they got stubborn. The final battle would have to come to the Forbidden City.

Zhu Ming suddenly said, "Father, I suddenly remembered something, and I think I know why those two old guys are determined to have a final showdown in the Forbidden City!"

Zhu Li immediately asked, "Oh, why don't you speak quickly!"

Zhu Ming smiled and said, "Back then, when Li Shimin seized the throne, he had a beloved wife named Sha. When Empress Sha and Li Shimin left the palace, weren't they attacked by assassins? That arrow at the Xuanwu Gate of the Forbidden City was more dazzling than the sun in the sky!"

Zhu Li was also engrossed in the story of that arrow described in the book. He exclaimed, "Yes, that arrow blinded everyone for a moment. Empress Sha and Li Shimin were both on the imperial carriage at the time. Empress Sha shielded Li Shimin from the arrow. Moreover, the Golden Silkworm Armor that Li Shimin had given to Empress Sha was completely pierced through, even passing through her and hitting Li Shimin. The Golden Silkworm Armor that Li Shimin was wearing also seemed to be damaged, but Li Shimin survived!"

"The Golden Silkworm Armor is a top-tier life-saving item. That arrow actually pierced through both of Empress Sha's armor layers, and even tore through Li Shimin's armor. It was truly terrifying!" Zhang Yu exclaimed from the side.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Xingfeng was shocked. Such power from that arrow! It was estimated that only a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator wielding a top-tier Law Artifact could achieve such attack power!

Zhu Ming smiled and said, "Li Shimin went mad chasing after these people, but he stopped later. Why? And according to my understanding from various historical books, I finally discovered that Yuwen Huaji, the ancestor of the Yuwen Family, was an invincible master in the Tang Dynasty, but no one had ever seen him make a move. Those who had seen him make a move were all dead. I suspect that the arrow was shot by Yuwen Huaji! Yuwen Huaji's true skill was archery!"

Zhu Li nodded and said, "If that's the case, then it's possible. Li Shimin loved his former empress Sha so much that it's recorded in history books. He even fasted for seven days for her, which shows how deep his love was. I've also wondered why Li Shimin didn't pursue the murderer later! It seems that one reason was that the assassin was too powerful to pursue. The second reason was for the sake of the newly stabilized Tang Dynasty."

Zhu Ming nodded. "That arrow had such terrifying power that even a first-rank master couldn't possibly hunt down a master of that level. Moreover, the Yuwen Family's real power at that time was not damaged at all; many of them had gone into hiding among the common people. It is estimated that Li Shimin stopped hunting down that old fellow of the Yuwen Family for the sake of the stability of the Tang Dynasty. Otherwise, if Yuwen Huaji went mad and assassinated court officials and members of the royal family, the world would probably be in chaos."

Zhang Xingfeng and the others nodded in agreement.

Zhang Xingfeng said, "It seems that in this decisive battle, Li Shimin is going to settle an old score with Yuwen Huaji! They might even have to fight a major battle at the Xuankai Gate inside the Forbidden City!"

Zhu Li smiled wryly, "It seems that's how it is. Hope lies at Xuanwu Gate. I just hope those two old guys don't fight their way into the Forbidden City's palace."

Zhu Ming was also a little helpless. "Who knows what those two old guys will do? Their skills are so high, even if they fight at Xuanwu Gate, won't they be caught in the crossfire? We have no way to deal with those two old guys!"

Zhang Xingfeng asked with a smile, "So, what are you doing this for...?"

Zhu Li immediately smiled and said, "Our main purpose today is to deliver the imperial edict to Patriarch Zhang Family, and also to hope that Patriarch Zhang Family will attend the battle and, incidentally, to restrain these two old fellows from attacking the surrounding royal families!"

Zhu Li was also quite helpless. If the two old guys went all out and unleashed some powerful move, it would be normal for hundreds of people around to die! These were all members of the royal family or imperial family. The worst part was that if the two old guys fought for a long time and attacked the palace from Xuanwu Gate, that would be terrible!

Zhang Xingfeng smiled and said, "That's fine, Your Majesty, don't worry. I won't let a single person die around here!" For Zhang Xingfeng, this was very simple. As long as there was any formation around Xuanwu Gate, the residual power of their battle would not be able to spread outside.

Zhu Li immediately laughed happily, "Haha... With these words from Patriarch Zhang Family, I am completely relieved, hahaha... I will definitely remember Zhang Family's kindness today. Now I will not disturb Patriarch Zhang Family and his wife any longer, I will take my leave!"

Once Zhu Li's matter was resolved, he immediately prepared to leave.

Zhang Xingfeng and the others immediately got up to see Zhu Li off.

"Husband, the emperor is really being polite to you. He's even repaying a debt of gratitude, but he doesn't call me 'wife'..." ***Yan blinked her charming eyes as she looked at Zhang Xingfeng and said.

Zhang Xingfeng smiled and said nothing, handing the imperial edict to Brother Wang beside him, saying, "Brother Wang, put this away carefully. Hehe, I didn't expect Zhu Li to be so fast. I'm a duke now too. Hehe!"

Zhang Xingfeng smiled, and was pulled away by the seemingly competitive Yan.

After watching Yu Yan pull him out of the hall, Zhang Xingfeng asked in confusion, "Yu Yan, what's wrong? Why are you pulling me like that?"

***Yan suddenly stopped and said, "Brother Feng, didn't you say you were going to travel the world with me? Now you have to deal with those two old guys!" As she spoke, ***Yan lowered her head, seemingly angry.

Zhang Xingfeng immediately laughed and said, "Don't worry, there are still three days left, right? I'll go out and play with you for three days first, and then I can just Teleportation back, right?"

***Yan immediately looked up, beaming, and said, "Okay, hehe, I'll go get my clothes ready first!" With that, she ran towards the room where she was reading.

Zhang Xingfeng watched *** Yan's retreating figure and smiled slightly.

"A decisive battle, hehe, I'm really looking forward to it!" Zhang Xingfeng suddenly looked towards the Forbidden City, a strange smile playing on his lips.