Lord: Start with a book of Water Margin

Chapter 730 Double Scam

"Furthermore, the Misty Passage is ultimately controlled by the Duan family. The Gao family overstepped their bounds and had no choice but to move the Misty Passage into the palace and prohibit all travel through it. As a result, all clans and families were unable to trade and suffered considerable losses."

"Now that this opportunity has come, the various families in Dali, including Dong, Hong, Shi, He, Wang, Zhang, Yang, Li, and Zhao, will surely add fuel to the fire."

Wu Yong listened quietly, and only after Zhu Danchen finished speaking did Wu Yong say, "Lord Zhu, rest assured, if the Dali Kingdom is sincere enough, our Liang Kingdom will certainly do its best to help Dali get rid of the powerful minister."

"When I arrived, some ministers suggested that we should send troops to make Dali Kingdom a vassal state. But seeing the extraordinary appearance of the King of Dali today, I have not spoken."

"However, the Dali Kingdom must make some concessions regarding this marriage alliance. Otherwise, I won't be able to explain it when I return."

Zhu Danchen nodded in agreement.

Deep down, Zhu Danchen agreed. After all, the Gao family used these three people to spread rumors in order to damage the prestige of the King of Dali. It was possible that this current prime minister still harbored ambitions to usurp the throne.

The two quietly left the side hall. Zhu Danchen led Wu Yong, making several turns and avoiding the palace guards, and quietly arrived at Yingfu Tower.

From afar, Zhu Danchen said to Wu Yong, "Mr. Wu, the three women admiring the snow in the courtyard are the King's three younger sisters."

Wu Yong looked over and saw that the one wearing emerald green clothes was Zhong Ling, who had been sent on a mission before. The other two were dressed in black, with a black cloak, and in white.

Even from a distance, though not very clearly visible, it was still evident that the two people must be extremely beautiful.

Wu Yong asked, "Lord Zhu, what are the names of these two gentlemen?"

"The one in black is Miss Mu Wanqing, and the one in white is Miss Wang Yuyan. Mu Wanqing is highly skilled in martial arts, while Miss Wang, though physically weak, is proficient in all the martial arts in the world."

After a slight hesitation, he continued, "Miss Mu has lived in seclusion in the valley since childhood, and is naive and somewhat aloof. However, she is also highly skilled in martial arts, and her arrows are coated with deadly poison, killing instantly upon contact with blood. If it is to be a marriage alliance, Miss Wang would be the best choice. Miss Wang is a lady of noble birth, not only beautiful and graceful, but also possessing an extraordinary bearing. Of the three, she is the most favored by the king, making her the most suitable marriage partner."

Upon hearing this, Wu Yong nodded and said, "Please inform the King of Dali that these three princesses are to be sent as hostages for marriage. If the King of Dali approves, we should quickly devise a plan to help the King of Dali regain the throne as soon as possible."

Zhu Danchen nodded in agreement.

After settling Wu Yong in a side hall, Zhu Danchen went to meet Duan Zhengyan alone.

After bowing, Zhu Danchen glanced at Fu Sigui to the side. Seeing Fu Sigui nod, Zhu Danchen then said, "Your Majesty, Mr. Wu highly praised the three princesses, saying that if the three princesses were to be married, the King of Liang would do his utmost to help Your Majesty regain the throne."

"Three people? That's quite an arrogance," Duan Zhengyan said.

“Your Majesty, Mr. Wu is unaware of Your Majesty’s affection for your three sisters. He only thinks that since the three sisters have no titles and are not of the same surname, they are of little importance.”

Zhu Danchen sighed and continued, "Mr. Wu still has concerns about the three princesses marrying at the same time. After all, his concerns are not without reason."

Chu Wanli then spoke up: "Hmph, isn't it because the Gao family is abusing their power that the king is constantly constrained?"

Fu Sigui added, "What can we do? The Gao family is rampant; they dare to tarnish the king's reputation at will. We all know the situation of the three young ladies, but unfortunately, the queen is too powerful. What can we do?"

Zhu Danchen said, "Yes, the Queen often punishes palace servants in the palace. More than ten women from the thirty-seven tribes who were sent to the capital were beaten to death by her. The thirty-seven tribes rebelled because they hated the Gao family, right? Otherwise, they wouldn't have killed Gao Mingqing alone."

These four men were Duan Zhengyan's four bodyguards during his travels in the martial world, and they were always extremely loyal. Now, they were all speaking at once, urging Duan Zhengyan to arrange a marriage alliance.

Firstly, it was to help Duan Zhengyan seize power, and secondly, it was for Duan Zhengyan's reputation. Nowadays, rumors circulate in the city that the three girls are half-sisters of the king.

Even if Duan Zheng takes full control of the throne in the future, he will not be allowed to marry three more women.

However, the king, Duan Zhengyan, was a passionate man and feared that illicit affairs would be exposed in the future. He thought it better to take advantage of the situation now and solve the problem once and for all.

This idea actually came about during a casual conversation among the four of them after Zhu Danchen's first mission.

After listening to the four guards' advice, one after another, Duan Zhengyan said with annoyance, "The Gao family, the Gao family..."

"Never mind, she is my younger sister after all. I will go to Ruifu Palace later and have the Queen bestow the title upon her."

"Brother Zhu, why don't you go and talk to my three aunts at Yingfu Restaurant? I won't be going."

Zhu Danchen nodded quickly, "Your Majesty, rest assured, the three young ladies are reasonable and understanding. For the sake of the Duan family, they will certainly not abandon them."

Leaving aside how Duan Zhengyan persuaded Queen Gao Mei at Ruifu Palace, let's just say that Zhu Danchen, following Duan Zhengyan's orders, took more than ten bolts of fine silk from the inner treasury and went openly to Yingfu Tower.

After announcing Duan Zhengyan's decree to bestow cloth, Zhu Danchen dismissed the palace maids and eunuchs who were serving him.

Mu Wanqing asked, "Fourth Brother Zhu, does Duan Lang have any message to convey?"

Zhu Danchen sighed inwardly. The rumors circulating in the city weren't entirely Gao's doing. The three girls all called him Duan Lang and claimed to be Duan Zhengchun's daughters, so wasn't it obvious that Gao Mei was trying to take action?

Zhu Danchen looked deeply worried, sighed several times, and opened his mouth as if to speak. Zhong Ling grew anxious and asked, "Fourth Brother Zhu, what's troubling you so much?"

"Rumors are circulating in the city that the king has mistreated the three young ladies. Since inheriting the throne, he has not bestowed any titles upon them. Have the three young ladies heard of this?"

Mu Wanqing said, "That's right, we've naturally heard about it. However, the three of us know what Duan Lang is thinking, so it doesn't really matter."

Zhu Danchen said, "That's where the problem lies."

“What could be wrong with that?” Zhong Ling asked.

"Now the whole capital knows that the three girls are the king's younger sisters. The Gao family is spreading rumors that the king is not a benevolent ruler and that there may be a matter of deposing and installing a new king."

Mu Wanqing hurriedly said, "Ah? How could this be? The three of us and Duan Lang are not..."

"But the common people don't know that?"

Wang Yuyan asked, "Fourth Brother Zhu, what exactly does Brother Duan want?"

Zhu Danchen said, "A marriage alliance."

"The king has no other choice but to hope for external interference to eliminate the Gao family and protect the Duan family. The three young ladies are also members of the Duan family, and if the Gao family plots a rebellion, they will inevitably be implicated as well."

"Now, if we want to protect the country's ruler and the Duan family, we can only sacrifice these three girls."

(End of this chapter)