Douluo: Did you move Danta here?

Chapter 442 The Zhu Family in Turmoil
Following the guards into the reception hall of the Zhu residence, a handsome middle-aged man came into the envoy's view. Perhaps because he had long held a high position, the man's dark eyes simply looked calmly at the envoy who had entered, yet he gave the envoy a feeling of authority without anger.

The man is Zhu Xuanye, the current head of the Zhu family and the father of Zhu Zhuqing and Zhu Zhuyun.

Just as the envoy was still sizing up the man, a calm voice reached his ears.

"Dai Mubai sent you?"

"Yes, I have met Duke Youming. I was once a member of the Star Luo Central Army, and now I follow the Third Prince to seek the restoration of the kingdom."

The envoy, who had once been a member of the Star Luo Army, had also heard of the Duke of Youming's great name. After respectfully bowing, he explained his identity and current situation.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Xianye's lips curled into a cold smile, seemingly disdainful of Dai Mubai's naive thoughts.

"Restore the kingdom? With Dai Mubai currently controlling that remote territory of the Kingdom of Kerviel?"

"Although the Third Prince has few soldiers and generals, as long as Duke Youming is willing to lend a helping hand and the two sides work together to take over the Kingdom of Nili, then with the three provinces under his control, there will be much to be done."

Ignoring Zhu Xianye's disdain, the envoy directly revealed Dai Mubai's entire plan.

"Xue Qinghe took advantage of the situation to annex the Xingluo territory. Now the entire Xingluo military force has been greatly reduced. As long as our plan succeeds, the prestige of the Dai and Zhu families in Xingluo will surely attract a lot of support. At that time, there will be a great chance to form a confrontation with the Tiandou Empire."

After saying all this, the envoy looked at Zhu Xianye's still calm face, a hint of anxiety flashing through his heart, and began to explain the pros and cons involved.

"The Zhu family of Xingluo used to be a powerful family second only to the Dai family. Are you really satisfied with their current power?"

"Even if we assume the Zhu family is satisfied with their current status, would Xue Qinghe really let them go? Isn't the fact that the Zhu family's businesses in the Xingluo region have been constantly eroded over the years the best proof? Moreover, the fact that the military strength of Lingmao City has never been reduced shows that the Zhu family is also wary of Tiandou, doesn't it?"

As the messenger explained the situation, Zhu Xianye's fingers began to tap incessantly on the table, his heart filled with deep struggle.

As the other party said, the Zhu family seems to have retained their title and are still in a position of power, but only they know the hardships they have faced. Xue Qinghe has never given up on suppressing the old nobles of Xingluo. Whether it is reducing the military strength of the kingdoms throughout Xingluo or swallowing up the properties of those nobles, it shows that the other party will not allow them to remain as powerful as before.

However, Zhu Xianye was completely unsure about risking everything to support Dai Mubai. After much deliberation, he decided to discuss the matter with the clan elders before making a decision, since the Zhu family was a large and powerful family and not a place where he could make a decision on his own.

"You should stay at the Zhu family's place for now. I need to discuss this with the clan elders."

"Yes, Duke of the Underworld."

A hint of joy flashed across the envoy's face. The fact that Zhu Xianye did not directly refuse indicated that the other party was not satisfied with the Zhu family's current situation. All they lacked was an opportunity to counterattack. Now, they were just waiting for the Zhu family elders to assess the odds of victory for all parties.

After ordering the messenger to be taken away, Zhu Xianye immediately summoned the other elders of the Zhu family who held power to the council hall. Seeing the seriousness on the patriarch's face, the elders understood that something important had happened. Without saying much, they took their seats and waited for further instructions.

Unlike the original Star Luo royal family, the Dai family, where power was highly centralized, the Zhu family lacked a selection mechanism for the clan leader, resulting in some power being held by the clan elders.

Seeing that everyone had arrived, Zhu Xianye didn't keep them in suspense and directly explained the purpose of Dai Mubai's mission to send the envoy.

"Dai Mubai plans to join forces with our Zhu family to take over the Kingdom of Nili. What are your thoughts?" "Dai Mubai? That good-for-nothing who doesn't even dare to directly compete for the throne?"

"Xianye, you can't be confused. Tiandou's power in Xingluo is now stable, and we have no chance anymore."

"Elder, you're wrong about that. If we don't fight to the death, are we just going to sit and wait for them to devour us until we have no power to resist?"

“That’s right, I think we can take this opportunity to try to resist.”

"."

As soon as Zhu Xianye spoke, the entire council hall was thrown into turmoil. Some people disagreed with betting their family's lives on Dai Mubai, but many radicals said that this was a rare opportunity to try, because they understood that Tian Dou would not allow the Zhu family's power to continue to grow stronger in the Star Luo region.

Seeing this, Zhu Xianye sighed inwardly. It is said that daughters' personalities resemble their fathers'. Zhu Xianye still had some backbone to give birth to children with personalities like Zhu Zhuyun and Zhu Zhuqing. If Xue Qinghe had treated the Zhu family normally, he would never have thought of taking such a risk. But the problem was that the Heavenly Dou Empire did not trust the old nobles of Xingluo. If this continued, the power of the Zhu family would only be gradually eroded until there was no longer any chance to launch a rebellion.

This is also the fundamental reason why Xue Qinghe ordered the entire Xingluo region to disarm, but the Zhu family disobeyed and was not purged. As long as their industries are continuously eroded, they will eventually be unable to support the expenses of a large military force, and will naturally be forced to disarm. At that time, the threat of the Zhu family can be eliminated without losing a single soldier.

"But you all need to know that nowadays, all of the Zhu family's businesses except for Lingmao City have been basically devoured by the new powerful and wealthy, and we will soon be unable to afford the military expenses."

Upon hearing this, an elderly man with white hair sitting below Zhu Xianye pondered for a moment before offering his suggestion. This man was none other than the eldest elder of the Zhu family, whose status was second only to the clan head, and who was also a figure from Zhu Xianye's father's generation.

“Xianye, the world of Xingluo has changed drastically. Some things should be given up. It’s impossible for the Dai family to still hold such power in Xingluo. I know Xue Qinghe won’t let us continue to grow stronger, but now we can only choose to cut our losses and survive. It’s not advisable to take risks to pursue that tiny chance.”

"The Grand Elder is right. If we keep a low profile, we still have a glimmer of hope. At least the Zhu family will still be the rulers of Lingmao City. But if we support Dai Mubai's rebellion, the outcome will be hard to predict."

The elder's words were met with overwhelming support. Launching a rebellion would require a massive amount of money and supplies, and these supplies would be distributed among each of them. Moreover, this was a gamble with a slim chance of success, so it was understandable that the elders objected. Zhu Xianye had no choice but to sigh and agree, since most of those who supported the war were the clan elders who had very little power.

Just as the other elders had mostly dispersed, leaving only Zhu Xianye and the First Elder to discuss how to deal with Dai Mubai, two figures slowly entered the council hall.

"Davis, Zhuyun? What are you doing here?"

Davis's presence in Lingmao City was a secret deliberately kept by Zhu Xianye. Several clan elders were aware of it, as it was a contingency plan in case the Zhu family had to rebel, since having the original Xingluo Crown Prince in hand made it easier to raise a banner.

Seeing the couple barge into the council hall, the elders all showed displeasure. This matter was none of their business to interfere with.

"Zhu Yun, what is it?"

Seeing that the elders were about to make trouble, Zhu Xianye spoke first, saving his daughter from embarrassment.

“Father, Weiss and I have come to tell you that we support Dai Mubai in taking over the Kingdom of Nili.”

(End of this chapter)