The Smiling, Proud Wanderer, becoming a disciple of Yue Buqun.

Zhu Houzhao's father was the Hongzhi Emperor, Zhu Youxin.

Jiang Ning nodded.

As the two walked through the palace, Jiang Ning suddenly asked a question.

Is the imperial court behind Wudang?

Zhu Houzhao was taken aback upon hearing this, turned to look at Jiang Ning, and nodded after a moment.

"Yes."

Zhu Houzhao said, "I won't hide it from you, Wudang is actually a pawn that the imperial court planted in the martial arts world."

Jiang Ning nodded and said nothing more.

In fact, he had already anticipated this.

Although martial arts practitioners deeply resent the imperial court and try their best to distance themselves from it to avoid being labeled as its lackeys by other martial arts practitioners, how can they, living in the martial arts world, ignore the imperial court? And how could the imperial court possibly stand by and watch so many martial arts practitioners with extraordinary skills wreak havoc throughout the Ming Dynasty?

The imperial court may not intervene directly, but it will certainly have its own pawns planted in the martial arts world.

"I won't hide anything from you. In fact, the imperial court has always been very annoyed by these lawless Jianghu people and has wanted to suppress them. Before the Hongzhi era, the imperial court was able to suppress these Jianghu people, but after the Hongzhi era, it could no longer suppress them. Various forces in the court were fighting each other, and the army was in disarray, which led to the current situation."

Although the Hongzhi Emperor was Zhu Houzhao's father, Zhu Houzhao showed no mercy when evaluating the Hongzhi Emperor.

In his view, the Ming Dynasty's current state was inextricably linked to the overall ecological environment of the Hongzhi era.

Chapter 550: Mother and Son

There's a saying that a son shouldn't speak ill of his father, but Zhu Houzhao didn't have a good opinion of the Hongzhi Emperor, which clearly shows that he had a lot of opinions about him.

"However, we can't entirely blame him; he was also helpless."

Zhu Houzhao said softly.

As the only surviving son of the Hongzhi Emperor, he clearly understood Zhu Youxin's helplessness, because Zhu Youxin had to face not only the court, but also the harem.

With ministers seizing power in the court and Empress Dowager Zhou controlling the inner palace, Zhu Youxin had no chance of turning the tables.

Zhu Houzhao had not seen these things clearly in the past, but after he ascended the throne, he was able to understand the helplessness his father had felt when he was in this position.

However, Zhu Houzhao did not reveal these matters; they were all palace secrets and there was no need to tell Jiang Ning.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty."

Just then, several eunuchs walked over from a short distance away and said to Zhu Houzhao.

"what's up?"

Zhu Houzhao frowned when he saw the eunuchs.

Because they are from Kunning Palace.

One of the eunuchs knelt on the ground and said, "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager heard a noise in the Qianqing Palace Garden and thought Your Majesty was unwell, so she sent us to inquire after your health."

Zhu Houzhao said expressionlessly, "Report to the Empress Dowager that I am fine."

After Zhu Houzhao said this, the eunuchs did not leave. The eunuch who had spoken earlier said again, "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager heard that Your Majesty summoned a commoner. She does not know the reason. Now the Empress Dowager wants Your Majesty to go to Kunning Palace."

Zhu Houzhao's face turned pale for a moment after hearing this, then returned to normal.

"I understand."

Zhu Houzhao turned to look at Jiang Ning and said with a smile, "Brother Jiang, I'm afraid there won't be time to talk with you again today. I'll have my attendant escort you back, and I'll invite you to the palace for a chat tomorrow."

Although Zhu Houzhao's expression changed quickly, Jiang Ning still managed to catch it.

Jiang Ning glanced at Zhu Houzhao, then at the eunuchs; he could keenly sense the subtle atmosphere in the room.

"it is good."

Jiang Ning nodded, and Zhu Houzhao then ordered the eunuch who had led Jiang Ning into the palace to escort him out of the palace.

"Master Jiang, please."

The eunuch said respectfully.

Jiang Ning then left the palace under the guidance of the eunuch.

Throughout the journey, the eunuch was very respectful, bowing slightly, showing great awe for Jiang Ning.

"Master Jiang, your accent sounds somewhat familiar. May I ask where you're from?"

The eunuch, who hadn't spoken much along the way, suddenly spoke, his tone cautious and careful.

Jiang Ning looked at him and replied.

"Shaanxi".

"Is Master Jiang from Shaanxi?"

The eunuch was overjoyed upon hearing this.

"Oh my, what a coincidence!"

Jiang Ning laughed and said, "What? You're from Shaanxi too?"

“Master Jiang, my hometown is Xianyang, Shaanxi. We are from the same hometown as you, Master Jiang. This is truly a blessing for my family.”

Jiang Ning glanced at him. "What's your name?"

"Our Liu Jin."

……

After bidding farewell to Jiang Ning, Zhu Houzhao did not immediately go to Kunning Palace, but instead returned to Qianqing Palace to bathe before setting off.

"Does Your Majesty have summoned me here to give you some instructions?"

Zhu Houzhao got straight to the point.

In the past, Zhu Houzhao would not have acted this way, but as his relationship with Empress Dowager Zhang deteriorated, Zhu Houzhao's attitude became more and more direct.

Empress Dowager Zhang, who had originally wanted to show him some concern, also lost her temper.

"I heard the emperor summoned a commoner?"

Zhu Houzhao laughed.

"The Empress Dowager is indeed well-informed."

Empress Dowager Zhang ignored the sarcasm in Zhu Houzhao's tone and said with a stern face, "What's so special about seeing a commoner?"

"This is my son's private matter."

Zhu Houzhao said with a smile.

"The imperial family has no private matters!"

Empress Dowager Zhang said in a heavy tone, and then continued, "You are the emperor, and the fate of the Ming Dynasty is at stake. We cannot act entirely as you please. You even allowed that commoner to bring a sword into the palace. What if he harbors ill intentions towards you?"

Zhu Houzhao laughed: "Mother, you are overthinking it. With his skills, if he wanted to kill me, it would make no difference whether he had a sword or not. If he really wanted to kill me, he could just rush into the palace, kill me, and then leave."

"nonsense!"

Empress Dowager Zhang made a remark.

"Do you think all those guards in the palace are just for show?"

Zhu Houzhao smiled but remained silent.

Empress Dowager Zhang took it as a sign of her backing down and said in a more serious tone, "No matter what, you are the emperor. You shouldn't associate with these commoners. What will the ministers in the court think of you? What you should do now is focus on state affairs and listen to the ministers in the court. Only in this way can you become a wise ruler."

Zhu Houzhao just smiled and didn't say anything.

Seeing his reaction, Empress Dowager Zhang did not continue the conversation and instead brought up another topic.

"Has the murderer of the Marquis of Jianchang been identified so far?"

Marquis Jianchang was Zhang Yanling.

Zhu Houzhao shook his head: "No."

"No?"

Empress Dowager Zhang raised an eyebrow. "It's been two years already, and they still haven't found out who the murderer is? What are the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard doing?"

Zhu Houzhao said, "When Marquis Jianchang died, he died in his own manor. His body was burned to a crisp, and the murderer left no trace. There was no way to investigate."

After Zhang Yanling was killed in Jiangning, a huge commotion broke out in the capital. Many agents from the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot were investigating, causing a sensation throughout the city. However, in the end, they found nothing and could not find out who the murderer was, making it a cold case.

When Zhu Houzhao mentioned that Zhang Yanling had been burned to a crisp, Empress Dowager Zhang couldn't help but shed tears.

"I don't know who has such a deep hatred for Yanling that they would burn him alive."

Zhu Houzhao comforted her, saying, "Mother, don't be too sad. It was expected that the Marquis of Jianchang would meet such an end. He usually oppressed the people, seized their fertile land, and forcibly took women from the people. The people had long harbored deep resentment towards him."

"He was still your uncle, no matter what. Aren't you even a little bit sad that he's dead?"

Empress Dowager Zhang was angry.

Zhu Houzhao said, "It's not that your son isn't heartbroken, but that the Marquis of Jianchang has committed many evil deeds..."

"Fine! I don't want to hear anymore, get out!"

Empress Dowager Zhang grew increasingly angry as she listened, and eventually refused to listen any longer, ordering Zhu Houzhao to leave.

Zhu Houzhao got up to leave, but Empress Dowager Zhang spoke again before he left.

“Your uncle, the Marquis of Shouning, has recently built a large new mansion and is short of craftsmen and money. When can you do this for him?”

Zhu Houzhao frowned: "What does his lack of money have to do with me?"

"You're his nephew, shouldn't you help him out?"

Zhu Houzhao said directly, "The court has no money to give him, nor are there any craftsmen to transfer."

"Then let's send the army over to build it."

"The army is for fighting wars, why are you sending them to build houses?"

"Is there anything wrong with it? Wasn't it the same when your father was alive?"

"I……"