nycdaug Chapter 396
Chapter 396
"Weighing instruments, it's been a long time."
Zhu Siying looked at Zhou Chu with admiration.
Zhu Siying had always admired Zhou Chu. Later, she learned about the things Zhou Chu did in Datong: repelling the Mongols, eliminating bandits, and even taking down all the influential merchants in Datong.
These are problems that even the Prince of Dai's mansion finds difficult to solve, and they don't know where to begin.
Zhou Chu, however, resolved the issue completely in less than a month.
This made Zhu Siying directly realize how capable Zhou Chu was, and it also made Zhu Siying admire Zhou Chu even more.
"Princess, it's been a long time."
Zhou Chu smiled.
"I wonder why Lord Zhou has summoned us here?"
One of the princes approached Zhou Chu and spoke with a slightly respectful tone.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Chu's expression turned serious.
"I have called you all here because I have a lucrative business deal to discuss with you."
After Zhou Chu finished speaking, he glanced at the expressions of the crowd. Some of them were quite surprised to hear what Zhou Chu said, while others looked as if they already knew it.
Zhou Chu was not surprised by these people's reactions. When the emperor issued edicts to the regional princes, he gave some details to some of them, depending on their distance and relationship with the princes, while he did not.
The Prince of Jin's mansion was the one that knew nothing. Zhu Qiyuan looked incredulous when he heard this.
"Is Lord Zhou making fun of us? If it were truly a lucrative business, why would Lord Zhou share it with us?"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Chu looked at Zhu Qiyuan and realized that he did not recognize the person in front of him.
"Who is this?"
Zhou Chu looked at Zhu Qiyuan with a puzzled expression.
"I am Zhu Qiyuan, the eldest son of the Prince of Jin."
Zhu Qiyuan introduced himself with an air of pride.
"Those who know you are the legitimate son, but those who don't might mistake you for the heir apparent just by your demeanor."
Zhu Siying, standing beside her, said sarcastically.
"That's right. Those who come here are either princesses or princes, but your Prince Jin's mansion only sent a legitimate son. Do you not take His Majesty's decree seriously?"
Another prince chimed in with a mocking remark.
Upon hearing this, Zhu Qiyuan's face turned red, but he couldn't refute it. After all, most of the people here were princes, and he, as a legitimate son, was indeed no match for them.
Of course, it wasn't just the crown prince who came; there were many attendants as well, and some who knew about it even sent their household stewards.
The prince and princess were merely representatives, there was no question about the importance attached to the emperor's decree and to Zhou Chu. After all, there was a reason why anyone would come.
Just like the Prince of Jin's mansion, which only sent one of its legitimate sons, it was clear that they didn't take the emperor's edict seriously, let alone Zhou Chu, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
Zhou Chu had anticipated this action by the Prince of Jin's residence.
"Since this young master does not believe me, he may leave on his own. He is free to come and go as he pleases."
Zhou Chu looked at Zhu Qiyuan and said.
Zhu Qiyuan was already speechless from being rebuked, and hearing Zhou Chu's words now put him in an even more difficult position.
He wasn't highly regarded by his father, and if he went along with Zhou Chu's words and messed up the things his father had arranged, he really wouldn't know how to explain himself when he got back.
The main problem was that Zhu Qiyuan was also unclear about his father's attitude towards Zhou Chu, which put him in a dilemma.
"Young master, since you neither believe my words nor leave, what is your intention?"
Zhou Chu looked at Zhu Qiyuan, who was hesitating in front of him, and smiled.
"Please forgive me, Lord Zhou; I was being presumptuous."
Faced with Zhou Chu's questioning, Zhu Qiyuan could only swallow his pride and admit defeat. After all, this was Zhou Chu's territory, and he dared not act recklessly for any reason.
He had heard about what Zhou Chu had done in Datong. The commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard in front of him was a living devil. Zhu Qiyuan only dared to say a few words behind his back. If he were to really go against Zhou Chu, he really wouldn't have the guts.
He had only said those words unconsciously in a moment of bravado, without thinking, and he regretted them as soon as he said them.
"What if I don't forgive him?"
Zhou Chu's expression turned serious.
Upon hearing this, Zhu Qiyuan's face turned ugly. He hadn't expected that even after he had backed down, Zhou Chu would still be so aggressive.
"Then what does Lord Zhou intend to do?"
Zhu Qiyuan said, forcing himself to speak.
"Alright then, I won't bully you. These people behind me are all my students. You can choose any one of them and compete with them. Whether it's a literary contest or a martial arts contest is up to you. If you win, you can stay; if you lose, you'll go back to where you came from."
Zhou Chu looked at Zhu Qiyuan in front of him and said.
Zhou Chu did this to establish his authority by making an example of Zhu Qiyuan, otherwise, if all the princes and princesses in front of him were like him, things would be difficult to discuss later.
After Zhou Chu finished speaking, Da Zhu, Hu Zongxian, Zhao Zhenji, Gui Youguang, Hai Rui, and even Yan Shifan all stood up.
They knew very well that they absolutely could not embarrass their teacher at this time.
Even though Yan Shifan harbored many grievances against Zhou Chu, after all, Zhou Chu had forcibly brought him here from Suzhou Prefecture, he later realized that during this time his father had been imprisoned. If Zhou Chu hadn't brought him to Yuyao, he probably would have had to go to prison as well.
Moreover, over the past few days, Yan Shifan has gradually come to understand Zhou Chu's good intentions. Although he still pretends to be stubborn, he is actually very grateful to Zhou Chu.
Moreover, he knew very well that as long as Zhou Chu was alright, his father would be alright as well. Yan Shifan was very smart; although he was young, he could see through many things.
Therefore, Yan Shifan stepped forward without hesitation.
Zhu Qiyuan glanced at the group, automatically ignoring Hu Zongxian, Hai Rui, and Yan Shifan. These men looked very young, and Zhu Qiyuan valued his reputation. If he fought them, even if he won, he would lose all face.
Zhu Qiyuan was preparing for the martial arts competition, but he had never even considered the literary competition. He had hated reading since childhood and knew nothing about it. However, under the pressure of Prince Jin, he had managed to learn martial arts to a mediocre level.
Zhu Qiyuan's gaze shifted back and forth between Zhao Zhenji, Gui Youguang, and Dazhu. Zhao Zhenji's clothes clearly indicated that he was from a wealthy family, and most wealthy young men would know some martial arts. Zhu Qiyuan was unsure of Zhao Zhenji's skill level, so he ruled him out first.
Then Zhu Qiyuan looked at Gui Youguang. Although Gui Youguang was a scholar, he had practiced martial arts for many years. In addition, when he was in his hometown, he often helped his fellow villagers fight floods. He was very muscular and wore clothes that ordinary people could not afford.
Finally, Zhu Qiyuan looked at Dazhu. The clothes Dazhu was wearing were vastly different from those of Zhao Zhenji and the other two; they were the clothes of ordinary people. In Zhu Qiyuan's eyes, Dazhu was no different from a beggar.
Although Dazhu's body was very strong due to years of hard work, Zhu Qiyuan did not take him seriously. Zhu Qiyuan had practiced martial arts and knew very well the principle that the poor should study literature and the rich should practice martial arts. The poor may be physically strong, but they would never have the resources to practice martial arts.
"Just him."
Zhu Qiyuan pointed at the large pillar and said with a confident expression.