I, Zhu Yunwen of the Ming Dynasty, resurrected Empress Ma at the start.

The Duke of Liang's Mansion.

Inside the main hall, seven or eight people sat in a circle, each with a furrowed brow and a face as if their mother had died.

Lan Yu sat in the main seat, holding a walnut in her hand, turning it around and around, but not saying a word.

"Duke of Liang, please say something!"

Marquis Jingchuan, Cao Zhen, could no longer contain himself and slapped his thigh as he stood up.

"Are we just going to sit here and wait? Wait for His Majesty to come and punish us?"

Marquis Heqing, Zhang Yi, also sighed.

"That's right. When the Crown Prince was alive, it was fine, but now that he's gone, His Majesty's gaze towards us has changed."

"Last morning court session, His Majesty gave us a thorough dressing-down in front of the entire court. He called us 'arrogant and domineering' and 'lawless,' but we're completely innocent!"

Zhu Shou, the Marquis of Zhulu, wore a bitter expression.

"Who can argue with that? We followed His Majesty to conquer the world, braving mountains of knives and seas of fire, and now, we've become a thorn in His Majesty's side."

"What kind of logic is this?"

"That's right! That doesn't make any sense!"

The group became increasingly excited as they talked, their voices growing louder and louder.

"We helped His Majesty conquer the country; even if we didn't achieve great things, we certainly worked hard, right? And now, you're treating us like dirt, discarding us after we've served our purpose?"

"With the Crown Prince gone, we're like orphans, everyone can kick us while we're down!"

"Those civil officials are always gossiping to His Majesty, saying we're no good at this or that. And His Majesty actually believes them!"

"If this continues, we'll all lose our heads sooner or later!"

As Lan Yu listened to their arguing, the walnut in her hand spun even faster.

He felt utterly disheartened.

When the Crown Prince was alive, he was a member of the Crown Prince's faction, the Crown Prince's uncle, and one of the Crown Prince's most trusted people.

But now that the crown prince is gone, his patron has completely collapsed.

He could tell from the way His Majesty looked at him that it was suspicion, wariness, and a desire to find an opportunity to deal with him.

He looked up and glanced at the people in the room.

They were all his old brothers who had followed him through thick and thin, all veterans of the Huaixi Xungui Village.

But now, they all looked gloomy and miserable, like prisoners waiting to die.

"Alright."

He spoke, his voice not loud, but the room immediately fell silent.

"What's the panic?"

"His Majesty hasn't even made a move yet, and you've already scared yourselves to death?"

Cao Zhen opened his mouth.

"But Duke Liang, we..."

"There's no 'but' about it."

Lan Yu interrupted him.

"The most important thing now is to prevent Zhu Yunwen, that illegitimate son, from becoming the crown prince."

"If he becomes the crown prince, we will truly have no way to survive."

Zhang Yi nodded.

"That's true. I heard that woman, Madam Lü, has long disliked us. If her son comes to power, the first thing she'll do is deal with us."

"But what can we do? The Crown Prince is gone, who else can we rely on?"

Zhu Shou sighed.

"Whom can we rely on? His Highness Zhu Yunwen?"

After he said that, the room fell silent for a moment.

Then someone gave a wry smile.

"Come on, Prince Zhu Yunwen was raised by Lady Lü since he was a child. Don't you know what kind of person he became? He's a good-for-nothing. What can you expect from him?"

"Exactly. I heard he suddenly stood up for himself in court yesterday, but who knows if he was possessed? He backed down again in a couple of days."

"If we bet on him, we're committing suicide."

Lan Yu remained silent.

He recalled the news he had heard yesterday.

Zhu Yunwen silenced the emperor in court and berated the officials so badly they couldn't lift their heads.

He even publicly berated Zhu Yunwen.

This... is something that good-for-nothing could do?

As he was thinking, he suddenly heard footsteps outside.

A butler rushed in, looking flustered.

"Master! Master!"

Lan Yu frowned.

"What's the panic? Speak."

The butler took a breath.

"Prince Zhu... Zhu Yunwen has arrived! He's waiting outside!"

The room fell silent instantly.

The group of people looked at each other in bewilderment.

Zhu Yunwen?

Why is he here?

Lan Yu was also taken aback.

Why did this kid suddenly come here?

Although he was Zhu Yunwen's maternal uncle, the two had hardly had any contact over the years.

Lady Lü kept a close watch on Zhu Yunwen, making it impossible for him to see him even if he wanted to.

What's wrong with me today...?

He pondered for a moment, then waved his hand.

"Please come in, Your Highness."

Then he glanced at the people in the room again.

The group understood, got up, and left through the side door.

Lan Yu stood up, straightened his robes, and took a few steps to greet him.

But my mind was racing.

What does this kid want by showing up at the door all of a sudden?

Zhu Yunwen followed the steward through the long corridor and all the way to the entrance of the main hall.

He looked up and saw Lan Yu standing in the hall, dressed in a casual robe, with obvious surprise on his face.

"Your Highness."

Lan Yu cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, his tone tinged with a hint of probing.

"Your Highness, what brings you here? Is there something important?"

Zhu Yunwen smiled and stepped over the threshold.

"That's what my great-uncle said."

He walked up to Lan Yu and looked up at him.

"You are my maternal great-uncle, my mother's maternal uncle."

"Can't I even come to see you?"

Lan Yu was taken aback.

Uncle-in-law?

That's true.

But he and this grandnephew have only met a handful of times in over a decade.

Lady Lü kept a close watch on Zhu Yunwen, making it impossible for him to get close to him.

She suddenly showed up at the door, saying she just wanted to see him...

Lan Yu was filled with doubt.

But Zhu Yunwen's eyes and tone were so sincere that there was nothing wrong with him.

He laughed and patted Zhu Yunwen on the shoulder.

"Your Highness is too kind. Come, come, have a seat."

Zhu Yunwen didn't stand on ceremony and plopped down on the chair next to him.

Lan Yu sat down opposite him, looking at the young man in front of her, and that strange feeling in her heart resurfaced.

This child...

It was completely different from what he had imagined.

I've seen him a few times from afar before, and he always had his head down, shoulders hunched, looking timid and hesitant.

But the person in front of me was sitting upright, with clear eyes and a smile on his lips.

That smile, neither humble nor arrogant, was very pleasant to look at.

What's even stranger is that this child has an indescribable aura about him.

He doesn't seem like a child, more like...

Like those old foxes he'd met who'd been navigating the court for years.

Lan Yu felt a sudden jolt in her heart.

He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and used this action to suppress the doubts in his heart.

"Your Highness, did you really come here today just to see me?"

Zhu Yunwen smiled.

"Uncle, what a question! If I said I just came to visit, would you believe me?"

Lan Yu was taken aback, then smiled.

"Your Highness is indeed honest."

Zhu Yunwen stopped laughing and looked at Lan Yu.

"Uncle, let's speak frankly."

"I'm here on important business."

Lan Yu straightened his expression and put down his teacup.

"Please speak, Your Highness."

Zhu Yunwen leaned forward and lowered his voice.

"Uncle, you're in a rather precarious situation right now, aren't you?"