My father, Zhu Di, was granted a second life by Zhu Yuanzhang.

Chapter 79 Secret Investigation within the Palace

Zhu Gaoxi waited anxiously for Zhu Youdun and Xu Miaojin before they finally returned.

Shamelessly, they're not even married yet, but they're always together. Are they planning to go on their honeymoon early?

Zhu Gaoxi was consumed by jealousy and kept complaining to himself.

"Don't worry, little brother, everything about the illustrator has been taken care of."

Seeing Zhu Gaoxi's anxious expression, Zhu Youdun quickly comforted him.

That's more like it. At least I can stay sober and not neglect my business.

Zhu Gaoxi beamed with joy.

His acting skills are so refined that he can use them with ease. Even if he feels bitter inside, he can still appear calm and indifferent on the surface.

Throughout history, there have been many talented men whose lives were ruined by beautiful women. Zhu Gaoxi certainly did not want anyone to repeat the same mistakes, so it seemed necessary to persuade him to get back on the right path.

The key point is that whenever Zhu Gaoxi saw the two of them gazing at each other sweetly and affectionately, his heart felt as sour as if he had drunk a bottle of aged vinegar.

He didn't want to experience that bitterness again.

Xu Miaojin bid a reluctant farewell to Youdun and returned to Consort Hui's palace.

Throughout the entire process, he didn't have a moment to say a word to Zhu Gaoxi.

A woman who falls in love has eyes only for her lover.

It wasn't the first time he'd been ignored; he was used to it. His heart was already numb with pain, Zhu Gaoxi comforted himself.

"Guess who I ran into when I came back?" Zhu Youdun deliberately kept everyone in suspense.

Zhu Gaoxi raised his eyes in response, gesturing for him to continue.

"The Imperial Son-in-Law, Commandant Ouyang Lun, he seems to have come from the Duke of Cao's residence," Zhu Youdun said, his face full of doubt. "My grandfather ordered him to be sent on a mission to Sichuan and Shaanxi. What is he doing going to see Li Jinglong?"

"Moreover, his demeanor was different from before," Zhu Youdun recalled carefully, "He had a smug and self-satisfied air about him."

"He wasn't like this before?" Zhu Gaoxi asked curiously.

On his wedding night and when he passed the imperial examination, Ouyang Lun experienced two of the four great joys in life. Shouldn't he be riding high?

Zhu Gaoxi didn't have much information about Ouyang Lun in his mind, only that he was a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) who had repeatedly sent people to sell smuggled tea for huge profits, bullying others and extorting money from them.

The tax inspector, who had been brutally humiliated, could no longer bear the insult and angrily reported his evil deeds to the court. As a result, he was given death by Zhu Yuanzhang.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Youdun shook his head and laughed, "Ouyang Lun considers himself exceptionally talented, but since getting married, he has never been given important responsibilities and always feels that his talents are being wasted."

But according to my grandfather, if it weren't for my fourth aunt's secret feelings for him, he would have had a hard time passing the imperial examination.

Princess Anqing, Ouyang Lun's wife, was Zhu Yuanzhang's fourth daughter.

Zhu Gaoxi gradually realized the reason: it turned out that the prince had fallen in love first, and Ouyang Lun had passed the imperial examination later. No wonder the old emperor was unwilling to deal with him.

He was of mediocre talent, yet he was chosen by the princess, passed the imperial examination, and became the emperor's son-in-law. This was already due to the good deeds of his ancestors. However, he was still greedy and wanted to seize even greater power. No wonder the old emperor looked down on him.

Zhu Gaoxi cursed inwardly.

Ouyang Hao willingly served as Zhu Yunwen's lackey, aiding and abetting the tyrant, and relentlessly attacked him, leaving an indelible shadow in Zhu Gaoxi's heart.

As for how Ouyang Lun met the princess by chance and won her favor, that's another story, and Zhu Gaoxi wasn't interested.

Preventing interference in politics by relatives of the empress was a principle set long ago by the old emperor.

Zhu Yuanzhang, drawing on the lessons learned from past dynasties, issued a decree stipulating that "the emperor, as well as princes, empresses, concubines, and palace women, must carefully select daughters from good families for marriage, and must not accept those recommended by ministers."

The princess, on the other hand, married into a commoner's family.

That being said, Zhu Yuanzhang did not strictly enforce this rule. Instead, he widely intermarried with military generals, "forming close bonds" and using these kinship ties to protect his imperial power.

But the old emperor broke the rules in order to win over the military generals.

Ouyang Lun is out of his mind, overestimating his abilities and attempting to be promoted beyond his station. He's completely lost his mind and will reap what he sows sooner or later.

When Zhu Gaoxi thought about Ouyang Lun's ultimate fate, his anger subsided considerably.

For Ouyang Lun, being a dutiful son-in-law and enjoying wealth and status was the only sobering reality.

However, according to You Dun's description, Ouyang Lun clearly wanted to make a name for himself, but since his official career was not going well, the only option was to make more money.

Ouyang Lun has gradually embarked on that irreversible path of fate.

His tragic end was entirely his own fault; no one could have stopped him.

Cutting off someone's livelihood is like killing their parents.

Ouyang Lun was now completely bewitched and possessed by demons; there was no way to persuade him otherwise.

Zhu Gaoxi paid no attention to Ouyang Lun's actions, but instead inquired about the training of the secret guards and the progress of Zhu Jixi's investigation.

However, Zhu Jixi seems to have not yet figured things out and has not taken any action.

Chang Lin and Zhu Xiong Ying have lived in the East Palace for a long time, so if Lady Lü were to target them, she would most likely choose the East Palace as the location.

Zhu Jixi was outside the palace, so it was naturally difficult for him to find any clues.

Zhu Gaoxi never placed any hope that Zhu Jixi would uncover the truth.

Zhu Jixi's main role was to provoke Zhu Yunwen and throw him into a state of panic.

It is only when one loses their composure that they are likely to make a mistake.

Lady Lü was resolute and difficult to find a weakness in, so the only option was to start with Zhu Yunwen.

It is very likely that Zhu Yunwen was unaware of what Lady Lü had done back then.

This is precisely why it is easier to find opportunities and breakthroughs.

If the opponent has already achieved sufficient information sharing, the difficulty will increase significantly, and the chance of a successful investigation will become extremely low.

The palace must act quickly to alert Zhu Yunwen and Lady Lü.

Zhu Gaoxi's ultimate goal was not the truth, but rather to expose Zhu Yunwen's mistakes and blunders in the chaos.

"How about we find some people for Yishiha to help Brother Jixi investigate in the palace?" Zhu Gaoxi asked Zhu Youdun.

Zhu Youdun pondered for a moment, "We need to find some palace servants who have been in the palace for a long time to make things easier. Yishiha has good connections in the Imperial Horse Administration, and Sanbao is very familiar with the eunuchs in the Imperial Pharmacy. Why don't we have them find some people?"

This is too risky. To form cliques and engage in underhanded activities right under the old emperor's nose would inevitably lead to the loss of all previous efforts if discovered.

Zhu Gaoxi warmly took You Dun's hand and earnestly asked, "Could you find some more reliable people like Yishiha from Governor Xu's office?"

Since he wasn't married to Miao Jin yet, he was too embarrassed to ask Xu Zengshou for permission, so Zhu Youdun smiled awkwardly.

The last time, when we lost the vegetable garden in Harbin, it was Xu Zengshou who brought it up.

He couldn't very well ask Xu Miaojin for help; the thought of her gave Zhu Gaoxi a headache.

This old lady is really not someone to mess with. She'll grab your ear and twist it at the drop of a hat, showing you absolutely no respect.

"When Miaojin and I left the Duke of Wei's mansion today, Jingyan almost cried his eyes out and insisted on going to the palace with his aunt."

Zhu Youdun picked up his cup, took a sip of tea, and hesitated before saying, "How about letting Jingyan stay at the Prince of Wu's residence for a few days? This child has been with Miaojin since he was little and has never been away from her for such a long time. I heard he's been crying a lot lately."

Then go for it, what's so difficult about it?

Zhu Gaoxi immediately suggested, "How about we take her to the Prince's residence tomorrow when my brother leaves the palace?"

Zhu Youdun hesitated again, seemingly troubled, "This..."

"What is my brother worried about?"

Having never seen Zhu Youdun so hesitant, Zhu Gaoxi sincerely assured him, "As long as Jingyan is willing, she can stay as long as she wants. If Aunt misses the child, she can come over anytime and treat the Prince's Mansion as her own home. If Uncle agrees, she can move in as well."

The uncle and aunt mentioned by Zhu Gaoxi refer to Xu Zengshou and his wife Mu Xue.