Chapter 132: Ancestor?
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It was past noon when Zhu Yu ordered some food to be brought over.
Ignoring the awkward distance between them, Zhu Yu sat down at the table and called Wang Yuyan over to eat, acting as though they were old acquaintances. Wang Yuyan remained curled up on the bed and replied that she was not hungry.
Naturally, that was a lie. Zhu Yu himself had been feeling hungry since last night. How could a frail young woman like Wang Yuyan possibly not be hungry?
“I’ll say it one more time. Come over and eat.”
In Zhu Yu’s imagination, he looked imposing when he said those words. Wang Yuyan would either be utterly captivated or at least cowed into obediently coming over for a meal.
Yet the moment his fantasy ended, reality slapped him in the face. Wang Yuyan could not even be bothered to answer. She merely leaned against the headboard and shook her head in refusal.
Seeing her reaction, Zhu Yu sighed inwardly. She had clearly begun to soften just moments ago. How had she turned like this again?
It seemed she really was determined to resist without violence.
This time, Zhu Yu could not be bothered to speak either. He put on a grim expression, walked to the bedside, and, without saying a word to Wang Yuyan, snatched the quilt from her hands and flung it aside beneath her frightened gaze.
With that, Wang Yuyan completely lost the bedding she had treated as armor ever since waking up.
When Zhu Yu tugged at the quilt, Wang Yuyan instinctively let out a shriek, but she quickly realized what he intended.
Looking at Zhu Yu’s dark expression, Wang Yuyan became extremely docile. She immediately climbed out of bed, hurried to the table, and sat down, glaring at him angrily.
Although Wang Yuyan was furious, her movements as she got out of bed were remarkably smooth and concise. Anyone unaware of the truth, seeing only that scene, might have thought the two of them were perfectly in sync, cooperating with one another.
Even Zhu Yu was somewhat surprised by how smoothly she moved. Since when had she become so obedient? He could not help feeling a little disappointed. He had thought he might still have a chance to teach her a lesson.
Wang Yuyan’s compliance made it difficult for Zhu Yu to do anything. He had just proclaimed his willingness to let her choose of her own accord, after all. It would hardly do to contradict himself so soon.
Still, Zhu Yu did not mind. She could not escape anyway. There was no need to rush.
The next thing to do, naturally, was eat. Given their relationship, the meal was hardly lively. The only sounds in the room were the quiet noises of chewing, occasionally accompanied by the faint clink of chopsticks against bowls and plates.
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After some time, the meal was drawing to a close. Zhu Yu, behaving like a pampered aristocrat, had already set down his bowl and chopsticks but had not left the table. While sipping the finest tea sent as tribute, he unabashedly admired Wang Yuyan’s features.
She had been eating perfectly well, but under Zhu Yu’s unrestrained gaze, Wang Yuyan began to lose her appetite.
“What are you staring at all the time? Don’t you know it’s rude?”
Wang Yuyan still had not managed to adapt to her surroundings. Even though she knew that the man before her was the emperor, she felt very little awe toward him. Perhaps that was a common failing among martial artists.
Zhu Yu could not be bothered to respond to her complaint. But, to be honest, everyone in his inner palace—including Jiang Yuyan—did exactly as he said. At most, the imperial consorts would act spoiled with him. Having someone occasionally bicker with him was rather amusing.
“Now you can tell me. What did Murong Fu want you to say? What happened with the Bright Cult?”
Seeing that Zhu Yu had ignored her and showed no intention of changing, Wang Yuyan wrinkled her nose in annoyance. She had originally intended to leave the table at once, but when she heard his question, she lowered the leg she had already raised, recalled what she knew, and said:
“Over the past two months, Cousin and Brother Bao San have nearly exhausted their fortunes establishing ties with the Bright Cult. Cousin said that we can proceed according to the plan we agreed upon.”
Wang Yuyan spoke with complete seriousness, but Zhu Yu could hardly believe his ears.
“Are you saying Murong Fu spent his entire fortune just to establish ties with the Bright Cult? Surely not?”
Wang Yuyan was stunned as well. Then she remembered the loophole in what she had said, and her pretty face flushed.
“No, that is not what I meant. Cousin meant that he has already won the support of two mid- to high-ranking members of the Bright Cult, and that he spent a great deal on it. The Bright Cult is enormous, so establishing connections is not difficult.
“Cousin also said that with the help of those two supporters, he could at least enter the middle ranks after joining the cult. If he handled the relationships well, it might not be impossible for him to enter the upper ranks directly.”
Mid- to high-ranking members? Murong Fu was more capable than Zhu Yu had expected. In Zhu Yu’s plans, it would already have been remarkable if Murong Fu could win over a single mid-ranking official of the Bright Cult before joining. Yet now, Murong Fu had managed to produce a surprise.
“Do you have any specific information about the two people Murong Fu recruited? I’ll send someone to investigate their backgrounds.”
At that, Wang Yuyan frowned and searched her memory. Only after a long while did she speak.
“Cousin never told me directly. But when he was speaking with Brother Bao San and the others, I overheard something. One of the two people he won over seems to be the son of the Flood Banner’s commander, one of the Bright Cult’s Five Element Banners. The other is the master of the Vermilion Bird Altar.”
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The information was extremely vague, and Zhu Yu frowned slightly. Still, judging by the positions held by those he had recruited, Murong Fu clearly possessed some ability.
“Is that all you know? Do you have anything more specific?”
Although Zhu Yu already had a rough plan in mind, the more information one had, the better.
This time, Wang Yuyan took even longer to search her memory.
Sitting there doing nothing might have been boring, but Zhu Yu was clearly not the sort of person who grew bored easily. While savoring his tea, he openly admired Wang Yuyan’s features as she became lost in thought.
Just as Zhu Yu took another sip, Wang Yuyan’s answer reached his ears. He was so startled that he choked on his tea and began coughing violently. He wanted to open his mouth and ask her to confirm what she had said, but not a single word would come out.
His condition frightened Wang Yuyan so badly that she did not dare move.
Wasn’t I merely answering his question? Why did he suddenly become like this?
That was the question troubling Wang Yuyan.
Meanwhile, Zhu Yu continued coughing, repeatedly replaying her words in his mind.
“I remember now. The commander of the Flood Banner’s son seems to be named Ren Woxing, while the master of the Vermilion Bird Altar is called Zhu Yuanzhang.”
Who would not be startled by those words?
Could anyone really blame Zhu Yu?
In this composite martial-arts world, Zhu Yu could accept the appearance of almost any martial-arts character. But how had a figure from orthodox history suddenly appeared? And not just anyone—a legendary founding emperor, the Hongwu Emperor himself?
That was only one part of the matter. In Zhu Yu’s eyes, the Jing Dynasty into which he had transmigrated bore traces of several dynasties from his former life, but the resemblance to the Ming Dynasty was the strongest.
To make matters more complicated, his own surname was Zhu. Zhu Yu had once gone out of his way to examine the imperial genealogy, and after confirming that the name Zhu Yuanzhang did not appear in it, he had felt a little disappointed.
But what was happening now?
He had once hoped that Zhu Yuanzhang might become his ancestor. When that failed to happen, he had simply let it go. So how had the man now become a potential enemy?