Chapter 22: The King of Zhou's Interception

  Inside Zhengde Hall, high above on the imperial throne, Zhou Zheng slowly swept his gaze over the crowd in the hall.

  Zhou Feng, Zhou Chong, and Zhou Fei were at a loss, unsure of what to do. The Prime Minister, the General of the Cavalry, and the Marquis of Chongtian all changed color, their faces pale.

  On the contrary, the declining Zhao family was in high spirits and requested that King Zhou's eldest son, Crown Prince Jian, be established as the crown prince.

  Finally, Zhou Zheng's gaze fell on Zhou Jian's body. This eldest son was so calm and composed. That posture undoubtedly told him that among these sons, only this king's eldest son was more excellent and more suitable to inherit his position.

  But the eldest son was the one he disliked the most, Zhou Zheng had a feeling of nausea as if he had eaten a fly, and Zhou Zheng's face looked even worse, his eyes were gloomy like water, and even his complexion became somewhat ferocious.

  At this moment, Zhou Zheng was actually forced into a corner. If it were an ordinary emperor, he would probably follow the trend and even if he disliked his eldest son, he wouldn't make things difficult for him at this time. But Zhou Zheng was Zhou Zheng, stubborn and self-willed.

  "Hey." A sudden burst of laughter, the next moment Zhou Zheng's expression changed, the ferocity disappeared, and returned to a cold smile.

  Even if the entire court is silent, even if the Zhao family's power is playing a solo, this prince's position is not only related to the country's major events but also the Zhou family's internal affairs. It's not something that can be done just because of "popular support". If he insists on doing things his own way, this matter will end in chaos.

  Not long ago, Zhou Zheng's face was expressionless, like a detached onlooker, as if this chaotic battle had nothing to do with him. But just now, Zhou Zheng's expression changed from ferocity to cold smile. This sudden change was felt by countless people.

  Deng Kuang, Guan Xing, and Ming Yuan were delighted in their hearts. They were all old ministers of the court and deeply understood Zhou Zheng's temperament. Once he made up his mind, even eight strong horses couldn't pull him back. Now there was another chance, as long as Zhou Zheng clearly expressed his intention to abandon Zhou Jian, they still had the opportunity to support their respective princes and compete for the crown prince again.

  Zhou Feng, Zhou Chong, and Zhou Fei, the three parties involved, were overjoyed, with a feeling of having let go of a cooked duck that had flown away, only to suddenly fly back.

  Zhao Wen, Zhao Deng, and Xiao Yun also felt a sudden sense of unease, their brows furrowed in concern.

  Facing Zhou Zheng's drastic changes, his ferocious face, cold smile, and overwhelming killing intent. However, Zhou Jian remained unusually calm. It seems that this father king not only abandoned him but also had a determination to drive him out and kill him.

  Is he angry? Is he sad? After being imprisoned for over a decade, Zhou Jian no longer had those feelings towards Zhou Zheng. However, at this moment, Zhou Jian's heart wasn't completely calm either.

  Looking at Zhou Zheng's attitude of wanting to drive him out and kill him, a suspicion in his heart was gradually growing. At that time, his mother, Queen Zhao, had disappeared without reason in the imperial palace shortly after giving birth to her sister, Zhou Meng. This was really a fairy tale, if not for the queen's voluntary disappearance, then there was only one possibility. That is, it was the current King Zhou who took action.

  Thinking of his mother's kindness in his heart, Zhou Jian's heart suddenly started beating violently, and a surge of resentment filled his chest.

  In the majestic Zhengde Hall, within the grand Zhou Kingdom Imperial Palace that embodied the majesty of the Zhou King, in the main hall, Zhou Jian clenched his fists tightly, and his emotions surged violently, to the point where even his body trembled slightly.

  If it weren't for his urgent bowing of his head, Zhou Jian's gaze would have pierced Zhou Zheng, asking him to clarify what was going on.

  Even if Zhou Jian lowered his head, his body trembled, but it was impossible to deceive anyone. Except for Zhou Zheng's lack of expression, the situation in the main hall was extremely favorable for Zhou Jian.

  This made the officials mistakenly believe that Zhou Jian's trembling was due to fear, and not because he had let out a few cold laughs in his heart. The king has not yet made a decision, this position is still unstable, fool.

  Zhou Zheng was also one of them, his gaze towards Zhou Jian even colder.

  The eyes around him, Zhou Jian didn't notice. Zhou Jian let out a breath and temporarily suppressed his fluctuating emotions, turning back to the present.

  What's most important now is to gain freedom and strength; otherwise, how can I protect my sister and uncover the truth from back then?

  The prince, he must get it. The eyes around him not only didn't make Zhou Jian retreat, but instead made Zhou Jian's heart even more determined. Thinking of this, Zhou Jian began to ponder a countermeasure again.

  If Zhou Zheng insisted on going it alone, he would also find it difficult to succeed. What should be done then? The opponent was indeed too powerful. Zhou Zheng's appearance, strong intervention, and such a thorough defeat were not something he had anticipated as a formidable foe.

  "The king's eldest son is indeed wise, but the queen has disappeared. Since ancient times, mothers have valued their sons and sons have relied on their mothers for security. Now that the mother is gone, what can be called the legitimate son? Should..."

  Soon after, Zhou Zheng opened his mouth and directly denied that Zhou Jian was the legitimate son, but someone didn't let him finish speaking.

  Suddenly, a voice full of anger rang out from within the Zhengde Hall.

  "The queen has disappeared, and Your Majesty did not investigate. Now you want to abolish the eldest son and establish a younger son, this old minister does not agree."

  Everyone looked up and saw that Xiao Yun's old face was flushed red, staring at Zhou Zheng without a hint of fear, roaring with anger. It seemed as if he wanted to vent the pent-up anger in his heart for many years.

  At first, when Queen Zhao disappeared, all Zhou Zheng did was to change color and become enraged, imprisoning Zhou Jian and Zhou Mengyou, suppressing the power of the Zhao family. He never investigated this matter or searched for the queen's return.

  The queen is missing, humiliating the nation. How did it come to this? It's all because of that King Zhou.

  "Xiao Yun." His words were interrupted by Xiao Yun, Zhou Zheng's mood was extremely bad, his eyes narrowed slightly, a killing intent flashed and disappeared.

  "Hmph. If Your Majesty insists on acting alone, then this old minister will cut off his own vital energy and die within the Zhengde Palace. Let all nations across the Windward Continent see how topsy-turvy the Great Zhou Dynasty has become."

  Xiao Yun, however, was calm and fearless, raising his head to glare at Zhou Zheng, letting out a cold snort.

  "If Your Majesty insists on going alone, we old ministers are willing to cut off our veins and follow General Xiao." Immediately, more than a dozen old ministers stood up and bowed to Prime Minister Zhou.

  With a resolute attitude, he had the grandeur of a man who would leave and never return.

  At this moment, Zhao Wen and Zhao Deng's faces showed joy, this is a group of old ministers, who have high prestige in the territory of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and today they are forced to die.

  This is a death warning. Never has it been heard that a wise and enlightened king, while in power, had an old minister die for remonstrance. Only when an unwise and benighted king is in power will there be an old minister who dies for remonstrance. If Zhou Zheng dares to speak out, these old ministers dare to sacrifice themselves. In this way, Zhou Zheng cannot wash away the reputation of being an unwise and benighted king, and the entire Great Zhou will become a laughing stock.

  This is enough to turn the world upside down.