Ning Fengzhi had made a decision, but the specifics of its implementation fell on Ning Rongrong.
This was not something that could yield results in the short term.
During the period before Ning Rongrong enrolled in Shrek Academy, Zhu Zhuqing had already returned to the Zhu family in Star Luo.
"Second Miss!?"
At the entrance of the Duke's residence in the Zhu family's territory, a guard who had been daydreaming suddenly saw Zhu Zhuqing's face and was greatly alarmed. He quickly stood at attention.
Like the Dai family, the Zhu family had maintained a brutal internal competition mechanism since ancient times.
However, similar to the Dai family, the Zhu family, as a long-standing prominent family on the Douluo Continent, considered such internal competition mechanisms sensitive topics. Measures had always been taken to keep them confidential.
This custom was no secret among the upper echelons of the nobility, but for ordinary people, even the security personnel at the Zhu family's gates, it remained a secret.
So the guard was merely puzzled as to when Zhu Zhuqing had gone out and why she had now returned.
"Hmm."
Zhu Zhuqing nodded, and the guard quickly stepped aside, allowing the Second Miss to enter the Duke's residence.
Zhu Zhuqing had not brought any Soul Arena Beasts with her; she had returned alone.
Of course, for safety's sake, You Chen had silently disguised himself as You Xing and hidden nearby, but there was no need to inform Zhu Zhuqing of this.
Whether it was to prevent the Zhu family from not arranging for Zhu Zhuqing as expected or to prevent Zhu Zhuqing from impulsively betraying the Beast Soul Alliance, at least until it was confirmed that she had fully aligned with the alliance, such protective surveillance was necessary.
And this task, naturally, could only be handled by You Chen himself.
Although it slightly occupied his cultivation time, just like monitoring Tang San, You Chen knew this trouble could not be omitted.
A little effort now could save a lot of trouble in the future, and You Chen certainly understood this trade-off.
"Mother."
Upon returning to the Zhu family, the first thing Zhu Zhuqing did was visit her mother.
In the Zhu family's study, filled with the weight of history and the scent of books, sat a stunningly beautiful woman who bore a striking resemblance to Zhu Zhuqing.
Despite nearing her forties, she still maintained the youthful charm of a twenty-year-old. Her face was flawless, her skin as smooth as jade, and most notably, her S-shaped curves were identical to Zhu Zhuqing's, enough to make any man's throat tighten.
Coupled with her elegant, night-blooming orchid-like black dress and the intellectual black-framed glasses on her nose, she looked like a modern fashion icon who had traveled through time.
Seeing such a figure, especially the plump and proud curves, You Chen was certain this was her biological mother.
To continue the legacy of the Netherworld Spirit Cat Martial Soul, the Zhu family had always been matriarchal, with men marrying in and women dominating the family, holding the title of Duke.
Some might wonder.
Given the life-and-death situation between Zhu Zhuqing and Zhu Zhuyun, the Zhu family, like the Dai family, should have only one successor per generation.
So what was the relationship between the current Zhu family head and the current emperor? Could it be the empress?
Wouldn't that be chaotic?
If not, what was the relationship between the family head and the current empress?
First, the sister relationship was ruled out.
If they were sisters, why would Zhu Zhuyun hunt down Zhu Zhuqing?
The Zhu family, like the Dai family, had always maintained a death competition mechanism.
Actually, it's not hard to understand.
Because the death competition only existed within the main family line, meaning only the most excellent bloodlines had such a competitive relationship.
Due to the inheritance issues of the Evil Eye White Tiger and Netherworld Spirit Cat Martial Souls, the bloodlines of both families were forbidden from spreading outside, but within the Star Luo royal family, they naturally continued.
If there were no qualified individuals among the royal family to assume the family head position, the Zhu family head would be concurrently held by the empress, who would then select the next princess consort from the numerous collateral bloodlines of the Zhu family.
Conversely... it was still a cruel death competition.
First, the best of the best were selected.
Then, survival of the fittest continued, choosing the most excellent bloodline to inherit the family head position.
The current Zhu family head, Zhu Lanyan, by blood relation, was the younger sister of the current emperor.
This was actually a relatively peaceful succession process.
Without competing with other collateral lines, backed by the royal family, she directly ascended.
Typically, each emperor would have many children, trying to produce princesses who inherited the Netherworld Spirit Cat Martial Soul to serve as the Zhu family head.
After all, being the offspring of the emperor and empress, who were the best of the best, they often had the highest talent without needing to compete with collateral lines.
Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing were cousins. (I remember the original work mentioned they were cousins.)
Among the great families of Douluo, to ensure the purity of their descendants' Martial Souls, marriage between cousins was not uncommon.
As for the issue between Yu Xiaogang and Liu Erlong.
Excluding the factor of the original author's self-contradiction, the main reason was still the purity of the Martial Soul.
Both had mutated Martial Souls, and further combining them could result in unknown mutations, whether for the family's reputation or to prevent polluting the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon bloodline.
Yu Luomen had reasons to prevent the union of these two.
Some might say, what's the big deal about polluting the bloodline? Just don't let their descendants marry into the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon family.
People who say such things must have overly simplistic brains...
First, if their descendants were not allowed into the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon family's social circle, there would be no guarantee that the bloodline wouldn't spread. Their descendants might marry ordinary people and revert to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul...
And if their descendants were allowed into the family's social circle, who could guarantee they wouldn't develop romantic feelings with other family members?
Besides, there were cases like Yu Xiaogang and Liu Erlong, who got involved without knowing each other's identities.
In short, it was very difficult to handle, and it was best to cut it off completely.
At this moment, hearing her daughter's voice, the intellectual woman finally came to her senses. She turned her head sharply and, upon seeing Zhu Zhuqing's face, was momentarily stunned.
"Why you?" Zhu Lanyan blurted out.
A flash of disappointment crossed Zhu Zhuqing's face, but perhaps having matured through her sister's pursuit, she concealed her emotions well.
She buried the disappointment and the stronger resolve stemming from her mother's attitude deep in her heart.
Zhu Lanyan also realized her slip, but she did not apologize, merely examining Zhu Zhuqing with an extremely complex expression.
Zhu Zhuyun and Zhu Zhuqing, as sisters, had somewhat similar voices, and Zhu Lanyan had been anxious and weary lately, immersed in the documents in her hands, leading to the misjudgment.
Moreover, in Zhu Lanyan's eyes, Zhu Zhuqing was already a dead person.
Zhu Lanyan said, "You dare to return?"
This was the first thing Zhu Lanyan truly said to Zhu Zhuqing after realizing who she was.
Since ancient times, royalty has been heartless. The Zhu family, seemingly just a ducal family, consistently produced empresses, and in a sense, was completely tied to the royal family, making it a quasi-royal family.
And as the younger sister of the current emperor, Zhu Lanyan was well aware of this.
Towards the younger of her two daughters, who was almost destined to die in the competition, she naturally would not invest too much affection.
Thus, Zhu Zhuqing developed her aloof and indifferent personality.
Apart from her sister, she had never felt much love since childhood.
Now, even the sister who once cared for her had betrayed her and died, and Zhu Zhuqing's heart grew colder.
Hearing Zhu Lanyan's words, Zhu Zhuqing understood that until this moment, Zhu Lanyan had probably not even considered the possibility of her eldest daughter's death.
In Zhu Lanyan's eyes, it was likely that Zhu Zhuqing had escaped from Zhu Zhuyun's grasp and returned to the Duke's residence.
In Zhu Lanyan's eyes, this was naturally a senseless action.
After all, she was her daughter, and she did not want to see them fight to the death under her nose, but in other words, this was why she had allowed so many supporters to help Zhu Zhuyun hunt down Zhu Zhuqing.
'You managed to escape, so why come back? Surely not to beg for your life?'
Zhu Lanyan felt both pity and amusement for her daughter.
This was also natural.
Zhu Zhuyun's own strength surpassed Zhu Zhuqing's, and she had so many helpers. Zhu Lanyan could not imagine such a possibility.
"Since childhood... you, no, you've always been like this." Zhu Zhuqing suddenly spoke.
She stared intently at Zhu Lanyan's naturally charming and elegant face, feeling for the first time that the mother who had made her fearful and timid was actually not that formidable.
Seeing her mother, who showed no reflection but instead questioned her, Zhu Zhuqing felt anger towards this beautiful woman for the first time, and the corner of her mouth unconsciously curled up: "I killed my sister, so I came back."
Seeing the shock and disbelief on Zhu Lanyan's face, Zhu Zhuqing had never felt so exhilarated!
The mother, who always seemed to have everything under control, like the sky of the Zhu family, was just an ordinary woman who could be shocked and flustered in the face of greater power.
"Impossible!"
Zhu Lanyan's beautiful face twisted slightly, with a hint of urgency and disbelief, followed by a stern look at Zhu Zhuqing: "How could you possibly have the ability to do such a thing?"
Zhu Zhuqing didn't bother arguing and directly tossed Zhu Zhuyun's stiffened head from her storage soul tool.
"You actually...!?"
Zhu Lanyan looked at the frozen corpse, and her maternal intuition confirmed that the dead head was not a fake. Her heart felt like it had been through a magnitude 9 earthquake, and she blurted out: "She was your sister!"
Hearing this senseless statement, Zhu Zhuqing was momentarily stunned, then burst into wild laughter.
"Hahaha! My sister!? Now you tell me she was my sister!?"
Zhu Zhuqing laughed sorrowfully, joyfully, maniacally, tears streaming down her face.
Completely unlike her usual aloof demeanor.
Zhu Zhuqing's face twisted as she looked down at her mother, who seemed nailed to the desk, showing rare panic and confusion, and laughed even more heartily: "That's it! That's it! This is the expression I wanted to see from you! Hahaha! Painful? Sad? Scared? This is your retribution! This is what you deserve!"
"What I deserve?" Zhu Lanyan was momentarily bewildered.
Zhu Zhuqing stopped laughing, a smirk on her face as she leaned in close to her mother, less than five centimeters away, and sneered: "Always... you always acted like you had everything under control, but in reality, you did nothing, didn't you? Since you chose to stand by from the beginning, don't come crying when things don't go as you expected! My foolish and useless mother!"
After saying this, Zhu Zhuqing finally stepped back and turned to walk out the door.
Just as she was about to leave the study, she seemed to suddenly remember something, turned back, and smiled at the distraught Zhu Lanyan: "I almost forgot, Mother, I came here to tell you—I'm back. From now on, there is no Second Miss in the Zhu family. Only me, Zhu Zhuqing!"
Shortly after Zhu Zhuqing left, a handsome and scholarly man followed by several guards entered.
Their argument had not been concealed, and Zhu Lanyan naturally had guards protecting her while she worked.
They had not barged in to stop it because this was a conversation between Zhu Lanyan and Zhu Zhuqing, and as subordinates, they were in a difficult position.
Moreover... according to Zhu Zhuqing's words, from now on, she would be the successor. They dared not offend her.
So only now did they dare to enter.
The handsome, scholarly man, clearly not dressed as a guard, approached Zhu Lanyan with concern: "Madam, are you alright? It's only natural for Zhuqing to have resentment. Later, I'll go talk to her. The family rules weren't set by you, and no matter what, she should respect you as her mother..."
Zhu Lanyan suddenly looked up at her handsome husband, only to find him weak and incompetent.
The anger stemming from Zhu Zhuqing had no outlet, and now the best punching bag had presented itself...
"Get out!"
Zhu Lanyan roared, her soul power shaking, directly slamming her husband against the study wall, where he slid down like a painting.
"Master!?"
The two guards were shocked and hurried to check on the scholarly man's condition.
Fortunately, Zhu Lanyan had restrained her strength in her outburst, and the man, being the biological father of high-quality descendants as a consort, was not too weak, suffering only minor injuries.
Zhu Lanyan didn't even glance at the man lying on the floor clutching his chest and gasping for breath, instead issuing orders to the two guards.
She first looked painfully at Zhu Zhuyun's head: "Call the head maid to come and collect Zhu Zhuyun's... remains."
Then she said: "Pass my order to Zhu Zhuqing, tell her to wait for me in the main hall.
"
By the time she said this, Zhu Lanyan's expression had completely returned to calm.
Although she had indeed been shocked and flustered earlier, Zhu Lanyan had been the Duchess for decades and knew full well that what needed to be done now was not to dwell in sorrow and shock but to make timely and appropriate responses. (End of Chapter)