Zhu Yanyi felt a wave of relief. She was glad she had gone to Sichen Town. If she hadn’t, she might be in the same terrible state. Just thinking about it made her shiver.
"I wanted to get rid of it too, but even Qu Zhong couldn’t do it," Zhu Yongfu said, her voice heavy with complex emotions. She didn’t want the Zhu family in Sichen Town to surpass them, yet Zhu Yanyi’s brilliance left them only able to look up in awe. "When Qu Zhong came, she showed us. She said we aren’t contagious. The tests confirmed it’s poison, but she can’t cure it. She called it a rare and difficult illness. She said only the Little Divine Doctor could possibly solve it."
"Then invite the Little Divine Doctor," Zhu Jinfu said directly. Since there was no other choice, they had to take this path.
Zhu Yongfu glanced at his brother. "That is exactly why I contacted Shen Fu. They are grandfather and granddaughter. If Shen Fu speaks up, it will likely go much better."
Zhu Jinfu paused, thinking carefully. "But Brother, we both know that Shen Fu is a fake. The real one disappeared long ago."
Zhu Jinfu knew about the disappearance, but he didn’t know his own brother, Zhu Yongfu, was responsible. Based on his brother’s usual character, he could guess some of the dark secrets, but he never imagined Zhu Yongfu would be so cruel—breaking a person’s legs, gouging out their eyes, and cutting out their tongue.
Zhu Yongfu looked deeply at Zhu Jinfu. "I know this, of course. But the Little Divine Doctor doesn’t know. As long as she believes this Shen Fu is her grandfather, it will work."
Zhu Jinfu wasn’t stupid. She understood immediately. "Brother, do you mean using Shen Fu to control Zhu Yanyi?"
"What do you mean 'control'? That sounds so ugly," Zhu Yongfu scolded, glaring at her. "We are all one family. We just want her to return to our main branch. Do you understand?"
"I understand, I understand." Zhu Jinfu smiled. His big brother always had a way of doing things. Although creating a fake Zhu Shen Fu had been an accident, he never expected that accident to become useful now.
Seeing Zhu Jinfu’s smile, Zhu Yongfu knew what he was thinking. "Be more steady these days. You are the only one in the Zhu family who isn’t poisoned. You will handle the outside procurement. And…" Zhu Yongfu warned, "Don’t let your thoughts show. We can’t afford to be discovered."
Zhu Jinfu knew the stakes were high. If they were found out, he would bear heavy responsibility. He nodded quickly. "Brother, don’t worry. I might not always hide my expressions because I process a lot of information, but I promise no one will discover anything."
Satisfied, Zhu Yongfu asked, "How did things go in Sichen Town?"
"Failed, of course. Zhu Enfu died. I originally wanted to use this as leverage to force Zhu Chanyao to listen to us. But Zhu Chanyao passed the patriarch position to Zhu Leiyao, a clansman, the very next day after the funeral."
Zhu Jinfu looked helpless. "I looked into Zhu Leiyao. He is straightforward and fair. That’s why he became the village head of Gan’en Village. Now he is also the patriarch of the Sichen Town Zhu family. No one opposed it; everyone thought it was right.
"I later found out that when Zhu Enfu wanted to step down, the first heir wasn’t Zhu Chanyao, but Zhu Shunyao. The second was Zhu Leiyao. Zhu Shunyao was busy with the Azure Sovereign Group matters and declined. Zhu Leiyao, seeing Zhu Enfu was old, didn’t want him to worry about his descendants, so he also declined. That’s how Zhu Chanyao took over."
Zhu Jinfu sighed with regret. "What a pity. Zhu Chanyao is useless. He gave up the inheritance position that was offered to him."
"But you have to admit, that move was smart," Zhu Yongfu said directly. "According to your account, that was the best move. By doing that, Zhu Chanyao stabilized the entire Sichen Town Zhu family. If we want to control them now, we need a new foothold. But with Zhu Leiyao as patriarch, finding that foothold is nearly impossible."
Zhu Jinfu nodded. "It all comes back to Zhu Shunyao. When Zhu Enfu died, Zhu Chanyao didn’t announce the death immediately. But Zhu Shunyao somehow got the news, came for the funeral, and said something private to Zhu Chanyao. That’s why Zhu Chanyao transferred the position the next day."
"This Zhu Shunyao…" Zhu Yongfu slammed the table in anger. "I knew he was a disaster. I should have killed him long ago."
She knew she could only say this. At that time, she didn’t have time to deal with her. Who would care about a child raised without parents? Besides, Zhu Guifu and others hadn’t treated Zhu Shunyao well either.
No one expected Zhu Shunyao to reach such heights today.
"In the end, it’s because Zhu Shunyao has successful children," Zhu Jinfu said, not in defeat, but in genuine surprise. "His eldest daughter married the head of Taishu Industry. His second daughter… well, and his youngest son is reportedly the National Top Scholar. His children are all so capable. And us… sigh."
If the Zhu family in the city and the Sichen Town branch weren’t already estranged, Zhu Jinfu would have wanted to ask Zhu Shunyao how he raised his children to be so talented.
Zhu Yongfu also sighed. "Regardless, we must bring Shen Fu back. Only with Shen Fu can we turn this situation around."
The fake Zhu Shen Fu in Xiangshui had become their only hope.
In Xiangshui, Zhu Shen Fu received the telegram from Zhu Jinfu and pondered silently.
Zhu Shengyao watched his father’s thoughtful expression. "Dad, what’s wrong?"
Zhu Shen Fu handed the telegram to Zhu Shengyao. "A telegram from the Zhu family in the city. Your Uncle Yongfu wants me to go back."
Zhu Shengyao raised an eyebrow. "Although the domestic situation is stable and they value people from Xiangshui, is this necessary? Dad, although you come from the Zhu family, you aren’t part of the city branch. You wouldn’t even go to the Sichen Town branch. Why bother with them?"
Zhu Shen Fu looked at Zhu Shengyao. Some things were better kept secret. He didn’t want his son to know he wasn’t the real Zhu Shen Fu. "What do you know? When I came to Xiangshui, the money I used to start my business came from your Uncle Yongfu."