"The real Zhu Shenfu." Zhu Yongfu laughed, though his smile was particularly grotesque. "Now he calls himself Zhu Xinfu."
"What do you mean, the real Zhu Shenfu?" Zhu Jinfu did not know the full story of the past. He only knew that a man named Zhu Shenfu had come, his brother had met him, and then he had gone to Xiangshui. He hadn’t thought much about the details. But hearing Zhu Yongfu speak like this, he knew something had happened. For some reason, his heart began to pound rapidly. He felt this matter was slipping out of his control.
"What are you saying? He’s back?" Zhu Shenfu’s face turned pale. "How could he appear?"
"She didn’t say her name was Zhu Shenfu. She said her name was Zhu Xinfu. Zhu Yanyi said she was her grandfather. I understand now why Zhu Yanyi said her grandfather wasn’t called Zhu Shenfu. Because she changed her name. She is now called Zhu Xinfu." Zhu Yongfu’s smile was strangely twisted, and a hint of madness appeared in her eyes.
"Brother, what riddle are you two speaking?" Zhu Jinfu urged from the side, anxious.
Zhu Yongfu glanced at Zhu Jinfu. "Jinfu, in that mirror that could show the future, I saw what would happen."
"In the future, the Zhu family of Four Towns rose to power because of Zhu Shenfu. Their influence surpassed our Zhu family of Zhushi. And our family fell into ruin."
"I couldn’t accept that. So, for the sake of our Zhushi Zhu family, I drugged the wine at his farewell banquet. I knocked him out, broke his legs, gouged out his eyes, cut out his tongue, and locked him up. I had Liangfu impersonate him."
At this moment, Zhu Yongfu no longer cared about Zhu Jinfu’s reaction. He blurted out the truth.
Zhu Jinfu’s face changed color. "Brother, how could you do such a thing? This is illegal."
"For the Zhu family, I fear nothing. I originally wanted to kill him, but I worried that if I killed him, his opportunity would vanish. So I didn’t kill him. But I never expected that no matter how I tortured and interrogated him over the years, he never told me what his opportunity was. And four months ago, he suddenly disappeared." Zhu Yongfu seemed to calm down now.
From the panic when he first saw Zhu Xinfu to his current calmness, Zhu Yongfu had to admit his endurance was indeed formidable.
Zhu Jinfu looked at Zhu Yongfu. He hoped what he heard was false, but in reality, he knew it was true. He never imagined his brother had done such terrible things forty years ago.
Seeing Zhu Jinfu’s expression, Zhu Yongfu sneered. "What, are you afraid?"
Zhu Jinfu said from the side, "Brother, please don’t scare me. I’m old; I could easily get sick from fright."
Zhu Yongfu gave a cold laugh. "Scare you? Why would I scare you?" He laughed loudly. "These are facts. If you don’t believe me, ask Shenfu. No, he should be called Liangfu. No, the identity of Zhu Liangfu has perished. Now you can only be Zhu Shenfu. I understand."
A trace of madness curled at the corners of Zhu Yongfu’s mouth, and blood vessels bulged in his eyes. "He gave up the name Zhu Shenfu because he knew he could no longer use it. Since he couldn’t use it, he created a new name. Zhu Xinfu, a newly born person. What a good name." He laughed wildly again, the aura of madness growing thicker.
Zhu Jinfu looked at Zhu Shenfu. "Brother Shenfu, is this true? Is everything my brother said true?"
Zhu Shenfu looked at Zhu Jinfu. He envied that Zhu Jinfu had been protected so well by Zhu Yongfu over the years. Although he was over seventy, his intelligence and personality seemed as innocent as a child’s. "Such things cannot be hidden from you. This is not a good thing; what good result would come from deceiving you?" Zhu Shenfu looked at Zhu Jinfu with a bitter smile.
Zhu Jinfu looked at Zhu Yongfu in disbelief. "Brother, why did you target the real Zhu Shenfu back then?"
"I said it before, for our Zhushi Zhu family. The Zhushi Zhu family must not lose the status of the main branch." Zhu Yongfu spoke coldly. His tone and expression made Zhu Jinfu feel that Zhu Yongfu was nearly mad.
Zhu Jinfu took a deep breath. "Brother, actually, there is no difference between the main branch and the side branches. In today’s society, who cares about main or side branches? Those with ability get good treatment and good jobs. Those without ability, even if they are from the main branch, can only be farmers for life."
"What do you know?" Zhu Yongfu looked at Zhu Jinfu. "Only the main branch can find the Military Advisor Token."
"What is the Military Advisor Token? What is its use?" Zhu Jinfu asked.
Zhu Yongfu said, "The Military Advisor Token is a token that can command a group of people with extraordinary abilities. With it, our Zhu family could reach a higher level. Unfortunately, I don’t know if Zhu Shenfu got it back then. I searched his luggage and found nothing resembling a token. But I saw in the mirror that Zhu Shenfu rose to power relying on that token."
"Maybe it was just a dream of yours." Zhu Jinfu spoke directly. Although he had done some things following Zhu Yongfu’s words, in his heart, he hoped more for his family’s safety.
"A dream? I also wish it was just a dream, but I know it was absolutely not a dream." Zhu Yongfu looked at Zhu Jinfu. "You wouldn’t understand. From the mirror, I saw the prosperity of the Four Towns Zhu family. That height of prosperity is beyond our reach. So I must obtain that Military Advisor Token."
"But you never got it. This shows that the so-called Military Advisor Token was never meant to belong to you." Zhu Jinfu shouted. "If the Zhu Xinfu who appeared now is the Zhu Shenfu from back then, he must hate you for how you treated him."
"Let him hate me, so what?" Zhu Yongfu looked indifferent. "I am not afraid of them."
Zhu Jinfu looked at Zhu Yongfu. "Brother, have you considered that if they are here for revenge, what will happen?"
Zhu Yongfu turned to look at Zhu Jinfu. His eyes were sharp, giving a particularly eerie feeling that made Zhu Jinfu’s arms break out in goosebumps.
"I think you are right. They are here mainly for retaliation, for revenge." Zhu Yongfu raised his head slightly, looking particularly arrogant. "But relying on just a few of them to take revenge in our Zhu Manor? That underestimates us too much. Whether they are dragons or snakes, they can do nothing here. If they are dragons, they must coil. If they are tigers, they must lie down. I call the shots on this mountain."