The disgraced official I took care of was actually Zhu Houcong's childhood friend.

Chapter 395

Aside from a few princes who were extremely slow to get the news, which prince in the Ming Dynasty didn't know the weight of the name Zhou Chu? Moreover, the emperor had issued an imperial edict to them, which meant the matter was entirely different.

This means that what Zhou Chu did was what the emperor wanted to do.

Facing these princes, nobles, and princesses, Dong Rui didn't dare to breathe too loudly; there wasn't a single one of them he could afford to offend.

Don't be fooled by his ability to do whatever he wants in Shaoxing Prefecture. Once he steps outside of Shaoxing Prefecture, Dong Rui, though not a minor official, is still just a prefect, a fourth-rank official.

Let alone comparing her to the princes and princesses of the vassal kings, she was even two ranks lower than those third-rank officials. In officialdom, a higher rank can have a crushing effect, not to mention such a huge difference in status.

Unfortunately, most of these princes and princesses were spoiled brats who didn't take Dong Rui seriously at all.

Fortunately, before they came, their fathers specifically instructed them to restrain their temper after arriving in Shaoxing. This time, they came to Shaoxing because Zhou Chu, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, had important matters to discuss with them.

These princes and princesses had all heard of Zhou Chu to some extent. Many of the princes were not convinced, but due to their fathers' instructions, they did not say much. Most of the princesses, on the other hand, were full of curiosity about this rising star of the Ming Dynasty, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard who stirred up trouble.

Among them, Zhu Qiyuan, the heir apparent of the Prince of Jin, harbored considerable resentment towards Zhou Chu. The Prince of Jin's mansion could be considered the most corrupt of all the princes, its corruption stemming from its very core.

Although Zhu Qiyuan was not the heir apparent of the Prince of Jin's mansion, he was still the legitimate son of the Prince of Jin. The reason why those Shanxi merchants were so arrogant was inseparable from the Prince of Jin's mansion's laissez-faire attitude.

The Prince of Jin's residence was located in Taiyuan, which was also the stronghold of Shanxi merchants. If Prince Zhu Junzhang of Dai was powerless because of the complex situation in Datong, then the Prince of Jin's residence was simply doing nothing.

Zhu Qiyuan also had close ties with the sons of Shanxi merchants. A group of Shanxi merchants' sons would always follow Zhu Qiyuan around like lackeys. In the mouths of those Shanxi merchants, Zhou Chu was almost a heinous villain. Naturally, Zhu Qiyuan had no good feelings towards Zhou Chu.

Zhou Chu deliberately summoned the people from the Prince of Jin's residence. With the Prince of Jin's residence stationed in Taiyuan, it would be unlikely that those Shanxi merchants would be able to bypass the Prince of Jin's residence in the future.

Zhou Chu's notification to the Prince of Jin's residence was meant to give them a chance, implying that if the Prince of Jin didn't know what was good for them, Jiajing wouldn't tolerate them even without Zhou Chu's intervention.

Zhou Chu naturally had to make the necessary gestures. If he did nothing, the Prince of Jin's mansion would become a difficult obstacle for him to overcome in the future.

"Has Zhou Chu lost his mind? He summoned us here but didn't even show himself, leaving some prefect to entertain us. What an arrogant attitude."

Zhu Qiyuan said in a sarcastic tone.

"Zhu Qiyuan, if you don't want to stay here, you can go back. Stop spewing nonsense."

Zhu Siying glanced at Zhu Qiyuan and said with a look of disdain.

Although both were in Shanxi, the Prince of Dai's Mansion had always disliked the Prince of Jin's Mansion. In fact, it wasn't just the Prince of Dai's Mansion; many princes didn't like the Prince of Jin's Mansion either, since there hadn't been many good people among the Princes of Jin throughout history.

"That's right, Zhu Qiyuan, why don't you take a piss and look at yourself in the mirror? What kind of status does Commander Zhou have? Do you think you're worthy of making him wait for you?"

Beside her, another princess chimed in.

Zhu Qiyuan was rendered speechless by the two men's rebuttals, unsure how to respond. It wasn't that he didn't want to, but seeing the disdain in the eyes of the other princesses and even the heir apparent, even if Zhu Qiyuan was foolish, he knew that his words had angered everyone and he couldn't continue.

"Gentlemen, gentlemen, please stop arguing, Lord Zhou has arrived."

Dong Rui watched from the sidelines, sweating profusely. If these people really started fighting, he would be in deep trouble. Fortunately, Dong Rui spotted Zhou Chu not far away and, as if he had found a savior, quickly tried to smooth things over.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Siying turned around and saw Zhou Chu, her eyes immediately lighting up.