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Chapter 287 Intimacy
"Killed him?!" Zhu Cheng's eyes widened. "How dare you! Who dared to act so presumptuously and recklessly?!"

"Yes...it's the eldest young master..." The guard glanced nervously at Zhu Cheng and replied.

"Who?!" Zhu Cheng thought he had misheard.

“Young Master,” the guard said resolutely, “we just finished taking control of the Pang family members when the Young Master arrived with his men.”

He said he was investigating the disappearance of the able-bodied men, so we told the eldest son about what was happening at the mine.

The eldest son didn't say anything at first after hearing this, but he said he wanted to see the few strong men who were still alive, so we took him to the place where those men were being held...

Unexpectedly... after the eldest young master arrived there, he drew his sword without saying a word and stabbed those people to death. By the time we realized what was happening, it was too late to stop him.

He said... he said that this matter happened at the Wutie Mine under Your Highness's jurisdiction, and it also involved the Pang family. If those people were released, they might spread rumors outside, which could damage Your Highness's reputation.

The eldest son said, "Your Highness has devoted so many years to this cause, and we cannot allow a few ignorant people to spread rumors and damage the Zhu family's reputation. Whatever the issue, Your Highness should resolve it privately with the Pang family, without letting outsiders know."

The guard probably didn't entirely agree with Zhu Jie's actions either. Although he was very careful with his words in front of Zhu Cheng, not wanting to reveal any negative opinions about the most favored eldest son of the Zhu family, his cautious attitude clearly showed that he thought Zhu Jie's actions were extremely bad.

Zhu Cheng frowned, his face stern, and remained silent, waiting for the guard's words to be heard.

Seeing this, the guard was unsure of Zhu Cheng's thoughts and couldn't help but worry that Zhu Cheng might think he was lying. He quickly added, "I haven't uttered a single falsehood. Everything I've reported to Your Highness is exactly as it is. If Your Highness doesn't believe me, you can ask the messenger sent back by the eldest son!"
He set off two days earlier than me, so he should arrive earlier than me too!

"The eldest young master sent someone back to deliver a message?" Zhu Cheng frowned even more deeply.

"Your Highness... didn't you see the people the eldest son sent back?" His reaction left the guard somewhat bewildered. "When I saw that the situation there was far more complicated and serious than what Your Highness had instructed us to do before we set off, I felt that this was a matter of great importance and not something we could decide on our own. So I decided to come back and report to you."

Just as I was about to set off, the eldest son stopped me, saying that he would send someone back to inform me and that I didn't need to make the trip.

However, I feel that since Your Highness entrusted these matters to me, I must personally report to you and hear your instructions before I can feel at ease.

So I told the eldest son that it was his business to send someone back to report the news, but I was ordered by the prince to come out on an errand. It was my duty to come back and report the news in this situation, and I couldn't be lazy and ask someone else to do it for me.

Seeing that he couldn't dissuade me, the eldest young master assigned me some miscellaneous tasks. After I finished dealing with all the trivial matters assigned by the eldest young master, I was finally able to set off. His men had already been gone for almost two days.

Although I traveled at breakneck speed, day and night, that person should have arrived before me. There's no reason why I've arrived before him.

Unless something went wrong on the way.” Zhu Yu glanced at Zhu Cheng, who nodded to her. She then asked the guard, “Why do you think the eldest young master would hold you back and send someone back ahead?”

The guard opened his mouth somewhat awkwardly. The answer to the question was in his heart, but he really didn't dare to say it in front of Zhu Cheng.

"That's what I wanted to ask too. Go ahead and ask," Zhu Cheng said, noticing the guard's hesitation. "I want to hear the truth."

The guard cautiously observed Zhu Cheng's expression and replied, "I believe... the eldest young master is simply acting as he always has, always wanting to be first in everything. This time, he's encountered such a significant matter and simply wants to be the first to report to Your Highness..."

Zhu Cheng neither confirmed nor denied this, and waved his hand at him: "You must be tired from your journey. Go and rest for a while. I'll have someone call you over if I need anything."

Seeing that Zhu Cheng didn't say anything, the guards wisely refrained from saying anything more and quietly withdrew.

Only Zhu Cheng, Lu Qing, and Zhu Yu remained in the room. None of the three spoke first. Zhu Cheng had a look of impending doom, Zhu Yu looked up at him with some worry, while Lu Qing was the most relaxed of them, showing no obvious emotion.

After a while, Zhu Cheng finally made up his mind, steeled his heart, and looked up at Zhu Yu and Lu Qing, saying, "I'm going to take some people to the Wutie Mine."

Zhu Jie is impulsive and lacks experience, so he is unlikely to be able to take charge on his own.

I need to go there and handle things personally.

"Father, you mustn't." Zhu Yu had anticipated that Zhu Cheng might lose his composure after hearing these things, and now that he heard that Zhu Cheng really intended to do so, he quickly spoke up to stop him. "You have rarely been involved with the Wutie Mine before. Now the Pang family in the capital has already done a lot of work and infiltrated the area, let alone the Wutie Mine."

As the king of Shuo Kingdom, you cannot afford any mishaps. As for the Wutie Mine, no matter what, the few remaining able-bodied men have already been killed by my elder brother, and those left are probably mostly cronies of the Pang family.

Although my elder brother is indeed somewhat stubborn, he is ultimately your son. Whether it's the saying "like father, like son" or "as the grandson of the Pang family and the nephew who is in charge of the Pang family," having him in charge of the overall situation there will ultimately be much less risky.

The Pang family had treated my elder brother well in the past, and no matter what, they would still consider some familial affection and wouldn't do him any harm.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Cheng's face turned even uglier, and he sneered: "Yes, your elder brother has always been close to his maternal family, so how could his maternal uncle possibly bear to make things difficult for him!"

I'm afraid that the relationship between the uncle and nephew is just too close, which might cause your older brother, whose brain isn't very bright to be working properly, to do something stupid again!

If your second brother were there now, I might have some room for consideration. After all, although he's usually quiet, he's a reliable person who thinks things through carefully and knows how to distinguish between what's important and what's not.

"Second Brother always puts the safety and interests of the people first. On the way to Sunrise Ridge, whether it was supervising the supply of grain or other matters, he considered everything meticulously and handled it very well." Zhu Yu sighed upon hearing this. "If it had been Second Brother who went to the Wutie Mine to investigate this time, those poor people would not have lost their lives."