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Chapter 294 Leaked news
The atmosphere in the room had plummeted to freezing point due to the conversation that had just taken place.

Fortunately, not long after, Chef Li indeed came over with a food box to deliver the meal.

Whether it was a stroke of genius or sheer luck, the breakfast delivered was far more than just enough for two people; it looked like it would be enough to feed all four of them.

Chef Li saw Zhu Yu in the room and grinned awkwardly. Zhu Yu didn't seem to mind and smiled at him. Chef Li hurriedly put his things down and, before leaving, said, "Please let me know if you need anything, Miss."

Of course, these words were spoken to Zhu Yu; he didn't glance at Zhu Ning beside him once from beginning to end.

Zhu Ning was not as brave as Pang Shi, and dared not speak out against her anger, secretly glaring at the blind Chef Li.

With Zhu Yu by her side, Miao finally felt at ease and gained confidence.

After all, her daughter had already stood up for her to this extent; if she couldn't stand up for herself, she would be letting Zhu Yu down.

So she mustered up her courage and sat down at the table with Pang Yuzhen to eat breakfast.

This was the first time in Miao's life that she had the opportunity to do this. After eating the meal, she couldn't really taste what she was eating, but she felt an indescribable joy and peace of mind because of Zhu Yu's actions.

After the meal, two servants came and took away the food. Pang Yuzhen took the opportunity to look outside a few times and found that the guards were no longer there. She seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

Those people certainly didn't just leave on their own for no reason, suddenly releasing them from their guard. There must be something Zhu Yu had to do with it.

She couldn't help but steal a glance at Zhu Yu, wondering how she had managed to do all this.

After pouring Miao a cup of tea, Zhu Yu adjusted his posture and faced Pang Yuzhen: "Pang, I ask you, do you know what your family's intentions are? Are you involved?"

"You! What nonsense are you talking about! What did I get involved in!" Pang Yuzhen was flustered and anxious in the face of Zhu Yu's questioning. She didn't care about how Zhu Yu addressed her. "Zhu Ning and I were locked up here with your mother. What more could I know than you?"
I have absolutely no idea what those people are up to or what they're trying to do!
Don't make baseless accusations and pin some crime on me!

Although Miao harbored some resentment towards Pang Yuzhen, it was clear that personal grudges should not be involved in the current situation. It would be bad if she inadvertently misled her daughter's judgment.

So she tugged at Zhu Yu's sleeve under the table: "I was captured by Pang Yutang's men to keep those two women company. They were already in the room when they were blocked inside. We haven't been able to figure out what happened outside for the past few days."

"So you really don't know what kind of good deeds your brother from your maternal family has been doing outside?" Zhu Yu looked at Pang Yuzhen with a cold smile, and couldn't help but sigh in her heart. All of Zhu Ning's stupidity was not her fault. Her mother was just like her, so short-sighted and self-righteous.

They used all their meager cleverness within the inner quarters, racking their brains to consolidate their positions, yet they knew nothing of the outside world. Blinded by self-righteousness and vanity, a few flattering words could make them lose their bearings. "What do you mean?" Pang Yuzhen was bewildered, yet also somewhat guilty and wary. She desperately hoped that all of this was some kind of conspiracy by Zhu Yu, but she and Zhu Ning had been inexplicably imprisoned here by Pang Yutang's men, and Pang Yutang had also arranged for a group of people to keep a close watch on the Shuo Prince's mansion. This was clearly a very suspicious sign.

No matter what, Pang Yutang was still her brother from her maternal family, and she was closely related to him. Pang Yuzhen still couldn't believe that her maternal family would do something like this, even harming her.

"Your good brother Pang Yutang has been taking advantage of Father's trust in him for a long time, colluding with others to illegally mine the black iron ore of Shuo Kingdom," Zhu Yu said to Pang Yuzhen with a cold face.

Pang Yuzhen's eyes widened in disbelief and shock: "You're talking nonsense!"

"Then why do you think Father rushed over to check?" Zhu Yu sneered. "And why do you think we risked coming back?"

Pang Yuzhen stared blankly for a moment, her face turning slightly pale.

Pang Yuzhen was not entirely unaware of how the Pang family had used Zhu Cheng's influence to make money in the past, and how they had secretly cultivated relationships with some officials in Shuodi, but she pretended to turn a blind eye.

On the one hand, she felt that as the Princess Consort of Shuo, it was perfectly reasonable for her family to earn some benefits for her, since her family had contributed to Zhu Cheng's rise to power.

On the other hand, she also felt that allowing her family to do these things under the banner of the Prince of Shuo would better demonstrate her power within the Pang family, which made her happy.

But no matter how much fun it is to show off your power, no matter how much you want to protect your mother's family, illegally mining black iron ore is an absolutely unacceptable and serious crime!
Although the Wutie Mine was located in Shuodi and under the jurisdiction of Zhucheng, it was not something that could be controlled at will. Large-scale mining still required a petition to the imperial court and the approval of Emperor Jin before it could begin.

This means that what the Pang family was secretly doing outside was not only huge, but also so heinous that it was completely beyond her imagination.

An unprecedented fear filled Pang Yuzhen's heart, making her hands and feet turn cold, her scalp tingle, and her heart filled with unease.

"Did you meet Pang Yutang when he came to our house before?" Zhu Yu asked. Seeing that Pang Yuzhen did not react, he did not wait for her to speak and continued according to his own speculation, "He probably pretended to visit you and asked you about how many men Father took with him on this trip, right?"
Did you tell him that his father had mobilized a large number of people to set off, which is why he left in a hurry?
Before this, he must have sent out his carefully groomed eldest son first. Only after hearing you say that Father had gathered a considerable number of men did he, still feeling uneasy, set off with his own men, is that right?

The more Zhu Yu spoke, the paler Pang Yuzhen's face became. Clearly, the content of their previous conversation, as well as Pang Yutang's subsequent reactions and actions, were exactly as Zhu Yu had predicted.

“Pang Yutang’s behavior is already so abnormal, yet you and your daughter are completely oblivious,” Zhu Yu couldn’t help but feel a bit annoyed. “How can you be so indifferent?”

Didn't you ever consider why he was in such a hurry to chase after her?
He did this to ensure victory, letting his son go first so he could then set off, the father and son preparing to attack the father from both sides!