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Chapter 307 Not to be Completely Trusted
Zhu Cheng's words brought tears to his eyes, and he had to lower his head and wipe them away somewhat awkwardly with his sleeve.

Zhu Yu listened with a calm mind. After all, she didn't crave her father's love anymore. Moreover, as the Princess Consort of Xiaoyao, how outsiders treated her and whether they were polite to her seemed to have little to do with her birth status.

She didn't think that Ms. Miao would have much expectation or surprise about being promoted to the position of official wife.

However, she still had to put on a convincing act. She dutifully suppressed a yawn, letting her eyes slowly well up with tears, and said to Zhu Cheng with glistening eyes, "I don't care about any of that. As long as Father is no longer at risk of being framed and taking the blame for others, and as long as the people of Shuodi can live and work in peace from now on, that would be the best thing!"

Hearing her say that, Zhu Cheng felt even more ashamed. He took her hand and patted it hard, saying, "Good child! Good child!"

While cooperating by putting on a touched expression, Zhu Yu caught a glimpse of Lu Qing's smiling gaze at her out of the corner of her eye. She quickly lowered her eyes, afraid that if he stared at her like that for a while longer, she would lose control of the emotions she had managed to suppress.

Fortunately, Zhu Cheng wasn't a particularly emotional person. After calming down a bit, his gaze fell on Zhu Yu's clothes.

After returning to Chestnut Garden, Zhu Yu had changed out of the clothes that Pang Yutang had stabbed and put on a Taoist robe. However, Zhu Cheng still remembered the location where her clothes had been stabbed and the glimpse of gold that had peeked out from the hole.

"Were you wearing gold-threaded soft armor earlier today?" Zhu Cheng wasn't one to mince words, and he was in a very open and honest mood, so he asked quite directly.

Zhu Yu was slightly taken aback. There was nothing she couldn't answer about the question, but she hadn't expected that Zhu Cheng would also recognize the golden silk armor.

She nodded, but before she could ask Zhu Cheng how he knew about it, Zhu Cheng had already turned his gaze to Lu Qing: "Is this yours, my dear son-in-law?"

“Exactly.” Lu Qing remained calm, but a hint of surprise was hidden in his eyes.

He wasn't surprised that Situ Jing recognized this item before. After all, General Situ was a prominent official in the court who was already famous before the emperor took office. It wasn't surprising that he knew about the golden silk armor and its origin.

However, Zhu Cheng, the Prince of Shuo who lived in seclusion in a remote corner of the country, had not been summoned to the capital for many years. Unexpectedly, he was able to recognize the thing at a glance.

"So there really is such a thing!" Zhu Cheng's expression also seemed quite surprised. "I had only heard rumors about this golden silk armor before, but I had never seen it before, and I didn't know whether it was true or not."

Seeing Zhu Yu being stabbed by Pang Yutang today, yet not only was he not seriously injured, but the dagger in Pang Yutang's hand was also broken into several pieces. Seeing the gold peeking through the tear in his clothes, I remembered something I heard many years ago; it seems it wasn't just a rumor after all…”

"Is what my father-in-law has heard about related to my clan?" Lu Qing asked casually, without changing his expression.

“That’s true.” Zhu Cheng nodded.

In the past, he would have adhered to the principle of "better to avoid trouble" and not discussed these matters with Lu Qing, lest he accidentally get himself into some kind of trouble.

But this time, Lu Qing and Zhu Yu helped him so much. Without them, he would have been accused of plotting a rebellion, which would have meant the death of his entire family.

Either way, they'll be outmaneuvered by the Pang family, and the Shuo region will fall into enemy hands. Either way, it's a disaster.

Lu Qing had been kind to him and would be the Zhu family's greatest support in the future, so Zhu Cheng no longer intended to remain uninvolved.

"Regarding your grandfather and family, I have indeed heard a rumor in the past. However, since I do not know whether it is true or not, and it concerns the current emperor, it is not something that a mere prince like myself can casually discuss."

If you keep something to yourself for a long time, you might accidentally forget about it.

Who would have thought that fate would bring you to be my son-in-law, and we would become family? Today, seeing Zhu Yu wearing that golden silk armor, this old story has suddenly come to mind.

Zhu Cheng paused subconsciously and glanced towards the door.

"Father-in-law, rest assured, my two guards have amazing hearing and are also very skilled. There's no need to worry about being overheard. Just say whatever you want to say," Lu Qing said.

Zhu Cheng nodded: "I've heard people say before that your grandfather and father were not only members of the royal family, but also fierce generals by the side of the current emperor. They supported the emperor all the way, went through bloody storms, and fought their way out of the encirclement."

Your grandfather's branch of the Lu clan had an ancestral golden silk soft armor. No one knows who made it or what method they used, but it was impervious to swords and spears, and could even deflect the force of sharp blades, leaving the wearer unharmed. It was truly remarkable.

Later, during a fierce battle, the situation was extremely critical and fraught with danger. In order to protect the Emperor, your grandfather took out the ancestral golden silk soft armor and had the Emperor wear it.

This seemingly insignificant action proved to be a great achievement. The Emperor was struck in the heart by an arrow during the battle; had it not been for the protective golden silk armor, he would likely have died on the spot.

On the contrary, your grandfather was ambushed and seriously injured because he gave his armor to the emperor. It is said that although he survived, his health was damaged and he could no longer fight on the battlefield. He could only serve as the emperor's strategist and advise him. Your father was left to continue to accompany the emperor and fight on the battlefield.

Everyone says that it was because of this deep affection and loyalty that the Emperor took you in after your entire family suffered such a tragedy.

Lu Qing listened silently without making any reaction.

The origin of the golden silk armor was mentioned briefly by Emperor Jin when he gave it to him, but he didn't go into details afterward, and of course, he didn't ask about it.

However, this was the first time he had heard about how his grandfather had been seriously injured while saving Emperor Jin, who had not yet become the ruler of the world, and was no longer able to ride a horse into battle.

Compared to the calm and collected Lu Qing, Zhu Cheng, a complete outsider, was quite emotional: "Originally, there were many speculations about the whereabouts of this golden silk soft armor, and most people thought that this treasure must be with the Emperor."

It seems that the soft armor was returned to you by His Majesty.

If that's the case, then the rumors circulating outside back then about why your clan was massacred can't be entirely believed.