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Chapter 308 Renjun
Zhu Yu sat there calmly, but when he heard Zhu Cheng's words, his heart started racing.

"What do you mean by the rumors you're talking about, Father-in-law?" Lu Qing asked casually.

Perhaps because he appeared very calm, Zhu Cheng didn't sense anything amiss, so he naturally said, "I heard two completely different versions of the story back then."

One theory is that the Lu family branch was brave and skilled in battle, with outstanding military achievements, and was highly valued by the emperor. It was precisely because of this trust and favor that another high-ranking official, who had also made significant contributions at the time, became wary. He feared that once the emperor ascended the throne, the Lu family branch would hold the highest positions in the court, with the father and sons dividing up all the powerful official posts, making it impossible for anyone to easily shake their position.

Therefore, in order to avoid threatening his position in the court later, that person took advantage of the fact that his great cause was about to be completed and the emperor was temporarily too busy to pay attention to others, and ordered someone to secretly kill him. By the time the emperor received the news, that entire clan had already been killed.

For some unknown reason, by sheer chance, one of the family's young children survived. Upon learning this, the Emperor immediately brought the child into the palace to be raised and protected, thus ensuring the child's safe upbringing.

Zhu Cheng paused, then glanced outside subconsciously, lowering his voice slightly: "There's another version that's completely different. It says that although His Majesty is grateful to the old ministers who supported him and followed him all the way, and values ​​them highly, he is inherently a suspicious person. In fact, the kindness that branch of his clan has shown him is too great, and they are also members of the Lu family..."

Therefore... I'm afraid that if they become too powerful and difficult to control in the future, not only will they be hard to deal with, but if they are unwilling to remain subordinate for long, then there will be endless troubles.

So he secretly instructed his men to wipe out that tribe, but accidentally one survived. Fortunately, it was an infant who remembered nothing. So he adopted the child, which would prevent him from hearing gossip and also demonstrate his remembrance of past favors, making others think he was a benevolent ruler.

As Zhu Cheng spoke, he kept an eye on Lu Qing's expression. Seeing that Lu Qing had no reaction, he breathed a slight sigh of relief and added, "Originally, I was skeptical of both of these rumors."

Now that His Majesty has returned this golden silk armor to you, it seems the rumors circulating outside are somewhat unfounded. His Majesty still cherishes you, indicating that he still values ​​the bond he formed with your people back then.

“Of course.” Lu Qing smiled and nodded. “I didn’t expect that my father-in-law would have heard so much about this in Shuo Kingdom.”

Zhu Cheng chuckled and sighed, "Now that I think about it, the distance is vast, so the stories that reach our ears are naturally inaccurate. If I hadn't heard some unfounded rumors, I wouldn't have misunderstood my son-in-law back then."

"Then I should thank my father-in-law for his misunderstanding back then." Lu Qing smiled at Zhu Yu, his words carrying a hidden meaning.

Zhu Cheng felt even more embarrassed upon hearing this, and awkwardly didn't know what to say.

Indeed, if he had known back then that Lu Qing was such a handsome and talented man, with both literary and martial skills that were truly remarkable, he would never have married off a concubine's daughter to him. Instead, the daughter he had once doted on would have been Zhu Ning.

The thought of what the Zhu family would be like now if he had really married Zhu Ning back then—betrayed and schemed against by the Pang family on one side, and the carefree prince's son-in-law who didn't want to have anything to do with his wife's family on the other side—made Zhu Cheng feel a sense of relief, as if he had survived a catastrophe.

However, after Lu Qing's words, Zhu Cheng's guilt surged again, and he was too embarrassed to say anything more. He could only shower Zhu Yu with concern and sincerity, his words subtly implying that the past could not be undone and that he would definitely be Zhu Yu's support in the future. Zhu Yu cooperated by expressing her gratitude, and after talking for a while, she returned to Chestnut Garden with Lu Qing.

Despite appearing relaxed and natural in front of his father, Zhu Yu's heart was actually heavy, as if shrouded in a dark cloud.

Back at Chestnut Garden, Zhu Yu hurriedly pulled Lu Qing back to her room and closed the door tightly.

"Madam is in such a hurry, it makes me a little embarrassed." Lu Qing teased Zhu Yu in her usual way.

However, as soon as he reached out, before he could even touch Zhu Yu's cheek, Zhu Yu grabbed him and pressed him down.

"If you truly consider me one of your own, then stop deliberately changing the subject." Zhu Yu's expression was grave. He pulled Lu Qing's hand and made him sit down at the table. "If my father could hear about those two rumors he made tonight in Shuodi, surely you couldn't have been completely unaware of them all these years?"

"I have indeed heard both of these statements before." Lu Qing did not deny it and calmly nodded.

"Which guess do you think is more plausible?" Zhu Yu asked, frowning.

"What does Madam think?" Lu Qing didn't answer, but asked in return.

"I can't say for sure." Zhu Yu shook his head. "At first, I thought that the person who sent you to Shanqing Temple to copy scriptures was trying to ruin you. Later, he deliberately arranged for you to be a 'Golden-Faced Censor' who offended people but had no real power and only a nice-sounding title. He was just using you."

From these perspectives alone, the rumor that he didn't value you and that taking you in was merely a cover-up to maintain a false reputation seems plausible.

But I also know that you were initially raised by Empress Wang in the palace. If her health hadn't been so poor, perhaps none of what happened later would have occurred.

When you were critically poisoned, if that person had intended to eradicate you, the last remaining member of their bloodline, from this world as well, they wouldn't have gone to such great lengths to send you to the hermit of Qiyun Mountain...

"If you hadn't been kept at Shanqing Temple under the guise of copying scriptures, and instead returned to the palace after recovering your health, perhaps your bones in that grave would have rotted away by now."

“Your father has heard of both of these claims. I’ve spent most of my time outside the capital, so I’m well aware of them as well. Do you think that person has also heard the rumors?” Lu Qing sighed slowly. “That person has always been suspicious and has a very deep mind. If he could hear about it, he certainly wouldn’t think that I could be kept in the dark forever.”

As for which version I had heard and which version I believed, he certainly wouldn't ask me directly; he would only speculate in his own mind.