Plotting with You: The Forensic Scientist in Ancient Times!-Chapter 216 - 215: Well-Prepared

Zhu Yu was led back to the main house of Li Garden by Lu Qing. Watching him close the door and rummage through the luggage to take out a small, soft bundle wrapped in satin, she felt a little bewildered.

Upon receiving and opening it, she found that it contained a brand-new set of clothes.

"You actually brought this with you...on this trip?" Zhu Yu was somewhat surprised.

She recognized the dress; it was the same one Lu Qing had ordered a famous tailor in the Capital to measure for. The tailor had mentioned making a dress that was highly sought after by the noble ladies in the Capital.

Zhu Yu thought the style was indeed beautiful, but extremely intricate. While lovely to wear, it was somewhat burdensome. She refused it, thinking that if she stayed at the mansion, it wouldn’t be useful, and would only be a beautiful nuisance if she went out with Lu Qing.

Yet, the tailor insisted that this outfit was specially ordered by Prince Xiaoyao, and if the Princess couldn’t choose the fabric she liked, he would use his expertise to decide for her.

Back then, Zhu Yu, exhausted from the deliberation, agreed casually, leaving only a vague impression of the outfit, which she never touched since.

Unexpectedly, it had been brought here.

"You couldn’t have... foreseen that I would be exposed by Zhu Ning upon returning to Shuo Country, revealing my identity, could you?" she asked, eyeing the outfit skeptically.

Lu Qing burst into laughter upon hearing this: "I am no omniscient immortal; how could I possibly have everything under control?

It’s just being prepared for all possibilities. After all, once at your maiden home, if your identity can’t be concealed, it’s better to present yourself openly and gracefully."

Zhu Yu thought for a moment, finding sensibility in his words, and went to change clothes. After a while, she came out from behind the screen, the dress neatly worn, though her hair remained untied.

Zhu Yu sat before the bronze mirror, employing her modest skills to manage a simple bun, only marginally more intricate than her previous Taoist bun.

She took a look at her reflection from left to right and turned to ask Lu Qing, watching from behind, "Doesn’t this outfit mismatch the dress?"

"It’s never about people matching the clothes, but clothes complementing the people," Lu Qing shook his head, his gaze landing on Zhu Yu’s unadorned face, a sudden smile breaking across his face. "I suppose I must show more respect to my father-in-law from now on.

I used to think I lucked out, heaven blessed, to mistakenly yet fortuitously wed an incomparable lady.

Today, seeing your eldest sister, I realized; indeed, my father-in-law has not wronged me, gifting me his finest daughter.

Luckily, there’s no skilled maid here to style my lady’s hair into a more exquisite bun, or the entirety of the Prince Shuo Mansion’s women would lose their light."

Zhu Yu was amused, though modest by nature, she found truth in Lu Qing’s words considering his father-in-law’s generosity, certainly heaven-sent. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Setting aside appearances, if Zhu Cheng hadn’t favored Zhu Ning, had not exploited the imperial edict’s omission regarding legitimacy and illegitimacy with Pang Yuzhen, Lu Qing might have had a headache now.

"When will we go?" she asked Lu Qing, noting his steady demeanor, not appearing to intend an immediate return.

"No rush," Lu Qing poured two cups of tea from the pot on the table. The tea had been brought over just before the meal, now still warm, ideal for drinking, "The first to arrive is the host, the later a guest.

Although you are a daughter of the Zhu Family, now you’re married, we shouldn’t act rashly as hosts, should we?"

Zhu Yu nodded, glancing outside the door, seeing that Fu Lu had followed and was now standing guard.

Feeling reassured, she spoke to Lu Qing, "Originally, as a concubine’s daughter in this house, I spent most of my time in my own courtyard, having a blurred view of how the Pang Family and my father interact, and the dealings of the household staff.

Today, as an observer, it seems clear that only the steward and a few elder servants are firmly loyal to my father.

Other servants, although not exactly loyal to the Pang Family, have noticed my father’s hollow strength and not the true master of the house, hence they behave as opportunists, swaying with the strongest wind.

This fact is apparent to the steward, so when father didn’t want others to know of our return, he arranged for trusted elderly servants to handle it.

The current problem is, with Pang Family essentially controlling Prince Shuo Mansion, does she know what her maiden family does behind the scenes, and if so, to what extent?"

"Has your father decided on a Princely Heir among the sons by Pang Family?" Lu Qing queried.

Zhu Yu immediately shook her head, confident: "Father has never determined who to establish as Princely Heir by submitting it to the court.

Among the sons with Pang Family, the properly aged ones are two, my eldest brother Zhu Jie, and my second brother Zhu Feng, they are less than two years apart, although their characters differ greatly.

The Pang Family initially wanted to follow the old rule, letting father establish the legitimate eldest son as Princely Heir to inherit his position as Prince Shuo, but father finds this improper, determining the heir too early would strip all sons of ambition, unsuitable for nurturing a competent new Vassal King.

Therefore, he intends to observe a few more years, providing them more experience to gauge their individual capabilities.

Since all sons are from Pang Family, whoever eventually succeeds doesn’t impact her, thus she hasn’t opposed this, leaving the Princely Heir question unresolved for years.

Although theoretically every son has a chance, besides eldest and second brother, the others are too young; third brother just turned fifteen, not to mention the rest.

Ultimately, it comes down to choosing the most suitable one between eldest and second brother, right?"

Lu Qing pondered, stroking his smooth chin, "Hmm... seems I need to find an opportunity to interact with your two brothers."

Just then, someone appeared outside, Fu Lu stepped ahead, asking in a muffled voice, "What’s the matter?"

"The Prince says the family is all gathered, only you two are missing, asking me to invite Second Miss and Young Master over," a servant’s voice drifted in from outside.

Lu Qing nodded in satisfaction, stood up leisurely, "My lady, shall we go?"