Plotting with You: The Forensic Scientist in Ancient Times!-Chapter 217 - 216: Kindred Spirits

The guest hall of Li Garden had perhaps never been so lively; all the lamps inside were lit, making it seem as if there wasn’t a single dark corner in the room.

Seated on the main seats in the center of the guest hall were Zhu Cheng and Pang Yuzhen, with Zhu Family’s eldest son Zhu Jie and second son Zhu Feng seated in sequence on either side, along with several other younger boys.

The other concubine’s daughters were not called over, as it seemed Zhu Cheng felt that their presence or absence made no difference in this setting, so there was no need for them to crowd in and cause trouble.

Only two main guest seats were left empty in the guest hall, clearly reserved for Lu Qing and Zhu Yu. The several concubines in the mansion could only stand behind the legitimate sons, feeling somewhat awkward and out of place in such a setting.

Even more at a loss than them was Miao Family standing behind Pang Yuzhen.

Originally standing in this position was a special favor given to her by Pang Yuzhen after listening to the Divine Doctor’s calculation.

However, after arriving here, Pang Yuzhen was shocked to see Zhu Ning, who had been scolded by Zhu Cheng and was kneeling on the ground sobbing. Upon inquiry, she discovered that the person who had previously stayed at Li Garden with the Divine Doctor was none other than Zhu Yu and her husband, Prince Xiaoyao, Lu Qing!

At this moment, Miao Family was both excited and anxious.

On one hand, she was about to see the daughter she thought she would never meet again in this life. Her eyes were welling with warm tears, her throat was sticky, and she had to secretly bite her lips to stop herself from sobbing aloud.

On the other hand, she immediately realized why the Divine Doctor had prescribed so many precious tonics for her and why he predicted that she was Pang Yuzhen’s lucky star, saying the more Pang Yuzhen treated her well, the more prosperous she’d be.

The question was, she understood this now, so how could Pang Yuzhen not understand it?

Standing behind Pang Yuzhen, she couldn’t see the expression of Princess Shuo and felt uneasy, not knowing what kind of scene would take place when her daughter arrived later.

Everyone waited in the guest hall for a while without seeing Zhu Yu and Lu Qing appear, which made Pang Yuzhen impatiently glare at Zhu Cheng.

Zhu Cheng, having concealed the news of Zhu Yu’s return from her earlier, felt somewhat guilty under her glare. Understanding her hint, he asked the servant who had gone to fetch them, "Where are the Second Miss and her husband? Why haven’t they arrived yet?"

"To the Prince, the son-in-law said he brought some gifts and just sent his two guards to fetch them. They should be here shortly..." The servant quickly replied, but hearing some commotion outside, looked around and immediately corrected himself, "They’re here, they’re here, the son-in-law and Second Miss have arrived!"

As he spoke, he hurriedly stepped aside, making way, as Fu Lu marched in with a box between them, followed by Lu Qing and Zhu Yu.

Zhu Yu wore a floor-length gown, wholly cut from Ten-color Brocade, with each pleat in the fabric reflecting different hues under the light. With every step she took, the hem of the skirt flipped, making her appear even more dazzling.

Lu Qing, dressed in a long purple robe with narrow sleeves and large patterned florals, had a black belt at the waist fastened by a jade belt hook. Though it wasn’t as flamboyant as Zhu Yu’s attire, his inherent arrogance gave him an extra air of nobility.

Zhu Yu’s long skirt made walking awkward, so Lu Qing walked beside her, offering his arm to support her. As the two of them elegantly entered the guest hall, those inside, who were beginning to feel impatient, were momentarily stunned. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Miao Family stared blankly at Zhu Yu, unable to believe she had never seen her daughter in such beautiful attire, so elegantly dressed.

In the past, because Zhu Yu’s beauty often displeased her older legitimate sister Zhu Ning, she was forbidden from adorning herself. Hence, she only dared in the evenings to secretly enter her daughter’s room to teach her how to style her hair prettily in front of a mirror, only to undo it again.

By the following morning, Zhu Yu had to wear the plainest hairstyle, unable even to insert a hairpin as she pleased.

Though her daughter never seemed to mind much, as a mother witnessing this, it was a different story altogether.

In the past, she was too weak and pathetic to stand up for her daughter. But now, seeing Zhu Yu able to proudly dress so beautifully in Prince Shuo Mansion, Miao Family felt her nose sting with tears but was also tempted to burst into laughter.

Fu Lu set the box down in the center of the guest hall and then properly stationed themselves behind Lu Qing and Zhu Yu, exuding such an imposing presence that even combining all of Prince Shuo Mansion’s guards and servants wouldn’t suffice.

"Father-in-law," Lu Qing saluted Zhu Cheng, appearing more respectful than before. Whether it was genuinely due to what was mentioned earlier with Zhu Yu or due to some other calculation remained unknown, "Though I and my wife did not wish to disturb the others, we prepared a small gift upon our arrival. Initially, we planned to present it to father-in-law upon our departure. However, since today’s gathering has such grandeur, why wait for another day?"

His remark about the "grand gathering" made Zhu Cheng inadvertently glare at Zhu Ning again. At this moment, however, he couldn’t spare his anger for Zhu Ning and hastily responded to Lu Qing politely: "Having my son-in-law in my mansion already brings shining prosperity to Prince Shuo Mansion."

Lu Qing retrieved a heavy wooden box from the luggage and approached Zhu Cheng: "Here are books I commissioned to gather from All Over the World on forging techniques. Many are handbooks left by the great masters of ancient times, mostly lone copies hardly available elsewhere."

"In the hands of others, such items would be like pearls cast before swine; only in the hands of father-in-law can they truly find their worth."

Zhu Cheng, already troubled throughout the day and exacerbated by Zhu Ning in the evening, had little interest in gifts. But hearing these were such rare and valuable manuscripts, his eyes instantly lit up. He quickly took and cautiously opened the box to peek at the rare tomes within, getting so excited that his face flushed.

"Excellent, excellent! These are exceptional! Exceptional indeed! My dear son-in-law, you truly are an old soul mate of mine!" Despite trying to maintain his composure, his excitement and joy unmistakably seeped through his words and tone.

Lu Qing then bent down, fetching a considerable silk-wrapped bundle from the luggage, heading straight toward Pang Yuzhen.

Having sneakily stolen glances at the box several times earlier, Pang Yuzhen calmly and dignifiedly with a lowered gaze waited for Lu Qing to speak to her as he approached with a large package.

Lu Qing reached in front of Pang Yuzhen, respectfully extending the silk bundle by her side and addressed Miao Family standing behind her: "My son-in-law greets Mother-in-law."