"Want to change the fate of the family? Then strive for it," Zhu Hongtao said in a solemn tone. "Do you know, your eldest sister is also working hard for this."
"Eldest sister...?" Zhu Zhuqing's expression slightly startled.
"Yes, but if neither of you can succeed, then we'll have to follow the traditions of the Star Luo Empire," Zhu Hongtao nodded. "I will help you in secret. Yes, not only you, but I have also given her a lot of guidance."
He sighed, "I hope you will have the chance to end all of this, but to be honest, the possibility is very slim. If you can't do it, be prepared to die. Don't blame me for being heartless; this is my duty as the head of the family."
Zhu Zhuqing nodded silently, feeling somewhat heavy-hearted.
"We don't have much time today, so I'll give you one last piece of advice."
Zhu Hongtao's face revealed a trace of coldness, "Make good use of that boy from the Su family."
"Su Cheng?" Zhu Zhuqing exclaimed.
"Yes, him," Zhu Hongtao said indifferently, with his hands behind his back.
"You probably don't know yet, he is the illegitimate son of the Star Luo Emperor, with the bloodline of the White Tiger family, possessing the White Tiger martial soul of the Dai family."
"White Tiger... martial soul..." Zhu Zhuqing's expression contained both surprise and realization.
She had indeed never seen Su Cheng display his martial soul in the past.
No wonder...
No wonder there was that strange resonance of martial souls the first time they met.
"But what about Dai Mubai...?" Zhu Zhuqing hesitated.
"Dai Mubai?" Zhu Hongtao sneered, "Are you still concerned about him? Now he's probably hiding somewhere, trembling in fear. Do you really want to rely on a coward?"
"Xiao Qing, remember, never lack the courage to break the rules. If you dare not even break these small rules, how can you expect to shatter bigger and stronger shackles?"
"Moreover, for you, Su Cheng has a major advantage."
Zhu Hongtao looked meaningfully at Zhu Zhuqing, "He is the illegitimate son of the Dai family. Do you know what that means?"
"What?" Zhu Zhuqing was momentarily confused and didn't react.
"You think about it."
After a moment of hesitation, she hesitantly asked, "Do you mean he doesn't have the right to inherit the royal family?"
"Clap! Clap!" Zhu Hongtao lightly clapped twice and chuckled.
"You finally decided to use your brain a little.
"Indeed, he doesn't have a legitimate status, which is crucial. This means that when you two cooperate, you are more likely to take the initiative.
"And as an illegitimate child, his dissatisfaction with the royal family might be even greater than those of Dai Mubai and the others.
"I believe he is also an ambitious person.
"This is not necessarily a bad thing.
"Ambitious people have stronger desires and are easier to manipulate. Actually, it's not just manipulation; it's a win-win situation, isn't it?
"Of course, you must firmly grasp the master-servant relationship in this."
Zhu Zhuqing lowered her head, softly repeating his words, "A pawn..."
"Yes, if you choose this path, then you are destined to be alone. If you can't harden your heart, don't waste any more time, and don't waste my energy."
Zhu Zhuqing's expression changed for a moment, then she became determined.
Looking at Zhu Hongtao, she said firmly, "I will do it."
Zhu Hongtao nodded and continued:
"In these years, I have also gained some new insights into the family's Abyssal Spirit Cat martial soul and the fusion technique of the Ghostly Shadow White Tiger martial soul. I will slowly teach you in the future.
"In the future, the martial soul fusion technique between you and Su Cheng may be led by you.
"By then, you will be close to controlling your own destiny."
His expression gradually became serious.
"Remember, under no circumstances should anyone from the royal family suspect anything. If you want to stay alive, do not reveal any of this to anyone, maintain your usual demeanor. Treat me, treat Xiao Yun and the others the same way.
"Similarly, towards you, I will continue to maintain the facade of the past in public.
"I think you should now understand the relationship between us and the Dai family, right? You should also understand the consequences if they were to know about my intentions.
"You may not know, but your sisters love you far more than you imagine. Including your second and third sisters, they are also striving in their own ways.
"Perhaps when it comes to the moment of life and death, Xiao Yun might be willing to give up her chance to fulfill yours."
At this point, his expression suddenly became stern.
"But that's your own choice, it has nothing to do with me.
"After I leave this room today, you must not mention tonight's events to anyone, including your sisters."
"If you really do that, it will only harm each other and destroy the Zhu family.
"Maintain everything on the surface as usual."
Zhu Zhuqing also nodded seriously.
She now fully understood her father's intentions.
And she knew how enormous the risks involved were.
"That boy should be back soon," Zhu Hongtao's expression softened as he turned to leave the room. "You can quietly leave the academy to meet me every end of the month from now on. If you have any problems at the academy, you can ask me. Xiao Qing, don't disappoint me."
"Dad, wait—"
Seeing him about to leave, Zhu Zhuqing hurriedly spoke up to stop him.
After speaking, she quickly ran back to her own bedroom.
After a moment, she came out holding a slightly worn-out teddy bear.
"Dad, do you still remember this?"
"Hmm?" Zhu Hongtao's expression was slightly surprised.
After a moment of blankness, he reacted and said, "Ah, isn't this the plush toy I gave you back then? I didn't expect you to still keep it. If you like it, I'll buy you a new one in the future."
Not long after Zhu Hongtao left, Su Cheng returned from the bathroom.
He didn't knock, just pushed open the door and walked in directly.
"Huh?"
After entering the room, Su Cheng found Zhu Zhuqing standing dumbly in the middle of the living room, holding that old teddy bear.
Unable to help but raise an eyebrow, he chuckled, "Why did you suddenly bring that out? Before, you treated it like a treasure, not even letting me take a look at it."
After finishing his sentence, he glanced at Zhu Zhuqing with some confusion.
"Why aren't you wearing your usual deadpan expression?"
Zhu Zhuqing didn't respond to his teasing and turned back to her bedroom.
"That teddy bear is indeed the one her father gave her."
When Su Cheng left the duke's mansion, he felt a cold sweat in his heart.
That tattered doll almost revealed his flaw. Fortunately, he reacted quickly and was lucky enough.
At that time, he didn't have time to think too much and could only say the most likely option.
There was a gambling element in this, but fortunately, he guessed right.
If he pretended to forget, it could also work, but it would definitely affect Zhu Zhuqing's reliance and trust in his other identity, which would be disadvantageous to the subsequent plan.
To be honest, considering Zhu Zhuqing's current intelligence, he didn't think she would come up with a spontaneous probing idea.
It's probably just because she hasn't experienced the taste of family affection for too long, so she subconsciously made this move.
Choosing Zhu Hongtao as the disguised target was Su Cheng's choice after careful consideration.
First of all, this person needs to be trusted enough by Zhu Zhuqing.
Secondly, this identity must not easily reveal flaws on the surface or have a poor relationship with Zhu Zhuqing at the current stage.
Apart from Zhu Hongtao, Su Cheng had also considered Zhu Yun or a teacher from the academy.
But the former, he was a bit uncertain about the relationship between Zhu Zhuqing and Zhu Yun, and there might be too many conflicts and intersections between the two, which could easily lead to exposure. As for the latter, he didn't have enough standing to do this, and it was difficult to stimulate Zhu Zhuqing's belief and ambition.
After observing the duke's mansion today, he found that the Abyssal Shadow Duke was a perfect choice for the disguised role.
He was cold and deep, had a reason and position to do this.
Most importantly, he rarely had any contact with Zhu Zhuqing.
Not to mention when she was in the academy.
Even if the daughter returned home, he just perfunctorily said a few words, greatly reducing the possibility of exposure.
As for the talk about helping Zhu Yun and the like, that was naturally a fabricated content.
Su Cheng didn't know how Zhu Zhuqing truly felt about Zhu Yun.
From the original timeline, it was indeed a bit unbelievable that Zhu Zhuqing could escape such intense pursuit, but what if she was just lucky?