Lu Zhang was taken aback. He realized that Yan Shu must have talked about her experiences after marrying into the Prince Yi Mansion to Lu Qing and Zhu Yu, which made him feel sowhat awkward. Instinctively, he wanted to distance himself and explain, but then he thought about how many days had passed since he moved into the Prince Shuo Mansion with injuries. Even though he saw Yan Shu daily, neither of them could recognize each other...
To exhibit such a strange reaction, even if Yan Shu hadn’t said anything to Lu Qing and Zhu Yu, anyone with eyes could see that there was definitely a problem here, and there was really no point in trying to argue.
He awkwardly lowered his eyelids, unsure of how to respond.
Seeing his embarrassed and uneasy deanor, Lu Qing spoke again, "When you first saw Yan Shu, you didn’t seem to feel any aversion. So, why did you not even et her face to face at the beginning and just sent her and her maidservant to the side courtyard without any further contact?"
Lu Zhang opened his mouth but in the end had no idea how to begin explaining this matter. He averted his gaze, looking elsewhere, and remained silent.
"You heard rumors that the Jie Country might conspire with the Shuo Country to rebel, and you were so afraid of getting implicated that you volunteered to uphold justice by disowning a relative, speaking so decisively back then." Lu Qing shook his head, sighing lightly, "You never even considered the possibility that if the rumor was false, and by neglecting the Commandery Princess of the Jie Country in such a manner, not only would the Holy Emperor be displeased with your attitude, but the Jie King would also not stand idly by.
Even outsiders like us know that Princess Yan Shu is a cherished daughter of the Jie King. If he had no rebellious intentions yet heard that his daughter, after being married to Prince Yi by imperial decree, was coldly treated and confined to the side courtyard, even bullied by the servants, what reaction do you think the Jie King would have?
If he beca angry over this matter, creating a rift with Jin Country and the Holy Emperor, how would you plan to redy such significant trouble?
If it weren’t for Princess Yan Shu falling from a horse and getting injured, which we happened to witness, who knows what disaster could have ensued."
Lu Zhang’s already unpleasant complexion turned even paler. He looked at Lu Qing with a bit of fright, pursing his lips before finally lifting his sleeve to wipe the sweat on his forehead.
Seeing this, Lu Qing didn’t say anything else, only reminded him, "Prince Yi is a smart person. He should understand that when everyone acts, their primary consideration is always their own interest, and everyone around you is no exception.
What they want you to do, whether beneficial or harmful to you, ultimately is in their best interest.
And only you can discern what is truly beneficial for you and what you genuinely want."
Lu Zhang stared blankly at Lu Qing, seeing his calm and candid deanor, feeling sowhat dazed.
His grandfather had always warned him to be wary of Lu Qing, insisting that he was very cunning, adept with his sches, and that despite his carefree exterior, he was actually deeply ambitious and scheming. One might easily fall into his trap, getting skinned and boned by him, figuratively.
So he had always adhered to his grandfather’s warnings, avoiding Lu Qing like the plague, and was exceptionally cautious whenever he had to interact with him.
But now, he suddenly felt a bit lost internally.
If Lu Qing did intend to harm him, the best thod would have been to quietly send Yan Shu back to Jie Country from within the Shuo Country borders, allowing her to complain to the Jie King about his negligence and disrespect.
No one could predict the extent of the Jie King’s rage in such a scenario.
No matter how the Jie King reacted, once this matter reached the ears of Emperor Jin, there would undoubtedly be severe consequences for him.
Yet Lu Qing kept Yan Shu, without alerting anyone.
The current situation seed to be to prevent them from making any serious blunders within the Lan Country territory while being kept in the dark, hence opening up and clarifying the matter for future communication.
Why didn’t he seize this opportunity to trap him?
This was completely different from what his grandfather had always instilled in him.
In the past, Lu Zhang had harbored doubts, feeling that Lu Qing’s deanor and actions didn’t align with Duke Yan’s portrayal, but he always thought that he was still young and lacked discernnt, while his grandfather was knowledgeable and sharp-eyed, and his own close kin, so there was never a doubt.
Even when differing opinions arose, he would imdiately dismiss them.
"What they want you to do, whether beneficial or harmful to you, ultimately is in their best interest.
Only you can discern what is truly beneficial for you and what you genuinely want."
Lu Qing’s words seed to still linger in his ears, leaving Lu Zhang in a daze.
Lu Qing silently glanced at him, saying nothing more.
Many matters only need to be touched upon, anything more would be excessive.
He quietly picked up the teapot, poured two cups of tea, placed one in front of himself, and handed the other to Lu Zhang.
On the other side, Zhu Yu hurriedly chased after Yan Shu, only to see her having run far to a large tree, seemingly sulking and looking for a place where others wouldn’t easily disturb her. She seed to want to climb the tree but, after a few attempts hugging the trunk without success, angrily sat down at its base.
Zhu Yu suppressed her laughter, walked up, and sat beside her, "Luckily the Jie people are adept at riding and shooting but rarely faced with tall mountains and dense woods, so your tree-climbing skills are lacking.
Anyway, I can’t climb this tree either. Had you succeeded, I’d have had to stand beneath it and talk up to you!"
Yan Shu glanced at her reproachfully, "If I could climb a tree, I’d have gone up to the highest branch so you couldn’t see even by looking up!
That guy is Lu Zhang. Since you knew and recognized him, why didn’t you tell these past few days! I’ve been kept in the dark because of you! You’re so unreasonable!"
"Every ti you saw him, you avoided him because you feared he was from Jin Country. Have I ever called you back?" Zhu Yu looked innocently as she spread her hands, "When your leg injury just healed and his wounds hadn’t recovered, at that critical juncture, there wasn’t ti for all that.
Furthermore, if he had known back then that you were the Commandery Princess of Jie Country, do you think you could’ve co along to capture those so-called ’Jie Country bandits’ with us?"
Yan Shu thought about it and realized there was so truth in her words. It was important for her to see who was tarnishing the Jie people’s reputation.
She glanced at Zhu Yu, shifting closer, "Alright, you make a fair point. I’m not mad at you anymore."
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