Lu Zhang appeared very quiet throughout the evening.
Although Lu Yan later drank to his heart’s content and thoroughly enjoyed the martial arts exchange, feeling quite jubilant and sowhat elated, he was too engrossed to spar with him. However, every ti Lu Yan spoke, it was about frontier defense and managing fiefdom affairs, which Lu Zhang found dull and could not engage with.
Instead, it was Lu Qing who, despite not having much involvent in Qu State, having traveled widely with the Qi Yun Mountain People, coupled with his role as the "Golden-faced Imperial Censor" requiring him to traverse widely, had broadened his horizons and gathered vast knowledge, allowing him to converse easily with Lu Yan, making the topics seem much more congenial.
Lu Zhang, looking rather sullen and withdrawn, seed sowhat overwheld by the congenial relationship between Lu Qing and Lu Yan.
Once, the Prince Yi in the Capital who seed so illustrious, now seed more like a bewildered child, lost and unsure of his bearings and where he ought to head.
In between, he tried to integrate himself into Lu Qing and Lu Yan’s conversation, but found Lu Qing, who was almost irreconcilable with Duke Yan in the Capital previously, treating him fairly well. Instead, Lu Yan, who he hadn’t seen for a long ti, seed to harbor an unspoken vigilance and distance, exerting his greatest restraint just to avoid being sarcastic.
Despite Lu Qing occasionally trying to create opportunities for Lu Zhang to speak, Lu Yan was truly reluctant to engage with him, causing Lu Zhang to miss several chances Lu Qing offered, only for Lu Yan to disrupt and divert the conversation.
This realization made him increasingly silent, eventually drinking alone until he got himself drunk, being assisted back to his tent by his attendants to rest.
Lu Qing continued to drink with Lu Yan for a while longer, until late at night when Lu Yan finally couldn’t hold on and drunkenly went to rest. The others quickly cleared the remnants and wine utensils from the large tent, leaving the runes and talismans guarding outside, so Lu Qing could rest undisturbed.
Yan Daoxin almost imdiately went back to his tent to rest once he had satisfied his hunger, and Yan Shu also sipped a few drinks; however, she was a good drinker and knew not to ss things up, so she exercised great restraint, quietly chatting with Zhu Yu for a while, and after watching Lu Qing and Lu Yan’s martial arts bout, she too grew tired and returned to sleep on her own.
The tent was cleared, leaving only Zhu Yu who was still holding on, waiting for Lu Qing.
"Tonight has been exhausting for Madam," Lu Qing said, removing his outer robe, pulling out the wineskin from his sleeve, pouring it out, and casually placing it aside before sitting on the edge of the bed, reaching out to touch Zhu Yu’s cheek, "Even though you’re tired, you can’t sleep yet."
His face was less than half a foot from Zhu Yu’s, and she could sll the faint scent of alcohol mixed in his deep breaths.
Zhu Yu sniffed, sowhat surprised: "You really drank today! Didn’t you usually just pretend in the past?"
Lu Qing raised his hand to loosen his hair tie and casually helped Zhu Yu untie her ticulously bound hair atop her head, shaking his head as he casually picked a strand of her hair, gently playing with the tip in his hand, saying, "It’s different.
If soone wants to use drinking to sche against you, or even harm you, they care naturally about the result of ’drunk,’ so the process won’t matter much to them. As long as they act convincingly or find a way to evade responsibility, it’s easy to deceive.
But if soone genuinely wants to drink with you, they value the process of ’drinking,’ and it can’t be faked from start to finish; being too clever could backfire.
Lu Yan is simple-minded, and his temper is fiery, much like a sharp sword.
A sword doesn’t care about good or evil; what’s most important is whose hand the hilt rests in.
Lu Chao spent considerable effort with Lu Jun. Originally, this hard nut Lu Yan was difficult to tackle, but now there’s an opportunity, and I must seize it and go with the flow."
"That indeed makes sense," Zhu Yu nodded, "But it wasn’t just Lu Yan; you treated Lu Zhang quite respectfully today as well.
During the day, Lu Yan and Lu Zhang were at odds, seeming ready to erupt into conflicts, but through your diation tonight, they can at least maintain superficial peace."
"Don’t worry," Lu Qing wound a strand of hair around his fingertip, "With Duke Yan there, he won’t allow Lu Zhang to genuinely beco emotionally close with any of the Princes."
"So, are you hoping to wedge in and disrupt Lu Zhang and Duke Yan? Is this like undermining from the bottom of the cauldron?"
"It’s not that easy." Lu Qing couldn’t help but laugh upon seeing Zhu Yu’s expectant expression, "Their interests are deeply intertwined; it won’t be moved with just a few words from .
I just think Lu Zhang is not a mindless fool, just soft-eared, growing up wrapped around by the old thief Zhao Bi, never having the opportunity to form his own ideas.
This ti is rare for him acting independently outside; even if he can’t easily break with Zhao Bi, at least I can plant a seed in his heart, give him a mont to ponder what he truly desires, and what is imposed on him by others; that would already be sothing good.
Ultimately, Lu Chao, Lu Zhang, and Lu Yan, Lu Jun, they are all brothers, bonded by blood.
Not only the Holy Emperor, after experiencing bloody battles, beca deeply wary of fraternal strife, but Lu Chao feels the sa.
To beco a wise ruler, to let the people live peacefully and enjoy prosperity, brothers must not be in constant turmoil, and relationships ultimately must be understood clearly."
Zhu Yu, listening to his talk of "brothers" and "blood," suddenly recalled a crude saying and muttered it reflexively: "As the saying goes, brothers are like limbs, won like clothes...."
"You are no re clothing to ," Lu Qing froze slightly, puzzled why Zhu Yu would suddenly say sothing like that, thinking perhaps his words caused so misunderstanding.
Zhu Yu also just suddenly rembered this saying often used by brainless people to feign gallantry and camaraderie, and murmured it casually, not expecting Lu Qing’s response might prompt a tease, raising her brow to ask: "Then tell , if I am not clothing, what am I?"
"You’re my life." Lu Qing’s hair lay across his cheeks, his dark eyes appearing exceptionally profound in the shadows, his gaze radiating intensity, "While hands and feet are indeed important, one can live without them,
But if life is lost, having much else is still useless."
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