Plotting with You: The Forensic Scientist in Ancient Times!-Chapter 111 - 110: Good News and Bad News

This time, Zhu Yu obediently took the advice and "fell ill" the next day, bedridden at home for several days.

Although not being able to go out was a bit inconvenient, it indeed made Zhu Yu feel quite stifled.

Fortunately, Lu Qing was also at home recuperating, not needing to attend court. He brought some books from the study, and sometimes the two would sit quietly at the table, each reading a book. Occasionally, Zhu Yu, curious about how he had used his inner strength to block acupoints before, would ask him about things related to acupoints.

Lu Qing didn’t keep it from her, explaining the practice of inner strength from the basics. Zhu Yu, though generally confident in her comprehension, found herself completely lost in this area, unable to grasp the essence at all.

"Forget it, I’m just talking, you can just listen as entertainment," Lu Qing eventually shrugged helplessly, "I’ve taught you all I know without holding back, but Madam, your insight in this area... perhaps you shouldn’t force yourself!"

"At your pace, by the time you achieve a little mastery, you probably won’t need to exert the effort to use inner strength to block acupoints anymore."

"Whether I have insight or not is one thing, but there’s one ’acupoint’ I’m quite skilled at." Being teased by Lu Qing made Zhu Yu feel a bit embarrassed, and she got a bit annoyed despite still smiling. As she spoke, she reached out toward his ulnar nerve at the elbow, pressing down quickly and decisively at the spot in the crook of the elbow.

An electric sensation shot from Lu Qing’s forearm straight to his fingertips, catching him off guard and suddenly sapping the strength from his hand.

He wasn’t angry; instead, he raised an eyebrow and nodded at Zhu Yu: "Madam’s unexpected move is indeed impressive.

With such force and accuracy, at least when encountering trouble, it could come in handy for making a getaway."

Zhu Yu couldn’t help but smile wryly: "Looking across the world, I’m afraid you’re the only prince who reminds his wife to be cautious about such matters?"

"Isn’t that just right?" Lu Qing replied, as if it was a matter of course, "A perfect match with the only Princess in the world who can perform autopsies."

About five days passed like this, and Emperor Jin finally visited Lu Ze, just as Lu Qing and Zhu Yu had anticipated, before coming to the Prince Xiaoyao Mansion to see Lu Qing.

This time, Lu Qing didn’t need to exert much force. He slightly adjusted himself, loosening his hair bun a little, and donned an old robe he seldom wore, a size looser than usual, with the belt tied loosely. At first glance, he truly seemed much slimmer.

"What do I need to do?" Zhu Yu, though bold, was only so under the premise of being upright and proper. Pretending to be ill, especially in front of the Emperor, did make her a bit jittery.

"You don’t need to do anything, just lie in the bedroom and rest," Lu Qing reassured her not to worry, "As you’re a woman, no matter how concerned the Emperor is, it’s not appropriate for him to visit you face to face."

With this reassurance, Zhu Yu realized this point and immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

Lu Qing smiled slightly but quickly suppressed it, as he still had to meet Emperor Jin, adopting a slightly haggard appearance as he turned and left.

To be on the safe side, Zhu Yu dutifully lay in bed, wrapped herself with the quilt, and lay quietly facing inward, not daring to move.

After an unknown amount of time, she became so bored that she accidentally fell asleep. When she awoke again, she instinctively felt someone behind her but didn’t know who it was, so she kept her eyes closed, cautiously pretending to still be asleep.

"If you’ve woken, Madam, just turn around. The Emperor has already returned to the palace," Lu Qing’s voice came from behind her, "Pretending to sleep can be quite tiring."

Upon hearing that Emperor Jin had left, Zhu Yu relaxed immediately and hurriedly turned over and sat up.

"I have good news and bad news. Which would you like to hear first?" Lu Qing asked, holding his hands out in front of her as if he were holding something invisible in his palms.

Zhu Yu unhesitatingly reached out and pointed to his right hand, representing the bad news.

Lu Qing looked at her with a hint of confusion, seemingly surprised by her quick choice.

"Better to have the bitter before the sweet than the sweet before the bitter," Zhu Yu said, pointing again to that hand.

Lu Qing, following her lead, opened his palm as if handing her something: "Madam, I’m afraid you’ll have to exert yourself again. The Emperor asked me to investigate a mysterious case, specifically instructing me to take ’Chief Historian Yu’ with me."

After hearing this, Zhu Yu felt it was logical yet couldn’t help but be a bit surprised.

The logical part was that for tasks requiring a direct intervention and thorough investigation, it made complete sense for Emperor Jin to assign it to Lu Qing, who was his personally appointed Golden-faced Imperial Censor.

The surprising part was that the Emperor, visiting his ailing adopted son who hadn’t yet fully recovered, openly assigned him a task without even pretending it was out of pure concern.

"What about the good news?" Zhu Yu, not minding too much about this, pointed to Lu Qing’s other hand.

"The place where the Emperor needs me to take ’Chief Historian Yu’ is Li State," Lu Qing said.

Zhu Yu’s eyes immediately lit up.

Before her marriage, at the Prince Shuo Mansion, she could occasionally go hunting with her father and brother. But as a daughter, while she could accompany them, she couldn’t participate, only flying kites outside the hunting ground.

She had no interest in flying kites but did learn to ride a horse during those occasions.

However, being able to ride a horse didn’t change that most of the time she stayed in the mansion. Even when going out, it was within the capital of Shuo Country.

The furthest she had traveled was to Jin Country for her marriage, but she had been confined to her sedan, unable even to lift the curtain, seeing none of the landscapes or scenery along the way.

Though she had gone out frequently after marrying into the Prince Xiaoyao Mansion, the first time barely counted as leaving the capital since they hadn’t even left the boundaries of Congzhou, and the second time didn’t even take them out of the capital.

It was like being a bird in a cage, moved from one cage to another, mostly hanging in the courtyard, occasionally taken out for a stroll.

This time, upon hearing they were going to Li State, far from the capital, Zhu Yu—though knowing full well the task given by Emperor Jin was no simple matter and they bore a heavy responsibility—couldn’t help but feel a bit excited thinking about the freedom of travel.