Plotting with You: The Forensic Scientist in Ancient Times!-Chapter 252 - 251: Too Bitter

"Since you managed to come out, why didn’t you go directly back to Jie Country? Why did you end up in Shuo Country?" Zhu Yu asked in confusion.

"Because Jin Country is heavily guarded against Jie Country, the border is fortified. I saw it with my own eyes when I was being escorted for the marriage alliance," Yan Shu looked at Zhu Yu with a "Do you think I’m stupid?" expression, "If I were to run directly back to Jie Country from Jin Country, that would be walking into a trap.

Before I went to Jin Country, I had already heard in Jie Country that Shuo Country’s border wasn’t as tightly managed, so I thought I might as well give it a try. If I could bypass through Shuo Country, it would be much better, not to mention I could avoid the capital of Shuo Country."

Zhu Yu couldn’t hold back this time and let out a heavy sigh in front of Yan Shu.

The matter that Shuo’s border defenses were weak turned out to be known to everyone except for Zhu Cheng!

Yan Shu also realized that Zhu Yu was the daughter of Prince Shuo, and her words might have been a bit presumptuous, so she quickly changed the topic: "But maybe it was fate!

If I hadn’t made that decision, I wouldn’t have met you all halfway.

Honestly, sneaking around like a thief, taking a lot of unnecessary detours, I was not only anxious but also hungry and cold with no one to talk to. It was really miserable.

Last night was the only good night’s sleep I’ve had in days!"

Seeing the dark circles under Yan Shu’s eyes that hadn’t faded yet, Zhu Yu knew she was telling the truth. Just thinking about her journey, it was clear it couldn’t have been easy.

Even someone like her, who wasn’t particularly favored in her maternal home, found it hard to bear. Although Jie women are fierce, after all, Yan Shu is the most beloved daughter of the Jie King, how could she have suffered such hardships?

While they were talking, Fu Lu knocked on the door, saying breakfast had been delivered. Zhu Yu opened the door, took the things inside, and set them on the table.

Ever since Zhu Yu and others’ identities were revealed in the Prince Shuo Mansion, the chefs at the mansion put in extra effort to ensure they didn’t neglect Prince Xiaoyao and the now Princess. Naturally, today’s breakfast was exceptionally abundant.

Yan Shu was starving. Her escape hadn’t allowed for proper meals, and she missed dinner the previous night because she had fallen asleep from exhaustion. Now, without needing Zhu Yu to offer, she started eating the food that looked appealing without hesitation.

Zhu Yu, having gotten up early to cut her wrist, set a trap for Zhu Ning, had been pulled by Lu Qing to practice some moves, also felt hungry. Seeing Yan Shu so casual, she too felt at ease.

"However, there’s one thing I don’t quite understand." After they both had almost finished eating, Zhu Yu asked Yan Shu, "I heard your father dotes on you greatly and even held a martial arts competition to find you a suitable husband.

Given that you didn’t want to marry Lu Zhang, why did your father agree to the marriage bestowed by the Holy Emperor?"

In Zhu Yu’s understanding, her father Zhu Cheng did not have the authority to negotiate with Emperor Jin on a bestowed marriage, especially since Shuo Country had played it safe for decades and never dared to challenge the authority of Emperor Jin.

But the Jie King is different; he’s always been Emperor Jin’s greatest rival, the toughest nut to crack.

If the Jie King had firmly refused to ally with Jin Country through marriage and maintained a strong stance, Zhu Yu didn’t believe Emperor Jin would truly go to war over this.

"My father indeed loves me the most," Yan Shu sighed deeply, "but when he tried to find me a husband through competitions, none caught my eye. Father was unwilling to force me, letting me drag it out without urgency.

Later, when Jin Country’s envoys visited Jie Country and proposed the Emperor’s wish for me to marry his son, initially, my father didn’t want to agree. But the envoy urged him to consider the welfare of our people before deciding.

My father worried for a long time and then asked me if I’d be willing to marry a prince of Jin Country. Although we didn’t know what kind of person he was, Jin people are generally gentle, and there was no need to worry about being ill-treated, and there’s probably no more noble husband than a prince of Jin Country.

The most crucial aspect was our people in Jie Country were too impoverished. If I married the Emperor’s son, perhaps he would treat Jie Country kindly.

For years, Jin Country had tightly encircled us, misleading us to think there was no conflict, but in reality, nothing was allowed to be transported to Jie Country except court-given items. Our people mainly live by herding, with little experience in farming or weaving cloth beyond coarse ones. Life is hard, with poor food and clothing.

In good years, when grass is lush and cattle and sheep are fat, at least they can eat meat until full, but in bad years, when drought kills the grass, even meat becomes scarce.

So my father thought, if I married the Emperor’s son, it would make us like family! Surely the Emperor wouldn’t treat his in-laws so heartlessly? Even if Shuo Country, Jin Country, or even Fan Country could trade with us, sell us some goods, that would be beneficial."

Zhu Yu truly hadn’t expected that Emperor Jin had been using such a method over these years to guard against Jie’s resurging ambitions.

It’s like being unable to hunt a lion you fear may harm you when full, you’d enclose it, keeping it too weak to fight by starving it slowly, until it becomes frail.

Zhu Yu disapproved of this ruling strategy; it wasn’t just the Jie King who suffered, but countless people in Jie Country.

Perhaps for dealing with a lion, enclosing and starving it to death might be a solution.

But what if it’s a pride of lions?

If pushed too hard, incidents could arise more easily, and by then, even if it wasn’t the Jie King rising up, but someone else, the Jie King might not be able or willing to suppress it.

Meanwhile, she suddenly realized that Emperor Jin’s arranged marriage for Lu Zhang seemed to have a different intention.

Earlier she thought marrying the Jie Commandery Princess to Lu Zhang was like adding wings to a tiger, but Lu Qing disagreed, saying that being caught between two powerful families would put Lu Zhang in a bind and create a balance.

Now it seemed Lu Qing was correct.

Emperor Jin’s bestowed marriage was to appease and woo the Jie King, urging him to consider family ties and his beloved daughter, discouraging any wrongful intentions. At the same time, it was to prevent further ties between Duke Yan and Lu Zhang.