Plotting with You: The Forensic Scientist in Ancient Times!-Chapter 264 - 263: A Stone Without an Arrowhead

Zhu Yu’s idea was something Lu Qing naturally did not oppose.

The Jie Country shouldn’t harbor any chaotic intentions; this was something both he and Emperor Jin hoped for.

But he had one more consideration than Emperor Jin.

Lu Zhang, needless to say, backed by Duke Yan, had a unique power that was unmatched in the world.

Although Lu Ze didn’t have a powerful maternal family, his mother was the most favored Princess Consort Duan in the palace, and sometimes the influence from a pillow talk was not necessarily weaker than that of a strong maternal family.

In fact, dignitaries like Duke Yan, with their many followers, could easily provoke Emperor Jin’s jealousy, turning their advantage into a disadvantage.

Only Lu Chao, whose sole advantage was being the son of the Empress, but after the Empress’s death, Emperor Jin was not close to Lu Chao, meeting him less frequently than Lu Qing met Emperor Jin with the identity of Golden-faced Imperial Censor.

Outsiders said it was because of Emperor Jin’s deep affection for the Empress, and since Lu Chao resembled the Empress, seeing him inevitably brought up sad memories.

Some also said that after Lu Chao was born, a fortune teller advised Emperor Jin, saying that Lu Chao’s fate clashed with the Empress, and they should stay apart, or else the Empress would eventually have her life drained by her son.

But the Empress, having finally had a child, could not bear to have him sent away at birth, insisting on raising him by her side. Indeed, she passed away in a few years, leaving a thorn in Emperor Jin’s heart, reminding him of Lu Chao’s fate every time he saw him, so he rarely summoned Lu Chao in private, and thus their father-son relationship naturally turned distant.

Lu Qing scoffed at both explanations, not believing them.

Emperor Jin’s affection for the Empress was genuine, but in this world, one hears only of "seeing things and thinking of people," never because a child resembles the mother leading to avoidance?

Moreover, a monarch like Emperor Jin, who fought through blood and rain to seize his throne, how could he be swayed by superstitious nonsense?

However, the emperor’s mind is deep as the sea, and with such depth of character and inscrutable thoughts, he would never refute any external rumors, which is why those private speculations exist today.

With Lu Chao’s mother deceased and his father’s thoughts elusive, his support seemed illusory.

Originally, Lu Qing hadn’t dared to make too bold plans, given their former status, trying to form a large alliance seemed like a daydream.

But now the situation was different.

With Zhu Yu as an unexpected variable, everything shifted.

The bride wasn’t just an ordinary girl skilled in embroidery, nor was Shuo Country a negligible ally like the Yue Family. Even heaven seemed to favor them; the unforeseen flood enabled them to channel water into Shuo Land, benefiting people on both lands.

Lu Qing was confident that if they proceeded smoothly, Shuo Country would become an ally he hadn’t dared to hope for.

Initially, the marriage bestowed by Emperor Jin seemed to bind Jie Country and Lu Zhang’s interests. Regardless of the Jie King and Duke Yan having their plans, they had a unified target of supporting Lu Zhang.

However, Lu Zhang acted foolishly, humiliating and neglecting the Commandery Princess of Jie at the beginning of the marriage to stand united against his maternal family. After rumors in Jie alleged betrayal, he hastily distanced himself, even preparing to act righteously against his kin to show loyalty.

This stance was contrary to the Jie King’s initial intention of reluctantly agreeing to the marriage.

Even though Yan Shu, stopped by them, didn’t plan on returning to Jie, and the Jie King couldn’t learn about his daughter’s treatment at that moment, the news of Lu Zhang inspecting the Jie-Shuo border was undeniable.

This news would inevitably reach the Jie King.

The new son-in-law not only showed no kindness to the father-in-law but took him as a thief...

This indeed aided Lu Qing significantly.

What was thought to be a marriage strengthening power turned out to be a disaster, with "the tiger" removing its wings.

Yet Lu Qing kept these thoughts to himself and didn’t share with Zhu Yu.

One reason was their mutual understanding, where much could be understood without many words.

Another was Zhu Yu was truly exhausted from inspecting the passes in the past few days. Though expecting her to feel refreshed after a nap, she soon fell into slumber after dinner.

Lu Qing couldn’t bear to disturb her rest.

The next morning, Zhu Yu was up early, having rested well, she went outside to practice the self-defense moves that Lu Qing had taught her.

Though not complicated and quickly memorizable, remembering and being able to use them were entirely different matters. In critical moments, panic could cause a blank mind, missing the optimum opportunity for escape.

She wanted to turn them into instinctive reactions, which was key to self-defense.

Yan Shu rose early too, delighted to see Zhu Yu. Kept within Li Garden with dang Fu Lu for days with no distraction, Yan Shu found only silence in Fu Lu.

With Zhu Yu back, Yan Shu was elated.

With an injured foot not suited for standing, she sat on a nearby stone, mimicking Zhu Yu’s practice.

Lu Qing and the talisman were on the other side practicing swordsmanship, not disturbing them.

"Before marriage, didn’t your family teach you any skills?" Yan Shu asked Zhu Yu while imitating the moves.

Zhu Yu shook her head, "Never. Did your father teach you?"

"No martial arts, my father wasn’t fond of those flamboyant moves," Yan Shu spoke plainly, unconcerned about propriety, "He said with strength, no technique could match brute force!

Being a girl with less strength, he taught me archery instead.

I’m skilled at it! From twenty to thirty yards, a running hare couldn’t evade my arrow!

But still no match for my brothers with their greater strength who wield heavier bows.

Once, my second brother hunted, missing a wolf but hitting a boulder, embedding the arrowhead without a chance of retrieval. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Back then, my brothers joked about bringing the boulder back to show our father the ’prey,’ but the stone was too heavy to lift.

It amused me to the point of stomach ache."