Chapter 114: Chapter 113: Bustling

Lu Qing noticed her concern and pulled her further into the guest hall: “Go on, leaving the Prince Mansion is one thing, but within the mansion, you need not worry about eavesdropping.”

“If my father hasn’t shown any signs of action, but someone wants to find an excuse, using my father’s status as a Vassal King to charge you with a crime, they’d only need to randomly choose a motive to send you to a location along the route to Shuo Country.

By then, with actions from both sides, if someone captures us midway, and Prince Yi accuses my father, even if we have a hundred mouths, it would be hard to explain clearly.”

“What if such a possibility doesn’t occur?” Lu Qing didn’t seem to find Zhu Yu’s words particularly rebellious.

“Then everything would be fine, and perhaps the Holy Emperor really has a pressing matter that requires your assistance,” Zhu Yu exhaled slowly.

For Lu Qing to ask such a question, he probably already had a rough estimate in his mind.

Having married over for a short time and having only met Emperor Jin a few times, I have no real understanding of this Sovereign of the World’s temperament or character, so I have to rely on ordinary logic to speculate.

“If he wanted me dead, there have been countless opportunities over the past twenty years; there’s no need to go through such a hassle,” Lu Qing shook his head. “Moreover, even if he really wanted to charge me with treason, he’d need to catch us red-handed to drag Lu Zhang into this.

There’s hardly anyone both in the court and outside who doesn’t know that Duke Yan’s faction sees me as a thorn in their side, and Lu Zhang is his beloved grandson.

If there’s no concrete evidence of my collusion with Prince Shuo attempting treason, how would outsiders view this matter? Naturally, they’d see it as Lu Zhang trying to eliminate dissidents, forming cliques, and wanting to remove all obstacles in his path.

If I’m the first to be taken down, then the next could naturally be any other prince.

Even though the Holy Emperor hasn’t established a Crown Prince yet, he has his considerations, but he experienced fratricide himself and is most wary of such things.

If Lu Zhang were criticized for such intrigue, it would be extremely detrimental to his ambitions to advance further.”

“Understood, it boils down to the compromise you mentioned earlier,” Zhu Yu felt assured upon hearing this. “The Holy Emperor is happy to see some secret competition among the princes, but if it becomes serious, then it’s overstepping.”

Lu Qing smiled, nodded, and glanced at the sun outside: “The journey is long, earlier I had Fu Lu buy some pastries and dried fruit for you to take along, so you won’t go hungry when there’s no village or inn in sight on the road.

Judging by the hour, it won’t be long before he returns, remember to check then if anything is missing, or if there’s anything you particularly like, you can ask him to buy more.”

Zhu Yu knew that Fu Wen and Fu Lu had been busy preparing the travel items according to Lu Qing’s instructions these past few days, leaving early this morning as well, and hadn’t realized it was to buy pastries for her.

Back in Qingshui County, she happened to be seen by him when she had wrapped some snacks to carry with her just in case, and she hadn’t expected Lu Qing remembered it.

The next day, at dawn’s early light, Lu Qing, Zhu Yu, along with the brothers Fu Wen and Fu Lu, were ready to set off. Only then could they reach their next resting place before nightfall.

Before departure, Lu Qing called the steward and Mrs. Zhao, the most senior nanny in the mansion, and instructed them to tell others that the Madam was still not recovering from a previous illness, so she was resting at home and unable to receive guests, regardless of whose family’s madam or lady came, they were all to be turned away with this excuse.

The steward of the Prince Mansion was always a man of few words but full of understanding, and he agreed to Lu Qing’s instructions without saying another word.

Mrs. Zhao, being a woman and of old age, was a bit more talkative than the steward.

“My Lord, I understand!” She nodded eagerly to Lu Qing. “No other family’s madam ever travels far with their husband, they only stay at home sipping tea or embroidering, never even visiting the street markets. Whoever does feels like they are exposing themselves and losing their status.

If they heard about this, who knows what gossip they might start.”

Mrs. Zhao beamed as she looked at Zhu Yu, who was preparing to travel with Lu Qing.

Although she inherently felt that it was somewhat unconventional for her Madam to always disguise as a man and go out with the Prince, on the one hand, on the wedding night, this guise helped solve a major crisis for the mansion, garnering her admiration for her Madam.

On the other hand, the Prince was never one to follow conventional rules; if faced with a well-behaved madam, he might become elusive once again, as he did before.

This was much better! Ever since the Madam married in, the Prince spent more time at home!

Mrs. Zhao looked at Lu Qing and sighed silently in her heart.

The Prince had suffered since childhood, originally seeing him waste time in places like Yunyin Pavilion, refusing to settle down, leaving the mansion perpetually cold and quiet, Mrs. Zhao felt rather unhappy.

Now things are good!

Whether dressed as a man or a woman, staying at home or going out with the Prince, as long as they are harmonious, nothing else matters, and should this journey yield good news upon their return, wouldn’t the Prince Mansion soon see a new addition!

Lu Qing did not correct Mrs. Zhao’s words, essentially giving his tacit approval. For the emotions in her eyes, he pretended not to notice, and once the household affairs were handed over, the four of them mounted their horses and left.

Zhu Yu, despite waking up early, felt particularly refreshed and didn’t catch Mrs. Zhao’s thoughts.

To her, this trip to Li State was essentially a “business trip”; traveling with a clever and agreeable “supervisor,” whilst enjoying the scenery along the way, it was almost like a subsidized trip, naturally lifting her spirits like a bird out of a cage.

Lu Qing’s prior reminders, coupled with the reactions of the mansion’s staff, also made Zhu Yu understand why Lu Qing did not seek the grandeur of many large households with numerous servants, but instead maintained a sparse number in the Prince Mansion.

More people often meant more gossip, making it harder to secretly accomplish anything akin to a heavenly task.

Given the secret identity of the Golden-faced Imperial Censor, known only to Emperor Jin, to not expose their identity and destination, Lu Qing naturally could not stay at post stations along the way.

The four had to hasten their journey during the day, finding an inn to rest at in a county town before nightfall.

In this hurried manner, pressing on for seven or eight days, they finally reached the borders of Li State, entering a county town at sunset, looking for the largest inn to stay.

Soon, however, they noticed something peculiar.

As the sun neared the western horizon, an hour that typically wasn’t bustling for a county town, yet it was extraordinarily lively.

To be precise, the inn they stayed at was exceedingly bustling.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep