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Chapter 237 Frankness

Seeing Zhu Yu looking thoughtful at the bowl of soup in front of her, Lu Qing didn't touch her chopsticks. Instead, he put some vegetables in her bowl, which brought her attention back to her.

“I had a frank talk with your second brother today,” Lu Qing said to Zhu Yu, who was looking at him. “I told him that I would support him in becoming the heir apparent of Shuo Kingdom and inheriting your father’s throne.”

Zhu Yu was taken aback: "So straightforward?"

“If he were as clever and perceptive as you, I wouldn’t need to be so blunt.” Lu Qing smiled helplessly. “After observing him these past few days, your second brother seems to be much smarter than Zhu Jie, but he’s still a little slow to understand. To avoid unnecessary trouble, it’s better to be clearer.”

Zhu Yu smiled with her lips pursed, too embarrassed to say it aloud.

Actually, it's not that Zhu Feng is not smart enough or not quick-witted enough; he's already considered quite intelligent among ordinary people.

However, by sheer coincidence, the person he was dealing with had changed to Lu Qing.

After all, not everyone has the same cunning mind as this fox, so Zhu Feng was simply misunderstood and hurt by Lu Qing's "fox-like judgment of people as stupid".

"What was my second brother's reaction? Was he surprised?" Zhu Yu asked jokingly.

“He was initially hesitant,” Lu Qing shook his head, “After all, the ties and interests between the Zhu family and the Pang family have been too deep over the years.”

"If he's willing to be supported by me, it means he has to completely sever ties with the Pang family, even to the point of breaking off relations."

Zhu Yu snorted: "I can see that even the Pang family's support for my elder brother is just a temporary measure, and they will definitely have other tricks up their sleeves later."

You've already explained all the pros and cons to your second brother.

If he's still worried about falling out with the Pang family now, then he's really a blockhead.

The missing able-bodied men and blacksmiths from Shuo Kingdom, the dozens of skeletons, and the privately manufactured weapons that mysteriously flowed into Jie Kingdom are most likely related to the Pang family behind the scenes.

"If they've already gone this far, even if my father were to hand over the throne to them now, they might not appreciate the Zhu family's kindness or gratitude."

“Your second brother isn’t that naive.” Lu Qing was amused by Zhu Yu’s words. “It’s just that over the years, with your father’s leniency, the Pang family has ventured into too many industries. Zhu Feng is just worried that if I openly support him and back him up, the Pang family will not even bother to pretend anymore and will directly tear off their disguise, which will be detrimental to your father and the entire Shuo Kingdom.”

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yu touched his nose and said, "Oh, I see. I had thought too much of him as a coward."

So how did you eventually persuade him?

"I told him that although the Pang family and the Zhu family are related by marriage and have benefited from each other's support for more than 20 years, human greed is insatiable. Ultimately, relying on a powerful family is not as effective as the temptation to become a powerful family yourself. Therefore, they are not good allies in any way."

If the Pang family continues to cause trouble like this, and something goes wrong, the Zhu family will be the ones to take the blame and bear the responsibility, while the people of Shuo Kingdom will also suffer as a result.

Therefore, instead of being overly cautious, it's better to suffer a short, sharp pain than a long, drawn-out one, and to capture the king first. As the carefree king of Jin Kingdom, I have no ambition for the throne of Shuo Kingdom or the Shuo region. I am also related to the Zhu family by marriage. From my perspective, it's not hard to see who is the best candidate who truly shares the Zhu family's fate, has no other ambitions, and can rely on each other.

The peace and stability of the Shuo Kingdom is important not only to the King of Shuo and the people of Shuo, but also to the Jin Kingdom.

At such a time, if the northern regions fall into chaos first, everyone will be drawn into the trouble. If one thing causes a chain reaction, the whole world will descend into chaos, war will break out, and lives will be lost. No one can bear such consequences.

"You've put it all out there, there's no reason for my second brother to keep making excuses, so he's already agreed, right?" Zhu Yu nodded. Lu Qing's words to Zhu Feng were indeed quite frank, without any pretext or alarmist talk.

If they weren't worried about changes in Shuo Kingdom, they wouldn't have needed to take such a risk to come to Shuo Kingdom when Lu Zhang was already prepared to "sacrifice family ties for righteousness" against Jie Kingdom. Lu Qing also wouldn't have needed to persuade Bai Qi Hong to help Shuo Kingdom divert water.

“That’s right, he agreed. I also promised to help him resolve the threat posed by the Pang family and to help him gain influence with your father. In return, he will repay me when I need him.” After Lu Qing finished speaking, she asked Zhu Yu, “Based on your understanding of your second brother, he is a man of his word, isn’t he?”

"Yes." Zhu Yu answered the question with considerable certainty. "In my observation, he is always upright and honest in his dealings with both internal and external affairs. I have never seen him act rashly, greedily seek credit, or be absurd and negligent."

I believe that if a person can maintain a facade for a day, then they are a good person for that day; if they can maintain a facade for ten days, then they are a good person for ten days.

But if he's been pretending for many years without revealing the slightest flaw, then he's either a chosen one capable of enduring what ordinary people cannot, or he's truly a good person.

“My wife and I share the same view.” Upon hearing this, Lu Qing smiled and nodded, then pushed another plate of food towards Zhu Yu. “This food is quite good. My wife has worked hard today, so please eat more.”

As he said this, Zhu Yu put down his chopsticks, rested his chin on his hand, and looked over with a suspicious expression. Seeing this, Lu Qing was slightly puzzled: "Why isn't Madam eating? If you keep staring at me like that, I'll start to worry."

"Don't worry about it yet." Zhu Yu wasn't in the mood to listen to his dishonesty. "I was a little puzzled earlier, but I didn't interrupt you because you were talking about serious matters."

You could have easily let me give the whistle to Fuwen and have him go out to deliver the message, but you insisted on having him come with me.

I assumed you wanted to discuss something with my second brother that you didn't want me to know, so I went with Fu Wen.

And then you just told me everything again...

Then why did you specifically send me away before? Don't tell me you didn't have that intention!

“I did intend to have you and Fu Wen deliver that note.” Lu Qing didn’t try to deny it at all, and nodded generously. “However, I have no intention of hiding my agreement with your second brother from Madam.”

As the saying goes, husband and wife should be of one mind; how could a husband hide such an important matter from his wife?

Moreover, this time it's an alliance with your family. You are my most important strategist in this matter, so how could I keep you in the dark?

When I talk to Zhu Feng about these things, there will inevitably be times when I use both kindness and force. If you were there, you would be caught in the middle and in a difficult position. If Zhu Feng is stubborn and doesn't know how to appreciate my efforts, and our conversation breaks down, you would only feel more awkward.

That's one point.