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Chapter 309 Diligence Leads to Mastery
"So, the current situation is that he both protects you and is wary of you, both cultivates you and suppresses you?" Zhu Yu sorted out her somewhat chaotic thoughts and tried to clarify the relationships involved.

“Well, I think he wants to use me, but he doesn’t want me to become too powerful.” Lu Qing smiled faintly. “You can probably glean some clues from my name.”

Zhu Yu was taken aback. She had never thought about it in detail before, only that the difference between the "one-character king" and "two-character king" was indeed the Emperor Jin's way of treating his biological sons and adopted sons differently. Now that she heard him say this, she realized that there were indeed some clues in the names.

Lu Qing, the single word "Qing" seems to have firmly locked him into the role of "subject," and it also seems to be constantly reminding him to recognize his position and not to have any inappropriate thoughts.

“But there’s something I don’t understand.” Zhu Yu was still puzzled. “If that person wanted to make you die silently, they would have had plenty of opportunities from childhood to adulthood.”

Even if I don't want you to die, or even if I want to turn you into a useless person, there are many ways.

He sent you to Shanqing Temple, where you stayed with Qiyun Mountain Man for so many years. It seems he was very clear about Qiyun Mountain Man's abilities.

I feel like he intentionally wants to mentor and protect you...

If your family's ordeal had nothing to do with him, why didn't he speak frankly and openly with you? Why didn't he treat you well in a straightforward manner? Wouldn't that have made it easier to dispel your doubts and better portray him as a benevolent ruler who remembers past kindness in the eyes of others?

“Everyone puts others in their own shoes when they do things.” Lu Qing shook his head. “A naturally suspicious person would also speculate about others in this way.”

He finds it difficult to fully trust others, always carrying a degree of wariness and suspicion, and naturally assumes that most people are like that.

As for the kind of favoritism and preferential treatment you mentioned, unless one has a powerful maternal family like Lu Zhang to rely on, it's hard to say whether it's a blessing or a curse.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yu suddenly felt enlightened.

Thinking about it carefully, Lu Qing wasn't the only one sent to Shanqing Temple. There was also Lu Chao, who, in the eyes of outsiders, should have been the most valued, but was also left aside and rarely seen by others...

The confusion and bewilderment in Zhu Yu's mind gradually dissipated, and a sense of understanding appeared in his eyes.

Emperor Jin may indeed be a very shrewd and suspicious person, but his relationship with Lu Qing is definitely not as straightforward as outsiders speculate.

Connecting the many events that had occurred in the past few months in her mind, Zhu Yu looked at Lu Qing again with a hint of surprise in her eyes.

Seeing this, Lu Qing reached out and pinched her cheek: "Don't guess anymore. No matter what he's thinking, our goal is clear and won't waver because of anything. You just need to understand that."

Zhu Yu reached out to slap away the hand that was pinching her cheek, but Lu Qing grabbed it instead. As he stood up, he pulled her and caused her to stumble and fall into his arms. Lu Qing pulled her close and held her tightly in his arms.

Lu Qing lowered his head, his nose touching the top of Zhu Yu's head. The warm, sweet fragrance wafted into Zhu Yu's nostrils, finally relaxing his tense nerves and bringing him a sense of peace.

Zhu Yu's heart skipped a few beats, and she felt a slight, uneasy tension. However, the anxiety she had felt these past few days—constantly being on guard and worrying day and night—vanished in Lu Qing's firm embrace.

She let out a soft breath, wrapped both arms around Lu Qing's waist, and gave him a tight hug.

Lu Qing felt the pressure on his waist, and the corners of his mouth involuntarily turned up slightly. "In the past, I deliberately did a lot of things to try to conform to the title of 'Carefree Prince' in order to distinguish myself from 'Golden-Faced Censor'." He stroked Zhu Yu's head with his chin. "Back then, I never thought that doing so could inadvertently bring me a good marriage."

So, regardless of what that person's true intentions were, at least God has been kind to me.

Zhu Yu nodded in Lu Qing's arms: "God has indeed been very good to you."

They've been good to me too...

The next morning, Zhu Yu woke up when the sun was high in the sky. She hurriedly got up, changed her clothes, tied her hair, and ran out of her room, where she saw Fu Wen waiting outside.

"Madam, you're awake!" Fu Wen saw that she came out in a hurry and thought that she was anxious because she didn't see Lu Qing when she opened her eyes. He quickly said to her, "Master went with your father to arrange the re-supervision of weapons manufacturing. He may not be back until evening."

He was afraid that Master Yan would be too noisy and disturb your rest, so he took him along as well.

Breakfast is keeping warm in the kitchenette. Are you hungry now? I'll have someone bring it to you right away!

"No rush, no rush, I overslept today and haven't practiced yet!" Zhu Yu waved his hand. "It's already this late, let's just combine it with lunch, otherwise everything will be in chaos."

"Master said you've been working so hard these past few days managing so many things at the Prince's Mansion, so he didn't have the heart to wake you. One more day of practice won't make a difference." Fu Wen hadn't expected Zhu Yu to be so diligent.

"Practice makes perfect, while idleness leads to ruin. If it weren't for the few moves Lu Qing taught me before, I probably wouldn't have been able to hold out until you all came back unscathed." Zhu Yu waved his hand. "I still need to practice!"

After she finished speaking, she suddenly felt that the courtyard was indeed a bit quiet: "Where are Yan Shu and Lu... 'General Yi'?"

“Princess Yan Shu got up very early, and seeing that you were still asleep, she went to chat with Madam Miao out of boredom.” Fu Wen pursed his lips, trying to suppress the smile that had already risen to his face. “'General Yi' is still not awake yet.”

Zhu Yu was surprised and couldn't help but laugh as well.

Yan Daoxin is really ruthless!

After chatting with the runes for a few minutes, Zhu Yu began practicing meticulously and earnestly.

Before long, Yan Shu returned. Seeing that Zhu Yu was awake, she quickly went over and imitated her movements, chatting casually with Zhu Yu about the interesting things she had talked about with Miao Shi.

However, Yan Shu found this self-defense technique uninteresting. After practicing it a few times, she lost interest and insisted that Zhu Yu teach her how to use a whip.

Zhu Yu was happy to learn more, so he followed Yan Shu with great interest.

Yan Shu wielded the whip with great skill. She expertly instructed Zhu Yu on how to grip the long whip and exert force, and how to avoid using the wrong force so that he would not only fail to strike the other party but also be injured by the whip tip that swept back.

Thank you to Sweet Salad, Book Friend 20230511121704767, Yue Yuxi x2, and Feng Lin Xiaotong for the monthly tickets!