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Chapter 372 Powerless
Although Zhu Yu wasn't sure how much help she, someone without martial arts skills, could provide by going along, staying in the courtyard and not knowing what was happening outside still made her feel somewhat uneasy.

Yan Daoxin was focused on how to detoxify Jiang Hong and paid no attention to anything else, so Zhu Yu didn't want to bother him.

However, she soon discovered that there was someone even more distracted than her.

Yan Shu was alone in a corner of the second-floor corridor, leaning on the railing and gazing out. Although she couldn't see anything from there, as the high wall surrounding the courtyard completely blocked her view, she seemed to be looking very intently, her brows slightly furrowed, carrying a sense of melancholy.

Clearly, she was simply lost in her own thoughts.

Zhu Yu slowly walked over and, imitating her, held onto the railing: "This view is really nice."

Yan Shu turned around, looked at Zhu Yu with some surprise, then looked at the wall opposite again, and quickly reached out to touch Zhu Yu's forehead: "Jing'er?! Don't scare me, there's no Jing'er here!"

Could it be that those people used some kind of insidious sleeping potion to bewitch you again?!

"If I were under a spell, you could tell by touching my forehead?" Zhu Yu asked with a smile. "I was just pretending because I saw you looking at it so intently. I thought there was some beautiful scenery that I couldn't see because I'm not tall enough. So, to save face, I pretended to be something I'm not."

Yan Shu was amused by her words, but after laughing, she sighed and said, "After we all go back to the capital and to our respective princely residences, will we no longer have the chance to chat like this?"

“Strictly speaking, Prince Yi is indeed half a rank higher than Prince Xiaoyao… so I’m not sure if I can still be considered worthy of Princess Yi after returning to the capital,” Zhu Yu replied with feigned seriousness.

Yan Shu was annoyed by her teasing and taunting, and reached out to scratch Zhu Yu's itch.

The two argued for a while, which ended with Zhu Yu "surrendering".

There was nothing she could do; Yan Shu was taller and had longer arms than her, so Zhu Yu was bound to be at a disadvantage when it came to scratching.

"Alright, alright, stop fooling around. Were you thinking about these things when you were lost in thought?" Zhu Yu took a breath and asked Yan Shu seriously.

Yan Shu's expression returned to its previous faint melancholy.

She sighed softly, "More than that, I can't even imagine what kind of life I would lead if I went back to that house one day."

"After this incident, Lu Qing and Lu Zhang had a heart-to-heart talk last time. Lu Zhang should not dare to tolerate the servants being so negligent and rude to you again." Zhu Yu didn't know how to comfort Yan Shu. If it were her, she would probably also be very worried about life in the Prince Yi's mansion.

Not to mention Yan Shu, a woman who grew up in Jie Kingdom and was used to being unrestrained and free, it would already be difficult for her to integrate into the life of a high-class woman in Jin Kingdom who never left her home. Lu Zhang himself was not a particularly unconventional person who did not follow worldly views. Moreover, he himself did not have many ideas, and behind him was the old-fashioned and domineering Duke of Yan.

Duke Yan's stance is very clear. This can be seen from his previous attempt to arrange a marriage between Lu Zhang and his wife's family. That old fellow definitely looks down on Yan Shu, the Jie princess who ruined his plans.

Therefore, regardless of Lu Zhang's personal wishes, as long as he and his maternal grandfather remain united, Zhao Bi will not allow him to live happily ever after with Yan Shu under his nose. As a result, Yan Shu's future days in the Prince Yi's residence will definitely be much better than before. After all, if the news of his neglect of the betrothed princess, which almost led to her running away from the wedding, reaches Emperor Jin's ears, even if Yan Shu faces trouble, Lu Zhang will not escape punishment either.

Just because things are better than before doesn't mean they're good days. It might just mean becoming a canary that has no worries about food and clothing but is ignored by everyone.

But you can't say it like that, because saying it would only add fuel to the fire, not help Yan Shu, and would only make her more depressed and upset.

“I don’t know how I’m going to live under the same roof as this person, let alone for a lifetime…” Yan Shu angrily slammed her fist on the railing. “A lifetime is such a long time! What difference is there between me and a horse with four legs cut off in the Prince Yi’s mansion!”
Sometimes I can't help but think, how wonderful it would be if this were all a nightmare! I would wake up and find myself still at home, with no imperial decree of marriage in sight.

I can live a carefree and happy life with my parents, doing whatever I want!

You've never seen the boundless grasslands of our Jie Kingdom. The flocks of sheep are more numerous than the clouds in the sky. You can ride your horse and gallop wherever you want. When you get tired, find a patch of thick grass, lie down, and bask in the warm sun—it's so cozy and comfortable!

Recalling those happy times, Yan Shu's eyes lit up, and joy involuntarily spread across her face.

But she soon realized that those ordinary days were gone forever, and the bright light that had just appeared in her eyes was quickly extinguished like a candle blown out by the wind, and she became dim again.

"Those days will never come again..." she sighed softly.

Zhu Yu remained silent for a moment, then pondered before asking Yan Shu, "What do you think of the current Emperor's treatment of the Jie Kingdom?"

Yan Shu was still immersed in her sadness when she was suddenly asked this question by Zhu Yu. She was stunned for a moment: "I think... it's neither good nor bad. In the current situation, putting aside the fact that someone is doing bad things outside and making us take the blame, after all, this should not be the Emperor of Jin's intention."

At least the Capricorns live quite comfortably and freely in their own land; there's nothing wrong with it.

"This time, not only your Jie Kingdom, but also our Shuo Kingdom, were caught in the trap and almost became innocent criminals."

Clearly, even though our fathers and people have never done anything outrageous, there are still people who don't want to see us living such a peaceful life.

Zhu Yu paused, then changed to a more explicit and cruel statement: "Some people don't want to see any of us live peaceful lives, nor do they want to see the world at peace. What they want is for the world to be in chaos, and the two kingdoms of Jie and Shuo are clearly in their plan to be pushed out to take the blame and play the role of the culprits."

"It's absolutely outrageous!" Yan Shu had witnessed these things firsthand, and the thought of them made her grit her teeth in hatred.

“Although the outside world has slightly different opinions about the Jie Kingdom and the Shuo Kingdom, this time I have seen it clearly. We have suffered because we closed our eyes and ears.” Zhu Yu continued, “Our fathers were too lazy to pay attention to the outside world’s opinions and rumors, and in the end, they were taken advantage of for doing evil.”

If we hadn't acted promptly this time, gaining the opportunity to prove our innocence, by the time our fathers realized the situation was dire, it might have been too late to turn things around.