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Chapter 394 Confidante
Upon hearing her question, Lu Qing suddenly laughed.

"What are you laughing at?" Zhu Yu was a little confused by his sudden laugh.

"I laugh at your keenness, that you were able to glean clues from those few nonsensical lines of poetry." Lu Qing put away her smile and nodded to Zhu Yu: "You're right, there were indeed such rumors in the capital back then."

It is said that a few years ago, when Lu Zhang was still young, the Duchess of Yan asked the manager of the Tse-Leg Shop to bring people to his home to measure his body and make clothes.

At first, Lu Zhang didn't pay much attention to the young female shopkeeper, until she saw a painting on the wall and was attracted to it. She then blurted out a poem that matched the mood of the painting, which made Lu Zhang look at her in a different light.

After that, from some point onwards, the two began to exchange letters frequently and had many interactions. The few lines that the fake fortress lord had just recited were the love poems that made Lu Zhang determined to bring the female shopkeeper into the house. The phrase "mountains and clouds always depend on each other" does indeed have the meaning you think it to be.

However, this matter naturally involved the Duke of Yan. Upon hearing the news, the Duke of Yan was furious and berated Lu Zhang mercilessly.

In the eyes of Duke Yan, Lu Zhang, as the dignified Prince Yi, the only son of the late Consort Zhao, and the grandson of Zhao Bi, was of immense prestige.

Let alone taking wives or concubines, even choosing a maidservant requires careful selection; only girls with clean backgrounds are acceptable.

The female manager of the Tse-Lush Shop was a businesswoman who showed her face in public. Although she came from a respectable family, she was still of low social status and absolutely could not get involved with Lu Zhang, otherwise she would become a laughing stock in the hands of outsiders.

So she ordered Lu Zhang to stop having any contact with Gu Lingyun. Later, she probably realized Lu Zhang's preferences, so she thought of killing two birds with one stone and betrothed her wife's cousin, who was famous for her talent, to Lu Zhang.

But no one expected that at this critical juncture, the Emperor would bestow a marriage upon Lu Zhang and Princess Yan Shu, which led to the events you all know about later.

Zhu Yu suddenly realized that Lu Zhang's unease after being teased by Lu Yan was not simply due to being teased about him and another woman in front of Yan Shu; there was actually something more to it!
"Has the affair between Lu Zhang and Gu Lingyun become common knowledge throughout the entire capital?" Zhu Yu asked curiously. "Then both he and the Duke of Yan have lost face immensely. But I really don't remember hearing any such rumors after I married into the family."

"Aside from the servants of the Duke's Mansion and the Prince Yi's Mansion, no one outside really knows about this matter. After all, it's not something to be proud of, so it won't cause a big stir in the city."

If things really escalate to that point, I'm afraid that old scoundrel Zhao Bi will use every means to silence those in the know.

Zhu Yu nodded knowingly, but couldn't help being a little curious: "If that's the case, how do you know so much about it?"

"Given your relationship with Lu Zhang, it's highly unlikely he would have told you something so embarrassing on his own initiative."

“Of course.” Lu Qing chuckled. “Liu Yueyao told me all of this.”

“Oh…” Zhu Yu nodded in sudden realization. Seeing Lu Qing staring at him, she reached out and pushed his face away a little. “You don’t need to stare at me like that. I won’t start guessing about you and Liu Yueyao just because I heard about Lu Zhang and Gu Lingyun.”

"Oh? Why is that?" Lu Qing became interested when he saw her so calm. "Could it be that I'm not as attractive as Lu Zhang in your eyes?" Zhu Yu secretly rolled her eyes. She felt guilty talking about someone behind their back, so she lowered her voice a few decibels: "Let alone a husband, even if I had a son as indecisive and lacking in judgment as him, I would probably cry myself to death."

I don't doubt your relationship with Liu Yueyao because I have eyes and can see that Liu Yueyao's respect for you is more of awe. She is more or less afraid of you, so she acts very carefully in front of you, afraid of making any mistakes.

But she probably has someone in her heart, otherwise she wouldn't be willing to do these troublesome things for you at Yunyin Pavilion.

Does she... have feelings for Lu Chao?

Lu Qing looked at Zhu Yu in surprise: "You've only met the two of them a few times, yet you can tell that?"
It took me a long time to notice the clues, and I also subtly reminded Liu Yueyao not to have such unrealistic hopes and to give up as soon as possible. If she didn't want to stay in Yunyin Pavilion, I could guarantee her a place to go and find someone to spend the rest of her life with.

But she refused, saying that just seeing Lu Chao was enough, and she didn't ask for anything else, so I didn't say anything more.

"It's not hard to spot these things, after all, when you like someone, no matter how calm you are, you can't hide it in your eyes." Zhu Yu pointed to his eyes.

"I see. Then I guess I'll have to pay more attention to your gaze from now on," Lu Qing replied with a smile, "so as not to miss out on too much affection."

"Aren't you ashamed..." Zhu Yu glared at him amusedly, quickening her pace. "Let's go, let's hurry over and take a look!"

Lu Qing smiled and followed. The two walked back and forth through the winding narrow alleys, and finally arrived at the small courtyard where they had moved Chang'e Zui out and hidden it beforehand.

Upon entering, the two saw Yan Daoxin holding a wooden box in one hand and a small horsehair brush in the other, carefully sweeping some black ash-like substance into the wooden box.

Hearing a sound, Yan Daoxin turned around warily and saw that it was Zhu Yu and Lu Qing. He breathed a sigh of relief: "You two stand there and don't move! If a gust of wind comes by, my treasures will all be blown away!"

"That black ash is... Chang'e's Wine?" Zhu Yu exclaimed in surprise, "How could this be happening so late at night...?"

"Hmm, isn't that Chang'e's Drunkenness?" Yan Daoxin wanted to sigh, but quickly came to his senses and held his breath back to avoid blowing away the black ash in front of him. "You just urged me to come back, and I rushed back. When I got back, I found that the box had been opened and there was only black ash left inside."

I reckon it was burned by holding a torch close to it; this stuff is not only susceptible to light, but also to fire.

"Since it's already destroyed, why are you still collecting that black ash?" Zhu Yu asked, somewhat puzzled.

Yan Daoxin straightened up, turned around and smiled at them: "They say that the one who tied the knot must untie it, and sometimes the same principle applies to detoxification. Of course, I have to keep this rare and precious item safe!"

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