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Chapter 399 Poison

“Brother, brother…you…this…” Lu Yan was a straightforward person who could never keep things to himself, and he was no exception. He pointed at Zhu Yu and said, “If you want to talk to me, I’ll take that as you want to have some heart-to-heart talks with me as brothers.”

This kid is your right-hand man, so I wouldn't mind if you let him come in and listen in.

But... isn't it a bit inappropriate to sit right at the table like this?

Lu Qing smiled, turned to look at Zhu Yu, and said to Lu Yan, "She's more than just my right-hand woman; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say she's the apple of my eye."

Upon hearing this, not only Lu Yan, but even Zhu Yu got goosebumps all over.

She wasn't quite sure how other women could handle such cheesy sweet talk, but today she was absolutely certain that she was the "cold-blooded" type and simply couldn't stand such cheesy declarations of love.

Even she, as the person involved, couldn't handle it, so Lu Yan's expression was even more peculiar. He stared wide-eyed at Zhu Yu, then at Lu Qing, his tongue tied in knots, and for a moment he didn't know how to express the shock and doubt in his heart.

Lu Qing didn't wait for him to find his way back to his unruly tongue, and added, "Also, you can't call her 'this boy,' you should call her sister-in-law."

Upon hearing this, Lu Yan's jaw nearly dropped to the table. He looked at Lu Qing suspiciously, trying to see the mockery he was trying so hard to hide on his face.

But he found nothing. Lu Qing seemed very serious and sincere.

"You...you're a woman?" Lu Yan finally thought for a moment and asked Zhu Yu, somewhat unsure.

Zhu Yu had recovered from the goosebumps all over his body by now. He nodded calmly to him and said in his normal voice, no longer hoarse, "Genuine and authentic."

Lu Yan remembered that it was this "Chief Secretary Yu" who had examined the corpses of the tax collectors who had died tragically under his command. He couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "It's truly rare in this world for a woman to have such courage and methods!"

"Your Highness is too kind," Zhu Yu said modestly, waving his hand.

Lu Yan didn't say anything more to her. Instead, he turned to Lu Qing, frowned slightly, and asked, "Brother... as far as I know, Father Emperor once arranged a marriage for you, and you have already completed the marriage according to the decree, right?"

“That’s true.” Lu Qing nodded.

"Then..." Lu Yan glanced at Zhu Yu again, hesitated slightly, and then asked directly, "You've found such a beloved sister-in-law to keep by your side, does your elder sister-in-law who was betrothed to you... know about this?"

"I'm not a very sentimental person. It's already a blessing from heaven that I've met a woman who makes my heart flutter. What do you mean by 'sister-in-law' or 'sister-in-law'?" Lu Qing shook her head helplessly.

"So, with this sister-in-law by your side, and in the capital, there's also the Shuo Kingdom that Father Emperor bestowed upon you in marriage..." Lu Yan was just someone whose mouth and actions sometimes beat a beat faster than his brain, but that didn't mean he was stupid. Halfway through his sentence, he realized what was going on, and his expression became even more surprised as he looked at Zhu Yu, "You are the concubine's daughter of the Shuo King?!"

“It’s me.” Zhu Yu was amused by his reaction. In contrast, when Lu Zhang discovered that “Chief Secretary Yu” was the Princess Consort of Xiaoyao, his surprise was too restrained, which made him seem bland and uninteresting. Lu Yan’s reaction was much more interesting. “I can testify for Lu Qing that he really only has me as his wife in his harem, at least for now.”

Her last teasing remark prompted Lu Qing to gently pat the back of her head.

Upon hearing this, Lu Yan clicked his tongue repeatedly: "Tsk tsk tsk, I never expected this, I really never expected this!"
"That old scoundrel Zhu Cheng actually managed to raise such a courageous daughter!" His fiefdom bordered both Shuo and Lan, so he had naturally heard a lot about Shuo Kingdom and was quite familiar with what kind of person Zhu Cheng was.

He was probably so surprised that Lu Yan's mind went blank, and he blurted out the thing that surprised him the most.

After he finished speaking, he realized that Zhu Cheng was, after all, Zhu Yu's father, and it was really inappropriate for him to call him "old scoundrel" in front of his daughter.

"Sister-in-law... I'm sorry..." He awkwardly forced a smile.

Zhu Yu smiled and waved his hand.

From any perspective, she didn't have any deep feelings for Zhu Cheng. To her, Zhu Cheng was less a beloved father and more an indispensable ally in a win-win situation.

Moreover, objectively speaking, Lu Yan's title was actually quite objective... ahem...

"Sister-in-law... I've been a bit rude these past few days, please don't take offense!" After regaining his senses, Lu Yan thought about it and realized that he had called Zhu Yu "you little brat" quite a few times these days. He scratched the back of his head awkwardly and quickly expressed his apology.

"His Highness is frank, straightforward, sincere, and unpretentious. He has never done anything offensive."

Besides, it's their own brother-in-law and sister-in-law, so there's no way they could be considered offended. Zhu Yu smiled and waved his hand, indicating that it was alright.

“It is against etiquette for me to take her around, and I have never told outsiders about it. That’s why I waited until everyone had left before telling my third brother in private,” Lu Qing added at the right moment.

Lu Yan suddenly realized and nodded quickly with a knowing look on his face.

Zhu Yu glanced at Lu Qing without making a sound.

That fox has a very eloquent way of speaking.

Lu Zhang clearly knew the truth in Shuo Di long ago, but Lu Qing had him under control and dared not reveal it. He never mentioned it to Lu Yan before, which could be considered as covering for Lu Qing.

However, Lu Yan interpreted Lu Qing's words in a completely different way.

This was practically doing Lu Yan a huge favor without him even realizing it, bringing the two of them much closer together.

"It's getting late, let's talk about today's events." After doing her a favor, Lu Qing steered the conversation back to normal.

Upon hearing him bring up this topic, Lu Yan's face darkened again: "Brother, did you not believe what I said before? Why did you let that scoundrel Lu Zhang leave under some pretext, and even let his captain take away all the spies I had ordered captured?"

"Of course I believe you. If I didn't believe you, I wouldn't be sitting here talking to you behind closed doors."

"Since you know there might be a traitor among Lu Zhang's men, keeping Lu Zhang and his men around will make it even easier to capture the fake fortress lord," Lu Qing asked.