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Chapter 404 Everyone is gone

Lu Zhang's men didn't originally live in this fortress. In fact, the only difference between here and before was the absence of Lu Zhang and Yan Shu. However, after the previous chaos, the Immortal Fortress was exceptionally quiet.

The two, Fuwen and Fulu, stood guard at the door, never leaving it for a moment, fearing that the fake fortress lord might turn back and sneak back to do evil while they were resting.

Lu Yan was quite carefree. After chatting with Lu Qing, he went straight back to his original room and went to sleep.

Zhu Yu lay in bed all night, her mind filled with all sorts of guesses. Those chaotic and uncertain thoughts made her nerves somewhat excited, and she couldn't fall asleep at all.

Lu Qing lay quietly beside her, his breathing shallow and even, motionless, making it hard to tell whether he was asleep or awake.

Zhu Yu wanted to call out to him several times, but she was afraid that at this critical moment, discussing it would only make her more sleepless and might not yield any results.

Suppressing the urge to probe Lu Qing, she tossed and turned for a while, finally becoming a little sleepy. She eventually fell asleep while worrying about whether Yan Shu would be troubled by Lu Zhang after returning to the capital.

The next morning, Zhu Yu got up as usual. Lu Qing was no longer by her side. She got ready and went out, with Fu Lu still guarding the place.

"You've been keeping watch all night?" Zhu Yu looked at Fu Lu's already unkempt face, which had become even more weathered from the past few days, and felt a pang of pity. "It's broad daylight now, nothing will happen. You and your brother should take this opportunity to get some rest!"

"Second Master, it's alright. We brothers were both born in the Year of the Horse, we can fall asleep standing up!" Fu Lu grinned. "You don't need to worry about us!"

Seeing Zhu Yuchao look around, he quickly added, "The master has seen the Third Prince off. He's been gone for a while. My brother is with him. Don't worry, he'll be back soon."

"Lu Yan is gone?" Zhu Yu was a little surprised. Although Lu Qing had mentioned to Lu Yan the night before that in order to avoid unnecessary trouble, Lu Yan should not stay any longer and should return to his fiefdom as soon as possible, she did not expect that Lu Yan would set off early in the morning.

Since the other party was Lu Yan, and there was also a talisman beside him, Zhu Yu was not worried that Lu Qing would cause any trouble. So he went into the courtyard and continued to practice the self-defense moves that Lu Qing had taught him before.

However, Zhu Yu felt a little empty inside, perhaps because Yan Shu had been accompanying him during his morning exercises lately, either cracking the whip or gesturing with him.

It's true that it's easy for people to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality!

Since arriving in this world, in the inner quarters of the Shuo Prince's Mansion, the sisters around him, the legitimate daughter Zhu Ning was arrogant and domineering, while the other concubine daughters were all trembling with fear and timidity, afraid that they might accidentally displease Madam Pang and cause trouble. They dared not get close to each other, and they almost never gathered together except when Zhu Cheng took the whole family out hunting or spring outing.

Zhu Yu usually finds ways to relieve boredom by himself, and he doesn't have many companions around him, so he doesn't feel there's anything wrong with it.

Suddenly, he met Yan Shu, a straightforward and spirited sister. The two got along well, and they were always happy talking, chatting and keeping each other company. However, since she was Lu Zhang's wife, their friendship was unlikely to last.

Although I knew we would part ways and it was hard to say whether we would have the chance to get together again, the feeling of loss after we actually separated was really hard to bear.

Zhu Yu felt listless, so he simply sat down on a nearby rock and stared blankly at the dried-up pond.

When Lu Qing returned, she saw Zhu Yu sitting on a large rock, lost in thought. She was bathed in the soft morning light, yet she looked so melancholy. Lu Qing walked over slowly, stood beside her, and cast her shadow over Zhu Yu's head, completely shielding her from the light.

The sudden appearance of a shadow finally drew Zhu Yu's attention. She turned her head and saw that Lu Qing had returned. She naturally patted the stone next to her.

Lu Qing then sat down next to her.

"Why are you standing here daydreaming instead of practicing your skills so early in the morning?" Lu Qing reached out and touched the stray hairs at the corners of Zhu Yu's head, finding that his hair was dry and his forehead was not damp at all, which did not look like he had been exercising.

“I wonder where Yan Shu has gone…” Zhu Yu sighed, looked up at the sky, and turned to ask Lu Qing, “Based on your understanding of Lu Zhang, he really won’t make things difficult for Yan Shu, will he?”

Or, if the Duke of Yan finds out that Yan Shu ran away, will he instigate Lu Zhang to punish Yan Shu?
Based on our previous interactions, Lu Zhang isn't someone who's easily swayed!

"He is indeed not easily swayed, but over the years, he has been trying to prove to his domineering maternal grandfather that he is not so incompetent."

Therefore, even for the sake of his own reputation, he would not let the Duke of Yan know that Princess Yan Shu had run away on her own.

not to mention……"

"What else?" Zhu Yu asked curiously. She felt that Lu Qing was not the type to deliberately keep things a secret in this kind of matter. Judging from his expression, he probably didn't know how to say it properly either.

Lu Qing hesitated for a moment: "Judging from Lu Zhang's various reactions these days, his initial cold treatment of Princess Yan Shu was obviously due to some unfounded hearsay, which led to a preconceived judgment."

When he finally met Princess Yanshu in person, I felt that he seemed to have a very good impression of her.

Perhaps... it's more than just good.

Zhu Yu rolled her eyes wide without any attempt to hide it, and the obvious contempt made Lu Qing laugh.

"He arrogantly imagined her to be a burly, rough woman with eyes like copper bells and a voice like a booming bell, so he locked her in a side courtyard and let the unruly servants in his household make things difficult for Yan Shu and treat her coldly."

He then discovered that she was a bright, charming, and dashing beauty, and he couldn't take his eyes off her.

"What is Yan Shu? Is she just a plaything to please him, summoned and dismissed at will?!" Zhu Yu snorted. She had always been very restrained in her attitude towards Lu Zhang, but after hearing Lu Qing's words, she couldn't hold back any longer. "Even if we take a step back and assume that Yan Shu is not a great beauty at all, does that mean she deserves to be treated like that by him?"

He married Yan Shu unwillingly; did Yan Shu marry him happily?
Both of them were caught in a situation beyond their control, yet he started to wallow in self-pity and vent his anger on the girl, showing no thought whatsoever of mutual respect or love.

I don't think he developed feelings for Yan Shu after meeting her; this is something to be happy about for Yan Shu!