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Chapter 531 It Has Nothing to Do with Me
His sudden remark not only stunned Lu Zhang, but also silenced Zhu Yu and Yan Shu, who turned to look at them with some surprise.

“Brother, you can’t say that.” Lu Zhang was startled. He didn’t quite understand why, when they had gotten along quite well in Shuo Di and Lan Di, Lu Qing didn’t seem to be involved because of his maternal grandfather and didn’t seem to have any negative feelings towards him.

Why did your speech sound a little strange when we met this time?
Could it be... related to their unpleasant parting when they returned from Lan?
Or perhaps... even though Lu Qing hasn't returned to the capital for so long, he has already heard about some things...?
Thinking of this, Lu Zhang felt a pang of guilt. After a brief struggle, he recalled Lu Qing's honesty and integrity in front of him, and then looked at his current miserable state of being imprisoned. In the end, he decided to tell the truth.

"Is my brother angry with me?" He sighed softly, squatted down, and lowered his voice to Lu Qing, who was sitting by the cell door leaning against the bars, "Did you get the news that I let go of the so-called spy that Lu Yan caught that day?"

Lu Qing didn't answer, as if he hadn't heard. His eyelids were lowered, and his expression was unreadable.

This lack of response made Lu Zhang even more flustered, and he quickly said, "This has nothing to do with me, I swear to God."

I still regret that incident to this day. I should have given up on the plan when Lu Yan refused to hand the person over to me to take away.

As a result, because I insisted on taking the people back to the capital for questioning and punishment, my brother agreed. When we were halfway there, our group was all tricked and fell into a deep sleep. When we woke up again, all the other losses were gone, except for those people who had been captured by Lu Yan earlier.

I immediately ordered people to search everywhere, but they could not find any trace of the perpetrator.

The journey back was long and arduous, and it was impossible to bring back all the corpses at once, so they had no choice but to bury them on the spot.

After I returned from this incident, I told my maternal grandfather and asked him to send someone back to examine the body. However, because of General Cao's matter, my maternal grandfather was also unable to attend to the matter, so it was temporarily put aside.

But I didn't intend to just let it go like that. I was planning to gather some people later and dig the person out again..."

"If we dig them out again, they'll probably all be rotten by then," Zhu Yu couldn't help but remind Lu Zhang upon hearing this.

Lu Zhang's face flushed red instantly. After a brief moment of hesitation, he decided to pretend he hadn't heard Zhu Yu's words.

Zhu Yu wasn't too bothered by this, since this outcome was already within Lu Qing's and her expectations. If those people had not only survived but had also been interrogated and their identities revealed, she would have been truly astonished.

Lu Qing remained silent for a while, and when Lu Zhang was getting impatient, he finally looked up at him and smiled slightly: "So, His Highness Prince Yi really trusts his maternal grandfather, Duke Yan, very much."

I originally thought that His Highness Prince Yi was actually a smart person, but he was originally caught up in many things, and even if he understood them in his heart, he would not be able to control his own destiny.

I also thought that after experiencing those things outside, His Highness should have become more aware of them.

Looking back now, I realize I was overthinking it.

"Since that's the case, this place of confinement is not exactly respectable. I am already grateful for His Highness Prince Yi's visit, so I won't ask you to stay any longer, lest word get out and it would be bad for His Highness's reputation and displease Duke Yan." "I understand that you are unhappy being imprisoned here, brother, but when Father summons you later, please don't speak like that, lest you upset him, which would be of no benefit to you."

Even if you don't think about yourself, you should think about your sister-in-law, don't you think?" Lu Zhang felt uncomfortable after hearing Lu Qing's words, but because he felt guilty and in the wrong, he had to suppress his displeasure and gently comfort Lu Qing.

"Your Highness need not worry. Our own people are our own people, and outsiders are outsiders."

"I was excluded from the very beginning, and His Majesty is probably even more aware of this than His Highness. Faced with this fact, he probably has no reason to feel disheartened." Lu Qing curled his lips into a mocking smile. "When the princes were enfeoffed and their residences were established, you were all either Prince Xu, Prince Yi, or Prince Shu, while I was Prince Xiaoyao."

Each of you has your own duties. Even though Lu Yan has made mistakes due to his impulsive killing of prisoners of war, he still holds military power.

And what about me? I can only be a useless carefree prince in the capital.

Even the arranged marriages were the same; your betrothed would be either the most favored princess of the most powerful vassal state or a descendant of a prestigious scholarly family.

As for me, what appears at first glance to be a marriage alliance with a vassal king is actually a deliberate choice made for me to marry the one with the least support.

"Brother!" Lu Zhang stared at Lu Qing in shock, then quickly looked at Zhu Yu, who was standing silently to the side. "No matter what, you can't say such things in front of your sister-in-law!"
Besides... if you care about those errands, just ask your father for them! Maybe he's always thought you prefer a life free from chores..."

"Does this mean that if I beg, he'll just give me a job?" Lu Qing asked.

"Why not?" Lu Zhang said, but then realized he had spoken too definitively, so he quickly added, "If you really have this intention, once this matter is resolved, you can ask Father to give you a chance to make amends."

"At that time... I will also speak to Father on your behalf, and Father will definitely give you a chance!"

Zhu Yu looked up and saw that his expression was extremely sincere, and he even seemed to have made a great decision to speak up for Lu Qing later.

However, it was clear that Lu Qing did not appreciate Lu Zhang's determination, and he only smiled sarcastically after hearing his words.

"Forget it, Your Highness, given your current situation, you should take care of yourself first."

This time, I've been framed and accused of plotting to harm a prince. Even if I escape the death penalty, I'll still face punishment. At that point, let alone helping me get a job, Your Highness will probably have to follow your maternal grandfather's wishes and stay away from me to avoid being implicated.

"Can you really disobey the Duke of Yan's wishes?" Lu Qing smiled and said to Lu Zhang in a teasing tone.