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Chapter 657 Great Wisdom

"You can keep his favor for now, but you don't need to remember it." Zhu Yu didn't have much affection for his father, who only realized things halfway through his life. He waved his hand and brought the topic back. "So the bandits who supposedly kidnapped the eldest grandson back then were probably a group of loyal guards from the Lan Prince's Mansion who realized something was wrong, right?"
Judging from this, you knew all along that the eldest grandson of the Prince of Lan had been hidden in this area all these years?
They've been proceeding cautiously, but haven't been in a hurry to reach the capital. Perhaps they're after that group of 'mountain bandits,' or rather, that grandson of the Prince of Lan?

Lu Qing smiled slightly, tacitly agreeing with Zhu Yu's conclusion.

This made Zhu Yu somewhat puzzled: "You know so much about something that happened more than ten years ago. This matter must not be exclusive information between you and Lu Chao's subordinates. You probably learned this kind of information from the Emperor."

Since you all knew about these things beforehand, why did you never inquire or interfere, waiting until now before you secretly came looking for us?

"His Majesty is truly unaware of this matter." However, this time, Zhu Yu was wrong. Lu Qing shook his head. "I only know about these things because I heard about them bit by bit during the years I was recuperating at Shanqing Temple and learning from my master."

Zhu Yu's face showed a look of surprise.

This was something she really hadn't expected.

Her impression of Lu Qing's master, Qiyun Shanren, had always been that he was erudite, skilled in medicine, and proficient in martial arts. He was also eccentric and aloof, and if something did not suit his wishes, he would not give any face to ordinary nobles or even the Emperor himself.

Based on this impression, she automatically assumed that he was a transcendent and otherworldly master who would not even bother to listen to others talk about the mundane world, let alone inquire about it.

Unexpectedly, even Emperor Jin was unaware of this matter, but Lu Qing learned about it from the hermit of Qiyun Mountain.

Lu Qing was amused by Zhu Yu's surprise. It wasn't hard for him to guess how Zhu Yu would guess his master, since very few people outside could truly understand his master's personality.

"Although Master was unwilling to be swayed by external affairs, he was always well-informed. He once said that unless he had great abilities to cover Shanqing Temple with a sky-high glass dome, it would be impossible for him to completely withdraw from the world."

He only wanted to cultivate in peace, but he never thought of gouging out his nose, ears, and eyes to become a person who closes his eyes and ears. That would be truly terrible, like not even noticing when disaster is imminent and knives and axes are hanging over one's head. He told Zhu Yu.

Zhu Yu nodded knowingly: "Your master is truly a man of great wisdom!"

“Indeed.

Because I heard about this from my master, I have no right to interfere, whether from a public or private perspective, or from a moral or rational standpoint.

Firstly, this matter was ultimately a private affair of the Lan Kingdom, and no one expected it to develop into such a serious problem.

Prince Lan did not petition the court for help, and even if the emperor knew about it, he had no reason to intervene.

Secondly, I was quite young at the time, let alone meddling in other people's affairs; my own situation was already precarious. Not only me, but Lu Chao was in the same boat. For us, the most important thing back then was to survive and grow up. We needed to have the ability to protect ourselves first before we could think about other things.

Besides, the most important point is that the emperor was unaware of this. If he was unaware, outsiders naturally had to be unaware as well, otherwise they would be inviting trouble.

I found this matter suspicious back then, so I've been keeping an eye on it. Now, considering the current situation, this matter should certainly be put to good use.

"Have they been hiding in this area all these years?" Zhu Yu also lifted the curtain and looked out of the carriage. They had traveled for another day, and the surrounding mountains had become significantly more numerous, and the forests were denser. It did indeed look like a suitable place to hide. "I wonder if they will show themselves."

“Think about Mu Hong. He has to be so vigilant just to save his own life. Those guards have been able to protect their grandson so carefully over the years. They must be a million times more vigilant than Mu Hong.” Lu Qing glanced out of the carriage. “You should have faith in the runes and talismans. If those people show up, they will definitely be able to detect it.”

Hearing this, Zhu Yu felt relieved. She might not be able to say for sure about others, but she had seen clearly the capabilities of talismans and runes over the years. Anyone who could be kept by Lu Qing's side for so many years must not only be loyal but also possess exceptional skills.

As evening approached, they stopped in an open area in the woods, intending to spend the night there.

The four of them parked the carriage at the edge of the woods and began to prepare dinner in a very casual manner. In order to find something to eat, the Fu brothers moved almost everything off the carriage and placed it next to the carriage before finally finding the food box they had stored at the bottom.

Afterwards, they gathered firewood, started a fire, and reheated some of the cold food they had brought earlier. The four of them then sat around the fire and ate with relish.

While warming himself by the fire, Zhu Yu glanced at the pile of brocade boxes next to the carriage not far away, then looked at Lu Qing, and his eyes darted to the woods to the side.

Lu Qing understood and nodded slightly. Zhu Yu then had no more questions and relaxed, eating and drinking, occasionally chatting about what she had seen and heard along the way.

Fuwen Fulu also stayed by his side, eating and listening to Zhu Yu and the others chat, occasionally letting out a few silly laughs, looking like an honest and obedient follower.

But based on Zhu Yu's understanding of them, it's not hard to see that the two brothers have actually been on guard all along; their relaxed demeanor is just an illusion.

Only after they had eaten and drunk their fill did they leisurely put the brocade boxes back into the car. The four of them then found a sheltered and flat spot near the fire and made beds on the ground to spend the night.

Zhu Yu was still a little nervous. Although he lay down, he couldn't close his eyes. He would sneak open them from time to time to glance around, and his ears were constantly trying to catch the sounds around him.

Lu Qing took a thick cloak from the car and covered her with it. While tucking it in, he whispered to her, "Just sleep peacefully."

Afterwards, he sat down under a big tree next to Zhu Yu, leaned against the tree, closed his eyes to rest, and breathed evenly and slowly, as if he had really fallen asleep.

(End of this chapter)