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Chapter 111: Border Patrol
He said he was leaving, but not so fast.

After all, when Lu Qing met Emperor Jin, he was still "not fully recovered" and his wife at home was still ill, so Emperor Jin couldn't push him too hard.

In order to complete the performance, Lu Qing was naturally not in a hurry to leave.

He used these few days to arrange for runes and talismans to purchase some things. After all, this trip was going to be long, so he had to be well prepared.

Although Zhu Yu was the "sick" lady, she still had to stay indoors to avoid being spied on by others in the capital city and getting into trouble. However, because she was planning to go on a long journey, she was in a particularly good mood and no longer felt bored.

Even when I was packing the tools I needed to take out, I would unconsciously hum a tune.

Lu Qing happened to hear it a few times when he came back from outside, but he did not disturb her. He just stood quietly at the door, listened for a while, smiled knowingly, and turned away quietly.

As the day for Lu Qing and his companions to set off was approaching, just after breakfast that day, the steward came to tell Lu Qing that Prince Shu Lu Ze was here to visit and was already drinking tea in the front hall.

"Oh? Prince Shu is here, a distinguished guest. I have to go and see him." Lu Qing glanced at Zhu Yu, who happened to be wearing men's clothing. This suit was newly made for her by Lu Qing, so Zhu Yu put it on early in the morning to see how it would turn out. "Come with me."

Zhu Yu nodded and followed Lu Qing like an attendant, heading towards the front hall.

She followed closely behind him and felt that she was becoming more and more adept at pretending to be Lu Qing's close follower.

The two of them arrived at the front hall. Lu Ze was sitting there alone, holding a teacup in his hand and blowing the tea leaves inside for fun. The attendant behind him whispered to him, "Your Highness, please drink your tea properly. Don't blow the tea leaves for fun. People might see you..."

"Oh, stop nagging!" Lu Ze waved his hands at the servant impatiently, "I'm at my own house and you're nagging me. I'm in the palace to see my mother and you're nagging me!
You keep asking me to behave this way and that way all day long. I'm almost going crazy from all of you!
Now I am at my eldest brother's house. My eldest brother has always loved me and never nags me like you do!

If you keep making so much noise, I won’t take you with me next time I go out. I’ll make you responsible for cleaning the toilet at home!”

The boy had a bitter face and probably didn't want to clean the toilet, so he had to keep silent.

Lu Qing brought Zhu Yu back from the corridor. Lu Ze saw him immediately, put his teacup on the table, stood up and walked quickly to greet him: "Brother! I heard that you were also sick before, I can't tell you how worried I was!

Seeing that you have recovered today, I can finally feel at ease!"

"I was planning to visit you, but now that you can come to see me, it seems that you are okay." Lu Qing patted Lu Ze's shoulder and looked him over with a smile. "I heard that your condition was very serious, and I have been worried about you. But I am also sick, so I dare not come to your house even if I want to.

What happened to you? How did you develop such a strange illness? Did you finally find the cause and cure it with the right medicine?

Lu Ze had an expression of great pain on his face and waved his hands, "Brother, you don't know. I didn't know what happened that day either. I heard that the imperial doctor from the palace's pharmacy came to see me in person, but after a long time, he couldn't find anything!
In the end, he could only grope his way through some prescriptions. The servants fetched some medicine and fed it to me, but there was no improvement. Mother was distraught and begged my father to consider other options, in case it was an evil spirit.

My father originally hated these things the most, but perhaps he couldn't stand my mother's crying anymore, so he finally gave in to her.

My eldest brother doesn't know that my house was extremely lively during those few days. First, we found a sorcerer who was said to be able to summon gods and exorcise evil spirits. He placed offerings and jumped around in my house for most of the day. After that, we invited a high monk from an unknown place to our house to chant scriptures. Later, we still felt uneasy, so we found a Taoist priest to perform a ritual. In short, it was a real riot.

The result is strange. After all this trouble, I got better inexplicably. No one can tell whether it was the effect of the prescription prescribed by Fengyu, or whether one of the monks, Taoists, and shamans accidentally helped me.

Anyway, nothing's wrong now. I've been nagging my mother for a few days, and I've just finally had some peace and quiet!"

After he finished speaking, he suddenly remembered why he came today and asked hurriedly, "Brother, when I went to the palace yesterday, I heard from my father that you were leaving the capital? Where are you going?"

"You're quite well-informed." Lu Qing smiled and shook his head, seeming somewhat helpless at Lu Ze's inquiries. "I heard that this season is the most beautiful time of the year in Quzhou. I just felt unwell a while ago, and now I'm feeling better. I also thought that perhaps going to a place with beautiful mountains and rivers to go boating and mountain climbing, and immerse myself in the scenery, might be better for my health.

So I sent a letter to the palace, asking His Majesty to allow me not to attend the morning court."

"I see. I've also heard that Quzhou is at its most beautiful during this time of year. If Mother hadn't been frightened by my previous actions, she wouldn't have agreed to let me leave the capital. I really want to go with you, brother!" Lu Ze sighed with envy and casually asked, "Is my sister-in-law going with you, too?"

"She's also been ill, just a few days after I was, and hasn't shown any improvement yet. I'm afraid the long journey isn't good for her. It's better for her to stay home and recuperate." Lu Qing looked rather uninterested when Lu Ze asked about his wife. "Besides, a woman from Shuo Country must be tired of the sights and sounds of mountains and rivers. Perhaps she would prefer this bustling capital."

Lu Ze grinned awkwardly.

"You came here today just to ask me this?" Lu Qing asked him.

Lu Ze seemed a bit embarrassed, not knowing what to say. After hesitating for a while, he said, "Brother, you may not know, but my second brother took the initiative to ask father a few days ago, saying that he is willing to patrol and supervise the border area between Jin Kingdom and Shuo Kingdom on our father's behalf. Father agreed, and he must have already left by now."

"Isn't this great?" Lu Qing said nonchalantly, "Your Highness Prince Yi has always been the best at sharing His Majesty's worries, and he will surely be able to make a difference this time."

"Oh! Brother!" Lu Ze said anxiously, "We are just brothers here, why are you being so polite?

Shuo Country is where my sister-in-law's family comes from, so it's most appropriate for you to take on this task!

After the inspection, I can also take my sister-in-law back to her parents' home to visit her. Everyone is happy, the best of both worlds!"

(End of this chapter)