Discuss with you

Chapter 176: King Yi

I don’t know how long I slept. The chill of the night slowly seeped in through my thin clothes, making Zhu Yu sleep a little uneasy.

In a daze, she felt as if there was a warm wall behind her. The temperature made her want to get closer and closer in her sleep, until her entire back was pressed against that warmth, and then she fell asleep again with peace of mind.

When she was woken up by Lu Qing the next morning, Zhu Yu did not feel the back pain she had expected the night before. She hurriedly got up, put on her oilskin as Lu Qing instructed, and went to find Bai Qihong, reminding him of the things he should pay attention to when leading the craftsmen to open mountains and break walls.

As soon as Zhu Yu left, Yan Daoxin came over.

"How's it going?" He lowered his voice as he entered the room and approached Lu Qing mysteriously. "Last night, you two had such a good opportunity to be in the same room together. Did you speak frankly and clearly to each other?"

"No." Lu Qing fastened the belt of his oil jacket without even raising his head.

Yan Daoxin's face, originally filled with anticipation, suddenly turned to disappointment. He reached out and nudged Lu Qing's shoulder, "What's wrong with you?! So all the heartfelt words I said to you that night were in vain?! Are you determined to continue acting so self-righteously?"

After he finished speaking, he suddenly realized, "You old fellow, are you afraid of telling others that the reason you are only married to her in name only is so that if your plan fails and you lose power, she can escape unscathed and not delay finding a suitable partner to entrust her life to. Zhu Yu will be particularly happy to accept your kindness and wait for the opportunity to escape unscathed and leave you!"

Lu Qing glared at him and said, "If she was that kind of person, she would have stayed in the inner house and not come out. Why would she come out with me and endure this hardship?"

"Then why can't you open your mouth when you have such a good opportunity to say it out loud?" Yan Daoxin asked back with a pout.

"We're leaving for Shuo Country today." Lu Qing straightened his oilskin, his expression surprisingly serious. "We'll discuss everything after we get to Shuo Country and see how things go."

Yan Daoxin was surprised and said, "You...are you afraid that she has a childhood sweetheart or a lover in Shuo Country?
I said, Junior Brother, although your medical skills are not as good as mine, your cultivation is not as good as mine, and your appearance and demeanor are not as good as mine, but at least you are a decent human being, the King of Freedom of Jin Kingdom.

Zhu Yu is the wife the emperor bestowed upon you in marriage!
Are you afraid that you won't be able to defeat your childhood sweetheart?"

"Nonsense." Lu Qing looked at Yan Daoxin with a somewhat amused look, "If there was a childhood sweetheart worth mentioning, Zhu Cheng might not be willing to send her to Dajin.

But there is a difference between mutual love and an imperial decree.

I don't want a wife who is forced to choose her own path because of an arranged marriage."

He looked outside and could see Zhu Yu's somewhat blurred figure in the rain and fog in the distance. "If I can convince King Shuo this time, my grand plan will be secured. Only then will I have the confidence to pursue further goals."

Yan Daoxin was silent for a moment, then raised his hand and patted Lu Qing on the shoulder: "Although you failed to live up to the great opportunity that Senior Brother created for you yesterday, I am also very pleased to see that you finally have someone who wants to stay with you openly!"

Lu Qing said nothing, but suddenly reached out and grabbed Yan Daoxin's hand on his shoulder, and hit him back with his elbow. Yan Daoxin quickly twisted his waist and moved sideways to avoid the elbow, and took the opportunity to punch Lu Qing in the face.

Lu Qing dodged slightly, and Yan Daoxin took the opportunity to pull his hand free, then sprinted out the doorway with a grin. After Zhu Yu and Bai Qihong had explained the subsequent precautions for the mountain opening, the others had also finished their preparations, and the five of them mounted their horses to depart.

"Minister Bai," Lu Qing said, sitting on his horse, looking at the cook who was making porridge under the shack in the distance, "I'm afraid your craftsmen won't be able to handle that thin porridge. Give them some dry food."

"But..." Bai Qihong certainly knew that he would not be able to sustain such heavy physical work by eating so much. However, a good cook cannot cook without rice. He wanted his craftsmen to have enough food and drink, but he could not conjure up rice out of thin air.

"We'll find a way to help you solve the food problem." Lu Qing had already discussed this with Zhu Yu the night before, and his tone now sounded particularly determined. "Five days later, send someone with an empty ox cart to wait at Pingshan Pass, where the Shuo Kingdom is stationed, several dozen miles away. If anyone comes with food to sell, you can buy enough food and return to continue digging the mountain and canals.

If no one brings food to you within a day, the work at Blackrock Mountain will be stopped immediately, and you can follow the original plan to build the canal by taking a detour.

I will find a way to provide you with food and rations from now on, and will never let the craftsmen starve to death."

If Bai Qihong had been confused about Lu Qing's plan before, he now understood it completely.

He stood in front of Lu Qing's horse excitedly, clasped his hands together, and bowed deeply to Lu Qing.

"Your Highness! You took such a huge risk just to ensure that the people of this area can have enough food and clothing in the future. This is truly a noble cause!" He was excited, but also felt a little ashamed. It seemed that he had been influenced by the Yue family in the past and had some prejudice against Lu Qing. "I will follow your instructions, Your Highness. Please rest assured!"

Lu Qing also bowed to him and rode away. Zhu Yu and others followed closely behind him and soon left the foot of Black Stone Mountain.

The five men rode their horses forward, hurrying on their way. After walking for most of the day, the rain became lighter and lighter. By evening, after passing a ridge, the sky was completely clear. The dirt road beneath their feet even raised dust under the trampling of the horses' hooves. It was extremely dry.

Zhu Yu couldn't help but look back at the mountain range that they had just crossed, which was like a dividing line. He was extremely surprised at the climate difference brought about by this terrain.

After walking a few more miles, they saw the sun setting. The five of them were in a hurry to continue their journey and had no plans to find a nearby county town to stay overnight. They found a flat place in the woods beside the official road, tied their horses to a tree, and took a short rest, eating some dry food they brought with them, and resting up so that they could continue their journey later.

Zhu Yu leaned against a thick tree, closed his eyes and dozed off for a while. He didn't know how long it had been before he was awakened by the sound of horse hooves coming from far away.

She opened her eyes and saw that Lu Qing, who was originally sitting under the tree opposite her, had also woken up, but did not move. He just sat there, looking in the direction of the sound with his bright eyes.

At this moment, the sun had already passed the top of the mountain and the light in the forest was dim. As long as they did not make any big movements, it would not be easy for them to be discovered by people passing by on the official road.

Even if you see them, you would probably only see a few horses. However, it is not uncommon for travelers to stop to rest on the road, and most of the time it will not attract anyone's attention.

Fu Wen squatted in the grass, looking around alertly. Suddenly, his brows moved, and he whispered to Lu Qing, "Master, it's King Yi!"

(End of this chapter)