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Chapter 718 Lu Zhang
Upon seeing Lu Zhang standing there, not only Cao Tianbao, but even Lu Qing and Zhu Yu were somewhat surprised.

As the group drew closer, Lu Zhang stepped forward to greet them. His unhurried pace and leisurely demeanor made it hard to believe that this was the behavior of a prisoner.

When they were still a few feet away from Lu Zhang, Cao Tianbao dismounted first, tossed the reins to the captain who dismounted with him, and quickly stepped forward to Lu Zhang. He clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Your subject escorted Princess Yi here, which caused a slight delay. I apologize for keeping Your Highness waiting!"

Lu Zhang quickly stepped forward and offered Cao Tianbao a hand to help him up: "General, what are you saying! Look at me, do I look like I've been wronged?"

Cao Tianbao quickly took the opportunity to examine Lu Zhang from head to toe. He found that not only was Lu Zhang unharmed, but he also seemed to be in much better spirits than when he left the capital.

"General, please rest assured, there's no need to worry about me." Lu Zhang smiled and nodded at him. "You just need to know that I'm perfectly fine now, and we can discuss the rest in detail later in the tent."

I'll go and say hello to my brother and sister-in-law first.

Cao Tianbao was unaware of Lu Qing and Lu Zhang's previous interactions in Lan Di. In his memory, due to Zhao Bi, they seemed to have little interaction with each other, merely maintaining a superficial brotherly relationship out of respect for each other as princes. Now, seeing that Lu Zhang seemed very happy about Lu Qing and Zhu Yu's arrival, he was quite surprised.

Since Lu Zhang had already said so, he naturally nodded quickly and stepped aside to wait.

Lu Zhang quickly stepped forward: "Greetings, elder brother! Greetings... Chief Secretary Yu!"

Fortunately, he reacted quickly. Upon seeing Zhu Yu dressed in men's clothing and looking travel-worn, and then seeing the soldiers under Cao Tianbao behind him, he immediately changed his tune.

Zhu Yu smiled at him and greeted Lu Zhang with the courtesy due to a subject.

Although Lu Zhang was somewhat at a loss, he could only endure it.

When they got to Lu Qing, it was a different story. Seeing that Lu Qing was about to bow, he quickly went up and grabbed him, saying, "Brother, you can't do that! It would be too much for me!"

"How could that be?" Lu Qing said with a smile. "I am just a commoner now. How could I not pay my respects to Prince Yi?"

“Regardless of whether you’re a commoner or not, an elder brother is an elder brother. We’re family, there’s no need for formalities.” Lu Zhang hurriedly waved his hand.

Presumably, having been stationed at the border for some time, the sun here had tanned Lu Zhang's skin considerably, adding a touch of ruggedness. However, his eyes were bright, and his whole being seemed to radiate a brilliance he had never possessed before.

As they were talking, Yan Shu had already walked up to him. When she saw Lu Zhang like this, she was also stunned for a moment.

When Lu Zhang saw Yan Shu arrive, he lost his previous composure and became somewhat flustered.

The two looked at each other awkwardly, and finally Lu Zhang spoke first: "When you were in the capital, no one made things difficult for you, right?"

“You’ve already instructed the people in your household, so they wouldn’t dare,” Yan Shu shook her head. “I can’t see the people outside either, so they won’t have a chance to make things difficult for me.”

"That's good, that's good..." Lu Zhang smiled awkwardly, "Now that you're back in Jie, you won't have to suffer so much anymore."

Yan Shu frowned, finally unable to suppress her inner doubts: "So... you really wanted to be a prisoner? Just to get me back?"

Cao Tianbao, who was standing to the side, was also taken aback when he heard Yan Shu's question, and immediately turned his gaze toward Lu Qing.

"I guess so..." Lu Zhang smiled a little embarrassedly, "Anyway, you're safe now. We'll talk about the rest later. You must be exhausted from the journey. I've already asked someone to prepare a large tent for you, and clean clothes are also ready."

These words made it sound as if he were the host, hospitably entertaining his honored guests.

This sense of disorientation made Yan Shu and Cao Tianbao look a little strange, and even Zhu Yu, who had already made a bold guess, was now filled with curiosity.

However, getting here was no easy feat. Yan Shu was a straightforward person, and since Lu Zhang had already said so, she didn't linger outside the camp to pry.

Once they arrived at the camp, new surprises awaited them.

When Yan Shu was in Jie, her maid had already arrived to wait for her. When she saw her princess return from afar, she jumped for joy and rushed out, grabbing Yan Shu and chattering away, laughing and crying at the same time.

Yan Shu was also very happy. The two girls held hands and twirled around, laughing heartily.

Lu Zhang's gaze lingered on them for a few more moments before he reluctantly looked away and led Lu Qing and Zhu Yu to the large tent prepared for them.

There was also a surprise waiting for them—wooden tubs and screens had been prepared in the large tent long ago, and they had just been filled with clean hot water.

"Brother and sister-in-law, you must be tired from your journey." Once they arrived at the entrance of the main tent and there were no outsiders around, Lu Zhang changed his form of address. "You should wash up and rest for a while. We'll eat and chat tonight."

After saying that, he left the space to Zhu Yu and Lu Qing and left first.

"Don't you think Lu Zhang... has changed?" Once inside the tent, Zhu Yu loosened her hair, letting it fall loosely down her back, and casually took off her dusty outer robe, throwing it on the ground, as she asked Lu Qing.

"What do you think has changed about him?" Lu Qing asked from behind her.

"Well... I always thought he was a bit of a blusterer than a man. On the surface, he put on a tough act of being shrewd and capable, but in reality, he had no opinions of his own. He knew everything in his heart, but he was deceiving himself."

But this time is different. He seems much more mature and confident... How should I put it... he seems more like your and Lu Chao's brother than before."

As Zhu Yu spoke, he turned around to see if Lu Qing agreed with his point of view. When he turned around, he found that Lu Qing had also let down her hair and taken off her shirt. She was barefoot and standing there wearing a pair of coarse cloth trousers, with her upper body completely exposed.

Logically speaking, it wasn't that she hadn't seen him before, but for some reason, being looked at by him with that smiling expression made Zhu Yu suddenly feel a little awkward.

She cleared her throat: "Looks like you're not in a hurry, then I'll go take a shower first!"

As she spoke, she walked around behind the screen, but after a few steps she couldn't help but turn back to remind her, "Don't follow me."

Lu Qing laughed: "Don't worry, although your husband may not be a gentleman behind closed doors, he's not so inconsiderate of his wife's hard work."

"Go on, or the water will get cold."

Thank you to Xiaolinger, Bai Wanw x2, Vegetarian Pig x7, Minako Tanaka, Book Friend 20250624000424003, Lee2024, Book Friend 20200125183439583 x3, and Peanut2012 for their monthly tickets!