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Chapter 722 Oral Order
"Why would the General think that way?" Lu Zhang asked, somewhat puzzled. Although he left the capital later than Lu Qing, he had been blinded by his maternal grandfather, Zhao Bi, all along.

Even though Zhao Bi's original intention was to make Lu Zhang more convinced of his arrangements, it is undeniable that this also made him unable to see any other clues about the truth.

Therefore, in his mind, Lu Ze was still that younger brother who, although past the age of twenty, was still innocent and naive like a young man. So how could he not be surprised when he heard Cao Tianbao's words?

“Your Highness may not know this, but Prince Shu has never been a good troublemaker, not even before you left the capital!” Cao Tianbao sighed heavily. “When you were in the capital, he was able to restrain himself a little, but ever since you left the capital, and there isn’t a single grown prince left in the capital besides him, he’s stopped pretending in front of us altogether.”

The Emperor was unwell, so he entrusted him with many tasks. His arrogant and domineering demeanor outside was a far cry from his former self.

Not to mention him, I heard that even Consort Duan has become more powerful in the harem because of these things, and she is no longer the same as before!
There were some things that Prince Shu said were conveyed through the Emperor's oral decree, but when we wanted to see the Emperor in person, Prince Shu said that the Emperor was unwell and would not see anyone. Even he could only receive messages and could not meet with the Emperor. He told us not to disturb the Emperor's rest.

We started to feel that something was amiss, but we couldn't find any evidence. Plus, many people had been implicated by Zhao Bi, and we ourselves were still embroiled in trouble, so we could only keep our suspicions to ourselves.

"What did he do?" Zhu Yu asked curiously.

"He said it was an imperial edict that the Imperial Guards who were originally guarding the capital had been transferred to posts outside the capital. We didn't even know any of the newly reassigned Imperial Guards who were guarding the city."

He had originally intended to replace all the imperial guards in the palace, but the plan was eventually abandoned. I guessed that it would be difficult to hide this from the Emperor, so since the Emperor wouldn't allow it, he didn't dare to openly disobey the Emperor's will and had to give up.” Cao Tianbao's expression was extremely ugly. “With so many of us, none of us realized that His Highness Prince Shu's past innocence was all an act. He's truly lived a wasted life!”

"You can know a person's face but not their heart. We didn't realize it before, but it's not too late now." Lu Qing didn't directly answer Cao Tianbao's question about whether Lu Ze was the instigator, but his words revealed his opinion: "I think Lu Zhang is right not to go back."

General Cao shouldn't go back either.

Even with limited manpower, we can always mobilize them and put them to use. Once they go back, they'll be like caged beasts, their situation only becoming more passive.

“I am determined not to go back.” Lu Zhang nodded. “In the past, I didn’t have much ambition for power. It’s just that I was always being pulled along by my maternal grandfather. After listening to him talk so much, my mind became confused. I was pushed and dragged along. On one hand, I vaguely felt that I was being praised and flattered, admired and fawned over. That feeling of vanity made me feel lightheaded, but on the other hand, I felt uneasy in my heart.”

I actually loved calligraphy and painting the most when I was a child, and I longed for the kind of life where I could immerse myself in nature and live a carefree life. But as I grew up, I became conflicted. Nothing I did felt right, nothing I felt at ease with, and nothing I was happy with.

After leaving the capital, I felt much more relaxed. Once I reached the border, everything here was completely different from what I had seen or experienced before. I felt very comfortable and at ease here.

He sighed softly again, "In the past, I haven't been able to truly share my father's burdens. If I can do my best to do something this time, it will be my duty as a son." "Alright, since that's the case, then I'll stay here with Prince Yi. Firstly, I'm worried about leaving Prince Yi here alone, and secondly, if anything is needed, I can at least provide support." Seeing that Lu Zhang had made up his mind, and hearing what he said, and noticing that he was clearly more cheerful and determined than when he was in the capital, Cao Tianbao also made up his mind.

After thinking for a moment, he added, "In the next few days, I would like to ask Your Highness to accompany me on an inspection tour along the border. Firstly, seeing is believing, and secondly... if everything is true, the Jie people are not good at troop deployment and will need some guidance."

“Alright! Then I’ll go with you. I’ll show you whether we Jie people are upright and trustworthy!” Yan Shu immediately asked to go with Cao Tianbao after hearing what he said.

"That's excellent." Lu Zhang nodded hastily, though it was unclear whether he was speaking to Cao Tianbao or Yan Shu.

Yan Shu ignored him completely, but Cao Tianbao nodded at him.

"Brother and sister-in-law, would you like to come along?" Lu Zhang turned to ask Lu Qing.

Yan Shu also looked at Zhu Yu expectantly. Clearly, she wanted to bring her good friend to see her Jie warriors.

However, Lu Qing smiled and shook his head, then turned to look at Zhu Yu: "No, Zhu Yu has been traveling with me these past few days, especially with the incense-delivering team, and then with General Cao all the way here. He's really exhausted."

I plan to stay here with her for a few days to rest, and then I'll be heading back.

"Ah?! You're leaving so soon?!" Yan Shu was alarmed when she heard this. She got up and ran from her table to Zhu Yu's side, sat down next to her, took her hand, and looked at her with reluctance in her eyes. "But we've been so busy traveling and dodging assassins that we haven't had a chance to talk properly!"
I was thinking that once we got here, we'd be settled in, and I'd take you to meet my father and treat you to the best wine and food in our Jie region!

I also want to take you horseback riding to see the world, watch the sunrise in the morning, and gaze at the stars at night!

"There will be an opportunity." Zhu Yu smiled as he listened to what she said. "When the world is at peace, you'll have to keep your word. I will definitely come back to you to fulfill my promise!"

Yan Shu was somewhat unwilling, but she could only nod, let out a heavy sigh, and slumped her shoulders, looking genuinely unhappy.

However, given the current situation, one can guess the clues just from the assassins encountered along the way, so prioritizing the overall situation is naturally necessary.

"You'll be setting off back in a few days?" Upon hearing this, Cao Tianbao suddenly understood something. "So... you were actually planning to go to the capital from the very beginning. You already had a plan. The reason you came to Jie with us wasn't because you had nowhere else to go, but because of other considerations that made it a spur-of-the-moment decision?"