Plotting with You: The Forensic Scientist in Ancient Times!-Chapter 265 - 264: Going Together

Zhu Yu listened to Yan Shu telling these interesting stories, feeling a bit envious inside.

Although Shuo Country didn’t have many cumbersome rituals to restrict women’s speech and behavior, it was also a deep-rooted belief that women couldn’t accomplish anything significant, so doing nothing as long as they didn’t trouble men was considered good enough.

Because of this, over the years Zhu Cheng had always been cautious with his daughters at home. Not to mention the concubine’s daughters being watched closely by Pang Yuzhen, unable, or rather not daring, to shower them with extra love. Even the only legitimate daughter, Zhu Ning, was only given better clothes and food, never being cultivated as a talent with potential.

This kind of thing wasn’t uncommon in the world, it was pretty much the same everywhere.

Unexpectedly, it was Jie Country, long considered the most barbaric, where women could ride and hunt with the men in their families.

"Is it only because your father favors you that he taught you horseback riding and archery, or are most girls in Jie Country like that?" Zhu Yu asked curiously, stopping what she was doing and wiping the sweat from her forehead as she looked at Yan Shu.

"Pretty much the same," Yan Shu seemed to notice Zhu Yu’s surprise and waved her hand, "We’re different, after all!

In Jie Country, we have many fierce beasts, tigers in the east and wolves in the west. Those wolves move in packs. They don’t just eat cattle and sheep; they can bite a person to death in a single bite!

So people over there, regardless of gender, can ride and shoot—it’s a survival skill.

The women there not only shoot arrows but are also skilled at skinning beasts, wielding knives better than arrows!

But when I was in Shuo Country for a few days, I didn’t even see a tiger. I did see a wolf in the mountains; it was so thin and small that I almost thought it was a fox, starving to the bones. When I got closer, it ran away after I threw a stone at it.

So women here really don’t need to learn archery, it’s useless."

Zhu Yu sighed, finally understanding why for so many years Emperor Jin had viewed Jie Country as a serious threat while being apparently indifferent to the neighboring Shuo Country.

No matter how rough the customs of the Shuo Land are, they’re just miners and blacksmiths at best, craftsmen essentially.

In Jie Country, it’s not just the men—even the women live in peace yet are skilled with bows and arrows to guard their cattle and sheep from wolves, and they wield sharp blades to sew leather coats for their families.

If war ever breaks out, those arrows that can take down wolves can penetrate the chests of enemy soldiers, and their skinning skills can easily decapitate foes.

This is probably the legendary "every citizen a soldier"!

Zhu Yu watched Yan Shu mimic her actions, pondering her stories, and couldn’t help but laugh, "A skilled rider and archer practicing such escape tricks with me—aren’t you wasting your time?’t 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

"Not at all, each has its use!" Yan Shu replied without hesitation, "That day, when I watched your husband teaching you, I thought these moves were pretty useful. I used to play with my brothers; they’d always tease me with their strength.

If I had learned these earlier, I’d be like a mudfish, slipping away whenever they tried to catch me...

Zhu Yu initially chatted with Yan Shu while practicing, not noticing her reaction until she heard her voice grow faint, almost inaudible, realizing something was wrong. She quickly looked over to see Yan Shu with red eyes, tearful eyes, turning away to wipe her tears.

"What’s wrong?" Zhu Yu hurried over, patting herself down for a handkerchief, but used her sleeve instead to gently wipe the tears from Yan Shu’s eyes and cheeks, "You were fine just now, why are you crying all of a sudden?"

"Oh, it’s nothing, I just suddenly felt a bit pathetic," Yan Shu tried to force a smile, but couldn’t, "I just suddenly thought that maybe I’ll never have a chance to return to Jie Country, never see my parents and brothers again, let alone play and joke with them..."

"Don’t think like that," Zhu Yu shook her head, comforting her, "The future is unpredictable; we can’t even predict what will happen tomorrow. How can we know what will happen much later?

I thought I’d never get a chance to return to Shuo Country again, never see my mother, but look, here I am now!"

"But that’s because you have a reliable husband, someone to look after you in Jin Country..." Yan Shu sighed, "My betrothed left me, who knows where he went, how can I expect him to take me back to Jie Country?

Hoping for his understanding of my homesickness is useless; better hope he can’t stand me and divorces me outright, sends me back to Jie Country!"

Zhu Yu understood Yan Shu’s feelings, but didn’t know how to comfort her.

An arranged marriage is different from a typical parental decision or matchmaker’s arrangement; even Lu Zhang would probably only dare cut ties with Yan Shu subtly, under Duke Yan’s persuasion, never daring to propose divorce to Emperor Jin.

But such reality isn’t suitable to emphasize to someone already feeling down.

So she patted her chest boldly: "Don’t worry, aren’t we here?

My husband is Lu Zhang’s elder brother, so I’m considered his sister-in-law.

We’re friends now; if he mistreats you, I’ll get his brother to teach him a lesson!"

Yan Shu couldn’t help but laugh at her words.

She wasn’t a child; she knew that Lu Qing and Lu Zhang weren’t close, perhaps even at odds.

Given the relationship between the two families, Lu Qing couldn’t easily interfere in Lu Zhang’s affairs.

But since Zhu Yu wanted to comfort her, she wouldn’t be tactless, so she nodded, wiping her tears, "You quickly continue practicing, let’s not talk about those bothersome people!"

After breakfast, the Prince Mansion’s steward suddenly came running, saying the Prince wanted him to speak directly to the Second Young Lady and her husband.

The rune had led him to the small classroom in Li Garden, and then brought Zhu Yu over.

"Second Young Lady, the Prince said that the Pang Family’s head steward has arrived, just reached the mansion, drinking tea in the guest hall, yet the Prince hasn’t gone over yet. He wants you and your husband to freshen up and meet him.

He said it would be better if you were present at this time."

The steward looked bewildered, seemingly confused; earlier the Prince had explicitly forbidden the news of the Young Lady and her husband’s return from leaking, not even allowing visitors from the Pang Family.

So the Pang Family’s steward had already inquired twice, yet wasn’t allowed to visit because the Prince wasn’t home.

Why did the Prince specifically want the Young Lady and her husband to attend today?