Plotting with You: The Forensic Scientist in Ancient Times!-Chapter 400 - 399: Apple of My Eye

"Brother... Brother... you... this..." Lu Yan, being straightforward, couldn’t suppress his feelings, stretched out his hand and pointed at Zhu Yu, "You wanted to have a heart-to-heart talk with me, I assumed it was to confide in me as brothers would.

This lad by your side is your right-hand man, and you let him in to listen too, I wouldn’t mind.

But... for him to just sit at the table like this... isn’t that a bit inappropriate?"

Lu Qing laughed, turned to look at Zhu Yu, and said to Lu Yan, "She’s more than just my right-hand person, calling her the flesh of my heart wouldn’t be an exaggeration."

Upon hearing this, Lu Yan wasn’t the only one who got goosebumps — even Zhu Yu felt an involuntary shiver.

She wasn’t sure how other women handled such cheesy love talk, but today she was sure of one thing — she was definitely the type who found it hard to endure such mushy confessions.

As the person in question, she couldn’t handle it, and Lu Yan’s expression became even more bizarre, eyes widening as he glanced between Zhu Yu and Lu Qing, tongue-tied and unable to articulate his shock and confusion.

Without waiting for him to find his words, Lu Qing continued, "Moreover, you shouldn’t call her ’this lad,’ you should address her as ’sister-in-law.’

Upon hearing this, Lu Yan nearly dropped his jaw on the table. He suspiciously looked at Lu Qing, trying to find some hidden mockery in his face.

But he found nothing; Lu Qing appeared utterly serious and sincere.

"You’re... you’re a woman?" Lu Yan finally managed to ask Zhu Yu, a bit unsure.

Zhu Yu, having recovered from her goosebumps, calmly nodded at him, speaking in her normal voice, "Indeed, no deception here."

Lu Yan still remembered how Chief Historian Yu examined the bodies of his subordinates who met tragic ends, and he couldn’t help but exclaim, "A woman with such courage and methods, truly rare in this world!"

"The Third Prince overpraises me," Zhu Yu modestly waved a hand.

Lu Yan didn’t say anything further to her but instead turned to Lu Qing, slightly frowning as he asked, "Brother... as far as I know, Father once arranged a marriage for you, and you have since married by royal decree, correct?"

"Indeed," Lu Qing nodded.

"Then..." Lu Yan glanced at Zhu Yu again, hesitating slightly before directly asking, "You have this sister-in-law close to your heart by your side, does that granted Princess know?"

"I am naturally indifferent towards such feelings. To meet a woman who moves my heart is already a blessing from above. Where would any other sister-in-law come from?" Lu Qing shrugged helplessly.

"But with this sister-in-law here, wasn’t there a decree from Father at the capital to match you with Shuo Country’s..." Lu Yan, often letting his actions outpace his thoughts, quickly realized what was going on midway, his expression growing more astonished as he looked at Zhu Yu, "You are the concubine’s daughter of Prince Shuo?!"

"That’s me," Zhu Yu was amused by his reaction. Compared to Lu Zhang’s restrained surprise upon discovering that Chief Historian Yu was actually Princess Xiaoyao, Lu Yan’s reaction was far more entertaining, "I can vouch for Lu Qing; in his household, there’s no other wife but me, at least for now."

Her last remark earned her a light tap on the back of her head from Lu Qing.

Lu Yan clicked his tongue repeatedly, "Tsk tsk tsk, who would have thought! Who could have imagined! Zhu Cheng, that old scoundrel, was able to raise such a bold and capable daughter!"

His fief bordered both Shuo Land and Lan Country, so he naturally heard plenty about Shuo Country in his daily life and was not unfamiliar with what kind of person Zhu Cheng was.

Perhaps his astonishment was too great, causing Lu Yan to blurt out his most shocking thought without filtering it.

Only after speaking did he realize that Zhu Cheng was, after all, Zhu Yu’s father, and calling him an "old scoundrel" in front of her was a bit inappropriate.

"Sister-in-law... I apologize..." he awkwardly tugged at a smile.

Zhu Yu smiled and waved her hand.

From any angle, she held no deep affection for Zhu Cheng. To her, Zhu Cheng was not so much a revered father as he was an indispensable ally.

Moreover, objectively speaking, Lu Yan’s term was somewhat accurate... ahem...

"Sister-in-law... these days... I may have been somewhat disrespectful. Please don’t take offense!" After snapping out of it, Lu Yan realized that over the past few days, he had often addressed Zhu Yu as "lad," and he rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment, quickly expressing his apologies.

"The Third Prince is straightforward, honest, sincere, and unpretentious in dealings with others. There’s no offense taken at all.

Moreover, among our family, there’s hardly any talk of offense," Zhu Yu smiled, waving it off as no big deal.

"Bringing her along everywhere with me isn’t always proper, so I haven’t told outsiders. That’s why today, after everyone left, I told my third brother in private," Lu Qing deftly added.

Lu Yan was suddenly enlightened, nodding immediately with an understanding expression.

Zhu Yu cast an unnoticed glance at Lu Qing.

This sly fox, speaking so beautifully.

Lu Zhang had already learned the truth back in Shuo Land and was held by Lu Qing’s clever grasp, not daring to spill the secret. Not mentioning it in front of Lu Yan was a way to cover for Lu Qing.

As a result, Lu Qing’s words painted an entirely different picture for Lu Yan, making him feel grateful beyond measure and bringing them closer by a great degree.

"It’s getting late, let’s discuss today’s matter." After cashing in on the favor, Lu Qing brought back the topic earnestly.

Lu Yan, hearing the switch in topics, regained his serious demeanor, "Brother, did you doubt my claims before? Why let Lu Zhang find an excuse to leave, and allow his Colonel to take away the spies I brought in?"

"I trust you, otherwise, we wouldn’t be sitting here behind closed doors discussing this.

Since you know there might be a mole among Lu Zhang’s people, keeping Lu Zhang and his men around makes it easier to pinpoint that Fake Castle Master, doesn’t it?" Lu Qing reasoned.