Chapter 752
Extra 7
Chapter 752 Extra Seven
Lu Zhang accepted the Jie King's polite invitation to stay and stayed in Jie territory for a few days.
The King of Jie treated him well these past few days, but Yan Shu didn't show up at all. It's said that after receiving the imperial decree for divorce, he happily went hunting with his brothers to celebrate.
Lu Zhang was bored staying alone in the Jie King's mansion. After a few days, he took his leave and returned to his own fiefdom in Jin Kingdom.
Yan Shu returned three days after Lu Zhang left, looking travel-worn but radiant. Her brothers, who had returned with her, also returned laden with spoils, ordering their prey to be carried away, keeping the pelts and eating the meat as they pleased.
When Yan Shu returned home, she didn't see Lu Zhang. She asked him and found out that he had already left.
"He's smart enough not to linger here and get in the way." She snorted, quite satisfied with the outcome.
“Actually, now that we’re divorced and you’ve returned home safely, let’s not dwell too much on the unpleasant things of the past. After all, if he hadn’t taken the initiative to come to me and offered himself as a prisoner to help you escape from the capital, I don’t know what would have happened when the capital was in chaos.” Princess Jie patted her daughter’s hand and advised her, “If that had happened, I probably wouldn’t have been able to close my eyes every night at home.”
"Mother, you and Father are just too kind!" Yan Shu snorted indignantly. "Didn't I tell you all this? Back then, Lu Zhang listened to others and said that all Jie women were fierce and uncouth, so he abandoned me in the side courtyard and ignored me! I can't swallow the insults he gave me!"
"I know, I know. My daughter suffered quite a bit of injustice back then. I was also very angry when I first heard about it!" Princess Jie said with a smile. "However, despite the anger, the final outcome was much better than your father and I had originally expected."
Our biggest worry was that after you married him, you wouldn't like that kind of weak and scholarly man from Jin Guo, and if you didn't see eye to eye, you might get into a fight and, in a moment of impulse, whip him.
He was, after all, a prince of the Jin Kingdom. At that time, he had a prominent maternal grandfather to rely on. If he really caused such a mess, it would be difficult to handle.
So, although you did suffer some injustice back then, the level of trouble and the final outcome were, overall, much better than we had hoped for.
"Mother! Look what you've made of me!" Yan Shu pouted and acted coquettishly towards her mother. "Besides, even if I'm trapped in the capital, Zhu Yu and the others will find a way to rescue me!"
“I believe that. If it weren’t for your good sister and her husband’s help, you would have gotten into big trouble on the way you ran away from your marriage!” Princess Jie touched her daughter’s face with a mixture of heartache and amusement. “But one thing at a time, we still need to remember Prince Yi’s favor. After all, General Cao was ultimately on his side. Without his guarantee, there would have been a lot more trouble and costly dealing with the many obstacles in between.”
Yan Shu pouted. Although she was unwilling to admit it, she had to accept her mother's statement in her heart.
"Oh, Mother! I know, I know! If it weren't for the things he did before that could make amends, wouldn't he have been whipped out of our house the moment he showed his face?!" she said somewhat resentfully.
The Queen Consort of Jie simply smiled and didn't say anything more to her.
Having received the divorce papers, Yan Shu was like a bird released from its cage, completely carefree and joyful. The King and Queen were also very happy to see their beloved daughter so happy, and let her live however she wanted.
During this period, Lu Zhang visited several more times. One time, he came to deliver an imperial edict to Emperor Jin. The Jie King's loyalty and bravery during the previous internal strife deserved a reward, so he was accompanied by a group of porters carrying many precious imperial gifts. The Jie King readily ordered some fine goods from Jie territory to be prepared as a return gift to thank Emperor Jin for the bestowal of honors.
This time, Lu Zhang did not linger. After delivering the items, he returned with the group, only having a brief meeting with Yan Shu.
Yan Shu didn't try to avoid it anymore. After the divorce, she felt much better, and her original emotions gradually faded away.
After calming down and thinking about it again, she realized that if the situation were reversed, and she had to marry a pedantic scholar whom she disliked the most, just thinking about how he was full of pedantic and pedantic words, unable to lift a finger, let alone ride a horse or draw a bow, she probably wouldn't have been as dignified as Lu Zhang had been.
Thinking about it this way, the little resentment that was left faded a bit.
During this meeting, the two simply exchanged polite greetings. In the Jie region, there was no custom of women having to avoid each other, and Yan Shu behaved very naturally.
I thought Lu Zhang would keep glancing at me like before, but to my surprise, Lu Zhang remained calm and composed throughout, completing the procedures step by step, and leading the team back without even having a drink.
It seems that not only I have let go, but Lu Zhang has also let go.
When they met again, Emperor Jin had passed away and Emperor Lu Chao had ascended the throne.
When Emperor Jin passed away, the capital sent his last handwritten edict to the various vassal states, stating that the great chaos had just been quelled and that each state still needed to recuperate and reorganize its internal affairs. Therefore, the funeral should be simple, and the vassal kings did not need to travel thousands of miles to attend the funeral. They could simply set up memorial services in their respective places and come to the capital to receive their titles after the new emperor ascended the throne.
So after the King of Jie, following Emperor Jin's last edict, held a national mourning ceremony in Jie territory according to Jie customs, some time later, he received an imperial decree to go to the capital to offer congratulations. When he returned, he brought back the new emperor's bestowal of titles and honors.
Lu Zhang also came with him at this time. It is said that he had a very pleasant conversation with the King of Jie on the way to and from the capital, and thus was invited by the King of Jie to come and be a guest.
Several months later, when they met again, Yan Shu felt that Lu Zhang seemed a little different, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. She just vaguely felt that his whole demeanor seemed much more composed than before, without that panic and insecurity.
Yan Shu wondered if it was because he had changed environments after volunteering to guard the border, but Lu Zhang's skin seemed to be a bit darker than before, and his back looked straighter and his shoulders broader.
If it weren't for the fact that her face was exactly the same as before, she probably would have thought she had mistaken someone for someone else.
Lu Zhang stood to the side, seemingly sensing the gaze from the crowd. He looked towards Yan Shu, and when their eyes met, he gave a faint smile before looking away.
Yan Shu was slightly taken aback and couldn't help but frown.