Zhu Yu nodded to Lu Xiaoyun and said, "Your martial arts skills are not bad."

Qin Xue glanced at the two of them with a puzzled look, then lowered her head and said, "Yes, this servant is a servant born into the master's household. I was trained as a death squad by the master's household since I was a child, all for the purpose of protecting the young lady and young master."

At this point, Qin Xue's whole demeanor dimmed, tears welled up in her eyes, and she choked out, "But, Qin Xue is so useless. I still couldn't protect Miss and let her be harmed by villains."

He does seem to be a loyal person.

“Two fists can’t fight four hands. There are too many of them. No matter how high your martial arts are, you can’t kill more than two thousand people by yourself. This is not your fault.” Lu Xiaoyun picked up a cup of tea and took a small sip.

If she hadn't possessed such high martial arts skills, she probably wouldn't have survived. It's just a pity that she ultimately couldn't protect her master.

Qin Xue couldn't help but raise her eyes and steal a glance at Lu Xiaoyun. Everyone said that Prince An was ruthless and vicious, a demon who killed without blinking an eye, but only by seeing it with one's own eyes could one know the truth. Prince An was not at all like the outsiders described him.

How could someone like that possibly defeat the Northern Qi? How could someone like that possibly have so many loyal subordinates around him?

I have never heard any of the people on the northwestern border say a bad word about His Highness Prince An.

Lu Xiaoyun added, "Your injury is no longer a serious problem. With proper rest and recuperation, you will fully recover. After you have recovered, whether you stay or leave is entirely up to you. I will not stop you."

Qin Xue propped herself up, knelt down, placed her hands on her forehead and bowed deeply, saying solemnly, "This servant thanks Your Highness for avenging my master, mistress and young lady. This servant thanks Your Highness for saving our lives."

"This servant has some martial arts skills. Although they are not top-notch, a dozen or so ordinary martial arts practitioners would find it difficult to get close to me. If Your Highness does not despise me, my life will belong to Your Highness from now on."

Lu Xiaoyun glanced at Zhu Yu, and Zhu Yu nodded at her.

Lu Xiaoyun waved her hand: "Get up."

Qinxue refused to get up, and instead knelt down, saying, "This servant has another request."

Zhu Yu said, "Speak."

Qin Xue pursed her lips. She was now quite certain that the prince had deep feelings for the princess, so he would never contradict her.

She said, "This servant wants to visit the master, mistress, and young lady of the main family again, and see them off on their final journey. I want to bury them with my own hands. After they are laid to rest, this servant's life will belong to the prince and princess."

After Qinxue finished speaking, she kowtowed deeply.

Her loyalty was indeed evident, and Lu Xiaoyun was even more satisfied with her. She nodded and said, "Good. The bodies have been kept in the mortuary. I will have Yuan Xiu select a few people to go with you to the mortuary to retrieve the bodies, buy some good coffins, and allow you to give them a proper burial."

Qin Xue kowtowed again, knowing that with His Highness Prince An there, the people at the mortuary would not make things difficult for her.

She choked back tears and said, "This servant swears to be loyal to the Prince and the Princess until death. If I break this oath, may I be struck by lightning and die a horrible death!"

The ancients valued promises, and this girl was skilled in martial arts. Lu Xiaoyun secretly wanted to keep her, but such things depended on mutual consent; otherwise, forcing her to stay would not bring any good.

Lu Xiaoyun: "Did you see clearly who was flying the kite?"

Qinxue stood up and nodded: "After that person put the things in the courtyard, he looked around very cautiously. However, I was behind the door and deliberately kept my breathing low, so it was impossible for him to find me."

"The man was extremely tall and thin. He held a sword in his left hand and seemed to be wearing something like an eagle claw hook in his right hand. He was too far away to see clearly, but he appeared to be around thirty years old."

"He was dressed all in black, and judging from his appearance, he looked like a secret guard or assassin kept by some high-ranking official's mansion. But because he was far away and I was behind the door, I couldn't see his face clearly."

Lu Xiaoyun looked at Zhu Yu and saw that after hearing Qin Xue describe the person's characteristics, he clenched his fists tightly, the veins on the back of his hands were almost bulging, and his face was extremely pale.

He probably already knows who is behind the assassination attempt on him.

Lu Xiaoyun said to Qinxue, "I understand. You should take good care of your injuries and stay by the Princess's side to protect her from now on."

Qin Xue kowtowed to Zhu Yu again.

Jiang Chuanlai had Qinxue carried away.

After Qin Xue left, Lu Xiaoyun looked at Zhu Yu, who seemed to have lost his soul, just like a few days ago when he learned that the old emperor had poisoned him with a poison that would prevent him from having children.

After a long pause, he asked in a hoarse voice, "Do you know who it is?"

Zhu Yu closed his eyes and his throat bobbed: "It was Father Emperor. The person she was talking about was Xing Shuo, Father Emperor's secret guard. His right hand was crippled. Because his martial arts skills were not the highest among the secret guards, he usually only ran errands for Father Emperor and did some hidden things. That's why he didn't notice Qin Xue behind the Xie Mansion gate ten feet away."

Back then, it was this man named Xing Shuo who discovered his mother's background; he remembered this person very clearly.

He originally thought that although his father had intended to kill him, he had not actually carried out the act.

To prevent future trouble, they poisoned him with that kind of poison.

But it turned out he was wrong.

His father not only wanted him to be childless, but also wanted him dead.

Even if he could never have his own children again, once he married into the Zhenguo Duke's family, his father would not tolerate him.

Even if, perhaps, the palace banquet and his marriage to Lu Xiaoyun were a scheme orchestrated by him and Ren Yong'an.

It turns out that the person who killed him was his closest relative.

If Lu Xiaoyun hadn't handed over the Tiger Tally of the Northern Army on his behalf so early, the Anwang Mansion would never have been so peaceful during this period.

Lu Xiaoyun gently squeezed Zhu Yu's hand.

Zhu Yu's hands were ice-cold.

He looked at Lu Xiaoyun and murmured, "Lu Xiaoyun, thank you."

"Um?"

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