Upon receiving the message from the man in black, Zhu Chen was in high spirits. He didn't care that the people of Mu City didn't leave the city to see him off; they were just a bunch of lowly commoners.

So he immediately ordered the men in black to keep the news under wraps.

The man in black secretly breathed a sigh of relief and quickly left.

He thought to himself that Prince An was truly prescient, knowing that the Third Prince would definitely keep this matter a secret.

The head guard lowered his voice: "Your Highness, should we...?" He made a throat-slitting gesture.

Zhu Chen smiled and said, "No need. The deaths of Ruoling and the others can be concealed for a while, but not forever. When that happens, he and his men will be our best scapegoats."

...

Because it was Shengjing, a city that was kept out of the public eye, Lu Xiaoyun made proper arrangements for Lu Yuyan and Ruoling, and then took Feng Yan and the others back to the capital early the next morning, leaving Wu Chuan and Xi Yi behind. In addition, she left fifty secret guards to protect them.

This mountain villa was extremely secluded; it was Consort Duan who told her about it just before she set off.

She knew that Consort Duan was rich, but she didn't expect that her real estate speculation would spread throughout the entire Great Zhou Dynasty.

Three days later, Lu Xiaoyun returned to the Prince An's residence.

As soon as he returned to the manor, the steward Yuan Xiu rushed over: "Your Highness, the people we sent out a few months ago to investigate the deaths of Madam Lu and her two maids have returned. Because so much time has passed, the investigation has become quite difficult, which is why it has taken so long."

Lu Xiaoyun nodded and instructed Yuan Xiu to call the person over.

Hurrying along the way, covered in dust, Lu Xiaoyun went to the hot spring for a bath.

The bodyguard then reported the information he had gathered over the past few months through the screen.

By the time she finished bathing and changed her clothes, the bodyguard had finished speaking.

The guard looked much thinner, having arrived only half an hour earlier than Lu Xiaoyun and the others. His eyes were dark and swollen, clearly indicating that he hadn't had a proper rest in a long time.

This is a matter of great importance, and my father and brother must hear it in person: "You will come with me to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion and tell the Duke and his son what you have found out over the past few months."

"yes."

"After we return from the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, I will give you a few days off to rest properly."

The guard lowered his head and said, "I'm not tired."

Lu Xiaoyun looked up at him.

The guard hurriedly knelt on one knee: "Yes, I am indeed very tired, but I can hold on for a few more hours."

Lu Xiaoyun then nodded.

Now that the Duke of Zhenguo has returned to Shengjing, and because the wedding date has been suddenly moved up to June 12th, the entire Duke of Zhenguo's mansion is extremely busy.

Unlike the Shen family and the Yongbo Marquis's family, they did not make preparations early on.

Lu Yucheng had no birth mother and spent most of his time in southern Xinjiang. The wedding date was suddenly moved up, catching him off guard.

Fortunately, Zhu Yu was there, though he couldn't offer any real help.

The task of preparing betrothal gifts for his brother fell to him.

This can also be seen as a test before he remarries Lu Xiaoyun's body back to the Prince An's mansion.

Zhu Yu was holding a booklet and instructing his steward, Uncle Qing, "The betrothal gift is too little; add another 20,000 taels. Also, this gold bracelet is too stingy; replace it with a pair of white jade bracelets inlaid with gold. And this, this, everything needs to be changed. Why are you preparing such a meager amount?"

Uncle Qing was sweating profusely. Is this what you call shabby? Don't you know what shabby looks like or what? Don't you want to listen to what you're saying?

In these aristocratic families, very few can afford a dowry like that of a young master; anything higher would be almost like a royal wedding.

And this white jade bracelet inlaid with gold—do you think he can just buy it whenever he wants? Everyone knows that white jade is priceless, and there's a pair of them!

Everyone knows that there are only two pairs of white jade and gold bracelets in the entire Zhou Dynasty: one pair is in the hands of the Empress Dowager and the other pair is in the hands of Prince An.

Needless to say, the Empress Dowager probably intended it as part of Princess Ruoling's dowry.

Miss, do you think you're His Highness Prince An, able to get any good thing you want?

At this moment, Li Feng rushed in from outside like a magpie: "Miss, Miss, His Highness Prince An has arrived. He is with the Heir Apparent in the main hall of the courtyard. The Duke sent me to invite you over."

Upon hearing that Lu Xiaoyun had arrived, Zhu Yu immediately shoved the betrothal gift list into Uncle Qing's hand: "Go and prepare like this for now. Oh, by the way, don't worry about those white jade and gold bracelets, I have my own way of handling them."

As he spoke, he stood up and walked towards the study.

Seeing the young lady leave and no longer fussing over the betrothal gifts, Uncle Qing wiped away a cold sweat and breathed a long sigh of relief.

As Zhu Yu walked out, he asked Qi Yu beside him, "What has the Fang family been doing all this time?"

Since Fang was released by Old Madam Lu, she hasn't caused any trouble for a long time, which Zhu Yu finds hard to believe. Now that her brother's wedding is approaching, she's probably going to get restless.

Qi Yu said, "Ever since Madam Wei was ordered by the Duke to be beaten to death in her courtyard, Madam Fang has been ill for a while. During this time, she seems to be preparing the dowries for the second and third young ladies, and has also invited a teacher of etiquette to the mansion to teach the two young ladies etiquette."

Zhu Yu paused in his tracks: "Their dowries? Which young master has Madam Fang taken a fancy to?"

Now that the Duke of Yingguo has gone to the Northwest, and with the Duke of Zhenguo's warning already in place, the Fang family should not be willing to marry Lu Jinmi to his eldest grandson again.

Qi Yu twitched the corner of his mouth and said, "Your Highness Prince An and Your Highness the Fifth Prince."

Zhu Yu snorted coldly, "The Fang family has quite an appetite; aren't they afraid of choking themselves to death?"

"Keep a close eye on her, don't let her ruin my brother's wedding."

"Yes." Qi Yu accepted the order.

Li Feng had to jog to keep up with her young lady's pace. The young lady looked so thin and small, yet she walked too fast.

Her eyes sparkled: "Miss, Miss, what do you think His Highness Prince An has come to see the Duke about at this hour?"

Qi Yu glanced at her silently; the little girl's gossipy heart was growing wildly again.

However, she was also quite curious.

"Miss, do you think they might have come to propose marriage to the Duke?"

Zhu Yu paused, his heart suddenly pounding wildly: "You said, Prince An came to propose marriage to Father?"

I could barely speak properly, only managing to utter two words at a time, and my heart was pounding in my throat.

Lu Xiaoyun is really something. Why didn't she discuss such a big thing with him beforehand? She always manages to surprise him.

It's so embarrassing.

Seeing that no one was around, Li Feng said mysteriously, "That's right, you and the Prince, you two have already... you know... the Duke just returned to the manor today, and the Prince came. If he's not here to propose marriage, why is he in such a hurry? Besides, the Heir Apparent knows that you've already... you know, so he will definitely help you."

Li Feng grinned mischievously: "So, Miss, you should prepare to be a bride again."

Zhu Yu gazed at the front hall from afar, recalling the scene of their intimate moments, and blushed.

Calm down, calm down. Zhu Yu took several deep breaths to suppress his chaotic emotions and started walking again.

Qi Yu followed behind him, silently gazing at him for a moment. The young lady was walking with her arms and legs moving in unison.

well……