Wu Chuan whispered, "Master, our people have received news that the Fifth Prince and the Imperial Preceptor have gone to Southern Liang."
Southern Liang? What is the Fifth Prince doing in Southern Liang?
Lu Xiaoyun felt a headache coming on. The original owner of this body was a complete playboy who knew nothing about the affairs of the court or the capital, and didn't even know where Southern Liang was.
She frowned, then decided to ask Zhu Yu instead.
With a wave of his hand, Wu Chuan quietly retreated.
Lu Xiaoyun turned around, opened the door, and went inside to tell Zhu Yu about the matter.
Zhu Yu said, "The place guarded by the Duke of Zhenguo and his son is the Southern Frontier, which is a long and narrow border line that connects the State of Chen on one side and the State of Southern Liang on the other. The State of Chen is an enemy of the Great Zhou, but because your father and brother are here, they dare not act recklessly."
Lu Xiaoyun nodded and asked, "What about Nanliang? What is its relationship with Da Zhou?"
Zhu Yu glanced at her: "Lu Xiaoyun, you're just pretending to be weak to deceive others. You don't even know what your relationship with Nan Liang is like?"
Lu Xiaoyun pursed her lips, unable to refute.
There was nothing she could do but take the blame.
Zhu Yu gave a slight snort, but didn't say anything more sarcastic: "Twenty years ago, the Southern Liang sent a princess to the palace to become a concubine."
"So, the Great Zhou and the Southern Liang have a pretty good relationship?"
Zhu Yu nodded, then shook his head: "That was in the past. In recent years, with the change of imperial power in Southern Liang, the relationship with Great Zhou has gradually become more delicate."
"What are the Fifth Prince and the Imperial Preceptor doing in Southern Liang? Aren't they afraid that the Emperor of Southern Liang will capture them and take them hostage, and then use the opportunity to demand something from Great Zhou?"
“Nanliang is not bold enough to do that. Although they intend to break away from Dazhou, Dazhou is, after all, a country that was conquered. After the founding of the country, the Emperor Grandfather allowed the people to recuperate and reduced taxes. Dazhou has gradually become stronger and is not comparable to a small country like Nanliang. They do not have the audacity to detain my Dazhou prince. If I am not mistaken, Father should be summoning my fifth brother back to the capital.”
Lu Xiaoyun frowned slightly, rested her chin on her hand, and thought for a moment before saying, "You mean, His Majesty sent the Fifth Prince to Southern Liang to give him a chance to make merit, and easing relations with Southern Liang is the best opportunity? So that after he returns to Shengjing, he can be brought into the court naturally?"
Zhu Yu looked up at Lu Xiaoyun and saw that her eyes were narrowed and the corners of her eyes were upturned, giving her a more lively look.
Ha, this woman doesn't seem as stupid as he originally thought.
He gave a soft "hmm".
Lu Xiaoyun seemed to have thought of something and asked urgently, "Zhu Yu, what kind of person is the Fifth Prince?"
Zhu Yu said, "Everyone says that the Fifth Prince Zhu Dan is of exceptionally handsome and has the appearance of a celestial being. I think this assessment is quite accurate."
Upon hearing this, Lu Xiaoyun laughed: "He's quite the handsome man, isn't he? Compared to you, who's more handsome?"
Zhu Yu rolled his eyes at her: "I'm handsome! Which eye of yours saw that I'm beautiful?"
Beauty? Ha, only women are called beautiful. He's a man. Can a man be called beautiful?
Lu Xiaoyun burst out laughing.
She recalled that she had seen many things in the study these past few days, most of which were about the Fifth Prince.
She asked, "Zhu Yu, why are you so concerned about the Fifth Prince?"
Zhu Yu's eyes suddenly sharpened, and he asked, "What do you know?"
Lu Xiaoyun paused, surprised that Zhu Yu was so perceptive: "I don't know anything, I'm just a little curious. The Crown Prince and the Third Prince reside in Shengjing, and their influence is equally matched. The Second Prince seems leisurely and unambitious, but that may not be the case. However, there are very few things about the Crown Prince, the Second Prince, and the Third Prince in your study, so you seem to care about them very little."
"The Fifth Prince is rarely in Shengjing, yet there are many things about him inside, from who his teachers were and how skilled he was in martial arts and horsemanship, to even the details of his daily meals. I just don't understand, what is it about him that attracts you so much attention?"
Zhu Yu pursed his lips and glanced at Lu Xiaoyun: "Lu Xiaoyun, I advise you not to touch anything in my study!"
The fifth prince, Zhu Dan, was exceptionally intelligent; he could compose a poem in five steps and a chapter in ten.
At the age of ten, he had already won the unanimous praise of the civil and military officials in the court. If it weren't for the fact that Zhu Zhi was both the eldest son and the legitimate heir, and that he was made crown prince at the age of ten while the late empress was still alive, when Zhu Dan was still a newborn baby, the ministers in the court would probably have suggested to the emperor to make Zhu Dan crown prince long ago.
Ironically, the court officials disliked the fourth prince as much as they liked the fifth prince, Zhu Dan.
Lu Xiaoyun suddenly realized something, quickly sat up straight, her expression changed, leaned forward, and whispered to Zhu Yu, "Your Majesty has five princes and four princesses. The fifth prince, Zhu Dan, is Your Majesty's youngest son. Since him, no other concubines in the harem have had any sons."
Zhu Yu paused, realizing it was indeed true. He hadn't noticed this before, assuming it was normal for his father's concubines to be unable to conceive due to his advanced age.
Lu Xiaoyun asked urgently, "Zhu Yu, how old is His Majesty this year?"
"Fifty-five years old, so what?" Zhu Yu raised an eyebrow.
If Zhu Yu weren't a woman, anyone who saw his upturned eyes and tightly pursed lips would be startled, thinking they had said something wrong.
But nowadays, with the soul of a man and the body of a delicate woman, it seems like a young girl is teasing a simple, honest man.
Lu Xiaoyun's lips twitched, and she coughed lightly before asking, "How old is Zhu Dan this year?"
"Twenty years old."
"Where is the Crown Prince?"
"The Crown Prince is Father's eldest son, and he is twenty-eight years old this year. My second brother, Zhu Heng, is twenty-six years old, my third brother, Zhu Chen, is twenty-five years old, and I, the fourth prince, am twenty-three years old. My eldest sister is twenty-seven years old, my second sister is twenty-four years old, my third sister is twenty-one years old, and my fourth sister is fifteen years old this year. Lu Xiaoyun, what exactly are you trying to say?"
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