Seeing that Bai Lu had figured it out, Shang Shaoyan stopped talking about it and asked, "Bai Lu, what is your real name?"
Bai Lu paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "My surname is Yu, and my given name is Bai Lu."
After saying that, she seemed a little puzzled, as if she didn't quite understand why Shang Shaoyan was asking this.
Shang Shaoyan smiled and said, half-jokingly, "In the future, when historians write their works, they will have to clearly state your surname."
Bai Lu: "..."
To be honest, she wasn't used to the county magistrate constantly talking about rebellion.
What Shang Shaoyan really wanted was the habit of the people around him. Didn't you see that Harry Potter also talked about "Voldemort" all the time, successfully eliminating some people's fear of Voldemort?
...
Meanwhile, the imperial palace of the Northern Zhou Dynasty was filled with a somber atmosphere—spring arrives later in the north, so it was common for light snow to fall.
The Third Prince, Qiao Yu, sat on the palanquin. His face, which bore a five-point resemblance to Qiao Xiuyu, showed obvious signs of illness, and his eyebrows and eyes were gloomy. However, this five-point resemblance was completely overshadowed by his utterly different temperament.
"Your Highness, the Seventh Young Master's letter has arrived." The eunuch beside her seemed to want to cheer Qiao Yu up. "The Eleventh Young Master also sent a letter to me. I heard that the Seventh Young Master has found a lady he likes."
Qiao Yu was indeed much happier, her brows relaxed, and even her tired face from days of open and covert struggles showed a smile: "He actually has a girl he likes? Let's hurry back to the manor, I want to see what kind of girl she is..."
The eunuch smiled and said, "Her Majesty has also received the letter and is very happy right now. She said she is going to Yunjian Temple to pay her respects. The Seventh Young Master has finally found someone he likes."
Qiao Yu glanced helplessly in the direction of the Empress's residence: "After so many days, Mother finally has something to be happy about."
As they spoke, the group had already left the palace and returned to Qiao Yu's residence. Qiao Yu walked back to her study in a few steps and eagerly opened the letter sent by Qiao Xiuyu.
The more she looked, the deeper the smile on Qiao Yu's face became.
It turns out that the emperor's younger brother has fallen in love with the county princess from the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion in Southern Chen. In his letter, he described this county princess as the most adorable girl in the world. Although she is sometimes a bit spoiled, she is very special and different from other girls.
In particular, she could understand her own piano playing.
Qiao Yu: "..."
He took a breath and then continued reading.
Oh, this young lady is naturally strong, and she also has a sickly older brother, who is the newly ennobled Duke of Zhenguo. The younger brother of the emperor once accidentally made him faint from anger.
Qiao Yu: "".
Finally, Qiao Xiuyu concluded his letter by expressing his determination to marry the woman and bring her back to Northern Zhou as soon as possible, so that he could introduce her to his elder brother and mother.
The letter also contained a portrait of the county princess. Qiao Yu looked at it and saw that she was indeed a bright, elegant, beautiful, and lovely young woman.
He was greatly comforted and wanted to read Qiao Xiuyu's letter again, but suddenly he began to cough violently, as if he was about to cough up his lungs. Qiao Yu quickly covered his mouth with a handkerchief, and after a violent coughing fit, the handkerchief was stained with a lot of blood.
Qiao Yu didn't even glance at it, and threw it directly into the brazier beside him, but she thought with a hint of regret that he probably wouldn't live to see his younger brother and sister-in-law again.
However, he fought for this position for his younger brother and mother, not for himself.
He can leave with peace of mind as long as they are doing well.
...
Shang Shaoyan and her group hurried along, and finally covered a small part of the journey. During this time, she would often peek out from the carriage and chat and laugh with Chen Shu and Li Xuan on the oxcart next to her.
Chen Shu and Li Xuan thus witnessed Shang Shaoyan's talent, which was in no way inferior to that of men, and even more outstanding than their eldest grandson, whom they had carefully raised.
Chen Shu was delighted to see her talent and didn't mind that Shang Shaoyan was just a young woman. He was even more willing to discuss important matters of the Chen Dynasty with her, and Shang Shaoyan would always discuss them seriously. If they disagreed, they would argue, but after the argument, one of them would always agree with the other's point of view first, and then a new round of discussion would begin...
In just ten days, Chen Shu had already exclaimed to Li Xuan several times, "If only the Princess of Heyang were a handsome young man..."
Seeing this, Li Xuan felt an even greater surge of turmoil in his heart.
He was different from Chen Shu. Although Chen Shu was also quite cunning, he was always straightforward and upright, and very few people could truly win his favor.
If that were all, Li Xuan wouldn't be so wary—what alarmed him even more was that Shang Shaoyan had the upper hand in most of the arguments, and the aura of a superior that she subtly exuded in her demeanor was definitely not the attitude a noble lady should have.
But he dared not think about it too deeply.
On this day, Shang Shaoyan unusually did not argue with Chen Shu. Not only was Chen Shu not used to it, but even Li Xuan felt uncomfortable.
Bai Lu walked over gracefully at this moment, smiling as she handed over some snacks: "The county princess just received a letter from home and is writing to the duke. She specially asked me to come and apologize for breaking our promise."
Chen Shu waved his hand and said it was nothing.
Seeing that Bai Lu had walked away, Li Xuan tentatively asked, "Sometimes, I even find the aura of the Princess of Heyang somewhat frightening..."
Chen Shu stared sharply at Li Xuan, who neither flinched nor avoided his gaze, allowing him to scrutinize him.
After a long while, Chen Shu finally withdrew his gaze and said meaningfully, "Yes, he does look somewhat like the late emperor."
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