Chapter 172: A white lie.

The Military Camp Ningzhuo, Northern Wei

There was a heavy silence in the tent after Yu Ke left. Su Liya turned to her side and watched Lu Yaozhu closely, tilting her head to the side. she tried to get a read of Lu Yaozhu but as usual, can out with nothing. Lu Yaozhu was a hard nut to crack, he was a master of deception that made himself appear jovial and harmless. His facade made most people let down their guard on him, she had seen him do that a couple of times. 

She had this scary little thought at the back of her mind that he might have used it a few times on her but she refused to go down that route as it could result in some disastrous circumstances. she made sure to take note of that clue, she would always keep that in mind when dealing with him.

Lu Yaozhu smirked when he noticed her gaze, "if you have any questions... Just ask. I promise to answer honestly... Well, as honestly as I can be "

Su Liya glanced at his face and muttered, "well at least you are honest"

Lu Yaozhu just chuckled without saying anything, he enjoyed her honesty the most. Most young mistresses were so confined to the strict rules of prosperity that they barely had a thought of their own but Su Liya was different. She wasn't scared of airing her view no matter how contradictory it was. She was a good partner to him and he enjoyed her inputs no matter how contradictory because of how smart and witty she was.

He wasn't surprised that she had see-through his facade, neither was he supposed at her undiagnosed mistrust of him. He liked that even with their closeness, she always kept her wit around her. He never wanted her to experience what his aunt experienced in the Emperor's hands. He needed her to be strong enough to overcome anything that came her way. In case he wasn't here to protect her, he needed to be sure she could protect herself and their children.

Su Liya moved her gaze from him and gazed forward, she looked down at her wrist and after some thought. She said in a low tone "I want you to be honest with me Yaozhu", she looked away from her first and gazed at him. "Did you have someone soy on the Crown Prince?"

"Yes, I did. Just like you had people watching Zhu Fenfang and the Crown Princess consort" he said grinning as she tilted his head ti the side and continued, "you and eldest sister-in-law liked to appear relaxed but are even better than my brother and I at planning. You two already know about the secret letter don't you?"

She looked straight into his eyes, "how long have you been aware of that?"

"Honestly, I got a little suspicious while we were at Ningzhuo. We just arrived there yet you knew so much about the noble family there, even if you got the information through the gossip mill. It won't be so detailed, plus I know that you have known about the Shi family's betrayal. The sixth Prince is behind this current war, he must have gotten tired of his majesty's cold shoulder and decided to end things"

"If you know that then you must have guessed that I am not the original Su Liya"

His lips curved up, "Yes".

Su Liya moved back eyes wide, " how long have you known that"

He grabbed her hands and pulled her closer, "six months"

"Six months... We have been married for six months"

"Yes, want me to tell you how I found out?"

Su Liya blinked and nodded 

Lu Yaozhu Smirked, "for someone that has had a close relationship with young master Zhu, you are always distant when talking to him. Initially, I thought you were pretending but then I had my men investigate you and discovered that after you nearly drowned a year and a half ago.

"You acted like a completely different person, even if you still acted like Su Liya. The two of you had very distinct taste and character, I also found it strange that my eldest Sister-in-law would remain close to someone she tried to kill herself. You see, it wasn't sister-in-law first attempt to harm Su Liya in a year. She has tried non-stop, I asked myself why someone would suddenly become chummy with someone they tried to kill. 

"Except they wanted whoever that was to let down their guard but when she didn't try to hurt you again. I suspected that maybe, you were not the original Liya but acting Like her. Which sparked my interest, I was curious who you were. Then I noticed the strange words you said that and you seem to know private things about everyone.

"Your mannerism was nothing like Su Liya and frankly you are smarter than her and far less malicious. One can not easily change their core character, an observant person would have noticed the changes".

Su Liya gazed at him silently for a few minutes, she was too shocked and did not know the best way to proceed. This was completely unexpected, she had gone from trying to get a feel of Lu Yaozhu to getting her world shook. She has assumed that she did a good job, covering her tracks but this just proofed that she failed to cover her tracks. She couldn't help but worry that Ku Yaozhu wasn't the only one to notice all this.

Lu Yaozhu must have noticed her worried expression because he quickly said, "don't worry no one would suspect anything, I only got suspicious because of my close relationship with you. Even if they do, they can never say anything to harm you. I will not let them".

She felt surprisingly relieved to hear that but she didn't let it show not when things were not yet clear between them. She had questions to ask and fully intended to get some answers.

Su Liya took in a deep breath and looking straight at Lu Yaozhu asked, "if you found out that I wasn't Su Liya why didn't you say anything?"

"Why should I say anything? You didn't trust me then and frankly, I did not want things to become awkward between us. My men couldn't find anything on you, not even your identity so..." he nodded at her expectantly.

Su Liya looked into his eyes, "you are so smart, you tell me what you think".

"I think this is a case of looking alike, I once read somewhere that there are two people in the world that would look alike but the likelihood of meeting each other in one's lifetime is pretty slim. Before sister-in-law successfully got rid of Su Liya, she came back from a trip west. That must be where you two met".

Though she was unsure of Zhu Fengyin going West, she nodded. It didn't seem like a trap since the author had written in the original novel that Zhu Fengyin had travelled a few times. Accepting that she was from the west seemed better than telling him the truth. She could not imagine how Lu Yaozhu would take the news that she was neither from this time, nor this world.

'He would think that I had gone crazy or was drunk on rubbing alcohol. No, it was better to just agree that I was from the west, I don't want to be sent to ancient China equivalent of an asylum. I have a feeling that if I get sent there, I might come out batshit crazy. That is if I make it out in one piece', Su Liya thought as she nodded in agreement with Lu Yaozhu.

Zhu Fengyin never travelled that year but Lu Yaozhu didn't intend to let her know that. He knew that she didn't trust him with the truth but although it made him feel a little hurt. He ignored that, it was okay just staying with her. When she was ready she would tell him everything. He swept a few stray strands of hair that fell on her forehead behind her ears, smiling softly.

Su Liya felt her cheeks heat up, She blinked her eyes and lowered her lid. She moved back as he pulled back. Lu Yaozhu grinned when he saw her little actions, he placed his left hand on the table and leaned back on his sear eyes locked on hers.

Su Liya looked around the room feeling self-conscious, seconds later when she saw that Lu Yaozhu had no interest in looking away she started conversations take the conversation away from her.

"You haven't answered my question, Yaozhu"

Lu Yaozhu leaned forward and brought his face a few inches away from hers, "what is your questions about".

Su Liya leaned back a little and mumbled, " The Crown Prince?" When the response she received was a raised brow from Lu Yaozhu, she continued. "Why are you spying on the Crown Prince, I thought you were friends?"

"So what if we are friends, don't friends also betray each other. My father and the Emperor were friends, yet that didn't stop him from abandoning my father. You can never trust anyone most of all a monarch. People change and not always for the best. I will never repeat my father's mistake"