I only wished to take up my fiefdom, but my elder brother forced me to rebel.

Lu Yuan looked down at the girl in his arms, and the girl also raised her face.

Her face was very fair, and her eyes showed the panic of having run so fast.

A strand of hair fell across his forehead, landing right next to his eyes, and his blue robe had become slightly loose from the earlier bump.

Lu Yuan reacted quickly, immediately looking away and pretending not to have seen it.

The girl in his arms did not leave immediately.

She looked up at the man in front of her.

The man's clothes were plain in color, unlike the typical young master who was adorned with jade from head to toe; he only had a simple jade pendant at his waist.

Yet, standing amidst the bustling crowd at Shiyunlou, he remained like a piece of jade submerged in water, untouched by the surrounding noise.

When she rushed over, everyone around her scattered.

Only he reached out and caught himself.

His arm protected her side, his movements restrained, neither taking advantage of her nor scolding her in public for bumping into him.

She had seen many noble young men in Beiliang, but she had never seen anyone like this before.

If we encounter danger again in the future, will he protect me like this?

If she had stayed in the capital, would he have come to Shiyunlou every day?

If that's the case, will she be able to see him every day?

The girl's thoughts drifted further and further away, and the tips of her ears gradually turned red.

Lu Yuan raised his hand and waved it twice in front of her eyes.

"Girl, are you steady on your feet?"

The girl snapped out of her daze and quickly pulled away from his embrace.

"Stand firm, thank you, young master."

She thanked him verbally, but her eyes kept drifting uncontrollably towards Lu Yuan's face.

Lu Yuan noticed her gaze and casually unfolded the folding fan.

The fan ribs are malfunctioning; once the fan is unfolded, it cannot be closed.

He fiddled with it for a bit, then simply held it in his hand, pretending not to notice.

"Just stand firm."

He looked the girl up and down.

"But your outfit makes you a prime target for trouble."

The girl immediately glared at him.

"I didn't cause any trouble; they're the ones bullying me."

"Oh?"

"They realized I was a woman disguised as a man, and they forced me to drink with them. When I refused, they blocked the door and wouldn't let me leave, saying they would take me to the backyard."

As she spoke, the shyness on her face faded, replaced by an barely suppressed anger.

"I was being very polite by hitting them with a bottle."

No sooner had he finished speaking than two young men rushed out from behind the crowd.

One of them had blood on his forehead, and there were shards of porcelain on his brocade robe.

The other person covered his head and walked unsteadily, clearly having drunk a lot.

"Grab that little slut!"

"She dared to hit me with a wine bottle; if I don't break her legs today, she'll be lucky!"

Several guards immediately surrounded them.

The girl's expression changed, and she immediately hid behind Lu Yuan, grabbing his clothes.

"Young master, they're bullying us!"

She gripped her hands tightly, her face filled with panic.

Lu Yuan turned around and shielded the person behind him.

"What do you want to do?"

The man with the injury on his forehead looked Lu Yuan up and down. Seeing that he was wearing ordinary clothes and had no conspicuous guards around him, he sneered.

"Mind your own business and get out of my way!"

"Does your family own the Poetry Pavilion?"

Another man pointed to the woman behind Lu Yuan.

"Let that little slut come out."

"It's an honor to have her drink with us, and she doesn't even appreciate it."

Lu Yuan did not back down; instead, he tapped the folding fan lightly in his hand.

"Explain things clearly first. Why did she smash things up for you?"

"She doesn't even know how to be appreciative, yet she dares to ask why?"

The injured man took a step forward, the smell of alcohol wafting towards him.

"If I've taken a liking to her, that's her good fortune. She's just a lowly commoner from out of town, a whore who frequents brothels, what's she doing pretending to be so high and mighty?"

The girl peeked half her head out from behind Lu Yuan.

"You two reek of alcohol, your brains are full of filth, you're just like two dressed wild boars!"

The hall suddenly became completely silent.

Someone couldn't help but burst out laughing.

The man with the wound on his forehead blushed and pointed at her.

"Say it again!"

"Say it ten times and it'll be the same."

The girl wasn't afraid at all; instead, she straightened up a bit behind Lu Yuan.

"One of them relies on his father being the military governor of Hedong, and the other relies on his uncle working in the Ministry of Justice. They dare not leave home even for a moment, yet they dare to act like heroes here."

Lu Yuan turned his head and glanced at her.

Unexpectedly, this girl could hurl insults one after another, and she even knew the background of the other party's family.

He suddenly realized that his trip to the flower market had not been in vain.

When the man with the wound on his forehead heard her reveal her origins, the anger on his face turned into smugness.

"You know who my father is, so why aren't you moving aside?"

"The military governor of Hedong controls the border troops, and my family also has relatives in the Six Ministries of the capital. By protecting this little hussy, you are going against both of our families."

The other person also moved forward two steps.

"My uncle is the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice. If you don't want to be invited to the Ministry of Justice for tea, then get out of here right now."

Lu Yuan looked up at them.

"Do your father and uncles know that you are doing such things in the capital?"

"So what if I know?"

The man chuckled.

Even if they knew, they would only praise our abilities.

"You've got the guts?"

Lu Yuan shook his folding fan.

"I have seen many spoiled brats, but it is rare to see people like you who take incompetence as a skill."

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly throughout the hall.

The two men didn't react for a moment.

The madam standing to the side changed her expression.

She had been wearing a somewhat apologetic smile, but now that smile vanished completely. She hurriedly walked up to Lu Yuan and curtsied.

"Your Highness, please forgive me. It was my fault for not disciplining you properly and disturbing you."

When the word "Your Highness" fell, all the guests in the hall gasped in shock.

Lu Yuan visited Shiyun Tower quite often, and usually sat in a corner of the hall, without any of the prince's regalia around him.

Regular customers assumed he was a wealthy young nobleman who spent lavishly, but who would have thought that the Crown Prince himself would be here today?

The girl was also surprised.

After Lu Yuan left, the madam remained respectful, and she had only one thought in her mind.

Is he the crown prince of Dayong?

Just now, I had been holding onto the Crown Prince's clothes and hiding behind him, cursing him.

Thinking about this, her ears turned red.

Lu Yuan ignored the stares of others and only looked at the madam.

"They're causing trouble in your building, how do you handle it?"

The madam immediately knelt down.

"Your Highness, please rest assured, I will ask them to leave immediately."

She turned around and raised her hand to the guard by the stairs.

"Throw those two beasts out."

The four guards had already arrived and came over from both sides after hearing this.

They were all tall and strong, with thick calluses on their hands from martial arts training.

Unlike those cowardly lackeys who rely on others' power, he...

Their steps were very steady, as if they were nailed to the ground.

The injured man immediately took a step back.

"You dare?"