Did the Seventh Prince attend court today?

The wind brushed past my ears, bringing the rustling sound of leaves. In the soft morning light, wisps of smoke rose from the distant village chimneys. Everything was peaceful and beautiful, unlike the noisy thoughts in my mind.

Cang Shuyue stared at the distant horizon, looking dazed.

Youlu thought he hadn't heard her clearly, so she tugged at his sleeve. "Brother Imperial Brother, I..."

"I know," Cang Shuyue interrupted him, slowly tightening her arms around him. "I know you have no choice, so you're not speaking your mind. Our identities are an insurmountable chasm. You're worried that Xiao Yan won't allow us to be together, so you don't dare accept me, right?"

His downcast eyes were filled with pleading, his usually steady voice betrayed his unease, and the hand around his waist was trembling slightly. This man, who seemed as unyielding as a towering tower, was now utterly vulnerable.

You Lu couldn't help but feel a tightness in her chest.

He really wanted to hug him and comfort him, but he couldn't right now.

Considering that Cang Shuyue was already dissatisfied with his father, if he were to have another layer of influence, even with his mother by his side, he probably wouldn't be able to restrain him.

He immediately and urgently explained, "No, it's not because of Father, it's because of me..."

Cang Shuyue interrupted him again.

"Baby, don't be afraid. I don't care about worldly opinions. If someone objects, I'll make sure they can't speak again. No one can stop us from being together."

A seemingly casual remark reveals endless gloom and indifference.

The deer was terrified.

He had never seen Cang Shuyue so obsessive.

After spending time with him, he realized that Cang Shuyue might seem cold, but he was actually a very gentle person at heart.

He would tolerate his willfulness and indulge his unreasonable demands. He would personally participate in disaster relief and tirelessly fight bandits. In his eyes, Cang Shuyue was a really good person, except that he was a little quiet.

But now it seems that he didn't understand Cang Shuyuejing well enough.

How could the Duke of Zhenguo, who inspires fear in all, be a soft-hearted person?

He was so captivated by Cang Shuyue's gentleness that he overlooked the terrifying side of this man.

Strangely, however, he didn't feel scared at all; instead, he felt a kind of... secret delight?

He suddenly felt a little confused about himself.

Seeing him staring blankly at her, Cang Shuyue thought he was frightened by her words, so she stroked his face and said softly, "Baby, don't be afraid, I won't hurt you."

The prerequisite is that the baby behaves well.

The deer's eyes darted around, "So, are you going to lock me up? If I don't date you?"

Cang Shuyue paused, looked at his small face, and fell silent.

After a long silence, Cang Shuyue shook her head, her tone resolute, "Impossible. My sister said you like me. If you like me, you won't be with anyone else but me."

There's a deer: ? ? ?

May I ask you this?

Were he talking to thin air before?

He weakly explained again, "There are many kinds of liking someone, my brother-in-law, my feelings for you are..."

Before he could finish speaking, Cang Shuyue interrupted him again with a sullen face: "I don't want to hear it."

After saying that, he flicked his whip.

The horse, which was leisurely grazing by the roadside, was suddenly provoked and neighed loudly before galloping away.

After being interrupted time and time again, Deer's temper flared up, and she angrily crossed her arms and withdrew from his embrace.

Cang Shuyue frowned, then pulled the reins again, and the horse sped up once more.

Due to inertia, Youlu fell into the embrace behind him again. He struggled to get up, but the other person tightened their arms and imprisoned him in their embrace.

Unable to move, Youlu angrily lashed out with two elbow strikes at the person behind him, but the person didn't even blink.

The Pixiu, who had been covering its mouth and refusing to utter a sound, hoping the two could have a proper conversation: [...]

What kind of childish and tantrum is this?

He was initially very anxious, worried that his on-screen couple would break up, but now he realizes that his worries were completely unnecessary.

When others are rejected after confessing their love, they either go crazy and force themselves to be tied up, or they wail and cry their hearts out. But for this boss, it's just a petulant argument. And arguments are arguments, and so are affectionate displays. Even when arguing, they still have to be affectionate. So how could it end badly?

The Pixiu sighed, "The best days for beasts are yet to come."

As soon as it finished speaking, it received a glare, and it quickly made a zipping motion on its mouth.

For the rest of the journey, neither of them spoke again.

Back at the Nanzhang County government office, Cang Shuyue put the deer down, then cracked his whip and disappeared into the street.

"If you're so capable, then don't come back!" Youlu stomped her feet at his back, and only turned around and stormed off to the backyard when he was completely out of sight.

On the way back to the room, Youlu complained indignantly, "Men are all such jerks! They say they like me, but they won't even let me talk to them. If I talk to him again, I'll be a dog!"

Xu Ruohuai returned to the county government office first and was already tidying up and preparing to rest. Hearing the noise, he poked his head out of the door and said with a grin, "You're back. Why is it just you? Where is the Duke of Zhenguo?"

"How should I know!" Yu Lu snorted through her nose, arms crossed.

"Oh, you two had a fight?" Xu Ruohuai perked up, no longer in a hurry to go to sleep, and asked with concern, "Weren't you all lovey-dovey just now? How come you're arguing so suddenly?"

"Which eye of yours saw us all sticky? Believe me or not, I'll sue you for defamation!" Youlu glared, looking for a way to vent his frustration.

Xu Ruohuai pointed to his eyes, "I can see with both eyes."

Seeing Lu raise her fist, he quickly took a step back and said with an awkward smile, "No, I'm only doing this for your own good. Take my advice, it's okay to argue, it's not easy for you two to be together, don't let something so trivial hurt your relationship."

You Lu was surprised. How could Xu Ruohuai also think that he and Cang Shuyue were a couple? Were they really too close?

Thinking about Cang Shuyue's indulgence towards him and his dependence on Cang Shuyue, his mind went blank.

He paused for a moment, then explained, "Cang Shuyue and I are not together."

Now it was Xu Ruohuai's turn to be surprised. "You two aren't in that kind of relationship?"

Youlu: "..."

Pixiu spoke up at the opportune moment: "I told you, to outsiders, you're just having a talk, except for the First Prince, of course. I don't mean to look down on the First Prince; I'm just stating the facts."

Youlu ignored it, said "I'm going back to my room" and hurriedly went inside.

Xu Ruohuai scratched the back of his head, completely puzzled. How could couples be so intimate?

At that time, inside the Phoenix Palace, the Empress was reading the family letter that Cang Shuyue had sent back.

The three pages of content consisted of 50% praising Youlu for being well-behaved and sensible, 40% praising Youlu for being clever and quick-witted, and the remaining 10% criticizing the eldest prince for not being mature and steady enough.

The handwriting on the letter was vigorous and powerful, with flowing strokes, making it a rare and excellent piece of calligraphy.

Until my gaze fell on the last sentence.

"Sister, you're right. He loves me, and I want to marry him."

"Pfft—" The Empress sprayed all the pre-rain Longjing tea she had just drunk onto the letter.

She rubbed her eyes and absentmindedly handed the letter to Granny Cen. "I didn't sleep well last night, and my eyes are blurry. Granny, could you help me see what the last part of this letter says?"

Granny Cen took the letter with a mixture of surprise and doubt, and was speechless after reading it.

The Empress understood; she hadn't been seeing things. That brat was truly audacious.

"Give me my gun!"