Did the Seventh Prince attend court today?

The two areas most severely affected by the recent floods in Xiangyang were Junzhou and Nanzhang County.

With Song Zhiyao overseeing things in Junzhou and a team sent from Shengjing monitoring things in Nanzhang, the disaster situation in both places has basically stabilized after nearly a month of management and reconstruction. Given time, the lives of the people will be able to return to normal.

Under the leadership of the Crown Prince, the disaster relief work in Nanzhang is progressing smoothly. The construction of water conservancy projects and the reconstruction of damaged villages are on track, and he and Xu Ruohuai no longer need to keep a close eye on it. What they need to do next is to inspect the counties that are not so severely affected by the disaster.

After dinner that day, the eldest prince gathered all those who had come to provide disaster relief to discuss the next steps.

"Thank you all for your hard work these past few days. The situation in Nanzhang is now largely resolved. Next, we will inspect the conditions in several less affected areas. What are your thoughts on this?"

As soon as the Crown Prince finished speaking, Youlu raised his hand and said, "I think we can all split up and patrol different areas. This will not only save a lot of time, but also allow us to discover and solve problems earlier!"

Gu Cheng's eyes flickered slightly, but he said sarcastically, "Seventh Prince is just here for sightseeing; it wouldn't be appropriate for him to discuss political affairs so casually, would it?"

Several Ministry of Works officials who had a grudge against Youlu echoed his sentiments.

The officials from the Ministry of Revenue strongly agreed, saying, "We believe that the Seventh Prince is right. You are all capable individuals who can handle things independently. There is indeed no need for you to work together in groups. It would be more efficient to disperse and inspect various places, which would save time, effort, and costs."

Xu Ruohuai secretly gave a thumbs up, thinking that when it came to meticulous budgeting, the Ministry of Revenue was the best choice.

He feigned distress and pondered for a moment before saying, "Commander Gu is mistaken. The Seventh Prince has rendered meritorious service in helping the people, and his suggestions are reasonable. Why be so fixated on his status and position?"

"However, if we were to conduct inspections separately, I am still relatively inexperienced and not as mature and composed as you all, so I am afraid I would fail in my duty."

His words, though seemingly ordinary, actually belittled himself while elevating others and raising potential risks, demonstrating remarkable skill.

You Lu was surprised. In less than two months, his good brother had transformed from a clueless young man easily fooled by women into a smooth-talking veteran of officialdom. Old Xu would probably be envious of his silver tongue.

As the saying goes, "Reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles." What you see and hear on the road is not only about mountains, rivers, local customs, and people, but also about how to conduct yourself in society.

Xu Ruohuai has indeed learned a lot along the way.

First, he had a colleague who was always against him, so his first step was to learn to be tolerant. And his step back really opened up a world of possibilities, allowing him to see people's hearts, understand his own shortcomings, act more cautiously, and develop a more mature and tactful personality.

Upon arriving in Xiangyang, he witnessed firsthand the suffering of the displaced people and thus found a lifelong goal to strive for.

Then, the deer's forceful education not only disciplined the eldest prince but also taught him an extremely important lesson in life. From it, he saw the difference between big and small, between choices and sacrifices, and also saw human nature.

He gained more experience during this period than he had in the previous twenty years in Shengjing combined, and he naturally matured as a result.

The eldest prince shared the same concerns as Xu Ruohuai.

After all, there was Gu Cheng in their team, who was waiting for an opportunity to act. If Gu Cheng was allowed to act alone, something bad might happen.

Youlu gave the eldest prince a reassuring look. Although the eldest prince did not know what he was planning, he nodded and said out of trust for him, "In that case, we will do as Seventh Brother says."

Gu Cheng was secretly delighted; he had finally gotten his chance.

Only a few people from the Ministry of Works were sullen.

The Ministry of Works personnel were not giving up and turned their attention to Cang Shuyue, who had remained silent. Cang Shuyue simply pretended not to notice.

Seeing the two brothers exchanging glances, Xu Ruohuai knew they had a plan in mind, so he asked the next question: "How should the tasks be divided? Who will be responsible for which area?"

[Of course, we should send Gu Cheng to Xiangyang County and make him collude with his accomplices! But we can't send him directly to Xiangyang; we have to take a roundabout approach.]

You Lu rubbed his hands expectantly, but before he could say what was on his mind, Cang Shuyue spoke first: "The First Prince will be in charge of Zaoyang County, Xu Ruohuai will be in charge of Xiangyang County, Gu Cheng will be in charge of Yicheng County, I will be in charge of Gucheng County, the Ministry of Revenue will be in charge of Guanghua County, and the Ministry of Works will be in charge of adapting to the situation."

He methodically assigned tasks, and finally tapped the desktop, "Any problems?"

Under his powerful aura, no one dared to object, and they all nodded in agreement.

Under the table, Lu hooked Cang Shuyue's little finger and smiled with satisfaction.

It seems that having your thoughts heard isn't all bad.

Cang Shuyue remained calm, but his hand under the table playfully grabbed and pinched Cang Shuyue's fingertips.

After the meeting, everyone returned to their rooms.

As they stepped out of the front hall, You Lu quietly gave Xu Ruohuai a look and then pointed to Gu Cheng, who was hurrying away, the implication being quite clear.

Xu Ruohuai understood and caught up with Gu Cheng in a few steps, smiling, "Commander Gu, can I make a deal with you?"

Gu Cheng shook off the hand that was on his shoulder and said impatiently, "Just say what you have to say."

The Gu family is a noble and prestigious family, while the Xu family comes from a poor background. Gu Cheng has always looked down on Xu Ruohuai.

The two had some personal grudges in the past. After arriving in Xiangyang, Xu Ruohuai protected You Lu in every way. Gu Cheng saw this and had already placed him in the opposing camp. Now that he had come to his door, he naturally did not give him a good look.

Xu Ruohuai didn't mind and said with a smile, "To be honest, I have some grudges with Prefect Song and don't want to work under his nose, so I'd like to change places with you."

Gu Cheng slowed his pace.

He was worried that he wouldn't be assigned to Xiangyang County, but unexpectedly, an opportunity came knocking on his door.

But then I thought about it again, and the timing was a bit too coincidental.

As cunning and treacherous as Xiao Yunlu is, it's highly likely that he's setting a trap for him.

He looked Xu Ruohuai up and down, trying to glean something from his face, and said warily, "Why would I switch places with you? You're the Seventh Prince's man, and we're like oil and water. Who knows if you're setting a trap for me?"

Xu Ruohuai scoffed and said, "If you don't want to change it, then don't change it. Why make such a big deal out of it? It's not like I absolutely have to change it. But you, making such a fuss over nothing, are you hiding something?"

Startled that his secret had been exposed, Gu Cheng blushed under Xu Ruohuai's probing gaze, and said with feigned bravado, "I'll change it! I've done nothing wrong, I'm not afraid of you!"

Xu Ruohuai shrugged indifferently, and the two considered it an agreement.

The eldest prince returned to the east wing with a heavy heart. When he passed by the door of Youlu's room, he saw Cang Shuyue follow Youlu into the room. He subconsciously wanted to follow, but as soon as he stepped one foot over the threshold, Cang Shuyue raised his hand to stop him.

He looked up in confusion, meeting his uncle's displeased and cold gaze.

"Is there anything else, Eldest Brother?" Youlu poked his head out and asked.

The eldest prince did want to ask Youlu about the purpose of proposing to disperse the inspections, but seeing Cang Shuyue's increasingly cold expression, he couldn't bring himself to say the words he was about to utter, and could only stammer, "N-nothing."

"Then we're going to bed now, good night, eldest brother~~" Youlu waved obediently, and Cang Shuyue slammed the door shut.

The eldest prince, locked outside the door, had tears in his eyes.

They slept together as a trio when they were on the boat, but now they're all ostracizing him. Love doesn't disappear, it just shifts. His brother and uncle don't love him anymore.