Did the Seventh Prince attend court today?

By the end of July, the disaster relief efforts were nearing their end, and all that remained was to arrange the follow-up work before returning to Beijing.

The departure date was set for July 28th, so that we could return before the Mid-Autumn Festival.

The day before their departure, Song Zhiyao prepared a banquet to send everyone off, and officials from various prefectures and counties under the jurisdiction of Xiangyang Prefecture all came.

With the heavy burden lifted from their shoulders, everyone felt much more relaxed. During the meal, everyone toasted and laughed, raising their glasses to wish Dayong a long and prosperous future, creating a very lively atmosphere.

In fact, apart from Zhang Rui and his accomplices, the officials in Xiangyang Prefecture were generally quite law-abiding. Although they didn't have any outstanding achievements, they were stable and reliable, with no corrupt officials, and they were very cooperative in disaster relief efforts, which shows that Song Zhiyao's rule was quite strict.

As for Song Zhiyao, he made outstanding contributions to the disaster relief efforts and also prevented a man-made disaster in time. A promotion would not be a problem for him.

After several rounds of drinks and everyone had dispersed, the Crown Prince and Song Zhiyao were still engaged in a heated discussion about governing the country and ensuring the well-being of the people. The two talked all the way from the banquet hall to the east wing, standing in the courtyard and talking incessantly.

The moon rises above the willow branches, the Milky Way hangs low, and from afar, the croaking of frogs can be heard. The night breeze carries moisture and the fragrance of grass and trees, dispelling the heat of the day.

Because he had drunk a few too many drinks that night, Cang Shuyue openly clung to Youlu, demanding that Youlu help him back to his room to rest. Youlu didn't know if he was really drunk or pretending, so he could only let Cang Shuyue press heavily on him and carry him back to his room.

As Youlu passed by the Crown Prince and Song Zhiyao, she overheard them discussing escorting Gu Cheng and others back to the capital, so she stopped and listened carefully.

Logically speaking, these people should have been escorted back to Shengjing and handed over to the Dali Temple for processing. However, Cang Shuyue was worried about alerting the enemy, so he asked Song Zhiyao to detain the people first and suppress the matter. Even the officials from the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Revenue who accompanied them did not know about this matter.

Now that they are about to return to Beijing, Gu Cheng and the others naturally cannot stay in Xiangyang any longer.

"It's hard to guarantee that the Yi family hasn't planted spies elsewhere. If they openly escort them, once they leave Xiangyang, the fact that Gu Cheng and the others have been arrested will likely be exposed soon. At that time, the Yi family will definitely take precautions." Song Zhiyao looked worried.

The eldest prince agreed wholeheartedly. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "That's one reason. Furthermore, the Yi family still has trump cards up their sleeves, and they might try to cut their losses to survive."

Song Zhiyao's brows furrowed even more.

In order to erase the Crown Prince's merits in disaster relief, the Yi clan disregarded the lives of millions of people. If they cannot be killed decisively this time, they will surely cause endless trouble in the future.

Hearing this, You Lu couldn't help but speak up: "The escort is simple. I have a remarkable person by my side who is skilled in disguise. I can ask him to help me disguise Gu Cheng and the others as other people. That way, we can escort them to the capital openly and without any leaks."

The eldest prince's eyes lit up. "Excellent!"

After spending some time with him, Song Zhiyao had come to completely trust the young prince. Upon hearing this, he cupped his hands and asked, "Does Your Highness have any other methods to punish the Yi family?"

Youlu knew they were wary of the ironclad certificate in the Yi family's possession. After thinking for a moment, he said, "If we can't win in a direct confrontation, then we'll have to resort to some underhanded tactics. Since they're acting recklessly because they have this life-saving talisman, let them taste what it's like to be backfired by it."

"What Seventh Brother means is..." The First Prince understood immediately and frowned, "The Yi family treasures that thing very much and has sent many people to protect it, both openly and secretly, so it's not easy to make a move."

"I have a brilliant plan, Your Highness, just wait and see," Youlu said confidently.

"Alright." The eldest prince smiled and nodded, reaching out to pat his head, but Cang Shuyue, who was leaning on his shoulder, slapped his hand hard.

The eldest prince hissed, shook his hand, and said aggrievedly, "Uncle hit me too hard, was he drunk?"

He carefully examined Cang Shuyue's face and saw that he was leaning against You Lu's shoulder with his eyes closed, looking completely unconscious. He couldn't help but wonder, "That shouldn't be the case. My uncle has a better alcohol tolerance than me, and I'm not even drunk."

Because they had to travel tomorrow, everyone was very restrained at tonight's banquet and no one was forced to drink. Otherwise, the Crown Prince wouldn't be standing here talking to Song Zhiyao right now.

"Hehe, who knows? I'll take him back to his room first, you guys continue." You Lu chuckled twice, then swayed as he helped the man walk towards his room.

Seeing this, the eldest prince reminded him, "Seventh brother, Uncle's room is over there!"

Talking wasn't enough; he also wanted to lend a hand.

Song Zhiyao coughed lightly, stopping him, and said, "Your Highness, there is something else I would like to discuss with you."

The eldest prince's attention was immediately diverted.

As soon as the door closed, a deer was pinned against it and its breath was taken away.

The man's breath was hot and turbulent, reeking of alcohol, and he eagerly explored her mouth. Youlu couldn't bear it and let out a muffled groan, tugging at the hair of the person on top of her. Taking a breath, she gasped, "Wait a minute, I have something to do..."

"No, I won't wait." The man's eyes were deep and his voice was hoarse as he sealed the kiss with his own once more.

The Pixiu, who was hiding under the bed secretly eating hamburgers and cola, saw this scene and its eyes lit up. It stopped eating, held its breath, covered its mouth, and prepared to watch the show from the front row.

The deer was so overwhelmed by the kisses that its limbs went weak, and it could no longer stand, so it leaned against the broad chest.

His hands were grabbed and climbed up to his neck. After a dizzying spin, he was placed on the couch.

Cang Shuyue buried his head in his neck and nibbled, his large hands reaching inside his clothes, the heat sliding from his chest to his waist, gently kneading and rubbing.

Sensing the man's intention, Youlu took a deep breath to steady herself, grabbed his hand, and solemnly said, "I really have something else to do!"

He also wanted to take Meng Tianhong to disguise Gu Cheng and his men.

Cang Shuyue, dissatisfied, grabbed his earlobe and gently bit it.

"Ouch, that hurts!" Youlu glared at him reproachfully.

Cang Shuyue immediately released his round, white earlobe, nuzzled his face affectionately, and said, "Baby is cute, you can only talk to me."

You Luqi laughed, "Is this wine or vinegar? Why is it so sour?"

"What kind of weird problem is this? Can't I even talk to my own brother?" He tugged at the man's ear, straightened his clothes, sat up, and said, "Just rest, I'll be right back."

"Mmm." Cang Shuyue responded, but then pulled open his collar and placed kisses on his shoulder one by one.

What to do when your boyfriend is too clingy?

After calming down her clingy boyfriend, Youlu took Meng Tianhong to the prison to do makeup for Gu Cheng and the others. The two of them worked for most of the night before they were done.

The next morning, the disaster relief team departed from Xiangyang Prefecture, embarking on their journey back to the capital. Gu Cheng and his entourage, escorted by Cang Shuyue's guards, set off a step ahead.

On the way back, they still used the same method of traveling by boat from the south and horses from the north, combining water and land transportation, so that they could arrive in Shengjing before the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Because there was no need to escort the silver, the journey was much faster than the way there. Although the journey was arduous, everyone wanted to get back before the festival, so there were no complaints.

On the twelfth day, the group arrived in Cizhou. It would only take another four or five days by carriage to reach the capital.

It was already late when they landed in Cizhou. The group found an inn in the city to stay at. While having dinner in the lobby, they heard a horrifying story.