Did the Seventh Prince attend court today?

"Have you heard? The daughter of the Liu family, the wealthy man in the east of the city, has also gone missing."

"Another girl has gone missing. This is the third one in less than two weeks, isn't it?"

"They even dare to abduct rich girls, those thieves are really bold."

"Yes, we ordinary folks have even less of a way to survive!"

The intermittent chatter from the next table reached their ears, and after hearing the content clearly, the expressions of the people present changed simultaneously.

You Lu couldn't help but recall the case of the missing girl that Xu Zheng had mentioned before leaving the capital.

But this is Cizhou, which is more than 400 kilometers away from Shengjing. If the missing persons cases here are also related to the Yi family, then the nature of the case will be completely different.

The eldest prince and Su Yan'an had obviously thought of this as well, and the two of them tacitly moved closer to Youlu.

Su Yan'an whispered, "This matter needs to be investigated. I suspect it's related to the Yi family."

The eldest prince chimed in, "I think so too. Why don't we stay in Cizhou for two days?"

"How should we begin the investigation?" Xu Ruohuai's voice suddenly rang out.

The eldest prince and Su Yan'an were startled and exclaimed in unison, "Why are you joining us here too?"

Xu Ruohuai shrugged and said, "Since you guys are all whispering amongst yourselves, of course I had to come and join in the fun."

Su Yan'an pulled the eldest prince, whose shoulders he was holding, to his side, patted off imaginary dust from the prince's shoulders, and clicked his tongue, saying, "If you're going to join in the fun, then join in, but don't get physical. Our Ali is a respectable person."

Xu Ruohuai: ? ?

He only put his arm around the Crown Prince's shoulder, was it really necessary to react so strongly?

Suddenly remembering something, he quickly raised his hands and earnestly explained, "Brother, believe me, I really don't like that kind of thing!"

Even if she had that taste, she wouldn't dare to covet a prince; he's not the Duke of Zhenguo!

Su Yan'an didn't care what he liked. She pulled the eldest prince aside and repeatedly reminded him, "Maintaining an appropriate distance from others is also the way of a gentleman. As the saying goes, too much closeness will backfire. This applies to serving one's ruler and making friends."

The eldest prince asked in bewilderment, "Isn't it normal for good brothers to put their arms around each other's shoulders? Ruohuai and I hit it off immediately and had a very pleasant conversation. I'm determined to be his friend."

He pointed to Cang Shuyue, who was feeding him soup with deer and vegetables, as an example, "Look at Uncle and Seventh Brother, how harmonious they are, this is what a loving family should be like."

Everyone present, except for the eldest prince himself, remained silent.

Youlu twitched his lips. "Eldest brother, why don't you open your eyes and take a look again?"

"Hmm?" The eldest prince scratched his head with his fan in confusion.

Pixiu's precise吐槽: 【Hopeless.】

Su Yan'an had no choice but to secretly complain to You Lu: "It's all your fault. You made me so sensitive and suspicious. Otherwise, I wouldn't be so vigilant, afraid that your eldest brother would follow in your footsteps."

The deer remained silent, as if to say, "Is it my fault?"

"It's all your fault!" Su Yan'an said righteously.

"Hmm?" Cang Shuyue glanced at it lightly.

Su Yan'an immediately cowered and shrank back into her seat.

Pixiu, resting its chin on its hand, said in a deliberately profound tone, "If the eldest prince also finds a boyfriend, your father will probably explode."

It analyzed logically, "[Look, you've been lured away by Cang Shuyue. The Third Prince is probably doomed. The Fourth Prince is infatuated with the Sixth Prince, and the Sixth Prince seems to have feelings for Cang Shuyue. If that's true, all five princes are doomed.]"

"Um..." You Lu imagined the scene for a moment, it was too beautiful.

He tried to struggle: "It's alright. Even if the princes are all gone, there are still princesses. Father will still have a chance to live."

I don't know how to put it, but I feel...

Pixiu frowned and shook his head, but before he could finish speaking, his mouth was covered.

"You have no idea. You'd better not have any ideas at all." Youlu threatened in a low voice, his gaze icy.

Although Cang Shuyue couldn't see the Pixiu, he still followed You Lu's gaze as it looked under the table and cast a cold glare at it.

The Pixiu's fur stood on end, and it nodded repeatedly.

It wasn't convenient to talk in the inn's lobby, so the group stopped discussing the missing person case. After dinner, they went upstairs to their rooms.

As soon as You Lu and Cang Shuyue stepped into the room, the First Prince, Su Yan'an, and Xu Ruohuai were about to follow.

Cang Shuyue held the door and coldly glanced at the three people in front of him.

The two stared at each other blankly, until finally the eldest prince spoke first: "Uncle, aren't you here with Seventh Brother to discuss how to investigate the missing person case?"

"..." Cang Shuyue choked, her expression quite complicated.

This thing is so blind, it actually has half of the Cangshu family's bloodline.

Su Yan'an and Xu Ruohuai gritted their teeth and suppressed their laughter, almost causing internal injuries.

Who says being slow-witted is bad? It actually has its advantages!

Helpless, Youlu ushered the group inside, saying, "Come in quickly, we don't have much time."

The two, trying not to laugh, immediately helped the eldest prince into the room, not forgetting to say a few polite words: "Then we'll be inconvenient."

Cang Shuyue cracked his knuckles and slammed the door shut.

The five people sat down at the round table in the room, and Xu Ruohuai thoughtfully poured tea and water for everyone.

"Actually, there's not much to discuss right now. We have too little information. Our top priority is to gather intelligence." Youlu got straight to the point and issued the task directly.

"My brother-in-law and I went to the street to try our luck."

"Brother Su, why don't you go to the brothel and see if you can find out anything?"

"Brother Xu, why don't you go to the teahouses and taverns? You might find something there."

"As for the eldest brother," Youlu said with a loving expression, "the eldest brother should stay in his room and wait for news."

The eldest prince pointed at himself: ???

Youlu clapped his hands, stood up, and said, "Alright, everyone, split up and meet back here in an hour."

Having said that, he pulled Cang Shuyue out the door, inwardly cheering: [Cizhou's specialty snacks, here I come!]

[The beasts are here too!] Pixiu rubbed his hands together, mimicking his actions.

Su Yan'an was unconvinced and, as he left, he grabbed the eldest prince and asked, "Do I look like some kind of good-for-nothing playboy?"

The eldest prince nodded honestly, "Yan An does indeed have a reputation for being quite the ladies' man."

Enraged, Su Yan'an stormed off.

Xu Ruohuai, who seemed to have seen through everything, clicked his tongue and shook his head. "Some people are only concerned with guarding against others, but they should be guarding against themselves the most."

Cizhou's nights are not as lively as those in Shengjing, but there are plenty of street food options.

Youlu bought a braised dish and a Cizhou-style fried dough stick by the roadside, along with some melon seeds, peanuts, and dried fruit. Then he ran to the big locust tree at the street corner and asked the grandparents who were cooling off for some information.

He was good-looking and had a sweet tongue. He even treated everyone to food, and before long, a group of elderly people were all smiles from his flattery. They spilled everything they knew, and not only that, they also shared gossip with great enthusiasm.

Cang Shuyue still had her own concerns, so she didn't go with You Lu, but just watched from afar. Seeing him chatting and laughing with a group of elderly people with great enthusiasm, she couldn't help but smile.

His baby is indeed loved wherever he goes.

He pressed the letter in his pocket, but because he wasn't sure if the little thing that followed his lover was watching him nearby, he hesitated for a long time before finally taking it out.

It seems I'll have to wait until I return to Beijing to read my sister's letter.