Did the Seventh Prince attend court today?

Returning from the yamen, Su Yan'an looked displeased. He closed the door and sneered, "No wonder so many people went missing, yet less than half reported it. It turns out it's because they couldn't afford the so-called fees for reassigning personnel."

Early this morning, he went to the county government office to report the case as planned. The magistrate accepted the report but delayed sending anyone to investigate. After he repeatedly inquired and urged him, the magistrate, surnamed Liao, said, "I know you are anxious because you lost your daughter, but the government has its own rules for handling cases."

Magistrate Liao showed him a pile of official documents, saying helplessly, "As you can see, the yamen has too many cases backlogged. I really don't have time to deal with your little matter. Just wait."

Then, changing the subject, he rubbed his fingers together, "However, if you're really in a hurry, I can allocate extra manpower to handle your case first, but as for the manpower and resources..."

It was a blatant implication that he should offer a bribe.

Su Yan'an was well aware of the corruption in officialdom, but such shamelessness was rare—colluding with kidnappers to traffic people on one hand, and demanding bribes from the families of the kidnapped on the other. To call him worse than an animal would be an insult to animals.

However, in order not to arouse suspicion, Su Yan'an still took out one hundred taels of silver and asked the magistrate of Cizhou to investigate as soon as possible.

Cang Shuyue, still feigning illness, leaned against the headboard, listlessly flipping through the book in his hand. Hearing this, he didn't even raise his head, and said indifferently, "You don't enter officialdom precisely because you know how sordid it is. Why get angry?"

Su Yan'an felt embarrassed when his thoughts were exposed.

Born into a prominent family, he was intelligent and precocious. Due to his elders, he was well-versed in the rules of officialdom at a young age. However, because he had seen too much and understood it too well, he developed feelings of resentment and disgust.

That is why he has been hesitant to enter officialdom.

This year he has come of age. Other scions of noble families of similar age have either earned their official titles through their own efforts or obtained official positions through the protection of their families. Only he, despite his rising fame and renowned talent, remains merely a prince's study companion.

It wasn't that he lacked the ability to be an official, but rather that he didn't want to.

Fortunately, his grandfather and father respected his opinion and did not force him.

He had lived a carefree and unrestrained life for many years, but now, doubts began to arise.

Su Yan'an pursed his lips, took two steps forward, cupped his hands, and said, "This student has some questions, and hopes that you, sir, can answer them."

He had been learning martial arts from the Duke of Zhenguo along with the eldest prince since childhood. The Duke of Zhenguo was considered his martial arts teacher, but this was the first time he had addressed the Duke of Zhenguo as "teacher".

Cang Shuyue glanced at him but ignored him.

Su Yan'an stiffened his neck and began to speak on his own: "There are deer in the forest, and people chase after them..."

He had barely begun to speak when Cang Shuyue's face suddenly darkened. He threw down the book in his hand and said in a deep voice, "Get out."

Yinwu, who was standing to the side, coughed lightly and whispered a reminder: "Young Master Su, let's put it another way."

Su Yan'an belatedly realized his mistake, awkwardly touching the tip of his nose, and changed his words: "There are fish in the river, and people flock to them. In their efforts to catch fish, they stir up the river water, making it filthy. People who come to fetch water don't want to get their shoes and socks dirty, so they stay away from the river. Is this right or wrong?"

"I have no obligation to answer you," Cang Shuyue said coldly, giving Yin Wu a wink.

Yinwu understood and said with a smile, "Young Master Su, my master is tired, please go back."

Su Yan'an sighed. Sure enough, when Xiao Lu wasn't around, the Duke of Zhenguo was still as difficult to get along with as ever.

With a slight change of heart, he feigned regret and said, "If Xiao Lu were here, he would surely be able to answer my question. I'll wait for Xiao Lu to come back before asking him."

He turned around as if to leave.

"Stop." Cang Shuyue called out to him coldly, his face grim. "It's wrong. To put it simply, not fetching water means there's no water in the house, which means you haven't fulfilled your responsibility and obligation to support your family, and you're dragging your family down with you."

"On a larger scale, the destruction of water sources affects far more than just one person. To witness it firsthand and yet do nothing to stop it, only wanting to protect oneself, is not virtuous, it is escapism, it is cowardice and incompetence."

Su Yan'an's face turned pale, his hands clenched into fists. "How can one person stop dozens or hundreds of people?"

"How do you know you have no companions if you don't make a move?" Cang Shuyue retorted, his tone slightly softening. "This river is only so big. If you are all clean and unwilling to wade into the muddy waters, then there will be others who want to catch fish in."

After saying that, he waved his hand.

Yinwu gestured for him to proceed.

Su Yan'an practically fled in panic.

Once outside, Su Yan'an looked completely distracted.

Yinwu didn't know how much he had taken in, so he thought for a moment and said, "Young Master Su, the Crown Prince is destined to be involved in court struggles from birth. If you want to stay out of trouble, please keep your distance from the Crown Prince in the future."

He cupped his hands in greeting and pushed open the door to enter the room.

Su Yan'an stood outside the door in a daze, unable to come back to her senses for a long time.

Outside Cizhou, inside a mountain cave.

Youlu only took a nap while Pixiu went out to gather intelligence. When he woke up, he found himself being treated like a monkey, with a group of people looking him up and down.

He couldn't help but twitch his lips, then feigned helplessness and fear, tears welling in his eyes as he shrank into a corner, his voice trembling as he asked, "Who are you people? Where is this place? Why am I here?"

As he spoke, he quickly sized up the group of people in front of him.

There were more than a dozen people in total, with three leaders: one burly and strong, one with a scar on his face, and one short and stocky. All three looked fierce and menacing, their faces full of malice, clearly indicating that they had killed people on their hands, and more than one.

Faced with his questioning, the burly man stepped forward and approached the cage, laughing loudly, "Look at this delicate little face, it's so alluring. Luckily, I listened to Scarface's advice yesterday and kidnapped her overnight, otherwise the loss would have been huge."

As they got closer, a deer smelled the familiar stench and couldn't help but gag.

No need to guess, these are the people who kidnapped him last night.

Upon hearing this, the man with the scar on his face said coldly, "My judgment is never wrong. With her, we'll definitely be able to get away with this."

The short, stocky man smacked his lips and said, "Such a top-quality item wouldn't be sold here, would it?"

"I've already sent someone to inform the master that we've received top-quality goods. The higher-ups will probably send someone to inspect them," Scarface said.

The short man suddenly hissed, "Why does this girl look so familiar?"

"Let me take a look." The burly man pushed aside the short man and stared wide-eyed at the person in the cage.

You Lu felt a chill run down his spine. Could it be that these two people had seen him when he entered the city with his elder brother, and now recognized him?

The short man pulled a painting from his pocket, looked at it, and exclaimed, "I knew it looked familiar! She looks exactly like the person in this painting! But the person in the painting is a handsome man, and she's a beautiful woman, so I didn't recognize her at first."

Youlu was completely confused. What painting?

The burly man snatched the painting and looked at it, saying, "It really is! Should we keep this for the young master? He specifically instructed us to collect people who look like the man in the painting. If we sell them, it'll be hard to explain later."

Scarface frowned and said, "Such good stuff, if the young master ruins it again, the master won't let us off the hook."

"this……"

The three of them were in a dilemma, and they discussed it in hushed tones before leaving the cave.

You Lu frowned; he was now very curious about the painting.