Did the Seventh Prince attend court today?

There's nothing that can't be solved by being unreasonable; if being unreasonable doesn't work, then try being cute.

She rubbed and nuzzled him for a while, but her boyfriend didn't hug her as usual. Youlu looked up in confusion and saw a blank face.

However, a hint of grievance flickered in his dark eyes as he said softly, "Have you forgotten something?"

Youlu blinked, then blinked again, pouting unhappily, "How petty! It's been fifteen minutes and you're still angry."

Cang Shuyue frowned slightly. "You're the one throwing a tantrum and still want to see Yi Xunyuan."

"If I throw a tantrum, can't you at least try to comfort me? You made me go see that pervert Yi Xunyuan all by myself. You have no idea how scary he is." You Lu immediately turned the tables on him.

"You..." Cang Shuyue was speechless.

He went to the battlefield at fourteen and entered the imperial court in his twenties; he had seen all kinds of people. No matter how difficult the opponent, he was always at ease. However, he was helpless against this little guy in front of him.

He only truly understood what it meant to be unreasonable and what it meant to be arrogant even when one's reasoning was flawed.

Seeing this, Youlu pressed her advantage, rubbing her eyes and starting to fake cry: "You even made my carefully chosen clothes all wrinkled! Men are all the same, they don't cherish what they have, waaaah..."

Cang Shuyue was at her wits' end. She quickly sat up, smoothed out the wrinkles in her clothes, pulled the person into her arms, and gently coaxed in a soft voice, "It's okay, don't cry. It was my fault."

Seeing that he had given in, Youlu knew when to stop. She hugged his neck and rubbed her chin affectionately, saying, "I was too bad and threw a tantrum. Please don't be angry with me, Imperial Uncle."

"He's not angry," Cang Shuyue sighed softly.

How could he bear to be angry with him? It was just his possessiveness that made him not want to see other men.

He pulled the person onto his lap, his fingertips tracing the reddened corners of their eyes, and asked helplessly, "Your eyes are all red from rubbing, does it hurt?"

"A kiss will make it stop hurting." Youlu tilted her head back and pouted.

Cang Shuyue smiled indulgently, kissed the reddened corners of her eyes, and then pressed a kiss onto her pouting lips.

"Hehe!" Youlu smiled broadly, "Brother Imperial Uncle is so nice."

"Baby too." Cang Shuyue's brows relaxed, and she affectionately nuzzled his cheek.

Pixiu circled the village again, taking all the kidnappers' private money. When he returned to the house after eating his fill, he saw the two quarreling people were as good as new, embracing each other affectionately.

It flew down in front of the two, squinted one eye, and asked: "You've made up again? You two don't actually use arguing as a form of romance, do you?"

Youlu was discussing the next steps with Cang Shuyue when she heard this. She just rolled her eyes at it and continued to talk about business: "Although Yi Xunyuan said that he knew all the connections under the Yi family and did provide a list of kidnapping gangs in Cizhou, it is hard to say that he did not exaggerate."

"I think the human trafficking case should be investigated secretly. We should try to rescue some of the trafficked people first, and then impeach the Yi family after we have collected enough evidence."

Cang Shuyue tapped his fingertips lightly on the table and pondered, "Since the Yi family treats human trafficking as an industry, they must have detailed accounts and lists of contacts in various places. As long as we find these, there is no need for Yi Xunyuan to stay."

He still wanted to get rid of Yi Xunyuan.

Her boyfriend's intentions were too obvious, and Youlu suppressed a laugh, saying, "That's right, that's right, Yi Xunyuan's usefulness is indeed not that great."

He first agreed, then subtly suggested, "However, the Yi family will definitely protect something so important; we won't get it easily. So, before we get the account books and rosters, we might as well keep Yi Xunyuan around and let him provide some information so we can rescue some of the trafficked people as soon as possible."

Despite his jealousy, Cang Shuyue could still distinguish between what was important and what was urgent. Moreover, having a deer stroke his fur made him feel very comfortable, so he nodded without hesitation and said, "Baby is right, let's keep him for now."

With a smile, Youlu touched her boyfriend's face and then raised her head to offer him her lips.

Cang Shuyue held his chin, deepening the kiss.

The Pixiu let out a burp: [I can't eat anymore, I really can't eat anymore!]

Knock knock—

A knock sounded at the door, and Yinwu stood there, covering his mouth as he bowed and said, "Master, Young Master Su and Mr. Meng have arrived."

Disturbed from his good time, Cang Shuyue's face darkened, and he said, "Let them in."

Soon, two elderly people with white hair were brought in.

This was Su Yan'an and Meng Tianhong's new disguise, obviously to avoid the spies planted in the city by the magistrate of Cizhou.

Seeing that the two were unharmed, Su Yan'an breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Fortunately, you are alright. Yesterday, the Duke of Zhenguo left with the words 'go to pick someone up' and left. We waited and waited but no one came back, so today we disguised ourselves and sneaked out of the city. We asked around and finally came to the vicinity of Black Dragon Cave."

Yin Wu said, "It was the hidden guards nearby who discovered them."

The raid on the stronghold had to be kept secret, so Cang Shuyue arranged for secret guards to watch over the surrounding area to prevent anyone from breaking in or escaping.

"If the guards hadn't discovered us, we'd still be wandering around in the mountains." Su Yan'an smiled wryly, not mentioning that he had almost been injured by the guards.

He felt extremely guilty for not being able to help with anything during the investigation, except for acting.

Meng Tianhong looked at Youlu and asked, "When are we returning to the capital?"

He was genuinely worried about the Qin family's situation.

Moreover, the little swindler's ice toad was also taken back to Shengjing by the First Prince, and he could not be cured if he did not return.

Youlu thought for a moment and said, "If you have a way to control Yi Xunyuan, we can set off for the capital immediately."

"Yi Xunyuan? He's come to Cizhou?" Su Yan'an asked in surprise.

"Yes, he sent us intelligence, which made our efforts twice as effective." Youlu smiled.

Su Yan'an expressed his incomprehension, "If the Yi family falls, he will not escape death either. Would he betray the Yi family? Is he trying to buy time and wait for someone to come and rescue him?"

Even so, we still need the intelligence he has.

You Lu had considered this possibility, but even if Yi Xunyuan was eventually rescued, the information he revealed beforehand could save many abducted girls, so it was worth it.

Meng Tianhong took out a palm-sized brocade box from his bosom and said, "This is Bone Corrosion. When the poison takes effect, it feels like being eaten away by thousands of insects and ants. You need to take the antidote every month, otherwise you will bleed from all seven orifices and die."

He originally intended to use this to control those wealthy ladies, but unfortunately, it never came in handy.

"This is too ruthless! It's perfect for dealing with Yi Xunyuan!" You Lu was overjoyed and took the box, wanting to open it to take a look.

Cang Shuyue pressed his hand down, "I'm worried. Some poisons take effect as soon as they come into contact with the skin."

Meng Tianhong said, "The Bone-Corroding Elixir only works if swallowed."

"That won't do either." Cang Shuyue snatched the box and placed it on the table.

Meng Tianhong rolled his eyes.

You Lu looked at Cang Shuyue, then at Meng Tianhong, and wondered why the two seemed to be at odds.

Knowing about the feud between the two, Su Yan'an coughed lightly and said, "If he can be controlled with medication, then there's no need to keep him locked up anymore. Otherwise, if this goes on for too long, the Yi family will definitely send someone to investigate."

"That's what I'm thinking too. Once he hands over the lists of Dezhou and Weixian, I'll let him go." You Lu nodded in agreement and continued, "As for the magistrate of Cizhou, he is, after all, an official appointed by the imperial court. We can't touch him for the time being, but we can't let him tip off others either."

"I'll have someone keep an eye on him so he can't utter a single word." Cang Shuyue gave him a reassuring look.

"In this way, all we need to do is get the rosters and account books from the training center and the county magistrate, and then rescue the people who were sold to Cizhou one by one. That will settle things here in Cizhou." Youlu breathed a sigh of relief.

Cang Shuyue looked towards Yin Wu by the door.

Yinwu cupped his hands and said, "The secret guards who infiltrated the training hall have obtained the roster, and the magistrate of Cizhou has sent people to search the account books. I believe we will have news soon."

Cang Shuyue nodded slightly. "I'll leave the rest to you. The day after tomorrow is the Mid-Autumn Festival, and we need to rush back to attend the palace banquet."

Yin Wu Gong Sheng responded.

"A palace banquet?" Youlu asked, puzzled.

"Yes, the palace holds a banquet every Mid-Autumn Festival. You've just returned to the palace, so it wouldn't be good for you to miss it," Cang Shuyue explained softly.

"Okay then." Yu Lu shrugged indifferently.

"Um..." Su Yan'an raised his hand, "I want to stay in Cizhou."

Lu looked at him with surprise, "Brother Su, do you want to stay in Cizhou to continue investigating the human trafficking case?"

Su Yan'an nodded, and said awkwardly, "Thanks to the Duke of Zhenguo's advice, I have realized that it is time to establish myself."

He wanted to use this opportunity to enter officialdom.

You Lu realized what was happening, tugged at her boyfriend's sleeve, and asked in a low voice, "Did you yell at him?"

Cang Shuyue said calmly, "He's asking for it."

You Lu was both amused and exasperated, but they did need someone to continue pushing the case forward, and Su Yan'an was a good candidate.

After thinking for a moment, he said, "Besides Cizhou, there are many other places to investigate. This is not only arduous but also very dangerous. Are you sure you want to go?"

Su Yan'an nodded solemnly.

"Alright then." Youlu stopped trying to persuade him and looked up at Cang Shuyue.

Cang Shuyue glanced at the slightly flustered Su Yan'an and said to Yin Wu, "You are responsible for assisting Young Master Su in investigating the human trafficking case. You can call upon the personnel from various places as you see fit."

"Yes." Yinwu lowered his head and clicked his tongue inwardly. It seemed that he would not see his master and the Seventh Prince being affectionate for a long time.

Su Yan'an gratefully cupped his hands in thanks, "Thank you, Duke Zhenguo!"

After everyone else left, Youlu whispered, "Where did you get so many people? And they're all from different places?"

"The soldiers I keep." Cang Shuyue's tone was casual.

Youlu looked at him suspiciously, wondering if he was a government soldier or a private soldier. Her boyfriend really had plans to rebel; he was incredibly audacious.

After feeding Yi Xunyuan his medicine and handing over the affairs of Cizhou to Su Yan'an and Yin Wu, You Lu, Cang Shuyue, and Meng Tianhong set off for Beijing that same day.

The three traveled light, riding fast horses all the way north, and arrived in Shengjing late at night on August 14.

Along the way, they changed horses at every post station, striving to maintain the fastest speed, almost catching up with the 800-li urgent delivery. Unfortunately, You Lu and Meng Tianhong's bodies couldn't keep up, so they had to stay overnight at the post station, which took them a day and a half. Otherwise, they could have arrived much earlier.

Stepping onto the land of Shengjing again, even deer legs felt weak. Cang Shuyue picked him up and strode into the gate of the villa, saying, "The city gates are closed. We'll stay in a villa in the suburbs for the night."

There's no objection to having deer.

Cang Shuyue carried the person into the main house and ordered the servants to bring hot water.

Youlu was so tired that he fell asleep before the hot water even arrived. In his hazy state, he felt himself being placed in the hot water, embraced by strong arms, and gently having the dust washed away from his body.

He only regained some of his senses when he felt a chill between his legs.

It was Cang Shuyue who was applying the medicine to him.

The man's eyes were filled with tenderness. Holding the ointment in one hand, he gently applied it to the man's leg with the other. Seeing that he was awake, he kissed his cheek reassuringly and said softly, "Did I hurt you?"

Youlu shook her head, wrapped her arms around his shoulders affectionately, and said softly, "It doesn't hurt, I'm just so sleepy, I want you to hold me while I sleep."

In fact, most of the time Cang Shuyue would lead the way on horseback, with him sitting sideways in front of Cang Shuyue. He would only ride by himself occasionally for a while. Even so, the inside of his thighs was still chafed and swollen from the saddle. Fortunately, the skin was not broken, otherwise he really would not have been able to endure the journey.

Cang Shuyue felt extremely guilty, lamenting that her young lover was more delicate than she had imagined.

After putting the medicine away, he lay down on his side and pulled her into his arms, gently patting her back and whispering, "Why didn't you say you were injured? It's just a Mid-Autumn Festival banquet. Even if I can't make it, I can protect you. There's no need to wrong yourself."

A deer rested against his chest, listening to his strong heartbeat, and said with a smile, "I know my brother-in-law is very capable and can protect me, but I don't want you to be troubled by others because of it."

"Moreover, I know that my brother-in-law really wants to celebrate the festival with my mother, and I also want to celebrate the festival with my father and the others."

Cang Shuyue felt a surge of warmth in his heart. He didn't say anything, but the baby knew everything.

Having received such a beloved person, he asked for nothing more.

He couldn't help but sigh softly.

Youlu looked up at him in confusion. "Why are you sighing?"

Cang Shuyue gently kissed his brow and smiled, "I was just thinking about how to stop loving you, but after thinking it over and over, I found there was no way."

"How did you learn to use sweet talk?" she said reproachfully, but her eyes crinkled into crescent moons with laughter.

Cang Shuyue smiled and whispered in his ear, "I love you so much, baby. I want to be with you forever."

This is the simplest and most sincere wish between lovers.

The deer, tickled by the breath, shook its head and dodged, grinning, "You're so cheesy! Don't say that again!"

Cang Shuyue rolled over and pinned him down, her dark eyes bright, like a child stubbornly demanding a response: "Baby hasn't said he likes me yet."

"I like so many people," Deer said, his eyes darting around, deliberately teasing him.

Cang Shuyue frowned unhappily, released him, and turned her back.

So easily teased?

Youlu raised an eyebrow, propped herself up, and peered over to see his expression.

Cang Shuyue covered her face, refusing to let anyone see.

You Lu couldn't help but chuckle, recalling the night they confessed their feelings to each other, and how someone had cried their eyes out.

He immediately became excited, grabbing Cang Shuyue's shoulder and saying, "If you're going to cry, then cry for me! Don't waste your tears!"

Cang Shuyue turned her head and glanced at him sideways.

He blinked innocently, then pounced on her, whining, "Baby, you're so cute! I love you the most!"

"Sweet talk, utterly nauseating." Cang Shuyue snorted lightly, but the corners of his mouth visibly curled up.

"Getting all smug now." Youlu pouted, raised her foot to kick, but her ankle was grabbed.

Cang Shuyue narrowed her eyes, her voice carrying a warning: "Do you still want to sleep?"

"Yes, yes!" she immediately gave in and kissed her boyfriend's lips.

They exchanged a tender kiss before falling asleep in each other's arms.