Did the Seventh Prince attend court today?

After lunch, the Empress had other matters to attend to at the palace banquet, so Youlu and Cangshu, not wanting to disturb her, took their leave of Fengyi Palace.

The moon-worship ceremony is scheduled for the hour of Xu (7-9 PM), when the moon rises above the willow branches, followed by the palace banquet. There are still about four hours to go, and how to spend this time is a problem.

You Lu wanted to go back to the side hall of Yixin Palace to kill time, but that area belonged to the emperor's sleeping quarters, and Cang Shuyue could not enter or leave at will, so he had to give up the idea.

After much deliberation, I decided to take a walk in the Imperial Garden.

The two strolled aimlessly through the Imperial Garden, hand in hand. At each place, Cang Shuyue would carefully explain its origins and layout, his deep, magnetic voice recounting the story with such familiarity that he seemed to know it better than You Lu, who had lived in the palace for some time.

Youlu was enjoying the scenery while listening to her boyfriend's pleasant voice.

Although he had lived in the palace for a while, apart from Yixin Hall, Taihe Hall, and Fengyi Palace, he hadn't really been to many other places. The palace was still unfamiliar to him.

Seeing that he was listening attentively, Cang Shuyue felt a surge of affection for him. She touched his cheek and said, "The scenery in the palace is limited. When there is a chance in the future, I will take you to see the desert, the coast, and the snow-capped mountains."

"Okay!" Youlu readily agreed, her eyes filled with longing.

Cang Shuyue pulled the person into his arms, gently rubbing the top of his head and sighing, "You bear a heavy burden, you don't even have time to stroll in the Imperial Garden, you've worked hard."

He had only just realized that the person in his arms didn't even recognize the paths in the Imperial Garden, indicating that they had never been there before.

He felt a pang of heartache at the thought of the young man being confined in the palace all day, working tirelessly for the survival of Dayong.

You Lu said sullenly, "It's not that I don't have time, it's that I'm too lazy."

Previously in the palace, he was not used to attending the morning court sessions, so he spent most of his time catching up on sleep, rather than being really that busy.

A low laugh came from the vibration in his chest below his ear.

The deer-ear tips were slightly warm, and it snorted, "What are you laughing at?"

"Laugh at yourself for being so presumptuous." Cang Shuyue pinched his cheek, her tone relaxed. "I always thought this palace was trapping you, but now that I think about it, given your personality, if you didn't want to, how could you be trapped in this Four Directions City?"

After spending this time together, Youlu knew that her boyfriend was somewhat sentimental, and because of the Empress's matter, he was even more resistant to the palace. However, since Cang Shuyue hadn't brought it up before, she didn't say much. Now that he had, she could take the opportunity to comfort him and hopefully help him resolve his inner conflict.

She patted her boyfriend's belly reassuringly and said earnestly, "The only thing that can trap a person is their own heart. If the palace is a cage, then the world is just an even bigger cage, depending on the individual."

"Oh?" Cang Shuyue seemed very interested, adopting an attentive listening posture.

"For those whose families are unhappy, home is a prison; for those who want to realize their ambitions, a city is a prison; for you, the palace is a prison; and for those who want to transcend the world, this whole world is a prison."

"This is idealism. Different people are in different cages, and the freedom they seek is also different. A cage can only imprison the body, but as long as the mind is free, there is freedom everywhere."

The boy's voice was clear and bright, and his demeanor was open and carefree. Every word he spoke was etched into my heart. He seemed so close, yet so far away.

Cang Shuyue instinctively tightened her grip on his hand. "And what about you? What is your freedom?"

This question stumped Youlu.

He had been to many worlds and seen many landscapes. To him, they were all pretty much the same. If there was any difference, it was probably that other worlds didn't have Cang Shuyue.

After thinking for a moment, he said, "My freedom is to live well, be with the people I like, and do what I want to do."

Cang Shuyue couldn't help but recall what the Empress had said during the lake tour: although there were regrets, everything her elder sister had done was her own choice, and she had never regretted it.

The elder sister also said that what trapped her was not the palace, but herself.

Over the years, he had been trapped in the prison he had built for himself, and his hatred for the royal family had grown day by day. But now that he thought about it, although Xiao Yan was wrong, he had also dragged his sister down. In fact, he had no right to hate anyone on behalf of his sister.

Today, he finally understands.

His sleeve was gently tugged, and he looked down to meet a pair of concerned, bright eyes.

His heart softened, and he tightened his arms around the boy, solemnly promising, "I'll do whatever you want."

Let my sister and Xiao Yan handle their own affairs. Right now, all I want is to stay by Bao Bao's side forever.

With a quick dart of his eyes, Deer chuckled mischievously, "The things I want to do are different at different stages. For example, right now, I want to take a nap with my head on the chest muscles of the Imperial Brother-in-law."

Cang Shuyue chuckled, "He starts acting inappropriately after only a few words."

"What's indecent about it? Sleeping is a very serious matter!" Youlu said with a straight face.

"Mm." Cang Shuyue smiled and nodded, kissing his forehead. "Then let's go back to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion for a nap, and go to the palace later."

Youlu sighed, "This is too much trouble. Let's just keep looking around. Maybe Father will send someone to find me soon."

He shook Cang Shuyue's hand. "What do you want to do? I'll be with you. Let's make it clear first, no rebellion allowed." He added quietly.

Cang Shuyue smiled and gently touched the tip of his nose. "There are many things I want to do, but right now I want to marry the baby the most."

With a slight blush, Youlu wrapped her arms around his waist and grinned, "I also want to marry the Imperial Uncle, and then... you know... all that!"

Now it was Cang Shuyue's turn to blush. He coughed lightly and said, "You can't talk nonsense in broad daylight."

Fearing he might say something inappropriate again, Cang Shuyue quickly changed the subject, "Let's go for a walk over there."

You Lu chuckled to herself, thinking that her boyfriend could be quite innocent at times.

Reaching a rockery, Cang Shuyue pulled someone to sit down at a stone table and asked with a smile, "Do you remember this place?"

The deer looked around but didn't find anything special; it was no different from the many artificial hills it had seen along the way.

He scratched his head, trying to remember, when suddenly it dawned on him, "This is where we first met!"

Although he didn't recognize it, Cang Shuyue certainly wouldn't have brought it up for no reason, which shows that this place has a deeper meaning.

For young couples, a special place is either the place where they first met or where something unforgettable happened. He and Cang Shuyue were not familiar with each other at all when they were in the palace, so there couldn't possibly be anything unforgettable. That left only the first option.

After analyzing the situation, he couldn't help but praise himself for being smart.

Cang Shuyue smiled helplessly, realizing at a glance that he couldn't remember at all and was just fooling himself.

She pinched his cheek hard and said resentfully, "We first met at the Prime Minister's residence, but this is where we first got to know each other. You don't care about me at all, you don't remember anything."

A sharp pain shot through her face, and her lips twitched like a deer's. She rubbed her cheek and said aggrievedly, "You used to ignore me and always had a cold face. I once thought you hated me, so it's normal that you don't remember me."

Cang Shuyue felt embarrassed, and kissed his reddened cheek in a conciliatory way, saying softly, "I don't dislike you. I liked you the moment I saw you, baby."

Youlu blinked and said smugly, "So you had this planned all along!"

"Mmm." Cang Shuyue readily admitted, capturing his lips in hers. "Plan before you act, know when to stop and you will gain something."

You Lu laughed and scolded, "You've even started using strategy. Confess honestly, were you deliberately trying to lure me in...?" His words were firmly cut off.