Did the Seventh Prince attend court today?

The imperial kitchen was bustling with activity. The imperial chefs were wielding their woks and ladles until they were almost smoking, preparing for the moon-worshiping ceremony and palace banquet that evening. On the long table covered with a clean white tablecloth, fresh fruits and pastries were laid out in abundance, all for the evening's use.

In a corner unnoticed, a chubby paw stealthily reached out from under the table, grabbed a fresh lotus pod, and quickly retracted back under the table. Then came chicken legs, hibiscus cake, roast goose…

After eating and drinking to its heart's content, the Pixiu let out a burp, then sauntered out of the imperial kitchen, sensing the aura of its master as it drifted forward.

But as it drifted along, it realized something was wrong. Why was it drifting further and further into the remote? Was its boss playing hide-and-seek with Cang Shuyue?

Without much thought, it followed the familiar scent and continued forward, finally stopping in front of a five-story attic.

The vermilion pavilion with upturned eaves and carved beams and painted rafters has a plaque with the words "Seeking Deer" hanging above it. From a distance, it is shrouded in mist and has a somewhat ethereal feel. However, the surrounding vegetation is lush but there is not a single person in sight, creating an eerie sense of tranquility.

The Pixiu recognized the character "deer" and vaguely felt that this place was related to its boss, but it was certain that neither it nor its boss had ever been here before. Moreover, this place was very remote, and its boss probably wouldn't come here.

But there's also the aura of a boss in this.

It flew around the attic once, hesitating whether to go in and take a look, when the familiar aura suddenly disappeared, replaced by a powerful pressure.

"Ouch!" Caught off guard, the Pixiu was knocked down by the overwhelming pressure and fell heavily to the ground. A huge fear spread in its heart. It subconsciously wanted to escape, but found that it could not move. Suddenly, a strand of silver-white hair entered its field of vision.

Cang Shuyue led Youlu around the Imperial Garden, resting in pavilions when they got tired, and carrying Youlu on his back when they couldn't find a pavilion. They walked and stopped like this until Eunuch Kang arrived with his men.

At that moment, a deer was lazily lying on Cang Shuyue's back, following Cang Shuyue to point out the varieties of chrysanthemums that were in full bloom in the garden. The two of them were face to face, chatting and laughing, their behavior extremely intimate.

Upon seeing this scene, Eunuch Kang's heart skipped a beat. He quickly lowered his head to hide his surprise and bowed, saying, "Your Highness, Duke Zhenguo, His Majesty requests your presence."

The eunuchs behind him kept their eyes down, afraid that a single glance would cost them their lives.

Upon hearing this, Youlu patted Cang Shuyue's shoulder triumphantly, "See? I told you Father would definitely look for me."

Cang Shuyue praised softly in front of Eunuch Kang, "Baby is so amazing."

Eunuch Kang: "..."

He's pretending he can't see it, can't you just let him go?

At the same time, he couldn't help but feel uneasy. He carefully recalled the Empress's description of the person the Duke of Zhenguo was in love with. The more he thought about it, the more something seemed wrong. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him, and he immediately understood.

Could it be that the Empress was referring to—?!

Upon discovering the secret, Eunuch Kang wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. This... this is really going to cause a huge uproar!

After careful consideration, he decided to pretend he knew nothing. Even if the emperor blamed him, what would an old, blind eunuch like him know about love?

It's not a big problem, it's not a big problem.

Grandpa Kang tried to comfort himself.

Youlu was completely unaware of the struggle and torment in Kang Gonggong's heart, and continued to lie on Cang Shuyue's back, showing no intention of getting off.

With a forced smile, Eunuch Kang reminded him, "Your Highness, the Duke of Zhenguo is a high-ranking official. What you're doing... is improper."

Before You Lu could speak, Cang Shuyue said coldly, "It's alright."

Knowing Kang Gonggong's concerns, Youlu laughed and said, "I sprained my ankle, and the Duke of Zhenguo kindly carried me on his back. There's nothing wrong with that, is there?"

Kang Gonggong chuckled dryly, "If you two aren't afraid, what do I, an old eunuch, have to fear?"

He immediately stopped talking and led the people toward the Imperial Study.

When they arrived at the Imperial Study, they found everyone already there.

Not only were Prime Minister Su, Xu Zheng, and Qin Tan present, but also Xu Ruohuai and the eldest prince, and even Zhou Yongsheng.

Xu Zheng was extremely excited and stepped forward, grabbing You Lu's arm and urgently saying, "Your Highness, please tell us about the situation in Cizhou!"

If the young prince hadn't slipped away so quickly this morning, he would have grabbed him and questioned him thoroughly.

You Lu had no idea that Emperor Wulong had summoned him to discuss the human trafficking case, so he immediately told him all about the progress in Cizhou.

If there was only suspicion before, without substantial evidence, then Yi Xunyuan's appearance in the bandit's den in Cizhou is irrefutable proof that the Yi family was manipulating human trafficking.

Emperor Wulong flew into a rage: "What a Yi Xunyuan! What a Yi family! Do they really think the people of Dayong are cattle and sheep to be slaughtered at will?!"

Tears streaming down his face, Zhou Yongsheng knelt down with a thud and cried out, "Your Majesty, please severely punish the Yi family and give my daughter and the people of the world justice!"

The truth will eventually come out. Xu Zheng had already told him about the murder of his eldest daughter. Now that he knew that the Yi family was the mastermind, he couldn't wait to draw his knife and fight Yi Qiuwei to the death.

Everyone knew that his daughter had been murdered, and they all showed their sympathy.

Xu Zheng helped his old friend up and patted him on the shoulder reassuringly.

Youlu glanced around at the group and asked, "What's the situation in the capital? Is anyone still missing?"

Xu Zheng said with shame, "Following His Highness's instructions, I sent people to secretly protect the children who were being targeted by the kidnappers. Although we successfully rescued them with His Majesty's assistance and captured several kidnappers, they immediately committed suicide by swallowing poison after being captured. We have not been able to find out anything."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Wulong's face grew even more grim. His hand, resting on the armrest, clenched into a fist, and the bandaged wound on his hand blotted out blood.

The fact that the Yi family dared to break the law right under the emperor's nose shows that they completely disregarded him as the emperor.

You Lu understood that Shengjing was different from other places. Since the Yi family dared to take action, they must have made thorough preparations.

Seeing that everyone's expressions were not good, he smiled and comforted them, "It's not a big problem. Now that we have Yi Xunyuan on our side, it's only a matter of time before we destroy the kidnappers' dens in various places."

"I'm afraid Yi Qiuwei has already devised a way to escape unscathed," Qin Tan sighed.

If the Yi family could escape the poisoning case in Xiangyang, the situation in this human trafficking case is not optimistic either.

Emperor Wulong scoffed, "The crimes committed by the Yi family are all heinous offenses that even a death warrant cannot absolve them of. Do you think they are truly unafraid of death, or do they believe that I am truly powerless to punish them?"

If it's the former, it only shows that the Yi family is incredibly audacious for the sake of power and wealth; if it's the latter, it only shows that he is a useless emperor, which is why the Yi family is so reckless.

Everyone lowered their heads, not daring to answer.

"Now is not the time to be discouraged," Cang Shuyue said coldly. "There are definitely other officials in the court involved. The most urgent task is not only to rescue the trafficked people, but also to find these people."

"Uncle is right," the eldest prince echoed loudly, cupping his hands and saying, "Father, I request permission to go and destroy the kidnapping dens in various places."

"I agree!" Xu Ruohuai stepped forward and bowed deeply.

Emperor Wulong clapped his hands and laughed, "Excellent! Young people should have such spirit and courage! That brat Yan'an is still investigating in Cizhou, right? In that case, you two go together and try to solve this case as soon as possible and rescue more people!"

"Your subject/Your subject will certainly live up to your mission!" The eldest prince and Xu Ruohuai knelt and kowtowed.

Prime Minister Su said, "Go ahead and investigate with confidence. We old bones are here to oversee things in the court."

Xu Zheng and the others nodded in agreement.

The eldest prince and Xu Ruohuai were greatly encouraged.

Watching the interaction between the older and younger generations, Youlu clenched his fist and exclaimed, "This is getting exciting!"