Did the Seventh Prince attend court today?

After discussing important national affairs, Emperor Wulong brought up the matter of Youlu recognizing his ancestors. Qin Tan had been preparing for the ancestral worship ceremony, and they would choose an auspicious day to hold it after the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Youlu didn't really have any thoughts on this, since it was bound to happen sooner or later.

It was already late afternoon when Qin Tan came out of the Imperial Study. He touched the sachet in his bosom, and a deer stopped him, took out the sachet and put it in his hand. "This is a gift for Lord Qin. You and your young master each have one. Please keep it safe."

After a moment of stunned silence, Qin Tan immediately recognized the familiar stitches on the sachet, her eyes reddening as she asked softly, "Is he alright?"

Youlu stroked her chin. "It's hard to say whether it's good or bad. But more importantly, Lord Qin's complexion seems rather unpleasant. Is there some unrest at his residence?"

As soon as he entered the Imperial Study, he noticed that Qin Tan's lips were dry, his face was sallow, and he was so thin that he looked like skin and bones, as if a gust of wind could blow him away.

Qin Tan hurriedly raised his sleeve to cover his pale and haggard face, "I'm fine, I just haven't been resting well these past few days."

As he moved, a faint smell of blood wafted through the air. You Lu frowned but didn't expose him, nodding and saying, "Then Lord Qin, you must take good care of yourself."

Qin Tan didn't dare to linger and quickly thanked him before leaving.

After he walked away, Cang Shuyue walked to Youlu's side and said in a deep voice, "He has injuries, and they are fresh."

You Lu clicked his tongue. "Brother Meng said that thing needs to drink fresh blood every day. Is Lord Qin feeding that thing with his own blood?"

Just then, Prime Minister Su came out, and he pulled him aside and whispered, "Grandpa Prime Minister, do you know what the situation is like at Lord Qin's residence right now?"

This "Grandpa" made Prime Minister Su very happy. He smiled and said, "Lord Qin has sent his parents and children away and moved to a side courtyard. He only keeps a few servants in his mansion to serve him. He closes the door to guests as soon as it gets dark and rarely goes out."

After glancing around to make sure no one was watching, he lowered his voice and said, "Your Highness, please think of a solution, otherwise Lord Qin will die young."

Judging from his tone, You Lu knew that he was pretty much right. He couldn't help but sigh and said, "I'll go visit Lord Qin's residence another day and see if there's anything I can do."

Cang Shuyue disagreed, saying, "It's too dangerous."

You Lu knew, of course, that if Madam Qin hadn't appeared, Meng Tianhong wouldn't have gone to Xiangyang, and he wouldn't have fallen into the trap and suffered the consequences. Madam Qin was very likely preparing this specifically for him. But precisely because of this, Madam Qin must have some secrets worth investigating.

Prime Minister Su also advised, "Your Highness should prioritize your own safety."

Youlu patted Cang Shuyue's hand reassuringly, then said to Prime Minister Su, "I know what I'm doing."

Knowing that he was a strong-willed man, Prime Minister Su did not try to persuade him further. Instead, he cupped his hands and said, "I have heard about the matter of Princess Duan. After she got married, she has been traveling with Prince Duan and rarely returned home. Her temperament has become more and more arrogant. I can't do anything about her. But I can guarantee that she has no bad intentions. I hope Your Highness will be understanding."

Youlu helped Prime Minister Su up. "I know, my aunt is just too outspoken and arrogant. She's being used as a pawn without even realizing it. If this continues, something bad will happen sooner or later. Prime Minister, you'd better give her a heads-up."

In his opinion, Princess Duan was just stupid, not bad.

On the contrary, it was Prince Duan, who sat calmly and watched his wife charge into battle without stopping her, who was the most unfathomable.

"Of course." Prime Minister Su nodded repeatedly, about to say something more, when Xu Zheng's urging voice sounded from behind, "Old Su, are you finished? This humble official is still waiting in the back!"

One of the deer was speechless. Did you think this was like queuing up at a zoo to shake hands with a monkey?

Xu Ruohuai, who was standing next to her father, covered her mouth and chuckled.

Prime Minister Su turned around and glared at Xu Zheng. "What's the rush? I haven't finished speaking yet!"

He then took Youlu's hand and said worriedly, "To be honest, Your Highness, just as you predicted, an imposter has indeed come to claim kinship with a token. I am quite worried about the safety of my dear granddaughter."

Youlu recalled what he had seen about the future of the real and fake daughters of the Prime Minister's mansion and said, "Your granddaughter will definitely come back, but the other party was able to hide from the Prime Minister's mansion's search, so they must have planned it in advance. You should be careful."

However, the real daughter who returns might have a different soul.

He couldn't understand why he couldn't predict the future of the real daughter, but then he realized that it might be because the soul of the real daughter who later returned to the Prime Minister's mansion did not belong to this world.

When the body and soul are not in harmony, one's destiny will change drastically, and calculations based on the Eight Characters and facial features will become invalid. Unless one sees the real person in person and uses their talent to perceive the soul, nothing can be calculated.

The problem is that his abilities are now sealed.

The Prime Minister's daughter will affect the relationship between the eldest prince and Brother Su, so we can't let it go unchecked.

Thinking of this, Youlu felt exhausted. She tugged at Cang Shuyue's sleeve and pouted, saying, "I'm so tired, please carry me, Imperial Brother-in-law."

Cang Shuyue touched his face tenderly and squatted down.

A deer cheered and jumped onto his back, resting comfortably on his broad shoulders.

Seeing this, Prime Minister Su smiled kindly and said, "Your Highness has just returned to the capital and must be exhausted from the journey. Please rest well. I was just feeling uneasy and wanted to put my mind at ease, but now that Your Highness has spoken, I feel reassured. I will handle the matters of the Prime Minister's residence myself, Your Highness need not worry."

Youlu nodded obediently, "Such a small matter is certainly no problem for Grandfather Prime Minister. If we encounter a tough opponent, I will certainly step in!"

"Very good!" Prime Minister Su stroked his beard and laughed heartily.

Xu Ruohuai coughed awkwardly, nudged his father's arm, and said casually, "Dad, don't you think Xiaolu and the Duke of Zhenguo are a little too close?"

He wanted to remind his elderly father, but Xu Zheng completely missed the point. He turned and gave him a sharp rap on the head, scolding, "The young prince is still a child. What's wrong with letting an elder carry him? You're so old and you're still jealous of a child? You're shameless! You want me to carry you? Absolutely not!"

Xu Ruohuai almost choked on his breath. How could he be so jealous?!

He just wanted to remind his father that Xiao Lu and Zhenguo Gong's relationship was unusual!

This is infuriating! Absolutely infuriating!

It's like his good intentions were completely wasted. How could he have such a biased father, especially towards someone else's child!

Unfortunately, he dared not speak out against his anger, and could only clench his fists and look up at the sky at a 45-degree angle to vent his grief and resentment.

Just then, a soft cough sounded from behind, and a gentle, polite voice said, "Please hurry, Lord Xu. I also have something to discuss with my seventh brother."

Xu Ruohuai turned around in shock, "Your Highness, what are you doing here?"

The eldest prince said with a wronged expression, "I want my seventh brother to help me plead with my uncle to let me move to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion temporarily."

Xu Ruohuai hesitated, then, recalling the Emperor's calm expression when he saw the Duke of Zhenguo carrying the deer into the Imperial Study earlier that day, he suddenly realized who the Crown Prince's slowness was inherited from.

He kindly advised, "Your Highness, we will soon be leaving the capital to investigate a human trafficking case. Moving to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion would be pointless, so why invite trouble?"

"You don't understand." The eldest prince said solemnly.

Xu Ruohuai was speechless; he really didn't understand.