Did the Seventh Prince attend court today?

Perhaps because Cang Shuyue was by his side, although there were many people watching and prying, apart from Xu Zheng and his son and Prime Minister Su, no one else came forward to disturb them. They just watched from a distance, and occasionally a few words of discussion could be heard, which made it less troublesome.

On the contrary, Cang Shuyue was pulled away by a group of military officers in no time.

Youlu didn't follow, but instead had a palace maid lead the way to her seat. She sat down, listlessly propping her chin up and looking around.

The banquet hall was divided into three tiers. The first tier was the main seat, where Emperor Wulong, the Empress Dowager, the Empress, and the concubines of the harem sat. The second tier was for princes, princesses, and members of the imperial family. The third tier was for court officials. Generally speaking, the seating arrangement was based on seniority and social status.

You Lu did the math and realized that the Third Prince and the Fifth Princess were right between him and the First Prince. In a little while, let alone whispering, he would probably be greeted by the Third Prince even if he just exchanged a glance.

In the direction where the moon rises, there is an altar with a tablet of the Moon Goddess, and sacrificial utensils such as incense, candles, and censers are neatly arranged.

In the center of the imperial desk was a large mooncake with a pattern of a moon rabbit pounding medicine. On both sides were watermelons carved into lotus petals, freshly picked nine-section lotus roots, edamame branches, cockscomb flowers, pomegranates, water chestnuts, and so on.

Youlu's gaze fell on the mooncake, which was bigger than his head, and he wondered what flavor it was. He hoped it wasn't candied fruit, because he really couldn't stand that taste.

After looking around, they couldn't find any trace of the Pixiu. A deer sensed that the little guy was still in the palace and his aura was normal. It was just that his location was a bit remote, so they figured he was probably looking for someone else's treasure. So they left him alone.

After sitting for a while, the Fourth Prince and the Sixth Prince arrived together.

Some people were astonished, thinking they were the last to arrive, but it turned out there were even later arrivals.

Before we knew it, it was completely dark. The banquet hall was brightly lit, making the starry sky appear somewhat dim.

Sitting there was really boring. You Lu was hesitating whether to go down and talk to Cang Shuyue when the Sixth Prince, dressed in white, suddenly ran up to him with the Fourth Prince, dressed in black, and said with a smile, "Seventh Brother, you've arrived so early. If I had known, I would have come earlier too."

One in black and one in white suddenly appeared in front of you, and you almost thought it was the fifteenth of July, not the fifteenth of August.

He twitched the corner of his mouth and said with a smile, "I had nothing to do, so I came over first."

The sixth prince warmly introduced, "This is my fourth brother; I presume my seventh brother has already met him."

You Lu nodded slightly, "I was fortunate enough to meet you once at the training ground."

He was quite impressed with this ninja king. Although the fourth prince did not perform well that day, his image of being patient and crazy had already been deeply ingrained in his mind.

The fourth prince returned the greeting, his attitude neither warm nor cold.

The two were distant, but the Sixth Prince seemed oblivious, grabbing one of them by the hand and cheerfully saying, "The Imperial Preceptor will also be attending the palace banquet tonight. When he arrives, we'll go together to pay our respects to him."

You Lu recalled the rumors that the Imperial Advisor valued the Sixth Prince highly.

This was indeed a good opportunity to get close to the Imperial Advisor. He was about to nod when a mocking voice rang out: "What qualifications does a prince who isn't even listed in the Imperial Genealogy have to meet the Imperial Advisor?"

It was the Third Prince who arrived late.

"Both Father and Mother acknowledge Seventh Brother's identity, and it's only a matter of time before he's listed in the Imperial Register. What's wrong with him meeting the Imperial Preceptor?" This was said by the eldest prince, who rushed over upon hearing the news.

Now all five princes have arrived.

Compared to their first meeting in court, the Third Prince looked somewhat haggard today. Although he still maintained his arrogant demeanor, his eyes were shrouded in gloom, and his face was thin and pale, indicating that he had not been having a good time lately.

Indeed, the Yi family is deeply embroiled in the poisoning scandal. Although they have found a scapegoat and temporarily cleared themselves of suspicion, the case is still under investigation and they are at risk of collapsing at any time. The third prince, who is backed by the Yi family, cannot eat or sleep well, so his complexion is naturally not good.

The eldest prince pulled Youlu behind him and said with a calm expression, "If Third Brother is dissatisfied, he can go and talk to Father. There is no need to make things difficult for Seventh Brother at every turn."

The deer was surprised.

In the past, the eldest prince was very polite to the third prince, but now he has directly confronted him.

The Third Prince's face darkened, and he suppressed his anger, saying, "Eldest Brother, you flatter me. I was just worried that Seventh Brother might not know the rules and offend the Imperial Preceptor."

Now that the Yi family is in trouble, Xiao Yunli has made great contributions in disaster relief. Although his father did not reward him handsomely, the court officials praised him and many wanted to join him. At this time, he was not confident enough and dared not be as arrogant as before. He could only swallow his anger.

Seeing the two on the verge of conflict, the Sixth Prince's eyes reddened as he urgently pleaded, "It was my fault. I shouldn't have brought up the Imperial Advisor. Eldest Brother and Third Brother, please don't be angry."

Upon hearing this, Youlu peeked out from behind the eldest prince, curiously examining the sixth prince, not quite understanding what was there to cry about.

The fourth prince, who had been pretending to be mute, looked at the sixth prince with concern and said reproachfully, "Eldest brother is being a bit biased. Sixth brother meant well."

The eldest prince was completely confused. How did this turn into talking about the sixth prince?

You Lu raised an eyebrow and, mimicking the Fourth Prince's tone, said, "Fourth Brother, you're showing favoritism. They're all your brothers, so why do you only mention the Eldest Brother and not the Third Brother?"

The Third Prince: "..."

Fourth Prince: "..."

He then walked over to the sixth prince, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Sixth brother, don't cry. Give them each a punch, and the world will be quiet. Or you can ask me for help." He flexed his wrists.

The third prince reflexively took a step back.

The sixth prince was stunned, his mouth slightly open, tears welling up in his eyes on his fair and delicate face, looking pitiful.

The eldest prince smiled wryly, patted Youlu's head, and said to the sixth prince, "I know that my sixth brother means well, but I won't trouble you to meet the Imperial Preceptor. As the eldest brother, it is my duty to take my seventh brother to pay his respects to the Imperial Preceptor."

The sixth prince snapped out of his daze, glanced at the mischievous boy out of the corner of his eye, and nodded with a slightly flushed face.

"Have you guys finished chattering? You've taken up my seat."

A charming yet domineering voice reached the ears of the five people. It was the Fifth Princess, and they were standing next to her seat.

The Third Prince, who was just looking for an excuse to leave, turned and returned to his seat upon hearing this.

The fourth prince also pulled the sixth prince back to his seat.

The eldest prince said awkwardly, "Oh, it's my fifth sister. Your brother will be leaving now."

The Fifth Princess rolled her eyes dismissively and swaggered to her seat.

Before leaving, the eldest prince shook his head at Youlu, implying that he had not persuaded the fifth princess.

It's clear that Lu understands; it seems he still needs to take action personally.

He picked a water chestnut from the table and threw it onto the Fifth Princess's table, trying to get her attention. Unexpectedly, the Fifth Princess grabbed a pomegranate from the table and threw it at him, along with a contemptuous look that seemed to say, "Are you stupid?"

If he hadn't caught the heavy pomegranate with quick reflexes, his head might have been smashed open.

He understood what the Fifth Princess meant, but he still couldn't help but sigh: How cruel!

He threw a lotus seedpod at it with a backhand motion.

Losing out? Not at all.

The Fifth Princess, who had instinctively caught the lotus seedpod, was stunned. She hadn't expected him to retaliate, and her beautiful eyes widened in surprise. To maintain her persona, she grabbed some fruits and snacks from the table and began to fight back.

With Lu not to be outdone, after several rounds, the items on the two tables had been almost completely swapped.

Those who witnessed this scene were speechless.

Just how bad was the relationship between the Fifth Princess and the Seventh Prince?