Did the Seventh Prince attend court today?

Emperor Wulong was busy writing an imperial edict when a deer squatted by the table leg, propping its chin up and urging, "Father, are you done yet? I'm so hungry! Hurry up!"

Only he would dare to be so rebellious.

"What's the rush? Just wait patiently!" Emperor Wulong scolded, but his hands moved faster and faster.

After writing the decree and affixing the imperial seal, Emperor Wulong threw it directly to Eunuch Kang and said, "Issue my decree to appoint Xu Ruohuai, son of Xu Zheng, the Prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture, as a seventh-rank Censor, with the power to 'report major matters to the emperor and make immediate decisions on minor matters.' He is to immediately go to Xiangyang to investigate the disaster situation without fail."

Having said that, he grabbed Youlu Blowing His Beard and glared at him, saying, "Come on, let's go have a meal!"

"Yay!" the deer cheered.

Seeing that Prime Minister Su and Minister Xu were still standing in the imperial study, Emperor Wulong raised an eyebrow: "Teacher and Minister Xu, are you waiting for me to invite you to dinner?"

Just as Prime Minister Su was about to speak, he added, "Teacher, why don't you go and take a look at Dahe Village first?"

He then turned to Xu Zheng, "I've heard there have been several thefts in Shengjing recently. Minister Xu, you should investigate these cases when you have time."

Prime Minister Su & Xu Zheng: "..."

Don't be so petty.

Youlu winked at Xu Zheng and said, "Old Xu, don't forget our promise!"

He was dragged away by Emperor Wulong as soon as he finished speaking.

Xu Zheng sighed. He understood what Xiao Lu meant, but how could a grown man like him convey a message to the eldest daughter of a marquis who was raised in seclusion? It seemed that he would have to ask his wife for help.

Prime Minister Su nudged the sighing Xu Zheng and asked curiously, "What riddle is the young prince playing on you?"

He only knew that Xu Zheng had encountered the Seventh Prince while investigating a case, but he did not know the details.

"That's how it is—"

In this way, Xu Zheng revealed the whole story of how the Gu brothers framed Shen Yuyao and how the Third Prince plotted to steal Shen Yuyao's dowry. Finally, he said, "A common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime. Shen Yuyao is also pitiful. She can't protect her dowry all by herself. The young prince asked me to tell her about the disaster relief, probably hoping that she would hand over her dowry to the court in exchange for protection. I just don't know if this girl is willing."

Prime Minister Su nodded. "No wonder the young prince and the two young masters of General Weiyuan's mansion don't get along. So that's what happened. Using the dowry to exchange for protection is a good idea that kills two birds with one stone. The young prince is exceptionally intelligent and has the world at heart. He is truly a blessing to Dayong."

"Well, that's a story," Xu Zheng sighed softly. "I have to go back and give my good-for-nothing son a few words of advice."

The two left the imperial study together.

Inside the Yixin Hall, Emperor Wulong frowned as he looked at Youlu, who had only eaten half a bowl of rice before stopping. He scolded, "Didn't you say you were hungry? And you only ate this little bit? Aren't you afraid you won't grow tall? Is the food not to your liking? What do you want to eat? I'll have the imperial kitchen prepare it and send it over."

He was about to call for someone when he opened his mouth.

"No, no, I'll only eat this much," Youlu quickly stopped him.

He sighed inwardly, "Mortal food lacks spiritual energy; no matter how much I eat, it won't nourish my soul. And the taste isn't as good as in the celestial realm. If this body didn't need to eat, I wouldn't even bother."

Emperor Wulong frowned slightly. It seemed he had to find a way to get this picky eater to eat more, otherwise his body wouldn't be able to handle it.

After lunch, the father and son sat facing each other drinking tea. When Eunuch Kang returned to report that the imperial edict had been issued and that the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Revenue had sent people to accompany Young Master Xu in accordance with the edict.

Emperor Wulong nodded and waved for Eunuch Kang to leave. Eunuch Kang remained standing, bowing and reminding him, "Your Majesty, the young prince has not yet paid his respects to the Empress and Consort Ling since his return."

Emperor Wulong: "..."

He really forgot about that.

She immediately patted her youngest son's head affectionately and said, "My son, you will be setting off for disaster relief soon. Remember to pay your respects to your mother and mother before you leave."

Youlu instantly snapped out of her daze, thinking to herself with delight: 【Yay! I can finally see the Empress! Father's future is uncertain, and I wonder if I can get any gossip from the Empress that I can't from Father. I can't wait!】

Emperor Wulong's mind was on high alert. He chuckled and said, "There's no time like the present. I'm free this afternoon, so I'll accompany my son to see the Empress."

You Lu nodded indifferently; whether his father went or not wouldn't affect his enjoyment of the show.

After drinking another cup of tea, seeing that Emperor Wulong remained unmoved, Youlu asked, "Father, when shall we go to visit Mother?"

Emperor Wulong's teacup trembled slightly, but he feigned composure and said, "What's the rush? The Empress is taking a nap at this hour. We'll go over later."

"Oh~~" Youlu said with a half-smile, "Father is quite considerate, but I wonder if Mother knows how much you care about her."

He was just making a joke, but to his surprise, Emperor Wulong suddenly stood up, his face grim, and said, "Go now! I am the Emperor, I don't care if she's asleep or not, I'll see her whenever I want!"

Youlu blinked. His father's past was also fragmented. He only knew that his father and empress's relationship was not good, and even somewhat tense. But judging from his father's behavior today, there seemed to be another hidden story.

This made him even more curious.

The two had just stood up when Youlu spotted the Pixiu peeking out from outside the palace gate. There was no way to miss that big head. He beckoned the Pixiu to his side.

Where have you been again? I heard there have been several thefts in Shengjing recently. Were you the one who committed them all?

The Pixiu huffed and puffed as it climbed onto his shoulder, saying to its paws, "I was just eating a little something, who knew they'd be so stingy as to report me to the authorities."

Feeling tired and stressed, [Can you really just eat whatever you want?]

Knowing it was in the wrong, the Pixiu weakly said, "Then I won't go anymore. I even helped you find out so much information, and you just snapped at me."

A deer petted it. [I feel sorry for Old Xu; if he can't solve these theft cases, he'll get punished.]

The Pixiu was easily appeased and said, "It's alright. I'll just appear in their dreams and ask them to withdraw their reports. It won't implicate Lord Xu."

With Lu nodding in agreement, Xu Zheng cannot afford to get into trouble.

He then asked, "What have you found out?"

When it comes to serious matters, the Pixiu immediately becomes energetic.

[There are many! For example, the emperor and empress are only superficially harmonious; the eldest prince only has the Duke of Zhenguo behind him; the third prince's mother is Consort Yi, his maternal family are founding heroes, he has many spies in the court, and he also possesses an imperial edict!]

For example, the Fourth Prince's mother was merely a palace maid, so she was never favored and had little influence in court. Your mother, Consort Ling, though of humble origins, was greatly favored by the Emperor. After you were lost, your mother adopted the Sixth Prince, born to Consort Qi, and treated him as her own. Because of your mother's influence, your father also doted on the Sixth Prince.

[And also, there's a Grand Preceptor in the Dayong Dynasty. This Grand Preceptor is very mysterious and rarely appears in public, but he enjoys great prestige among the people and has many followers. Moreover, he highly values ​​the Sixth Prince!]

Emperor Wulong currently has only five sons and four daughters. You are the youngest prince among them. You also have two princesses, but it is said that neither of them is favored.

[Finally, I heard that the Duke of Zhenguo is incredibly cool and handsome! He can kill ten bulls with one punch!]

Pixiu chattered on and on, and Lu picked up on the useful bits and pieces, muttering to himself, "Rumors circulating in the streets aren't necessarily credible, but they're not all baseless either. Currently, it seems the Third Prince has the most power among all the princes. The Sixth Prince, with the Emperor's favor and the Imperial Advisor's support, shouldn't be underestimated either. And the Eldest Prince can contend with the Third Prince with just the Duke of Zhenguo; the Duke of Zhenguo must be quite extraordinary. As for the Fourth Prince, he sounds unremarkable, but it's hard to say he might be hiding his true abilities."

"Whether these people are beneficial or detrimental to Dayong can only be determined by seeing them with our own eyes."

Lost in thought, they arrived at the Empress's palace, Fengyi Palace.