Did the Seventh Prince attend court today?

"You wicked Marquis of Yongchang!"

Emperor Wulong was furious. He stood up and shouted, "You can't distinguish right from wrong, you don't know the reason, and you resort to private punishment. Do you have any respect for the law?!"

"Your Majesty, I know I was wrong!" Marquis Yongchang hurriedly knelt down. "Although I was a bit too harsh, it was only out of concern for you. Please, Your Majesty, understand!"

Xu Zheng scoffed, "Would you like this favor, Marquis Yongchang?"

Marquis Yongchang cursed Xu Zheng for meddling, then looked pleadingly at Shen Yuyao, urgently saying, "Yuyao, please plead for your father!"

Shen Yuyao coldly said, "From the day you clamored to kill me, I, Shen Yuyao, have no father. The Shen in my name is not the Shen in your Yongchang Marquis Shen family."

"You, you!" Marquis Yongchang pointed at her in disbelief.

Shen Yuyao bowed deeply, "This humble woman is willing to offer all the dowry given to her by her maternal grandfather, totaling one million taels of silver, to the Emperor, only asking that Your Majesty grant her the grace to establish her own household and no longer be a daughter of the Shen family."

These words sparked a great deal of discussion among the ministers.

The crowd split into two factions. One faction believed that parents are always right, and even if Marquis Yongchang was wrong, Shen Yuyao should not violate filial piety. The other faction believed that filial piety stemmed from a loving father, and that Marquis Yongchang's actions were clearly aimed at acquiring Shen Yuyao's dowry. They argued that Shen Yuyao's departure from the Marquis's mansion to save her life was understandable.

The two sides debated the matter in the imperial court.

Emperor Wulong, impatient with their nonsense, declared directly: "Whoever can produce one million taels of silver, I will listen to. Do any of you have any objections?"

The court fell silent instantly.

The Pixiu hopped and skipped back to the side hall of Yixin Palace, jumped onto its leader's head, and cheered: "[Great! Miss can finally escape her misery! The Emperor not only allows her to establish her own household, but also bestows upon her the title of County Princess. No one will dare to bully her anymore!]"

The little guy squatted on the roof of Taihe Hall for most of the day, and as soon as he received good news, he immediately came back to share the good news.

A deer pulled him off its head, pinched the fleshy ball, and hugged him to its chest, rubbing it gently.

Seeing his sullen expression, Pixiu asked worriedly, "Boss, what's wrong? Aren't you happy for the young lady?"

You Lu sighed, "I wasn't worried about Shen Yuyao at all. She's a woman of her own mind and knows what to do. On the other hand, Meng Tianhong, although he has an idea for an antidote, still needs guidance on the specific procedures. Most importantly, he needs suitable candidates for Gu refining."

"Don't worry, didn't your father promise to help you find the materials?" Pixiu patted his head with its round paws.

"Father did send over quite a few poisonous insects, including scorpions, centipedes, and venomous snakes, but none of them suited my taste," Youlu said, shaking his head while resting his chin on his hand.

Does refining Gu require finding someone you like?

I don't know much about Pixiu.

Youlu rolled over on the bed and muttered to herself, "Are there any creatures that are naturally able to control insects, are also very cute, and are perfect for making Gu poison?"

The Pixiu was exasperated. "Boss, you're here to concoct Gu poison to save people, not to raise pets."

You Lu said matter-of-factly, "Since we're going to raise them anyway, of course we should choose the cutest ones. Besides, Gu isn't something you can use once; we can use it again later."

He jumped out of bed. "No, I have to find it myself."

After saying that, he casually threw on an outer robe and rushed out, completely forgetting that he was still in the period of facing the wall.

After court, the eldest prince had nothing to do, so he decided to visit his younger brother who was facing the wall. However, as soon as he entered the door, he was knocked backward, and his chest felt like it had been hit by a stone hammer. The pain made his face turn slightly pale, and he gasped for breath.

After recognizing the person he had bumped into, the eldest prince rubbed his chest and asked, "Seventh brother, why are you in such a hurry?"

Youlu was completely unharmed, but seeing the pain on his face, she couldn't help but ask with concern, "Why did you come, eldest brother? Are you alright?"

The eldest prince, of course, couldn't say that something was wrong, so he forced a smile and said, "Nothing, nothing."

His seventh brother's head is so hard, I don't know what it's made of.

The Pixiu covered its mouth and chuckled, [This is what's commonly known as being stubborn.]

Youlu glared at the Pixiu secretly, then looked at the eldest prince and asked, "Eldest brother, is there something you need?"

The eldest prince waved his hand, "I just came to see you. Are you settling in well in the palace?"

"Very good, very good. If there's nothing else, Eldest Brother, I'll be going now."

Youlu was about to leave after giving a few perfunctory words when the eldest prince grabbed him, exclaiming in terror, "You're still facing the wall! You can't wander around like that! If Father finds out, you'll be beheaded!"

Youlu then remembered that he was still being punished, and frowned, saying with a troubled expression, "But I have something very important to do."

Seeing his pitiful state, the eldest prince felt a pang of sympathy and said, "If Seventh Brother trusts me, why not let me do it for him?"

Youlu rested his chin on his hand and pondered for a while before nodding and saying, "Alright, I want the kind of cute living creatures that are suitable for making Gu poison. Spiders, centipedes, scorpions, poisonous snakes, toads are all fine. Please help me choose one, eldest brother. Thank you, eldest brother."

More people, more help; don't refuse help that comes your way.

"Huh?!" The eldest prince's jaw dropped to the ground.

The Pixiu shook its head; the poor eldest prince.

The eldest prince left Yixin Palace with faltering steps.

The attending eunuch asked with concern, "Your Highness, are you alright? Should I fetch the imperial physician for you?"

"I'm fine." The eldest prince was weak and listless. His chest hurt from the impact, but his seventh brother's request gave him a bigger headache.

The kinds of live animals that Seventh Brother mentioned can all be used in medicine. Many pharmacies keep them in captivity on the side. It's not difficult to get a few. The difficult part is to pick the cute ones. How would he know which ones are cute? He's even scared to look at them!

Suddenly, he remembered something and clapped his hands excitedly, "I remember my uncle has an ice toad, all white with blue eyes, it should be considered cute, I'll go find him and ask him about it."

The eldest prince was overjoyed and immediately left the palace for the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.

Cang Shuyue didn't attend court today. After his routine training, he set up a chessboard in the pavilion and played a game by himself. The eldest prince rushed over excitedly and asked, "Uncle, may I borrow your Jade-Eyed Ice Toad?"

The eldest prince said he was borrowing it, because in his view, having a deer was childish, just wanting to find a different kind of pet to play with on a whim, and that he would return it after playing with it.

Cang Shuyue refused without hesitation: "I won't lend it."

He then lifted his eyelids and glanced at the eldest prince, asking, "What do you want the Ice Toad for?"

The eldest prince had anticipated this, scratching his ear as he said, "It was my seventh brother who wanted it and asked me to ask. Uncle, is it really impossible to lend it to him?"

"..." Cang Shuyue's hand holding the chess piece paused slightly. "I won't lend it."

The eldest prince: "..."

He wasn't mistaken, was he? Did his uncle hesitate just now?

The eldest prince returned defeated, and Cang Shuyue didn't even invite him to stay for a meal.

The morning breeze was slightly cool, but Cang Shuyue had lost his interest in playing chess.

What does that child want the ice toad for? Could it be that he really wants to detoxify that Nanzhao man?

That day, Emperor Wulong sent people to monitor the Qin residence, and his own guards were also keeping watch from the shadows, so he knew everything that was happening at the Qin residence. However, in his opinion, there was absolutely no need to go to such lengths to help that Nanzhao man detoxify; he could achieve the same goal simply by threatening him with Qin Tan.

What surprised him most was that Emperor Wulong actually agreed to the child's actions.

Is there some other hidden story?

Cang Shuyue felt that the child was shrouded in a mist, vivid yet unattainable.

After silently finishing his cup of tea, Cang Shuyue instructed Yin Wu, his personal guard standing beside him, "Send the Ice Toad to the Empress."

Yinwu agreed, but he was puzzled. Once the Ice Toad was in the Empress's hands, it was as if it had been given to the First Prince. If that was the case, why didn't she just give it to the First Prince directly?

Yinwu remarked that his master's thoughts were becoming increasingly unpredictable.