Did the Seventh Prince attend court today?

Zuixianlou is the largest and most famous restaurant in Shengjing. Although the chefs there may not be as skilled as the imperial chefs, they are ingenious and develop new dishes every month. For example, the crab-stuffed orange, braised pork, and lotus seedpod fish dumplings on the table right now are all new products launched this month.

It is said that many high-ranking officials and nobles in the capital spend a fortune to reserve a table at Zuixianlou in advance, just to be the first to taste Zuixianlou's new dishes.

Lu Rui, who tried the new product, commented: "The taste is acceptable, and there are many varieties. Those who want something new can give it a try."

Seeing that he only ate a few bites and then stopped eating, the eldest prince asked with concern, "Is it not to your liking?"

One deer shook its head, "I'm full."

He didn't eat much to begin with, and he had already eaten quite a bit on West Street earlier.

"You can't be like this. Being picky will stunt your growth. You even called us 'white-cut chickens,' implying that if we don't grow tall, you'll be a little chick." Su Yan'an put down his chopsticks, ladled out a bowl of silverfish and pumpkin soup, and pushed it towards him.

Youlu rubbed his belly and picked up a spoon to drink in small sips.

The Pixiu, crouching at his feet, tilted its head back and opened its mouth wide, [Boss, quickly pour it into my mouth!]

A deer secretly tucked a duck's butt into its mouth.

The Pixiu didn't see what it was clearly and instinctively took a bite. The next second, it spat wildly, "Ptooey! Boss, you tricked me!"

"I'm teaching you not to take other people's good intentions for granted," Youlu said, suppressing a laugh while feigning seriousness in her criticism.

Cang Shuyue, who inadvertently witnessed his subtle actions: ...

This kid has quite unique tastes.

You Lu noticed Cang Shuyue's meaningful gaze and tilted her head in confusion.

Not to be outdone, the eldest prince picked up a piece of fish maw and put it into the bowl with the deer, saying, "Seventh brother, eat more."

Seeing that he was about to put more food in his bowl, Youlu quickly protected her own bowl, saying, "Elder brother, please stop! The child really can't eat anymore!"

Cang Shuyue, who hadn't spoken since picking up his chopsticks, suddenly said, "Don't eat so many snacks before meals."

There's a deer: ? ? ?

The naive eldest prince asked innocently, "Uncle, how did you know Xiao Qi ate snacks?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Su Yan'an kicked him under the table.

The eldest prince cried out in pain, turning to glare at Su Yan'an: "Why did you kick me?"

Su Yan'an blinked hard, signaling him not to ask. The eldest prince didn't understand and was completely confused.

Cang Shuyue remained expressionless. "I guessed."

The eldest prince understood. "I see. Seventh brother is still young, so it's normal for him to crave snacks."

The child clearly believed it and even came up with his own reason.

Su Yan'an rubbed his forehead.

You Lu didn't believe it anyway, and he couldn't help but think of the wonton incident from last time.

He rested his chin on his hand, scrutinizing the man before him, trying to discern something. However, Cang Shuyue remained unmoved, quietly eating with his head slightly lowered, his mouth opening and closing without changing, like a heartless eating machine.

After watching for a while, he got bored, pouted, and looked away, complaining to the Pixiu: "He must have sent his bodyguards to monitor me."

"You and the First Prince are rivals, and you're so favored, isn't it normal for him to be monitoring you?" Pixiu, still sticking out its tongue, didn't forget to answer him when it had a moment.

[I don't care, I thought it was a chance encounter last time, but it turned out to be a premeditated scheme.] Youlu sneered inwardly.

As for why I'm unhappy, well, I'm just unhappy.

"But boss, aren't you also wary of him? You want to get closer to him because you're afraid he'll rebel, right?" Pixiu stood up to speak the truth.

Lu Wei was slightly embarrassed and tried to defend himself, saying, "[Because there are too many uncertainties surrounding him. He doesn't care about Da Yong; he only cares about the Empress. If anything happens to the Empress, he will rebel.]"

"Then you guard against him, and he sends people to monitor you. You're even then, so what's there to be angry about?" Pixiu scratched its big head, indicating its incomprehension.

Youlu: "..."

What you said makes a lot of sense, but I'm still angry.

Why? The little Pixiu had a big question mark in its head.

[Because you're taking someone else's side! You're my underling, no matter what, you should stand by me and join me in condemning Cang Shuyue!]

brave troops:【……】

Boss, could you be any more unreasonable?

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. Lu heave-ho moved a stool next to Cang Shuyue, sat down with her arms crossed, and stared at him intently without saying a word.

Cang Shuyue was taken aback. "What are you doing?"

"You sent people to spy on me, so I'll spy on you too, and let you experience what it's like to be watched." Youlu pointed to his eyes, speaking bluntly.

Cang Shuyue: "..."

With a soft sigh, he put down his chopsticks and took out a handkerchief to wipe his mouth and hands.

You Luyuan thought he would explain a few words, but to his surprise, he stood up directly and said, "The painted boat is docked at the South Street Wharf and will depart at 1:00 PM. We will not wait for those who are late."

After saying that, he left directly.

The eldest prince and Su Yan'an both stood up to see him off.

Youlu stuck out her tongue and made a face at his tall back until the door to the private room closed again.

As soon as Cang Shuyue left, the eldest prince and Su Yan'an, who had been relatively quiet just moments before, immediately became more talkative, discussing the afternoon's sailing route on the pleasure boat while eating.

"If we go from the South Street Wharf, we should head east. There's a vast lotus field in the eastern suburbs. It's early summer now, and the lotus flowers in the field are in full bloom. I bet the Ying family's two will go to pick lotus flowers. We can go and have some fun too." Su Yan'an wrote and drew on the table, in high spirits.

Judging from his tone, there were other people boating on the lake with him, so Youlu asked, "Are there other people?"

Su Yan'an nodded without hesitation, "There are also Consort Ling's two nephews and nieces, as well as Yan Ci. It all started when the Ying family asked the Sixth Prince to help borrow a pleasure boat from the Duke of Zhenguo. When Ali and I found out, we suggested that we come along. It's more lively with more people."

You Lu was stunned for a moment.

Seeing that he looked unwell, the eldest prince tugged at Su Yan'an, signaling him to stop talking.

Su Yan'an belatedly realized he had said the wrong thing and quickly covered his mouth.

The eldest prince said with annoyance, "I'm sorry, seventh brother, it was my own idea. I just wanted to introduce you to your cousins."

He meant well, but he didn't expect it to backfire.

You Lu shook his head and said bluntly, "I don't mind making more friends, but I don't like the Ying family."

Consort Ling was no good person, and the Ying family who sold her to the brothel were no better; they were birds of a feather. He didn't want to bother with them.

Although he didn't want to offend his elder brother, he also didn't want to wrong himself.

"I won't be going today. You all have fun, eldest brother. I'm going back to the palace first."

He got up to leave, just as the door to the private room was pushed open. The waiter came in with a bowl of iced drink and said with a smile, "Sir, please enjoy your chilled plum juice."

The eldest prince and Su Yan'an looked at each other in bewilderment; they hadn't ordered any plum juice.

Youlu remembered the bowl of wontons that had been carried all the way, and pouted, "They think they can bribe me with a bowl of plum juice? Who wants to eat their food?" She turned and left.

"Wait for me, boss!" Pixiu shouted, grabbing a chicken leg and stuffing it into his mouth before leaving.

Inside a private room on the third floor of the Drunken Immortal Pavilion, which was not open to the public, Cang Shuyue sat by the window playing chess. Yin Wu bowed and reported, "Master, the Seventh Prince has returned to the palace." He paused, "He didn't even drink the plum juice."

The hand holding the chess piece paused in mid-air, not placing a single piece for a long time.