Did the Seventh Prince attend court today?

The convoy set off at dawn. The group skipped breakfast and ate a few bites of steamed buns and pancakes in the car as they traveled.

As soon as Youlu got into the carriage, he fell into a deep sleep. When he woke up, it was already past 11:00 AM, and the sun was shining brightly outside the carriage window.

He was awakened by thirst, and mumbled groggily with his eyes still closed, "Eldest brother, I'm thirsty."

As soon as he finished speaking, the thigh under his head suddenly tensed up.

His head felt uncomfortable from being poked, and he instinctively started groping around, but the more he touched it, the more something seemed wrong.

Huh, why are they so hard? Are the eldest prince's legs really that strong?

He suddenly opened his eyes, and what came into view was not the gentle and refined face of the eldest prince, but a cold, handsome, and dashing face, with a crisp and clean jawline that exuded maturity and composure.

It is Cang Shuyue.

His face remained expressionless, as always, with an indifferent expression.

Oh my god, why is it him?!

Lu Teng blushed instantly.

He just grabbed Cang Shuyue's leg and groped her. Cang Shuyue won't think he's a pervert, will she?

Feeling both ashamed and embarrassed, he covered his face and curled up into a ball, unwilling to face reality.

Suddenly, a cup of tea was placed in front of him, and Cang Shuyue's deep, cool voice sounded above his head: "Weren't you thirsty?"

The soft fabric brushed against my nose, followed by a delicate, cool fragrance that was refreshing and delightful.

It smells so good!

The shame was instantly forgotten. Youlu grabbed Cang Shuyue's sleeve, sniffed hard, and drank the cold tea in the cup in one gulp with the hand extended in front of her.

His parched throat was relieved, and he shamelessly blurted out, "I want more!"

Her hand holding the teacup paused slightly, then she quickly poured another cup of tea and brought it to his lips.

This time he didn't gulp it down, but sipped it slowly, admiring the hand holding the cup as he drank.

Cang Shuyue's hands were large, with straight, long, and white fingers, distinct knuckles, and a powerful, vigorous style. They were as beautiful as works of art, the only flaw being the several conspicuous scars on them.

After finishing the second cup of tea, Cang Shuyue asked in a low voice, "Would you like some more?"

Youlu shook her head, grabbed his arm for leverage to sit up, leaned close to him and sniffed, saying with a look of ecstasy, "Brother Imperial Uncle, you smell so good."

Cang Shuyue's body stiffened, and his gaze became complicated.

Yu Lu, completely unaware of how reckless her words and actions were, lay on his bent knees and murmured to herself, "Strange, you didn't smell this good yesterday. Did you change the incense?"

Cang Shuyue put down her teacup, brushed aside her sleeve, pushed him away, and gently scolded, "Don't be silly."

Youlu grumbled discontentedly, "Where is my eldest brother?"

Speak of the devil, and he appears. The eldest prince lifted the carriage curtain and climbed into the carriage, wiping the sweat from his forehead and laughing, "It's still cooler in the carriage."

Youlu asked curiously, "Where did you go, eldest brother?"

"I went out for a ride," the eldest prince said as he poured himself some tea and gulped down three cups in a row.

Youlu took out a folding fan from his waist, opened it, and fanned him.

The eldest prince was very pleased and smiled brightly. "It will be much cooler to ride a horse after sunset. If you want to ride a horse then, seventh brother, I will take you for a ride."

"Okay, okay!" Youlu was not a spoilsport at all and readily agreed. Although he would rather sleep in the carriage than ride a horse, it was nice to go out for some fresh air once in a while.

The two chatted and laughed, completely forgetting that Cang Shuyue was beside them, until a croaking sound came from the corner of the carriage, at which point they stopped talking.

Youlu slapped her forehead, "I was so busy sleeping that I forgot to feed the little melon!"

As for the Pixiu, it went off to guard the silver.

He crawled to the corner of the carriage, hugged the jade box to his arms, then crawled back to his original spot, opened the box, and said apologetically, "My darling, are you alright?"

The little melon squinted its eyes and let out a listless croak: "Quack~"

The child was starving.

The bugs that were delivered last night have all been eaten. I got up too early this morning and didn't have time to catch any more. I don't know if Yinwu has prepared any.

Youlu patted Xiaogua's head to comfort him: "Xiaogua, be good, just bear with it a little longer, I'll go ask Brother Yinwu."

He got up to go outside to find Yinwu, but Cang Shuyue stopped him, took out a palm-sized box from his sleeve, and said, "These are live insects I caught from the pharmacy this morning, and they've already been processed."

You Lu was somewhat surprised.

The eldest prince said, "Yinwu sent it over earlier when you were still asleep, so he asked your uncle to give it to you."

Youlu took the box and whispered her thanks, "Thank you."

There were four scorpions, each about the size of an index finger, in the box, enough for Xiaogua's food for a day.

He threw all four scorpions into the jade box so that they would stay fresh even if he couldn't finish them all at once.

Upon seeing the food, Xiao Gua immediately perked up, leaping out of the jade bowl and snatching the smallest scorpion into its mouth, slowly chewing it.

The eldest prince looked at the little melon eating with curiosity, "Can it finish eating such a big scorpion?"

He had seen Xiaogua yesterday, but this was the first time he had seen it eat.

A deer laughed and said, "Don't underestimate it because it's small. It can eat two in one go."

Little Melon: "Quack quack~~"

Seeing Xiaogua split the scorpion in two and eat it whole, the First Prince exclaimed in amazement, "Truly amazing!"

While Xiaogua was eating, Youlu took out the medicinal powder and poured it into the jade bowl, then added water, and the new bath water was ready.

After eating the two scorpions, Xiao Gua turned around and jumped back into the jade bowl, but as soon as it jumped in, it tried to get out again, but You Lu held it down with his finger.

"No, this is a new potion. It's not very potent yet, so you'll need to get used to it gradually."

The medicine he prescribed was to be changed every seven days. The previous medicine had already been soaking for seven days, and starting today, Xiao Gua would have to endure the whipping of poison.

The little melon let out a weak cry and lay motionless in the bowl.

Cang Shuyue glanced at the small melon in the jade bowl and said indifferently, "You've taken good care of it."

The ice toad, which was originally only the size of a thumb, has grown much larger, its snow-white back gleaming with a cold light, and it seems to be in better spirits than before.

Sensing the familiar presence, Xiao Gua tilted its head towards Cang Shuyue and let out a croak.

Youlu laughed and said, "Little melon still recognizes its former master."

Cang Shuyue pursed her lips, lowered her eyes, and did not respond.

Because they had rested at Dipu in the morning, the caravan did not stop at Zhengyi when they passed through at noon. They simply took the dry rations and water bags that the post station had prepared in advance and continued on their way. Lunch was again eaten in the car, consisting of steamed buns, flatbreads, and dried meat.

It wasn't until late afternoon, around 3 PM, that the convoy finally stopped at Dipu for a rest.

Today's schedule was tight, but fortunately the weather cooperated. The weather turned cloudy in the afternoon, making the journey less strenuous.

Gu Cheng, however, endured an extremely difficult day. He waited and waited, from morning till dusk, but the scene of the horses being startled and out of control, which he had anticipated, never materialized. As night fell and the command vehicle remained intact, he had no choice but to accept the fact that the plan had failed, and in his heart, he cursed Magistrate Wu a hundred times over.

As night fell, the caravan was only half an hour away from their campsite. Just when Gu Cheng thought nothing would happen that day, the caravan was attacked again.

The bright moon hung high in the sky, casting swaying shadows on the trees lining the official road. Assassins, hidden in the darkness, launched their attack silently. Amidst the flashing blades, blood splattered onto the lanterns hanging on both sides of the carriage, staining the candlelight red.

Inside the carriage, the eldest prince, sword in one hand and protecting Youlu with the other, grimly repelled an assassin attempting to climb onto the carriage shaft. Suddenly, a few cold glints flashed in the night, and several sharp whistles pierced the air. Youlu whispered, "Watch out!"

He swiftly pulled the eldest prince backward, and with a few whooshing sounds, several cold arrows pierced the carriage curtain and embedded themselves in the carriage wall.