Did the Seventh Prince attend court today?

The rooms had already been arranged. The best and largest room in the east wing was the eldest prince's room. To his left was You Lu, and to his right was Cang Shuyue. Gu Cheng and Yin Wu were opposite him.

On the way here, Song Zhiyao had already told everyone where their rooms were.

Apart from Yinwu's room, a maid and a servant stood outside each of the other side rooms. Upon seeing people approaching, they bowed and said, "This servant greets Your Highness, the Seventh Prince."

You Lu nodded, pushed open the door, and was about to turn around and close it when he saw Cang Shuyue following closely behind. He couldn't help but ask in confusion, "Is there anything else, Brother-in-law?"

Cang Shuyue had already stepped one foot across the threshold when he heard this, and his steps faltered slightly, a hint of doubt flashing across his usually cold face.

The two looked at each other, and finally Cang Shuyue withdrew his foot and said coldly, "It's nothing."

He turned around and walked to the right with a sullen face.

Seeing that his expression was off, Youlu didn't think much of it, assuming that he was still angry with the eldest prince.

The luggage has been moved to the room, and hot water is ready. Because of the rain, the sky has been overcast, so the lights in the room were turned on early.

The warm yellow candlelight illuminated the furnishings in the room, which were complete with soft couches, incense tables, bronze stoves, ice buckets, silk curtains, mica screens, and glass palace lanterns. Although it was not luxurious, it was not what one would expect in a government office's side room. It was clear that it had been rearranged and specially prepared for them.

"My eldest brother is probably furious." Youlu sighed, took out a change of clothes, and took a comfortable bath.

The Pixiu had been outside for a while and gotten soaked in the rain. Now it was soaking in the bathtub, sighing comfortably, "Finally, I don't have to travel anymore. My beast skeleton is almost falling apart."

You Lu jokingly said, "I thought that after spending more than ten days together, you would be reluctant to part with the money."

Pixiu sighed deeply, feigning seriousness, "In the end, we were destined to be apart. What is not meant to be mine cannot be forced."

"Pretentious." Youlu chuckled and splashed water on its back, then picked up a bar of soap and lathered it up, saying, "Look at all your fur, it's all matted. Let me help you wash it."

"Aww!" Pixiu responded happily, its claws clinging to the edge of the bathtub, obediently letting him rub and rub its body.

The little melon on the table tilted its head and let out an envious "Croak~~".

In the right-hand room, Cang Shuyue sat expressionlessly at the table, while Yinwu stood silently to the side. After what seemed like an eternity, just as Yinwu was about to make an excuse to slip away, he finally spoke, asking with a hint of doubt, "Sleeping together and living together, don't they mean the same thing?"

Yinwu: "..."

"Isn't that right?" Cang Shuyue asked again, his face full of curiosity.

Yinwu wiped his face. "Of course not, Master. Sleeping together only means being together at night, while living together means being together both day and night. The time involved is different. Besides, only husband and wife and family members spend every day together."

Worried that he hadn't explained things clearly enough, he thoughtfully asked, "Do you understand?"

Cang Shuyue understood, and gave him a cold glance, "Shut up."

Yinwu was completely confused. What had he said wrong this time?

By the time of Xu (7-9 PM), it was almost dark, the lanterns under the eaves were lit, and Song Zhiyao arrived as scheduled.

A deer, freshly washed and clean, was wiping the fur of a Pixiu. Upon hearing the commotion outside, it immediately put down its handkerchief, changed its clothes, and went out.

The rain suddenly intensified, pouring down in torrents. When the deer came out, Song Zhiyao was standing in front of the First Prince's door, bowing and speaking. The rain was too loud for him to hear clearly, but he could see that the First Prince's expression was still not good. After a while, he nodded.

Upon seeing him, Song Zhiyao cupped his hands in greeting and said, "The food and wine are ready. Your Highness, please move to the front hall and take your seat."

Youlu nodded and said, "Thank you for your trouble."

Song Zhiyao then went to knock on Cang Shuyue's door again.

By the dim light of the corridor, one could see that Song Zhiyao's shoes and socks were soaked, his shoes were covered in mud, and his body was also wet, indicating that he had just returned from a busy day.

Youlu shook his head and pushed open the door to the eldest prince's room.

The eldest prince, without turning his head upon hearing the door open, snapped, "Lord Song, there's no need to urge me any further. I will attend the banquet myself. Get out!"

His voice was not as warm and gentle as usual; it carried a hint of coldness.

Youlu said, "Elder brother, it's me."

The eldest prince paused slightly, then turned around, his face flushed with embarrassment, and said, "I'm sorry, Seventh Brother, I thought it was..."

"If it really is Lord Song, then my eldest brother shouldn't be so rude." Youlu walked to the table and sat down, looking around at the furnishings in the room. They were indeed more exquisite than his own, and could be considered luxurious.

The eldest prince looked at him, puzzled. "Seventh brother, what makes you say that?"

"You'll know once my eldest brother calls Lord Song in," Youlu said, keeping everyone in suspense.

The eldest prince was completely bewildered. Remembering his father's instructions before he left, he hesitated for a moment before actually going outside and calling Song Zhiyao in.

As soon as Song Zhiyao entered the room, she was stunned by the furnishings. "This, this..."

He was speechless for a long time.

The eldest prince wasn't stupid; seeing this, he immediately understood and asked, "Didn't you order this room to be furnished?"

"Of course not!" Song Zhiyao quickly retorted, "Although I was worried that Your Highness wouldn't be used to the place, I had it tidied up a bit, but I only had the cushions and gauze curtains changed, and two more lamps added. I didn't have any of those decorations arranged!"

Fine beads of sweat were visibly forming on his forehead.

The eldest prince looked at Youlu in surprise. Youlu blinked and pointed to Song Zhiyao's shoes.

The eldest prince looked down and was momentarily stunned.

He had a vague suspicion in his heart, and feigned a threat, saying, "Such extravagance and waste, and repeated obstruction of my investigation into the disaster, does Lord Song know what will happen to you if I report this to the Emperor?"

"I'm innocent!" Song Zhiyao's face turned pale, and he knelt on the ground. "This room wasn't arranged by my orders!"

"And what about those who obstruct my disaster relief efforts?" The eldest prince's gaze was sharp as an arrow, revealing an unusual sharpness.

"This, this..." Song Zhiyao stammered, unsure how to explain, and was sweating profusely.

"Lord Song, please tell the truth. Whether the eldest prince's participation in disaster relief is beneficial or detrimental is still unknown, but your actions are a foregone conclusion. Once this is reported to Father, you will be in trouble. Don't you think about yourself? Don't you think about your eighty-year-old grandmother?" Youlu gave her a timely push.

He knew Song Zhiyao's weakness.

Sure enough, a struggle flashed across Song Zhiyao's face. After a while, his tall figure paused slightly, and he kowtowed, saying, "This humble official was worried that Your Highness was not knowledgeable about flood control and that you might give reckless orders, which would delay the disaster response. That's why I kept making excuses and refused to report it."

The truth finally came out: there was no flattery or disregard for the lives of ordinary people; it was just a misunderstanding.

Thinking that he had been blind and misled, and had almost wronged a loyal official, the eldest prince felt ashamed and quickly helped Song Zhiyao up, saying, "Lord Song is devoted to the people. I misunderstood you."

Song Zhiyao was flattered and overwhelmed. "Your Highness doesn't blame me?"

The eldest prince smiled and said sincerely, "Lord Song puts the people first, and I have nothing but admiration for him. Lord Song, rest assured, although I am not good at flood control, I have made many preparations. Even if I cannot help, I will not cause you any trouble."

Song Zhiyao's eyes filled with tears.

A deer clapped and cheered, "Yay! The misunderstanding is cleared up, confetti!"

Outside the door, Cang Shuyue gazed at the boy's bright smiling face, her eyes brimming with joy.