Did the Seventh Prince attend court today?

You Lu thought of Cang Shuyue purely because he believed in Cang Shuyue's abilities, and since Cang Shuyue was currently in Xiangyang, he could catch the water bandits off guard.

Pixiu, upon thinking of Cang Shuyue, simply wanted to find an excuse to get rid of him.

Although their reasons differed, the human and the beast reached a tacit agreement.

We have a candidate in mind, but how can we get Cang Shuyue to agree to go and suppress the bandits?

Youlu is in a dilemma.

The relief distribution in Junzhou City would take two days. Youlu originally planned to stay with the eldest prince, but the unexpected discovery of the water bandits made him change his mind. Fearing that things might change if he delayed, he ordered his men to prepare a carriage overnight and head to Nanzhang to find Cang Shuyue.

Upon learning that he was going to travel to Nanzhang at night, the eldest prince, who had just finished bathing, hurriedly put on an outer robe and chased after him from the backyard of the prefectural government office to the main gate, trying his best to dissuade him: "The road from Junzhou to Nanzhang is mostly mountainous, and it is not safe to travel at night. Even if something happens, you should wait until tomorrow morning to set off."

"I can't wait, it's urgent."

The luggage was already placed, and Lu leaped onto the carriage shaft. He had just lifted the curtain and, before even entering the carriage, instructed the driver, "Let's go."

The eldest prince grabbed him, his voice unusually stern, "No! If it's truly urgent, you can tell me, and I'll go run the errand!"

He then tried to pull Youlu off the car and get in himself.

"I'm just taking a ride, it's not like I'm going to fly!" You Lu was both amused and exasperated. Although he had a slightly special constitution, he wasn't a porcelain doll, so there was no need to make such a fuss or overreact.

"No, it just won't do!" The eldest prince insisted on preventing him from leaving.

Upon hearing the news, the prefect of Junzhou rushed over and was at his wits' end when he saw the two of them struggling. Just as he was in a state of panic, the sound of horses' hooves came from not far away, and a figure in black leaped out of the night.

He recognized that handsome, stern face at a glance, even though he had only seen it once from afar in Xiangyang Prefecture.

"It's the Duke of Zhenguo!" The prefect of Junzhou clapped his hands and laughed.

Upon hearing this, Youlu immediately released his strength. Caught off guard, the eldest prince stumbled and fell on his backside with a cry of pain, landing on the ground.

Youlu: "..."

What should I do? I feel even more guilty.

He lowered his head, not daring to look at Cang Shuyue.

Cang Shuyue rode over, his sharp gaze sweeping over the eldest prince on the ground. He frowned and asked, "Why aren't you resting in your room tonight? What are you doing here making a scene?"

The eldest prince jumped up and hurriedly complained, "Uncle, you've come at the right time! Seventh Brother refuses to go back to his room to rest and insists on driving to Nanzhang. I'm trying to stop him!"

It looks just like a primary school student tattling to the teacher.

As expected, Cang Shuyue frowned and scolded lightly, "Nonsense, get down here now."

The deer pouted and muttered, "I was just looking for you, why are you being so fierce?"

What is poured into the lake of the heart will create ripples.

Cang Shuyue softened her expression, dismounted, walked to the carriage shaft, and opened her arms. "Good girl, let's go back to our room first."

A deer whimpered and jumped off the car, but before its feet even touched the ground, it was immediately embraced.

Cang Shuyue caught the boy, tightened her arms, and whispered, "It's been seven hours since I last saw you, I missed you, baby." She breathed greedily into the boy's ear, as if trying to make up for the day's absence.

Youlu vaguely heard the word "miss," and instinctively clung to him, using both hands and feet to reach out and say something flattering: "I miss you too, that's why I came to find you."

"Yes, that's why I came to see you." Cang Shuyue smiled.

We are of one mind.

He added inwardly with a sense of pleasure.

Youlu carefully observed him and, seeing no displeasure in his eyes, breathed a sigh of relief. She then wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered, "Brother Imperial Brother, I have something very important to tell you."

The boy's warm breath brushed against his ear, and Cang Shuyue couldn't help but swallow hard. He thought the boy was going to express his longing for him, and the smile on his lips deepened. He adjusted his position to support the boy's sliding body and said softly, "Yes, let's go back to the room and talk."

After saying that, he carried the person into the gate of the prefectural government office.

Pixiu, its eyes gleaming with hearts, followed the two smugly, muttering to itself: "If you can't eat yourself to death, then eat yourself to death! This huge bowl of dog food is a treat for the beast!"

The prefect of Junzhou hurried forward and said, "Does Your Excellency intend to stay at the prefectural office? I will immediately instruct someone to prepare a room."

Cang Shuyue said calmly, "No need, just have someone send some hot water to the Seventh Prince's room."

The prefect of Junzhou stopped in his tracks. Was the Duke of Zhenguo really going to share a room with the Seventh Prince? Was that appropriate?

He turned to look at the eldest prince's expression, only to find that the eldest prince's face was normal. Could it be that he was overthinking things?

The eldest prince didn't see anything wrong with it at all, and even welcomed it. His uncle was the seventh brother's uncle, so what was wrong with the two being close?

He completely judged others by his own standards, and oversimplified the relationship between people.

Guided by the deer, Cang Shuyue carried the person back to the room. He reluctantly placed the person on the edge of the bed and said softly, "I'm going to take a bath and change my clothes. You wait for me obediently."

She glanced deeply at the person on the couch, pressed her lips to her brow, and then got up and walked to the bathtub behind the screen.

Youlu's heart skipped a beat. She touched her forehead, which still felt warm, and pressed her pounding chest, muttering in confusion, "Pixiu, something feels off."

[Is it strange? What's strange about it?] The Pixiu looked innocent, glancing around, but its mouth was practically touching the moon.

You Lu couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he just felt something was off. He himself was acting strangely, and Cang Shuyue was acting strangely too.

Just then, a servant brought over hot water and luggage, which immediately diverted his attention. He took the little melon out of the trunk and fed it with its medicine.

Soon, the sound of water filled the room. A broad-shouldered, narrow-waisted figure was faintly visible through the wooden-framed, cloth-covered folding screen painted with landscapes, flowers, and birds. The Pixiu slurped, "To err is human. He was bathing in front of us; it's not too much to peek, is it?"

"Don't drag me into this." Deer crossed his arms and emphasized seriously, "I'm a gentleman!"

The Pixiu tilted its head. "Then what are you glancing at with that sideways look?"

[Ahem, I'm doing eye exercises.] The deer's face isn't red or panting, but the tips of its ears have subtly turned red.

[Ew~~] The Pixiu said with a teasing look, [Beasts understand, beauty is pleasing to the eye.]

A deer glared at it angrily, "[I've noticed you're acting strange today. Normally you'd be saying Cang Shuyue hates me by now, but why haven't you said a word?]"

The Pixiu picked up its fingers, pouting as it argued: "Beasts are civilized beasts; they didn't fart randomly."

Under the probing gaze of the deer, it dared not feign madness any longer and weakly said, "I admit that I was too loud before and misunderstood Cang Shuyue. I have now turned over a new leaf and become a beast again."

So never deprive it of its spiritual nourishment!

Youlu, still somewhat skeptical, pressed further: "[Suspicious, very suspicious! What made you change your mind?]"

The Pixiu covered its face shyly, saying, "I can't help it, you've given me just too much; it's hard for me to stand firm."

There's a deer: ? ? ?

Before he could ask again, Cang Shuyue's somewhat hoarse voice came from behind the screen, "Baby, bring me a nightgown."

The Pixiu screamed: 【Give it to him! Don't force me to kneel down and beg you!】

The deer tilted its head in confusion.