Did the Seventh Prince attend court today?

Not only did they arrive early, but they also disguised themselves.

Prime Minister Su couldn't help but feel uneasy.

He did not rush forward to pay his respects, but instead ordered people to pull the Gu brothers, who were still soaking in the water, ashore and have the steward take them down to wash and change.

Although the Gu brothers were arrogant, they dared not act presumptuously in front of the renowned Prime Minister Su. Feeling like a laughingstock, they were so ashamed that they couldn't lift their heads in front of Prime Minister Su after going ashore. They hurriedly bowed and followed the steward down the river. But before leaving, they didn't forget to glare fiercely at Youlu.

The deer seemed unaffected, brushing off non-existent dust from its sleeves.

Xu Ruohuai rushed over and grabbed You Lu's shoulder, grinning as he said, "Good lad, you're really something! From now on, your brother will be under your protection!" He forgot that he had also been beaten up, and started calling You Lu "brother" as soon as he put his arm around You Lu's shoulder.

"So-so." You Lu nodded to Prime Minister Su beside him without any modesty, and then walked away.

"Hey, wait for me!" Xu Ruohuai hurriedly chased after him.

Prime Minister Su raised his hand to call the boy back, but then thought that the time was not right, so he let him go.

After everyone had left, Prime Minister Su went to the Four Corner Pavilion, lifted his robe and was about to kneel down when the man held his arm and helped him up, saying with a smile, "It's my teacher's birthday today, so let's skip the formalities."

The man in the pavilion had striking features and an imposing presence. Beside him was a fair-skinned, beardless middle-aged man. Judging from his address to Prime Minister Su and Prime Minister Su's attitude towards him, it was not difficult to tell that he was the current emperor, Emperor Wulong, Xiao Yan.

Prime Minister Su readily stood up, cupped his hands in apology, and said, "I was unaware of Your Majesty's arrival. This old minister has failed to greet you properly and hopes Your Majesty will forgive me."

Emperor Wulong stood with his hands behind his back, not responding to his words, but instead smiled and asked, "What does the teacher think of that child?"

Prime Minister Su's heart skipped a beat. Unable to fathom the thoughts of the person before him, he could only respond in riddles: "He bears a resemblance to an old friend."

"Is that so?" Emperor Wulong chuckled, his eyes darkening slightly. "I don't think so. If it were me, those two foul-mouthed brats would be dead long ago."

Prime Minister Su's brow twitched, and he lowered his head, saying, "The Gu brothers are descendants of meritorious officials. The young master is kind-hearted, which is why he didn't hold it against them."

This statement is intended as both a reminder and a plea.

Emperor Wulong smiled without saying a word, gave him a deep look, and said, "You and Xu Zheng did a good job of keeping it a secret, not informing me in time. Did you think I couldn't even protect my own child?"

Emperor Wulong spoke in a light and casual tone, but Prime Minister Su, who knew his temperament well, knew immediately that he was already angry.

"This old minister wouldn't dare!" Prime Minister Su hurriedly knelt down. "It's not that this old minister is concealing anything, but this old minister and Lord Xu have no evidence, and we truly dare not disturb Your Majesty's hearing!"

The real reason was that they were worried about accidentally angering the tyrant and losing their heads.

The seventh prince was abducted by thieves at birth, and His Majesty has been sending people to search for him for seventeen years, which shows how much he values ​​the seventh prince. Without solid evidence, they dare not act rashly and can only proceed slowly.

Xu Zheng had actually lied to You Lu. They didn't intend for You Lu to acknowledge his kinship today; they merely wanted him to make an appearance before Emperor Wulong and attract his attention. Once Emperor Wulong himself proposed the blood test, whether it was true or false, it would be irrelevant to the Xu and Su families.

After all, it was a matter of life and death that could endanger the entire family, and Prime Minister Su dared not stake his life on it.

Even now, although Prime Minister Su has already decided in his heart that Youlu is Emperor Wulong's seventh son, he still doesn't dare to make a definitive statement.

Emperor Wulong snorted, "That boy is clearly my son. Are you too old and blind to recognize him? Or is Xu Zheng also getting old? I think you all just think my son is lively and cute, and want to keep him for your own amusement!"

Prime Minister Su: "..."

Your Majesty, would you like to hear what you are saying?

Are princes just for playing with?

Emperor Wulong still held this teacher in some respect. Seeing that he was too frightened to move (actually, he was speechless), he magnanimously reached out and helped him up, but said with a warning in his voice, "Considering that you have taken good care of Xiao Qi, I will let you off this time."

"This old minister thanks Your Majesty for your great favor." Prime Minister Su looked numb.

Seeing him standing still, Emperor Wulong glanced at him sideways. "How can you be so tactless, teacher? Hurry up and bring my son here. Do you intend to prevent us from recognizing each other?"

"Your old minister obeys the decree." Prime Minister Su replied weakly, then turned and summoned his steward to search for the person.

Over there, Lu and Xu Ruohuai arrived at the theater arm in arm, chatting and laughing. The performance on stage was in full swing. The two casually found a seat and sat down. Before they could even take a sip of hot tea, they heard a sweet voice from behind them, sounding disgusted: "How smelly! How did the servants let a beggar sneak in? What a spoilsport!"

You Lu turned his head and saw a girl in a cloud-patterned butterfly dress covering her mouth and nose with a handkerchief, looking at him with an arrogant expression. He immediately noticed Liu Yanran next to the girl and instantly understood what was going on.

He leisurely sipped his tea and said lazily, "A beggar is just dirty, much better than those who spew filth from their mouths."

"Who are you calling a filthy beggar!" The girl slammed her hand on the table and stood up, her almond-shaped eyes wide open, pointing directly at Youlu.

You Lu glanced at the girl indifferently, without saying a word.

The girl's name was Qin Rongrong. She was the daughter of the Minister of Rites and a close friend of Shen Yuyao. The reason she made trouble for him was because she was instigated by Liu Yanran. She believed that he had ruined Shen Yuyao's reputation and wanted to stand up for Shen Yuyao.

You Lu sighed, realizing his aversion to stupidity was about to flare up.

Seeing that he ignored her, Qin Rongrong became even angrier and reached over the chair to pull him.

"Rongrong, calm down. This young master is used to being arrogant and disrespectful; otherwise, he wouldn't have refused to give my cousin an explanation even now." Liu Yanran pulled the girl back, seemingly trying to comfort her but actually adding fuel to the fire. She wiped her eyes, on the verge of tears, and said, "My poor cousin, taken away by someone like this..."

"Hey! Stop it!" Youlu couldn't stand it anymore, raised her hand to stop Liu Yanran's performance, stepped on the chair, and started criticizing her.

"First of all, Ms. Shen and I are completely innocent; nothing happened between us. Don't slander me without reason!"

"Secondly, both Miss Shen and I are victims. The reason we were harmed is because you failed to discipline your maid. Instead of reflecting on your own actions, you went out and ruined your cousin's reputation. Your intentions are utterly despicable!"

"Finally!" He turned to Qin Rongrong and launched into a tirade, "If you don't use your brain, donate it! Use that half-baked brain of yours to think about who benefits from Shen Yuyao being framed and jilted! Instead of comforting and helping Shen Yuyao, you're here insulting the victim. If your parents can't teach you to distinguish right from wrong, I don't mind lending a hand!"

He raised his fist.

Qin Rongrong was stunned by the scolding and subconsciously took a step back.

When Liu Yanran heard about the Gu brothers being beaten, she cursed them for being useless and was also thinking of finding an opportunity to humiliate You Lu. Just then, she saw him come to the theater, so she instigated Qin Rongrong to make trouble. However, she did not expect that this lowly commoner would be so sharp-tongued and dare to talk back in public.

She clenched her handkerchief tightly and scolded, "As the saying goes, a good man doesn't fight with a woman. You, a grown man, bullying two weak women in public is utterly disgraceful!"

"Then go ahead and report it to the authorities." You Lu crossed his arms and arrogantly raised his chin.

Liu Yanran was speechless.

Xu Ruohuai gave a thumbs up, saying that his brother was someone he could get along with, and that he dared to criticize anyone, whether human or ghost.

The play on the stage was reaching its climax, but unfortunately, all the guests were craning their necks to watch the show from below.

"What's going on?"

The question, delivered in a measured tone and with a deep, authoritative voice, broke the silence. The guests, who were watching the play, hurriedly sat up straight and laughed, saying, "Haha, the Duke of Zhenguo is here to watch the play too? What a coincidence!"

Following the sound, a deer looked in the direction of the sound and saw a tall and upright figure. The person stood under the magnolia tree, his face hidden in the shadows, making it impossible to see his features. However, his aura was imposing and dignified, and his cold and composed demeanor inspired awe.

He couldn't help but feel curious, and stared intently, wanting to find out the person's identity.