Did the Seventh Prince attend court today?

The speaker was a boy dressed in a gray outfit, about fifteen or sixteen years old, with delicate and youthful features. He slightly raised his chin, his expression arrogant, and he did not flinch when he met You Lu's gaze. His attitude was quite frank, but his smugness was a bit annoying.

Xiao Dongzi whispered a reminder: "This is the eldest grandson of the Grand Princess, the nephew of the Grand Secretary of the Wenyuan Pavilion, Young Master Yan Ciyan."

"Oh wow, this guy is actually related to you, boss." The Pixiu suddenly appeared.

A deer pressed its large head down, saying, "Didn't I tell you to stay in the palace and watch over Little Melon? Why did you come here?"

The Pixiu, with its flat mouth, seemed to say, "I'm so bored! Little Melon just sleeps and never plays with me."

Seeing its pitiful state, the deer didn't chase it away, but turned to Xiao Dongzi and asked, "Whose study companion is he?"

As far as he knew, only members of the royal family and their companions were qualified to enter the royal training ground. Although Yan Ci was the eldest grandson of the Grand Princess, he was no longer among the members of the royal family and should not have been able to appear here unless he was a companion of one of the princes.

Xiao Dongzi lowered his voice, "He is the Sixth Prince's study companion."

You Lu understood; no wonder he didn't have to take the exam—his master wasn't there.

It was rare to encounter someone so close to the Sixth Prince. His pupils turned slightly white as he looked up at the person before him.

His lips twitched slightly after reading it; this Yan Ci was actually a little sycophant!

The Pixiu knew he had gotten another melon, and it impatiently stomped its feet on his shoulder, urging, "Melon, melon!"

A deer grabbed its two flailing front hooves and began to tell its story.

[This boy's grandmother was the Grand Princess, and his uncle was the youngest Grand Secretary in history—a true first-tier noble family in Shengjing, with an undeniably high starting point. Unfortunately, this young boy was misbehaving, his mind filled only with romance. From the age of six, he followed the Sixth Prince around, offering his heart and soul, practically worshipping him, but the Sixth Prince only saw him as a friend. In the end, he died saving the Sixth Prince, dragging his entire family down with him in death.]

The Pixiu looked disgusted. [What, another love-struck fool.]

No, no, no, he's even worse than someone obsessed with love. At least someone obsessed with love experienced love, but he was a one-sided simp from beginning to end—a prime example of a devoted admirer. Both end up with nothing, but this kid truly lost everything; he lost his life and his family. It's tragic. His family is truly tragic, especially that Grand Secretary of the Wenyuan Pavilion.

Other officials were either killed for choosing the wrong side, eliminated for refusing to choose a side, or implicated in the fall of their country. Only this Grand Secretary of the Wenyuan Pavilion was killed because his nephew had fallen in love with the wrong person.

Pixiu: [If I were that Grand Secretary of the Wenyuan Pavilion, I would be so frustrated I'd die.]

You Lu pretended to be mysterious, saying, "[This isn't the biggest juicy gossip, the most explosive thing is...]"

The Pixiu pricked up its two ears and rubbed its paws expectantly, ready to feast, when suddenly a voice interrupted Youlu's half-finished sentence.

"What? You were spouting nonsense just now, and now you're suddenly silent?"

It was Yan Ci who spoke, and because he hadn't received a response for a while, he started to mock again.

Being interrupted halfway through eating melon seeds is like finishing your instant noodles only to find you don't have a fork—it's infuriating! The Pixiu leaps three feet high, waving its chubby little paws and yelling, "How dare you disturb this divine beast's melon-eating! I'll chop you to pieces!"

With a deafening roar, a bolt of lightning struck Yan Ci directly. The boy, who had been grinning smugly just a moment ago, was instantly reduced to a blackened charcoal, his head steaming as he collapsed.

You Lu quickly stepped back a few paces and silently clapped.

It seems that the Pixiu has been stealing a lot of gold and silver treasures these days, accumulating enough power to summon lightning.

He advised, "There's no need to waste your energy on him; you'll need your help in many situations later."

After all, he currently possesses martial arts skills but cannot use immortal techniques. If he encounters any unavoidable crises in the future, he can only rely on the Pixiu to resolve them.

The Pixiu then withdrew its supernatural powers, crossed its arms, and grumbled: "The beast took pity on him and spared him."

The commotion quickly attracted the attention of others; after all, it was a bolt from the blue, and everyone wanted to see which unlucky person had been struck by lightning.

A young man in brocade robes pushed through the crowd and walked up to You Lu. After looking him up and down, he gave what he thought was a gentle smile, bowed slightly, and said, "Young master, you look unfamiliar. May I ask which family you belong to? My name is Yi Xunyuan. It's a pleasure to meet you."

You Lu frowned slightly. The person in front of her had high cheekbones and dark circles under his eyes. He looked like a lustful person and was definitely not a good person.

Before he could investigate, Pixiu exclaimed, "I know this person! He's Consort Yi's nephew, the Third Prince's cousin, and also his study companion. He's a notorious playboy in Shengjing. Most importantly, he's bisexual, has a history of abusing men and women, and is a sadist who has murdered countless young men and women!"

You Lu subconsciously took a step back. It wasn't that he was afraid, but Yi Xunyuan's sticky and frivolous gaze was really disgusting.

The Pixiu leaped between the two, baring its teeth and yelling, "Stay away from my boss!"

Yi Xunyuan, however, assumed that Youlu was frightened by his name. He smirked and stepped forward, tearing off his mask of hypocrisy. He whispered, "You heard that the Seventh Prince is coming to learn martial arts, so you've come to curry favor with him, haven't you? Take my advice, the Seventh Prince has no power or influence. What's the point of following him? Why not follow me? I'll protect you... Ah—!!"

The words on his lips turned into screams. Yi Xunyuan knelt on the ground, clutching his genitals, his pale face, flushed from excessive indulgence, turned bright red and contorted into a grotesque shape.

You Lu withdrew her foot and curled her lip in disgust, "Dealing with lewd perverts is definitely more satisfying by targeting their groin."

The Pixiu claps: 【Our leader is mighty!】

The onlookers gasped in shock. This young man, who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, dared to lay a hand on Yi Xunyuan. This was a man who could walk sideways even in the palace!

Everyone craned their necks to look, some curious about the boy's identity, some lamenting his misfortune, and some simply enjoying the spectacle.

It's no wonder they didn't recognize You Lu. After being brought back to the palace, he rarely went outside the Yixin Hall. Compared to the ministers in the court, very few people in the palace knew him.

Xiao Dongzi stood quietly behind Youlu with his eyes lowered, showing no sign of panic that his master had offended someone. He knew his master's temper and status in the palace all too well.

The master already had a bad relationship with the Third Prince and Consort Yi, and now Yi Xunyuan is deliberately coming up to cause trouble. He's practically courting death. This man will probably be crippled even if he doesn't die.

Xiao Dongzi couldn't help but silently mourn for Yi Xunyuan.

By this time, Yan Ci had recovered. He frowned, glancing at Yi Xunyuan, who was still lying on the ground unable to stand, and then at the boy with a look of disgust. A struggle flashed in his eyes. After hesitating, he walked to the boy's side and whispered a warning: "I advise you to hurry back to your manor and discuss it with your elders. Either go to the gates of the Duke of Anguo's mansion and kowtow to apologize, or seek the protection of the Duke of Zhenguo. Otherwise, your entire clan will be doomed."

"Oh? Is that so?" Youlu smiled, arms crossed, as she looked at Yan Ci with a smirk.

This guy was a bit of a sycophant, but I didn't expect him to be such a nice person.

Yi Xunyuan stood up shakily, pointed at Youlu, and roared angrily: "You bitch! How dare you hurt me! I'm going to take you back to my manor and torture you severely!"

"call out--"

The arrow pierced the air, slicing across Yi Xunyuan's cheek, and embedded itself firmly in a tree trunk not far away, its fletching trembling violently.