Did the Seventh Prince attend court today?

After entering Xiangyang territory, the rain became noticeably heavier. On the day the escort ship docked in Xiangyang, it was pouring rain. The torrential rain created turbulent waves, and the once bustling Fancheng ferry crossing, which faced Xiangyang across the river, was deserted. Only the sound of rain could be heard, not the sound of people.

The prefect of Xiangyang, along with the magistrates and prefects of the six counties and one prefecture under his jurisdiction, had been waiting at the dock in the rain. As soon as the grain transport ship carrying disaster relief silver docked, a group of people rushed ashore.

"Your humble servant, Song Zhiyao, Prefect of Xiangyang, along with officials from various prefectures and counties of Xiangyang, pays respects to Your Highness, the Seventh Prince, and the Duke of Zhenguo."

A middle-aged man wearing a four-beam hat and a plain cloth oilcloth bowed respectfully. He was tall and had a booming voice. His boots were covered in mud, and the patch on his oilcloth was half-hidden and soaked.

"Please rise, sirs." The eldest prince helped the man up and said gently, "I have been ordered to come to provide disaster relief, but I am still young and lack experience. If there is anything I have done wrong, I hope you will point it out to me."

He bowed respectfully, his attitude humble, and the officials of Xiangyang waved their hands repeatedly, saying, "We dare not accept such praise."

The prefect, Song Zhiyao, who was in the lead position, cupped his hands in greeting and tentatively asked, "The rain is too heavy, Your Highness, would you like to return to the prefectural office to rest first?"

The eldest prince waved his hand, "We must not break the rules. It is not too late to go to the government office after the disaster relief funds have been transferred and verified."

Song Zhiyao nodded, feeling relieved.

When he received the document and learned that the eldest prince was coming to provide disaster relief, his heart sank. When he heard that the seventh prince would also be accompanying him on his travels, his heart sank even further.

Although the eldest prince has a reputation for good deeds, he is still a pampered prince and would certainly not be able to endure the hardships of disaster relief. His visit this time is probably just for show, to accumulate merit and win the hearts of the people. He is unlikely to do anything substantial.

He never expected the eldest prince to be of any help; he only hoped that the eldest prince would simply be a figurehead and not interfere with the disaster relief efforts.

However, it seems that the eldest prince is not as aloof and unconcerned with hardship as he had imagined.

With the Crown Prince's words in mind, Song Zhiyao acted in an official capacity, personally verifying the documents, and then, together with the Crown Prince and others, led people into the cabin to inspect and count the silver chests.

Since Youlu had no official position, he disembarked first and waited in the awning at the dock. Yinwu was also left by his side to protect his safety.

The rain gradually subsided, turning from a downpour into a drizzle, pattering softly on the awning. A deer gazed at the misty river surface and suddenly felt a pang of sorrow, letting out a soft sigh.

Yinwu immediately asked with concern, "Why is the Seventh Prince sighing?"

Youlu didn't answer, but sighed again, resting her chin on her hand, before slowly saying, "Do you even know what it means to go from frugality to extravagance easily, but from extravagance to frugality difficult?"

Yinwu really didn't understand this seemingly random sentence.

After sighing for the third time, Youlu explained, "Do you know how important a good pillow is to humans? From today onwards, I can no longer sleep with my brother-in-law, which means I'll lose my human-shaped pillow. Isn't that sad?"

"..." Yinwu's feelings were complicated. For a moment, he didn't know whether he should feel sorry for his master or be happy for his master.

Youlu moved closer to him and whispered, "If I used the excuse of safety concerns to ask my brother-in-law to sleep with me, do you think he would agree?"

Yin Wu chuckled dryly, "Hehe, I didn't know."

He knew all too well, but did he dare to say it? He didn't!

Youlu sighed in frustration, "Forget it, I'd better not. My brother-in-law doesn't really like me to begin with, and we've finally gotten a little closer lately. If I play any tricks, he'll definitely hate me even more."

Yinwu felt a lump in his throat. He wanted to explain for his master, but he was afraid that the iron tree flowers would bloom even more vigorously. After much struggle, he hesitated and said, "Seventh Prince, you might as well go and ask."

As for what the result was, that was beyond his control.

He had clearly seen along the way that his master was already unable to control himself, and it was not something that could be stopped by wishful thinking. Rather than standing in the middle and becoming the villain, it was better to let nature take its course. So he also understood that even if he didn't try to bring them together, he absolutely couldn't interfere, since he couldn't make decisions for his master.

Furthermore, the cycad had finally blossomed, and he couldn't bear to extinguish it.

As for etiquette and moral principles, those were not his concern; he only needed to consider whether his master was happy.

I am such an understanding and considerate bodyguard.

He couldn't help but sigh.

Yu Lu glanced at the self-satisfied Yin Wu and silently distanced herself.

Before long, the silver chests were verified, and the ferry manager announced loudly, "The Nanyang escort ship has three hundred chests of disaster relief silver. Verification is complete. Proceedings are permitted!"

"Quickly! Hurry up! Move all the silver chests onto the carriage!"

The constables, ordered to move the silver chests, immediately sprang into action, working with the guards on the ship to unload the chests of silver from the ship and load them onto the carriages that had been prepared with oilcloth.

The Crown Prince and his entourage disembarked from the ship. As they passed the awning, the Crown Prince was about to beckon Youlu to his side when Yinwu slipped under his umbrella, snatched it, and said with a smile, "This subordinate will hold the umbrella for the Crown Prince."

"But you are your uncle's bodyguard..." The eldest prince was taken aback.

"It was His Majesty who instructed me to follow the Crown Prince. You are in charge of this disaster relief effort, so you must not lose your composure or dignity," Yinwu explained.

The eldest prince believed him and nodded, saying, "Alright then, what about my seventh brother..."

"My master will keep an eye on the Seventh Prince. The carriage is already waiting ahead. Let's go quickly."

Before the eldest prince could finish speaking, Yinwu pushed the person away.

You Lu scratched his head, "Why is Yin Wu acting so strangely?"

Cang Shuyue approached, holding an umbrella, and gently waved, "Come here."

Youlu nodded, and just as he raised his hand, the wide, dark sleeves of his coat covered his head first, protecting him as he stepped out of the awning and into the umbrella.

The rainwater dripping from the edge of the awning was completely blocked.

Cang Shuyue shook the water droplets off his sleeves, pulled the person to his side, and said softly, "Let's go."

Youlu blinked, suddenly gaining confidence, and grabbed his sleeve, shaking it. "Brother Imperial Uncle, if I said I'm afraid of being assassinated and want to sleep with you, would you believe me?"

Cang Shuyue raised her hand to shield him in her arms, her arms shielding him from the tangled raindrops. She half-embraced him and walked forward, her voice calm and unreadable, "Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. You're good at lying."

"..." Yu Lu was speechless for a moment. Who would have thought that he would one day be backfired by his own words?

He pouted unhappily, then, in a fit of pique, declared, "I'm coming clean! I'm not afraid of assassins, I'm just picky about my pillow. You've made me sleep with my head on your arm every night, and it's gotten into a habit. You have to take responsibility!"

They're really unreasonable, yet they're so arrogant.

Cang Shuyue looked at him intently. "I didn't say I wouldn't agree."

"That means you agree!" Youlu's eyes lit up, and she hugged his waist, nuzzling him excitedly. "Brother Imperial Uncle is the best!"

Cang Shuyue smiled slightly and gave a soft "hmm".

The umbrella was tilted, shielding the area from the wind and rain.