Did the Seventh Prince attend court today?

The front hall was brightly lit, and the round table, which could accommodate more than twenty people, was already full of food and wine. The officials from various prefectures and counties were also in place, waiting for the arrival of the distinguished guests from the capital so that the banquet could begin.

Before the distinguished guest arrived, no one dared to take a seat. Instead, they all gathered around a long table on one side of the hall, chatting idly. When Zhang Rui arrived, the group immediately greeted him with smiles, their attitude very warm.

Zhang Rui smiled and nodded in greeting, then walked to a nearby armchair, sat down, and picked up a cup of tea.

A man dressed in a light blue official robe with a white pheasant badge on his chest stepped forward, cupped his hands in greeting, and said with a smile, "Congratulations, Lord Zhang."

The one offering congratulations was Liu, the Assistant Magistrate of Xiangyang Prefecture, who was Song Zhiyao's deputy and held the rank of a fifth-grade official, two ranks higher than Zhang Rui, the seventh-grade county magistrate.

Zhang Rui simply remained seated, smiling and returning the greeting with a cupped hand.

The two exchanged a knowing glance.

Meanwhile, the eldest prince and his entourage went out and headed to the front hall.

Outside, thunder and rain raged, and the lanterns under the eaves flickered in and out of the wind. The strong wind swirled rainwater into the eaves, and the group of people had only taken a few steps outside when their clothes were soaked through and clung to their bodies, dripping wet.

Youlu shook her arms uncomfortably and brushed the strands of hair stuck to her face.

Cang Shuyue pulled him behind her, raised her hand to shield him from the wind and rain, and said in a deep voice, "The rain is too heavy. We'll head to the front hall later."

Song Zhiyao nodded and instructed his servants to go to the front to deliver the message.

The group went into the nearest room where there were deer.

As soon as she entered, Youlu ran to the table and sat down, shaking off her mostly wet shoes and socks. She swung her toes and muttered, "With such heavy rain, why don't we just stay here and eat something in the room?"

Cang Shuyue, who followed him into the room, was taken aback. His gaze fell on her delicate, petite ankles and round, pinkish-white toes, which he could not look away from for a long time.

The eldest prince coughed and said softly, "Seventh brother, you mustn't be impolite in front of Lord Song. Quickly put your shoes and socks on."

A deer grumbled, "My socks are wet, they're uncomfortable to wear."

Song Zhiyao laughed heartily and said, "It's alright, it's alright."

Gu Cheng snorted, "As expected, he comes from the streets and can't be served in a respectable manner."

As soon as he finished speaking, Youlu kicked him out of the room and raised his middle finger, saying, "Get out of here, you dare to bark like a dog in my room."

"You!" Gu Cheng was furious but dared not speak out, and could only run back to his room in the rain along the corridor.

Yinwu, who was guarding the door, held his sword and looked down at the ground, not daring to even glance out of the corner of his eye.

After shooing away the people in the way, Youlu clapped his hands and laughed, "Alright, now everyone can speak freely."

The eldest prince suddenly realized that his seventh brother had deliberately done this to get rid of Gu Cheng so that he could talk to Lord Song more easily.

He said gratefully, "Seventh Brother has really put a lot of thought into this."

Youlu raised his hand in a gesture of restraint, signaling him to keep a low profile.

The eldest prince and Song Zhiyao began to discuss serious matters. Youlu closed the door and was about to turn around when an arm blocked his thigh and lifted him up.

A familiar, cool fragrance wafted over him. He was still being held on someone's arm. He raised his hand to wrap around the neck of the person in front of him, blinked in confusion, and asked with his eyes.

Cang Shuyue spoke, his voice a little hoarse, "The ground is cold."

That makes a lot of sense and is very thoughtful. Youlu said gratefully, "Thank you, Brother-in-law."

Cang Shuyue wrapped his feet in his sleeve and carried him to the bedside.

Yinwu, who inadvertently caught a glimpse of this scene, gasped and subconsciously turned to look at the First Prince's reaction, only to find that the First Prince was engrossed in disaster relief and chatting enthusiastically with Song Zhiyao, completely unaware of what was happening over there.

While Yinwu breathed a sigh of relief, he couldn't help but feel sorry for the eldest prince's younger brother, thinking it was no wonder he was kidnapped.

Cang Shuyue placed the person on the bed, took out a handkerchief, soaked it, wrung it out, and carefully wiped the dirty feet.

His movements were light and slow; his slender fingers gently wiped his toes and the back of his feet through a soft handkerchief.

You Lu watched quietly. Perhaps because the light was too dim, he always felt that Cang Shuyue's slightly lowered eyebrows and eyes revealed gentleness.

Why do you think he's been treating me better and better? Does it mean he doesn't dislike me anymore?

These words were spoken to the Pixiu.

The Pixiu floated over, chewing on dried fruit. "Wake up! Is it possible he's only being nice to you because the Empress asked him to?"

"I think so too." Youlu sighed.

Seeing his dejected look, Pixiu scratched the back of his head and comforted him, "It's possible he's being more accommodating because you're young and he sees you as a junior. Whatever the reason, his opinion of you has definitely changed."

Youlu thought for a moment and said, "Being a junior is fine; it's better than being an enemy."

He is easily satisfied.

[Given the Empress and the Crown Prince's affection for you, hostility is unlikely.] Pixiu's rational analysis.

You Lu nodded casually, propping her chin up as she continued to admire Cang Shuyue's superior features. However, the more she looked, the more uncomfortable she felt, and she couldn't help but sigh.

Cang Shuyue paused slightly, holding his ankle, and looked up to ask, "What's wrong?"

"I was wondering, if the Sixth Prince had stepped on a dirty foot, would you have helped him clean it?" Youlu asked, blinking.

He knew he shouldn't ask that question, but he couldn't help it. The thought of Cang Shuyue's special treatment of the Sixth Prince made him want to compare.

That's right, I'm just that competitive!

Cang Shuyue frowned slightly, a hint of disgust flashing in her eyes, and answered decisively, "No."

He would only cut off those feet.

"What if it were the eldest prince?"

"Won't."

The deer, satisfied, swung its paws and said smugly, "Looks like I'm the Emperor's brother's favorite baby! All the other juniors have to step aside!"

"Mm." Cang Shuyue's eyes were full of smiles.

She is the most obedient and sweetest baby.

Yinwu covered his wildly upturned lips and looked up at the sky to indicate that he hadn't seen anything.

The rain showed no signs of abating. Around 7 PM, a yamen runner rushed over in the downpour, urgently saying, "Sir, someone from the Nanzhang County government has arrived. They say the heavy rain has triggered a flash flood, and mudslides have buried several villages at the foot of the mountain!"

"What?!" Song Zhiyao stood up in shock. "Have the villagers been evacuated?"

"We don't know the specifics yet. The casualties are still being tallied. The magistrate of Nanzhang County received the news and has already rushed back," the yamen runner replied, wiping the rain from his face.

As Song Zhiyao walked out, he methodically issued orders: "Order men to prepare horses, assemble all the militia, local militia, and constables in the city, and depart immediately for Nanzhang!"

"Yes!" The constable ran away quickly.

The eldest prince caught up with Song Zhiyao, saying, "I will go with Lord Song."

Song Zhiyao nodded solemnly, and the two went out in the rain.

Gu Cheng, who was on the other side, heard the commotion and ran out as well. After finding out what was going on, he followed.

Cang Shuyue's expression was solemn as he instructed, "Yinwu, notify the accompanying guards to come with me to Nanzhang for disaster relief."

"Yes!" Yinwu cupped his hands, lightly touched the ground with his toes, and disappeared into the rain.

"I'm going too!" Youlu quickly pulled out clean shoes and socks and put them on. Cang Shuyue held him down and said, "Be good, wait at the government office."

After saying that, he turned and disappeared into the rain.

The rain poured down, and thunder roared in the sky; the rain continued all night.