I Don't Hit People

The first thing Youlu did upon returning to the side hall was to touch the box on the windowsill; Little Melon hadn't been fed yet.

As soon as I entered the inner room, I heard a "quack quack" sound coming from the direction of the bed. It was Little Gua sensing its owner's presence and greeting me.

"Here it comes~~" Youlu hid the silver notes and ran to the bedside with the box containing the insects. As soon as he opened the lid of the cold jade box, Xiaogua jumped out of the jade bowl and hopped onto the back of his hand to rub against him affectionately.

Little Melon missed its owner after not seeing him for an afternoon.

"Good boy!" Youlu pouted and kissed the little melon, then put it back in the bowl and began to feed it.

He carefully cut the finger-thick centipede into small, even pieces and fed them little by little to the wide-open-mouthed little melon.

The Pixiu watched from the side, arms crossed, and said with a stern expression, "This is spoiling it. A Gu worm that hasn't been tempered by war is incomplete. You'll only harm it by doing this!"

"Yes, yes, yes, that's right," Youlu replied perfunctorily. After feeding the centipede, he asked Xiaogua, "Are you full?"

"Croak~" Little Melon opened its mouth and let out a burp, patting its belly contentedly.

"So clever." Youlu gently tapped its head, then put away the remaining insects to give to Xiaogua as a midnight snack later.

The Pixiu pouted and stomped its feet, "Damn it, the beast has fallen out of favor!"

However, it quickly lost interest in such trivial matters, because after the deer helped Little Melon add bathwater, it took out the flute again.

[Damn!] Pixiu gasped. [I suddenly remembered something, boss, I'll be right back!]

He disappeared before he could finish speaking.

There's a deer: ? ?

After routinely cultivating Xiaogua's musical appreciation and putting the child to sleep, Youlu casually picked up a notebook and started flipping through it. He had originally planned to wait for the Pixiu, but as he read, he began to feel sleepy. He simply tossed Xiaogua's midnight snack into the box ahead of time, then tilted his head and fell asleep.

Xiao Dongzi tiptoed into the inner room and, seeing that his master was already asleep, blew out the candle and quietly withdrew.

Midday on the moon.

The night breeze was a bit cooler than the daytime breeze, quietly seeping into the room through the half-open window, dispelling the heat. Occasionally, a few rustling sounds could be heard, like leaves rustling, faint and indistinct.

Inside the jade box, the little melon, which had been sleeping with its eyes half-closed, suddenly opened them, its azure pupils flashing a cold, eerie light in the darkness. It hopped to the vicinity of the ventilation hole, twitched its nostrils, and only after confirming that it didn't smell any unfamiliar scents did it hop back into the bowl to continue sleeping.

Silent all night.

Thanks to going to bed early, Lu was still quite energetic at the morning court the next day. Unfortunately, today's court meeting was so dull that he couldn't help but yawn.

The eldest prince leaned closer and whispered, "Seventh brother, are you going out to play this afternoon? Yan'an and I have made plans to go boating on the lake together."

This child has been completely corrupted.

Cang Shuyue turned her head and glanced at him, then said in a deep voice, "Shut up."

The eldest prince shut his mouth tightly, looking aggrieved.

Youlu suppressed a laugh and nudged the eldest prince with her elbow, "Why are you so afraid of your brother-in-law? Does he hit you?"

The eldest prince forced a smile. "How could Uncle hit someone?"

They just use people as punching bags when practicing martial arts.

Youlu understood, clicked his tongue twice, and whispered, "Men who like to use violence are prone to domestic violence and won't be able to find a wife."

After saying that, Cang Shuyue turned around and glanced at him, then said in a low voice, "I don't hit people."

You Lu chuckled, "Of course I'm not talking about the Emperor's brother-in-law. I'm talking about the one speaking now, Liao Wei, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War. He's abusive towards his wife. She's miserable; she's always bruised and swollen and doesn't dare to go out."

The eldest prince was shocked. "But Lord Liao is known for his deep respect for his wife!"

You Lu shook his head and sighed, "That's all an illusion. His current wife is his second wife. He beat his ex-wife to death in front of the children. It was a terrible tragedy."

"You beast!" the eldest prince roared.

The child lost control of his emotions and raised his voice, drawing everyone's attention.

The eldest prince was so embarrassed that he wished he could disappear into a crack in the ground.

Ugh! This is so embarrassing!!

Youlu chuckled and deftly deflected the criticism: "It's nothing, nothing at all. My eldest brother is praising our Dayong Dynasty as being like the rising sun, radiant and dazzling! This is all thanks to the selfless dedication of Father and all the officials; you are the heroes of Dayong!"

"You flatter me, you flatter me!" The civil and military officials, who had just been looking at each other with a fierce and inquisitive expression, instantly broke into smiles, and even the Censor-in-Chief nodded in satisfaction.

The morning assembly continued.

The eldest prince patted his chest and said gratefully, "Thank you for coming to my rescue, Seventh Brother."

Youlu waved his hand, "No problem, no problem."

"Um..." The eldest prince hesitated, his face slightly flushed, "Liao Wei is so ruthless and cruel, why doesn't his wife divorce him?"

You Lu immediately understood; the eldest prince wanted to continue watching the drama unfold.

As expected, no matter the era, no one can resist the temptation of melons.

"It's like this..." Youlu continued whispering to the Crown Prince.

On the other side, Prime Minister Su, Qin Tan and Xu Zheng were extremely annoyed. Why couldn't they just say it in their hearts? Why did they have to whisper it to them? What's wrong with letting them hear it?

Why isn't the morning assembly over yet?

Emperor Wulong, seated on his dragon throne, had lost count of how many times he had rolled his eyes. Was it that he didn't want to adjourn the court? He was in a hurry, you know!

After finally enduring the court session, Xu Zheng rushed forward to stop You Lu, who was about to leave with the eldest prince, and bowed, saying, "Your Highness, I have a favor to ask."

Lu patted him on the shoulder with a grin, "We're old acquaintances, don't be so formal, Lao Xu."

Xu Zheng smiled and nodded, gesturing for him to proceed, "Your Highness, please step forward."

You Lu turned around and called out to the eldest prince before turning to leave with Xu Zheng.

The eldest prince stood hesitantly in place.

He was still debating whether to follow them to see what was going on, but then he saw that Prime Minister Su and Qin Tan had already secretly followed them. He paused for a moment, then stopped hesitating.

Xu Zheng led Youlu to a quiet corner where a kind-looking middle-aged man was waiting. Upon seeing the two of them, the man's face lit up with joy, and he quickly stepped forward and bowed, saying, "This humble official greets Your Highness."

Xu Zheng introduced: "This is Zhou Yongsheng, who serves as a senior official in the Ministry of Works in the imperial court. He is a close friend of mine."

Zhou Yongsheng gave a wry smile. "I was truly desperate, which is why I asked Brother Xu to help me with the introduction. I hope Your Highness will not take offense."

Yu Lu nodded to indicate that she understood, "Let's just say what we need to say."

The fact that Xu Zheng could introduce him and specifically emphasize their relationship shows that Zhou Yongsheng is a person of good character.

Under Xu Zheng's encouraging gaze, Zhou Yongsheng began to speak: "It's like this, I have two daughters, though they are born of the same mother, their personalities are quite different. Now that both of them have reached marriageable age, they should be engaged to suitable families, but unexpectedly..."

He broke down in tears as he spoke, wiping them away continuously.

Seeing that he couldn't stop crying, Youlu decided to check on him himself.

It turns out that Zhou Yongsheng's eldest daughter had gone missing. He searched everywhere but couldn't find her, so in desperation, he sought out many charlatans to divine her location. He spent all his money, but she was still nowhere to be found. Old Xu took pity on him and brought her to me.

He nodded knowingly, then immediately did a quick calculation with his fingers. His heart sank. [It's over. Miss Zhou is no longer alive, and she suffered inhuman torture before her death. If I tell Zhou Yongsheng now, will he be able to handle the shock?]

Xu Zheng, who was comforting Zhou Yongsheng, suddenly looked up.