Regaining Freedom

As Shen Yuyao emerged from the yamen, the bright sunshine outside felt warm against her skin, and for a moment, she was so moved that she almost burst into tears.

"Yu Yao!"

Despite his injuries, Gu Zheng limped over to Shen Yuyao and said happily, "That's wonderful! I've finally fulfilled my mission and cleared your name."

He reached out to grasp Shen Yuyao's hand, but Shen Yuyao subtly avoided it, nodding slightly with humility and politeness, and said, "Thank you for speaking up for me, Second Young Master Gu. I will never forget your great kindness."

Anyone can say nice things, but she knows perfectly well whether it's gratitude or resentment.

Gu Zheng's smile froze slightly, his brows furrowed, and he said, "I did all this not to earn your gratitude, but simply because I hope you will give me..."

Lu swaggered past the two of them, casually remarking, "Why didn't you just wait until next year's Qingming Festival to bring out that bag of pastries? Were you afraid Miss Shen wouldn't die fast enough?"

"Stop trying to sow discord here!" Gu Zheng turned around and glared angrily, but froze when he saw the boy's face clearly.

Shen Yuyao's eyes lit up as she looked at the boy's delicate and bright eyes. She had been so engrossed in her own world that she had no time to care about the outside world. But now, upon closer inspection, she realized that the little immortal really did have an immortal appearance, and was incredibly handsome!

She was overjoyed and said with a smile, "May I ask where you live, young master? After I have rested, I will definitely come to thank you another day."

Gu Zheng snapped out of his daze and asked, puzzled, "Why are you thanking him?"

Shen Yuyao ignored him and gazed eagerly at Youlu.

You Lu also found it inexplicable. Shen Yuyao must have been driven mad by being locked up. Not only did she not resent him, but she also thanked him. Even if he was innocent, the two of them were stripped of their outer clothes and thrown onto a bed, and her reputation was ruined. Why would she still be grateful to him?

Shen Yuyao realized she had misspoke and quickly tried to make amends, saying, "What I meant was that we've been through thick and thin together, which is a rare bond. If you hadn't shouted for help today, it wouldn't have caught the attention of the officials, leading to a retrial of the case. You've saved my life, and I should thank you both for what's right and wrong."

Youlu suddenly realized and said happily, "You're quite reasonable."

"You flatter me, sir." Shen Yuyao secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Luckily, she almost gave herself away.

Just as You Lu was about to reveal the original owner's address, an angry shout rang out.

"You disgraceful thing, get back home right now!"

It was Shen Yuyao's older brother, Shen Yuzhu, who arrived.

Youlu glanced disapprovingly at Shen Yuzhu, who was dressed as a scholar, and scoffed inwardly: [Here he comes, Shen Yuyao's shrewish older brother. He has time to matchmake Gu Cheng and Liu Yanran, but no time to manage his own backyard. His head is practically covered in green grass, yet he's still here bossing everyone around. He's really got nothing better to do.]

Shen Yuyao's displeasure at being scolded by her brother vanished instantly, and she covered her mouth and chuckled.

Shen Yuzhu strode over, ignoring everyone around her, grabbed Shen Yuyao and dragged her away, cursing, "You've completely disgraced the Marquis's mansion! Hurry up and come back with me to apologize to Father and Mother!"

Just as Shen Yuyao clenched her fists, about to retort, Youlu's inner voice rang out at the opportune moment.

[Shen Yuyao will definitely get a beating when she goes back. If it were me, I would take this opportunity to make a big scene, sever all ties with the Shen family, and establish my own household. It would be better than staying in the Marquis's mansion and being schemed against. She has such a large dowry; she'll only live a more comfortable life outside.]

Shen Yuyao immediately suppressed her resentment and nodded to Youlu in gratitude before being pushed onto the carriage.

She already had a plan in mind.

As soon as Shen Yuyao left, Gu Zheng flicked his sleeves and was about to leave as well. Suddenly, a deer-like eye darted around, and Gu Zheng called out, "Hey, Second Young Master Gu, aren't you going to check on the Shen family? Judging from the looks of it, Miss Shen isn't going to have a good time back home. Aren't you going to show your concern?"

Gu Zheng paused, then turned around and chased after the Shen family's carriage.

Pixiu asked, puzzled, "Boss, why did you remind this scumbag to try and win over his girlfriend?"

[That depends on whether Shen Yuyao has feelings for him. I saw everything Shen Yuyao did today; she doesn't seem to like Gu Er. If things get out of hand in the Shen family later, it won't be good without outsiders. I think Gu Zheng is quite suitable; he'd love for Shen Yuyao to be kicked out of the Marquis's mansion, left all alone.]

Pixiu scratched its head in confusion, and Youlu tapped it on the forehead helplessly, saying, "Never mind Shen Yuyao, I'll take you to get some gold and silver jewelry to eat."

"Thank you, boss!" Pixiu's eyes lit up.

As Youlu walked away, he pondered where to rob the rich and help the poor. The clerk from the yamen chased after him, calling out, "Young master, please wait!"

A deer stopped and pointed to itself.

When it was time to finish their shift, Xu Zheng changed into his everyday clothes and left the yamen with You Lu. The two found a teahouse on the street and sat down. Xu Zheng personally brewed and poured tea, pushed a cup of hot tea in front of You Lu, and gestured for him to sit down.

Youlu glanced at Xu Zheng suspiciously, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and discussed the matter with the Pixiu in his mind.

"Pixiu, what's this old fox up to? Why did he drag me here for tea out of the blue?"

[I don't know. Mortals are always cunning, boss, you need to be careful.]

Xu Zheng, who was brewing tea, trembled. Pixiu, could it be the ancient mythical beast he thought it was?

No wonder he sometimes felt that the little immortal was not talking to himself, but rather talking to someone; it turned out that there was an ancient mythical beast following him.

Thinking about his offensive act, he couldn't help but wipe the cold sweat from his forehead.

The man and the beast were still whispering to each other over there.

If I told him now that I was a prince, would he feel guilty for misunderstanding me and believe me?

[No way, Xu Zheng is extremely impartial and incorruptible; he wouldn't believe you just because he feels guilty.]

【Then I'll just sneak into the palace at night and have the emperor perform a blood test to prove our kinship.】

"Pfft—" Xu Zheng spat out a mouthful of tea, thinking to himself, "Good lad, you've got some nerve!"

Youlu wiped the tea that had sprayed onto her hands with obvious disgust.

[That old Xu is so clumsy! He even chokes on his tea. I can't count on him. I've decided, I'm going to break into the palace tonight!]

"Wait!" Xu Zheng raised his hand and shouted. Meeting You Lu's puzzled gaze, he quickly thought of something and said, "Young master, don't move yet. I suddenly realized that your features seem somewhat familiar."

You Lu was secretly delighted. [Could it be that he figured it out?!]

Xu Zheng stroked his beard with feigned profundity, scrutinizing him from head to toe, and then said thoughtfully, "To be honest, young master, I had someone investigate your background. I know that you were separated from your parents at a young age and were raised by a hunter. Is that right?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Youlu nodded hurriedly, her eyes sparkling.

Xu Zheng coughed lightly and said, "I have some suspicions about your background, young master, but whether it is true or not, we will only know after verifying it in person. The Prime Minister's birthday banquet is in a few days, and His Majesty will also be attending. I will try to arrange for you to meet, but the outcome will be fraught with danger. I wonder if you are willing to take the risk?"

"Of course I'd love to!" Youlu blurted out without hesitation, secretly clenching his fist. "It's like finding a needle in a haystack! Heaven is on my side!"

Xu Zheng patted his chest, relieved that he had managed to dissuade the young prince. He couldn't let this little rascal cause trouble. Otherwise, given His Majesty's volatile temper, even if the young prince were a prince, he would likely face death if he trespassed into the palace.