Ruoling stood beside Lu Yuyan, glancing at Fifth Brother, then at Miss Lu, and then at Fourth Brother, feeling that something was off between them.

"What happened to them?" Ruoling asked Lu Yuyan.

Lu Yuyan handed the candied hawthorn to Ruoling: "Have some candied hawthorn."

Ruoling blinked, reached out and took them, but they all looked strange.

Lu Xiaoyun looked up and met Zhu Dan's affectionate eyes. She said, "No need. We've been out for a while. It's time to go back."

Zhu Yu smiled and raised an eyebrow at him before helping Lu Xiaoyun walk away.

However, at that moment, a flowerpot suddenly flew over their heads.

The flowerpot seemed to be aimed at Prince An below, and it smashed straight down on him.

With her injured leg, Lu Xiaoyun seemed to have no way to avoid the situation in the eyes of outsiders.

Just as the flowerpot was about to smash into Lu Xiaoyun's head, causing blood to splatter on the spot.

No sooner said than done, Zhu Yu, who was originally to Lu Xiaoyun's right, flashed in front of Lu Xiaoyun and was about to block her with his body.

He even imagined scenarios in his mind: he would save the beauty from harm, she would repay him with her body, Lu Xiaoyun would go to the palace to ask her father for a second marriage, and after the marriage, they would live in harmony and become a beautiful story in Shengjing City.

However, Lu Xiaoyun seemed to be even faster than him. Although she had difficulty walking, she could dodge a falling flowerpot in no time.

As a result, she had only taken one step when suddenly a delicate and soft-bodied Zhu Yu appeared in her arms, which hindered her movement. Fortunately, the little man in her arms had already reached out to block her.

Now that Zhu Yu has regained his martial arts skills, she is not worried that a mere flowerpot might hit him.

Just as the flowerpot was about to smash in front of them, and the two barely managed to dodge it, Zhu Yu caught a glimpse of his brother Lu Yucheng on the other side of the street out of the corner of his eye.

Lu Yucheng also saw the flowerpot that had fallen, his pupils contracted, and he immediately rushed over.

Even if he had lightning speed, he couldn't possibly be faster than a flowerpot falling from a great height.

So Zhu Yu, who originally wanted to save the hero, immediately became a delicate and frail young woman who couldn't take care of herself, and was protected in the arms of the man beside her.

Lu Xiaoyun didn't know what Zhu Yu was thinking. Seeing that Zhu Yu suddenly withdrew his hand, she quickly put one arm around Zhu Yu's soft waist and took a step back.

The flowerpot crashed to the ground with a thud a second later.

Dirt flew everywhere, porcelain shards flew, and Zhu Yu forcefully pulled Lu Xiaoyun around.

Lu Xiaoyun was practically pulled around by the person in her arms.

But because of this dramatic turn of events, to outsiders it seemed that His Highness Prince An was protecting Miss Lu in his arms, letting mud and porcelain shards fly all over him, just to protect the beautiful woman in his arms.

The Fifth Prince Zhu Dan, who was standing on the side, reached out his hand almost simultaneously, but before he could protect Lu Xiaoyun, he was pushed aside by Zhu Yu, who had squeezed to the front.

All these changes happened in the blink of an eye.

Lu Yuyan never expected that a flowerpot would fall from the sky on the streets of Shengjing City.

At that moment, Princess Ruoling was to his right. Although the flowerpot was thrown at his elder sister and Zhu Yu, it was unknown who might be injured by the flying porcelain shards.

Furthermore, the Fifth Prince Zhu Dan took a step back, then reached out and pulled Ruoling into his arms. At the same time, he turned around and used his other hand to protect her head.

The flowerpot shattered behind him, sending dirt and shards of porcelain flying everywhere.

Jiang Chuan and Li Feng were a few steps away from them. When they saw what was happening, they were so frightened that their faces turned pale.

He rushed over in a panic: "Your Highness!"

"Miss!"

Lu Yuyan did not let go of Ruoling, but instead lowered his head and asked her, "Are you alright?"

He didn't realize anything; after all, isn't it a man's duty to protect young girls?

Even if it weren't Princess Ruoling, but Li Feng or Qi Yugang who was by his side, he would still protect her like this.

Ruoling, who was being held in Lu Yuyan's arms, blushed deeply and buried her head in his chest, shaking her head: "No, it's nothing."

Lu Yucheng rushed to them: "Xiaoyun, how are you? Are you hurt?"

Zhu Yu's face was deathly pale. He placed his hand on his chest and patted it several times, seemingly still shaken by the fright.

"I was terrified! Thank goodness His Highness Prince An protected me. Fifth Prince, you were right beside me, why didn't you lift a finger to protect me when the flowerpot fell? You are a man, and you have superb martial arts skills, couldn't you even lift a finger to help?"

"Heh, so it's clear that in your eyes I'm no different from a complete stranger, not worth the esteemed Fifth Prince's attention. So what if I'm injured? Oh, brother, what brings you here?" Zhu Yu seemed to have just noticed him, as if he hadn't even heard his brother's words.

Zhu Dan: "..."

"No, I, you, that flowerpot just now..." Zhu Dan was so embarrassed by his fourth brother's shameless words that he was almost incoherent. He pointed to the broken flowerpot on the ground and then to the two people huddled together in front of him.

He was known for his eloquence in court, but he could only admit defeat to his fourth brother, who was shameless in his quest for favor. After all, he was now a woman.

Having been born a woman, when did the fourth brother learn to speak in such a sarcastic and unsettling way?

The flowerpot seemed to be meant to hit Yun'er, who is a man, not you, Fourth Brother. You rushed over there yourself, so how did it become that he stood by and watched her die?

Besides, he already made a move. You just stuck your butt out and pushed me back a couple of steps. Now, in front of Brother Yun'er, he's the one who's caught in the middle.

Zhu Yu felt extremely wronged and looked at Ruoling, who was being protected in Lu Yuyan's arms and whose mind was completely dizzy, and said, "Princess Ruoling, please speak up for me. Was it that His Highness the Fifth Prince was unwilling to help just now?"

Ruoling, whose name was called, hurriedly stepped back from Lu Yuyan's embrace, stammering, "Ah? I, I..."

"Princess, you were right beside me just now, so you know it all too well. His Highness the Fifth Prince even took a step back. Princess, did you see that clearly?"

Ruoling looked at Zhu Dan with a mixture of sympathy and resentment, and nodded: "Yes, I did see it just now. Fifth Brother, you..."

She really couldn't find any words to defend her fifth brother. After all, Mr. Lu had at least stepped in to save her, and her fifth brother had just been by her side, yet he not only didn't help but also avoided her, which was hardly the behavior of a gentleman.

Lu Yucheng looked very displeased. He seemed to have seen the Fifth Prince take a step back just now.

"I...I didn't..." Zhu Dan's explanation sounded weak. "Young Master Lu, it's not what you think."

Then, the previously respectful and enthusiastic Prince Lu said in an icy voice, "Xiao Yun, you must not be rude to His Highness the Fifth Prince. He is a prince, how could he risk his life to save you? You are so ignorant of etiquette."

Zhu Dan: "..."

Zhu Yu immediately burst into tears, feeling wronged: "Brother, you're still yelling at me! Do you know how dangerous it was just now? If it weren't for His Highness Prince An's intervention, your sister would be lying on the ground right now, bleeding profusely."

Zhu Dan's eyelids twitched. With such a small body, there was still a river of blood!