Cat Brother was also delighted and asked, "Guard Mu, where did this come from?"

Mu Xu bowed and replied, "I was just on my way to the military camp dock when the princess asked me to bring some snacks for General Li. I heard that Seventh Young Master was here, so I came up to see him."

Cat Brother nodded and quickly invited him to sit down, then asked about his sister's situation in the palace.

He has recently been writing his travelogue about his overseas trip. He spent the last two days at the academy researching some ancient books and is still unaware of the palace gate incident.

Mu Xu didn't say much, only mentioning some trivial things, such as the Emperor's constant rewards and the daily freshly baked pastries in Zhilan Palace.

Cat Brother was naturally much relieved and wanted to ask about the dockside military camp, but the students next door were becoming increasingly unrestrained in their speech, making louder and louder noises, and had even begun to attack the southwestern border guarded by the Lu family.

Cat Brother slammed down his teacup and was about to go over and say a few words in his defense.

Mu Xu grabbed his arm and laughed, "Seventh Young Master, do you think Prince Lu is really like what they say?"

"Of course not!" Cat Brother frowned and shook his head.

Mu Xu's smile grew even more certain. "Then what these people are saying isn't true. Since it's not true, Seventh Young Master shouldn't care. After all, the innocent will clear themselves."

"And even if we take a step back, Prince Lu must have a plan to deal with the recent rumors, and he won't let outsiders slander him like this."

“If you go and argue with these people now, you'll only ruin your own business and might even fuel the rumors, causing more trouble for Prince Lu.”

Cat Brother thought for a moment, but didn't insist. He simply replied, "Forget it, out of sight, out of mind. I'll go buy the birthday gift instead."

“That’s right,” Mu Xu also stood up and said with a smile, “The princess misses the seventh young master the most in the palace. She will be happy to know that you are so composed now.”

Cat's expression improved considerably after being coaxed, and after exchanging a few more words, they went downstairs together.

Mu Xu went to the backyard to get some snacks, while Cat Brother said goodbye to Manager Peng and then went out to the street.

Before long, he selected two good ink sticks in the calligraphy and painting shop. As he was leaving, the sunlight suddenly flashed, and Cat Brother suddenly felt a tremor in his heart. He turned around and asked Zheng Qi.

"Zheng Qi, you said that Guard Mu tried so hard to stop me just now... was it because he didn't want me to get too involved with Brother Lu?"

Zheng Qi scratched the back of his head and chuckled, "I don't know either, young master. But Brother Mu is the smartest and has never suffered a loss in his actions. We all think that listening to him is definitely the right thing to do."

Cat Brother still felt something was off, but couldn't figure it out, so he simply put it out of his mind and rushed back to the academy.

Li Laosan was repairing two wobbly benches in the canteen courtyard when he saw his nephew return. He smiled and said, "Brother Cat is back. Are you hungry? Do you want me to make you something to eat to tide you over?"

Cat Brother tucked in his long robe, stepped forward to lend a hand, and replied, "No need, Third Uncle, I had some snacks at Baiyun Pavilion, and I'm quite full. I also ran into Guard Mu and asked how my sister is doing in the palace."

Li Laosan was also thinking about his niece, so he quickly pressed for details.

Cat Brother briefly explained, and at the end, he also mentioned the students' gossip and Mu Xu's advice to him.

"Third Uncle, am I overthinking things?" Cat Brother moved a step, letting Third Uncle stand in the shade of the tree.

Li Laosan patted his nephew on the shoulder, without explaining further, and said, "Guard Mu is mature beyond his years, and now he helps our family with things. He'll definitely consider things more thoroughly than you do. Listening to him shouldn't be a bad thing. He wouldn't harm you, would he?"

"Your second uncle sent a message saying that things haven't been peaceful in the city lately, and he wants you to go there less often."

"Understood, Third Uncle," Cat Brother quickly replied. "I'm not here to buy birthday gifts, and I won't be going into the city. I won't leave the academy for the time being; I'll stay here with you."

"Good lad!" Old Li chuckled, coaxed by his nephew. "Your brothers have all gone off to serve as officials, but luckily you're still here. Just now, a few big fish were delivered from outside. I'll make you boiled fish tonight, so you can work up a sweat and cool off."

Just then, Zhimin, Xiujie, and Guo Wenhao came in from outside. Hearing this, Xiujie, who was the most lively, stepped forward and said with a smile, "Third Uncle, is there any boiled fish for us? I want to eat some too!"

Li Laosan laughed even more heartily, repeatedly shouting, "Yes, yes, we have everything! We may lack other things, but we certainly don't lack food. Eat as much as you like."

The boys all laughed and shouted that they wanted to help.

It's just two chairs, why do we need so many people?

So, Li Laosan sent them off to drink juice and chat.

The four boys gathered together; some were handsome, some were refined, some were cheerful, and some were reserved, each with their own unique characteristics. The radiance in their eyes when they talked and laughed made even the blazing sun pale in comparison...

Just a dozen or so miles outside the new capital, a caravan of carriages and horses was approaching.

Although there were only a dozen or so vehicles, they were packed full, and the drivers and guards were all covered in dust, indicating that they had traveled a long way.

Soon, they arrived near the city gate.

Some idlers waiting to enter the city saw this from afar and couldn't help but gossip about it.

"Has another prefecture sent tribute?"

"I don't know, but judging from the looks of it, there are a lot of good things in the car."

Those who said this were all envious, but some disagreed, scoffing and saying, "Even if it's a good thing, so what? It has nothing to do with us!"

“That’s true!” his friend agreed. “Once good things enter the palace, they’ll probably be sent to the Imperial Concubine before long.”

"His Majesty is truly devoted; he has favored the Consort for so long, yet he shows no sign of growing tired of her."

"You don't know this, do you? The Emperor's favor towards the Consort isn't necessarily because he likes her that much; it's because of the Second Prince. She's only elevated because of her son!"

“That makes sense! The Emperor does value the Second Prince. No wonder everyone is trying so hard to curry favor with him lately; they've all figured out what the Emperor is thinking.”

People started speaking without any sense of propriety, and gradually their curiosity about the caravan shifted to court politics and the imperial harem.

As a result, the convoy passed by the city gate but did not enter. Instead, it turned onto a side road and headed straight for Broken Gold Beach.

Everyone was surprised and changed the subject back.

"Oh dear, we were all wrong. This is the Li family's convoy."

"I heard that the top scholar from the Li family was sent off to take up his post, and he has returned safely."

"A thousand miles away, and you traveled that fast?"

"The Li family's caravan is used to traveling outside. What others may find difficult is extremely easy for them."

"I wonder what good stuff they brought back this time."

"Don't worry, if there are any good things, you can buy them at the Li family's shop in a few days."

"Yeah, let's hurry into the city and have some ice cream at Baiyunjian to cool off. It's so hot!"

"Don't even mention ice cream, I'll have a block of ice cream! My throat is on fire!"

That's just how ordinary people are. No matter how important something is, it's just idle gossip to pass the time. What they really care about is always their basic needs like eating, drinking, and relieving themselves.

In the blink of an eye, the Li family's convoy passed by, and the idlers went into town, thus ending their temporary intersection and parting ways.

The Broken Gold Beach became much more lively after Lao Hei and the others returned.