The village chief was somewhat dissatisfied: "Even so, this is a ritual that has been passed down in the village for hundreds of years, and the government has no right to interfere."

Lu Ziyuan said coldly, "This kind of harmful ritual should not exist. Do you think the government doesn't want to get involved? It's because you've repeatedly refused to learn your lesson! Since the Princess Consort has ruined the ritual, then it shall be abolished from today onwards!"

"Your Highness! You can't do this!"

The elders began to complain, but seeing Lu Ziyuan's dark face, they only dared to complain in hushed tones.

Zhong Muyu said, "I won't ask too much of you. Just abolish human sacrifice. You can worship at the mountain god temple if you want. But if you don't agree, I won't let you use your faith to harm people!"

"The princess is right. Zhiyu, this matter will be handed over to the government for supervision. We must ensure that no more human sacrifices are performed. If this happens again, those responsible will be handed over to the authorities for severe punishment!"

"yes!"

Zhiyu left as ordered, and Zhong Muyu silently gave him a thumbs up in her heart.

Surprisingly, Lu Ziyuan is quite normal when it comes to matters of principle.

With Lu Ziyuan's strict orders, the village chief and the others could only suppress their dissatisfaction. After everyone had left, Lu Ziyuan noticed a pair of sharp eyes staring at him.

The gaze fell on Zhong Muyu. Although the matter had been resolved relatively satisfactorily, she could no longer tolerate this posture.

"Thank you in advance, now let go!"

Lu Ziyuan said, "If it weren't for me today, you would not only have been captured by them, but you would have also fallen flat on your face."

"You're the one who eats shit! One thing at a time, let me go first, I'll repay you for this, but you're forbidden from taking advantage of me!"

Seeing Zhong Muyu's fierce expression, Lu Ziyuan silently let go of her. However, as soon as Zhong Muyu stood up, the sharp pain in her ankle caused her to fall to the ground with a thud.

"Your Highness! Your Highness, what's wrong?"

Zaochun quickly went over and helped her up.

"It seems I accidentally twisted my ankle..."

"Oh my god, we need to get treatment done quickly!"

With Zhong Muyu on her back, Zao Chun and the two of them moved forward cautiously and shakily.

Chengfeng couldn't bear to watch any longer: "Early spring, the mountain path is so steep, how can you, a girl, help the princess down the mountain? Let me help!"

"Cough! Cough cough!"

Just as Chengfeng was about to get started, he was interrupted by Lu Ziyuan's cough.

"Oh! It was improper for me to help the Princess. I was not thinking things through. Please forgive me, Princess."

"Alright, Chengfeng, you must be tired. Take Zaochun and go rest. I will take care of things here."

“That’s true. In early spring, shall we go back and prepare lunch? The prince and princess must be hungry.”

Early Spring looked bewildered: "But the Princess Consort..."

"With the prince here, you don't need to worry. Or are you going to take the princess down the mountain?"

"It seems not."

"That's settled then, let's go back quickly."

Chengfeng tried to drag Zaochun away, but Zhong Muyu immediately objected: "Zaochun! Why are you going with them?"

However, the wind was very fast, and the two disappeared into the end of the bushes in no time.

Furious, Zhong Muyu slapped the roadside bushes and saw Lu Ziyuan standing obediently next to her. Although he didn't have any expression, Zhong Muyu felt that he was laughing at her.

"Why don't you leave since everyone else has? Are you just going to stand here like a telephone pole?"

Lu Ziyuan, however, missed the point: "What's a telephone pole...?"

"What it is... doesn't matter! It's true what they say, it's better to rely on yourself than on others; you can't depend on anyone!"

Zhong Muyu pulled out a dry tree branch from the surrounding area and used it to support herself as she stood up, but as soon as her right foot touched the ground, she felt excruciating pain.

"Hiss~"

She gasped in pain; she hadn't been paying attention to it earlier and hadn't felt the pain as much.

But we can bear with this for now. We can slowly move back. Anyway, we'll definitely be able to have dinner tonight.

Just as she was limping back, Lu Ziyuan picked her up by the waist and strode forward.

Zhong Muyu was shocked: "You! What are you doing?"

"At your speed, you'll probably be eaten by wild beasts before you even get back. Even if you're lucky enough to escape, your right leg will be ruined."

Perhaps to prove Lu Ziyuan's words, just as he finished speaking, an unknown wild beast's cry came from the distant mountains.

Compared to the unknown dangers, it would be best to have Lu Ziyuan take it back.

But isn't being hugged like that a bit too ambiguous? Their relationship isn't that close.

Noticing that Zhong Muyu was moving around, Lu Ziyuan added, "If you don't hold on tight, I won't be able to help you if you fall again. Or do you feel uncomfortable like this and want me to carry you?"

"No need! Just leave it as is! Hurry up!"

Zhong Muyu refused without even thinking. What a joke! Carrying him would be more embarrassing than carrying him.

The two walked in silence until they returned to the village, where they unexpectedly saw the Red Bamboo at the village entrance.

Seeing their state, Chi Xuanzhu felt a hint of embarrassment, but he was more worried about Zhong Muyu's condition. Zhong Muyu's clothes were covered in grass clippings and mud, and he looked extremely disheveled.

"Your Highness, Your Highness, are you alright? Is Your Highness injured?"

Before Zhong Muyu could answer, Lu Ziyuan interrupted, "She's fine, she's just tired from walking and wants me to carry her back."

Lu Ziyuan's tone was very unfriendly, clearly indicating that he did not want Chi Xuanzhu to meddle in other people's business.

"What nonsense? Mr. Chi, don't worry, I just twisted my ankle, it's nothing serious."

Zhong Muyu smiled and said, trying to sound relaxed.

Chi Xuanzhu was a little worried, but ultimately didn't say much: "Then Your Highness must take good care of the medicine when you get back."

This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!