Saya, the Imperial Capital of the Empire of Yunxi:
In the imperial prison, several jailers were sitting around a wooden table, drinking wine in great gulps and eating meat. In front of the prisoner lay a bowl of vegetable soup and two moldy corn buns, untouched for two full days. When he had arrived, his complexion had still been rosy; now his lips were cracked, his eyes sunken, and he looked utterly haggard.
The prisoner was Mu Xueshi, son of the Grand Tutor. He had been imprisoned here for two days on the charge of killing his father. He should have been executed immediately, yet for some unknown reason, the sentence had been delayed until now. The Third Prince was the chief judge in charge of Mu Xueshi’s case. This was the first time in all the dynasties that an imperial prince had involved himself in trying a case, so at first, the jailers had all stood by solemnly, not daring to make the slightest mistake. Today, an imperial order had come down saying that the interrogation location had changed and that soldiers would come to take custody of the prisoner. Only then did the jailers let out a great sigh of relief.
“Your Highness the Third Prince, the prisoner has been brought.”
The Third Prince’s hand, which was holding a blue-and-white porcelain tea bowl, paused. His gaze swept over the eunuch standing at the side, and without the slightest expression, he gave a faint “Mm.” The room immediately fell silent. The Third Prince gently blew at the steaming tea bowl, took a sip, then continued frowning as he read the scroll resting on his knees.
The Third Prince himself was aloof and proud, and he rarely associated with the other princes. His mother consort was not especially favored, but the Third Prince himself was deeply loved by the Emperor. Since childhood, he had been exceptionally intelligent, yet he never flaunted it. No matter when, he always wore an expression of calm composure. He also liked absolute quiet. When nothing was going on, he almost never spoke with anyone. Even if the Emperor wanted to chat with him idly, he had to take the initiative to start the conversation before he could hear so much as a few words from him.
The room was so quiet that even the fall of a needle could be heard clearly. After roughly an hour, the Third Prince finally slowly put down the scroll and gave the eunuch waiting at the side a look. The eunuch immediately understood and walked to the door with small, quick steps, then gently pushed it open and went out.
Before long, Mu Xueshi was brought into the room. The Third Prince signaled for everyone to leave. Almost without making any sound, the room was instantly left with only two people.
The Third Prince lowered his eyes slightly and glanced at the person kneeling on the ground. Then he took up the confession of guilt from the side and slowly read, “The sages of old said that among all subjects under heaven, filial piety comes first. A father is as great as heaven. For you to kill your father is the same crime as regicide, and by rights, you should be sentenced to death. Do you accept this judgment?”
Mu Xueshi parted his thin lips and replied faintly, “I accept.”
A cold smile curved the Third Prince’s mouth. He rose from his seat and, in a few steps, walked to stand before Mu Xueshi. With two fingers, he pinched Mu Xueshi’s jaw. With a light tug, the thin layer of skin on Mu Xueshi’s face was torn away. That face from the past, beautiful enough to steal one’s breath, had not changed in the slightest. Even after eating coarse fare for several days, it remained as smooth and tender as before.
From beginning to end, Mu Xueshi remained silent and calm. In his cold, water-like eyes, not a single ripple appeared. The Third Prince gave a soft laugh and used one hand to help the person kneeling on the ground stand. Mu Xueshi showed neither gratitude nor reluctance, simply obeying every instruction the Third Prince gave.
Only after he stood did the Third Prince carefully admire the person before him. Even in prison robes, he could still appear so fresh and ethereal that one could not help doubting whether he truly belonged to the mortal world. Unfortunately, such beauty had to be hidden his entire life, never seen by the world even before death. As the Third Prince lamented this, he also felt fortunate for himself. If he had not seen Mu Xueshi splashing water and playing at Jingyun Lake five years ago, he probably would never have believed that such a man existed in this world. It had been as though a celestial being had unfortunately fallen into a stream; one smile showing his teeth had been enough to astonish passersby.
Unfortunately, after searching bitterly for several days, he had only then learned that this person usually covered his face and hid his features, and the answer he found was that Mu Xueshi was the son of the Grand Tutor he had hated since childhood. The Third Prince was not someone who sank into obsession over beauty. No matter how breathtaking Mu Xueshi was, it could not overcome his hatred toward everyone in the Grand Tutor Manor.
He had originally wanted to properly torment this person, but unexpectedly, Mu Xueshi was cold to the extreme. No matter how much effort the Third Prince spent, he could not change even one expression on his face. It was the first time the Third Prince had encountered someone even harder to approach than himself. Mu Xueshi seemed like a block of ice, without blood or flesh, facing everything like a dead man.
“Be my bedchamber favorite for one day, and you may be spared death!” the Third Prince’s voice echoed beside Mu Xueshi’s ear.
Mu Xueshi was indifferent. “No need!”
The Third Prince had long expected this answer, but whether he accepted or not, the result would be the same. The days ahead were still long. A person could not endure being worn down forever. If he was denied even the right to die, then he would have no choice but to accept endless, merciless torment. Once he was worn down to the end, he would compromise, and after compromising, there would still be even longer torment waiting.
Mu Xueshi, that decision your father made all those years ago has doomed you to spend your entire life bearing his crime.
Slender jade-like fingers lightly touched cinnabar, and layer upon layer of fine prints were stamped onto the confession. The Third Prince lifted Mu Xueshi’s hand, the one he had used to press his fingerprint, and gently wiped away the remaining traces on his finger.
“Exile to the frontier. Enjoy the rest of your life well.”
Mu Xueshi did not speak, as if this result had nothing to do with him. The Third Prince brought over a bowl of hot soup, light yet highly nourishing, and held it before Mu Xueshi. Wouldn’t it be letting you off too easily if you starved to death on the road? the Third Prince thought inwardly. Watching Mu Xueshi mechanically drink down the bowl of soup that the servants had spent an entire day brewing, the Third Prince then personally disguised him again. Seeing that extraordinary, peerlessly beautiful face turn ugly and unbearable in an instant, a trace of a smile appeared at the corners of the Third Prince’s eyes.
Mu Xueshi, our game has only just begun…
Futile Devices Scans 
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