“You are not dead!”
The Third Prince’s cool voice sounded through the quiet room. Mu Xueshi froze, then slowly turned his head and asked, “What did you say? Say that again!!!”
Looking at Mu Xueshi’s disbelieving gaze, the Third Prince smiled contemptuously and pointed at his feet. “Did Young Master Xue not just say that the floor felt cold beneath his feet?”
That was right! If he were dead, he would not be able to feel anything. He had been so convinced that this man was White Impermanence that it had never occurred to him that someone might have come to save him. At that thought, Mu Xueshi walked toward the Third Prince with his entire body trembling. Two crystalline trails of tears ran down his delicate face as he slowly approached, gripped the Third Prince’s clothes tightly, and asked, “What if you’re lying to me?”
The Third Prince said nothing. He stared fixedly into Mu Xueshi’s excited eyes, using his chilling gaze to tell him that it was true. Mu Xueshi mistook that look for anger and displeasure at being doubted, and thus completely believed that this man had saved him.
“Wah… Oh my God…” Mu Xueshi cried out and threw his arms tightly around the Third Prince, shaking him vigorously. As he shook him, tears and snot streaming down his face, he babbled, “Brother… Brother… What am I supposed to say? You’re too wonderful, really! Without you, there would be no me… You’ve completely changed the way I see handsome men… Really, Brother, as people here would say, even serving you like an ox or a horse wouldn’t be enough to repay your immense kindness…”
Mu Xueshi spoke incoherently while sobbing against the Third Prince’s chest. The Third Prince gripped his shoulders with both hands and abruptly pulled him up until they were looking directly at one another.
Mu Xueshi’s eyes were red, and he looked fragile and pitiful, yet there was still a smile at the corners of his lips—an obvious sign of mental derangement. Just then, Mu Xueshi suddenly burst into loud laughter again and said to the Third Prince, “Let me get excited for a while first. Don’t mind me.”
With that, Mu Xueshi performed a handstand in the room. One moment he laughed loudly, the next he picked up all the plum-blossom cakes from a small plate and stuffed them into his mouth. Then he circled around the Third Prince, cheering and jumping with delight…
The maids and eunuchs outside had no idea what was happening. Although they were full of suspicion, none of them dared make the slightest movement and simply pretended there was something wrong with their hearing. No matter how loud the commotion inside became, they had to assume it was caused by the Third Prince and had nothing to do with the servants. If anyone took the opportunity to make even the slightest sound, the supervising guards nearby would kill them with a single stroke of the sword without waiting for the Third Prince’s command.
The room, which had been extraordinarily quiet, suddenly became unbearably noisy. Even the birdcage hanging from the window frame began swaying back and forth, while the bird inside flapped its wings frantically, trying to escape.
“Imperial physician!”
At the command from inside the room, the chief eunuch standing outside softly answered, “At once,” then hurriedly ordered the guards in the courtyard to summon the imperial physician who remained permanently on standby there. Imperial Physician Li, the finest physician in the palace, had been assigned to the Third Prince’s courtyard and was forbidden to leave it by even half a step. Even if the Emperor fell ill, another palace physician would be dispatched to treat him. Imperial Physician Li had effectively become the Third Prince’s personal physician, demonstrating that the Emperor’s favoritism toward the Third Prince had reached a degree shocking to anyone who heard of it.
Futile Devices Scans 
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