The guards at the entrance opened the door for the Third Prince and knelt in unison, their faces solemn. He did not acknowledge them at all. He simply crossed the threshold, the murderous coldness in his expression making the already austere Muyan Residence feel even more forbidding.
“This son heard that Mother Consort has been unwell and came to pay his respects. Eunuch Lu says that after staying so long in Linhan Palace, where the damp energy rising from the ground is heavy, Mother Consort accidentally caught a chill. I have medicine specifically prepared for such an illness. I will have someone send it over shortly.”
His words were perfectly proper, yet almost entirely devoid of feeling, as though the woman before him had nothing to do with him. There was even a faint thread of contempt beneath his tone.
Consort Mu’s expression changed sharply. Her already weak complexion turned even paler, but she still raised a trembling hand toward the bowing Third Prince. “There is no need for such ceremony, my son. Since it is your filial intention, Mother Consort will take the medicine properly.”
“Then this son will not disturb Mother Consort further. Please return to bed and rest. This son takes his leave.” The Third Prince finished his bow, turned, and walked toward the door.
Consort Mu pressed a hand to her chest, all trace of her usual calm dignity gone. She looked badly shaken, her eyes fixed on the Third Prince’s back as though she could not relax until he had completely left the room. There was no reluctance or affection in that gaze, only an anxious desire to see him gone.
At the doorway, the Third Prince suddenly stopped. Without turning around, he asked coldly, “Does this son make Mother Consort so uneasy?”
Consort Mu could no longer speak. Only her rapid breathing and choked sobs were audible. None of the servants dared step forward to help her; they stood rigidly to the side, hardly daring to breathe. At last, Consort Mu could no longer hold herself upright. Bloody foam rose to her lips and she collapsed heavily to the floor.
The Third Prince gave a cold laugh and walked out of Muyan Residence.
By the time he returned to Qinyi Courtyard, Mu Xueshi was already awake and sitting on the table, fiddling with something. When the Third Prince entered without warning, panic flickered across Mu Xueshi’s face.
“Why’d you come in without making any noise?”
The Third Prince studied him suspiciously. Mu Xueshi’s eyes darted around. His left hand held down his right sleeve while his right hand pointed toward a nearby vase. “Look! There’s someone over there!”
Mu Xueshi seized the moment to yank two clusters of Golden Jade Fruit from inside his sleeve and return them to the plate. Then he looked up and discovered that the Third Prince had not turned toward the vase at all. Every movement had been seen.
Mu Xueshi swallowed, utterly embarrassed. A blush spread across his face, giving him an unexpectedly endearing look. Yet while the Third Prince was momentarily distracted, Mu Xueshi complained loudly, “Why are you so slow to react? I even shouted for you. Couldn’t you cooperate just once?”
The Third Prince frowned but said nothing. Mu Xueshi swallowed again, reached into the pouch at his waist, and produced two pieces of red-plum cake. Under the Third Prince’s increasingly suspicious stare, he continued pulling out crystal sugar pearls, white-sesame soft cakes, delicate mountain fruits, palace-brewed sweet wine… then two silver ingots and three strings of agate hair ornaments from who knew where.
“What are you looking at? I only took a few things! You’re the classic quiet-on-the-outside, wild-on-the-inside type. Seriously, textbook…” He had meant to tease the Third Prince and ease the tension, but by the end, his voice had dwindled to almost nothing.