The Third Prince’s face remained as cold as ice. Mu Xueshi immediately dropped to his knees with a thud and wailed, “Your Highness, be generous and forgive me! I only wanted to sneak out and look around. If I didn’t take some food, how was I supposed to buy anything? I was afraid I wouldn’t have enough, so I took a little silver from that piggy bank over there. It’s not like you care about such a tiny amount… I’ll put it back, all right? And they don’t sell Golden Jade Fruit where I come from, so I ate a few extra. If there aren’t enough left, I’ll pick some more and replace them later, okay? Boohoo…”
The “piggy bank” Mu Xueshi referred to was actually a bronze statue of a former emperor used by the Third Prince during ancestral rites. A small opening at its base held silver offerings, symbolizing the ancestors gathering wealth into the state treasury. No one had ever imagined that Mu Xueshi would fish the silver back out. Nor did Golden Jade Fruit grow on some ordinary tree he could simply pick from. The fruits were rare tribute sent by officials in the south. A Golden Jade Vine had to twist and coil a thousand times before producing even a few clusters, and after the long journey to the imperial capital, very little of the harvest survived. The Emperor had bestowed the entire portion on the Third Prince alone. The Third Prince had not eaten a single one, yet Mu Xueshi had already eaten or pocketed more than half.
The pitiful expression on Mu Xueshi’s kneeling face did nothing to move the Third Prince. His voice remained icy, without the slightest room for compromise.
“You are not going anywhere.”
“Why?” Mu Xueshi stopped crying at once and looked up in confusion. “Why keep me here when I look like this? Are you using me to ward off ghosts? Or just trying to disgust yourself?”
Mu Xueshi still believed his face looked exactly as it had in the pond. A trace of inferiority showed in his crystal-clear eyes. In modern times, anyone saying such things with a face like his would probably be accused of putting on an act or fishing for compliments. Yet from Mu Xueshi, the words carried an inexplicable sadness.
Since birth, only the Grand Tutor had ever seen his true face. He had spent more than ten years living behind a disguise. How could that not leave bitterness behind? If a few cuts across his face could buy him freedom, Mu Xueshi would not hesitate. But his appearance was a gift from his parents, and he could not bring himself to destroy it.
The Third Prince, of course, had no such kindly concern. Mu Xueshi was merely a captive who would sooner or later die by his hand. But now that he had become so erratic and confused, the Third Prince had no choice but to keep him protected for the time being.
The Third Prince lapsed into silence again, and Mu Xueshi’s patience vanished. Living with someone like this would ruin a person’s hearing. Mu Xueshi could talk for an entire cartload of words, and this man would not even fart out a response.
The more you refuse to let me out, the more I’m going out! Mu Xueshi protested inwardly.
First, he had to learn the layout of the place. If anything happened later, knowing the surroundings would make escape much easier. This man was a prince. In a good mood, he could save Mu Xueshi; in a bad mood, he could kill him and hardly anyone would care. In an age divided between emperors and commoners, Mu Xueshi’s life was worth about as much as a blade of grass.
At the very least, Mu Xueshi needed to figure out whose identity he now occupied, what background that person had in this dynasty, and what advantages came with it. Then he could use everything available to find the silver coin and complete his grand plan of returning home.