“Heh…” The Third Prince suddenly gave a laugh, then said mockingly, “So my Qinyi Courtyard has celestial soldiers and generals hidden within it. Should we mere mortals have shown any neglect, I hope the immortal will forgive us.”
Mu Xueshi gave two awkward chuckles. The movement of his facial muscles made his already patchy, scratched-up face look utterly ridiculous. Earlier, the child had been too captivated by Mu Xueshi’s eyes to notice his face. Now that he saw Mu Xueshi smiling from a distance, he began wriggling gleefully in the Third Prince’s arms and giggling along with him.
“It’s fine. Your hospitality has been decent enough—good food and a comfortable place to stay. Give me a couple of beauties as well, and it’ll be perfect. Hehe…”
From the moment Mu Xueshi saw the Third Prince, his scalp had tingled with unease and a faint sense of foreboding had settled in his heart. He only said those words now to lighten the atmosphere. He did not understand why he seemed to fear the Third Prince instinctively. There had also been bullies at his school in the past, yet Chen Youzai had always enjoyed throwing himself directly into the line of fire, as though provoking them were something impressive and swaggering.
“Su Ying!”
The Third Prince’s shout brought the little figure’s laughter to an abrupt stop. Su Ying turned his gaze toward the Third Prince’s face, and after seeing his expression, he no longer dared make a single sound. His little mouth drooped lower and lower until tears rolled down his cheeks like pearls from a broken string, yet he did not make the slightest noise. He looked pitiful beyond words.
Outside Qinyi Courtyard, the Second Prince had already arrived with a group of men and searched the entire surrounding area, yet there was still no sign of Su Ying. Su Ying was the Second Prince’s son. The Second Prince had become a father at fifteen, and although Su Ying was now six years old, he still treasured him in the palm of his hand as though he were an infant. Consequently, Su Ying had been mischievous and unruly since childhood, while the older generation regarded him as their little source of joy. The Emperor was especially fond of this young imperial grandson. Apart from the Third Prince, Su Ying was probably the most favored junior at the Emperor’s side.
“Your Highness the Second Prince, should we force our way inside? I believe Su Ying is in the Third Prince’s residence. If we remain here waiting, who knows how long it will take?” Guan Rong, the guard standing beside the Second Prince, bowed as he spoke.
The Second Prince, however, appeared perfectly relaxed. Even if he felt somewhat anxious inside, his usual careless expression did not change in the slightest. His patience could be considered the greatest among all the princes in the palace. Anyone who tried to test his endurance would inevitably admit defeat.
Although everyone in the palace—including the young Su Ying—feared the Third Prince, the Second Prince had always treated him no differently from the other princes. The sole exception was that he never entered the Third Prince’s courtyard without permission, because that was one of the Third Prince’s greatest taboos, and the Second Prince had no desire to invite unnecessary trouble. Naturally carefree and unrestrained, he disliked becoming entangled in the palace’s struggles for power. In his eyes, so long as he could spend his entire life playing happily with Su Ying like this, he desired nothing more.
Guan Rong continued requesting instructions from the side, but the Second Prince waved a hand, signaling for him to stop talking. Seeing this, Guan Rong tactfully withdrew to one side and waited quietly for the Second Prince’s orders.
By now, the Second Prince was certain that Su Ying was inside the Third Prince’s Qinyi Courtyard. His own Hanhui Palace was not far from Qinyi Courtyard, and apart from visiting the Emperor, Su Ying generally went nowhere except the Third Prince’s residence.
Although the Third Prince refused outsiders entry, there was a small water channel on the southern side of his courtyard through which Su Ying could easily crawl. Whenever he discovered something interesting, he would remain there playing for an entire day. If nothing caught his interest, he would slip back out before the time needed to drink a cup of tea had passed.
Su Ying possessed an excellent sense of direction and could usually wander off to play without any servants accompanying him. Moreover, the Second Prince indulged him excessively and granted nearly every request. Whenever Su Ying wanted to go out and cause mischief by himself, the Second Prince never sent servants after him. Only when Su Ying failed to return for a long time would the Second Prince bring people to search for him.
Futile Devices Scans 
Leave a comment