At the first glimmer of dawn, the Third Prince pushed open the door and stepped outside. Su Ruhan and another man were kneeling before his bedchamber. A conspicuous wound marked the lower part of the man’s neck, and his head was slightly bowed. The Third Prince used a scroll to lift his chin and found that he was a refined-looking young man, apparently around the same age as Mu Xueshi.
“Reporting to Your Highness the Third Prince, this man is a servant from the Grand Tutor Manor named Ning Yue. He was sent there as a child to serve as Mu Xueshi’s personal guard and remained by his side until Mu Xueshi was imprisoned,” Su Ruhan reported solemnly.
At the sound of Mu Xueshi’s name, Ning Yue’s body stiffened. No longer caring about his own predicament, he addressed the Third Prince directly. “Your Highness, this commoner dared to trespass into Qinyi Courtyard solely to meet you and seek justice for my Young Master Xue. Young Master Xue has respected and feared the Grand Tutor since childhood. He could never have harmed him. I beg Your Highness to investigate the matter thoroughly!”
Ning Yue spoke with passionate indignation. When he finished, he struck his head against the ground three times in rapid succession. By the time he raised it again, dark blood was already seeping from his forehead.
The Third Prince appeared not to have heard him. Instead, he looked directly at Su Ruhan. Su Ruhan’s expression remained calm, and he said nothing. When he finally met the Third Prince’s gaze, the sword that had accompanied him for twenty years was already lying broken in two upon the ground nearby.
“What does Your Highness mean by this?” Su Ruhan asked the Third Prince a question of his own for the first time. He had served the Third Prince for eighteen years, yet the number of conversations between them amounted to fewer than ten.
The Third Prince had originally chosen Su Ruhan as his personal guard precisely because he had been quiet and reserved since childhood, as well as steady and decisive in his actions. The Third Prince needed only to give him a glance, and Su Ruhan would immediately understand his instructions. But a moment ago, Su Ruhan had raised his sword to take his own life in atonement for last night’s failure, only for the Third Prince to stop him midway. Su Ruhan could not understand why the Third Prince had chosen to spare his life.
The Third Prince remained expressionless as he strode toward Gaowang Pavilion in the distance, with Su Ruhan following behind him. Ning Yue’s arms and legs were tightly bound, leaving him unable to move. He could only remain kneeling outside the Third Prince’s bedchamber with indignation written across his face.
Ning Yue clearly believed that Mu Xueshi was still enduring grueling hard labor at the place of his exile. The thought that his upright and honorable master had been falsely accused in such a manner left Ning Yue unable to eat or sleep in peace. Having accompanied Mu Xueshi since childhood, Ning Yue alone understood his true nature.
Mu Xueshi had been regarded as an unfilial son from childhood solely because of his face. It was said that when Mu Xueshi was born, only the midwife and the Grand Tutor were present. The moment the midwife saw Mu Xueshi’s face, she slit her own throat beside the bed. After taking a single look at him, the Grand Tutor never entered that room again.
For the most beautiful man beneath heaven, whose appearance had once captivated countless people, to father such an ugly son was regarded as nothing short of a family calamity. Mu Xueshi grew up surrounded by contemptuous remarks, becoming withdrawn and cold toward others. He allowed only Ning Yue to remain at his side. For that very reason, Ning Yue regarded Mu Xueshi as the sole confidant of his lifetime. Although Mu Xueshi’s face was hideous, Ning Yue had always secretly admired and loved him.
Gaowang Pavilion stood atop an artificial hill within the Third Prince’s courtyard, surrounded by a grove of purple bamboo. The pavilion itself was constructed from the same purple bamboo, its design simple and restrained, with a natural, rustic elegance. Viewed from a distance, it blended seamlessly into the surrounding landscape. Without looking carefully, one would never notice the pavilion hidden among the bamboo.
Once the Third Prince came to a stop, Su Ruhan knelt upright before him, not the slightest ripple of emotion visible on his face. All he needed to do now was await the Third Prince’s judgment. Whatever the Third Prince ordered, Su Ruhan would carry it out without so much as blinking.
“Was Ning Yue’s infiltration of Qinyi Courtyard truly caused by your failure to guard it properly?”
At those words, emotion finally stirred across Su Ruhan’s sharply sculpted face. He should have anticipated this. What could possibly escape the Third Prince’s notice? And he was merely one of the Third Prince’s tools. Whether he lived or died depended solely upon the Third Prince’s mood.