“Am I… still on Earth?” Mu Xueshi muttered to himself, looking utterly crestfallen.
A moment later, he patted his chest in self-comfort. “At least I can still recognize the written characters. That proves I’m still in China… But why have I never heard of this dynasty? Could it be some isolated kingdom hidden on an island, cut off from the mainland?”
He grumbled for a while longer before shaking his head. This was hardly the time to dwell on cosmology.
What mattered now was understanding the structure of this imperial palace—its hierarchy, its layout. Finding the silver coin was trivial; rescuing Su Ying was urgent. The moment he pictured that child’s apple-round face, he felt the Third Prince’s heart could not possibly be made of flesh.
At last, he found what appeared to be a royal genealogy.
Even holding it felt weighty.
Flipping through it briefly, he discovered meticulous records—every sovereign and prince since the founding of the Empire of Yunxi, their birth and death dates preserved in careful detail. He noticed that before every imperial descendant’s name were two characters: Ye Lu.
Was that their surname?
Why had he never encountered it in the Hundred Family Surnames?
Following his instinct, Mu Xueshi flipped to the end. He located Su Ying’s name first—second to last in rank. Beneath him was another child born nearly a year later.
Tracing upward, he searched for the current princes.
Name after name blurred before his eyes.
And yet—
There was no Third Prince.
He blinked, looked again, and pointed his finger at the Second Prince: Ye Lu Huan. Below him… was the Fourth Prince: Ye Lu Sheng.
Where was the Third?
He searched again carefully. Even the Crown Prince’s records were preserved, and those who later ascended the throne still retained their earlier entries as princes. None had been removed.
So why was the Third Prince absent entirely?
Just then, a noise sounded from outside.
Startled, Mu Xueshi hurriedly replaced the heavy volume upon the ancient wooden shelf. But in his haste, he used too much force. The towering shelf tilted dangerously to one side.
It was filled with priceless treasures—untouchable rarities. Even a single frayed corner of a scroll would diminish its value beyond measure.
Realizing this, Mu Xueshi lunged forward and caught the shelf, forcing it upright.
Unfortunately, he failed to consider something more crucial.
Each compartment was made of hollow peachwood panels, with no barriers around the edges.
He had steadied the shelf—
But not the objects upon it.
A cacophony of crashing sounds exploded against the floor.
Mu Xueshi’s vision swam black and white.
I’ve caused trouble…
That was his first thought.
His second thought was to run.
But that was pure fantasy.
Even if he escaped the Third Prince’s wrath, how could he evade capture in this heavily guarded palace? Though the prince had declared no punishments would be carried out at this hour, that did not mean crimes would be forgiven.
If caught, he would only be delivered back here—
And his guilt would be doubled.
Before he could devise a solution, he heard approaching footsteps.
His face drained of color.
Without thinking, he leapt onto the Third Prince’s bed.
Forget it! No one saw!
If the prince returned, he would simply claim ignorance—say he had been sleeping the entire time.
Snatching up the blanket from the floor, he hastily dragged it over himself and squeezed his eyes shut, heart pounding.
Futile Devices Scans 
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