“Am I even still on Earth?” Mu Xueshi murmured, looking utterly miserable.
A moment later, he patted himself on the chest and tried to offer himself some reassurance. “At least I can still read the writing. That proves I’m still in China. But why have I never heard of this dynasty? Could these people be living independently on some hidden island, cut off from the mainland?”
After muttering to himself for a while, Mu Xueshi decided he should not be focusing on that. His most urgent task was to find information about the imperial palace’s rules and the locations of its various halls. Finding the silver coin was a minor matter; saving Su Ying was the immediate priority. Whenever he remembered the child’s apple-like little face, Mu Xueshi could not help thinking that the Third Prince’s heart must not be made of flesh.
Mu Xueshi found something resembling an imperial genealogy. Even holding it in his hands felt weighty. He skimmed through it and discovered that it contained an enormous number of entries, recording the dates of birth and death of nearly every sovereign and prince since the founding of the Yunxi Kingdom. He noticed that the names of every prince and imperial grandson began with the two characters Ye Lü. Could that be their surname? Why had he never seen it listed among the Hundred Family Surnames?
Following his intuition, Mu Xueshi flipped straight to the final pages. The first name he found was Su Ying’s. Su Ying was listed second from the bottom, with only one person beneath him, born almost a year later. Tracing the names upward, Mu Xueshi found the current princes listed in order. The long string of names made his eyes blur, but after searching carefully, he realized that the Third Prince’s name was nowhere to be found.
Mu Xueshi widened his eyes and looked again. He pointed to the Second Prince, Ye Lü Huan, then moved his finger down the page—only for the next entry to be the Fourth Prince, Ye Lü Sheng. Mu Xueshi could not understand it. Why was the Third Prince’s name missing? He examined the genealogy more closely, but the Crown Prince had not been listed separately either. Even those who later ascended the throne still retained their earlier records as princes; those entries had never been removed.
Suddenly, a noise came from outside. Mu Xueshi panicked and hurriedly returned the heavy genealogy to the antique wooden bookcase. Unfortunately, he used too much force, causing the entire bookcase to tilt to one side. Countless rare treasures were displayed upon it, every one of them far too precious to touch. The books and paintings were even more delicate—so much as a damaged corner would diminish the value of those priceless objects, which meant they absolutely could not be allowed to fall.
Realizing this, Mu Xueshi managed to seize the bookcase in an instant and steady it again. Unfortunately, he had overlooked an even more important problem. Each shelf was made from hollow panels of Yanxu peachwood, joined together without any raised edges or barriers around them. In other words, Mu Xueshi had secured the bookcase itself but had done nothing to stop the objects upon it from falling. As a succession of crashes and clatters erupted across the floor, Mu Xueshi’s vision alternated between black and white.
I’m in trouble… That was the first thought to enter Mu Xueshi’s mind.
His second thought was to run, but that was clearly nothing more than wishful thinking. Even if he could escape the Third Prince’s punishment, he was a wanted criminal of the imperial court inside a heavily guarded palace. He would undoubtedly be hunted everywhere. The Third Prince had said that no punishments could be carried out during this period, but that did not mean criminals would simply be allowed to escape.
Once he was caught, he would certainly be brought back to the Third Prince to await judgment. Would that not merely add another offense to his crimes?
Before Mu Xueshi could devise a solution, he heard footsteps approaching outside. His face changed drastically, and without thinking, he threw himself onto the Third Prince’s bed.
Who cares? No one saw anything! If the Third Prince comes back, I’ll say I know nothing and that I’ve been sleeping here the entire time! With that thought, Mu Xueshi hurriedly picked the quilt up from the floor, tugged it over himself, and shut his eyes nervously.
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