The moment Ning Yue spotted the Third Prince, he hurriedly turned around and kowtowed to him. “Your Highness the Third Prince, every word this commoner has spoken is true. My Young Master Xue was framed. Whoever murdered his own father must possess an utterly vicious heart. Although Young Master Xue is usually quiet, withdrawn, and cold toward others, he is kindhearted. I beg Your Highness to investigate the matter thoroughly!”
The Third Prince gave a cold snort but said nothing, walking straight toward his bedchamber. Undeterred by the danger to his life, Ning Yue shuffled after him on his knees, loudly pleading his case with an indignant expression.
The Third Prince acted as though he heard nothing and showed no interest whatsoever in Ning Yue’s words. He had long known that Mu Xueshi had been falsely accused. Although the assassination had not been carried out on the Third Prince’s orders, it was hardly Mu Xueshi’s place to do the killing himself. The Third Prince had long since ceased caring who was right or wrong. In any case, every person in the Grand Tutor Manor, along with certain eyesores within the palace, would eventually die one by one.
Before long, Ning Yue’s voice vanished from the courtyard. Su Ruhan could now barely walk, so there was no possibility of him personally taking Ning Yue’s life. The guards who normally obeyed Su Ruhan’s commands had already heightened their vigilance. The moment anything unusual occurred within the courtyard, they would deal with it immediately.
Mu Xueshi lay on the bed with his eyes squeezed tightly shut, straining to listen to the commotion outside. He could vaguely hear someone protesting an injustice, but he had no attention to spare for the reason behind it. His heart pounded nervously as he prayed that the man would keep the Third Prince occupied, distract him, and delay his return.
But even delaying him would be useless, would it not? Seeing the state of the room would only make the Third Prince even more irritable. At the thought, beads of sweat as large as soybeans appeared on Mu Xueshi’s smooth forehead. He prayed that the Third Prince treated the objects around him with the same indifference he showed people and would simply ignore the mess even after seeing it.
The Third Prince slowly pushed open the door. The sight inside made him pause in surprise, but he quickly understood who was responsible. Mu Xueshi was the only person in the room; no one else could possibly have entered. All the maids assigned to serve there remained outside, forbidden from taking even half a step into the bedchamber without the Third Prince’s permission.
As the Third Prince’s footsteps drew closer, Mu Xueshi gripped the bedsheet more tightly. Looking at Mu Xueshi curled up on the bed with nervousness written across his face, the Third Prince could not help curling his lips into a smile. So Mu Xueshi did know how to be afraid after all. Those objects could easily be replaced with another set, but Mu Xueshi’s mischief could not be forgiven so readily.
“No one has ever dared tamper with anything in my room,” the Third Prince said mildly.
Mu Xueshi trembled. He then deliberately stretched, rubbed his eyes, and turned around. Flashing the Third Prince a radiant smile, he said, “You’re back? I only just woke up!”
Mu Xueshi’s long hair spilled across the pillow and over the bed. A faint mist still lingered in his newly opened eyes, and his clear, glistening gaze held a trace of innocent bewilderment, as guileless as a newborn infant. His morning smile resembled a sudden ray of sunlight spilling into the room, bright and warm. He truly looked as though he had only just awakened and knew nothing whatsoever about the chaos around him.
The Third Prince’s sharply defined brows furrowed slightly. He regarded Mu Xueshi with an ambiguous half-smile, openly scorning his childish performance. It seemed his condition had not improved at all. He remained exactly as he had been yesterday, except that his antics were becoming increasingly ridiculous.
Seeing the strange look in the Third Prince’s eyes, Mu Xueshi grew even more uneasy. He hurriedly sat up, then bowed to the Third Prince with exaggerated propriety and said solemnly, “This commoner pays his respects to Your Highness the Third Prince. Good morning, Your Highness.”
When the Third Prince showed no intention of permitting him to rise, Mu Xueshi felt that his waist could no longer endure the strain. He therefore decided that the Third Prince had already excused him from the ceremony and straightened up as though it were only natural.
The Third Prince thundered, “Kneel!”
“Kneel.”
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