A faint crease formed at the corner of the Third Prince’s brow, and Mu Xueshi’s heart tightened instantly.
“You revealed your identity?”
Mu Xueshi waved both hands frantically. “No—! I—I wouldn’t dare!”
Observing his panicked expression, the prince set aside the book in his hand and asked calmly, “Then why did you leave?”
Mu Xueshi quickly pointed at the scroll. “Eh? What’s this? Let me see—may I? I’m very interested…”
He put on an exaggerated look of enthusiasm.
The Third Prince handed it over.
Mu Xueshi blinked and pretended to read intently. In truth, his mind was blank; the characters swam meaninglessly before his eyes.
“Did you find the clause concerning yourself?” the prince asked, faintly mocking.
Still nodding appreciatively, Mu Xueshi praised, “Excellent writing! Truly a fine book!”
With a cold snort, the prince lifted a brush and lightly flipped the page, landing precisely on the statute Mu Xueshi had violated.
Mu Xueshi froze.
So this was meant for him to read.
He widened his eyes and stared at the sparse but imposing characters. Many he did not recognize; he could only guess by structure and context.
Gradually, the meaning dawned.
It detailed the punishment for deceit.
“Pulling… the tongue… tearing the lips… What does that mean? Surely it can’t be—?”
His voice trembled.
The prince gestured toward the explanatory notes below.
For some reason, Mu Xueshi’s comprehension sharpened at this critical moment. The gruesome description became painfully clear: liars would have their tongues clamped and pulled until torn apart. As for the latter punishment—the corners of the mouth would be hooked and stretched outward until aligned with the edges of the face, then fixed in place for three days and nights.
Mu Xueshi swallowed hard, instinctively touching his lips, as if fearing they had already become a grotesque grin.
His reactions greatly amused the Third Prince. He had to admit—the dark mood lingering from last night had been entirely swept away.
“I’ll tell the truth!” Mu Xueshi suddenly blurted, his face pale as paper as he dropped to his knees. “I did go out. I went to the Second Prince’s palace… I went to warn him.”
“To warn him of what?”
At this point, Mu Xueshi abandoned all hope of concealment. Since the punishment would fall upon this borrowed face anyway, what did he have left to fear?
“I wanted him to be vigilant… to protect Su Ying properly. I didn’t want any harm to befall him…”
The faint trace of good humor the Third Prince had regained evaporated once more.
Though anger stirred within him, he did not act immediately. Instead, he asked coldly, “How do you know Su Ying is the Second Prince’s son?”
Mu Xueshi hesitated. He had intended to claim his memory had returned, but fearing further questions, he confessed honestly.
“The day you left, I searched every book I could find here. I was gathering information—that’s how I accidentally knocked over the shelves and framed the servant… Last night I couldn’t sleep. After you went out, I kept searching. That’s how I learned Su Ying and the Second Prince both reside in Yuanhui Palace…”
Futile Devices Scans 
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