Faced with imminent disaster, Mu Xueshi suddenly became remarkably clever. He imitated the hearty laugh he had heard ancient people use and laughed twice, never once releasing the Third Prince’s hand.
“So you just don’t want me getting too close to anyone else. I never thought someone would care about me that much…” Mu Xueshi pursed his lips and smiled at him, looking almost secretly happy.
The Third Prince showed not the slightest embarrassment at having his feelings stated so bluntly. Eunuch Tai’an, however, seemed embarrassed enough for both of them and bowed before quietly withdrawing.
Even while privately cursing the Third Prince as a murderous lunatic, Mu Xueshi could not suppress a secret thrill at how possessively the man treated him as someone “inside” his household. To Mu Xueshi, an “inside person” was simply the opposite of an outsider. The Third Prince did not treat him like an outsider, protected him fiercely, and even disliked him becoming friends with other people. As far as Mu Xueshi was concerned, he was incredibly fortunate.
In Mu Xueshi’s old life, the only thing he had lacked more than good looks was friends. He hated the way his classmates judged people by appearance. They only remembered him when they themselves suffered some setback, because being around him made them feel better about their own lives. Forget having a genuine friend—Mu Xueshi had never even had someone willing to walk home from school with him.
Thinking about it, Mu Xueshi collected himself and told the Third Prince with complete seriousness, “Your Highness, I promise I won’t become close to anyone else again. As long as you genuinely treat me well and don’t abandon me, I’ll share your good fortune and stand beside you through hardship.”
The Third Prince had not expected Mu Xueshi’s attitude to change so quickly. Hearing that promise, he actually felt a little moved. He had to admit that Mu Xueshi without any defenses was far harder to resist than the man he had known before.
The three maidservants were spared, and Mu Xueshi finally learned their names: Qing Yun, Qing Ya, and Qing Zhu. All three were pretty and charming. His two personal guards were Lu Fei and Lu Fan, both handsome, tall, and powerfully built. As for the cook’s appearance or name, Mu Xueshi had no interest whatsoever. As long as the food tasted good, he was satisfied.
Mu Xueshi also demanded a personal tailor from the Third Prince so he could have clothes made according to his own designs. Before long, he was wandering in and out of the Third Prince’s bedchamber every day dressed in outfits everyone else regarded as bizarre foreign garb.
After only a few days, Mu Xueshi had familiarized himself with most of the surroundings. The Third Prince also granted him freedom to come and go. Apart from the Emperor’s palace, he was free to wander almost anywhere. The Third Prince hung a token around Mu Xueshi’s neck to signify that he belonged to him. Mu Xueshi treasured the thing, keeping it safely tucked beneath his clothes and occasionally pulling it out just to admire it.
Strangely enough, now that Mu Xueshi finally had freedom, he no longer wanted to go anywhere. The outside world still fascinated him, but the Third Prince mattered more. With less than a month left, Mu Xueshi wanted to spend as much time as possible with his only friend. He practically revolved around the Third Prince every hour of the day, following wherever he went. Whenever the Third Prince was unhappy, Mu Xueshi hovered beside him asking endless questions; whenever the Third Prince was happy, Mu Xueshi became so delighted that he practically danced along with him. He was like the Third Prince’s shadow, impossible to shake off.
Within days, everyone in the palace knew that the Third Prince, famed as the most beautiful man beneath heaven, had acquired his first male favorite. Keeping a male favorite was hardly remarkable in that era, but for someone as famously cold and distant as the Third Prince, it was an enormous change.
Qinyi Courtyard also lost its former silence and seclusion. Once Mu Xueshi recovered his strength, the place was rarely peaceful. When the Third Prince practiced swordsmanship, Mu Xueshi grabbed some broken stick and flailed around beside him, knocking blossoms from plants and sending birds and insects scattering. When the Third Prince read, Mu Xueshi sat nearby and talked without stopping, like an engine that never shut off, driving the Third Prince steadily toward irritation.