Mu Xueshi had always felt that the Third Prince lived far too repressed a life. Only after the two of them became “friends” did he really begin observing how the Third Prince spent his days. Other than reading, painting, and occasionally practicing martial arts, he had practically no leisure activities at all. Mu Xueshi enjoyed sticking close to him, but he had no intention of joining him in wasting away such boring days.
Since the Third Prince sincerely considered him a friend, Mu Xueshi felt he had a responsibility to do something for him in return. At the very least, before leaving, he wanted to teach the Third Prince how to find some happiness in everyday life instead of spending every day behind that cold expression. If there were anything capable of making the Third Prince smile, Mu Xueshi was willing to do everything in his power to create it.
On the very first day after making this resolution, the Third Prince happened to leave his bedchamber, something he rarely did. Mu Xueshi immediately decided to use the opportunity to completely redecorate the room. A person’s surroundings could affect their mood, after all. Forget the Third Prince—even Mu Xueshi himself felt his desire to speak disappear whenever he stepped inside that cold, luxurious chamber.
Once he decided, he wasted no time. Mu Xueshi ran into the courtyard, summoned every eunuch and guard he could find, and ordered them to prepare paint, colored ribbons, garlands, and other decorations. When the guards clearly had no idea what he was talking about, Mu Xueshi called over the three maidservants instead. The instant he started speaking to the women, his attitude softened by several degrees, his entire face becoming exceptionally courteous.
Of the three, Mu Xueshi liked Qingyun best because she was the only one he had ever seen smile and therefore seemed the easiest to approach. He spent ages gesturing and explaining before Qingyun finally understood roughly what he wanted. Nothing like it existed in the palace, so the women would have to make everything themselves.
Qingyun took Qingya and Qingzhu to the embroidery workshop, where they explained Mu Xueshi’s ideas to the embroiderers while choosing beautiful ribbons to weave together. The palace tailors and embroiderers were all extraordinarily skillful. Besides clothing, they could make all kinds of small hanging ornaments, each one delicate and beautiful.
Mu Xueshi took the paint he had mixed himself and covered the Third Prince’s dark-red walls in a brighter orange-red. The entire room immediately looked warmer and livelier. So did Mu Xueshi, although mostly because more than half his body had somehow ended up stained orange. The three maids stood nearby covering their mouths as they laughed, while Mu Xueshi looked enormously proud of himself.
When the decorating was finished, Mu Xueshi treated himself to a long, satisfying bath. Throughout it, he repeatedly sent flirtatious glances toward the maids attending him. Unfortunately, every servant the Third Prince had chosen seemed to possess iron self-control. No matter how much Mu Xueshi hinted, none of them reacted in the slightest, until he was the one left feeling embarrassed.
After bathing, Mu Xueshi changed into a bright new outfit and eagerly sat down to wait for the Third Prince. He desperately wanted to see his expression when he discovered the transformation. Even the slightest reaction from the Third Prince gave Mu Xueshi an absurd amount of encouragement.
But he waited until nightfall, and the Third Prince still did not return. Disappointment gradually set in, and Mu Xueshi sprawled across the cushioned couch, listlessly eating fruit.
Several more hours passed before Mu Xueshi finally gave in and fell asleep on the couch. His vigilance remained surprisingly sharp, though. Every time the slightest sound came from the courtyard, he immediately sprang up and rushed outside, only to find that the Third Prince still had not returned.
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