Only when the sun had already risen above the horizon did Mu Xueshi finally begin to feel sleepy.
He had scarcely slept before a noise beside the bed roused him again.
It turned out that the Third Prince rose this early every morning. Mu Xueshi found it utterly incomprehensible.
If he possessed the same wealth and power as the prince, he would spend his days eating, drinking, and enjoying life—perhaps strolling through the streets with a birdcage in hand while flirting with beautiful women.
Deliberately forgetting the embarrassment of the previous night—and conveniently ignoring his solemn vow of revenge—Mu Xueshi suddenly sprang upright like a lively carp.
“I’m getting up early to practice martial arts today!”
Rubbing his dark-rimmed eyes, he flashed the Third Prince a brilliant smile.
The Third Prince merely glanced at him calmly and offered no reply.
The maids Qingya and Qingzhu were assisting the prince with his robes. Watching them made Mu Xueshi feel oddly restless, so he suddenly shouted toward the doorway.
“Qingyun! Qingyun! I want Qingyun to dress me too!”
As he shouted, he shot the Third Prince a deliberately provocative look.
Unfortunately, the prince showed no sign of anger. His expression remained perfectly composed.
At the mention of Qingyun’s name, the two maids trembled slightly. Their faces turned pale, though they continued dressing the prince in silence.
The Third Prince’s eyebrow twitched faintly, and the maids withdrew without making a sound.
Mu Xueshi immediately felt awkward.
He had shouted Qingyun’s name for quite some time, yet she had not appeared. Even a timid excuse would have been better than leaving him standing here like a fool.
Embarrassed, Mu Xueshi slipped back to the bed and began clumsily putting on his own clothes.
The Third Prince disliked others touching Mu Xueshi and often dressed him personally. If the servants had witnessed such behavior, they would likely have fainted from shock—but Mu Xueshi had accepted it without hesitation.
Having grown accustomed to that routine, he had long since forgotten how to dress properly on his own.
Now that he had to manage it himself, the robes hung crooked and twisted. He repeatedly examined himself in the bronze mirror, offering cheerful reassurance.
“A handsome man is handsome no matter how he dresses.”
The Third Prince understood his meaning well enough. Mu Xueshi’s attempts at looking cool only appeared incredibly adorable in the prince’s eyes.
He almost felt the urge to walk over and tap the young man’s head, just to see what strange thoughts filled it.
But the Third Prince rarely allowed his true feelings to show unless overcome by emotion. Thus he simply smiled faintly from the side.
Because of this improved mood, the consequences of Mu Xueshi’s earlier words seemed less severe.
The maid Qingyun had already been reassigned to the embroidery chamber after Mu Xueshi once declared, “Qingyun is the one I like best.” Since then she rarely appeared in the courtyard.
The Third Prince knew that if Mu Xueshi discovered the truth, he would undoubtedly cause a loud commotion and feel deeply upset.
In the prince’s eyes, Mu Xueshi was suited only for mischievous smiles and carefree expressions. Should anything dark or sorrowful appear on that face, the prince would spare no effort to erase it.
Thus Qingyun had managed to keep her life.
Mu Xueshi, of course, knew none of this.
All he wanted was to do something—anything—for the Third Prince.
He rose early to train for the prince’s sake.
He investigated cases for the prince’s sake.
Even his carefree existence revolved around the prince.
He simply hoped that when the day came for him to leave, the Third Prince might remember him with a little fondness.
Unfortunately, martial arts proved far more difficult than he had imagined.
In stories and dramas, heroes gained great power simply by swallowing a magical pill or meditating for a moment.
Reality was far crueler.
He had to begin with the most basic training: repeating movements hundreds of times, holding stances until entire limbs went numb.
Su Ruhan might not possess the Third Prince’s cold ruthlessness, but he was still strict and utterly uncompromising.
Several times Mu Xueshi tried to plead for mercy when the Third Prince was absent, hoping Su Ruhan might relax the training. He had no desire to become a martial arts master—only to learn enough to defend himself.
But Su Ruhan never yielded.
Whenever Mu Xueshi attempted any trickery, the hard ruler in Su Ruhan’s hand would descend upon his palm.
Smack!
Another sharp blow landed.
This time the strike fell directly within the Third Prince’s line of sight. Displeasure flashed clearly in the prince’s eyes, yet Su Ruhan showed no intention of retreating.
When the Third Prince had entrusted Mu Xueshi’s training to Su Ruhan, he had already known the man’s temperament.
After all, if Mu Xueshi had trained directly under the prince himself—
his suffering would have been far worse.
“I need to investigate the case! It’s time to investigate!”
From afar, Mu Xueshi spotted the approaching Third Prince.
The moment the prince came closer, Mu Xueshi shouted loudly to Su Ruhan, then darted behind the prince like a startled rabbit. His reddened hands clutched tightly at the prince’s belt as he peeked out nervously.
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