Suddenly, the door burst open with a violent kick.
Startled, Mu Xueshi instinctively raised his head.
What he saw were the Third Prince’s bloodthirsty eyes.
Mu Xueshi could not remember the last time he had seen such an expression on the prince’s face. Ever since the two of them had grown closer, the prince had never looked at him like that again.
When Physician Li saw the Third Prince standing in the doorway with an expression colder than ice, he collapsed to his knees with a thud.
His entire body stiffened.
His lips moved as though trying to speak, yet no words came out. Instead, he repeatedly knocked his forehead heavily against the ground and did not dare raise his head.
Mu Xueshi also felt a sudden wave of panic.
He did not know why he was afraid, nor did he know what he had done wrong. Yet the prince’s expression made him feel an overwhelming urge to crawl into a box, lock it with a key, and hide it somewhere far away where the Third Prince could not see him.
But the Third Prince did not even spare a glance for Physician Li kneeling on the floor.
He strode forward, hoisted Mu Xueshi over his shoulder, and carried him straight toward the bedchamber.
Mu Xueshi hung there stiffly like a dead fish, not daring to struggle. He only whispered repeatedly near the prince’s ear,
“Xi… what’s wrong with you…?”
The next moment—
He was thrown heavily onto the bed.
“Ah—!”
Mu Xueshi cried out miserably and turned back with a pitiful expression.
The Third Prince’s eyes burned with anger.
The moment Mu Xueshi met that gaze, he immediately turned his head away.
Without another word, the Third Prince raised his hand and delivered more than a dozen slaps to Mu Xueshi’s backside.
Each strike used less than a tenth of his strength.
Yet Mu Xueshi howled as if his life depended on it.
Even after finishing, the prince still seemed unsatisfied.
With one swift motion, he yanked down Mu Xueshi’s trousers, revealing pale, unblemished skin beneath.
Mu Xueshi instantly turned pale with shock.
“Stop hitting me! Please stop!” he begged hurriedly. “If you keep going I won’t even be able to get up! How am I supposed to wait for the Yinglan Flower to bloom tonight for you?”
“Tomorrow, alright? Please! Whatever mistake I made, punish me however you like—just wait until morning!”
“Don’t let my foolishness delay the treatment of the Gu poison in your body… please, Xi…”
As he spoke, Mu Xueshi hastily pulled his trousers back on.
Then—unexpectedly—he dropped to his knees before the Third Prince.
He could not even remember the last time he had knelt to him.
But this time he was truly frightened.
He feared the Third Prince would have to endure another entire month of suffering.
Mu Xueshi himself had experienced the torment before. He knew how unbearable the pain was.
Although the prince had not shown any discomfort this month, Mu Xueshi believed he must simply be enduring it silently without letting anyone see.
What frightened him even more was the possibility that he might not live to see the prince recover next month.
The Third Prince watched silently as Mu Xueshi’s eyes reddened with anxiety on his behalf.
Much of the anger in his heart slowly faded.
Mu Xueshi continued pleading earnestly, even promising that if the prince would grant him just one night’s reprieve, he would obey him in everything afterward.
Finally, the Third Prince set aside the idea of punishing him.
Since Mu Xueshi insisted on doing this for his sake, the prince would not refuse.
Besides, only after Mu Xueshi had finished this matter could any further discipline truly take effect.
Holding a bottle of medicinal ointment, the Third Prince ordered,
“Lie down properly.”
Mu Xueshi immediately waved his hands in panic.
“No need, no need! It was only a few slaps—nothing serious! Really!” he said with an awkward laugh.
The Third Prince merely looked at him with a faint smile.
“You should know,” he said slowly, “that the place where I apply medicine is not the place I struck.”
Mu Xueshi stared at him in shock.
When he saw the confirmation in the prince’s eyes, despair instantly washed over him.
The thing he feared most was having such an embarrassing problem discovered by the Third Prince.
Even if a stranger had learned about it and mocked him, he could have endured it.
But why did it have to be the one person he cared about most?
Mu Xueshi was convinced the truth had been exposed when he argued with Physician Li earlier.
The Third Prince must have overheard everything outside the door.
That must have been why he barged in—and why he was angry.
Thinking about it, Mu Xueshi could not help silently blaming the physician.
If that old man had simply treated me earlier, the prince wouldn’t have found out…
Honestly, the Third Prince is far less prudish than he is. What kind of doctor refuses to examine a patient like that?
Just then—
A cool sensation spread behind him.
Mu Xueshi could not help letting out a soft hum of relief.
This medicine really works well…
Though he tried his best to appear calm, his face had already flushed bright red.
He did not dare turn around to look at the Third Prince.
At times the prince’s fingers moved deeper while applying the medicine.
Even when it hurt, Mu Xueshi endured it silently.
Thinking that an imperial prince—son of the Emperor himself—was personally tending to such a humiliating injury for him, Mu Xueshi felt so moved that tears welled in his eyes.
Inwardly, he swore that he would repay the Third Prince’s kindness one day.
Afterward, Mu Xueshi found a light robe and draped it over himself before walking into the courtyard.
Tonight he had to keep watch the entire night.
Falling asleep was absolutely not an option.
Determined to imitate the famous scholars of old who kept themselves awake by extreme means, Mu Xueshi had even asked the embroidery room for a sewing needle.
Though it was thin, it was more than sufficient for pricking himself awake if necessary.
Not far away, Sun Ye stood watch in the courtyard.
Unlike the imperial guards who stood stiff and motionless, Sun Ye wandered leisurely around the grounds.
Mu Xueshi remembered that in the past, Su Ruhan had been responsible for guarding the courtyard.
Su Ruhan had belonged to the mysterious sort—one could rarely see him at all. Yet the moment anything unusual happened in the courtyard, he would always be the first to appear.
Mu Xueshi smiled and greeted Sun Ye.
Sun Ye returned the greeting with a respectful bow before resuming his serious watch not far from Mu Xueshi’s.
Futile Devices Scans 
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