Mu Xueshi slept heavily until evening, waking two or three times only to glance around before falling straight back into his dreams. In those dreams he was still crouching in the grass, exhausted beyond endurance, and he even dreamed that the Third Prince’s illness had flared up, twisting his face with pain.
Just before waking, Mu Xueshi dreamed that he went to see Imperial Physician Li and the physician finally agreed to examine him. Then Mu Xueshi was told to lie on his stomach so medicine could be applied…
Mu Xueshi felt something cool below him, the sensation surprisingly real. He rubbed his straight little nose against the pillow, murmured sleepily, and slowly opened his eyes.
The first thing he saw was his own pillow. Mu Xueshi realized he really was lying on his stomach. He turned around in alarm and found the Third Prince applying medicine to him there.
“You…” Mu Xueshi rubbed his eyes again. “You could have had a servant do this.”
Instead of the response he expected, Mu Xueshi heard the Third Prince give a cold laugh.
Seeing the strange expression on the prince’s face, Mu Xueshi instantly felt as though the temperature in the room had dropped. He had no idea what he had said wrong and asked cautiously, “What is it?”
“Have you already forgotten that you went to Imperial Physician Li on your own to have yourself examined?” A trace of dangerous amusement appeared at the corner of the Third Prince’s eyes.
Only then did Mu Xueshi remember the promise he had made earlier. He hurriedly waved his hands. “That doesn’t count! That doesn’t count! Next time I go see Imperial Physician Li, I’ll tell you first. Isn’t that enough?”
Mu Xueshi privately complained that the Third Prince was being petty, yet under that gaze he genuinely began to feel guilty. At first he had not thought he had done anything wrong; now he almost wanted to beg for mercy.
The Third Prince looked at him sternly. “Do you know why I intend to punish you?”
Mu Xueshi suddenly seemed to remember something and clapped his hands several times. “I remember! Didn’t Sun Ye come in today and say the Gu poison in your body is gone? That’s wonderful… I waited all those days for nothing, but knowing you’re all right still makes me really happy.” He even pulled a face at the Third Prince.
“Answer my question.” There was not a trace of emotion in the Third Prince’s voice.
Mu Xueshi pouted unwillingly. “Isn’t it just because I didn’t tell you beforehand? I’ll remember next time. It’s a happy day, so let’s not talk about depressing things. Hahaha… Actually, Gu Master Mo Ru was pretty funny today. I never expected him to be that amusing, I…”
The longer Mu Xueshi talked, the less confident he became. The Third Prince’s expression did not soften at all. Mu Xueshi genuinely began to worry, remembering the time he had secretly helped the Second Prince and the Third Prince had driven him away. Just thinking about those days frightened him.
“I really don’t know. Tell me, and I promise I’ll change.” Mu Xueshi sat up and looked at the Third Prince with an obedient expression.
The Third Prince slowly leaned closer until their faces were less than an inch apart, almost nose to nose. “Do you know what you are to me now?”
“Your own person!” Mu Xueshi answered solemnly.
The Third Prince’s expression remained calm. “And do you know what that means? Do you know what a male favorite is?”
Mu Xueshi answered obediently, “Your own person is the opposite of an outsider. As for ‘male favorite’… I’m not really sure. I’ve never heard the term before.”
The Third Prince’s lips curved, his gaze becoming unusually complicated. He slowly pushed Mu Xueshi back down onto the bed and leaned over him. “Then today I will teach you properly.”
An uneasy feeling rose in Mu Xueshi. With the Third Prince above him, his whole body went rigid. Something besides the prince’s weight seemed to press against his chest, making it difficult to breathe.