After returning to the courtyard, the Third Prince did not go back to his bedchamber.
Instead, he wandered through several winding paths before finally heading toward Linhan Palace.
Su Ruhan was already asleep.
His room was low and worn with age, the furnishings simple and crude. His bedding was plain and modest. His clothes were neatly folded beside the pillow.
Dressed in a white fitted robe, Su Ruhan lay quietly on the pillow with his eyes closed.
The moment the Third Prince pushed open the door, Su Ruhan opened his eyes.
He was about to rise from bed and kneel in greeting, but the Third Prince gave him a brief glance that dismissed the formality. By the time Su Ruhan had sat up, the Third Prince had already walked to the bedside.
Seeing that the Third Prince had come personally to find him, Su Ruhan immediately understood it must concern the Grand Tutor’s case.
Before the prince could even ask, Su Ruhan began reporting everything he had discovered.
“The corpse Your Highness ordered brought back that day is indeed Ning Yue. It can be confirmed that he died two days ago.”
“As for the corpse we originally placed on the back mountain… it is still there, completely intact.”
The Third Prince’s voice turned cold.
“You were the one who fired that arrow that day, weren’t you?”
“Yes.”
Su Ruhan answered directly, without concealment.
That day, while Mu Xueshi and the Third Prince had been fooling around in the Grand Tutor Mu’s rear garden, an arrow had suddenly shot toward them.
Following the direction from which the arrow came, the Third Prince had discovered Ning Yue’s corpse by the lakeside.
And the one who had led him there—
had been Su Ruhan.
“Why did you not report it directly?”
Meeting the chill in the Third Prince’s gaze, Su Ruhan replied calmly,
“Recently Your Highness had not inquired about the case. Your subordinate had no opportunity to report it.”
A faint sneer curved the Third Prince’s lips.
Looking directly at Su Ruhan, he asked softly,
“How did you discover that there were two identical corpses?”
“By accident.”
“Someone trying to silence a witness?”
Su Ruhan nodded.
“Yes.”
“Among those two bodies, one must be false. The counterfeit one was likely intended to mislead us.”
“Ning Yue was not killed at first. Instead, someone created the illusion of his death.”
“There could only be one purpose for that.”
“To draw our attention to the fake corpse.”
“Once we focused on that, our vigilance would naturally weaken—giving the true culprit enough time to kill the real Ning Yue.”
The Third Prince fell silent for a moment.
Then suddenly he said:
“Tonight, I will sleep here.”
Su Ruhan had not expected such words.
Seeing the Third Prince—whose status was worth more than gold—intend to sleep in such a shabby place, Su Ruhan bowed respectfully.
“This sort of place is meant for servants like myself. How could Your Highness possibly endure it?”
The Third Prince did not answer.
Su Ruhan had only spoken out of courtesy anyway. Where the Third Prince chose to sleep was never something he could decide.
Seeing no response, Su Ruhan simply took the sword hanging on the wall and strode toward the door.
“Come back.”
The Third Prince’s calm command stopped him.
Su Ruhan immediately turned and returned to the bedside, awaiting further instruction.
“Sleep beside me.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Without hesitation, Su Ruhan set aside his sword and climbed onto the bed, lying down beside the Third Prince.
The Third Prince closed his eyes.
Su Ruhan could not see his expression, yet instinctively he felt that the prince’s emotions were extremely complicated tonight.
Having followed the Third Prince since childhood, Su Ruhan was perhaps the person in the palace who understood him best.
Yet recently—
he could no longer read him clearly.
Nor could he fully understand himself.
Mu Xueshi’s fever had begun to show signs of easing.
Unfortunately, deep in the night it suddenly flared up again.
His entire body burned with heat. His mind grew hazy, and he began to mutter incoherently.
Mu Xueshi felt as though a ghost had possessed him.
All night long he struggled for breath. The more he tried to move, the more impossible it became.
Within his mind he fought desperately, yet something seemed to bind him tightly in place.
When he finally forced his eyes open with all his strength, he discovered himself slowly crawling out of a skeleton, as if his soul were tearing free from his body.
The pain was like his body and spirit were both being ripped apart.
Again and again he dreamed.
Then awoke—
only to discover he was still dreaming.
After countless cycles of waking and dreaming, Mu Xueshi finally managed to break free from the nightmare.
When he opened his eyes, the sky outside was already faintly bright.
The room was empty.
He stretched out an arm but found it so heavy he could barely lift it.
His head still swam with dizziness.
Dark shadows appeared on the walls before his eyes, swirling as if flying away through the air.
The sight made Mu Xueshi jolt in alarm.
He hurriedly turned his head.
The space beside him was empty.
He reached out to touch the bedding.
It was cold.
He had been unconscious the entire night.
And the Third Prince had not returned once.
With difficulty, Mu Xueshi forced himself upright.
Aside from soreness, his body no longer felt particularly ill.
Looking down, he saw the scattered marks covering his skin.
The memory of the punishment he had suffered the night before instantly resurfaced.
Mu Xueshi shivered.
When the Third Prince truly lost his temper…
he was terrifying beyond words.
Even now, remembering the look in his eyes made Mu Xueshi uneasy.
Yesterday he had still had the courage to sulk and complain, blaming the Third Prince for being so ruthless.
But today, seeing that the Third Prince had not returned all night and had shown no concern for his illness—
Mu Xueshi felt both angry and afraid.
Angry at the prince’s cold cruelty.
Afraid of that same cold cruelty.
Just then, Qingya entered carrying a bowl of steaming medicinal soup.
Mu Xueshi quickly forced an indifferent expression and took the tray from her, placing it casually on a nearby cabinet.
Qingya bowed politely.
“Eunuch Tai’an instructed this servant to watch Young Master Xue drink this medicine.”
Mu Xueshi stared at the dark, bitter-looking concoction.
“I know. I’ll drink it later.”
Qingya looked troubled.
Seeing that Mu Xueshi had already begun eating the small plate of plum blossom cakes from the tray instead, she spoke again softly.
“Young Master Xue, please drink the medicine first. Eunuch Tai’an specifically instructed me.”
Mu Xueshi’s heart suddenly tightened.
After hesitating, he asked quietly,
“Qingya… was it Eunuch Tai’an who said that… or the Third Prince?”
Qingya smiled.
“It was Eunuch Tai’an. This servant hasn’t seen His Highness the Third Prince at all.”
Mu Xueshi’s lips trembled slightly as he chewed the cake.
The more he thought about it, the worse he felt.
When he had first awakened earlier, hunger had gnawed at him fiercely.
Yet now—
he suddenly found himself unable to swallow anything.
Could it really be that because he had made one mistake, the Third Prince was no longer even willing to show the slightest concern for him?
Futile Devices Scans 
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