When Princess Wenyang awoke, the sun had already risen high enough to sting her eyes. She blinked in confusion, her gaze sweeping her surroundings, only to realize she lay within a place resembling a narrow ravine. Beneath her was a relatively clean slab of stone; around it grew wild grass in tangled clusters. Looking upward, she could faintly make out the overhanging branches of tall trees above.
Why has the Third Prince not come to rescue me yet?
She struggled to sit up, and at once pain tore through her entire body. The agony at her knees was especially unbearable, as though the flesh had been ripped apart. Unable to endure it, she burst into tears, cursing as she wept.
“Waaah… those useless dogs must have failed to report in time! I’m injured—injured! When I get back, I’ll have all of you die with me!”
As she cried, she tried to press and rub her knee, but each time her fingers so much as brushed her calf, she recoiled in pain. Gone was any fantasy of being held tenderly in the Third Prince’s arms; now she only wanted someone—anyone—to save her, even a mere servant.
“Help! Someone help me!!! I’m going to die! If I die here in Yunxi, I’ll have my imperial brother wipe your entire empire out! Waaaah…”
Her delicate face was smeared with tears, fear gripping her heart that wild beasts might suddenly leap out and tear her frail body apart.
As she wailed and cried for help, she suddenly spotted, not far away, the two maidservants who had accompanied her. They had followed her for over a decade, brought with her from Lubei. When they saw her tumble down the slope, their expressions had changed at once, and without hesitation they leapt down after her. Having fallen more severely, they now lay unconscious.
Princess Wenyang shouted at them several times, but when there was no response, she grabbed small stones from the ground and hurled them at the two. Finding that insufficient, she began smashing them directly at their faces—hard—until their cheeks were streaked with blood. Only then did she stop, panting heavily.
Supporting herself with one leg, she dragged her body toward them, hatred written plainly across her face.
I’m injured to this extent, and you dare lie there unconscious!
At last, she reached one of the maids—but in her haste, her knee struck against a stone. A shrill scream tore from her throat, her face turning deathly pale.
“Wake up! Wake up this instant! Climb up there and call for help! If you don’t, I’ll starve to death here! If the two of you don’t wake up, I’ll have you skinned alive and fed to dogs!”
Like one who had lost her senses, she shook their bodies violently. When they showed no sign of waking, she slapped them across the face again and again.
At last, one of the maids stirred faintly, her eyes barely opening, breath weak as she looked at the princess.
Princess Wenyang was overjoyed. She shook her urgently. “Quick—climb up there and call for help—go! Hurry!!”
“P-Princess…” the maid murmured, teeth clenched, yet no matter how she tried, she could not rise.
Fury surged within Wenyang. She raised her foot and kicked the maid viciously in the face, again and again, until the maid spat out a mouthful of blood and fell unconscious once more. Only then did she withdraw her foot.
“Why are you all so useless…? Waaaah…”
She broke into tears again, the pain in her body intensifying. Even as she wept, she shouted upward:
“Help me! Someone, save me!”
In truth, this was merely a steep slope. The collapse of the earth had created a peculiar terrain below. Princess Wenyang and her attendants had struck the rocks, hence their heavier injuries. Had they fallen onto the softer soil, they would not have been so badly hurt, much less be in danger of death. Moreover, the height was no more than four or five meters—anyone uninjured could have climbed back up along the sides.
“Your Highness, I seem to hear crying,” General Xiao, following behind the Third Prince, said.
The Third Prince narrowed his eyes slightly. “So do I.”
And he was certain—it was Princess Wenyang’s voice.
With a swift movement, he leapt into the air and landed precisely where she had fallen. Turning, he came face to face with her tear-streaked, disheveled visage.
At the sight of him, her sobbing ceased for an instant—then redoubled. Her pitiful appearance made even General Xiao shudder inwardly. Should Emperor Hao Lin see her thus, even if it were her own fault, the blame would surely fall upon the Third Prince.
The Third Prince crouched slightly and extended a hand toward her. She seized it abruptly, sobbing, “Don’t touch—ah—it hurts—so much…”
“If you become mine in the future, what is a little pain like this?” His tone was cold, devoid of tenderness.
Yet Princess Wenyang paid no heed to his expression. She lingered on his words—
If you become mine…
As though healed in an instant, a faint blush spread across her face.
Once again, she was carried in his arms. This time, upon level ground, she could better observe his handsome features above her. She leaned her head against his chest, closing her eyes to listen to the steady beat of his heart, utterly entranced.
“Was it your idea to demolish Linhan Palace and build a new one?” the Third Prince asked suddenly.
She had intended to say it was her imperial brother’s decision, but upon observing the faint smile hidden in his eyes, her thoughts shifted.
“No… it was mine,” she said softly. “I wanted to be closer to you.”
Her cheeks flushed as she buried her face into the crook of his arm.
The Third Prince let out a cold laugh and said no more, striding out of the courtyard.
“Imperial Brother… waaah…”
No sooner had she been set upon a chair than she began sobbing to Hao Lin about her misfortune.
Hao Lin was far gentler than the Third Prince. He bent slightly and wiped the tears from her face with his hand, sighing helplessly. “I told you not to go. Now that you’ve suffered for it, how can you blame others?”
“It’s all your fault… you didn’t come save me in time! I was stuck there a whole day and night—I even stink now…” she said, sneaking glances at the Third Prince. Seeing no trace of disgust on his face, a hint of sweetness rose in her heart.
As Hao Lin spoke with her, his gaze drifted occasionally toward the Third Prince. The latter stood aside, expressionless, as though unaware.
“Father Emperor, if there is nothing further, I shall take my leave,” the Third Prince said. After bowing, he turned to go.
“Wait!” The Emperor’s voice rang with authority.
The Third Prince halted. “Father Emperor, please speak.”
“Princess Wenyang is soon to be wed to you, and she was injured in your courtyard. How can you remain so indifferent? How is Emperor Hao Lin to entrust his sister to you?”
Before the Third Prince could respond, Hao Lin smiled lightly. “Your Majesty overstates it. I trust the Third Prince’s character. My sister’s mishap must simply be due to her mischievousness. Once she recovers, I shall ensure she reflects properly.”
The more Hao Lin spoke thus, the more the Emperor’s dignity was pressed, leaving him no choice but to compel the Third Prince to make some show of responsibility.
At that moment, Shangchuan Hong stepped forward and bowed. “Third Prince, now that the Princess is safe, we are relieved. May I ask—how fares the matter at Linhan Palace? If construction is complete, perhaps those elite soldiers should be withdrawn from the courtyard. Surely Your Highness would not favor excessive disturbance.”
His tone was calm, as though unaware those soldiers had already perished within the Third Prince’s courtyard. The air grew tense, heavy with unspoken hostility. The Emperor’s expression darkened as he awaited the truth, prepared to mediate.
Then Hao Lin chuckled softly, his gaze fixed on the Third Prince, a trace of frivolity in his tone.
“Or perhaps the Third Prince has taken a liking to those soldiers and kept them for himself?”
The Third Prince’s gaze shot toward him like ice. Hao Lin, unperturbed, continued lightly, “If that is the case, then by all means keep them. Yet Your Majesty knows—Lubei boasts many valiant warriors, while Yunxi produces refined beauties. Why not choose for me a number of handsome young men as an exchange? They need not surpass the Third Prince—but must at least be pleasing to the eye, like those boys who performed in the hall earlier… haha…”
The Emperor paused. “And how many does Emperor Hao Lin wish to take?”
Hao Lin glanced at Shangchuan Hong. After a moment’s thought, the latter replied, “Over four hundred elite soldiers were sent to the Third Prince’s courtyard.”
The Emperor looked at Hao Lin in surprise. Hao Lin met his gaze calmly—clearly indicating he wanted an equal number in compensation.
Moments ago, it had been but a jest, easily dismissed. Now, however, even a jest required dignity.
Silence fell over the chamber.
Princess Wenyang, injured and humiliated, had reached the limit of her patience. These men, utterly ignoring her presence, discussed soldiers as though she did not exist.
“Imperial Brother… if you continue like this, I fear I shall die here…”
Her eyes turned misty as she cast another glance at the Third Prince.
Only then did the Emperor recall her matter remained unsettled. His expression hardened as he issued his command:
“Lu Jue. Since Princess Wenyang was injured in your courtyard, you shall attend to her during this period. Other matters you need not concern yourself with.”
It was as if the burden of the private slaughter had been placed squarely upon the Third Prince’s shoulders.
They said the Emperor favored him—but none had imagined it would go this far.
Hao Lin cast another look at the Third Prince, noting a faint resemblance to Grand Tutor Mu. At that thought, a complex smile curved upon his lips.
Futile Devices Scans 
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