Seeing the dishes he had made being set on the table, no matter what, Mu Xueshi felt a sense of pride. Watching those who had been busy working just moments ago now standing around him and looking at him, Mu Xueshi said warmly, “Come over and have a taste together.”
Qingzhu’s big eyes were watery as she had long been eyeing the food Mu Xueshi had personally prepared, but as a servant, how could she eat together with her master? So she could only stand there obediently, glancing at the dishes from time to time.
Mu Xueshi was amused by Qingzhu’s adorable expression, and his mood eased a little. His tone became even gentler.
“I made this for you all to try—come and eat together. Otherwise, what’s the point of me eating alone after cooking all this?” Mu Xueshi said, asking a maid nearby to bring more bowls and chopsticks.
Hearing this, Qingzhu immediately responded with a grin, “Yes, yes, I also think it’s no fun for Young Master Xue to eat alone. Usually it’s always the Third Highn—”
Before she could finish, Qingya covered her mouth.
Mu Xueshi pretended not to hear and continued inviting everyone to eat. Seeing him insist like this, the servants nearby stopped holding back. Since it was the master’s order, they naturally wouldn’t disobey. A group gathered around the table—some of them Mu Xueshi didn’t even recognize. Everyone wore excited smiles, glancing at one another, waiting for someone else to start first.
Mu Xueshi knew that if he didn’t begin, no one would eat—and he himself had no appetite. So he picked up a piece of fish and placed it into Sun Ye’s bowl.
Sun Ye froze, as if unable to react.
Seeing that even the usually calm and composed Sun Ye seemed flustered, the maids teased him from the side, making his face flush red and pale by turns. Rarely, he lowered his head and remained silent.
As he chewed the fresh and delicious fish, Sun Ye felt both touched and surprised that Mu Xueshi possessed such culinary skill. He couldn’t help but think of the Third Prince—if the Third Prince had once tasted food personally made by Mu Xueshi, how happy he would have been.
“How is it?” Mu Xueshi still remembered to ask Sun Ye.
With that question, everyone at the table turned to look at Sun Ye. He was momentarily at a loss for words, but still answered honestly, “It’s quite good.”
As soon as those words were spoken, everyone burst into laughter and began picking up food. Qingzhu, overjoyed, became a little too carried away and said encouragingly to those around her, “Eat more, everyone, eat more! Don’t worry about His Highness catching you—he has no interest in coming here anyway… haha…”
Amid the laughter, no one paid attention to Qingzhu’s words. But Mu Xueshi’s ears were especially sensitive to the word “His Highness.” Even if he didn’t want to hear it, it still reached him clearly.
Only Su Ruhan had yet to arrive, which made Mu Xueshi feel a bit regretful. He had already prepared a portion for Su Ruhan, placing it into a large pot in the kitchen and covering it tightly to keep it warm.
The group continued chatting about miscellaneous matters in the courtyard. Most of it was gossip among servants; they didn’t dare discuss their masters openly. Listening to it, Mu Xueshi found his attention distracted, and his mood improved slightly.
……
Qingyun, holding a token given by the Third Prince, could move freely within the courtyard. When she arrived at the entrance of Chun Nuan Pavilion, she heard laughter and conversation from inside, and her heart felt heavy. She could clearly distinguish Qingya and Qingzhu’s voices. Standing there for a moment, the basket in her hands trembled slightly.
A guard below saw Qingyun, glanced at her token, and, recognizing her as someone from the Third Prince’s side, asked, “Does His Highness have any orders?”
“This… is a dish bestowed by His Highness… for Young Master Xue…” Qingyun stammered.
Hearing this, the guard laughed heartily. “Perfect timing—there’s a gathering inside right now. You came just in time. Maybe I’ll even get a share of this dish.”
As he spoke, he reached to open the basket.
“No!” Qingyun suddenly forced herself to speak and stop him.
The guard was puzzled. “What’s wrong?”
“This… must be opened by Young Master Xue… personally…”
After saying that, she turned away, tears already falling.
Qingyun hurried toward the bedchamber as if fleeing. The Third Prince’s words echoed in her mind: “No matter what request she makes, you must obey.” How she wished that guard had opened the basket out of curiosity—opened it and thrown it away, so that Mu Xueshi would never know.
The guard, full of excitement, carried the basket into the room, set it beside the table, and called out loudly, “The Third Prince has bestowed another dish—he said Young Master Xue must open it personally.”
With that, he placed the basket before Mu Xueshi.
Everyone praised the Third Prince for being attentive and thoughtful, always finding ways to please Mu Xueshi. Only Mu Xueshi felt his heart tighten, suddenly afraid to open the basket. Surrounded by expectant gazes, his scalp tingled.
When the basket was opened, everyone’s expressions changed drastically, and they instinctively scattered away from the table.
Only Sun Ye and Mu Xueshi remained seated. Sun Ye had seen countless bloody scenes before—this was nothing to him. As for Mu Xueshi, he did not move because he had completely frozen.
Inside the basket was only one “dish”—a pair of bloody hands. There was no attempt at disguise; they had clearly just been severed, the color not yet fully darkened. From the joints and size, it was evident they belonged to a woman.
Sun Ye noticed a slip of paper inside the basket. He picked it up and read it first. His expression changed slightly; he intended to crumple and destroy it, but Mu Xueshi snatched it away.
Reading the two lines clearly written on it, Mu Xueshi’s face turned ashen.
“I have bestowed Qingyun upon Princess Wenyang as a maid. However, since her hands once served you, they are unbearably filthy and unworthy of the princess’s status. Thus, they have been severed and returned.”
Mu Xueshi stared blankly at the severed hands, becoming like a stone.
He remembered how those hands had once brought him a cloak, fearing he would be cold when going out—only for Qingyun to be demoted to the embroidery room because of it. He also remembered how those same hands had sewn clothes for him stitch by stitch, each one so delicate…
While everyone else was still in shock, Mu Xueshi had already rushed out of Chun Nuan Pavilion, stumbling as he ran toward the Third Prince’s bedchamber, having almost lost all reason.
Sun Ye hurried after him, gripping the note tightly in his hand, afraid Qingya or Qingzhu might see it and follow. He grabbed Mu Xueshi’s arm, forcing him to stop.
“Don’t go. That handwriting is clearly not His Highness’s. If you go and make trouble, you’ll anger him.”
Mu Xueshi shouted at Sun Ye in a loss of control, “I don’t care who wrote it—I just want to see Qingyun! Let go! If you don’t, then you are also heartless and without loyalty!”
Sun Ye suddenly froze.
What is loyalty… and what is feeling?
All along… a master’s command was like heaven—following it was always the right thing to do. In this complicated imperial palace, how could one speak of feelings or loyalty? And yet, he clearly could have chased after Mu Xueshi, knocked him unconscious, and carried him away—but instead, he couldn’t help explaining those words to him just now.
“Please… maybe, maybe he’s just joking. I only need to make sure Qingyun is alright, really… I promise I won’t make trouble…”
Mu Xueshi cried out hoarsely, his face pale, his voice torn with desperation—pitiful to the extreme. Sun Ye couldn’t bear it and loosened his grip, following Mu Xueshi toward the bedchamber. Sun Ye knew in his heart that Mu Xueshi wouldn’t be able to enter the bedchamber anyway—letting him give up would be for the best. It was only that if this reached the Third Prince’s ears, it might not bode well for Mu Xueshi.
“Let me in! Let me in!” Mu Xueshi grabbed the imperial guards’ arms fiercely, just like when Princess Wenyang had once tried to force her way in.
The two imperial guards were in a difficult position. Who would have thought that within just a few days, they would witness two attempts to storm the Third Prince’s bedchamber? The last time it was Princess Wenyang, and the situation had been unclear, so they showed no mercy. But now it was Mu Xueshi—someone the Third Prince had once cherished like a treasure. If the Third Prince were to change his mind again someday, who knew whether they themselves would be implicated?
“Young Master Xue, I’ll show you respect—please go back. His Highness has already ordered that in this courtyard, only Princess Wenyang may come and go freely. Everyone else must have the Third Prince’s token.”
“Brother, please… I just want to see Qingyun. If not, could you go check for me? Just one look is enough.”
“Young Master Xue, please go back. We cannot leave our post.”
Two long swords from the imperial guards pressed against Mu Xueshi’s chest. No matter how he pushed forward, it was useless. The guards signaled to Sun Ye to quickly take him away.
Just as Sun Ye placed his hand on Mu Xueshi’s shoulder, a clear, bell-like laughter rang out from the side. Princess Wenyang, dressed in luxurious Yunxi palace attire, carried herself with poise and arrogance—completely different from the anxious girl who had once tried to force her way in.
Mu Xueshi stopped struggling. His gaze fixed blankly on Princess Wenyang, then shifted past her to Qingyun behind her. His eyes lowered—Qingyun’s hands were hidden within her sleeves, making it impossible to tell whether she was injured. But from her expression, it was clear she was not well.
“Isn’t this Young Master Xue? Back then, you stirred up storms in this courtyard, enchanting His Highness completely. And now—you can’t even enter the bedchamber doors?”
Seeing that they were separated by a single doorway—she inside, him outside—Princess Wenyang felt immense satisfaction.
“Qingyun, how are you?” Mu Xueshi ignored Princess Wenyang and asked directly.
Qingyun didn’t dare speak. Standing beside Princess Wenyang, her face was filled with despair. She had heard Mu Xueshi’s desperate cries to see her earlier, and her heart felt as if it were being twisted by knives. Never in her life had anyone cared for her this much. Even Qingya and Qingzhu, if they knew she suffered, would likely only grieve silently—no one would truly step forward.
And yet… she herself had caused all of this. Qingyun suddenly felt she would rather die—but with the Third Prince’s command hanging over her, she could only grit her teeth and endure.
“Let me see your hands. Once I’ve seen them, I’ll leave,” Mu Xueshi shouted to Qingyun, repeating himself in case she hadn’t heard.
Qingyun was almost about to extend her hands, but Princess Wenyang shot her a look and sneered, “There will be a time for you to extend them. If you dare do it now, I’ll really chop them off.”
After speaking to Qingyun, Princess Wenyang’s gaze shot toward Mu Xueshi like a blade. Seeing that he didn’t even look at her, her anger surged. She suddenly dragged Qingyun in front of her.
“You like looking at her, don’t you? Fine—then I’ll let you see enough.”
With that, she signaled a guard, who stepped forward and kicked Qingyun violently to the ground.
“Let me tell you—this is only the beginning of what she’ll suffer for your sake. Not only will I cut off her hands, I’ll make her taste other things too.”
As she spoke, Princess Wenyang lifted her foot and ground it hard into Qingyun’s face. Only when Qingyun’s face was smeared with dirt did she laugh coldly. “Didn’t this mouth call out ‘Young Master Xue’ before? Then I’ll deal with that filthy mouth properly. Open it—swallow my foot.”
Mu Xueshi trembled violently, his face darkening completely. Sweat streamed down from his temples, soaking his clothes.
Qingyun’s lips were already injured and couldn’t open. Princess Wenyang frowned, ordered the guard to pry her mouth open, and forcefully shoved her shoe-clad foot inside, until Qingyun gagged repeatedly.
“Disgusting.” Princess Wenyang withdrew her foot and sneered, “Use that mouth that called him ‘Young Master Xue’ to lick the saliva off my shoe.”
“Stop!” Mu Xueshi shouted from outside. “Princess Wenyang, if you have a problem with me, then come at me—kill me if you want, I’ll accept it. Why take it out on Qingyun?”
“You… you dare to use vulgar language! I’ll report to the Third Prince that you insulted me!” Princess Wenyang shrieked, dropping her earlier composure.
She then ordered the guards to continue beating Qingyun. Qingyun had already fainted, lying limp on the ground like a sack, allowing herself to be struck.
Unable to enter, Mu Xueshi stood there pale as death. Watching Qingyun being humiliated because of him, hatred surged within him—but he was powerless. His vision blurred black and white, and he nearly couldn’t catch his breath.
Seeing the situation, Sun Ye stepped forward and said to Princess Wenyang, “Princess, show mercy when you can. If His Highness finds out you’ve done this, it may not be good for you either…”
The two guards stopped immediately—they were Sun Ye’s subordinates, and upon hearing his words, hesitated to continue.
Princess Wenyang had grown tired of the scene. Seeing Mu Xueshi standing there pale and trembling, she felt satisfied. She stared at him for a moment, then sneered.
“Look!” She kicked up Qingyun’s sleeve and said mockingly, “See? She’s perfectly fine. And let me tell you—that basket of food was delivered by Qingyun. If you don’t believe me, ask your guards. How ridiculous—so foolish, and yet the Third Prince once took a liking to you.”
Mu Xueshi stood frozen for a long time. Only when Sun Ye came before him did he speak hoarsely, “Let’s go back.”
Sun Ye now deeply regretted not stopping him earlier. But even if he had, this scene would still have played out—only in a different place.
Seeing Mu Xueshi leave without a word, Princess Wenyang became furious and shouted, “Who said you could leave? Get back here!”
Mu Xueshi continued walking forward like a walking corpse, completely unaware of what he was doing.
Princess Wenyang called out again from behind him, “Yesterday, His Highness said—you are now of no value to him.”
……
Mu Xueshi’s steps faltered, his vision turning completely white.
Sensing danger, Sun Ye quickly caught him, lifted him into his arms, and leapt into the air, heading back toward Chun Nuan Pavilion.
Futile Devices Scans 
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