As everyone walked and chatted, they soon arrived at Wenyang Palace. Aside from the inscribed plaque, most of the construction here had already been completed. The intense labor had caused many craftsmen from Lubei and Yunxi to die or be injured. The injured had been given silver and sent back to their hometowns to recuperate, while the dead were thrown into a burning pit in the palace’s rear courtyard and cremated together.
The once desolate temples, the cold pavilions, and the dark ink-colored corridors had all been replaced with gold-plated walls, carved beams, and painted rafters, resplendent and magnificent. Yet the moment they stepped through the entrance, although the sun was blazing outside, a sudden cold breeze brushed past, inexplicably sending a chill through everyone.
Everyone felt it, yet all concealed it well. No one mentioned that the place still felt somewhat eerie; instead, they all spoke of how it was filled with festive joy. The Emperor’s expression shifted slightly, but after hearing the others, he dismissed it as his own imagination.
Soon, they toured the main hall, side halls, reception rooms, corridors, and rear garden of Wenyang Palace… Everywhere they went, aside from the noise of their group, there was not a single other sound. After only a few steps, Hao Lin had already sensed that Shangchuan Hong would not bring Mu Xueshi here. He had even pieced together a rough idea of the reasons and what had happened along the way.
“Why hasn’t that grave been removed?” Princess Wenyang pointed at a raised mound of earth in the distance and asked.
At her words, everyone’s gaze shifted over. The Emperor had been chatting happily with Hao Lin, but upon hearing her dissatisfaction, his expression also changed slightly.
“What’s going on?” the Emperor asked Eunuch Li.
Eunuch Li took a look and replied softly, “It was originally going to be removed, but the Third Prince repeatedly ordered that the grave must not be touched, so it has been delayed.”
Confusion immediately appeared on the Emperor’s face. Linhan Palace had originally been built for Consort Mu, but now that she had passed, her remains were not buried here. So who exactly lay in that grave, to be so valued by the Third Prince?
“It’s just an ordinary grave. There’s no need to make such a fuss by completely removing the corpse. Just level it a little—who would even be able to tell it was once a grave?”
Hao Lin’s words sounded like veiled sarcasm to the Emperor. He had not intended to exhume the grave, and even if he were to decide, he would first consult the Third Prince. But Hao Lin’s remark made him feel as though he had no choice but to act.
“No.” Princess Wenyang suddenly spoke sharply.
Everyone turned to look at her.
Realizing her loss of composure, she quickly covered her mouth, steadied herself, and said to the Emperor, “Father Emperor, it’s not that I’m being troublesome—I’m just afraid of the dead. Perhaps Your Majesty is strong and doesn’t feel it, but the moment I stepped in, I felt a heavy yin aura.”
With Princess Wenyang taking the lead, others nearby began to echo her sentiments. Before she had even moved in, there was already a grave in the newly built palace—it truly seemed inappropriate.
Hao Lin cast a glance at the Third Prince, feeling both admiration and appreciation. Even at this point, he stood silently among the crowd without saying a word—such composure. He wondered whether, one day, if the Third Prince saw the person he loved in someone else’s arms, he would still remain as calm as he was now.
“Lu Jue, I’ll leave this matter to you. Within five days, clear this grave.”
The Third Prince lowered his head. “Yes, Father Emperor.”
……
By the time Su Ruhan set out from the Third Prince’s residence, Shangchuan Hong had already returned to the quarters arranged by the Emperor. The two missed each other by only a few seconds—Shangchuan Hong had nearly run into Su Ruhan.
When Su Ruhan arrived outside Chun Nuan Pavilion, there was not a single person in sight. Even the guards at the entrance were gone.
His heart tightened, sensing that something had happened. He immediately leapt up to the second floor and found everyone gathered there.
Mu Xueshi was sitting on the bed eating, while more than a dozen people stood around watching him. Not only that, the maids were continuously praising him, saying even the way Young Master Xue ate was enchanting. The guards who had been downstairs were also sneaking glances from the doorway, completely unaware that Su Ruhan had entered.
“Master!” Mu Xueshi looked up, his face full of surprise as he saw Su Ruhan.
Only then did everyone notice Su Ruhan’s arrival. They quickly returned to their places, and in an instant, only Mu Xueshi, Su Ruhan, and Sun Ye remained in the room.
When Su Ruhan saw Mu Xueshi’s face, his breath hitched, and his expression mirrored Mu Xueshi’s.
The face that the Third Prince had so carefully concealed was now being openly admired by these servants. Back then, Su Ruhan had only caught a glimpse of this face by accident and had nearly lost his life. What exactly had happened? Why had Mu Xueshi’s face been exposed?
If the Third Prince found out, it would be disastrous.
“Why are you here again?”
Sun Ye didn’t hesitate—he stepped forward and attacked Su Ruhan. Caught off guard, Su Ruhan took several blows, still wearing a confused expression.
“Why can’t I come?”
Mu Xueshi set down the small plate in his hands and quickly shouted at Sun Ye, “Stop hitting my master! I already said—my master must have been drugged just now!”
At Mu Xueshi’s shout, Sun Ye finally stopped, glaring at Su Ruhan with clear disgust.
Seizing the moment of calm, Su Ruhan thought over the strange things Mu Xueshi and Sun Ye had just said and gradually understood. It must have been Shangchuan Hong—he had disguised himself as Su Ruhan to approach Mu Xueshi, intending to trick him into leaving. Only Shangchuan Hong could remove the mask from Mu Xueshi’s face. But why was Mu Xueshi still sitting here unharmed?
“Stop pretending, Su Ruhan. I didn’t expect you to be this kind of person.”
Ignoring Sun Ye’s anger, Su Ruhan directly asked Mu Xueshi, “What exactly happened just now?”
Mu Xueshi hesitated, unable to speak, only looking at Su Ruhan with lingering fear.
Growing anxious, Su Ruhan sat beside him and asked, “Did you get hurt?”
Mu Xueshi quickly scooted a little farther away from Su Ruhan, shaking his head vigorously. “I’m fine physically, it’s just that my heart got a bit of a scare.”
Hearing this, Su Ruhan relaxed, then explained to Sun Ye, “That person just now wasn’t me. When did he arrive? When did he leave? Did he say anything?”
“Oh, spare it. Don’t you know best yourself? You accidentally saw Young Master Xue’s true appearance, got bewitched out of your mind, and did something improper… And now that you feel embarrassed, you’re making up this excuse. Do you take us for fools?”
Sun Ye’s words made it impossible for Su Ruhan to clear his name even if he jumped into the Yellow River. But at this moment, he didn’t care about being wronged—he realized something even more serious: Shangchuan Hong had touched Mu Xueshi.
His true appearance had been seen by so many people, his body had been humiliated, the grave was about to be demolished, and the wedding day was approaching… With so many things pressing down on the Third Prince at once, what would he do?
Mu Xueshi, however, thought carefully about Su Ruhan’s words. A sudden idea flashed through his mind, and he said to Sun Ye, “Just check my master’s left arm. You stabbed him earlier—his wound couldn’t have healed so quickly, right?”
“No need…” Sun Ye’s tone suddenly softened. “That person just now really wasn’t Su Ruhan.”
Su Ruhan had been wearing this exact outfit earlier. If that person had been him, his clothes would at least have had bloodstains or tears. But now there was nothing—his clothes were neat, and there was no sign of injury.
Seeing the apologetic look Sun Ye cast his way, Su Ruhan merely gave a slight response to show it was fine, then turned his gaze back to Mu Xueshi.
“Did that person do anything to you just now?”
Mu Xueshi shook his head. “I don’t remember, haha…”
Seeing Mu Xueshi’s carefree smile, Su Ruhan suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest.
Mu Xueshi had changed—Su Ruhan could clearly feel it. Ever since he had awakened from his injury, while everyone else was worried about him, he had been unexpectedly calm. He obediently took his medicine every day, even enjoying it; when he grew restless, he would joke around with the maids. He was doing far too well—abnormally well.
But this “well” was something Su Ruhan couldn’t bear. It wasn’t that he wanted Mu Xueshi to remain as he had been before—living in pain, forcing smiles despite his suffering. But this current state, neither hurting nor reacting, was even more worrying.
Su Ruhan could clearly see that Mu Xueshi wasn’t pretending. He knew everything, yet treated it all lightly. He wasn’t eating to put on a show—his appetite was genuinely astonishing; even when left alone, he could lie in bed and sleep soundly; when someone casually mentioned the Third Prince, his expression didn’t change in the slightest…
What’s more, while all the servants deliberately avoided mentioning anything about the Third Prince, Mu Xueshi would bring him up on his own. He would talk about his past with the Third Prince with great enthusiasm, as if it had nothing to do with him at all.
And all of this, Su Ruhan never dared to mention to the Third Prince.
……
“Where is the Prime Minister?” Hao Lin’s figure appeared at the window of Shangchuan Hong’s room.
“He’s resting inside.”
The door was pushed open. Shangchuan Hong sat at the edge of the bed, his upper body covered only by a thin robe. One hand was tending to his wound while the other reached for a nearby bottle of medicine.
“You’re injured?”
Shangchuan Hong nodded.
Hao Lin sat beside him, took the medicine bottle from his hand, poured some onto a strip of cloth, and gently applied it to Shangchuan Hong’s left arm.
Shangchuan Hong sucked in a breath from the pain, and Hao Lin’s movements softened.
Shangchuan Hong lowered his gaze and happened to see Hao Lin’s furrowed brows and serious expression. He couldn’t tell whether Hao Lin truly cared for him or was deliberately making him feel guilty this way. His mind was in complete chaos, unable to sort anything out.
After returning here and seeing Hao Lin, Shangchuan Hong felt that he had changed again. The feelings he had just experienced when seeing Mu Xueshi were now completely different. That earlier moment of indulgence now seemed absurd and foolish. Thinking that he had delayed Hao Lin’s orders for someone he had only met twice, Shangchuan Hong almost wished to stab himself again.
“Have you reflected enough?”
Hao Lin’s words snapped Shangchuan Hong back to his senses.
Hao Lin had already finished bandaging him and now sat to the side, leisurely sipping tea, occasionally glancing at Shangchuan Hong.
Each of those glances felt like they reopened Shangchuan Hong’s wound, twisting a blade inside it, digging down to the bone—because the truth behind his injury lay there.
“When I saw Su Ruhan leave midway, I knew your chances of success were slim. The Third Prince would never be so careless as to let you take him away so easily. Do you really think the Third Prince only arranged a few servants in Chun Nuan Pavilion? …With even the slightest carelessness, you might have lost your life there. Now that you’ve returned safely, I’m relieved.”
The more Hao Lin spoke, the more regret Shangchuan Hong felt. There had clearly been a chance. No matter how tight the defenses were, it hadn’t required force—but how could he justify his failure? The wound on his body was right there before Hao Lin’s eyes. The Prime Minister who had once advised Hao Lin countless times and earned his trust had now failed twice in such a trivial matter.
Hao Lin was no fool—would he not know that Shangchuan Hong’s injury had nothing to do with Su Ruhan’s arrival?
Just as Shangchuan Hong was about to speak, Hao Lin spoke first, “You’re overthinking.”
Shangchuan Hong gave a bitter smile. “Perhaps.”
Hao Lin walked up to him and grasped his handsome face with one hand. “If you truly feel guilty, then I’ll give you a chance to make up for it. At the latest, on the day Wenyang is married, bring Mu Xueshi to me—completely unharmed.”
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