Even though the customs of the two regions were different, Princess Wenyang still knew what those items were for. The moment her eyes landed on them, her face flushed red. The alluring smile she had just worn vanished, replaced by intense anger. The way she glared at Mu Xueshi seemed as if venomous snakes could crawl out of her eyes.
“Hahaha…”
This time it was Mu Xueshi’s turn to laugh loudly. His already comical-looking face became even more amusing as he laughed.
“Well then, if Princess Wenyang really wants them, I can burn them for you right here, so you won’t even need to fetch a flame yourself.”
As he spoke, Mu Xueshi took the opportunity to snatch back his basket.
“Fine!” Princess Wenyang gritted her teeth. “You’re just jealous that I’m marrying the Third Prince, so you came here on purpose to ruin things, didn’t you? Perfect… I welcome it completely. Even if you hadn’t come, I would have sent someone to invite you.”
With that, she gave a look to the two guards, signaling them to let Mu Xueshi in.
“Close the gates. No matter who comes, do not open them.”
At her sharp command, the gates of Wenyang Palace slowly shut behind Mu Xueshi.
Princess Wenyang steadied her breathing and thought for a moment. This won’t do. He came here just to provoke me. If I get angry like this, I’ll fall right into his trap! With that realization, she stopped abruptly, then slowly turned around—only to see Mu Xueshi glancing around curiously.
“Stop looking. The prince isn’t here right now. But even if he were, he wouldn’t save you.”
Mu Xueshi barely spared her a glance, gave a perfunctory chuckle, and continued looking around.
“How dare you!” Princess Wenyang glared at him. “Entering Wenyang Palace is your fortune. Not only did you fail to kneel when you saw me, you don’t even listen respectfully when I speak. Do you still want to leave here alive?”
Mu Xueshi finally stopped looking around. Fixing his gaze on her, he asked bluntly, “Why should I kneel to you? I’m a commoner of Yunxi, and you’re a princess of Lubei. No matter how you put it, I shouldn’t be kneeling to you.”
Princess Wenyang sneered. “Have you forgotten? I’m about to marry the Third Prince. From now on, I’ll be the Third Prince’s consort.”
Mu Xueshi drooped his head, looking helpless. “How many times are you going to repeat that? I know—you’re the Third Prince’s consort, alright?”
“That’s more like it!”
Mu Xueshi sighed. Then, with a casual glance, he spotted the grave not far away. His eyes lit up instantly, and he dashed toward it.
Princess Wenyang had reached the limit of her patience. This Mu Xueshi was utterly outrageous. In her Wenyang Palace, he stood when he wanted, walked when he wanted, spoke when he wanted, stayed silent when he wanted. He was clearly the one being cast aside, yet the way he acted, it was as if he were the master of this place.
“Seize him.”
At her command, more than a dozen guards rushed forward and surrounded Mu Xueshi. Two strong men kicked him to the ground, pressed his head down, and forced him to kneel before Princess Wenyang.
“Let me go! Why should I kneel to her?!” Mu Xueshi shouted angrily.
Seeing the displeasure on his face, Princess Wenyang felt much better. She crouched down and deliberately examined his disheveled face, sighing as if lamenting the changes in his fate.
“Why did you run just now? Didn’t you come here to vent your dissatisfaction? What, scared now? You dared to bring funeral money for my wedding, yet the moment you came in, you tried to run?”
“Who said I came to vent dissatisfaction? And who told you that money was for you? You were the one who grabbed it—”
Before he could finish, Princess Wenyang slapped him twice across the face.
Perhaps because the powder on his face was too thick, Mu Xueshi didn’t seem to feel any pain. He still looked completely matter-of-fact. “Hitting me won’t change anything. That money was meant for my mother.”
Just as Princess Wenyang was about to strike again, she suddenly paused. Narrowing her eyes, she asked, “Your mother?”
Mu Xueshi nodded. “Yes. I saw her grave just now—it’s over there. That’s why I ran.”
Princess Wenyang followed his gaze, and her expression immediately changed. So this grave belonged to Mu Xueshi’s mother… No wonder the Third Prince had always refused to let anyone disturb it—he had been protecting Mu Xueshi.
“Men! Summon all the guards in Wenyang Palace. Dig up that grave and pull out that wretched woman’s corpse—feed it to the dogs.”
“What are you doing?!”
Mu Xueshi shouted instantly. In his desperation, he broke free from the guards’ grip and rushed toward the grave.
The guards were already standing by with tools, clearly preparing to dig. Mu Xueshi forced his way in, threw himself over the grave, his eyes bloodshot as he glared at them. “Anyone who dares touch this grave will have to step over my corpse first!”
“You think your corpse is worth anything? If I didn’t feel like playing with you, you’d already be dead.” Princess Wenyang waved her hand. “Dig.”
“You can’t dig! If you do, the Third Prince won’t spare you!” Mu Xueshi shouted at the guards.
The guards hesitated. None of them dared to take a step forward.
Seeing this, Princess Wenyang’s face flushed with anger. She shouted sharply, “Dig! Anyone who refuses will be buried alive today!”
With her order, the guards surged forward and began digging. Mu Xueshi felt the earth beneath him disappearing bit by bit, his chest tightening until he could barely breathe. Soon, heavy tools began striking him, whether intentionally or not. The pain made him cry out, and he realized this couldn’t continue. Even if he died here, he couldn’t allow the Third Prince’s mother’s remains to be destroyed.
“Stop! This is the prince’s mother’s grave—you can’t dig—ah!”
With no footing beneath him, Mu Xueshi slipped and fell straight into the pit.
Princess Wenyang laughed uncontrollably. Looking at Mu Xueshi covered in dirt, she even sounded slightly sympathetic.
“Give it up. The emperor—oh no, I should call him Father Emperor—already said that day that the prince’s mother’s grave isn’t here in Wenyang Palace. Even if you’re trying to escape death, you don’t need to make up such a ridiculous excuse.”
As the soil of the grave was dug away piece by piece, Mu Xueshi felt as though his own heart were being carved out alive. No matter how much he didn’t want to see the Third Prince, at this moment, he wished desperately that he would suddenly appear…
“Stop fantasizing that the prince will be angry with me over this and refuse to marry me. Let me tell you—yesterday, he already agreed to destroy your mother’s grave. Just because I said the yin energy here was too heavy and made me uncomfortable, he immediately agreed. Now I’m merely doing what he hasn’t done yet. When he comes back, who knows how he’ll thank me, hahaha…”
Princess Wenyang continued saying something, but Mu Xueshi saw that some of the people who had been digging suddenly moved toward him. The next moment, a flurry of blows rained down.
Qingyun had already bitten her lip bloody while standing aside. Seeing Mu Xueshi being beaten, she could no longer hold back. Stumbling forward, she threw herself over him, shielding him with her body.
Mu Xueshi felt the weight on him increase suddenly. Seeing the familiar sleeve in front of his eyes, he became agitated.
“Qingyun, get off me!” Mu Xueshi shouted, trying to push her away.
As she cried out in pain, Qingyun said to him in broken words, “Xue… ah, young master… don’t… worry… I’m… used… to it… last time… I’m sorry…”
Mu Xueshi struggled to pull Qingyun beneath him instead, glaring fiercely at Princess Wenyang. Before he could speak, the blunt side of a pickaxe struck his calf, leaving him gasping for breath.
Princess Wenyang took the purple cloak handed to her, draped it lightly over her shoulders, and her smile became even more enchanting.
“Let me tell you—once this grave is dug up, I’ll throw Qingyun into it. Not only that, I’ll have all the servants from your place brought here. After I’ve tortured them enough, I’ll bury them all in this grave.”
“You’ll get your retribution!” Blood trickled from the corner of Mu Xueshi’s mouth. His whole body trembled, yet his expression remained stubborn.
Seeing that Mu Xueshi still refused to yield even after being beaten for so long, Princess Wenyang’s anger flared again.
“Stop digging. All of you, come here.”
At her command, the guards threw down their tools and gathered before her. Qingyun lay unconscious beneath Mu Xueshi. He struggled to move her aside, his heart aching, but no matter what, he would not cry in front of this woman.
After everyone assembled, Princess Wenyang clapped her hands and said, “Listen carefully. I have a very simple task for you. Whoever does it well will get one hundred taels of gold.”
The guards’ eyes lit up instantly, each scrambling to volunteer.
Princess Wenyang smiled in satisfaction, then slowly walked over to Mu Xueshi. She kicked his body lightly and asked cheerfully, “Do you know why I plan to bury those servants, but not you?”
Mu Xueshi kept his eyes on Qingyun, completely ignoring her.
Her tone suddenly sharpened. “Because if I bury them all, I won’t have any loyal servants left. After thinking it over, you’re quite delicate-looking—I might as well keep you as my servant. After all, the Third Prince said I can choose any servant in this courtyard. You’re of low status—you can’t be favored, but can’t you at least be a servant? And that thing of yours in front probably isn’t of much use anyway. I might as well help you get rid of that burden. With so many people watching, I’m even giving you face.”
She waited for Mu Xueshi to rage or beg for mercy—but he showed no reaction at all. When she had a guard turn him over, the guard reported that Mu Xueshi had already fainted.
“How outrageous! He dares to faint? Such an exciting experience—how could he not have a taste of it? Splash water on him—wake him up!”
At once, several agile guards ran to fetch water. Soon they carried over two large buckets. They poured water over Mu Xueshi’s face, one bucket after another. The rouge and powder on his face washed away, yet he still showed no sign of waking.
“Hold his head under the water. Suffocate him—I refuse to believe he won’t wake up.”
Mu Xueshi was dragged to the bucket and his head was forced underwater. After struggling for a long time, his head was lifted, then pressed down again. After several repetitions, his arms finally began to move.
The water in the bucket had turned faintly red from the washed-off makeup. When his head was lifted one last time, his face was completely clean. His lips trembled, and he slowly opened his eyes.
At that moment, all breathing seemed to stop.
Even Princess Wenyang froze upon seeing his face, unable to speak.
Mu Xueshi was busy gasping for air. His clothes were torn and soaked, his body in a miserable state. Yet even in such a condition, every guard present was so stunned they nearly dropped to their knees.
“This… this is like a celestial being…” someone in the crowd murmured.
“No… impossible… I must be seeing things…” Princess Wenyang trembled all over. Looking at the stunned guards, she shouted urgently, “Hurry… go… castrate him… what are you waiting for? Hurry!”
By the end, she was so agitated she nearly fainted.
The guards were filled with remorse. They could not understand how their hands had just been capable of harming someone like him. Now, even if she offered a thousand taels of gold, none of them could bring themselves to act.
Princess Wenyang could no longer maintain her composure. A realization forced itself into her mind—if this face existed, she would never have even the slightest chance of winning the Third Prince’s heart.
“Go. Cripple him. Otherwise, you’ll be the one crippled.” Her lips pale, she ordered the guard nearest to her.
The guard’s face turned ashen. Trembling, he walked toward Mu Xueshi. A gleaming, razor-sharp blade was placed into his hand. He knew—just one cut would free him from this humiliation.
So your beauty is only this much, perhaps I was mistaken… Princess Wenyang stared fixedly at him, as if what he was about to do was not only to destroy Mu Xueshi, but also to justify her own thoughts.
The guard approached Mu Xueshi, crouched down, and slowly moved the blade toward him. Suddenly, their eyes met. Before, he had only glimpsed him from afar—but now, at close range, that breathtaking face struck him without warning.
“No…” The guard staggered back. The blade slipped from his hand and clattered to the ground. Crawling back to Princess Wenyang, he cried, “Princess… please spare me… I truly… cannot bring myself to do it…”
“Take him away,” Princess Wenyang said lifelessly.
The guard was dragged off, still crying.
“Then you…” she pointed at another.
The next guard’s face changed drastically, and he backed away repeatedly. The others around him did the same. Everywhere Princess Wenyang looked, she saw only panic and fear.
“Fine. Since none of you will do it, I’ll handle it myself first.”
With that, she snatched up the blade and gripped it tightly.
“If I ruin your face, let’s see who would still pity you. You’re nothing but a pretty shell. Once I cut it, you’ll have nothing left…”
Step by step, she approached Mu Xueshi.
But just as she was about to crouch down, a shadow flashed before her eyes.
By the time she realized it, Mu Xueshi was gone.
The figure in black moved with astonishing speed—within the blink of an eye, only Princess Wenyang remained standing there, stunned.
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