The Third Prince and Su Ruhan, dressed as wealthy young gentlemen, were sitting in a teahouse, calmly drinking tea. Before long, a knock sounded at the door. The Third Prince and Su Ruhan exchanged a glance, and Su Ruhan rose to open it.
“Sir.”
Two men in commoner’s clothing stood outside. Their appearances were ordinary, their figures thin. Upon seeing the Third Prince, they immediately knelt to pay their respects.
“There’s no need to kneel here, and no need to call me ‘Your Highness.’ Just call me ‘young master.’”
The two nodded in agreement.
The Third Prince had them sit closer and examined them. They seemed thinner than before, their complexions sallow, as if they had fallen ill.
Sensing the Third Prince’s doubt, Su Ruhan asked on his behalf, “Why do you two look so worn out?”
The man on the left took a sip of tea, steadied his breath, and said, “Your—no, young master may not know. This time of year, there’s a severe drought along the way. Water is scarce everywhere. We almost died of thirst within Lubei. Only after crossing that mountain and reaching the Yunxi border did we survive.”
Author’s Note: Lubei and Yunxi are separated by a mountain. Yunxi lies on the windward side and receives abundant rainfall year-round, while a large part of Lubei lies on the leeward side and rarely sees rain.
The Third Prince fell into thought for a moment. “This season is indeed Lubei’s dry period, but in previous years it wasn’t this severe—people merely struggled with water shortages.”
“This year is different,” the other man added, emboldened by the Third Prince’s calm demeanor. “The drought in Lubei is extreme, especially near the mountains. Crops have completely failed. People are dying of hunger and thirst—everything is desolate. From what we observed, the drought is still spreading. If the court doesn’t provide relief soon, public unrest will follow.”
The man on the left continued, “Even if relief is given, it would require a large amount of grain. The mountainous regions already have poor harvests—at best enough to survive in good years. In ordinary years, grain must be transported from elsewhere. But Lubei’s other regions also have limited rainfall and mediocre harvests. In a drought like this, those people can barely feed themselves, let alone give grain away. In the end, people in both regions will starve.”
Su Ruhan held his teacup and glanced at the Third Prince. “Lubei borders four countries. One has essentially become its vassal and is constantly plundered for resources—unlikely to offer anything. Another has a small population and treacherous terrain; transporting grain there would take too long. That leaves only Yunxi…”
“Exactly,” one of the men said. “That’s why the ruler of Lubei proposed a marriage alliance. By custom, the bride’s side receives a generous dowry. When the time comes, if Emperor Hao Lin requests grain, it would be a trivial matter. Besides, Yunxi’s granaries are overflowing—sending some grain wouldn’t hurt at all.”
“It’s not just about a marriage alliance,” the Third Prince suddenly said.
All three turned their attention to him. His expression was grave—he clearly knew more.
“Indeed, it’s not that simple,” Su Ruhan continued. “If it were just an alliance, Emperor Hao Lin wouldn’t linger here this long. And from what I’ve learned, some Yunxi officials have colluded with Lubei. Large amounts of grain have already been secretly transported to Lubei’s border.”
The two men were shocked, exchanging glances.
“Then those grain convoys weren’t sent by the emperor?” one asked. “They wore palace guard uniforms.”
“I also wondered why we only saw them at the city gates, but not on the return journey,” the other added. “So they weren’t using the main roads…”
“Does the emperor know about this?”
The room fell silent. The Third Prince spoke calmly, “He knows everything.”
No one spoke again, each lost in thought. Su Ruhan dismissed the two men to rest and receive their reward later. Only he and the Third Prince remained. He closed the door and sat back down.
“It seems Emperor Hao Lin came this time to resolve Lubei’s drought and grain crisis once and for all. I’ve heard from older officials that decades ago, Lubei went to war with Yunxi over that mountainous region. Both sides suffered heavy losses.”
“I think the emperor is now considering how to refuse Emperor Hao Lin’s demands without incurring losses. If war breaks out, both nations will be severely weakened. Lubei might manage—it faces little threat from neighboring states. But Yunxi borders Luandong. Though weaker, it could seize the opportunity to attack.”
The Third Prince remained calm—everything Su Ruhan said, he already knew.
“Still,” Su Ruhan continued, “for Emperor Hao Lin to reach such an agreement with the emperor seems nearly impossible. Could he really intend to…”
He trailed off, but the Third Prince understood.
“Yes. He intends to escalate the conflict as leverage. From the moment he proposed demolishing Linhan Palace, I already saw through his plan.”
“So his aim is to take Mu Xueshi, then use Princess Wenyang’s actions to turn you against him—forcing you to reject the marriage and bear the blame of breaking trust?”
The Third Prince smiled coldly. “He wants me to kill Princess Wenyang.”
Su Ruhan’s expression changed slightly. “Emperor Hao Lin is truly ruthless—even using his own sister. If Princess Wenyang dies at your hands, Lubei could make any demands it wants, even ally with Luandong to threaten Yunxi. Your Highness, since you know this, then perhaps—”
“Even if I don’t kill her, someone else will…”
“Who’s outside?!”
Su Ruhan shouted and rushed out. He grabbed someone by the shoulder—then froze. It was Sun Ye.
“Your Highness, I finally found you. Quick—”
The Third Prince’s heart tightened. The moment he saw Sun Ye, Mu Xueshi’s face flashed in his mind.
Su Ruhan asked urgently, “What happened?”
“Master Xue drugged all of us and ran off. He still hasn’t returned.”
The Third Prince’s expression changed instantly. He dashed out of the teahouse. Su Ruhan and Sun Ye followed, hurrying back toward the palace.
……
Shang Chuanhong hadn’t seen Hao Lin all day. The wound on his arm had mostly healed. Throwing on a robe, he headed toward Hao Lin’s quarters.
“Is it done yet?”
“Don’t move—it’ll be done soon…”
A familiar voice came from inside. Shang Chuanhong’s heart stirred—he almost pushed the door open. But then he paused. There was nothing to be excited about. This person would come sooner or later. And if he entered now, he wouldn’t face one person—but two.
Mu Xueshi was sitting properly on a small rattan chair, his smile stiff with anticipation as he waited for Hao Lin to finish painting his portrait. After seeing Hao Lin’s artworks, he had insisted on having one painted of himself.
In less than half a day, Mu Xueshi had already grown close to Hao Lin. He was no longer reserved, chatting and laughing with him. The two had spent nearly the entire afternoon together.
Shang Chuanhong asked a maid outside, “Has the emperor not left all afternoon?”
“No. The emperor has been inside the whole time, with another young master. They seem to be having great fun.”
Shang Chuanhong knew Hao Lin well—he could barely stay indoors for an hour before needing to go out. Yet this time, he had remained inside all afternoon…
“Sir, should we report to Emperor Hao Lin that you came to see him?”
Shang Chuanhong smiled faintly. “No need. If Emperor Hao Lin gives any orders, just go in and attend to him promptly.”
“Don’t move, or I’ll paint you with three heads and six arms.”
“Wouldn’t that make me a monster?”
Hearing the obvious affection in those words, Shang Chuanhong suddenly felt a heaviness in his chest. He took a deep breath and quickly walked away.
Hao Lin’s gaze swept toward the window, his expression changing slightly, but he soon returned to normal and resumed smiling at Mu Xueshi.
Before long, Mu Xueshi wanted to get up and see how far the painting had progressed, but Hao Lin refused. Each time Mu Xueshi tried to lift himself up, it was in vain, and he had no choice but to sit back down.
Moreover, whenever Hao Lin focused his attention on the painting, Mu Xueshi would squirm like an eel—twisting his neck, turning his waist, and even sneaking bites from the plate. By the time Hao Lin noticed, he had already stuffed everything into his mouth.
Hao Lin found it hard to understand how the Third Prince, someone who loved peace and quiet so much, could tolerate such a person by his side. Yet for Hao Lin, it was quite enjoyable. He couldn’t remember the last time he had been in such a good mood. Both Mu Xueshi and Princess Wenyang were lively and active, but when Wenyang was around, he felt irritated; with Mu Xueshi, however, he felt nothing but delight.
“Reporting to—My… Prince, the Third Prince is outside requesting an audience.”
The guard at the door broke out in a cold sweat, fortunate he hadn’t misspoken—otherwise, it might have cost him his life.
Hao Lin paused his brush and looked at Mu Xueshi. His smile stiffened. It had already been stiff before, and it was hard to tell whether anything had changed in that moment.
Futile Devices Scans 
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