“Your Majesty, General Xiao has arrived,” a servant called loudly from outside.
“I’ll go receive him at once!” Hao Lin replied from inside the room.
The place where Hao Lin was currently staying was at the border region of the imperial capital. Though the gray-tiled house looked completely ordinary from the outside, the people residing within were the ruler and State Preceptor of another great nation.
General Xiao walked inside with a radiant expression. When he saw Hao Lin personally come out to greet him, his gaze froze briefly before he quickly bowed and said, “Greetings, Emperor Lin.”
Hao Lin waved a hand, indicating there was no need for formalities.
“Emperor Lin, I’ll keep this brief. His Majesty is currently searching everywhere for you, and my own movements are likely already being monitored by the Emperor as well. I suspect I’ll be summoned tonight for questioning, so it would be better for me to return as soon as possible.”
Hao Lin smiled faintly, his words carrying a trace of contempt.
“And this time, General Xiao was not suspected by the Emperor?”
Confidence appeared in General Xiao’s eyes. “No, please rest assured, Emperor Lin. The border region was never breached. The soldiers of Lubei only appeared around the imperial capital itself. No matter how muddleheaded the Emperor may be, he still understands those troops must have infiltrated secretly. Deputy General Mo is guarding the border checkpoints, while I am responsible for leading troops in battle. Since no enemy army broke through the borders, the Emperor naturally cannot hold me accountable.”
Hao Lin nodded before asking again, “And when the Lubei soldiers breached the moat, you were supposedly leading the resistance. Yet you delayed so long before sending reinforcements to the city gates. Won’t the Emperor grow suspicious?”
Hearing this question, General Xiao’s smile became even calmer.
“On that point, Emperor Lin need not worry at all. Earlier, the Emperor repeatedly ordered that the border regions be defended at all costs, so I transferred most of the troops there. Around the moat, there were only twenty to thirty thousand elite soldiers, and they were spread out rather thinly. Naturally, it was easy for the Lubei soldiers to force open a path.
“Besides, the Lubei troops that broke through numbered only a little over two thousand men, so there was no need to dispatch too many reinforcements. If the Emperor questions me, I’ll simply say I feared another wave of Lubei soldiers might invade, which is why I kept my forces stationed around the moat.
“If the Emperor had initially transferred the troops guarding Qinyi Courtyard to the city gates, perhaps he never would have given Lubei the opportunity to strike. This Emperor is simply far too cautious and suspicious. Presumably this little joke Emperor Lin played will also deal quite a blow to the Yunxi imperial court.”
Hao Lin chuckled lightly. “Judging by General Xiao’s appearance, it seems you’re already confident of success.”
“As long as the Lubei soldiers clear the path ahead, I can lead my own men in afterward and crush them in one decisive strike. Emperor Lin, don’t forget—I’ve developed nearly a hundred thousand elite troops in the Luanzhou region. Some are descendants of the former dynasty’s nobles, while others are oppressed bandits and outlaws. Their fighting spirit is exceptionally fierce. Normally, they blend among the common people and rarely attract notice.”
General Xiao was the grandson of a military strategist from the previous dynasty. His father had been the strategist’s youngest son and the sole surviving descendant of the strategist’s household after the former dynasty fell. Later, General Xiao’s father concealed his identity and secretly expanded his forces, only to be discovered and exterminated by the imperial court. At the time, General Xiao had still been an infant in swaddling clothes when he lost his entire family.
Thus, Hao Lin had never doubted General Xiao’s loyalties.
“Emperor Lin, when do you intend to deploy troops? We are fully prepared and await your orders at any time.”
Compared to General Xiao’s seriousness and intensity, Hao Lin appeared far more calm and relaxed.
“Wait a little longer. We only clashed with Yunxi yesterday. Today the entire nation is under strict security. If we attempt to attack now, we would likely suffer heavy losses. Even if we truly seized the imperial city, I fear we’d scarcely have a moment before your own forces arrived afterward and captured us instead…”
General Xiao immediately looked embarrassed, and even his tone softened.
“Emperor Lin jests. With the few factions under my command, capturing the ruler of mighty Lubei would be nothing short of a fantasy. Please do not regard me as such a threat. If this plan succeeds, I swear upon my head that I will honor the agreement I made with Emperor Lin and cede the Shannan Region to Lubei.”
The further he spoke, the more agitated General Xiao became, as though in the next instant the Emperor would already lie dead beneath his feet while tens of thousands of soldiers shouted his praises beneath the city walls.
“Heh…” Hao Lin’s smile became somewhat complicated. “I was only joking. Why does General Xiao take it so seriously? As for how the two nations divide territory, that is a matter for the future. What we need to discuss now is simply how to win this war.”
“Yes, yes!” General Xiao hurriedly agreed. “Then right now we should—”
“Not yet.” Hao Lin interrupted him. “Circumstances can change at any moment. There’s no need to rush. You should first stabilize the hearts of your subordinates. When the opportunity truly arrives, it will not be too late to discuss strategy.”
“But…” General Xiao still wanted to say something, yet Hao Lin was already visibly growing impatient.
“That’s enough, General Xiao. The imperial court is in chaos right now. For the next few days, it would be best for you to lie low. I also need time to recover and reorganize here. If there is nothing else, General Xiao may take his leave now. Forgive me for not seeing you out.”
After speaking, Hao Lin turned and walked back into the house.
General Xiao sighed, a trace of helplessness appearing on his sharply chiseled face. In his eyes, the current situation was highly favorable, and he could not understand why Hao Lin seemed so unenthusiastic instead.
“Has General Xiao left?”
The moment Hao Lin entered the room, Shangchuan Hong immediately asked him.
“Gone,” Hao Lin replied as he poured some warm water into a teacup and carried it over to Shangchuan Hong.
Shangchuan Hong lay on the bed like a crippled man. Aside from his face, which remained intact, the rest of his body was covered in horrific injuries. When he had first been brought back, even the usually composed Hao Lin had greatly changed expression, and the plans they had agreed upon beforehand had no choice but to be postponed.
Looking at Shangchuan Hong lying there like a ruined man, Hao Lin’s face darkened with gloom. Shangchuan Hong had long been accustomed to Hao Lin smiling calmly before others, so seeing him now with such a heavy expression made it feel as though several thousand jin of stone were crushing down upon his chest, suffocating him.
“Why did you insist on taking such a risk to obtain the antidote? In my eyes, you are not such a foolish person. So why this time did you throw yourself directly into another’s jaws?”
Hearing Hao Lin’s words, Shangchuan Hong looked at him apologetically and replied in a hoarse voice, “Perhaps if I hadn’t resorted to force and had thought of another method, it would have been easier. But for some reason… we ended up fighting…”
After saying this, Shangchuan Hong gave a bitter laugh.
Hao Lin said nothing further. He used a spoon to slowly feed the water to Shangchuan Hong’s lips. Shangchuan Hong looked slightly startled. His lips parted faintly, and the water slipped into his mouth through the narrow gap.
“Why is it that now, whenever you are with me, there always seems to be some distance between us?” Hao Lin suddenly asked.
Shangchuan Hong’s expression shifted. Looking toward Hao Lin, he only then realized the question was serious.
“Distance? Your Majesty must be overthinking things… Since ancient times, ruler and subject have always had clear boundaries between them. If a subject treated his ruler like a brother and acted without restraint, would that not be overstepping?”
“In your heart, am I only your ruler?”
Shangchuan Hong’s chest tightened. After a long silence, he finally answered slowly, “Of course not. If that were the case, I could simply have waited until the timing was right before seeking the antidote. Why would I have ended up in such a miserable state?”
After those words, both men fell silent.
Hao Lin did not continue questioning him. Instead, he rose and returned the teacup to its place. Shangchuan Hong painfully turned his head and said to Hao Lin, “If my condition causes us to miss the current opportunity in battle, Your Majesty need not show mercy. Obtaining the antidote for you was already my duty. Now that I’ve become like a cripple, even if Your Majesty said nothing, I still understand my own situation.”
“For now, focus on recovering from your injuries. Do not think too much about other matters. I already have my own arrangements,” Hao Lin replied, his brows faintly furrowed, his expression complicated.
Shangchuan Hong originally wanted to remind Hao Lin to remain wary of General Xiao at all times, but after thinking it over, such a small matter was surely something Hao Lin had already seen through. Thus, he said no more.
“No matter who may appear beside me in the future, I hope that you and I can still speak as freely as we once did.”
With that, Hao Lin finally walked out.
Shangchuan Hong closed his eyes. It felt as though countless tangled strings were knotted tightly within his heart, impossible to unravel. Hao Lin’s meaning had already been perfectly clear. The person Hao Lin spoke of and the person Shangchuan Hong himself had first thought of were obviously the same person. Yet his mind still circled endlessly around it, preferring to confuse itself rather than accept the simplest truth.
Only when they reached the residence of a wealthy household did the Third Prince finally bring his horse to a stop.
The moment the Third Prince withdrew his hand from Mu Xueshi’s waist, Mu Xueshi jerked awake. Rubbing his eyes and yawning, he asked, “Are we here?”
“We’re here.”
The Third Prince leapt down from the horse and extended a hand to help Mu Xueshi down as well. The moment Mu Xueshi’s feet touched the ground, he became completely alert. This was the first time he had accompanied the Third Prince on official business, so naturally everything felt fresh and exciting to him. Previously, when they went to the Grand Tutor’s residence, it had been the Third Prince accompanying Mu Xueshi to investigate cases. Now their roles seemed reversed, and Mu Xueshi felt oddly valued, as though he had become the Third Prince’s assistant.
Most importantly, Mu Xueshi truly wanted to understand everything connected to the Third Prince. Ever since Su Ruhan had told him everything he knew that day, Mu Xueshi had been overwhelmed by guilt. Only then did he realize how shallow and superficial his so-called love and affection had been all along.
This time, they had come to the residence of Envoy Zhong—the official the Third Prince had recently dispatched to investigate the border regions. Envoy Zhong did not hold a particularly high position, but he was incorruptible and upright by nature. Even this grand residence, along with many of the servants within it, had been rewards granted by the Third Prince. Otherwise, even now, Envoy Zhong would still be living in a courtyard only slightly larger than an ordinary commoner’s home.
It was precisely because Envoy Zhong cared neither for wealth nor beauty that the Third Prince valued him. Ordinary officials could too easily be tempted by profit and secretly collude with others while concealing the truth.
After entering Envoy Zhong’s residence, Mu Xueshi immediately began looking around everywhere, his eyes never resting for a moment. Soon afterward, a middle-aged man dressed in a dark blue robe hurried over together with several others behind him.
“Your Highness, I did not know you would suddenly visit. Forgive me for failing to welcome you properly,” Envoy Zhong said with a bow.
Behind him, his wife, daughter, and several maidservants also knelt down together.
“Greetings to Third Prince. Greetings to Young Master Xue.”
Mu Xueshi froze for a moment. They had even included him in the formal greeting. How did they know he was Young Master Xue? Had he somehow become somewhat famous within the imperial capital?
“There is no need for formalities,” the Third Prince said calmly.
The Third Prince and Mu Xueshi were then invited into the main hall. The furnishings within were simple yet elegant, and Mu Xueshi found the atmosphere quite comfortable. Especially since every chair had soft cushions placed upon it, making them pleasant to sit on.
Mu Xueshi began quietly studying the people in the hall. The man closest to him was presumably the master of the residence—steady and capable, clearly someone who rarely smiled. Beside him was likely his wife, who seemed far gentler and softer by comparison.
The girl standing behind them should be their daughter…
At that point, Mu Xueshi’s gaze stopped completely.
He could not help sighing inwardly: Their daughter truly inherited all the best qualities of both parents. Her face was beautiful, her figure flawless, and especially the elegant aura surrounding her—it reminded Mu Xueshi strongly of a certain celebrity…
Suddenly, a sharp pain struck his forehead. Mu Xueshi instinctively turned to look at the Third Prince, only to discover that the man had not moved at all, though his expression had become distinctly displeased.
Futile Devices Scans 
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