The Third Prince’s horse slowly came to a stop outside Qingyun Palace.
Mu Xueshi had been so preoccupied with his thoughts that he did not even notice they had already arrived at the Third Prince’s residence.
“Your Highness, Young Master Xue, you’ve returned.” Eunuch Tai’an came over with a warm smile to take the horse’s reins for the Third Prince.
Hearing the commotion outside, Qingya and Qingzhu, who had been standing by the doorway, also peeked out. The moment they saw the Third Prince and Mu Xueshi, their eyes lit up, and they almost rushed over in delight. But with the Third Prince standing right behind Mu Xueshi, they naturally restrained the carefree behavior they used to have in Chun Nuan Pavilion.
“Third Prince, Young Master Xue,” Qingya and Qingzhu greeted sweetly, respectfully bowing twice.
The moment Mu Xueshi saw the two of them, all his earlier unhappiness was temporarily forgotten. He hurried over and grabbed their hands, unable to contain his excitement.
“You’re both back?!” Mu Xueshi asked.
Qingya nodded. “Yes. The moment Young Master Xue left, His Highness brought us here.”
Qingzhu also giggled sweetly. “His Highness specifically ordered that we be safely brought out of Wenyang Palace, and even sent people to protect us.”
Mu Xueshi froze for a moment before turning toward the Third Prince, immediately breaking into a foolishly delighted grin.
“You’re really so good to me!”
Hearing Mu Xueshi’s praise, the Third Prince not only failed to look pleased, but his expression actually darkened slightly.
Qingya, being the most perceptive, immediately noticed the Third Prince’s expression and quickly withdrew the hand Mu Xueshi was holding.
“I praised you and you’re still unhappy? I haven’t even settled the score for that pinch earlier.” Mu Xueshi snorted, tilting his gaze upward at a forty-five-degree angle with exaggerated arrogance as he stared at the window.
“Then later, we’ll settle it properly,” the Third Prince replied, a sly glint flashing through his eyes.
The moment Mu Xueshi heard that tone, he knew something was wrong. He quickly glanced at the Third Prince, then let out a loud yelp and dashed into the room, slamming the door shut behind him with a bang.
Qingya and Qingzhu covered their mouths as they laughed. Back at Chun Nuan Pavilion, they had never seen Young Master Xue this lively and cheerful.
“Do not mention Qingyun. If Xueshi asks, find a way to brush it off,” the Third Prince ordered coldly.
Qingya and Qingzhu’s expressions changed immediately. They nodded nervously and silently moved to stand by the doorway.
The Third Prince pushed the door open and entered. The room was empty. Mu Xueshi was nowhere to be seen.
The Third Prince’s eyes swept upward and immediately spotted Mu Xueshi lying across the carved roof beam, though he deliberately pretended not to notice him.
He truly had no idea how Mu Xueshi had managed to climb onto such a high beam. Glancing around casually, the Third Prince soon noticed two very distinct footprints on the huanghuali armchair nearby.
The Third Prince curved his lips into a smile. With one hand, he casually lifted the armchair and moved it aside. Then he calmly sat by the table and leisurely sipped tea.
Very soon, thumping sounds came from overhead.
Without even looking, the Third Prince knew Mu Xueshi was furiously pounding the beam above.
What a bastard, Mu Xueshi cursed inwardly.
It was just a joke, yet the Third Prince had absolutely no sense of humor. Not only did he not bother looking for him, he had clearly seen him and deliberately pretended otherwise, even moving the chair away just to embarrass him.
Mu Xueshi rolled his eyes dramatically above.
At the exact same moment, the lid of the teacup in the Third Prince’s left hand suddenly flew out, striking Mu Xueshi squarely on the knee of the leg hooked tightly around the beam.
A wave of numb pain instantly shot through him, causing Mu Xueshi to cry out loudly. His grip slipped, and he immediately widened his eyes and howled, “Quick! Catch me!”
By the time he shouted those words, more than half his body was already dangling in midair. He tried to climb back up but had no strength left. Both hands clung desperately to the beam in a posture that looked exactly like someone bracing to be beaten. Yet he stubbornly refused to let himself fall to the ground. Though it would not hurt badly, it would simply be too humiliating.
Only then did the Third Prince slowly walk over.
Mu Xueshi stared at him pitifully, the plea in his eyes unmistakable.
“Help me down,” Mu Xueshi begged again.
The Third Prince leisurely admired Mu Xueshi’s dangling body—the long, slender jade-like legs, the soft enticing waist, the slightly raised rounded curves. Standing beside him, the Third Prince’s head was level with Mu Xueshi’s calves.
With a faint smile, the Third Prince placed his hand on the inner side of Mu Xueshi’s thigh and slowly slid it upward.
“Weren’t you planning to settle accounts with me?” the Third Prince said softly.
Mu Xueshi flailed his head around wildly. His arms ached terribly and were on the verge of giving out. Meanwhile, the Third Prince continued teasing him below, making Mu Xueshi let out a strained whimper as his legs trembled while seeking some kind of support against the Third Prince’s body.
The Third Prince’s large hand gently kneaded the little raised mound between Mu Xueshi’s legs a few times. Mu Xueshi’s handsome face flushed bright red, and with a miserable cry, he finally lost his grip and fell.
Mu Xueshi felt himself caught securely in the Third Prince’s arms. When he opened his eyes, he was met with the sight of the Third Prince’s icy, alluring eyes staring directly at him. After a brief moment of daze, Mu Xueshi suddenly threw a punch, only to be tightly restrained in the Third Prince’s embrace.
“No one has ever dared attack me inside my own chambers,” the Third Prince said as he looked down at the fiercely glaring Mu Xueshi in his arms.
Mu Xueshi let out an awkward snort. “That’s only because I wasn’t here before.”
As he spoke, he threw another punch at the Third Prince, only for it to once again end with his fist caught effortlessly in the Third Prince’s hand.
The Third Prince carried Mu Xueshi over to the bed, laid him down, and pressed himself over him.
“It’s daytime!!” Mu Xueshi pointed outside.
The Third Prince pressed a domineering kiss against Mu Xueshi’s lips and whispered, “Inside this room, there is no distinction between day and night.”
Mu Xueshi found the taste in the Third Prince’s mouth incredibly intoxicating. After staring at him for a moment, he ended up leaning forward to peck him first instead.
The two of them kissed noisily for quite a while before Mu Xueshi finally gasped for breath and pushed the Third Prince away.
It had been a long time since they had been intimate in this room.
Mu Xueshi looked around. Nothing had changed. Even the little trinkets beside the bed were the same ones he used to play with.
Suddenly, his heart felt a little sour.
“Besides me, has anyone else ever slept on this bed?” Mu Xueshi asked.
What he truly wanted to know was whether the Third Prince had ever turned his fake relationship with Princess Wenyang into something real.
The Third Prince did not answer. His hand slid inside Mu Xueshi’s robes and landed precisely on the small tender nub there, his fingers lightly rubbing and pressing against it.
Mu Xueshi tilted his beautiful neck back slightly as a faint blush spread across his face.
“I’m only interested in this part of you.”
As he spoke, the Third Prince’s hands began roaming over Mu Xueshi’s body, drawing heavier and heavier breaths from him. Finally, the Third Prince pinched between Mu Xueshi’s legs again, making him arch his back from the mixture of pain and pleasure.
“Bastard!” Mu Xueshi snapped, his brows standing upright.
The Third Prince’s expression darkened, and he pinched him several more times. “Who’s the bastard?”
“You are—ah…”
“Who is?”
“You… ah…”
“Hmm?”
“I am…”
Mu Xueshi cried out miserably for quite some time, both aching and tingling, his eyes misty with moisture.
Only then did the Third Prince stop. He gathered Mu Xueshi into his arms and gently rubbed the spots he had tormented.
Mu Xueshi alternated between comfort and torment, torment and comfort, until his whole body grew unbearably hot. Finally, he wrapped his arms around the Third Prince’s neck and eagerly clung to him.
Only for the Third Prince to say, “We need to go out first. There’s someone important we must meet.”
Mu Xueshi felt as though he had suddenly fallen into an ice cave. All the passion he had built up was mercilessly extinguished by that single sentence.
Why didn’t you say so earlier? Why didn’t you say so earlier?!!! Mu Xueshi screamed inwardly.
The Third Prince stood up and looked at the Mu Xueshi lying on the bed, smiling lightly as he asked, “Why aren’t you getting up? Planning to laze around in bed during the daytime too?”
Mu Xueshi bent down stubbornly to put on his shoes.
The Third Prince crouched down to help him put them on, casually adding, “If you hadn’t insisted on seeing Qingya and Qingzhu, we would have gone there directly.”
Then why did you bring me into the room and fool around like this first? Mu Xueshi grumbled inwardly.
Unexpectedly, the very next second, the Third Prince replied, “You were the one who ran in here yourself.”
Mu Xueshi jumped in shock. How did the Third Prince know what he was thinking?!
Then, recalling the Third Prince’s words, Mu Xueshi glanced around and asked, “Right… where did Qingya and Qingzhu go?”
The Third Prince’s expression sharpened slightly as he replied coldly, “Since when have you ever seen them enter my bedchamber?”
Mu Xueshi froze.
Only then did he remember this was not Chun Nuan Pavilion, but Qingyun Palace.
“When you were staying at Chun Nuan Pavilion, were they allowed to enter your room freely?” the Third Prince asked with a frown.
Mu Xueshi instantly darted away from the Third Prince and shouted loudly toward the outside, “Qingya! Qingzhu! I’ve got something really fun to tell you!”
The Third Prince followed behind him and also walked outside.
Mu Xueshi hurried out anxiously. Only after turning around and seeing that the Third Prince had not followed closely did he relax.
“What did Young Master Xue want to say?” Qingya asked with a strained smile.
Earlier, when the Third Prince had mentioned Qingyun, Qingya had felt deeply upset. Painful memories she had tried hard to suppress had resurfaced. Unable to hold back, she had shed a few tears, and now her eyes were still red.
Before Mu Xueshi could speak, the Third Prince’s commanding voice sounded from behind.
“Not now. Whatever you want to say can wait until after we return.”
Mu Xueshi could only look regretfully at Qingya and Qingzhu before following reluctantly behind the Third Prince.
Suddenly, Mu Xueshi seemed to remember something. He turned back to look at Qingya and Qingzhu again. After pondering briefly, he asked the Third Prince, “Why haven’t I seen Qingyun? Didn’t you bring her back too?”
Mu Xueshi had not personally witnessed the suffering Qingya and Qingzhu endured at Wenyang Palace, but he had seen everything Qingyun suffered through. The last time he had seen her was when she had protected him during the beating at Wenyang Palace. Since then, he had never seen her again.
“I transferred Qingyun out of the small courtyard. She’s now serving under one of the imperial consorts.”
“Why?” Mu Xueshi stopped walking.
The Third Prince replied calmly, “The small courtyard no longer lacks servants. Since Princess Wenyang is dead, Qingyun was naturally reassigned elsewhere.”
Mu Xueshi suddenly turned around and started walking back.
“Where are you going?” the Third Prince asked.
“I’m going to ask Qingya and Qingzhu.”
Futile Devices Scans 
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