“Qingya, Qingzhu, I have something to ask you.”
Seeing the unusually serious expression on Mu Xueshi’s face, Qingya and Qingzhu both became nervous. They glanced at the Third Prince standing not far away and more or less guessed what Mu Xueshi wanted to ask.
“What does Young Master Xue wish to ask?” Qingya took the initiative to speak first, afraid Qingzhu might accidentally let something slip again.
Mu Xueshi thought for a moment, then pulled Qingya aside and quietly asked, “I heard His Highness say Qingyun went back to her hometown to visit family. Is that true?”
Qingya froze briefly before quickly replying, “Of course. Why would His Highness lie to you?”
Mu Xueshi’s heart sank. He immediately ran over to Qingzhu and asked, “Qingzhu, His Highness said Qingyun got married into a wealthy household as a concubine. Is that true?”
Qingzhu grew nervous and secretly glanced at Qingya. Qingya hurriedly nodded at her, so Qingzhu also nodded vigorously and said, “Yes, Young Master Xue. Don’t worry. His Highness would never lie.”
Yet the moment those words left her mouth, Mu Xueshi’s expression changed drastically instead of improving. He hurried straight toward the Third Prince.
Panicking, Qingya quickly ran over to Qingzhu and asked, “Didn’t I remind you just now? Whatever Young Master Xue says His Highness told him, you just agree with it.”
“But that’s exactly what I did!” Qingzhu said with a wronged expression.
Qingya frowned and asked again, “Then how exactly did Young Master Xue ask you?”
“He said Qingyun married into a wealthy family…”
“What?!” Qingya groaned bitterly. “He told me His Highness said Qingyun went back home to visit family!”
Qingzhu’s mouth fell open, her face full of embarrassment and fear, though she still could not help muttering softly, “Young Master Xue’s only been gone a few days and he’s already learned to trick people.”
“You lied to me. I want to see Qingyun. Go bring her to me.” The moment Mu Xueshi returned, he immediately started shouting at the Third Prince.
The Third Prince replied expressionlessly, “Where Qingyun went was arranged privately by me. Those two know nothing about it.”
“Then take me to her.” Mu Xueshi looked completely unreasonable.
“Not now. We still have someone more important to meet.” The Third Prince’s tone also became heavier.
The sense of panic inside Mu Xueshi grew stronger and stronger. That day, when he went to Wenyang Palace, he and Qingyun had collapsed together before he was rescued. But after he was saved, who would have rescued Qingyun? He still remembered Qingyun shouting at him to leave while trapped inside Wenyang Palace…
The Third Prince walked over and tried to pull Mu Xueshi away. Mu Xueshi refused to budge and even shook off the Third Prince’s hand.
“If you won’t let me see Qingyun first, then I absolutely will not go with you to meet anyone,” Mu Xueshi declared firmly.
The Third Prince’s patience was finally exhausted.
She was merely a servant girl. Even if he told Mu Xueshi she had died, so what? In Mu Xueshi’s heart, were all people equally important to him? If Mu Xueshi felt miserable when separated from him, but also miserable when separated from others, then what difference was there between himself and anyone else?
“I’ll ask you one last time. Are you coming with me or not?” the Third Prince asked coldly.
Mu Xueshi shook his head. “You go meet that important person. I’m going to find Qingyun.”
The Third Prince gave Mu Xueshi one final icy look before turning and walking away into the distance.
Qingya and Qingzhu hurried over.
“Young Master Xue, please don’t be angry with His Highness. He didn’t tell you because he was afraid you’d be heartbroken.”
“Yes, yes! His Highness specifically instructed us earlier. We didn’t want to lie to you either!”
“Go after His Highness and apologize to him. We’ve never seen His Highness tolerate and indulge anyone the way he does you.”
…
Mu Xueshi did not hear any of the words that came afterward.
He only felt an icy chill spreading through his entire body, causing him to shiver uncontrollably. His expression turned somewhat dazed as he looked at Qingya and asked, “Was Qingyun executed by Princess Wenyang?”
Qingya and Qingzhu lowered their heads, not daring to speak as they quietly sobbed.
At first, Mu Xueshi had still held onto a sliver of hope. He thought perhaps the reason the Third Prince would not let him see Qingyun was because Princess Wenyang had beaten her badly, and he feared Mu Xueshi would be upset upon seeing her injuries.
But the question that escaped his lips had been the thing he feared most.
He merely wanted a denial. Even if Qingyun had been crippled or disfigured, it would still have been better than losing her forever.
Yet the tears of those two girls forcibly dragged Mu Xueshi into reality.
The Third Prince’s expression had already darkened to the extreme. It felt as though a massive stone were lodged in his chest, suffocating him completely.
He could not understand exactly what was making him suffer so much. Was it the thought of Mu Xueshi being heartbroken? Or was it because Mu Xueshi cared this deeply about other people too?
He only knew one thing clearly: his emotions were becoming more and more influenced by Mu Xueshi. Too many impossibilities had become possible because of him.
For example, right now, he could have simply dragged Mu Xueshi away by force. Or he could have left immediately.
Yet instead, he slowed his pace.
Then came the sound of crying.
He did not know whether it was because Mu Xueshi’s cries were too loud or because he had always dreaded hearing them. But the moment Mu Xueshi let out his first sob, the Third Prince stopped walking.
Mu Xueshi squatted on the ground, crying miserably. The more he thought about it, the worse he felt inside.
He had never really had friends before. After arriving here, he had interacted with very few people. Qingyun had been the first person to truly become close to him.
The first time she was sent away to the embroidery workshop had been because of him.
Later, when Princess Wenyang ordered her beaten, it had also been because of him.
And now, even her death… had been because of him.
Qingya and Qingzhu knelt beside Mu Xueshi as well, crying beautifully through their tears.
The Third Prince walked over to Mu Xueshi and looked down at him.
Mu Xueshi’s head was buried in his knees, his shoulders trembling. His cries were muffled against his knees, not loud, yet painfully heartbreaking to hear.
Feeling himself suddenly embraced, Mu Xueshi froze briefly. Then he turned and buried his face against the Third Prince’s chest.
After crying without restraint for a long while, Mu Xueshi’s sobs finally began to quiet. He took several deep breaths before lifting his head to look at the Third Prince.
The Third Prince did not show much expression. He simply took out a handkerchief and gently wiped Mu Xueshi’s face again.
“Qingyun died because of me,” Mu Xueshi said.
“The person who killed her was not you,” the Third Prince replied calmly.
Unexpectedly, the very next second, Mu Xueshi burst into loud sobs again. It was as if that brief pause earlier had merely been a rest before continuing his release of grief.
But after only a few cries this time, Mu Xueshi abruptly stopped. He stood up and said to the Third Prince, “Let’s go.”
“Go where?” the Third Prince asked.
“To meet that important person,” Mu Xueshi replied.
Seeing how quickly Mu Xueshi had suppressed his emotions, the Third Prince grew worried. Before he could speak, Mu Xueshi lowered his head and said hoarsely, “I didn’t mean to anger you just now.”
The Third Prince remained silent.
Mu Xueshi still kept his head lowered, his voice rough and painful to hear. “If I make you angry again in the future, then yell at me or hit me if you want. Just don’t turn around and leave. The small courtyard is already so big, and the imperial palace is even bigger. If you leave, where am I supposed to go looking for you?”
The Third Prince’s heart softened instantly.
“I won’t leave,” he said quietly.
Relieved, Mu Xueshi went to comfort Qingya and Qingzhu for a while before wiping away his tears and leaving with the Third Prince toward Linhan Palace.
Throughout the journey, the Third Prince kept carefully observing Mu Xueshi’s mood. He seemed mostly normal, aside from the slight emptiness in his eyes.
Perhaps after a few more days, once other matters occupied his attention, he would gradually forget.
When they arrived at Linhan Palace, the Third Prince led Mu Xueshi to the tomb. After opening the hidden mechanism, the two descended together.
Passing by the dried corpses along the way, Mu Xueshi showed no reaction at all. Under normal circumstances, he would certainly have screamed in terror. But now, he was too heartbroken for anything else to matter.
After being surrounded by darkness for so long, Mu Xueshi’s eyes hurt painfully upon entering the underground crystal palace. He raised a hand to shield himself from the dazzling light as he slowly walked inside.
Even in his miserable mood, Mu Xueshi still muttered, “It’s so beautiful…”
He had never imagined that such an enormous secret could be hidden beneath this tomb.
“It took you this many days just to bring him here? You really are inefficient,” a pleasant female voice echoed throughout the palace.
Mu Xueshi looked around in confusion, unable to spot anyone inside the room. Only when he turned his head back did he suddenly realize there was now a person standing directly before him.
And strangely enough, that person seemed somewhat familiar.
Mu Xueshi searched his memory. When had he seen this woman before?
Half her face was covered by a white veil, revealing only a pair of eyes bright and beautiful as the autumn moon, yet those eyes alone already carried an immortal grace and exquisite beauty.
The only other person Mu Xueshi could remember possessing such hidden beauty was Li Qian’s older sister. But Li Gui and this woman clearly carried entirely different temperaments. This woman possessed an ethereal aura completely untouched by the mortal world.
Then suddenly, Mu Xueshi remembered.
A scene surfaced in his mind.
Back when he had been poisoned by gu and locked inside Linhan Palace, a woman had once appeared in his room. At the time, Mu Xueshi had thought he was hallucinating and had spent many days obsessing over her afterward.
So she had really existed.
Before he realized it, Mu Xueshi had already been staring at Yue Lingchai for quite some time.
Finally, Yue Lingchai shifted her gaze toward the Third Prince and coldly asked, “How did he end up in such a state?”
This was the first time Mu Xueshi had ever heard someone dare to scold the Third Prince.
The Third Prince replied in a deep voice, “Some unpleasant things happened today. Aunt should refrain from asking.”
Yue Lingchai shot the Third Prince a fierce glare before turning her attention back to Mu Xueshi.
Mu Xueshi now realized his impression of her had completely changed from before. At first, he had imagined her as a gentle, graceful fairy-like beauty. But after hearing her speak, he sensed traces of boldness and heroic spirit beneath that elegance.
So she was the Third Prince’s aunt. What exactly was he supposed to call her?
Mu Xueshi carefully copied the etiquette used in the palace and respectfully bowed.
“Greetings, Aunt.”
Yue Lingchai nearly slapped him on instinct. But seeing that face—which somewhat resembled her own—she ultimately restrained herself.
“Xueshi doesn’t know the truth,” the Third Prince interjected.
Yue Lingchai’s expression softened slightly. Looking at Mu Xueshi’s tear-streaked, messy face only made her feel more uncomfortable.
She loved wearing white robes and tolerated not the slightest speck of dirt on them. The places she lived in were likewise always spotless.
“Bring clean water and a handkerchief,” Yue Lingchai called toward the inner room.
“Yes.”
The moment Mu Xueshi heard that voice, it immediately sounded extremely familiar.
Then, when the person emerged gracefully from the inner chamber carrying a silver basin, Mu Xueshi’s eyes instantly widened like lanterns.
“Young Master Xue!”
In the end, Qingyun was the first to speak.
The moment she saw Mu Xueshi, she became so emotional she nearly dropped the basin in her hands.
“You really are Qingyun? Weren’t you…”
Mu Xueshi had only just finished crying earlier. Now, seeing Qingyun alive felt like a dream.
Qingyun looked far more beautiful than before. Her skin glowed white and flawless, with no trace of any scars remaining. Even her clothing and jewelry were vastly finer than before.
Before Qingyun could respond, Mu Xueshi suddenly dashed over to the Third Prince.
“You actually scared me like this! First you crushed me, then you gave me a huge surprise! You’re way too evil! Do you know how many tears and feelings you cheated out of me? You owe me compensation for emotional damages! Hahaha…”
Mu Xueshi laughed loudly while relentlessly pounding on the Third Prince.
Even the Third Prince froze in surprise.
He genuinely had not known Yue Lingchai had rescued Qingyun. Back then, he had only heard Qingyun had been killed. He never knew she had actually been buried alive.
Futile Devices Scans 
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