Because of his foot injury, Mu Xueshi enjoyed two full days of special treatment. The Third Prince was practically indulgent toward him in every way. Wherever Mu Xueshi wanted to go, he simply had the Third Prince carry him there on his back. His foot had long since healed, but he deliberately pretended to be inconvenienced, all to trick the Third Prince into giving him that rare gentleness.
The Third Prince did not expose him either and was more than happy to indulge some of Mu Xueshi’s little requests. During those two days, the Third Prince hardly discussed serious matters with him at all. Instead, he simply took Mu Xueshi wandering through the mountains and grassy fields while casually surveying the terrain.
Mu Xueshi had long since tossed all those official matters to the back of his mind. The moment he entered the mountains, his eyes widened as he searched everywhere for wild fruit, caught bugs, and hunted wild birds. Like a little beast released back into the wilderness, he roamed around everywhere looking for food, carefree and delighted.
It was not until the third day, when Deputy General Mo personally came to discuss serious matters with him, that Mu Xueshi finally remembered why he had come here in the first place. He could not help feeling somewhat guilty. He had finally managed to build up a decent image of himself in front of the Emperor, yet after playing around for a few days, he had almost forgotten everything.
“Young Master Xue, His Highness instructed me to explain everything related to this mountain to you clearly. If listening makes Young Master Xue happy, then I would trouble you to put in a good word before His Highness.”
Looking at you already makes me unhappy… Mu Xueshi rolled his eyes inwardly. He still remembered the way Deputy General Mo had kicked them while they were down when those soldiers got beaten because of him sneaking out a few days ago.
“Alright then, tell me about it.” Mu Xueshi straightened his posture and put on a serious expression.
Deputy General Mo sat opposite him, looking extremely cautious. After remaining silent for a while, he finally asked, “What exactly would Young Master Xue like to hear about?”
Only then did Mu Xueshi seriously think about it. If they wanted to divert water, they would naturally need some sort of driving force. There was obviously no electricity or anything of the sort in this place, so they could only rely on the terrain itself.
“I heard from His Highness that there are two large rivers on the southern side of the mountain. Are those two rivers close to each other?”
Seeing that Mu Xueshi’s question was so straightforward, Deputy General Mo slowly relaxed and answered steadily, “This mountain is extremely high. One cannot see the summit at a glance. Both rivers flow down from the mountain, but their source has never been found. It is likely located somewhere near the peak. The farther downward the rivers flow, the more branches they split into, and the more frequently those branches intersect. By now, it is difficult to distinguish which tributaries belong to which river. However, the main streams intersect once at the mountainside, then separate again by several hundred meters near the foot of the mountain.”
Mu Xueshi understood immediately. The place where the rivers met was halfway up the mountain, meaning the water volume there must be enormous. And because the terrain was high there, if water were diverted from that point toward the foothills on the northern side, the natural south-high north-low elevation would conveniently allow the water to flow downward on its own, eliminating the need to consider outside force.
Thinking about it sounded simple enough, but actually carrying it out would certainly be difficult. Frowning, Mu Xueshi asked, “Then according to what you know, is the river intersection far from the tunnel Lubei secretly dug?”
“Of course it’s far,” Deputy General Mo replied. “Think about it, Young Master Xue. If you wanted to dig a tunnel for transporting grain, would you choose a location close to a river mouth? In flood years, wouldn’t the tunnel get completely flooded? Even in ordinary years, if water seeped into the tunnel, the grain would grow damp.”
Mu Xueshi scratched his head. That was true. Who would dig a grain transport tunnel somewhere with heavy water flow? No wonder the tunnel did not extend directly southward but instead ended southeastward. Aside from avoiding detection, they must also have considered the rivers.
Following that logic, Lubei had originally dug the tunnel specifically to avoid water sources. But now they wanted to use that very tunnel to divert water, which directly contradicted the original purpose of its construction. The worst possibility was that the tunnel might end up completely useless…
And if that happened, everything he had bragged about in the beginning would become impossible.
How embarrassing… how embarrassing…
Thinking of the worst-case scenario, anxiety appeared plainly on Mu Xueshi’s face.
Deputy General Mo quietly observed the changes in Mu Xueshi’s expression and grew increasingly anxious himself. At first he had thought this task would be simple enough. As long as he spoke appropriately and explained things thoroughly, Mu Xueshi would surely be pleased. Yet now he could not understand Mu Xueshi’s train of thought at all. He did not know why Mu Xueshi was upset, nor what he should say to make him happy again.
“Young Master Xue… what troubles you? Perhaps you could tell me?” Deputy General Mo finally asked.
Only then did Mu Xueshi remember there was another person in the room. Embarrassed, he smiled awkwardly and said, “Nothing much. I was just thinking about something. Say, if we dug a hidden passage from the river intersection all the way to the tunnel Lubei dug beforehand, would that be possible?”
“This…” Deputy General Mo hesitated. He originally wanted to say it was impossible, but he feared that saying so would utterly discourage Mu Xueshi. So he forced himself to answer, “It’s hard to say. We would only know if we actually tried digging. But what exactly does Young Master Xue plan to do by connecting those two places?”
“That’s enough!” Mu Xueshi suddenly slapped the table, his eyes lighting up. “As long as it can be dug, I’m not afraid it can’t be connected.”
Although he was relieved to see some excitement finally appear in Mu Xueshi’s expression, Deputy General Mo still honestly added, “Young Master Xue, I fear it isn’t as easy as you think. The rocks in this mountain are incredibly hard, and we have no experience excavating mountain stone. Who knows how many years it would take to dig through a tunnel?”
“Then let me ask you this. Is this mountain large?”
“Of course. If people from Lubei traveled around the mountain by road at its base, it would probably take over a month.”
“And digging a tunnel from the north side of the mountain to the southeastern entrance—isn’t that farther than digging from the river intersection to the southeastern entrance?”
“Certainly. Much farther. This mountain stretches from north to south, but it is not very wide east to west.”
Mu Xueshi burst out laughing.
“Then doesn’t that settle it? Since Lubei already dug the longer section, why should we worry about this shorter one?”
“But—”
“But what?!” Mu Xueshi suddenly strode over to Deputy General Mo excitedly. “It only took Lubei a few years to dig that tunnel. This shorter stretch should take only half a year to a year at most.”
“That’s because Lubei already had experience. The beginning of any project is always the hardest. Things only speed up later.”
“Then we can have Lubei’s craftsmen come here to help!”
“But would they agree?”
“Are you deliberately trying to oppose me?” Mu Xueshi glared furiously.
Deputy General Mo had spent years charging across battlefields, fierce and valiant. Even if he barely knew any written characters, it never mattered. Yet dealing with Mu Xueshi now felt incomparably difficult. He could not figure out what kind of words would make Mu Xueshi happy. At first he agreed with him, but Mu Xueshi showed no happiness. Then he contradicted him, which at least seemed to energize him a little—but if he continued contradicting him, Mu Xueshi became angry again.
Seeing Deputy General Mo’s troubled expression, Mu Xueshi suddenly felt guilty. No matter what, Deputy General Mo was still his elder. Speaking so rudely out of excitement had been inappropriate. If word spread, would he not just embarrass the Third Prince again?
“Deputy General Mo, please don’t mind it. I was only joking earlier.” Mu Xueshi apologized sincerely.
Deputy General Mo’s expression changed immediately, and he hurriedly replied, “Young Master Xue must never say such things. I truly cannot bear it!”
Before Mu Xueshi could answer, he suddenly spotted the Third Prince approaching.
“Where did you go just now? Deputy General Mo and I have been discussing things for ages. It’s so frustrating—the more we talk, the more problems appear.” Mu Xueshi pouted.
Deputy General Mo’s expression instantly turned ugly.
The Third Prince’s own expression remained calm and unreadable. He merely said to Mu Xueshi, “We must return to the palace. Father Emperor has summoned me back. There is likely something important to discuss. Go gather your things. We leave shortly.”
“So soon?”
Mu Xueshi immediately looked disappointed. He had finally managed to get out for a few days, yet before he had enough fun, he had to return again. Besides, he had come here carrying a task from the Emperor. Yet now, before even fully understanding the situation, he was leaving muddle-headedly. If the Emperor questioned him later, how would he explain himself?
The Third Prince seemed to understand his worries and gently patted his head.
“This summons from Father Emperor is not to question us about the situation here. Something more important has come up. Once it is settled, we may return again.”
“Oh!” Mu Xueshi instantly brightened.
With that, the Third Prince led Mu Xueshi toward another room. Deputy General Mo followed behind them, looking hesitant, as though he wanted to say something but did not dare.
Even until the Third Prince and Mu Xueshi hurriedly departed, Deputy General Mo never dared bring up his own matter. Only once the two were already seated inside the carriage with nothing else to do did the Third Prince mention his agreement with Deputy General Mo.
After hearing it, Mu Xueshi instantly regretted his earlier words and hurriedly explained, “When I said I was frustrated, it was only complaining casually. It had nothing to do with what Deputy General Mo said. If you truly refuse to pardon him because of that, wouldn’t I become the sinner instead?”
The Third Prince remained expressionless, looking as though his mind was already made up.
Panicking, Mu Xueshi immediately climbed into the Third Prince’s lap and deployed his ultimate weapon, pestering and coaxing him endlessly until he finally relented.
Once Mu Xueshi calmed down, the Third Prince added, “Actually, I already intended to pardon Deputy General Mo from the beginning.”
Mu Xueshi instantly exploded with rage.
“You tricked me! I’m getting revenge!!”
As he shouted, he lunged forward and grabbed at the Third Prince’s neck as though trying to strangle him. In all the world, probably only Mu Xueshi would dare behave this way toward him.
The Third Prince smoothly pulled Mu Xueshi into his arms and leisurely explained, “I was not teasing you. That was indeed the agreement I made with Deputy General Mo from the start. I merely wanted to test him. If he truly wished to make you happy, it would only take a few flattering words. But if he failed to make you happy, then it proved he was still trustworthy. Naturally, I would pardon him.”
Mu Xueshi sat there blankly for a moment before finally understanding the Third Prince’s intentions.
“So those two words, ‘feeling frustrated,’ actually ended up saving him?”
The Third Prince merely smiled without replying.
Mu Xueshi finally sighed in relief. After grinning happily at the Third Prince for a while, he suddenly widened his eyes without warning and shouted loudly:
“That still doesn’t mean I’m letting you off! You actually used me as a testing tool—you despicable villain who’ll stop at nothing!!”
“…”
Futile Devices Scans 
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