The carriage had already entered the imperial capital. Mu Xueshi was sleeping soundly in the Third Prince’s arms when the Third Prince suddenly caught the scent of a familiar fragrance. It was the mingled fragrance of the hundred flowers in the little courtyard. There was no possible way that scent should have drifted all the way here.
The Third Prince immediately became alert and called to the coachman outside, “Stop the carriage.”
The carriage slowly came to a halt in the middle of the road, and the long procession following behind also stopped.
Without waking Mu Xueshi, the Third Prince lifted the curtain at the front of the carriage and looked outside. Very quickly, he noticed a piece of wood lying across the road not far ahead. It looked completely ordinary, but the Third Prince could tell the fragrance was coming from it.
“Bring that piece of wood to me,” the Third Prince ordered.
The coachman promptly jumped down from the carriage and hurried over to pick it up. When he lifted it, he hesitated briefly, unsure whether this insignificant-looking piece of wood was truly what the Third Prince wanted.
Carefully, the coachman handed the wood over. The Third Prince accepted it and calmly ordered, “Continue on.”
With a crack of the whip, the procession resumed moving.
The Third Prince lightly squeezed the wood and immediately sensed that it was hollow. Using a little force, he split it cleanly in two and found a note hidden inside.
The handwriting belonged to Su Ruhan. Only a few brief words were written on it, but after reading them, a trace of delight appeared in the Third Prince’s eyes.
Su Ruhan had already discovered the hiding places of the tens of thousands of soldiers under General Xiao’s command. It turned out they had been disguised among ordinary civilians scattered around the imperial capital. During normal days, they farmed and worked like everyone else. Only on certain fixed dates each month would they receive secret signals and gather in hidden places for training.
Many of them were martial artists from the jianghu, while others were wandering rogues and street toughs. There could not have been a more suitable person than Su Ruhan for investigating this matter. There was practically nothing within the jianghu that he could not uncover. Su Ruhan had also instructed the leaders of several major gangs under his command to secretly investigate. Within only a few days, all of those people’s backgrounds had been exposed.
Once this major hidden threat was eliminated, there would be even less reason to fear Hao Lin. Without internal support, Hao Lin would already be at a disadvantage. At that point, even if Yunxi did not fulfill its promises, Lubei would probably still obediently withdraw its troops. They could even use the opportunity to launch a counterattack and make Lubei afraid to step into Yunxi again for years to come.
As the Third Prince was thinking this over, he suddenly felt movement in his arms. Looking down, he saw that Mu Xueshi had merely changed sleeping positions and was still resting sweetly.
At this moment, Su Ruhan was likely already leading his people to raid the traitors’ hideouts. Since those people were scattered all over the place, capturing them should not be too difficult. However, to guarantee absolute success, military reinforcements would still be necessary.
But where should he leave Mu Xueshi?
The Third Prince could not help frowning over the issue.
Keeping him by his side was impossible. Leaving him at the Ice-Fire Cave was unsafe as well, since Hao Lin already knew about that hideout. If neither Su Ruhan nor the Third Prince remained there guarding it, it would become even more dangerous. Mu Xueshi’s mother’s place would certainly be safe, but the Third Prince worried that once Mu Xueshi entered there, he might never be able to get him back again. So he had no intention of leaving him there.
After much consideration, the Third Prince finally decided to leave Mu Xueshi inside the palace. The Emperor happened to be summoning him anyway. Once he finished discussing matters, he could leave Mu Xueshi at the Taihe Hall. That would certainly be the safest place. Aside from the Emperor, nobody would dare harbor any schemes against Mu Xueshi there. And since the Emperor still intended to discuss the water diversion issue with Mu Xueshi, he likely would not do anything reckless.
After silently making up his mind, the Third Prince began arranging the next steps of his plan in his head. Before long, they arrived at the palace.
The moment the carriage stopped, Mu Xueshi had also slept enough and woke up stretching lazily.
After getting down from the carriage, they skipped the sedan chairs prepared for them beforehand in order to save time. Instead, they mounted horses and headed directly toward the Taihe Hall.
Upon arriving at the Taihe Hall, the eunuch stationed at the entrance informed the Third Prince that the Emperor had just stepped out to handle some matters and asked the Third Prince to wait a moment.
The Third Prince and Mu Xueshi waited inside the Taihe Hall for quite some time, yet the Emperor still had not returned. The Third Prince assumed the Emperor had not expected him back so soon and had gone off to deal with something else. He had originally intended to discuss matters with the Emperor first, but there was no longer time to delay. He could only report back after returning.
“Xueshi…”
Mu Xueshi had been examining the Emperor’s jade imperial seal with great interest. Hearing the Third Prince call him, he hurriedly put the seal down and walked over.
“I need to handle something now. Stay here and wait. If Father Emperor returns, inform him on my behalf. I will come back shortly. Do not wander around.”
“Where are you going?” Mu Xueshi grabbed the Third Prince’s sleeve, looking visibly nervous.
The Third Prince gently stroked Mu Xueshi’s cheek and softly replied, “The palace has been plagued with internal unrest lately. Many matters require handling. Since Father Emperor is absent, I must temporarily deal with them in his place. Don’t worry. They are only internal palace affairs. There is no danger.”
Mu Xueshi muttered gloomily, “If there’s no danger, then why won’t you bring me along?”
“If you go with me and Father Emperor returns to find neither of us here, angering him would be the least of our concerns. Delaying important matters would be far worse. Stay here instead. If Father Emperor gives any orders, you can help respond on my behalf.”
The moment Mu Xueshi heard that the Third Prince was leaving him behind to help handle matters, he secretly became delighted. Instantly, he puffed up with confidence and declared, “Go take care of your business then. I’ll guard this place for you. Nothing will happen.”
Looking at Mu Xueshi’s expression, the Third Prince suddenly felt strangely uncomfortable. He had already lied to him countless times, yet Mu Xueshi still believed every word. If Mu Xueshi ever learned the truth in the future, the Third Prince could not imagine how deeply he would resent him.
“Why are you still standing here? Don’t worry. I won’t speak recklessly. If the Emperor asks me something, I’ll answer. If he doesn’t ask, I absolutely won’t say a word.” Mu Xueshi gave him a reassuring look.
The more Mu Xueshi spoke like this, the more uneasy the Third Prince felt. Holding Mu Xueshi’s hand, he solemnly warned, “Remember this well. Until I return, do not go anywhere. Even if the Emperor orders you, you are not to leave this place.”
Mu Xueshi nodded obediently. “I know.”
Only then did the Third Prince relax slightly. Turning around, he left the Taihe Hall and quickly disappeared from Mu Xueshi’s sight.
The moment the Third Prince left, Mu Xueshi’s nerves immediately tightened. He no longer dared touch anything placed in the cabinets, on the shelves, or on the desks. Instead, he obediently stood near the side hall entrance and waited for the Third Prince to return.
That wait lasted half an hour. Mu Xueshi’s legs were nearly numb from standing, yet there was still no sign of the Third Prince. Feeling unbearably bored, he started stretching lightly within a very small area. He had barely moved a few times when he suddenly heard commotion outside.
Mu Xueshi perked up his ears to listen carefully. The moment he recognized the palace servants all shouting “Long live His Majesty,” panic instantly seized him.
He suddenly had no idea whether he should stand or kneel, or whether he should go outside to kneel or kneel right there. Although he had confidently promised the Third Prince earlier, actually facing the situation was entirely different.
As a result, when the Emperor strode in radiantly, he saw someone sneaking around the great hall like a little thief who had slipped inside. Unable to see clearly who it was, the Emperor sharply barked, “Who dares behave so boldly?”
Mu Xueshi’s legs gave out immediately. With a thud, he dropped to his knees and stammered, “Y-Your Majesty… i-it’s me… Mu… Mu Xueshi… long live… greetings to Your Majesty…”
The moment the Emperor heard it was Mu Xueshi, not only did he fail to become angry, but delight immediately spread across his face as he walked over.
“So it’s Xueshi. Rise.”
Hearing the Emperor address him so warmly, Mu Xueshi instantly felt somewhat flattered. When he looked up and saw the Emperor’s kindly smile, his nerves finally settled somewhat, and he hurriedly stood up.
I’ve completely embarrassed the Third Prince… Mu Xueshi inwardly despised himself.
The Emperor carefully looked Mu Xueshi over once more before asking, “Where is the Third Prince?”
Mu Xueshi quickly answered, “His Highness… had something to handle. He’ll return in a moment… n-no… very soon.”
The moment the Emperor heard that the Third Prince was absent, he became even more pleased. He had been worrying over how to arrange a private meeting with Mu Xueshi, yet unexpectedly, the Third Prince himself had created the perfect opportunity.
“Why are you speaking with your head lowered?” the Emperor asked.
Mu Xueshi immediately raised his head and took several deep breaths before replying, “Keeping my head lowered is respectful. I was afraid looking directly at Your Majesty might offend you.”
The Emperor smiled gently.
“There is no need for such formality with me, Xueshi. I happen to have matters I wish to discuss with you. It seems you anticipated this already.”
“You were looking for me?” Mu Xueshi widened his eyes in disbelief.
The Emperor nodded.
“Yes. I was looking for you.”
Mu Xueshi instantly became nervous. If the Emperor questioned him about the border situation, how was he supposed to explain himself? Was he really supposed to tell the Emperor that he had spent the past few days doing nothing but playing around?
“What is it? Are you feeling unwell, Xueshi?” the Emperor asked as he reached out to touch Mu Xueshi’s forehead.
Mu Xueshi did not dare dodge, but the Emperor’s sudden change in attitude left him unable to process things properly. The more polite and gentle the Emperor became toward him, the more uneasy he felt inside.
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