Mu Xueshi was led by a eunuch through a small side door and into the Twin Luan Hall. The Twin Luan Hall was adjacent to the Taihe Hall, and there was a small connecting door between them, so Mu Xueshi assumed this was still part of the Taihe Hall, merely another room.
After entering the Twin Luan Hall, Mu Xueshi felt slightly dizzy. The decorations on the walls and ceiling were all striped patterns with no discernible order. Looking at them for too long gave him the urge to vomit. So he found a small round stool and sat down on it, facing the doorway as he observed the situation outside.
There probably won’t be any danger… Mu Xueshi comforted himself inwardly.
There were heavily armed guards outside, and quite a few attendants standing inside as well. Could Hao Lin really directly harm him? Besides, Hao Lin’s purpose in coming here was only to discuss matters with him, so why was he thinking such random nonsense? He absolutely could not get nervous. The more nervous he became, the easier it would be for others to take advantage of him.
Thinking this way, Mu Xueshi straightened his back and put on an energetic expression.
But sitting like that only made him increasingly tired and sleepy. Mu Xueshi could not help shifting positions, yet he continued yawning nonstop, drowsy beyond measure. He poured himself a cup of tea, hoping it would wake him up, but it had no effect. In the end, he finally could not hold on any longer and fell asleep on the table.
…………
“Your Majesty, the person has already been brought here.” A voice came from outside.
A sharp gleam flashed through Hao Lin’s eyes as he strode outside. Several soldiers were carrying a long wooden chest, cautiously approaching the doorway.
“Carry that chest inside,” Hao Lin ordered.
The soldiers carefully set the chest down on the ground. After bowing, they all withdrew.
Inside the room, besides Hao Lin, there was also Shangchuan Hong. They had not yet left the Imperial Capital, but they were already on the road back to Lubei. Along the way, they had changed hiding places countless times. At the moment, they were inside a pawnshop. The owner of the pawnshop had already been replaced, but business still continued as usual. No one knew where they would appear the next moment.
Shangchuan Hong seemed to be sleeping deeply. Ever since he had been injured, he had often slept for long stretches of time like this. Because of his injuries and poor mobility, Hao Lin rarely woke him.
Hao Lin stood alone beside the long wooden chest, lowering his gaze toward the tightly sealed lid. Even before opening it, he could already smell an intoxicating fragrance. It was unlike the powdery perfume carried by the beauties of the harem. Instead, it was a fragrance that seemed to emanate from the depths of the body itself—fresh, faint, and soul-soothing.
The lid of the chest was opened, revealing a lovely person lying quietly inside. Only, his face was covered by a thin membranous disguise. Hao Lin snorted inwardly. The Third Prince really was overbearing. Just because he was beautiful, did he really need to hide him away every single day and refuse to let others even look at him?
But the moment Hao Lin removed the covering, he overturned that thought himself.
Although he had already seen this face many times, once he gazed at it carefully again, he still could not help being amazed. It was a face even the gods could not sculpt—a beauty perfected to the utmost degree. It was as though an immortal who had slept for a thousand years lay there with slightly upturned, rosy, tempting lips, waiting for the person he loved to awaken him with a kiss.
Even if one gathered a hundred enchanting beauties together, not one strand of their hair could compare to the person before him. No matter how beautiful another person was, beside him they would become worthless dregs.
Hao Lin gently stroked that creamy, delicate face with his fingers. Wherever his fingertips passed, they lingered unwillingly. That intoxicating fragrance lured Hao Lin closer and closer. His increasingly uncontrollable infatuation caused his lips to move nearer and nearer to Mu Xueshi’s…
Suddenly, a clear cough reached Hao Lin’s ears.
Hao Lin stopped with only inches separating his lips from Mu Xueshi’s. His half-lidded eyes slowly opened.
“You were already awake?” Hao Lin asked casually.
Shangchuan Hong stared at the ceiling, his voice sounding exhausted.
“Yes. I heard the sounds of fighting outside and was awakened.”
A trace of mockery flashed through Hao Lin’s eyes, but as he turned around, it vanished perfectly into the depths of his gaze.
“That is the Third Prince and his guards eliminating the traitors. It has nothing to do with us. Why are you nervous?” Hao Lin said as he walked toward Shangchuan Hong.
“I’m not nervous. There was simply too much noise by my ears for me to sleep.”
As Shangchuan Hong spoke, he propped himself up with one arm, attempting to sit upright, though it was clearly difficult. Seeing this, Hao Lin directly helped him up and sat beside him.
“So even you have times when you cannot sleep? In my opinion, these past few days, besides sleeping, there has been nothing else in your mind.” Hao Lin gave Shangchuan Hong a meaningful glance.
Shangchuan Hong smiled awkwardly. “Am I really that sleepy?”
“How are you not? The number of hours you’ve slept these past few days altogether exceeds the amount of time I’ve been awake several times over…”
“……”
Although Shangchuan Hong’s gaze remained fixed on Hao Lin, it had already passed through him and settled upon the chest behind him.
In the end, Hao Lin had still stolen him away.
The Third Prince had probably never expected that despite all his careful vigilance, a single lapse at the final moment would allow the person he loved to be so easily captured by another.
Hao Lin noticed Shangchuan Hong’s distraction and understood exactly what he was thinking, yet he still deliberately said, “Mu Xueshi has already been tricked over here by me.”
Shangchuan Hong replied indifferently, “The sounds of fighting outside have already faded. We should set out.”
Hao Lin glanced outside and nodded. “It is indeed time to return.”
……
Several li away, General Xiao was reclining on a couch resting, covered by a silk blanket. He had not slept soundly once in several days. Yesterday, people from Hao Lin’s side had sent word saying they would discuss plans for attacking the city today. In roughly another hour, Emperor Hao Lin’s people should arrive.
At last, the day had come. General Xiao kept his eyes shut, yet even his eyelids twitched with excitement. No matter how well he usually concealed it, at this moment he could no longer suppress the exhilaration in his heart. He had long since grown tired of bowing before the Emperor like a servant or a beast of burden. If they won this war decisively, the very first thing he would do would be to personally kill that old beast and avenge his family’s tragic deaths.
The second thing he would do would be to seize the momentum and threaten Hao Lin into forcing Lubei to obediently withdraw from Yunxi and never again dare invade even a single step.
The more General Xiao thought about it, the more excited he became. Even the hand resting beside his chest trembled slightly in rhythm with his heartbeat.
Suddenly, a hurried series of footsteps caused General Xiao’s eyes to brighten instantly.
“General!” a rough male voice sounded outside the door.
General Xiao abruptly sat upright, staring fixedly toward the doorway.
The man who rushed into the room had a square face, dark gleaming skin, thick facial hair, and slightly drooping eyes. He was the steward of the General’s estate, usually handling household affairs and appearing honest and simple. Yet who would have imagined that this man was also General Xiao’s deputy, responsible for organizing troops and forming units?
“Have Emperor Hao Lin’s people arrived?” General Xiao asked impatiently.
The square-faced man twitched strangely before suddenly pointing outside and stammering, “General… Third Prince… he…”
General Xiao’s expression changed drastically.
The next moment, the Third Prince’s figure appeared in the doorway. His gaze was like that of a vengeful ghost, fixed directly upon the two people inside the room.
General Xiao was clearly steadier than the man kneeling below him. Rising from the couch, he walked to the Third Prince’s side and bowed respectfully.
“General Xiao greets Third Prince.”
A cold gleam flashed toward him. The moment General Xiao looked up, he saw that the Third Prince’s sword was less than an inch away from his throat.
“What does Your Highness mean by this?” General Xiao still asked pleasantly.
The Third Prince replied expressionlessly, “To kill you, nothing more.”
General Xiao’s expression slowly shifted from amiable to sinister. He paid no heed whatsoever to the sword pointed at him and calmly replied, “Your Highness may kill me, but even if you do, you will not leave this room alive. And even if you leave this room, you still will not leave the Imperial Capital alive. You would be wiser to surrender obediently to me. With looks as handsome as yours, even if the imperial family is exterminated, you would still be spared. I treat you rather well, do I not?”
The Third Prince let out a cold laugh. “Emperor Hao Lin likely will not be coming anymore. You should set off on the road alone.”
General Xiao narrowed his eyes slightly. “Whether Emperor Hao Lin comes or not is not for Your Highness to decide. Even if he does not come, I can still keep you here.”
The deputy at the side grew even paler upon hearing this. He shuffled forward on his knees until he reached General Xiao, his face filled with grief.
“General, all our brothers have already been captured. They are being detained by those major sects right now. General, please soften your tone with Third Prince. Perhaps His Highness may still spare you.”
General Xiao’s expression darkened several degrees, yet he still insisted stubbornly, “Impossible. We have tens of thousands of men hidden across various places. How could they possibly all be captured so easily?”
“General, somehow news leaked out. Now the martial world is in chaos. Every major and minor sect has mobilized, all to capture our men. Today I went to Emperor Hao Lin’s place and discovered not a single person remained. Every Lubei soldier withdrew overnight. General… we were deceived…”
General Xiao looked as though he had been struck by lightning and nearly collapsed.
“Impossible… it must be false information… they’re trying to trick us… this…”
Before General Xiao could finish speaking, he suddenly felt a chilling cold at his throat, as cold as the Third Prince’s eyes, gradually devouring all warmth from his body. The sword pierced straight through General Xiao’s throat before viciously twisting, shredding the place that had spoken such insolence into a bloody mess.
When the Third Prince rode to meet Su Ruhuan, Su Ruhuan was standing alone at the crossroads. His clothes were perfectly neat and intact, without the slightest sign of battle.
“Was the information from Deputy General Mo accurate?” the Third Prince asked.
Su Ruhuan nodded grimly. “We already located the hiding places of the Lubei soldiers, but we only managed to capture several thousand. The rest have probably already withdrawn. Everywhere is in complete chaos now. Everyone knows the court is suppressing the rebellion, and Emperor Hao Lin naturally knows as well. I suspect he is hastily withdrawing and likely has not gone far yet.”
“No matter where he goes, the outcome will be the same.”
“Then what are Your Highness’s plans now?” Su Ruhuan asked.
“No plans. Return to the palace first.” After speaking, the Third Prince turned his horse around and galloped toward the imperial palace.
Along the way, the Third Prince felt as though his breathing had become much lighter. Every matter that had worried him had now been swept away, leaving only the unresolved grudge of Hao Lin violating Mu Xueshi—but that would be settled sooner or later.
The remaining trivial matters could be left for the Emperor to handle. That way, he could also fulfill Mu Xueshi’s wish and continue taking him out to enjoy themselves for a few more days.
Thinking of Mu Xueshi’s carefree appearance from the past few days, the corners of the Third Prince’s lips could not help lifting into a faint smile. Once all old and new grudges were settled together, he would certainly take Mu Xueshi away from this place. They would go somewhere free of schemes, conspiracies, and warfare, and simply spend the rest of their lives together.
Once before, the Third Prince had held such thoughts as well. But at that time, he had planned only to settle all hatred in his heart before living out the rest of his days alone.
Now, the Third Prince wished only for Mu Xueshi to remain obediently inside the Taihe Hall, without going anywhere, wholeheartedly waiting for him to return.
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