Futile Devices Scans

“State Preceptor, we’ve already entered the capital city.”

Hearing the soft, delicate voice calling him, Shangchuan Hong slowly opened his eyes and lazily glanced outside. He gave a vague hum of acknowledgment, then closed his eyes again and quickly fell back asleep.

Not long afterward, the same voice sounded beside his ear again, repeating the exact same sentence as before.

Some irritation finally surfaced on Shangchuan Hong’s face. Opening his cool, detached eyes, he looked at the fourteen- or fifteen-year-old boy and said indifferently, “I heard you the first time. There’s no need to repeat it.”

“But State Preceptor, His Majesty ordered this servant to wake you. His Majesty said the State Preceptor must not sleep for such long periods, or you’ll only grow more muddled the more you sleep.” The boy blinked earnestly as he spoke.

Shangchuan Hong let out a cold snort. The muddled one was probably Emperor Hao Lin himself. Even when fully awake, Shangchuan Hong still had to pretend to be confused, so why not simply sleep instead?

After a quiet breath, Shangchuan Hong narrowed his eyes at the boy and said stiffly, “I want some peace and quiet. You may leave.”

The boy bit his lip, looking troubled. “But His Majesty instructed that without his orders, this servant cannot leave this carriage.”

“You may stay if you wish, but don’t say another word.” Shangchuan Hong’s tone had already become dangerous.

“Th-this…”

Before the boy could continue speaking, Shangchuan Hong leaned back against the cushions once more. His eyes half-open and half-closed, it was impossible to tell whether he was asleep or awake.

A long while later, Shangchuan Hong suddenly asked the boy, “During these past few days, have you seen His Majesty at all?”

Seeing that Shangchuan Hong finally seemed somewhat alert, the boy immediately brightened. Quickly clearing his throat, he replied, “This servant has only seen him once. Normally His Majesty remains inside his carriage and never comes out. Even when dining, he has the servants place the food outside the carriage door and never allows anyone inside. The one time this servant saw him was on the first day of our journey. His Majesty came to our carriage and took a few looks inside. At the time, State Preceptor, you were asleep, so His Majesty did not wake you. He merely instructed this servant to ensure the State Preceptor remained awake at all times…”

Shangchuan Hong wore a thoroughly uninterested expression and waved his hand impatiently for the boy to stop talking.

“I only asked whether you had seen him. There’s no need to tell me all of that. Since he never comes to this carriage anyway, there’s no reason for you to follow his instructions so faithfully. Even if you obey, he won’t care. If you don’t obey, he’ll never know.”

After speaking, Shangchuan Hong appeared to have reached the limit of his endurance. His eyelids slowly closed once more.

The boy sat there miserably conflicted. If he spoke, Shangchuan Hong would get angry. If he stayed silent, Emperor Hao Lin might blame him later. After struggling internally for a long time, he ultimately surrendered to Emperor Hao Lin’s command. After all, Emperor Hao Lin was far more terrifying than Shangchuan Hong. If he had to suffer punishment either way, he would much rather receive Shangchuan Hong’s.

“State Preceptor, we… we’re almost… almost at the… imperial palace… You see… ah—!”

A scream rang out as the boy suddenly rolled straight out of the carriage and crashed onto the ground.

At last, Shangchuan Hong got his wish. Stretching his entire body across the seat, he closed his eyes and slept soundly.

In complete contrast, Mu Xueshi had not slept for several days and nights. He had yawned dozens of times already, exhausted beyond belief, yet utterly unable to fall asleep. Emperor Hao Lin sat beside him, but Mu Xueshi treated him as if he were air. Whenever Emperor Hao Lin spoke to him, Mu Xueshi merely muttered vague responses that barely connected to each other, like someone talking in his sleep.

Hearing the loud commotion from behind the carriage, Emperor Hao Lin swept his gaze backward and saw the boy who had fallen from the carriage. That boy had been Emperor Hao Lin’s planted informant, tasked with helping him keep watch over Shangchuan Hong. Yet somehow, the boy had apparently done something to anger Shangchuan Hong enough to be kicked straight off the carriage.

Emperor Hao Lin’s expression shifted slightly. He ordered the coachman to halt the carriage, then lifted the hem of his robe and jumped down.

The carriage behind them also came to a stop.

Seeing Emperor Hao Lin finally leave, Mu Xueshi instantly felt a little better. For the past several days, the moment he opened or closed his eyes, Emperor Hao Lin was always there. Mu Xueshi had long since grown sick of him. Just imagining the possibility of facing this man every single day in the future made him want to die. It wasn’t that he hated Emperor Hao Lin—he simply felt perpetually uneasy in his presence, as though he was being calculated against at every moment.

When Emperor Hao Lin returned to the carriage, his expression looked entirely normal, without the slightest change.

The carriage resumed its slow advance. Outside, the noise of the crowd grew louder and louder. Clearly, they had reached the center of the capital city and were not far from the imperial palace anymore. Through a gap in the curtains, Mu Xueshi could see the gathered commoners outside watching them, making him feel like a prisoner being escorted to execution.

Because Emperor Hao Lin had suddenly decided to return to the palace, preparations for welcoming him had been made in great haste. There was none of the grand magnificence usually accompanying his return. Several hundred officials stood outside the imperial palace gates, along with the imperial consorts and princes.

Emperor Hao Lin stepped onto the soft red carpet, his face carrying the unquestionable authority of a ruler. Shangchuan Hong followed behind him, though his complexion appeared somewhat worse. His appearance had not visibly changed from before, yet somehow he felt entirely different from when they had departed.

Mu Xueshi was secretly placed inside Emperor Hao Lin’s bedchamber. Emperor Hao Lin had already decided that once everything stabilized, he would bring Mu Xueshi before all the civil and military officials, reveal his identity, and make the entire world understand that Mu Xueshi was the true number one beauty under heaven. He would also publicly declare that Mu Xueshi belonged to him alone.

Just imagining the envious looks of everyone else made Emperor Hao Lin wish he could resolve every lingering issue in the palace within a single day. Now he no longer feared that Mu Xueshi would be stolen away. Once inside the Lubei imperial palace, no one would ever be able to snatch him away under Emperor Hao Lin’s watchful eyes.

Thus, the little beauty who occupied the Third Prince’s every waking thought had already become a delicacy sitting upon Emperor Hao Lin’s plate, merely waiting to be savored properly.

Meanwhile, Mu Xueshi sat alone in the enormous bedchamber, his eyes wandering around the room while his thoughts continued struggling fiercely.

By now, he no longer dared hope that the Third Prince would come rescue him. If he truly wanted to reconcile with the Third Prince, then the only option left was to escape on his own and return to apologize personally. Merely wallowing in despair and sadness was useless. What mattered most was regaining his fighting spirit—just like back when Emperor Hao Lin had imprisoned him inside the Yunxi imperial palace. As long as he thought carefully enough, there would always be a way.

Mu Xueshi’s spirits immediately lifted.

Clenching both fists tightly, he paced back and forth around the room, his large eyes darting everywhere as he wore the unmistakable expression of someone plotting an escape.

The style of Emperor Hao Lin’s bedchamber was completely different from the Third Prince’s. Only after regaining some energy did Mu Xueshi finally notice just how extravagantly luxurious the room truly was. Beds stood in all four directions—east, west, south, and north. In the middle of the room was a hot spring pool, steam drifting upward in curling clouds of mist.

The sight instantly reminded Mu Xueshi of King Zhou’s infamous wine pool and meat forest. At a single glance, it practically screamed debauched tyrant.

Still, the decorations throughout the room were undeniably refined. Priceless treasures and antique artifacts filled every corner, while famous paintings adorned the walls. Some of those paintings had even been painted personally by Emperor Hao Lin.

Mu Xueshi wandered around inspecting everything, his eyes glittering as his mind quietly worked through its own little calculations.

If he truly intended to return to Yunxi, escaping the imperial palace was only the first step. What mattered even more was how he would survive after leaving. He absolutely needed silver. Only then could he hire people, purchase horses, and avoid starving to death somewhere along the road.

The moment starvation crossed his mind, he immediately thought of food. And once he thought about food, he realized he was genuinely hungry.

If he wanted to resist, maintaining his strength was essential.

Determination flashed through Mu Xueshi’s eyes as he shouted loudly toward the outside, “Bring some food! Your honored guest is hungry!”

……

One of Lubei’s palace attendants hurried anxiously into the council hall. Upon reaching Emperor Hao Lin, he immediately dropped to his knees in greeting. Because he had rushed there in such haste, his face was flushed bright red, and he was still panting heavily while kneeling.

“Where is the Empress?” Emperor Hao Lin asked casually while idly playing with a gold-and-jade lock in his hand.

The attendant raised his head to look at Emperor Hao Lin seated upon the purple-gold dragon throne, and panic instantly filled his heart.

“Her Majesty the Empress… the Empress… she… she has disappeared…”

“Disappeared?” Emperor Hao Lin raised a brow. His face showed only surprise, not the slightest trace of anxiety.

“Y-yes…” The attendant lowered his head so deeply it nearly touched the ground.

Emperor Hao Lin deliberately hardened his expression and walked down toward him. Upon reaching the attendant, he kicked him lightly in the chest, instantly sending him sprawling onto the floor.

“The Empress disappearing is such a major matter, yet even I, the ruler of this empire, know nothing about it? You people truly have far too much courage.”

Although Emperor Hao Lin’s voice was harsh, inwardly he was secretly delighted.

Ever since obtaining the number one beauty under heaven, Emperor Hao Lin had found himself restrained in everything he did. The Empress’s maternal family wielded enormous political influence. For generations, they had produced loyal ministers of the court, so naturally Emperor Hao Lin had to show them some degree of respect. Moreover, the Empress herself was not only beautiful but exceptionally intelligent, making her difficult to deal with. Even though Emperor Hao Lin spent nearly every night with a different lover, he still had to visit the Empress regularly and fulfill his duties in her chambers.

“This servant and the others only considered that Your Majesty had just returned from a long journey. We feared that if you became angry immediately, it might harm your health… A-and… this servant only learned of the matter yesterday…”

Emperor Hao Lin halted mid-step and stared at the attendant, his expression becoming slightly more complicated.

“You mean the Empress has been missing for quite some time already?”

The attendant had only just climbed back to his feet, but Emperor Hao Lin’s words frightened him badly enough to make him tremble again.

“Five days ago, Her Majesty said she wished to visit the Imperial Father-in-Law to pay her respects. She brought along two maids and four or five guards. That night, she never returned. We assumed Her Majesty intended to spend the night at her family residence and did not think much of it. Later, after several days passed without her return, the maids remaining in her palace came searching for us, saying Her Majesty had never returned at all… so…”

After careful consideration, Emperor Hao Lin realized that five days ago was precisely the day he had departed from Yunxi. Could it be that the Empress had suddenly become so tactful that, knowing he would soon return, she deliberately hid herself beforehand?

Clearly impossible.

Yet regardless of the kidnappers’ motives, the outcome still pleased Emperor Hao Lin greatly. The Empress had disappeared while supposedly visiting the Imperial Father-in-Law. This meant her family could hardly blame him for the matter now.

The faint smile at the corners of Emperor Hao Lin’s lips disappeared as he turned back toward the attendant. His face darkened into something terrifying.

“This matter must not spread for now. Send out more men to search for her. If she cannot be found, then none of you need bother returning.”

“Yes…”

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