After the Third Prince left, everyone else withdrew as well. The room remained silent for a long time afterward. Emperor Hao Lin did not feel much anger. Instead, he kept replaying certain things the Third Prince had said, unable to let them go.
Hun Ruo’s pregnancy—yet the Third Prince had learned of it before he himself did. Exactly who had leaked news from within the imperial palace? Who had such audacity, daring to scheme behind his back?
The more Emperor Hao Lin thought about it, the more impossible it seemed. Yet when the final possible suspect surfaced in his mind, he suddenly felt short of breath.
It couldn’t possibly be him!
From beginning to end, Emperor Hao Lin had never suspected Shangchuan Hong. Though Shangchuan Hong was originally from Yunxi, ever since he had followed Emperor Hao Lin, Emperor Hao Lin had never once doubted him. That unwavering trust came purely from instinct. Emperor Hao Lin had always judged people accurately. If he believed Shangchuan Hong would stay by his side for life, then it would be for life.
But every time Mu Xueshi was involved, Shangchuan Hong’s emotions would become abnormal, and Emperor Hao Lin found himself unable to stop thinking in that direction. Within this imperial palace, who else could uncover such secret information so thoroughly while concealing everything flawlessly?
Emperor Hao Lin remembered how Shangchuan Hong had never once succeeded in capturing Mu Xueshi.
He remembered how Shangchuan Hong had gone to retrieve the antidote for him and returned covered in injuries, delaying the timing of the attack in the process.
He even remembered the Third Prince’s final words.
“This trick… I learned from your State Preceptor.”
The water in the hot spring suddenly felt ice-cold to the bone.
…
When Mu Xueshi woke up, he discovered he was once again on the road. Over the past several days, all he had heard was the sound of galloping horses. He was practically developing a trauma toward it.
“Where are you taking me now?” Mu Xueshi abruptly sat up.
“Young Master Xue, nowhere else. We’re returning to the palace.”
Mu Xueshi sized up the maid in front of him. She was delicate and pretty, petite and gentle. His final conclusion was that he had never seen her before, meaning she belonged to the Lubei imperial palace.
“I’m not going back to the palace. I’m not going anywhere. Let me out!” Mu Xueshi shouted.
In the carriage opposite his, the Third Prince heard Mu Xueshi’s loud protest, and the expression that had only just softened instantly turned cold again. It had only been a few days, yet now that he had come to bring him back, Mu Xueshi was unwilling to return.
The Third Prince had departed in haste, so both the maid and coachman had been arranged at the last minute to take care of Mu Xueshi during the journey. The maid had never expected Mu Xueshi to begin yelling the instant he woke up, and immediately became flustered. She hurriedly poured him a cup of water and tried to calm him down.
“I’m not drinking it. Stop the carriage now.”
As he spoke, Mu Xueshi lifted the front curtain and peered outside.
This time there were not four great horses pulling the carriage together. There was only one horse, and the speed was not especially fast. Mu Xueshi turned to look behind them and found there was no endless procession either. There was only another carriage traveling beside his, one that looked strangely familiar.
Mu Xueshi quickly recalled the scene just before he had fainted, and his heart began pounding wildly.
“Th-Then… where exactly are we returning to?” Mu Xueshi stared at the maid and asked.
The maid blinked and softly answered, “Returning to the imperial palace!”
“The Yunxi Imperial Palace?” Mu Xueshi asked impatiently.
“Yes. Where else did Young Master Xue think we were going?”
The Third Prince came to save me. The Third Prince really came to save me. I knew he would come save me…
Mu Xueshi repeated those words over and over inside his head, so excited that his entire face flushed red.
“Then where’s the Third Prince?” Mu Xueshi had practically risen off his seat.
The maid quickly pointed outside and told him, “His Highness is in the other carriage. Didn’t Young Master Xue see him?”
Mu Xueshi instantly became overexcited. He shoved his whole head out the small window and shouted toward the opposite carriage, “Xi! Xi! Come out, I’m awake! I missed you to death! Hurry and poke your head out so I can see you!”
The opposite carriage showed no reaction whatsoever.
Thinking the Third Prince had not heard him, Mu Xueshi shouted several more times, waving his arms enthusiastically, almost breaking into song.
The carriage still remained completely silent.
Mu Xueshi dejectedly withdrew his head and asked the maid again, “You’re not lying to me, right? Just trying to trick me into returning to Emperor Hao Lin’s side by pretending we’re heading back to Yunxi…”
The maid immediately looked anxious. “Young Master Xue, please don’t misunderstand this servant. The person in that carriage really is the Third Prince. Look at the patterns on the carriage—they’re symbols from the Yunxi Imperial Palace!”
Mu Xueshi gave a disappointed little “oh” and muttered to himself, “Then why won’t he answer me?”
The maid forced a smile. “Perhaps His Highness is asleep. His Highness rode day and night for several days just to find Young Master Xue.”
Mu Xueshi’s face immediately turned uglier. Only then did he remember why the Third Prince had come after him in the first place—because he had disobeyed him. And when the Third Prince had arrived, he and Emperor Hao Lin had still been soaking in the hot spring together.
At the time… had he been wearing clothes?
Mu Xueshi lowered his head to look at himself and discovered his clothes had already been changed into fresh ones. He instantly froze in place.
How long had the Third Prince stood outside? Had he heard everything I said?
The next second, Mu Xueshi shoved his head back out the window again.
“Xi, listen to me! What I said to Emperor Hao Lin was just a delaying tactic! I wanted him to lower his guard first—no, I wanted to win his favor first—no, I just didn’t want to provoke him… Then I was going to find a chance to escape and come look for you. Who knew my plan hadn’t even started yet before you appeared? Xi, I was wrong. Just come out and say something to me. I swear I’ll listen to you from now on… This time I really mean it…”
Mu Xueshi shouted from the carriage for over half an hour without stopping. His voice gradually turned hoarse, and his tone became more and more pitiful. But the Third Prince remained unmoved. No matter how Mu Xueshi apologized and begged, the opposite carriage never showed the slightest reaction.
Mu Xueshi’s heart grew increasingly panicked. Usually, as long as he admitted fault, the Third Prince would stop holding it against him. But this time, it seemed the Third Prince was genuinely angry. Sitting inside the carriage, Mu Xueshi felt utterly chaotic inside. His fists clenched tightly, and his face looked utterly miserable.
“Young Master Xue…” the maid called carefully.
Mu Xueshi raised his head to look at her and mechanically asked, “What do I do? He’s ignoring me…”
The maid assumed Mu Xueshi was genuinely asking her advice. She bit her lip and thought for a moment before cautiously saying, “The Third Prince dotes on Young Master Xue so much. I think if Young Master Xue says a few soft words, His Highness will definitely forgive your offense.”
Mu Xueshi drooped his eyelids. The sparkle had completely vanished from his large eyes.
“But I already used up every nice thing I could say. He’s still ignoring me.”
“Young Master Xue has only been apologizing. You haven’t really said anything sweet yet.”
Mu Xueshi thought about it and realized she was right. So he stuck his head outside again.
“Xi, I missed you so much these past few days. I dreamed about you every night. If you hadn’t come, I wouldn’t have been able to keep living.”
After waiting a few seconds, Mu Xueshi decided there was no hope and pulled his head back inside again.
“Do you think when we get back, the Third Prince will lock me in a dark room and whip me with a chili-water-soaked lash?”
The maid hurriedly shook her head. “How could that happen? His Highness would never bear to hit you.”
“But judging from the situation, he’d probably even bear to kill me now.” Mu Xueshi rested his face against the edge of the little window, his large eyes filled with grievance and sorrow as he pitifully stared toward the opposite carriage.
After a while, rain began to fall. Mu Xueshi kept his head stretched outside the entire time. By the time the maid finally coaxed him back inside, both his face and hair had already been soaked by rainwater.
“Young Master Xue, you’ll get sick like this.” She used a clean cloth to wipe his face.
“What do I do? He’s ignoring me…” Mu Xueshi mechanically repeated the same sentence again.
The maid sighed as well. “If His Highness saw Young Master Xue looking like this, he would definitely soften.”
The rain fell harder and harder, and darkness gradually descended outside. The carriage struggled through the muddy road inch by inch. The Third Prince ordered everyone to stop temporarily and continue the journey the next morning.
Mu Xueshi shoved the coachman aside, nimbly jumped out of the carriage, and ran toward the other carriage.
“Xi, can I come in? I want to ride in your carriage too!” Standing in the rain, Mu Xueshi shouted toward the inside of the carriage.
Through the gap in the curtain, the Third Prince saw Mu Xueshi’s pitiful and foolish appearance. His heart instantly softened. But the moment he recalled Mu Xueshi’s words and actions, he found himself unable to forgive him so easily.
“I’ll definitely listen to you from now on. I won’t run around anymore. Just trust me one last time.” As Mu Xueshi spoke, he tried climbing into the carriage, only to be blocked by the coachman, who wore an awkward expression.
Seeing the coachman stop him, Mu Xueshi immediately stared toward the carriage in disbelief.
“Xi… you won’t even let me into your carriage anymore? You really don’t want to make up with me?”
By the time he spoke the last sentence, his voice already carried the sound of tears.
A sharp pain twisted through the Third Prince’s heart. He nearly dragged Mu Xueshi straight into the carriage. But just as he moved, something beside his seat fell to the floor.
It was the object the Third Prince had pulled from Mu Xueshi’s torn clothing. The first time he saw it, he had nearly split Mu Xueshi in half on the spot.
Thinking of that, the Third Prince hardened his heart and coldly said outside,
“That’s right. From now on, I no longer have even the slightest feelings for you.”
Mu Xueshi’s body shook violently. He looked as though he might collapse at any moment. Already slender to begin with, after being drenched by rain, his clothes clung tightly to his body, making him look even more pitiful.
“You don’t want me anymore?” Mu Xueshi asked in a trembling voice. “Even if lightning struck me dead right here, you wouldn’t care?”
The Third Prince said nothing.
With a smack, Mu Xueshi collapsed onto the ground, splashing mud all over himself. He shivered nonstop, sneezing one after another.
The rain grew heavier and heavier. Even the servants had places to shelter from it, yet Mu Xueshi remained motionless where he sat.
Finally, the Third Prince let out a sigh, rose from the carriage, leapt down into the rain, and carried Mu Xueshi into the carriage.
Futile Devices Scans 
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