As soon as the Third Prince was about to speak, Yu’er beat him to it. “Why must Your Majesty make things difficult for the Third Prince? The Third Prince is the son you are most proud of. If even he cannot earn Your Majesty’s trust, then who else in this palace could possibly put Your Majesty’s mind at ease?”
After hearing Yu’er’s words, the Emperor’s expression immediately brightened, and his tone became filled with indulgent affection.
“You certainly know how to say the things I like to hear. It is precisely because I value this son of mine that I want him to accompany me to court. Even if my other sons wished to go with me, I might not allow it.”
“Your Majesty speaks wisely.” Yu’er secretly glanced at the Third Prince before continuing with a smile in his eyes. “I am sure the Third Prince understands Your Majesty’s intentions. But because Your Majesty favors him so openly, the other princes cannot help but harbor thoughts of their own when they see it. That is likely why His Highness wishes to avoid suspicion. There are more than ten princes and more than ten princesses in this palace—who among them does not wish to receive Your Majesty’s affection? By doing this, Your Majesty may also be making enemies for His Highness…”
As he spoke, Yu’er carefully smoothed the uneven strands of hair on the Emperor’s forehead, looking thoughtful and attentive.
Perhaps Yu’er’s voice had a calming effect. After listening to him, the Emperor’s mood improved considerably. Yu’er then leaned close to the Emperor’s ear and whispered a few more things, coaxing him until his eyes and brows were full of smiles. Only then did he allow the Third Prince to go attend to his own affairs first.
The Third Prince himself preferred to keep the peace whenever possible. If there was one less matter to deal with, all the better. He did not need Yu’er to speak on his behalf at all. If Mu Xueshi had already awakened by now, then no matter who tried to stop him here, he would still return to his palace chambers.
However, this time the Third Prince seemed to have miscalculated.
The moment he returned to the small courtyard, he saw several servants hurrying toward him. QingZhu was in the lead, drenched in sweat, gesturing wildly at the Third Prince while gasping for breath, unable to form a complete sentence.
The Third Prince brushed past them. In the blink of an eye, he had reached the entrance of Qingyun Palace. From there, he could clearly hear low sobbing coming from the rear courtyard—and the voice belonged unmistakably to Mu Xueshi.
The Third Prince’s heart tightened. He immediately headed toward the rear courtyard, followed by a crowd of servants.
After passing through the flower garden and entering the courtyard, the sight before him nearly caused him to stop breathing.
Mu Xueshi was currently being held down across a bench by Su Ruhan, who was striking him again and again with a wooden rod half a meter long. The agonized sounds the Third Prince had heard moments ago had all been caused by the man standing above him. Mu Xueshi simply could not speak; otherwise, he would have long since been crying for his father and mother from the pain.
Early that morning, as soon as the Third Prince had left, Su Ruhan had dragged the still-sleeping Mu Xueshi out of bed. After ordering him to get dressed, he had hauled him into the rear courtyard and begun a thorough lesson.
As for why, Mu Xueshi still had not figured it out. All he knew was that he had been whining and pleading for help to anyone nearby, yet not a single servant dared come forward. Now that he had finally seen the Third Prince, tears burst forth like a flood breaking through a dam.
The Third Prince strode over to Su Ruhan, snatched away the wooden rod, and removed the hand pinning Mu Xueshi down. Mu Xueshi immediately scrambled off the bench, pulled a miserable face, hid behind the Third Prince, and clung to his arm without letting go.
“Wuuu…” Rubbing his own backside, Mu Xueshi pointed accusingly at Su Ruhan, his face full of grievance. Yet when Su Ruhan’s gaze landed on him, he immediately shrank back and hid behind the Third Prince again, looking pitiful beyond words.
The Third Prince fixed Su Ruhan with a dark look and asked coldly, “What are you doing?”
Unhurriedly, Su Ruhan replied, “Fulfilling Your Highness’s wish.”
The moment Mu Xueshi heard that, he reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, instantly springing in front of the Third Prince with both fists clenched as though preparing to settle accounts.
The Third Prince pulled Mu Xueshi protectively into his arms, rubbing the place where he had been struck, and glared at Su Ruhan. “When did I ever tell you to hit him?”
Su Ruhan still looked completely justified. “Does he not deserve it? Did Your Highness not repeatedly say that once he returned, you wanted me to give him a proper lesson in private, so long as it happened out of Your Highness’s sight?”
“When did I ever say such a thing?” Seeing the hurt look on Mu Xueshi’s face, the Third Prince turned and questioned Su Ruhan.
Su Ruhan suddenly felt speechless. Since when had even the Third Prince learned to deny things after the fact?
“If Your Highness truly never said it, then I disciplined him as his master. Did Your Highness not always stay out of matters between teacher and disciple before? Why is it that now you cannot bear to let him suffer even this little hardship? At this rate, he will run away a second time, a third time, and one day he may disappear forever.”
Hearing Su Ruhan’s words, Mu Xueshi immediately waved both hands and hurriedly assured the Third Prince that he absolutely would not run away again. Judging by the strength of his master’s arm alone, he would not dare provoke him lightly in the future. Although he deserved punishment, being beaten from morning until now was more than enough for all the lessons he needed to learn.
The Third Prince cast Su Ruhan a glance. Seeing the unwavering determination on his face, a wave of frustration rose within him with nowhere to go. He had indeed previously told Su Ruhan that once Mu Xueshi became his disciple in martial arts, he would not interfere in matters between master and disciple.
But who could calmly stand by and watch the person they loved being beaten right in front of them?
“Mu Xueshi still has injuries. Leave the discipline aside for now. When his wounds have healed, you may beat him however you wish.”
After coldly tossing out those words, the Third Prince tucked Mu Xueshi under one arm without another word and carried him back to the room.
Hearing the final sentence, Mu Xueshi felt a lingering fear, but he dared not make any demands now. What if the Third Prince remembered something and decided to personally give him a proper beating to save face? His little life would truly be over.
Standing beside Su Ruhan, Qingzhu complained in a small voice, “Guard Su, how could you hit Young Master Xue? Young Master Xue is so delicate. Just watching made our hearts ache.”
Su Ruhan glanced at Qingzhu. Qingzhu immediately shut his mouth and quietly retreated to the side.
“You all spoil him more and more. Now he cannot even be beaten anymore.” Su Ruhan snorted in the direction the Third Prince had left.
Eunuch Tai’an sighed from the side and said slowly, “Those words are unfair, Guard Su. If Guard Su had someone he loved and saw that person being beaten, I imagine you would be anxious beyond measure as well.”
Su Ruhan gave Eunuch Tai’an another look. Eunuch Tai’an took a deep breath and sheepishly retreated to one side.
Not to mention beating. If anyone dared touch a single hair on Li Qian’s head, I would leave them without an intact corpse.
Thinking this, Su Ruhan also darkened his face and headed toward the Third Prince’s chambers.
The entire way back, Mu Xueshi kept sniffling. He looked so pitiful it was almost unbearable. Even after they entered the room, he continued making muffled sounds, nobody knowing what he was trying to say.
The Third Prince assumed he was crying because the beating hurt. He immediately ordered hot water to be brought over so he could treat the injury.
Meanwhile, Mu Xueshi limped over to a large desk, picked up a brush, and wrote several lines on a sheet of paper. The handwriting was crooked, but the meaning was still clear enough.
Taking the paper, he walked back to the Third Prince and stuffed it into his hands.
Lowering his head, the Third Prince read it. The wording was simple, but the intent was obvious. Mu Xueshi was admitting his mistake, saying his master had been right to punish him, and promising that he would not run away again.
The Third Prince pinched Mu Xueshi’s cheek affectionately and smiled without saying anything. He knew Mu Xueshi too well. If Mu Xueshi truly stopped running around, he would no longer deserve the name Mu Xueshi.
After removing Mu Xueshi’s trousers, the Third Prince found two bright-red cheeks that looked like ripe apples. At the slightest touch, the person beneath him immediately squirmed. The Third Prince felt both angry and heartbroken. He had not expected Su Ruhan to strike so heavily, though in truth Su Ruhan had not even used ten percent of his strength.
The Third Prince personally soaked a cloth in hot water, wrung it dry, and carefully applied it to the swollen area. Before long, he noticed the body beneath him growing heavier. Turning Mu Xueshi over, he discovered that he had already fallen asleep again.
Earlier, it had still been very early in the morning. Mu Xueshi had slept less than an hour before Su Ruhan dragged him out of bed. Now the drowsiness had returned. The Third Prince carefully placed him onto the bed, but the moment his backside touched the mattress, he was jolted awake as though burned by fire.
The Third Prince immediately picked him back up and held him in his arms while he slept. Mu Xueshi tried to push him away so he could lie face down on the bed, but the Third Prince refused.
Worried that sleeping on his stomach would be uncomfortable, the Third Prince draped a blanket over him and simply held him like that until noon.
“Your Highness, Poison Master Moru is waiting outside the courtyard.”
The Third Prince fell silent for a moment, already having a rough idea why Poison Master Moru had come. Looking down, he saw that Mu Xueshi had awakened at some point and was staring at him without blinking, his obsidian-like eyes fixed intently on his face.
“What is it?” The Third Prince stroked Mu Xueshi’s cheek.
Mu Xueshi shook his head. After planting a kiss on the Third Prince’s face, he slid off his lap with a grin and began massaging his numb legs. Then he pointed at his own legs, indicating that next time, if the Third Prince became tired, he could sleep with his head resting on them instead.
“Your Highness, Poison Master Moru says he has something important to report and begs the Third Prince to see him as soon as possible.”
The Third Prince acted as though he had not heard. He continued enjoying Mu Xueshi’s massage, which alternated unpredictably between too light and too heavy. Mu Xueshi himself was equally focused on the task and had not heard a word of what was being said outside.
After a while, Eunuch Tai’an was driven nearly frantic by the guards repeatedly coming to urge him. Finally, he called into the room, “Your Highness, lunch is ready. The kitchen has prepared many pastries, all specially made for Young Master Xue.”
Mu Xueshi’s eyes instantly lit up like gemstones, and two rosy patches bloomed on his cheeks. He had eaten many fine things in the mountains, but they had all been in their natural state. He dearly missed proper cooked delicacies.
At last, the Third Prince and Mu Xueshi emerged from the room.
The moment Mu Xueshi stepped outside, the servants who rarely saw his true appearance all froze in a daze. For a moment, the only sound in the courtyard was birdsong.
Eunuch Tai’an led Mu Xueshi toward the dining hall, while the Third Prince looked at Su Ruhan standing near the entrance with a complicated expression.
After exchanging a few glances, Su Ruhan spoke first. “Sun Ye has been confined in Linhan Palace and is awaiting Your Highness’s judgment.”
The Third Prince nodded and asked calmly, “Then Poison Master Moru came because of Sun Ye?”
“He did not say why. He only said the matter is important and cannot be delayed.”
The Third Prince pondered for a moment before instructing the servants to admit Poison Master Moru.
After entering, Poison Master Moru bowed to the Third Prince. When he straightened, there was a rare solemnity on his face.
“You have come because of Sun Ye?”
Hearing the Third Prince’s direct question, Poison Master Moru’s eyes widened slightly. He wondered how the Third Prince had seen through his intentions so easily, completely unaware that even the servants of the small courtyard had already noticed.
“No. This time, Moru has come because of Young Master Xue.”
At the mention of Young Master Xue, the icy expression on the Third Prince’s face finally softened slightly.
Futile Devices Scans 
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