“Noble Consort Yu, you didn’t invite me into the room merely to drink tea, did you?”
“Uh…” Only then did Mu Xueshi realize that he had already poured the Third Prince four cups of tea during this time.
“Of course not. I invited Your Highness here this time naturally to discuss affairs of state. Right, there is something I have always wondered about. Is Your Highness very interested in cannons?”
The Third Prince looked at Noble Consort Yu with a smile that was not quite a smile and said quietly, “Whether I am interested or not hardly matters. This is a matter of raising our nation’s prestige and strengthening our military power. His Majesty has assigned it to the two of us, so even if we had no interest, we would still have to do it.”
“So that’s how it is…” Mu Xueshi snorted disdainfully in his heart, then asked the Third Prince, “Do you think Yu… Yu’er is capable of taking on this matter?”
The smile in the Third Prince’s eyes deepened. “Back in Taihe Hall, Noble Consort Yu was the one who volunteered to assist me. Why are you lacking confidence now?”
“No, I’m not lacking confidence.” Mu Xueshi anxiously scratched his ear and said with a flushed face, “I just want to know what you truly think of me. In your heart, do you think I’m capable of holding this position?”
“Of course. Noble Consort Yu is clever as ice and snow, with exceptional talent and intelligence. A small matter like this naturally would not be difficult for you.”
Hmph… Mu Xueshi held in a heavy breath of anger, wishing he could punch and kick his own body right now.
“Then in Your Highness’s eyes, is Young Master Xue more intelligent, or is Yu’er more intelligent?”
“Noble Consort Yu, of course.” The Third Prince looked perfectly composed.
The tiny bit of confidence left in Mu Xueshi’s heart immediately collapsed by more than half.
“Why does Your Highness think Young Master Xue is not as intelligent as Yu’er? Back then, the suggestion Young Master Xue gave His Majesty could be considered something that saved Yunxi Kingdom from danger. Everyone in court knows of it. If not for that, His Majesty would not have appointed Young Master Xue as a proper third-rank official…”
As Mu Xueshi said these words, even he felt his face grow hot. Fortunately, the Third Prince did not know that he was the current Yu’er. Otherwise, he would definitely laugh himself to death.
After hearing “Noble Consort Yu’s” words, the Third Prince not only did not agree, but instead said lightly, “That was merely a case of accidentally getting things right.”
The remaining half of Mu Xueshi’s confidence collapsed by another two-thirds.
“Why is it that when I praise Noble Consort Yu, Noble Consort Yu instead seems very angry?” the Third Prince asked “Yu’er” with amusement.
Mu Xueshi jolted at the words, afraid the Third Prince would see through his disguise. He quickly turned his thoughts and changed into a sorrowful expression.
“What Yu’er cannot understand is this: if Your Highness thinks Yu’er is better than Young Master Xue, why would you choose Young Master Xue instead of Yu’er…?”
The Third Prince only smiled without speaking.
Seeing the Third Prince smile but say nothing, Mu Xueshi felt uncertain and could not guess what he was thinking. If the Third Prince said at this moment that he would choose Yu’er in the future, Mu Xueshi would definitely go back and smash his head against a wall.
The room fell into silence. Mu Xueshi’s heart pounded wildly as he shifted toward the Third Prince in tiny steps, wanting to look up close and see what sort of expression the Third Prince had.
But by the time Mu Xueshi moved close to the Third Prince, the Third Prince happened to raise his head, and what he saw was an uneasy face.
“Your Highness…” Mu Xueshi suddenly placed his hand on the Third Prince’s shoulder and asked in a soft, delicate tone, “Has Your Highness never considered Yu’er?”
“Noble Consort Yu is already someone who shares my imperial father’s pillow. What thoughts could I possibly have?”
Mu Xueshi felt slightly reassured, and his movements grew bolder.
“Does Your Highness truly have no thoughts about Yu’er simply because Yu’er has already become His Majesty’s person? Yu’er is even younger than Your Highness. That old emperor is a man nearly at death’s door. Has Your Highness never thought about the future?”
As he spoke, Mu Xueshi leaned closer and closer against the Third Prince until, in the end, his entire body was sitting on the Third Prince’s lap, his enchanting, graceful face pressed against the Third Prince’s chest.
Push me away. Better yet, kick me away. I’ll be very happy if you do… Mu Xueshi secretly said in his heart.
In the end, not only did the Third Prince not push Noble Consort Yu away, he did not even show an angry expression. He seemed very willing for Noble Consort Yu to be so intimate with him.
Mu Xueshi gritted his teeth and forced himself to keep acting. He just wanted to see what the Third Prince would ultimately do with Noble Consort Yu. In any case, Yu’er’s body was currently occupied by him, so no matter what happened, he would not be the one losing out.
“Does Your Highness truly not want to consider Yu’er? Yu’er is deeply devoted to Your Highness. Even the servants in the palace can all see it.” As Mu Xueshi spoke, he slid his hand teasingly over the Third Prince’s chest, exploring it. This was something he usually did not even dare do in the Third Prince’s own chambers.
In the end, the Third Prince gave no response, but neither did he seem to reject him.
Mu Xueshi began undoing the Third Prince’s clothes. Although nothing unusual could be seen on his face, his hands kept trembling.
If you still don’t refuse, I’m going to slit my own throat…
“Your Highness still has not answered Yu’er’s question. Has Your Highness ever had those kinds of thoughts about Yu’er? Since Your Highness thinks Yu’er is better than Young Master Xue, why not abandon Young Master Xue now and come to Yu’er instead?”
The Third Prince grasped Yu’er’s hand as it moved over his chest and stared straight at him.
The last tiny bit of confidence Mu Xueshi had left came crashing down the instant the Third Prince held that hand.
“When did I ever say Noble Consort Yu was better than Xueshi?”
Mu Xueshi had already been ready to leave in misery, but unexpectedly, there was a turn for the better.
“Did Your Highness not say it just now? You said Yu’er was more intelligent than Young Master Xue.”
A faint smile curved the Third Prince’s lips. “What I happen to like is precisely that clumsiness of his.”
Mu Xueshi felt as though his heart had dropped from an ice pit straight into a furnace, burning his entire body hot all over. After some time passed and he cooled down again, Mu Xueshi suddenly felt that something was not quite right.
“Young Master Xue doesn’t seem to be clumsy, does he?”
The Third Prince forcibly held back the laughter in his heart and said calmly, “Whether he is clumsy or not, only he himself knows.”
Mu Xueshi instinctively felt that the Third Prince’s words were meant for him. But in order to calm himself down, he could only barely persuade himself that it was just a coincidence.
“Your Highness, why are you not letting Yu’er down?” Mu Xueshi asked. “Since Your Highness has no interest in Yu’er, why do you not reject Yu’er…?”
“When did I ever ask Noble Consort Yu to be intimate with me? Why does Noble Consort Yu always contradict himself when speaking?”
Mu Xueshi quickly sprang down from the Third Prince’s body, thinking that since he had gotten his answer, it would be best to slip away as soon as possible. So he turned to the Third Prince and said, “Yu’er urgently needs to relieve himself, so I must step out for a moment. Your Highness, please sit here and drink some tea first. Yu’er will return shortly and discuss proper business with Your Highness.”
With that, Mu Xueshi fled the room in a flash.
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