Early in the morning, bright sunlight spilled over the delicate window lattice. A few fallen petals stirred up by the wind slipped secretly into the room through the open window, and a faint, quiet fragrance lingered in the warm, peaceful chamber.
Mu Xueshi stretched lazily, his fair little face showing an expression of greedy sleepiness and reluctance to get up. Then, as if he suddenly remembered something, he frowned and buried his head into the soft quilt.
After a while, Mu Xueshi’s beautiful eyes slowly opened, though his mind was still not fully awake. The habit he had developed of urging himself onward made him roll and roll, attempting to wake himself completely by rolling onto the floor, only to be scooped back up by someone’s hand.
“What time is it?” Mu Xueshi reached out and rubbed the Third Prince’s face.
“It is the Chen hour.”
“Zi, chou, yin, mao…” Mu Xueshi counted on his fingers. “Doesn’t that mean it’s already eight or nine in the morning!”
As he spoke, Mu Xueshi struggled down from the Third Prince’s body and began throwing on his clothes in a mess.
“Why didn’t you wake me up? It’s over, it’s over. The plan for the whole day begins in the morning, and I’ve wasted the best part of the day myself. Why didn’t you wake me? Did you also get up late?” Mu Xueshi’s beautiful eyes rolled, his expression looking as if he were interrogating the Third Prince.
Qingzhu, who had come in to deliver clothes, heard Mu Xueshi’s words and said with a smile, “Young Master Xue, His Highness was already up as soon as the Mao hour began.”
“Hmph, you’re so sinister. You got up yourself but indulged me in sleeping. This is just another way of harming me.” As he spoke, Mu Xueshi reached out to pinch the Third Prince.
“All right, Young Master Xue, don’t make trouble. This servant will help you dress.” Qingya stood to the side with a smiling face.
Mu Xueshi had put his clothes on all crooked and twisted by himself, yet he rejected Qingya’s offer and insisted that the Third Prince help him dress.
Even after being blamed by Mu Xueshi like this, the Third Prince was not angry. Instead, he gently straightened Mu Xueshi’s clothes for him. Not only that, even Mu Xueshi’s hair ornaments were arranged by the Third Prince.
Qingya and Qingzhu stood at the side and exchanged a smile, both thinking the same thing: their Third Prince had actually met his match…
After dressing and eating breakfast, Mu Xueshi still felt something was not quite right. Ever since he came back last night, he had felt as if something was missing. When he had woken up in a daze during the night, he had still felt the same way. What exactly was missing?
“Qingzhu, look around these chambers. Is something missing?”
Qingzhu was wiping the tables, chairs, and stools in the room. Hearing Mu Xueshi’s words, she could not help freezing.
“Something missing… Is Young Master Xue talking about the little master?”
When Mu Xueshi heard this, realization immediately dawned on him.
“Right, right, it’s Su Ying. Where did Su Ying go? Did his Father come pick him up?”
When he said this, Mu Xueshi’s eyes shone brightly. How he hoped that answer was the truth.
“No, Young Master Xue. The little master was confined by His Highness in a small room.”
“What!!” Mu Xueshi’s eyes widened round. “Why? How could he treat Su Ying like that?”
Qingzhu sighed. “From yesterday morning until night, the little master kept crying, and no one could coax him. Later, he was sent back to the Second Prince, but because the Second Prince had gone out sightseeing, the little master was carried back again. After he was brought back, he cried even harder.”
Hearing this, Mu Xueshi felt his heart ache and hurriedly asked Qingzhu, “Which room did the Third Prince lock him in?”
“Young Master Xue, please follow me.”
Mu Xueshi followed Qingzhu around the rear garden and through the corridor before finally stopping in front of a room. Su Ying had slept here last night, accompanied by an older maid. She was now standing at the door, her expression looking very tired.
When she saw Mu Xueshi, the old maid quickly knelt and greeted him.
“Where is Su Ying?”
The old maid sighed and said to Mu Xueshi, “The little master is sleeping inside now. He cried for nearly the entire night last night and only fell asleep toward morning.”
It must be because I wasn’t here all day yesterday, and when I came back at night, I didn’t keep him company either… The more Mu Xueshi thought this, the more his heart ached.
Walking into the room, Mu Xueshi saw Su Ying sleeping alone on a large bed, covered tightly by the quilt with only his little face exposed. That little face also looked pitiful beyond words. His eyes were swollen and bulging, and the tip of his nose was still red. It seemed he had indeed cried a great deal last night.
Mu Xueshi remembered that when he had woken up two mornings ago, Su Ying had been sleeping so peacefully, with his long eyelashes resting against his eyelids and his little face fair with a rosy flush, unbearably beautiful. Compared with that, the way he looked now was simply too miserable to look at. Mu Xueshi’s heart hurt, and he gently picked Su Ying up.
The moment he picked him up, Su Ying immediately woke. At first, he only murmured and buried himself into Mu Xueshi’s arms, but once he saw Mu Xueshi clearly, he burst into loud sobs again.
“Don’t cry, don’t cry, Su Ying. Uncle shouldn’t have left you alone in the palace yesterday, and I didn’t come find you at night either. From now on, no matter what Uncle does, I’ll bring you with me.”
Mu Xueshi’s words had no effect at all. Su Ying still kept crying endlessly, sobbing until he could barely catch his breath.
“Uncle is right here. Why are you still crying?” Mu Xueshi became a little anxious.
Su Ying’s tears were like beads from a broken string. Seeing Mu Xueshi’s face only made him cry even more sadly.
“I… I want Father… wuwu…”
Mu Xueshi finally understood. Su Ying was not crying for him, but for his Father. He could not help thinking inwardly, You still remember your Father? Your Father has been so angered by you that he hasn’t come home for several days…
“Be good, Su Ying. In a little while, Uncle will take you to find your Father, all right?”
Su Ying’s crying quieted a little, but he still choked out through sobs, “Father doesn’t want me anymore… wuwu…”
“How could your Father not want you? Clearly, you were the one who didn’t want your Father.” Mu Xueshi sighed. Seeing that Su Ying was still crying without stop, he coaxed him in a soft, gentle voice, “You are your Father’s darling, your Father’s treasure. Even if he didn’t want the whole world, he would still want you, understand? In a while, I’ll send you back first…”
“Father doesn’t want me anymore… doesn’t want me… Yesterday I went to find Father… Father left… doesn’t want me anymore… wuwu…”
“Your Father left long ago. You only realized that now!!” Mu Xueshi quickly stroked Su Ying’s head and kissed his little tear-streaked face. “I’ll take you to find your Father right now.”
Only then did Su Ying finally stop crying…
Mu Xueshi had just carried Su Ying out when he saw Eunuch Shangde’s familiar figure pacing back and forth along the corridor, seemingly looking for something.
“Eunuch Shangde, I’m here.” Mu Xueshi walked toward Eunuch Shangde cheerfully.
But when Eunuch Shangde saw Mu Xueshi, his expression was anxious.
“Were the ingredients prepared?” Mu Xueshi asked Eunuch Shangde.
Eunuch Shangde was holding a bundle in his hand. Hearing Mu Xueshi’s words, he quickly delivered the bundle into Mu Xueshi’s hands.
“Thank you for your trouble, thank you. I’ll reward you properly, even more than I rewarded them…”
“Judicial Affairs Minister…” Eunuch Shangde’s expression still looked very bad.
“What’s wrong? Are you unhappy?” Mu Xueshi was somewhat puzzled.
Eunuch Shangde’s lips moved, and he finally said, “Judicial Affairs Minister, Wu Cai… Wu Cai…”
“What happened to him? Did he sneak out?”
“No… he is dead…”
It was like a heavy hammer crashing down on Mu Xueshi’s head, leaving him unable to recover for a moment.
“Dead? How did he die? Was it suicide?”
Eunuch Shangde’s expression was grave. “I’m afraid it was not suicide. Just now, people from the Judicial Affairs Manor sent word, saying that when they went to Wu Cai’s room this morning to deliver food, they discovered that this time, he did not throw it out and did not curse loudly either. They found it strange, so they poked a hole through the window and looked inside. What they saw was no small matter. They discovered Wu Cai collapsed on the floor of the room, his face already blackened. When the servants of the Judicial Affairs Manor went in, they found that Wu Cai’s body had already stiffened, and judging from the condition of his corpse, it looked as if he had been poisoned. There was no poison in the room at all, and Wu Cai had never gone outside. Moreover, some servants said that they did indeed hear some movement last night, and the dog next door kept barking.”
Su Ying began sobbing again at the side. As he cried, he shook Mu Xueshi’s arm. “Find Father. Find Father…”
“All right, all right. Uncle will take you to find him.” Mu Xueshi gently patted Su Ying’s back, then said to Eunuch Shangde, “I’m going to the Judicial Affairs Manor right now. Prepare my horse.”
Futile Devices Scans 
Leave a comment