Futile Devices Scans

Mu Xueshi had not expected that, in just those few short steps, he would truly fall asleep against the Third Prince’s chest.

When they reached Qingyun Palace, the Third Prince landed steadily. The person in his arms did not wake from the slight movement. Instead, he slept even more sweetly.

The Third Prince combed the few messy strands of hair on Mu Xueshi’s forehead back behind him and quietly studied his face.

“Your Highness…” Qingzhu called from the doorway. When she lifted her eyes and saw the scene inside, her face instantly turned deathly pale, and she knelt on the ground to explain, “Your Highness, this servant did not know Young Master Xue had fallen asleep.”

The Third Prince looked at Qingzhu expressionlessly, signaling for her to leave the room at once.

Mu Xueshi forced his eyes open with great difficulty and said to the Third Prince, “Put me down.”

“Didn’t you want to sleep? Then sleep in my arms.”

Mu Xueshi looked at the Third Prince with a dazed expression. After a while, two drops of tears suddenly rolled down and fell onto the Third Prince’s lapel.

Seeing Mu Xueshi suddenly cry, the Third Prince’s heart tightened. He stroked Mu Xueshi’s face and asked, “What happened?”

Mu Xueshi had not wanted to cry at first, but seeing the concern in the Third Prince’s eyes, that rare gentleness, the fragility in his heart suddenly surged out, impossible to stop.

Seeing Mu Xueshi cry so fiercely, the Third Prince’s heart ached, and he said to him, “Tomorrow, I will speak to Imperial Father. You do not need this official post anymore, and you do not need to solve that case anymore. How carefree the days before were.”

Mu Xueshi shook his head and said in a thick nasal voice, “Even if I do not keep this official post, I will still investigate that case. And I have to solve it before His Majesty’s birthday. I do not want to embarrass you. Besides, I know that is the knot in your heart.”

“Silly thing…” The Third Prince kissed the tip of Mu Xueshi’s nose and said gently, “Even if you cannot solve it, no one will say anything. So much time has already passed. It has long since become a dead case. Why make things difficult for yourself?”

Mu Xueshi suddenly widened his eyes and said to the Third Prince, “Xi, I think I can solve it. I feel like I already have a direction, it’s just very messy. Do you believe me? I can definitely find the murderer…”

“I believe you,” the Third Prince said lightly as he stroked Mu Xueshi’s hair.

Mu Xueshi said silently in his heart, You still don’t believe me…

The two were silent for a while. Mu Xueshi began to feel drowsy again. He forced his eyes open, but before long, they closed again. After another while, he woke with a start again.

“If you’re sleepy, sleep for a while first. When you wake up, we’ll have dinner together.”

Mu Xueshi shook his head and said lazily, “No. These past two days, I haven’t had a chance to say much to you. If this keeps going, we’ll become distant from each other.”

A doting smile appeared on the Third Prince’s lips. Looking at Mu Xueshi’s half-closed eyes, he said, “Then speak.”

Mu Xueshi moved his lips, then closed his eyes and fell asleep.

The Third Prince stayed in the room for a while. Seeing that Mu Xueshi had completely fallen asleep, he walked outside.

Eunuch Shangde jogged all the way to Qingyun Palace. When he saw the Third Prince, he quickly greeted him and knelt.

As usual, the Third Prince asked Eunuch Shangde what Mu Xueshi had done that day. When Eunuch Shangde mentioned that Wu Cai had been murdered, the Third Prince froze slightly.

Those few tears Mu Xueshi had shed just now were probably at least half for that insignificant person.

“Judicial Affairs Minister also went to the Grand Tutor Manor. He wanted the parrot by Madam’s side, but Madam did not agree.”

“A parrot?”

“Yes.” Eunuch Shangde nodded. “It is a very beautiful parrot.”

The Third Prince raised his lips in a smile, one that was unusually cold and sinister.

“There is indeed a parrot in Mu Wan’er’s room. Since she is unwilling to give it up, let that parrot look at her a few more times…”

Mu Xueshi slept all the way until the next morning. He vaguely felt that someone had fed him a few mouthfuls of soup in the middle, and he had drunk it down in a daze.

The next morning, Mu Xueshi woke to the sound of cheerful birdsong. He opened his eyes and suddenly saw a parrot with a blue crest and colorful wings. Its cherry-red hooked beak was especially endearing.

“Wow, what a beautiful bird.”

“Young Master! Young Master!” the parrot called crisply.

Mu Xueshi burst into laughter and reached out to catch the parrot, but the parrot flew toward the window. When Mu Xueshi sat up and searched for it with his eyes, he suddenly discovered that he could not find it anymore. Before long, another emerald-green parrot flew in from outside the window, also extremely beautiful. Immediately afterward came two, three, four… All kinds of parrots landed on the eaves, on the window lattice, and on the branches, leaving Mu Xueshi dazzled.

“My heavens, did I transmigrate into a paradise of birds?” Mu Xueshi’s eyes revealed both surprise and delight.

“Exactly. We also feel as if we have entered a forest.”

Mu Xueshi saw Qingya’s pretty and charming face standing at the doorway, smiling at him, and quickly beckoned for her to come over.

“Where did all these birds come from?”

As Qingya walked in carrying a tray, she said, “These? His Highness ordered his men to begin searching last night. They practically found every parrot in the entire imperial capital for Young Master Xue.”

“Right, right…” Qingzhu had entered at some point and quietly said to Mu Xueshi, “Yesterday, Eunuch Shangde told His Highness that you liked the parrot by Madam’s side, and His Highness immediately gave the order: if his men found one parrot, they would be rewarded with ten taels of silver; if a household was willing to hand over their parrot, that household would be rewarded with one hundred taels of silver.”

As Qingzhu spoke, she gestured with her fingers, her expression full of envy.

Seeing this, Mu Xueshi felt around beside his pillow, then got out of bed and rummaged through the cabinet. After discovering there was no silver, he casually picked out a pair of jade bracelets with a clear, lustrous color and walked toward Qingya and Qingzhu.

“I don’t have silver to reward you, so I’ll give these two jade bracelets to you instead.”

Qingya and Qingzhu both widened their eyes. They looked at each other, then shook their heads in unison and said to Mu Xueshi, “Young Master Xue, without merit, we cannot accept rewards. We servants haven’t done anything, so how could we casually accept a reward?”

“Besides, such precious things are not something servants like us can afford to wear!”

“What servants or superiors? As long as they look good when worn, that’s enough. I’ll help you put them on.”

“Young Master Xue, you really mustn’t!” Qingya dodged backward again and again.

Qingzhu had originally wanted to reach out and accept it, but seeing that Qingya refused, she could only put her own hands behind her back as well.

“If you don’t accept them, I’ll drive you out of the courtyard.”

“Then truly, thank you, Young Master Xue.” Qingzhu hurriedly stretched out her hand.

Seeing that Qingzhu had already accepted, Qingya was too embarrassed to keep refusing, so she also went to accept the jade bracelet from Mu Xueshi’s hand.

“I’ll help you put them on. I’ve never put jewelry on a girl before.”

“How could that be allowed?” Qingya exclaimed again.

“How could it not be allowed? If you say one more ‘no,’ I’ll drive you out.”

Qingzhu, on the other hand, had no objections. She smiled in an adorably simple way and said to Mu Xueshi, “Young Master Xue has given us such precious bracelets. Even if this servant were driven out right now, I would never have to worry about food or clothing for the rest of my life. I could even find a good place to marry into, ride in a bridal sedan, and become a bride…”

Qingya quickly pushed Qingzhu and said shyly, “Qingzhu, you really have no shame. You’re actually thinking about getting married.”

Mu Xueshi had just been about to put it on Qingzhu when he heard her words and immediately hesitated. “Then I’d better not give it to you. What if you run away?”

Seeing that Qingya’s arm already had a bracelet on it while her own arm was still bare, and now hearing that Mu Xueshi would not give it to her, Qingzhu’s tears were about to roll down.

“This servant won’t run anymore.”

“Hey, hey, don’t cry. I’ll put it on you, all right?” Mu Xueshi quickly pulled Qingzhu’s hand over.

Footsteps sounded from the doorway. Seeing this, Qingya quickly moved away from Mu Xueshi’s side and greeted the person at the door with a panicked expression.

The bracelet on Qingzhu’s hand had only been put on halfway. When she saw the Third Prince enter, she quickly withdrew her hand, pushed it hard up onto her arm herself, and covered it with her sleeve.

“Your Highness…”

The Third Prince had heard the lively voices inside the room and walked in. Now, aside from the birdsong, there was nothing left. Mu Xueshi was standing in the room wearing only an inner robe, his hair a complete mess. The two maids beside him, who had been smiling brightly just now, now both looked grave.

“Leave,” the Third Prince said expressionlessly to Qingya and Qingzhu.

Qingya and Qingzhu walked toward the door, and Mu Xueshi also followed behind them resentfully.

“Who told you to leave?” The Third Prince pulled Mu Xueshi back in front of him and said with an expression that seemed angry yet not quite angry, “Do you want to go out like this for others to see?”

Mu Xueshi lowered his head and looked. He was wearing clothes all over his body. They just happened to be inner clothes.

“What’s wrong with going out like this? Aren’t I properly dressed…” Mu Xueshi muttered quietly.

Seeing that the Third Prince’s expression was about to darken again, Mu Xueshi hugged the Third Prince at once and kissed both his left and right cheeks hard.

“You’re so good to me! You were the one who had people find all those birds, right? Although there are a bit too many, I’m especially moved. Look, tears are sparkling in my eyes.”

As he spoke, Mu Xueshi used his hand to pull open his own eyelid and made a face at the Third Prince.

The corners of the Third Prince’s mouth lifted, and his expression immediately improved a great deal.

While obediently letting the Third Prince comb his hair, Mu Xueshi idly asked, “How many parrots did you find?”

“Not many. Only a few dozen.”

“A few dozen?” Mu Xueshi’s eyes immediately widened round. “Doesn’t that mean more than a thousand taels of silver were rewarded out? You’re far too extravagant. That’s all the hard-earned money paid by the common people.”

“I took the hard-earned money paid by the common people and rewarded it back to the common people. What is wrong with that?”

Mu Xueshi was blocked so thoroughly that he had nothing to say. He could only mutter quietly, “Even so, it’s a bit too extravagant. Actually, I would have been very happy with just one or two…”

“It is indeed a little extravagant. You actually rewarded out the money of two jade bracelets.”

Mu Xueshi did not react at first, then suddenly turned around, only for his scalp to ache from his hair being pulled.

“Do not move around.” The Third Prince frowned and rubbed the place where Mu Xueshi’s hair had been tugged just now.

Mu Xueshi still felt a little unable to recover. “Those two bracelets were worth that much… My mother… No wonder Qingzhu even had thoughts of running away.”

“…”

“Come, come, all of you come here to eat. In a while, I’m going to give you a lesson.” Mu Xueshi spoke to the parrots filling the courtyard.

Those parrots were all very alert. One or two bolder ones came over to taste the feed and insects Mu Xueshi had placed on the ground, and only afterward did the number of parrots eating slowly increase.

“Judicial Affairs Minister, are we not going to the Grand Tutor Manor today?” Eunuch Shangde reminded Mu Xueshi, who was full of enthusiasm.

Mu Xueshi wiped the sweat from his cheeks and smiled at Eunuch Shangde like a blooming flower. “We’re not going to the Grand Tutor Manor today. Once the birds are fed, we’re going to Changxin Courtyard.”

“Changxin Courtyard…” Eunuch Shangde said quietly, “Did His Highness not forbid Judicial Affairs Minister from going to that place again? I heard His Highness say that if Judicial Affairs Minister went there again, he would wash Changxin Courtyard in blood…”

“Haha… Little short-legs, little short-legs, you ate so much that you can’t fly anymore, right… Ah, ah… You actually dare peck me? Watch me cook and eat you.”

Eunuch Shangde sighed and walked toward Qingyun Palace.

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