Futile Devices Scans

“Big Sister, Li Qian.” Mu Xueshi walked over.

Li Gui did not show the slightest fear. Instead, she walked to the Third Prince’s side and gave him a graceful salute.

“This young woman greets Your Highness the Third Prince.”

The Third Prince said nothing and followed Mu Xueshi to Li Qian’s side. Li Gui also stood up, swept her gaze around the surroundings, and finally stopped on Ruzui.

“Help her into a room and find a good physician to treat her. Everyone else, go back to what you should be doing. Clean this place up.”

As soon as Li Gui gave the order, everyone scattered in an instant. The guests in each of the rooms either left or fled. The place that had been incomparably lively just now suddenly became much quieter.

As soon as Mu Xueshi sat down, he could not wait to ask Li Qian, “Did you look at the ingredients I gave you last time?”

Li Qian stood up and walked into the inner room. Before long, he took out the bundle Mu Xueshi had handed him last time and returned it to Mu Xueshi exactly as it was.

“These are all ordinary medicinal herbs. None of them are poisonous.”

“Oh…” Mu Xueshi was slightly disappointed.

Li Qian smiled and said to Mu Xueshi, “Is there anything else you want me to examine?”

Mu Xueshi thought for a moment, then took out the small bottle he had collected yesterday from his sleeve and handed it to Li Qian. “Look and see whether the water in this little bottle is poisonous.”

Li Qian smelled it, then tested it with a poison-testing needle. Finally, he said to Mu Xueshi, “This water is not poisonous.”

Mu Xueshi widened his eyes… Not poisonous? Then had he wronged Madam?

“However… the thing inside this water is poisonous.”

“Can’t you say everything all at once!” Mu Xueshi went to hit Li Qian’s head in frustration.

Li Qian grabbed Mu Xueshi’s hand at once and begged for mercy repeatedly, and the two of them made a lively fuss.

Suddenly sensing that the atmosphere around them was not right, Mu Xueshi instinctively glanced at the Third Prince. The moment he met his gaze, he quickly released Li Qian’s hand, cleared his throat, and changed into a serious expression.

“Well then, Li Qian, help me see what kind of poison this is.”

Li Qian did not even touch the little bottle and directly said to Mu Xueshi, “This is the same poison we saw in Wu Cai’s room that day.”

Mu Xueshi’s face immediately changed. When Li Gui heard Wu Cai’s name from the side, she could not help asking, “Young Master Xue, where did you find this poison?”

“Big Sister, just call me Xueshi.” Mu Xueshi said, “It was found on a parrot’s beak.”

“On a parrot’s beak?” Li Qian and Li Gui both voiced their doubts at the same time.

“Mm…” Mu Xueshi nodded. “On Madam’s parrot’s beak.”

As soon as the words fell, even the Third Prince, who had been silent all along, lifted his brow slightly.

Li Gui gave a cold snort. “I already said it was her. That thieving woman really is vicious and ruthless.” After saying this, Li Gui looked at Mu Xueshi with some apology and stood up. “Xueshi, Big Sister is blunt by nature. If I say something you do not like hearing, just scold me directly.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. Public matters should be handled publicly. Even if one’s own mother commits a crime, she is guilty just the same as the common people.” Mu Xueshi waved his hand, signaling for Li Gui to sit.

The four of them sat in silence for a while. Out of habit, Mu Xueshi turned to look at the Third Prince and asked, “How should this matter be resolved?”

The Third Prince replied lightly, “If I had not come, how would you resolve it?”

“If you had not come, I would decide not to expose this matter for now. After Grand Tutor Mu’s case is solved, I would deal with this matter afterward.”

“Since you already have a plan, why ask me?”

Seeing the Third Prince’s neither-cold-nor-warm expression, Mu Xueshi flattened his mouth and said gloomily, “I was asking for your opinion.”

“…”

“Yo, Xueshi, do you always carry fragrant dew on you? I remember last time you came, you were also carrying a bottle of fragrant dew.”

Hearing Li Gui’s words, Mu Xueshi froze, then replied somewhat embarrassedly, “I took this from the Grand Tutor Manor. I wanted Li Qian to help me see whether there is any poison in it.”

After hearing this, Li Gui gave a charming smile and said in her sweet, mellow voice, “You really are amusing. According to what you say, everything inside and outside the Grand Tutor Manor must be poisonous. Why didn’t you stuff the tables, chairs, benches, and stools into your sleeve too, then move them here for Li Qian to test?”

“If tables, chairs, benches, and stools could really fit into my sleeve, then I definitely would have brought them over,” Mu Xueshi said with a silly smile.

Li Qian seemed to hear something and stood up, walking toward the door. After glancing outside twice, he turned back and said to Li Gui, “Big Sister, guests have arrived.”

Li Gui nodded, lifted the hem of her long skirt, and slowly walked outside.

Mu Xueshi suddenly stood up, hurried to Li Gui’s side, and quietly said to her, “Big Sister, can you teach me to dance?”

“Dance?” Li Gui’s face was full of surprise.

Mu Xueshi nodded. “It has to be a manly dance, one that can show the masculine beauty of a man. Does anyone here know how to dance something like that?”

Li Gui smiled gently. “The men’s dances here are extremely soul-stealing in their movements. If you want to learn, Big Sister can teach you. I guarantee that after you dance it, His Highness the Third Prince will be so enchanted by you that he won’t know north from south.”

“So it’s like that…” Mu Xueshi hesitated for a moment, then said to Li Gui, “Can Big Sister find someone to dance it for me first? If it looks good, then I’ll learn it from you.”

“All right. Big Sister will take you there now.”

Mu Xueshi had only shifted one step outward when the Third Prince’s deep, steady voice slowly rose behind him.

“It is getting late. We should go back.”

Mu Xueshi turned around and saw a face without the slightest warmth.

“We only came out a short while ago. I still have things I haven’t finished.” Mu Xueshi looked deeply unwilling.

The Third Prince gave Mu Xueshi no chance to resist at all. He walked directly past him and, without allowing any argument, pulled him outside.

“Why won’t you let me play there a little longer? The guests had just arrived, and I still hadn’t seen the performance. Li Qian told me there are often performances there…”

“I do not want you to be tainted by the air of the pleasure quarters.”

Mu Xueshi turned his head and retorted, “But Li Qian has always lived there, and he still remains unstained despite emerging from the mud!”

“You are not Li Qian, and Li Qian is not you. If Li Qian were you, your master would not be able to endure several days without going to find him.”

Mu Xueshi thought over the Third Prince’s words, then suddenly shouted loudly, “You’re mocking me, aren’t you? You mean Li Qian keeps himself cleaner than I do, and I’m a very casual person, don’t you?”

The Third Prince only smiled without speaking.

Mu Xueshi panted angrily, his chest rising and falling, his cheeks flushed. He looked extremely beautiful like this. Seeing that the Third Prince had already ridden ahead and was not waiting for him, Mu Xueshi loudly said in indignation, “You’re just holding a grudge over what happened last time at Changxin Courtyard with that woman… But that was because I was drugged!… Petty! You’re so petty!…”

After returning to the small courtyard, Mu Xueshi suddenly remembered his flock of birds and quickly got down from the horse to find Eunuch Shangde.

Judging from how quiet the small courtyard was, quite a few of the birds should have been claimed already. The occasional one or two that did not come out were probably hidden behind some tree.

“Eunuch Shangde, Eunuch Shangde.”

Hearing Mu Xueshi’s call, Qingzhu came out first and said to Mu Xueshi, “Why is Young Master Xue calling Eunuch Shangde? He went to release the birds back into the forest.”

“Release the birds back into the forest?” Mu Xueshi said anxiously to Qingzhu, “What if some households haven’t made it here yet and he releases those parrots? How are we supposed to explain it to them?”

“Young Master Xue, what households?”

Seeing the Third Prince walk over, Qingzhu quickly closed her mouth.

Mu Xueshi said to the Third Prince, “I released all the parrots you gave me back into the forest. You don’t mind, do you? I was afraid so many birds in the small courtyard would disturb your peace and quiet. I already asked Eunuch Shangde to help me pluck one feather from each bird as a keepsake.”

Qingzhu, who had just been marveling at Mu Xueshi’s bodhisattva heart, instantly felt that she had misjudged him after hearing this.

“As long as you are happy.” The Third Prince raised the corners of his lips.

Before long, Eunuch Shangde hurried over, panting.

“Eunuch Shangde, how could you release all the birds? What if a household comes over later…”

“Do not worry, my lord. This servant ordered the people at my side to go door to door and ask. Only one household wanted their parrot back. The rest were unwilling to return the silver.”

“I said someone would still want their parrot back, didn’t I? Hehe… Right, where is my Little Short-Legs?”

“Little Short-Legs?” Eunuch Shangde looked blank.

Mu Xueshi’s heart instantly rose into his throat, and he hurriedly described it to Eunuch Shangde. “It’s that ugliest parrot with very short legs. It could never manage to snatch any food, and when it talked, it sounded like an old man… You didn’t release it too, did you?”

“Ah, no, no…” Eunuch Shangde hurriedly explained, “So my lord meant that parrot! It was claimed! The household that came today came specifically to claim that parrot.”

Mu Xueshi immediately raised his head to the sky and let out a long howl, shouting in grief, “Back then, I thought any bird could be claimed, and in the end, Little Short-Legs would be the one left to accompany me. Who would have known that the whole flock would stay, and only my Little Short-Legs would be taken away?”

Feeling this was still not tragic enough, Mu Xueshi suddenly rushed over and hugged the Third Prince, lifting his head as he said, “All my birds are gone. Not a single one is left.”

“If you like that ugly one, I can order someone to bring it back for you.” The Third Prince stroked Mu Xueshi’s cheek.

“Forget it.” Mu Xueshi drooped his head and sighed. “Taking away what someone else loves is not the conduct of a gentleman. Fortunately, I plucked two extra feathers from it. If fate lets us meet again in the future, I’m sure it will remember me.”

“…”

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