“Noble Consort Yu, we found these clothes in the wilderness, along with a corpse whose face was completely unrecognizable.”
Yu’er walked over to the corpse, lifted the covering, and examined it carefully. Then he took the clothes and looked them over.
“These clothes do indeed belong to Mu Xueshi, but judging from the build of this corpse, it is obviously not him. It looks more like the subordinate I sent to assassinate him.”
As Yu’er spoke, he toyed with the jade pendant attached to Mu Xueshi’s clothes, the faintest hint of a smile curling at the corners of his lips.
“Find a servant whose build resembles Mu Xueshi’s and kill him. Dress him in these clothes, drag him into the wilderness, and let wild dogs tear him apart until no one can tell who he is. Then send the body to the Third Prince’s servants.”
“Yes.”
…
“Your Highness, we found a corpse in the wilderness. We could not make out the face, but… but it was wearing Young Master Xue’s clothes…”
“Withdraw,” the Third Prince said expressionlessly.
“Your Highness, do you not wish to take a look?”
“There is no need. Burn it, along with all his belongings.”
Qingya and Qingzhu clutched the bracelet Mu Xueshi had given them and knelt on the ground, weeping so hard they could barely speak. They held Mu Xueshi’s clothes tightly in their arms, refusing to let the servants take them away to be burned.
“Young Master Xue, in this palace, you were the only kindhearted master. How could you leave so soon?!”
“Young Master Xue, Qingzhu kowtows to you. In your next life, you must be born into a good family.”
As Qingya and Qingzhu burned paper money, they cried and murmured continuously. Eunuch Shangde stood to the side, his eyes red as well.
“His Majesty has arrived! Noble Consort Yu has arrived!”
The two loud announcements made the servants hurriedly wipe away their tears and kneel in the direction from which the Emperor and Noble Consort Yu approached.
The Third Prince walked out of the room, not the slightest trace of sorrow visible on his proud, cold face. He quietly bowed to the Emperor, then looked at Yu’er twice and bowed to him as well.
When Yu’er met the Third Prince’s gaze, a faint ache rose in his chest. What profound indifference it held—it was as though he were an entirely different person from last night. As expected, he had forgotten everything that happened last night. But even if he remembered, what difference would it make? That so-called tenderness had never truly been meant for Yu’er…
“Lü Jue, We have heard about Xueshi. The affairs of this world are truly unpredictable. Grand Tutor Mu has only been gone for a short while, yet his wife and son have both followed him in death. You must not grieve too deeply. A person’s fate is determined by Heaven…”
The Third Prince merely listened quietly, his face devoid of expression.
“Three days from now, We will arrange a grand funeral for Xueshi. All of you should restrain your grief and accept what has happened.”
After speaking, the Emperor could not help yawning. The faint darkness beneath his eyes, the deep lines at their corners, and his dull-colored lips all revealed that his condition was far worse than before.
When the Emperor finished, Yu’er also stepped forward and said to the Third Prince, “Your Highness, please take good care of yourself. Yu’er will escort His Majesty back.”
“Thank you for last night, Noble Consort Yu.”
Yu’er was startled. He had not expected the Third Prince to remember what had happened last night after all. Excitement rose in his heart, and his voice trembled slightly. “There is no need for thanks between you and me.”
“What about last night? Were you not sleeping beside Us last night?” The Emperor pulled Yu’er into his arms and could not resist pinching his soft waist.
Yu’er winced in pain and removed the Emperor’s hand from his waist. When he lifted his head and looked at the Third Prince again, he discovered that the Third Prince’s gaze carried a murderous chill like the edge of a sword.
Is the Third Prince showing such an expression toward the Emperor because of me? Yu’er knew perfectly well that this was merely wishful thinking, yet his thoughts still fell into turmoil, his heart pounding without end.
“What did We ask you about last night?” The Emperor narrowed his eyes and looked at Yu’er with a lustful expression.
“Last night… Your Majesty, you misheard just now. His Highness did not mention that at all.” As Yu’er spoke, he glanced toward the Third Prince, only to discover that he had already turned and left.
“He really did not mention it?” The Emperor reached out and pinched Yu’er’s fair, tender cheek.
“He truly did not.” Yu’er quickly kissed the Emperor as a gesture of reassurance, then linked arms with him and walked out of the courtyard.
Not long after the Emperor left, Qingzhu could no longer hold back and cried, “Those people truly have no conscience. Young Master Xue has only just died, yet they were actually here…”
“Shh… That was the Emperor and a noble consort. Do you have a death wish?” Qingya struck Qingzhu lightly on the arm.
Qingzhu cried even harder. “I will say it anyway! If someone like that ever enters this courtyard, I would rather be stabbed to death by His Highness than serve him.”
“All right, all right. Young Master Xue’s bones are not even cold yet. Let us not talk about such things.”
“Wuwuwuwu…”
No one knew when Su Ruhan had returned to the courtyard. He walked over to the corpse, lifted the covering to look, then carefully placed the cloth back over the body.
“Does Your Highness truly believe that is Xueshi’s corpse?”
“What difference does it make whether it is or not? It is merely a shell. His heart has already left. What use is there in keeping the person?”
Su Ruhan looked at the Third Prince in confusion and asked, “What exactly happened?”
The Third Prince gave a cold snort. “Why bring up the past again? Let him go. From now on, do not mention this person before me.”
Su Ruhan was deeply astonished by the Third Prince’s sudden change. Mu Xueshi’s abrupt departure had also dealt him no small blow. Although he had always believed the dead person was not Mu Xueshi, judging from the Third Prince’s present attitude, he seemed utterly indifferent to everything.
“You may leave. Let me be alone.”
Su Ruhan nodded and walked outside.
The Third Prince rubbed the space between his brows, walked to the large desk, and picked up the memorials the court officials had sent there. He opened them one after another. Every one spoke of the Emperor’s recent condition: delaying morning court or not attending at all, showing no concern for affairs of state, lacking energy, and appearing muddleheaded all day…
One particularly bold official even directly stated the root of the problem, saying that ever since the Qilin beauty had been granted the title of Noble Consort, the Emperor had spent every day lost in lust. This bewitching Noble Consort Yu therefore ought to be executed.
The Third Prince turned through one memorial after another, his gaze cold and resolute. Mu Linxi was already dead. The one who remained now was only Ye Lü Jue.
Mu Xueshi remained in the Crystal Palace for several days. His complexion improved greatly, and his mood gradually returned to calm. Yue Lingchai required Mu Xueshi to study martial arts under her, and the most important condition was that his mind remain free of distracting thoughts. Every day, she taught Mu Xueshi internal cultivation methods. In only a few days, Mu Xueshi’s martial arts improved considerably, and he could already exchange several moves with Qingyun.
“Young Master Xue is amazing. Qingyun spent more than half a month learning these moves, but Young Master Xue learned them in only a few days.”
Mu Xueshi smiled faintly without revealing any pride.
Yue Lingchai was fairly satisfied with Mu Xueshi’s performance. He was much steadier than during his previous visit, and just as she had expected, her son truly possessed the talent for martial arts.
“Today, I will teach you a set of lightness footwork techniques. Once you master them, if you ever find yourself at a disadvantage while fighting someone, you will be able to escape easily.”
Mu Xueshi had always longed to learn this skill. He found this skill mysterious and exciting. Therefore, the moment Yue Lingchai said this, he immediately answered with abundant energy, “Yes, Aunt!”
That evening, while Mu Xueshi was resting, Qingyun brought him a plate of crystal cakes and said, “Young Master Xue, you must be tired after practicing all day. Have something to eat.”
When Mu Xueshi saw the plate of crystal cakes, his heart suddenly trembled. He waved his hand at Qingyun and said, “No, I’m not hungry.”
“This servant remembers that Young Master Xue used to love these. At that time, His Highness the Third Prince would even feed them to…”
Realizing that Mu Xueshi’s expression had turned unpleasant, Qingyun stopped speaking.
“Young Master Xue.”
“Mm?” Mu Xueshi tried hard to conceal his emotions.
Qingyun sighed. “Master forbade this servant from telling Young Master Xue because she was afraid you would become distracted. So now, this servant does not know whether to say anything.”
“Go ahead. I’m fine.”
Qingyun secretly glanced outside. Only after seeing that her master was absent did she lower her voice and say, “The imperial palace is currently holding a funeral. Everyone in the courtyard is dressed in mourning clothes.”
“Who… who died?” Mu Xueshi’s heart still could not help rising into his throat.
Qingyun paused, then carefully said, “It is you, Young Master Xue. They are holding the funeral for you.”
“Me?” Mu Xueshi immediately did not know whether to laugh or cry. “Am I not perfectly alive?”
Seeing that Mu Xueshi did not anxiously leap up and try to run outside to prove he was still alive, Qingyun finally felt slightly reassured.
“Young Master Xue, this servant feels that you have changed so much.”
“Changed? In what way?”
Qingyun thought for a moment, then said, “You have become much quieter and speak far less. Sometimes, you do not say a single word all day. Apart from practicing martial arts, you simply sit alone in a daze.”
“…”
“What are the two of you talking about here?”
A cool voice suddenly drifted toward them. Qingyun quickly rose and stood properly. Seeing her stand, Mu Xueshi also followed and got to his feet.
“Do you feel you have rested long enough and wish to practice more?”
Qingyun hurriedly shook her head, looking nervously at Yue Lingchai.
Mu Xueshi, however, did not appear flustered in the slightest. He leisurely yawned and said to Yue Lingchai, “Aunt, I’m sleepy. I want to go to bed.”
Had any of Yue Lingchai’s ordinary disciples spoken to her like this, she certainly would have forced them to meditate throughout the night without sleeping. Yet now, seeing Mu Xueshi’s tired appearance, she unexpectedly could not bring herself to be harsh with him.
“If you wish to rest, then do so quickly. You must rise early tomorrow.”
Seeing that Yue Lingchai had not punished her, Qingyun secretly rejoiced and quickly headed toward her own room.
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