Yu’er had been unable to sleep peacefully for several days.
Every day, he faced an increasingly aged countenance, and all he felt was weariness and disgust. Each day, he racked his brains for ways to bewitch the Emperor and make him drink the drugs he had prepared, all in the hope that the Emperor would die sooner. Once the Emperor died, the Third Prince would inevitably ascend the throne. And when the Third Prince became Emperor, who else in the entire imperial palace could possibly be more qualified than Yu’er to become Empress?
Mu Xueshi was gone now. Even if he were still alive, the law regarded an Empress’s inability to bear children as a grave taboo, so he could forget about ever sitting in that position.
Whenever Yu’er thought of this, he wished the Emperor before him would hurry up and die. Yet he could not rashly kill the Emperor outright. He could only push him little by little toward the edge of hell. Yu’er had been harboring this plan ever since the banquet ended that day.
“Yu’er…”
A pair of aged hands reached toward Yu’er’s buttocks, and the suggestive gesture made nausea rise within him.
This was no longer the Emperor Yu’er had first seen two months ago. At that time, the man had still possessed a measure of bearing. Although Yu’er had felt no fondness for him, neither had he found him repulsive. Over the past two months, however, the drug had caused the Emperor’s body to age drastically every time he indulged his lust. Looking at him now, all traces of imperial dignity had long vanished, leaving behind nothing but the shell of a man consumed by boundless debauchery.
“Your Majesty.” Yu’er smiled seductively and gently removed the Emperor’s hand from his body.
Merely hearing Yu’er speak left the Emperor parched. He could clearly feel that his body was no longer able to endure much more, yet endless desire continued gnawing ceaselessly at his mind.
“You tormenting little enchantress.”
“…”
Yu’er closed his eyes and silently endured the limp body pressing against him and the heavy panting spilling from the Emperor’s mouth.
Your Highness the Third Prince, I hope you can feel everything Yu’er is doing for you.
After lunch, Mu Xueshi and Qingyun had nothing to do, so they began sparring with swords. Afraid of hurting Qingyun, Mu Xueshi had made two small wooden swords himself, one for her and one for him. Every day, the two of them would practice by brandishing the wooden swords at each other.
“Young Master Xue, you truly look beautiful when you wield a sword.”
Qingyun stopped in the middle of their sparring and stood to one side watching Mu Xueshi, her eyes filled with amazement.
“Really?” Encouraged by Qingyun’s words, Mu Xueshi practiced with even greater enthusiasm.
Suddenly, the sound of a qin drifted over from somewhere unknown. Its melody was gentle and continuous, clear and pleasing, like a mountain spring winding its way through a secluded valley and flowing slowly onward… As Mu Xueshi listened, he unconsciously began moving in rhythm with the music.
Dressed in fitted white robes and holding a long sword, Mu Xueshi moved now slowly, now swiftly. At times, his swordplay was as dense as falling rain; at others, it was as soft as a breeze brushing across one’s cheek. His figure was tall and graceful, his face exceptionally captivating, and his bright, spirited eyes seemed to have absorbed the essence of ten thousand flowers and drops of dew…
“Wow!…”
When Mu Xueshi finally stopped, Qingyun could not help clapping, her cheeks flushed red with excitement.
Mu Xueshi wiped away his sweat and walked over to Qingyun. “Well? Was it all right?”
Qingyun nodded repeatedly.
Mu Xueshi heard the qin music stop abruptly as well. After wiping away his sweat, he headed toward the adjoining room.
The person playing the qin was Yue Lingchai. When she saw Mu Xueshi enter, she immediately resumed her usual stern expression.
“Why have you stopped practicing?”
“I’m tired. I wanted to listen to Aunt play the qin.”
As Mu Xueshi spoke, he sat down not far from Yue Lingchai. Even simply sitting there and quietly admiring the sight of her beside the ancient qin felt like a pleasure.
“Aunt, any man fortunate enough to marry you must have accumulated blessings over three lifetimes.”
Yue Lingchai paused slightly upon hearing this, then said in a cool voice, “A martial artist cannot allow her heart to be divided. No matter how handsome a man may be, he is nothing special to me.”
The admiration in Mu Xueshi’s gaze deepened. When would he ever be able to reach such a state?
“Master, someone outside seems to be requesting an audience.”
“Who else knows of this underground palace besides that heartless nephew of mine?”
The moment Mu Xueshi heard the word nephew, his entire body stiffened. His aunt’s nephew could only be the Third Prince!
“Remain in this room. Without my orders, you are absolutely forbidden to come out. If you dare step outside, I will make certain you can never leave this place for the rest of your life.”
Mu Xueshi nodded blankly. His mind was completely empty, and he had not heard a word Yue Lingchai said.
“Aunt!”
The voice was neither loud nor soft, but Mu Xueshi heard it clearly. The person outside truly was the Third Prince. What had he come here for? Mu Xueshi’s thoughts descended into chaos. Suddenly, he was terrified that the Third Prince might enter, yet he could not suppress his desire to see him.
“What brings you to my place?” Yue Lingchai’s temper remained unchanged. The moment she saw the Third Prince, she could not resist scolding him.
The Third Prince’s expression could be considered mild, yet a trace of murderous intent always lurked within his eyes.
“Lü Jue came here to borrow some of Aunt’s subordinates.”
“My subordinates?”
“Yes.” The Third Prince bowed. “This time, I have an urgent need for them. I hope Aunt will lend me her assistance.”
Seeing the rare sincerity on the Third Prince’s face, Yue Lingchai considered briefly before asking, “How many do you need?”
“However many people Aunt has, I want all of them.”
Listening from inside, Mu Xueshi’s heart jolted repeatedly. What did the Third Prince need so many people for? Could it be that more and more people were trying to assassinate him?
“You certainly ask for a great deal. What do you need so many people for?”
“Aunt need not concern herself with that. Once I have finished using them, I guarantee that every last one will be returned to you.”
In Yue Lingchai’s eyes, the Third Prince always acted with proper restraint. Since he wanted these people, he must have his reasons. As his aunt, refusing to lend them to him would be difficult to justify.
“Very well. Tomorrow, Qingyun will take you to choose your people. You may take as many as you wish.”
“There is no need to choose. Lü Jue trusts everyone under Aunt’s command.”
After saying this, a cold, sinister smile appeared at the corners of the Third Prince’s lips.
Suddenly, a loud crash came from the adjoining room, accompanied by the low twang of several qin strings vibrating at once.
Mu Xueshi was startled. How had he managed to kick over his aunt’s beloved qin? He hurriedly set it upright again, then glanced fearfully toward the doorway.
“Is there someone else in Aunt’s room?” the Third Prince asked suspiciously.
At that moment, Mu Xueshi did not even dare breathe loudly.
Yue Lingchai gave a faint snort of laughter. “It is merely a little rabbit I keep. It is disobedient and always likes crashing into things.”
“Since Aunt wishes to cultivate in peace, Lü Jue will not disturb you any further. When I have time in the future, I will come personally to thank you.”
“There is no need to thank me. Simply return my people without so much as a scratch.”
“I certainly will.”
“…”
Mu Xueshi was still furtively peering outside when Qingyun suddenly jumped out from beside the doorway, giving him a fright.
“Young Master Xue, His Highness the Third Prince has already left.”
Mu Xueshi breathed a sigh of relief, though a faint sense of disappointment mingled with it.
Qingyun examined Mu Xueshi in confusion and asked, “Young Master Xue, you truly are determined. For the sake of learning martial arts, you can even refuse to see His Highness the Third Prince.”
Mu Xueshi swallowed. It was not determination at all—he had simply been too afraid to go out and face him.
“If His Highness knew you were still alive, he would be overjoyed.”
“What are you two talking about over there?”
The moment Yue Lingchai arrived, Qingyun hurriedly closed her mouth and walked outside with a sheepish expression.
Mu Xueshi also stood and looked guiltily at Yue Lingchai. “Aunt, I accidentally knocked over and damaged your qin just now. You should hit me.”
Upon hearing Mu Xueshi’s words, Yue Lingchai initially felt the impulse to raise her hand and strike him. But when she saw him standing there with his head lowered and an innocent expression on his face, her heart softened again.
“You are not allowed to eat dinner tonight. Stand facing the wall and reflect on your mistake.”
Mu Xueshi pouted and secretly thought, Rather than this, she might as well just give me a good beating and get it over with.
Seeing Yue Lingchai toss him a long staff, Mu Xueshi knew they would probably be practicing staff techniques today. He followed her outside, but just as they were about to reach the doorway, he could not resist asking, “Aunt, what exactly does the Third Prince need so many of your subordinates for?”
“What does that have to do with you?” A hint of anger colored Yue Lingchai’s voice.
Mu Xueshi hurriedly replied, “Nothing, nothing. It’s only… Aunt, recently there has been a gang secretly trying to kill me. I wanted to use your subordinates to capture their leader, but now that you have lent everyone to the Third Prince, who am I supposed to use?”
Yue Lingchai frowned and turned to stare at Mu Xueshi.
“A gang is trying to assassinate you? Which gang is so eager to die?!”
“I heard it is… it is called… the Qingwen Gang.”
“I have never even heard of such an insignificant gang. Why would you need to mobilize my disciples against them? You should be able to deal with them by yourself.”
Mu Xueshi waved his hands repeatedly. “Aunt, I have fought them before. There are too many of them. I simply cannot defeat them all.”
After hearing Mu Xueshi’s words, Yue Lingchai’s phoenix eyes narrowed slightly as she slowly approached him.
Mu Xueshi could not help retreating several steps.
“When did you fight them?”
Only after hearing the danger in Yue Lingchai’s voice did Mu Xueshi realize that he had let something slip. He hurriedly explained, “Before. It was before I came here.”
Smack!
A heavy kick struck Mu Xueshi’s leg, nearly sending him to his knees.
“You are still lying? Do you want another beating?”
Mu Xueshi ducked his head and cautiously said, “Aunt, I’m not lying. It was… it was the time I got injured. The people who hurt me belonged to that gang.”
Yue Lingchai fell silent for a moment, her gaze growing increasingly sharp. They even dared injure my son. That insignificant gang truly deserves to be destroyed.
“Aunt will not leave a single member of that gang alive.”
Mu Xueshi immediately became anxious upon hearing this. He grabbed Yue Lingchai’s hand and said, “Aunt, no! That isn’t what I meant. I don’t want you to destroy the gang. I only want their leader captured—and he must be taken alive. Aunt, you absolutely cannot kill him. I still have a use for him.”
“What use could you possibly have for someone who wants to kill you?”
“Aunt, I’m begging you, please do not kill him. I will handle this myself. There is no need to trouble you.”
“What scheme are you plotting now?”
“…”
Futile Devices Scans 
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