“Eunuch Tai’an,” the Third Prince called.
“This servant is here.”
“Summon the attendants who carried the counterfeit corpse back to the courtyard some time ago.”
“Yes.”
After Eunuch Tai’an left, the Third Prince sat alone on the dragon throne, deep in thought. Suddenly, an unidentified object flew toward him. He caught it in one hand, and red juice immediately trickled down his fingers. When he raised his eyes, he saw the only person who could possibly have played such a prank.
In the past, Mu Xueshi would have walked into Linan Hall. Now, he simply flew in. Not only did he fly over himself, but he would invariably send a few concealed weapons ahead of him to display his extraordinary finger techniques.
“Why didn’t you catch it with your mouth?” Mu Xueshi laughed loudly as he took out a silk handkerchief and wiped the Third Prince’s hand.
Not content with merely cleaning his hand, Mu Xueshi took another two red fruits from the tray, polished them on a clean handkerchief, and stuffed them into the Third Prince’s mouth.
“Are they sweet?” Mu Xueshi asked.
“Very sweet, but not as sweet as you.”
The Third Prince tried to pull Mu Xueshi into his arms. He had already caught hold of Mu Xueshi’s hand, yet Mu Xueshi still managed to slip away. When the Third Prince turned his head, Mu Xueshi had already hidden behind the dragon throne.
“Your movements are becoming faster and faster,” the Third Prince could not help praising.
Only then did Mu Xueshi emerge, looking thoroughly pleased with himself as he sat beside the Third Prince.
“Your Majesty, those guards have been brought here,” Eunuch Tai’an reported from the entrance.
Several men entered Linan Hall trembling with fear. Upon seeing the Emperor and Empress, they hurriedly dropped to their knees and kowtowed.
“Greetings, Your Majesty.”
“Raise your heads,” the Third Prince said coldly.
The guards looked at him with terrified expressions, guilt and fear flickering in their eyes.
Mu Xueshi stopped fooling around as well and obediently stood to one side.
After a moment of silence, the Third Prince asked them, “That corpse from before—where did you find it?”
“Th-that… wasn’t… wasn’t found by us. Your Majesty, have mercy! Please have mercy!”
Mu Xueshi listened from the side in complete confusion. What corpse were they talking about?
“Then who found it?” the Third Prince asked without the slightest expression.
One guard glanced at the others. Seeing that no one intended to speak, he volunteered, “It was first discovered by the guards serving Noble Consort Yu, and they were the ones who sent it over.”
Noble Consort Yu… The Third Prince silently repeated the name as a cold gleam flashed through his eyes.
Mu Xueshi knew he should not interrupt at a time like this, but he could not suppress his curiosity. He leaned toward Eunuch Tai’an and asked, “What corpse are they talking about?”
Eunuch Tai’an brought his mouth close to Mu Xueshi’s ear and whispered, “During the period when Your Majesty the Empress disappeared, these attendants carried a corpse pretending to be yours back to the palace and reported to His Majesty that you had died.”
So that’s what happened… Mu Xueshi thought. I clearly wasn’t dead. Why did someone insist on making the Third Prince believe that I was?
Before long, another group of guards entered Linan Hall. These men had formerly served Yu’er.
“Were you the ones who found that corpse in the wilderness?”
“Yes.”
The Third Prince narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked at them.
“When you found him, was he already wearing Mu Xueshi’s clothes?”
“Well…” The guards exchanged glances. After looking at the Third Prince again, none of them had the courage to lie, so they shook their heads.
The Third Prince already knew the answer, but he still asked, “What exactly happened? One of you will explain it to me.”
The guard kneeling at the front cleared his throat and said nervously, “At the time, Noble Consort Yu ordered us to search everywhere for Young Master Xue. We found only Young Master Xue’s clothing and a corpse. When we carried them back for Noble Consort Yu to examine, he said the corpse did not resemble Young Master Xue. He then ordered us to find someone with a similar build, kill him, leave the body in the wilderness for wild dogs to maul beyond recognition, and afterward send it to the courtyard…”
The guard’s voice grew weaker and weaker until he finally began weeping. He pleaded with the Third Prince, “Your Majesty, have mercy! We could not disobey Noble Consort Yu’s orders. We had no choice but to do it.”
The other guards also began begging for mercy.
Only then did Mu Xueshi finally understand. During the days he had been missing, the Third Prince had believed he was dead. And the person responsible for everything was Yu’er.
Had I never reappeared, wouldn’t he be the Empress now? The thought made Mu Xueshi grind his teeth in fury.
“Guards!” the Third Prince called expressionlessly.
A group of guards immediately rushed inside.
“Drag these men into the wilderness. Whatever condition that corpse was mauled into, they are to be mauled into the same condition.”
The moment he finished speaking, Linan Hall filled with wailing and pleas for mercy.
Watching the guards being dragged away to suffer such a punishment, Mu Xueshi could no longer endure it and shouted, “Stop!”
The guards carrying out the arrests hesitated. Their hands rose and fell uncertainly, for they did not know whose command to obey.
Mu Xueshi walked before the Third Prince, knelt, and said, “Your Majesty, those attendants acted only because they had no choice. Had they refused at the time, Noble Consort Yu would certainly have ordered their deaths. They were merely carrying out someone else’s commands and had no power to decide for themselves. Can you not spare their lives?”
The Third Prince’s expression changed slightly, and his voice became somewhat stiff. “You are the dignified Empress of this nation, yet you kneel before me merely to plead for a group of servants?”
“No. I am doing this for Your Majesty’s sake. Since ancient times, benevolent rulers have been loved by their people. For every person Your Majesty spares, you will gain another measure of their support.”
“So you mean that if I kill them, I will not be a benevolent ruler?” The Third Prince looked at Mu Xueshi with a faint, ambiguous smile.
Mu Xueshi’s words lodged in his throat, and he did not know how to answer. At last, seeing the Third Prince’s utterly unyielding expression, he also darkened his face and said, “Your Majesty clearly promised me that you would stop killing people indiscriminately. How can the supreme ruler of the realm break his word?”
The Third Prince chuckled softly. “Enough. Drag them away and give each of them twenty strokes of the cane.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty! Thank you, Your Majesty! Thank you, Your Majesty the Empress…”
Mu Xueshi moved his lips but said nothing further. It would be far too unrealistic to demand that the Third Prince impose no punishment whatsoever. Even so, twenty strokes of the cane would be painful enough. Mu Xueshi himself would cry for his parents after only a few heavy smacks from the Third Prince.
…
“Let me out! I have something to say to His Majesty.”
In a place resembling the Cold Palace, a peerlessly beautiful man was ordering the highly skilled guards outside the door.
The guards did not even glance at Yu’er. Their cold eyes remained fixed on the distance, completely disregarding the words of the person behind them.
Yu’er took a deep breath and attempted to force his way out. Yet after exchanging only two moves with one of the guards, he was knocked to the ground.
“His Majesty must have listened to malicious slander and imprisoned me here. Even judging by merit alone, I am more qualified than Mu Xueshi to become Empress.”
“Your beautiful dream will soon come true.”
The sudden appearance of someone made Yu’er’s eyes light up.
“Eunuch Tai’an, did His Majesty send you to take me away?”
Eunuch Tai’an smiled coldly. “His Majesty did send me here, but not to take you away. He sent me to kill you.”
“Kill me?” Yu’er nearly lost his footing upon hearing those words.
Holding an imperial decree, Eunuch Tai’an told him plainly, “Yes. His Majesty sent me to escort you from this world.”
“That’s impossible! I have done so much for His Majesty. I said countless favorable things about him while serving the former Emperor. Had I not ordered my men to steal the method for constructing the cannons, they could never have been forged. Had I not secretly coordinated and plotted with His Majesty, he would not have ascended the throne so smoothly. I refuse to believe it. I refuse to believe His Majesty could be so heartless and ungrateful…”
“It is precisely because you accomplished those things that His Majesty ordered me to kill you. Had you possessed no merit, he would have made you suffer until you could neither live nor die.”
As Eunuch Tai’an spoke, two maids appeared behind him, each carrying a tray. A small bottle rested upon one of them, and there was no need to examine it to know that it contained poison.
“If you do not wish to suffer, drink it directly.”
Yu’er shook his head and retreated again and again.
“I do not believe His Majesty wants me dead. Only a few days ago, he said he would make me Empress. Even with Mu Xueshi’s return, there should still be a place for me in the imperial harem. Mu Xueshi must have sent you to murder me! I demand to see His Majesty.”
Eunuch Tai’an’s gaze abruptly turned vicious. He stared directly at Yu’er and said, “You deceived the sovereign. Is that not a crime deserving death? His Majesty is already showing you immense mercy by granting you a swift death. Should you continue resisting the imperial decree, do not blame His Majesty for showing no further leniency.”
“When did I ever deceive His Majesty? It must be Mu Xueshi. He must have slandered me before His Majesty.”
Eunuch Tai’an slowly walked toward Yu’er and said coldly, “No one slandered you. You once ordered your subordinates to fabricate Young Master Xue’s corpse, causing His Highness to believe he was dead. Are you claiming you did not do that?”
Yu’er’s face instantly turned deathly pale. In an unsteady voice, he defended himself, “I only did it because I was afraid His Highness would be heartbroken.”
“Ridiculous. Did your actions somehow prevent His Highness from grieving?”
Yu’er sank numbly onto a chair, his expression devastated.
“I did so much for His Majesty, yet he remembers none of my contributions. Because of this single matter, he actually wants me dead.”
“That is because what you did violated His Majesty’s greatest taboo. Any person or matter that threatens Young Master Xue will be eradicated without exception. Your mistake was not that you acted too boldly—it was that you overestimated your own importance.”
“Overestimated my own importance… Overestimated my own importance…” Yu’er repeated the words as he wandered through the room, laughing and crying at once.
Eunuch Tai’an gave one of the guards beside him a look. The guard immediately understood and walked toward Yu’er with the bottle of poison.
“There is no need. I will do it myself.”
Yu’er took the bottle, pulled out the stopper, and poured its contents down his throat in one swallow.
“Your Majesty, one day you will understand that Yu’er was the one who loved you most…”
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