After Mo Xiuyao spoke a few words of encouragement, he kept Qin Feng and Lin Han behind while dismissing everyone else. Once the group returned to the study and sat down, Ye Li turned to Lin Han and asked, “How was your journey to Northern Rong?” Lin Han respectfully answered, “Everything went smoothly, please rest assured, Princess Consort.” Ye Li nodded, then turned to Mo Xiuyao and asked, “About Princess Ronghua…” Mo Xiuyao said softly, “Though Princess Ronghua is somewhat willful, she’s not a fool. Don’t worry, A’Li, she won’t ruin things.” Ye Li nodded and sighed lightly, “That’s good, otherwise this trip would have been a great loss.” Qin Feng stood to the side listening to their conversation, remaining silent. The fact that the Princess Consort and Prince didn’t avoid speaking in front of him showed their trust in him. He had personally participated in training the first batch of Qilin unit members and was familiar with each one. He naturally knew very well which of the eight people Lin Han had taken out had returned and which hadn’t.
Mo Xiuyao smiled at Ye Li and said, “I hadn’t asked much about A’Li’s affairs before, but this Northern Rong trip made me realize that A’Li isn’t just capable of managing the manor and commanding on the battlefield – even your methods of training soldiers are quite excellent.” If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, even Mo Xiuyao would have found it hard to believe such troops and soldiers could exist in this world. Not because their martial arts were particularly outstanding, nor because they were especially good at warfare. Rather, it was their mastery of various battlefield skills that was shockingly precise and accurate. Mo Xiuyao even wondered how terrifying it would be if such an army truly appeared.
Ye Li glanced at him and said, “These training methods consume too much manpower and resources, and the requirements for the soldiers themselves are also very high. They’re not very practical for use on battlefields with thousands of troops – you could say the gains don’t justify the costs.” Although no one had been eliminated during this first round of training, that was because these people were already the elite of the elite, and many had already been eliminated during the selection process. More importantly, this was Ye Li’s first time training the kind of warriors she wanted in this era, and due to differences in equipment and combat styles between the two eras, this could only be considered an exploration. It was hard to say these people had truly met Ye Li’s requirements.
Mo Xiuyao watched Ye Li without blinking, smiling as he asked, “Does A’Li have any suggestions?”
Ye Li blinked, looking at Mo Xiuyao in silence for a long while. After some time, she finally said softly, “Give me some time to think about it.”
Mo Xiuyao didn’t mind – as long as the goal was achieved. If A’Li had no interest in these matters, he would have wanted her to simply be a leisurely Princess Consort of Dingguo. But since A’Li was both interested and capable, he wouldn’t obstruct her brilliance.
After dealing with Mo Xiuyao, Ye Li turned back to Qin Feng and said, “From today forward, you will be the commander of the Qilin unit. These people will be in your charge.”
Qin Feng nodded, “This subordinate will not fail Princess Consort’s trust.”
Ye Li nodded, “Very well then. Take good care of these people. Remember, you are not like those large-scale regular armies – you need not participate in head-on battlefield confrontations. Understand?”
Qin Feng raised an eyebrow slightly and said, “This subordinate doesn’t understand – we are not weaker than regular soldiers.” It was indeed frustrating to have learned such excellent skills yet be unable to charge into battle on the front lines. Was the Princess Consort only planning to use them as spies to gather intelligence? Thinking of this, Qin Feng felt somewhat dejected.
Ye Li raised her delicate eyebrows and said calmly, “You are indeed not weaker than regular soldiers. You’re many times stronger than them. But… can fifty of you match a hundred enemies when mixed into armies of thousands?” Qin Feng was speechless. In the chaos of battle, blades and swords were blind – it wasn’t as easy to determine strength and weakness as in training ground matches. Sometimes luck was equally important; staying alive made one strong. No matter how good your martial arts or how agile your movements are, a volley of arrows would still turn you into a porcupine.
Ye Li looked at him and said, “You cannot match a hundred enemies, but training each of you costs a hundred times more than regular soldiers. Therefore, the battlefields you face must also be different from theirs. Perhaps lacking the magnificent spectacle of the front lines, but certainly more shocking. Small-scale, high-intensity combat is what you should be doing. As I said before – tracking and infiltration, reconnaissance behind enemy lines, hostage rescue, harassment and sabotage, intelligence gathering, kidnapping and assassination, and so on – everything regular soldiers cannot do, you must be able to do. These are your tasks, understand?”
Qin Feng pondered for a moment, then nodded, “This subordinate understands.”
“Good that you understand. After returning to the capital, begin the second special training immediately. I will give you the training methods and subjects later. You will be fully in charge this time. I require that within five years, the Qilin unit must reach one thousand people.”
Qin Feng was overjoyed – although his subordinates were all elite soldiers, having only fifty people did seem rather modest. Qin Feng imagined himself leading an elite force of over a thousand people – that feeling wouldn’t be much different from commanding armies of thousands. He immediately responded loudly, “This subordinate accepts the command and guarantees to complete the mission!”
“Very good, you may withdraw.”
After dismissing Qin Feng and Lin Han, Mo Xiuyao smiled at the spirited Ye Li and said, “Now I understand why A’Li looks down on the Dingguo Manor’s secret guards. Compared to A’Li’s people, the secret guards are far too inferior. I’m also starting to look forward to the day when this force A’Li speaks of comes to fruition.”
Ye Li glanced at him and said, “Don’t speak nonsense, Your Highness. I’ve never looked down on the secret guards.” Many among the secret guards had exceptional abilities – at most, she just felt the Prince’s Manor was somewhat wasting talent in how they used them.
Mo Xiuyao lowered his eyes in thought for a moment and said, “Since A’Li intends to expand the Qilin unit, after returning to the capital, let all the secret guards participate in the Qilin special training. From now on, the Dingguo Prince’s Manor will abolish the secret guard system.”
“Is that alright?” Ye Li was also worried about Mo Xiuyao’s rapid decision, especially thinking of a certain peculiar secret guard commander. Upon learning of Mo Xiuyao’s decision, Mo Hua would probably want to eat her alive.
Mo Xiuyao smiled as he played with her hair and said, “What’s not alright about it? If there’s a more advantageous method, why not use it?” Ye Li asked, “Aren’t the secret guards specifically meant to protect the Dingguo Manor’s masters?” Mo Xiuyao smiled, “Didn’t you say protection was also one of the Qilin unit’s tasks? Besides, they did very well in Northern Rong this time.” Indeed they did very well – the people Ye Li had trained could fight and kill, could speak and reason, could act and play fool, could disguise themselves and use poison, could gather intelligence – there was nothing they couldn’t do. Ye Li looked at him somewhat speechlessly, realizing this had been his intention all along.
“Your Highness is quite calculating,” Ye Li shot him an exasperated glance. To Mo Xiuyao, however, this glance appeared as a flirtatious, charming pout. His heart stirred, and he reached out to pull her into his embrace, lowering his head to kiss her.
Their tongues intertwined as Ye Li was kissed until she could barely breathe. Mo Xiuyao’s large hands roaming everywhere made her face flush and her body grows weak. Since returning from Northern Rong, Mo Xiuyao has changed quite a bit compared to before. While these changes mostly made Ye Li happy, sometimes she couldn’t quite handle them. “Mmph… you bastard Mo Xiuyao, won’t you… die if you don’t…?” Mo Xiuyao chuckled softly, his cool lips moving along her delicate neck, breathing out warm breaths that made Ye Li’s face grow even redder. Bastard Mo Xiuyao! Ye Li’s clear eyes narrowed as she raised her hand to strike him, but Mo Xiuyao seemed to have anticipated this move. He caught her raised hand in his, holding it and caressing it gently as he asked, “A’Li, wouldn’t it pain your heart to hurt me?”
Ye Li rolled her eyes heavenward, then raised her hand to feel Mo Xiuyao’s forehead. Mo Xiuyao looked at her with raised eyebrows, showing his confusion. Ye Li said flatly, “No fever… yet you’re dreaming in broad daylight.” Hearing this, Mo Xiuyao froze for a moment before bursting into laughter with his head on Ye Li’s shoulder. After a while, he finally raised his head and said softly, “A’Li is so heartless. Even if A’Li doesn’t care about hurting me, your husband would still worry about A’Li’s hand hurting.” Ye Li felt helpless, quite unaccustomed to Mo Xiuyao’s sudden mushiness. Before, Mo Xiuyao would occasionally joke with her, using terms like “wife” and “your husband,” but since returning this time, Mo Xiuyao had become more fond of keeping her by his side.
Sitting in Mo Xiuyao’s embrace, Ye Li asked softly, “Xiuyao, what’s wrong?” Mo Xiuyao started, then smiled, “What do you mean what’s wrong? Does A’Li dislike your husband?”
Ye Li looked at him with a serene expression, and the smile gradually faded from Mo Xiuyao’s face. Drawing her back into his embrace, he took a deep breath before saying, “A’Li, I’m a bit afraid…”
Ye Li’s heart trembled. Though Mo Xiuyao typically appeared refined and elegant, Ye Li knew very well what a proud man he was. If he wasn’t truly unable to bear it, he would never show his vulnerability before anyone. No, even if he truly couldn’t bear it, he wouldn’t show it before others.
“What’s wrong?”
“When I heard in Northern Rong about the bloody battle at the Dingguo Prince’s Manor in the capital… when I learned that you had to navigate between Mo Jingqi and those greedy officials while also leading troops into battle. I regretted… regretted…” He regretted agreeing to Mo Jingqi’s request to go to Northern Rong – if he had insisted on not going, Mo Jingqi wouldn’t have dared force him. He even… regretted not killing those people earlier. Every time he thought about potentially losing her, the fear and killing intent that erupted from his heart made him want to destroy everything and everyone in sight. “A’Li… thank goodness you’re safe…”
Ye Li had never considered herself a soft-hearted person, but now her heart had melted like cotton. This strong man had become so vulnerable and fearful because of her – Ye Li had never been more clear about this realization than at this moment. Gently wrapping her arms around his shoulders, Ye Li’s voice was soft but firm, “It won’t happen. As long as I live, I’ll always be by your side.”
Mo Xiuyao lowered his head, pressing his forehead against hers, “Really?” Ye Li said, “As long as you don’t leave, I won’t abandon you.” This was the most sincere vow she could speak – Ye Li had long understood that Mo Xiuyao had already done more than enough for her. She understood even more clearly that she couldn’t bear to see this man suffer.
“Never leave, never abandon…” Mo Xiuyao murmured – he liked these words. The thought of spending a lifetime with A’Li, never leaving or abandoning each other, filled him with joy from the bottom of his heart. Anyone who dared obstruct them would pay the price they deserved!