Back at the manor, Ye Li couldn’t help but laugh and cry as she held the pitiful little dumpling and pleaded with Mo Xiu Yao on his behalf. While it was true that Mo Xiao Bao deeply missed his mother, he certainly hadn’t reached the point of being unable to do anything day or night due to longing. In fact, over these past few months away from Mo Xiu Yao’s pressure, Master Qing Yun had shown an extraordinary fondness for his great-grandson, completely different from the strictness he showed toward Xu Qing Chen and his brothers. This led to young Mo Xiao Bao becoming carried away like an unbridled horse, playing to his heart’s content. So much so that in his extreme joy, he forgot about the homework Mo Xiu Yao had assigned the night before, supposedly to be checked upon his return.

This time, Mo Xiu Yao hadn’t deliberately made things difficult for Mo Xiao Bao – he had assigned homework that was within his capabilities. But the problem lay in Mo Xiao Bao being too clever, and clever people tend to have more schemes than others. As a result, he procrastinated until suddenly realizing his father was about to return, having completed less than a third of his homework.

“Alright, going forward, you’ll redo your father’s assigned homework over ten days, understand?” Ye Li gently said as she stroked the dejected little one’s head. Ye Li didn’t think it was good to assign too much homework to someone as young as Mo Xiao Bao, but since it had been assigned, it had to be completed. They couldn’t let children develop cunning and opportunistic mindsets. Knowing he was in the wrong, Mo Xiao Bao carefully lifted his eyelids to look at Ye Li and said in a soft voice, “Mother, your child knows his mistake.”

Ye Li nodded and smiled, “A good child knows how to correct their mistakes.”

“Then… then can your child wait a few more days before going to accompany Grandfather?” Mo Xiao Bao asked hesitantly. Ye Li couldn’t help but smile gracefully and said, “Alright, we’ll go see Grandfather tomorrow, then tell him you’ll return to the academy in a few days. However, you can’t do this again in the future. When you study with your Grandfather, you need to understand the principle of persistence. You can’t neglect your studies for other things, understand?”

Mo Xiao Bao nodded obediently. Mo Xiu Yao, sitting to the side, looked at him with an ambiguous smile and said, “If you don’t understand, then you don’t need to study with your Grandfather anymore. How about Father King has your Grand Uncle taught you instead?” Mo Xiao Bao’s face immediately fell. Compared to his refined and graceful but somewhat intimidating Grand Uncle, he much preferred his kind and benevolent Grandfather.

Ye Li looked helplessly at the father and son pair, their antagonistic aura detectable from hundreds of meters away. “Xiu Yao, your wounds haven’t fully healed. Rest today and we can discuss anything else tomorrow.” Mo Xiu Yao’s expression softened as he nodded. Mo Xiao Bao’s eyes brightened as he blinked his big eyes at Ye Li, “Mother, Xiao Bao wants to sleep with Mother.”

Just as Ye Li was about to respond, Mo Xiu Yao had already unhesitatingly picked up Mo Xiao Bao and placed him on his own lap, looking down at him and saying, “Kid, you’re almost six years old and still want to sleep with A-Li. Do you want to be laughed to death?” Mo Xiao Bao was dissatisfied and argued, “Father King, you’re over thirty, why do you still sleep with Mother?!”

“Pfft…” Ye Li finally couldn’t help but laugh out loud. Seeing both big and small turn their gazes toward her, she quickly waved her hand and said with a smile, “It’s nothing… I still have some things to handle in my study, you two discuss slowly.” With that, she fled under their glares.

“I want to sleep with Mother,” Mo Xiao Bao stated firmly.

“A-Li is my wife, if you want company, go find your wife,” Mo Xiu Yao said.

“Mother is my mother, you go find your mother,” Mo Xiao Bao retorted with wide eyes.

Mo Xiu Yao’s mouth twitched, his expression fierce, “Only wives can sleep together. Those who sleep with their mothers are all useless little cowards.”

Mo Xiao Bao struggled with this, “Where’s my wife?”

Mo Xiu Yao replied composedly, “When you grow up, you can find one yourself.”

Outside the door, Ye Li listened to their nonsensical conversation and turned away with a black line on her face.

As soon as Ye Li and Mo Xiu Yao returned to Li City, various accumulated political matters came surging in. Although Xu Hong Yu was in charge, there were still many things that required Mo Xiu Yao’s personal attention. First and foremost were the large amounts of information about Ren Qi Ning sent from Da Chu, as well as the military exercises that had been in preparation since before Ye Li and Mo Xiu Yao left Li City.

In the study, Mo Xiu Yao raised his eyebrows as he stared at the thick pile of various documents and materials before him. The intelligence network under Prince Ding Manor was quite efficient – in less than a month, all sorts of information about Ren Qi Ning had been delivered to the study. Looking at the materials that had come up, even Mo Xiu Yao couldn’t help but marvel at how deeply Ren Qi Ning had hidden himself. Ren Qi Ning appeared to be a young man in his twenties, but in fact, he was the same age as Tan Ji Zhi, already thirty-seven or thirty-eight years old. For ordinary people, this age was no longer considered young, but for someone aspiring to conquer the world, he was still excessively young. After arriving at a certain tribe in North Jin at the age of twelve, this person hadn’t set foot in the Central Plains for over twenty years. During these twenty-plus years, he had gradually established himself in the Northern Border, step by step subduing various tribes of North Jin and effectively unifying the entire Northern Border. Without even Prince Ding Manor noticing, he had quietly built up the Northern Border into what it is today – a place already possessing over a hundred thousand elite troops. To put it bluntly, even if Ren Qi Ning couldn’t successfully restore his country, with his current strength, he was already capable of establishing himself as king in the Northern Border. Looking at it this way, Tan Ji Zhi, who was bouncing around happily between Da Chu and Nan Zhao, seemed more like a smoke screen that Ren Qi Ning had placed in front of people. Only, it was unknown whether this smoke screen was intentional or unintentional.

“Just now, Leng Hao Yu sent word. Mo Jing Qi is preparing to deploy troops to the Northern Border,” Xu Hong Yu said calmly.

“Deploy troops to the Northern Border?” Mo Xiu Yao furrowed his brows and turned to ask the military leaders like Lü Jin Xian who were sitting to the side, “Can the Chu army defeat the Northern Border’s troops?” Lü Jin Xian pondered for a moment before saying, “If we’re talking about national strength and military power, there’s no reason why the Chu army couldn’t defeat the Northern Border. However, in recent years, the Northern Border has been in turmoil, with various tribes waging war. Although the Northern Border only has over a hundred thousand troops, they can all be considered battle-hardened elite forces who have survived hundreds of battles. While Da Chu fought a war a few years ago, their combat record is truly worrisome.”

Feng Zhi Yao coldly smiled and said, “My Lord, what’s the point in caring whether he can achieve a great victory? Even if you were willing to send troops now to help him pacify North Jin, he wouldn’t dare let the Mo family army enter the passes. They still have most of their forces deployed along the Flying Hong Pass line.” Mo Xiu Yao smiled with rare good humor and said, “I’m just worried that Mo Jing Qi is too incompetent. If we let the Northern Border’s army breakthrough, it wouldn’t be good for us either.” If he were concerned about Da Chu’s safety, he wouldn’t have deliberately provoked Mo Jing Qi in An City. He just hoped the commanders under Mo Jing Qi wouldn’t disappoint him too much.

Xu Qing Chen thoughtfully said, “If nothing unexpected happens, within three months at most, there will be warfare on both the southern and northern fronts. What are your plans, My Lord?”

Mo Xiu Yao smiled and said, “Plans? Shouldn’t we be preparing for military exercises? With Xi Ling fighting Nan Zhao, and Da Chu fighting the Northern Border, we’ll just play by ourselves.” Everyone was speechless – playing by ourselves, my lord, you are in good spirits.

After discussing Ren Qi Ning’s matter, the topic naturally turned to the military exercises that had been in preparation for several months. This was undoubtedly a very fresh matter for both civil officials like Xu Hong Yu and military officers like Lü Jin Xian and Zhang Qi Lan. In this era, there were already occasional battles, so some people questioned how much real significance such so-called exercises had. But regardless, having prepared for several months, everyone was quite expectant. When Mo Xiu Yao inquired, Zhang Qi Lan immediately answered, “My Lord, please rest assured, everything has been prepared according to your and the Princess Consort’s instructions. The location has been set within a three-hundred-li radius centered on Hong Prefecture.” Mo Xiu Yao nodded and said, “The area is large enough, very good. Just prepare according to previous instructions.”

“Then, My Lord… when should we set the time?” Lü Jin Xian asked.

Mo Xiu Yao lazily lifted his eyelids and glanced at him sideways, asking, “Would an enemy tell you when they’re coming to launch a surprise attack? Just stay prepared.”

“Yes, this subordinate obeys the command.”

“Princess Consort, Princess Changle has arrived,” Zhuo Jing came in to report while Ye Li was sitting in her small study looking at documents. Ye Li was somewhat surprised – having just returned, there was a pile of things to handle and to be honest, she had somewhat forgotten about Princess Changle’s matter. Putting down her brush, Ye Li said, “Please invite her in.”

Soon after, Princess Changle stepped into the study. After two months without seeing her, the originally vivacious little princess seemed to have lost some weight, and her whole person seemed to have grown up quite a bit, only that her originally bright eyes had gained several traces of darkness and sorrow.

“Greetings to the Princess Consort of Ding,” Princess Changle curtseyed. Ye Li stepped forward to help her up, and looked her up and down before saying, “The Princess seems to have lost quite a bit of weight, have the people below not taken good care of you?” Princess Changle quickly shook her head and said, “The Princess Consort’s words are too heavy, the people of the Prince’s Manor have treated Wu You very well.” After returning to Li City with Feng Zhi Yao and others, Princess Changle abandoned her original princess title and used the childhood name given by the Empress. Therefore, except for Feng Zhi Yao, Zhuo Jing, and a few others who had gone to Nan Zhao, other people in the Prince Ding Manor all called her Miss Wu You, and even the surname Mo was no longer mentioned.

Looking at Princess Changle who had grown up so much at once, Ye Li sighed helplessly in her heart. She pulled Princess Changle to sit down beside her and said, “It’s good that you haven’t suffered any grievances. If there’s anything the people below haven’t handled well, feel free to tell me, or you can speak with Steward Mo, Zhuo Jing, and the others. Never wrongly endure anything, understand?” Princess Changle’s eyes reddened slightly as she looked gratefully at Ye Li and said, “Everyone has been extremely good to me, how could I suffer any grievances? I came today to bid farewell to the Princess Consort. I want… I want to move out to live elsewhere.”

Ye Li was stunned and slightly furrowed her brows, asking, “Why is this?” Princess Changle said, “I know everyone has been very good to me, but Wu You is ultimately an outsider. The Prince Ding Manor is different from other places, and living outside would be more free.” Ye Li smiled lightly and said, “Could it be that in this Manor, your Uncle Ding and I would restrict your freedom?”

“No… that’s not what I meant…” Princess Changle became somewhat flustered, seemingly not knowing how to explain it to Ye Li for a moment. Ye Li wasn’t unaware of her meaning – even if she and Mo Xiu Yao trusted Princess Changle, she was still Mo Jing Qi’s biological daughter. In the prince’s manor, she inevitably had to be careful with every step, and although there weren’t many people in the city who knew Princess Changle, there were still a few. If news of Princess Changle being in the Prince Ding Manor spread out, it might cause complications in the future. However, seeing such a young child of only thirteen or fourteen having to think about so many problems, Ye Li couldn’t help but feel sympathetic.

Perhaps understanding Ye Li’s thoughts, Princess Changle raised a bright smile and held Ye Li’s hand, saying, “Princess Consort, I know you mean well for me. But I’ve grown up now, and having left Mother Empress and Grandfather, I need to become an adult to set their minds at ease, right? It’s not like I have nothing – Mother Empress gave me enough silver to live a life of luxury, and when they left, they also left two trusted servants from the Hua family to take care of me. Besides, I’m in the Northwest – surely the Princess Consort won’t let anyone bully me, right?”

Ye Li smiled gracefully and reached out to stroke the young girl’s hair, saying, “You have grown up, but as a young woman, what are your plans for the future?”

Princess Changle tilted her head in thought, then looked at Ye Li with determination and said, “I want to study medicine. I know the Northwest doesn’t have restrictions on women as severe as Da Chu. After I’ve learned, perhaps I can open a clinic to treat people.” Ye Li looked at her with a smile and raised an eyebrow to ask, “Then who will you learn from? How will you find a master? You should know that nowadays, few doctors take girls as apprentices. Medicine isn’t something you can master just by reading a few books.”

Princess Changle said seriously, “I can dress as a man to become an apprentice at a clinic, or else… I can pay for a skilled doctor to teach me. Mother Empress said that if you want to learn, there’s always a way to learn something. Besides, it’s not like I know nothing – I can recite the Herbal Classic and recognize many medicinal herbs. That’s better than someone who knows nothing at all, right? It should make it easier for a master to accept me.”

Seeing that the young girl had truly made up her mind, Ye Li smiled at her and said softly, “Seeing how sincere you are, I’ll tell you a secret.”

Princess Changle blinked her eyes curiously at her, and Ye Li said quietly, “The Prince Ding Manor has two divine physicians.”

“Ah? Is it Divine Physician Shen who cured Uncle Ding? But I haven’t seen him for so long,” Princess Changle’s eyes brightened, then she added with some confusion. Ye Li smiled and said, “Master Shen and Master Lin found the manor boring and moved to the city to open a clinic. If you can get them to teach you, naturally you won’t need to worry about your medical skills.” Although Princess Changle didn’t know who Doctor Lin was, Shen Yang’s name was known throughout the world. Hearing Ye Li say this, she made up her mind and nodded, saying, “Thank you, Princess Consort. I know what to do now.”

Ye Li raised an eyebrow and smiled, “Master Shen and Doctor Lin may not necessarily accept you.”

Princess Changle said firmly, “I will work hard to convince Master Shen to accept me!” Ye Li didn’t try to persuade her further, sighing as she patted Princess Changle’s hand, saying, “Since you’ve made up your mind, I won’t say anything more. Later, I’ll have someone choose a suitable residence near the prince’s manor – you can’t refuse this. Things are still more convenient to arrange in Li City with the prince’s manor’s connections.” Princess Changle no longer refused, and though her clear eyes were slightly red, she still smiled and said, “Then thank you, Princess Consort.”

After chatting for a while, Princess Changle rose to take her leave. After seeing Princess Changle off, Ye Li pondered for a moment before summoning Zhuo Jing and asking, “How has the Third Young Master Feng been treating Princess Changle these days?” Zhuo Jing was stunned for a moment, and although he didn’t understand the Princess Consort’s meaning in asking this question, he still answered truthfully, “There hasn’t been much interaction either way. Princess Changle stays in the guest quarters and rarely meets with Third Young Master Feng.” Ye Li frowned slightly and after thinking for a moment asked, “Then… what about on the journey back?” Zhuo Jing said, “On the journey back… Third Young Master Feng seemed unwilling to approach Princess Changle. This servant remembers one time when we missed the town and had to rest in the wilderness, Lin Han asked Third Young Master Feng to send some food to Princess Changle, but in the end, Third Young Master Feng threw the items to me. However, Third Young Master Feng wasn’t discourteous to Princess Changle.”

Ye Li nodded and said, “I understand. Later, have Feng San come see me when he’s free.”

“This subordinate Feng San requests to see the Princess Consort.” In less than half an hour, Feng Zhi Yao appeared outside Ye Li’s study.

“Come in.”

Hearing Ye Li’s words, Feng Zhi Yao entered the study with a smile and said, “The Princess Consort has just returned and already summons this subordinate – truly it makes this subordinate feel extremely honored. What instructions does the Princess Consort have?”

Ye Li couldn’t be bothered with his frivolous smile. She put down the documents and lifted the teacup beside her, taking a sip before saying indifferently, “Princess Changle wants to move out of the prince’s manor.” Feng Zhi Yao was stunned, and before he could speak, he heard Ye Li continue, “I have already agreed.”

Feng Zhi Yao frowned, saying somewhat disapprovingly, “Why? Princess Consort, Princess Changle is still just a young girl, how can she live alone?” Ye Li smiled faintly and said, “A young girl? Princess Changle is already fourteen years old. Although Prince Ding Manor and the Da Chu royal family share the same origins, in terms of blood relations, we’re already beyond five generations of separation. Neither relative nor friend, how can she as a young woman continue to stay in the prince’s manor?”

Feng Zhi Yao stared steadily at Ye Li, clearly not believing her reasons. Ye Li didn’t mind and raised an eyebrow with a smile, saying, “Alright, actually, this princess feels that Third Young Master Feng seems to have some issues with Princess Changle. Since that’s the case, Princess Changle is just an insignificant young girl, while Third Young Master Feng is my lord’s trusted aide – naturally, this princess should consider your feelings first.” Feng Zhi Yao’s expression became somewhat unpleasant, “When did I ever have issues with Princess Changle…” Meeting Ye Li’s ambiguous smile, Feng Zhi Yao could only silently rub his nose and say, “Then the Princess Consort doesn’t need to make her move out. She’s still just a child after all.”

“I’ve said already, that she wants to move out herself. A girl living under others’ roof inevitably becomes sensitive. You’ve been passive-aggressive towards her the whole journey – can you blame her for feeling uncomfortable in the prince’s manor? You know she’s still a child, and if that’s the case, adult grievances have nothing to do with her. Not just you, I’m afraid everyone in the manor who knows her identity has some reservations about her.” Although they wouldn’t be discourteous, how could a girl as perceptive as she does not notice others’ attitudes toward her? No wonder Princess Changle came to bid farewell on just the second day after returning. But this couldn’t be blamed on anyone – who made her father Mo Jing Qi? Everyone knows it’s wrong to misdirect anger, but how many can avoid doing so?

“I know I was wrong in this matter. Princess Consort, please let her stay,” Feng Zhi Yao said.

Ye Li shook her head and said, “Princess Changle has already decided to apprentice herself to study medicine, and living outside would be more convenient. I called you here just to have you find a suitable residence for her and look after her somewhat when she’s out. There are many people and complicated matters in the prince’s manor – even if we give instructions, she might still suffer grievances.” Feng Zhi Yao was silent for a moment, feeling that what Ye Li said made sense, and nodded saying, “This subordinate understands, Princess Consort can rest assured.”