Mo Xiu Yao rarely raised his voice in anger, but perhaps due to his personality, his voice always carried a faint trace of coldness. So when he truly darkened his expression, even the most casual statement carried an icy killing intent.

The woman standing beside Lei Zhen Ting suddenly raised her head, looking up in surprise at the snow-white-haired man above. She hadn’t expected Mo Xiu Yao to reject her so mercilessly. Although the heir of Cang Mang Mountain only descended to the mortal world once every sixty years, the significance behind this tradition and the centuries of complex relationships between Cang Mang Mountain and various nations demanded careful consideration from everyone. Originally, when Lei Zhen Ting proposed presenting her as a gift in public, she was already somewhat displeased. But she knew Lei Zhen Ting wasn’t speaking empty words – she had indeed arrived one step too late, as the Prince already had a Princess Consort.

Though she didn’t believe the Princess Consort was superior to herself, the decade of feelings between the Prince and his Princess wasn’t false. A man could have countless beauties but only needed one capable helper. With Ye Li already present, her advantages became less apparent. Even so, she was willing to accept the position of secondary consort, which she considered a major concession. She hadn’t expected Mo Xiu Yao to refuse even this. This was originally an offer no man would reject.

But on second thought, if he couldn’t refuse such an offer, wouldn’t the Prince be just as vulgar as most other men in the world?

“Your Highness, do you truly mean to reject me?” The white-robed woman stepped forward and asked.

Mo Xiu Yao gave a cold laugh. “This Prince isn’t rejecting you – This Prince orders you to get lost!”

The white-robed woman’s face paled. No matter how composed and confident she was, such humiliation in front of the world’s elite was difficult to bear. She looked at Mo Xiu Yao’s cold gaze, then at Ye Li sitting beside him, and asked, “Princess Consort, what do you say?”

Ye Li raised her eyes and asked with slight confusion, “What should this Princess say?”

The white-robed woman stared at her intently and said in a deep voice, “I’ve heard the Princess Consort is peerless in both talent and beauty and is the Prince’s capable assistant. Surely the Princess knows what’s best for the Prince and wouldn’t let unnecessary matters interfere with his greater affairs.”

Ye Li slightly furrowed her brows and asked softly, “Miss, do you truly want to know this Princess’s thoughts?”

The white-robed woman paused briefly, then nodded, “Of course.”

Ye Li spoke calmly, “From a woman’s perspective, this Princess only wants to tell you one word: leave. From a Princess Consort’s perspective, this Princess also wants to tell you: leave immediately. As a wife, one should naturally follow her husband’s lead, so this Princess still wants to tell you: go back to wherever you came from.”

“Well said!” Xu Qing Yan couldn’t help but loudly praise from the other side.

“You…” The white-robed woman’s expression changed, but she didn’t become furious. Instead, she quickly calmed down and looked at Ye Li and Mo Xiu Yao with composure, “It seems today isn’t the time to discuss matters. Perhaps we can talk again after you’ve both considered it carefully.” With that, she ignored the gazes of others in the hall and gracefully walked away, leaving behind a crowd of stunned onlookers.

Ye Li’s words had improved Mo Xiu Yao’s mood. Pulling Ye Li back to sit down, he coldly looked at Lei Zhen Ting and said, “King of the South, is this the gift you’re presenting?”

Lei Zhen Ting shrugged helplessly and said, “This King had no choice. The matter is done now, let the Prince handle it as he sees fit.” This time, Lei Zhen Ting was truly wronged. Regardless of whether this woman had the potential to help someone claim the world, just Cang Mang Mountain’s reputation and hidden influence were enough to make anyone covet them. Even if Lei Zhen Ting were foolish, he wouldn’t willingly give such a figure to his greatest enemy. But what could he do when Cang Mang Mountain was within his current jurisdiction and he couldn’t afford to offend its people? Of course, he wasn’t entirely free of the desire to see Mo Xiu Yao and Ye Li fall out, but that was merely a secondary consideration.

“Is the Prince truly not interested in Cang Mang Mountain’s heir?” Below, Ye Lu Ye asked with a sinister tone. Though the Northern Rong were foreign barbarians, they had been deeply influenced by Central Plains culture in recent years. Especially the royal family members, who were well-versed in many Central Plains legends. Though they didn’t fully believe the legends about Cang Mang Mountain, sometimes such legends could symbolize the Mandate of Heaven, and when used properly, might be no less effective than a million-strong army.

Mo Xiu Yao held Ye Li’s hand and said indifferently, “Whoever’s interested can try. This Prince has no such fortune.”

Hearing this, the crowd felt both jealous and admiring. Jealous that Mo Xiu Yao was so fortunate to have a legendary reclusive family’s heir personally offer herself yet still found her beneath his notice, and admiring that he would reject such an offer for his Princess Consort’s sake.

At the Xu family’s seating area, Xu Qing Bai frowned slightly and spoke quietly to Xu Qing Chen ahead, “Elder Brother, with Cang Mang Mountain’s people getting involved, things might become troublesome.”

Xu Qing Chen smiled elegantly and said softly, “Does Fourth Brother remember when Cang Mang Mountain’s people last caused trouble?”

Xu Qing Bai furrowed his brows in thought, “The last one was the King of South’s grandmother… it must be over sixty years ago. By rights, Cang Mang Mountain’s people should have appeared several years or even a decade earlier.”

Xu Qing Chen raised an eyebrow and said, “Cang Mang Mountain’s people do have some ability, otherwise they wouldn’t have produced several empress mothers in succession. However… that’s all there is to it. If they think too highly of themselves, our Xu family isn’t afraid of them.” His expression naturally exuded an otherworldly pride, clearly not considering the so-called legendary family worth much attention.

Seeing their eldest brother speak thus, the others’ expressions relaxed considerably. However, Xu Qing Yan asked curiously, “Elder Brother, did our ancestors ever marry anyone from Cang Mang Mountain?”

Xu Qing Ze gave him a cold look, “No one of unclear background has ever entered the Xu family. Go home and study the family records properly.” The Xu family’s wives didn’t need to be from high official families, nor did they need to be beautiful or talented. Only one thing was most important – a clear and righteous family background. Those who liked to be secretive could never enter the Xu family’s doors. And Cang Mang Mountain’s people, in pursuit of their supposed mystique, particularly enjoyed being secretive. Xu Qing Yan shrank his neck and hid behind Xu Qing Bai, traditionally afraid of this cold-faced second brother.

In front, Xu Hong Yu and Xu Hong Yan watched their nephews’ composed and calm behavior with satisfaction, nodding approvingly.

The recent small incident hadn’t affected the festive atmosphere in the square below, and the guests in the viewing tower quickly returned to their drinking and conversation, though many were notably distracted.

Ye Li sat beside Mo Xiu Yao, watching the guests below with slightly furrowed brows, feeling something was missing.

Mo Xiu Yao looked down at her frowning expression, asking with some concern, “A Li, what’s wrong? Did that woman upset you?”

Ye Li shook her head, looking at him teasingly, “Your Highness truly has good fortune, even legendary reclusive immortals throw themselves at you?”

Mo Xiu Yao picked up Mo Xiao Bao, who was sitting between them, holding both his hands to keep them from getting in the way. Only then did he sit beside Ye Li and say disdainfully, “What kind of beauty is she? Cang Mang Mountain must be in decline if they can’t produce a presentable woman.”

Ye Li smiled and raised an eyebrow, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with Mo Xiu Yao’s assessment. Though in terms of appearance, the white-robed woman was slightly inferior to Ye Li, the difference wasn’t great. However, she possessed a strangely captivating aura, different from Ye Li’s noble and graceful presence that commanded submission. It more easily stirred certain deep desires in men. In this aspect, even Su Zui Die and Noble Consort Liu at their peak beauty might not have compared. One only needed to look at the expressions of the hall full of guests earlier to see this.

Mo Xiu Yao frowned slightly and said, “That woman is strange. A Li, don’t get too close to her.”

Having seen countless beautiful women, how could Mo Xiu Yao not notice the white-robed woman’s bizarre attractiveness to others? Unfortunately, this attraction was almost ineffective on someone with Mo Xiu Yao’s strong will, and might even provoke disgust, backfiring completely.

Ye Li nodded with a smile, “I know. Why would Cang Mang Mountain’s people come down now… it’s been over seventy years since the last time, hasn’t it?”

Mo Xiu Yao sneered, “Ten years ago when the world’s situation was unclear, they couldn’t predict the future, so naturally they had to wait and see. Their claim of descending every sixty years is just a trick to fool people. When did any of the truly important times match up so precisely? When the Great Chu was founded, they happened to appear during the Crown Prince’s succession struggle – why didn’t they help the founding emperor conquer the world? And Lei Zhen Ting’s grandmother – they always choose their timing well.”

Ye Li suddenly understood. If Cang Mang Mountain’s heirs truly descended every sixty years so precisely, she would have to believe they could truly divine the future and choose rulers on Heaven’s behalf.

“Still, Cang Mang Mountain’s reputation is quite impressive.” Having the name of choosing rulers on Heaven’s behalf meant that whoever was chosen would be considered legitimate. No wonder the seated guests’ expressions had changed – this time, Ye Li believed it wasn’t Lei Zhen Ting’s scheme.

Mo Xiu Yao scoffed, “Choose rulers on Heaven’s behalf? No one can stop this Prince from taking what he wants. Why would this Prince need Cang Mang Mountain’s approval?”

Ye Li smiled gently, “This Princess knows our Prince has ambition. He absolutely won’t rely on marriage connections to seize the world.” Looking at her bright, smiling face, if they weren’t in public, Mo Xiu Yao would have pounced to steal a kiss.

“Mmph…” Mo Xiao Bao, who had been unable to move with both hands held, protested in displeasure, only to have Mo Xiu Yao mercilessly stuff his mouth with food. Unable to complain, Mo Xiao Bao could only blink his big eyes pitifully at his mother. Unfortunately, to Ye Li, this scene looked like a father feeding his son, albeit not very gently. Ye Li had always felt the constant rivalry between father and son wasn’t good, so she didn’t interfere with their bonding time.

“Is someone missing?” Ye Li stared below thoughtfully. She had felt something was missing earlier, but that white-robed woman from Cang Mang Mountain had come to cause trouble, preventing her from considering it further.

Mo Xiu Yao glanced down. With so many guests – over a thousand just in the viewing tower – it wasn’t easy to notice who was present or absent.

Mo Xiu Yao frowned slightly and thought for a moment before saying, “Mo Xiao Yun and Zhen Ning haven’t come.” Though these two had no real power, their significance was still quite important. After all, they were legitimate prince and princesses of Great Chu who had voluntarily surrendered the capital to the Prince’s mansion. No matter what, as long as these two didn’t commit unforgivable crimes like rebellion, the Prince’s mansion had to keep them well cared for.

Looking at those empty seats, a thought suddenly flashed through Ye Li’s mind and she turned sharply to look beside Ye Lu Ye, “Noble Consort Liu hasn’t arrived!”

Mo Xiu Yao was unconcerned, “Though she claims to be Ye Lu Ye’s future consort, until they’re officially married she’s not the Northern Rong Prince’s consort. Without any notable family background, it’s normal for her not to come.”

Ye Li shook her head, “With her arrogance and confidence, she wouldn’t think herself unqualified to attend.” Someone like Noble Consort Liu would probably still consider herself the world’s most noble and beautiful person even if trampled in the mud. How could she think herself unqualified to attend the birthday banquet? Frowning slightly, she asked, “If not that, where has she gone? Could it be related to Prince Chang Xing and Princess Zhen Ning?”

Mo Xiu Yao said, “Even if so, A Li needn’t worry about them. Mo Xiao Yun and Zhen Ning both have protection – even if something happens, it won’t be them.” Ye Li could only helplessly suppress her worry and wait for the banquet to end before investigating further.

By the time the banquet ended, it was nearly midnight. Ye Li and Mo Xiu Yao naturally took Mo Xiao Bao home first, leaving others to handle the remaining matters. However, just as they returned to the mansion, Zhuo Jing came to report, “Your Highness, Princess Consort, something’s happened at Princess Zhen Ning’s residence.” Ye Li and Mo Xiu Yao could only settle Mo Xiao Bao before following him to Prince Chang Xing’s mansion.

Arriving at Prince Chang Xing’s mansion, they realized Zhuo Jing hadn’t exaggerated – something truly had happened. Princess Zhen Ning sat distraught in the main hall, with a half-dried pool of blood beside her on the floor. The Princess had always been self-conscious about her appearance and never forgot to wear a veil in public, but now her hair was disheveled, her scarred face completely exposed. Not far away on the ground lay a woman in white, a golden hairpin piercing her abdomen, her white clothes completely stained with blood. Shen Yang and Mo Wu You, who had arrived at some unknown time, were crouched on the ground examining her. One look at the woman’s face confirmed it was Noble Consort Liu.

Sighing softly, Ye Li understood what had happened without asking. She looked toward Mo Xiao Yun standing to the side. His face was pale, his hands clenched tightly at his sides as he said in a deep voice, “Princess Consort, I acted rashly and injured the Northern Rong’s Seventh Prince Consort. Please punish me.” After years of upheaval, Mo Xiao Yun well understood the ways of the world. If Noble Consort Liu were truly the Northern Rong’s Seventh Prince Consort, her injury at their hands would certainly cause Ye Lu Ye to make trouble for the Prince’s mansion. The Prince’s mansion’s best way to settle the matter would naturally be to hand him over, conveniently eliminating this Great Chu prince – killing two birds with one stone.

Ye Li shook her head, pulling Mo Xiu Yao to sit down nearby before asking, “Master Shen, why are you here? How severe are her injuries?”

Shen Yang rolled his eyes irritably, “This old man was heading home after the banquet when this youngster dragged me here.” Mo Wu You looked up at Ye Li with a smile, “Master and I were passing by Prince Chang Xing’s mansion gate when we happened to meet the Prince. Don’t worry, Princess Consort – with Master’s superior medical skills, she should be fine.”

Shen Yang glared at Mo Wu You, “What do you mean ‘should be fine’? With an injury in such a location, what use is this old man’s medical skills?” Given the propriety between men and women, Shen Yang couldn’t treat an abdominal wound. Though a doctor should treat all patients as their children, Noble Consort Liu’s status made this particularly awkward. Mo Wu You wasn’t afraid of his glare, smiling sweetly, “Then Master, please guide your disciple – I can treat her instead?”

Shen Yang reluctantly glanced at the unconscious Noble Consort Liu before muttering some instructions to Mo Wu You, then leaving the treatment to him while sitting down to rest.

“It seems Wu You has learned well from Master Shen,” Ye Li said with a smile. Just from Shen Yang’s attitude toward Mo Wu You, it was clear he was quite satisfied with this disciple. Shen Yang said flatly, “Indeed, he has more talent than the Princess Consort.” Ye Li’s talent wasn’t poor, but medicine required focus and patience. As the Princess Consort, Ye Li was entangled in worldly affairs – how could she have so much time to study diligently, let alone inherit her teacher’s legacy? This had indeed disappointed Shen Yang and Doctor Lin quite a bit at the time.

Mo Xiao Yun stood listening to their conversation, vaguely understanding that Noble Consort Liu probably wouldn’t die for now, unsure whether to feel relieved or regretful. Looking at his sister sitting lost in thought nearby, Mo Xiao Yun carefully spoke up, “Uncle Prince, Princess Consort… about tonight’s events…”

Mo Xiu Yao raised an eyebrow, “You still want to claim you injured her?”

Mo Xiao Yun started, then nodded, “I acted in anger… Xiao Yun submits to Uncle Prince’s judgment.”

Mo Xiu Yao studied him with interest for a while before saying, “Unexpected… that Mo Jing Qi could have such a son – not bad. However… why did you use Princess Zhen Ning’s golden hairpin to kill that woman?”

“I… I just…”

“Brother.” Princess Zhen Ning, who had been lost in thought, suddenly raised her head, stopping Mo Xiao Yun. Looking directly at Mo Xiu Yao, she said calmly, “Uncle Prince, I did it. You don’t need to save her – if she dies, I’ll pay with my life!”

“Imperial Sister!” Mo Xiao Yun was somewhat exasperated. He no longer cared what happened to Noble Consort Liu. But this Imperial Sister, only two or three years older than himself, had cared for him since childhood. Even though she wasn’t particularly clever or capable, she still tried her best to care for her two brothers when they were neglected by their mother’ consort.

Mo Xiu Yao frowned in displeasure, saying, “Enough. She’s not yet the Northern Rong’s consort – even if she dies, Ye Lu Ye won’t demand your life in payment. Zhen Ning, tell this Prince – do you truly want her dead?” Princess Zhen Ning’s face was pale as she stared fiercely at the woman in white on the ground, her lips trembling but unable to speak for a long while. Mo Xiu Yao said carelessly, “If you truly want her dead, go over there and push that hairpin down further.”

Hearing his words, not only did Princess Zhen Ning tremble in fear, but Noble Consort Liu, who had been unconscious on the ground, suddenly opened her eyes wide, looking incredulously at Mo Xiu Yao sitting in the main seat. Noble Consort Liu had only been lightly unconscious from blood loss, able to hear some of what was being said around her. Suddenly hearing Mo Xiu Yao’s ruthless words, it was no wonder she awakened from her stupor.

Mo Wu You, who was trying to remove the hairpin, looked helplessly at Mo Xiu Yao, “Uncle Prince if you keep provoking her like this, she really won’t make it.” Princess Zhen Ning’s strike with the hairpin had shown no mercy – even the slightest further pressure would certainly kill Noble Consort Liu. That’s why they dared not move her and could only treat her where she lay.

Mo Xiu Yao said seriously, “This Prince isn’t joking.”

Mo Wu You thought silently, “I believe you’re not joking, but could you please not be so serious right now? Is it appropriate to incite a daughter to kill her mother?”

“Enough.” Ye Li glanced at Mo Xiu Yao to silence him, then turned to ask, “Wu You, is it very difficult?”

Mo Wu You hesitated before saying, “Not difficult. However…”

“Speak plainly,” Mo Xiu Yao said irritably. Being unable to return home to hold his precious daughter and embrace A Li for sleep made him very displeased. If not for Mo Xiao Yun and Zhen Ning still being useful, he would have simply had someone dump this woman somewhere. In Li City, Ye Lu Ye surely wouldn’t have the ability to find her.

Mo Wu You looked at Princess Zhen Ning and Mo Xiao Yun, frowning as he said, “The wound is in a rather unfortunate location, and additionally… it seems she miscarried about half a year ago. If we’re not careful, she may never be able to bear children again.” Since she was to be the future Northern Rong Prince’s consort, the ability to bear children was probably quite important.

Shen Yang raised his eyebrows, looking at Mo Wu You, “Disciple, your medical skills still need work.”

“Eh? Please instruct me, Master.” Hearing his master speak thus, Mo Wu You thought he had diagnosed incorrectly, disappointment flashing across his young face.

Shen Yang said, “How could this woman have miscarried just half a year ago? In the past two years, she’s miscarried at least three times. Don’t worry about removing it – what’s destined to never exist again needn’t concern you. Even without this injury, she would be in this state.” Looking at Noble Consort Liu, Shen Yang’s expression was full of disgust. He naturally knew her identity, but that wasn’t enough to make Shen Yang despise her. However, personally killing one’s unborn children was beyond Shen Yang’s tolerance. Shen Yang’s medical skills were unparalleled in the current age – he could even deduce what kind of abortion medicine Noble Consort Liu had taken. Only the pregnant woman herself would take such medicine that didn’t harm her own body and even had some special effects.

“Master Shen, you mean she…” Mo Xiao Yun stared at the woman on the ground, unable to finish his question.

“She used San Xiang Dan, and more than once.”

Mo Xiao Yun’s expression immediately became complex and indecipherable. Princess Zhen Ning, being a young woman, didn’t know what that was, but Mo Xiao Yun had been educated by the Liu family since childhood – Minister Liu hadn’t hidden such dark matters from him. San Xiang Dan was less an abortion medicine than a beauty enhancement divine product. However, someone had discovered it had particularly remarkable effects when used during pregnancy. A woman’s appearance inevitably declined during pregnancy, so such a miraculous medicine naturally attracted many. But soon it was discovered that women who took this medicine during pregnancy invariably miscarried – those who used less might still deliver stillborn babies. However, its beauty-enhancing effects were ten times stronger than usual. Many women even disregarded their unborn children for the sake of beauty, and the medicine gradually became prohibited.

A woman who had lost her husband, having three self-induced miscarriages in two years – Mo Xiao Yun truly couldn’t understand what his formerly high and mighty mother consort was doing. But looking at that exquisitely beautiful face, Mo Xiao Yun suddenly rushed outside to vomit.

Though Princess Zhen Ning didn’t know the full story, just the matter of Noble Consort Liu’s pregnancies and abortions was enough of a shock. Walking dazedly to Noble Consort Liu’s side, looking down at the beautiful woman on the ground, Princess Zhen Ning felt the hatred in her heart surge forth like a broken dam. “Worthless woman!”