“Your Majesty is wise, thus Ye Li must thank Your Majesty on General Zhang’s behalf.”
Inside the main gate, Ye Li emerged, still dressed in white, walking gracefully. Standing on the steps outside the main gate, she looked down at the nobles with their varied expressions and Mo Jingqi with his slightly darkened face. Slowly walking up to Mo Jingqi, she curtsied slightly, “Princess Consort Ye Li respectfully welcomes Your Majesty.”
Mo Jingqi started, looking at the white-clad woman kneeling before him with complex emotions in his eyes. Yet his face showed no trace of hesitation, displaying instead a relieved smile as he said, “It is truly wonderful that Prince Ding’s Princess Consort is safe and sound, now We can give Prince Ding a proper account. Has the Princess Consort been frightened?”
Ye Li pressed her lips together in a faint smile and said, “It was indeed quite frightening, but the mansion’s guards were all personally arranged by the Prince. Ye Li believes that as long as they draw breath, they won’t let anyone harm Ye Li.”
“The Princess Consort speaks true. We servants swear to protect the Princess Consort with our lives,” Steward Mo said in a deep voice from the side.
“We swear to protect the Princess Consort with our lives!” the guards outside the main gate chorused.
Mo Jingqi’s face darkened slightly as he forced out a somewhat stiff smile, “The Prince Ding’s household is truly loyal and righteous, the Princess Consort and Prince Ding are blessed indeed. Convey Our decree: tonight all guards of the Prince Ding’s mansion shall be rewarded with ten taels of gold each.”
Ye Li smiled, “Thank you for Your Majesty’s grace. Would Your Majesty like to come inside?”
As Mo Jingqi was about to step forward, he noticed the blood seeping from inside the main gate. As the morning wind blew gently, the smell of blood wafting from inside the gate was even stronger than outside. One could imagine just how fierce the fighting inside the Prince’s mansion had been that night. Mo Jingqi’s expression stiffened as he smiled, “With Prince Ding not in the mansion, We and the officials shall not enter. The Princess Consort has been frightened today and should rest well to recover. Later, We shall have the Empress send some imperial physicians to examine the Princess Consort. We shall return to the palace now, as the morning court session will begin soon.”
Ye Li nodded, saying respectfully, “If that is so, Ye Li bids Your Majesty farewell.”
Mo Jingqi waved his hand and turned back to his imperial carriage. Soon, the imperial procession headed toward the palace surrounded by palace guards and nobles. Ye Li stood outside the main gate until the imperial carriage disappeared around the corner. Steward Mo stepped forward, “Princess Consort…”
Ye Li smiled faintly, “Let’s return to the mansion.”
Turning back into the mansion, Ye Li walked leisurely across the blood-stained garden corridor, coldly watching as corpses were carried away or still lay in the courtyard, finally returning to the study.
Xu Hongyan was still sitting in the study drinking tea just as when Ye Li had left, though now he held a half-read poetry collection. Only when he heard Ye Li enter did he put down the book and look her over, asking, “Everything settled?”
Ye Li smiled apologetically, “I’ve caused Uncle to worry.”
Xu Hongyan shook his head, “Our family can’t help you much nowadays. Was there much damage to the mansion?”
Ye Li sighed lightly, “Deaths and injuries were unavoidable, but everything is fine. Li’er will handle things properly, Uncle need not worry.”
Xu Hongyan said softly, “Tonight Uncle realized that Li’er handles matters much more steadily than your second brother and the others. Just handle these things as you see fit, Uncle won’t say more. If there’s anything our family can help with, just send someone to the Censor’s mansion to let us know.”
Ye Li nodded, saying quietly, “Li’er understands. I’ve caused Uncle concern.”
“Princess Consort.” Soon after, Feng Zhiyao and the others came in to report after handling matters outside. Ye Li nodded, inviting everyone to sit, and asked softly, “How were things handled?”
Feng Zhiyao smiled spiritedly, “Princess Consort need not worry, we’ve caught all the enemies in every location. Though General Sun hasn’t returned yet, surely the Princess Consort isn’t worried about Black Cloud Cavalry’s fighting ability?”
Ye Li smiled, “I trust General Sun and Black Cloud Cavalry’s abilities. Everyone, please report your situations.”
Zhang Qilan said in a clear voice, “Reporting to the Princess Consort, all assassins outside Prince Ding’s mansion have been captured. Those who stubbornly resisted were killed!” As a mighty military general, even a simple report carried an aura of killing intent.
“Reporting to the Princess Consort, all suspicious persons hiding in the capital have fallen into the secret guards’ control. Thirty-six who resisted have been executed,” Mo Hua reported solemnly.
Qin Feng stood with hands at his sides, saying coolly, “All assassins who entered Prince Ding’s mansion were killed without mercy.”
Mo Hua looked up at Qin Feng without speaking. Feng Zhiyao waved his fan and smiled, “It seems we caught all those bastards in one sweep tonight. We’ll be busy these next few days. Qin Feng, don’t fight me for them.”
Qin Feng didn’t even lift his eyelids as he said flatly, “This servant naturally follows the Princess Consort’s orders.”
Feng Zhiyao pouted, looking expectantly at Ye Li. Ye Li smiled faintly, “If Feng San is interested, you can go along with Qin Feng to take a look and provide them with some advice as well. After all, they’re still somewhat inexperienced in this area.”
Feng Zhiyao’s eyes lit up as he cupped his hands and smiled, “Thank you, Princess Consort.”
“Your servant Sun Yan requests to see the Princess Consort,” Sun Yan’s deep voice came from outside.
Ye Li smiled, “General Sun, please come in. We’ve been waiting for you.”
Sun Yan pushed open the door and entered, glancing at everyone present before cupping his hands to Ye Li and saying, “Princess Consort’s calculations were brilliant. Your servant had people guard all the major roads leaving the capital. At the fifth watch, we indeed encountered many suspicious people fleeing from the city. Twenty-six were killed on the spot, seven were captured alive. Awaiting the Princess Consort’s instructions.”
Ye Li rubbed her temples and said, “With so many prisoners, our Prince Ding’s mansion certainly can’t hold them all. Qin Feng, and Zhuo Jing, you should make your selections early. Those of no use can be sent to the Court of Judicial Review.”
Qin Feng and Zhuo Jing both nodded and turned to leave. Feng Zhiyao looked around at everyone and asked with a smile, “Princess Consort, what do you plan to do with Mu Qingcang?”
Except for Mo Hua who had been at the scene, Zhang Qilan and Sun Yan both started, “Mu Qingcang?” Though they were in the military, they had heard of Mu Qingcang’s title as Great Chu’s number one expert. Yet they hadn’t expected Mu Qingcang to fall into the Princess Consort’s hands.
Xu Hongyan frowned and asked, “Mu Qingcang, that illegitimate son of the Marquis of Muyang?”
Steward Mo smiled, “Indeed. Though little is known of Mu Qingcang’s family background, there are still a few families in the capital who know of it. He is the Marquis of Muyang’s eldest son, the older brother of the current heir Mu Yang.”
Zhang Qilan and Sun Yan were surprised again. They had only known of Mu Qingcang’s reputation as the number one expert but hadn’t known of this background. Though the Marquis of Muyang only had his sole son Mu Yang when he was over thirty, he could have a son as old as Mu Qingcang. However, whatever noble family secrets lay behind this were not for outsiders to know.
Xu Hongyan remained silent for a long while, finally letting out a long sigh as he stood up, “Li’er can decide these matters herself. This old man is tired and will retire to rest for a while.”
Ye Li nodded, quickly having someone escort Xu Hongyan back to his room. Watching Xu Hongyan leave, Feng Zhiyao asked somewhat puzzled, “What did Lord Xu mean by that?”
Ye Li said flatly, “Nothing. Uncle is just disappointed in some people and some things.”
With Uncle’s sharp mind, how could he not guess who was really behind Mu Qingcang?
Feng Zhiyao didn’t mind, smiling as he said, “Actually, I’m not interested in how the Princess Consort will deal with Mu Qingcang. What interests me more is who those people were who captured Mu Qingcang?”
At these words, all eyes in the study fell on Ye Li. Ye Li lowered her head and took a sip of clear tea, looking at the gradually brightening sky outside as she smiled faintly, “They are naturally people of Prince Ding’s mansion as well. As for who they are… I can’t tell you all yet, but I believe it won’t be long before the Prince himself will tell everyone.”
Zhang Qilan asked excitedly, “The Prince knows about these people?”
Ye Li raised an eyebrow in surprise and smiled, “The Prince is the master of the Prince Ding’s mansion, what people and things under the mansion’s control would the Prince not know about?”
Zhang Qilan realized his rashness and laughed heartily, “The Princess Consort’s pardon. What I meant was… since the Prince also knows about this force, can I perhaps request the Prince to assign such a force to the Mo family army in the future? With their addition, surely everything would be much faster.”
Ye Li raised her fine eyebrows, looking at Zhang Qilan’s face full of excitement and wild joy. She hadn’t expected that Zhang Qilan, who appeared to be a straightforward military man, would be so keen on battlefield and soldier quality. Ye Li didn’t discourage his enthusiasm, smiling faintly, “When the Prince returns, General Zhang can discuss it with him.”
With the addition of Feng Zhiyao, an expert in interrogation, the questioning of this batch of assassins progressed very quickly, though this was also related to the large number of captives and their diverse origins. On the morning of the third day after the chaos at Prince Ding’s mansion, thick dossiers appeared on Ye Li’s desk. Just a casual glance at the contents was enough to shock anyone. Those involved in this assassination attempt included various forces from Great Chu, Xiling, Northern Rong, and Southern Zhao. After reading it all, Ye Li couldn’t help but want to laugh bitterly. Over all these years, Prince Ding’s mansion had truly become a target of public criticism, with everyone in the world wishing to be rid of it. However, after this incident, presumably not many would dare to set their sights on Prince Ding’s mansion again. Ye Li turned her head to look outside the window, where flowers still bloomed brilliantly in the garden under the bright sunlight. Though it had only been two days, no trace remained of the bloodshed and horror from the previous days.
“Reporting to the Princess Consort, Mu Qingcang wishes to see the Princess Consort.”
Ye Li put down the dossier and raised an eyebrow with a smile, “He couldn’t hold out for even three days?”
Qin Feng frowned and said, “Mu Qingcang has been somewhat listless since we captured him. Following the Princess Consort’s orders, we didn’t torture him. It was his own decision to see the Princess Consort, and he refuses to say anything before seeing you.”
Ye Li waved her hand and smiled, “Torture would be useless on someone like Mu Qingcang, and might instead provoke hatred and desire in his heart. Go bring him here.”
Qin Feng disapprovingly said, “Princess Consort, bringing him to the study seems somewhat…”
“It’s fine, he can’t cause any trouble now. Go.”
Soon after, Mu Qingcang was brought into the study. In just three short days, he had transformed from that murderous black-clad assassin into a prisoner with disheveled hair and a haggard face. His eyes showed no trace of vitality or light when looking at Ye Li. Ye Li sighed inwardly – Mu Qingcang had indeed grown old.
“Leave us,” Ye Li said to Qin Feng who stood beside Mu Qingcang. Qin Feng’s gaze swept over Mu Qingcang like a blade before silently leaving. The study fell into silence for a long while before Mu Qingcang finally spoke, “I never expected the Prince Ding mansion’s people would truly willingly follow the orders of a mere teenage girl.”
Ye Li said calmly, “Whether I am in my teens or decades old, Master Mu should acknowledge my other identity – I am Prince Ding’s Princess Consort. That alone is enough to command their obedience.”
Mu Qingcang shook his head, “Princess Consort… a Princess Consort who can command the Black Cloud Cavalry and Mo family army is rare even in Great Chu’s history.”
Ye Li pressed her lips into a smile, “Master Mu flatters me.”
“What do you want to know?” Mu Qingcang asked directly.
Ye Li was equally frank, asking in return, “What does Master Mu wish to gain?”
Mu Qingcang’s expression was indifferent as he remained silent for a long while before asking, “I presume the Princess Consort knows my identity?”
Ye Li smiled as she gazed at the man before her who, though barely forty, already wore a weathered expression. She neither confirmed nor denied. Mu Qingcang didn’t mind, continuing to ask, “Has anyone inquired about me with the Princess Consort these past days?”
Ye Li lowered her eyes and smiled faintly, “Who does Master Mu hope has inquired about you? After committing the act of breaking into Prince Ding’s mansion at night to assassinate Princess Consort, does Master Mu think anyone in the capital would dare to be associated with you? To speak boldly, even the current Emperor wouldn’t dare acknowledge any connection with you at this moment.”
Mu Qingcang’s expression dimmed as he looked at Ye Li and said, “I presume the Princess Consort already knows my identity?”
Ye Li smiled without speaking. More certainty appeared in Mu Qingcang’s eyes as he said, “Worthy of being the Prince Ding’s Princess Consort. This one admires you.”
Ye Li shook her head, “No, I know nothing. I only hope for Prince Ding’s mansion and my family to be safe and sound. So what does Master Mu want?”
Mu Qingcang’s eyes were hollow and confused as he murmured, “What do I want…”
Ye Li lowered her gaze to look at her hands placed on the table, saying softly, “Since Master Mu wished to see me, surely there is something you wish to negotiate. So… there must be something Master Mu wants.”
After a long silence, Mu Qingcang raised his head to look at Ye Li and said, “The Princess Consort presumably knows my identity well. I want to know… what do I mean to them!”
Ye Li looked at him somewhat pitifully and said calmly, “Why must Master Mu do this? If you wish to break free from these matters, it’s not impossible. With your abilities, once you leave the capital’s people and affairs behind, wouldn’t you be as free as a bird in the sky?”
A flash of dimness and sorrow crossed Mu Qingcang’s eyes as he shook his head, “If I wanted to leave, couldn’t I have done so myself? Isn’t that right?”
“Have you decided?” Ye Li confirmed.
Mu Qingcang nodded firmly. Ye Li inclined her head slightly and said, “If that’s the case, would Master Mu first let this consort see what bargaining chips you have?”
Mu Qingcang replied, “I will certainly make the Princess Consort satisfied.”