Back in Jiangxia City, Ye Li waved her hand for people to take the Prince of Zhengnan and his men away, then led the Southern Marquis’s heir to meet his anxiously waiting father. Seeing his son return covered in injuries, the Southern Marquis was both overjoyed and heartbroken, examining his son up and down while asking about his wounds. The Southern Marquis’s heir, perhaps not expecting to ever see his parents and family again in this life, also grew teary-eyed. Breaking free from his father’s grasp, he knelt and said softly, “Son has brought shame to Father.”
The Southern Marquis pulled him up, tears streaming down his face as he said, “Foolish child, what are you saying such things for when you’ve returned safely? You’re back, that’s all that matters…” After the initial joy, the Southern Marquis remembered that Ye Li and others were still present. He quickly wiped his tears and pulled his son along, saying, “Your safe return is all thanks to the Princess Consort. Quickly thank her for saving your life.” The Southern Marquis’s heir bowed and said, “Thank you, Princess Consort, for saving my life.”
Ye Li smiled faintly and said, “Brother-in-law, no need for formalities. We’re family, why speak as strangers? Are you alright? Did the Xiling people harm you?” Father and son exchanged glances, and the Southern Marquis’s heir shook his head with a smile, “Just minor injuries. Thank you… Third Sister, for your concern. If you need anything in the future, just say the word. The Southern Marquis’s household will provide full support.” Ye Li smiled and thanked him, knowing in her heart that even if the Southern Marquis’s household couldn’t become an ally of the Prince’s mansion, they would not become enemies.
This time, Lei Tengfeng didn’t try any more tricks. Five days later, at the same time and place, he delivered the fifty thousand dan of provisions and five hundred thousand taels of silver to Ye Li. Ye Li kept her promise and released the Prince of Zhengnan. Upon returning to the Xiling camp, the Prince of Zhengnan turned back to look deeply at Ye Li and said, “I was too arrogant. The Princess Consort wins this round. We have a long future ahead of us.”
Ye Li smiled charmingly and replied, “Your Highness jests. How could I dare claim victory over you? It was merely luck.” The Prince of Zhengnan’s face darkened slightly before he turned and left. Neither proud in victory nor discouraged in defeat – the Princess Consort, though a mere woman, had easily won a large amount of provisions and silver from Xiling, yet showed not the slightest trace of arrogance. Indeed, she was incomparable to ordinary women.
Ye Li watched the Prince of Zhengnan’s figure disappear into the Xiling army, then turned to Feng Zhiyao beside her and said, “Pass down the order: full military alert.”
“?” Feng Zhiyao raised an eyebrow in confusion. Ye Li said calmly, “After such a great loss, how could the Prince of Zhengnan not seek revenge?”
“Report to the Princess Consort: Xinyang has been recaptured by our army!” A soldier came rushing in with joy on his face.
Ye Li started, saying, “What did you say?” The soldier raised his head and announced loudly, “News just arrived from the front – His Highness led one hundred thousand troops from the north, defeated the Xiling Northern Army, and recaptured Xinyang last night!”
“Xiuyao is back?!”
“His Highness has returned!”
Ye Li and Feng Zhiyao exchanged glances, both seeing wild joy in each other’s eyes. Ye Li collected herself and called out, “Back to the city!”
Shortly after returning to the city, news came that the Xiling army was withdrawing. Everyone climbed the city wall and indeed saw the various Xiling forces retreating into the distance. Yun Ting was filled with vigor and quickly requested permission from Ye Li, “Princess Consort, I request to lead men in pursuit of the Xiling army.” General Yuan Pei stepped forward and said, “We must not. Princess Consort, although the Xiling army is withdrawing, they haven’t been defeated and show no signs of disorder. They’re likely just worried about Xinyang and fear we might trap them from both sides. If we rashly pursue now, we might fall into Xiling’s trap instead.” Ye Li nodded and said, “General Yuan Pei is right. Let them go. Pass down the order: all forces maintain alert and await His Highness’s return.”
“Yes!” Mo Xiuyao seemed to have become the faith of the entire Mo Family Army, or rather, each generation’s Prince of Ding was the Mo Family Army’s faith. Upon hearing he would soon return, everyone’s faces lit up with joyful and confident smiles. Ye Li hadn’t expected Mo Xiuyao to return to Great Chu so quietly and swiftly break through the Xiling Northern Army’s blockade to recapture Xinyang City. This development greatly reduced the disadvantage Great Chu had been facing due to time constraints. Ye Li, who had been tense all these days, also felt slightly relieved.
Although they knew Mo Xiuyao had reached Xinyang, actually meeting him didn’t happen until several days later. Xinyang had been massacred by Xiling until it was almost an empty city. Even with the Prince of Zhengnan’s restraint, the surrounding civilians couldn’t avoid the Xiling army’s ravages. As soon as Mo Xiuyao arrived in Xinyang, he was constantly busy, only managing to send Ye Li a letter asking her to temporarily hand over military affairs to Lu Jinxian and Yuan Pei before meeting him in Xinyang. Ye Li’s affairs were equally mountainous, and it wasn’t until several days later, after properly handing over matters to Lu Jinxian and Yuan Pei, that she reached Xinyang.
“Ah Li…”
Hearing this deep call, Ye Li’s eyes unconsciously welled up with tears. Though they had been separated for months, she hadn’t fully realized how much she missed that deep, pleasant voice until she heard it now. Forgetting everything else, she flew into the embrace that was already open and waiting for her. Fortunately, everyone present was perceptive enough to withdraw, not wanting to disturb the Prince and Princess Consort’s reunion after their long separation. Otherwise, when Ye Li came to her senses, she would surely have realized her usually calm and elegant image had completely disappeared.
“Ah Li… Ah Li…” Mo Xiuyao held her tightly in his arms, calling her name over and over as if wanting to meld her into his very bones. Ye Li raised her head to look at the handsome but somewhat weathered and thin face of the man above her, softly murmuring, “Xiuyao…” Mo Xiuyao’s eyes darkened slightly as he reached out to touch the beautiful, delicate face of the person in his arms, then lowered his head to firmly kiss those enchanting lips. “Ah Li…” Ye Li unconsciously raised her hands to gently encircle his shoulders, her lips parting to engage in their passionate kiss. Sensing her initiative, the dark gleam in Mo Xiuyao’s eyes intensified. He held her tightly against him, and after one deep kiss, he swept her up in his arms and carried her into the room.
Inside the chamber, clothes lay scattered on the floor. Behind the layers of curtains on the large bed, two intertwined figures embraced each other passionately…
“Ah Li…” Ye Li opened her eyes to find Mo Xiuyao’s handsome, smiling face and eyes filled with warm tenderness looking down at her. The earlier events flashed through her mind like movie scenes, causing her just-awakened face to flush red again. Looking down at her smooth shoulders covered in intimate marks, she bit her lip and glared at Mo Xiuyao. Mo Xiuyao chuckled softly, lowering his head to inhale the fresh fragrance of her hair as he said quietly, “After several months apart, I missed you terribly.” Seeing his eyes full of tenderness, Ye Li’s heart softened, and she asked softly, “Was your journey to the Northern Rong alright?”
Mo Xiuyao looked at her, placed a kiss on her forehead, and said, “Nothing major happened, just some minor matters that delayed the journey. I’m sorry you had to work so hard during this time.”
Just as Ye Li was about to sit up and tell him about everything that had happened during this period, Mo Xiuyao seemed to guess her intention and pressed her back down, saying, “No rush to discuss these matters. You should rest a bit more first.”
Ye Li looked at him somewhat strangely and said, “I’m not tired.” She generally didn’t have the habit of sleeping during the day, and these past few days the Xiling army had been quite peaceful, leaving her with only some effortless paperwork to handle. Mo Xiuyao raised his eyebrows, showing a somewhat peculiar smile, “Not tired? Well then… shall we go another round?” Before Ye Li could react, he pressed himself against her again, lowering his head to trail kisses along her jade-like skin while his large hand began to boldly explore her enchanting figure.
“Mo Xiuyao! You…” Ye Li froze for a moment before recovering and growling softly. Before she could voice her protest, it was sealed by his kiss. “Mmph… you rascal…”
“Ah Li… Ah Li… I missed you so much…”
Ye Li sighed inwardly before being swept up into another wave of passion.
In the study, Mo Xiuyao entered wearing white robes. Those who had been waiting quickly came forward to pay their respects. Feng Zhiyao raised his eyebrows and smiled meaningfully at Mo Xiuyao. Mo Xiuyao gave him a calm glance, and Feng Zhiyao very perceptively used his fan to cover his mouth, indicating he wouldn’t say anything unnecessary. Mo Xiuyao sat down on a nearby couch and said, “Thank you all for your hard work these past days.”
The Southern Marquis quickly rose and said, “Your Highness is too kind. We are ashamed of losing Xinyang. If Your Highness hadn’t recaptured it in time, we would have no face to meet the common people of Great Chu. The army seal is here, please examine it.” With his son’s safe return, the Southern Marquis had shed his sickly appearance of recent days, and his health had improved considerably. He took out the army seal from his sleeve and handed it to Mo Xiuyao with both hands.
Mo Xiuyao accepted the seal without demur, casually placing it aside. In truth, this seal bestowed by the Emperor held no real meaning for the Mo Family Army, but the Southern Marquis’s gesture was meant to tell everyone that from now on, all military matters would defer to the Prince of Ding, and Mo Xiuyao naturally wouldn’t reject the Southern Marquis’s goodwill. Although he had been far away in the Northern Rong and then constantly on the march, he was fully aware of everything that had happened in the capital, Xinyang, and Jiangxia. He also understood why the usually neutral Southern Marquis was taking this stance now.
“This humble official was incompetent, leading to the loss of Xinyang and the massacre of civilians. I request Your Highness to punish me.” Leng Qingyu came forward and knelt to request punishment. He still appeared thin and pale, but his spirit was much better than his previous dejection.
Mo Xiuyao looked at him with slightly furrowed brows, and after a while said, “General Leng is an army commander personally appointed by the Emperor. I have no authority to punish you. I’ll have someone escort you back to the capital, and you can request punishment from the Emperor yourself.” Leng Qingyu lowered his eyes in silence, and everyone in the study remained quiet. The Prince of Ding had the authority to command all military leaders across the land – not just a young general like Leng Qingyu, even famous veteran generals wouldn’t dare say a word if he chose to punish them. The Prince speaking this way merely showed he was treating Leng Qingyu as an outsider. Given the Emperor’s temperament, Leng Qingyu would have no easy days once he returned to the capital.
Leng Qingyu gritted his teeth and finally said firmly, “I beg Your Highness to take me in. I would rather serve as a common soldier, as long as I can help defeat the Xiling forces and wash away this shame. After returning to the capital, I am willing to atone for my death!”
Mo Xiuyao gazed at him calmly, and after a while said indifferently, “If that’s the case, I’ll grant your wish.”