The Xinyang City Governor’s Mansion now served as the temporary headquarters for Mo’s army. All the main generals of Mo’s army, including Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao, were temporarily residing here. After that bloody massacre, barely one in ten of Xinyang City’s original population of several hundred thousand remained. The entire city was now almost entirely military personnel and under military administration. The broad streets had no passing pedestrians, no enthusiastic vendors calling out their wares – only neat, solemn soldiers coming and going. Even the rare civilians who passed by had faces full of grief and numbness.
Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao walked along Xuanwu Street, Xinyang’s largest thoroughfare, sighing at the empty streets. Mo Xiuyao looked down at her dejected expression and wordlessly reached out to hold her hand. Ye Li looked up, giving him a slight smile, “I’m fine, just feeling a bit lost seeing the Northwest’s greatest city become so empty.” Mo Xiuyao said softly, “Once this war ends, it will prosper again in a few years.” Ye Li shook her head, “No matter how prosperous it becomes, those people won’t be the ones who originally lived in this city.” A shadow passed through Mo Xiuyao’s eyes, “In war, civilian casualties and deaths are inevitable.”
“Yes… one general’s success is built on ten thousand bones…” Ye Li sighed softly.
“One general’s success is built on ten thousand bones…” Mo Xiuyao pondered. The Mo family’s ancestors had achieved glorious military feats that shook the world, but wasn’t the Mo army’s illustrious reputation built upon countless lives? xPrince Ding’s manor had always claimed to protect Da Chu’s civilians, but had any of them, including himself, truly grieved or felt uneasy about the innocent civilians who died in the war? Ye Li walked ahead, looking back at Mo Xiuyao with a faint smile, her eyes holding a nostalgia he had never seen before, saying softly, “Do you know? Someone once told me that a soldier must protect the country and guard the people’s peace. And a soldier’s greatest shame is letting the civilians they protect experience real war at their doorstep.” Mo Xiuyao remained silent, the nostalgic look in his A’Li’s eyes seemed ethereal and distant, yet beautiful enough to make his heart ache. He suddenly felt panicked, wanting to grab hold of the person before him, as if she might disappear the next moment if he didn’t. So, following his heart, he reached out and pulled her into his embrace, his distinguished chin resting on her head as he said deeply, “This incident is indeed the Mo army’s shame.”
Ye Li laughed softly, shaking her head, “That’s not what I meant. Just consider it my nonsense. This incident… it’s not your fault.”
Mo Xiuyao said gently, “It’s even less your fault, A’Li. You did your best.”
Ye Li nodded, just about to straighten up and step out of Mo Xiuyao’s embrace when a melodious voice filled with joy and subtle reproach came from behind, “Xiuyao, you’re here?” They turned around to see the stunning beauty standing not far away, looking at Mo Xiuyao with delight. Ye Li sighed inwardly – Su Meidie wasn’t just a woman of exceptional beauty, but also one who knew how to use her advantages well. With Xinyang City’s businesses in decline, this guest who wasn’t favored by the Prince and Princess Consort naturally had no one specially preparing fine clothes and ornaments for her. Yet look at the woman before them – wearing only the plainest white clothes, she managed to appear like a heavenly fairy descended to the mortal world. Her black hair hung loose, tied casually with just a white silk ribbon. Though Su Meidie was already twenty-five, standing gracefully in the middle of the street, she looked barely two years older than the fifteen or sixteen-year-old Ye Li.
“What are you doing here?” Mo Xiuyao frowned slightly, looking at her indifferently.
Su Meidie’s hands, hidden in her sleeves, clenched tightly. She shook her head slightly and gazed at Mo Xiuyao sorrowfully, “You don’t want to see me?” Mo Xiuyao’s expression remained unchanged as he stared at her sharply and said in a deep voice, “This Prince asked what you’re doing here?”
Su Meidie froze, letting out a bitter laugh as she looked at him reproachfully, “I understand now, you do still hate me, still blaming me for leaving you alone back then, right? But… I had no choice, why can’t you forgive me? You’re still guarding against me like an enemy – am I not even allowed to come out for some fresh air? If you hate me so much, why not just kill me?” Mo Xiuyao frowned and, ignoring Su Meidie, called out to the empty street, “Come!”
Two shadows quickly appeared at the street corner, respectfully awaiting orders. Mo Xiuyao pointed at Su Meidie, who was covering her face and crying and said coldly, “Take her back. If this Prince sees her out again, you’ll face punishment yourselves.”
“We obey!” the two responded in unison.
Su Meidie looked at Mo Xiuyao in shock, saying disbelievingly, “You’re going to confine me? Xiuyao, how cruel… my grandfather won’t allow you to treat me like this!”
Mo Xiuyao said flatly, “You want Su Elder to know you’re still alive?”
Su Meidie was instantly speechless. With her grandfather’s temperament, if he knew what she’d done these years, he would kill her! Glancing at Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li’s still-clasped hands, though unwilling, Su Meidie had no choice but to return with the two guards. Being forcibly escorted back would be even more humiliating.
Ye Li smiled as she watched the hateful glance Su Meidie cast their way before leaving, shrugging indifferently. No matter how stunning a beauty, one gets used to it after seeing it often enough. She had always believed that true beauty should be just right – being too beautiful… sometimes that’s a flaw too.
After accompanying Mo Xiuyao to inspect the city’s defenses and comfort the surviving civilians, they returned to the Governor’s Mansion. As soon as they entered, Feng Zhiyao asked Mo Xiuyao to join him, while Ye Li returned to her study to handle matters requiring her attention.
On her desk were various documents and memorials organized by Zhuo Jing and Lin Han. Seeing Ye Li enter, the busy Lin Han and Zhuo Jing quickly rose to bow, but Ye Li waved for them not to stand in the ceremony. Only then did they sit back down to focus on their documents? After two months of training, Zhuo Jing and Lin Han met Ye Li’s requirements for assistants. Especially Zhuo Jing, who had spent more time by Ye Li’s side than Lin Han and could better understand her intentions – often needing no words, just a gesture or raised hand for Zhuo Jing to understand what she needed. This freed Ye Li from daily tedious work, needing only to attend to more important matters requiring her decision.
“Any news from Dark Two?” Ye Li asked as she sat down, picking up documents needing her attention.
Lin Han stood to present a memorial, saying, “This arrived early, sent by fast horse from Dark Two.” Ye Li took it and opened it to find dense writing covering the pages. The content was all related to Su Meidie, including her current status and position in Western Ling, and all information about her family, the Western Ling Bai clan. There were also many details about Su Meidie’s affairs in the palace and her relationships with the Western Ling Emperor, consorts, and princesses. Reading further, Ye Li marveled inwardly – not only was Su Meidie the Western Ling Emperor’s favored consort, but she reportedly had an ambiguous relationship with the Southern Marquis. Su Meidie had a terrible relationship with Empress Bai and had nearly been killed by her several times, only surviving thanks to the Southern Marquis’s help. The Southern Marquis had even directly suppressed Empress Bai, who was now little more than a puppet in the Western Ling palace, with Su Meidie practically ruling the harem. Ye Li was puzzled – why would Su Meidie, who practically dominated the harem, travel back to Da Chu? Wasn’t she afraid Mo Xiuyao might still hold a grudge about the past and kill her with one sword stroke? Or was she just too confident in her beauty, certain that Mo Xiuyao would fall at her feet?
After finishing what read more like an unofficial history of Su Meidie’s life, Ye Li twisted her mouth somewhat boredly and said, “Send this to His Highness when you have time.”
Lin Han nodded, setting aside the memorial to deliver to the Prince after finishing his current tasks.
“Meidie requests to see Third Miss Ye.” Su Meidie’s gentle voice came from outside. Ye Li frowned, thought for a moment, and said, “Noble Consort Bai may enter.”
Outside, Su Meidie’s pretty face flashed anger as she glanced at the two guards, raising an eyebrow to say, “Now can I go in?” Unfortunately, the beauty’s angry charm had no more effect on the loyal guards than if they were stone statues. They respectfully said, “The Princess Consort invites Noble Consort Bai to enter.”
The title “Noble Consort Bai” made her both angry and embarrassed. Everyone in Mo’s army knew she was Mo Xiuyao’s former fiancée, but those around Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li all called her Noble Consort Bai. Such an address always made her suspect they were deliberately mocking her. Su Meidie was overthinking – most of Mo’s army knew that the Prince’s former fiancée was the world’s greatest beauty Su Meidie, but they also knew that Su Meidie was dead. Even if she claimed to be Su Meidie, as long as the Prince didn’t acknowledge it, it wasn’t true in their eyes. Moreover, since the Prince and Princess Consort called her Noble Consort Bai, their subordinates naturally followed suit.
Snorting lightly, Su Meidie stepped into the study. Upon entering, she saw Ye Li sitting behind the desk reading documents. Not far away on the other side of the study, two tables pushed together were similarly piled with account books, memorials, and documents. Lin Han and Zhuo Jing sat properly at the tables, each busy with their work, not sparing even a glance at the First Beauty. It wasn’t that they didn’t appreciate beauty, but rather that this beauty had “coincidentally” encountered the Prince several times these past few days. The coincidence was that the Prince was usually with the Princess Consort, and they were usually with the Princess Consort too. So they had seen the beauty quite frequently. People love beauty because it’s unattainable – if a beauty is always before your eyes, desperately throwing herself at someone and refusing to give up, even the most beautiful person will lose some of their luster.
Seeing Ye Li busy at work, Su Meidie’s resentment grew even stronger. When she had been by Mo Xiuyao’s side years ago, forget helping with affairs – Mo Xiuyao wouldn’t even let her enter his study. But now, Ye Li sat brazenly in Mo Xiuyao’s place handling Prince Ding Manor’s affairs. What she had never obtained was now possessed by someone inferior to her – how could Su Meidie accept such disparity?
After a month’s absence, finally back at work. Though uncertain how long it will last. Sneaking in some writing during lunch break…