While Feng Zhiyao stood at the door letting his imagination run wild, he failed to notice Mo Xiuyao’s gloomy expression. Ye Li, seeing Mo Xiuyao glaring at Feng Zhiyao and emanating waves of cold air, helplessly tugged at his sleeve. Although being caught in such a situation was somewhat embarrassing, Ye Li wasn’t originally from this era – in her previous life, she had seen all sorts of things. It was just being caught kissing, and they were legally married. So after a moment of discomfort, Ye Li was fine. Rather, it was Feng Zhiyao at the door whose strange, conflicted expression showed his imagination had run too far.

Clearing her throat lightly, Ye Li softly reminded him, “Feng San, come in and speak.”

Feng Zhiyao suddenly came to his senses, only to meet Mo Xiuyao’s dangerous and gloomy gaze. He immediately wanted to punch himself. Having interrupted the King’s intimate moment, he should have fled quickly instead of standing there in a daze – he, Feng Zhiyao, was regressing. Looking pitifully at Mo Xiuyao with a dejected face, he received a cold snort as permission. Only then did Feng Zhiyao happily thank Ye Li and enter, though he carefully chose the spot closest to the door to facilitate a quick escape if needed.

Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li naturally noticed his behavior. Ye Li covered her mouth to hide her laughter while Mo Xiuyao raised an eyebrow and ignored it, asking, “What about the capital?”

Getting to business, Feng Zhiyao immediately returned to normal and respectfully reported, “News from the capital: Mo Jingqi has dispatched several important court officials to the Northwest, including two princes and Old Master Su. They should arrive in the coming days.” Mo Xiuyao raised his eyebrows, “Sending important officials to the Northwest? For what?” Feng Zhiyao stroked his chin and smiled, “What else could it be? Presumably to persuade Your Highness. The two hundred thousand Great Chu troops outside Flying Swan Pass were driven back inside without any effort on our part. At the time, Mo Jingqi was furious and issued several edicts condemning Your Highness. He must have come to his senses by now.” Mo Jingqi wasn’t truly a fool – as long as the Proclaimed King’s manor hadn’t openly declared rebellion, he naturally wouldn’t resort to arms against them at this time. He hadn’t yet dealt with Xiling and the Northern Barbarians; if the Proclaimed King’s manor were to cause trouble now, the court would be in danger. He was counting on Mo Xiuyao’s reluctance to openly break with the court, so he thought up this plan to show his magnanimity to the world. What he didn’t understand was that it wasn’t only he who needed time – the Mo family army in the Northwest also needed time.

“Who are they?” Mo Xiuyao asked.

Feng Zhiyao replied, “Duke Mo Xiafei and Prince Mo Jingyu, along with Old Master Su Zhe and Vice Minister of Personnel Mo Jian.”

Mo Xiuyao nodded. Setting aside Su Zhe and Mo Jian, Duke Mo Xiafei was the late emperor’s second elder brother, whom even Mo Jingqi had to respectfully address as Imperial Uncle. Prince Mo Jingyu was Mo Jingqi’s half-brother, known for keeping a low profile and avoiding political affairs – it was unclear why Mo Jingqi had sent him. Two princes and two important ministers – Mo Jingqi had shown considerable sincerity with this delegation, but unfortunately, Mo Xiuyao had no intention of giving him much face. Ye Li’s delicate brows furrowed as she asked, “The Northwest is far from the capital – why would Mo Jingqi send Old Master Su?” Su Zhe was over seventy and had been in poor health in recent years. By all rights, such a mission shouldn’t have been assigned to such an elderly official. If something were to happen on the road, it would be most unfortunate. After pondering for a moment, Feng Zhiyao said, “Could it be that Mo Jingqi learned Su Zuidie is still alive, and that’s why he sent Master Su?”

Mo Xiuyao said, “It’s been half a year – Mo Jingqi should indeed know by now, even if he didn’t before. Su Zuidie…” If Su Zuidie could attract Mo Jingqi’s interest, then… Mo Xiuyao’s face darkened, the cold light in his eyes growing more intimidating.

“What does Your Highness plan to do about these people?” Feng Zhiyao asked. He had no particular feelings about the two princes, but Su Zhe and Mo Jian were among the few truly upright officials at the court. Moreover, Su Zhe was practically Mo Xiuyao’s teacher, and Mo Xiuyao had always shown him great respect.

Mo Xiuyao waved his hand and said, “Don’t worry about it. Have you prepared the list of official appointments for the various positions in the Northwest that I asked you to draft?”

Feng Zhiyao took out a document and presented it. Mo Xiuyao casually flipped through it before passing it to Ye Li beside him, saying, “This should do. The announcement… let’s make it after Mo Jingqi’s people arrive. You mentioned earlier that the city’s people want to hold a lantern festival to pray for blessings for the Princess and the heir – schedule it for the same day. Have the city officials celebrate with the common people then; it can serve as a welcome for the court’s envoys. Also, is the new residence ready? We can’t keep occupying the governor’s mansion forever. When the new governor takes office, we can’t have him working from a civilian residence, can we?”

Feng Zhiyao acknowledged each point. Mo Xiuyao’s actions were meant to provoke Mo Jingqi’s envoys, but he liked it. He smiled and said, “The residence has long been prepared. It was originally the mansion of Ruyang City’s wealthiest family, who fled inside the pass with the garrison. I had the compounds on both sides combined and renovated. Though not as grand as the manor in the capital, it’s adequate. The residence is currently in the southeast of the city, but according to the new city planning proposals, after renovation, it will be right in the center of Ruyang City.” These matters had naturally been handled earlier, but since the King had been in a poor mood and hadn’t mentioned moving, no one below dared bring it up. This led to the current situation where officials temporarily managing city affairs still worked in the offices in front of the governor’s mansion but had to take a detour with their documents and reports to return to their temporary residences after finishing work. It was manageable normally but quite troublesome in winter or during rain.

“Very good.” Mo Xiuyao nodded with satisfaction, “Have people prepare the place quickly.”

Feng Zhiyao smiled, “Everything is already prepared. Your Highness and the Princess can move in anytime. However, we still need Your Highness to write the plaque for the residence.” This wouldn’t normally be too difficult, but since Mo Xiuyao’s title had been stripped by Mo Jingqi, no one was sure what to write on the new residence’s plaque. So they decided to simply ask the King himself. Mo Xiuyao seemed unconcerned and said calmly, “Just write ‘Proclaimed King’s Manor.'”

Feng Zhiyao was taken aback. Not the “Imperially Bestowed Proclaimed King’s Manor” like in the capital, but simply three characters: Proclaimed King’s Manor. Seeing Mo Xiuyao’s completely unconcerned manner, it was clear he hadn’t taken Mo Jingqi’s stripping of his title to heart at all. Feng Zhiyao smiled and said, “Your servant obeys.”

Since Ye Li’s return, though there hadn’t been any major changes in Ruyang City, everyone could feel the difference. The city’s people went about their busy lives, and the garrison soldiers seemed to have shed their previous gloom like their master, appearing vigorous and energetic. The whole city showed signs of prosperity. Yet Ye Li’s courtyard remained remarkably peaceful and comfortable. The day after returning to the city, Xu Qingze was dragged off by Feng Zhiyao to work, but Xu Qingfeng and Xu Qingyan had nothing to do. Every day, Xu Qingyan would drag Xu Qingfeng to Ye Li’s courtyard to chat or play chess, living leisurely and carefree. Each time Mo Xiuyao saw this, he wanted to drive them out of Ruyang City. However, after Ye Li declared love that day, Mo Xiuyao’s mood improved, though he still couldn’t help frowning whenever he saw Xu Qingyan.

On the chessboard, black and white pieces fought fiercely. Somewhere outside the courtyard, there was also constant fighting. Xu Qingyan held a chess piece and frowned, “Sister Li, is this manor suitable for pregnancy? Every few days there’s something like this…” Having only stayed for a few days, Xu Qingyan had already grown accustomed to the assassins who regularly infiltrated the manor. Anyone would get used to it after seeing it daily. Regarding this, Xu Qingyan could only admire these assassins’ persistence – defeated again and again, yet they kept coming back. It was just rather annoying.

Ye Li leisurely accepted a bowl of white fungus soup from her maid and took a sip, smiling faintly, “It’s fine. This manor is just a bit too quiet; some occasional excitement is good.”

Xu Qingyan strongly agreed with this. Mo Xiuyao, fearing others would disturb Ye Li’s rest, didn’t allow anyone near the Princess’s courtyard except Qin Feng, Zhuo Jing, and a few others, plus Doctor Shen and Doctor Lin who attended to her. Any manor business was reported directly to Mo Xiuyao for handling; no one dared trouble Ye Li with such trivial matters. Though well-intentioned, this left Ye Li rather bored. He snorted lightly and said, “The Proclaimed King is stingy. What’s wrong with Sister Li going out for a walk? He acts like he’s afraid others will look at her too much. Sister Li is so outstanding, she should be admired by everyone in the world.” Speaking of this, Xu Qingyan couldn’t help feeling proud – there were many beautiful and talented women in the world, but whose sister could command tens of thousands of troops and resist powerful enemies? Only his sister, Xu Qingyan’s sister. In the future, he would marry someone as capable as Sister Li.

Ye Li reached over and knocked Xu Qingyan’s forehead, giving him a sideways glance as she said, “Call him Brother-in-law. Are you trying to make Xiuyao torment you more?”

Xu Qingyan immediately became dejected. His experiences sparring with Mo Xiuyao over the past few days had taught him that he couldn’t match that crafty villain yet. Though Mo Xiuyao would yield to him in front of Sister Li, behind her back he would find ways to trip him up and play dirty tricks. Yesterday he even slandered him to Sister Li, saying he had his eye on a pretty girl in the city and wanted Sister Li to write to his parents about arranging a marriage. If that reached his father’s ears, wouldn’t he be flayed alive? None of his older brothers were married yet, and here he was, the youngest, supposedly pursuing someone’s daughter – he’d be branded as someone who only cared about pretty faces!

“Sister Li knows everything,” Xu Qingyan hung his head dejectedly, feeling quite embarrassed that Sister Li knew he couldn’t match Mo Xiuyao. Xu Qingfeng, watching from the side, snickered and knocked him on the head, saying with a laugh, “Second Brother and I warned you not to provoke His Highness, but you wouldn’t listen.”

Xu Qingyan glared, “He’s the one targeting me!” Xu Qingfeng raised an eyebrow, “Then why isn’t His Highness targeting your Second Brother and me?” So, wasn’t it your own doing? Xu Qingyan sprawled on the table, lamenting, “Third Brother, I’m your brother!” He missed Fourth Brother – if Fourth Brother were here, he would help him fight against Mo Xiuyao!

Listening to Xu Qingyan’s playful complaints, Ye Li smiled and placed a chess piece, asking, “By the way, Third Brother, have these days in the manor been quite boring for you?” While Xu Qingyan was still a child who could find entertainment anywhere, it must have been rather difficult for a grown man like Xu Qingfeng to stay confined in the manor. Xu Qingfeng smiled, “It’s less exciting than the military, but it’s fine. Once you’ve given birth, I should return to the capital. With neither Third Brother nor your Second Brother in the capital, parents will worry.”

At this, Ye Li frowned and said, “Speaking of which, with Second Brother in the Northwest, has the Emperor been giving Second Uncle trouble in the capital? And what about Zheng’er? Her marriage to Second Brother was supposed to be last year, but now…”

Xu Qingfeng consoled her, “It’s fine. If the Emperor wants to trouble our Xu family, he can find any excuse. He won’t trouble Father over this, and besides, Father has said… he doesn’t want Second Brother to return now. Who knows what the situation in the capital is like now? Second Brother isn’t as politically adept as Fourth Brother – getting involved might make it harder to extricate himself later. As for Miss Qin…”

Xu Qingfeng scratched his head helplessly. He could only be thankful that he hadn’t yet been betrothed. Otherwise, wouldn’t he be holding up some young lady’s future? If something were to happen, it might even implicate her family. “Our Xu family isn’t doing well right now, so it might be better that Miss Qin hasn’t married yet. I heard Second Brother sent a message home saying that if a good family comes along, they should let Miss Qin arrange her marriage.”

Ye Li frowned. She and Qin Zheng were very close – how could she not see Qin Zheng’s deep feelings for her Second Brother? Moreover, they had been betrothed since childhood. For over ten years, Qin Zheng’s heart had been set only on Second Brother. To now suggest she arrange her marriage felt somewhat… Though she knew Second Brother meant well for Qin Zheng, it still felt rather deserving of a beating. On the other hand, Ye Li also felt somewhat guilty toward Qin Zheng. After all, wasn’t it because of her that Second Brother had initially come to the Northwest with the army and now remained here? Xu Qingyan looked at Ye Li and said with a grin, “Sister Li, this isn’t your fault. Given our family’s current situation, the fewer people involved, the better. Who knows when those in the palace might order the execution of our entire family? Then not only Miss Qin but the whole Qin family would be implicated.”

Xu Qingfeng frowned and smacked Xu Qingyan, “You speak without thinking!”

Xu Qingyan made a face – the only good thing about being in the Northwest, especially in this manner, was being able to speak freely without worrying about eavesdroppers.

Ye Li looked down at her increasingly cumbersome figure and sighed, “There’s nothing we can do about it now. Later, please write to Aunt to inquire about the Qin family’s situation. Since Third Brother finds it boring here, why not spend some time at the military camp outside the city?”

Xu Qingfeng’s eyes immediately lit up, and even Xu Qingyan’s face showed excitement and curiosity. The Mo family army was already known as the Great Chu’s elite force, and Xu Qingfeng had long admired them. However, due to his special status, he didn’t want to visit the military camp to avoid people gossiping about Ye Li. He asked hesitantly, “Would that be appropriate?” Ye Li smiled faintly, “What’s inappropriate about it? It’s not like I’m asking Third Brother to command troops in battle.” Xu Qingfeng nodded and smiled, “You’re right. If I can join the Mo family army, I wouldn’t mind being just a common soldier. Others probably won’t know my identity anyway.”

Qin Feng, approaching from the side, heard this and looked at Xu Qingfeng with a smile, “If Third Young Master Xu can handle hardship, you’re welcome to join my unit.” The Mo family army’s main camp had too many people and loose tongues, but the Qilin unit was directly under the Princess’s command, making things much more convenient. Xu Qingyan blinked, “Brother Qin, can I go too?” Qin Feng looked at him and shook his head, “Fifth Young Master probably couldn’t last even one day.” Xu Qingyan protested, glaring, “Why can Third Brother do it but I can’t? You look down on me because I’m young? I’ll show you!” Qin Feng shook his head and smiled, “It’s not about your age – I have two even younger than you right now. But Young Master has been raised in comfort and isn’t trained in martial arts, that’s why I say you couldn’t handle it.”

Ye Li smiled at Qin Feng, “Would it be alright for Third Brother to join you?” Qin Feng replied, “It’s just a word from the Princess – Third Young Master can come anytime.”

Ye Li waved her hand, “Since we’ve entrusted the Qilin unit to you, it’s your decision.” Though Qin Feng’s face showed no reaction, he was deeply grateful for Ye Li’s trust. Looking at Xu Qingfeng, he said, “In that case, Third Young Master can report to the camp outside the city tomorrow morning. But I should warn you, we won’t go easy on you. If you can’t handle it, I’ll have to send you back.”

Xu Qingfeng had heard of the Qilin unit’s mysterious reputation and looked eager to try. He laughed heartily, “In that case, Commander Qin needn’t call me Third Young Master – just use my name.”

After this discussion, Ye Li asked, “What brings you here at this time?”

Qin Feng nodded and presented a sealed document, “Though His Highness forbade disturbing the Princess’s rest, I still wanted to ask for your opinion. This is next month’s training plan – I’d like your guidance.” For several months, Qin Feng had been solely responsible for training new Qilin recruits, occasionally consulting with Zhuo Jing and Lin Han. Given the unit’s high standards, Qin Feng always felt somewhat uncertain. Now that Ye Li was back, he naturally wanted her to review his work – if not for praise, at least to know if his training had any problems. Ye Li set the document aside with a smile, “I’ll look at it later. Just follow your judgment. I’ve taught you most of what I can and in three months… I should be able to move around. Your men’s training should be complete by then. I’ll personally inspect them at that time.”

Qin Feng was delighted and smiled, “Thank you, Princess. I understand.” He immediately decided to have the Princess personally design the final assessment for those youngsters. Last year’s final assessment for their first batch had been interrupted by unexpected events, which had always disappointed Qin Feng. This time they could include the veterans as well.

“By the way, Princess, when I was coming over, I saw the secret guards had caught several more assassins,” Qin Feng mentioned casually, remembering what he’d seen earlier.

Ye Li smiled, “The secret guards must be running out of space these days?” With assassins being caught daily, and all of them being kept alive, she wondered what Mo Xiuyao planned to do with them. Qin Feng laughed, “Indeed. This morning Mo Hua looked quite troubled. He even talked about borrowing our prison cells.” Ye Li thought for a moment and said, “Whatever happens, don’t put those assassins with Su Zuidie. Tell Mo Hua that the less important ones needn’t be kept in his custody.”

Qin Feng nodded, “I said the same thing. But His Highness won’t allow them to be killed, saying they’ll be useful.” Ye Li nodded, “Do as His Highness says.”

“What about this prince?” Mo Xiuyao appeared in a blue robe, his white hair like snow, standing in the moon gate with a smile, asking everyone.

Ye Li, finding it difficult to move with her condition, didn’t bother to get up and asked with a smile, “Why are you back? Be careful, or Feng San will come complaining again.” Everyone else rose to pay their respects, but Mo Xiuyao casually waved them off and sat down beside Ye Li. He said somewhat displeased, “Mo Jingqi’s people have arrived, and they’re preparing to welcome them. Otherwise, how would I have time to come back?” Ye Li sat up straighter, “Duke Mo and the others have arrived? Aren’t you going to welcome them?” Mo Xiuyao pursed his lips, “Where would I find the time? Feng San went.” Ye Li couldn’t help but twitch her mouth – sending Feng San was worse than sending any random general from the army. Though Feng Zhiyao was one of Mo Xiuyao’s most trusted confidants, either due to his peculiar personality or some other reason, he refused to accept court titles. As a result, Feng Zhiyao still held no official position. Moreover, he handled many affairs, so people addressed him casually. On the battlefield, they called him General Feng; in Ruyang City, officials called him Lord Feng; Mo Xiuyao’s confidants called him Third Young Master Feng. In reality, Feng Zhiyao didn’t even hold the lowest official rank. She’d heard that Duke Mo was particularly concerned with ceremony and face – sending Feng Zhiyao would surely infuriate him.

“Feng San volunteered to go,” Mo Xiuyao said. He hadn’t planned to send anyone to welcome them at the city gate – letting them enter the city was good enough.

Ye Li remained silent, thinking: so Feng Zhiyao was afraid you’d anger them to death, so he decided to go anger them half to death instead?

Mo Xiuyao lazily sat down leaning against Ye Li, smiling, “A-Li needn’t worry about these trivial matters. Don’t I know what Duke Mo and the others want to say? I just can’t be bothered to deal with them.”

Ye Li helplessly pushed him to sit properly and said, “You’ll at least hold a welcoming banquet tonight, right? Don’t tell me you’re skipping even that. People will think we don’t know how to treat guests.” Mo Xiuyao frowned and sighed, “It’s troublesome without Uncle Mo here.” Usually, Uncle Mo would handle these small matters directly, only needing to inform them. But now that most of the Proclaimed King’s manor’s power had shifted to the Northwest, Uncle Mo couldn’t come immediately – leaving affairs inside the pass unattended would also be problematic. “If only Feng San would agree to be the steward.”

Ye Li gave him a sideways glance – suggesting Feng Zhiyao as steward, truly an idea worthy of the Proclaimed King.

Shaking her head, Ye Li said, “Never mind, I’ll have Wei Lin and Lin Han handle it.” It would be a joke if the mighty Proclaimed King’s manor couldn’t find someone capable of being a steward. Mo Xiuyao nodded with satisfaction and smiled, “The people around A-Li, like Zhuo Jing and the others, are all capable. We could easily spare one to temporarily replace Uncle Mo.”

Ye Li thought about Zhuo Jing and the others becoming like Uncle Mo, spending their days worrying about various manor affairs with that mature demeanor, and couldn’t help but shudder. Those three had followed her for quite some time – as their master, she couldn’t be so unfair to them. “They’re too young. We should promote a trusted steward from below instead.”

Mo Xiuyao shrugged with some regret but showed his agreement.