Although it was already the second watch of the night, some in Prince Ding’s mansion were still awake.

Mo Xiuyao sat by the bed watching the sleeping Ye Li, his expression gentle and calm. He raised his hand to lightly caress her pale yet beautiful face, his eyes filled with warmth and tenderness. In a small cradle by the bed, lined with soft silk, their baby also slept peacefully.

Looking at the mother and child before him, Mo Xiuyao showed no signs of sleepiness. Leaning over to look at the baby in the cradle, seeing no one around, he couldn’t resist reaching out to pinch the baby’s soft little cheek. Though he had been extremely careful with his strength, the baby still frowned uncomfortably as if about to cry. Mo Xiuyao quickly withdrew his hand, sitting up straight to gaze down at the baby in the cradle. Looking at things now, he was already a father. He recalled his own father’s strictness and love growing up in Prince Ding’s mansion. Every time he got into trouble, his father would punish him without mercy, and then his brother would hurriedly plead on his behalf. But he knew that after every punishment, his father would always come to check on him in the middle of the night, along with those helpless sighs.

He had barely imagined himself becoming a father one day, and when he learned of A-Li’s pregnancy under those circumstances, his anger was understandable. So he had always felt he wouldn’t care for this child. But… the soft, warm feeling surging in his heart was completely different from what he felt for A-Li.

This was his son, who needed his protection now and would need his guidance as he grew up, eventually becoming a tall man like himself.

“Hmm, don’t try to steal A-Li from me, or… Father will have to discipline you properly,” Mo Xiuyao leaned down and warned the sleeping baby in the cradle.

Ye Li opened her eyes somewhat groggily, seeing Mo Xiuyao sitting by the bed talking to the baby about something, and couldn’t help but laugh softly.

Having his childish behavior discovered by his beloved wife, Mo Xiuyao’s face stiffened. Pretending nothing had happened, he sat back and asked softly, “Why are you awake?” Ye Li looked at him still fully dressed, obviously having not slept at all, “Why aren’t you resting yet?” Mo Xiuyao pulled her into his arms, muttering, “Can’t sleep.” Ye Li sat up from his embrace, pushing away to carefully examine his expression, asking softly, “What’s wrong? Surely you’re not too excited about the baby’s birth?” Mo Xiuyao wrinkled his nose in disdain, glancing at the baby lying in the cradle. Ye Li smiled helplessly – from when the baby was still in her belly until now when just born, he had been constantly scorned by his father. If she didn’t understand Mo Xiuyao’s nature and thoughts, she would have wondered if he disliked the child she had given birth to. This father and son… how would they get along in the future?

“I noticed something was off with you earlier, but I didn’t have time to ask then. Did something happen?” Leaning against Mo Xiuyao, Ye Li asked softly.

Mo Xiuyao raised his hand to stroke Ye Li’s half-drooping hair, a flash of coldness passing through his eyes as he said calmly, “The matter we’ve been investigating about Tan Jizhi and Su Zuidie is about to have an outcome.”

“Oh?” Ye Li raised her head, seeing Mo Xiuyao’s gloomy expression, she knew this matter must be incredibly shocking. She patted his hand gently, comforting him, “No matter what happens, we’ll always be together.” Mo Xiuyao paused, then nodded, “I know.”

“Your Highness, Commander Qin requests an audience,” from the outer room, the night duty guard Qing Yu reported softly.

Mo Xiuyao nodded, standing up and saying to Ye Li, “I’ll go see what it’s about. A-Li, rest first.” Ye Li also knew her body was inconvenienced now, so she nodded, then added after thinking, “If Su Zuidie is going to confess, perhaps invite Elder Su to listen.” Mo Xiuyao nodded, “I understand, don’t worry about these matters. Rest well.” After helping Ye Li lie down and tucking her in, Mo Xiuyao turned and walked out. Glancing at Qing Yu and Qing Luan waiting by the door, he said, “Take good care of the Princess.” Qing Yu and Qing Luan rose and replied, “Please rest assured Your Highness.”

In the empty room, Su Zuidie sat in a chair placed in the center. There weren’t even guards watching her in the room now – no one worried about her escaping or committing suicide anymore. The recent massive blood loss and various severe tortures over the past half year meant she didn’t even have the strength to walk a hundred paces out of this room. She had just been dragged away to be cleaned and changed into clean clothes. Su Zuidie stared absently at the clean cloth garments she wore. The filthy and gloomy prison life of the past half year had almost made her forget what cleanliness felt like. She had to constantly convince herself to forget just to keep enduring in such an environment, but now… she finally couldn’t endure anymore. When she felt her blood dripping out drop by drop, she truly realized how terrifying death could be. If those people had come even a bit later, perhaps her blood would have already drained completely. From the moment she begged for mercy, she had lost. She absolutely could not bear to experience such a slow and quiet death again.

The door opened from outside, and Mo Xiuyao walked in leisurely, followed by Qin Feng, Zhuo Jing, and Feng Zhiyao.

Mo Xiuyao walked to one side and sat down, with the others taking their seats in turn. Su Zuidie stared blankly at the white-haired man before her – the Mo Xiuyao before her wore white robes and had white hair, his expression calm and his gaze indifferent, giving off an unreachable sense of distance and coldness. This was completely different from the Mo Xiuyao in Su Zuidie’s memory. “Xu… Xiuyao… is that you? How did you…” Mo Xiuyao frowned, casting an impatient glance at Qin Feng. Qin Feng looked at Su Zuidie and said in a deep voice, “Miss Su, since you’re willing to confess, speak before His Highness. It’s late at night and none of us have much time to waste.”

Su Zuidie suddenly came to her senses. Meeting Mo Xiuyao’s cold gaze, she pleaded, “Xiuyao, are you not going to show any mercy? Don’t you remember we grew up together… I know I was wrong…” Mo Xiuyao stood up, coldly staring at Qin Feng, and said, “Is this the result you spoke of? Wasting my time. Deal with it… and quickly send people to Chu Capital!” With that, he turned to leave. The so-called “deal with it” naturally meant dealing with Su Zuidie. Once they knew a little, they wouldn’t fear not uncovering what came after. Su Zuidie’s usefulness had become insignificant – compared to facing this woman he despised now, he would rather go back to accompany A-Li.

Su Zuidie was stunned, clearly not expecting Mo Xiuyao to be so heartless. She had only spoken two sentences and he was already impatiently turning his face and leaving. A chill ran through Su Zuidie’s heart, and seeing Qin Feng staring at her with murderous intent, she screamed in terror, “No! No! I’ll talk… I’ll tell you whatever you want to know!”

“Wouldn’t it have been better to say so earlier?” Feng Zhiyao sneered, sitting back down in his chair.

“What did you take from Prince Ding’s mansion back then?” Qin Feng asked.

Su Zuidie glanced at Mo Xiuyao who sat in his chair with eyes closed resting, and gritted her teeth, “It was… the Mo family army’s battle formation maps. I… I’ve had an exceptional memory since childhood. I memorized those maps after seeing them just once, and after leaving Prince Ding’s mansion, I found time to draw them out.” Everyone’s expressions changed as they recalled the Mo family army’s devastating defeat against the Northern Rong ten years ago. Qin Feng frowned and continued asking, “You gave the maps to Tan Jizhi and Mo Jingqi?” Su Zuidie nodded, “That’s right, Mo Jingqi sent Tan Jizhi to find me, asking for my help, and I agreed.”

“What did they want the Mo family army’s formation maps for?” Feng Zhiyao asked. Although he already knew the answer in his heart, he still needed Su Zuidie to confirm it personally.

Su Zuidie looked at Feng Zhiyao, suddenly giggling, and said, “What for? Mo Jingqi had long despised the Mo family army and Mo Xiwen, so after getting his battle formations, naturally they were given to the Northern Rong. Otherwise, why do you think the Mo family army suffered such heavy casualties in that ambush by the Northern Rong back then?” Qin Feng’s face darkened – his family had served Prince Ding’s mansion for generations, and his father and several uncles had all died in that battle. Staring at Su Zuidie who was laughing triumphantly, Qin Feng asked, “Why did you help Mo Jingqi frame Prince Ding’s mansion?!” This was also something everyone found puzzling – Su Zuidie, as the then-fiancée of Prince Ding’s second son, was envied by so many noble ladies. Why would she help Mo Jingqi bring down Prince Ding’s mansion? It brought her no benefit.

Su Zuidie paused, looking toward Mo Xiuyao who appeared to be sleeping, and laughed coldly, raising her uninjured hand to point at Mo Xiuyao, “Why? Why… you’ll have to ask him that!”

Feng Zhiyao raised an eyebrow, looking at Mo Xiuyao, and asked, “Could it be that Your Highness did something to wrong you?” Even so, this woman’s method of revenge was far too vicious. No wonder she could hold out for so long under Qin Feng’s torture without dying. Su Zuidie laughed “Hehe,” looking at Mo Xiuyao with eyes full of hatred and an indescribable mix of love and madness, “Wrong me? No… he didn’t wrong me. But… he didn’t do right by me either! I, Su Zuidie, the number one beauty and most talented woman in Great Chu, how many noble sons and princes admired me? But in his eyes, I was nothing more than a betrothed fiancée!” Feng Zhiyao frowned – he and Mo Xiuyao had been close friends since youth, and he had seen how Mo Xiuyao treated Su Zuidie. It wasn’t bad at all – Prince Ding’s second son was famous throughout the capital, with countless noble ladies and extraordinary women throwing themselves at him, yet he never showed them any favor. He was only close and kind to his betrothed Su Zuidie alone. What more could Su Zuidie be dissatisfied with?

Seeming to understand Feng Zhiyao’s expression, Su Zuidie let out a light snort and said proudly, “Even princes and lords treated me with the utmost care, indulging my every whim. But him… even though I was already promised to him, he wouldn’t even agree to my smallest requests!” Her words suggested that being betrothed to Mo Xiuyao was her condescending to lower herself. Looking at the snow-white, cold man before her, Su Zuidie’s gaze grew distant as she said softly, “But it doesn’t matter… I love him. Even if all the noble sons in the capital came to court me, I would only love Xiuyao. Why… Xiuyao, why wouldn’t you agree to even my smallest request? The Regent Prince cared for you so much, that if you had just asked him, he definitely would have passed the Prince Ding title to you. And Mo Xiwen… he had no interest in military affairs at all. You had more military achievements than him, why did you let him have the Prince Ding position? How could I spend my whole life as just a minor second young madam of Prince Ding’s mansion? How could I let those women step on my head? I love you so much, yet you wouldn’t even do this small thing for me…”

The room fell silent, with all three men staring at the woman in the chair as if they were seeing a ghost. Her face, marked with several wounds and swelling, combined with her expressions that twisted between infatuation, tenderness, and hatred, appeared especially grotesque and terrifying.

Seeming to have finally voiced the grievances of so many years, Su Zuidie showed signs of being unable to stop, continuing to ramble, “This is all your fault. If you had become Prince Ding back then, everything would have been fine. But when I just carefully hinted at it once, you gave me a cold look and scolded me! Mo Xiuyao! This is all your fault! Hehe, how could I let those ugly women press down on me and show off? Only I, Su Zuidie, should be the noble lady admired and envied by all. Since you wouldn’t contend with Mo Xiwen, I helped you… if Mo Xiwen died, the Prince Ding position would be yours, and I would be the Princess Ding. What would be wrong with that? Why shouldn’t I help Mo Jingqi and Tan Jizhi?” The more Su Zuidie spoke, the more excited she became, her expression growing increasingly manic as she pointed at Mo Xiuyao and laughed wildly, “But… why did you get injured? Why did your face get ruined? Why did you become a cripple? Mo Xiuyao, it’s all your fault. Who told you not to listen to me, who told you not to love me? If you loved me, you should have done everything I wanted, just like Han Mingyue. Hehe… the first time I saw Han Mingyue, I knew he was an easily fooled idiot. Sometimes I wished you were as easy to fool as him. Why wouldn’t you indulge me? Isn’t my love for you enough… if you had listened to me, how would Mo Xiwen have died? Hehe… it’s all your fault, how could Mo Xiwen not die? You should have died instead of him…”

A white figure flashed through the room, and in the blink of an eye, Mo Xiuyao was in front of Su Zuidie. One hand mercilessly gripped her slender neck as he stared coldly at the struggling, twisted-faced woman before him, “Who killed my brother?” Mo Xiuyao asked coldly. Su Zuidie, her throat gripped, immediately couldn’t breathe. She raised her hands trying to pry Mo Xiuyao’s hand away. But how could she match Mo Xiuyao’s strength? Soon her eyes began to roll back, “Speak!”

“Ugh… Mo… Jing… ugh…” Just as she was about to pass out, Mo Xiuyao suddenly released his grip. As large amounts of air rushed in, Su Zuidie began coughing violently, “Who killed my elder brother?” Mo Xiuyao asked again.

“Mo… Mo Jingqi and the Liu family… along with the Northern Rong, Southern Zhao, and Western Ling royal family… Mo Xiwen didn’t die from illness… he was assassinated… cough cough…” Looking at Mo Xiuyao before her, Su Zuidie dared not hide anything anymore, “Also… also the Regent Prince… the Regent Prince was killed by the Late Emperor’s plot. However… before dying, the Regent Prince also had someone severely wound the Late Emperor, so the Late Emperor died within two years. This is… cough cough cough… this is what Mo Jingqi told me.” Seeing Mo Xiuyao’s silence, Su Zuidie hurriedly added, “It’s true! The Late Emperor had someone give the Regent Prince the Intoxicating Incense. It’s a kind of colorless and odorless strange poison. After being poisoned, there are no abnormalities at first, but after five days severe illness symptoms appear, followed by death. Even the most skilled physicians couldn’t determine the cause of death.”

Feng Zhiyao and Qin Feng exchanged glances with Zhuo Jing, their hearts chilled. They certainly knew what the Intoxicating Incense was – according to legend, it was one of the world’s three great strange poisons, alongside Azure Fall Yellow Spring, and Red Beauty Withered Bones, lost for over a thousand years in the ancient poison manual. However, the fact that the Regent Prince’s death was related to the Late Emperor was even more shocking than learning that Mo Xiwen’s death was connected to Mo Jingqi. Regent Prince Mo Liufang could be said to be a rare virtuous minister in the world. Before the Late Emperor ascended the throne, Great Chu was not much better than now. With Western Ling and Northern Rong eyeing them covetously, Prince Ding Mo Liufang, not yet twenty at the time, used his influence alone to rebuff the armies of both Western Ling and Northern Rong. Later he led troops to quell rebellions, and when the Late Emperor ascended the throne at just over ten years old, Mo Liufang, barely in his early twenties, was appointed Regent Prince. Capable in both military and civil affairs, unlike many regents who usurped power and bullied their young rulers, Mo Liufang devoted himself wholeheartedly to assisting the Late Emperor and even actively resigned his position as Regent after the Late Emperor came of age. Their harmonious ruler-minister relationship of over twenty years could be called an exemplary tale for the ages, yet now Su Zuidie was revealing such shocking secrets – was history truly all written to deceive the people?

Mo Xiuyao walked leisurely back to his seat and sat down, lost in thought. Qin Feng looked at Mo Xiuyao, and seeing he had no intention of asking questions, spoke up, “Xue Chengliang said you took two things from Prince Ding’s mansion back then but only pointed Mo Jingqi to one. What’s the other thing and where is it?”

Su Zuidie’s expression stiffened, her already unsightly face becoming even more frightening now. After a long silence, Su Zuidie finally said in a low voice, “It was the imperial edict left in Prince Ding’s mansion by the Founding Emperor.” Qin Feng raised his eyebrows in slight surprise and asked, “Where is it? What does it say?” Su Zuidie replied, “The Founding Emperor decreed that the Great Chu royal family and Prince Ding’s mansion would forever be blood brothers. If later emperors acted perversely and intended harm to Prince Ding’s mansion, Prince Ding could depose the emperor and establish a new ruler.” Everyone was shocked – no wonder Mo Jingqi had to rescue Su Zuidie at all costs for such an important item.

“Where is it?” Feng Zhiyao asked. With this document, how could they not have Mo Jingqi that bastard in their grasp?

Su Zuidie gritted her teeth and said, “Do you think I would tell you?” Su Zuidie wasn’t a fool – after revealing all these matters, this was her only lifeline. Mo Xiuyao stood up and calmly ordered, “Qin Feng, dispose of her.” With that, he turned to leave. Su Zuidie stared at Mo Xiuyao in disbelief and screamed, “Don’t you want the Founding Emperor’s imperial edict?” Mo Xiuyao turned back, smiled coldly, and said, “If this prince wants to kill Mo Jingqi, I can do so with or without the Founding Emperor’s decree.” Having said this, he didn’t look again at Su Zuidie’s collapsed form on the ground as he strode out of the room.

Outside, in another room, Su Zhe, Han Mingyue, Han Mingshi, Lu Jinxian, and others were all present, though each wore very different expressions. Su Zhe’s face alternated between red and white, his lips and hands trembling constantly, clearly extremely angry. Han Mingyue’s face was deathly pale, seeming not to even notice Mo Xiuyao’s entrance. Lu Jinxian, Butler Mo, and others wore angry expressions, seeming to want to rush in and kill Su Zuidie immediately. The calmest appeared to be Han Mingshi, though even he couldn’t hide his shock.

“Elder Su may go in to see her,” Mo Xiuyao said calmly.

Su Zhe made choking sounds in his throat, and after a long while finally managed to speak, forcing a bitter smile as he said, “I failed in my teaching… this unfilial creature committed such sins. How can I face the Su family ancestors…” With a “pah” sound, a mouthful of blood sprayed from Su Zhe’s mouth as he collapsed. Han Mingshi, being closest and most clearheaded, quickly stepped forward to support Su Zhe, only to hear Su Zhe say, “This unfilial creature… Your Highness, please deal with her…” Watching Su Zhe faint, Mo Xiuyao was silent for a moment before saying, “Please summon Physician Shen.”

Lu Jinxian wanted to speak, but Butler Mo beside him secretly pulled him back and said, “It’s late, the remaining matters can be dealt with tomorrow. Moreover, the Princess has just given birth to the young master – she will be uneasy if she wakes and doesn’t see His Highness.” Mo Xiuyao nodded and said, “You should all return early as well.” Watching Mo Xiuyao leave, Lu Jinxian said angrily, “I still had things to say, Butler Mo, why did you…” Butler Mo shook his head and said, “Let His Highness have some time before speaking again. Now that we know everything, are you afraid we won’t be able to take revenge?” Such matters shocked even those who merely heard about them, let alone what impact they must have had on His Highness’s heart. His Highness’s health was already poor – if he collapsed because of this, that would truly be a loss. Understanding Butler Mo’s reasoning, Lu Jinxian glared fiercely at the wall before him and said gruffly, “Fine, there will be a time in the future! I’m leaving too.”

The people in the room quickly left, but Han Mingyue stared blankly at the tightly closed door before him, unable to move at all. He knew that in the room… perhaps Su Zuidie was slowly dying, but he couldn’t make himself stand up to push open that unlocked door.

“The first time I saw Han Mingyue, I knew he was an easily fooled idiot…”

The first time…

In the peach blossom grove where petals fell like rain, the fourteen-year-old youth saw the thirteen-year-old girl in pink robes dancing as she spoke.

“Are you Master Xiuyao’s friend? Zuide greets Young Master Mingyue.”

From then on, he fell into love’s trap, never to break free.