Yelü Ye had made a complete fool of himself in front of the assembled nobles of various nations. Watching the enraged white eagle being carried away in its cage after it had furiously tried to escape, Yelü Ye’s face turned ashen with anger. The gathered guests whispered among themselves at his embarrassing display. While the Ding Prince’s household remained somewhat restrained out of courtesy to their host, the envoys from other nations showed no such restraint. Several delegates from Xiling were even doubled over with laughter, which only darkened Yelü Ye’s mood further.
Ye Li handed Mo Xiaobao to the wet nurse beside her to take away, then said with a smile, “Just a small accident, everyone need not mind it. Prince Yelü, perhaps you should go change your clothes?”
Yelü Hong nodded, “The Princess Consort speaks wisely. Seventh Brother’s momentary carelessness has disturbed the Prince and Princess Consort, please excuse him. Seventh Brother, go quickly.” Though Yelü Hong and Yelü Ye had always been at odds in Northern Rong, nearly to the point of wanting each other dead, he now had no intention of internal strife while in Da Chu. Yelü Hong merely gave a light reminder. With an unsightly expression, Yelü Ye gave a cupped-hand salute to Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao before turning to leave and change his clothes.
The earlier incident did not affect the mood of the gathering. Yelü Hong stood up with a smile and said, “Since my Seventh Brother has already presented his gift first, this prince, on behalf of Northern Rong and my father the King, has also prepared a gift for the young heir. I hope the Prince and Princess Consort won’t find it lacking.”
At Yelü Hong’s wave, two Northern Rong men came forward carrying a brocade box. When the box was opened, a golden light instantly illuminated the entire banquet hall, dazzling all the guests’ eyes. Inside the box was another eagle statue, but unlike the earlier unruly white eagle, this was a golden eagle. It was nearly the same size as the white eagle but cast entirely in gold. Even its eyes were inlaid with two emerald gems. Just from watching the two Northern Rong men strain to carry it together, one could tell this was not merely gold-plated or gilt, but cast from solid gold. Though Northern Rong had many gold mines within its borders, this gift was still exceptionally generous.
Mo Xiuyao nodded and smiled, “Many thanks for the Northern Rong Crown Prince’s generous gift.” With a wave of his hand, someone immediately came forward to receive the box and take it away. Yelü Hong didn’t mind and gave a faint smile as he returned to his seat.
Afterward, envoys from various nations presented their gifts one after another, and the Ding Prince’s generals also didn’t want to fall behind, each presenting their gifts for the young heir. There weren’t many particularly meaningful gifts, and even when the Southern Pacification King presented four Xiling beauties, Mo Xiuyao didn’t bat an eye and accepted them all. The gathered crowd watched the expressions of the Prince and Princess Consort above with somewhat strange looks. Ye Li took a sip from her wine cup and said softly, “The Prince has such good fortune with women.” Mo Xiuyao gave a light snort and smiled, “Having married Li’er as my wife, I naturally have excellent fortune.” Ye Li raised an eyebrow slightly, “Then what about those ten Xiling beauties? What does the Prince plan to do with them?” Mo Xiuyao said carelessly, “We’ve received so many gifts tonight, we can’t give return gifts, can we? Yelü Ye, Yelü Hong, Mo Jingli… well, Princess An Xi can be excused. Just send a few to each of them. Could they possibly refuse my return gifts?” Even if they didn’t want them, they could only deal with it privately – they absolutely couldn’t publicly refuse and lose his face.
Hearing this, Ye Li’s lips twitched, “Ming Xi and Feng San were right, the Prince is becoming increasingly miserly.” Using the betting money for their son’s full month celebration was one thing, but now even using others’ gifts as return presents. Mo Xiuyao smiled, “Li’er can’t blame me for being frugal. Who made it so we have so many men in the Mo Army to feed? Hmm… by the way, I saw a set of jewelry from the Western Regions the other day that would look very nice on Li’er. It cost me a full sixty thousand taels.”
“Oh? For me?” Hearing the price of sixty thousand taels made Ye Li furrow her brow slightly – that was sixty thousand taels of silver, not sixty thousand coins. However, hearing that Mo Xiuyao had bought it for her still made her somewhat happy – no woman dislikes receiving gifts from her husband. Mo Xiuyao nodded while complaining, “These people don’t understand. Mo Xiaobao is just a baby, what does he know? It was Li’er who went through the hardship of childbirth, wasn’t it? If they want to give gifts, they should give them to Li’er.”
The crowd in the hall looked somewhat strangely at the very harmonious couple in the main seats. The Ding Prince had accepted ten Xiling beauties in front of so many people, yet the Princess Consort showed not the slightest displeasure – she even seemed happier than before. What was going on? It didn’t even seem like she was merely putting on a brave face.
Before anyone could say more, suddenly a sharp voice came from below the city tower: “Imperial Edict arrives!”
Everyone was stunned, almost unable to react to what was happening. This late at night, where did these imperial edict messengers come from? Shouldn’t the city gates be closed by now? Moreover, the Da Chu Emperor was rather strange – if he wanted to congratulate the Ding Prince’s heir, why hadn’t anyone seen him earlier? Now he shows up to startle people when the banquet is already halfway through. Many people turned their gaze toward Mo Jingli but saw that his brows were also deeply furrowed in confusion, clearly not understanding what was happening either.
Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao maintained composed expressions, with Mo Xiuyao’s smile deepening as his gaze carelessly swept over Xu Hongyu and Xu Qingchen sitting below. Xu Hongyu gave an almost imperceptible nod, while Xu Qingchen smiled faintly, the picture of calm elegance.
Soon, the edict messenger had walked up to the city tower. The leader wore the official robes of a second-rank official – it was none other than the current Minister of Rites. Following behind him were several other officials from the Ministry of Rites and some imperial guards, presenting a solemn and dignified appearance. The Minister of Rites held up the imperial edict with both hands above his head and announced in a clear voice: “Imperial Edict arrives! Mo Xiuyao, receive the edict!” The crowd instantly erupted in commotion – this wasn’t coming to congratulate the Ding Prince’s heir’s full month, this was coming to cause trouble.
Mo Jingli led Ye Li and others to kneel and receive the edict. Though he wasn’t particularly fond of his emperor brother either, he was still the Li Prince of Da Chu and had to maintain appearances. As for others, they weren’t so polite – the Mo Army’s generals and officials acted as if they hadn’t heard, continuing to drink and chat as they pleased. The so-called imperial edict wasn’t worth a scrap of paper in the Northwest. As for the envoys from Xiling and Northern Rong, they watched even more like spectators to a show. Mo Xiuyao, sitting in the main seat, clearly had no intention of rising to receive the edict. This resulted in only Mo Jingli and his group kneeling, while Mo Jingli silently cursed his imperial brother for causing trouble.
The Minister of Rites hadn’t expected such a situation. Looking at Mo Xiuyao lounging lazily in his chair, looking down at him from above, the Minister said sternly: “Mo Xiuyao, receive the edict!”
“Read it,” Mo Xiuyao said flatly. The Minister frowned, about to speak, when Mo Xiuyao sat up and stared at him: “Either read what’s in your hand or take what’s in your hand and get out of Ruyang City. I’m in a good mood tonight and won’t take your dog’s life.”
“Outrageous!” The Minister instantly turned red with anger, pointing at Mo Xiuyao speechless for a long moment. Mo Xiuyao had already been stripped of his title by imperial edict yet dared to be so arrogant, clearly showing complete disregard for the court and emperor. “Prince Li!” The Minister wasn’t a fool and naturally knew he had no capital to confront Mo Xiuyao, so he could only look to Mo Jingli kneeling to the side. Mo Jingli’s expression was dark, feeling his face had been completely lost by his imperial brother. He stood up and gave the Minister a cold look: “Didn’t you hear? Read the edict unless you want to be thrown out?”
The Minister’s expression twisted several times before finally swallowing this anger. After all, the Emperor had sent him to deliver this edict – if he was thrown out before even reading it, he wouldn’t fare well upon returning to the capital either. Taking a deep breath, the Minister unfolded the yellow silk and read in a loud voice: “By Heaven’s mandate and dynastic fortune, the Emperor decrees: The commoner Mo Xiuyao has committed great crimes, maintaining personal armies and self-proclaiming noble titles, plotting rebellion and defying imperial authority. The Xu family of Yun Prefecture has colluded with rebels, plotting to disturb the nation – their crimes merit execution. Mo Xiuyao is stripped of his imperial surname and demoted to base commoner. The entire Xu family of Yun Prefecture shall be executed. So it is decreed!”
Complete silence fell over the city tower, so quiet that even the calls of street vendors from the streets below could be heard clearly. Everyone looked at the Minister of Rites holding the imperial edict as if he were mad. What use was that thing? Did he think Mo Xiuyao could be demoted at Mo Jingqi’s whim? Even if Mo Jingqi wrote a thousand edicts casting Mo Xiuyao into dust, he would still reign supreme in the northwest, looking down on princes and nobles. Did he think he could execute the entire Xu family just by saying so? Why not try executing just one member of the Xu family first? Just looking at the row of Xu family members sitting in front was enough to show how unreliable the Da Chu Emperor’s edict was.
“Hahaha…” Sudden clear laughter rang out from the main seat. Mo Xiuyao leaned back in his chair as if he’d heard something incredibly amusing, laughing so hard he fell back into his seat. After finally finishing his laugh, Mo Xiuyao sat up, leaning against Ye Li’s shoulder, and looked down at the Minister of Rites who was trying to maintain his composure. He raised an eyebrow and said, “Strip my imperial surname? Has that fool Mo Jingqi forgotten that my surname wasn’t bestowed by him? We merely happen to share the same ancestor.”
“How dare you show such disrespect to His Majesty!” Though the Minister shouted in anger, there was embarrassment on his face. Da Chu was founded on filial piety – ancestral surnames could not be changed by anyone, including the emperor, except when bestowing the imperial surname for great merit. Even those guilty of crimes warranting execution of the entire clan couldn’t have their surnames arbitrarily changed. Moreover, Mo Xiuyao’s surname had always been Mo, not bestowed by the emperor. Additionally, though the two families shared common origins, they had established separate ancestral temples after the founding emperor, so Mo Xiuyao and Mo Jingqi, though sharing a surname, were no longer of the same clan. Mo Jingqi had the right to expel various princes and imperial relatives in the capital from the clan but had no authority over Mo Xiuyao. Yet however embarrassing the situation, he couldn’t tolerate Mo Xiuyao publicly insulting the emperor as a fool.
Mo Xiuyao raised an eyebrow indifferently, showing no regard for the enraged Minister of Rites. Someone Mo Jingqi would send to the northwest to die wasn’t an important figure. Probably a newly appointed Minister of Rites?
While Mo Xiuyao didn’t bother with him, the Mo Army generals below couldn’t contain themselves. They burst out in angry curses – these military men who came from army camps naturally didn’t have the refinement of court scholars who would critique someone with elegant phrases. They spewed every crude insult imaginable – Mo Jingqi had probably never been cursed as much in his life as he was this one evening. Mo Xiuyao leisurely enjoyed the soldiers’ cursing without any intention of restraining them. After all, the formalities of Mo Xiaobao’s full-month celebration were complete. The rest was just entertainment.
Below, Lei Tengfeng sat beside the Southern Pacification King, frowning as he asked quietly, “Father, what do you think the Ding Prince means by this?” When word of Mo Jingqi’s actions spread, it would certainly damage Mo Xiuyao’s face. If Mo Xiuyao had wanted to prevent this, those edict-bearing officials wouldn’t have even made it inside. Now looking at Mo Xiuyao’s demeanor, not only was he not planning to stop it, he seemed to be encouraging and adding fuel to the fire. This left Lei Tengfeng unable to understand what Mo Xiuyao was trying to do.
The Southern Pacification King narrowed his eyes slightly, sweeping his gaze over Mo Xiuyao who wore a smile but had traces of coldness in his eyes. Then his gaze fell on Ye Li, who sat quietly beside Mo Xiuyao, watching the farce before her with calm eyes, showing no sign of anger. The Southern Pacification King certainly knew that Ye Li was not a woman without a temper. She rarely lost her temper, but once truly angered, let alone women, most men in the world couldn’t withstand it. The Xu family members below also seemed quite calm, even the most hot-tempered Third Young Master and Fifth Young Master of the Xu family sat quietly drinking wine as if the matter had nothing to do with them.
After pondering for a moment, the Southern Pacification King’s heart skipped a beat as he said in a deep voice, “I fear… Mo Xiuyao is ready to truly break with Da Chu.” This wasn’t good news for Xiling. Although Xiling, and even Northern Rong and Nanzhao, had been trying their best to drive a wedge between the Da Chu royal family and the Ding Prince’s mansion, they didn’t want the two sides to truly break apart. If the Ding Prince’s mansion and the Mo Army were a sharp sword, then Da Chu was a somewhat rusty scabbard. But it could still restrain the actions of the Ding Prince’s mansion and Mo Army when necessary, giving those pressed to the wall by this sword’s edge a chance to breathe and counterattack. Just like when Mo Xiuyao led his army to pacify the south years ago – if he hadn’t been constrained by the court, Nanzhao would probably be a nation in name only now if not destroyed. Once the Mo Army truly broke free from Da Chu’s control, it would be like an unsheathed precious sword – when it chose to strike, it would bring inevitable destruction and bloodshed, with no one able to stop it.
Lei Tengfeng was startled. As the crown prince of Xiling’s Southern Pacification King, he naturally understood these key points. But he didn’t understand why Mo Xiuyao would choose this moment to break with Da Chu. Previously, when the Mo Army was struggling on the battlefield and Mo Jingqi stabbed them in the back, Mo Xiuyao hadn’t acted. After Ye Li fell from the cliff, though Mo Xiuyao killed seven thousand soldiers and took the northwestern territory, he still hadn’t truly acted. Even when Mo Jingqi issued an edict stripping him of his princely title, he ignored it. But today… looking at the current situation, Lei Tengfeng understood that Mo Xiuyao probably wasn’t planning to continue enduring. Was it because of the Xu family? Looking at the calm-faced Xu family members sitting opposite – from the white-haired Master Qingyun to the youngest Fifth Young Master of the Xu family, each was extraordinary and talented. But it didn’t make sense that Mo Xiuyao would formally break with Mo Jingqi for their sake, after all, the Xu family had been in the northwest for quite some time.
The Southern Pacification King gave a cold laugh and said quietly, “Mo Xiuyao was right, Mo Jingqi truly is a fool – he fell for Mo Xiuyao’s plan. Mo Xiuyao was waiting for him to make the first move!” Given the Mo Army’s pride, it would have been strange if they didn’t react to such humiliation from Mo Jingqi.
Amidst the clamor and cursing, Mo Xiuyao calmly raised his hand, and the Mo Army soldiers’ cursing immediately ceased. Everyone watched as Mo Xiuyao slowly stood up from his position, with Ye Li rising alongside him. The two stood shoulder to shoulder, high above everyone else, suddenly creating a sense of awe. Mo Xiuyao looked at the Minister of Rites, whose face had turned purple with anger, with a cold smile, then swept his gaze over Mo Jingli. Mo Jingli’s heart suddenly tightened as he stared intently at Mo Xiuyao, his hands behind his back secretly clenching. Mo Xiuyao, what exactly are you planning to do?
Then Mo Xiuyao spoke: “I understand clearly what Mo Jingqi wants to say. Since everyone is here today, I also have some words to say. You can take them back to Mo Jingqi word for word after you hear them.”
Zhuo Jing came forward from behind carrying a roll of imperial yellow silk. Mo Xiuyao casually took it, glanced at it, and without even opening it, tossed it down saying, “Feng San, read!”
Feng San, who had been drinking with Zhang Qilan, leaped up from the ground, his stunning red robes turning a somersault in the air like a red cloud floating down to the center of the hall, catching the yellow silk in his hand.
“Mo Jingqi is corrupt and unjust, framing the loyal and worthy. As emperor, he does not think of the realm’s stability. First, he colluded with enemy states to plot against the former Ding Prince Mo Xiuwen, causing the previous prince’s sudden death at the border and the unjust deaths of tens of thousands of Mo Army soldiers. Later he again colluded with enemy states attempting to drive the Mo Army and this prince to death. The Da Chu royal family first incurred the blood debt of killing father and brother, then the hatred of false accusations and framing. The Mo Army has served Da Chu loyally for generations, never turning back even in death. Now suffering such humiliation and hatred brings shame to our ancestors and disturbs their heroic spirits. From this day forward, with Flying Swan Pass as the boundary, the Mo Army and Da Chu shall rule separate territories – all ties of grace and righteousness are severed!” Feng Zhiyao’s voice reading from the silk seemed to carry internal force. Not just the already quiet city tower, but even the noisy streets in the distance instantly fell silent. Feng Zhiyao’s clear, heavy voice immediately resounded through nearly half of Ruyang City.
“The Da Chu royal family killed my father and brother and insulted our heroes. From this day forward, I sever all ties of grace and righteousness with the Da Chu royal family – we shall have no further connection!” Mo Xiuyao’s voice finally echoed across the entire Ruyang City. On the city tower, the Mo Army soldiers and officers stood up cheering that their lord was wise. To one side, Mo Jingli’s expression was complex and indecipherable, while the Minister of Rites, whose face had been purple with rage, now turned deathly pale and swayed as if about to collapse.