“Your Highness, terrible news!” At the Liucheng Inn, a servant frantically knocked on the Prince of Nanzheng’s door. Shortly after, the door opened from within, and the Prince of Nanzheng stood at the entrance with a grim expression, staring at the panicked servant before him. “What happened?” he asked coldly. The servant, breathing heavily, stammered, “The Crown Prince! Something’s happened to the Crown Prince… he’s been captured by Prince Ding’s people.”
The Prince of Nanzheng’s heart sank. His people wouldn’t raise false alarms, but in the past two days, there had been no reports of any troop movements in or around Liucheng. How could Tengfeng…
“What else? Tell me everything!” the Prince of Nanzheng demanded.
The servant hurriedly continued, “All the people who went out with the Crown Prince have lost contact. It’s said that early this morning, Princess Ding personally escorted a group of people back to their residence. Our informants reported seeing our Crown Prince, along with the Crown Prince of Northern Rong, the Seventh Prince, and Prince Li of Eastern Chu.”
The Prince of Nanzheng’s brows furrowed deeply. “Capturing so many people—what does Prince Ding’s household intend to do?” He didn’t believe that Prince Ding’s household wanted to start a war with various countries. If nothing else, even the formidable Mohist Army couldn’t withstand a simultaneous attack from three allied nations.
While pondering Prince Ding’s motives, someone delivered an invitation card. “Your Highness, Prince Ding, and Princess Ding request your presence at their residence for a discussion.” The Prince of Nanzheng took the card and said flatly, “I understand. You may leave.”
After dismissing the messenger, an attendant standing beside him carefully asked, “Your Highness, shall we go?”
The Prince of Nanzheng looked at the elegant invitation card in his hand and coldly smiled, “With Tengfeng in their hands, how can we not go?”
At Prince Ding’s residence, Han Mingxi was complaining to Ye Li about his experience yesterday. Ye Li smiled at his indignant expression and said, “Mingxi, it was all a misunderstanding. Will you accept my apology on their behalf?” Han Mingxi glanced at Mo Xiuyao, who was calmly drinking tea on the side, and snorted lightly, muttering, “What misunderstanding! Someone set me up!” Knowing that Qilin’s people were going to make arrests but still telling him he could make a profit there—ill-intentioned. He was also foolish to believe Mo Xiuyao would point him toward wealth; Mo Xiuyao only knew how to exploit him, didn’t he?
Ye Li covered her mouth and laughed, “Mingxi, this truly was a misunderstanding. The Qilin matter was my last-minute decision; even His Highness didn’t know about it.” Han Mingxi knew Ye Li wouldn’t lie about such a small matter, so he could only snort and accept his bad luck.
Mo Xiuyao put down his teacup and raised an eyebrow at him, “Even so, didn’t you make quite a profit? What’s there to complain about?” The people Lei Tengfeng sent in had essentially mapped out all the traps and mechanisms in the imperial tomb, making it a straight path with no obstacles for Prince Ding’s people who entered later. Naturally, Han Mingxi had gotten his fair share of benefits from this. Han Mingxi thought about all the treasures, antiques, gold, silver, and jewels he’d just moved home, and his anger subsided somewhat. He glared vigilantly at Mo Xiuyao and said, “Those things are all mine, don’t even think about touching them.” Mo Xiuyao remained noncommittal—if he wanted them, would he have trouble getting the few items in Han Mingxi’s possession? There was no need to argue with Han Mingxi in front of A’Li.
Xu Qingchen, who had been watching from the side, waited until they finished arguing before smiling and speaking up, “Li’er, what do you plan to do with those people you brought back?” They were all crucial figures from various countries, which made handling them troublesome—they couldn’t be treated too lightly or too harshly. Ye Li smiled, “What does Big Brother think?”
Xu Qingchen carelessly played with the beautiful jade hanging at his waist, pondered for a moment, and said, “I can see you don’t intend to do much to them. In the end, we’ll probably have to release them. The key is how to release them… and how much benefit we can get from this?” Ye Li smiled, “As long as Big Brother understands. We’re not expecting to gain much benefit; this time we mainly want to send these people out of the Northwest all at once. They’ve been causing trouble here long enough.”
A look of understanding flashed across Xu Qingchen’s face. Creating such a big commotion this time was more about sending a message to forces wary of the Northwest, deterring them from rash actions. He nodded, “I understand. I’ll inform Father and Second Uncle later.” Ye Li nodded, “Then I’ll trouble Big Brother and Uncle with negotiating with the various countries.”
“Your Highness, the Prince of Nanzheng has arrived!” a guard announced from outside. Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao exchanged glances, both smiling. Mo Xiuyao stood up and said, “He came quickly. A’Li, let’s go meet the Prince of Nanzheng. It’s better if I speak with him.” Ye Li agreed. Although the Prince of Nanzheng only held the title of prince, he was different from others—he could have the most direct influence on Xiling because the entire region was under his control. Such a person would naturally be more difficult to handle than the Crown Prince of Northern Rong or Prince Li of Da Chu.
When the couple arrived at the main hall, they found it empty, but sounds of fighting came from outside. Stepping out, they saw two figures in the courtyard, rising and falling in endless combat. It was the Prince of Nanzheng and Ling Tiehan sparring, which had already attracted many passersby to stop and watch. When fighting others, Ling Tiehan never showed mercy just because someone was missing an arm—if you were missing an arm, that was your inadequacy. So his attacks came like mountains falling and seas crashing, showing no restraint.
Ye Li leaned against Mo Xiuyao, watching the two figures fighting intensely, and quietly asked, “If you were to fight Ling Tiehan, would you be confident of winning?” Mo Xiuyao focused intently on the battle before them, and after a long while, replied solemnly, “No. Ling Tiehan lacks nothing in talent, intuition, or diligence, and he has practiced tirelessly all these years. If not for these ten years of injury and illness, I might have been able to barely surpass him. But now… I’m afraid I would be slightly inferior.” Mo Xiuyao’s talent was indeed rare in the world, but even the best talent couldn’t withstand ten years of waste. That Mo Xiuyao could maintain his martial arts at their current level had already cost him countless drops of sweat and hardship.
“Now, Ling Tiehan can be said to be undisputedly the world’s greatest martial artist…” Mo Xiuyao sighed softly as he watched the two men fight.
“You mean…” Ye Li started. Mo Xiuyao continued, “The Prince of Nanzheng is no match for Ling Tiehan, and neither is Mu Qingcang.” Mo Xiuyao himself admitted inferiority to Ling Tiehan, who was truly worthy of being called the world’s greatest martial artist. Sure enough, with Ling Tiehan showing no mercy and the Prince of Nanzheng not in his best form, the Prince soon began to show signs of defeat. But Ling Tiehan had no intention of stopping at mere victory, continuing his relentless attacks without mercy. Watching this, Ye Li couldn’t help but feel sorry for the Prince of Nanzheng—her intention in inviting him to Prince Ding’s residence today wasn’t to let Ling Tiehan discipline him; she just wanted to resolve matters quickly. Everything was just a coincidence…
“Does Ling Tiehan fight this brutally with everyone?” Ye Li frowned and asked, remembering the upcoming scheduled duel between Mo Xiuyao and Ling Tiehan, feeling somewhat worried. Mo Xiuyao smiled gently, pulling her into his embrace, completely disregarding the spectators’ sidelong glances, and whispered with a laugh, “Ling Tiehan isn’t a fool. Even if he fought me to the death, though I might end up worse off, he wouldn’t fare much better.” The gap between them hadn’t reached the point where Ling Tiehan could completely dominate him. With exceptional performance, the winner would still be uncertain, and if Ling Tiehan wanted to fight him to the death, it would only result in mutual destruction. “Moreover… though their fight looks intense, Ling Tiehan isn’t using his full strength, and Lei Zhenting still has power in reserve.” Ye Li pointed at the Prince of Nanzheng, who had just been struck by a palm and was now moving noticeably slower, despite supposedly having power in reserve, and asked, “Are you suggesting that Ling Tiehan and Lei Zhenting have personal grievances?”
Mo Xiuyao smiled without answering. Ling Tiehan had lost interest in Lei Zhenting’s martial arts—without personal grievances, why would he immediately rush to fight upon hearing of his arrival at Prince Ding’s residence? After watching enough of the show, and considering that they shouldn’t let a guest of Prince Ding’s household be beaten to death on the premises, Mo Xiuyao finally called out with a laugh, “Prince of Nanzheng, Master Ling, perhaps you’ve sparred enough? Shall we rest?”
Ling Tiehan glanced in their direction, taking the initiative to leap backward, landing on the wall and looking down at the Prince of Nanzheng from his high position. Compared to Ling Tiehan’s grace, the Prince of Nanzheng appeared unusually disheveled. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and one hand pressed against his chest, which ached from Ling Tiehan’s palm strike earlier, his face dark as water. Turning to look at Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao who had been watching from the side, he asked in a deep voice, “Prince Ding, Princess Ding, what is the meaning of this?”
Ye Li stepped forward, smiling faintly, “Please forgive us, Prince of Nanzheng. Master Ling has been a guest at our residence these days; please be understanding of any discourtesy. Master Ling, why not come join us for tea?” Ling Tiehan cupped his hands toward Ye Li, laughing heartily, “When passing by earlier, I happened to see the Prince of Nanzheng enter, and feeling an itch to practice, exchanged a few moves. Please excuse me, Princess. I have urgent matters to attend to, so I must take my leave.” Ye Li nodded with a smile, “Safe travels, Master Ling.” Ling Tiehan nodded to Mo Xiuyao, then leaped away from the front courtyard.
The Prince of Nanzheng was invited to sit in the main hall. Ye Li looked at his unsightly expression and asked, “Your Highness, would you like us to call a physician?” The Prince of Nanzheng snorted lightly, wiping the blood from his lips, “Thank you, Princess, it’s just a minor injury.” Ye Li nodded, seeing that the injury indeed wasn’t serious. Though she didn’t know why Ling Tiehan suddenly intervened to make an enemy of the Prince of Nanzheng, she didn’t oppose this outcome. A Prince of Nanzheng with internal injuries served their interests better than one in perfect condition.
After the servants served tea and withdrew, the Prince of Nanzheng looked directly at Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li, asking straightforwardly, “I hear my son is a guest at your residence. Might I see him?” Mo Xiuyao raised an eyebrow, his snow-white hair making his cold, emotionless smile even more striking. “A guest? A’Li, did you invite the Prince of Nanzheng’s heir to be our guest?” Ye Li shook her head, smiling faintly, “I left the city to inspect the Qilin garrison two days ago and only returned this morning. How could I have invited the Prince’s heir as a guest?” Hearing this, the Prince of Nanzheng’s heart sank, and he understood why Lei Tengfeng and his many men had silently fallen into Princess Ding’s hands. Qilin… the Princess Ding’s elite force, whose true form no one had ever seen, known only by their unfailing, fierce achievements.
The Prince of Nanzheng frowned slightly, taking out the received invitation and asking, “Then what is the meaning of this invitation? May I ask why Your Highnesses invited me here?”
Mo Xiuyao leaned against the armrest, smiling faintly, “Nothing major. In some days, the Princess and I will be touring the Northwest regions, away from Liucheng. We wanted to inform Your Highness to avoid any lapses in hospitality then.” The Prince of Nanzheng lowered his eyes, thought for a moment, and then smiled, “I see. My son and I have been away from Xiling for nearly two months, and state affairs are pressing. We had already intended to take our leave. However… my son went out yesterday and hasn’t returned. I’m afraid I must trouble Your Highnesses to help look after him.” Mo Xiuyao graciously agreed, “The Prince need not worry about this. As long as your heir is within our Northwest territory, even if he’s hidden in an underground cave, I’ll find him for you.”
The Prince of Nanzheng’s heart sank slightly. After all this talk, Mo Xiuyao seemed to agree but had promised nothing. Everyone knew that Mo Xiuyao had captured his son, but as long as Mo Xiuyao didn’t admit it, no one could do anything about it. And his promise to search—whether it took ten days or half a month, three years or five years, it was still searching. Prince Ding’s household could afford to waste this time, but Xiling and the Prince of Nanzheng’s household couldn’t. Though Tengfeng wasn’t his only son, he was the only one with outstanding talent. He couldn’t be lost in Mo Xiuyao’s hands.
Looking up, the Prince of Nanzheng said solemnly, “My son is inconsiderate. If he has offended Your Highnesses in any way, I apologize on his behalf. I hope Prince Ding will show mercy.” With these words, he was showing weakness.
Mo Xiuyao’s eyes flickered slightly as he smiled faintly, “Your Highness’s words are too heavy. I seem to recall… when A’Li left the city yesterday, she encountered many mysteriously appearing people in the Northwest and had them arrested. A’Li?” Ye Li smiled gracefully, nodding, “We did arrest quite a few people yesterday. Zhuo Jing?” Zhuo Jing thought for a moment, then nodded, “There was indeed someone claiming to be the Prince of Nanzheng’s heir, but I’m not familiar with the actual heir, and why would he be near Hongzhou when he should be at the inn? I believed it must be an impostor, so I ordered him to be detained with the others.” His forthright words, combined with his stern, righteous face, made the statement seem completely legitimate.
Everyone present was a master of deception. Mo Xiuyao sat up straight and lightly rebuked, “How could you make such assumptions about the Prince of Nanzheng’s heir? Go investigate immediately! Make haste!” Zhuo Jing complied and withdrew to investigate. After Zhuo Jing’s figure disappeared at the doorway, Mo Xiuyao took a sip of tea and smiled at the Prince of Nanzheng, “Don’t worry, Your Highness. Zhuo Jing is A’Li’s man, usually very reliable. This time was just a momentary oversight. I’m sure he’ll quickly clarify the situation.” The Prince of Nanzheng could see through Mo Xiuyao’s act, but with his son in their hands, he had to accept whatever they said. He smiled faintly and said, “Then I’ll trouble Prince Ding.”
Zhuo Jing indeed returned quickly, taking no more than the time to drink a cup of tea before reappearing at the hall’s entrance. Entering the hall, he bowed to Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao, apologizing, “I have failed in my duty. Please forgive me, Your Highnesses. I just checked the prison. That… is indeed the Prince of Nanzheng’s heir.” Mo Xiuyao raised an eyebrow, “If so, why haven’t you brought him out?” Zhuo Jing replied with difficulty, “Well…”
“Speak plainly,” Ye Li said. Zhuo Jing explained, “After those people were arrested, they were handed over to Young Master Feng San. Young Master Feng San said he despises tomb raiders the most. He said that according to the law, tomb raiding is punishable by a hundred strokes and exile to the frontier. Robbing imperial tombs is punishable by death. Princes who break the law are punished the same as commoners, so… Young Master Feng San refuses to release the prisoners. I have failed in my duty, please forgive me, Princess.” Looking at the Prince of Nanzheng, whose face had turned green, Ye Li smiled apologetically, “Feng San was entrusted by the King to participate in drafting Liucheng and Northwest laws. As the saying goes, ‘a new official must make three fires,’ he may be a bit inflexible in his thinking. Please understand, Your Highness.” She turned to Zhuo Jing and said, “Please invite Feng San here.”
“No need to invite me. This subordinate Feng San requests an audience with Your Highnesses.” Before Ye Li finished speaking, Feng Zhiyao’s voice sounded from outside. The Third Young Master Feng still wore his red robes, appearing every bit the elegant noble young master. Ye Li asked, “Feng San, is the Prince of Nanzheng’s heir in your custody?” Feng Zhiyao raised his eyebrows with a smile, casually waving his folding fan as he replied, “Your Highness, I don’t have any heir in my custody, only tomb raiders. I came specifically to report this matter to Your Highnesses. In my opinion, these people committed the audacious crime of robbing imperial tombs, which is punishable by death. I suggest we publicly execute them and announce their crimes to the world!”
The Prince of Nanzheng’s expression turned extremely ugly. If the Prince of Nanzheng’s heir were executed for tomb raiding, it would bring worldwide shame to both the Prince of Nanzheng’s household and Xiling. Yet Feng Zhiyao spoke so righteously that no one could refute him. Because tomb raiding was indeed a crime in both Xiling and Da Chu. But frankly, such charges were meant for common people and grave robbers. When royal families excavated previous dynasties’ tombs, who could stop them? But now that Lei Tengfeng was in Mo Xiuyao’s hands, this charge left them helpless.
Feng Zhiyao continued his impassioned speech, “Our Northwest is newly established, with incomplete laws. We should impose severe punishments to set an example. Moreover, tomb raiding is a grave crime that disregards human relationships and disturbs the spirits of the deceased. Although these are imperial tombs of the previous dynasty, if we don’t impose severe punishment, it will give people the impression that our Northwest lacks human morality and righteousness. I urge Your Highness to consider carefully.”
The Prince of Nanzheng sighed inwardly, understanding that he would inevitably lose today. He stood up and cupped his hands to Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao, “My unworthy son acted recklessly and committed such a grave crime. I beg Prince Ding and Princess for leniency. Xiling and the Prince of Nanzheng’s household are willing to compensate Prince Ding’s household and the Northwest to the best of our ability.”
Hearing this, Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao exchanged glances and smiled in understanding. Admitting defeat was a good thing.