Seeing Ye Li emerge, Feng Zhiyao no longer hid and walked out from under the eaves. Over these years, Ye Li had more or less figured out who held Feng Zhiyao’s heart. Looking at Feng Zhiyao’s usually carefree and unrestrained manner, she could only sigh inwardly at fate’s cruelty. In Ye Li’s view, although Feng Zhiyao was a few years younger than Empress Hua, compared to Mo Jingqi, Feng Zhiyao would make a better husband. Unfortunately, they were destined to have neither fate nor connection. Having heard of Empress Hua’s situation, Feng Zhiyao’s heart was naturally unsettled.
“Princess Consort, shouldn’t we go check on His Highness?” Feng Zhiyao came forward and asked calmly.
Ye Li thought for a moment before nodding. Though she wasn’t worried about Mo Xiuyao getting hurt, Shu Manlin had called in hundreds of experts from the Southern Border holy land, plus she controlled thousands of city guards. Not seeing the outcome still caused some concern.
At this moment, Mo Xiuyao and Xu Qingchen were indeed leisurely sitting in the highest tavern in Nanzhao City, casually enjoying wine. The three-story tavern offered a commanding view of the entire royal city from its top floor, except for the palace itself.
Sitting on the third floor were not only Mo Xiuyao and Xu Qingchen but also Mo Jingli and Lei Tengfeng, as well as Chancellor Liu and Consort Liu, who had likewise vanished from the palace square. Everyone was calmly drinking wine while keeping watch over the various battles throughout the city. The clamor from the square was so overwhelming that people immersed in song, dance, and wine hadn’t noticed the bloody storm now sweeping through the royal city.
While the hosts fought fiercely, the guests sat drinking and watching from the sidelines. Though it might seem unsupportive, it was the best solution to the problem at hand. All parties had complex connections to the main players in this conflict and naturally didn’t want others interfering. So they could only drink wine together and watch the show, while also keeping each other in check. Mo Xiuyao lounged lazily by the window, carelessly playing with his wine cup, not even bothering to look outside as if who ultimately controlled Nanzhao had nothing to do with him.
Lin Han entered and approached Mo Xiuyao, whispering a few words. Mo Xiuyao, who had appeared completely disinterested before, suddenly lit up, his eyes flashing. “Is the Princess Consort alright?” Lin Han nodded, “Yes, the Princess Consort is much better. She said since Your Highness hasn’t returned, she’ll come by shortly to check on you.”
Mo Xiuyao glanced downstairs, saying somewhat regretfully, “I’d like to return quickly, but it seems things won’t finish soon here. Go invite the Princess Consort to join us.” Everyone finally understood – Prince Ding had been listless because his Princess Consort wasn’t present. With this realization, the gathered people showed various expressions – hatred, contemplation, and jealousy.
In less than a quarter-hour, Ye Li appeared at the stairs. Seeing the entire third floor had no other customers, only envoys from various countries occupying separate tables, she raised her eyebrows in surprise. As soon as Mo Xiuyao saw Ye Li, he immediately stood and walked forward, “A’Li, are you well?” Ye Li nodded, “All is well. Big Brother is here too?” Xu Qingchen nodded, pointing outside, “Ruier, come take a look.” Though this tavern was tall, it was night now, so there wasn’t much to see. Everyone waiting here without moving was simply waiting for the outcome and preventing others from interfering.
Ye Li glanced outside casually before losing interest. “Big Brother, what’s happening?”
Xu Qingchen smiled faintly, “The Holy Maiden of the Southern Border suddenly made her move, attacking several tribal chiefs who came for the wedding. Princess An Xi naturally had to demand an explanation, and then fighting broke out.” Things weren’t as simple as Xu Qingchen described. The tribal chiefs Shu Manlin had attacked were all supporters of Princess An Xi, including An Xi’s in-laws and maternal family. Moreover, they had attempted to ambush the newlyweds when Princess An Xi received news and went personally to provide aid. An Xi had long held the people’s hearts and naturally had many loyal followers, so both sides engaged in fierce combat.
“Princess Consort Ding, who do you think will win between Princess An Xi and the Holy Maiden?” Mo Jingli suddenly asked from across the room.
Everyone immediately turned their gaze to Ye Li. She calmly looked at Mo Jingli, seeing him staring intently at her with a hint of challenge in his eyes. Ye Li found it amusing and replied plainly, “How could I determine who wins or loses? However, there’s a saying… those who win the people’s hearts win the realm. Right and wrong are matters for the Nanzhao royal family and people – it has nothing to do with us outsiders.”
Princess An Xi had governed well these years, bringing many benefits to the people. Her position surely couldn’t be easily shaken by Shu Manlin’s self-proclaimed title as the Southern Border’s savior, which came from who knows where. As long as Princess An Xi could gain a slight advantage tonight, her position in Nanzhao would be difficult to challenge in the future. Ye Li glanced at Mo Xiuyao and Xu Qingchen. Seeing Xu Qingchen’s faint smile showing no worry at all, Ye Li’s heart also settled.
Those who win the people’s hearts win the realm… everyone present pondered these words thoughtfully.
“Ruier’s words are profound,” Xu Qingchen praised with a smile. Ye Li felt somewhat embarrassed – what she said was just a common saying from her previous life. Mo Xiuyao smiled proudly, “Everything A’Li says naturally has reason to it.”
Xu Qingchen didn’t bother arguing with this childishly proud man, especially since he was praising Ruier, and simply pretended not to see his smug face. None present were naive youths ignorant of the world, and each had their understanding of Ye Li’s words.
Yet one person was dissatisfied, saying coldly, “By Miss Ye’s logic, whoever wins the people’s hearts should have the realm. Doesn’t that mean the Chu royal family should have long since yielded to the Ding National Prince’s manor?” When it came to popular support, though the Chu royal family was the legitimate dynasty, they couldn’t begin to compare it to the Ding National Prince’s manor.
Everyone present gave Consort Liu strange looks, their eyes showing mockery and disdain. What was an insightful statement without ulterior meaning had somehow been twisted by this woman – should they say this proved she and Mo Jingqi were truly a matched pair?
Consort Liu knew she had misspoken as soon as the words left her mouth. She hadn’t originally intended to say anything. But seeing how Ye Li’s casual remark earned such high praise from Young Master Qingchen, along with the surprised and admiring looks from others present, and watching Mo Xiuyao hold Ye Li with such pride as if he were happier than if he had been praised, her heart couldn’t help but throb with pain, and the harsh words came out before she could even think them through.
Ye Li looked at Consort Liu calmly, saying coolly, “By saying this, is Consort Liu admitting the current royal family has lost the people’s hearts? Since the Consort knows this herself, she should keep to her proper place and advise the Emperor to cultivate virtue, rather than making wild speculations and reckless statements here. Our Liucheng in the Northwest has no more connection to your Da Chu. Even if Consort Liu feels the Chu Emperor is incompetent and unworthy of the throne, any abdication would have nothing to do with our Prince.”
As she finished, her calm gaze swept across Mo Jingli’s face opposite her. Sure enough, she saw his expression change slightly. Mo Jingli’s usually stern face rarely showed such a smile, though it appeared somewhat unsettling. “So in Consort Liu’s heart, she feels Imperial Brother is unworthy of being Emperor? This prince only learns of this now. Such a Consort – truly eye-opening.”
“What nonsense are you speaking?” Consort Liu glared at Mo Jingli. Mo Jingli had been giving face to Mo Jingqi only when he felt like it these past few years, so how could he fear Consort Liu? He laughed coldly, “Were those words just now not spoken by Consort Liu?”
“Your Grace!” Chancellor Liu also looked at his daughter with displeasure. Though certain thoughts were fine to keep to oneself, Consort Liu’s words and actions were too much. Now was not the time they could afford to offend Prince Ding. The bottom line for offending Prince Ding lay with the Princess Consort – offending her might be even worse than offending the Prince himself. Yet his daughter couldn’t read the situation and recklessly challenged the Princess Consort’s bottom line. “Your Grace merely misspoke. Please mind your words, Prince Li.”
Mo Jingli gave a disdainful snort. Misspoke? He wasn’t meeting Consort Liu for the first time – she had always been arrogant as if everyone else was merely dust beneath her feet. To say she looked down on his Emperor brother and thought him unworthy of being Emperor – Mo Jingli had no reason to doubt it.
While Mo Jingli and the Liu father and daughter argued, Mo Xiuyao attentively poured tea for Ye Li, speaking sweet words to her without any restraint, nearly blinding the eyes of all the loveless and unloved people present.
Lei Tengfeng looked at the couple thoughtfully and smiled, “Prince Ding and Princess Consort’s affection is truly enviable.” Even if your relationship is good, you don’t need to show it off in public, right?
Mo Xiuyao nodded in agreement, “As the saying goes, marry a virtuous wife. For a man, nothing is more important than finding a good wife. The lucky ones, like myself, marry someone like A’Li. The unlucky ones…”
Mo Xiuyao didn’t finish his sentence, but everyone present understood his meaning, though each had their candidate in mind for who the unlucky one might be. Looking at Ye Li again, they had to admit in their hearts that Mo Xiuyao was indeed fortunate.
Princess Consort Ding was not only beautiful in appearance and naturally graceful, but she could also govern with wisdom and protect the realm with martial prowess. The fearsome Qilin of the Northwest that everyone dreaded was personally trained by her. The Fourth and Fifth Sons of the Xu family leading the people in the North to cultivate wasteland and plant fields, transforming the formerly barren North into a prosperous region with favorable weather and content citizens, was also said to be her suggestion. Even without these achievements, just considering that Princess Consort had uncles Xu Hongyu and Xu Hongyan, along with her Fifth Cousin, if people knew how highly the Xu family regarded Ye Li, perhaps every man in the world would compete to marry such a fine lady.
Since Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li’s marriage, Mo Xiuyao – who had been confined to the Prince Ding manor with crippled legs, half-ruined features, and constant illness – had in just a few years carved out the Northwest Territory, regained his health, and even had a son. Such incredible luck. And all it cost Mo Xiuyao was his hair turning white. More importantly, since his hair turned white, Mo Xiuyao seemed to have become even more dazzling!
Even Ye Li blushed at Mo Xiuyao’s shamelessness, though her face remained outwardly calm as she secretly reached out to pinch his waist hard without mercy. Mo Xiuyao immediately dropped his expression, “Wife…”
Seeing the two becoming increasingly improper, Xu Qingchen gave a light cough to remind them to mind their image with outsiders present.
Ye Li was also tired of dealing with the playful Mo Xiuyao and turned to look toward where fighting continued, asking, “Shu Manlin mobilized the city guards?” Xu Qingchen nodded slightly, smiling, “Ruier needn’t worry. Princess An Xi isn’t a weak woman who lets others bully her. Several tribes who came for the wedding, including the Pu’a family and Princess An Xi’s maternal grandfather’s family, brought quite a few people.”
“There… Mo Xiuyao, you broke your word!” Mo Jingli, sitting by the window and staring at a certain spot for a long time, suddenly turned to shout at Mo Xiuyao. Mo Xiuyao lazily rested his head on Ye Li’s shoulder, glancing at Mo Jingli with complete confusion, “What do you mean?”
Mo Jingli laughed coldly, “Do you dare say those people aren’t from your Northwest? Aren’t they the Qilin?” Hearing his words, others immediately stood and walked to the window to look carefully. Sure enough, they saw a group of people cutting through the chaos like a sharp blade, unstoppable wherever they went. Even in the darkness, their shocking speed of advancement was visible. Even when facing enemies several times their number, nothing could impede their progress. Everyone turned to look at Mo Xiuyao – besides the Northwest, besides the Qilin, no one had such combat ability.
“Oh my, we’ve been discovered. A’Li, what should we do?” Mo Xiuyao didn’t deny it, blinking innocently at Ye Li.
Ye Li couldn’t help but smile. It was nighttime now, and even with Shu Manlin’s thousands of troops, if the Qilin didn’t want to be discovered, they absolutely wouldn’t leave any trace. This was Mo Xiuyao’s deliberate action – was this… his way of showing support for Princess An Xi?
Mo Jingli raged, “Mo Xiuyao, we all agreed no one would interfere in Southern Border affairs. What you’re doing breaks that agreement!”
Mo Xiuyao gave a contemptuous look that clearly said: So what if I broke the agreement? What are you going to do about it? Bite me? Reading the meaning in Mo Xiuyao’s expression, Mo Jingli’s facial muscles twitched involuntarily. Lei Tengfeng maintained more rationality – he hadn’t planned to interfere in Southern Border affairs anyway. Nanzhao and Xiling shared a long border with constant friction over many years; they could never be friends. The Marquis of Zhennan had already made some plans – if they couldn’t break through Da Chu in the short term, they would have to start with Nanzhao. So who controlled Nanzhao made no difference to him.
“Prince Ding, since we had a prior agreement, shouldn’t you give us a reasonable explanation for your sudden intervention?” Lei Tengfeng asked politely.
Mo Xiuyao smiled, “Explanation? It’s simple – I promised Princess An Xi before I promised you. Besides, I haven’t planned to interfere in Southern Border affairs. Princess An Xi merely suspected someone might cause trouble during the wedding and asked me for a few guards to protect the newlyweds and wedding guests’ safety. Princess An Xi is Young Master Qingchen’s close friend and has quite a friendship with my beloved consort – how could I refuse such a small request? Moreover, I’m not giving these people away for free. Princess An Xi is borrowing each guard for five thousand taels of silver, with an additional five hundred taels for medical expenses if injured or ten thousand taels compensation if killed in battle. Such a fair and profitable deal – I’d do it even without our friendship.”
Everyone silently spat blood in their hearts hearing this.
Ye Li was lost in thought – she hadn’t expected Mo Xiuyao to grasp the essence of mercenary forces on his own. Come to think of it, if the Qilin became mercenaries… not only could they earn considerable wealth, but more importantly, they could gain extensive real combat experience. After all, the Northwest had been too peaceful these years, and no amount of training could match the effects of actual combat. Of course, this was just Ye Li’s idle thinking – she would never actually turn her carefully trained Qilin into mercenaries.
“What is A’Li thinking about?” Seeing Ye Li lowering her head in thought, Mo Xiuyao knew she must have some new idea in mind and asked softly. Ye Li shook her head, “We’ll discuss it later.”
Mo Xiuyao also knew this wasn’t the place to talk. Noticing how others kept glancing their way intentionally or not, he openly stood up, embracing Ye Li as they moved to watch the battle by the window. With Ye Li’s special training and Mo Xiuyao’s profound martial arts, these two naturally had far better night vision than others present. Watching the Qilin’s performance in the distance, Ye Li nodded with satisfaction – these five years of training hadn’t been wasted. The entire Qilin team had matured and become seasoned. They could now independently execute various types of missions.
Mo Xiuyao pointed to the distance, “Shu Manlin’s people have started attacking the Princess’s manor.”
Ye Li frowned, “At this time, Princess An Xi shouldn’t be in her manor, right?”
Mo Xiuyao smiled, “Of course not. Why would she wait there to die?” Princess An Xi probably hadn’t expected her father to give Shu Manlin the token to mobilize the city guards. Facing seven or eight thousand soldiers plus hundreds of experts, even with Mo Xiuyao’s Qilin supporting them, they could only avoid confrontation – it was impossible to match force with force. After all, Mo Xiuyao hadn’t brought many people to the Southern Border and absolutely wouldn’t use all of Prince Ding Manor’s forces there just for Princess An Xi.
“Does A’Li want to guess where Princess An Xi has gone?” Mo Xiuyao asked cheerfully.
Everyone except Xu Qingchen perked up their ears to listen to this casual conversation. Ye Li frowned, staring at the scene outside for a long time before slowly saying, “Capture the leader to catch the bandits.” Since Princess An Xi wasn’t at her manor now, she naturally wouldn’t be fighting in the city either. That meant she must have gone to find Shu Manlin – only by getting the token in Shu Manlin’s possession could she stop this slaughter in the royal city. Unlike other tribal forces that only listened to their chiefs, Nanzhao’s city guards recognized the token, not the person. At this point, even the King of Nanzhao might not be able to control them without the token.
“Where is Shu Manlin?”
Mo Xiuyao smiled at Ye Li, “Naturally in the royal palace. That woman has gone mad with wanting to be Nanzhao’s ruler – where else would she be but the palace?”
Ye Li frowned slightly. The King of Nanzhao was still in the palace too. Although people had been left to handle things, they might not find the king quickly without careful searching. But if Shu Manlin found the king first, it wouldn’t be good for Princess An Xi.
Mo Xiuyao smiled, “A’Li need not worry. It would be better if the King of Nanzhao showed some sense. If he still tries to rely on Shu Manlin… I’m afraid he’ll be the one to suffer greatly. Don’t forget who’s by Shu Manlin’s side…”
Ye Li understood – Tan Jizhi was with Shu Manlin, and he was no pushover. If Shu Manlin won, Tan Jizhi would not let the King of Nanzhao live. And if the king died, Shu Manlin’s position would be unstable as well.