“What? These beasts!” Feng Huaiting gritted his teeth in anger. The Feng family’s loyalty to Mo Jingqi wasn’t without reason. Years ago, the Feng family had nearly faced destruction, and it was Mo Jingqi, then still a prince, who had helped them. Regardless of how controversial Mo Jingqi’s character might be, he had undeniably saved the entire Feng family and their vast business empire. This was precisely why Feng Huaiting had initially driven out Feng Zhiyao, who had grown close to Prince Ding, and not merely because he feared royal suspicion. For the Feng family to ally with Mo Jingli despite knowing he had harmed Mo Jingqi was, in Feng Huaiting’s eyes – a merchant who still maintained some integrity – an act of ungrateful beasts.
Mo Xiuyao glanced at the silently sitting Empress with an enigmatic smile, saying mildly: “Elder Feng needn’t be angry. After all, your sons were thinking of the entire Feng family’s survival.” Of course, his machinations had played a part in this. He felt no regret in giving most of the Feng family to Mo Jingli. Money could be earned anytime, but the people who could earn it… The two Feng legitimate sons were adequate for maintaining the business, but the truly capable one was the man before him. The Feng family had only achieved its current prominence and wealth under his management.
Prince Ding’s enterprises were diverse and countless. He could no longer trust Han Mingyue, and Han Mingxi and Leng Haoyu were gradually becoming overwhelmed. Moreover, the Northwest’s development had begun to hit bottlenecks after these years of growth. He desperately needed business talents. So… what was one Feng family? With enough talented people, he would soon have two, three, or even ten Feng families. Though the Mo family wasn’t skilled in business, they never lacked money because they were better at having others earn money for them.
Feng Huaiting, having expanded the Feng family’s prosperity under his management, was naturally no fool. He smiled bitterly with some resignation: “I fear Prince Li had his eyes on the Feng family’s assets long ago.” It was widely known that the Feng family belonged to the late Emperor. Though Mo Jingli wasn’t as suspicious as Mo Jingqi, he absolutely wouldn’t feel secure letting the Feng family escape his control. Moreover, there was the Feng family’s enviable wealth. This incident was less about Feng Zhiyao and more about the Feng family’s fortune.
Mo Xiuyao smiled without answering – he enjoyed talking with intelligent people.
“Your Highness, Noble Consort Liu requests an audience,” Zhuo Jing announced solemnly at the moon-shaped doorway.
Mo Xiuyao smiled at Feng Huaiting: “Here she comes, isn’t it? Is Feng San with her?”
Zhuo Jing looked somewhat troubled as he glanced at everyone, nodding: “Yes, but Young Master Feng San…” He didn’t look too good, that is.
“What happened to him?” Two voices spoke in unison, and both speakers looked at each other with awkward expressions. Ye Li smiled and patted the Empress’s hand, saying softly: “If Zhuo Jing says so, it probably isn’t too serious.” But some minor suffering was inevitable – of course, Ye Li wouldn’t mention that Mo Xiuyao had sent Qin Feng to take Feng Huaiting away early specifically to deal with Feng Zhiyao. This string of troubles Feng Zhiyao had caused had particularly displeased Prince Ding. If Feng San had been straightforward about it from the start, it would have been just a matter of Mo Xiuyao saying a few words. But now that it had caused so much trouble, the Prince was naturally unhappy.
“Let’s go see how many guts Noble Consort Liu has, daring to detain my person.” Everyone present, except for Ye Li and Mo Xiaobao, shuddered at the coldness in his voice. Even the youngest, Leng Junhan, cleverly buried his little head in Ye Li’s embrace. Ye Li picked up Leng Junhan and stood up, while Mo Xiuyao glanced at the little one hiding in his wife’s arms and snorted lightly before reaching over to pick him up. Leng Junhan hung suspended in mid-air, staring blankly at the white-haired man before pouting and reaching his little hands toward Ye Li, “Auntie hold…”
Beside them, Zhuo Jing watched the little bundle in Mo Xiuyao’s arms with admiration: Who said Leng Haoyu’s son was timid? This clearly showed the courage of a tiger!
Mo Xiaobao also wiped his sweat, hoping his father wouldn’t kill little Leng – he was supposed to be his first future subordinate…
In Prince Ding’s main hall, Noble Consort Liu sat in a carved sandalwood chair, lost in thought with lowered eyes. Across from her, the handsome and refined Young Master Feng San was tied up and thrown into a chair. Behind Feng Zhiyao stood two tall men, their gazes withdrawn, the veins at their temples slightly protruding – internal martial arts experts. Originally, Noble Consort Liu would never have brought Feng Zhiyao to Prince Ding’s mansion, as he was one of her bargaining chips. But after arriving at the mansion, she discovered she couldn’t even enter without him.
Feng Zhiyao leaned back in his chair, extremely uncomfortable in his trussed-up state. The whip marks on his body also stung fiercely. This made Feng Zhiyao, who hadn’t been injured in a long time, secretly curse, his gaze growing increasingly venomous as he stared at Noble Consort Liu. He would kill this woman!
After waiting a long time without seeing Mo Xiuyao arrive, and with no one coming to serve tea, Noble Consort Liu had no mood to pick at Prince Ding’s hospitality. Her delicate brows were tightly knitted as if contemplating something important.
“Your Highness, Princess Consort…” The voices of guards and maids giving greetings came from outside. Noble Consort Liu lifted her head, her eyes brightening, her hands hidden in her sleeves clenching tightly.
Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li entered side by side, with Mo Xiuyao carrying a fair-skinned boy in white clothes. Following Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li was Prince Ding’s heir Mo Xiaobao, whom Noble Consort Liu hated to her bones. Seeing Noble Consort Liu, Mo Xiaobao’s eyes lit up, and she immediately felt uneasy. Before she could speak, Mo Xiaobao cheerfully said: “Auntie, why are you here again?”
“Auntie?” Leng Junhan curiously tilted his head to look at Noble Consort Liu, blinking in confusion. This aunt was very beautiful, not at all like the older aunties in the mansion.
“Stupid little Leng, the older aunties in the mansion are called grannies. This one is called auntie,” Mo Xiaobao said disdainfully. Little Leng had accidentally voiced his confusion aloud. Hearing Mo Xiaobao’s nonsensical explanation and seeing Noble Consort Liu’s increasingly interesting expression, even Ye Li couldn’t help but secretly laugh. Perhaps because he had been suppressed too harshly by Mo Xiuyao, Mo Xiaobao’s skill at talking nonsense had improved by leaps and bounds – even Ye Li could no longer tell whether he was being serious or deliberately annoying people.
“Prince Ding!” Noble Consort Liu’s face darkened – if this continued, she might not be able to resist beating that little devil first.
Mo Xiuyao entered the hall with a calm expression, casually dropping Leng Junhan into the chair beside Feng Zhiyao. He glanced at the two men standing behind Feng Zhiyao and said: “Get out.”
The two men moved slightly but were horrified to find they couldn’t move at all. Forget about doing anything to Feng Zhiyao or the child sitting in the chair curiously looking at them – they couldn’t even move a finger, as if their entire bodies had suddenly become rigid. Prince Ding’s martial arts were far beyond their imagination. So this was the power of one of the Four Great Masters – sweat silently appeared on their foreheads, sliding down as quickly as if they’d been caught in a downpour.
Mo Xiuyao snorted lightly and turned to lead Ye Li to sit in the main seats.
Only after Mo Xiuyao had walked several steps away did the two men finally breathe easier. Upon discovering they could move again, their legs went weak and they collapsed to the ground. Without waiting for Noble Consort Liu’s order, they scrambled away on all fours. Leng Junhan sat in his chair and cheerfully waved at Mo Xiaobao, receiving a disdainful eye roll in return, but undeterred, he curiously poked at the tightly bound Feng Zhiyao beside him, “Oh Oh… Uncle Feng, what happened to you?”
Feng Zhiyao smiled bitterly in resignation and looked pleadingly at Ye Li. He didn’t dare ask Mo Xiuyao at this point – Mo Xiuyao’s method of untying him would not be to his liking. Ye Li smiled and raised her hand, a silver flash shooting from her fingertip. Feng Zhiyao felt a sudden chill on his arm as the tight ropes immediately loosened. Looking back at the silver blade embedded three inches into the wall, Feng Zhiyao’s hair stood on end. Well, this one was equally untouchable.
“Feng San, are you alright?” Ye Li asked, looking at his torn clothes with whip marks and traces of blood.
“I’m fine,” Feng Zhiyao shook his head. It was just a few lashes – for someone like Feng Zhiyao who had been on battlefields, it didn’t even count as a minor injury. It was just a matter of losing face.
“Prince Ding, I…” Noble Consort Liu frowned, saying anxiously.
Mo Xiuyao raised his hand to stop her words, but what came from his beautiful thin lips made Noble Consort Liu’s blood run cold: “Take her out and give her ten lashes before we talk.” With just one look, Mo Xiuyao had seen the marks on Feng Zhiyao’s body.
“Prince Ding, you…” Noble Consort Liu’s face instantly turned pale. “What did you say?”
Mo Xiuyao said coldly: “Feng San is a member of Prince Ding’s household. Even if he committed a grave error, Prince Ding’s household would take responsibility. Since when… did a mere palace consort gain the right to punish him? I don’t care what you have to say, you will take these lashes whether you want to or not.” The guards outside, hearing the order, immediately entered and walked unhesitatingly toward Noble Consort Liu. Can’t whip the current Noble Consort? The consequences would be severe. The Prince’s anger would be even more severe! And as it happened, the Prince had been in a bad mood these past few days.
“Stop!” Noble Consort Liu shouted harshly. “You can’t touch me! I am the current Noble Consort!”
Mo Xiuyao sneered, “You are the late Emperor’s consort. What of it if I have you whipped? Who dares come save you? Your father? Mo Jingli?”
“I have something to tell you… something beneficial to Prince Ding’s household. You’ll regret it if you don’t listen,” Noble Consort Liu said anxiously, biting her lips that had grown dry from fear.
“Take her away. Don’t make me repeat myself,” Mo Xiuyao said coldly.
The two guards efficiently grabbed Noble Consort Liu from both sides and dragged her toward the door. Noble Consort Liu, who only knew some superficial martial arts, was no match for the two guards and was dragged away with almost no resistance. Soon the sound of whips cutting through the air came from outside. Mo Xiaobao opened his eyes curiously, “Why isn’t she screaming?”
Ye Li covered her face – was it alright to let the two children see this? More importantly, why was not only Mo Xiaobao fearlessly craning his neck to look, but even the usually well-behaved Leng Junhan was also wide-eyed with curiosity and excitement? Could her method of raising children be problematic? How would she explain to Leng Haoyu and Murong Ting that their well-behaved son had become so fierce?
Ten lashes were very quick – in less than half an incense stick’s time, Noble Consort Liu was dragged back and placed in her original chair. Only now her white clothes were stained with bright red blood marks, and she could no longer maintain her graceful posture, only able to slump powerlessly in the chair, looking far more miserable than Feng Zhiyao.
Feng Zhiyao watched with satisfaction as Noble Consort Liu appeared more wretched than himself, suddenly feeling his wounds didn’t hurt as much. However, as soon as he met Mo Xiuyao’s enigmatic gaze, Feng Zhiyao immediately shrank back timidly. He was still worse off than Noble Consort Liu – he could foresee that his future would be full of tribulations.
“Now, you may speak,” Mo Xiuyao said, his mood seemingly improving as he took a light sip of clear tea.
Noble Consort Liu trembled in pain, how could she say anything? Unlike the thick-skinned Feng Zhiyao, she couldn’t bear such pain, and Prince Ding’s guards hadn’t shown any mercy with those ten lashes. She could still sit here only because those who had struck her knew she still needed to speak with the Prince and had shown a slight bit of mercy.
Noble Consort Liu gasped for breath, watching as Mo Xiuyao smilingly handed a teacup to Ye Li beside him, not even sparing her half a glance while speaking to her. She felt cold all over: “You’re so cruel…”
Mo Xiuyao raised an eyebrow: “I’m not here to listen to your nonsense.”
Having suffered such a great punishment, if Noble Consort Liu still didn’t realize her previous approach wouldn’t work with Mo Xiuyao, she would have truly wasted these decades of life. Gritting her teeth, Noble Consort Liu said: “I can help you take control of the three provinces bordering the Northern Rong in Great Chu’s north without any effort.”
“Oh?” Mo Xiuyao turned his gaze, looking at her suspiciously.
Seeing this, Noble Consort Liu knew Mo Xiuyao was interested and rejoiced inwardly, saying in a deep voice: “But I have one condition.”
Mo Xiuyao leaned back slightly, resting against Ye Li as he asked: “Let’s hear it.”
“I want you to take me as your consort!”
“Pffft-” Feng Zhiyao coughed repeatedly, looking resentfully at the woman opposite him. He hadn’t had a drop of water for a day and night, and this woman had made him choke!
Beside them, Ye Li also fell back, and Mo Xiuyao, who had been leaning on her, had to sit up and reach back to hold her slender waist, pulling her close to him: “A’Li…” Ye Li smiled apologetically – it wasn’t that she was angry or distrustful of Mo Xiuyao, but that she had been shocked by Noble Consort Liu. She had just been given ten lashes on Mo Xiuyao’s orders, yet she still stubbornly wanted to marry him. Wasn’t she afraid Mo Xiuyao would kill her after using her? This was asking for abuse, wasn’t it? The reason Noble Consort Liu didn’t love Mo Jingqi was probably because he had been too good to her.
Seeing Ye Li’s smile, Mo Xiuyao nuzzled her contentedly: “A’Li, what do you say?”
Ye Li raised an eyebrow – wasn’t this the kind of thing he should resolve himself? What did he mean by pushing it to her?
“Isn’t taking concubines something that should be decided by the Princess Consort?” Mo Xiuyao asked innocently.
Taking concubines? Ye Li’s beautiful eyes narrowed slightly, her voice calm with a smile: “Prince wants to take concubines?”
“This Prince is a good husband, the inner court matters are all up to my beloved consort,” Mo Xiuyao said magnanimously.
“Prince Ding, I’m not talking about being a concubine,” Noble Consort Liu’s face turned ashen. “I want you to take me… as your Equal Consort!” Originally she had wanted to say primary consort, but seeing Prince Ding’s attitude toward Ye Li, she knew it was impossible. Noble Consort Liu decided to take a temporary step back. As long as she became Prince Ding’s consort… then later…
“Heh…” Feng Zhiyao sneered, “Noble Consort Liu, could it be you don’t know? An Equal Consort to a Primary Consort is just like a Noble Consort to an Empress. They’re all concubines!”
Noble Consort Liu’s eyes flashed dangerously as she glared at Feng Zhiyao: “Feng San, shut your filthy mouth, or I’ll make you fall from grace with her!”
Feng Zhiyao raised his eyebrows: “Fall from grace? Like you, Noble Consort Liu? Coming personally to threaten the Prince to take you as a concubine? Ah… let me think, and you’re using Great Chu’s three northern provinces as leverage. What’s that called again… treason?”
Noble Consort Liu trembled with anger, but when she tried to stand, the pain made her unable to move. After taking several deep breaths to suppress her rage, she looked at Mo Xiuyao and said: “Prince Ding, what do you say?”
Mo Xiuyao said calmly: “I never manage inner household affairs.”
Feng Zhiyao suppressed a laugh – what an interesting way to put it. Did Prince Ding’s mansion even have any inner household affairs?
However, Noble Consort Liu thought she understood Mo Xiuyao’s meaning – whether to marry her or not was up to Ye Li to decide. This made Noble Consort Liu very dissatisfied, but since Mo Xiuyao had said this, she could only comfort herself that it was because of the Xu family that Prince Ding gave face to Ye Li. Lifting her chin proudly, she looked at Ye Li and said: “Miss Ye, surely you understand the benefits I bring to Prince Ding’s household and the Mo family army?”
Ye Li raised an eyebrow and stopped Mo Xiaobao, who wanted to jump up in anger, saying with a faint smile: “With Noble Consort Liu’s intelligence… you probably couldn’t come up with this idea, could you? Let me guess whose idea this was. Tan Jizhi?”
Seeing Noble Consort Liu’s gloomy expression, Ye Li smiled lightly: “Tan Jizhi is currently in Prince Ding’s custody. Does Noble Consort Liu think it makes sense to use this as a bargaining chip? However, I should thank you for providing such an interesting piece of information. Also…” Seeing Noble Consort Liu wanting to interject, Ye Li’s voice deepened: “The three provinces Noble Consort Liu mentioned all border the Northern Rong, with a boundary line extending over a thousand li. Once the Mo family army took over, they would face attacks from the Northern Rong in front and condemnation from Great Chu’s officials and civilians behind. Is Noble Consort Liu trying to help Prince Ding’s household or harm it?”
Noble Consort Liu opened and closed her mouth without saying anything. She truly didn’t understand these matters; this was just what she had thought up after hearing some of Tan Jizhi’s analysis.
“You… you’re talking nonsense! How could the Mo family army fear the Northern Rong and some commoners?” Noble Consort Liu said with a pale face.
Ye Li smiled gently and didn’t continue the conversation – it was a waste of time to discuss public sentiment with a woman who had lost all reason over a man. She lightly brushed a strand of hair by her ear and looked at Noble Consort Liu, saying calmly: “It seems Noble Consort Liu can’t offer any constructive ideas. Please leave then. If you don’t have the ability, don’t covet other people’s men. If you’re really that desperate, there’s the Qingfeng House in the west of the city.”
“Cough cough cough…” Feng Zhiyao put down his teacup with a twisted expression, looking at Ye Li in horror. Qingfeng House… wasn’t that a male brothel? Princess Consort, how do you know about that…?