Ye Li frowned slightly as she watched Mo Xiu Yao’s seemingly unconcerned expression. After waking up, she felt that those around her were hiding something, and Mo Xiu Yao’s deliberate frightening away of Lady Bai only deepened this feeling.
Sitting up straight, Ye Li looked directly at Mo Xiu Yao’s handsome face, which showed hints of guilt, and asked softly, “Xiu Yao, are you hiding something from me?”
“Uh… of course not. Why would A-Li ask such a thing?” Mo Xiu Yao replied with a smile, though his expression lacked its usual ease.
Ye Li raised an eyebrow and asked with a half-smile, “Could it be that the Prince has taken a fancy to some young lady and wants to bring her into the manor as a concubine for Xiao Bao?” Mo Xiu Yao’s expression changed slightly. He twitched his lips and pulled Ye Li into his embrace, muttering, “A-Li speaks nonsense. This Prince only loves A-Li.”
Ye Li patted his back with amusement and asked, “Then what are you being so secretive about? I’ve been unwell these past few days, but did you think I wouldn’t ask about it once I recovered?”
Indeed, even the Prince of Ding could become flustered with worry and do foolish things. For instance, he knew these matters couldn’t be kept hidden unless he silenced everyone who knew about them. But instinctively, he just didn’t want A-Li to see this side of him.
After a long while, Mo Xiu Yao finally said glumly, “I killed Bai Yun Cheng’s daughter.”
Ye Li was startled slightly, remembering that Bai Qing Ning had been by her side during the assassination attempt. She asked softly, “Is it because of the assassination attempt that day?”
Mo Xiu Yao looked at Ye Li and said gravely, “It has nothing to do with A-Li. This Prince simply found her disagreeable.”
Ye Li smiled helplessly and sighed softly, “Although Bai Qing Ning’s crimes didn’t warrant death, you didn’t need to hide this from me.” Though many deeply ingrained concepts from her previous life made her uncomfortable with taking lives casually, wasn’t Mo Xiu Yao thousands of times more important to her than the unrelated Bai Qing Ning? Moreover, after so many years, Ye Li should understand that sometimes people weren’t killed because they deserved death. Many who didn’t deserve to die still died, perhaps more than those who truly deserved death. In their positions, they often had no choice in many matters.
Mo Xiu Yao raised his eyes and stared at her steadily before finally saying, “I also killed many of Xi Ling’s nobility.”
Ye Li remained silent for a moment before sighing softly and asking, “How many?”
“Thirty percent,” Mo Xiu Yao said coldly. The complete annihilation of thirty percent of Xi Ling’s capital’s noble families would certainly shock people more than killing thousands of commoners.
After a long while, Ye Li leaned back into Mo Xiu Yao’s embrace and sighed softly, “Is this what you were hiding and preventing others from telling me?” Mo Xiu Yao lowered his head, gently stroking her hair, and said somewhat heavily, “Doesn’t A-Li dislike when I kill indiscriminately?”
Ye Li’s previously solemn mood lightened, and she raised her head to give him an exasperated look. “So you know it’s indiscriminate killing? I’m not a Buddha statue in a temple; when it’s truly necessary to kill, I won’t hesitate either. If you killed those nobles out of anger or for some reason, so be it. But what did those ignorant maids and servants know? You’ve only tarnished your reputation needlessly.”
Mo Xiu Yao silently gazed at her. He hadn’t been able to control himself…
Seeing his expression, Ye Li couldn’t stay angry. She reached up to touch his tightly furrowed brow and said gently, “Although I don’t believe in karma, too much killing still violates heaven’s way and can easily lead one to lose their mind. Xiu Yao, I want you to be well.” Back in Bian City, Ye Li had already noticed the shocking amount of killing intent within Mo Xiu Yao. He had controlled it well over the years, but the few times he lost control had been sufficiently shocking. The reason might be the aftereffects of forcibly suppressing the hatred of the Mo Family Army and two generations of the Prince of Ding. Ye Li didn’t want such loss of control to become normal. Otherwise, there could only be two outcomes: either he would completely release his murderous qi and gradually calm down, or he would ultimately lose himself in endless killing. Either way, it would cost countless lives.
“A-Li…” Mo Xiu Yao stared dazedly at his wife who was looking at him with concern. He lowered his tired eyes and rested against Ye Li’s shoulder, saying softly, “A-Li, I’m so tired… don’t leave me…” He understood A-Li’s worry, and in fact, he understood himself. For instance, with this matter, he had better ways to handle it, but at the time he had no other thoughts, only wanting to kill everyone who had hurt A-Li. Beyond that, he hadn’t considered any other possibilities. Even now, while he still didn’t think the result was bad, he understood it had planted some future troubles.
Ye Li took his hand and gently placed it on her still-flat abdomen, smiling, “How could I leave you? We have Xiao Bao, and now we have a new baby.” Mo Xiu Yao’s hand on her abdomen paused slightly as he asked softly, “What if there were no children?”
Ye Li smiled gracefully and said, “If there were no children, perhaps Prince would have taken a fancy to someone else?” Mo Xiu Yao shook his head and lifted her delicate chin, making her meet his eyes as he said seriously, “This Prince doesn’t care about children. Even without children, I only want A-Li.”
In this era, this could be considered the most passionate declaration of love to a woman. Ye Li smiled lightly and looked at him teasingly, “Prince is saying this too late now.” Now that they already had one child and were about to have another, the sentiment naturally lost much of its impact.
Seeing that Ye Li truly wasn’t angry, the smile in Mo Xiu Yao’s eyes gradually bloomed. He held her gently in his arms and smiled, “This Prince speaks from the heart. If they weren’t A-Li’s children, what use would this Prince have for them?”
“By the way, what did Lady Bai come to see me about?” Leaning in Mo Xiu Yao’s embrace, Ye Li asked softly. Mo Xiu Yao raised an eyebrow and said dismissively, “With so many noble families fallen, I’ve been keeping the Bai family at a distance these past few days. I suppose Bai Yun Cheng is getting anxious.”
“You plan to abandon the Bai family?” Ye Li asked curiously. As one of Xi Ling’s countable great families and among the first to submit, by all rights, the Prince of Ding’s manor should show the Bai family some consideration. But now Mo Xiu Yao had unhesitatingly killed the Bai family’s legitimate daughter, clearly intending to abandon them.
Mo Xiu Yao nodded, “The Bai family has few useful people, and they’ve always been fence-sitters. When Lei Zhen Ting was in power, they sided with him; now that we’ve just entered the capital, they’ve turned to the Prince of Ding’s manor. While knowing the times is a virtue, some people go too far… making it unsightly. With the Bai family’s vast enterprise sitting there, keeping it important would seem unfair to others, but if left idle, Bai Yun Cheng will eventually rebel. Better to resolve it now. As for that so-called imperial consort clan, hmph! This Prince doesn’t want Xiao Bao to marry a Bai woman in the future.”
At this, Ye Li felt somewhat speechless. As a great family of over two hundred years, looking back through their history, they could barely find any notable talents. Yet such a family had not only prospered for two hundred years but had once ranked among Xi Ling’s most powerful families – this could be considered quite peculiar. Or perhaps the Bai family didn’t lack outstanding individuals, but these people never focused their efforts where they should. From the heart, Ye Li also didn’t want such a so-called imperial consort clan to exist long-term under the Prince of Ding’s manor. Not to mention, close relative marriages weren’t good for future generations’ genes.
“What are your plans? Do I need to meet with this Lady Bai?” Ye Li asked.
Mo Xiu Yao shook his head, “No need. Stay away from that Bai woman; something’s not right about her.”
“Oh?” Ye Li raised an eyebrow. In her glance earlier, she hadn’t noticed anything wrong with Lady Bai. Mo Xiu Yao snorted lightly, “She dared ask this Prince to step aside, yet was too frightened to speak when faced with me? If it were truly something crucial to the family’s fate, she would have spoken even if scared to the point of crawling on the ground. The Bai family’s matriarch wouldn’t forget her place like an ignorant commoner woman.”
“Then what are her intentions?” Lying in Mo Xiu Yao’s embrace, Ye Li asked somewhat lazily. Since waking up, she seemed to have become much more lethargic, even too lazy to think.
Mo Xiu Yao said flatly, “We don’t know yet, but I’ll have people watch her.”
“Mm, good…” Ye Li’s voice carried traces of fatigue. Mo Xiu Yao stopped speaking and looked down at the person gradually falling into light sleep in his arms, his gaze gentle as water.
“Prince…” Feng Zhi Yao stepped in but was stopped by Mo Xiu Yao’s cold glare before he could finish speaking. Fortunate enough to witness the Prince of Ding’s gaze transform from ultimate tenderness to icy sharpness in an instant, Feng Zhi Yao secretly cursed in his heart: This is too much-favoring beauty over friendship, completely forgetting his brothers when there’s a woman! As if seeing Feng Zhi Yao’s internal complaints, Mo Xiu Yao snorted lightly and carried Ye Li back to their chambers. The suffering Third Young Master Feng, who had matters to report, could only wordlessly follow behind.
After Mo Xiu Yao had settled Ye Li, he turned and walked out, glancing at Feng Zhi Yao who stood at the door lost in thought, and asked, “What is it?”
Feng Zhi Yao coughed lightly, pulling back his thoughts that had wandered who knows where, and replied, “We’ve already sent people to follow Lady Bai. After leaving, Lady Bai’s expression seemed somewhat off. It appears her earlier inability to speak from fear was half an act.” Mo Xiu Yao wasn’t surprised and asked, “What did she want to see A-Li about?”
Feng Zhi Yao shook his head, stroking his chin thoughtfully, “A few days ago, Prince just killed her daughter. Could she be… seeking revenge? Uh… probably not, right? Where would she get such courage?”
“Revenge? Shouldn’t she be looking for me then?”
Feng Zhi Yao looked at him as if seeing a ghost, “Prince, even if Lady Bai lacks insight, she should know that wanting to move against your esteemed self wouldn’t be enough even if she reincarnated ten times, right? Besides, how does that saying go… if you want your enemy to suffer unbearably, destroy what they care about most. Hmm?”
“What…” Mo Xiu Yao fell silent for a moment, then nodded in agreement with Feng Zhi Yao’s conjecture. “Have people watch Lady Bai closely. Kill her immediately if she makes any move! No… have someone kill her now.” A-Li was pregnant now and couldn’t easily defend herself. Although the Mo Family Army and Qilin guards were reliable, nothing in this world was safe. The safest option was… to eliminate all dangers before they could manifest!
Feng Zhi Yao helplessly rubbed his forehead. Prince, your thoughts are racing too fast; this was just my speculation. However, the Prince’s word was law, and what the Prince said went. Feng Zhi Yao thought irresponsibly that he would have people investigate, and if Lady Bai truly had any ill intentions, they would simply eliminate her. If anything else happened, he feared the remaining third of the capital’s nobility wouldn’t survive either.
“This servant obeys and will handle it immediately.”
Mo Xiu Yao nodded in satisfaction. As he watched Feng Zhi Yao begin to leave, Mo Xiu Yao suddenly called out to him and said coldly, “Feng Three, am I very old?”
Feng Zhi Yao stumbled, silently complaining: Actually, it’s not the Princess who’s pregnant, but you, old man – your temper and moods are changing far too quickly.
“How could that be? Prince is clearly in his prime, youthful and vigorous, at the height of his glory.” That should do it, right? Looking at your white hair, even flattery makes me want to vomit.
Mo Xiu Yao nodded and said calmly, “You may go.”
When Lady Bai returned to the manor, before she could enter the main hall, Bai Yun Cheng anxiously came out to meet her. “My lady, how did it go?” Lady Bai gave her husband a strange look before lowering her head. Bai Yun Cheng’s heart skipped a beat, and he quickly pulled Lady Bai into the hall before asking, “My lady, what did the Prince of Ding’s wife say?”
Lady Bai shook her head without speaking. Bai Yun Cheng grew extremely anxious and repeatedly asked, “What exactly did the Prince of Ding’s wife mean? Please say something.” Lady Bai said softly, “The Prince of Ding stayed by his wife’s side the whole time. I had no way to meet with her alone.” Bai Yun Cheng frowned and asked, “Even so, you could have tried to gauge the Prince’s intentions. Could you tell what those two were thinking?”
Lady Bai raised her head to look at Bai Yun Cheng and suddenly began to laugh. Bai Yun Cheng looked at her strangely and asked in confusion, “What’s wrong with you? Are you unwell somewhere?”
“My lord… do you still remember our Ning’er?”
Bai Yun Cheng was startled. What was this about? Their recently deceased daughter hadn’t even been buried yet; how could he forget? If not for this daughter, perhaps the Bai family wouldn’t be in such a passive situation. Now that the Xi Ling Emperor had left the capital with his people, even if he had any remaining thoughts, they had all come to nothing. Now, besides obediently following the Prince of Ding’s manor, they had no other path to take, yet before this, Bai Qing Ning had greatly offended the Prince of Ding.
Bai Yun Cheng thought he hadn’t revealed any expression, but Lady Bai, who had been watching him intently, caught the flash of resentment in his eyes. With a lowered gaze, holding back tears, Lady Bai suddenly smiled and said, “My lord, the Prince of Ding won’t let us go.” Bai Yun Cheng didn’t understand and grabbed Lady Bai, demanding harshly, “What do you mean? What did you do?”
Lady Bai raised her hand to brush away his grip and said hatefully, “I didn’t do anything! I only hate that I couldn’t do anything!”
Indeed, she had gone today intending to take advantage of meeting Ye Li alone to kill her and avenge her daughter. She had only this one daughter in her life, raised with utmost love and care, yet she could only watch helplessly as the Prince of Ding killed her. Every time she closed her eyes, she seemed to hear her daughter’s tragic voice echoing in her ears: “Mother… save me! I don’t want to die! I’ve been wronged…” It was all because of Ye Li. If not for her, how would the Prince of Ding have taken out his anger on Qing Ning? How would her daughter have died? Most importantly, Ye Li was the Prince of Ding’s most beloved woman. If she died, Lady Bai could almost imagine how crazed with pain the Prince would be.
Unfortunately… nothing had gone according to her plans. Having just been the target of an assassination attempt, the Prince wouldn’t let anyone unfamiliar near his wife. And her moment of panic had left openings. On her way back, she knew there were people from the Prince of Ding’s manor following her. Though she didn’t know exactly where they were, she could feel eyes watching her constantly. She knew… the Bai family was finished, and she had lost her only chance to avenge her daughter. But she couldn’t accept it…
“What exactly is going on?” Bai Yun Cheng asked anxiously. This concerned the Bai family’s survival; he couldn’t help but worry.
Lady Bai looked at him with a half-smile and said, “Didn’t you want to know what I said when I went to see the Prince of Ding’s wife today? I said nothing… because I had originally intended to kill Ye Li, but Mo Xiu Yao stayed by her side the whole time, and there were highly skilled fighters everywhere. I simply didn’t have the chance…”
“You’ve gone mad!” Bai Yun Cheng stared at Lady Bai in horror and said, “Do you know what you’re doing? Do you want to destroy the Bai family?”
Lady Bai laughed, her gaze distant. “With our daughter gone, what use do I have for the Bai family? My lord, Qing Ning was our daughter, yet she was killed by Mo Xiu Yao, and you didn’t say a word. All day you think about how to please your enemy – do you have any heart at all? Every day… every day I hear our daughter crying out, saying she was wrong, saying she didn’t want to die… asking me to avenge her…”
Bai Yun Cheng pushed her away and said coldly, “I have no heart? The Bai family has lost more than just one daughter over the years. Little Seven, Little Nine, and Twelve who were killed by the Prince of Ding some days ago – I don’t see you grieving for them. They were also children of the Bai family.”
“They were merely concubines’ children and servants, what’s there to grieve about? How could they compare to my Ning’er!” Lady Bai said disdainfully. Those servant spawns were just children born to concubines and side branches; how could they compare to her precious daughter? Her daughter could have become an empress or imperial consort. It was all… all Bai Yun Cheng’s fault! If he hadn’t insisted on sending their daughter to the Prince of Ding’s manor, how would she have died?
“I won’t speak further with you, you mad woman!” Bai Yun Cheng waved his sleeve. He never imagined that at this crucial time, the one holding him back would be his always-satisfactory principal wife. At this point, Bai Yun Cheng had no time to deal with Lady Bai. He turned and walked toward his study; he needed to discuss with others how to handle what would come next. He could only hope this woman hadn’t revealed any flaws that would let the Prince of Ding see through them, or the Bai family would truly be finished.
Watching Bai Yun Cheng leave without looking back, Lady Bai didn’t mind. Ignoring the servants’ surprised looks and her somewhat disheveled appearance, she wandered back to her courtyard.
Lady Bai’s room was unusually dark for the chamber of a great family’s matriarch. After entering, Lady Bai dismissed the maids following her and closed the door. Walking to the innermost part of the room where heavy curtains hung low, she lifted them to reveal a black memorial tablet. Written on it were the words “Spirit Tablet of Beloved Daughter Bai Qing Ning.”
Lady Bai looked lovingly at the tablet on the altar, reaching up to gently stroke it. As if it weren’t a cold tablet but rather her once beautiful and elegant daughter.
“Ning’er, I’m sorry. Your mother is useless… I couldn’t save you, and now I can’t even avenge you. Sweet Ning’er, your father doesn’t care about you at all, but your mother will remember you. Go reincarnate peacefully; Mother will avenge you. Please don’t enter my dreams anymore…” Lady Bai spoke to the spirit tablet, her voice gradually turning to sobs. Since her daughter’s death, Lady Bai hadn’t had a peaceful night’s sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw various images of her daughter. Most horrifying were the visions of her daughter being tortured and wailing in agony, which always jolted Lady Bai awake.
Since Bai Qing Ning’s death, Lady Bai hadn’t dared to look at her body. Although the servants who prepared the body said the young miss didn’t appear to have suffered, Lady Bai could never settle her heart. Actually, in her heart, she felt some guilt and unease. When the Prince of Ding suddenly ordered Bai Qing Ning’s execution, she was truly frightened and had barely pleaded for her daughter’s life before watching her being dragged away. Sometimes she even dreamed of her daughter coming to seek vengeance, covered in blood. Under various painful pressures, Lady Bai’s hatred for the Prince of Ding’s manor grew increasingly intense. If only she could kill Ye Li… if only she could kill Ye Li to avenge Qing Ning, would Qing Ning forgive her?
Outside the door, in a hidden corner, two guards heard Lady Bai’s words. One gave his companion a look: Young Master Feng had ordered that if Lady Bai truly harbored ill intentions toward the Princess, kill her directly.
The other nodded expressionlessly: Of course, she must die. If she did something, the Prince would go mad. They didn’t want to face the Prince’s wrath.
The two guards both shuddered, their gazes turning simultaneously toward Lady Bai, who was still muttering in the room.
After talking to her daughter’s spirit tablet for a long while, Lady Bai finally stopped. But as she turned around, she felt a sudden chill in her abdomen, followed by bone-piercing pain. She stared blankly at the black-clothed man who had suddenly appeared before her and the dagger thrust into her stomach, her eyes filled with terror: No, she didn’t want to die!
“Rest in peace. Your daughter waits for you on the Yellow Springs Road,” the guard said with somewhat pitying eyes, but his hand showed no mercy as he pushed forward. A stream of bright red blood flowed from Lady Bai’s mouth, dripping onto his hand, and Lady Bai’s wide-open eyes gradually lost their light.