After comforting Ye Ying, Mo Jingli turned and went alone to his study. Sitting there, he pondered the results of his earlier conversation with Ye Yue at the Ye residence. From any perspective, offending Mo Xiuyao in Li City for someone like Ye Yue was an extremely unwise decision. Mo Jingli had never been one to lose his head over women. However, Ye Yue possessed conditions that made it impossible to refuse.

Taking out a small jade-green porcelain bottle from his sleeve, a hint of eagerness flickered in Mo Jingli’s eyes. If he could successfully bring Ye Yue back to the Southwest, what he stood to gain would be ten or even a hundred times what he had invested.

Looking back, Mo Jingli could be said to have saved Ye Li’s life. The Empress Dowager’s original intention had been to kill Ye Li and Ye Yue had been forced to comply. But Mo Jingli didn’t want to kill Ye Li at the time, so after Ye Yue’s plan was put into action, he sent people to intervene and remove Ye Li from the palace. If not for that interference, Ye Li might truly have been killed by Ye Yue that year. After taking Ye Li away, Mo Jingli hadn’t paid any attention to Ye Yue – one of his imperial brother’s consorts, a mere pawn in his mother’s hands wasn’t worth his concern. So when Ye Yue was later reported to have died in a fire, he had assumed it was his mother silencing a witness. He never expected that not only had Ye Yue survived, but she had also managed to evade both the Empress Dowager and the spies from the palace and Prince Ding’s manor to live peacefully all these years, even making it to Li City right under Mo Xiuyao’s nose.

Without question, compared to Ye Ying who had only beauty, Ye Yue was truly clever. Even among all the women in his imperial brother’s harem, Ye Yue had been the most intelligent. If he could just bring Ye Yue back to Jiangnan, then… the Empress Dowager who had been troubling him would no longer be an obstacle in his path.

The Empress Dowager had built her influence in the palace over decades. Even when Mo Jingqi was alive, he had been constrained by her at every turn, let alone Mo Jingli who had been in power for far less time than Mo Jingqi. Originally, after Mo Jingqi’s many years of suppression and final strike before death, the Empress Dowager’s power should have been tottering. But unexpectedly, after Mo Jingli took power, the Empress Dowager seemed to receive divine assistance, managing to regain her footing at court. Mo Jingli knew there must be outside forces involved behind this, he even knew who, yet he was powerless to act. He could suppress the Empress Dowager’s influence, but he couldn’t afford a mutually destructive conflict that would only benefit others.

Mo Jingli understood his mother’s methods and ruthlessness better than anyone, and he was acutely aware that in the Empress Dowager’s heart, supporting Mo Xuyun, that seven or eight-year-old child, as emperor, would please her far more than having him, her son, on the throne. Ever since the matter of the Empress Dowager’s planned martyrdom had come to nothing, Mo Jingli often suspected that she was constantly seeking ways to depose him.

But with Ye Yue, things would be different. Ye Yue held evidence against the Empress Dowager. If used properly, it could even allow him to eliminate the Empress Dowager’s entire power base in one fell swoop. Ye Yue was clever – while being threatened and used by the Empress Dowager, she had secretly gathered considerable evidence against her. If Ye Yue hadn’t left so early, Mo Jingli believed she absolutely would have found a way to extract the whereabouts of his son from Mo Jingqi’s lips. Unfortunately, compared to Ye Li, Ye Yue’s luck had been far worse. When Mo Jingqi was alive, he favored Consort Liu over Ye Yue, so even someone as clever as her could only maintain a low profile in the palace. And how could a mere consort resist the Empress Dowager’s authority, especially when her father stood on the Empress Dowager’s side?

After deep contemplation, a flash of decision finally crossed Mo Jingli’s eyes. In truth, even without the above reasons, Mo Jingli had to bring Ye Yue back. Unconsciously rubbing the small bottle in his hand, his sword-like eyebrows furrowed even deeper. It was impossible to send Ye Yue out of Li City first – the strict security of Prince Ding’s manor was intimidating. The only option was to have Ye Yue blend in with Prince Ding’s manor’s convoy when they left Li City, departing without anyone noticing. But that was still many days away. During these days, if… Well, since Ye Yue had managed to come to Li City silently and hide herself steadily for so many years, surely nothing would go wrong in these ten-plus days? Mo Jingli thought to himself.

In the study of the Ye residence, Ye Wenhua sat with a gloomy expression, his already graying eyebrows tightly knitted together. Ever since the King of Li and Ye Ying had left, he had felt an inexplicable sense of unease, especially when thinking about that person in his wife’s chambers… Although he had been away from court for many years, Ye Wenhua still trusted his instincts. This intuition for danger had helped him avoid peril many times at court. Even as a son-in-law of the Xu family, during the years after the Xu family’s withdrawal from court, he relied on his efforts. Not only had he prevented the Ye family from declining, but he had made it even more prosperous.

Since coming to Li City, unlike the discontent Ye Dowager and Madam Wang Ye, Ye Wenhua had been quite satisfied with his current life. He had experienced both poverty and wealth, had studied hard in his cold window-lit room, and had once nearly reached the highest positions of state. He had married the most beautiful and talented woman in Da Chu, and even now his daughter was both the Regent King’s wife and the Princess of Prince Ding’s manor. And he had finally fallen from those heights to become a common citizen. In the past, he might have still been eager for fame and fortune. But only after truly witnessing the suffering of common people during wartime could one understand how precious current peace and stability were. Ye Wenhua knew that as long as he stayed quietly in Li City, just by being the Prince Ding Princess’s father, absolutely no one would trouble him. But if he went to Jiangnan, even if Mo Jingli could make use of him, how long could Jiangnan last? To be honest, after all these years, Ye Wenhua had long since lost hope in Mo Jingli’s abilities. Moreover, compared to Mo Jingli, he was more willing to trust Mo Xiuyao’s character.

“My lord, what’s wrong? Why do you look so troubled?” Madam Wang entered carrying a bowl of tonic, smiling as she asked Ye Wenhua.

Ye Wenhua snapped back to reality, coldly looking at her self-satisfied smile, a flash of disgust passing through his heart. Somehow, the face of his first wife, which he had thought long blurred in his memory, appeared clearly in his mind. At that moment, he even began to question how he could have ever neglected his first wife for Madam Wang. In terms of beauty, talent, virtue, and family background, Madam Xu could outshine Madam Wang in every aspect. Perhaps… it was because Madam Xu had been too perfect. A woman so excellent, like a heavenly immortal, had favored a poor boy from humble origins. After the initial ecstasy, what followed was defeat and pressure that made him feel deeply inadequate. And then there were those envious yet strange looks from his colleagues…

“That person in your chambers – get rid of her immediately,” coming back to his senses and looking at Madam Wang whose eyes were filled with joy, Ye Wenhua said coldly.

“What?!” Madam Wang was stunned and immediately started screaming.

Ye Wenhua stared at her coldly and said, “Do you think I’m blind? Either you send her away, or you can leave with her!”

Madam Wang felt a chill in her heart from his gaze, but even more so felt anger. Slamming the items in her hands onto the table, Madam Wang angrily said, “Since my lord knows, why do you still want me to send her away?! You know… you know if Prince Ding’s manor finds out…” Ye Wenhua impatiently interrupted her, “Since you know this, you shouldn’t have brought her along. Back in our hometown, no one managed you, but do you think no one will know in Li City? Not many people have seen her, but that doesn’t mean no one has!” If not for Ye Yue knowing to be discreet and hide well, and the fact that she had entered the palace early when few people who had seen her remained, she would likely have been recognized already. Ye Wenhua certainly knew there were people from Prince Ding’s manor secretly watching the Ye residence, which was precisely why Ye Yue could not stay in the mansion.

It had been years since Ye Wenhua had lost his temper like this, and Madam Wang was stunned. After a while, she said tearfully, “She’s just a weak woman, if she didn’t come with us, how was she supposed to survive? It’s all because of you – if we had gone directly to Jiangnan back then, it would have been better than living here now, neither full nor starving.” With warfare everywhere now, it would be difficult enough for a weak woman to travel from their hometown to Jiangnan in peaceful times, let alone in the current situation. Even if they didn’t encounter warfare on the road, they might be captured by bandits, which would be worse than death.

Ye Wenhua laughed coldly, only at this woman’s naivety. The Ye family’s wavering between the Empress Dowager and the Emperor had already greatly displeased Mo Jingli, and later concealing Ye Ying’s pregnancy and keeping her in the capital had led to her imprisonment and her newborn child being switched and disappearing without a trace. Mo Jingli was particularly vindictive – believing he would treat the Ye family well would require Ye Wenhua to have lost his mind. But Madam Wang ignored all this and said, “No matter what, Yue is also my lord’s daughter. How can my lord be so heartless as to condemn Yue to death? We just need to get through these few days – the King of Li has already promised to take us back to Jiangnan together. Then we won’t have to suffer in Li City anymore, and Rong’er will surely make something of himself. Then our Ye family will return to its former glory. What’s wrong with that? My lord now only thinks of Ye Li, but what has she done for our family? She only cares about her comfort and doesn’t care about you as her father at all. Only my Yue thinks about our family.”

“Foolish woman!” Ye Wenhua scolded in exasperation. She believed Mo Jingli would take all the Ye family members away. Didn’t she think that with Mo Jingli’s personality, suddenly taking so many people away wouldn’t arouse Prince Ding’s manor’s suspicions?

“I don’t care what you think, I have no plans to go to Jiangnan,” Ye Wenhua said.

This time Madam Wang was truly stunned. Wealth and glory were important, and so was her daughter. But all of this was predicated on Ye Wenhua’s presence. Regarding her son, Madam Wang did have some self-awareness – he simply couldn’t support the Ye family’s status. If Ye Wenhua wouldn’t go to Jiangnan, even if they all went, their days there wouldn’t be good at all. Though Madam Wang loved scheming, she was ultimately just a sheltered lady who hadn’t seen much of the world. Abandoning her husband to follow her daughter was something she neither dared nor could do.

“Why?!” Madam Wang couldn’t help but scream, “Do you enjoy living in Li City so much, dependent on others’ goodwill? What’s wrong with going to Jiangnan? The Ye family will be respected and admired like before – isn’t that much better than hiding in this broken courtyard?”

“Silence!” Ye Wenhua thundered.

“You’re still thinking about that worthless woman, aren’t you?!” Madam Wang finally exploded. Though her natal family wasn’t prominent, she had still been the daughter of a wealthy household. When she married into the Ye family as a concubine, she had certainly felt wronged, but the Ye family’s primary wife had been someone she couldn’t even bring herself to envy. When the gap between you and another person is too vast, you don’t even have the right to feel jealous – only self-contempt remains. Although Ye Wenhua had always doted on her, she knew very well she couldn’t compare to Madam Xu. Every time Ye Wenhua looked at Madam Xu with that emotion in his eyes that he hadn’t even noticed, it was like a poisoned thorn in her heart. Even though Madam Xu had been dead for many years, that thorn couldn’t be removed. How laughable – it wasn’t that Ye Wenhua didn’t like Madam Xu, but rather that he didn’t dare to like her. Only because he knew himself that he wasn’t worthy of his wife.

“Slap!” Ye Wenhua seemed enraged and struck Madam Wang’s face without mercy. Madam Wang lost her balance and fell to the ground. After a moment of shock, she finally broke into loud sobs.

“What’s going on here?” From outside came the voice of the Ye Dowager.

Ye Wenhua gave a light snort and turned toward the door, “Mother, why have you come?” His gaze paused briefly when he saw the person supporting the Ye Dowager, then slowly moved away.

The Ye Dowager frowned in displeasure, “If I hadn’t come, were you planning to turn the entire mansion upside down? What are you doing?” Holding onto Ye Yue’s arm, the Ye Dowager entered the study, with Ye Yue closing the door behind them.

“Old Madam… Yue…” Seeing the Ye Dowager and her daughter, Madam Wang cried even harder. Ye Yue went forward to help Madam Wang up, asking softly, “What happened between Father and Mother? How did this…” Ye Wenhua snorted coldly, “So you still know I’m your father?” Ye Yue paused, showing a submissive smile, “Daughter knows it was wrong to keep hiding. It was really because… Father knows about what happened in the Chu capital back then. It wasn’t that my daughter wanted to harm Third Sister, but I truly had no choice. The daughter was also forced, and these years haven’t been easy for the daughter either. Please, Father, forgive daughter.” It must be said that compared to Ye Ying, Ye Yue was indeed skilled at reading people’s hearts and speaking appropriately. Even though Ye Wenhua’s heart was as hard as iron, his expression couldn’t help but soften somewhat. He naturally knew about what had happened back then – to say that Ye Yue had suddenly decided to kill Ye Li of her own accord, forget about him not believing it, even Ye Li herself wouldn’t believe it. At that time, the Ye family had been in the Empress Dowager’s grasp, and when the Empress Dowager wanted to kill Ye Li, Ye Yue had been coerced. Looking at Ye Yue’s appearance now, though still beautiful, compared to her former radiant glory in the Ye household and palace, she had become much thinner and paler. It was precisely this paleness and frailty that made her look younger than her actual age, and staying secluded in Madam Wang’s chambers for so long hadn’t drawn attention. She had truly suffered quite a bit.

“If that’s the case, then stay quietly here. When the time is right, I’ll find a way to send you out of Li City to live in peace under an assumed name.” After all, she was the daughter he had doted on since childhood – Ye Wenhua’s heart had softened.

Ye Yue was startled, lowering her gaze and saying, “The King of Li already knows I’m in Li City and said he would take us to Jiangnan. What Father says might be…”

“Why would Mo Jingli suddenly want to take you to Jiangnan?” Ye Wenhua asked coldly. Mo Jingli had always been someone who never acted without profit, and anyone could see his feelings for Ye Ying weren’t particularly deep. His sudden agreement to take Ye Yue to Jiangnan – who would believe there wasn’t some use he had in mind? More importantly, previously even Prince Ding’s people hadn’t noticed Ye Yue in the mansion. If she hadn’t deliberately revealed herself to let Mo Jingli know, how would he have known her whereabouts?

A flash of embarrassment crossed Ye Yue’s face. Indeed, she had deliberately followed Madam Wang to Li City and deliberately let Mo Jingli know she had leverage and something extremely important to him. What was wrong with that? How many years of hardship had she endured living under an assumed name? She had been an Imperial Consort, and she had a son of imperial blood. Her son was far more intelligent than the current useless Mo Xuyun of Da Chu. If managed properly, she might even be able to achieve the position of Empress Dowager. Why should she have to live out the rest of her life hiding fearfully under an assumed name?

“Father, if we go to Jiangnan, Mo Jingli has promised to support my imperial son’s ascension to the throne. Then you would truly be the Emperor’s father-in-law, and the Ye family would truly prosper from then on,” Ye Yue looked at Ye Wenhua and said seriously.

But Ye Wenhua wasn’t as easily persuaded as she had thought. “I have more faith that Li’er’s child will one day ascend to the throne. Staying in Li City at least gives your brother a chance to marry and have children safely, leaving an heir for the Ye family.” Ye Wenhua now understood that Ye Rong had been spoiled beyond repair by the Ye Dowager and Madam Wang. Now he only hoped that Ye Rong’s future son could be properly educated and developed into someone capable, so as not to end the Ye family line. Hearing Ye Wenhua’s words, a trace of resentment flickered in Ye Yue’s eyes, “In Father’s eyes, is daughter so inferior to Third Sister?” If she hadn’t been forced by the Empress Dowager back then, having to fake her death and live under an assumed name, how could she have fallen to such straits now?

Ye Wenhua shook his head and said, “You and Li’er are different.” Ye Yue was clever, perhaps even more so than Ye Li. But she was different from Ye Li – they shouldn’t even be compared on the same level. If both were placed in the palace’s inner court, Ye Wenhua believed Ye Li might not outmaneuver Ye Yue. But Ye Li’s vision had never been limited to the inner palace – she had courage and ability no less than any man’s, which was why she could assist the Prince in governing a region and could mount a horse to command armies in battle. Confining such a woman to the inner palace would only be trampling on her abilities. Many times, Ye Wenhua deeply regretted that Ye Li wasn’t born a son. If she had been a boy, regardless of how the world turned, at least the Ye family would be secure for three generations.

Ye Yue clearly understood Ye Wenhua’s meaning. Though she prided herself on her intelligence, she also knew she couldn’t ride into battle and govern like Ye Li. They had been different from the very beginning.

“We are indeed different. Third Sister won’t care about the Ye family’s rise or fall – with the Xu family supporting her from behind, whether the Ye family does well or poorly makes no difference to her. But I’m different. Father, only when the Ye family prospers can I prosper. Therefore, Yue will never abandon the Ye family,” Ye Yue spoke softly. Ye Wenhua did not react, but beside him, the Ye Dowager showed approval. Ye Li’s indifference to the Ye family was obvious to all. Even if Ye Li became empress in the future, only the Xu family would benefit, not the Ye family. Among all her granddaughters, the Ye Dowager most doted on and valued Ye Yue. Hearing her speak thus now, she naturally found it very reasonable. Looking at Ye Wenhua, she wanted to speak up to persuade him.

Ye Wenhua waved his hand, saying somewhat wearily, “Mother need not say more. The Ye family cannot leave Li City.”

The Ye Dowager frowned and said, “What kind of talk is this? Ye Li doesn’t care about our family at all. Do you still want to throw yourself at her feet?”

Ye Wenhua shook his head with a bitter smile. His mother… she had truly aged and lost the shrewdness of her youth. The Ye family had traveled a thousand li to come to Li City – to then follow Mo Jingli and leave. Forget about the matter of Ye Yue, even without her, how could Prince Ding’s manor not investigate? Once they investigated, could the Ye family still leave? He glanced faintly at Ye Yue and said, “Since you’ve already decided to follow the King of Li, leave now.”

“Father…” Ye Yue hadn’t expected Ye Wenhua to be so stubborn and heartless.

“What nonsense are you talking?!” The Ye Dowager was furious, “Yue is my granddaughter. If you want to drive her away, you might as well drive this old woman away too!” The Ye Dowager had long since grown tired of life in Li City – she wanted to go to Jiangnan. In Jiangnan, she would be the princess’s grandmother again, that noble Ye Dowager from the Chu capital.

“My lord, Old Madam,” a servant hurriedly came to report from outside, “Prince Ding and the Princess have arrived.”

Hearing this, everyone was startled. Ye Yue’s face turned particularly pale. Back then, she had tried to kill Ye Li – although she had been coerced, that fact couldn’t be changed. Though Ye Yue had lived these years under an assumed name, she had heard many rumors. Mo Xiuyao’s cold-bloodedness and ruthlessness were well-known to her – how could she not be shocked at suddenly hearing Mo Xiuyao had arrived?

Ye Wenhua was also startled but quickly composed himself, rising to say, “I understand, I’ll go out to welcome the Prince and Princess.”

“No… no need…” the servant outside said somewhat timidly, “The Prince and Princess… have already entered.”

The main door was suddenly pushed open from outside, and Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li entered hand in hand. Standing outside, they could see everyone in the study. Because of the backlighting, Ye Yue could only see the two white-clad figures entering hand in hand. The sunlight behind them formed a faint halo as if immortals had descended. For a moment, she couldn’t make out their expressions.

Watching them draw closer, Ye Yue couldn’t help but step back. Looking around, she despairingly realized that besides the one door, there was nowhere else in this study for her to hide – she would inevitably have to face Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li.

Entering the study, the already modest-sized room suddenly felt somewhat crowded. Mo Xiuyao frowned slightly in displeasure, leading Ye Li to sit on the front couch, raising an eyebrow to ask, “What’s going on? Why is the study so lively?”

Madam Wang forced out a smile, saying apologetically, “Nothing… nothing. We were just talking with my lord. Since the Prince and Princess are here, you girl should withdraw!”

Ye Yue kept her head lowered, hurriedly curtsying and walking quickly toward the door.

Just as she was about to step out of the study, Ye Li’s light laughter came from behind, “Second Sister, are you leaving just like that after not seeing each other for so many years?”