After Ye Li finished her discussion with Queen Helan and reached an agreement that satisfied both parties, Queen Helan happily carried a large collection of ornaments as she went downstairs with Ye Li. Through their deep conversation, both women gained a greater understanding and admiration for each other.

As they descended, they saw Mo Xiu Yao and others waiting in the flower hall below. Not only were Mo Xiu Yao and Ren Qi Ning there looking for them, but Ye Lu Ye and Noble Consort Liu were present as well.

Seeing the large and small boxes Queen Helan carried and the exquisite ornaments adorning her newly styled flying immortal bun—a popular hairstyle among Central Plains women—Noble Consort Liu and Consort Yun’s eyes flickered with a peculiar light.

Feng Hua Tower was originally one of Prince Ding’s properties and ranked among the top two jewelry shops in all of Da Chu. Their craftsmanship was naturally exquisite—no woman could resist such finery.

Seeing them come down, Mo Xiu Yao stood and went forward to hold Ye Li’s hand, smiling at Queen Helan: “It seems the Queen is very pleased with the ornaments here?”

Queen Helan replied joyfully: “Indeed, the jewelry of the Central Plains is truly beautiful. Princess Ding said these can all be given to me, is that true?”

Mo Xiu Yao smiled faintly: “Since A-Li said so, naturally it is. It’s Princess Ding’s honor that the Queen enjoys them.”

Queen Helan held the boxes, her delight evident: “Then I won’t be polite. Thank you, Prince Ding and Princess.”

“No need for such formality, Your Majesty.”

Ye Li smiled watching their exchange and asked puzzledly: “Why are you all here?”

Mo Xiu Yao said gently: “Hearing you had come to Feng Hua Tower, we came to wait for you. Did only Queen Helan make selections? Did A-Li not see anything she liked?”

Ye Li waved her hand: “I don’t need those things, let them be for now.” She indeed had many ornaments but rarely used most of them. Many were simply displayed or given away as gifts.

Mo Xiu Yao didn’t mind and smiled: “Feng Hua Tower recently acquired some excellent white jade. I’ll have them make you a hairpin later.”

Prince Ding’s gentle attentiveness made the other women standing nearby both envious and jealous. Consort Yun couldn’t help but praise: “Prince Ding and the Princess have such a good relationship. Your Majesty, don’t you agree?”

Ren Qi Ning nodded somewhat impatiently: “Since the Princess and Queen have finished talking, we should return to the embassy.”

Though Queen Helan was still somewhat reluctant, seeing it was getting late, she smiled at Ye Li: “Princess Ding, thank you for giving me so many things. I have many beautiful pearls—may I have them sent to you later?”

Although the Northern Territory was located in the extreme north, parts of it were near the sea. Pearls weren’t rare there, and many were even better than those from the Central Plains. Ye Li graciously replied: “Then I thank Queen Helan.”

After Ren Qi Ning left with Queen Helan and Consort Yun, Noble Consort Liu, who had wanted to say something more, was also led away by Ye Lu Ye. Only then did Mo Xiu Yao and Ye Li happily walk out of Feng Hua Tower toward Prince Ding’s residence. The joy on their faces alone showed both sides were very satisfied with the negotiations.

Before reaching Prince Ding’s mansion gates, they noticed the usually quiet and solemn entrance was rather noisy. Walking closer, they saw a very familiar figure.

The golden-haired youth also spotted them and immediately flashed a bright white smile, running toward them.

“Beautiful Princess, it’s wonderful to see you here!”

Mo Xiu Yao’s face darkened. “Is it? I don’t find it wonderful at all. What are you doing at Prince Ding’s mansion?” In his mind, he darkly imagined various ways of torture, hoping the man was here to cause trouble so he’d have reason to arrest him.

Though the golden-haired man couldn’t read Mo Xiu Yao’s thoughts, his instincts made him shiver and edge closer to Ye Li’s side.

Ye Li smiled helplessly: “Who might you be? Do you have business at Prince Ding’s mansion?”

The golden-haired man excitedly replied: “Of course I do. I’m a merchant from Jia Lan Country in the Western Region. My name is Lance. I want to do business with this city’s master.”

Mo Xiu Yao raised an eyebrow and said coldly: “Aren’t you already doing business in Li City? Or do you have something special you want to sell to me?”

The golden-haired man shook his head repeatedly: “No, no, I want to do very, very big business. The East has many magical things I want to sell to the far, far West. I went there with my father when I was young—the people there have much gold, but they don’t have beautiful silk goods, beautiful porcelain, or magical tea. If we sell there, I can quickly become wealthy.” Seeing Mo Xiu Yao’s expression wasn’t very pleasant, Lance quickly added, “Of course, you too, sir. We’ll both become the richest men.”

As he spoke excitedly, the golden-haired man gestured enthusiastically.

Mo Xiu Yao and Ye Li exchanged a glance. Prince Ding’s household was very wealthy, but they didn’t mind being wealthier. After all… waging war and maintaining armies was always expensive.

“Why don’t you come in with us and we can discuss the details?” Ye Li smiled gently.

“Of course, my honor, beautiful Princess.” The golden-haired man said happily. His employees had warned him he might be turned away, but he was lucky enough to get an opportunity on his first try. Heaven truly favored those who were hardworking and seized their chances. The young man thought happily, already seeing countless gleaming gold pieces beckoning to him.

“Beautiful?” Walking ahead, Mo Xiu Yao sneered and beckoned to a guard. “Call Han Ming Yue and Han Ming Shi over. And Master Qing Chen—let them handle this fellow.”

The young Western merchant Lance followed the guard through the vast Prince Ding mansion, beaming. The white-haired noble had told him he didn’t understand business matters himself, so he would wait for experts to discuss with Lance and suggested Lance could tour the mansion’s gardens meanwhile.

This made Lance’s opinion of Prince Ding soar. After encountering countless authorities who pretended knowledge they didn’t have, how great was this ruler who bravely admitted his weaknesses! No wonder this city was more prosperous and stable than any other he’d seen.

In Prince Ding’s mansion garden this June, many flowers were still in bloom. Lance curiously observed these flowers unique to the East, wondering if he could take some back to plant in the Western Regions.

As he admired the garden’s beauty, he saw two people approaching. Their red and white figures stood out strikingly among the blooming flowers.

Lance’s gaze locked onto the figure in red. The tall, slender form and that beautiful countenance. Black hair casually tied up with a ribbon, and that lazy smile at the corners of their lips. Everything gave off a strange beauty.

Though not as gentle and delicate as the beautiful Princess, they possessed a different kind of charm. So once again, Lance ignored the white-clad man beside the person in red, plucked a flower, and ran over.

“Beautiful Eastern lady, might I have the honor of sharing afternoon tea? If you’re not married like the beautiful Princess, please consider accepting my deep love.”

The two before him froze, clearly startled by this sudden declaration of love. After a moment, the person in red asked in a deep voice: “What did you say?”

Lance paused—this lady’s voice seemed somewhat different from the beautiful Princess’s. But perhaps ladies as perfectly flawless as the Princess were rare. Still, this red-clad beauty was equally extraordinary.

“If you’re not married, please accept my deep love,” Lance raised his head and said sincerely.

“Bang!”

The answer was a heavy, vicious punch. Lance was immediately struck dizzy, unable to react for a moment. He shook his head: “Beautiful miss—”

“Bang!”

Han Ming Shi mercilessly landed another punch, transforming the golden-haired man from his original mongrel appearance into a national treasure. “Are your dog eyes blind? I’m a man!”

Uh? Lance, who had been feeling wronged about the Eastern lady being too violent, suddenly froze. Looking more carefully at Han Ming Shi’s red clothing and handsome face, he finally noticed this red-clad beauty was about the same height as himself. And…

Beside them, Han Ming Yue looked at his indignant brother, then at the golden-haired man sporting two panda eyes, and couldn’t help lowering his head to stifle his laughter.

“Brother!” Han Ming Shi flew into an embarrassed rage, struggling free from Han Ming Yue’s restraining hand. “Don’t stop me, I’m going to kill him!”

“Alright, he’s probably Prince Ding’s guest. You’ve punched him twice to vent your anger, that’s enough. Didn’t Princess Ding want you for a meeting?” Han Ming Yue persuaded.

Hearing his brother’s words, Han Ming Shi reluctantly abandoned his plan to continue beating Lance, shot him a vicious glare, and stormed off toward Ye Li’s study.

Following behind, Lance looked utterly dejected. He had confessed to a man—just imagining it gave him goosebumps. Shuddering, Lance decided to follow his employee’s suggestion and ask someone called a matchmaker to introduce him to a gentle and beautiful lady for a wife. The East was truly too terrifying—he couldn’t distinguish between men and women at all, worst of all because they all wore their hair long.

Poor Lance would never know why he had received those two punches.

In Ye Li’s study, when Han Ming Shi’s group arrived, Mo Xiu Yao and Xu Qing Chen were already there.

Seeing Lance’s new appearance, Ye Li was somewhat startled. Similarly, when Lance saw the even more handsome and refined Xu Qing Chen sitting to the side, and then looking at the still fierce Han Ming Shi waiting for him, he blinked and lowered his head pitifully.

That pitiful gaze made Master Qing Chen’s mouth twitch as he raised a puzzled eyebrow.

Unnoticed by others, someone sitting beside Ye Li lowered his head to drink tea, a triumphant smile playing on his lips.

Though Lance’s matter was important, it held little immediate significance for Prince Ding. Even cooperating with Lance wouldn’t show profits in the short term. So after briefly discussing the plans, the matter was handed directly to Han Ming Shi to handle. All these years, Han Ming Yue had maintained this lukewarm stance. Mo Xiu Yao hadn’t bothered with him either—whenever Han Ming Shi encountered trouble, Han Ming Yue would naturally step in to resolve it. Though there was no friendship with Han Ming Yue anymore, at least his mind was sharp—why not use it for free?

After dismissing the three including Han Ming Shi, Mo Xiu Yao, and the others sat down again to discuss important matters. After hearing Mo Xiu Yao and Ye Li’s account of today’s excursion, Master Xu’s attention immediately focused on the yet-unclaimed Phoenix Zither rather than how Mo Xiu Yao and Ye Li had outmaneuvered several people. He stared at Mo Xiu Yao and asked: “Will Mo Jing Li give you the item?” Losing the capital was already face-losing enough—if he lost Da Chu’s national treasure as well, Mo Jing Li’s face as regent would truly be trampled under everyone’s feet.

Mo Xiu Yao smiled with satisfaction, “Compared to a few lifeless objects that can’t be eaten or used, isn’t a living, breathing son more important?”

Master Qing Chen fell silent for a moment—Mo Jing Li wasn’t someone who could stand on moral high ground. “Give me the Phoenix Zither.”

Mo Xiu Yao’s smile grew even more pleased. “Brother Xu, this is Da Chu’s national treasure. Even for you, I can’t just give it away casually, can I?”

Xu Qing Chen looked at him flatly. “Can you even play the zither?”

“I know a little.” Compared to Master Qing Chen, Prince Ding’s zither skills could indeed only be called rudimentary. Moreover, the Prince’s interests lay elsewhere, so he naturally didn’t care whether the zither in his possession was newly carved last year or a legendary heirloom. But it was different for Master Qing Chen—the White Jade Phoenix Zither likely held far more attraction for him than even a peerless beauty. How could someone as clever as Master Qing Chen not understand Mo Xiu Yao’s meaning? He snorted lightly and stopped mentioning the zither. That he couldn’t get it didn’t mean others couldn’t. Mo Xiu Yao raised an eyebrow, smiling at Xu Qing Chen. Though he couldn’t guarantee others wouldn’t get it, he could ensure Master Qing Chen would never touch it.

Watching the battle of glances between the two, Ye Li helplessly interrupted, “Let’s wait until Mo Jing Li delivers the item before discussing it further. Brother, Xiu Yao, shouldn’t we first talk about the people in Li City?”

Xu Qing Chen also didn’t want to continue this standoff with Mo Xiu Yao—in the end, everyone would rely on their abilities. He lowered his eyes thoughtfully and said: “So, the Northern Rong wants to negotiate peace with us, preferably allying to deal with Xi Ling and Ye Lu Hong? Does Ye Lu Ye think everyone in Prince Ding’s household is a fool?” In the past, Ye Lu Ye’s proposal might have held some credibility. But after Mo’s army occupied Xi Ling’s capital, all the areas originally bordering Northern Rong belonged to Prince Ding’s jurisdiction. This meant Northern Rong and Xi Ling’s planned timing wouldn’t conflict at all. As the saying goes, “Bond with distant states, attack nearby ones.” Ye Lu Ye’s contrary approach was meaningless and held no benefit for Northern Rong.

Mo Xiu Yao smiled, “Isn’t he treating us all as fools? I guess such an idiotic idea wasn’t Ye Lu Ye’s own. However, Northern Rong suffered severe drought this summer, and their occupied northern regions have been ravaged by war, with barely a tenth of the grain remaining. Understandably, Ye Lu Ye wants to trade with Prince Ding’s household. If he could control Northern Rong’s grain and provisions, he’d immediately gain the upper hand in his struggle with Ye Lu Hong.”

“Too bad Your Highness has already decided to help Ye Lu Hong,” Xu Qing Chen smiled faintly.

“However you look at it, Ye Lu Hong is our Central Plains’ son-in-law. As long as Princess Rong Hua remains Crown Princess, I don’t mind helping him,” Mo Xiu Yao smiled.

Xu Qing Chen raised an eyebrow. “Is this your condition with Ye Lu Hong?”

Mo Xiu Yao shook his head. “Such things are better left unspoken—bringing them up would be unpleasant.”

Xu Qing Chen nodded. “What about the Northern Territory? Does Helan Queen have confidence in Ren Qi Ning?”

Ye Li smiled slightly: “Given that Ren Qi Ning still hasn’t seen through Queen Helan’s true face, I think it’s worth a gamble.” After all, there wasn’t much to lose if they failed.

Xu Qing Chen nodded, pondering: “In that case, we must guard against Ye Lu Ye and Ren Qi Ning truly joining forces.” Their previous alliance was just temporary cooperation to take the capital. Once they took it, they would eventually turn on each other. But if Mo’s army had chosen to help Ye Lu Hong and Queen Helan, those two’s alliances might become more solid.

Mo Xiu Yao said calmly: “No matter… I wasn’t planning to spare them anyway.” The Northern Rong army that had entered Da Chu territory would eventually face a life-or-death battle with Mo’s army, and naturally, they wouldn’t spare Ren Qi Ning, who constantly dreamed of restoring his country.

Xu Qing Chen nodded: “As long as you know what you’re doing. I’ll talk to Second Uncle about Ye Lu Hong’s side, but Li’er will have to trouble herself with Queen Helan.”

Ye Li smiled: “It’s my duty, Brother. What trouble are you talking about?”

“How do you plan to handle Ye Yue from the Ye family?” Xu Qing Chen frowned and asked. He had no goodwill toward the Ye family members, especially Ye Yue. Even if she was coerced back then, it didn’t change the fact that she had once attempted to murder Ye Li. Even in a scholarly family like the Xu clan, they distinguished clearly between close and distant relations. In the Xu family’s eyes, Ye Li was naturally ten thousand times more important than the unrelated Ye Yue. Previously, thinking Ye Yue was dead was fine, but now she had appeared perfectly alive in Li City and still wouldn’t give up her scheming—this was beyond Master Qing Chen’s tolerance. He even felt some displeasure at Mo Xiu Yao for not handling this matter cleanly and decisively.

Mo Xiu Yao smiled leisurely: “Don’t worry, someone will help us deal with her.” A cold glint flashed through his smiling eyes—how could he spare someone who had once tried to harm A-Li?

In the most remote wing room of the Ye mansion, Ye Yue sat despondently by the bed, lost in thought. She knew that being discovered by Prince Ding’s household meant all her plans had completely ended. But she truly couldn’t accept it—all these years, how much suffering had she endured to make it to today? To avoid Prince Ding’s investigation, she had carefully endured, never letting herself show any trace of resemblance to the former Ye Yue. Having finally made it to now, Ye Yue felt some regret. If she hadn’t tried to take shortcuts then if she had gone directly to Jiangnan… Perhaps she could have arrived safely, perhaps she wouldn’t have been discovered by the Empress Dowager’s people… But now, it was too late for regrets.

“Ye Yue.” A cold voice reached her ears. Ye Yue started, turning to see Mo Jing Li standing in the doorway.

“Prince Li, why are you here?” Ye Wen Hua had already posted guards at both the room and courtyard doors, allowing no one in except her mother to bring food.

Mo Jing Li stared at her coldly: “If I want to enter, I can enter.”

Ye Yue brightened: “Have you come to take me away from here?”

Mo Jing Li stared at her: “Where’s the medicine I wanted?”

Ye Yue’s expression changed slightly, forcing a smile: “We agreed that after reaching Jiangnan… after success I would give it to you.”

Mo Jing Li flung his hand, violently throwing her back onto the bed. “You gave the medicine to Mo Xiu Yao, didn’t you?”

At his words, Ye Yue’s face changed. Mo Jing Li exploded in rage: “Whore!” He had come holding only a thread of hope, but hearing the truth still couldn’t contain his overwhelming fury. Everything was ruined by this whore’s hands—just because of her clever scheming, he now needed to pay dozens or even hundreds of times more to get what should have been easily obtained.

“Prince Li…” Ye Yue called out.

Mo Jing Li was incredibly agitated: “Do you know what Mo Xiu Yao asked me for? The Four National Treasures! Just because of you…” Ye Yue was shaken and dizzy as Mo Jing Li grabbed her collar. The Four National Treasures… she knew of them, the four most precious treasures once kept in the Chu Palace. When she had been most favored, she had merely mentioned wanting to see them once and was scolded and cold-shouldered by Mo Jing Qi for half a month. They said even the most favored Noble Consort Liu had no chance to see these priceless treasures. In recent years, these treasures represented not just invaluable worth, but the face and dignity of Da Chu’s royal family.

Ye Yue knew Mo Jing Li must hate her extremely now, and quickly said: “Prince Li, take me away from here. Even without… I can help you deal with the Empress Dowager…”

Mo Jing Li sneered, “Deal with the Empress Dowager? Do I need you to go personally? Who do you think you are? I’ve realized… the reason I couldn’t get what I wanted from you before was because I was too gentle with you. I won’t make that mistake again. Tell me honestly what you know, and I’ll let you suffer less.”

“Impossible!” Ye Yue gritted her teeth. This was her last and only bargaining chip—if she revealed it, her death would truly come.

Mo Jing Li showed a cruel smile: “Impossible? What about this person—still impossible?” With a wave of his hand, two guards at the door brought in a child less than ten years old.

“My prince!” Ye Yue was shocked pale—she had hidden the child extremely secretly outside the city, how could…

Mo Jing Li smiled with satisfaction: “Ye Yue, you’re too clever for your good. Did you think I would help you put this boy on the throne? Mo Jing Qi’s son—I want to… kill everyone I see! Hand her over to you—use whatever methods to get what I want.” After speaking, Mo Jing Li looked at Ye Yue with disgust and turned to leave.

From the remote courtyard came intermittent tragic cries of a woman. Within half an hour, the guards inside walked out. In the room, Ye Yue knelt on the ground, her body covered in injuries, quietly holding her barely breathing child and breaking into loud sobs. At this moment, she truly regretted it. If she had just stayed in their hometown countryside, even a lifetime of poverty would be better than this…

“Second Sister.” At the door, Ye Ying stood in light-colored clothes, graceful and poised. Her eyes gazed at Ye Yue with a smile, her expression touchingly tender with pity.

“Ying’er!” Ye Yue came to her senses and quickly rushed over to grab Ye Ying’s hand: “Ying’er, help me call a doctor. The child, my child is injured…”

Ye Ying gently pulled her hand away, a cold smile of satisfaction appearing on her delicate face: “Second Sister, His Highness ordered that no one is allowed to call a doctor. Little sister can’t make that decision.”

“Ying’er…” Seeing the expression on Ye Ying’s face, Ye Yue stared shocked at her gentle and fragile sister: “Why?”

“Why?” Ye Ying sneered, “Second Sister, why didn’t you think about ‘why’ when you wanted to climb up to His Highness? What did you say then? That since His Highness didn’t favor me anyway, with you there you could help me? How did you help me… by stealing my husband, was that helping me?”

“I didn’t…” Ye Yue said with difficulty. She had never intended to steal Mo Jing Li—it was just a temporary expedient measure. Why didn’t her sister understand? “Ying’er, please, he’s your nephew. Help me save him…”

Ye Ying’s face showed a trace of venom: “Where did his father take my son? My son is missing—let him die too.” After speaking, Ye Ying pushed Ye Yue away and turned to leave without mercy.

“Ying’er…” Ye Yue cried helplessly, but could only watch as she walked further and further away.