“Treason?” Mo Xiuyao’s voice echoed softly in the quiet hall. Noble Consort Liu, who had been righteously defiant just moments ago, turned as pale as paper. Even her graceful figure in white trembled uncontrollably. She knew all too well how ruthlessly cruel this man she once adored could be. Although the Great Chu no longer had any connection to Prince Ding’s Manor, if Mo Xiuyao learned of what she had done… Noble Consort Liu shuddered, looking fearfully at the expressionless man before her.

Although they had found it suspiciously easy for the Northern Rong forces to breach the inner defenses, no one had suspected Noble Consort Liu. But thinking carefully about it, the Liu family had been among Mo Jingqi’s most trusted ministers, and Mo Jingqi had never distinguished between civil and military appointments when selecting officials. It wasn’t surprising that the Liu family knew much about Great Chu’s military deployments. Although Mo Jingqi had completely rejected the Liu family before his death, and Mo Jingli had always been wary of them, he hadn’t considered the defensive arrangements. After all, on the surface, these matters seemed unrelated to the Liu family. Most importantly, the one who leaked this information to Northern Rong wasn’t any other member of the Liu family, but the least likely suspect – Noble Consort Liu herself.

Looking at the pale-faced woman in white before her, Ye Li shook her head helplessly, sighing inwardly. Although she despised Noble Consort Liu, Ye Li still remembered the proud woman in white who had once looked down on her at Mo Jingqi’s side. Who could have imagined that Noble Consort Liu, once the most favored in all six palaces, would fall to such depths?

“Xiuyao?” Ye Li considered for a moment, still feeling it would be better to let Mo Xiuyao handle Noble Consort Liu personally. Noble Consort Liu’s current fate was indeed pitiful, but equally detestable.

Mo Xiuyao smiled and held Ye Li’s hands, saying, “This matter… has little to do with us now. Send someone to invite King Li and King Changxing.” Now, Mo Jingli was Great Chu’s Regent, and Noble Consort Liu was Mo Xiaoyu’s birth mother, so naturally, it should be left to them to handle. He believed that Mo Jingli, who had been fooled by this woman before, would give him a satisfactory resolution.

Mo Jingli arrived quickly. Having recently suffered major blood loss and been greatly angered by Mo Xiuyao, his complexion was poor. Accompanying him were Ye Ying and Princess Qixia, both looking equally unwell. Compared to Princess Qixia, however, Ye Ying’s appearance wasn’t quite as bad. If Mo Jingli had married Dongfang You, Princess Qixia would have been the greatest victim. After all, Ye Ying at least had the status of primary consort, while Princess Qixia still had nothing after all these years. Her previous attempts to seek an audience with Princess Anxi in Li City had been rejected under the pretext of the queen needing rest during pregnancy. If Mo Jingli truly married someone as prominent as Dongfang You, where would Princess Qixia find a place in Prince Ding’s Manor?

Following behind Mo Jingli’s group were Mo Xiaoyu and Princess Zhenning.

“Uncle Prince Ding, Princess Consort, what…” Princess Zhenning’s words were cut short as she spotted Noble Consort Liu standing to the side, her expression changing instantly. These days, Princess Zhenning had been using some medicine from Shen Yang to treat her face, and the ghastly scars had shown some visible improvement. Perhaps seeing hope, Princess Zhenning’s mood had improved considerably, and the gloom between her brows had largely dissipated. Though she might not fully recover, at least she wouldn’t frighten people anymore. However, upon seeing Noble Consort Liu, Princess Zhenning’s expression darkened considerably. It wasn’t just because of the suffering Noble Consort Liu had caused her, but more because of what she had heard from Shen Yang that day at the Changxing Prince’s Manor. If Princess Zhenning had previously hated her mother for hurting her, now she felt complete disgust and revulsion. A woman who could repeatedly kill the children in her womb for the sake of beauty – Princess Zhenning felt it wasn’t surprising that she had nearly killed her daughter.

“Why is she still here?” Princess Zhenning frowned in disgust.

Mo Jingli’s expression was equally dark. He hadn’t forgotten how Noble Consort Liu had deceived him about the children’s whereabouts. He had only held back because of Yelü Ye, but now that Yelü Ye was gone and this woman was still here… A cold light flashed in Mo Jingli’s eyes as he looked at Mo Xiuyao unfavorably, “You called me here just to see this woman?”

Mo Xiuyao raised an eyebrow and calmly repeated Yelü Ye’s words. Upon hearing them, everyone present’s expressions turned extremely ugly. Not just Mo Jingli and Mo Xiaoyu, but even Princess Qixia and Ye Ying looked at Noble Consort Liu with shock. Though they were women and not particularly good people themselves, they had never considered treason. Even Princess Qixia, who had followed Mo Jingli for so many years, had never thought of revealing secrets crucial to the Nanzhao royal family’s survival to Mo Jingli.

“Liu Yunshang!” Princess Zhenning couldn’t help but scream, glaring at Noble Consort Liu with venomous hatred. This woman… this woman had truly gone mad! Had she not thought about what would happen to the Liu family, to her children, when she led the Northern Rong army into Great Chu? Remembering how she and her brother had huddled together waiting for death when Chang’an was nearly breached… to think all this was caused by their birth mother.

“Whore!” Mo Jingli’s face turned sinister as he delivered a harsh slap. This slap showed no mercy – even though Noble Consort Liu knew some martial arts beyond that of ordinary ladies, she was knocked to the ground by the sudden, fierce blow, her forehead striking a nearby chair. Blood spilled from her mouth, and Noble Consort Liu clutched her abdomen in pain. Even a tooth came out with the blood. Although some time had passed, the wound from Princess Zhenning’s stabbing hadn’t fully healed, and now falling to the ground made her abdomen burn with pain.

One slap wasn’t enough to quell Mo Jingli’s rage. This woman… Great Chu’s devastating defeat, their retreat to Jiangnan – it was all because of this woman! Seeing Mo Xiuyao now controlling such vast territories while he was forced to retreat to Jiangnan, an area less than a quarter of their original territory, made Mo Jingli want to cut Noble Consort Liu into a thousand pieces and grind her bones to dust.

“King Li.” As Mo Jingli moved to kick her several times, Mo Xiuyao stopped him.

Mo Jingli looked at him coldly, sneering, “Don’t tell me Prince Ding wants to save this whore? Well… this woman was once deeply in love with Prince Ding.”

Mo Xiuyao raised an eyebrow and smiled faintly, saying, “King Li misunderstands. I merely wanted to say… don’t dirty my floor, and… don’t set a bad example for the children.” Everyone froze, following Mo Xiuyao’s gaze to see a small head peeking through the doorway, round eyes curiously observing the scene inside. Ye Li’s expression darkened slightly as she said quietly, “Yu Chen, come here.”

Mo Xiaobao blinked, smiling sweetly as he waved to Ye Li, “Mother, what’s happening here?” As he crossed the threshold into the hall, everyone saw a string of little ones following behind him. Leng Junhan and Xu Zhirui had also snuck in behind him. Seeing Ye Li’s expression, Mo Xiaobao knew things weren’t good. Mother was angry. He quickly put on an innocent smile and ran towards Ye Li. Suddenly, a white figure flashed – Noble Consort Liu, who had been sitting on the ground, suddenly leaped up and lunged at Mo Xiaobao.

“Ah?!” A scream echoed through the hall. Noble Consort Liu clutched her right hand, glaring hatefully at the person before her, a deep, heavy bleeding wound across her right wrist. Mo Xiaobao, who had nearly been in danger, was now held in Ye Li’s arms, while Ye Li’s other hand gripped a short blade dripping with blood. Mo Xiaobao had turned pale with fright, calling out “Mother” before burying his face in Ye Li’s embrace, refusing to move. Though clever, he was still only seven or eight years old – not crying after such a fright was already brave enough. Ye Li’s beautiful, gentle face seemed covered in frost, coldly staring at the woman before her, killing intent flashing in her eyes for the first time.

Noble Consort Liu had already understood that in this unfamiliar Li City, falling into Mo Xiuyao and Mo Jingli’s hands meant certain death. Her lunge at Mo Xiaobao had been a desperate final attempt. Yet she had still failed – Ye Li’s strike showed no mercy, and even if she didn’t die, Noble Consort Liu’s right hand was now useless. Though she had often heard about the martial prowess of Prince Ding’s household, Noble Consort Liu had never taken it seriously. She had never truly crossed hands with Ye Li, nor had she seen Ye Li fight others. Ten years ago, Ye Li couldn’t even shoot arrows properly, yet who could have imagined her movements would be so swift and ruthless now?

“Mother…” Mo Xiaobao lay in Ye Li’s arms, calling out pitifully.

Looking down at the child in her arms, Mo Xiaobao had grown quite tall over the past year, making it somewhat difficult for Ye Li to carry him. Seeing her son’s reddened eyes, Ye Li’s heart softened. She put away her short blade and carried Mo Xiaobao back to Mo Xiuyao’s side, placing him in Mo Xiuyao’s arms.

Though Mo Xiaobao usually didn’t get along with his father, he was very well-behaved at that moment. Sitting in his father’s arms, Mo Xiaobao suddenly felt the earlier fright subsiding, and color returned to his fair face. Leng Junhan and Xu Zhirui had also been badly frightened – although they hadn’t seen Ye Li and Noble Consort Liu’s movements, they had seen the blood on the ground and everyone’s expressions. Ye Li called someone to take the two children away, as they were even younger than Mo Xiaobao and less courageous – it wouldn’t be good if they were traumatized.

Mo Xiuyao looked down at Mo Xiaobao, who was squirming uneasily in his arms, and somewhat stiffly raised his hand to pat him in comfort. However, his gaze toward Noble Consort Liu was so dark that even Mo Jingli couldn’t help taking two steps back, while Mo Xiaoyu and Princess Zhenning, who stood shocked to the side, couldn’t even move. No one saw exactly how Mo Xiuyao moved – they only saw two shadowy figures flash through the hall before Mo Xiuyao was seated back in his chair with Mo Xiaobao. Meanwhile, Noble Consort Liu, who had been leaning against a chair, had fallen back to the ground. Her limbs were sprawled in an eerily unnatural position, and she couldn’t move at all. Earlier, just one cut from Ye Li had made her scream loud enough to be heard outside, but now after such a major change, she didn’t make a single sound.

Looking closer, everyone realized it wasn’t that Noble Consort Liu hadn’t screamed – her mute acupoint had been struck, making it impossible for her to make any sound at all. They didn’t need to examine her injuries; Noble Consort Liu’s twisted, grotesque expression alone showed how much pain she was in. Yet such cruel torture inflicted on a beautifully flowerlike woman didn’t arouse any sympathy. Even the siblings Mo Xiaoyu and Princess Zhenning only stared for a moment before turning away, unable to watch anymore.

Noble Consort Liu trembled in pain, but even using all her remaining strength, she couldn’t utter a single word. She could only watch in terror as everyone stared at her coldly. She had thought her most painful days were when she had just left the palace, days so excruciating she never wanted to remember them. But now she understood – compared to falling into Mo Xiuyao’s hands, she would rather live that way for the rest of her life.

Mo Xiaobao, sitting in Mo Xiuyao’s arms, watched curiously as Noble Consort Liu writhed in pain on the ground. Unable to move her limbs, she twisted like a worm, only her torso able to move. “Father, what’s wrong with her?” Mo Xiuyao casually patted his little head, saying, “She’s just lying on the ground playing.” Mo Xiaobao blinked his big eyes, a glimmer of wisdom flashing in their dark depths. Did Father think he was stupid… this aunt was clearly in great pain. Father was so powerful… even more powerful than Mother and Uncle.

After Noble Consort Liu had screamed herself hoarse, Mo Xiuyao finally snorted softly and flicked his left finger, releasing her mute acupoint. Noble Consort Liu let out a pained groan, her body drenched in sweat and utterly disheveled. Still lying on the ground, she continued to tremble from the intense pain. “Mo… Mo Xiuyao, you’re… so cruel…”

Mo Xiuyao glanced at her indifferently, dismissing her accusation. She had dared to try to harm his son – he was already moved by his kindness in letting her keep her life.

“Ali, don’t be angry. I’ll train Xiaobao properly from now on,” Mo Xiuyao quickly consoled Ye Li, seeing her still-frosty expression. He secretly shot Xiaobao a threatening look. Mo Xiaobao shrank his little head, nodding repeatedly, “Mother, Xiaobao will learn powerful martial arts from Father. When Xiaobao grows up, he’ll protect Mother!”

Mo Xiuyao shot him an annoyed glare. Get lost! Protecting Ali was his job.

Mo Xiaobao gazed pitifully at his mother, trying his best to be endearing. Ye Li reached out to pat his little head, smiling faintly, “It was Mother’s fault for letting you come in.”

“Mother, I’m sorry. Xiaobao shouldn’t have been naughty and eavesdropped outside.” Mo Xiaobao obediently admitted his mistake. A whimper, if he made Mother sad, Father would punish him severely. This scene of maternal love and conjugal harmony made the onlookers extremely uncomfortable. Mo Jingli coldly glared at Mo Xiuyao, “I didn’t come here to watch your family’s harmony.”

Mo Xiuyao remained unbothered, raising his eyebrow in good humor, “Is King Li not happy to see our family’s harmony?”

Mo Jingli snorted lightly, fixing his cold gaze on Noble Consort Liu, and asked, “This woman, how does Prince Ding plan to deal with her?” Mo Xiuyao raised his eyebrows slightly, saying carelessly, “Since I asked King Li and King Changxing to come, naturally this woman is for you to handle. However… because of what just happened, I’ve changed my mind.”

“What does Prince Ding want?” Mo Jingli didn’t consider Mo Xiaoyu and Princess Zhenning worth consulting, so he just looked at Mo Xiuyao. Mo Xiuyao’s gaze swept lightly over Noble Consort Liu as he said calmly, “I want her life. I don’t care how you deal with her, but whoever dares to let her leave Li City alive will die with her.”

Mo Jingli understood Mo Xiuyao’s meaning – he didn’t want Noble Consort Liu to die immediately, but he absolutely wouldn’t allow her to live well. So, torturing Noble Consort Liu was fine, but saving her was out of the question.

Mo Jingli didn’t mind; he had no intention of saving Noble Consort Liu. But taking out his frustrations by torturing her would be nice – he had been holding in quite a bit of anger these days.

Noble Consort Liu looked at everyone in the hall in terror but saw only cold gazes.

“No… please… Xiaoyu, Zhenning, Mother was wrong… save me, I don’t want to die…” Noble Consort Liu looked pleadingly at Mo Xiaoyu and Princess Zhenning, begging softly. Her once-proud demeanor was completely gone; to survive, she didn’t mind lowering herself to the dust.

Mo Xiaoyu watched her silently, unmoved. Princess Zhenning slowly stepped forward and crouched before Noble Consort Liu. Noble Consort Liu’s heart leaped – she knew that compared to her son who had been educated by his father since childhood, this daughter had always been much softer-hearted. “Zhenning, Zhenning, Mother was wrong… save Mother, Mother will love you from now on…”

Princess Zhenning raised her hand and slowly pulled aside the veil on her face to reveal the twisted scars. Because of the medicine applied, they looked even more horrifying than before. Noble Consort Liu was startled, frightened by the scars on Princess Zhenning’s face. Princess Zhenning looked at her calmly and said, “You are not my mother. My mother died two years ago. You see this… this is the memento Mother left me. Tell me… would I save you? My brother’s and my lives were saved by others. I cannot save you…”

After speaking, Princess Zhenning replaced her veil, stood up, and turned to leave.

“No… no, that had nothing to do with me. Don’t go…” Noble Consort Liu tried to grab Princess Zhenning, but her broken arm was useless – forget grabbing someone, she couldn’t move it at all. She could only watch helplessly as Princess Zhenning pulled Mo Xiaoyu towards the door.

“No! Zhenning, come back!”

Princess Zhenning’s steps paused at the doorway, then she pulled Mo Xiaoyu along faster and disappeared outside.

The last glimmer of light in Noble Consort Liu’s eyes finally extinguished. Looking desperately at the empty doorway, she couldn’t help but cry out, “Mo Ning! Mo Xiaoyu, you unfilial children! Why didn’t I kill you back then?! I won’t let you go even as a ghost, you wretched children…”

Outside, hearing the hateful curses from within, the siblings stopped in their tracks. The veil covering Princess Zhenning’s face was wet in one spot. Mo Xiaoyu lowered his head and held her hand. Princess Zhenning took a deep breath and said, “Let’s go home.”

Mo Xiaoyu nodded, “All right, Sister, let’s go home.”

In the hall, Noble Consort Liu continued her angry curses. Mo Xiuyao’s lips curled slightly as he waved his hand – a cold light flashed, and Noble Consort Liu’s sharp voice cut off abruptly. A blood mark appeared on her mute acupoint; clearly, Mo Xiuyao’s strike had directly damaged it. From now on, Noble Consort Liu would never be able to make a sound again.

Mo Xiuyao completely ignored Noble Consort Liu’s venomous gaze and looked at Mo Jingli, “Now you can take her away.”

Mo Jingli looked at Mo Xiuyao with a complicated expression, “You are ruthless.” Noble Consort Liu’s limbs were all broken, and now she was mute. Such a person, even if alive, couldn’t cause any trouble anymore – living longer would only mean more suffering. Mo Xiuyao smiled faintly, “I can still give her a quick death now.”

“No need!” Mo Jingli said harshly. He summoned the guards waiting outside to take Noble Consort Liu away, then looked at Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li, saying, “I hope you’ll keep your promise.” He naturally knew about Ren Qining’s visit to Dongfang Hui, but Prince Ding’s Manor hadn’t made any moves, which made him somewhat worried.

Mo Xiuyao recalled a piece of news he had heard just last night and smiled interestedly, “Jingli, there’s a good saying – mountains may fall, trees may topple. Rather than placing hope in others, it’s better to rely on yourself.”

“You want to break the agreement?” Mo Jingli frowned, saying gloomily.

Ye Li smiled faintly, “King Li misunderstands. It’s just… even if we stop Ren Qining, it doesn’t mean King Li will be the winner. Does King Li understand?”

Discussing such matters with Ye Li always made Mo Jingli uncomfortable. He said irritably, “As long as you keep your promise, the rest is not your concern.”

Ye Li nodded indifferently, “In that case, King Li can rest assured.”

Mo Jingli snorted coldly and turned to leave without acknowledging Ye Ying and Princess Qixia, who had been listening with confused expressions. Princess Qixia and Ye Ying could only hurriedly follow.

Only the family of three remained in the hall. Ye Li finally turned to look steadily at Mo Xiaobao. Mo Xiaobao’s little face tensed as he squeezed out a pitiful smile. Mo Xiuyao raised an eyebrow and casually lifted Mo Xiaobao from his arms, tossing him aside. Seven or eight years old and still wanting to be held – how improper!

“Mother…”

Ye Li looked at him calmly, “Why were you in the manor today?”

Mo Xiaobao pouted, “Isn’t this Xiaobao’s home? Mother’s words make Xiaobao so sad.”

“Stop pretending to cry, you don’t even have a single tear.” Ye Li mercilessly exposed his act. Mo Xiaobao could only sheepishly lower his hands from his eyes, which were indeed completely dry without even a hint of redness. Mo Xiaobao carefully shuffled two steps forward, putting on a shameless face, “Mother, was Xiaobao wrong…”

“What did you do wrong?” Ye Li asked.

Mo Xiaobao seriously counted on his little fingers, “Xiaobao shouldn’t have skipped the academy, shouldn’t have played with Leng Xiaodai and Zhirui, shouldn’t have eavesdropped on Mother and Father’s conversation. Shouldn’t…” Unable to think of anything else he shouldn’t have done, but seeing that Mother still hadn’t calmed down, Mo Xiaobao could only secretly seek help from Father.

Mo Xiuyao watched amusedly as the little one who usually delighted in opposing him blinked his eyes at him. He unusually showed kindness and said, “Enough, Ali. This kid just needs discipline, I’ll teach him a good lesson later, don’t upset yourself.”

Seeing her son looking at her pitifully, how could Ye Li still be angry? Rather than being angry at Mo Xiaobao, she was more angry at herself. If she hadn’t called Mo Xiaobao to come in, he wouldn’t have almost been hurt by Noble Consort Liu. However, daring to skip the academy – this trend absolutely could not continue!

“Copy what Master taught yesterday twenty times, and submit it to Master for review tomorrow. Also, write a letter of self-reflection, understand?”

Mo Xiaobao drooped his little head dejectedly – originally only Father liked to punish with copying, but now Mother had joined in too. Whimper, Master, Xiaobao was wrong…