“Y-Yao, what did I just see?”

After a long silence, a stuttering voice echoed through the dark grove. Three figures emerged from the forest, and Feng Zhiyao’s elegant gentleman image shattered once again as he stared dumbfounded at the unconscious unfortunate soul on the ground.

Mo Xiuyao observed the scene before him with an impassive expression and said flatly, “Exactly what you just saw.”

“This young master left his warm bed in the middle of the night to accompany you, worried that Third Miss Ye might be in danger! But now it seems others are the ones in trouble.” If not for barely maintaining his dignified image, Feng Zhiyao would have screamed like a woman. Just look at what he’d witnessed! After receiving news that someone intended to harm Ye Li, he’d hurriedly crawled out of his beauty’s bed in the dead of night and rushed over, only to see Ye Li take down Mo Jingli with moves so swift even he couldn’t follow. Though Mo Jingli might be somewhat dim-witted, he was still counted among the capital’s talented young elite, wasn’t he? Walking to Mo Xiuyao’s side and circling him as Ye Li had done, Feng Zhiyao rested his chin on his hand and asked boredly, “What should we do now?”

“Throw him in that pond over there,” Mo Xiuyao said without even furrowing his brow.

“That’s an ice-cold pool. He’ll die,” Feng Zhiyao advised, though without much sincerity.

“Strip his clothes too,” Mo Xiuyao said coolly.

“I’m afraid that’s impossible. Your future Princess Consort’s rope-tying skills are too impressive.” Feng Zhiyao crouched down to study the knots binding Mo Jingli. “Yao, don’t anger Third Miss Ye in the future. Women are too frightening.” After pondering for a long while, Feng Zhiyao couldn’t figure out how he would free himself from such rope bindings without help if he were tied up like this. “However, this technique is worth learning.”

“Jin.”

“Yes, Your Highness.” The youth standing behind Mo Xiuyao’s wheelchair responded, stepped forward to grab the person on the ground, and headed deeper into the grove. Soon there was a splash. Someone had been thrown into the water. Feng Zhiyao couldn’t help but jump up and down, “Yao, you’ll corrupt the child! What if Mo Jingli drowns?” The death of a prince in the capital, especially the Emperor’s brother, was no small matter. Mo Xiuyao calmly examined his hand resting on the armrest and said indifferently, “Jin always knows his limits.”

Limits? Did Jin even have such a thing in his head? Feng Zhiyao stamped his foot and rushed over to look, then was left speechless.

Mo Jingli had been thrown into the pond face-up, with his chest still exposed above the water near the shore. Most importantly, the rope binding him was much longer than needed, with one end now tied to a tree by the pond. This ensured Mo Jingli wouldn’t be carried to the middle of the pond by any accident. Indeed, very measured.

“Ah Jin. I’ll take your Prince back, you stay here and watch. When it’s almost dawn, wake up the people he brought. Don’t let him drown.”

Jin furrowed his sharp brows, hesitated, then nodded. Feng Zhiyao cast a somewhat sympathetic glance at Mo Jingli before being satisfied, fanning himself as he walked toward Mo Xiuyao’s location.

“Yao, I’m getting curious about your future Princess Consort.” Feng Zhiyao sauntered back into the grove where Mo Xiuyao still sat in the shade, his expression not particularly pleasant in the dim night, lost in thought about something.

Mo Xiuyao looked up and said calmly, “We should return.”

Feng Zhiyao looked at Mo Xiuyao curiously, “Letting him off so easily?” Though Mo Xiuyao had cultivated himself in recent years and appeared to have a good temper, Feng Zhiyao who knew his true nature well understood that Mo Xiuyao was never a kind person. A cold glint flashed through Mo Xiuyao’s gentle eyes, “Tomorrow is Jingli’s wedding. It would be too disruptive if something happened to the groom.” Feng Zhiyao wanted to sigh, “I thought you didn’t want Mo Jingli to have any connection with the Ye family. Don’t forget, if he marries Ye Ying, you and he would be…” Brothers-in-law? What an unpleasant relationship, wasn’t it? Mo Xiuyao let out a light snort, exerted force with his hands, and turned his wheelchair toward the grove’s exit. Feng Zhiyao raised his fine brows, shrugged, and followed. He wondered what interesting things would happen at tomorrow’s wedding. He’d better secure a good spot early to watch the show.

“What about the guy who kidnapped Third Miss Ye?”

“Catch him, and send one of his hands and one of his legs as a wedding gift to Mo Jingli.”

Though the city gates were already closed, Ye Li managed to return to the Minister’s mansion before dawn with some effort. As soon as she climbed into her room, Qing Shuang and Qing Yu came to welcome her. The undisguised anxiety on their faces turned to relief. Qing Yu brought tea for Ye Li as naturally as if her usually elegant and proper young lady’s athletic window-climbing didn’t trouble her at all. Qing Shuang patted her chest and exhaled, “Young Miss, you’re finally back. Qing Shuang was so worried!” Ye Li smiled gently, “With someone following me, what was there to worry about? Right, Qing Luan?”

A figure floated down lightly from outside the window – it was Qing Luan who had come from the Xu family with Qing Yu. Qing Luan smiled with pressed lips, “Young Miss is amazing. Qing Luan followed the whole way without anyone noticing, yet couldn’t escape Young Miss’s notice.” Ye Li smiled, “Actually, I didn’t notice you either, but I seemed to smell a faint, very special, and familiar fragrance the whole way. That person who grabbed me… his fragrance wasn’t light, so perhaps that’s why he didn’t notice.” Qing Luan dejectedly hung her head, secretly deciding never to use any incense again. Her incense was already very faint, and ordinary people wouldn’t detect it at all. But who made Ye Li’s senses much keener than average?

“Did anything interesting happen in the grove after I left?” Ye Li sat down to drink the freshly brewed tea and asked.

Qing Luan also copied Ye Li’s actions coming in through the window and smiled, “That person… was thrown into a pond deep in the grove.”

“The Prince of Ding?”

“Young Miss is brilliant.” Qing Luan smiled in good spirits. Recalling the pathetic sight of someone tied to a tree and thrown into a pond that she’d witnessed from hiding, Qing Luan felt tonight’s worry hadn’t been wasted. She was sure the eldest young master would very much like this news too. “This servant also saw someone by the Prince of Ding’s side, seemingly quite close to him.”

Ye Li raised an eyebrow at Qing Luan. Qing Luan didn’t keep her in suspense and said, “It was the capital’s famous Third Young Master Feng.” Ye Li hadn’t expected this relationship between Feng Zhiyao and Mo Xiuyao, though it did explain Feng Zhiyao’s curious attitude toward her at the Hundred Flowers Banquet.

“So His Highness the Prince of Ding went to save Young Miss too? Young Miss didn’t see the Prince?” Qing Shuang blinked her eyes curiously and asked.

Ye Li shook her head. She knew there were others in the grove at the time and could vaguely guess who they were, but she had no intention of meeting them, so she’d ignored them. Since Mo Xiuyao hadn’t had anyone stop Qing Luan, he must have understood her meaning. Dealing with clever people indeed required no waste of words. Very good.

She casually tossed a jade pendant to Qing Luan and said, “Give this to Elder Cousin and ask if he can investigate who this jade pendant’s owner is.”

Qing Luan caught it and said with schadenfreude, “Then this servant must hurry. The Prince of Ding has reserved one of his hands and one leg as gifts for Prince Li. If he hadn’t run fast enough, he’d likely have met misfortune tonight.”

“His lightness skills are good. If there’s time, try to keep him alive. Perhaps he can help us with some matters.” If it was too late then nothing could be done. She didn’t believe someone who would sneak into a residence in the dead of night to kidnap an innocent woman would be any kind of pure and kind person. However, that person knew she was awake yet still took her to hand over to Mo Jingli, and didn’t even warn Mo Jingli. It showed he was quite an interesting person, though more likely Mo Jingli had unknowingly offended him before.

Qing Yu stood to the side, looking from one person to another with an odd expression, and asked, “Can tomorrow’s wedding still proceed as scheduled?”

Qing Luan waved her hand unconcernedly and said, “It should be fine. I heard Feng Zhiyao instruct the Prince of Ding’s guard to have Prince Li’s people rescue their master near dawn.” Qing Yu nodded and said, “In that case, Young Miss should take advantage of the early hour to rest. If you don’t look well tomorrow, people will surely criticize you.”

Qing Shuang also nodded repeatedly in agreement. She didn’t want to give others any chance to further damage the Young Miss’s reputation.

“…”

Hadn’t anyone considered that weddings were also very draining on energy and spirit? What if the groom fainted during the ceremony tomorrow… Ye Li thought irresponsibly as she let her maids change her clothes and help her to bed.