The guard went to invite the visitor, while those in the tent speculated among themselves. Yun Ting scratched his head and asked, “Could it be someone from the Princess Consort’s family?” The only person they knew with the surname Ye was the Princess Consort.

He Su raised an eyebrow and said, “Among the Princess Consort’s family, the only one who could be called Young Master at that age would be that Ye Rong fellow. Do you think he would travel thousands of li to come to an army camp?” Yun Ting realized his guess was quite absurd. He had seen that fat Ye Rong before – though he was a scholar, he was so fat his eyes were barely visible, without any of the noble air of those who had studied hard in cold windows. Sometimes he looked even more crude than those who practiced martial arts. Come to think of it, the former Minister Ye had been considered one of the capital’s handsome men, and regardless of their character, each of the Ye daughters was a beauty. Yet they had produced such a defective product as Ye Rong. What’s more, those two old women of the Ye family protected him fiercely, as if afraid he would be blown away by the wind if he went outside.

In truth, Ye Rong wasn’t ugly at all. As a child, he had even been considered handsome. Unfortunately, Madam Wang didn’t know how to raise children. As the saying goes, one’s appearance reflects one’s heart. Ye Rong hadn’t inherited even half of Minister Ye’s talent, and being taught nonsense by Madam Wang all day had made his temperament even more vulgar. Add to that his years of gluttonous eating and drinking, and his constantly expanding figure, and it had given Yun Ting, who had only seen him once, an impression of extreme ugliness.

Cold Huai also shook his head. Though he had lived in the Chu capital for decades, he couldn’t recall any notable figures from the Ye family. He smiled and said, “The person has arrived – we’ll know who it is when we see them.”

Soon after, a strange man in white entered and smiled faintly at everyone, saying, “Greetings, everyone.”

Cold Huai and Lü Jinxian both frowned. The man before them had unremarkable features, the kind you wouldn’t remember even after seeing them several times. But given his elegant white clothing, they were certain they had never seen him before.

“This young master…” Cold Huai began in a deep voice.

“Who are you?!” Before Cold Huai could finish, He Su, who had been sitting to the side, stood up and stared coldly at the white-clad man. Everyone looked at He Su – given his steady temperament, he would never interrupt Cold Huai without good reason.

He Su narrowed his eyes and said, “He’s wearing a disguise.” There were indeed some exquisite disguise techniques in the world, but few could fool Ye Li. After all, no matter how sophisticated, it wasn’t a real face and would always have some flaws – it wasn’t plastic surgery, after all. Since it couldn’t fool Ye Li, it naturally couldn’t fool He Su, whom she had trained.

Hearing He Su’s words, everyone immediately became alert.

The man in white smiled helplessly and sighed, “Had I known you were here, I wouldn’t have bothered with this thing.” He raised his hand and wiped his face, revealing extraordinarily handsome features that made everyone cry out in shock, “Your… Your Highness?!”

Yun Ting was so startled that he knocked over his chair, pointing at the man before them without regard for status, “You… what kind of demon are you?! How dare you impersonate His Highness!”

One couldn’t blame them for being shocked. When news of Mo Xiuyao’s death had reached the army days ago, several of Lü Jinxian’s men had nearly fainted. They hadn’t believed it until hearing that the Princess Consort had prepared his body for burial at Flying Swan Pass, and even Lei Zhenting and Mo Jingli had personally gone to pay their respects. Only then had everyone gradually accepted the terrible news. Now Mo Xiuyao suddenly stood before them alive and well – how could they not be shocked?

Mo Xiuyao cast a faint glance at Yun Ting and waved his hand. A blade of energy swept past, instantly shattering an inkstone on Lü Jinxian’s desk above. Everyone looked at each other, then at Mo Xiuyao. There weren’t many people in the world with such exquisite and profound internal energy. Yun Ting frowned and said, “Are you Ling Tiehan or Mu Qingcang?” At least it wasn’t Lei Zhenting – Lei Zhenting only had one hand, and it would be rather difficult to appear as a two-handed Mo Xiuyao.

He Su had calmed down by now and after a long silence said, “It is His Highness.”

Mo Xiuyao sighed and took out a black jade pendant, waving it as he said, “Now do you believe?”

Seeing the black jade pendant that represented the Prince’s identity, everyone finally came to their senses. Lü Jinxian and the others were particularly excited, “Your Highness… Your Highness, how did you…” For a moment, Lü Jinxian was so confused he couldn’t express himself clearly. They had too many questions and didn’t know what to ask first.

Cold Huai maintained his composure and asked, “Why is Your Highness here?”

Mo Xiuyao said, “I heard you were blocked at Liyang, so I came to take a look.”

“We are incompetent – please punish us, Your Highness,” Lü Jinxian and Cold Huai said in unison, requesting punishment. Mo Xiuyao waved his hand and said, “How could this be your fault? It was my sudden incident that disrupted your deployment.”

Lü Jinxian asked worriedly, “Was Your Highness truly injured?”

Mo Xiuyao nodded and said, “I did receive some minor injuries.” The more casually Mo Xiuyao described it, the more worried Lü Jinxian and the others became. If he hadn’t been seriously injured, why would the Prince suddenly disappear? They knew the current situation wasn’t at all beneficial to the Mo family army. Mo Xiuyao shook his head and smiled, “I am fine, just… I thought this was an opportunity. So…” He didn’t want A-Li to think he had been seriously injured when he returned. With Mo Hua by A-Li’s side now, she would only think he had faked his death deliberately for some scheme, not that he had been injured. Of course, originally he hadn’t been seriously injured.

After looking him up and down and seeing that Mo Xiuyao truly seemed fine, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Lü Jinxian asked, “May we know Your Highness’s plans?” The Prince’s sudden appearance surely wasn’t just to check on them as he claimed. They must be part of his plan.

Mo Xiuyao raised an eyebrow and said, “No need to rush the plans. Let’s deal with Mo Jingli first.” His eyes flickered slightly, making no effort to hide the flash of killing intent that passed through them.

“Your Highness is right,” Lü Jinxian said. “Now that Lei Zhenting’s army is at Flying Swan Pass, we must quickly deal with Mo Jingli so we can return northwest to break the siege of Flying Swan Pass.” He then explained their plan to have Xu Qingfeng lead men into the city to burn Mo Jingli’s supplies. Mo Xiuyao raised an eyebrow and smiled, “Very good, I’ll go too.”

Lü Jinxian frowned and said, “Though this matter is important, it doesn’t require Your Highness to risk yourself. Please reconsider.”

Mo Xiuyao shook his head and said, “I have other matters to attend to.”

Seeing Mo Xiuyao’s determination, no one tried to dissuade him further. Beside them, He Su asked, “Your Highness, does the Princess Consort know of your whereabouts? Should we send someone to inform her?” Mo Xiuyao paused briefly, then casually waved his hand as he walked out.

Yun Ting and He Su exchanged glances, and Yun Ting asked, “What did His Highness mean by that? Not tell the Princess Consort?”

He Su frowned slightly and said, “I think it means we can if we want to.” Since he didn’t say no, it meant yes. He Su suspected that given His Highness’s personality, he likely hadn’t told the Princess Consort his whereabouts this time. Because… he was injured. With his keen eye for detail, He Su hadn’t missed Mo Xiuyao’s still-pale complexion and slight signs of qi deficiency. Yun Ting thought for a moment and felt He Su was right. He nodded and said, “It doesn’t matter.” After all, the Princess Consort would know His Highness’s whereabouts once they defeated Mo Jingli – Yun Ting didn’t think a difference of a few days mattered.

Although Mo Xiuyao had appeared in the army camp for barely a quarter-hour before disappearing again and had strictly ordered them not to reveal his presence to anyone except Ye Li before leaving, his brief appearance had well assuaged Lü Jinxian and the others’ anxiety. Given His Highness’s concern for the Princess Consort, if he wasn’t worried about Flying Swan Pass, it proved that the Princess Consort and Flying Swan Pass were not in danger. That being the case, they naturally weren’t anxious either.

After leaving the army camp, Mo Xiuyao didn’t go find Xu Qingfeng and the others to enter Liyang with them. Instead, after darkness fell, he leisurely crossed the city walls into Liyang alone. Security was indeed strict inside the city – though it had just gotten dark, there were no pedestrians on the streets at all. Every household had their gates tightly closed, appearing to have retired early. Even so, there were still many soldiers patrolling the streets. One could almost say there was a sentry every five steps and a guard post every ten steps. Mo Jingli had suffered quite a few losses to the Qilin and was guarding against their infiltration of the city.

These strict guard posts naturally posed no obstacle to Mo Xiuyao. He strolled through Liyang’s streets and alleys, and following the map of Liyang in his mind, quickly found his destination: the former residence of Liyang’s governor, where Mo Jingli was temporarily staying. Mo Xiuyao’s figure flashed as he flew into the governor’s mansion, heading toward its most lively area.

Tonight the main hall of the governor’s mansion was filled with song and dance, with wine cups clinking. Mo Jingli sat contentedly in his chair, drinking and enjoying entertainment while surrounded by a bewitchingly beautiful woman. Though there had been several quite unpleasant matters these days, overall things were going well. Of course, for Mo Jingli, anything could make him happy as long as Mo Xiuyao was dead. So even though Cloud Province’s great families had shown complete disregard for his imperial status, giving him several setbacks, Mo Jingli could still tolerate them. Glancing at the guests below, Mo Jingli smiled with even more satisfaction. What did the great families matter? Without power they were nothing! Thus, he was the one high above, while those below had to sit there with forced smiles even if they were unwilling.

“Master Chu, has my hospitality been lacking? Why aren’t you drinking?” Mo Jingli stared at a middle-aged man seated first on the right below and smiled faintly, his sinister eyes full of malice and satisfaction. This middle-aged man was the current head of the Chu family, and also the cousin of the Great Physician Xu’s wife.

The head of the Chu family calmly said, “Thank you, Emperor Chu, but I am unwell and cannot drink.”

Mo Jingli’s eyes flashed with a hint of viciousness as he sneered, “Emperor Chu? Does this mean… Master Chu no longer acknowledges himself as a subject of Great Chu?” The Chu family head didn’t back down, responding composedly, “The Chu family are naturally subjects of Great Chu, but it depends on whether this Great Chu is that Great Chu. The Chu family only respects the legitimate imperial bloodline.”

“Insolent!” Mo Jingli flew into a rage. Now that Mo Xiuyao was dead, Mo Jingli’s greatest concern was the legitimacy of his position. Although he had forcefully suppressed various discussions in court with his power in Jiangnan, the fact that Mo Xuyun had died in the Regent Prince’s manor was something no one could ignore. Even if people didn’t speak of it openly, there were certainly many who privately cursed Mo Jingli as a regicide who had usurped the throne. Mo Jingli had already decided in his heart that after returning, he would kill all of Mo Jingqi’s sons and see who dared say anything then.

Similarly, the Chu family head’s mention of the imperial bloodline had struck another of Mo Jingli’s sore spots. Mo Jingli could never have children of his own in this life. As such, forget about the legitimate imperial bloodline – the direct line of the Great Chu imperial family would end with him. In the future, he could only adopt a child from the imperial clan to inherit the throne. Just thinking about this made Mo Jingli’s anger surge uncontrollably.

The Chu family head showed no fear of Mo Jingli’s fury, calmly watching the malicious-faced emperor before him. It wasn’t that the Chu family was foolishly brave and deliberately opposing Mo Jingli. Rather, the Chu family simply didn’t have faith in Mo Jingli as emperor. For a great family that had endured for generations, the most important thing for remaining steadfast was knowing how to position themselves. Even though Mo Jingli seemed to have the upper hand now, the Chu family didn’t believe he would have the last laugh. Yet Mo Jingli demanded that all the noble families of Cloud Province swear allegiance to him. Cloud Province was a center of culture and learning, and its noble families were mostly scholarly households that traditionally held exceptional influence over the realm’s scholars and intellectuals. Mo Jingli’s demand that these families publicly pledge loyalty to him and issue statements denouncing the Prince’s manor was absolutely something no discerning family head would want to do.

Even though the Prince had suddenly passed away and the Mo family army seemed to be in trouble, one shouldn’t forget that they still controlled two capitals – the Chu capital and the Western Ling imperial city – plus Licity, a quasi-capital. They also held all the territory east of Hangu Pass, north of Spirit Vulture Mountain, and west of Flying Swan Pass. These areas combined were more than twice the size of Jiangnan. Moreover, the Prince’s manor had numerous famous generals and the support of Young Master Qingchen and the Xu family. The Chu family head really couldn’t see where Mo Jingli’s chances of victory lay.

If they openly opposed the Prince’s manor now, and the Prince’s manor won in the future, it would likely spell disaster for the Chu family. Even if they somehow escaped destruction, if the Chu family then tried to switch allegiance to the Prince’s manor, they would inevitably be seen as opportunists, ruining the Chu family’s reputation.

“Chu Shaoying, you are insolent! Do you think I dare not kill you?” Mo Jingli flung his wine cup, which shattered on the ground with a crash.

The Chu family head lowered his eyes, “I speak only the truth. Even if Your Majesty kills me, I will say nothing different.”

Mo Jingli suppressed his anger and swept his gaze over those below, asking, “What about the rest of you? Do you share his opinion?” After a moment, someone finally cracked under the pressure and stood up, trembling as they said, “We are willing to pledge loyalty to Your Majesty.”

Mo Jingli snorted lightly, unsatisfied with this. These were just minor and medium-sized families – not a single truly first-rate family had stood up. Mo Jingli very much wanted to simply drag them all out and execute them. But at this time, he had to hold back.

“Master Chu, I recall your Chu family has a young master called Chu Junwei?” Mo Jingli took a deep breath and suddenly asked. The Chu family head was startled, somewhat surprised as he nodded, “Yes, a nephew from a branch family.”

“Oh? This Young Master Chu is considered quite talented – I had several enjoyable conversations with him when I was in Jiangnan. Why is Young Master Chu not here today?” Mo Jingli asked. The Chu family head’s eyes flashed with confusion as he frowned, “When did Your Majesty meet nephew Junwei?”

“Several months ago.”

“That’s impossible,” the Chu family head said.

Mo Jingli narrowed his eyes, “Is Master Chu saying I’m lying?”

The Chu family head shook his head and said calmly, “No, it’s just… this nephew of mine was indeed remarkably talented. But he passed away several years ago, not yet twelve years old. He died young – how could he have had enjoyable conversations with Your Majesty?”

Before the Chu family head had finished speaking, Mo Jingli’s face had already turned ashen. Below, the various family heads who had been forced to attend the banquet watched as the man wearing imperial robes above them turned from ashen to red to black – how could they not understand what had happened? They were all native to Liyang; if the Chu family truly had such a remarkably talented figure, how could these local noble families not know of him? This meant that Mo Jingli had been fooled by someone using the Chu family’s name.

Having lost face so thoroughly before these noble family heads, Mo Jingli immediately became furious with embarrassment. Staring at the Chu family head, he said, “What does Master Chu mean by this? Do you think I’m lying?” By this point, Mo Jingli had also guessed that he must have been fooled by Chu Junwei back in Nanjing. Connecting the timing of Chu Junwei’s appearance, Mo Jingli was almost certain that Chu Junwei must have been connected to the Prince’s manor. But in front of these people, how could he possibly admit he had been fooled by someone from the Prince’s manor? Besides… the Chu family and Xu family were related by marriage – wouldn’t taking action against the Chu family be justified?

The Chu family head calmly said, “I wouldn’t dare, but Chu Junwei truly died many years ago. If Your Majesty doubts this, I can show Your Majesty the Chu family genealogy.”

Mo Jingli naturally wouldn’t do something that would further embarrass himself. Ignoring others’ expressions, he sneered, “The Chu family has secret communications with the Prince’s manor, intending to rebel. Seize him and imprison the entire Chu family, confiscating their property.” Fortunately, Mo Jingli had retained some rationality, planning only to imprison the Chu family rather than executing them immediately, though he certainly wanted to.

Two guards quickly came forward and began dragging the Chu family head towards the door. The gathered people were shocked by this turn of events. Most of them were extremely prestigious noble families, many formerly official families. No matter who was in power, they were always given some face, yet Mo Jingli had been here less than half a month, and the head of the Chu family – second only to the Xu family and now the first family of Cloud Province – was being rudely dragged away.

On one hand, these noble family heads’ impression of Mo Jingli grew even worse, but at the same time, they couldn’t help feeling a chill in their hearts. They knew that scholars’ status was determined by those in power. When those in power respected scholars, their status was high. But in these chaotic times, when those in power viewed scholars as insects and weeds, they were helpless.

Watching these family heads’ changing expressions, Mo Jingli’s eyes flashed with a cold smile as he raised his cup and said, “Everyone need not let such a small matter spoil the mood. Come, I toast you all.” Whether willing or not, this time everyone raised their cups. Mo Jingli was pleased – surely with the Chu family as an example, these people would now understand what it meant that when the emperor wants a minister to die, the minister must die.

Outside the hall, Mo Xiuyao was leisurely leaning against a large tree, eyes closed as he listened to everything happening inside. Only when the Chu family head was dragged out did he open his eyes, a smile flitting across his lips.

As the Chu family head was being roughly dragged toward the governor’s mansion’s dungeon, still calculating his next moves, suddenly an extremely low voice entered his ear: “Don’t worry, the Chu family will not be in danger.”

The Chu family head was startled but saw that the two guards beside him did not react. The words just now seemed like an illusion. But he was certain he hadn’t imagined it – he had heard someone’s voice, seemingly far away yet also seemingly resonating directly in his mind. Who could it be?

As if understanding his confusion, that voice faintly transmitted three words: “Mo Xiuyao.”

The Chu family head lowered his head, concealing the shock in his eyes. He finally remembered whose voice this was. He had gone to Licity for Master Qingyun’s birthday celebration that year. Originally, given the relationship between the Chu and Xu families, it would have been natural for the Chu family to submit to the Prince’s manor. But the Chu family was different from the Xu family – while the Xu family was also great, they had always been small in numbers. The Chu family, however, not counting various branch families, had enough people in the main family’s recent generations alone to be surprising, and they were spread across various regions. If the Chu family’s main branch moved to Licity, these branch family members would likely suffer greatly. Moreover, at that time the Prince’s manor’s situation wasn’t as clear as it later became, so the Chu family’s visit had only expressed the marriage ties and friendship between the Chu and Xu families, without pledging loyalty to the Prince’s manor.

Although one or two years had passed, the Chu family head still remembered the Prince’s unique deep voice that could easily inspire submission.

The Chu family had had no time to be shocked about why the Prince wasn’t dead and had instead appeared at Mo Jingli’s base in Liyang. As the head of a great family, he could quickly calm down and realize this could be a huge opportunity for the Chu family.

Thinking of this, the Chu family head’s eyes flashed with determination as he suddenly spoke: “Go report to His Majesty Emperor Chu, the Chu family is willing to pledge loyalty to Emperor Chu!”