Mo Suiyun returned to his room and immediately closed the door. He lifted the blanket and buried himself underneath, trembling beneath the thick brocade covers. While not particularly timid, he, like all his siblings, had a deep-seated fear of Prince Li. Back in the Nanjing Palace, they had witnessed firsthand how Mo Jingli had tormented Mo Xuyun. His sinister glares toward them had left lasting trauma on the young Mo Suiyun. This time… Mo Suiyun shuddered violently, clutching the blanket tighter. He sensed that Mo Jingli wasn’t merely trying to frighten him—he truly intended to kill her.
“No… no, I can’t die… I can’t die…” Mo Suiyun mumbled, “What should I do… what should I do?” Lure Mo Yuzhen out for Mo Jingli to kill? Mo Suiyun shook his head firmly. Though he disliked Mo Yuzhen and subconsciously viewed him as a future enemy, right now… he had no right to compare himself to Mo Yuzhen and Prince Ding Manor. Therefore, Mo Yuzhen wasn’t his enemy right now. And Prince Ding… that terrifying white-haired Prince Ding. If he caused Mo Yuzhen’s death… Mo Suiyun trembled again. No… he absolutely couldn’t provoke Prince Ding! But… what should he do?
“Who says you’re going to die?” A cheerful voice reached his ears. Mo Suiyun froze, taking a moment to process before suddenly throwing off the blanket to find Mo Xiaobao sitting by the bed, watching him curiously. “Why are you here?!” Seeing Mo Xiaobao, Mo Suiyun’s face instantly paled. He hurriedly got up to check if anyone was outside. Mo Xiaobao tilted his head and smiled, “Don’t worry, there’s no one outside.”
Mo Suiyun sighed slightly in relief, staring at Mo Xiaobao lost in thought. Mo Xiaobao didn’t mind, sitting leisurely to the side watching Mo Suiyun stand dazed by the bed. Mo Xiaobao knew that compared to Mo Suiyun, he was truly fortunate. At least he had grown up happily under everyone’s protection, unlike Mo Suiyun who grew up cautiously in the back palace, now being manipulated like a puppet by Da Chu’s court officials and nobles. Under such circumstances, Mo Suiyun could still carefully hide his thoughts, no wonder Father King viewed him differently.
Mo Suiyun was likewise studying Mo Xiaobao, his mind wrestling with inner conflict. He knew Mo Jingli might still be nearby. If he called someone now… Soon, Mo Suiyun shook his head. Mo Xiaobao couldn’t have come here alone. Even if he was mischievous, Prince Ding’s people would protect him secretly. Even if Mo Jingli killed Mo Yuzhen, they would be the ones facing Prince Ding’s wrath in the end. Unless… Mo Jingli could kill Prince Ding! But could Mo Jingli kill Prince Ding? Of course not. If Mo Jingli had that ability, he wouldn’t be sitting on the throne now.
So… he couldn’t harm Mo Yuzhen! At least, he couldn’t let Mo Yuzhen die here!
“Go! You need to leave quickly!” Mo Suiyun snapped back to reality, pulling Mo Xiaobao toward the window.
Mo Xiaobao looked at him with surprise, “What are you doing? I come to play with you and you’re just chasing me away?” Mo Suiyun said irritably, “I’m not feeling well today, leave first!”
The more anxious he became, the more leisurely Mo Xiaobao acted, smiling as he lounged on the table, “If you’re not feeling well then rest. I won’t disturb you.” Mo Suiyun was so anxious he nearly cried. If only he had the ability, he would have simply picked up Mo Xiaobao and thrown him out. Mo Xiaobao gently fluttered his long eyelashes, smiling warmly as he looked at him, saying languidly, “Why are you so anxious? It’s like you’re afraid of someone knowing I’m here. Don’t worry, this is Li City. Even if Prince Yu knows I snuck here, he won’t do anything to me.”
Prince Yu is nothing! Mo Suiyun cursed inwardly, “Anyway, leave quickly! I don’t want to play with you today.”
“It’s fine if I want to play with you. Why don’t we go out to play?” Mo Xiaobao’s eyes lit up as he smiled.
“Young Master Mo, I beg you to go back first, okay?” Mo Suiyun couldn’t help but groan—whose life was he trying to save here? Mo Xiaobao raised his fine eyebrows, patted Mo Suiyun’s shoulder, and said softly with a laugh, “Alright, I’ll stop teasing you. Brother, if you have any difficulties, tell me. Is there anything in Li City that this young master can’t handle?” Mo Xiaobao acted as if they were close brothers, ready to go through thick and thin together.
Mo Suiyun gave Mo Xiaobao a somewhat disdainful glance. What could this kid, shorter than himself and only knowing how to play, possibly handle? He’d be thankful if Mo Jingli didn’t discover him here and kill him. Mo Suiyun said impatiently, “Anyway, just leave quickly!”
Seeing he wouldn’t speak up, Mo Xiaobao stopped pressing, shrugging as he said, “Then I’ll head back first. If anything comes up, send someone to Prince Ding’s Manor to find me.”
“I know, now go!” Seeing he was finally willing to leave, Mo Suiyun naturally agreed readily, pushing and pulling him toward the window. Mo Xiaobao irritably swatted away his hand, “Using the same exit twice is asking to get caught.” Going to a corner of the room, Mo Xiaobao leaped up, using the wall for leverage, and steadily perched on the roof beam. Waving back at Mo Suiyun, Mo Xiaobao then slipped out through an opening in the roof that had been revealed at some point.
Seeing Mo Xiaobao display such lightness skills, Mo Suiyun was quite stunned. Though he had seen many with better lightness skills than Mo Xiaobao, they were all much older. At such a young age, having this level of skill, no wonder Mo Xiaobao dared to sneak into the Da Chu embassy in broad daylight. Finally having sent Mo Xiaobao away, Mo Suiyun also secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
“Your Majesty.” Mo Jingyu’s voice came from outside. Mo Suiyun’s body stiffened but he quickly recovered, going to open the door, “Uncle Prince Yu.” Mo Jingyu stood at the doorway, looking at Mo Suiyun somewhat strangely, “Why did you bolt the door?”
Mo Suiyun bit his lip, saying softly, “Uncle Prince Yu, I… I…”
Mo Jingyu looked at him knowingly, “You’re afraid?” Mo Suiyun nodded heavily. Mo Jingyu sighed somewhat helplessly, “At this point, we have no choice. Your Majesty, you’re not a child anymore, you should understand many things.”
Mo Suiyun’s small face darkened as he said quietly, “I understand, Uncle Prince Yu. Has… has Uncle Prince Li left?”
“He’s gone!” Mo Jingyu said in a deep voice. His expression wasn’t pleasant when mentioning Mo Jingli either, cursing under his breath, “That madman! Who knows what he’s gone off to do? Your Majesty need not be afraid. The day after tomorrow… you just need to follow your uncle’s plan, nothing will go wrong.”
Mo Suiyun obediently nodded, “I understand, Uncle.”
Seeing him so dispirited, Mo Jingyu knew he must have been frightened earlier. Among Mo Jingqi’s remaining princes, Mo Suiyun’s performance was already quite good. If it had been the now-deceased Mo Xuyun encountering such a situation, he probably would have been scared to tears.
“Your uncle won’t disturb you further, get some good rest,” Mo Jingyu said softly.
“Yes, Uncle,” Mo Suiyun said quietly.
Mo Jingyu patted Mo Suiyun’s shoulder and turned to leave. Watching Mo Jingyu depart, Mo Suiyun sighed in relief, closed the door, and looked back at the now-normal ceiling before throwing himself back into the thick brocade blankets.
On the roof above Mo Suiyun’s room, two small figures lay motionless. Because they had chosen a spot right under the carved eaves with tree branches for cover, unless someone came onto the roof and right up to them, they would be impossible to discover. Mo Xiaobao lay ungracefully on the roof, smiling as he said, “So that’s how it is.”
Qin Lie beside him rolled his eyes impatiently, saying softly, “Aren’t you leaving? Didn’t you hear? That Mo Jingli was just here.” Mo Xiaobao said somewhat regretfully, “It’s just too bad we found out too late, he’s already gone.”
“Don’t tell me the young master was planning to personally go catch that fellow?” Qin Lie sarcastically mocked.
Mo Xiaobao rolled his eyes, “Have you heard that Mo Jingli’s martial arts are very high? If he sneaked into the embassy, this young master doesn’t believe he brought guards. With our numbers, why would we fear not being able to catch him?”
Qin Lie shrugged, “The plan sounds good, but the person’s already gone. How long are we going to keep lying here?” Mo Xiaobao looked up at the sky and said somewhat embarrassedly, “We should at least wait until dark, right?” If they were discovered, though there wouldn’t be mortal danger in broad daylight, it would certainly alert their targets.
Qin Lie was indifferent, raising an eyebrow to say, “Mo Suiyun doesn’t seem to want to follow Mo Jingyu’s intentions.”
Mo Xiaobao stroked his chin, “As long as he hasn’t completely lost his mind, he wouldn’t want to, right? Mo Jingyu was caught by Mo Jingli’s leverage, but Mo Suiyun wasn’t. Why should he accompany Mo Jingyu to his death? Whether it succeeds or fails in the end, he would certainly die.” Mo Xiaobao lay on the roof propping up his chin lost in thought. Seeing his strange grin, Qin Lie smoothed the goosebumps on his arm somewhat speechlessly and asked, “What are you planning now?” Qin Lie deeply felt that being assigned to accompany this young master of Prince Ding Manor was simply a massive test from heaven. Young Master Mo’s temperament was mercurial, changing direction at the slightest breeze, delighting in provoking Prince Ding, repeatedly failing yet persisting with enthusiasm. This was bad enough, but his reckless and unpredictable actions constantly tested Qin Lie’s heart.
Mo Xiaobao smiled and poked Qin Lie, “What do you think about us turning that little emperor below to our side?”
Qin Lie looked to the heavens, calmly saying, “He sees you as an imagined enemy, you think you can turn him?”
“This is different,” Mo Xiaobao said. “My mother says there are no eternal friends or eternal enemies, only eternal interests. Mo Suiyun doesn’t want to oppose Prince Ding Manor now—opposing Prince Ding Manor won’t get him any benefits right now, and he’ll get into big trouble. Since that’s the case, why can’t he cooperate with us? The enemy of my enemy is my friend. I think if he has to choose a side, he would rather choose to cooperate with Prince Ding Manor.”
“Too bad he just pushed you out,” Qin Lie reminded him languidly.
Mo Xiaobao raised his hand to scratch his small head, furrowing his handsome brows in thought for a while before saying, “He doesn’t trust me.” He had overdone the act earlier—in Mo Suiyun’s eyes, he was probably just a child who understood nothing and only knew how to eat, drink, and play.
“Then what do you want to do?” Qin Lie asked. Mo Xiaobao said, “You wait here, I’ll go down again.” Qin Lie knew he couldn’t out-argue Mo Xiaobao, so he silently lay back in his original spot, watching as Mo Xiaobao once again removed the glazed tiles he had just replaced piece by piece, then jumped down through the small opening.
It wasn’t until nightfall that Mo Xiaobao returned to Prince Ding Manor with Qin Lie, looking quite pleased. As soon as they entered, they saw Butler Mo standing at the entrance giving them a sympathetic look, and Mo Xiaobao immediately sensed trouble. He quickly sidled up to Butler Mo, sweetly smiling, “Grandpa Mo…”
Butler Mo hastily said, “This old servant wouldn’t dare. Young Master need only call me Butler.”
Mo Xiaobao didn’t care about such things, smiling as he asked, “Grandpa Mo, where are my father and mother?” Butler Mo replied, “The Prince and Princess are waiting for Young Master in the study.” Mo Xiaobao’s shoulders immediately slumped as he said dejectedly, “I’m done for.” He had forgotten to tell his mother and father this morning that he’d be back late. Mo Xiaobao firmly refused to admit that he hadn’t considered how while the Da Chu embassy might be easy to enter, it might not be so easy to leave. Additionally, he had gotten caught up in plotting with a certain someone and lost track of time.
Butler Mo patted the Young Master’s shoulder affectionately, saying, “The Prince and Princess are waiting for Young Master. You should hurry to the study.”
Can I not go? Mo Xiaobao looked pitifully at Butler Mo.
Butler Mo gave him a helpless look, and Mo Xiaobao could only hang his head as he slowly walked toward the study.
“Oh? Our Young Master has returned?” In the study, Mo Xiuyao was lounging on a couch, lazily flipping through a book. Seeing Mo Xiaobao enter, he gave him an ambiguous smile. Mo Xiaobao carefully looked toward Ye Li sitting on the other side, his expression growing more miserable. Ye Li sat properly on her chair, looking at him calmly. Apart from a flash of relief in her eyes when he entered, she showed no other expression. Mo Xiaobao’s mouth turned bitter—their mother being angry was worse than their father being angry.
“Mother, Little Bao is back,” Mo Xiaobao said softly as he approached Ye Li.
Ye Li looked at him coolly, asking quietly, “Why are you back so late?”
Mo Xiaobao said softly, “Your child went to play with the little emperor at the Da Chu embassy.”
How could Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao not know about these things? Even when Mo Xiaobao snuck out, he still had quite a few people following him. Moreover, Mo Xiaobao had always been sensible and generally wouldn’t deliberately shake off the hidden guards following him. If not for this, with Mo Xiaobao returning so late, the entire Prince Ding Manor would have been in an uproar.
Ye Li smiled as she looked at him, “It seems the Da Chu embassy was so fun it made you forget about returning home. Tomorrow I’ll ask Prince Yu what exactly in his Da Chu embassy so captivates our Young Master.”
Ye Li had never liked constraining children too much, so Mo Xiaobao had always been free to roam around Li City as he pleased. But there was one rule: except when at Lishan Academy, he must return home before sunset. Even if staying at the Xu residence, he had to send someone to notify them in advance. But today, Mo Xiaobao not only returned at this hour but hadn’t told anyone what he was doing from start to finish. If not for the hidden guards following him, in an ordinary family, everyone would have been worried sick by now.
“Mother… Little Bao was thoughtless. Little Bao knows he was wrong.” Mo Xiaobao admitted his mistake with a bitter expression. He hurried to sneak in to find Mo Suiyun without explaining anything to anyone. Perhaps knowing he had hidden guards following him had made him so fearless.
“What exactly did you do wrong?” Ye Li asked.
Mo Xiaobao lowered his head obediently, “Little Bao shouldn’t have snuck out without telling Mother and Father, shouldn’t have returned so late without sending word and making Mother worry, shouldn’t have secretly gone to see Da Chu’s little emperor…”
Seeing her son lowering his head pitifully, Ye Li’s heart softened. She raised her hand to rub his little head, saying, “We haven’t hidden the big matters of Li City from you—you know about Mo Jingli holding the Nanzhao Queen and Prince hostage. Now the situation with Mo Jingyu and Mo Jingli is unclear, yet you delivered yourself to their doorstep. What if Mo Jingli, in a desperate move, had hurt you? What then?”
“Mother, your child was wrong.” Feeling his mother’s worry, Mo Xiaobao felt even more guilty. He had only thought Mo Suiyun was foolish and simple-minded, wanting to get some information from him. He had only considered that in broad daylight, even if Mo Jingyu and Mo Jingli were conspiring, they wouldn’t dare do anything to him. But he had forgotten that a cornered beast will fight back desperately—if Mo Jingli lost all reason and wanted to fight to the death with Prince Ding Manor, he would have been the perfect hostage by running into the Da Chu embassy.
Ye Li raised her hand to tap his head, saying coolly, “Since you know you were wrong… confined to quarters for three months. Write thirty pages of calligraphy every day, to be checked by your eldest uncle.”
“Mother…” Mo Xiaobao wanted to cry. Of all punishments, confinement was what Mo Xiaobao hated most. Not being able to leave his courtyard, no one would come to play with him. Only tutors would come to teach daily. Not to mention the thirty pages of calligraphy. Unlike copying texts, the requirements for calligraphy practice were much stricter. His eldest uncle, whose calligraphy was excellent, had extremely high standards—when Mo Xiaobao first started learning to write, sometimes not even one page out of ten would satisfy Xu Qingchen. In other words, the thirty pages his mother mentioned might mean he’d have to write forty, fifty, or even a hundred pages.
Ye Li looked at him calmly, smiling without speaking. Mo Xiaobao immediately knew there was no hope with his mother, so he turned his pitiful gaze toward Mo Xiuyao in the distance, “Father…”
Mo Xiuyao sat up, raising an eyebrow at Mo Xiaobao who was looking at him pleadingly, and said with a calm smile, “A Li, punishing Little Bao like this isn’t appropriate.” Ye Li raised her delicate eyebrows, looking at Mo Xiuyao with some surprise. Usually, when she punished Mo Xiaobao, Mo Xiuyao would only complain the punishment was too light—if he didn’t add fuel to the fire, that was already quite good. For him to plead on Mo Xiaobao’s behalf was a first.
“What’s inappropriate about it?” Ye Li asked.
Mo Xiuyao said softly, “In a few days is Lin’er and Xin’er’s first birthday celebration. If their brother is confined to quarters then… wouldn’t that make us a laughingstock to outsiders?”
Ye Li frowned—indeed, for such a major banquet, it wouldn’t be proper for Mo Xiaobao, the Young Master of Prince Ding Manor, to be absent. However, this wasn’t a major issue; they could just let him out then.
Mo Xiuyao sat down beside Ye Li, smiling as he said, “I know you’re worried about Little Bao’s safety, which is why you want to confine him. However, Little Bao isn’t a child anymore, and this time was probably just an accident. Right, Little Bao?”
Seeing his father speak up for him, Mo Xiaobao was overjoyed, nodding repeatedly, “That’s right, Mother. Your child didn’t mean to return late—I heard something very important at the embassy.”
“Tell us about it,” Ye Li nodded.
Mo Xiaobao quickly related everything he had heard at the embassy and his conversation with Mo Suiyun, then said, “So, I was afraid if Da Chu’s guards discovered us, wouldn’t that alert them? That’s why… that’s why I waited until dark to leave the embassy with Qin Lie. Mother, your child truly knows he was wrong.”
Ye Li’s expression changed slightly, “Mo Jingli was in the embassy—why didn’t you send someone to report? If something had happened…” Mo Xiuyao raised his hand to hold Ye Li’s slightly cold hand, looking at Mo Xiaobao, “So, did you reach an agreement with Mo Suiyun?”
Mo Xiaobao said somewhat helplessly, “Suiyun doesn’t trust me. Someone representing Father needs to go.”
Mo Xiuyao thought for a moment, then nodded, “I’ll have Han Mingyue go later.” Then he patted Mo Xiaobao’s head, saying, “You did very well, Father is proud. However… it was still somewhat rash. A Li, let’s delay his punishment by half a month.”
“Father?!” Hearing this, Mo Xiaobao wailed. Wasn’t Father supposed to be pleading for him? Why… was he still being punished?
Mo Xiuyao smiled warmly at his son, asking softly, “What? Not satisfied? Then should we follow your mother’s suggestion and start the confinement tomorrow?” Mo Xiaobao immediately wilted, hanging his head as he shook it, “No, thank you, Father.”
Mo Xiuyao nodded with satisfaction, “This is Father’s good son. Now, go have dinner and rest.”
Despicable! Where Ye Li couldn’t see, Mo Xiaobao’s glare dissected Mo Xiuyao.
Mo Xiuyao returned a smile: You got caught by your mother for your wrongdoing, what does it have to do with me?
You clearly said I could handle Mo Suiyun’s matter!
I didn’t say you could return home at midnight.
Once again defeated by his father, Mo Xiaobao silently ground his teeth while obediently taking his leave, “Mother, Father, your child takes his leave.” Ye Li nodded, sighing softly as she rubbed her son’s hair, “Go rest early.”
Watching Mo Xiaobao leave, Ye Li sighed helplessly. Mo Xiaobao was too clever and learned too much—she didn’t want to restrict him like this. But he was still so young, his personality inevitably retained some childish impulses and willfulness, making it impossible not to worry.
Mo Xiuyao held her, saying softly in comfort, “Don’t worry, Little Bao will grow up gradually. When I was his age, I wasn’t even as good as him.” This was probably the highest praise Mo Xiuyao as a father had ever given his son, but unfortunately, Mo Xiaobao would never know.
Ye Li leaned in his embrace, nodding gently.