Near the official road leading to Suixue Pass, several guards silently concealed themselves to protect their respective masters. Dark Guard Three hundred lazily hung himself in a densely leafed tree by the road. He pointed to a small hill in the distance and said to Dark Guard Two, who was standing under the tree with his eyes closed in meditation, “Look how stupid they are. Hiding there, they’ll be discovered by the Prince and Princess.”
Dark Guard Two looked up at him. “They’re Dark Guards, not stalkers. As long as others don’t discover them, it’s fine. Even if the Prince hasn’t spotted them, he knows they’re following behind.” Being Dark Guards meant protecting their masters’ safety twenty-four hours a day. Dark Guard Three rolled over in the tree. “We’re Dark Guards too.” Though not very typical ones.
Dark Guard Two’s expression darkened. “We’re not qualified Dark Guards. When we return, the Prince will likely assign several more Dark Guards to the Princess.”
Dark Guard Three’s face also dimmed. Earlier on the battlefield, if the Princess hadn’t stopped him, he wouldn’t have been injured at all. As for serving as an arrow shield for the Princess, Dark Guard Three didn’t find anything wrong with that. The Dingguo Prince Manor trained them specifically to block blades and arrows, to shield their masters from all dangers when necessary. But earlier, the Princess had been cut trying to stop him from blocking the arrow. If not for the Prince’s arrow, who knows if the Princess would be alive now? As Dark Guards, they truly weren’t qualified. Dark Guards Four and One were still nowhere to be seen, though this was by the Princess’s order. He and Dark Guard Two had completely failed to fulfill their roles as Dark Guards. “I will request punishment from the Prince. I won’t drag you down with me.”
Dark Guard Two glanced at him. “What foolish talk. We’re a team – if they replace you, how could we stay? Besides, you’re not the only one at fault. I just… I prefer serving the Princess.”
“Me too.” He glanced at the Dark Guards on the other side. Life as a Dark Guard before following the Princess had been unbearably dull. Although they hadn’t served other masters before that, just the training and listening to their seniors’ teachings had been boring. If they hadn’t followed the Princess, they would have become as dull as those other Dark Guards. “If we go request punishment now, do you think the Prince might be lenient?”
“Going now will only make things worse for you,” Dark Guard Two said flatly. As Dark Guards with professional ethics, they would never let anyone know they had seen the Prince and Princess doing… that… by the roadside. This included the Prince himself, of course.
“But the Prince and Princess have been here for so long. If we stay any longer, General Murong will come looking for them,” Dark Guard Three said worriedly.
“Then let them go ask the Prince and Princess,” Dark Guard Two lifted his chin toward Murong Xiao’s Dark Guards in the distance. Surely they were just as conflicted. Tsk… for the Prince’s personal Dark Guards, their concealment abilities were rather poor. He and Dark Guard Three had spotted their hiding places with just a few glances.
“Your Highness, Princess.” Dark Guard Two straightened from behind the tree and bowed to the approaching couple. Dark Guard Three silently dropped from the tree and also bowed.
Mo Xiuyao narrowed his eyes at them and said coolly, “Not bad skills.”
The two couldn’t help but shiver internally – was the Prince praising them?
Ye Li smiled faintly. “Rise. What are you doing here?” The two had pained expressions and dared not speak. The Princess didn’t need them following her constantly, but if they truly went about their own business now, the Prince would surely be furious. The Princess could command them, but… the Prince could replace them.
Mo Xiuyao frowned and asked, “Where are the other two? I remember you should have four people?”
Ye Li smiled. “I sent them on errands.”
“If there aren’t enough people, we can transfer more from elsewhere. Dark Guards are meant to protect your safety,” Mo Xiuyao said disapprovingly. “Since these four can’t fully protect you, shall we assign several more when we return? Or I could give you some of my people?”
Ye Li glanced at Dark Guard Three, who was secretly giving her a pleading look, and said helplessly, “I don’t like having people following me in secret.”
“They’re for your protection. I’ll have them select people with the best concealment abilities – they won’t trouble you.”
“No one could be better than us,” Dark Guard Three muttered softly, sneaking a glance at Mo Xiuyao. Mo Xiuyao’s cool gaze immediately fell on him, making Dark Guard Three stiffen. Mo Xiuyao said flatly, “There have never been Dark Guards who needed their master to save them. In that respect, indeed no one is stronger than you.”
“Mo… Xiuyao…” Ye Li took Mo Xiuyao’s hand and said softly, “They’ve helped me a great deal. You can see I don’t need Dark Guards – I need trustworthy assistants. Besides, Dark Guards aren’t useful everywhere, are they?” For instance, there were places Dark Guards simply couldn’t follow, and places they could follow were usually accessible to regular guards as well. The danger level wouldn’t be too high either. Fortunately, only a small portion of the Dingguo Prince Manor’s Dark Guards were specifically trained for protection – the others all had other duties, or it would be too wasteful of talent.
Mo Xiuyao swept his gaze over the two Dark Guards with lowered heads, his expression subtle. He looked down at Ye Li, who was watching him earnestly and said deeply, “They can continue staying by your side. I will assign four more Dark Guards to you.”
“No,” Ye Li smiled lightly. “I’m not used to Dark Guards. Even if you assign more people to follow me, before long they’ll become just like Dark Guards Two and the others. What would be the point?”
Mo Xiuyao gave a light snort and turned to walk toward the official road. Ye Li pressed her lips together in a smile and followed behind him, leaving behind the confused Dark Guards Two and Three.
“Two, what did the Prince mean?”
“It means we can continue following the Princess. Probably…”
At Suixue Pass Main Camp
When Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao entered, everyone in the main tent quickly stood. Murong Shen personally stepped down from the commander’s position to welcome them. “This humble official greets the Prince and Princess. This time, Yonglin was saved from great danger thanks to the Prince and Princess’s timely aid. Please accept this official’s bow.” As he spoke, he lifted his battle robe to bow, but Mo Xiuyao reached out to support his shoulder, saying calmly, “This was Our duty. General Murong need not stand on ceremony.”
Since Mo Xiuyao wouldn’t let him bow, Murong Shen naturally couldn’t complete the gesture. Seeing Mo Xiuyao appear healthy with abundant internal energy, his eyes also flickered with joy. No longer insisting, he stepped aside to invite them in. “Your Highness, Princess, please be seated inside.”
The expressions of those in the tent were quite remarkable when they saw Mo Xiuyao stride in – some delighted, some shocked, some deep in thought. Mo Xiuyao led Ye Li to sit below the commander’s position and asked, “General, how are the Nanzhao troops?”
Murong Shen hesitated, then returned to the main seat and replied, “Nanzhao has been attacking the city urgently these past days, likely hoping to coordinate with Li Wang’s rebel army inside the pass. Now that Your Highness and reinforcements have arrived, naturally we need not worry about these southern barbarians. Tomorrow we’ll march out to meet them in battle and surely drive these barbarians back to the deep mountains of the southern frontier!”
These days of defending the city had frustrated not just the soldiers of Suixue Pass, but even more so Commander Murong Shen. But no matter how frustrated, he could only endure and not show it. Now that reinforcements had arrived, it was naturally time to hold their heads high again.
“How many troops did the Prince bring this time?” Others were also eager to know.
Mo Xiuyao raised an eyebrow and said flatly, “Twenty thousand Black Cloud Cavalry and fifty thousand more troops will arrive in three days.”
The tent fell silent as if everyone had been doused with a bucket of ice water from head to toe. One of the more straightforward ones stood up in disbelief and said, “Your Highness… how could the court dispatch only fifty thousand troops?” Where were the fifty thousand Black Cloud Cavalry? The eight hundred thousand Mo family troops?
Mo Xiuyao’s lips curved in a faint, detached smile. “We just came ahead to provide support. As for what follows… His Majesty has his arrangements.”
Everyone fell silent. Murong Shen sighed internally. At this point, what wasn’t clear? The Emperor needed someone to support the southern frontier as quickly as possible, and only the Prince’s Black Cloud Cavalry could march so swiftly. But the Emperor equally didn’t trust the Prince, so he simply wouldn’t let him bring too many troops – the real main force was behind, and those leading it would surely be people the Emperor trusted. When the rebellion was quelled, the merit would naturally go to those who came later. Your Majesty… treating the Dingguo Prince Manor so harshly, will this truly not cause problems?
After a long while, Murong Shen said with some regret, “Originally… I thought with the Prince recovered, we could surely pacify the southern frontier in one stroke, continuing Your Highness’s unfinished ambition from years past. Now it seems we can only let these southern barbarians go for now.” As a general, everyone wanted to make their mark on the battlefield, but now the Prince’s sudden recovery had already aroused the Emperor’s suspicions. The Emperor would never be willing to give the Prince such a historic achievement as pacifying the southern frontier.
Mo Xiuyao smiled indifferently. “It seems this indeed isn’t a good opportunity. I’ll trouble the General to work hard these coming days. I’ll stay temporarily in Yonglin, and when the main reinforcement army arrives, I’ll have to return to the capital.”
Murong Shen was startled. “Your Highness won’t stay at Suixue Pass?”
Mo Xiuyao smiled. “With the General stationed at Suixue Pass, there’s no need for me to meddle. Besides, Mo Jingli still has over a hundred thousand troops at Yonglin. I… have some personal matters to attend to.”
Murong Shen could only nod. “If that’s the case, Your Highness may do as you please.” Though somewhat regretful they likely couldn’t give Nanzhao a harsh lesson this time, such matters weren’t for a military officer like himself to decide. Moreover… the Prince appeared healthy at Suixue Pass – just this news alone was enough to terrify those southern barbarians. After all… it had been barely ten years since the last southern frontier war that had nearly been pacified.
By the time they returned to Yonglin City, it was already nightfall. Fortunately, everything in Yonglin City didn’t require much attention from Mo Xiuyao. Feng Zhiyao, who had been left behind, had already arranged everything in perfect order. Ye Li curiously observed Feng Zhiyao, who had changed out of his gorgeous red robes into light armor and white robes, appearing vigorous and energetic – seeming like a completely different person from his capital city self. Meanwhile, Feng Zhiyao was also curiously examining the still graceful and composed Ye Li. It was impossible to equate this elegant and beautiful woman with the black-clad woman who was killed without mercy on the battlefield.
Mo Xiuyao led Ye Li to sit in the study and pointed to a chair beside them, asking Feng Zhiyao, “Leng Haoyu hasn’t arrived?”
Feng Zhiyao smiled. “He just arrived and went to change clothes before coming over. He ran into some trouble on the way and was pursued and attacked the whole way, arriving in quite a sorry state.”
Ye Li raised her eyebrows curiously at Feng Zhiyao, who explained with a smile, “Relying on his wealth, he competed with Li Wang for grain. Isn’t that just asking to be killed? But the results weren’t bad – he bought at least thirty percent of this year’s grain from various parts of Jiangnan. Now even if Li Wang turns to attack the Jiangnan regions, he’ll likely face grain shortages before long. So Li Wang has sent assassins to hunt him everywhere.”
“What will he do with so much grain?” Jiangnan was considered Da Chu’s granary – thirty percent of all Jiangnan’s grain was no small amount. Feng Zhiyao smiled unconcernedly. “Once Jiangnan falls into chaos, grain prices will only soar – it won’t go unsold. Even if it truly can’t be sold, we still have several hundred thousand people to feed.”
Sure enough, before long Leng Haoyu appeared at the door. His handsome face bore a fresh wound, though fortunately, it didn’t look too serious and probably wouldn’t leave a scar. “Your Highness, Princess.”
Mo Xiuyao nodded and said gravely, “You were in Lingzhou these past six months – what happened this time? How did Mo Jingli suddenly decide to revolt?”
Leng Haoyu looked at Mo Xiuyao in surprise. “Didn’t Your Highness come south because you knew about Li Wang’s rebellion?”
Mo Xiuyao said coolly, “I came for some matters in the southern frontier. Just as I set out, I received news of Mo Jingli’s uprising. Even if Mo Jingli lacks sense, he should know he wasn’t fully prepared.”
Feng Zhiyao shook his head. “I think Mo Jingli chose his timing perfectly. He caught us completely off guard. If we’d arrived a few days later, or even half a day later, Suixue Pass might have been lost.”
Mo Xiuyao frowned. “If he were truly prepared, he shouldn’t have rushed to attack Suixue Pass. He could have split his forces – one to hold General Murong at Suixue Pass, another to march east directly. The southeast has always been peaceful with few stationed troops. If he fully occupied the area south of the Yunlan River, forget our current few tens of thousands of troops – even with two or three hundred thousand troops, crossing the Yunlan River to quell the rebellion wouldn’t necessarily be easy. General Murong alone couldn’t support Suixue Pass – its fall would only be a matter of time. Then… Mo Jingli would gain all the benefits without having to share with Nanzhao.”
“He wasn’t prepared but rushed to revolt… could it be that the Emperor was planning to move against him?” Leng Haoyu speculated.
Feng Zhiyao shook his head. “No, if His Majesty wanted to move against him, he wouldn’t have let him leave the capital in the first place.”
Leng Haoyu nodded, then thought for a moment. “Li Wang’s cavalry truly was sudden. He had just returned to Lingzhou with no movement, but three days later he suddenly revolted. I was shocked at the time.”
Ye Li asked, “Why did Your Highness suddenly rush here?”
Mo Xiuyao looked at her and took a letter from his breast pocket to hand over. Ye Li took it and saw it was the letter she had sent back earlier, along with what was a note from her grandfather. After reading it, Ye Li exclaimed in surprise, “The Southern Frontier Holy Maiden Shu Manlin is a descendant of the previous dynasty’s emperor?!” This was truly beyond Ye Li’s expectations when she sent the letter – it was too dramatic. She had suspected Shu Manlin might have some other identity, but for the Southern Frontier Holy Maiden to be a descendant of the previous dynasty’s emperor, while Mo Jingli was the current emperor’s brother, and then for them to conspire to rebel together?
“Didn’t Nanzhao betray the previous dynasty to establish their nation? How would they let a descendant of the previous dynasty’s emperor become the Southern Frontier Holy Maiden?” Given the Nanzhao King’s attitude in dealing with Shu Manlin, he shouldn’t have been unaware of her identity.
Mo Xiuyao said, “The ornament you sent back was a relic of Princess Chaoyang, who married into a certain Nanzhao tribe during the previous dynasty.”
Ye Li raised her eyebrows – so what? It had been several hundred years since Princess Chaoyang and Nanzhao’s founding.
Feng Zhiyao explained, “This Princess Chaoyang was an extraordinary woman. It’s said that before her marriage, she had participated in state affairs. But Emperor Gaozong at the time disliked women participating in politics and had reprimanded her several times by imperial decree. Later he sent her to the southern frontier for a political marriage. Although Princess Chaoyang disappeared from records after that, the tribe she married into became the largest tribe in the southern frontier at the time, with support from the previous dynasty’s emperor. This was also the predecessor of the Nanzhao royal family. The Nanzhao royal family admired Central Plains culture, and although their relationship with the previous dynasty wasn’t good, they were very kind to certain… rebellious officials of the previous dynasty. From Nanzhao’s founding to the previous dynasty’s fall, they sheltered at least three princes, two princesses, and one prince consort whose whereabouts could be traced. These people had either failed in rebellion attempts or fled to Nanzhao after being framed. Without exception, they all married into the Nanzhao royal family’s direct line. And the last one they sheltered, though the records are somewhat unclear, we suspect was the previous dynasty’s crown prince.”
“So, you’re saying the Southern Frontier Holy Maiden might be an orphaned descendant of the previous dynasty’s crown prince?” Ye Li asked, feeling dizzy. Indeed, if you think stories and novels are dramatic, reality only proves to be more dramatic.
Feng Zhiyao smiled. “In the third year after the previous dynasty’s fall, the Nanzhao Queen at the time married a man from the Central Plains whose identity was unclear. Five years later, Nanzhao continuously invaded Da Chu’s borders. Only after the Nanzhao Queen and her consort both passed away did things gradually calm down. But all these years, the two countries have always been in an on-and-off state of conflict, never truly peaceful. Whenever there’s an opportunity, Nanzhao tries every possible way to invade the Central Plains.”
Ye Li rubbed her temples. “I understand. So Nanzhao has strong bloodlines from the previous dynasty’s royal family. They plan to reclaim the throne for the previous dynasty and rule the Central Plains?”
“Reclaiming the throne for the previous dynasty might be false, but wanting to rule the Central Plains is certain,” Feng Zhiyao nodded.
Ye Li looked at Mo Xiuyao with puzzlement. “Even so, you didn’t need to rush over so urgently. If they’ve been preparing for over a hundred years, surely they wouldn’t mind preparing for a few more decades.” Mo Xiuyao looked at her. “If Mo Jingli hadn’t revolted this time, what were you planning to do?” Ye Li started, remembering her plan to visit the southern frontier’s holy ground. “Is it dangerous?”
Mo Xiuyao’s expression darkened. “Don’t you find something strange about this so-called holy ground in the southern frontier?”
Ye Li blinked, waiting for his explanation.
“The Southern Frontier Holy Maiden must enter the holy ground after turning twenty-five. But in fact, most Holy Maidens retire and enter the holy ground at twenty-one or twenty-two, with the youngest even entering at nineteen. These so-called Holy Maidens – no one knows their appearances, no one knows their family backgrounds or identities, and no one knows what they do after entering the holy ground. Yet these women must receive various forms of education from childhood, and after becoming Holy Maidens, they even have some influence over Nanzhao’s state affairs. How much time, money, and effort does it take to train such a person – could it just be to have them serve as Holy Maiden for a few years and then throw them into some holy ground to die of old age?” Mo Xiuyao said calmly.
Leng Haoyu pondered, “Your Highness makes sense. Nanzhao’s Holy Maiden system is indeed strange. I remember the Holy Maiden with the shortest reign was only in position for two years – becoming Holy Maiden at fifteen and retiring at seventeen.”
“I thought we were discussing what dangers lie in the southern frontier’s holy ground?” Ye Li reminded them.
Mo Xiuyao said, “There is no holy ground in the southern frontier. There might be such a place, but it’s not a place enshrining Nanzhao’s treasures or housing retired Holy Maidens. It should be the Nanzhao royal family’s greatest secret. Therefore, once someone touches that place, the Nanzhao royal family will eliminate them at any cost. That’s why there are rumors that no one who trespasses in the southern frontier’s holy ground survives.”
Ye Li felt somewhat disappointed – this meant there probably wasn’t any You Luo Ming flower in this so-called holy ground.
Leng Haoyu said, “This shouldn’t have much to do with Li Wang’s sudden uprising, right?”
Feng Zhiyao lounged lazily in his chair and smiled, “No connection? There’s a huge connection. Before, we thought Mo Jingli wanted to use the Holy Maiden and Nanzhao. Now it seems that fool was the one being used. That’s why he rushed to revolt. And here we thought he’d gotten smarter – a fool is still a fool!”
Ye Li asked puzzled, “What leverage could Nanzhao use to persuade Mo Jingli?”
Feng Zhiyao smiled, “For instance, sharing the empire with the Holy Maiden? With Nanzhao’s help, it would naturally be easier for Mo Jingli to take the empire. Then he’d have both the empire and the beauty – what man wouldn’t take that bait?” Ye Li couldn’t understand – Nanzhao had painstakingly plotted for over a hundred years to rule the Central Plains, was the empire truly that intoxicating? “Hmph, they calculated well enough – if they couldn’t break Suixue Pass from the outside, they’d break it from within. If it weren’t for the Princess this time, forget about Suixue Pass – by the time we arrived today, there wouldn’t have been any foothold for reinforcements in Lingzhou or Yongzhou.”
Leng Haoyu frowned and asked, “What does Your Highness plan to do?”
Mo Xiuyao said coolly, “No plans. It’s not safe for you to stay in Jiangnan now – return to the capital quickly.” Leng Haoyu moved his lips to say something, but Mo Xiuyao glanced at him and said, “I’ll speak with General Murong about having you and Murong Ting marry soon. Haoyu…” Leng Haoyu was startled and quickly said, “This servant understands. Thank you, Your Highness, for your kindness.”
Feng Zhiyao said somewhat reluctantly, “Finally got a chance to leave the capital, only to end it so hastily. Does the Emperor have to be so wary of us? What a waste of this young master’s time.” Mo Xiuyao said calmly, “Nanzhao won’t amount to much – no need to worry about them for now. Rest assured, this trip won’t be for nothing.”
Feng Zhiyao raised his eyebrows. “Only you would dare say Nanzhao won’t amount to much. I think Nanzhao’s people are quite scheming, to be able to endure and plot for so long…” Mo Xiuyao smiled coldly. “Over a hundred years, generation after generation unable to succeed – what could they amount to? Perhaps the only thing worthy of praise is their persistence.” Feng Zhiyao smiled, “I guess the people Nanzhao hates most must be the Dingguo Prince Manor.” If they couldn’t succeed in over a hundred years, the Dingguo Prince Manor deserved significant credit. For instance, that time over ten years ago – if they hadn’t suddenly withdrawn their troops, Nanzhao would never have had to worry about how to rule the Central Plains again. “Then what did Your Highness mean by saying this trip won’t be for nothing? Are we still fighting Nanzhao?”
Mo Xiuyao looked up with a smile. “We’re not going to war – we’re suppressing bandits.”
“Suppressing bandits?” the three people in the study asked in unison.
Feng Zhiyao’s eyes flickered, and he asked, “I don’t recall any formidable bandits in Yongzhou.”
Mo Xiuyao said calmly, “Just because there weren’t any before doesn’t mean there aren’t any now. Otherwise, what about the Yongzhou reinforcements?”
“Wasn’t that Mo Jingli’s doing?” Feng Zhiyao asked.
Mo Xiuyao smiled coldly. “Let’s not even discuss whether he has the brains for it. Even if he did, to destroy twenty thousand troops – how many soldiers would Lingzhou’s rebel forces need? At the time, Mo Jingli’s rebel army was still near Yongzhou city. How could he have had an army of at least thirty thousand make a surprise attack on the Yongzhou reinforcements hundreds of li away?”
After thinking for a moment, Feng Zhiyao said, “He would have had to dispatch this force on the same day he revolted to ambush the Yongzhou reinforcements by the Yunlan River in time. And he would have had to know beforehand that Yongzhou would send reinforcements to aid Suixue Pass. Very few people know Wu Chengliang is our man, and Mo Jingli definitely couldn’t have known. If he didn’t know, it would be even more impossible for him to specifically set up an ambush for Yongzhou’s reinforcements. Because Yongzhou might have held their forces like other places, and similarly, other places might have sent troops to aid Suixue Pass.”
“The ones who ambushed Lord Wu weren’t Mo Jingli’s men?” Ye Li raised her eyebrows.
“Nanzhao isn’t the only one eyeing Da Chu’s fat piece of meat,” Mo Xiuyao said flatly.
“Xi Ling,” Leng Haoyu said with certainty. The Northern Rong was too far from the southern frontier, and the Rong people’s appearance was too different from Da Chu’s people – it would be impossible for them to infiltrate Da Chu on a large scale. But Xi Ling was different. Although there were slight differences, those were mainly in the Xi Ling royal family who had intermarried with foreigners. Most ordinary Xi Ling citizens didn’t look very different from the Da Chu people. Thinking about a force capable of destroying twenty thousand troops infiltrating Da Chu, Leng Haoyu couldn’t help but shiver.
Mo Xiuyao’s eyes grew deep. “It’s time Da Chu’s border garrison commanders got a good shake-up.”
Feng Zhiyao shrugged. The Emperor had replaced most of the border commanders in recent years – there was nothing they could do about it. Suppressing bandits… didn’t sound bad either…
“Your Highness, when do we set out?” Since there was fighting to be done, why care whether it was Nanzhao or Xi Ling? Feng Zhiyao asked eagerly. Mo Xiuyao looked down at his slender fingers and said softly, “After His Majesty’s people come to take over Yonglin. Have people prepare in advance. Remember… if you let even one person escape Da Chu alive, don’t ever tell me again that you want to go to war.”
“Yes, Your Highness!” Feng Zhiyao stood and responded loudly, but after hesitating, he still couldn’t help asking, “As for Suixue Pass…”
“No need to worry about it for now. They won’t be able to determine a victory for several months. We don’t have time to deal with them anymore,” Mo Xiuyao said deeply.
“Understood.”
Ye Li quietly watched the two men’s exchange, slightly furrowing her brows. An inexplicable sense of unease rose in her heart…