a silver bill to Qing霜, chuckling as she said, "Is that something you should say Beware of others overhearing or I won't be able to save you." Qing霜 shamefully stuck out her tongue and hunched her sho...391. The Separation Plot

Deep Night

Yao Ji sat in her tent reading, while Mu Lie had already fallen asleep in the inner chamber. Mu Yang led troops to intercept Lu Jinxian; recently, because of spies, military discipline throughout the camp became very strict. Even the darkguards from the Ding Prince’s mansion found it hard to pass any news. Yao Ji knew that if this went on like this for much longer, Duke Mu Yang would eventually discover their identities as well. After all, they were the last people who should be in a military camp. Anything unreasonable naturally attracted suspicion.

A cold wind swept past at the entrance of the main tent. Yao Ji looked up and saw Qin Feng standing there wearing black clothes. She was startled but didn’t have time to say anything before grabbing Qin Feng’s hand and pulling him inside. Mu Lie, who had been sleeping in the inner chamber, opened his eyes when Qin Feng entered and got off the bed: "Father, why are you here" Qin Feng stroked Mu Lie’s head gently and said, "You two are in danger now; I’ll take you away."

Yao Ji frowned. "But…" Yao Ji understood that Qin Feng’s arrival was likely due to the Duchess’ orders. But if they couldn’t accomplish what Prince Ding had instructed them to do, not only would she be in trouble, but Mu Lie and Qin Feng would also suffer consequences. Qin Feng glanced at her understandingly and said, "Right now, we have to deal with Mu Yang first; Duke Mu Yang will soon suspect you two. If you stay here any longer, not only are you both at risk, but the darkguards hiding within the army could be too."

Mu Lie nodded and started packing his things quickly. There wasn’t much to pack anyway – although they had brought many items along when following Mu Yang into battle, there were almost none that needed to be taken away now. Yao Ji nodded and frowned worriedly: "With the entire camp on high alert, how can we leave Besides…" If she and Mu Lie vanished suddenly from the military camp, Duke Mu Yang would immediately suspect them.

Qin Feng smiled coldly, "Since I could enter here, naturally I can help you exit as well. There’s no point in waiting around anymore; Duke Mu Yang will definitely suspect you two." Mu Lie held Yao Ji’s hand and said solemnly: "Mother, let’s go now. Once we’re done here, we’ll be able to return to Li City." Yao Ji was startled; her expression softened with emotion. That’s right, once this matter was resolved, they could return to Li City. Mu Lie wouldn’t have to be a child constantly at his side out of fear and worry anymore, but would finally see his son.

"Let’s go!"

Qin Feng nodded with satisfaction. Soon after, the sounds of people shouting about capturing an assassin could be heard from outside; it seemed that they were approaching this area. Qin Feng grabbed Yao Ji and pretended to kidnap her as Mu Yang would have done while tossing Mu Lie over to the darkguards from the Mo Family who were waiting at the entrance of their tent. To outsiders, it appeared as if spies from Prince Ding’s mansion had been discovered by the Chu army and had kidnapped Yao Ji and her son.

Mu Lie was Duke Mu Yang’s only grandson; the soldiers from the Chu army didn’t dare to harm him too much. Thus, they restrained themselves. By the time Old Duke Mu Yang arrived, Qin Feng and his men were already carrying Yao Ji out of the military camp. Old Duke Mu Yang understood deeply that since the beginning of this expedition, everything had been going awry; Mu Yang’s defeat against Lu Jinxian left Mo Jingli utterly disappointed in the Mu Family. If he let Prince Ding’s spy escape again because of Yao Ji and Mu Lie, it would be catastrophic for his family. Moreover, Old Duke Mu Yang also harbored some small suspicions about how conveniently that spy had managed to kidnap Yao Ji.

Seeing this situation unfold, Old Duke Mu Yang made a decision on the spot and shouted fiercely: "Use any means necessary to catch the assassin!"

"Grandfather…" Mu Lie cried out in tears as he was held by the darkguards. Old Duke Mu Yang’s heart trembled but ultimately remained resolute: "Shoot them!" It was true that Mu Lie was his only grandson, yet when it came down to survival for the entire family, Old Duke Mu Yang didn’t hesitate to discard this grandson. As long as the Mu Family and Mu Yang survived, they would have more grandsons in the future.

A rain of long arrows shot towards Qin Feng and his group, but they were already outside the Chu army's camp. Moreover, the elites among the Qilins came with Qin Feng too. In no time, everyone disappeared into the night.

The old Mu Yang Hou gazed blankly in the direction where the black-clothed figure had vanished for a long while. Over all these years of coexistence, he still loved Mu Lie very much. Although he abandoned him for the sake of the Mu Yang Mansion, it did not mean that his heart was untouched by pain. Now, he only hoped that the spies from Ding Wang's mansion would not be careless and could leave a way out for him.

"Old Marquis, the Emperor is summoning you." A hurried imperial bodyguard said in a deep voice behind him.

The old Mu Yang Hou sighed and nodded before turning to head towards Mo Jing Li's main tent.

In the main tent, Mo Jing Li stared at the old Mu Yang Hou as he asked, "Have you caught the spies" The old Mu Yang Hou hung his head and said, "The spies escaped. Please let His Majesty punish me." Mo Jing Li's expression darkened but he did not explode; instead, he merely said indifferently, "I heard that the wife and children of Mu Yang Hou were captured by assassins"

The old Mu Yang Hou nodded. "That is correct, Your Majesty."

Mo Jing Li stared coldly at the old Mu Yang Hou as he asked, "What does Old Marquis Mu think about the spies from Ding Wang's mansion" The old Mu Yang Hou was taken aback; he did not quite understand what Mo Jing Li meant. Then he heard Mo Jing Li continue to say, "So coincidentally... the military secrets of Mu Yang Hou’s campaign were leaked, and tonight... the spies from Ding Wang's mansion just happened to kidnap his wife and children. Furthermore, if they wanted to abduct someone, wouldn’t it be more convenient to take only the young prince I really can't understand what value there is in taking a dancer-turned-concubine. What do you think, Marquis"

Upon hearing Mo Jing Li's words, the old Mu Yang Hou felt his heart racing and cold sweat breaking out on his forehead. The Emperor actually suspected that Yao Ji was one of Ding Wang’s spies; if the Emperor believed this to be true, then the Mu Yang Mansion would truly be finished.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty! The Mu Yang Mansion is loyal to Great Chu!" With a thud, the old Mu Yang Hou knelt on the ground and urgently said. Mo Jing Li snorted lightly as he said, "Get up. I'm just puzzled. We must continue investigating the spies from Ding Wang's mansion; if there are any more leaks of military secrets, I will surely execute them!"

"Yes! This humble subject accepts your command!" The old Mu Yang Hou let out a sigh of relief and hurriedly responded. In his heart, however, he was alarmed and resolved to thoroughly investigate this matter. If Yao Ji really had some issue, there would be a plan for dealing with it.

Just as Mo Jing Li's mood was at its lowest point, even worse news came one after another. Early in the morning, when Mo Jing Li just got up and hadn’t even eaten breakfast, an urgent report arrived: "Your Majesty! Our four secret units have been attacked by the Mo Family Army and suffered heavy losses!"

"What !" Mo Jing Li dropped a bowl of soup as he was about to eat. He abruptly stood up and said, "Summon all the generals for audience immediately!" Upon receiving the order, the Chu army's generals hurriedly arrived in no time. Seeing Mo Jing Li’s expression, everyone secretly thought that something big had happened.

Mo Jing Li didn't have the heart to care about their thoughts; he threw the urgent report on the ground and said, "Take a look!"

The elderly Duke Mu Yang, who stood at the front, bent down to pick it up and immediately changed color as he stammered, "Your Majesty, we might have been fooled by Yun霆. Princess Consort Ding is not actually in General Mo’s army." Two days ago, they had sent people to investigate, and those who returned reported that Princess Consort Ding was indeed within the military camp. Now, upon reflection, it appeared that this could only be a diversionary tactic used by Yun霆 all along; from the very start, Princess Consort Ding was not in Han Valley Pass.

"Ye Li! Well done, Ye Li!" Mo Jingli clenched his teeth with hatred and said, "Since this is the case, don’t blame me for being ruthless!" In a fit of rage, Mo Jingli even forgot to use the imperial self-reference.

"Proclaim my edict: mobilize troops immediately to annihilate Yun霆’s army!" Mo Jingli barked sternly.

"Your servant will comply with Your Majesty’s orders!" Seeing the ferocious expression on Mo Jingli's face, the generals did not dare say anything more and merely responded in a deep voice.

A guard hurried over with an envelope of letters to present it to Mo Jingli, who then opened it and glanced at its contents. He looked coldly over everyone below him before his gaze finally settled on the elderly Duke Mu Yang’s hand as he said calmly, "Duke Mu Yang, stay behind; others may leave." The officers sympathetically looked at the elderly Duke Mu Yang before they all stepped out.

Mo Jingli held the envelope in his hand and glared coldly at the elderly Duke Mu Yang. He asked, "Old Marquis Mu Yang, do you know what this letter is" His heart tightened as he knew it might be related to himself. After some thought, he cautiously enquired, "Your Majesty... Is it regarding last night’s matter with Yao Ji and Mu Lie..." At that moment, the elderly Duke Mu Yang felt his emotions were extremely complicated. He did not know if he was worried about Yao Ji truly having ties to Prince Ding's residence or if he was concerned about Mu Lie’s survival.

Mo Jingli sneered and said, "Old Marquis Mu Yang, do you remember that Yao Ji went missing for several years back then"

The elderly Duke Mu Yang nodded and replied, "That is correct, Your Majesty."

"Do you know where she was during those few years and what she did" Mo Jingli asked. The elderly Duke Mu Yang’s back was drenched in sweat as he dared not answer. Mo Jingli slammed the letter heavily onto the desk and barked sternly, "Yao Ji was actually in Li City for those few years! She even opened a tea house there—truly admirable... I have trusted the House of Marquis Mu Yang all along, only to discover that a traitor is right by my side!"

The elderly Duke Mu Yang’s legs gave way as he fell to his knees and repeatedly said, "Your Majesty... Your Majesty, please understand! All those things were done by that vile woman, Yao Ji. The House of Marquis Mu Yang has no connection whatsoever with Prince Ding’s residence. This old minister... this old minister is at odds with Prince Ding; how could I possibly ally myself with him Please understand, Your Majesty!" Mo Jingli narrowed his eyes and said, "You couldn’t have been the one to do it Then what about Mu Yang Throughout history, pleasure palaces are graves for heroes. Could Mu Yang have joined forces with Prince Ding because of Yao Ji He was unable to deal with Lu Jinxian’s 5000 men, allowing him to escape alive—how can I trust you, Old Marquis"

Many things remain untroubled if not thought about. Once one starts thinking in a certain direction, numerous questions will arise that cannot be stopped.

Mo Jingli was naturally suspicious by nature, and the House of Marquis Mu Yang had never been loyal to him from the very beginning either. If Duke Mu Yang could betray Mo Jingqi for his sake, he could just as easily betray him in favor of Mo Xiuyao. Thinking about this, his gaze toward the elderly Duke Mu Yang became increasingly unfriendly. The elderly Duke Mu Yang silently groaned inwardly but knew that further defense would only be seen as evasive tactics by Mo Jingli at this point. He wished he could peel and draw Yao Ji's blood; he never imagined in a million years that he, who had navigated all sorts of schemes throughout his life, would eventually fall prey to his own son’s woman.

"Your Majesty..." The elderly Duke Mu Yang started speaking again, wanting to say more. Mo Jingli didn’t want to hear him speak anymore and snorted coldly, "Enough! I don’t wish to listen any further." The elderly Duke Mu Yang hurriedly shook his head and said, "No! Your Majesty, please just give this old minister a chance to explain. Yao Ji... after that woman leaves the encampment, she will surely look for Yang Er; I beg of you..." Mo Jingli sneered again and said, "If you don’t tell me, I’d have forgotten about it—don’t worry, you’ll soon be reunited with Mu Yang! Guards, take him away!"

He was grabbed by the guards on both sides and dragged out of the large tent without any politeness. The old Mu Yang Marquis knew that all was lost, so he stopped talking.

In the main camp of the Western Route Army of Chu, Mu Yang was discussing military affairs with the Western Route General and Lei Tengfeng when a guard came in to report, "Reporting to Captain Mu. There is a child outside requesting an audience. He says that he is the Marquis of Mu Yang's heir."

Mu Yang was slightly taken aback; it was strange why Mu Lie would come looking for him alone. Lei Tengfeng's eyes flickered, and with a smile, he said, "Brother Mu should go see if Young Master has anything."

Mu Yang nodded. He was also worried about what had happened to cause Mu Lie to suddenly appear. The suggestion by Lei Tengfeng suited him perfectly; thus, he got up and bowed to Lei Tengfeng, saying, "Thank you for your advice."

Outside the main camp, Mu Yang indeed saw a shivering Mu Lie, who was in tatters standing outside the camp. It was still early February, and it was very cold in the north. Mu Lie, wearing somewhat torn clothes, had his lips turning purple from the cold. Mu Yang quickly took off his own clothes to wrap around him and asked anxiously, "Lie, what are you doing here alone"

Mu Lie trembled as he said, "Mother... mother..." Before he could finish speaking, tears flowed out of his eyes. Mu Yang was startled; he hurriedly asked, "What happened to your mother" Mu Lie gazed blankly at him and then burst into sobs.

The sight of him clearly showed that he had been frightened badly. Mu Yang held him in his arms with a tender heart and said gently, "Good boy, don't be afraid. Tell Father what happened"

Mu Lie leaned against Mu Yang and sobbed, "There were bad men... They captured Mother and me. Later on, I escaped... I wanted to go back to ask my grandfather for help to save my mother, but... they said that Grandfather has been arrested by the Emperor. Father, rescue my mother... save Grandfather..."

"What" Such a drastic change made Mu Yang stunned as well. Holding on to Mu Lie, he asked, "You say your grandfather was captured by the Emperor Why would this happen"

Mu Lie was dumbfounded; he shook his head blankly and said, "I don't know... I heard it from others... I didn’t dare go back, so I begged a kind stranger to bring me here."

Because Mu Lie was young, the story he told was incoherent. Mu Yang's heart was stirred up. Lei Tengfeng also overheard their conversation and thoughtfully asked, "Brother Mu, don't be hasty for now. Ask clearly first. Besides... Han Valley Pass isn’t far from here. If something really happened, we should get news soon. Young Master... how did you come here" The distance to Han Valley Pass was neither near nor far; it would take at least 200 miles by horseback, and a child could not travel alone.

Mu Lie shook his head while sobbing in Mu Yang's arms and said, "Wah... I don’t know. I rode here..."

"You rode here" Lei Tengfeng raised an eyebrow and asked, "Whose horse Who brought you here"

Mu Lie sobbed again, saying, "I don't know... Father, please save Mother... she lost a lot of blood... I’m scared..." Mu Yang hurriedly held him in his arms with worry, gently patting him and said, "It’s okay, don’t be afraid. It's alright now... Be good, Lie..."

Bringing Mu Lie into his tent, Mu Yang carefully questioned him to understand the details of what had happened. It turned out that when Mu Yang left just a few days earlier, the hidden spies from the Black Family Army were already agitated and captured Mu Lie and Yao Ji while fleeing after being discovered by Chu's army. Afterward, Yao Ji managed to help Mu Lie escape. When Mu Lie tried to return to seek help from his grandfather to rescue his mother, he heard that the old Marquis of Mu Yang had also been caught. Thus, he asked a kind passerby to bring him here.

Muyang was already anxious after hearing Mule's words. However, the person present Lei Tengfeng remained calm and noticed more details that Muyang had overlooked. With a smile, Lei Tengfeng asked Mu Lie, "Young Prince, where is the person who brought you here"

Upon hearing this, Muyang frowned involuntarily and said, "Brother Lei, what do you mean by this" In recent days, Muyang had gotten along well with Lei Tengfeng. Therefore, he did not want to offend him. However, Lei Tengfeng's question made Muyang feel a little uncomfortable. Lei Tengfeng smiled and said, "Brother Mu, there is a war going on here right now, yet the young prince still managed to meet someone riding by chance. Don’t you find that strange" Ordinary people would avoid places where wars were happening out of respect. How could anyone have time to ride a horse to bring a child to the camp

Muyang glared at Lei Tengfeng angrily and said, "Brother Lei, do you mean Lye is lying"

Lei Tengfeng frowned slightly and said, "Brother Mu misunderstands me. I am not saying that. I just find it strange. The young prince is still young and may be used by others." Muyang took a deep breath and said solemnly, "Regardless of everything else, we must first figure out what happened. Brother Lei, please take care of the army temporarily while I return home."

"No!" Mule held onto Muyang's hand tightly and refused to let go, saying, "Father can’t go back! The emperor will kill you! They said… that the emperor wants to catch father and then kill him together with grandfather. Lye doesn’t want... Father to die. Waaah..."

Muyang's face turned even more grim; he was already 70% convinced of what Mule had said, but did not understand why the emperor would suddenly want to arrest his father. As he was deep in thought, a shrill voice came from outside the tent, "An imperial decree has arrived! Mu Yang Hou, Muyang, receive the imperial decree!"

Muyang hurriedly settled Mule and rushed out of the main tent, but upon seeing the look on the eunuch standing next to Emperor Mo Jingli's face, his heart sank.

"Minister, Muyang receiving the imperial decree," said Muyang as he knelt down respectfully to receive it.

The eunuch glanced at Muyang and then unfurled a yellow imperial decree with a solemn voice. "Mu Yang Hou has conspired with Ding Wang’s residence to rebel against the country, and his crime deserves death! Order given: Remove Muyang's military authority and escort him back to the camp for trial. The day will be decided later. Imperial command!" After folding up the imperial decree, the eunuch ordered shrilly, "Take Mu Yang away now!"

"Wait a moment!" Muyang said loudly, "May I ask, Eunuch Sir, when exactly did Muyang conspire with Ding Wang and rebel against the country" The eunuch sneered and replied, "That’s for Mu Yang Hou to answer. Our master has sent us here according to his order to arrest you. Is Mu Yang Hou thinking of defying the imperial command"

Muyang gritted his teeth and said, "To accuse someone falsely, one need only concoct a reason; Muyang does not admit this!"

The eunuch sneered coldly and replied, "Do not admit it Then Mu Yang Hou should go to the emperor’s presence and explain. We are here to carry out an imperial command, so please don’t make things difficult for us. However… Our master believes there is nothing much Mu Yang has left to say. This morning, Old Mu Yang Hou was already executed."

"What Father…" Muyang’s face changed greatly; he never expected that when Mule said his father had been captured by Mo Jingli, they would have executed him so quickly. The eunuch did not seem to notice Muyang’s change in expression and gloated while saying, "Mu Yang Hou should be obedient and give up resistance. Your late father has already confessed that Mu Yang Hou conspired with Ding Wang."

Muyang's face turned from pale to green as he knew better than anyone else about their family affairs. If possible, his father would naturally not refuse to ally with the Ding Prince’s王府, but the issue was that back then, under Mo Jingqi's order, his father had acted against the Ding Princess Consort, thus incurring a major grudge from the Ding Prince’s王府. Even if they were to ally with anyone else, it wouldn't be possible to ally with the Ding Prince’s王府. How could his father admit such an absurd charge unless… he had been coerced into confessing under duress!

Thinking of this, Muyang was indignant and heartbroken, "Our Muyang family has always been loyal to His Majesty the Emperor, yet how can His Majesty be so callous about human life! How is a loyal minister not disheartened" The eunuch frowned and waved his hand impatiently. “Arrest Duke Yang of Mu. I need to go back and report.”

The guards on either side hurried forward, wanting to seize Muyang. But although Muyang was young, the Duke of Yang of Mu had spent half a lifetime in honor and power, and he also knew how to ingratiate himself with others; there were many loyal retainers in his household. The old Duke of Yang of Mu was suddenly executed by the emperor for no reason at all. How could they let Muyang be captured as well Relations between both sides immediately became tense.

When the Western Route General just arrived, the eunuch's men were already killed off one after another; only two guards remained and fled from the camp.

A few miles away from the camp, the eunuch who delivered the edict looked pale as he watched the person standing ahead with trembling limbs. The last two guards beside him had also fallen to their knees before him. This eunuch was very good at reading people’s expressions and hurriedly stepped forward, smiling ingratiatingly. "Commander Qin, I did exactly what you told me to do; that Muyang… he committed such a bold act of killing the emperor's guards. Please spare my life, Commander Qin."

Qin Feng looked back at the eunuch with a fawning expression and smiled. "Don’t worry. I won’t kill you."

The eunuch was taken aback but his heart rejoiced; he had originally thought delivering an edict would be a simple mission, yet unexpectedly before even leaving, he was caught by the Ding Prince’s王府. In the end, only following Qin Feng's words to deceive Muyang that the old Duke of Yang of Mu was killed did he narrowly escape becoming another casualty under Muyang's blade. Now that he had managed to survive and regain his life, naturally he was overjoyed.

"Not only will I not kill you, but I will send someone to ensure your safe return. Do you know what you should say when you go back"

"I understand, Your Excellency, I understand. Muyang dared to defy the emperor’s command and killed an imperial messenger, intending to rebel," the eunuch hurriedly said.

Qin Feng nodded in satisfaction, "Very good. That's why I like dealing with intelligent people."

Extra:

I'm late again…

Recommend my friend Aunt Qin’s beautiful work: Palace Without Consorts, Phoenix Empress Dowager was about to leave. When Lady Sun suggested coming in for a chat, although he felt uneasy, he held onto hope and did not stop them. Yet, Yao Ji’s flirtatious yet stubborn nature quickly angered Lady...