. Xiangyang now is different from before."The original Xiangyang City had many people of mixed quality, but now, apart from soldiers, there were hardly any common civilians in Xiangyang City, let alon...398. The King of Ding is Seriously Injured - "The Truth"

When Ye Li and her group arrived at Feihong Pass on the second night, Feng Zhirao had already been waiting outside the pass for them. Seeing Ye Li back, Feng Zhirao visibly relaxed and said, "My Lady Consort, you're finally back." Upon seeing Feng Zhirao's expression, Ye Li felt a sense of unease. She asked, "What happened" Feng Zhirao sighed and said, "His Highness has been ambushed by people from Cangmang Mountain."

"How could he be so easily ambushed" Ye Li raised an eyebrow as she questioned him. Setting aside how high Mo Xiurao's martial arts skills were, why would he still be ambushed when he had already obtained the list of spies in Ding王府 from Cangmang Mountain long ago

Feng Zhirao helplessly smiled and said, "We made a mistake; that person suddenly attacked... almost injuring Young Master Shizi. His Highness was trying to..." Seeing Ye Li's expression change, Feng Zhirao quickly added, "My Lady Consort, please rest assured; Young Master Shizi is unharmed."

Seeing the fatigue barely concealed in Feng Zhirao’s handsome face, Ye Li nodded and said, "You've worked hard these days. How is Xiurao"

Feng Zhirao frowned and replied, "His Highness... My Lady Consort, let's talk about it when we get back."

Upon returning to Feihong Pass, most of the soldiers were unaware that something had happened to the King of Ding, so they didn't know Ye Li had returned. Only Yuan Pei, the Nan Hou (Southern Marquis), and Mu Cheng came out to greet her. Mo Xiurao was temporarily staying in a mansion inside Feihong Pass, and they immediately headed towards his courtyard upon returning.

Upon entering the room, Ye Li couldn't help but be startled by what she saw. She turned around and asked Feng Zhirao, "What happened"

[Indeed lying on the bed was a person covered with thick brocade quilts that obscured most of their face. Only a head of snowy white hair was visible.] Ye Li hadn't walked closer, but from her first glance, she could tell it wasn't Mo Xiurao.

Feng Zhirao smiled bitterly. The person heard Ye Li's voice and suddenly sat up, getting out of bed. A handsome face frowned tightly as he said to Ye Li, "You're finally back; I've been exhausted lying here pretending to be dead every day."

"Han Mingxi" Ye Li raised her eyebrows. Her cold gaze swept towards Feng Zhirao and the others.

Feng Zhirao solemnly replied, "His Highness has gone missing."

"Gone missing" Ye Li frowned as she stared at Feng Zhirao. Although she didn't show anger, Feng Zhirao felt a chill run down his spine; the power of My Lady Consort’s wrath was no less than that of His Highness’. Nodding reluctantly, Feng Zhirao quickly recounted what had happened.

It turned out that one day, the usually playful Mo Xiaobao was suddenly kidnapped. The kidnapper left a letter demanding Mo Xiurao to come alone; otherwise, they wouldn’t guarantee Mo Xiaobao's safety. Naturally, Mo Xiurao couldn't let anything happen to Mo Xiaobao, so he went alone to the agreed-upon location. When Feng Zhirao and others found that place, they only saw an unconscious and motionless Mo Xiaobao with his acupoints sealed along with a scene of bloodshed; there was no sign of Mo Xiurao.

Afterwards, Feng Zhirao and the rest secretly searched every corner within a hundred miles but couldn't find any trace of Mo Xiurao. Helpless, they could only pretend that Mo Xiurao had been injured to at least make others believe that the King of Ding was still in the army.

Ye Lvy's eyebrows furrowed as Feng Zhirao's narration seemed rather ordinary. However, it always made her feel uneasy, too perfect to be true. "I sent the list back. How did Xiu Yao handle it"

"List" Feng Zhirao frowned and remembered what she was referring to: "The last time Princess Consort went to Jiangnan, I sent a list back, but after Lord Wang saw it, he put it away. He has been busy with the Northern Rong war… It seems that…" He seemed not to have seen Mo Xiuyao handle this matter at all. If Ye Lvy trusted someone most, it would be Qin Feng and Zhuo Jing. As for Mo Xiuyao's most trusted confidant, it was Feng Zhirao. If even Feng Zhirao didn't know about it, then it meant that Mo Xiuyao hadn't dealt with this matter either. However, this was obviously unreasonable. The spies Mo Family Army had planted on Cangmang Mountain would not be ignored by Mo Xiuyao unless… He wanted to keep them for another purpose.

Han Mingchi gave a mocking smile and said: "Some people like to think they're clever but end up making fools of themselves"

"Mingchi…" Han Mingyue, who had just come in, heard Han Mingchi's words and felt somewhat helpless. Han Mingyue glanced at Ye Lvy's frowning face and knew that this was not the time to joke around. Feeling a bit guilty, he said: "Princess Consort… I didn't mean…"

Ye Lvy tugged at her lips slightly with a faint smile and said: "I understand. Sir Mingyue, do you have any news" Han Mingyue shook his head and frowned as he replied: "According to all the information we've gathered so far, neither Mo Jingli nor Lei Zhenting know about Xiu Yao's disappearance besides us. In other words… Mo Jingli’s spy has not returned. It is possible that they have either died or fled."

Compared to fleeing, it was more likely that the person had died. If he were still alive, he wouldn't fail to report back to Mo Jingli and inform him about Mo Xiuyao's situation. Moreover, if he had succeeded in killing Mo Xiuyao, there would be no reason for him to flee. The reward from Mo Jingli alone was enough to ensure a life of luxury for several lifetimes. Besides, escaping by oneself meant facing the pursuit of Ding王府 (Ding Wang’s Manor). Where could he run off to Currently, neither Mo Xiuyao nor this spy had provided any news.

Ye Lvy pondered for a moment before asking: "Who is that person"

Feng Zhirao looked somewhat grim as she replied: "He was one of Lord Wang's bodyguards, part of the Dark Guards." Dingwang (Lord Wang) himself had formidable martial arts skills and rarely needed personal protection. Moreover, Mo Xiuyao surrounded himself with many capable people; there was no need for him to personally train his trusted subordinates like Ye Lvy did. Compared to Zhuo Jing's current status, the Dark Guard under Mo Xiuyao were virtually insignificant. After some of their functions had been replaced by Qilin (a mythical creature), they received even less attention. However, regardless, the Dark Guard was a crucial force in Ding Wang’s Manor. They were more important than the Mo Family Army and Black Cloud Cavalry because they were closer to Lord Wang himself compared to regular troops. Unexpectedly, Cangmang Mountain managed to infiltrate someone into this group of Dark Guards. Fortunately, Cangmang Mountain had already been annihilated; otherwise, it would have posed even greater threats to Ding Wang's Manor.

"Call Mo Hua in to see me," Ye Lvy said softly. "You all should rest for now. You've been tired these few days. We can discuss matters tomorrow."

The group looked somewhat worried as they watched Ye Lvy. While the recent days had indeed been tough, their Princess Consort's complexion was even worse after traveling day and night. Han Mingyue exchanged a glance with Feng Zhirao who nodded: "Yes, your subordinate will take his leave. Your Highness should also rest well."

Ye Lvy nodded without saying anything more. The group quietly withdrew, leaving her alone in the dimly lit room.

"Mother..." It was late at night, and the study remained quiet except for the occasional sound of candle flames flickering. Ye Lvy sat behind the desk with a pensive expression. A soft voice came from outside the door. When she looked up, Mo Xiaobao stood in his sleeping clothes without even wearing an outer robe, gazing at her longingly.

Although it was early spring, there was still no warmth in the northwest day or night. Ye Li’s eyes darkened slightly as she quickly got up to take the cloak that had been placed nearby and wrapped him up with it. The adult's cloak immediately enveloped Mo Xiaobao entirely; Ye Li struggled a little as she lifted him and walked over to sit beside him. "Why did you come out without proper clothes"

"Mother..." Mo Xiaobao looked at Ye Li, tears sparkling in his round eyes as he sniffled, "Mother... Xianbao didn't do it on purpose. Wuuu... Xianbao didn’t mean to cause Father’s disappearance. Xianbao knows that I was wrong, Mother…"

"Why are you crying" Ye Li gently wiped away the tears hanging from his cheeks with her hand and stroked his delicate little face with the other hand. "Mother understands, this isn't your fault. Don’t be afraid... Your father will be fine, he’ll return soon."

"Mm," Mo Xiaobao sniffed as he said seriously, "When Father returns, Xianbao won’t upset him anymore. Mother, in the future, I'll behave well." Ye Li bent down to kiss her son’s forehead with a heartache. "Mother knows that you’re a good boy. Don't be afraid, nothing bad will happen..." Mo Xiaobao was smarter than most children and this meant he had to know more about many things compared to his peers. Although Feng Zhirao and the others didn’t say anything in front of him or even tell him about Mo Xiuyao’s disappearance, he already understood. It was just that everyone who knew what happened at Dingyuan王府these past few days had been worried and busy so no one paid attention to him; he hadn't told anyone anything either.

But although he was smart, in the end, he was still a child. Now that his mother returned home, he could no longer hold back. Even without putting on an outer robe, he quietly avoided the dark guards and went to Ye Li’s study looking for her.

Sitting in Ye Li's arms, Mo Xiaobao’s large eyes were filled with worry, "Mother, Father really... won't be hurt" Ye Li smiled faintly as she said, "Rest assured, he'll be alright. It's very late now, will you return to bed, Xianbao"

Moxiaobao rubbed his eyes with his hand and said, "Xianbao wants to stay with Mother."

"Alright then," Ye Li carefully pulled the cloak over him as she said softly. Mo Xiaobao nodded in agreement before sitting in her arms and opening his eyes wide to look at the memorandums in Ye Li’s hands. In these few days, due to Mo Xiuyao's sudden disappearance, a lot of things that required either Mo Xiuyao or Ye Li had piled up.

Ye Li looked through two volumes of memoranda before she noticed that Mo Xiaobao was already asleep when she lowered her head. In these few days, it wasn't just the adults who were shocked and exhausted; children were even more sensitive to such matters. Mo Xiaobao had been very tired too. Now lying in his mother’s arms, he fell into a deep sleep very quickly.

"Subordinate Mo Hua requests an audience with Lady Consort," Mo Hua's voice was faintly heard from the doorway. Ye Li paused mid-sentence, put down her brush and softly said, "Come in." Mo Hua walked in to see Mo Xiaobao in Ye Li’s arms; he was surprised for a moment. "Lady Consort, Young Master..."

Ye Li waved a hand as she said, "Wait," She then took Mo Xiaobao and turned to the room set up within the study for resting purposes, placed him on the bed and covered him with a blanket before turning back out and asking Mo Hua, "Did you take Mu Qingcang away"

A hint of surprise flashed in Mo Hua’s eyes as he said seriously, "Subordinate arrived late. Please allow Lady Consort to punish me."

Ye Li shook her head and asked him, "Where did the Prince Regent go"

"Subordinate... doesn't know," Mo Hua said with his eyes lowered.

"Don't know" Ye Li raised an eyebrow. She looked at Mo Hua with a smile on her face but not quite smiling, "If you don't know, how did you know to bring Mu Qingcang here to rescue me As far as I know, there aren’t many people who can figure out where Mu Qingcang is and ask him in advance for help. Furthermore… it shouldn’t include Commandant Mo. Also, the place where Mu Qingcang was meditating is three days’ journey from where Ling Tiehan intercepted me. Even if one travels on horseback at full speed from Flying Hawk Pass, it still takes more than two days. In other words… before His Highness got injured, you had already set out. Did Commandant Mo know beforehand that the Prince Regent would go missing and I would be intercepted by Ling Tiehan There aren’t many people in this world who can deal with Ye Li and Qilin. Unless it’s Ling Tiehan or Lei Zhen霆 personally stepping forward to act, there is no need to involve Mu Qingcang. Even now, Lei Zhen霆 might not be able to do it either. Therefore, without very precise intelligence… or in other words… a premeditated plan, Mo Hua wouldn’t have had the time to find Mu Qingcang to rescue me.

Mo Hua remained silent. Ye Li looked at him calmly and nodded her head, "I understand. You only need to tell me whether or not Mo Xiyaoyao is still alive. Just nod or shake your head."

Although Mo Hua was somewhat arrogant by nature, he was a very rule-abiding person. If it wasn’t absolutely necessary, he wouldn’t have refused Ye Li with this silent attitude.

After a while, Mo Hua finally nodded slightly.

Ye Li let out a light sigh of relief and visibly relaxed. No matter what, the fact that Mo Xiyaoyao was still alive is the best news. Nobody knew how Ye Li felt even though she had already made some assumptions in her heart; when waiting for Mo Hua’s nod at this moment, it felt as if someone had grabbed her heart tightly.

Ye Li nodded lightly and understood that Mu Qingcang wouldn’t say more because of Prince Regent Mo Xiyaoyao’s orders. Although she was displeased with the fact that he had been hiding something from even himself, Ye Li also knew how important it is to keep many things confidential. After all, although she had already received the list given by Dong Fangyou to Mo Jingli, who could guarantee whether or not what Dong Fangyou provided was complete

"Mu Qingcang…" Ye Li frowned. Now that Prince Regent Mo Xiyaoyao wasn’t around, if Ling Tiehan continued to oppose them, it would be a huge problem. Therefore, Ye Li had no choice but to deal with him first. Even after experiencing such a life-and-death risk, she still didn't have any strong negative feelings towards Ling Tiehan and did not wish to become enemies with him. Not only because of her brother's relationship with him; actually, Ye Li was well aware that Ling Tiehan had no intention of killing her. That day, even if Mu Qingcang hadn’t felt anything, the greatest possibility would be for her to have been seriously injured and taken away by Ling Tiehan. With Ling Tiehan’s strength, there were plenty of opportunities if he truly wanted to kill her.

"Ling Tiehan only agreed with Lei Zhen霆 to intercept Your Highness on the way back to Flying Hawk Pass," Mo Hua said respectfully. What Mo Hua didn’t mention was that Mu Qingcang’s injuries were quite severe, and it would take him more than ten years before he could recover to his current level of ability. However, in Mo Hua's view, the injury Mu Qingcang suffered was well worth it for allowing His Highness to escape safely from the Lord of Hell.

“Ling Tiehan has already returned to Hell Hall with his men according to reports,” added Mo Hua. Moreover, this time, there were significant losses on Hell Hall’s side as well; in order to stop the most powerful force of the Mo Family Army—Qilin—they had paid a heavy price even for just a brief moment. It was likely that Hell Hall would be unable to undertake any more contract killings within the next few years unless Ling Tiehan and Cold Liuyue personally stepped forward.

Ye Li nodded in satisfaction, "Good. You can go rest now."

Mohua respectfully nodded and said, "I will take my leave."

Watching Mohua close the door behind him, Ye Li looked at the flickering candlelight before her, a cold smile appearing on her delicate face. "Mo Xiuyao... are you addicted to playing games"

In a secret location within the Ding Prince's residence, dressed in all white with snow-white hair, the lazy prince was lounging comfortably on a chair while twirling an elegant green jade hairpin in his hand. His chest, partially exposed by his casually thrown over jacket, was covered in thick bandages, and though he looked pale, his spirits were high. Looking at the green jade hairpin in his hand, Mo Xiuyao sighed with some regret. Aly couldn't go back to see him despite her return; it was truly annoying.

"Ah-choo!" The Ding Prince sneezed somewhat ungracefully and pulled tighter on his jacket, puzzled. With his level of cultivation, he wouldn’t feel cold or catch a chill even without clothes on, right

The next morning, everyone arrived early at the study to see Ye Li. Although the princess had returned, there was still no news about the prince. Moreover, the situation in battle began to turn against them, causing the generals sleepless nights and leading them to congregate outside of Ye Li's residence as one.

Soon, Ye Li emerged from inside with Moh Xiaobao. Dressed in a jet-black embroidered dragon robe, though still young, his handsome face was taut, looking like a little adult.

"Everyone, please sit down," said Ye Li coolly as she seated herself on the main seat and pulled Moh Xiaobao to sit next to her. Looking at Moh Xiaobao sitting beside Ye Li, Feng Zhirao suddenly had an ominous premonition; after some hesitation, he asked: "Princess... regarding this young prince..." Feng wanted to say that they needed to discuss important matters, and it might not be appropriate for the young prince to be present. What if mentioning something about his father frightened him

Ye Li replied, "No need. I have already informed Emperor Zhen; he knows what needs to be done."

The group exchanged glances. It was common knowledge that the prince never called his son by his full name and eventually, the princess who had originally insisted on doing so was also won over and started addressing him with his nickname as well. When she mentioned "Moh Yuchen," it signified a serious decision.

Moh Xiaobao nodded solemnly, looking very grown-up.

Feng Zhirao twitched at the corners of his mouth and asked, "Princess’s meaning is"

Ye Li said indifferently, "Spread the news that Prince Ding's condition has worsened. Send a message to Li City requesting Mr Shen to come quickly. In two weeks... we’ll hold funeral arrangements for His Excellency."

Huh!

The people were stunned to see the calm and composed Consort Ding, dressed in green. Feng Zhirao stammered as he said, "Consort, I feel that... Your Highness..." Even if they hadn’t heard from Feng Zhirao that Mo Xiuyao was still alive, it would have been hard for him to believe that the man who had never given up after surviving so many battles was dead. Moreover, it was difficult to accept what Consort Ding said since she and Mo Xiuyao were known for their affection towards each other.

"He is seriously injured and unconscious, how is this different from death Let’s do as you say then," Ye Li said.

Standing beside her was Han Mingyue. She looked at Ye Li with raised eyebrows and stopped Han Mingyi from speaking. "It would be better to hold a funeral service for him; it will make people believe more easily that he is dead when we call in Shen’s son-in-law urgently." Hearing this, everyone realized what they had missed. Consort Ding was not saying that she believed Mo Xiuyao was dead but rather trying to convince others of his death.

Feng Zhirao suddenly thought of something and looked at Ye Li. "Has Consort heard anything about His Highness"

Ye Li shook her head in disappointment, saying, "We don’t have to worry about the prince for now. I want all our people who are searching for him to come back. We need to stabilize the current situation. Marquis Nan"

The Marquis of Nan stood up respectfully and said, "Our army has fought several battles with the Western Capital’s troops. Thanks to Your Highness’ military expertise, we have won more than we’ve lost. However, since His Highness... Lei Zhenting has suddenly increased his efforts; it is becoming harder for us to deal with him." Although the Mo Family Army was brave and fierce, the Western Capital’s army wasn’t much weaker. Moreover, the Western Capital’s troops outnumbered the Mo Family Army by far. With Mo Xiuyao around, the advantage had been on their side, but now that he was gone, his absence meant a disadvantage.

Ye Li nodded and said, "You needn’t blame yourselves for these things. You’ve done well for us in these days. The Western Capital’s army is strong; we don’t have to meet them head-on. We should avoid direct confrontation."

"What does Consort mean" Mu Songshen asked.

Ye Li replied, "We should feign weakness and strike where they are vulnerable. Split the troops into several groups for individual operations. I will still be in charge of Flying Phoenix Pass with General Yuan Pei." The Mo Family Army had been reinforcing Flying Phoenix Pass for over a decade now; it was as well-defended as Hangu Pass, known as the gateway to Central China. It would indeed be difficult for them to meet the Western Capital’s army head-on.

“But Consort, if Lei Zhenting concentrates all his forces on Flying Phoenix Pass, you and General Yuan will…"

Ye Li smiled and said, "So you should make sure he can’t concentrate all of his strength there. I believe the Mo Family Army and the Black Cloud Cavalry are good at this kind of thing. Also, don’t worry about Flying Phoenix Pass; we have something interesting coming soon. If Lei Zhenting wants to capture it, then he will have to sacrifice a lot of lives. I want to see how many troops he will send to attack Flying Phoenix Pass."there was no deep bond between her and Ye Ying. If it had been within her means, she would have helped her sister, but at that time, Ye Ying could be considered a hostage used by Mo Jingqi against Mo...