The door was pushed open and An’er looked over Han Mingchi before addressing Ye Li: "Young Master, there’s news."Ye Li nodded, “Come in and tell us.”In the room, Ye Li and An’er both turned their gaz...The Solemn Consort of the Capital Era Chapter 400: Confirmation, Mo Xiaobao's Revenge

Chapter 400: Confirmation, Mo Xiaobao's Revenge

Mojingli and his group were quickly led into the makeshift shrine in Ye Li’s temporary residence at the General Manor. Due to it being a temporary arrangement, the shrine was not large, with white cloth covering everything inside, creating an atmosphere of solemnity. Mo Xiaoyao's coffin rested centrally within the shrine, surrounded by numerous flowers. In front of the coffin stood a tablet engraved with: "The Soul Tablet of Prince Ding Mo Xiaoyao."

Standing within the shrine, both Mojingli and Le Zhen霆 felt a momentary surge of tension and excitement as they were about to see the body of Prince Ding. As his enemy, it was hard not to feel excited at this moment.

"Lady Consort" Ajin, who had been guarding the shrine with red-rimmed eyes, glared suspiciously at Mojingli and Le Zhen霆. The look in his eyes towards Mojingli was especially ferocious; he would have already lunged if not for Mo Xiaoyao’s soul tablet being present. Aware of what he had done to Mo Xiaoyao, Mojingli felt somewhat guilty under Ajin's gaze and took a step back. But soon after, he became pleased again; regardless of his actions, Mo Xiaoyao was dead, and finally, victory was his in this long-standing rivalry.

Ye Li said calmly, "The Chu Emperor and the Prince of Zhennan wish to take a look at your Highness."

Ajin was stunned, glaring fiercely at Mojingli. "No! Your Highness has already been placed in the coffin; how can it be opened again Furthermore..." Ajin wanted to say that he had killed the prince and shouldn't disturb his rest.

Le Zhen霆 understood Ajin's thoughts and stepped forward, smiling. "My group truly wishes to send Prince Ding off on his journey. If I may take a look at your Highness, it will prevent disturbing your Highness’s peace. What does Lady Consort think" Ye Li frowned, her expression clearly displeased but without opposition. Mojingli also did not object; although he was disappointed to not see Mo Xiaoyao's body personally, confirming his death was the priority now.

Ye Li gently patted Ajin’s shoulder and said soothingly, "Let them see your Highness; they won't disturb you anymore." Ajin looked at Ye Li. Since Mo Xiaoyao’s passing, besides his uncle, Ye Li had become the person he trusted most, even ranking above his fiancée Qing Shuang. After hearing Ye Li's words, Ajin glared fiercely at Mojingli and carefully opened the coffin lid.

Mojingli and Le Zhen霆 did not mind Ajin’s rudeness as their thoughts were entirely focused on what was inside the coffin. As they approached, a somewhat strong aroma of incense greeted them; it was used by nobility to preserve corpses from decomposition, typically for high-ranking officials above the level of prince. Combined with the scent of golden-threaded nanmu wood, it made Le Zhen霆's nose wrinkle slightly.

Inside the coffin lay a white-haired man dressed in a silver-brocaded dragon-patterned robe, lying peacefully. Despite the cold weather and the preservative incense inside the coffin, which was placed on a large block of ice for preservation, there had been no significant change to his body; if not for the unnatural pallor, it would have appeared lifelike.

Le Zhen霆’s sharp gaze noticed a scar extending from Mo Xiaoyao's exposed wrist. Despite meticulous treatment, the mark was still clearly visible. Recalling what he had learned from Mojingli... Le Zhen霆 stared at Mo Xiaoyao’s handsome face and frowned slightly before reaching into the coffin.

"Prince of Zhennan, what are you doing" Ye Li asked somewhat displeased when she saw his actions.

Le Zhen霆 smiled calmly. "I noticed Prince Ding's sleeve was a bit disheveled; my apologies." Le Zhen霆 smoothly pulled the white sleeve down and turned to smile apologetically at Ye Li.

Ye Li lowered her eyes, "Prince Zhennan and King Chu... is there anything else If not..."

Thunder霆 Leizheng smiled, "Your Excellency, feel free. I won’t disturb Prince Ding’s rest."

"Thank you," Ye Li softly instructed Ah Jin beside her to cover the coffin. Ah Jin huffed at Leizheng and walked over to reseal the casket.

After leaving the memorial hall, Thunder霆 Leizheng and Black Ink黎 Mo Jingli were invited to stay in a separate courtyard within the General’s Manor. Fei Hong Pass was not Li City, and now wasn’t the time for Black Ink堯 Mo Xiuyao to hold a formal funeral, so there weren’t many people around. Although the General’s Manor wasn’t large, it was still somewhat convenient for Leizheng and Jingli.

"King Chu, shall we have some tea" Thunder霆 Leizheng suggested. They had only come over to pay their respects, but since it was already late in the day, they would be forced to stay overnight at Fei Hong Pass before departing.

Black Ink黎 Mo Jingli naturally agreed; he also had many questions for Leizheng.

The two of them went into Leizheng’s courtyard and dismissed the servant girl bringing tea and snacks. With a smile, Leizheng said, "Congratulations to King Chu." Mo Jingli was taken aback before realizing what Leizheng meant, "The body in that coffin… is it truly Mo Xiuyao"

Thunder霆 Leizheng replied, "He lost too much blood. But there were no obvious wounds on the outside. He likely suffered an injury to his heart meridian. There’s a wound on his right wrist and calluses on his palm caused by long-term sword practice. Additionally… this person was a master swordsman in life; he wasn’t disguised, nor had he dyed his hair. If there were another person who looked exactly like Mo Xiuyao, practiced the same style of swordsmanship, and possessed similar martial prowess... then Mo Xiuyao wouldn’t be dead."

After a moment, Black Ink黎 Mo Jingli softly murmured, "Mo Xiuyao… really died…"

"Yes," Thunder霆 Leizheng sighed lightly. Such an outstanding individual was gone. Sudden confusion and melancholy appeared in Leizheng’s eyes. But Mo Jingli didn’t have the heart to care about his thoughts; after hearing what he had said, he burst into loud laughter, "Wonderful! Mo Xiuyao… Mo Xiuyao! You’ve finally died before me! Haha…"

Seeing Mo Jingli’s smug and unrestrained behavior, a trace of disdain and anger flashed in Leizheng’s eyes. He wished for Mo Xiuyao’s death as well because they were enemies. But to be considered an enemy by someone like Mo Xiuyao was an honor. Being regarded as one by someone like Mo Jingli was a disgrace. Thunder霆 Leizheng had never recognized Mo Jingli as his opponent; he was merely a minor troublemaker.

When Mo Jingli’s laughter subsided and seemed to notice the displeasure of Thunder霆 Leizheng, he raised an eyebrow and asked, "Did Prince Zhennan not find joy in Mo Xiuyao’s death" Thunder霆 Leizheng twisted his lips into a mocking smile and said, "Of course, nothing can compare to King Chu’s exuberance."

Hearing this, Black Ink黎 Mo Jingli felt somewhat awkward. The feud between the Prince Ding and the imperial house of Great Chu was well-known; few in the realm would be unaware by now. His reaction just now… even if Mo Jingli had thick skin, he still blushed slightly. He snorted coldly and said firmly, "Mo Xiuyao betrayed his country first; such a traitor deserves to die."

Thunder霆 Leizheng took a sip of tea and replied indifferently, "I don’t intend to discuss with King Chu whether Prince Ding deserved death. Prince Ding’s death is naturally beneficial for me." Mo Jingli’s eyes flickered with anger and unease as he said dryly, "If so, then please tell me what you think, Prince Zhennan." There were people who were born with a natural brilliance that made them the focus of all eyes; even their enemies would admire and respect them. And Mo Xiuyao was such a person. This was precisely why Mo Jingli had become madly jealous.

Ley Zhenling casually observed Mo Jingli, who was somewhat unstable. He calmly said, "Has Emperor Chu noticed that several of the main generals in the Mo Family Army are missing" Mo Jingli hesitated for a moment. From the start, he had been focused on Ye Li and Mo Xiaobao and thus hadn't paid attention to who exactly was absent from the Ding王府 (Ding Prince's Manor). Upon hearing Ley Zhenling’s words, he finally recalled something and nodded, saying, "Indeed, Mu Gong and Nan Hou are not here. They... "

"They should have been dispatched by Ye Li," Ley Zhenling said.

Mo Jingli frowned and asked, "Dispatched Does this mean that Ye Li doesn’t want to defend Feihong Pass"

Ley Zhenling glanced at him and said, "She only sent them away because she wants to hold Feihong Pass."

"What do you mean by this, Prince of Southern Peace" Mo Jingli disliked Ley Zhenling’s tone. It seemed as if he was calling him an idiot. However, he really couldn’t figure out Ye Li's intentions and thus had no choice but to restrain himself and listen.

"Feihong Pass is only so big; even if all the generals gather here, it wouldn't make a difference. But by sending Mu Gong and Nan Hou elsewhere, they can cause trouble for us from afar. These are famous veteran commanders on the battlefield who don’t need to directly confront us to cause problems. And the Black Cloud Cavalry within the Mo Family Army is adept at rapid attacks over long distances; when the time comes... both our sides will likely find this situation quite troublesome," Ley Zhenling said.

Mo Jingli gritted his teeth and asked, "Is it truly Ye Li's idea How cunning!"

Ley Zhenling praised with a smile, "As the Lady of Ding Manor, to stabilize the entire Ding Manor at this time, she must be an extraordinary person. If the Lady of Ding Manor were a man... who knows what would have happened" Ley Zhenling shook his head and smiled without further comment.

Mo Jingli harrumphed and asked, "What does Prince of Southern Peace want to discuss with me"

Ley Zhenling looked at Mo Jingli and said, "Abandon Han Valley Pass and march west. After our two armies rendezvous, we will jointly attack Feihong Pass."

Mo Jingli narrowed his eyes and sneered, "Prince of Southern Peace is indeed a genius with this strategy, but unfortunately, I fear that you are planning to betray me again." Mo Jingli hadn't forgotten the last time he had been tricked by Lei Tengfeng. How could he trust Ley Zhenling once more

Ley Zhenling frowned and said, "Once we capture Feihong Pass and sweep through Northwest with our army, after eliminating the foundation of Ding Manor, do you think Leng Huai in Chu Capital and Lu Jinxian at Han Valley Pass will still give us trouble"

Mo Jingli wasn't an idiot either. "How can I be sure that once my troops march westward, Leng Huai and Lu Jinxian won’t pursue from behind If they do, wouldn’t I be in a difficult situation then" Ley Zhenling raised his eyebrows and said, "So you have confidence to face Leng Huai and Lu Jinxian alone As per my information, Leng Huai has begun mobilizing the troops in Chu Capital. In no time, he will march towards Han Valley Pass. Although Han Valley Pass is indeed the first great pass in Central Plains... but..." But one must also see who was stationed there.

Under such pressure from Ley Zhenling, Mo Jingli’s face turned a shade of green and then white, “What does Prince of Southern Peace plan to do!”

Lei Zhen霆 nodded satisfactorily and said, "Please have the Chu Emperor hold back Qun Jinxian’s and Leng Huai’s troops. I don’t need the Chu army to establish merit; I only want them to delay their movements so that they won’t interfere."

Although Mo Jingli felt ashamed to be belittled by Lei Zhen霆, he didn’t wish to engage in a life-and-death struggle with Qun Jinxian and Leng Huai’s troops anymore. Instead of doing that, it would be better for him to wait until Lei Zhen霆 and the Mo Family Army had depleted each other before taking advantage of the situation.

Of course, Lei Zhen霆 was well aware of Mo Jingli’s thoughts but he remained calm and smiled coldly.

"Very well. I’ll agree with Prince Zennan," said Mo Jingli as he nodded his head in agreement with Lei Zhen霆's suggestion.

Behind the main residence in the Jiang Family Compound, Ye Li sat behind her desk watching everyone in the room and sighed helplessly. Feng Zhirao glared at Ye Li and asked, "Where’s Your Highness Do you know where he is"

Ye Li shook her head and replied seriously, "I really don’t know."

The sincerity of her reply did not manage to convince Feng Zhirao and the others. “Do we look like people who will believe in Your Highness” Ye Li raised her eyebrows and looked at everyone with a smile on her face. Han Mingyue smiled lightly, "At the very least, don’t you know something about Xiu Yao’s condition Otherwise… How would Your Highness have known what injuries Xiu Yao sustained" Prince Ding had clearly received news of Prince Zennan being injured beforehand; and his corpse bore wounds that matched Lei Zhen霆's account.

Ye Li sighed helplessly, "I really don’t know."

"Very well. Since Your Highness can’t say anything about it, we won’t ask," Feng Zhirao clearly still did not believe Ye Li but simply thought that she could not reveal more information. However, at the very least, this proved that Mo Xiu Yao was safe and everyone in the room sighed with relief. Even though they vaguely understood that their prince must be alive, it was unsettling to lack confirmation of his safety. Now that the Dowager Consort was so calm, it gave them a sense of peace.

"Mother, can we kill this big bad guy" Mo Xiaobao sat beside Ye Li and asked innocently.

Ye Li looked down at the pleading look in Mo Xiaobao’s eyes and smiled. “How did you learn to bite people” This was undoubtedly the most unrefined action that Mo Xiaobao had ever done. Although he loved causing trouble, he still took great pride in himself. Even if he wanted to severely punish someone, he would never resort to such childish tactics.

Mo Xiaobao said with a smile, "Did I act convincingly"

Ye Li raised her eyebrows and looked at Feng Zhirao beside her; Feng Zhirao replied with a laugh, “When the young prince first met Mo Jingli, he said to him, ‘You’re a bad guy who killed my father. I’m going to bite you to death.’ Then he jumped onto Mo Jingli and bit his flesh viciously. It was so close… I almost saw a chunk of flesh torn out of Mo Jingli’s face.” Everyone present could not help but cover their mouths in laughter.

Mo Xiaobao blushed, grumbled unhappily, “Stinks to high heaven. My father made me drink lots of water and gargle my mouth afterwards. Next time I have to come up with a different method.” However, this was the most satisfying and least suspicious method. If he had used something else to harm Mo Jingli, it would be impossible for others to consider him nothing more than a mischievous child.

Ye Leye looked at Mo Xiaobao with curiosity and asked, "What else did you do to Mo Jingli" Ye Leye knew his son well enough to know that he wouldn't just attack someone or make them look bad out of spite.

Mo Xiaobao chuckled and said, "I sprinkled the medicine Mr. Shen gave me on him."

Sitting next to them, Shen Yang, who was listening to their conversation while organizing his medicines, stiffened abruptly before slowly turning around to stare at Mo Xiaobao and ask, "Young Marquis, which bottle of medicine did you use"

Mo Xiaobao blinked innocently and said, "The one Mr. Shen prepared for me last night. The green little jade bottle…" Shen Yang's body shook as he quickly held onto the table, asking calmly, "Was that the gift I gave to Young Marquis"

"I asked if I could take the bottle, and Mr. Shen agreed," Mo Xiaobao replied, puzzled.

Shen Yang fell silent; you wanted the bottle but took the medicine along with it.

Feng Zhiyao noticed Shen Yang's unusual expression and curiously asked, "What kind of medicine did Mr. Shen prepare Is it important" Mo Xiaobao smiled and said, "I saw something written on Mr. Shen's little bottle like 'Springtime Intimacy'."

"Pfft—" On the other side, Han Mingyi sprayed out his tea in disbelief, looking at Shen Yang and saying, "Could it be Springtime Intimacy Powder Mr. Shen, why did you prepare… that" He glanced at Shen Yang with a look of 'Why are you still interested in such things at your age' Indeed, Han Mingyi deserved the name of Wind and Moon Nobleman, having been around for many years, so he was well versed in all sorts of strange concoctions.

Shen Yang twitched his mouth and rolled his eyes as he said, "Who asked me to prepare it Someone brought it to me a few days ago for research to see if there's an antidote."

Han Mingyi looked skeptical and replied, "Who would research the antidote for such medicine"

Normal people knew how to deal with such medicine. Han Mingyi gave Shen Yang a look that said 'If you believe that, I'm a fool.' Shen Yang understood that the more he explained, the worse it would get and glared resentfully at Mo Xiaobao. If not for this deadbeat kid, he wouldn't be ridiculed by someone like Han Mingyi.

Mo Xiaobao hid in Ye Leye's arms, peeking at Shen Yang with a mischievous smile.

Ye Leye helplessly patted Mo Xiaobao's head and coughed lightly as he asked, "So… what are the consequences of taking this medicine" Han Mingyi said cheerfully, "There aren't any side effects. It’s top-notch… medicine. Even with money, you might not be able to get it. It just allows better control over time. Usually it takes about an hour before it takes effect, and once it does, there's no stopping it. So… Junwei, cough cough… Third Young Master Feng should prepare accordingly." Clearly sensing that this wasn't suitable for Ye Leye, Han Mingyi changed his target to Feng Zhiyao.

Feng Zhiyao rolled his eyes in annoyance; years ago he had also been part of the 'hundred flowers', so he knew exactly what 'Springtime Intimacy Powder' was.

Moxiaobao looked at everyone curiously and asked, "What do we need to prepare"

Ye Li gently tapped his forehead. "Children are not allowed to butt in when adults are talking," she said. Moxiaobao held his little head and pitifully looked at Ye Li. ZHUO Jing who was busy with documents from a distance frowned, lifted his head up and said, “Your Excellency, right now... Prince Li seems to be in Prince Duan’s yard.” Since Mo Xingli got bitten by Moxiaobao, it had been more than an hour already.

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at each other. After a while, Feng Zhirao and Han Mingchi simultaneously jumped up and rushed towards the direction of Lei Zhengting’s yard. Of course, they were not there to save anyone; they only wanted to watch the commotion.

Han Mingyue raised her eyebrows, stood up and said, "We should go take a look too. If Prince Chu or Prince Duan gets injured, it would be very bad." Moxiaobao was excitedly kicking his little legs in Ye Li’s arms as he reached out with both hands to Han Mingyue, “I want to go… I want to go…”

Shen Yang immediately grabbed him around and said, "Young Prince, you should follow this old man to the study and read the herbal medicine books once more. Do you not fear that one day you might harm others and yourself" Ye Li nodded gratefully at Shen Yang. She truly did not know how to explain what medicine could be used and which ones needed caution when it came to Moxiaobao. With Doctor Shen Yang’s good teaching, she believed that Moxiaobao would quickly understand which medicines should or shouldn’t be used.

Ye Li and Han Mingyue followed by Qin Feng slowly headed towards the guest quarters. Before reaching the main entrance of the guest quarters, they saw a servant girl who had been tasked with attending to them hurry over with a pale face. She visibly heaved a sigh of relief upon seeing Ye Li. "Your Excellency," she greeted.

Ye Li nodded and asked, "What happened"

The servant’s face was ashen while her eyes were wide open in fear. “Your Excellency! You must… please go take a look quickly. Prince Duan... he wants to beat Prince Chu to death!”

Everyone was stunned and Ye Li sighed, "Let's have a look."

Even before they entered the yard, there were already noisy sounds coming from inside.

Feng Zhirao and Han Mingchi were sitting leisurely on top of the wall with great interest as they pointed and laughed excitedly. Ye Li sighed. "Feng San, Ming Chi." Was it that these two men feared Lei Zhengting would not know how happy they were

Feng Zhirao and his companion gracefully landed, smiling. "Your Excellency, rest assured, Prince Duan is almost driven mad with anger; he hasn’t noticed us."

Ye Li raised an eyebrow as she asked, “What exactly happened inside” She thought that Lei Zhengting and Mo Xingli should have been plotting something there. In any case, they would meet up eventually anyway, so Ye Li naturally did not mind them plotting in her place. It was certainly better than running off to some unknown location where things could get out of control. But even if Mo Xingli’s poison had started to act, Lei Zhengting would probably just toss him out or find someone else to solve the problem—there was no reason for it to come to a fight.

Han Mingchi softly laughed, “It seems that… Prince Chu attempted to be disrespectful towards Prince Duan. In addition, after taking the medicine, those who are poisoned would become stronger than usual by several times. So…”d and fiercely slammed into a nearby pillar. Zhuo Jing was standing just one step away from her; he could have easily caught her with an outstretched hand. However, it seemed Zhuo Jing had other thoug...