. She thought that society’s expectations for women in this era were less strict than those from her previous life."If it were just a regular arranged marriage, people wouldn’t say much even if they w...412. The Death of Prince Zhennan

On the city wall, several dazzling lights flashed up as three figures quickly sprang into the air and engaged in a fierce battle. Ordinary martial artists could hardly see their fighting moves; they only saw countless shadows flying through the air along with sword qi and force shooting from all directions. Everyone retreated to safe spots and looked up at this epic battle.

Only Han Mingyue could discern something of what was happening, but she too fixed her gaze on the three figures battling in mid-air, so engrossed that she had no mind for anyone else's questions around her.

A sudden loud noise echoed through the air. Before people could react, a dark figure fell from the sky and crashed heavily onto the ground of the city wall. Han Mingyue and Qin Feng stood on either side of Ye Li to shield her. When everyone looked over, they saw Lei Zhenting lying on the ground with blood flowing from his right wrist and both legs. Lei Zhenting lay there listlessly, eyes dim and face pale. At first glance, Han Mingyue felt relieved; Lei Zhenting had clearly been rendered powerless by someone else.

Soon after, Mo Xiuyao and Ling Tiehan also landed on the ground. Their conditions were not much better either. Bloodstains marked Mo Xiuyao's snow-white robe, and a wound on his left arm was particularly alarming. A long tear ran through Ling Tiehan's blue tunic, with a thin cut across his neck; any further injury might result in mutual destruction.

"Xiuyao..." Ye Li looked at Mo Xiuyao's injuries and frowned slightly. Yet Mo Xiuyao seemed to be in an excellent mood. After dealing with Lei Zhenting, the people he had been plotting against for years were almost all taken care of now. Even his gloomy aura had lightened considerably.

"Aili, I won," smiled Mo Xiuyao.

Ye Li nodded slightly and whispered, "I know."

"Cough cough..." Lei Zhenting, sitting on the ground, lightly coughed up some blood. Turning his head to look at Mo Xiuyao, he asked, "Why didn't you kill me" Mo Xiuyao coldly replied, "This king said... I would make your life worse than death! This king always keeps my word!"

Lei Zhenting laughed with disdain. "I never thought that the Prince Ding would also enjoy tormenting captives."

"If you admit to being a captive, that's enough. There are still many things you don't know." Mo Xiuyao smiled. "Do you want to know how this king plans to treat you" A fierce and cruel glint flashed in Mo Xiuyao’s eyes as if he wanted to tear Lei Zhenting apart but was restraining himself from doing so.

Before Lei Zhen霆 could even speak, a flash of sword light suddenly appeared beside him. Mo Xiuyao flew into a rage, shouting, "Ling Tiehan, you are looking for death!" He saw Ling Tiehan thrust his longsword directly into Lei Zhen霆's chest; although a jet of blood shot out, Lei Zhen霆’s chest had already been pierced with a gaping bloody hole. Instantly, it was obvious that he could not survive.

Ling Tiehan stood closer to Mo Xiuyao than anyone else and Mo Xiuyao was holding Ye Li at the time. How could Mo Xiuyao have stopped Ling Tiehan's swift and vicious attack After being stabbed by Ling Tiehan, Lei Zhen霆 did not feel any pain but instead looked towards Mo Xiuyao with a mocking smile on his face, as though saying, “Aren’t you wishing for me to live an unbearable life Well, the king is about to die.”

“Haha… Ling Tiehan… Thirteenth Brother… Thank you,” Lei Zhen霆 said coolly with a faint smile. His eyes dimmed as they passed over Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li, revealing a hint of regret and concern. But there was nothing left for him to say. Gradually, the last bit of light in his eyes faded away.

"Xiuyao!" Ye Li held back Mo Xiuyao's hand that wanted to hit Ling Tiehan, saying softly, "I’m tired; let’s go home and rest."

Mo Xiuyao’s eyes softened as he looked at the bloodstains on Ye Li’s beautiful face. He felt more apologetic than ever before, nodding his head in agreement. “Alright, we’ll return to rest now. Commander Leng, Feng San, this is left in your hands.”

Feng Zhirao nodded grimly; he had not rested for an entire day and night!

Ye Li turned around and said to Ling Tiehan, "Warden Ling, you may rest in the city until your injuries heal. Mister Shen has plenty of medicinal herbs."

Ling Tiehan bowed his head respectfully, saying, “Thank you for your kindness, Lady Wang.”

As they watched Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li leave together, Feng Zhirao looked back at Lei Zhen霆’s body on the ground, frowning. "How should we handle this" Although Lei Zhen霆 was an enemy, he had been a great hero; Feng Zhirao did not want to disgrace him too much. There is a saying that when one dies, all debts are cleared, and what further enmity could there be after death But if Lei Zhen霆 were in Mo Xiuyao’s hands, it was likely that his body would never remain intact.

Leng Huai raised an eyebrow; he felt similarly to Feng Zhirao. As a general from a prestigious family, Leng Huai always held respect for great military leaders. Unless necessary, he usually did not wish to disgrace the bodies of enemies outside of battle as such behavior was only fitting for cowards.

Ling Tiehan glanced at Lei Zhen霆 on the ground and asked, "May I take his body back to Xiuling"

"Of course," Leng Huai and Feng San exchanged glances. Feng Zhirao replied, "However… you must have Ding王府 cremate him; all you can do is bring back ashes." It was not that Feng Zhirao was overly cautious; after experiencing Mo Xiuyao’s resurrection, he really did not want to take any unnecessary risks.

Ling Tiehan didn't mind; he could be considered quite brotherly for taking care of Thunderbolt's body. He nodded and said, "It doesn’t matter. I can wait a few days."

Feng Zhiyao said, "No need to wait that long, it will be done quickly." He didn’t want Ling Tiehan to wait here for a few days. The Prince was still angry about the incident with Thunderbolt, and might cause trouble when he regains his senses. If that happened, even if Ling Tiehan was severely injured, the Prince would have enough methods to deal with him without having to step in himself. However, from Lady’s expression, it seemed she didn’t want Ling Tiehan dead. If she were to argue with the Prince over this matter, it wouldn't be good for them as his subordinates.

Cold Huai naturally hadn’t thought of all this; he looked at Feng Zhiyao oddly before nodding in agreement after considering it.

Ling Tiehan nodded and said gratefully, "Then I thank you."

"Senior Sect Master Ling needn't be so polite. In fact, we should be thanking you," Feng Zhiyao sincerely replied. No matter what the reason was, Ling Tiehan had saved many lives, including Lady’s, which was a truth that couldn’t be denied. If not for his timely arrival, today's outcome would have been uncertain.

Ye Li and Mo Xiurao returned to the General Manor where Ye Li changed into clean clothes after bathing and washing away her exhaustion and bloodstains. She looked even more lovely than before. Seeing her staring blankly at the food laid out in front of her, Mo Xiurao frowned slightly, feeling displeased with this behavior.

He gently walked up behind her and circled his arms around her waist, asking softly, "Liyi, what are you thinking"

Ye Li shook her head and replied, "Nothing... I've been so tense these days that now that everything has suddenly eased off, I feel rather at a loss."

Moved by her words, Mo Xiurao brushed his fingers through her hair gently and said soothingly, "It’s all my fault. Liyi... from now on, nothing will ever make you upset again. You can do whatever you want, and I'll be with you, alright" Yes, from this day forward, no one would ever be able to threaten his dear Liyi anymore. The Northern Rong Empire had been defeated; it would take them thirty to fifty years before they could recover their strength. Thunderbolt was dead, and most of the Western Ling soldiers were stationed at Flying Crane Pass. In addition, there were still 300,000 troops led by Southern Lord and Mu Songshen in the south, as well as conflicts with the Prince of Nanyuan and the Western Ling royal family which could not be ignored. With Lei Tengfeng's abilities, it would be sufficient for him to maintain his own safety. As for the Chu State in the south, Emperor Jingli had been exiled, and a minor child was now the ruler, with power being held by regents and Grand Empress Dowager; they wouldn't cause any trouble. From now on... who else could dare to touch Liyi

Ye Li looked at him in surprise.

Mos Xiurao blinked and smiled, "Why are you looking at me like that"

"Do you plan to withdraw your troops" Ye Li asked.

"We've already fought all the necessary battles. What else can we do if we don’t withdraw our troops" Mo Xiurao smiled.

Ye Li remained silent, surprised by how quickly Mo Xiurao had decided to cease his actions. Throughout these days, her intuition about his plans and decisions had made her uneasy. It wasn't that there was anything wrong with ambition; Mo Xiurao had the ability and qualifications to vie for the throne of the world or even unify it under one rule. But perhaps due to witnessing increasingly brutal battles over the past few years, she felt a sense of uncontrollable aversion towards war. She had seen too many people die.

Wrapping his arms around Ye Li again, Mo Xiurao smiled gently and patted her back softly, "Are you tired Why not rest for a while

Ye Li unconsciously nodded, leaned against Mo Xiuyao's body, and gradually closed her eyes; she was indeed quite tired. When Ye Li fell asleep, Mo Xiuyao gently carried her to the inner room bed. Looking down at her delicate face, still slightly frowning in sleep, Mo Xiuyao tenderly traced her features with his hand and chuckled softly: "Foolish A-Li, how could this king not know what you're thinking Besides... if I finished all of it, wouldn't Little Treasure be left as a wasteful heir"

He gently tucked Ye Li in. Then, Mo Xiuyao turned and walked out. On the paper scroll placed outside the room were some hastily scribbled lines, obviously forgotten due to hurriedness: "After peace was restored at Huai River, crows flew about in cold sky; pity the lonely graves of fallen soldiers, all for generals' fame."

Perhaps it might be a bit biased using this poem to describe the Mo Family Army, but one could clearly see the author's perspective and feelings towards the current situation.

Ye Li was indeed very exhausted; when she woke up again, the sky outside had darkened once more. If not for Mo Xiuyao being worried that it would be bad for her health to go too long without eating, perhaps she might have continued sleeping.

Sitting up, Ye Li looked at Mo Xiuyao calmly sitting by her bed just as he did before she fell asleep and knew he hadn't rested. Actually, not only was Ye Li exhausted, but the defenders of Feihong Pass were also very tired. When Mo Xiuyao heard that Ye Li still remained in Feihong Pass, he rushed back with his men at top speed; then followed by a fierce battle against Lei Zhenting, it would be impossible to say they weren't tired.

"Why didn't you rest" Ye Li's eyebrows knitted slightly as she asked softly.

Mo Xiuyao smiled and shook his head gently: "Watching A-Li... is not tiring. A-Li has slept for a long time, it's time to get up and eat some dinner." Gazing at the gentle man before her, Ye Li couldn't help but think that the dark and violent person who faced Lei Zhenting and Ling Tiehan had never existed. Seeing her silent reaction, Mo Xiuyao's smile dimmed slightly; he raised his hand to embrace Ye Li and asked softly: "Is A-Li angry with me"

Ye Li was silent for a moment before sighing gently and shaking her head: "No, I know... you're right."

Mo Xiuyao also fell silent. After a while, he smiled at Ye Li and said: "You just can't accept it, isn't that so Right. This time, I did this on purpose. How could those useless people hurt me Actually... since the very beginning when A-Li asked someone to give me the list of spies in Cangmang Mountain, I had already planned it out. I know Mo Jingli; under extreme pressure, what kind of things he would do. Look at now... everything is developing just as I imagined. But... I didn't expect that A-Li wouldn't listen and leave Feihong Pass. If Ling Tiehan hadn't arrived in time... fortunately, sparing Ling Tiehan's life back then was indeed the right decision..." Mo Xiuyao's hand holding Ye Li's waist trembled slightly; but in his lowered gaze at her and in his low voice, there remained a faint smile. Such persistent stubbornness made Ye Li feel even more heartache.

She couldn't blame this man. Ye Li quietly leaned against Mo Xiuyao's embrace as she thought silently. No matter how many matters or ideas he had that she found difficult to accept or understand, she could never scold him. This wasn't his fault; he wanted revenge, to protect his family and loved ones, to make the Ding王府 continue in this world, and to get the most with the least effort. From any perspective, he did nothing wrong.

Mo Xiuyao gently embraced Ye Li, kissed her hair, and said softly: "How I wish I could hide A-Li in the safest and most beautiful palace in this world, so no one could see or harm you. But I can't do that... because I know A-Li wouldn’t like it. So... I want A-Li to stand by my side, facing everything together, even those things that A-Li doesn’t like. A-Li, please don’t hate me."

Even though he knew you would detest these harsh realities, yet he wanted to tear them apart before your eyes and show you. Because this is Mo Xiuyao... Mo Xiuyao isn't a noble gentleman under the bright moonlight, nor is he an immortal from outside the world with pure aura; Mo Xiuyao is a hellish demon who crawled out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood. Although A-Li has never been a delicate flower raised in a greenhouse, deep down, she's always so kind and tender-hearted. How could she like such cruel calculations amidst bloody battles But... what can be done Mo Xiuyao just wants you by his side.

"Xiu Yao..." Ye Li sighed softly, looking up into his tender yet stubbornly determined eyes. She raised her hand to gently touch his snow-white hair and whispered, "It's not your fault, so why should I blame you I'm just... a bit sad. I really want to convince myself that their sacrifices were worthwhile. Even if the entire 200,000-strong defending army of Feihong Pass perished in battle, at least it would have shortened several years of war. During this period... how many soldiers and civilians could have been spared from sacrifice Besides... what is my sadness compared to that I don't even know the names of most of them, so how much can I truly grieve for them So many people... even if I were to die in sorrow, the sentiment one person could give them wouldn’t amount to half a minute. And yet, how significant would my bit of sadness be to them Just that… each and every one of them had families, loved ones, and children. Their pain is something they will carry for their whole lives. Therefore... Xiu Yao, I'm fine. I truly am just a little sad. It'll pass soon."

Moxiu Yao lowered his head and gently patted Ye Li’s back, silently comforting her. The clarity with which Ye Li perceived everything gave him the sense that she was more vulnerable than ever before. Moxiu Yao held her tightly; his thin lips revealed a stubborn determination and regret.

"I'm sorry, Aili." Moxiu Yao said solemnly. He felt remorse towards her but he wouldn't admit fault. Like Ye Li, as the highest commander of the Mo Family Army, he hadn’t made any wrong decisions. Even if the Mo Family Army had failed to rescue in time and all the soldiers in Feihong Pass perished in battle, even if Western Ling’s soldiers rampaged inside Feihong Pass, nobody could say that His Majesty's decision was incorrect. He led a force much smaller than his enemy’s against three countries simultaneously and managed to drastically shorten the war-time period by concentrating efforts on one decisive battle. As an upper echelon leader, he had acted correctly.

He felt remorseful only towards his wife, his beloved. Making her endure pain and make choices that she shouldn’t have been made to bear; making her personally send off Qilin soldiers whom she herself trained and assembled from scratch – throughout everything, Moxiu Yao wronged Ye Li alone — the woman he loved most deeply, who had decided to cherish her forever and keep her happy.

"It's fine." Ye Li said softly, with a heart full of knots. No matter what he did, she would forgive him, Ye Li smiled faintly within her heart. She realized that she had already come to love him so much at an unknown point in time.

"Aili, it will never happen again."

"Okay, I understand." The pain lingering in her heart might never disappear completely but it would gradually fade away. Life was never perfect; now everything was already good enough. A man who can dominate the world with his prowess yet is anxious about your happiness and well-being; a few clever and adorable children; a group of sincere relatives always thinking for you; a group of loyal friends and subordinates. What else could she be unsatisfied with in such a life Perhaps her ideas might never align perfectly with Moxiu Yao's, like how she disliked scheming but he excelled at it, or how she valued life whereas he didn’t mind using others’ lives as bargaining chips. But he would give way for her sake and she would tolerate him – that was enough.

"Your Highness, Lady Consort. Your subordinates seek an audience."

Soon after, Moxiu Yao and Ye Li appeared in the flower hall outside together. It wasn't just Feng Zhirao who had come to see them; Leng Huan, Han Mingyue, He Su, even General Yuan Pei who had fainted this morning were all present too. Seeing both of them coming hand-in-hand, Feng Zhirao secretly heaved a sigh of relief.

Feng Zhirao was not only Moxiu Yao's childhood companion and close friend; over the years, he also became Ye Li’s good friend as well. Third Young Master Feng naturally understood these two better than most people did. Originally thinking that there would inevitably be some conflicts between them this time, he hadn’t expected anything to happen at all. Feng Zhirao couldn't help but look at Ye Li a few more times, his esteem for her rising.

Receiving Moxiu Yao's warning glance, Feng Zhirao cleared his throat and withdrew his scrutinizing gaze, smiling and saying: "Your Highness, Lady Consort, I’m sorry to disturb you."

Moxiu Yao glanced at him coolly and said, "You still know that it’s late What are you here for then"

Ye Lü helplessly raised her hand to pull at the door and smiled as she said to Yuan Pei, "General, are you feeling better"

Yuan Pei hurriedly replied, "Thank you for the Duchess's concern. I am fine. It's just that age has made me somewhat useless and it must be a joke to see this."

Ye Lü smiled and said, "General, there is no need for such talk. We are glad that General managed to hold the fort."

"That’s what Ah Li said. Senior General Yuan, please take your seat," Mo Xiurao also followed suit with a smile as he saw Ye Lü's gaze turn towards him, "Since everyone has not yet had dinner, why don’t we have it together"

Feng Zhiyao silently rolled his eyes: Isn't it you and the Duchess who haven't eaten

The Prince of Ding personally invited them to join in and there was no reason for anyone to refuse. In a moment, maidservants brought out prepared dishes. They were all light foods as everyone had been too tired over these days to sit down properly for a meal. Suddenly they found their appetites returning and enjoyed the sumptuous and delicious dinner very much.

Only after the servants cleared away the leftovers did Mo Xiurao ask, "What’s the urgency of your visit so late in the evening"

Leng Huai stood up and replied, "Your Highness, we wanted to know… how should we deal with those Xiling captives" It was not an urgent matter originally. But when he was dragged along by Feng Zhiyao who now looked as if he had eaten his fill and died, Leng Huai could only mention the matter.

Although it wasn't pressing, it was still a significant issue. The Xiling captives numbered nearly ten thousand men. No matter where they were placed, this would be a big problem to deal with and not an easy one either.

Hearing that, Mo Xiurao’s eyes flashed for a moment. He was about to speak when he saw Ye Lü beside him and paused in his words. After some thought, he said, "Send them back to Xiling. We don't need too many of them. Fifty taels per soldier."

Leng Huai hesitated, “Will the Xilings agree It’s not a lot for fifty taels but it would be quite a sum when you add up ten thousand soldiers. Moreover, it wouldn’t be difficult to recruit such numbers of troops even if they didn't give us this money.”

For Xi Ling, it was far from being an attractive deal.

Mo Xiurao snorted and said coldly, "Make the announcement to the world. They will have to agree whether or not they want to. If they don’t… send them all to the north to farm."

The north had been devastated by the Northern Rong people and was in need of manpower for farming.

Leng Huai thought about it and couldn't help but smile. The Prince of Ding truly was intelligent, "I will follow your orders."aughter, one cannot expect to enter Princess Consort Ding’s household! Miss Helian, give a clear identity and then speak with this princess consort!"Helian Huimin stood up, her beautiful face full of...