帝聲音中氣十足，並無大礙，門口的人這才放下心來重新守在外頭。Inside the palace chamber, Momo Jingqi laughed bitterly. His outburst had agitated his lungs and heart; once the Empress Dowager left, his already pale complexion rapidly...421. The Assassination Attempt on the Queen of Nanzhao

421. The Assassination Attempt on the Queen of Nanzhao

In the study of Duke Ding, Mo Xiuyao, Ye Li, and Xu Qingchen were discussing matters when Qin Feng came to request an audience outside, "Your Highness and Lady, Qin Feng requests an audience."

Ye Li slightly frowned and said, "Come in. What is it"

Qin Feng stepped into the study, glanced at everyone present—Xu Qingchen, Feng Zhirao, Han Mingyue, all trusted by Duke Ding and Lady—"Earlier, Mo Jingyu secretly met someone at a small tea house in town. I suspect that person may be Mo Jingli."

Mo Xiuyao raised an eyebrow and asked, "Where is the person now"

Qin Feng lowered his head somewhat shamefully, "He slipped away. That tea house might very well have been a secret base of Mo Jingli in Li City. Please punish me for my failure." By the time they sneaked into the place, the entire teahouse was already deserted. It was clearly arranged beforehand to be an escape route with hidden tunnels. Mo Xiuyao waved his hand and said calmly, "There is no such thing as a completely secure fortress; it's not your fault. Can you confirm that it was indeed Mo Jingli What could he possibly want from Mo Jingyu"

Han Mingyue smiled, "Mo Jingli daring to come to Li City now clearly shows his intentions. As for Mo Jingyu... I'm afraid something must have fallen into Mo Jingli's hands that allows him to blackmail Mo Jingyu." Xu Qingchen nodded in agreement with Han Mingyue's opinion and looked at Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li, "We should advise Xiao Bao to be more careful these days." Although Mo Jingli may hate them even more for their power, it would indeed be extremely difficult to harm them given their strength. The unripened Xiao Bao thus became the most obvious weak point.

Ye Li nodded solemnly and took Xu Qingchen's advice into account. In fact, she was already planning to increase the number of people protecting Xiao Bao. No matter how clever and capable he is, Xiao Bao is still only a ten-year-old boy after all.

Feng Zhirao frowned and said, "Mo Jingli seems to have become smarter now; even the Dark Guards of Duke Ding's mansion can't catch him."

Han Mingyue smiled, "It's not that he has become smarter. He is merely a frightened bird fearing for his life. If he really had become smarter, he wouldn’t come to Li City." Leng Haoyu expressed concern, "Being able to sneak into Li City at least proves that he does have some capable subordinates. I fear that now with nothing left, he may be plotting to take Duke Ding's mansion down with him in a mutual destruction scenario. Such people are always dangerous and it’s best to apprehend them as soon as possible."

All the others nodded in agreement; fools were not scary, but neither were intelligent people. The most terrifying were those who thought they were smart yet feared nothing. It was hard to predict what such people might do.

Hearing Leng Haoyu's words, Mo Xiuyao raised his eyebrows and seemed to be in deep thought. Xu Qingchen looked at him and asked, "Does Your Highness have some plan" Mo Xiuyao smiled calmly, "It’s just one Mo Jingli; there’s no need to worry too much about it. I already have a plan. In a few days, there will be the first birthday celebration for Ling’er and Xine. You all should put more effort into it this year. There seems to be quite a number of people coming

Feng Zhiyao nodded and smiled, saying, "That's right. Apart from the envoys of Beirong Dachu and Xi Ling who are already in Li City, Queen Nanzhao and her consort, Princess Helan of the Northern Frontier, and the envoys of Western Regions have all set off on their journey and will arrive shortly."

"Looks like Qingbai and Zhang Qilan have done well in Xi Ling" Mo Xiuyao stroked his chin with a smile. The imperial city of Xi Ling was located far to the west, bordering several countries in Western Regions. However, for many years, relations between Xi Ling and these countries were mostly hostile; not only did they rarely send envoys to congratulate each other, but even trade routes between them often interrupted. In earlier years, the trading route between Western Regions and Central Plains was still maintained through an agreement between Dingwang Manor and Xi Ling. It wasn't until most of northern Xi Ling fell into the hands of the Mo family army that true communication began between Central Plains and Western Regions.

Xu Qingchen smiled faintly, "I heard there were a few conflicts at first, but now that Dingwang Manor is prospering, even people from Western Regions know how to read the situation. It's natural for them to send envoys to congratulate us. By the way, Qingbai and his group are coming back with this envoy of Western Regions as well, probably arriving in two days."

Xu Qingchen nodded, asking, "Then… should we leave the matter of these envoys from Western Regions to Qingze" It was convenient since Xu Qingze and Xu Qingbai were brothers who could exchange ideas if they encountered any issues.

Xu Qingchen and Xu Qingze both nodded in agreement, indicating there were no objections.

After finishing their discussion, everyone left. Ye Li then turned to Mo Xiuyao and asked, "What are you planning to do about Mo Jingli" Mo Xiuyao held her close and said softly, "No need to worry; Xiaobao has quite a few people around him. Besides, he's not a pushover himself. It's hard to say who would be at a disadvantage if he encounters Mo Jingli."

Ye Li frowned and said unhappily, "He is still just a child."

"In Dingwang Manor, one isn't considered a child after ten years old," Ye Li replied. "We can't always stay by his side; sooner or later he will have to stand on his own feet." Ye Li sighed quietly. Although she knew Mo Xiuyao was doing this for the benefit of Xiaobao, it was hard for her to accept treating a child like an adult when she herself had grown up in such an idyllic environment.

But under current circumstances, they couldn't afford to let Xiaobao grow slowly. From Mo Xiuyao's personality and plans, he obviously intended to hand over Dingwang Manor sooner or later and live freely outside the world. Thus, it was right to start nurturing Xiaobao now to prevent any sudden changes.

"Don't worry, Xiaobao is also my son," Mo Xiuyao comforted her softly when he noticed Ye Li's concern for Xiaobao. He felt helpless towards her excessive worries. No matter how naughty Xiaobao was, he still couldn't harm his own flesh and blood; did he treat Xiaobao so poorly that it made Ye Li worry like this The Prince of Dingwang Manor had a rare moment of self-reflection.

Ye Li smiled faintly, "I know, but I can't help worrying. You understand… logic and emotion are two different things," she said. Even if Xiaobao were as old as Mo Xiuyao, his mother would still worry for him. "Since you have plans in your heart, do what you think is best. I will take care of Liren and Xier well." If Mo Jingli truly went mad, those at risk wouldn't just be Xiaobao; Liren and Xier could also be in danger.

"I promise Xiaobao will be safe," Mo Xiuyao solemnly promised.

"Okay, I know that," Ye Li nodded with a smile.

"My lord and lady, something has happened!" Qin Feng rushed in with a very unhappy expression.

Ye Li got up. "What is it" Qin Feng was usually composed, so if he lost his temper and barged into the study without proper decorum, there must be something serious happening. Qin Feng said solemnly, "The Queen of Nanzhao was ambushed not far from Licheng City, and both she and Prince Xiao went missing!"

“What!” Not only Ye Li but even Mo Xiuyao looked surprised.

Mosuiyao thought for a moment then frowned. "Why would the Queen of Nanzhao bring her son to Licheng City" Last year, Princess Anxi had given birth to a little prince in Central China. Back then both Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao were not in Licheng City. The child is barely half a year old now. Even if she went personally to congratulate them on the occasion of the first birthday of their son, it wouldn't make sense for her to bring such a young child along.

Qin Feng said, "After leaving Licheng city last year, Princess Anxi and Lord Wu did not return home. Instead, they continued traveling in Central China. They had just started planning their trip back when they heard that the Ding Wangfu was going to hold a first birthday celebration for little Crown Prince and Princess Xiao. So, they brought the little prince back here. Unfortunately, on the way back, they were ambushed by an unknown group of people not far from Licheng city. Lord Wu was severely injured, and both Queen and her son are missing."

"Where is Lord Wu Bring him in quickly," Ye Li said.

Soon, Nanzhao's Lord Wu Pu'a walked in with blood stains all over his once magnificent blue attire. His arm and face were also injured; it was evident that he had fought a fierce battle.

"Ding Wang, Ding Wangfei," because of Princess Anxi's relationship with Ye Li, Pu'a knew Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li quite well too. Without any ceremony, he said anxiously, "Ding Wang, Wangfei, please save Anxi and her child!" He tried to kneel in front of them.

Men from Southern Jiang were actually very arrogant and would not easily kneel before others. The disappearance of his wife and son had completely thrown this man off balance.

Mosuiyao quickly helped him up, saying solemnly, "Pu'a, be at ease. As long as the Queen is still in Northwest, I will ensure we find her. We'll explain everything to Nanzhao."

Mo Xiuyao had an innate ability to calm people and gain their trust. Hearing this, Pu’a quickly calmed down, taking a deep breath before saying, "If there's anything I can do for you, please instruct me. As long as… Anxi and the child return safely."

Mosuiyao patted him on the shoulder, saying, "Sit first, tell us what happened. Then go to the guest room and rest properly; your injuries aren’t minor either."

Pu’a nodded heavily, then tidied his thoughts and recounted their encounter with the ambush.

It turned out that Princess Anxi and Pu’ a had been traveling around for half a year with their child. During this period, there was constant warfare among three sides in Central China, but as per Ye Li and Mosuiyao's advice, Princess Anxi stayed neutral. Since there wasn't much happening back home, the two of them didn’t rush to return.

When they heard about Ding Wangfu preparing a first birthday celebration for their little prince and princess, given Nanzhao’s relationship with Ding Wangfu, it would be natural for them to attend. They had already planned to head back, but on their way back, in an isolated official road not far from Licheng City, they were ambushed.

Pu’ a led his bodyguards into battle and fought fiercely against the numerous opponents who were all skilled fighters. Overpowered at first due to surprise, they lost ground early; Princess Anxi was taken captive along with her child.

Hearing Pu’a’s recounting, Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li exchanged glances as their minds gradually formed an understanding of what had happened. Ye Li called for Fu Zhiyao from Ding Wangfu to take care of Pu’ a while he rested.

When Fu Zhiyao arrived with the rest of his group, Leng Haoyu said under his breath, "I told you that Mo Jingli would pull some stunt! But what’s his motive in kidnapping Anxi Doesn’t he fear alarming Ding Wangfu and drawing our attention Or does he really have so much power to ignore Ding Wangfu

Han Mingyue frowned and looked at Mo Xiuyao, saying, "There's no point in abducting Princess Anxi; Mo Jingli won't benefit from it either. The only possibility is… He wants to sabotage the Dingwang Mansion’s first birthday banquet. If all the envoys attending the banquet are assassinated or something happens to them..." As the incident involving the envoys occurred on Dingwang Mansion's territory, even if it wasn’t their fault, they would likely have to give an explanation to the other countries.

Feng Zhirao said solemnly, "If that’s true, he won't stop at abducting Princess Anxi. There is also Herlan Princess who will be arriving in Li City soon and those Western Region envoys." In short, Mo Jingli wanted to humiliate the Dingwang Mansion.

Ye Li lowered her gaze and thought for a moment before saying solemnly, "Feng San, tell Mo Hua to dispatch Dingwang Mansion’s secret guards to receive the envoys from all countries. Ensure that these envoys reach Li City safely. Additionally, transfer five ten-thousand man armies stationed near Li City's camp. Divide them into units of five hundred men each and patrol a hundred miles around Li City day and night without interruption. Order Qilin to station two teams in Li City and the remaining four teams at the four cardinal directions surrounding Li City for immediate support when needed."

"Yes, Your Excellency," Feng Zhirao nodded and accepted the order.

"What do you think about the incident involving Queen of Nan Zhou" Mo Xiuyao asked. Everyone was silent for a while before Leng Haoyu sighed softly, "I hope that if Mo Jingli wants to make demands on us, he won't harm Princess Anxi temporarily. Otherwise..." If the queen and her only prince died in Li City, it wouldn’t be beneficial to Dingwang Mansion’s relationship with Nan Zhou.

"We’ll send people to search for them everywhere," Feng Zhirao said with a serious tone.

Ye Li nodded. "Inform everyone; we must handle this cautiously and ensure the safety of Princess Anxi and the little prince."

Han Mingyue said, "Princess Anxi is no ordinary person. It’s impossible for Mo Jingli to move around in the vicinity of Li City with a woman like her and an infant under half a year old without leaving any clues. Your Excellency doesn’t need to be overly anxious." Ye Li thought for a moment before saying, "Then let Mingyue take charge of this matter." Han Mingyue used to be the head of the largest intelligence organization in Dachu; he should have more experience in finding people than others.

Han Mingyue clasped his hands and smiled. "I won’t disappoint Your Excellency’s expectations."

Ye Li sighed lightly, saying, "Thank you for your efforts."

In a cave outside of Li City, Princess Anxi woke from unconsciousness, rubbed her slightly painful forehead, and flashed a sharp gaze that instantly cleared her mind. She quickly looked around.

"Are you looking for him" A male voice came from不遠處，帶著幾分惡意和嘲弄。

安溪公主循著聲音望去，隻見一個穿著粗布衣服，長著濃密的鬍鬚的男子站在不遠處，手裡正抱著一個繈褓裡的小嬰兒。他抱孩子的姿勢並不熟練，也並不在意。隻是一隻手隨意地抱著繈褓，幸好孩子已經睡著了，並冇有苦惱。

Translation of the last paragraph, preserving the original HTML tags:

"Are you looking for him" A male voice came from不遠處, with a hint of malice and mockery.

Princess Anxi followed the sound and saw a man in rough clothes with thick beard standing not far away. He was holding an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes. His posture when cradling the child wasn't very skilled, nor did he care much. He held the baby casually with one hand; fortunately, the baby was already asleep and therefore didn't cry.

"Shuo'er! Who are you!" Princess Anxi stared at the man in front of her with suspicion. He seemed somewhat familiar, but when she tried to recall who he was, she found that there was no such person in her memory.

The man appeared to be taken aback for a moment before sneering coldly, "The Queen of Nanzhao has quite a forgetful nature. I remember we met not long ago."

"I" This term is the exclusive self-reference used by emperors in Central Plains. Princess Anxi was stunned and then looked again hesitantly: "Are you… Mo Jingli" It's no wonder that she didn’t recognize him; after all, she had never met him before. Moreover, this man beside her bore no resemblance to the arrogant and sinister Prince Li of Chu except in height. His originally handsome face had turned yellowish and gaunt, his eyes filled with brutality and a hint of madness, and there was something about his beard that seemed more like a bandit chieftain's than anything else. No one would doubt if they were told he came from some mountain hideout.

Mo Jingli looked at Princess Anxi and burst out laughing, "That’s right! I am Mo Jingli! It never occurred to me that the Queen of Nanzhao could still remember me!"

Princess Anxi watched with some alarm as Shuo'er started struggling in his sleep because of his frantic state. She knew he would wake up soon.

"Give me the child first." Princess Anxi said firmly.

"The child Why should I listen to you" Mo Jingli asked from a high and mighty position. "Shuo'er is too young to understand what adults are saying, so he will surely cry when he wakes up. You wouldn't want his crying to attract people from the Ding王府, would you" Princess Anxi said.

Indeed, as soon as Princess Anxi’s voice dropped, Shuo'er already pouted and started whimpering, about to burst into tears any moment now. Mo Jingli was most annoyed by incessant cries after his days of being on the run; he roared angrily, “Be quiet!”

Six months old baby couldn’t possibly understand his warning, so it began crying loudly. Mo Jingli glared at Princess Anxi and threw the child to her without hesitation. Startled, she jumped up to catch the falling Shuo'er. Holding him in her arms again, she gently patted him to calm down, "Shuo'er… be a good boy, don't cry…"

"Make him stop crying immediately! Otherwise I won’t show mercy!" Mo Jingli coldly ordered. Princess Anxi glanced sideways at him and didn’t answer but softly soothed the child in her arms instead. Soon after being cradled by his mother, Shuo'er’s sobs subsided into soft weeping before he fell asleep again.

Seeing that Shuo'er was sleeping soundly once more, Princess Anxi carefully laid him down on a flat and dry spot around them, spreading some insect-repellent powder. As someone from the borderlands of Southern China, she had plenty of these supplies at hand.

Only after ensuring the safety of Shuo'er did Princess Anxi approach Mo Jingli standing by the cave entrance calmly: "Why has Emperor Chu captured this queen here"

Mo Jingli looked at her with malice, sneering coldly, “Why Can’t I arrest you just because I want to”

Princess Anxi shook her head and said, "If that's the case, I wouldn't have believed it. If Emperor Chu had no reason, he would have killed me right at the beginning, why wait until now Could it be... for the Ding王府" This wasn’t hard to guess; even though Mo Jingli was deposed by the Grand Empress Dowager and officials of Great Chu, it all boiled down to his war with the Ding王府. If he hadn't been defeated by the Ding王府, those officials wouldn't dare to rebel against Mo Jingli in Southern Jiangnan even if they had ten pairs of guts.

Mo Jingli stared at her and said, "You are indeed clever; no wonder Shumanlin couldn’t match up to you. Unfortunately... No matter how smart you are, once you fall into my hands, it’s useless. If you want to blame someone, blame yourself for coming here."

Princess Anxi did not say another word. Being as sharp and intelligent as she was, she could clearly see something wasn’t right with Mo Jingli. If he had decided to kill her, nothing she said would make a difference. As the Queen of Nanzhou, she wouldn’t beg for mercy anyway.

But Princess Anxi’s calmness infuriated Mo Jingli. He stared at her and sneered coldly, "Are you thinking your husband will come to save you Yes, he did escape, but... do you think people from the Ding王府 will be able to find you Even if they can find you... this child is not yet a year old, would he survive until then"

Princess Anxi said indifferently, "What do you want"

Mo Jingli laughed and replied, “I don’t have any particular desire. I just want to see how powerful the Ding王府 is."

After a long silence with her eyes closed, Princess Anxi spoke, "You’re just trying to distract the people of the Ding王府 so you can do something else... You are planning on doing them harm."

Mo Jingli tilted his head and sized up Princess Anxi for a while before sighing, “Indeed, you’re such an intelligent woman. Much smarter than that fool from Qixia. How did I fall in love with her back then”

Princess Anxi clenched her teeth as anger flashed through her eyes. When Princess Qixia was sent back to Li City by Ye Li, she hadn’t recovered from her severe injuries and looked like a child of eight or nine years old, dazed and blank-minded. Though she was furious at this disobedient sister of hers, seeing how she had been harmed by the man who had loved her for over ten years, Princess Anxi couldn’t help but hate Mo Jingli’s ruthlessness.

"Since you know all that, just stay乖乖地呆著。說不定朕心情好了，就放你們一馬。若是不老實…朕保證讓你親眼看著你的寶貝兒子死得很難看！"墨景黎居高臨下地看著安溪公主，冷酷地笑道。“你既然知道了，就給朕乖乖的呆著。說不定朕心情好了，就放你們一馬。若是不老實…朕保證讓你親眼看著你的寶貝兒子死的很難看！”墨景黎居高臨下的盯著安溪公主，冷酷的笑道。 "You know everything, just stay put. Maybe when I’m in a good mood, I’ll let you go. But if you don’t behave yourself...I guarantee that you will watch your precious son die a horrible death!" Mo Jingli stared down at Princess Anxi with a cruel smile.

Pondering for a moment, he added with a mocking smile, “At this very moment, the people from the Ding王府 are searching everywhere for us. But... don’t worry; they won’t find you here no matter what. Even if they did find you… they wouldn’t dare come over unless they want your life. By the way, if you want to escape, go ahead and try."

After saying that, Mo Jingli ignored Princess Anxi and sauntered out of the cave.

Once she saw his figure disappear at the cave entrance, Princess Anxi slowly moved towards it. Soon enough, she realized why Mo Jingli was not afraid of her escaping or people from the Ding王府 finding her. The cave was halfway up a cliff with an expansive lake below that stretched far into the distance. If she had been alone, she might have tried to jump off the cliff, but with a child in tow, there was no way for her to escape on her own.

She silently looked at the lake beneath the cliff. She wasn’t very familiar with the northwest and couldn’t guess where exactly she was. After pondering for a while, Princess Anxi turned around and walked back into the cave.at you sent over to our border have been in vain” Moshyouxiao laughed. Xu Qingchen didn’t care about being caught out by Moshyouxiao and simply smiled back, saying, "In this case, may Your Highness wi...