udly while looking kindly at Ye Li. Ye Li smiled gently. "Matriarch’s praise is too kind; I can’t even come close to my late mother’s elegance, but if I could inherit just a fraction of it, that would...429. Duke's Mansion Night Banquet

429. Duke's Mansion Night Banquet

Seeing the unconscious boy in brocade clothes lying on the chaise lounge, everyone was shocked. They fearfully stared at Zhao Zhefang standing by the side. One of them took a step forward and asked excitedly, "Are you crazy Abducting the Young Master of Ding王府 in Li City!" Just thinking about the bloodshed the Duke had been involved in over the years made their spines shiver. The spies and qilins from the Ding王府 were everywhere; if the Duke found out about this matter, not only them but even their nine generations of relatives and pets wouldn't be able to escape death.

Zhao Zhefang sighed helplessly and said with a bitter smile, "Do you think I have the ability to abduct the Young Master of Ding王府"

"Then what's going on" Everyone looked at Zhao Zhefang solemnly.

Zhao Zhefang sighed and said, "These days, there has been someone taking care of you. Need I guess who it is" Hearing his words, the three people's expressions changed. They then heard Zhao Zhefang continue, "He already told me everything, so that's why I called you over. The news of Ding王府 Young Master's disappearance won't be kept secret for long; when that happens, Ding王府 guards and Mo Family Army might search door to door. Then... it will be hard to hide."

The three people had a grim look on their faces as they stared at Zhao Zhefang and said, "What good is bringing us here" They used to be important high-ranking clans in the Great Chu Kingdom, but after siding with Ding王府, they were not valued. This time when Duke Ding heavily rewarded officials, most of the prominent noble families were excluded. Afterwards, all the families fought fiercely for the vacant position of Left Chancellor, only for Duke Ding to give it to an outsider named Chen Xiufu. At that moment, they realized that Duke Ding did not need them; these high-ranking clans following Duke Ding would inevitably decline generation after generation. So when Mo Jingli came looking for them, they quickly got interested. Not only because of the benefits and future Mo Jingli promised them, but also because they had to make a desperate attempt.

Zhao Zhefang's somewhat aged face forced out a cold smile: "Do you think that if this matter is found by Duke Ding, you could escape Right now, Ding王府 is looking everywhere for him. If he gets caught, do you think he wouldn't implicate us"

Hearing these words, everyone couldn't help but break out in cold sweat. They regretted their impulsiveness when agreeing to work with Mo Jingli back then. Maybe they were blinded by the disdain from Ding王府 and left behind Left Chancellor position; would following someone like Mo Jingli really have a future But at this point, there was no turning back for them. Not only because Duke Ding wouldn't tolerate betrayal, but also because they all had some leverage in Mo Jingli's hands, making it impossible to go back.

"Then what do you plan to do"

Zhao Zhefang lowered his head and thought for a long time before shaking his head and saying, "The young master still has great use, we can't harm him. But... keeping him here isn't safe." The three people exchanged glances and nodded in agreement. Zhao's mansion didn't have any secret places to hide someone; if they kept the young master here for too long, it wouldn't be safe.

"What should we do then"

Zhao Zhefang thought for a moment and said, "We must first find a secret place to hide the young prince."

"Then what about the little emperor Given that person's nature, he probably wouldn't keep him either. How about..."

“No, if the little emperor doesn’t attend tonight’s banquet, it will surely arouse Duke Ding’s suspicions,” Zhao Zhefang shook his head.

"My lord, Duke Yu of Chu requests an audience," a guard outside reported quietly.

Beneath the eaves outside, Moxiaobao was crouched on the carved beams, bending over to listen in at the window with a broad smile on his delicate face.

A few moments later, several people left the study one after another. Before leaving, Zhao Zhefang instructed the guards at the door to keep an eye on those inside and then followed the other three out of the house. Today, all prominent figures in Li City had gathered at Duke Ding’s residence; if they did not appear now, it would only arouse more suspicion.

Seeing Zhao Zhefang and others leave, Moxiaobao silently descended from the roof eaves and glanced at the two guards by the door with a frown. Soon enough, he turned his eyes to retrieve a delicate gadget from his sleeve pocket and lightly pressed it towards one of them.

With a slight sound, the guard at the door crumpled onto the ground. The other was startled and opened his mouth to call for help when darkness enveloped him as well and he fell to the floor too. Xu Zhirui stood behind a pillar with a cold face and glared at Moxiaobao; Moxiaobao chuckled and pulled him into the study. Outside, two black-clad guards silently landed in the courtyard, exchanged a smile upon seeing the fallen guards, then quickly removed them to a concealed area, leaving two unremarkable men dressed as guards standing at the entrance of the study.

"The prince’s mood seems quite good; he still has time for training even now."

"Given the difficulty level, I guess His Highness would disdain to get involved himself,"

"Young Master Xiao is quite bold, but he forgot about the aftermath." If someone suddenly arrived and found two people lying at the door, wouldn't that expose everything So, as a Dark Guard, one must always be ready to clean up for their master.

"Given Young Master Xiao's and Xu Xia公子's stature, they couldn't possibly handle such large items."

The two exchanged glances and couldn't help but have an idea: Was Young Master Xiao so confident that they would come to help him deal with this

In the study, Mo Xiaobao was joyfully dancing around as he rummaged through everything. In no time at all, he had found many interesting things. The Zhao family hadn't moved into this estate for long, so there weren't too many secret places. Moreover, even if there were any hidden passages or mechanisms, they wouldn't necessarily deceive someone who was intelligent and curious from a young age.

Xu Zhirui sat on the soft couch, watching as Mo Xiaobao rummaged through boxes while also frowning at the two people lying on the couch. Many times, Xu Zhirui really couldn't understand how his cousin, who was only two years younger than him, could have grown into such a character. His aunt was clearly gentle and elegant, and her husband, Prince Ding, had an imposing presence with a regal demeanor, but this cousin of his turned out to be quite unlike either of them. Apart from his handsome face, there was no end to his mischief.

"Did you come here to see these two" Xu Zhirui asked unhappily.

Mo Xiaobao glanced at him and tossed a small porcelain bottle over with the back of his hand. "What's there to look at They were drugged, just smell this and they'll wake up. This is from Sister Yun Ge; it can neutralize all kinds of sleeping powders." He then continued looking through letters and documents taken from a locked cabinet in Zhao Zhefang’s room without another glance.

Xu Zhirui wordlessly placed the medicine bottle under Qin Lie's and Mo Su Yun's noses, and indeed, it wasn't long before Qin Lie woke up first. Seeing Xu Zhirui didn’t surprise him; he silently sat up. A little later, Mo Su Yun also woke up but without Qin Lie’s composure, almost called out loud. He was promptly covered by both Qin Lie and Xu Zhirui.

Mo Xiaobao stood from the bookshelf edge, casually tucking a thin booklet into his chest, evidently having found what he sought. Waving his hand, he said, "Don’t worry, it's all our people outside." Mo Su Yun looked at Mo Xiaobao in simple clothes and then at Qin Lie beside him wearing dark brocade robes that made him look even more like the Prince of Ding王府’s heir, speechless for a moment.

However, Mo Xiaobao paid no mind to Mo Su Yun's shock. Smiling, he patted Mo Su Yun on the shoulder and said, "Good fellow, many thanks this time." Even if Mo Su Yun was dim-witted enough to know someone had taken advantage of him, he angrily pushed away Mo Xiaobao’s hand and pointed at Qin Lie asking, "Who is that" Smilingly, Mo Xiaobao replied, "That's not important; don't you think they look alike Like twins That's really hard to do."

After sizing up Qin Lie for a long time, Mo Su Yun said, "So advanced in disguise techniques, no wonder Uncle Prince Ding could fool both the Western Capital Southern King and Li Prince." Mo Xiaobao smiled as he tugged at Qin Lie's face. "This is really difficult to do; ordinary people can’t learn it... I don't know how either...

Qin Lie raised his hand and slapped off Mo Xiaobao's mischievous hand from his face.

"He is shorter than you." After a long observation, Mo Suiyun finally said: "It’s Qin Lie." As soon as the word "short" was mentioned, Qin Lie's aura instantly turned cold. Although it wasn’t obvious on his changed appearance, one could tell from the cold light in his eyes that this was Qin Lie’s sore spot. Indeed, considering age, Qin Lie was the eldest among them, but when it came to height, he was barely as tall as Xu Zhirui. It should be noted that Xu Zhirui wasn’t even ten years old yet. Not growing taller is a pain for every man, boys included.

Seeing Qin Lie about to lose his temper, Mo Xiaobao quickly pounced over and pressed him down with a solicitous smile: "Don't get angry, don’t get angry… It was just a slip of the tongue from the little emperor. If he dies, we can’t afford to compensate for it… Mr Shen also said that you developed late because you started training martial arts too early; after sixteen, you’ll grow taller."

With his much younger self comforting him, Qin Lie didn't feel any consolation.

Xu Zhirui stood by the side with folded arms and said unhappily: "Are you guys going or not Do you think this is your home" Mo Xiaobao smiled: “Let’s go… You two go first, I’ll stay behind with the little emperor."

"Nonsense!" Xu Zhirui glared at him coldly, displaying some of the demeanor of a second son from the Xu family. Mo Xiaobao drooped his face and said, "Brother Zhirui, what if Uncle Zhao Zhefang finds out when we’re gone How are we going to play then"

Xu Zhirui replied: “Aren’t you the one who found it Go back and hand it over to Prince Ding Wang and your aunt; once done, come here to arrest him."

"Who needs arresting Mo Jingli doesn’t even know which rat hole he’s hiding in. If I leave, he won’t come out or will cause some trouble. What if he starts wreaking havoc and killing people in Li City, ruining Xin'er and Liner's first birthday celebration Furthermore, Father said we’re going to put on a good show tonight to scare those old fools who don't know the gravity of the situation; what if the play doesn’t go ahead I’ll die a very bad death!" Mo Xiaobao declared with righteous indignation. Xu Zhirui rolled his eyes and asked, "Then how do you want it" Mo Xiaobao slipped out of the scroll from his arms and stuffed it into Xu Zhirui's: "You two can head back first; give this to my father and mother. I’ll stay here and see what’s so great about this Mo Jingli."

Mo Suiyun objected, “If you want to stay behind, then do so yourself; I don’t want to stay and risk my life with you."

Mos Xiaobao grinned without genuine happiness as he looked at Mo Suiyun: "Brother, that’s not right. We’re on the same boat. How can you desert us just before we set off" Mo Suiyun replied: “I only agreed to cooperate with you and bring you here; I didn’t promise to accompany you in hunting down Mo Jingli.” Mo Xiaobao's delicate face instantly turned fierce as he grabbed Mo Suiyun’s collar and shook him hard, "Humph! Once you’re on this young lord’s pirate ship, are you thinking of getting off Will you or won't you Don’t do it if you don’t want to. Believe me or not, I’ll shout out loud that you partnered with me to cheat Mo Jingli"

Mo Suiyun angrily waved away his hands: "You madman! Do you want to die!"

Mos Xiaobao stared at him and grinned in a slightly lecherous manner, “If Mo Jingli really comes over here, I might escape unharmed, but it won’t be the same for you.”

"I know!" Mosuiyun glared fiercely at Moxiaobao.

Moxiaobao nodded approvingly. "That's better. Stay here and keep me company, I promise you'll be safe. There's a saying... for your brother, you'd take a knife to the ribs, right Aren't we good brothers"

Spit! Who is my good brother Having such a brother would only get you stabbed.

After dealing with Mosuiyun, Moxiaobao sat on the soft couch and waved at Xu Zhirui and Qin Lie. "Alright, Qin Lie, come change clothes with me. You two can go back now." Qin Lie glanced at him coolly and said, "I'll stay, you go."

Moxiaobao pouted, staring at the face that was exactly like his own. "I'm the Crown Prince! I have the final say here! You secretly disguised yourself as me to run away; I haven't even reprimanded you yet!"

Qin Lie looked at him coolly and said, "What is it that you can do but I cannot There's no need for you to stay."

"No way!" He still wanted to see the madman Mo Jingli. His father had told him something very interesting; he needed to confirm it himself or else it would be a pity.

Qin Lie didn't bother speaking anymore and casually pulled out Xu Zhirui's dagger, pressing it against his own neck. "Go."

Moxiaobao was taken aback, wanting to say something but seeing Qin Lie press the dagger further down, just short of piercing his neck. "Are you going or not" Moxiaobao gaped; he had never been threatened in his life And by someone who actually used their own neck as leverage, it was truly bizarre. Aren't you my wife Moxiaobao grumbled to himself. However, the shoddy ones fear the barefooted, and those without shoes fear the desperate. Compared to Moxiaobao, who enjoyed tormenting others, Qin Lie was clearly the one with nothing left to lose.

After a moment's pause, Moxiaobao finally gave up. He glared at Qin Lie in dissatisfaction before walking over to Xu Zhirui's side. Seeing Moxiaobao put down, Mosuiyun actually felt relieved. "I now understand why you're so mad." Because all of you are not normal!

As they exited the study, Moxiaobao saw two guards standing at attention by the door and showed no surprise. "Thank you for your hard work."

"It's no trouble, these are all duties that subordinates should fulfill." A guard replied seriously. He thought to himself, "Young Marquis, you would comfort us the most if you didn't折騰 so much."

This evening, the entire Ding王府 was brightly lit with lanterns. The main hall in the front courtyard, which was specifically for hosting guests, was also filled with distinguished guests. Sitting at the topmost seat were naturally Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li. To their right sat Mr Qingyun and people from the Xu family, while to their left sat Chen Xifu and Xu Qingchen along with other important literary officials and military generals of the Ding王府. Below that on the guest seats were guests and envoys from various countries.

Below, Mo Su Yun and Mo Jing Yu sat among the guests from Chu State, but both their expressions seemed somewhat absent-minded. Across from them, where the Western Capital Embassy was seated, a bureaucrat whispered to Lei Tengfeng: "I haven't seen the young marquis of Ding王府 all day."

Lei Tengfeng looked over and indeed saw that the seat designated for Young Marquis Mo Yuchen remained empty below where Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li were seated. Furthermore, during today's noon ceremony when the children reached out to grab objects symbolizing their future, he hadn't seen Mo Yuchen either. Lei Tengfeng glanced at Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li, who appeared calm and composed, raising an eyebrow with a smile: "Since we are guests, there's no need to worry about such matters."

Lei Tengfeng might not have cared, but it didn't mean that others weren't concerned. A man with features from the Western Regions stood up curiously and asked, "Ding Wang, why don’t I see your young prince here" It was understandable for the envoys from the Western Regions to be curious, as they had little interaction with Central Plains. Though other people might have seen Mo Xiaobao once or twice before, these Western Region envoys hadn't met him at all. Naturally, they were quite curious about this future heir of Ding王府.

Mo Xiuyao smiled lightly and replied, "Young Marquis is slightly unwell today and will come later."

The simple words, however, carried a dismissive tone to the ears of those present. Some people's expressions changed subtly, others appeared thoughtful, while still others looked concerned.

Mo Xiuyao swept his gaze coolly over everyone below, pausing briefly on Mo Jingyu and Mo Suyun. Mo Jingyu and Mo Suyun immediately felt a heavy pressure pressing down upon them like tangible weight. Mo Suyun paled and quickly lowered his head, while Mo Jingyu's wine cup trembled slightly, spilling some of the fine wine onto his sleeve. Ignoring the looks from others around him, Mo Jingyu quickly put down his cup, tightly gripping both hands under the table.

Mo Xiuyao stood up and picked up a cup of wine with a smile: "Today is my son Yufeng's first birthday and my daughter Yu Ya's one-year-old birthday. Thank you all for coming from afar. My wife and I would like to raise our cups to your health." Beside Mo Xiuyao, Ye Li also raised her own cup and gave the guests below a distant toast. Everyone quickly rose in response: "We wish Young Marquis and Princess Yu Ya a happy birthday." The hosts and guests drank a glass together; the main hall soon became lively with music and dance. Servers dressed in the attire of Ding王府 came forward to serve everyone more wine, while soft music played and beautiful dancers performed gracefully. The entire hall buzzed with laughter and clinking glasses.

——Extra——

Sob~ Finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel! I didn't miss an update this time.loud, even those outside monitoring wouldn't notice any commotion. Of course, the dark warriors already lurking within Princess’s Mansion would prevent anyone from approaching the guest courtyard unne...