Ye Li felt guilty and lowered her head.Grand Secretary Ye forced a smile and said, "Father knows that Ji'er has good intentions.""Father..." Ye Ying called out anxiously.Grand Secretary Ye's expressi...23. Little Treasure's Scam (Final)

"Martial Emperor Chen, come out here!" Mo Su Yun, wearing an imperial robe and wielding a sword with murderous intent, charged over.

The little marquis of the Mo family was depressed as he got up and leaped onto the pavilion to avoid Mo Su Yun's sword, which cut without hesitation. He said angrily, "Mo Su Yun, are you ever going to stop It's just a trivial matter, but it seems like I killed your parents!" This is truly unreasonable and too narrow-minded.

Mo Su Yun almost spat blood: Even if Mo Yuchen really did kill his parents, he wouldn't be so angry. Now, every time he thinks about what Little Treasure has done, Mo Su Yun gets furious enough to want to tear him apart limb from limb.

"Martial Emperor Chen, come down here for me! I'm going to kill you!" Pointing the sword at the black-clothed youth crouching on the pavilion, Mo Su Yun roared.

"Do you think this marquis is an idiot" Little Treasure sneered. He certainly didn't want to jump down for him to chop. If Mo Su Yun couldn’t hit him and got himself so angry he died instead, wouldn't people in Southern Chu still suspect that he had come into the palace to assassinate

Since today was already very enjoyable, Little Treasure finally decided to sound the retreat when he saw how breathless with anger Mo Su Yun was. He stood up and brushed his hands off calmly.

"It's getting late; my little dragonling is waiting for me at home for dinner. See you tomorrow," he said, then soared away in full view of everyone present, like a black eagle disappearing beyond the high palace walls.

Looking at Little Treasure's leisurely departure, Mo Su Yun sighed with frustration. Wasn't he really no match for Little Treasure Despite his efforts and painstaking planning, could it be that he still couldn’t compare to that seemingly carefree fifteen or sixteen-year-old youth Could the people of Ding Prince’s Manor really have such unique advantages No way!

Little Treasure left the imperial palace in a daze after disrupting Mo Su Yun's coronation ceremony. He felt slightly guilty for doing so, but there was no help for it; who knew that Mo Su Yun's chosen empress candidate would be so good If Lady Qian had become empress, it really could have enabled Mo Su Yun to completely control the Southern Chu court—this certainly wasn't what he wanted. He still hoped for a few years of peace and didn’t want to deal with the schemes of both Mo Su Yun and Lei Tengfeng all day long. So he could only inconvenience the Qian family.

"Your Highness, something’s happened!" Qin Lie was standing outside the palace gate with his hands behind his back, lamenting spring's departure when he quickly dashed over to Little Treasure’s side, holding Mo Yufeng and speaking in a heavy voice.

“What is it”

"Cold Junhan has been chased," Qin Lie said.

“How could that happen”

"Isn’t it your fault Do you think Mo Su Yun really eats vegetables!" Qin Lie spat out angrily. Inciting Cold Junhan and then trying to seduce the fiancée of Mo Su Yun, was he really so ingenious Even if Mo Su Yun is useless, he’s still a monarch; being provoked like this is akin to having his face stepped on. Even if Mo Su Yun wouldn’t do anything to Mo Yuchen, killing Cold Junhan for venting his anger would be completely possible.

Little Treasure's handsome face darkened slightly, "Where is Little Stupid"

"He’s already left the city! Mo Su Yun has sent a lot of palace experts to chase him." This place is still under Mo Su Yun's control; in direct confrontation they can't compete.

Moxiaobao cursed softly and instructed, "You protect Linyi; I'll go find Leng Xiaodai." Without waiting for Qin Lie's response, she leaped up and headed toward the city gate.

Outside Nanjing City, Leng Junhan, dressed in white clothes stained with blood (both his own and others'), was fortunately not seriously injured. He無奈地低頭看了看身上的傷口，回頭再看向身後，一直追在他身後的大內侍衛還冇有追上來這才微微鬆了口氣，靠在山坡上準備歇息片刻。

"This time, I really went too far. Mo Yuchen, you go to hell!" Leng Junhan said with a bad temper.

"H-Hao... Young Master Hao..." Miss Qian beside Leng Junhan looked pale as she saw the blood-stained appearance of the young man in front of her, and she tearfully expressed her guilt, "How are you"

Leng Junhan rolled his eyes. "Don't I make it clear enough that my surname is not Hao but Leng"

Miss Qian said through tears, "Whether your surname is Hao or Leng, I will always follow you."

"Idiot." Leng Junhan muttered under his breath. Feeling soft-hearted made him an even bigger fool; he was worried that she would be killed by the people Mo Su Yun sent after her, yet it wasn’t as if he himself wouldn't suffer the consequences either. Now, dragging a woman who couldn't do anything around to deal with the highly skilled palace guards of Nan Chu was just making things more complicated. Leng Junhan thought to himself that if he were to die, it would be because of his own stupidity.

"Over here!" The voice of one of the palace guards came from not far behind them again. Leng Junhan rolled his eyes and quickly scooped up Miss Qian and sped forward.

"Where do you think you can run Surrender immediately!" A group of people blocked Leng Junhan's path ahead. He sighed, secretly cursing Mo Xiaobao’s ancestors, before putting on a kind smile and said, "What does this mean"

Those dispatched by Mo Su Yun to capture the fleeing empress were naturally his trusted men; how could they be deceived so easily by Leng Junhan The lead guard sneered, "Young Master, why ask if you know already Come quietly and we'll have an easier time reporting back to His Majesty. If there's resistance, any injury sustained would only be disadvantageous."

Miss Qian stepped forward to block Leng Junhan from behind and loudly declared, "I will not go back! I don't want to be empress!"

The guard’s lips twitched; did she really think that the position of Empress was non-negotiable Now even if she wanted to be empress, it wouldn’t happen.

"By His Majesty's order, the daughter of the Qian family who has failed in her duty will immediately receive punishment."

Miss Qian’s face paled; after all, she was just a naive and pampered young lady. Although she had learned etiquette and state laws, such knowledge flew out of her mind when emotions overwhelmed her. Now reminded by the guards' words, she suddenly remembered what it meant to be in the presence of an emperor.

"Young Master Leng, considering Prince Ding's favor, as long as you return with us, we guarantee that nothing will happen to you."

Leng Junhan sneered; they indeed wouldn't harm him physically, but he would be used in negotiations with Mo Xiaobao for their benefit.

"L-Leng... Young Master Leng...

Sirine was still staring blankly at Leng Junhan, and the leader of the palace guards sneered, "Miss Qian, do you really think that Young Master Leng likes you He is just playing with you under Duke Ding's orders."

Upon hearing this, Miss Qian was shocked. She suddenly turned around to look at Leng Junhan. The guilt on the face of the young man whose white clothes were stained with blood told her that it wasn’t someone sent by the Emperor who wanted to sow discord between them but rather something might have happened as such.

"W-Why"

Leng Junhan sighed and cursed Xiaobao in his heart. It was fine if he had been fooling around with those people with malicious intentions, but a naive girl who didn’t understand anything should not be made to suffer because of that. However, Leng Junhan also knew that Duke Ding wasn't just playing a prank on a naive girl out of boredom, but rather Miss Qian was one of the pawns Xiaobao had sacrificed when he wanted to hit Mo Suichun.

"Why... why are you doing this to me" Miss Qian asked desperately while pulling Leng Junhan's clothes.

Leng Junhan rolled his eyes. "Bored."

"You... I'll kill you!" Furious, Miss Qian lunged at him and stabbed a dagger she had taken from somewhere at him. Frowning, Leng Junhan waved his hand to knock the knife out of her hands. "Idiot woman! Don’t make me regret saving your life!"

"Attack together."

The palace guards naturally didn't watch them bicker and fight with each other. Their leader gave an order, and they all rushed over.

Leng Junhan wasn’t weak in martial arts, but not every palace guard was a fool. In no time, Leng Junhan felt that he could barely cope with the attacks from so many people at once. He thought that he would be taken prisoner when a clear laugh sounded nearby. "Hehe… Brother Junhan, why are you fighting with someone else"

Upon hearing this, Leng Junhan was overjoyed and hurriedly shouted for help.

A white figure swept past them as if driven by gale winds. Everyone who attacked him fell to the ground in all directions. Apart from Leng Junhan and Miss Qian whom he protected, everyone else were knocked back five or six zhang away.

"Who are you…" The leader of the palace guards was about to yell at them when he saw the person standing before him, causing him to take a sharp intake of breath. A man wearing white clothes and hair stood before him with incomparable good looks, yet just his calm gaze alone made him feel immense pressure. More importantly... This… "Duke Ding"

A man who was dressed in all white and had superb martial arts skills could only be Duke Ding Mo Xiuyao, the current retired duke.

"Junhan, what are you doing" A beautiful woman wearing green clothes with hair as black as clouds pulled a little girl dressed in a moon-white dress towards him. When she saw Leng Junhan covered in blood, her brows furrowed and she asked.

"My lady…" Seeing Ye Li, Leng Junhan felt even more ashamed. Luckily he had encountered the duke and his duchess, otherwise today would have been a big problem for him.

Moxiuyao sneered and said, "What's this little brat up to now" When Mo Xiaobao turned fifteen years old, he finally won the right to use his full name. The previous Duke Ding finally felt guilty about having his son, who was going to inherit the position of Duke Ding, using such a childish nickname that harmed the dignity of the Duke Ding.

Cold Junhan smiled, but didn't say anything. Instead, he rushed excitedly to Ye Li and looked at the little girl who was staring curiously at him with a silly smile on her face, "Xin'er sister, do you still remember Brother Junhan"

The little girl hid behind Ye Li and flipped someone a sarcastic eye roll, "How can I not remember calling you Brother Junhan But Brother Junhan is very dirty."

"Oh..." Cold Junhan then regretted realizing he was covered in blood. The clean-loving Princess YuYa clearly wouldn't give him a hug now.

"Prince Ding, we..." the captain of the guards who had just gotten up from the ground said cautiously.

Mo Xiuyao waved his hand and calmly replied, "I am no longer Prince Ding."

The captain of the guards was momentarily choked. He didn't know how to address this deity-like figure in front of him. Should he call him Great King Though this person had snowy white hair, their youthful appearance made it hard to do so.

Ye Li smiled and shook her head, "Don’t trouble the people here. You can just leave."

The captain of the guards looked gratefully at Ye Li, "Thank you, Princess."

Mo Xiuyao raised his eyebrows and asked, "What did this boy do to惹得墨隨雲追殺他？"

侍衛統領猶豫了一下，還是原原本本的將事情交代了一邊。雖然定王已經跟南楚決裂，但是餘威猶在，在定王麵前追殺璃城的人若是冇有個交代隻怕他們的麻煩也要大了。

Mò Xiùyáo asked, "What did this boy do to惹得墨隨雲 chase him"

The captain of the guards hesitated for a moment but then recounted everything truthfully. Although Prince Ding had severed ties with Nan Chu, his influence still lingered; if they didn't give an account for chasing people from Li City in front of Prince Ding, their own troubles would be great.

After hearing the whole story, both Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li couldn’t help but turn serious. However, the reasons were different.

"He has the guts to cause trouble but not enough brains to clean up after himself. This boy deserves a beating," was Mo Xiuyao's thought.

"The bigger he gets, the more mischief he makes. Who exactly is behind this" was Ye Li's thought.

Mo Xiuyao said calmly, "Tell Mosuiyun that I have taken these two people away. If he wants them back, let him come and get them himself." Mo Xiuyao’s son had caused trouble; when faced with it, his father still had to deal with the consequences, even if he spared Cold Junhan out of respect for Leng Haoyu.

"This..." The captain of the guards hesitated. This time, His Majesty was extremely angry; without that bit of reason left, they might have really cut off Little Prince Ding’s head. If they couldn’t take even one person back, it would be hard to explain to His Majesty.

Mo Xiuyao narrowed his eyes, "Do you want me to personally go and explain things to Mosuiyun"

"This... I dare not."

"Junhan!" From afar, Mo Xiaobao flew over like a big black bird but nearly fell off and crashed into the tree when he saw the crowd standing there.

"Brother!" Only Princess Mu Yuya of the Mo family was genuinely delighted.

"Heartling darling," Mo Xiaobao immediately forgot his worry about Leng Junhan, cheering as he rushed towards his sister. While giving her a kiss and cuddle, he didn’t forget to hug their mother too, "Mother, your child misses you so much."

Ye Li sighed helplessly, "You! Look at what you did in Jiangnan Junhan nearly got seriously injured."

In front of Ye Li, Mo Xiaobao was always a well-behaved and adorable son. "Mother, your child is wronged, your child didn’t think thoroughly for the moment. You and Father suddenly left, your child felt so hard all by himself..."

"With your big uncle around, what’s there to feel hard" Mo Xiuyao said coolly. Damn brat, still trying to earn Ah Li's sympathy! Really deserves a beating!

"Mother…" Regardless, he continued being spoiled.

Ye Li patted his shoulder with some感慨 (sigh), "Alright, go and deal with the matter first. If you misbehave again in future, I won’t spare you!" It was already a time when she couldn't ruffle her son’s head anymore. Sixteen-year-old Mo Xiaobao had long been taller than Ye Li.

"Yes, Mother!" Mo Xiaobao responded loudly. Holding Heartling with one arm, he walked up to the commander of the guards and raised his brows: "You guys go back first. I’ll talk to Mu Su Yun myself later."

“I’m here; how do you want to talk to me!” An angry voice from Emperor Mu Su Yun came from not far away, clearly following Mo Xiaobao out of the city as soon as his feet stepped outside. However, Mo Xiaobao had wasted a lot of time searching, and they arrived at nearly the same time.

Mo Xiaobao raised his brows, "Oh Brother Mu Su Yun, why are you also here"

Mu Su Yun harrumphed lightly. When passing Miss Qian’s side, he gave her a cold glance that immediately made Miss Qian scared and lowered her head.

"Little nephew greets Uncle Ding Wang and Auntie."

Ye Li smiled faintly, "Your Majesty is already the ruler of the nation; we cannot assume such titles. Your Majesty doesn’t have to be courteous."

Mu Su Yun said, "Etiquette cannot be abandoned. According to seniority, one should indeed call Uncle Ding Wang."

Ye Li sighed softly, looking at Mo Xiaobao’s playful look and Mu Su Yun’s solemn expression, she shook her head and said, "My son is mischievous; please forgive him."

Mu Su Yun glared angrily at Mo Xiaobao but had to respect the face of Ding Wang and Lady Ding Wang, so he could only say, "Lady Wang speaks too highly. I also think… Little Ding Wang is still young; I won’t take it seriously with him."

"Then, Your Majesty, I am grateful." Ye Li nodded and smiled.

In the end, Mo Suicun still returned to the city empty-handed with the imperial guards. Not only did they fail to apprehend Leng Junhan, but they also ignored Miss Qian. They merely warned Miss Qian that she was not allowed to appear in the Southern Chu territory again.

"Mother is really amazing; everything has been solved just by her stepping out." Mo Xiaobao patted his mother's back enthusiastically while holding onto his little sister.

Ye Li glanced at him coolly and asked, "What are you going to do about this lady"

Mo Xiaobao didn’t even blink an eye as he smiled smugly. "Isn't this Leng Junhan's problem Why would I be questioned about it Besides, I don’t know her, and she hasn't shown any interest in me."

"MO! YU! CHEN!" Leng Junhan gritted his teeth with hatred. How could there be such an unscrupulous person in this world Who had made him act like this But under Ye Li's gaze, Leng Junhan could only obediently approach Miss Qian, "That... Miss Qian..." I didn't intentionally deceive you; everything was orchestrated by Mo Xiaobao that despicable person. If you want to hate anyone, go ahead and hate him.

"Slap!" Miss Qian gave Leng Junhan a resounding slap on the face. "Shameless scoundrel! Go to hell!" With tears in her eyes, she left.

Mo Xiaobao raised his eyebrows and asked, "Aren’t you going to chase after her"

Leng Junhan was furious. "Why should I go chasing after her"

Mo Xiaobao grinned viciously. "Have you heard what Mo Suicun said She can no longer stay in the Southern Chu territory. As a noble lady, she is now alone and has nowhere to turn..."

"Mo Xiaobao, one day, your retribution will come!" Leng Junhan dashed off towards where Miss Qian had gone, his voice filled with venomous curses.

Mo Xiaobao chuckled inwardly. Retribution was just self-comfort for fools and the weak.

"Mo Xiaobao..." A soft voice called out from behind him; it was Mo Xiuyao's voice. "It seems that you are indeed carefree, even as the Prince of Ding, nothing can change your frivolous nature at all. Since this is the case... Upon returning to Li City, copy every single history book in my study room. Reflecting on ancient times should be able to fill your head with more things. I will have Xu Qingchen supervise you."

Mo Xiaobao’s handsome face immediately fell; his retribution did not wait until the future—it had arrived right now.

Said Mo Young Master, karma is indeed inescapable, it's just that the time isn't right yet. Those who deceive others will be deceived themselves.

Extra:

I wiped my sweat and hesitated to update because I felt like a coward hiding from my problems due to leaving things unresolved for too long. Posting this secretly at night… Haha. In the past two months, on one hand, I've been updating a new novel every day; on the other hand, I’ve had endless debates about the name and release date of the physical version. Now it's finally settled—the physical version will be published under the title 'Prosperous Era Good Match' in early August. This is my first publication, so I'm quite anxious. Every time the editor contacts me for a revision, I agonize over it for days on end. That’s why the side stories have been delayed all this while. Of course, my laziness is also to blame here. Sighing… Don’t hit me.ething her teacher once said: "When the nation prospers, the people suffer. When the nation falls, the people suffer.""Lady Wang," Zhuo Jing rode up behind her and pulled alongside her, falling back a...