Watching the two guards approach him and then glancing at the people standing beside Ye Li, Han Mingyue sighed softly and surrendered without resistance. When it didn’t involve Su Zuidie, Han Mingyue was always a rational man. He knew full well that resisting under these circumstances would be futile. With a look of remorse, he turned to Su Zuidie and said softly, "Zui Die, it seems we’ll have to stay at the Governor’s residence a little longer."
Su Zuidie clenched her teeth, glaring hatefully at Ye Li, who sat composedly, before snapping at Han Mingyue, "You’ve never succeeded at anything! No wonder the Prince said you’re more of a hindrance than a help!"
Han Mingyue lowered his head bitterly. Ye Li observed the two and sighed, "Was it worth it?"
"Once a choice is made, there’s no point questioning its worth," Han Mingyue replied indifferently. He cupped his hands toward Ye Li and turned away, allowing the guards to escort him out.
Ye Li calmly studied the stunning woman before her. After the initial awe had faded and witnessing Su Zuidie’s behavior over these past days, the allure of her peerless beauty had gradually dulled into indifference. A faint smile curved Ye Li’s lips. The number one beauty of Great Chu… was nothing extraordinary. While her looks were indeed heaven-sent, there was something lacking—something that failed to evoke lasting fascination. Perhaps the idealized image was always the most enchanting. The world remembered the legendary beauty of the Chu capital, and Su Zuidie’s untimely demise had only shrouded her in mystery. But now that this famed beauty stood before her, Ye Li couldn’t help but feel a faint sense of disappointment. The so-called number one beauty… was just like this.
Su Zuidie clearly noticed Ye Li’s scrutinizing gaze. At first, she had felt a smug satisfaction, but as she gradually sensed the dismissiveness in Ye Li’s appraisal, anger welled up inside her. Unable to endure it any longer, she finally snapped, "What are you looking at?!"
Ye Li withdrew her gaze nonchalantly and replied coolly, "Does Imperial Concubine Bai have anything else to say? If not, you may retire to your room. I’ll take my leave now."
Su Zuidie scoffed and turned away, retreating to her chambers.
Ye Li smiled faintly and rose to leave as well. Qin Feng and the others followed behind her. As they walked, Ye Li asked, "How are things outside?"
Wei Lin answered, "Rest assured, Princess. All forces of the Pavilion of Heavenly Unity in the northwest have been completely eradicated."
Ye Li nodded in satisfaction. "Although His Highness had already removed many of their hidden stakeouts, quite a few still slipped through the net. It wasn’t a pressing issue before, but with the war between our two nations underway, having such a force in the northwest was troubling. This time, it’s all thanks to Wei Lin."
Wei Lin lowered his head modestly. "It was merely my duty."
Zhuo Jing clapped him on the shoulder and laughed. "No need to be modest, Little Four. The Princess is right—without you, capturing Han Mingyue would’ve taken a lot more effort. But the best part is that you’re finally back, and we brothers can be together again. It’ll be even better when the boss returns."
Wei Lin glanced at Ye Li, who smiled and said, "Speak freely."
Wei Lin replied, "I met with the boss two months ago."Ye Li raised her eyebrows slightly, signaling him to continue. Wei Lin said, "Originally, this subordinate intended to use the influence of the Pavilion of Heavenly Unity to investigate the King of Hell Pavilion and the Sick Scholar. Later, I obtained some scattered information and took the opportunity to visit the border, where I happened to run into Big Brother. However, following the Princess Consort’s orders, I did not reveal myself to him or speak a word." Ye Li nodded, "It seems An Yi has done well?" Wei Lin smiled faintly, "This subordinate thinks so too. Thanks to the Princess Consort’s guidance, I noticed that Big Brother seems to have already become a captain." Zhuo Jing clicked his tongue, "Though the rank of captain isn’t high, for the boss to reach that position in just a few months—truly worthy of being the boss. Maybe in a couple more years, he’ll even become a general." Qin Feng, who hailed from the Black Cloud Cavalry, scoffed, "Don’t dream. Rising from a common soldier to captain might not be hard, but going from captain to general is a leap of more than one or two steps. You won’t see that without at least eight to ten years. Third Master Feng has been following His Highness through life and death since his teens, and he’s still only a deputy general now."
Zhuo Jing was unfazed, "Deputy general is still a general. Can you rise to captain in two or three months?"
Qin Feng fell silent—he truly couldn’t.
Ye Li smiled and stopped the bickering among her subordinates, saying, "Let’s not worry about An Yi for now. Have the guards been arranged for Han Mingyue’s side?" Qin Feng answered respectfully, "Reporting to the Princess Consort, it has been arranged. However… this subordinate doesn’t understand why Han Mingyue and Su Zuidie aren’t detained together? Keeping them in separate locations wastes manpower unnecessarily. Our current guard strength at the Prefect’s residence isn’t particularly abundant." Ye Li’s clear eyes curved slightly as she smiled, "What if someone wipes them both out in one go? Don’t worry. If I were Zhennan Wang, I wouldn’t send anyone to rescue Su Zuidie. So… we can move some of the guards from Su Zuidie’s side to set up hidden sentries near Han Mingyue." Seeing her subordinates’ confusion, Ye Li explained, "If Zhennan Wang truly cared about Imperial Concubine Bai, why would he let her come to Xinyang alone? Imperial Concubine Bai has been imprisoned by us for so long—have you seen any reaction from Zhennan Wang?"
The group suddenly understood, "Then what about Han Mingyue’s side…?"
Ye Li smiled even more cheerfully, "Without rescuing Su Zuidie, even if I were to release Han Mingyue now, he wouldn’t leave." Only then did Qin Feng grasp her meaning, "The Princess Consort intends to use Su Zuidie to control Han Mingyue." Ye Li sighed helplessly, "You could say that. Keep a close watch on Su Zuidie—she must not die yet."
"Reporting to Your Highness… Young Master Han has lost contact." In the main tent of the Western Liang camp, a subordinate reported respectfully.
The wolf-hair brush in Zhennan Wang’s hand paused slightly, "What about the Pavilion of Heavenly Unity?"
The subordinate hesitated before replying, "The Pavilion of Heavenly Unity also completely lost contact last night. From what this subordinate observed… the situation is likely dire." Zhennan Wang closed his eyes, as if suppressing his anger, but his calm tone still carried traces of killing intent, "Relay this order: aside from the troops besieging Xinyang, all remaining forces are to launch a full assault on every city in the northwest. I want Xinyang to become an isolated city!"
"Your subordinate obeys." Watching the subordinate withdraw, Zhennan Wang’s composed expression darkened. He gritted his teeth and muttered, "Han Mingyue, you fool!"Compared to the furious Zhennan Wang, Han Mingyue appeared exceptionally calm and at ease at this moment. When Mo Xiuyao stepped into the courtyard, he saw Han Mingyue leisurely sitting by the window, amusing himself with a game of chess against an unfinished board. Without looking up at the sound of footsteps, Han Mingyue smiled and said, "Xiu Yao, care for a game of chess?"
Mo Xiuyao walked over and sat down, picking up a black piece and placing it casually on the board. Han Mingyue raised an eyebrow with interest before setting down a white piece in response. Mo Xiuyao remained expressionless as he moved another black piece, and the two began their match. Within half the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the once evenly matched game had turned into a one-sided slaughter, with white pieces suffering heavy losses. Han Mingyue sighed. "Your moves carry killing intent, Xiu Yao."
"You've grown increasingly unimpressive," Mo Xiuyao remarked coldly.
Faced with such an evaluation from his old friend, Han Mingyue remained unbothered. He smiled faintly. "I'm not like you—I was never born to sever emotions and forsake love."
Sever emotions and forsake love? Mo Xiuyao sneered, dismissing his words with disdain. He had never claimed to be a romantic, but neither was he truly heartless or cold-blooded. It was simply that the person worthy of his tenderness had appeared too late. More importantly, he understood what should and should not be done—he knew exactly who deserved his care and who must be abandoned. The Mo family never gave their affections without principle, so Han Mingyue's blind devotion moved him not in the slightest; instead, it only earned his contempt.
"I assumed you didn’t summon me here for idle reminiscence?" Mo Xiuyao said coolly.
Han Mingyue nodded. "You’ve already uncovered Zhennan Wang’s scheme, haven’t you?"
Mo Xiuyao didn’t answer, merely watching him in silence.
Han Mingyue chuckled. "I’m already in your hands—there’s no need to be so guarded. With all of Xinyang now under Princess Ding’s control, you, as Prince Ding, naturally have more pressing matters to attend to. After some thought, I concluded that only one thing could be more urgent than the siege of Xinyang. Still… I find it strange. Since you already know, why haven’t you acted?"
Observing Mo Xiuyao’s silent focus on the chessboard, Han Mingyue pondered for a moment before realization dawned. "Ah, it’s because of Mo Jingqi? I initially thought Zhennan Wang had only allied with Mo Jingli and Nanzhao—I hadn’t expected Mo Jingqi to be involved as well. In that case, you truly ought to be cautious. Who knows, even Northern Rong might join the fray. Xiu Yao, I’m genuinely curious now—how do you plan to break Zhennan Wang’s inescapable trap?"
Mo Xiuyao smirked coldly. "Since you know so much, you should also realize I didn’t come here to play chess."
Han Mingyue grinned lazily. "Isn’t it enough that I didn’t inform Zhennan Wang of what you already know?"
Mo Xiuyao regarded him impassively.
With a helpless shrug, Han Mingyue said, "The Pavilion of Heavenly Unity’s influence in Great Chu has been shattered by you. I returned this time intending to reorganize it, but even if you take it now, it’s useless to you."
Mo Xiuyao scoffed. "I have no need for the Pavilion of Heavenly Unity."
Han Mingyue paused, puzzled. Then Mo Xiuyao continued indifferently, "I dare not use anything handed over by a traitor."
Han Mingyue gave a bitter laugh. "Truly, birds of a feather flock together. Your words are identical to Princess Ding’s. So, what do you want?"Mo Xiuyao declared, "This prince will ensure the Pavilion of Heavenly Unity ceases to exist in this world!"
Han Mingyue shuddered, the chess piece in his hand clattering onto the board and disrupting the game. Raising his head to gaze at Mo Xiuyao's cold yet composed handsome face, Han Mingyue shook his head with a bitter smile. "Xiu Yao, when you act, you either remain still or shake heaven and earth. Do you realize how much turmoil the disappearance of the Pavilion of Heavenly Unity would unleash?" The Pavilion was no obscure minor faction or small merchant guild—it was renowned as the foremost intelligence organization under heaven. Even after suffering heavy losses in Great Chu due to Mo Xiuyao's full-force assault, it still surpassed ordinary organizations. Its disappearance would mean a complete reshuffling of the world's hidden powers.
－－－－－－Author's Note－－－－－－
Apologies for the late update again. The company computer doesn't allow internet access, mainly because I lack the courage to secretly use the company's network... Came home too late tonight...
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