Mo Li

The battle outside the hall raged on fiercely, yet inside, the atmosphere was icy cold and deathly silent. Ye Li gazed calmly at the King of Nanzhao, who stood a full head taller than her, her delicate face wearing an apologetic expression as if she truly regretted having to hold him hostage. However, the dagger pressed against the king’s throat showed no sign of being withdrawn.

The King of Nanzhao could only feel the cold blade against his skin, making his hairs stand on end. "Princess Ding, what exactly do you want?" he demanded.

Ye Li glanced at Princess Changle, who sat on the floor, and smiled faintly. "Your Majesty need not ask what you already know. Isn’t it obvious?"

"For this little beauty?" The king sounded disbelieving. The young girl before him was a princess of Great Chu, with no ties to the Northwest. He found it hard to believe that Princess Ding would go to such lengths just for an unrelated princess. "Though she is a princess of Great Chu, she holds no value to Emperor Chu. He has already gifted her to this king."

After some thought, the king could only conclude that Princess Ding intended to take Princess Changle hostage to threaten Emperor Chu. After all, the entire world knew of the deep enmity between Prince Ding and the Chu emperor.

"That is none of Your Majesty’s concern," Ye Li replied coolly, not bothering to refute his words. "All you need to do is tell this princess whether I may take Princess Changle away."

The King of Nanzhao sneered. "A beauty gifted by another—normally, there would be no issue if the princess wished to take her. But… for you to come and go as you please in the Nanzhao palace, do you think my kingdom has no capable men? This king advises you to lay down your weapon at once. Out of respect for Prince Ding, I will not make things difficult for you. Otherwise, once the guards arrive, it won’t be so easy for you to escape."

This king isn’t as useless as he appears, Ye Li thought to herself. Outwardly, however, she smiled faintly. "I fear the guards won’t have the chance to enter."

At some point, the sounds of fighting outside had gradually ceased. The king’s face, which had initially held a trace of triumph, quickly darkened as he realized something was wrong. If the Nanzhao guards had won, they would have reported outside the hall without fail. Yet now, there was only silence—not a single sound could be heard from beyond the doors.

His expression shifted. "There are a thousand guards in my palace, and eight thousand elite troops stationed in the Royal City of Nanzhao. Do you truly believe you can escape?"

"Those eight thousand elites likely have no time to come protect you," Ye Li said with a smile, watching the king closely. "Has Your Majesty forgotten what important event is taking place tonight?"

At her words, the king’s heart sank, his face turning even uglier. How could he have forgotten? Shu Manlin had planned to move against Anxi tonight, and he had secretly given her the token to mobilize the Royal City Guard. If the operation had already begun…Ye Li sighed softly and said, "The fighting in the palace has been going on for quite some time, yet aside from the guards originally stationed at the King of Nanzhao's chambers, no one has come to protect you. Your Majesty might want to guess where they’ve gone?"

The King of Nanzhao had nothing to say. "Do as you will—kill me or cut me to pieces."

Ye Li smiled faintly. "Why would I kill the King of Nanzhao? I merely took an insignificant little girl from your palace. After tonight, I doubt Princess Anxi will hold such a trivial matter against me. The friendship between Nanzhao and our Northwest will continue to flourish."

She spoke of Princess Anxi not holding a grudge, not the King of Nanzhao—a meaning the king understood all too well. After tonight, the Kingdom of Nanzhao would no longer be under his rule.

The King of Nanzhao gritted his teeth. "Prince Ding’s Estate was invited by Anxi to help her!"

"Originally, no. But now, yes." Ye Li was unafraid of offending the king. Offending him would no longer have any impact on the relationship between Nanzhao and the Northwest. Because after tonight, regardless of who won or lost, the real power in Nanzhao would have nothing to do with the king.

If Princess Anxi won, having learned from past mistakes, she would surely not spare Shu Manlin or the king. If Shu Manlin won, the king would become nothing more than a puppet—either hers or Tan Jizhi’s.

The King of Nanzhao’s mistake lay in choosing to collaborate with Mo Jingqi. Perhaps Mo Jingqi had genuinely intended to cooperate with him, but the people he sent—whether Consort Liu or Prime Minister Liu—clearly offered the king no real assistance.

"That ungrateful daughter!" the King of Nanzhao cursed through clenched teeth.

Ye Li frowned at him, puzzled. "There’s something I’ve never understood. Princess Anxi is now the only princess under Your Majesty’s name. Moreover, she governs the country skillfully and does not cling to power. Shouldn’t you be proud of such a daughter? Why then do you side with Shu Manlin in targeting her at every turn?"

For a Holy Maiden, who should have been a powerless figurehead, to rise to a position where she could threaten the life and status of the Crown Princess—such a situation could not have happened without the king’s support. Even if Shu Manlin was also his daughter, even if he favored her more, it shouldn’t have led to such deep-seated resentment toward Princess Anxi.

A flicker of confusion passed over the King of Nanzhao’s face. Clearly, he didn’t understand the answer to Ye Li’s question either. How had things between him and his eldest daughter come to this?

He still remembered how Anxi, unlike the flamboyant and artistic Qixia, had been cheerful yet steady in temperament. By the age of thirteen or fourteen, she had already been assisting him in state affairs. Many matters that had left him overwhelmed were handled smoothly once she took charge. At the time, he had thanked the heavens for blessing him with such a wise daughter, feeling that even without a prince, he had no regrets.

So he had named Anxi Crown Princess, watching as she worked diligently to govern the country and earn the people’s admiration.But at some point, the initial joy and relief had gradually soured. Whenever he saw the reverence and respect in the people's eyes when they looked upon his daughter, an inexplicable displeasure began to stir within him. He had toiled for decades to govern the country, yet the people always found fault, and even when they saw him, it was with fear and submission rather than reverence and affection. Why could his daughter so easily attain what he had never managed to achieve in his lifetime?

Watching the shifting expressions on the King of Nanzhao's face, Ye Li felt she understood. It was jealousy—not fear of Princess Anxi usurping power, nor greater affection for Shu Manlin—simply jealousy. A father envious of his daughter's governing talents and the people's adoration, thus going out of his way to create obstacles for her, even allowing others to plot against her and adding fuel to the fire. Ye Li shook her head and said to the King of Nanzhao, "If Princess Anxi truly fails, what will become of Nanzhao? Your Majesty, have you truly thought this through?"

The King of Nanzhao's face twisted into a snarl, his breathing growing ragged. At this moment, Ye Li released him and walked toward Princess Changle, who had already risen to her feet. With a soft laugh, she said, "Princess, let's go."

Princess Changle cast a wary glance at the King of Nanzhao beside them, but his face was contorted in a grimace, as though he didn’t even see them. Ye Li smiled. "Don’t worry, let’s go." Taking Princess Changle’s hand, she led her straight out of the hall.

Outside, the guards originally stationed at the palace and those who had rushed over upon hearing the commotion had already been dealt with. Another group of men remained, seven or eight of them still standing. Qin Feng and Zhuo Jing waited by the door for Ye Li to emerge.

"Princess..." As soon as the two women stepped out, the leader of the surviving men rushed forward, only to be intercepted by Zhuo Jing. The man quickly said, "Princess! Princess, are you unharmed? This subordinate is incompetent... I couldn’t rescue you sooner!" Princess Changle hesitated, studying him for a long moment before saying, "You are... Captain Yang?"

The man pulled down the cloth covering his face, revealing a resolute and somewhat familiar countenance. Ye Li frowned, recalling after a moment—this was the chief guard of the Empress’s palace. Ye Li said, "Let’s leave the palace first." Captain Yang clearly recognized Ye Li as well and bowed respectfully. "Thank you, Wang Fei, for your assistance."

The group exited the palace without encountering any resistance. The square outside the palace gates was still bustling with noise and excitement, but upon closer inspection, it was clear that those who should have been there were already gone.

Ye Li and her companions returned to the post station without delay. Before she could even ask any questions, Captain Yang dropped to his knees before Princess Changle and said, "This subordinate is incompetent, allowing Your Highness to suffer such fright. Here is the antidote—please take it at once." He produced a small green vial from his sleeve and presented it to Princess Changle. Ye Li frowned. "Princess, you’ve been poisoned?"Along the way, Princess Changle appeared completely normal, showing no signs of poisoning. After hesitating for a moment, the princess nodded. The guard Yang said indignantly, "If it weren’t for those venomous women poisoning the princess, we wouldn’t have taken so long to rescue her. This poison is unique to that vile woman, and the moment we rescued the princess, she would have immediately destroyed the antidote. That’s why we had to secure the antidote first before saving the princess, which delayed her being sent into the palace."

"Was it Consort Liu?" Ye Li asked. "How did you obtain the antidote?"

Guard Yang replied, "That venomous woman thought the antidote was unnecessary once the princess was sent into the palace. Even so, we lost seven or eight brothers to retrieve it. Thankfully, we made it in time... Otherwise... We would have had no face to meet Her Majesty the Empress or the old Duke Hua even in death."

Ye Li raised an eyebrow. "Did the Empress send you to rescue the princess?" Guard Yang answered solemnly, "Naturally. All of us are Her Majesty’s trusted aides, deeply favored by her. A few others are brothers who once received the Duke Hua’s kindness. We originally planned to act along the way but couldn’t secure the antidote and dared not act rashly, lest we endanger the princess’s life. We are deeply grateful for your assistance, Wang Fei."

Upon hearing news of her mother, Princess Changle was already in tears. Clutching the medicine bottle, she asked urgently, "How is my mother?" Guard Yang hesitated before replying, "Her Majesty the Empress... When I left the capital, she was still under house arrest in the palace. But please rest assured, Princess. The old Duke had already made arrangements, and Her Majesty said that even if she wasn’t free, the Emperor would spare her life for the sake of appearances. She only asks that you never return to Chu Jing again. This is what Her Majesty entrusted me to deliver to you."

Guard Yang then presented a small, unremarkable wooden box. Princess Changle opened it in a daze. The box was about an inch wide and four to five inches long. Inside were several folded banknotes, atop which lay an exquisitely crafted hairpin and seven or eight luminous pearls. Though the amount on the banknotes wasn’t visible, any one of those pearls alone would ensure Princess Changle lived comfortably for the rest of her life. "Wang Fei... Did my mother... Did she abandon me?" the princess murmured, holding the box.

Ye Li sighed softly. "Your mother did this for your own good." Princess Changle hadn’t been sent for a political marriage—she had been given by Mo Jingqi to the King of Nanzhao. This meant she could never appear in Chu Jing or before the world as a princess again. Otherwise... If Mo Jingqi could cold-heartedly give his daughter to the King of Nanzhao, he could just as easily take her life.

"I know..." Princess Changle said, clutching the box, but she couldn’t hold back her sobs. From now on, she would no longer be the Princess Changle of Great Chu. No doubt her father would soon announce her death from illness. She might never see her mother or grandfather again, left to wander alone, nameless and unknown.

Seeing the princess’s sorrow, Ye Li gently stroked her hair. "Don’t cry, dear child. Once matters in the Southern Border are settled, come with us to the northwest, alright?"Princess Changle hesitated for a moment but ultimately declined Ye Li's offer. "Thank you, Princess Ding, but given my status, I fear I might bring trouble to you and Prince Ding." Ye Li smiled gently. "We've already stormed the Nanzhao palace—what's a little trouble? I'll have someone examine this antidote later. For now, Princess, you should rest. We can discuss the rest when Prince Ding returns. No one would dare barge in here uninvited."

Upon hearing Ye Li's words, the Yang guard brightened. Empress Dowager and the old Duke Hua had been most worried about Princess Changle living alone outside. Though they had arranged covert protection for her, in these turbulent times, who could guarantee safety anywhere except the northwest? They had originally planned to secretly relocate the princess to live incognito among the common folk in the northwest. With Princess Ding's invitation, it would naturally be far better for her. "On behalf of Empress Dowager and the old Duke Hua, I thank you, Princess."

Ye Li waved her hand dismissively. "Our prince regards the Empress Dowager as an elder sister, and Duke Hua watched him grow up. Moreover, the eldest daughter of the Hua family is a dear friend of mine. Princess Changle is certainly no stranger to us."

The Yang guard thanked her again. Princess Changle gazed at Ye Li and said, "I am no longer a princess. My mother gave me the childhood name Wuyou. You may call me that." Wuyou—"without sorrow"—revealed the depth of the Empress Dowager's love for her daughter.

Ye Li nodded with a smile. "Very well, Wuyou. You must be exhausted—go and rest in your room."

Princess Changle—Wuyou—nodded and followed the guard to an unoccupied room. As soon as the door closed, she collapsed onto the bed, biting the quilt as she sobbed quietly. Unbeknownst to her, those outside the room, all possessing refined inner energy, could hear her muffled cries clearly. Ye Li turned and sighed silently at Feng Zhiyao, who stood in the shadows beneath the eaves.

---Author's Note---

Ugh... Today was spent visiting relatives and accompanying an elder to the hospital for pre-surgery arrangements. Got back late. Regarding yesterday's plot... There might be one or two slightly illogical points. Ahem... A Li and Xiu Yao didn’t bring many people to Nanzhao, and the spies they had planted there couldn’t be exposed just for the sake of a little princess like Changle. As for why they didn’t arrange protection in advance despite knowing the danger—the official explanation is that A Li and Xiu Yao had assumed things wouldn’t escalate so quickly. Who knew Consort Liu would send her straight into the palace at that moment? The unofficial explanation is... Feng... had a temporary brain lapse.