Though surprised by the sudden change of heart from the Head of the Chu Family, the two guards dutifully escorted him back to the main hall. After all, the Emperor had no intention of killing him. A man of his stature wouldn’t die so easily, and if he ever regained his footing, a mere slap from him could crush insignificant guards like them.
Sure enough, Mo Jingli immediately ordered the Head of the Chu Family to be brought back into the hall.
This time, without the slightest hesitation, the Head of the Chu Family knelt on the ground, bowing his head as he said, "This humble commoner, Chu Shaoying, pays his respects to Your Majesty!" The assembled crowd erupted in murmurs. Among them, the Chu Family had been the most indifferent toward Mo Jingli before. Moreover, given the relationship between the Chu and Xu Families, it was clear to all that even if the Chu Family pledged loyalty to Mo Jingli, they would never gain significant favor.
Mo Jingli raised an eyebrow in satisfaction. Seeing the once unyielding and proud Head of the Chu Family kneeling before him filled him with indescribable pleasure—as if he were witnessing a member of the Xu Family groveling at his feet. With a smirk, Mo Jingli asked, "How is it that you’ve changed your mind so quickly, Master Chu?"
Chu Shaoying kept his head lowered and replied, "This commoner was momentarily confused. I beg Your Majesty’s forgiveness. If... the Chu Family were to be ruined by my hands, I would be guilty beyond redemption."
"Oh?" Mo Jingli pondered this. Had Chu Shaoying given any other reason, he might not have believed it. But Mo Jingli knew that the heads of these so-called noble clans valued their families above all else, willing to sacrifice anything for their survival. If it was for the sake of the Chu Family, this explanation made sense.
"Oh? So the Chu Family is willing to pledge loyalty to Us? What of Our earlier proposal, then?" Mo Jingli pressed.
Chu Shaoying nodded. "Indeed, the Chu Family is willing to serve Your Majesty and support Your Majesty’s grand ambition to unify the realm. Whatever Your Majesty commands, the Chu Family will spare no effort to satisfy Your Majesty’s wishes." Seeing his demeanor, Mo Jingli was finally satisfied. He burst into hearty laughter and personally helped Chu Shaoying to his feet, saying, "We were merely jesting with you earlier, Master Chu. We hope you won’t take offense."
Pale-faced, Chu Shaoying bowed respectfully. "I wouldn’t dare, I wouldn’t dare..." as if genuinely frightened.
Mo Jingli swept his gaze over the assembled crowd and smiled. "Master Chu’s righteous declaration brings Us great comfort. What of the rest of you? Have you reached a decision?" Several heads of families who were closest to the Chu Family—and who had also been the most skeptical of Mo Jingli—exchanged puzzled glances with Chu Shaoying. Chu Shaoying lowered his eyes imperceptibly and gave a slight nod.
Though they didn’t understand his sudden change of heart, these men still held some trust in Chu Shaoying. The Chu Family wouldn’t abandon the towering support of Prince Ding’s Estate and the Xu Family only to side with Mo Jingli. Even if Prince Ding’s Estate were truly on the verge of collapse, pledging loyalty to Mo Jingli would be worse than retreating to the mountains—at least then they wouldn’t have to worry about their families being exterminated or being toyed to death by Lei Zhenting.
Having weighed their options, the men rose in unison and declared, "We humble commoners pledge our loyalty to Your Majesty."
"Excellent! Truly excellent! Come... let Us toast Master Chu and all of you once more!" Mo Jingli laughed heartily, his earlier anger now completely dispelled.The hall had just regained its peaceful atmosphere, but it seemed fate had decreed that tonight's banquet would not proceed smoothly. Someone hurried in from outside and reported, "Your Majesty, the Mo Family Army has infiltrated the city and just set fire to the granaries in the western district!"
"What?!" Mo Jingli slammed the table and stood up, demanding sharply, "Where are they now?"
"Your Majesty, General Li is leading men to apprehend them," the messenger replied hastily.
"Apprehend them?! Apprehend my ass! They sneaked into the city and burned our granaries before we even noticed—what the hell were you all doing?!" Mo Jingli kicked over a wooden table in front of him, roaring in fury.
"This subordinate... this subordinate deserves punishment."
"Enough!" Mo Jingli cut off his meaningless apology. He swept a cold gaze over the assembled guests and said icily, "All of you may leave. Tonight's banquet ends here." Chu Shaoying and the others rose to take their leave. After a moment's thought, Chu Shaoying stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, the Chu family still has some grain reserves. We are willing to offer them to Your Majesty to alleviate the urgent crisis." Hearing this, Mo Jingli's expression softened slightly, and he nodded. "We thank you, Master Chu."
Only after the outsiders had left did Mo Jingli ask coldly, "How much was burned?"
The subordinate swallowed hard and answered in a trembling voice, "Three granaries in the western district were set ablaze simultaneously—all of them are gone. And one granary in the northern district... more than half of it was burned. Our army's provisions... I fear they won't last more than two days."
Mo Jingli frowned slightly. The issue of provisions wasn't his greatest concern. This campaign had been launched in haste, so not all the rear supplies had arrived yet. In a few more days, provisions would naturally come. Moreover... Liyang City was home to many wealthy and powerful families. Even if they didn't appear as affluent as the so-called merchants on the surface, their hidden reserves far surpassed anything the merchants could boast. In these turbulent times, he absolutely refused to believe these families hadn't secretly stockpiled grain.
What truly unsettled Mo Jingli was the Mo Family Army's infiltration. Despite Liyang City's tight security, they had still managed to sneak in and burn the granaries. This left Mo Jingli deeply shocked and uneasy.
"Tell General Li he must capture every last member of the Mo Family Army who entered the city!" Mo Jingli ordered sternly.
"Your subordinate obeys!"
"Get out!" Watching the man scramble away in panic, Mo Jingli glared at the empty hall in disgust. With a sweep of his hand, he hurled his wine cup to the ground, shattering it. "Mo Xiuyao! Even if you're dead, I refuse to believe I can't defeat you!"
Late into the night, Mo Jingli, heavily intoxicated, was helped back to his room by his attendants. A seductive woman who had been waiting there hurried forward to support him toward the bed, cooing softly, "Your Majesty... are you drunk?"
Mo Jingli stared at her blearily and snapped, "How dare you! Who are you?"
The woman pouted in grievance. "Your Majesty, what's wrong? This concubine is Consort Li."
"Consort Li?" Mo Jingli, in a foul mood and thoroughly drunk, was momentarily confused. "Who's Consort Li... Oh... it's you... you are..." Consort Li smiled delightedly. "Yes, it's me, your concubine..." Though she had once been a mere dancer, she was now Mo Jingli's most favored consort—otherwise, he wouldn't have brought her along on a military campaign.Mo Jingli nodded and said, "It's you... you're Ye... Ye Li."
Consort Li felt a chill run down her spine, momentarily stunned. She had naturally heard of Ye Li's name before, but never expected the Emperor to call out Princess Ding's name in such a place. Strangely, she felt no jealousy—when the gap between two people was too vast, even envy became impossible. She was merely shocked, with a growing sense that hearing this was definitely not good news for her.
The heavily intoxicated Mo Jingli paid no attention to Consort Li's shock. He pulled the woman before him into an embrace and kissed her passionately, murmuring between kisses, "Ye Li... Ye Li, how dare you reject me! Over and over... Haha... Now that Mo Xiuyao is dead, you'll still be mine sooner or later. Since you don’t know your place, I revoke my earlier promise—I’ll demote you to the lowest rank of consorts! Ye Li..."
Consort Li was so terrified by Mo Jingli's words that she froze, wishing she could faint on the spot and pretend she had heard nothing. Just as she was on the verge of tears, she felt a sharp pain at the back of her neck and instantly lost consciousness.
By the grand, opulent bed stood a man clad in white, his towering figure exuding a murderous aura so intense it could make anyone flee. Even the drunken Mo Jingli, sprawled on the bed clutching a beauty and oblivious to his surroundings, instinctively shivered from the coldness in the air. He tightened his grip around the woman in his arms and muttered, "Ye Li... I must have you... I must prove to you that I’m greater than Mo Xiuyao..."
Mo Xiuyao looked down at the pair on the bed, his once-handsome eyes now filled with a sinister, bloodthirsty crimson, as terrifying as a vengeful ghost from the underworld.
Leaning down, Mo Xiuyao slowly raised his hand and placed it on Mo Jingli's neck. The sleeping Mo Jingli had no idea that the slightest pressure from this man would ensure he never woke again. After a long pause, the hand on his neck withdrew. Instead, Mo Xiuyao directed his fingers toward the woman in Mo Jingli's arms. Her unconscious body trembled slightly, a trickle of blood escaping her lips before her breathing ceased entirely.
Mo Xiuyao showed no pity—this woman might have been innocent, but having heard those words, she could not be allowed to live.
Standing silently by the bed for a while, Mo Xiuyao suddenly curled his lips into a bloodthirsty smile.
Half an hour later, a graceful white figure slipped out of the governor's mansion, vanishing into the pitch-black night.
In the western part of Liyang City, Chu Shaoying, the head of the Chu family, had just seen off a group of Da Chu soldiers who had come searching. Returning to his study, he found several men already seated inside. One of them immediately stood up and grabbed Chu Shaoying's arm, asking anxiously, "Brother Chu, what exactly are you thinking? Today’s events... that Mo Jingli seems utterly..." These men, who each controlled vast family enterprises, were no fools. In their eyes, even if Prince Ding was dead and the Mo Family Army defeated, Mo Jingli would likely be swallowed by Zhennan Wang in the end. And even if, against all odds, Mo Jingli stabilized the situation, given his character, none of them would fare well in the future. Sooner or later, they would be discarded like spent arrows once the birds were gone.Chu Shaoying glanced at the assembled group and smiled faintly. "Gentlemen, you are all my closest friends, and I trust each of you implicitly. I won’t deceive you—to be honest, I don’t have much faith in Mo Jingli either."
"Then... Brother Chu, what are you planning?" The others were puzzled. Once publicly pledging loyalty to Mo Jingli, any subsequent betrayal would ruin the Chu family’s reputation. Moreover, even if they defected to another faction in the future, they would likely never be trusted again. After all, if the Chu family could betray Mo Jingli, they could betray anyone else.
Chu Shaoying remained silent, a faint smile on his lips. One of the men, observing his expression, suddenly had an inkling. "Could it be... Brother Chu has already made a decision?"
Chu Shaoying nodded. "Indeed."
The group exchanged glances. One man dipped his finger in water and wrote the character "Ding" on the table. The others all wore expressions of sudden understanding. Chu Shaoying solemnly declared, "I am entrusting my life and the fate of the entire Chu family to you all. I ask—"
"Brother Chu, what kind of talk is this? We’ve been friends for decades—do you doubt our trust? To be honest, I share your sentiments. The only issue was lacking the right connections. With the ties between the Chu and Xu families, things should be much easier." Although Prince Ding was no longer here, there was still Qingchen Gongzi. The Little Prince of Prince Ding's Estate was already around ** years old. With the guidance of Qingchen Gongzi and the Xu family’s scholars and young masters, he would surely be capable of standing on his own within a decade. By then, who would truly hold sway over the realm remained uncertain. At the very least... Prince Ding's Estate seemed far more reliable than Mo Jingli.
Chu Shaoying smiled. "Thank you, everyone. As long as the Chu family endures, none of you will suffer losses."
Hearing his promise, the group broke into relieved smiles. Previously, Chu Shaoying had stubbornly refused to submit to Mo Jingli, only to suddenly change his stance after a single trip outside. Mo Jingli might assume Chu Shaoying had been intimidated, but those who had known him for decades understood his character. Without absolute certainty, Chu Shaoying would never gamble with the Chu family’s fate.
"In that case, we leave everything to you, Brother Chu. We will follow your lead." The group clasped their hands in salute, smiling. Chu Shaoying nodded solemnly. "Rest assured, I will not betray your trust."
"Then we entrust this matter to you, Brother Chu. We shall take our leave."
"Farewell."
After seeing his guests out of the study, Chu Shaoying closed the door and turned around—only to nearly jump in shock. Seated in the previously empty study was a man in white robes, leisurely watching him while sipping a steaming cup of tea. In the brief moment Chu Shaoying had been at the door bidding farewell, this man had not only entered the study but also found time to brew himself tea.Startled for a moment, Chu Shaoying quickly regained his composure and bowed respectfully to the white-robed man. "Chu Shaoying pays his respects to Prince Ding." Mo Xiuyao nodded with a faint smile. "No need for formalities, Master Chu. You've suffered undeserved grievances tonight." Mo Xiuyao inwardly admired Chu Shaoying's remarkable composure. Though overshadowed by the Xu Family's renowned heroes, this Head of the Chu Family—who presided over Yunzhou's second most powerful clan, ranking among the top five noble houses in Great Chu—was undoubtedly extraordinary. Tonight's encounter confirmed he was truly wise, though unlike the Xu Family's innate brilliance, his wisdom appeared more like "still waters run deep."
With a wry smile, Chu Shaoying admitted frankly, "Your Highness flatters me. Had it not been for your warning tonight, I might have..." Mo Xiuyao understood his implication—to Chu Shaoying, the Chu Family's interests would always come first. Without Mo Xiuyao's intervention, he might have reluctantly compromised with Mo Jingli as a last resort.
Mo Xiuyao waved dismissively, indicating it was of no consequence.
Expressing his gratitude, Chu Shaoying cautiously took a seat and inquired, "Your Highness has entered the city late at night—might there be instructions for us?"
Mo Xiuyao smiled faintly. "Instructions would be too strong a word. Within three days, the Mo Family Army will breach Liyang City. Before then, I hope the Chu Family and Yunzhou's prominent clans will issue this proclamation in their names." He handed Chu Shaoying a letter filled with meticulous script. After a brief glance, Chu Shaoying's lips twitched involuntarily. As he read further, his expression darkened. The document detailed how Mo Jingli had used Southern Border poison to murder the late Emperor Mo Jingqi, driven Mo Suoyun to his death, imprisoned the Empress Dowager, and embezzled military funds meant for Zijing Pass—leading to its fall to Northern Rong and their subsequent march on Chu Jing. If made public, this would utterly ruin Mo Jingli's reputation.
After a pause, Chu Shaoying ventured, "Your Highness, is all this... true?" Even someone like him could never have imagined Mo Jingli's hidden atrocities. More crucially, one should never leave such damning evidence for enemies to exploit.
Mo Xiuyao nodded leisurely. "Do you doubt the Qilin and Mo Family Army's shadow guards in gathering intelligence?"
Chu Shaoying hastily shook his head. "I merely wonder why Your Highness didn't reveal this earlier. Moreover... wouldn't the impact be greater if issued by Your Highness directly or through the Xu Family?"
Mo Xiuyao replied, "The timing wasn't right before. As for now... the Xu Family is far less convenient than the Chu Family. Of course... Master Chu need not handle this matter personally."Chu Shaoying pondered for a moment before understanding the reasoning behind it. The Xu Family was, after all, part of Prince Ding's Estate. Although the Xu elders were highly respected figures, Mo Jingli might turn the tables and accuse Prince Ding's Estate of slandering him. However, if the information were revealed by an unrelated third party, it would be entirely different. Of course, in Chu Shaoying's view, another reason was likely that Prince Ding didn’t want the Xu Family to be involved in such matters. Regardless, this revelation exposed many of Great Chu’s secrets. As subjects of Great Chu, exposing these matters would certainly ruin Mo Jingli’s reputation, but those who disclosed them would inevitably face criticism from pedantic scholars.
"I understand. Please rest assured, Wang Ye. I will choose an appropriate time to bring these matters to light."
Hearing Chu Shaoying’s words, Mo Xiuyao was very pleased. He stood up with a smile and said, "In that case, I shall await your good news, Master Chu." Chu Shaoying nodded. "Wang Ye need not worry."
Mo Xiuyao left the Chu residence and swiftly scaled the city walls to exit the city. Despite Liyang’s tight security, nothing could stop the ostentatiously dressed Prince Ding in his white robes. Outside Liyang, Xu Qingfeng and several Qilin team members were already waiting for him.
Mo Xiuyao raised an eyebrow. "What are you all doing here?" Xu Qingfeng gave a helpless, bitter smile. He had only just returned to camp when he learned that Mo Xiuyao was not only alive but had appeared in the military barracks. When news of Mo Xiuyao’s death had first spread, Xu Qingfeng had nearly lost his mind, frantically wondering what would become of his cousin if Mo Xiuyao really were dead. Now that he was alive, Xu Qingfeng hadn’t even had a chance to see him before he disappeared again. Xu Qingfeng almost thought Lyu Jinxian and the others were playing a cruel joke on him. After waiting in camp with no sign of Mo Xiuyao’s return, Xu Qingfeng had no choice but to bring some men and wait outside Liyang.
By the time dawn was approaching, Xu Qingfeng was on the verge of storming Liyang again when Mo Xiuyao finally appeared.
"Wang Ye, are you alright?"
Mo Xiuyao arched a brow. What could possibly be wrong with him?
Xu Qingfeng sighed and nodded. "Good, as long as you’re unharmed." Without waiting for a response, he turned and walked away. Even the usually sharp-witted Mo Xiuyao was momentarily stunned. Had Xu Qingfeng waited all night just to confirm he was safe? To show concern for him? Outside official matters, the Xu brothers had never been particularly friendly toward him.
Ahead, Xu Qingfeng muttered to himself as he walked back toward camp, "At least he’s not dead. If he were, we’d have to find another husband for Li'er. Li'er aside, my poor nieces and nephews would suffer…"
The next morning, the attendants serving Mo Jingli grew puzzled when the Emperor showed no signs of summoning anyone, nor did Consort Li rise from bed despite the late hour. They waited and waited until military officers arrived to report urgent matters, yet there was still no movement inside. Finally, one attendant cautiously entered to rouse Mo Jingli. But before he could speak, the attendant let out a shrill scream.
The eunuch’s piercing cry was so loud and jarring that not only did those waiting outside rush in in alarm, but even the unconscious Mo Jingli, lying in bed, was startled awake.Disturbed from his sleep, Mo Jingli frowned in displeasure. Looking down, he saw the woman in his arms—her icy cold temperature, stiffened body, and the dark red blood trailing from the corner of her lips. All of this told Mo Jingli one thing… last night, he had actually slept the entire night embracing a corpse. What was worse, someone had sneaked in and killed Consort Li without him noticing at all. If the intruder had intended to target him instead… Mo Jingli broke into a cold sweat at the thought.
Sitting up abruptly, he shoved Consort Li’s corpse away and roared, "Get her out of here at once!"
"Y-Your Majesty…" A trembling attendant pointed at a certain part of him and cried out. Following the attendant’s gaze, everyone who had barged in instinctively looked toward Mo Jingli’s lower body. The once bright yellow inner robe was now stained with the same dark red blood below the abdomen. Mo Jingli’s expression twisted abruptly as he finally realized something was terribly wrong. A certain part of his body had no sensation at all. It wasn’t pain—that was why he hadn’t noticed at first. It was a complete absence of feeling, as if it had never existed.
"Quick! Summon the imperial physician!" Mo Jingli bellowed.
"Your Majesty... here... there's a note." The trembling attendant picked up a slip of paper from the nearby table and presented it to Mo Jingli. Mo Jingli snatched it—just an ordinary piece of paper, as if torn from one of the booklets he usually used. On it were only a few sparse words: "Hearing your words of stealing my most precious treasure, I have been restless day and night. After much reflection, I have decided to sever your wickedness to end my worries. I hope you take care."
Staring at the bold, unrestrained handwriting, Mo Jingli's eyes widened. Finally unable to hold back, he spat out a mouthful of blood, his eyes rolling back as he fainted.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty?! Quick... summon the imperial physician..."
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