After listening to Princess Anxi's response, Ye Li stood up and prepared to head downstairs. She seemed genuinely indifferent to the princess's life or death. This reaction left the men present momentarily stunned. After all, the information they had gathered suggested that while Prince Ding was cold and ruthless, Wang Fei (Princess Ding) was known for her compassion and would never abandon Princess Anxi.
"Wait!" the leader of the men said sternly.
A man guarding the staircase immediately reached out to stop Ye Li upon hearing his leader's command. However, Ye Li's delicate face darkened as she swiftly seized the man's outstretched arm, twisted it, and with a sharp crack, sent him stumbling to the ground with a muffled groan. Turning back, she fixed the black-clad leader with a cold gaze and said, "This princess respects your loyalty, but you would do well to know your limits."
"Hold on," the leader said. "We can release Princess Anxi, but... how can I trust that you won't pull any tricks in the next half-hour?" Ye Li raised an eyebrow. "What do you propose?" The leader replied, "We ask that Wang Fei and Wang Ye wait here for half an hour. After that, we will release Princess Anxi. Additionally, during this time, neither of you may meet with anyone from Prince Ding's Estate."
Ye Li lowered her eyes in thought before nodding. "Fine. But first, let me take Princess Anxi with me. We'll wait outside."
The leader frowned, about to refuse, but Ye Li said coolly, "You have quite the plan. If this princess and Wang Ye waste half an hour here, only for you to set Princess Anxi ablaze at the last moment, who would I appeal to for justice?"
The man struggled internally for a long while. Seeing his hesitation, Ye Li shook her head and turned to leave.
"Wang Fei..."
"Agree and come out, or stay here if you refuse. If I don't step out within a quarter-hour, Wang Ye will come in himself."
As Ye Li's figure disappeared leisurely down the staircase, the men upstairs exchanged uneasy glances. "Boss, what do we do?" After a long silence, the leader sighed heavily. "We go out."
"But what if..." What if Wang Fei was lying? Right now, they could still use the alcohol-soaked building as leverage to deter any rash actions. Once outside, the Mo Family Army lying in ambush could easily turn them into pincushions with arrows. The leader gave a bitter smile. "The moment Wang Fei arrived and we didn't kill her immediately, we had already lost. Besides, she's right—whether the Queen of Nanzhao lives or dies, what does it have to do with Prince Ding's Estate? Even if Nanzhao holds a grudge, they'd have to cross Western Liang and Great Chu first to cause trouble for the estate." And he highly doubted any nation would dare provoke Prince Ding's Estate now.
"So... we just walk out?"
The leader clenched his teeth. "We'll gamble on Wang Fei keeping her word. Either way, it's death. If we can buy His Majesty half an hour... we’ll have done our duty."
The others fell silent. Whether out of loyalty or other reasons, they had no way back now. As their leader said, death was inevitable, and they’d rather die swiftly by an arrow than burn alive.Outside the tavern, Ye Li stood beside Mo Xiuyao while Pu A watched anxiously from behind them. After a while, Princess Anxi was finally escorted out slowly by her captors.
"Anxi!" Pu A called out urgently.
Princess Anxi shook her head to indicate she was unharmed.
Mo Xiuyao swept a cold glance over the group and said, "Now that she's out, release her." The men remained wary and unmoving. With a disdainful scoff, Mo Xiuyao added, "Wang Fei has already informed this prince. If I intended to break our agreement, you would have been dead the moment you stepped outside. Release her now!"
The black-clad man restraining Princess Anxi hesitated before finally loosening his grip. The moment she was free, Princess Anxi rushed toward them. "Pu A..."
Pu A embraced her tightly. "Anxi, are you alright?"
"I'm fine..." she replied shakily, "but... but our child—Shuo'er—has been taken by Mo Jingli." Though Pu A was relieved to have his wife back safely, his son's disappearance weighed heavily on him. Still, his gaze toward Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li held newfound respect and confidence. "Don't worry... don't worry. Shuo'er will be fine."
Nearby, Mo Xiuyao had already led Ye Li to sit in chairs that Prince Ding's Estate guards had seemingly procured from nowhere. It was rare for Mo Xiuyao to honor an agreement with enemies, yet there he sat, calmly waiting beneath the faint sunlight for the half-hour to pass.
The black-clad man across from them watched as the white-haired Prince Ding leaned against Wang Fei with closed eyes, his expression flickering with complex emotions—reverence, helplessness, regret, and even a trace of admiration. Even when he had decided to step outside, he hadn’t been certain Prince Ding would keep his word. That things had turned out this way was already far better than expected. It also served as yet another stark contrast between Prince Ding and Prince Li. He knew that if this had been his master, Mo Jingli, the agreement would have been broken without hesitation.
"Wang Ye, Wang Fei," a shadow guard hurried over and whispered, "Qingchen Gongzi has sent word requesting Your Highness return to the estate immediately."
Mo Xiuyao opened his eyes. "What is it?"
The shadow guard hesitated before replying in a low voice, "The Little Prince still hasn’t been found."
Mo Xiuyao straightened slightly, his gaze briefly sweeping over the group of black-clad men still watching them warily from a distance. Calmly, he lowered his lashes and said, "I know. Let Qingchen Gongzi handle it for now."
"But..." The shadow guard was uneasy—after all, the Little Prince was missing, yet Wang Ye showed no urgency. But one look into Mo Xiuyao's composed eyes sent a chill down his spine, and he quickly bowed. "Understood. This subordinate takes his leave."
Hearing that Mo Xiaobao had yet to be found, Ye Li frowned slightly. She glanced down at Mo Xiuyao's hand holding hers—dry and steady—and gradually relaxed. Leaning back into the chair, she waited quietly alongside him for the appointed time to pass.Half an hour could feel like a fleeting moment to some, while to others, it might seem like an eternity. When the time finally came to an end, Mo Xiuyao slowly stood up, pulling Ye Li to her feet. He calmly addressed the black-clad man before him, saying, "This prince will spare your life. Go back and tell Mo Jingli—don’t forget… his son is still in my hands." With that, Mo Xiuyao turned and walked away without a backward glance, leading Ye Li by the hand.
Watching Mo Xiuyao’s retreating figure, the black-clad man let out a long breath. Facing Prince Ding head-on was an overwhelming pressure few could endure. He wiped his forehead, where sweat had already soaked most of his hair.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
The sound of arrows cutting through the air rang out. The black-clad man leaped to the side in alarm, and as soon as he landed, an arrow embedded itself right beside his heel. Turning back, he saw that the men who had been with him were now all lying on the ground. Not far away, a black-clad archer sat atop a roof, bow in hand, and said coolly, "No need to fear. The prince said he’d spare your life, so we won’t shoot you."
As the archer swiftly disappeared behind the eaves, the black-clad man felt a chill run down his spine. After a long moment, he turned and sprinted toward the road.
When Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li returned to the prince’s residence, Xu Qingchen was waiting anxiously in the study.
"Big Brother."
Xu Qingchen’s handsome face was dark with displeasure. "What took you so long?" Mo Xiuyao replied calmly, "What’s happened?" Xu Qingchen picked up a letter from the table and handed it over. "Xiao Bao has fallen into Mo Jingli’s hands. This letter was sent by Mo Jingli’s men."
Ye Li took the letter and saw that it was indeed Mo Jingli’s handwriting, dripping with malice and smugness. Xu Qingchen sat down, glaring at them. "What exactly is going on? With so many people watching Xiao Bao, how could he still end up in Mo Jingli’s hands?"
After reading the letter Ye Li handed him, Mo Xiuyao said placidly, "Don’t worry. Xiao Bao will be fine."
Xu Qingchen studied Mo Xiuyao for a long moment before snorting coldly. "Another one of your schemes? Be careful—sometimes the cleverest plans backfire and trap you instead." Mo Xiuyao gave a helpless smile. "This wasn’t my scheme." He looked pleadingly at Ye Li. Why do I feel so wronged?
Xu Qingchen frowned slightly. "Mo Xiaobao?"
Mo Xiuyao blinked innocently. So… it really has nothing to do with this prince.
Xu Qingchen glanced at Mo Xiuyao and sneered. "You just let him run wild. If something happens—"
"Brother Qingchen," Mo Xiuyao said with a faint smile, "Xiao Bao is almost eleven. He’s not a child anymore. If we don’t let him take risks, we’ll never be able to trust him. Besides, someone is watching over him—nothing will happen. If there’s any real trouble, his people will report back immediately." Xu Qingchen shook his head helplessly and sighed. "Fine. If his own father isn’t worried, why should I be?"
"Big Brother naturally cares for Xiao Bao," Ye Li said with a soft smile, though her delicate brows furrowed slightly. "I’m a little worried about him too. Those two… truly father and son!" Usually, they couldn’t stand each other, but when it came to major matters, they were frustratingly in sync.
Prince Ding, unfairly blamed by his wife, rubbed his nose innocently and decided to settle this score with that reckless little brat."Achoo!" In a dimly lit corner, a little boy dressed in plain cloth sneezed softly. Immediately, someone next to him covered his nose and whispered, "What are you doing?"
In the faint light, a pair of lively big eyes blinked. "Sorry, sorry... seems like I caught a cold."
"If you're unlucky, that's fine, but don't drag Qin Lie down with you," Xu Zhirui, also dressed in plain cloth, muttered under his breath. Mo Xiaobao pouted pitifully and said, "I could've gone by myself. Why did Qin Lie have to rush ahead?"
"Shut up!" Xu Zhirui rolled his eyes impatiently. "Don’t you know a wise man doesn’t stand under a crumbling wall? Do you want to go back and get cursed by Uncle Prince Ding?" Mo Xiaobao blinked and looked at Xu Zhirui with puppy-dog eyes. "Cousin Zhi Rui, you're being grumpy."
Xu Zhirui shot him a glare. He must have been out of his mind to follow Mo Xiaobao into such a dangerous situation. Did this lunatic even realize how young they were?! If Qin Lie hadn’t gone ahead first, Mo Xiaobao would have walked right into the hands of some madman.
Mo Xiaobao whined, "It’s Qin Lie who was too hasty! I’d already decided to change the plan, but he ran off without even discussing it. Now we have to work so hard to rescue him."
Xu Zhirui gave him a silent side-eye before finally saying, "When Auntie gave birth to you, why didn’t she just strangle you?" The phrase "ungrateful wretch" was practically made for Mo Xiaobao. Who did Qin Lie take this risk for, anyway?
Mo Xiaobao grinned smugly and rubbed his nose. "Mom loves me too much to do that."
Xu Zhirui snorted and ignored him. When you go back and get tortured by Uncle Prince Ding, no one will pity you! The young master of the Xu Family silently cursed in his heart. But what Xu Zhirui didn’t know was that there was a type of person in this world who, like an indestructible cockroach, thrived on chaos—the more they were messed with, the more they messed back, growing increasingly twisted. Unaware that a budding little psychopath was evolving right beside him, Xu Zhirui cautiously crawled forward, moving slowly along the wall covered in thick vines. Their top priority now was to find the captured Qin Lie, not to bicker with the heartless Mo Xiaobao.
Behind him, Mo Xiaobao rolled his eyes dramatically at the sky. Did Xu Zhirui even realize that he was the older one here?!
Though still young, Mo Xiaobao had been doted on by everyone in the Xu Family and Prince Ding's Estate, but that didn’t mean he slacked off in his studies. And as Mo Xiaobao’s only cousin, Xu Zhirui naturally had no choice but to suffer alongside the Little Prince. Thus, young Xu Zhirui became the second person in the Xu Family after Xu Qingfeng to train in martial arts. Though they were still children, their agility and training from renowned masters meant that even if they couldn’t win a fight, they could outrun most pursuers.
After what felt like forever, the two finally reached the courtyard gate. Mo Xiaobao examined the markings Qin Lie had left on the ground nearby and asked, puzzled, "This isn’t the Great Chu Embassy. What kind of place is this?"
Xu Zhirui rolled his eyes again and said, "Seems like the backyard of the Zhao Family."
"The Zhao Family?""It's that Zhao Zefang family that Fifth Uncle mentioned, the one who wanted to marry his daughter to Prince Ding, our uncle-in-law. The same one who led a group to Mount Li Academy to bother Great Grandfather," Xu Zhirui said.
Mo Xiaobao's eyes sparkled mischievously as a strange smile finally appeared on his face. "So it's him." Don't think Mo Xiaobao only knew how to cause trouble every day—he never missed anything important. At the very least, he remembered clearly which people wanted to steal his mother's man. Although he also found his annoying father displeasing, he had no intention of replacing him—at least not yet. Even if he did, it would depend on his mother's wishes. As long as his mother hadn't said she didn't want him, who dared to try and take him? Mo Xiaobao would make sure they regretted it!
"What are you planning now? We're here to rescue Qin Lie," Xu Zhirui said warily.
Mo Xiaobao looked up at the sky. "Who said we're here to rescue Qin Lie? If we wanted to save him, wouldn't it be easier to just send the shadow guards and the Qilin? If Qin Lie gets injured, which one of us could carry him out?" Even though their combat skills weren't much worse than an adult's, they were still just children in size. If Qin Lie couldn't move on his own, neither of them could haul him back.
"I have a feeling I'm going to die because of you!" Xu Zhirui muttered under his breath.
Mo Xiaobao grinned like a cat that had stolen fish. "Don't worry, cousin Zhi Rui, your elder cousin will protect you. Once we get inside, you go look for Qin Lie and see if the little emperor is with him. I'll check if the Zhao residence has any secrets. I've met that Zhao Zefang before—with his cowardly nature, he wouldn’t dare betray my father alone." When Mo Xiuyao wanted to torture someone, the methods he came up with were beyond human imagination. Zhao Zefang wouldn’t dare betray Prince Ding's Estate in Li Cheng unless he had no choice—either someone had leverage over him, or he was absolutely certain he could escape unscathed afterward.
Xu Zhirui hesitated but finally nodded. "Be careful yourself."
Watching Xu Zhirui slip away stealthily, Mo Xiaobao stood up and made a subtle gesture to the shadow guards hidden in the darkness, whispering, "Protect Zhi Rui." Sensing movement in the shadows as someone followed Xu Zhirui, Mo Xiaobao grinned and leaped onto the wall, disappearing behind it.
In the darkness, a low voice asked, "The Little Prince has gone in. What do we do?"
"Don’t interfere. Wang Ye said unless the Little Prince is in mortal danger, we don’t intervene," another replied.
"Fine, let’s go in too. Hopefully, the guards aren’t too tight." Protecting the Little Prince meant staying close, but once inside the courtyard, keeping up without being detected would be much harder.
Moments later, the voices faded into silence.
In a dimly lit, secluded study within the Zhao residence, Zhao Zefang, the family head, sat behind his desk with a gloomy expression, lost in thought. Just as he was zoning out, a servant announced softly from outside, "Master, Lord Li, Lord Zhu, and Lord Wang have arrived."
"Let them in!" Zhao Zefang stood abruptly.
Soon, the study door opened, and several middle-aged men filed in. The one at the front chuckled as he walked. "Brother Zhao, what brings us here at this hour?"
Zhao Zefang gave them a cold look. "I want you to meet someone.""Who could make Brother Zhao act with such caution? Today is the first birthday banquet of Prince Ding's Estate for the Little Prince and the little princess. Though we may be insignificant, it wouldn't do well if we were absent." When mentioning the word "insignificant," the man's tone was thick with sarcasm.
Zhao Zhefang remained silent, simply turning to walk inside. The other three exchanged glances before following him in. Inside the study, in a specially partitioned resting area, two children around ten years old lay on a soft couch. One of the men asked curiously, "Brother Zhao, is this... is this the young emperor of Great Chu?" It wasn't that he was familiar with Mo Suiyun, but the dragon robes the boy wore made his identity immediately obvious.
Zhao Zhefang forced a stiff smile and said, "Take a look at the other child."
All three turned their gaze to the richly dressed child lying beside Mo Suiyun and gasped in unison, "The Little Prince?!"
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