Mo Li

The sight of the unconscious young boy in brocade robes lying on the divan sent a wave of shock through the gathered crowd. They turned horrified gazes toward Zhao Zhefang, who stood nearby. One man stepped forward agitatedly and demanded, "Have you lost your mind? Kidnapping the Little Prince of Prince Ding's Estate in Li Cheng?" Just the thought of the blood Prince Ding had spilled over the years sent chills down their spines. With the Prince's Estate's shadow guards and the Qilin—who could infiltrate anywhere—if Prince Ding ever learned of this, not only would they perish, but even their nine generations of kin, down to their cats and dogs, would be wiped out.

Zhao Zhefang gave a helpless, bitter smile. "How could I possibly have the means to kidnap the Little Prince of Prince Ding's Estate?"

"Then what happened?" The others stared at him with grave expressions.

Zhao Zhefang sighed. "You don’t need me to guess who’s been visiting you these past few days, do you?" At his words, the three men stiffened. Zhao Zhefang continued, "He already told me everything, which is why I called you here. News of the Little Prince’s disappearance won’t stay hidden for long. Once Prince Ding’s guards and the Mo Family Army start searching house by house… we won’t be able to hide him."

The three men paled, their expressions darkening as they glared at Zhao Zhefang. "What do you expect us to do about this?" They had once been influential nobles of Great Chu, but after pledging allegiance to Prince Ding, they had been sidelined. This time, when Prince Ding appointed officials en masse, he deliberately excluded most of the established aristocratic families. Later, when the families nearly tore each other apart vying for the empty position of Left Minister, Prince Ding had instead handed it to an outsider—Chen Xiufu. That was when they realized Prince Ding had no use for them. Under his rule, these centuries-old noble houses were doomed to decline. So when Mo Jingli approached them, they were quick to yield—not just for the benefits and promises he offered, but because they had no choice but to gamble.

A cold smirk twisted Zhao Zhefang’s aged face. "Do you really think Prince Ding will spare you if this is discovered? Right now, the Prince's Estate is scouring the city for him. If he’s caught, do you think he won’t give us all up?"

A cold sweat broke out among them as regret gnawed at their hearts. Had they been too impulsive in agreeing to Mo Jingli’s schemes? Perhaps their resentment over Prince Ding’s neglect and the loss of the Left Minister position had clouded their judgment. Could someone like Mo Jingli truly offer them a future? But now, there was no turning back. Not only would Prince Ding never tolerate traitors, but Mo Jingli also held damning secrets over each of them.

"Then what do you propose we do?"

Zhao Zhefang lowered his gaze, lost in thought for a long moment before shaking his head. "The Little Prince is still valuable—we can’t harm him. But… keeping him in my estate isn’t safe." The others exchanged glances and nodded. The Zhao residence had no secure hiding spots, and keeping the Little Prince here for long would indeed be risky.

"So what should we do?"

Zhao Zhefang pondered before replying, "First, we must find a hidden place to conceal the Little Prince."

"And what about the young emperor? Given that man’s temperament, he won’t let him live either. Why not just…""Not yet. If the young emperor doesn't attend tonight's banquet in the palace, it will surely arouse Prince Ding's suspicions," Zhao Zhefang shook his head.

"Reporting to the master, Prince Yu of Great Chu requests an audience," a guard announced softly outside the door.

Under the eaves outside, Mo Xiaobao sat perched on an intricately carved beam, bending over to eavesdrop through the window above. A wide grin spread across his delicate little face.

After a while, several people filed out of the study. Before leaving, Zhao Zhefang instructed the guards at the door to keep watch over those inside, then departed with the other three. Today, all notable figures in Li Cheng had gathered at Prince Ding's Estate. Their absence would only invite more suspicion.

Seeing Zhao Zhefang and the others leave, Mo Xiaobao silently dropped down from the eaves. He frowned at the two guards stationed at the door, then quickly had an idea. He pulled out a small, exquisite gadget from his sleeve and pressed it lightly toward one of them.

With a soft whoosh, one guard collapsed to the ground with a thud. The other, startled, barely had time to cry out before darkness overtook him too. Xu Zhirui stood cold-faced behind a pillar, glaring at Mo Xiaobao, who responded with a mischievous grin before pulling him into the study. Outside, two shadow guards in black landed silently in the courtyard. They exchanged amused glances at the unconscious guards before discreetly moving them to a hidden spot. Soon, two unremarkable men in guard uniforms took their places at the study entrance.

"Wang Ye must be in a good mood, finding time to train the Little Prince even now."

"At this level of difficulty, Wang Ye probably couldn't be bothered to intervene himself."

"The Little Prince has quite the nerve, though he forgot about cleaning up afterward." If someone suddenly arrived and found two unconscious guards at the door, wouldn't that expose everything? Thus, as shadow guards, they had to be ready to tidy up after their master at any moment.

"Given the Little Prince and Young Master Xu's size, they couldn't possibly handle moving such large objects."

The two exchanged another look, struck by a thought: Had the Little Prince swaggered in so boldly because he was certain they'd come to help clean up?

Inside the study, Mo Xiaobao danced about gleefully, rummaging through everything with delight. Before long, he'd uncovered numerous interesting items. The Zhao family hadn't lived in this residence long, so there weren't many secret hiding places. Besides, even if there were hidden mechanisms or passages, they likely wouldn't escape the notice of someone who'd been clever and resourceful since childhood, with a wide range of knowledge.

Xu Zhirui sat on the couch, watching his cousin tear through the room while frowning at the two unconscious men lying beside him. Often, Xu Zhirui truly couldn't understand how this cousin—barely two years his senior—had turned out like this. His aunt was gentle and elegant, and Prince Ding, his uncle, carried himself with regal dignity. Yet this cousin had grown into some strange hybrid—only his pretty face was tolerable, and he never stayed still for a moment.

"Are you going to check on these two?" Xu Zhirui asked irritably.Mo Xiaobao glanced up at him and casually tossed over a small porcelain bottle. "What's so interesting? They're just drugged. Let them sniff this, and they'll wake up. Sister Yunge gave this to me—it can counteract all kinds of narcotic incense." Without looking up again, he continued flipping through the letters and ledgers retrieved from a locked cabinet in Zhao Zhefang's study.

Xu Zhirui silently held the bottle under Qin Lie and Mo Suiyun's noses. Sure enough, within moments, Qin Lie was the first to stir awake. Seeing Xu Zhirui, he showed no surprise and sat up quietly. A short while later, Mo Suiyun also woke, though he was far less composed than Qin Lie and nearly cried out—only to have Qin Lie and Xu Zhirui clamp their hands over his mouth from either side.

Mo Xiaobao stood up from beside the bookshelf, tucking a thin ledger into his robes. Clearly, he had found what he was looking for. Waving a hand, he said, "No need to worry. The people outside are ours." Mo Suiyun stared at Mo Xiaobao, dressed in plain cloth, then at Qin Lie beside him—who, clad in dark brocade, looked far more like the heir of Prince Ding's Estate than Mo Xiaobao himself—and was momentarily speechless.

Unfazed by Mo Suiyun's shock, Mo Xiaobao cheerfully slung an arm over his shoulder. "Good brother, thanks for your help this time." Even Mo Suiyun, slow as he was, realized he'd been used. Annoyed, he shoved Mo Xiaobao's hand away and pointed at Qin Lie. "Who is he?" Mo Xiaobao grinned. "That's not important. Doesn't he look just like me? Like a twin? Took a lot of effort to pull this off."

Mo Suiyun studied Qin Lie for a long moment before remarking, "Such masterful disguise skills. No wonder Prince Ding managed to deceive Prince Zhennan of Xiling and Prince Li." Mo Xiaobao reached up to tug playfully at Qin Lie's face. "This thing is really hard to make. Most people can't learn it. I can't either..."

Qin Lie swatted Mo Xiaobao's mischievous hand away with a sharp slap.

"He's shorter than you," Mo Suiyun observed after careful scrutiny. "He's Qin Lie." At the mention of height, Qin Lie's aura instantly turned icy. Though his expression remained hidden beneath the disguise, the cold glare in his eyes betrayed his sore spot. Indeed, while Qin Lie was the oldest among them, his height barely matched that of Xu Zhirui—who wasn't even ten yet. Being short was every man's—or boy's—bane.

Seeing Qin Lie about to explode, Mo Xiaobao quickly threw himself at him, pinning him down with an appeasing grin. "Don't be mad, don't be mad... The little emperor just misspoke. We can't afford to kill him... Shen said you started martial arts too early, so you'll grow late. After sixteen, you'll shoot up like crazy." Being comforted by a kid several years his junior did nothing to soothe Qin Lie's pride.

Xu Zhirui stood to the side, arms crossed, glaring at them impatiently. "Are you leaving or not? You think this is your home?" Mo Xiaobao chuckled. "We're going... You and Qin Lie go ahead. I'll stay here with the little emperor."

"Ridiculous!" Xu Zhirui snapped coldly, exuding the demeanor of the Xu Family's second young master. Mo Xiaobao pouted. "Zhi Rui, if we all leave and Zhao Zhefang comes back to find this mess, how are we supposed to keep playing later?"Xu Zhirui said, "Didn't you find what you were looking for? Just take it back to Prince Ding and come straight here to arrest them."

"Arrest who? Mo Jingli is probably hiding in some rat hole. If I leave, he'll either stay hidden or cause some unknown damage. What if he starts setting fires, killing people, and wreaking havoc in Li Cheng, ruining Xin'er and Lin'er's first birthday celebration? Besides, Father said he's putting on a big show tonight to scare those clueless old men. If the show falls through, I'll be in deep trouble!" Mo Xiaobao declared righteously. Xu Zhirui rolled his eyes, "So what do you want to do?" Mo Xiaobao pulled out a booklet from his robe and shoved it into Xu Zhirui's arms, "You and Qin Lie go back first and give this to my father and mother. I'll stay here and see what tricks Mo Jingli has up his sleeve."

Mo Suiyun protested, "If you want to stay, stay by yourself. I'm not sticking around to risk my life with you."

Mo Xiaobao gave Mo Suiyun a sly, insincere smile, "Brother, that's not right. We're clearly in the same boat now. How can you abandon ship?" Mo Suiyun retorted, "I only agreed to help bring you here. I never said I'd help you catch Mo Jingli." Mo Xiaobao's delicate little face twisted into a scowl as he grabbed Mo Suiyun's collar and shook him violently, "Hmph! You think you can just hop off this young master's pirate ship? Are you in or not? Huh? If not, I'll shout and tell Mo Jingli you teamed up with me to trick him!"

Mo Suiyun angrily swatted his hand away, "You lunatic! You're out of your mind!"

Mo Xiaobao grinned at him with a slightly lewd expression, "If Mo Jingli really shows up, I might escape with my life, but you... well, that's hard to say."

"I. Get. It!" Mo Suiyun glared at Mo Xiaobao through gritted teeth.

Mo Xiaobao nodded in satisfaction, "Good boy. Stay here with me, and I promise you'll be safe. Isn't there a saying... 'Take a knife for a brother'? Aren't we good brothers?"

Pah! Who's your good brother? Being your brother just means getting stabbed in the back by you.

Having dealt with Mo Suiyun, Mo Xiaobao sat on the couch and waved at Xu Zhirui and Qin Lie, "Alright, Qin Lie, swap clothes with me. Then you two head back first." Qin Lie glanced at him coolly and said, "I'll stay. You go back."

Mo Xiaobao puffed up his cheeks like a steamed bun, glaring at the face identical to his own, "I'm the heir! What I say goes! I haven't even settled the score with you for sneaking out disguised as me!"

Qin Lie gave him a calm look, "Is there anything you can do that I can't? There's no need for you to stay." Aside from lacking Mo Xiaobao's perverse, malicious, and scheming nature, Qin Lie was in no way inferior to him. Those extra years of age weren't for nothing.

"No way!" Mo Xiaobao still wanted to meet that freak Mo Jingli. His father had told him something very interesting, and he wanted to verify it himself—it'd be a shame otherwise.

Qin Lie couldn't be bothered to argue further. He casually drew Xu Zhirui's dagger and pressed it against his own neck. "Go."Mo Xiaobao was taken aback and wanted to say more, but Qin Lie pressed the dagger even closer, just a hair's breadth from piercing his neck. "Leaving or not?" Mo Xiaobao was dumbfounded—this was the first time in his life he realized he was being threatened, and the threat was against his own life. How absurd—it's not like you're my wife, he grumbled inwardly. But those who wear shoes fear the barefoot, and the barefoot fear those who court death. Compared to Mo Xiaobao, who delighted in mischief, Qin Lie was clearly the one unafraid of death.

After a moment of stunned silence, Mo Xiaobao finally conceded. He shot Qin Lie a resentful glare before reluctantly walking over to Xu Zhirui. Seeing Mo Xiaobao humiliated, Mo Suiyun couldn't help but smirk. "Now I finally understand why you're so unhinged." Because none of you lot are normal to begin with!

As they stepped out of the study, Mo Xiaobao wasn't the least bit surprised to see two guards standing rigidly at the door. "You've worked hard," he said.

"Not at all, it's our duty," one guard replied solemnly, silently adding, "Young Prince, the best comfort you could give us is causing less trouble." Mo Xiaobao nodded with an air of authority. "Guard the people inside well. Zhi Rui, let's go." Xu Zhirui followed wordlessly. Even if this study was remote and rarely visited, did he have to treat it like his own backyard?

That evening, Prince Ding's Estate was ablaze with lights. The grand hall in the front courtyard, reserved for banquets, was filled with distinguished guests. Seated at the head of the table were naturally Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li. To their right sat Mr. Qingyun and members of the Xu Family, while to their left were Chen Xiufu, Xu Qingchen, and other key civil and military officials of the estate. Further down were the envoys and guests from various nations.

Below, Mo Suiyun and Mo Jingyu sat among the envoys from Great Chu, though both seemed somewhat distracted. Across from them, among the Western Liang delegation, an official whispered to Lei Tengfeng, "We haven't seen the young prince of Prince Ding's Estate all day."

Lei Tengfeng glanced up and noticed the seat reserved for the young prince, Mo Yuchen, remained empty beside Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li. Even during the First Birthday Celebration at noon, Mo Yuchen had been absent. Lei Tengfeng observed Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li's composed expressions and smiled faintly. "We're guests here. There's no need to concern ourselves with such matters."

While Lei Tengfeng was indifferent, others were not. A man with Western Region features stood and asked curiously, "Prince Ding, why haven't we seen your young prince?" It was no wonder these envoys were curious—exchanges between the Western Regions and the Central Plains were rare. While others might have glimpsed Mo Xiaobao once or twice, these envoys had never laid eyes on him, making the heir of Prince Ding's Estate all the more intriguing.

Mo Xiuyao replied calmly, "The young prince is slightly unwell and will join us later."

This simple statement was interpreted in countless ways by those present. Some paled, others pondered thoughtfully, and a few wore expressions of concern.Mo Xiuyao swept a faint glance over the assembled guests below, his gaze lingering briefly on Mo Jingyu and Mo Suiyun. Both men immediately felt an overwhelming pressure bearing down on them as if it were a physical force. Mo Suiyun's face paled as he hastily lowered his head, while Mo Jingyu's wine cup trembled in his hand, spilling some of its contents onto his sleeve. Ignoring the curious looks from those around him, Mo Jingyu quickly set down the cup and clenched his fists tightly beneath the table.

Rising to his feet, Mo Xiuyao raised a cup of wine with a smile and said, "Today marks the first birthday of my son, Yufeng, and my daughter, Yuya. We are grateful for your presence here from afar. My Wang Fei and I propose a toast to all of you." Beside him, Ye Li also raised her cup in a distant salute to the guests. The assembly hastily stood and responded, "It is we who should offer our congratulations to the Little Prince and the Little Princess on their birthday." Host and guests drank together, and the atmosphere in the grand hall immediately grew lively. With a wave of Mo Xiuyao's hand, maids dressed in the attire of Prince Ding's Estate stepped forward to refill the cups, while the soft strains of music began to play and beautiful dancers took to the floor. The hall was soon filled with the clinking of cups and an air of joyous celebration.

－－－－－－Author's Note－－－－－－

Sniffles~ I can finally see the light of victory~ I actually didn't miss an update~