Mo Li

Jiangnan, Nanjing City

Once a dominant and prosperous empire, the great Chu that had stood shoulder to shoulder with Western Liang as the twin powers of the era had now, like Western Liang, retreated to a corner of the land. When one thought about it, Western Liang and Chu truly shared a peculiar fate. Both had originated from the same roots, established their nations around the same time, grown powerful, and then turned against each other—only to decline almost simultaneously due to the same people and reasons. After the great war several years ago, more than half of Western Liang and Chu's territories had fallen under the rule of Prince Ding's Estate. Although the master of Prince Ding's Estate stubbornly refused to ascend the throne, and even eventually disappeared without a trace, it did nothing to halt the estate's growing influence. Under its rule, the people lived in peace and prosperity, as if the entire realm had willingly submitted to its authority.

Though the war had ended only a few years prior, Jiangnan had remained largely untouched by the flames of battle. The young emperor, who had fought hard to seize power, had since devoted himself to diligent governance. Upon entering Nanjing, one could immediately sense the city's bustling prosperity. While it couldn't compare to Li Cheng's cosmopolitan allure that drew visitors from all directions, it possessed a charm of its own—a millennia-old city with an elegance that Li Cheng lacked.

Mo Xiaobao and his companions drew curious gazes the moment they stepped into the city. Four strikingly handsome and imposing young men walking side by side were eye-catching enough, but the most striking among them—a youth clad in black brocade—was also carrying a five- or six-year-old child dressed in white. The little one nestled in the youth's arms, his round, bright eyes darting about with lively curiosity. Had the group not carried an air of extraordinary distinction, many doting aunties would have rushed forward to pinch the child's cheeks.

The party of four young men and one child swaggered their way to the finest inn in Nanjing. Once settled, Mo Xiaobao, while playfully restraining his younger brother's restless hands, glanced at the others. "Seems we came a bit early. Anything fun to do around here?" Indeed, they had arrived ahead of schedule. Mo Suiyun's grand wedding was set for the nineteenth of the month, and today was only the eighth—leaving them with over ten days to spare. That was more than enough time for Mo Xiaobao to turn Nanjing upside down in search of amusement.

Qin Lie lifted his eyes briefly at Mo Xiaobao before returning to polishing his sword. As a guard, his duty was simply to follow orders. Thinking wasn't his responsibility—and neither were the consequences of any reckless schemes.

Xu Zhirui pondered seriously before answering, "I plan to visit a few renowned scholars in Jiangnan." In other words, he wouldn't be joining Mo Xiaobao's escapades. Whatever outrageous mischief Mo Xiaobao might stir up in Jiangnan would be none of his concern.

Only Leng Junhan remained enthusiastic, blinking eagerly. "Aren't we here to play with the little emperor?"

Mo Xiaobao scoffed. "The little emperor must be swamped right now. No time to entertain us. As guests, we shouldn't trouble our host." Leng Junhan deflated instantly. "Then what else is there to do in Jiangnan besides him?"

Mo Xiaobao's eyes gleamed mischievously as he shot Leng Junhan a sly grin. "Well, about that...""Do you have any ideas?" Leng Junhan's eyes instantly lit up. Xu Zhirui and Qin Lie each rubbed their noses and stepped aside. Over all these years, they still couldn't figure out whether Leng Junhan was truly naive or just pretending to be foolish. He was always tricked by Mo Xiaobao into doing all sorts of outrageous and despicable things with the most absurdly childish excuses, only to put on an innocent and wronged expression afterward. They called him naive because no matter how ridiculous Mo Xiaobao's reasons were, he would always eagerly run off to do them. They called him pretending to be foolish because at least half the consequences of those misdeeds would ultimately fall back on Mo Xiaobao himself. Regarding this, Leng Xiaogongzi's father once tearfully complained to Prince Ding that his son had been bullied into stupidity by the Little Prince. However, Qingchen Gongzi, the wisest man in the world, assessed him as "still waters run deep."

Mo Xiaobao glanced at Qin Lie and Xu Zhirui, who refused to join him, then leaned in to whisper something into Leng Junhan's ear. Leng Junhan's handsome eyes immediately widened in shock as he hesitated and asked, "This... isn't it a bit too wicked?"

Qin Lie and Xu Zhirui couldn't help but prick up their ears. If even Leng Xiaodai—who was usually quite wicked without realizing it—thought something was wicked, just how wicked could it be? Was Mo Xiaobao planning to kill everyone in Nanjing?

Mo Xiaobao waved it off. "What's so wicked about it? We're actually helping him."

"No way! You go do this yourself!" This time, in a rare moment of resolve, young Leng Junhan firmly refused. "This young master must remain pure for Xin'er meimei!"

Mo Xiaobao rolled his eyes and gave Leng Junhan a disdainful look. Still dreaming about my Xin'er, huh...

"Really not going? Fine. I'll make sure to invite you to the wedding banquet when Xin'er gets married someday," Mo Xiaobao said leisurely.

"You bully!" Leng Xiaogongzi glared furiously at Mo Xiaobao. The mere thought of his beautiful, clever, fair, and delicate Xin'er meimei being snatched away by some other stinky man made his heart ache as if cut by a knife. To win the beauty in the future, he had no choice but to sell himself to Mo Xiaobao.

"I'll go..."

"Good boy." Mo Xiaobao hugged his younger brother and smiled.

"..." Mo Xiaobao, is it really okay to force Leng Junhan, who's only fourteen, to visit a brothel?

Of course, Mo Xiaobao wasn't actually making Leng Junhan visit a brothel. After cheerfully seeing Xu Zhirui off, he ignored the unusually conflicted Leng Junhan and headed out with Qin Lie, carrying his adorable, jade-like younger brother in his arms.

Walking down the street, Qin Lie couldn't resist asking, "What exactly did you make Leng Junhan do?"

Mo Xiaobao grinned smugly. "Want to know? I won't tell you!" Little Mo Yufeng excitedly raised his hand and said, "Qin Lie gege, I know, I know! Dage wanted Junhan gege to seduce—mmph!" His little mouth was covered by Mo Xiaobao's hand, and the child protested angrily with muffled noises.Qin Lie's lips twitched involuntarily. Although the little rascal hadn't finished speaking, he could pretty much guess what was coming. Given Mo Xiaobao's mischievous nature, he definitely wouldn't have Leng Junhan seduce just anyone. After thinking for a while, Qin Lie asked, "You're not planning to have Leng Junhan seduce the princess of Southern Chu, are you?" Mo Suiyun had long wanted to marry his imperial sister to Mo Xiaobao to become his brother-in-law. Though it wasn't clear where exactly this imperial sister came from, she at least held the title of princess. If Leng Junhan succeeded in seducing her, it wouldn't just be Mo Suiyun and Southern Chu who'd lose face.

Little Mo Yufeng shook his head vigorously, waving his arms and legs in Mo Xiaobao's embrace. Mo Xiaobao calmly suppressed his little brother's rebellious antics. Though Mo Yufeng was already six years old and his little limbs carried some weight, in Mo Xiaobao's hands, he was just as powerless to resist as when he was one or two years old. "How could that be? Would this prince do something so tasteless? I clearly had him seduce Miss Qian, the eldest daughter of the Qian family!"

Seducing someone else's princess is tasteless, but seducing their empress is classy? Qin Lie seriously considered whether to deploy more guards to Nanjing, lest Mo Xiaobao accidentally get torn apart by an enraged Mo Suiyun.

"Do you think Leng Junhan can pull it off?" A handsome fourteen-year-old boy didn't seem to stand much chance against an eighteen-year-old emperor who already held absolute power.

"Relax, I've had people investigate. This Miss Qian is gentle and kind by nature and prefers refined, handsome young men." Mo Xiaobao waved his hand, indicating he'd done his homework. Qin Lie thought for a moment but still felt uneasy. "Send more people to protect Leng Junhan."

"Fine, you handle it." Mo Xiaobao carried his brother forward, a sly, fox-like grin spreading across his face. Qin Lie, who hadn't even tried to dissuade him from start to finish—did you really think you were some paragon of righteousness and kindness?

As the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together. Within a ten-mile radius of Prince Mo, even the mosquitoes had black hearts.

In the Imperial Palace

Mo Suiyun sat in the imperial study reviewing memorials, surrounded by silent palace maids and eunuchs who dared not make the slightest sound to disturb the emperor. Though Mo Suiyun was only eighteen, the trials of recent years—especially reclaiming the power that rightfully belonged to him from the Empress Dowager and court officials—had given him a shrewdness and composure beyond his years. Had it not been for the disastrous reigns of the two previous emperors leaving him such a mess, Mo Suiyun might have become the true restorer of Chu's prosperity. As it was, no matter how hard he tried, he could only maintain Southern Chu's fragile peace south of the Yangtze. And even that depended on Prince Ding's Estate not being the first to start a war. Otherwise, no matter how diligently Mo Suiyun governed, he couldn't be sure Southern Chu's army could withstand the Mo Family Army's cavalry.

"Your Majesty." A guard-like man entered and bowed."Pingsheng, speak." Mo Suiyun said without looking up, his tone indifferent. "Has someone from Prince Ding's Estate arrived, or is it someone from Western Liang?" This guard had been assigned specifically to monitor the movements of envoys from various countries for this wedding ceremony. Though the wedding was still over ten days away, it wasn't unusual for some to arrive early. Their task was to keep track of these individuals' whereabouts to prevent them from doing anything inappropriate within Southern Chu's borders.

"Prince Ding has arrived."

Mo Suiyun's brush paused for a moment before he realized the guard wasn't referring to the renowned Prince Ding, Mo Xiuyao, but the newly appointed young prince, Mo Yuchen.

"Did he sneak in secretly?" After these past years, Mo Suiyun had come to understand Mo Xiaobao somewhat. If the boy had arrived properly with an envoy, announcing his presence to the court, Mo Suiyun might have suspected some ulterior motive.

The guard shook his head. "Prince Ding entered directly through the city gates with only four attendants." No disguises, no concealment—even his attire was the usual flamboyant and luxurious black brocade robes he favored. And he was carrying... a six-year-old child.

Mo Suiyun set down his brush and thought for a moment. "Summon Princess Lin'an here."

"Yes, Your Majesty. This humble servant takes his leave."

Before long, a stunning beauty in pink silk robes entered. Though only fourteen or fifteen years old, her every movement already exuded graceful charm. The young girl curtsied elegantly to Mo Suiyun. "Lin'an pays her respects to Imperial Brother."

Princess Lin'an was not the biological daughter of the late Emperor Mo Jingqi but one of several noble daughters from the imperial clan whom Mo Suiyun had brought into the palace under the Empress Dowager's name after assuming power. Mo Suiyun understood clearly that Southern Chu's current situation would require multiple political marriages. Being young himself and lacking suitable sisters, he had elevated these noble daughters to princess status shortly after taking power—a transparent preparation for marriage alliances. Among them, Princess Lin'an stood out as the most intelligent and exceptionally beautiful. Naturally, Mo Suiyun placed great hopes in her. If nothing else, observing how Mo Xiuyao treated his Wang Fei had made various nations persistently regard the honey trap as their winning strategy against the new Prince Ding. Mo Xiuyao was utterly devoted to his Wang Fei—denying her nothing, loving the beauty more than his kingdom. They couldn't expect Mo Xiaobao to be exactly like his father, but even half that level of devotion would suffice, wouldn't it?

"Imperial Brother summoned Lin'an. Is there something you require?" Princess Lin'an asked with a smile. Unlike other princesses who grew despondent knowing they'd be used for political marriages, she remained cheerful and open-minded. She understood that since fate couldn't be changed, she must strive for the best possible outcome.

Mo Suiyun looked at her and smiled. "Do you remember what We discussed with you earlier, Imperial Sister?"

Princess Lin'an froze, then suddenly understood, her fair face flushing pink. "Ah? Does Imperial Brother mean..." Mo Suiyun nodded. "Indeed. Mo Yuchen has already arrived in Nanjing."

Princess Lin'an struggled to calm her racing heart and lowered her head. "Lin'an... Lin'an is lacking in both talent and beauty. I fear... Prince Ding might not find me worthy."Mo Suiyun smiled faintly, "Imperial Sister worries too much. Even if we searched the entire world today, few women could match your combination of literary and martial prowess, talent and beauty." This was no exaggeration. Princess Lin'an had been proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting since childhood, and in recent years had also taken up martial arts. Though she would never become a master, she had achieved modest skill, possessing more heroic spirit than the typical gentlewomen of Jiangnan.

Rising to his feet, Mo Suiyun suggested with a smile, "Since we're at leisure now, why not accompany me for a stroll, Imperial Sister?"

Princess Lin'an blushed, knowing Mo Suiyun intended to visit Prince Ding, Mo Yuchen. Girls their age had grown up hearing legends about Prince Ding and his consort, and none failed to envy the princess's fortune and the couple's deep affection. Naturally, they held even greater expectations for Mo Yuchen, the beloved son of Prince Ding and his consort.

"Your younger sister obeys. Please wait a moment, Imperial Brother, while I change my attire."

Mo Suiyun smiled faintly. "Go ahead."

Watching Princess Lin'an turn and hurry away, a pensive expression settled on Mo Suiyun's handsome features. Mo Yuchen had been cunning since childhood, and Mo Suiyun held little hope that the honey trap would succeed. But failure didn't matter—it could simply serve as an ordinary marriage alliance.

What Mo Suiyun didn't know was that while he was preparing a honey trap for Mo Xiaobao, Young Master Xiaobao was also scheming tirelessly to undermine him.

------Author's Note------

See that? We're setting up the young emperor. He's actually a good ruler, just born at the wrong time to encounter this calamity named Mo Xiaobao. Let's light some incense for him.