Crowned Consort in Golden Age-Chapter 103. Goodbye Han Mingxi

103. Meeting Han Mingxi Again

"Greetings, Prince."

In the flower hall, seeing the white-robed man leisurely emerge, Qingshuang and the other servants hurriedly bowed in respect. Mo Xiuyao’s gaze calmly swept over the four individuals before he asked indifferently, "What is the matter?"

After a glance at the other three, Qingyu stepped forward to report, "Your Highness, the Han Family’s new Head, Young Master Han Mingxi, requests an audience with the Princess Consort." None of them had ever accompanied the Princess Consort on her outings, so they were unaware of how she knew this Young Master Han. They had only learned from Darky Two and Darky Three, who followed the Princess Consort, that Young Master Han was a friend of hers. Therefore, despite knowing the Prince would likely be displeased by any interruption at this time, the four of them had mustered the courage to make the report.

"Han Mingxi?" Mo Xiuyao raised an eyebrow and snorted softly. "He arrived rather quickly. Take him to the study; This Prince will see him. Ah-Li is resting; do not disturb her. Have more food prepared. Qingyu, you come with me."

The four servants exchanged silent glances; it seemed the Prince’s mood was indeed quite good.

"Yes, Your Highness."

Inside the study, Han Mingxi stood with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing absently at a calligraphy piece on the wall. The single character, "Endure," appeared restrained and gentle on the surface, but upon closer examination, one could clearly sense a chilling murderous intent and a sharp, formidable aura within it. He had lived half his life under the protection of his parents and elder brother and could not imagine what kind of person could write a character that was so gentle and peaceful yet concealed such lethality. It was as dangerous and painful as wrapping a poisoned blade within one’s own softest core.

His gaze slowly moved from the character, and he turned to look towards the doorway. Mo Xiuyao had appeared there at some unknown point. Compared to their last meeting in Guangling City, the Mo Xiuyao before him now seemed somewhat more relaxed. Although Han Mingxi did not know Mo Xiuyao well, he sensed that the Prince was in a very good mood.

Han Mingxi observed the man before him: simple, unadorned white robes, a lock of black hair casually falling over his shoulder. He appeared languid and harmless. But then Han Mingxi’s eyes fell upon a faint red mark on Mo Xiuyao’s neck, and his expression tightened abruptly. His hands, clasped behind his back, clenched involuntarily. "Your Highness." He was a man of the world, no stranger to amorous affairs. Thus, even though Mo Xiuyao’s appearance was faultless, he could still discern what the Prince had been doing before coming to the study.

"Young Master Han, please sit." Mo Xiuyao stepped into the study, nodding faintly. "Ah-Li is feeling a little unwell and probably cannot see you today. Please forgive us."

Han Mingxi sat down silently and said in a solemn voice, "Your Highness is too courteous. Since the Han Family has already chosen to pledge allegiance to Your Highness and the Princess Consort, we will naturally wait until the Princess Consort is at her leisure."

Mo Xiuyao glanced at Han Mingxi with some surprise. He knew Han Mingxi’s character very well; spoiled beyond measure by Han Mingyue since childhood, Han Mingxi had developed an ostentatious personality. However, the Han Mingxi sitting opposite him now was remarkably composed and restrained. It seemed Han Mingyue’s departure was a huge blow to both the Han Family and Han Mingxi himself. After a moment of contemplation, Mo Xiuyao said, "Since This Prince has already stated that the Han Family is to follow Ah-Li’s commands, I will not say more to Young Master Han. Why don’t you rest in the guest quarters for now? If you need anything, you can ask Chief Steward Mo, or Darky Two and Darky Three. I presume you are somewhat acquainted with them?"

Han Mingxi nodded faintly. "Thank you, Your Highness. I will take my leave."

After seeing Han Mingxi out, Qingyu, who had remained outside, cautiously entered. "Your Highness."

Mo Xiuyao nodded. "Has that cup of tea been investigated?"

Qingyu nodded. "This servant has examined it. The tea contains Musk and safflower, as well as some other cold-natured drugs. I consulted Doctor Shen after returning, and he confirmed that the tea does indeed have... sterilizing effects. However, this primarily affects imperial concubines, who often use Musk, borneol incense, and similar fragrances, which can impact their constitution. Taking large doses of such cold-natured substances could indeed lead to sterilization. But the Princess Consort doesn’t use such fragrances, and her health is excellent. So, Doctor Shen opined that unless consumed long-term, even if the Princess Consort drank that tea, it wouldn’t cause significant harm. Furthermore, Musk has such a strong aroma that the tea’s scent could not possibly conceal it; its presence would be very easily detected. Therefore, Doctor Shen believes that whoever drugged the tea might not have intended for the Princess Consort to drink it... It was likely just a test."

"A test?" Mo Xiuyao raised an eyebrow.

Qingyu quickly nodded. "Musk and similar substances aren’t very harmful to an ordinary person in one or two doses and certainly wouldn’t cause sterilization. However, they are extremely dangerous for pregnant women. Doctor Shen also said, after examining the tea I brought back, that if the Princess Consort were pregnant, a single sip of that tea would be enough to... cause a miscarriage."

Silence filled the study for a long moment before Mo Xiuyao waved his hand. "You may leave. Around Ah-Li, you are the only one who understands pharmacology and medicine. Be more careful in your daily duties."

"This servant takes her leave." Qingyu quietly sighed in relief, curtsied, and quickly withdrew. When the Prince became angry, even if he didn’t show it outwardly, the sheer oppressive atmosphere he exuded was unbearable for young maids like them.

Once Qingyu had left, silence returned to the study. Mo Xiuyao’s usually gentle and profound eyes were filled with gloom. Mo Jingqi certainly knew how to plan ahead. Just as my body recovered, he was eager to test Ah-Li. Perhaps he also wanted to test if I had truly recovered completely. Or was he so confident, believing I wouldn’t dare to touch him?

"Attendants!"

"Your Highness." A figure in grey appeared in the study. "Your Highness, the investigation is complete. It was Wang Zhaorong who had someone drug the tea. It is said that the Emperor, while favoring Wang Zhaorong, casually mentioned the matter of the Princess Consort’s heirs. Wang Zhaorong wanted to curry favor by doing this, so she had the tea spiked."

Mo Xiuyao sneered. "A mere Zhaorong. Her people have the audacity to poison the tea in the Empress’s palace?"

The man in grey naturally did not dare to answer; he understood the Prince wasn’t looking for his answer. He merely asked, "Wang Zhaorong intended to plot against the heirs of Prince Ding’s Mansion. Your Highness, shall we..."

Mo Xiuyao shook his head, his smile bone-chilling. "No. Since she enjoys adding ingredients to tea so much, have Qingyu replicate that tea’s concoction. Make sure she drinks it for three consecutive months!"

"Your Highness... Wang Zhaorong may already be pregnant."

"My words, do you not understand them?"

A chill ran down the grey-clad man’s spine. He hurriedly bowed his head. "This subordinate obeys!"

In the bedroom, Ye Li slowly opened her eyes, a slight discomfort in her body making her frown. Recalling what had happened earlier, the events replayed in her mind, and her beautiful face instantly flushed crimson. Ye Li, you’re so useless, so embarrassing...

Tossing and turning in the blankets, the memory of that scoundrel—who knew where he’d gone—made Ye Li grind her teeth. If I still couldn’t figure out he did it on purpose, I’d be an idiot. Yet, like an idiot, I actually believed him back then. Seeing his dejected look, I panicked. I apologized profusely and tried to console him, but to no avail; instead, I ended up giving myself to him. Though later, I don’t know where that impulse came from, but I didn’t resist either...

"Ah-Li, are you awake?"

The sound of steady footsteps came from behind the screen. Ye Li looked up to see Mo Xiuyao standing by the head of the bed, smiling at her. Seeing Mo Xiuyao standing before her, impeccably dressed, Ye Li glared at him resentfully and asked, "Where have you been?"

Mo Xiuyao’s handsome brows rose slightly. He walked to the table, poured a cup of warm water, and brought it over, intending to help her drink. Ye Li quickly reached out, took the cup, and drank it herself. Mo Xiuyao wasn’t bothered, sat down on the edge of the bed, and said with a faint smile, "I was afraid of disturbing you if I stayed inside, so I went out to look over some things. By the way... Han Mingxi came this afternoon. I’ve had him settled in the guest courtyard."

Ye Li choked, swallowing the water in her mouth before saying, "Han Mingxi is here? So soon. I should go see him..."

A cool finger gently covered her lips. Mo Xiuyao’s expression was gentle, and he chuckled softly, "Ah-Li, it won’t be too late to see him tomorrow."

"But..." Ye Li frowned slightly. Mo Xiuyao didn’t allow her to refuse, his forefinger lightly touching her tender lips. "Ah-Li, if you show too much concern for other men, I’ll get jealous."

Ye Li’s clear eyes sparkled, her gaze dancing as she looked at him. "So what if you’re jealous?"

"If This Prince gets jealous... I might just want to silence him," Mo Xiuyao said with a light smile.

Ye Li raised an eyebrow. "So, what you did today was intentional? Hmm?"

Mo Xiuyao didn’t deny it; his Ah-Li was far too clever for denial to be effective. "I just felt that today was an auspicious day."

Leaning lightly into his embrace, Ye Li sighed softly. "As long as you are true to me, I will never be untrue to you."

"Even if Mo Xiuyao were to betray the entire world, he would never betray Ah-Li."

Ultimately, Ye Li could not win against Mo Xiuyao. Someone once said that when you start to habitually yield to someone, you have very likely fallen in love with them. Ye Li was not the type to deceive herself. Mo Xiuyao was her husband, the closest person to her in this world aside from her blood relatives. She did not want to deny the possibility that she might have fallen in love with Mo Xiuyao. Because even amidst their intimacy, hearing Mo Xiuyao’s deep words of love, she also felt genuine joy and pleasure in her heart. In an era like this, what could be more blissful for a woman than to marry a man who loved her and whom she loved in return?

"Young Master Han." When Ye Li stepped into the guest courtyard, Han Mingxi was sitting under a magnolia tree, lost in thought. Purple-red petals gently drifted in the breeze, landing on his moon-white robes and weaving a strangely luxurious tapestry. Accustomed to Han Mingxi always wearing flamboyant red silk clothes wherever he went, seeing the person before her now, she felt a sense of unfamiliar distance. Han Mingxi snapped back to reality, momentarily dazed by the sight of the graceful woman slowly approaching him. However, he quickly recovered. "Junwei... Princess Consort."

Ye Li gave a helpless smile. "I’m really not used to you calling me that."

Han Mingxi raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "Although the Princess Consort always calls me Young Master Han, I’m not quite used to it either. Besides, in the future, Han Mingxi will be your subordinate. Wouldn’t it be strange if the Princess Consort continued to address me that way?"

Ye Li tilted her head and smiled, saying, "In that case, I’ll call you Mingxi. As for you... address me as you see fit. Is the Han Family well?"

Han Mingxi nodded. "Han Mingyue is now completely disconnected from the Han Family; whatever happens in the future will not implicate them. By the way, I’ve already organized the Han Family’s account books. Princess... would you like to see them?" Ultimately, he was still reluctant to address her with such a formal and distant title as ’Princess Consort’.

Ye Li glanced at him in surprise and shook her head. "Prince Ding and I have no intention of absorbing the Han Family."

Han Mingxi smirked. "The King of Ding Kingdom’s Mansion is wealthy enough to rival a nation; I naturally understand Prince Ding wouldn’t be interested in the modest Han Family. But since I have sworn allegiance, I naturally want to show some sincerity."

Ye Li smiled. "Even if the Han Family truly pledges allegiance to Prince Ding’s Mansion, there’s no reason to empty out the Han Family’s assets. The Han Family is still the Han Family, and its businesses will naturally remain under the Han name. Those account books give me a headache just looking at them, so Mingxi, you should take them back and peruse them at your leisure. Hmm... perhaps you could exchange notes with Darky Two and Darky Three—that is, Lin Han and Zhuo Jing. They’ve also been looking at account books recently."

Han Mingxi pondered for a moment, then nodded with a smile. "Understood. In the future, if there’s anything you need me or the Han Family to do, just give the command."

Ye Li nodded. "Very good. Coincidentally, I have some new collaborations in mind. If you’ve had breakfast, we can discuss them in the study shortly. If not, why don’t we have breakfast together?"

"I thought you would have had breakfast with Prince Ding already?"

Ye Li said nonchalantly, "The Prince possesses profound internal power; skipping one meal won’t make him hungry." Thinking of a certain man who kept pushing his luck, Ye Li huffed lightly in her heart. Just because I’m not angry doesn’t mean I don’t hold grudges.

Han Mingxi turned back, and seeing an unintentional charm in the woman’s expression that wasn’t there before, his heart sank. He turned and walked towards the room. "Then I would be honored to have breakfast with Princess Consort Ding."

The matter of selecting candidates for a marriage alliance was postponed by Ye Li. The King of Ding Kingdom’s Mansion still closed its doors to visitors, which thankfully spared them the anticipated noise and chaos. However, the stream of calling cards and invitations sent daily to Prince Ding’s Mansion continued unabated. Ye Li would merely glance through them before setting them aside for Chief Steward Mo and Nanny Sun to handle. Darky Two and Darky Three were making rapid progress under the joint tutelage of Chief Steward Mo and Han Mingxi. Although Han Mingxi had never managed affairs before, he was, after all, from a merchant family and inherently intelligent. What he had seen and heard growing up made him much more capable than ordinary people; otherwise, Han Mingyue probably wouldn’t have dared to entrust the Han Family to him so readily. Ye Li’s so-called collaboration with Han Mingxi primarily involved Ye Li providing ideas and some capital, while Han Mingxi would manage all the specific operations. By the time their discussions were mostly settled, several days had already passed. Ye Li thought about the elites of the King of Ding Kingdom’s Mansion whom she had thrown into the valley, wondering what state they were in after all the torment. Checking the time, she decided to go see them first.

These past few days, although Qin Feng hadn’t stayed in the valley with his comrades, his life was far from easy. After all, the Princess Consort had already stated that the final unit trained would be under his command. That being the case, as their commander, he naturally couldn’t be inferior to his own men. So, the moment he returned to the residence that day, he sought guidance from Darky Two and Darky Three. Coincidentally, Darky Three was dizzy and overwhelmed by a roomful of account books, so when Qin Feng—this Commander of the Black Cloud Cavalry who was originally full of arrogance and secretly looked down on the shadow guards—delivered himself to be a punching bag, Darky Three showed no courtesy whatsoever. The daily, strenuous, and varied training tormented Qin Feng, stripping him of all his temper.

Following Ye Li once again to the valley at the foot of Black Cloud Peak, Qin Feng had to admit he was indeed curious about what state the elites had been tormented into. When he reached the base of the cliff and truly saw his comrades and brothers-in-arms tumbling and crawling in the dust in the wide field below, Qin Feng couldn’t help but wince. This sight... is utterly disgraceful to the Black Cloud Cavalry and the Mo Family Army.

Ye Li still sat on the roof, patiently waiting for the men running laps to finish. Only when everyone returned to the courtyard, covered in dust and grime, did she jump down from the roof and ask with a beaming smile, "Elites, how have you been feeling these past few days?"

The elites, ashen-faced and expressionless, said nothing. Could they say they felt like they were dying of exhaustion? If, in the past, someone had told them that mere running and some odd exercises could leave them utterly drained, they would have died before believing it. What kind of people were they? The finest shadow guards and soldiers in all of Great Chu! How could they be stumped by such trivial matters? Now they understood: the reason they thought running wasn’t hard was because they had never run properly before. In fact, on the very first day, the most unfortunate shadow guard was so exhausted from just running that he couldn’t even crawl.

Looking at the elites’ faces, Ye Li nodded with satisfaction and smiled. "I’ve said it before: being skilled in martial arts doesn’t mean you’re physically fit; being physically fit doesn’t necessarily mean you have good stamina; and even if you have good stamina, it doesn’t mean you have good endurance. After these few days of training, I believe all of you have made considerable progress in both physical strength and endurance. I hope you keep it up. Also, add five more li to your daily run, and one hundred more repetitions to each of the other exercises."

As soon as these words were spoken, a wave of groans couldn’t help but erupt from the troops below. Ye Li paid them no mind and continued, "I don’t need many of you to become unparalleled masters. I only need you to become the strongest soldiers. You will be the elite of the elite within the Mo Family Army, and even within all of Great Chu."

"Young Master, do you mean we will still return to the army and remain members of the Mo Family Army?" someone from below couldn’t help asking. This was also the question on everyone’s mind. Most inclined to believe the Prince was training them to become another unit, more secretive and formidable than the shadow guards. They hadn’t expected they would still be soldiers, and from Young Master Chu’s words, it seemed they would indeed return to the Mo Family Army in the future.

Ye Li smiled faintly and said, "I cannot tell you right now, but I can guarantee that in the end, you will have an open and honorable designation. All promotions will be on par with or even superior to those in the Black Cloud Cavalry and the Mo Family Army. Those who reach an age where they are no longer suitable to remain, or are injured accidentally, will be laterally transferred to a position within their capabilities in the Mo Family Army or Prince Ding’s Mansion."

An uproar went through the crowd; even the Black Cloud Cavalry did not receive such treatment. This made everyone even more curious about what kind of unit they would become.

"However, all of this is contingent on your ability to successfully remain. Although I was a bit surprised that none of you dropped out in these seven days, this... is just the beginning. Qin Feng, this is the training plan for the next half-month."

Qin Feng stared at the scroll of black characters on white paper as if it were a death warrant. Slowly unrolling it and taking a look, his brows furrowed into a knot. "Young Master, these... your subordinate doesn’t quite understand them."

Ye Li smiled. "It’s alright if you don’t understand. Starting tomorrow, Zhuo Jing and Lin Han will take turns overseeing them. Before they arrive, you can examine and figure out those contraptions on the training field yourselves. In fact, the first month is entirely physical conditioning; I won’t manage you too closely. Tomorrow, those eight experts who were watching you will also withdraw, so everything will depend on your self-discipline. Additionally, in your spare time, look at the books I brought. Read as much as you can. It will make the following two months a bit easier for you."

Qin Feng passed the scroll down, letting everyone appreciate it and mentally prepare themselves. The soldiers, who had been tormented relentlessly these past few days, were silently cursing. With the newly added content, the training load had increased by at least fifty percent. Is this Young Master Chu actually trying to kill us? What was more lethal was that previously they only had to complete the tasks, but now this paper even stipulated the time frame for running. After these days of tempering, everyone had some baseline understanding; the requirements on this paper were a bit too harsh, even for elite soldiers like them.

"Young Master Chu, this is simply impossible to complete!" a soldier in the front rank said defiantly.

Ye Li glanced at him, raised an eyebrow, and smiled, "Impossible?"

"That’s right! Without using lightness skills, it’s impossible to complete so many tasks in such a short time!"

Ye Li’s smile deepened. "From the Black Cloud Cavalry? I haven’t heard that you rely so much on martial arts. It should be the shadow guards who enjoy delving into martial arts. If someone achieves it, what do you plan to do?"

The soldier said proudly, "If someone can really do it, then we can naturally do it too!"

Ye Li nodded with satisfaction. "Very good. Assemble on the training ground."

Watching the soldiers march out in formation, Qin Feng looked at Ye Li with some concern and whispered, "Princess Consort... you don’t mean yourself, do you?" He believed that someone could do it; the Princess Consort wouldn’t deliberately mock them with an impossible task. But how could it be the seemingly delicate Princess Consort herself? Although he knew the Princess Consort was very capable, just as she had said, martial skill and physical fitness were completely different things. And what was written on this paper clearly required physical fitness more than martial skill. If anything happened to the Princess Consort, the Prince would definitely have his head!

Ye Li looked down at her clothes. To handle such sudden eventualities, Ye Li had intentionally worn appropriate clothing. After all, she had considerable experience training others and being trained herself; she had basically experienced whatever reactions these elites might have. She could guess most of it.

The craftsmen responsible for constructing this valley were very dedicated; the training field outside the courtyard basically met all of Ye Li’s requirements. A group of defiant soldiers stood on the training field, dumbfounded, watching Young Master Chu—who was a good deal shorter and much more slender than them—jogging calmly with a heavy pack weighing dozens of jin on her back. At first, no one paid much attention, but when she had run five or six laps around the training field and her breathing was still even, everyone finally realized that this Young Master Chu was truly extraordinary. After ten laps, Young Master Chu didn’t stop to rest but charged directly towards the pile of strange contraptions in the middle of the training field. She crawled under a low-slung net hung with caltrops and various sharp objects, climbed over a rope net more than two zhang high, vaulted over an earth wall more than one zhang high, grabbed a rope and swung a distance of two zhang, landing accurately on a wooden post less than half a chi wide but five chi high. She rushed across it as if walking on flat ground, under everyone’s stunned gazes. Finally, she dashed to the finish line, where a bow and arrows were already set up. Ye Li picked up the longbow, nocked an arrow, drew the bow, and with a casual shot, hit the bullseye. Meanwhile, in the hourglass placed to one side, a little fine sand was still slowly trickling out.

Ye Li turned around, raised an eyebrow at the stunned crowd before her. Yet, internally, she heaved a long sigh of relief; truth be told, performing this series of actions just now was still a bit strenuous for her current self. Although she hadn’t stopped her own training all these years, and especially this past year after marrying into Prince Ding’s Mansion, she had been able to train without hindrance. She had even made considerable progress in ancient martial arts thanks to Mo Xiuyao’s occasional guidance. However, it had been many years since she had completed such a series of movements in full. Fortunately, she completed it smoothly. If she had messed up in front of these guys, it would be hard to teach them a lesson later. Secretly shifting her tired and somewhat stiff body, Ye Li faced them with a calm smile. "Well?"

"Good!" After a moment’s silence, a burst of cheers erupted from the crowd. Whatever they had thought before, this Young Master Chu had easily accomplished what they could not; she was stronger than them. And they all undoubtedly admired the strong.

"So... will all of you listen well to the instructors’ guidance from now on? And let me see your results in half a month?"

"Yes, Young Master!" the crowd responded in unison.

After dismissing everyone, Ye Li’s previously composed and smiling expression immediately crumbled. Leaning against a balance beam to the side, she grimaced and sighed heavily.

Qin Feng, observing this, raised an eyebrow and said, "Your subordinate thought the Princess Consort performed it with great ease."

Ye Li waved her hand helplessly. "No matter how easy it looked, one can’t withstand not practicing for too long. My skills are rusty... I almost fell off just now. I was indeed overconfident; I’ve been so busy since returning that I didn’t even have a chance to familiarize myself with the course. But it’s nothing... Once you’re really on a battlefield, who gives you time to familiarize yourself with the terrain?"

Qin Feng frowned, puzzled. "Princess Consort, there’s no need to push yourself so hard."

Ye Li smiled. "Not really pushing myself. Compared to the back-and-forth probing and guessing games in the Capital City, I’d rather be here. If I don’t push myself, would those proud and arrogant fellows submit willingly? This is just the beginning. In the future, I’ll have to startle them often, to prevent them from becoming too conceited."

Qin Feng couldn’t help but rub his forehead. You’ve already dealt them a big enough blow today, and you still want to startle them?

"I will." Ye Li rubbed her arm and turned towards the small courtyard. "I’m exhausted. I’ll rest for a while before heading back to the residence. By the way, I don’t need to remind you what confidentiality means, do I? If the Prince finds out about today’s events, all your tasks will be doubled again."

"Yes, Princess Consort."