Crowned Consort in Golden Age-Chapter 123. Hard to settle down

123. Unease

Outside the palace gate, Commandery Princess Ronghua, dressed in a vibrant red bridal gown adorned with a phoenix and peonies pattern, tearfully bid farewell to the Empress Dowager, the Emperor, the Empress, and her parents. The once-aloof Princess Zhaoren shed tears as her only daughter was about to marry into the far northern Beirong, but she was unable to say anything more. The Empress Dowager, the Emperor, and the Empress had come to see off the Princess Friendship. Even as her birth mother, she could not hold Commandery Princess Ronghua back any longer.

Commandery Princess Ronghua bid farewell to the Empress Dowager, the Emperor, the Empress, and her parents one by one. She was then escorted by the palace maid accompanying her dowry to the carriage. Just before boarding, she glanced back at Ye Li. Ye Li nodded gently and offered her a faint smile. Commandery Princess Ronghua lowered her eyes, a serene smile on her face, then firmly turned and boarded the carriage. On the lavishly decorated carriage, peony-embroidered curtains, symbolizing her noble status as a princess, gently fell, concealing Commandery Princess Ronghua’s stunning face and figure. From now on, as a princess of Great Chu, she would live in a foreign land, perhaps never to see her parents and loved ones again...

"Ah-Li, I’m leaving. Be careful in the Capital City," Mo Xiuyao, standing beside Ye Li, said softly.

Ye Li looked up at the distinguished and elegant man before her, dressed in a dark cyan princely robe embroidered with silver dragons. She nodded lightly. "I know. You be careful too, and come back soon."

Mo Xiuyao nodded. "I’ll be careful. Ah-Li, alone in the Capital City..."

Ye Li interrupted him, stating firmly, "I will guard Prince Ding’s Mansion well until you return."

Mo Xiuyao paused, then whispered, "As long as Ah-Li is safe and sound, Xiuyao will be very happy."

An attendant from the side carefully approached to urge that it was time to depart. They say Prince Ding and the Princess Consort are deeply affectionate, and now it seems they truly are inseparable, he thought to himself.

Ye Li took a step back, leaving Mo Xiuyao’s embrace. She turned her head to Lin Han, who stood to one side, and said, "Lin Han, the Prince’s safety is in your hands."

Lin Han nodded, saying earnestly, "Please rest assured, Princess Consort. This subordinate will not betray your trust."

Ye Li nodded, told Mo Xiuyao to take care, and then retreated into the crowd gathered to bid farewell. Mo Xiuyao glanced back at her once before taking the reins of the white horse beside him, mounting it, and catching up with the procession that had already started.

Only when the entire marriage alliance procession disappeared in the distance did Princess Zhaoren finally collapse to the ground, weeping. Princess Zhaoyang ordered servants to help her back to the Princess Mansion. The Emperor and Empress also accompanied the Empress Dowager back to the palace. The once bustling palace gates suddenly became much quieter. Ye Li stood rooted to the spot, silently gazing in the direction Mo Xiuyao had departed.

"Princess Consort, the Prince has already left the city. We should be heading back," Chief Steward Mo approached Ye Li and said in a low voice.

Ye Li nodded. "Let’s go back."

Without Mo Xiuyao, the Capital City suddenly seemed somewhat lonely and dull.

With Prince Ding’s departure from the capital, the King of Ding Kingdom’s Mansion, as usual, closed its doors to visitors and quieted down. However, only those within its walls knew that in a mere ten days, the mansion had suffered several times more covert attacks than in all the past few years combined.

Late at night, another wave of attacks had just ended. Ye Li sat on a chair placed under the eaves, her expression as placid as still water, observing the black-clad men kneeling across the courtyard. Flanking her stood Zhuo Jing, Qin Feng, Chief Steward Mo, Feng Zhiyao, Mo Hua, and also Zhang Qilan and Han Mingxi, who had been specifically assigned to guard the King of Ding Kingdom’s Mansion due to Prince Ding’s absence from the capital. Aside from Feng Zhiyao, who was as jovial and unrestrained as ever, the expressions on the others’ faces were grim. Tonight, assassins had actually breached the outer defenses of the King of Ding Kingdom’s Mansion and had nearly broken into the main courtyard where Ye Li resided. Mo Hua, as Commander of the Secret Guards, looked particularly furious. This was a blatant insult to the secret guards.

"Alright then, speak up. Where are these people from?" Ye Li asked lightly, glancing at the grim faces of her subordinates.

A flash of contempt flickered in the eyes of one of the assassins forced to kneel in the courtyard, and he arrogantly turned his head aside.

Ye Li chuckled. "My apologies, I misspoke. I suppose you won’t confess unless properly persuaded. As it happens... in the past ten days, a total of seven groups have come to call on me here. Perhaps some of your companions were among them. However, none have had bones hard enough to defy me to the end. Qin Feng, they’re yours."

Qin Feng laughed heartily. "Many thanks, Princess Consort! As it happens, a few of my lads are learning interrogation techniques. They’ve been progressing by leaps and bounds these past few days, thanks to the contributions of so many individuals."

Standing to the side, Feng Zhiyao snorted, feigning disdain, but his eyes were fixed eagerly on Qin Feng. "This young master requests to observe!" He, Feng Zhiyao, was renowned as the King of Ding Kingdom’s Mansion’s most formidable interrogation expert. But ever since Qin Feng had brought back those few lads, he had truly understood that there was always someone better out there, and that new talents constantly surpassed the old. Moreover, these new interrogation experts seemed to be mass-produced.

Qin Feng looked at him with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. "Strictly confidential. Outsiders, stay out." With a wave of his hand, men came forward and led the prisoners in the courtyard away.

Feng Zhiyao glared resentfully at Qin Feng’s departing, carefree figure, then turned back to look imploringly at Ye Li. It couldn’t be helped; ever since Qin Feng began serving the Princess Consort, no one but the Prince and the Princess Consort herself could give him orders.

Ye Li smiled faintly. "Third Feng, Qin Feng isn’t deliberately making things difficult for you. This truly is classified."

Feng Zhiyao grumbled, "It’s just an interrogation. Even if there are some unique methods, that hardly qualifies as classified, does it?"

Ye Li chuckled. "The interrogators themselves are currently classified."

Third Feng rubbed his nose and fell silent. As one of Mo Xiuyao’s most trusted men, he naturally knew that the Princess Consort had a secret team, selected from the various troops under the command of the King of Ding Kingdom’s Mansion. No one knew what the Princess Consort intended for these people, not even the Prince knew what had become of them after she had chosen them. Now... could it be these individuals? Feng Zhiyao recalled the few people Qin Feng had brought back several days ago, the ones his own men had been tasked with interrogating. He had only caught a fleeting glimpse of them, and they hadn’t seemed unusual. However, the instincts Feng Zhiyao had honed over many years on the battlefield and through clandestine operations told him that these people were far from ordinary.

Ye Li rose and smiled at everyone. "You’ve all worked hard tonight. Let’s go to the study and sit for a while."

Zhang Qilan, his expression grim, said, "The Prince had barely departed when these people immediately moved against Prince Ding’s Mansion. Are we just going to let this slide?"

Ye Li chuckled. "Don’t worry, General Zhang. Naturally, we can’t possibly let it go so easily. This Princess Consort... also happens to need some people to practice on."

Her gentle tone carried a chilling, murderous intent. The others couldn’t help but feel a shiver and, sobering up, followed Ye Li towards the study.

Back in the study, once everyone was seated, Ye Li addressed Han Mingxi, who sat to one side. "It’s time to attend to matters in Xiling and the Southern Border. Mingxi, you should depart from the Capital City tomorrow."

Hearing this, Han Mingxi frowned, looking as if he wanted to say something.

Ye Li shook her head. "No need to say more. You’ve seen the situation in the Capital City. There’s nothing for you to do if you stay; it’s better to leave sooner. My elder brother should still be in Yongzhou. If there’s anything you’re unsure about, you can take my token and consult him."

Han Mingxi glanced at her briefly, then sighed softly. "I understand. I will depart tomorrow. I’ll go back and pack my belongings now."

Ye Li simply nodded, making no attempt to detain him.

Once Han Mingxi left, the atmosphere in the study immediately became somewhat warmer. It wasn’t that the people of Prince Ding’s Mansion distrusted Han Mingxi or were wary of him; rather, every single person there possessed shrewd eyes capable of seeing through worldly affairs. No matter how concealed Han Mingxi’s thoughts were, how could he hide them from such individuals? Furthermore, these people were fiercely loyal to Mo Xiuyao, perhaps to the point of being overly zealous. Thus, even knowing there was nothing untoward between the Princess Consort and Han Mingxi, these loyal retainers of Prince Ding’s Mansion couldn’t help but treat Han Mingxi with a degree of coldness.

As if not noticing their expressions, Ye Li calmly discussed matters within Prince Ding’s Mansion with them. Everyone was somewhat concerned about the safety of the mansion. Chief Steward Mo asked, "Princess Consort, should we deploy more secret guards to the mansion?"

"Prince Ding’s Mansion has been under continuous attack these past few days," he continued. "The regular guards and secret guards must be exhausted. And today, assassins even managed to break into your courtyard, Princess Consort."

Ye Li chuckled. "There’s no need for such trouble. They’ve gone to such great lengths to infiltrate the Capital City and risk their lives breaking into the King of Ding Kingdom’s Mansion, which everyone knows is as impenetrable as a fortress of gold. We should at least see what they’re truly after. Starting tomorrow, capture fewer assassins. Let a few of them go back."

A glint flashed in Feng Zhiyao’s eyes, and he chuckled. "Princess Consort, are you planning to... make people think that the defenses of the King of Ding Kingdom’s Mansion are gradually weakening? Will the enemy believe it?"

Ye Li smiled. "They know they can’t break in, yet they persist, wave after wave. If I give them an opportunity, tell me, if it were you, would you believe it?"

Zhang Qilan said worriedly, "If this news gets out, I’m afraid the mansion will become even more unsettled."

Ye Li’s smile was cold and distant as she stated softly, "This Princess Consort will let the entire world know that the King of Ding Kingdom’s Mansion is not only impregnable but also an earthly hell from which no one who enters ever returns!"

Everyone was inwardly shaken, staring speechlessly for a long moment at the gentle and beautiful woman in cyan robes before them.

"Princess Consort." Qin Feng pushed open the door and entered, a peculiar expression on his face.

Ye Li raised an eyebrow, asking without surprise, "You didn’t get anything out of them?"

Qin Feng, slightly annoyed, replied, "One of them committed suicide. The others are just minor figures who know nothing."

Ye Li shook her head. "No, that’s not right. The one who died wasn’t the leader."

Qin Feng looked at Ye Li in confusion. Ye Li calmly said, "They couldn’t have been unaware of how formidable the interrogations at Prince Ding’s Mansion are. If they truly had a death wish, they would have killed themselves the moment they were captured. In terms of experience, you all are still inferior to Third Feng."

Feng Zhiyao smirked proudly at Qin Feng. "Exactly! At least when they’re in *this young master’s* hands, a prisoner committing suicide is something that absolutely would not happen."

Qin Feng, ignoring Feng Zhiyao’s provocation for the moment, frowned, his sword-like eyebrows knitted together. "Princess Consort, do you mean the one who committed suicide was merely a decoy to shield the true leader?"

Ye Li, cupping her chin, mused, "There’s at least a fifty percent chance. Of course, it’s also possible he was genuinely terrified by your methods and, having fallen into the hands of a few inexperienced rookies, found an opportunity to kill himself. But... your new recruits’ methods shouldn’t be *that* crude yet, surely?"

Qin Feng said, looking troubled, "Those lads are new to this; they don’t yet know how to control the severity of their methods. If they really did kill him..."

Ye Li lowered her gaze and said softly, "We are not short on time now. Let’s switch to another method and take it slowly."

"Another method?"

Ye Li stated, "Break their will, like taming a falcon."

"Like taming a falcon?"

Ye Li toyed with the white porcelain cup in her hand and said softly, "Have the cells lit up as bright as day. No more physical torture. Have the guards watch them in shifts, rotating every two hours. There’s only one rule: I don’t want to see anyone falling asleep. Not until they’re willing to tell the truth."

Feng Zhiyao asked, puzzled, "Just preventing them from sleeping? Will that be effective?"

Ye Li smiled. "Third Young Master Feng, you might have tried going without sleep for a day or two, but have you ever tried for four or five days straight? This method can break even the proudest eagle into submission, let alone a human."

Although Feng Zhiyao was skeptical of Ye Li’s claim, Qin Feng accepted it wholeheartedly and without hesitation. He immediately turned and left to issue the orders.

Feng Zhiyao turned back to Ye Li. "Princess Consort, have you formed any ideas about these assassins over the past few days?"

Zhuo Jing, standing beside Ye Li, handed her a dossier. Ye Li took it, opened it, and said as she scanned its contents, "Among those who have tried to break into the mansion these past few days, we’ve had all sorts. Some were hired to kill, some came seeking revenge, and others were just looking to loot us while we’re supposedly vulnerable."

"Looting us while we’re vulnerable? Who would have the audacity to attempt that against Prince Ding’s Mansion?" Mo Hua, who rarely spoke, sneered.

Feng Zhiyao chuckled. "Whether anyone truly dares to loot the mansion, no one knows. But for so many lawbreakers to suddenly appear in the Capital City in just these few short days... are the Capital Garrison and the Governor of Capital City just twiddling their thumbs?"

Chief Steward Mo said gravely, "The King of Ding Kingdom’s Mansion has been repeatedly attacked. Even if the estate is vast and has few neighboring properties, the one in the palace absolutely cannot be unaware. Yet, so many days have passed, and the palace hasn’t even sent anyone to inquire. It’s as if nothing at all has happened."

Ye Li rubbed the bridge of her nose and said with a captivating smile, "The one in the palace probably also wants to gauge the true extent of Prince Ding’s Mansion’s strength. Third Feng, tomorrow, spread the word: This Princess Consort has suffered successive frights and is feeling unwell."

"Frightened?" Feng Zhiyao gazed at Ye Li’s smiling face, a peculiar glint in his eyes. It was truly debatable whether the one who had been frightened these past few days was the Princess Consort or those unlucky assassins.

Ye Li shot him a glance. "What? Is This Princess Consort not allowed to be frightened? I am, after all, still a woman, and the Prince is not here. So what if I’m frightened by assassins showing up at my door day after day?"

Feng Zhiyao sheepishly touched his nose and said respectfully, "Not at all. The Princess Consort has been overly frightened, and her esteemed health is compromised."

Ye Li snorted lightly. "Very well. Let them rejoice for a few days then. This Princess Consort is frightened and will see no one. That’s final."

Chief Steward Mo hesitated for a moment before asking, "What if the palace summons you, Princess Consort?"

Ye Li smiled. "My illness is too severe; I cannot go to the palace. You may accept any imperial physicians and gifts sent from the palace. But do not agree to anything else."

"This old servant understands," Chief Steward Mo nodded.

After dismissing everyone, Ye Li left the study and walked towards her bedroom alone. She looked up at the nearly full moon, sighed with a touch of worry, then turned towards a spot in the darkness. "Why are you following me?"

From the shadows, Mo Hua’s somewhat stiff voice replied, "The Prince ordered me to protect the Princess Consort’s safety."

Ye Li gave a faint smile, paid him no further attention, and turned to enter her room. Only after she had gone did Mo Hua step out from the shadows, revealing himself in the moonlight. Clear annoyance and frustration were visible in his eyes. Was his ability to conceal himself truly inferior to the Princess Consort’s?