Crowned Consort in Golden Age-Chapter 154. Caught in the Net

154. Caught in the Net

Han Mingyue carefully observed Su Zuidie, breathing a slight sigh of relief. Although she looked a bit thinner, it seemed she hadn’t been tortured. The wound on her forehead was also not very noticeable; even if it left a scar, it definitely wouldn’t be severe enough to affect her appearance. When Su Zuidie saw Han Mingyue’s arrival, a fleeting flush of joy appeared on her face, but she quickly concealed her smile and asked, "Did you bring the Purple Dew?"

Han Mingyue frowned. "Didn’t Princess Consort Ding give you any medicine? Does the wound still hurt?"

Mentioning Ye Li clearly struck a nerve with Su Zuidie. Flicking her sleeve, she retorted coldly and angrily, "Don’t mention that wench!"

Han Mingyue sighed, took a small, exquisite porcelain bottle from his robes, and handed it to Su Zuidie. Su Zuidie accepted the bottle, opened it, and sniffed the contents. Satisfied, she turned and went into the room to apply the medicine in front of a copper mirror.

Han Mingyue followed her into the bedroom. Seeing the furnishings, which could only be described as plain, he now understood the source of Su Zuidie’s earlier anger towards that young maid. Having been pampered and delicately raised since childhood, she was never one who could endure hardship. She wouldn’t settle for anything even slightly inferior, yet Ye Li had locked her up in this crude place. It was no wonder her mood was foul. Only after applying the medicine did Su Zuidie feel inclined to turn and look at Han Mingyue. She was satisfied to see a hint of infatuation and adoration in his eyes. This instantly restored much of the confidence she had lost from the frustrations and setbacks she had suffered here these past few days. Tilting her head slightly, her lips curved into a beautiful arc, and Su Zuidie asked softly, "Mingyue, are you here to rescue me?"

A flicker of emotion crossed Han Mingyue’s face. He sighed softly and nodded. "Why else would I come here if not to rescue you? I’ve arranged for people to receive us outside. We can leave here in a little while."

Su Zuidie was taken aback. After a moment of hesitation, she shook her head. "No, we can’t just leave like this."

Han Mingyue frowned. "What else do you need to do here?"

Su Zuidie gritted her teeth. "Ye Li! That wench... Go and kill her for me."

A strained, bitter smile appeared on Han Mingyue’s face. He looked earnestly at Su Zuidie, trying to reason with her. "Zuidie, I promised... I wouldn’t lay a finger on Ye Li again." It wasn’t just because of Mo Xiuyao, but more so because of Han Mingxi. No matter how infatuated Han Mingyue was with Su Zuidie, to the point of recklessness, Han Mingxi was still his only younger brother, his closest blood relative in this world. He was well aware of his younger brother’s feelings for Ye Li, even though he knew they were unrequited. But Han Mingyue knew that if he truly harmed Ye Li, Han Mingxi would absolutely never forgive him. He had never truly considered becoming enemies with the younger brother he had raised since childhood.

Su Zuidie’s expression changed, and she sneered coldly. "Promises! Always promises! I knew it, I’m nothing to you in your heart! In that case, why bother with whether I live or die? I don’t need you, Eldest Young Master Han, to rescue me either. Even if Ye Li kills me, I’ll have brought it upon myself. Just go by yourself and don’t worry about me."

"Zuidie," Han Mingyue said gravely, "now is not the time to be willful. We’d be lucky to get out of here safely as it is; trying to make a move on Ye Li is simply impossible right now. You should have understood by now, after all these days, Mo Xiuyao will not side with you."

Her sore spot having been poked, Su Zuidie faltered for a moment. She understood the reasoning in Han Mingyue’s words. However, the thought of letting Ye Li off so easily left her deeply unwilling. With a flirtatious glint in her eyes, she looked at Han Mingyue and asked alluringly, "So, you mean you’ll help me teach her a lesson later when there’s an opportunity, right?"

Han Mingyue was taken aback. His intention was to persuade Zuidie not to provoke Ye Li anymore. But this clearly wasn’t the time to reason with her, so he could only nod perfunctorily. "There will be opportunities in the future," he said.

Su Zuidie gave a radiant smile, lowered her eyes, and said, "I knew it. In this world, only you, Mingyue, are the best to me." How could she not tell that Han Mingyue was just placating her? But it didn’t matter. As long as Han Mingyue agreed, she always had ways to make him do as she said. When it came to Han Mingyue, Su Zuidie had always possessed boundless confidence and a repertoire of tactics.

"If you want to deal with me, why pick a time? Am I not right here?" A clear, melodious laugh, tinged with a faint laziness, came from the outer room. Han Mingyue’s heart jolted, and he secretly became vigilant. He hadn’t even realized someone had entered the outer reception hall. He then heard Ye Li say with a light laugh, "Young Master Han, it’s been a long time since we parted in Guangling. Aren’t you going to come out and reminisce, Young Master Han?"

Han Mingyue glanced down at Su Zuidie, smiled at her reassuringly, and said softly, "Don’t be afraid. Nothing will happen. Let’s go out and see."

Passing through the screen, they exited the room. In the reception hall, Ye Li was seated, leaning lazily against a soft couch, watching the two of them with an amused smile. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Upon seeing Han Mingyue, she greeted him with a smile. "Young Master Mingyue, such impressive skills. It seems Xinyang City and the Governor’s Mansion allow Young Master Mingyue to come and go as he pleases, as if no one were present."

If Han Mingyue still didn’t understand by now, he wouldn’t be fit to be the Lord of Tianyi Pavilion, who controlled the world’s intelligence network. With a bitter smile, he said, "I’m afraid Princess Consort Ding was merely showing mercy." With such capable people under her command, how could Princess Consort Ding have allowed him to enter the Governor’s Mansion and remain undiscovered for so long? It was more likely that she had long since laid a net, waiting for him to walk right into it.

A slight smile touched Ye Li’s lips as she said softly, "Young Master Mingyue, your deep affection is truly worthy of a modern-day paragon of romance; this Princess Consort is deeply impressed. Since Noble Consort Bai is here, how could Young Master Mingyue not come?"

Han Mingyue detected the sarcasm in Ye Li’s words, but he merely smiled faintly and did not reply.

Resting her chin on her hand, Ye Li looked calmly at the two of them and said, "Normally, out of consideration for Mingxi, this Princess Consort shouldn’t make things difficult for Young Master Han. However, the current situation is rather special, so... I’m afraid I must offend you."

Han Mingyue cupped his hands in a salute and replied with a calm smile, "Having fallen into the Princess Consort’s hands, I, Han Mingyue, accept it wholeheartedly and am at the Princess Consort’s disposal."

Ye Li nodded slightly. Looking at the man before her, still as refined and elegant as ever, she couldn’t help but feel a trace of pity. Family background, appearance, ability, methods—Han Mingyue lacked none of these; he even surpassed ordinary people in many aspects. It was no wonder he had become good friends with Mo Xiuyao in his youth. It was a pity. He should have been a favored son of heaven, yet he had fallen to such a state merely because he could not overcome the trials of love. His days in Xiling were not easy. Even though he possessed a power as formidable as Tianyi Pavilion, if only he could let go of Su Zuidie, he could have lived a carefree and unrestrained life anywhere. Yet, he insisted on being entangled with Su Zuidie. The Xiling imperial family certainly needed the power he commanded, but they were even more wary of him, treating him like an outsider. They even coveted the power in his hands with greedy eyes. After all, other people’s things are never as convenient to use as one’s own, are they?

"Take Young Master Han away," Ye Li waved her hand and said softly.

Han Mingyue looked at her with a smile. "Is Prince Ding not coming out to see an old friend?"

Ye Li looked at him indifferently. "Does Young Master Han think the Prince has time to see friends now?"

Han Mingyue pondered for a moment, then nodded softly to indicate his understanding. Frowning slightly, he asked, "I understand why the Princess Consort has gone to such lengths. If I give you what you want, what do you plan to offer in exchange?"

Ye Li gazed steadily at Han Mingyue for a long while before letting out a soft laugh and saying unhurriedly, "Does Young Master Han think this Princess Consort intends to make a deal with you?"

Han Mingyue raised an eyebrow, indicating that was exactly what he thought.

Ye Li said regretfully, "Originally, if Young Master Han had come directly to me to make a deal, this Princess Consort indeed would have agreed. But now, this Princess Consort has expended so much effort to finally detain Young Master Han. If it were merely an equivalent exchange, this Princess Consort would feel somewhat short-changed. Besides, even without making a deal with Young Master Han, this Princess Consort can still obtain what is needed."

Han Mingyue knitted his brows, his face filled with disbelief. "That’s impossible. If Tianyi Pavilion could be so easily controlled by others, then this Young Master might as well pack it in."

Ye Li shook her head. "To be honest, this Princess Consort has no interest in Tianyi Pavilion. Such a vast intelligence organization... even if Young Master Han were to hand it over to this Princess Consort on a platter, do you, Young Master, think I would dare to use it?"

Han Mingyue stared warily at the elegant and graceful woman seated above. It seemed that ever since their first meeting, he had never been able to guess this woman’s thoughts correctly, which only intensified the inexplicable unease rising in his heart. He then heard Ye Li say calmly, "Since it cannot be used by me, then this Princess Consort’s decision is—to destroy it!"

Han Mingyue took a deep breath, shock finally appearing on his handsome, refined face. "You want to destroy Tianyi Pavilion?!" Tianyi Pavilion, an entity coveted by countless ambitious figures, heroes, and even emperors and ministers in this world; to control it was to control more than half the world’s secrets. Yet the woman before him spoke of destroying it without even blinking.

"In fact, this Princess Consort is already in the process of destroying it," Ye Li said calmly.

Han Mingyue closed his eyes for a moment. When he reopened them, his gaze was utterly still. "You have people in Tianyi Pavilion."

Ye Li smiled appreciatively and clapped her hands lightly. A man in gray walked in from outside the door. He glanced calmly at the slightly pale Han Mingyue and Su Zuidie beside him, then bowed respectfully to Ye Li. "Your subordinate, Darky Four, greets the Princess Consort."

Ye Li smiled and nodded. "Rise. You’ve worked hard these past days."

Darky Four said respectfully, "This subordinate failed to accomplish the Princess Consort’s command. It is my dereliction of duty; I dare not speak of hardship."

Ye Li said, "You did very well. Like Zhuo Jing and Lin Han, from today onwards, you are no longer a shadow guard."

Darky Four bowed again. "This subordinate, Wei Lin, greets the Princess Consort."

Beside them, Han Mingyue’s face was ashen. He looked at Wei Lin and said indifferently, "You’re a shadow guard from Prince Ding’s Mansion?"

Wei Lin rose, looked at Han Mingyue, and said, "Precisely. I’ve troubled you for your care these past days, Pavilion Master."

Han Mingyue’s smile was grim. Indeed, what "care" it had been. In a mere span of less than half a year, he had promoted an obscure individual to be his most trusted right-hand man. Admittedly, it was partly because the other party had once risked his life to save him, but even more so because he admired the man’s talent and abilities. Feeling somewhat powerless, he turned to Ye Li and said, "I never expected the shadow guards of the King of Ding Kingdom’s Mansion to be so formidable. Or are the people by the Princess Consort’s side particularly outstanding?" He had once been very close friends with Mo Xiuyao, so naturally, he had some understanding of the shadow guards of Prince Ding’s Mansion. But Wei Lin’s abilities and methods clearly far surpassed those of ordinary shadow guards. Initially, he had suspected Wei Lin might be a spy sent by the Southern Garrison Prince, the Bai family of Xiling, the Emperor of Xiling, or even other powers. But in the end, it was proven that he had absolutely no connection to any of them. So he had given him his trust, never imagining that he would actually be someone from the King of Ding Kingdom’s Mansion.

Ye Li responded with a smile, "Young Master Han, you flatter me. Please have Young Master Han escorted out. Perhaps the Prince will find time to chat with you when he is free. As for your people in the Northwest, Young Master... you need not trouble yourself over them. It would be useless even if you did, wouldn’t it?"

Han Mingyue was speechless. After a long moment, he said, "The Princess Consort is brilliant. Han Mingyue admits defeat."

Ye Li smiled faintly and remained silent, waving her hand to gesture for him to be taken away.