Crowned Consort in Golden Age-Chapter 167. Conspiracy

167. Conspiracy

「In the Imperial Study,」

Mo Jingqi sat on the high imperial throne, his expression shifting and gloomy. After a long while, he finally ordered, "Send for Marquis Muyang to come to the palace immediately!" The eunuchs serving in the Imperial Study, aware that His Majesty’s mood was poor, dared not say much; they quickly assented and departed.

Marquis Muyang arrived very quickly. In fact, ever since his only son had followed Princess Consort Ding to the battlefield, he had not known a moment’s peace. Even the news of Marquis South and his son—with whom he had always been at odds—dying unnatural deaths had not managed to console him. Marquis Muyang’s Mansion was absolutely loyal to His Majesty. However, precisely for this reason, Mu Yang accompanying Princess Consort Ding on the expedition was fraught with danger. Although he had received two letters from Mu Yang assuring his safety, what good was that? The Northwest was thousands of miles from the Capital City. If anything were to happen, by the time His Majesty dispatched someone, his son might be nothing but rotten bones. More importantly, Marquis Muyang knew the current young emperor very well; his suspiciousness was exceptionally severe. These days, Mu Yang had not reported back any news detrimental to Prince Ding’s Mansion at all, which was absolutely contrary to His Majesty’s original intentions. At that point, His Majesty might even suspect Mu Yang of colluding with Prince Ding’s Mansion, and then... he feared Marquis South’s Mansion would serve as a lesson for Marquis Muyang’s Mansion. Therefore, upon receiving the imperial summons, Marquis Muyang merely tidied himself up slightly and hastily entered the palace for an audience, not daring to delay even for a moment.

"This humble servant greets Your Majesty." Stepping into the Imperial Study and seeing the Emperor’s ruthless and grim expression, which he hadn’t had time to conceal, Marquis Muyang felt a chill in his heart. He knelt without hesitation and paid his respects in a clear voice.

Clearly pleased with Marquis Muyang’s deference, Mo Jingqi’s gloomy expression softened somewhat. "Rise." Mo Jingqi was very averse to officials possessing special rights and treatment, such as Prince Ding’s Mansion. He had cursed in his heart more than once the imperial decree issued by his ancestors that exempted successive Princes Ding and Princesses Consort Ding from kneeling when meeting the sovereign. They were all his subjects; why should the people of Prince Ding’s Mansion be allowed not to kneel? Furthermore, for generations, emperors had granted old ministers over seventy the boon of being exempt from kneeling in the hall, yet none of the senior ministers, including State Duke Hua who had outstanding military achievements, had ever received this particular favor. Mo Jingqi immensely enjoyed the feeling of everyone prostrating themselves before him.

"Thank you, Your Majesty. May this humble servant know what instructions Your Majesty has for summoning me?" Marquis Muyang asked reverently after rising. Mo Jingqi did not speak, instead gazing thoughtfully at Marquis Muyang. Though anxious and worried in his heart, Marquis Muyang dared not show the slightest hint on his face; his expression only grew more respectful. After a long while, he heard Mo Jingqi ask in a deep voice, "Marquis, have you received a letter from your son confirming his safety?"

Marquis Muyang hastened to reply, "Yes, Your Majesty. The most recent one arrived half a month ago."

"Oh? What did the letter say?" Mo Jingqi inquired casually.

"My son simply reported his safety and mentioned that Prince Ding has reached Xinyang to rendezvous with Princess Consort Ding. Presumably... the entire Northwest will be reclaimed soon." Marquis Muyang said. In truth, Mo Jingqi surely knew the actual contents of the letter. At this, looking at the somewhat apprehensive Marquis Muyang, Mo Jingqi suddenly smiled. "Marquis, there’s no need to be nervous. Mu Yang, too... writing only two letters after such a long time, isn’t he afraid of worrying his old father at home? Marquis, do you know Mu Yang’s current whereabouts?"

Marquis Muyang answered cautiously, "This humble servant... does not know. My son is with the army on campaign; he should probably be with Prince Ding’s army now."

Mo Jingqi gave a light humph. "Correct. Prince Ding now leads five hundred thousand of the Mo Family Army and is caught in a fierce battle inside the border of the pass with the allied forces of Nanzhao, Xiling, and Prince Li. Your son is serving as the vanguard colonel."

Marquis Muyang’s heart skipped a beat. He looked at the Emperor’s expression and asked, feigning shock, "Your Majesty... if that’s the case... the Northwest beyond the pass..."

Mo Jingqi laughed. "The Northwest? In the Northwest, Princess Consort Ding is personally commanding an army of two hundred thousand against the Southern Garrison Prince. Currently... they’ve fallen back to Hongzhou. Marquis, look at these..." Mo Jingqi said, pointing to several petitions on the imperial desk.

Marquis Muyang expressed his gratitude and took the petitions presented by the eunuch to read. They were requests to be sent into battle from the garrisons stationed near the Northwest. Although fierce battles raged inside the pass, the garrisons in various locations had received orders to hold their positions and not make any rash moves. Consequently, those generals could only watch as Prince Ding contended with the three allied forces, unable to move themselves. Although they dared not say anything on the surface, anyone with a bit of spirit would inevitably be somewhat dissatisfied with this secret decree. Therefore, it was not entirely unexpected that these few generals requested to go beyond the pass to reinforce Princess Consort Ding. However, the Emperor was clearly very displeased by this.

Marquis Muyang chose his words carefully and said, "Your Majesty, the generals are also patriotic. The Northwest, after all, is part of Great Chu; it is Your Majesty’s territory. This also demonstrates their loyalty to Your Majesty."

Mo Jingqi did not really doubt the loyalty of these generals. Looking at Marquis Muyang, he asked, "Who do you, Marquis, think is more suitable to lead the troops on an expedition now?"

"This..." Marquis Muyang had obviously not expected the Emperor to agree so easily to the plan of reinforcing Princess Consort Ding, and for a moment, he was a bit slow to react. He quickly said, "Naturally, Your Majesty is wise and makes sacred judgments."

Mo Jingqi stared at him. "I need someone absolutely trustworthy for this task."

Somehow, Marquis Muyang suddenly had a bad feeling. Facing Mo Jingqi’s gaze, he struggled to maintain his composure and said with a smile, "There are countless ministers in the court loyal to Your Majesty. Why would Your Majesty worry about not having anyone? This humble servant... is willing to lead the troops on the expedition."

Mo Jingqi smiled with satisfaction and said to Marquis Muyang, "Excellent. My dear minister, you can set off for the Northwest by fast horse tomorrow morning—no, tonight. The troops of the two provinces closest to the Northwest are all at your disposal."

Marquis Muyang forced a smile. "Thank you, Your Majesty. This servant will definitely not fail Your Majesty’s expectations and vows to expel the enemy invaders and pacify the Northwest, even unto death."

Mo Jingqi’s eyes turned cold, and he said faintly, "It greatly consoles My heart that you have such aspirations, Marquis. However... I have one more matter to entrust to you, my dear minister."

Marquis Muyang felt his heartbeat quicken. His instinct told him it would be best not to hear what the Emperor was about to say. However, the reality was he could only stand even more respectfully in the hall and say, "Please, Your Majesty, instruct me."

The voices in the hall became low. After a long time, an inconspicuous young eunuch emerged from a side hall. Cautiously looking around to see that no one was present, he quickly changed direction and hurried towards the Empress’s palace.

「Regardless of how things were elsewhere, the war in Hongzhou continued.」

It seemed the Southern Garrison Prince had finally lost patience with the current situation. He launched relentless assaults daily, and the night raids grew increasingly fierce. The Mo Family Army’s small-scale sneak attacks were fundamentally unable to halt the Xiling army’s determination and advance. What was reassuring was that Mo Hua finally arrived in Hongzhou with the shadow guards. This allowed Feng Zhiyao, who had been constantly terrified for Ye Li’s shadow guards, to finally breathe a sigh of relief. Facing the Southern Garrison Prince’s increasingly fierce attacks, the destruction of Hongzhou City was clearly foreseeable.

"Princess Consort, you must leave Hongzhou immediately." Mo Hua, still expressionless, looked seriously at the woman before him who was busy writing at her desk. However, if one looked closely, one could still discover the complex emotions of admiration and worry flowing in his eyes. Previously, Mo Hua had been somewhat dissatisfied and dismissive of Ye Li’s intention to change the shadow guards. Although he had a fair understanding of her abilities, it was limited to that. But it was only after arriving in Hongzhou that he learned this elegant and graceful woman, who calmly presided over the Northwest, was even pregnant. Mo Hua finally felt a sense of conviction in his heart; this Princess Consort Ding was definitely different from any other woman in the world. And precisely because of this, he had to ensure Princess Consort Ding’s safety—whether for the Prince, the future heir, or simply because he didn’t want to see this remarkable woman meet with any misfortune.

Ye Li nodded. "I know. I will leave here in three days." According to her calculations, Hongzhou City could hold out for three more days at most. Three days later would be the day the Xiling forces breached Hongzhou City, and likewise... it would also be the day of their complete annihilation. A glint of killing intent flashed in Ye Li’s eyes as she calmly put down the brush and ink in her hand.

Mo Hua was silent for a moment, then said, "There are people among the shadow guards skilled in disguise; one can impersonate the Princess Consort and remain in Hongzhou."

Ye Li shook her head helplessly. "Do you think this can deceive the Southern Garrison Prince of Xiling? Mo Hua, you don’t need to worry. I will leave Hongzhou before then." Lowering her head, Ye Li gently caressed her still-flat abdomen, a touch of melancholy rising in her heart. No matter what... for the sake of her unborn baby, she couldn’t place herself in danger... even though she actually wished she could stay and defend Hongzhou City together with the officers and soldiers of the Mo Family Army.

Seeing Ye Li rise and turn towards the bookshelf behind her, clearly having no intention to speak further, Mo Hua also understood he could not persuade her and had no choice but to withdraw helplessly.

「On the road inside the pass, heading north towards Hongzhou,」

Outside a stretch of forest, a few horses were quietly grazing on grass to one side. Not far away, beside a campfire, Mo Xiuyao, handsome and elegant with a slightly somber expression, frowned from time to to time.

"Prince, a secret message from the Capital City!" Ah-Jin came over, hurriedly presenting a letter sealed with red wax.

Mo Xiuyao’s eyes flashed as he took the envelope and tore it open. The contents of the letter, however, made his expression change drastically. Standing to one side, Ah-Jin couldn’t help but step back. Having been by the Prince’s side for over a decade, Ah-Jin had never seen the Prince’s expression so grim in his memory. "Prince... the Capital City... what happened in the Capital City?"

After a long while, Mo Xiuyao was heard gritting his teeth and saying, "Mo Jingqi!"

Ah-Jin was startled. He was not an intelligent person and didn’t understand many intricacies. However, this didn’t prevent him from understanding that the relationship between the Emperor and his own Prince was not actually as good as the common people believed. Could it be that the Emperor had done something again to anger the Prince?

Mo Xiuyao slowly crumpled the letter in his hand into a ball. With a slight exertion of force, the paper ball instantly turned to powder and slipped to the ground, becoming a thin layer of white dust. "Mo Jingqi... you had better pray Ah-Li is unharmed! Ah-Jin, take my token and head north. Order the Mo Family Army units in the north to immediately reinforce Hongzhou!"

Ah-Jin was stunned and said, somewhat confused, "Prince... there are only fifty thousand troops in the north now, intended for defense against Beirong..."

Mo Xiuyao’s lips curled into an icy smile. "Mo Jingqi himself doesn’t care, so why should I care for him? Pass the order: reinforce Hongzhou immediately!"

Ah-Jin finally understood the Prince was serious. His face grew solemn as he said, "Ah-Jin obeys the order. Ah-Jin takes his leave." Taking the token Mo Xiuyao tossed him, Ah-Jin unhesitatingly turned, mounted his horse, and galloped away, disappearing in a cloud of dust.

Gazing at Ah-Jin’s departing figure vanishing in the dust, Mo Xiuyao clenched his fists tightly. The words slowly uttered from his mouth sent a chill to the bone: "Mo Jingqi... do you truly believe my patience is limitless? If anything happens to Ah-Li or Hongzhou... I will make you wish you were dead!"