Crowned Consort in Golden Age-Chapter 215 - 214. Gifts at a Full Moon Banquet

214. Gifts at the Full Moon Banquet

Upon knowing that everything was alright, both Madam Xu and Qin Zheng rose to bid farewell. Before long, Mo Xiuyao had returned. Seeing Ye Li holding an unsettled Mo Xiaobao in one hand and a book in the other to pass the time, he frowned slightly in displeasure. Hearing footsteps, Ye Li quickly put down her book, stood up, and smiled, "You’re back? Are you hurt?"

Mo Xiuyao gave a light hum and casually lifted Mo Xiaobao, wrapped in his swaddling clothes, towards the bed, which startled Ye Li. A newborn, even swaddled, being carried like that was enough to startle anyone. Seeing Mo Xiuyao put the baby back in the cradle, and Mo Xiaobao not crying but looking at him with big round eyes, Ye Li breathed a sigh of relief. Just as she was about to discuss Mo Xiaobao’s safety with Mo Xiuyao—lest the little treasure she had painstakingly given birth to one day be tormented to death by his own father—before she could even open her mouth, Mo Xiuyao gave a dull grunt, sat down by the bed, and a trace of blood spilled from the corner of his lips.

Ye Li was startled and frightened. She quickly got up, forgetting about discussing or blaming Mo Xiuyao for his fatherly conduct, intending to call Shen Yang over to have a look. Mo Xiuyao extended his hand to stop her and shook his head. Ye Li studied him for a moment with a furrowed brow. Other than looking a little pale, there seemed to be nothing else amiss. Only then did she feel slightly at ease. Raising her hand to wipe the blood from his lips, she asked, "Why didn’t you say you were internally injured? Didn’t you say that you fought to a draw with the Southern Garrison Prince and *he* was the one spitting blood?"

Mo Xiuyao smiled faintly. "Well, Lei Zhenting is one of the Four Great Experts in the world. Of course, there’s a price to pay when battling him."

Ye Li looked at him disapprovingly. "So, the Southern Garrison Prince spits blood in front of everyone, and you, my Prince, spit blood behind their backs?"

Mo Xiuyao chuckled without refuting. Of course, he couldn’t tell Ah-Li that Lei Zhenting hadn’t originally planned on spitting blood; it was just that Mo Xiuyao had provoked him in the end. So Lei Zhenting didn’t spit blood because of injury, but out of anger. Thinking about the last palm strike he had exchanged with Lei Zhenting, Mo Xiuyao couldn’t help but frown. The foremost expert of Xiling indeed lived up to his reputation. If it came down to techniques and he used his full strength, his two healthy arms might give him a slight edge over Lei Zhenting. However, in terms of internal energy, he seemed to be a notch below. But it didn’t matter. He was not yet thirty, while Lei Zhenting was nearly fifty. If he could still overpower Lei Zhenting in terms of ability, then Lei Zhenting’s title as Xiling’s foremost expert wouldn’t be so well-deserved. Besides, he could kill him without competing in internal energy! Just the thought of how that old man looked at Ah-Li made the murderous intent in Mo Xiuyao’s eyes overflow uncontrollably. He suddenly felt that what he had said to Lei Zhenting earlier was too tactful. That old, ugly man wasn’t even worthy of a single glance at his Ah-Li. Thinking of something, Mo Xiuyao pensively raised a hand to touch the mask on his face.

Ye Li looked curiously at the man sitting on the edge of the bed, lost in thought. She felt his forehead and asked, "What’s wrong? Are the injuries too severe?"

"It’s fine." Mo Xiuyao smiled. "I was just wondering whether Lei Zhenting would be able to attend tomorrow’s banquet."

Ye Li sat next to him and laughed. "What’s there to think about? So-called banquets are merely a formality." The genuinely crucial matters were always settled before and after the banquet. The Full Moon Banquet was merely a show for the common folk. As for whether the Southern Garrison Prince could attend, Xiuyao wouldn’t be so indiscreet as to beat him until he was bedridden, would he?

「That day, Ruyang City was in a frenzy once again.」

Though most people did not witness the duel between the Southern Garrison Prince and Prince Ding, there was not a person in Ruyang City who did not know about it. Consequently, after the duel, supporters of both sides became dejected, secretly lamenting their empty purses. Only Han Mingxi, the bookmaker, with his exceptionally handsome face, smiled ever more captivatingly. After all, Prince Ding himself had admitted to a draw with the Southern Garrison Prince. Since no one won, the ultimate winner was naturally Han Mingxi.

The Han Mansion, located not far from Prince Ding’s Mansion, was Han Mingxi’s residence in Ruyang City. At this moment, Han Mingyue was beaming as he looked at the table filled with banknotes, silver ingots, jade pendants, and various pieces of jewelry. Feng Zhiyao sat to the side, casting a sidelong glance at the jubilant Han Mingyue and snorting in dissatisfaction. Han Mingxi, who was also present, looked up at Feng Zhiyao, then rose, walked over to sit beside him, and said with a smile, "What has brought Third Young Master Feng to my humble abode?"

Feng Zhiyao cast a glance at the wealth on the table that had yet to be collected and asked, "How much did you win?"

Han Mingxi raised an eyebrow and made a grand gesture.

Feng Zhiyao immediately felt a mix of envy, jealousy, and hatred. He glared at Han Mingxi. "Fifty thousand liang?" That included his eight hundred liang!

Han Mingxi swept a dismissive glance at him and laughed. "Third Young Master Feng, you really underestimate Prince Ding and the Southern Garrison Prince. What’s fifty thousand liang? It’s five hundred thousand liang!"

Feng Zhiyao was instantly dumbfounded; his previous envy, jealousy, and hatred immediately transformed into deep animosity. When he looked at Han Mingxi, it was like he was looking at a tall gold mountain—and more importantly, that gold mountain belonged to someone else. No wonder so many people love to manage casinos; it’s practically a guaranteed profit. No, Han Mingxi didn’t even need capital; it was literally profit without cost. Han Mingxi sighed regretfully, "It’s only a pity that Prince Ding and the Southern Garrison Prince arranged the duel privately. If it were a decisive battle of sorts... announced two months in advance throughout the Great Chu or even Xiling... then..." Never mind five hundred thousand; he might have made five million! Missing such a huge money-making opportunity pained Han Mingxi deeply. Perhaps the Han Family members were born with a talent for making money. Over the past year, Han Mingxi had gradually come to understand his elder brother’s money-grubbing personality back then.

Feng Zhiyao stared at him disapprovingly for a long time before slowly saying, "The Prince wants you to send the money owed to him as soon as possible."

Hearing this, Han Mingxi grew angry and stared back at Feng Zhiyao cautiously. "On what basis? This young master earned this money himself!"

Feng Zhiyao scoffed. "Don’t be silly. If the Prince hadn’t acknowledged it as a draw in front of everyone in the end, do you think you could have swept the board? The Prince said he’ll only take fifty percent from you." Given how the Southern Garrison Prince spat blood on the spot, if the Prince had insisted he won, no one could have objected. Mentioning this, Han Mingxi’s anger subsided considerably. He asked curiously, "In the end, what did Prince Ding actually say to the Southern Garrison Prince?" Although his martial arts skills were mediocre, he still had some discernment. Originally, after that final palm strike, the Southern Garrison Prince wasn’t seriously injured, at least not to the point of spitting blood on the spot. But after Prince Ding whispered something in the Southern Garrison Prince’s ear, then he was seen furiously spurting a mouthful of blood. He was clearly angered to that point!

Feng Zhiyao said casually, "How would I know? Just give the money. This young master doesn’t have time to count money with you."

"So, you’re here on behalf of Prince Ding to collect money from me?" Han Mingxi said resentfully. If he knew this was Feng Zhiyao’s purpose when he’d first walked in, he would have told his people to drive him out.

Feng Zhiyao raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "Is there a problem? Or should I tell everyone in the Mo Family Army that you and the Prince secretly colluded to control the outcome?" The men of the Mo Family Army wouldn’t dare trouble the Prince, but they could definitely trample Han Mingxi to death. Thinking of those martial artists who had lost money and wore resentful expressions, Han Mingxi was furious but dared not voice it. Indignant, he resentfully separated two hundred fifty thousand liang from the table for Feng Zhiyao to take away. After stowing the money away, Feng Zhiyao stood up contentedly and excused himself. The Prince had promised to return his eight hundred liang. He wasn’t greedy; as long as he didn’t lose his own money, he was content.

「Inside Han Mansion, while Han Mingxi was lamenting his drastically reduced income, Mo Xiuyao sat in his study, a satisfied smile appearing as he looked at the banknotes Feng Zhiyao presented.」

Feng Zhiyao looked at him perplexed and asked, "From Han Mingxi, it’s two hundred fifty thousand liang. Including other miscellaneous bets from around the city, it totals roughly four hundred thousand liang. Ah-Yao, what do you need all this money for?" Most importantly, where doesn’t Prince Ding need money? Does he really need to make money this way?

Mo Xiuyao glanced at him leisurely. "Who placed the largest bets?"

Feng Zhiyao laughed. "Isn’t that obvious? Of course, it was those envoys and dignitaries from various nations. The common folk of Ruyang City, no matter how many, bet at most one or two liang, or half a qian, each. How much could that amount to? I’ve secretly inquired: Mo Jingli bet a full fifty thousand liang on the Southern Garrison Prince to win. Hmm... Princess Anxi also bet thirty thousand liang, though she bet on you, Prince, to win." These are the ones whose relationship with the Mo Family Army isn’t too strained. As for the people from Xiling and those from Beirong, like the Seventh Prince, wouldn’t they have bet heavily on the Southern Garrison Prince to win? Even if only to save face, they would want to overwhelm Prince Ding’s Mansion in terms of sheer presence. Too bad they didn’t know that in the end, it was the Prince who swept all the bets.

Mo Xiuyao said, "Then use this money for Mo Xiaobao’s full moon banquet. Surely we don’t expect Prince Ding’s Mansion to pay for it, do we?"

Feng Zhiyao was silent. Shouldn’t Prince Ding’s Mansion pay for the full moon banquet of the Heir of Prince Ding’s Mansion? My Prince, there should be a limit to your stinginess, alright?

Mo Xiuyao couldn’t care less about his subordinate’s silent complaints. Why should he use his own money to entertain those idiots he couldn’t stand? He waved his hand. "Go on, allocate the money directly to Zhou Yu. Isn’t he handling these matters? If there’s any left over, distribute it as red envelopes to the common people in the city."

Feng Zhiyao silently prostrated himself in admiration. So, Your Highness, not only did you vent your anger by thrashing the Southern Garrison Prince, but you also earned back all the money needed for the young heir’s full moon banquet, and the leftover change can even be used to win over the hearts of the people? Compared to you, old master, Han Mingxi’s money-making ability is utter trash!

After nearly half a month of bustling activity throughout Ruyang City, the full moon banquet for the Heir of Prince Ding was finally held as scheduled. In truth, so-called banquets—be it a full moon feast, a birthday celebration, a wedding banquet, or even an enthronement ceremony—were all more or less the same; the only difference lay in the scale of the spectacle. This banquet, like the last one, was still held on the city tower in the eastern part of Ruyang City.

When Mo Xiuyao, holding Ye Li’s hand, stepped onto the main platform atop the city tower, everyone present was involuntarily stunned. Mo Xiuyao, who usually wore a silver half-mask, had finally removed the mask that had accompanied him for nearly ten years. However, what was exposed to people’s eyes was not the hideous scars and disfigured face they had anticipated. Under the candlelight, his silver-white hair was casually draped behind him, loosely tied up with only a single silver ribbon. Beneath a few stray silver strands lay Mo Xiuyao’s striking and handsome features. Those seated below could not see any hideous scars, not even minor ones. What was revealed to everyone was clearly a man who, though somewhat pale, was undeniably striking and exceptionally handsome. There were, of course, many handsome men present. However, the only one who could somewhat compare to the white-haired man on the high platform—clad in princely attire of deep purple and seemingly unapproachable—was Young Master Qingchen, Xu Qingchen, dressed in white with a serene demeanor. Young Master Qingchen had a tranquil expression; his white robes made him seem like a celestial being descended to earth, as pure as a lotus, as serene as the moon. But that white-haired man was like the sharpest sword, the most noble and magnificent gem, the coldest, most frigid ice and snow on a mountain peak. Even his smile seemed to carry a daunting chill and oppressive might.

"As expected of Prince Ding. With such bearing, who else in this world besides Princess Consort Ding could be his match?" Even though her heart belonged to Xu Qingchen, Princess Anxi couldn’t help but sigh in admiration as she looked at Mo Xiuyao.

Hearing this, Xu Qingchen looked up at Ye Li, who stood shoulder to shoulder with Mo Xiuyao, a faint smile gracing his lips, his eyes filled with gratification. When Li’er was betrothed to Mo Xiuyao, their Xu Family had felt no small amount of guilt. If Prince Li’s abandonment was fifty percent of the reason Li’er was betrothed to Prince Ding, then their Xu Family was responsible for at least the other half. Now, seeing Prince Ding standing healthy and whole beside Li’er, the members of the Xu Family were naturally overjoyed.

"Princess Anxi makes a valid point. I’ve long heard of Princess Consort Ding’s extraordinary grace. Indeed, her reputation is well deserved," Yelv Hong, the Crown Prince of Beirong, interjected from the other side, looking up at Ye Li, who also stood there, his eyes full of admiration. Ye Li was indeed a beautiful woman, but her appearance couldn’t be called devastatingly beautiful. What truly captivated people was the intangible aura and spirit that she exuded. Standing next to a man like Mo Xiuyao, even the most beautiful woman in the world would very easily be reduced to a mere foil. But Ye Li would not. She simply stood composedly beside Mo Xiuyao, a gentle and refined smile on her lips. Her fair and tranquil face, coupled with those profound and serene eyes, made her seem like a peerless peony blooming quietly. Who said peonies must be opulent, magnificent, and overpowering? Graceful, dignified, and naturally majestic—this was clearly the bearing of the queen of all flowers.

(Many voices) "Greetings, Prince Ding, Princess Consort Ding."

"Everyone, dispense with the formalities." Mo Xiuyao, hand in hand with Ye Li, gave a sweep of his large sleeve and laughed heartily. "Thank you all for coming from afar, despite the distance, to attend my son’s full moon banquet. This Prince and the Princess Consort hope that tonight, hosts and guests alike will fully enjoy themselves. Let no one return sober!"

"Prince Ding, since tonight is the young heir’s full moon banquet, might we be fortunate enough to see the young heir?" someone immediately asked. They all knew that this so-called full moon banquet for the heir was nothing but a pretext, but since they had come, it was only right to at least see the heir, right?

Mo Xiuyao smiled lightly. "What difficulty is there in that?"

The wet nurse carefully carried the swaddled baby up to the high platform. Ye Li smiled as she took the child and looked down. Surprisingly, though it was already late, Mo Xiaobao was not asleep. His truly round, watery eyes gazed at Ye Li. It was unclear whether he could really see and recognize Ye Li or if he was familiar with her scent, but as soon as he was in Ye Li’s arms, he immediately started gurgling with laughter. Ye Li lifted him slightly so that the people below could also see Mo Xiaobao’s appearance. The little fellow wasn’t shy with strangers at all, lying obediently in Ye Li’s arms and gazing at the crowd below with his big eyes. He was completely unconcerned that he actually couldn’t see the people and things below.

"The young heir is truly blessed by nature, exuding an impressive spiritual aura..." The crowd universally praised.

From his seat below, Yelv Ye laughed heartily. "Prince Ding, I wonder if the young heir has been named yet?"

Mo Xiuyao smiled faintly. "Of course, he has. Mr. Qingyun personally bestowed the name upon my son: Yuchen."

Mo Yuchen. In truth, many present had already learned Mo Xiaobao’s name through various channels. But hearing it from Mo Xiuyao’s own lips was an entirely different matter. Nanzhao, with its vastly different culture and customs from Great Chu, didn’t have much reaction to this, merely praising it as a good name. The Beirong were considered barbarians from beyond the northern frontier; even if they studied Central Plains culture, their understanding was limited. The ones truly shaken were the Southern Garrison Prince of Xiling and Mo Jingli of Great Chu.

Yuchen. Such a name was an almost undisguised declaration of Mo Xiuyao’s expectations for this child, or rather, his own ambitions. Mo Jingli looked up at Mo Xiuyao, who sat leisurely on the high main seat with Ye Li in his arms, and felt a torrent of emotions surging in his heart. He had always failed to understand his own feelings about Mo Xiuyao, but at this moment, he clearly understood just how envious he was of Mo Xiuyao. Yes, it was envy. Even though he also ruled over a territory, he would not dare to openly give his child such a name. Therefore, Mo Xiuyao’s son was named Mo Yuchen, while his son could only be named Mo Yunxiao, following the generational naming conventions of the imperial family. Even though they were both in opposition to Mo Jingqi, Mo Xiuyao could openly invite dignitaries from various nations, acting with the full bearing of a monarch. He, however, could only secretly contact the dignitaries of various nations. Prince Ding and Prince Li, in the eyes of the dignitaries of various nations, were never on the same level. Not to mention, the beautiful and elegant woman Mo Xiuyao now held in his arms should once have been his wife. Yet, even though envy flowed like venom in his heart, he could only sit quietly below, watching Mo Xiuyao’s glory and triumph.

Ye Ying sat next to Mo Jingli, naturally taking in Mo Jingli’s expression. A trace of a mocking smile touched her lips. But when she looked up at Ye Li, her expression turned completely bitter. She had once felt extremely smug about her schemes that led to Ye Li’s downfall and her own entry into Prince Li’s Mansion. She had even occasionally felt a trace of pity for her half-sister who had married into Prince Ding’s Mansion. But now, both were princess consorts. One sat above tens of thousands, commanded the vast Mo Family Army and Prince Ding’s Mansion, and possessed the complete devotion and true heart of the most outstanding husband. The other, however, was imprisoned in the Capital City with a sickly child. Now that she was finally out, her husband was surrounded by wives and concubines, and she had practically no place by his side anymore. In the end, who is the one deserving of sympathy?

"Mo Yuchen? A good name." The Southern Garrison Prince’s gaze lingered on the child in Ye Li’s arms for a moment before he praised aloud.

Mo Xiuyao wasn’t modest either, candidly replying, "It is indeed a good name."

Yelv Ye rose and said with a smile, "For the full moon of Prince Ding’s heir, this humble prince has specially brought a gift from Beirong for the young heir. I hope Prince Ding will not disdain it."

Looking down on Yelv Ye from his high position, Mo Xiuyao smiled faintly. "The Seventh Prince has come from afar. How could this Prince be so discourteous? This Prince thanks the Seventh Prince on behalf of my young son."

Yelv Ye smiled, raised his hand, and blew a strange whistle into the air. A screech was heard from the sky, and a black shadow swooped down rapidly, heading straight for where Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li were seated. The crowd below couldn’t help but cry out in alarm. When the black shadow appeared in the firelight, they saw it was not black but a large, snow-white bird. Its wings were spread, and its sharp talons glinted with a fierce light under the flames as it lunged towards the three people on the high platform.

Amidst the crowd’s cries of alarm, the white bird seemed to crash into something, halting several yards from the couple, and then persistently tried to charge forward. But before it was clearly an empty space, nothing there at all, as if an invisible high wall blocked its path. It was only then that the crowd clearly saw it was a large white eagle.

The white eagle, blocked by the invisible barrier, was utterly unable to approach Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao. Yet it refused to leave, instead desperately charging and screeching. Ye Li frowned slightly, covering Mo Xiaobao’s ears with her hand. Her gaze turned glacial as she stared at the white eagle and commanded, "Quiet!" 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

The almost palpable coldness made even the proud white eagle shiver involuntarily, yet it then began to screech even louder.

Mo Xiuyao gave a cold laugh. "Impudence!" With a flick and a sweep of his wide sleeve, even the formidable eagle was caught and flung away. The direction he flung it was precisely where Yelv Ye was seated. Seeing the white eagle being smashed towards him with no power to resist, Yelv Ye had no choice but to quickly get up and retreat a few steps. The white eagle landed right in Yelv Ye’s empty chair. The white eagle, dazed and disoriented from the fall, couldn’t distinguish people at this moment. As soon as it managed to fly up, it charged towards Yelv Ye.

Yelv Ye was greatly alarmed. This white eagle was the most ferocious bird of prey on the Beirong grasslands; even wolf packs were terrified of it. If one were to be clawed by it, even if not killed, one would lose half a life. Yelv Ye hurriedly blew his whistle, trying to control the white eagle. However, the eagle had just been roughly thrown by Mo Xiuyao and was seeing stars. Hearing the whistle, it habitually charged forward. Yelv Ye had no choice but to use his lightness skill to dodge to the side. Thus, the crowd watched as Yelv Ye was chased all over by the white eagle he himself had presented, leaving them looking at each other, not knowing whether to laugh or pretend they hadn’t seen anything.

Mo Xiuyao narrowed his eyes, enjoying the farce before him. Ye Li, holding Mo Xiaobao, watched with the same faint expression, occasionally reaching out to tease the little fellow with wide-open eyes. Mo Xiuyao’s earlier sweep and flick were not that simple. Sitting beside him, Ye Li had clearly seen Mo Xiuyao sprinkle some strange medicinal powder onto the white eagle as he swept it into his sleeve. Although she didn’t know what it was, judging by the white eagle’s current behavior, she could guess one or two things about it. The most ingenious part was that with the white eagle flapping and crashing about like this, even if it were caught later, it was unlikely any powder would still be found on it. More importantly, the white eagle was a gift from the Beirong people; if anything was amiss, it was their own affair.

Watching Yelv Ye being ignominiously chased by the dazed white eagle, Ye Li smiled faintly. "Alright, men, accept the Seventh Prince’s gift."

"Yes, Princess Consort." Two hidden guards emerged from the crowd, flanking the white eagle from left and right to attack. If the white eagle were flying high in the air, they naturally wouldn’t be able to catch it. But at this moment, the white eagle’s body was heavy, and it simply couldn’t fly up. After a few exchanges, the two combined their strength to capture the white eagle and lock it into a sturdy cage brought by attendants from below. Only then did everyone present breathe a sigh of relief.