Crowned Consort in Golden Age-Chapter 220 - 219. Great Founding Emperor’s Treasure Map
219. The Great Founding Emperor’s Treasure Map
As Ye Li stepped into Shen Yang’s courtyard, a heated argument immediately reached her ears from within. It wasn’t the usual bickering between Shen Yang and Doctor Lin. Instead, it was a barrage of vicious sarcasm and contemptuous mockery, so intense that Ye Li, listening from the doorway, couldn’t help the twitch at the corners of her lips.
She didn’t even enter the house. The pair, who had been at each other’s throats the last time, were now united against a common enemy. Shen Yang sat leisurely to one side, sipping tea with the air of a distinguished scholar. Doctor Lin was also drinking tea, his demeanor exhibiting absolute disdain for the people before him. Zhuo Jing, who had accompanied Leng Liuyue and the sick scholar, tried to conciliate, "Gentlemen, the Princess Consort has asked you to examine this person." Doctor Lin snorted, casting a sidelong glance at Zhuo Jing. "When did I ever say I only take orders from your Princess Consort? She says to examine him, so I should examine him?" Shen Yang chuckled. "Although I receive a stipend from Prince Ding’s Mansion, as a Divine Doctor with self-respect, I absolutely refuse to treat patients referred by colleagues." These words clearly resonated with Doctor Lin. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶
Doctor Lin nodded repeatedly. "Back in the day, I had a nickname in the worldly society: ’See Death, Don’t Save.’ It means... those who don’t deserve saving, I won’t save, and those who are meant to die, I most certainly won’t save!" The time when Doctor Lin was notorious in the worldly society was at least thirty years ago, making him older than anyone present. Naturally, no one questioned the truth of his words, but his stance was unmistakably clear.
The sick scholar coughed incessantly; it was unclear whether from anger or his severe injuries. After finally catching his breath, he pulled Leng Liuyue’s sleeve and said, "Second Sister, let’s go." With that, his gaze, sharp as poisoned daggers, swept over Shen Yang and Doctor Lin. He silently vowed to return and poison these two old coots once he recovered. Shen Yang and Doctor Lin both noted his expression. Others might fear the sick scholar’s masterful poisoning skills and deadly toxins, but these two were undoubtedly among the foremost physicians of their time. Unless the scholar could concoct some long-lost ancient poison, there were few toxins that could truly intimidate them.
Leng Liuyue was different from the sick scholar. She had heard of Shen Yang’s reputation. The King of Hell Pavilion was a gathering place for all sorts of eccentric individuals, so Leng Liuyue understood that talented people often possessed peculiar temperaments. She glanced at the sick scholar and cupped her hands. "My third younger brother was rude. Please forgive him, sirs." From Leng Liuyue’s words, Ye Li understood that the sick scholar had likely instigated the conflict. After all, though Shen Yang and Doctor Lin bickered daily, they never argued with unrelated people, nor would they deliberately make things difficult for someone seeking treatment, especially someone she had sent. Seeing this, Ye Li no longer felt anxious to go in and mediate. Leaning against the outer wall, she pondered. Given Mo Xiuyao and Ling Tiehan’s unusual friendship, it seemed killing the sick scholar was out of the question. She’d have to find an opportunity to teach him a lesson to vent her anger.
"Second Sister, you don’t need to beg these two old fools! With their meager skills, they can’t even produce a proper prescription. What good can they do for my illness?" the sick scholar remarked disdainfully.
"Shut up!" Leng Liuyue rebuked him sternly, her brows furrowed. "Say one more word, and I’ll have Eldest Brother lock you in the forbidden area, never to come out again!" The sick scholar froze, a flicker of dejection in his eyes as he looked at the beautiful, cold woman in black. Over there, Doctor Lin smirked, looking at the sick scholar. "As if you came up with that prescription yourself." Shen Yang knew that the ancient prescription for the Bilo flower was mostly legend. His collection of books contained only about half of a fragmented prescription from a thousand years ago. Not only was the script different, but many medicinal terms were also different, and even the meanings were ambiguous. Unless one had the complete ancient prescription, he truly didn’t believe this peculiar young man could have figured out the formula himself.
The sick scholar gave a cold smile and said nothing. So what if he hadn’t figured it out himself? He was lucky enough to obtain the complete ancient prescription; that was his victory. If these people wanted to know the ancient prescription, wouldn’t they have to beg him?
"Mr. Shen, Master, what’s happened here?" Seeing that the argument inside had mostly subsided, Ye Li walked in, looking at the tense crowd with a smile. Zhuo Jing stepped forward and briefly explained the situation to Ye Li. This sick scholar really deserved a beating. It seemed that his anger from the flower hall hadn’t been vented, so he had taken it out on Shen Yang and Doctor Lin. But neither of these two was easy to deal with. A barrage of retorts from them nearly made the sick scholar cough up blood from frustration. Shen Yang smiled but said nothing. Doctor Lin was less polite, snorting, "Where did you find such a venomous, sickly creature? He’s at death’s door and still doesn’t know how to behave." Ye Li raised an eyebrow, glancing at the sick scholar and Leng Liuyue. As far as she had seen, the sick scholar always had this sickly appearance. So, even after taking a palm strike from Mo Xiuyao, he still looked just as frail, not at all like he was on death’s doorstep. At this, Leng Liuyue frowned, casting a worried glance at her foster brother. "My foster brother is insensible and has offended you, sirs," she said. "Please, considering his youth and ignorance, spare his life."
Doctor Lin squinted at Leng Liuyue. "You little girl are more honest than that other one. It’s just that your brother... HUMPH! He’s so unruly, clearly asking for a beating. It would be cleaner to just kill him with a single palm strike." Senior Doctor Lin still held a grudge about how Ye Li had deceived him back then. Ye Li could only smile wryly to herself. This Leng Liuyue is a renowned assassin in the worldly society. Master, are your eyes failing you?
Leng Liuyue’s expression turned solemn. Looking at the sick scholar’s contorted face, a hint of helplessness appeared on hers. "We siblings have relied on each other since childhood. If my foster brother has been insensible, it’s due to my failings as an older sister in guiding him. Please forgive him, sirs." With that, Leng Liuyue bowed deeply to the two men. It was true, as Leng Liuyue said, the three of them had indeed grown up together.
When they first met, the eldest, Ling Tiehan, was only twelve. She herself was just nine, and their youngest foster brother was merely five. The hardships the three orphaned children endured drifting through the worldly society were imaginable. Later, the three were taken into the King of Hell Pavilion, a place where only two or three out of ten children who entered survived to adulthood. It was Ling Tiehan who protected the two younger ones. Her youngest foster brother had the poorest aptitude for martial arts, so she and her eldest brother had exhausted every means to ensure his survival through such cruel training. But in ways Leng Liuyue didn’t know, no one understood how he had developed such a personality. However, no matter what he was like, he had never done anything to wrong his foster brother or foster sister, and he usually listened when they spoke to him. Based on this alone, the two of them couldn’t bring themselves to ignore or abandon him.
"Second Sister!" The sick scholar stared at Leng Liuyue, his face pale. Ever since the three of them had taken charge of the King of Hell Pavilion, when had his second sister ever humbled herself like this to anyone? Now, she was doing it all for him, making him feel like an eternally immature, insensible little brother.
"Mr. Shen, Master. Pavilion Master Ling and the Prince are old acquaintances. I hope you two can be lenient," Ye Li said softly. Shen Yang glanced at Ye Li, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Doctor Lin isn’t wrong. If this brat keeps carrying on like this, even the Bilo flower won’t save his life. Does he think the Bilo flower is some panacea that can make you jump around lively as long as you have half a breath left? Princess Consort, don’t even think about the prescription he has. I can see he clearly doesn’t want to live. Maybe he wants to perish together with the Prince." Hearing this, the sick scholar’s expression changed slightly. His face turned ashen, and he remained silent. Ye Li observed this and was secretly puzzled. Could it be that Mo Xiuyao and the sick scholar truly harbored some deep-seated hatred for each other? After some thought, Ye Li said, "In any case, Pavilion Master Ling will be staying in Licheng for some time, so we should give him some face. Please, Mr. Shen, Master, trouble yourselves a little. Besides..." Ye Li chuckled softly and whispered, "Didn’t Mr. Shen say that apart from the Prince’s illness, you haven’t encountered any difficult and complicated cases in years and find it quite dull? Well, wouldn’t this one before us count as a difficult and complicated case?"
Hearing this, Shen Yang’s eyes lit up. Although the sick scholar’s illness and the Prince’s poison were entirely different concepts, there were certain aspects that could be studied together. He certainly couldn’t use Mo Xiuyao as a test subject for research, so... "Will he obediently let me examine him?"
Ye Li hadn’t said these things behind Leng Liuyue and the sick scholar’s backs. Before the sick scholar could reply, Leng Liuyue quickly answered, "Rest assured, Mr. Shen. I guarantee he will be obedient."
Ye Li looked at the sick scholar, who wanted to object but ultimately remained silent, with an enigmatic smile and blinked. She seemed to know how to deal with this irksome fellow.
The trio from the King of Hell Pavilion thus settled down in Prince Ding’s Mansion. With Ling Tiehan and Leng Liuyue present, Ye Li didn’t have to worry about the sick scholar causing any trouble. Nevertheless, she instructed Mo Hua to dispatch an additional twenty shadow guards to station themselves in the main courtyard. Qin Feng also proactively deployed four Qilin elites to guard the main courtyard, with orders to kill the sick scholar on sight if he dared to take a single step closer. After all, while others might not be a concern, Mo Xiaobao was still a defenseless infant in swaddling clothes and naturally required extra protection.
"A martial arts contest?" Hearing Mo Xiuyao’s words, Ye Li’s delicate brows furrowed slightly. She put down Mo Xiaobao, who was in her arms, his large eyes darting around. "Why would Pavilion Master Ling want to challenge you to a martial arts contest?"
Mo Xiuyao set down his teacup and pulled Ye Li into his embrace, smiling. "Ah-Li, don’t worry. Ling Tiehan is no fool. Even if he truly wants a contest, he would never let it result in mutual destruction; that would bring him no benefit." While Prince Ding’s Mansion was indeed coveted by various powers, frankly, with the Mo Family Army present, the instances where he, the Prince, was genuinely needed to lead the charge were pitifully few. Even if Mo Xiuyao wasn’t the world’s top martial artist, as long as he was alive, he was still Prince Ding, and the Mo Family Army was still the Mo Family Army. But the King of Hell Pavilion was different. It was an organization of assassins, with countless enemies in both the worldly society and official circles. Its stability over so many years was reliant on Ling Tiehan’s supreme martial skills. If Ling Tiehan and he were to both suffer grievous injuries, it was likely their enemies in the worldly society would immediately unite to attack the King of Hell Pavilion. Leaning against Mo Xiuyao, Ye Li pondered, "Who hired Pavilion Master Ling to deal with you? The Southern Garrison Prince?"
Mo Xiuyao shook his head. "No, it shouldn’t be Lei Zhenting. Lei Zhenting is a proud man. Having just fought me to a draw, he definitely wouldn’t hire someone else to fight me. If I were defeated by someone else, wouldn’t that imply that he, the Southern Garrison Prince, is not only inferior to my father and me, but also to Ling Tiehan?" Ye Li lowered her gaze in thought; that seemed plausible. After a moment’s contemplation, she said gravely, "Tan Jizhi!" It wouldn’t be Mo Jingqi. If it were Mo Jingqi, he would have directly demanded Mo Xiuyao’s death rather than a martial arts contest. Only Tan Jizhi. Tan Jizhi is currently in the Northwest. If Mo Xiuyao were seriously injured, whatever Tan Jizhi wanted to do in the Northwest would naturally become much more convenient. She chuckled softly. "It seems Tan Jizhi still hasn’t given up on the treasure left by his ancestor." No wonder Ye Li wanted to laugh; that Great Founding Emperor of the previous dynasty was too wicked. He built such a massive imperial mausoleum, giving his descendants such hope, only for the most important item inside to be a fake. If it were Ye Li, she couldn’t help but curse him in her heart. Ye Li could almost imagine the Great Founding Emperor, at the completion of the mausoleum, holding the imitation Imperial Jade Seal and smirking with a most lewd expression.
Mo Xiuyao nodded. "I remember Ah-Li previously mentioned there were some clues in that imperial mausoleum?" When Ye Li had just returned, Mo Xiuyao was solely focused on keeping her by his side, hardly in the mood to consider such matters. Later, with her pregnancy, recuperation, and then Mo Xiaobao’s birth, although Mo Xiuyao had heard Ye Li mention it a few times, he quickly put it out of his mind. He had no interest in the Imperial Jade Seal. Even without the treasures of the previous emperor, his Mo Family Army wouldn’t starve. Ye Li also remembered this. She rose from Mo Xiuyao’s side, walked to a hidden compartment, and took out the piece of bright yellow silk they had brought from the imperial mausoleum. Mo Xiuyao took the silk. The first thing that caught his eye were those two lines of arrogant and wicked handwriting, causing the corners of his mouth to twitch. He looked at Ye Li in confusion. "Is there a problem with this?"
Ye Li nodded, sat down beside Mo Xiuyao, and carefully spread the silk on the table. It was unknown what craftsmanship was used to make it; this silk had remained in the imperial mausoleum for several hundred years and then brought out, yet it showed no signs of decay, not even its color had faded. Pointing to the crooked script made with silver thread on the edges of the silk, Ye Li smiled, "The real treasure map is here." The edges of the bright yellow silk fabric were adorned with curved, strange characters made of silver thread. Because they were extremely fine, a cursory glance could easily mistake them for ordinary border patterns, like auspicious clouds or waves. Ye Li smiled inwardly. This Great Founding Emperor’s florid script was truly excellent.
Mo Xiuyao stared at the silk for a long while, then frowned. "This should be a type of script. I remember some books left behind from the previous dynasty, personally annotated by the Great Founding Emperor, sometimes had such strange symbols in inconspicuous places." However, most were just a few scattered symbols, so they were generally dismissed as casual markings. But on this silk scroll before them, at least a hundred symbols were neatly woven. Mo Xiuyao, being exceptionally intelligent, naturally discerned a pattern and also confirmed that this was a script they didn’t understand at all.
Ye Li nodded and smiled. "Indeed, this is a type of script." She picked up the brush and inkstone placed to the side, and while looking at the silk before her, she casually ground the ink. Mo Xiuyao remained silent for a moment, then asked, "Ah-Li, do you recognize this script?" Ye Li smiled and nodded, looking up at him. "I do recognize this script. It’s a script from the far west, a place even more distant than the various countries of the Western Region. However, I won’t tell you why I know it." The room fell quiet for a moment. Ye Li paid him no mind; having finished grinding the ink, she unrolled a scroll of paper and began to translate the text on the silk. After a good while, Mo Xiuyao, from behind her, suddenly pulled her fiercely into his embrace. Ye Li stopped writing but didn’t look back. She heard Mo Xiuyao say in a low voice, "There were once rumors that the Great Founding Emperor didn’t actually die, but suddenly vanished. That’s why his mausoleum and remains were never found. Ah-Li, will you also disappear like him?"
Hearing this, Ye Li couldn’t help but smile faintly. Setting down her brush, she turned to look at the man before her, who was staring at her intently, his expression grave. Tilting her head up, she gently placed a kiss on his lips. Ye Li chuckled softly, "Do you know where the Great Founding Emperor came from?" Mo Xiuyao shook his head. The Great Founding Emperor had appeared as if from nowhere during a chaotic era. No one knew his past, his family, or even his parents. His end was as mysterious as his early life, which was why he became one of the most enigmatic emperors in history. Ye Li smiled. "Then, Prince, do you know where I come from, which family I was born into?"
Mo Xiuyao gazed deeply at the charmingly smiling woman before him. Indeed, his Ah-Li was different from that emperor. Ah-Li was a daughter of the Ye Family, and her birth mother was from the Xu family of Yunzhou. Ye Li sighed softly, snuggling closer into his embrace, and smiled faintly. "My relatives, my husband, my child are all here. Where else could I go?" Mo Xiuyao’s hands tightened around Ye Li’s waist, his forehead resting against hers. He whispered, "Ah-Li, if you ever leave me, I’ll throw Mo Xiaobao out to be a beggar." Ye Li was speechless. She reached up and pinched his handsome cheek. Doctor Lin’s medicine had been remarkably effective; in just a few months, even this close, no scars were visible. She pinched Mo Xiuyao’s handsome face firmly. "How many times is this now that you’ve used our baby to threaten me? I told you not to joke about him. He’s still small and doesn’t understand, but when he grows up, he’ll be heartbroken to hear you say such things."
Mo Xiuyao pulled away Ye Li’s hand, which had made his cheek slightly red, and shot a dissatisfied glare at Mo Xiaobao, who was babbling and cooing contentedly in his cradle. Ah-Li actually pinched him for this little rascal! This score would definitely be chalked up to Mo Xiaobao. Thus, Mo Xiaobao began to take the blame undeservedly even in his infancy.
"Ah-Li..." Mo Xiuyao hugged Ye Li, burying his face in the hair at her shoulder. His voice sounded somewhat muffled and low.
Ye Li rolled her eyes helplessly. You can’t afford to offend a man who suddenly becomes overly sensitive. She gently patted Mo Xiuyao’s shoulder. "Alright, I promise I won’t leave you. Be good, okay? I still have to translate this. Don’t you want to see it?"
"No," Mo Xiuyao grumbled. He detested that Great Founding Emperor from the previous dynasty. If he was going to die, he should have died cleanly. Why leave behind a treasure map?
"Then what do you want?" Ye Li silently took a deep breath. She decided that if Mo Xiuyao continued to be unreasonable, she would kick him out. Mo Xiuyao swept her up into his arms and walked towards the bed behind the screen. "I’m tired. Rest with me!"
In a daze, Ye Li found herself pressed onto the bed. She couldn’t help but roll her eyes at the bed canopy. Mo Xiuyao, could you be any more childish? Without giving her a chance to refute or speak, a more intense flame instantly engulfed the two lying entwined...
