Crowned Consort in Golden Age-Chapter 237 - 236. Robbing the Heir
236. Robbing the Heir
Mo Xiuyao leaned on the apex of the hall. Given his skills, he didn’t need to lift the glazed tiles on its roof to hear the conversation inside, nor did he worry about being discovered by the people below. Ye Li, self-aware of her mediocre lightness skill, didn’t go to join the excitement. She simply sat there waiting. Less than a quarter of an hour later, Mo Xiuyao swiftly swooped back. He took Ye Li out of the palace, picked a few Flowers of Abyss Underworld along the way, and just as when they had entered, led Ye Li out of the sacred land of the Southern Border stealthily.
Leaving the valley, the two retraced their steps. The two horses they thought might have run off without a trace were still leisurely grazing in the same spot.
The two found a flat, comfortable area to sit down, took out the dry food and wine they carried with them, and ate a little. Mo Xiuyao took out the two flowers he had brought from the valley and furrowed his sword-like brows.
Ye Li gave a faint glance and half-leaned against him. "We jumped to conclusions earlier. If one of these two flowers is the Flower of Abyss Underworld, then it must be that one. The red spider lily, while having a detoxifying effect, is also lethally poisonous. Coupled with its name, ’Flower on Road to Hell,’ we assumed it was the Flower of Abyss Underworld. But, in terms of medicinal effect, this one... seems more like the Flower on Road to Hell." Mo Xiuyao nodded, put down the plant in his hands, and said, "Ah-Li, do you know what Lei Tengfeng is here for?"
Ye Li frowned and then raised her head. "Does he want the drug made from that flower?" Mo Xiuyao nodded. "Yes. I don’t know how he got the information. Indeed, he wants to buy this drug from the Southern Border people. And... he wants to buy it in large quantities. However, this drug doesn’t seem to be well known even to the Southern Border people themselves, and it’s very difficult to manufacture. The Elder only agreed to sell him a small portion."
Ye Li’s face darkened further. If it were like Mo Jingli, who only wanted to use it to control or harm a person or two, there would be no need to buy so much. "How much does Lei Tengfeng want?" Mo Xiuyao had evidently thought about it too and said in a deep voice, "He said he wants as much as they have, not just now, but every year from now on." Ye Li contemplated for a moment, looked at Mo Xiuyao, and said sternly, "That valley cannot be allowed to exist any longer. If that substance were to spread, the consequences would be unthinkable." It was already self-evident where Lei Tengfeng intended to use so much of that substance.
Mo Xiuyao nodded and said, "Those Flowers of Abyss Underworld still need some time to mature. We weren’t prepared today, and time was too short. Later, we’ll have someone from Qilin come and burn this valley down." Ye Li nodded. "Have people keep an eye on the Southern Border region; that substance might not only be found in this place." Mo Xiuyao nodded in agreement.
After resting for a while, Mo Xiuyao pulled Ye Li up with a laugh. "We should head back. Shall we find something interesting to do on the way?"
Ye Li raised an eyebrow, puzzled by what he meant by ’something interesting.’ Mo Xiuyao gave a sinister smile. "Robbing."
「On the official road leading to Nanzhao Royal City, several swift horses galloped past. Lei Tengfeng rode at the forefront, a proud, self-satisfied smile gracing his handsome face. Just as he was lost in thought, the sudden WHOOSH of an arrow pierced the air. Startled, Lei Tengfeng slapped his horse’s back and vaulted into the air, narrowly dodging the arrow. The bodyguards following him were also taken aback. "Assassin! Protect the Heir!"」
But the assassin didn’t appear. SWISH! SWISH! Two more feathered arrows flew out, and two bodyguards immediately fell. The assailant’s archery was clearly excellent. Unable to see their enemy, they were being picked off like targets. A few bodyguards gritted their teeth; two protected Lei Tengfeng while the others charged towards the direction the arrows came from. They burst into the nearby woods, only to find them empty—not a soul was in sight.
Not far away, Ye Li leaned against a large tree, a slight smile playing on her lips as she watched the bodyguards searching around below. Did they seriously think she would stay put and wait for them?
The bodyguards searched the forest for a while but found nothing. Just as they were about to withdraw, a white shadow suddenly flashed past them. One bodyguard cried out in shock, "You..." They all felt a cold sensation on their necks and collapsed, stunned.
Lei Tengfeng waited on the road outside the forest for a while, but there was still no movement from the woods. The guards who went in are likely done for, he thought. To avoid attracting attention on this trip, I only brought a few personal guards. I never expected to encounter such a formidable assassin.
Despite the anxiety in his heart, Lei Tengfeng remained outwardly calm. He cupped his hands and said, "I do not know which esteemed senior is present. If I have offended you in any way, I will certainly make a generous apology in the future. I hope esteemed senior will show some mercy." The reply was two arrows shot straight at him, and the last two guards beside him collapsed. Lei Tengfeng’s heart sank. He could no longer afford to care about anything else and turned to flee. Little did he know, this was the exact moment Mo Xiuyao had been waiting for. He had barely taken a few steps after turning around when an overwhelming wave of power surged towards him from behind. Lei Tengfeng felt a sharp pain in his chest and immediately lost consciousness.
Mo Xiuyao stood with his hands clasped behind his back, coldly observing Lei Tengfeng, who lay unconscious on the ground. Ye Li emerged from the forest, stowing her bow and arrows. She looked at Lei Tengfeng and smiled. "Isn’t this the second time the Heir of Southern Garrison Prince has fallen into our hands?" Mo Xiuyao grunted lightly, completely unconcerned. When he saw Ye Li about to step forward and search Lei Tengfeng, he quickly pulled her back and bent down to search the man himself.
A moment later, Mo Xiuyao held two white porcelain vials, similar in appearance to those Mo Jingli had obtained. Ye Li took one of the vials from Mo Xiuyao, poured out a few pills, and sniffed them. Although the pills looked somewhat unusual, their ingredients could not deceive Ye Li. They were indeed made from the Flower of Abyss Underworld found throughout the sacred land of the Southern Border—or, more accurately, poppy. This small vial contained at least twenty-odd pills, and what surprised Ye Li was their considerable purity. A first-time user would likely be unable to withstand it.
Ye Li turned her head to look at Mo Xiuyao questioningly. Mo Xiuyao said lightly, "The Elder said that initially, one should only dissolve a quarter of a pill in water." Ye Li said in a low voice, "Just as I thought."
"What should we do with him?" Mo Xiuyao gestured with his chin towards the unconscious Lei Tengfeng.
Ye Li thought for a moment and smiled. "We’ve already used Lei Tengfeng to gain an advantage once. If we use this trick again, the Southern Garrison Prince will be thoroughly infuriated. Let him lie here. This official road is frequently traveled, and it would be inconvenient to bring him along." This suggestion was exactly what Mo Xiuyao had in mind; he also didn’t want to bring along someone who would be a nuisance while he and Ah-Li traveled together. The two of them unceremoniously plundered all of Lei Tengfeng’s valuables, leaving him with nothing but his clothes, then called their horses and rode off.
They took a detour, delaying their return for a few days, and didn’t get back to Nanzhao Royal City until two days before Princess Anxi’s wedding. By this time, the envoys from various countries attending the wedding had mostly all arrived. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖
「As soon as they entered the courtyard of the posthouse, they bumped into Lei Tengfeng, who was coming towards them. Presumably due to the incident a few days ago, Lei Tengfeng’s expression and demeanor were rather grim. Seeing Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao walking hand in hand, he paused for a moment before approaching to greet them. "Prince Ding, Princess Consort Ding, you’ve returned..." Ye Li didn’t shy away from the encounter and smiled broadly. "Ah, it’s the Heir. We arrived a few days earlier than you, Your Highness, so the Prince and I went out to explore and experience the charm of Nanzhao. It certainly wasn’t a wasted trip. But you, Your Highness... you don’t look too well. Was it a rough journey here to Nanzhao?"」
Ye Li’s words sounded incredibly sincere, and even Lei Tengfeng couldn’t immediately tell whether she was genuinely concerned or gloating. After all, while the story of his encounter with robbers on the road was practically common knowledge in Nanzhao Royal City, Princess Consort Ding had just said she and Prince Ding had also just returned from an outing.
Glancing at Mo Xiuyao, who stood behind Ye Li, a thought suddenly occurred to Lei Tengfeng. He gave a faint smile and said, "Thank you for your concern, Princess Consort. I wonder where Prince Ding and the Princess Consort went sightseeing? After Princess Anxi’s wedding, I’d also like to take some time off and explore."
Ye Li replied with a smile, "The Prince mentioned a Snake Valley in Nanzhao, filled with thousands of venomous snakes and beautiful, fiery red flowers. I was curious, so I accompanied the Prince to see it. I hope my curiosity doesn’t seem amusing to you, Your Highness."
Lei Tengfeng frowned. The Snake Valley and the official road where I was ambushed are in completely different directions—one to the east, the other to the west. In fact, he wasn’t overly suspicious of Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao. His trip to the sacred land of the Southern Border had been top secret and had even been a spur-of-the-moment decision. Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li couldn’t possibly have known about it beforehand and lain in wait for him. It was just that the force that struck him had been overwhelmingly powerful, and there weren’t many in the world who possessed such strength. Seeing Mo Xiuyao now, he couldn’t help but want to test the waters a bit.
Lei Tengfeng smiled. "In that case, it truly sounds like a rare and beautiful sight. I must go and see it for myself sometime. Prince Ding and the Princess Consort must be tired from your journey, so I won’t disturb you any longer. Please excuse me."
Ye Li nodded and responded with a smile, "Take care, Your Highness."
「When they returned to the courtyard Princess Anxi had arranged for them, Xu Qingchen was already waiting there. Young Master Qingchen, dressed in white, sat gracefully at a stone table under a tree, leisurely brewing tea. He gave them a cursory glance that inexplicably made Ye Li feel rather guilty. While Ye Li felt a pang of guilt, Mo Xiuyao seemed completely unaware of what such a feeling even was. He took Ye Li’s hand and walked unhesitatingly to the table, where they sat down. Xu Qingchen poured each of them a cup of tea and asked with a faint smile, "Did the Prince and Princess Consort enjoy your excursion?"」
"It was fine, just too short," Mo Xiuyao replied indifferently.
Xu Qingchen’s lips twitched almost imperceptibly, and he cast a fleeting glance at Ye Li. Feeling guilty, Ye Li discreetly tugged Mo Xiuyao’s sleeve. They had suddenly run off, leaving Big Brother to handle all the social obligations in Nanzhao Royal City. It was perfectly normal for him to be angry. Mo Xiuyao let out a small huff and began to casually recount to Xu Qingchen what they had seen in the sacred land of the Southern Border.
After listening to the account, Xu Qingchen’s handsome face finally showed an emotion rarely seen on Young Master Qingchen. His expression turned grim, and he gritted out, "Are you telling me that after discovering something so important, your first thought wasn’t to return and deal with it, but to take the Princess Consort on a detour to continue your sightseeing?" Mo Xiuyao stared at him innocently. "Is there something wrong with that?" He even shot Ye Li a wronged look, as if to say, See? Your Big Brother is just being unreasonable.
Ye Li rolled her eyes skyward. Xu Qingchen, his anger still simmering, continued, "Have you lost your mind? Who knows how many experts or dangers lurk in the sacred land of the Southern Border? You dared to barge in there directly with Li’er? If you want to court death, fine, but don’t drag Li’er down with you!"
Mo Xiuyao said, "But there was no one inside. Ah-Li and I went in, took a look around, and came out without anyone noticing."
Xu Qingchen sneered. "That’s because you were lucky. The very day after you left, Shu Manlin secretly brought over a hundred first-rate experts from outside into Nanzhao Royal City."
Mo Xiuyao nodded in agreement. "Mm, my luck has always been excellent."
Seeing Xu Qingchen’s expression about to change for the worse, Ye Li quickly poured him a cup of tea. "Big Brother, please calm down... Your Highness!" She shot a warning glance at Mo Xiuyao, who pouted. Ah-Li is always so biased! he thought resentfully.
Looking at the two men, each with a different expression and clearly at odds with each other, Ye Li sighed helplessly. She gave up on Mo Xiuyao and began to explain what happened next herself. Upon hearing about the Flower of Abyss Underworld, Xu Qingchen could no longer be bothered to argue with Mo Xiuyao. His handsome brows knitted together, and he asked in a grave voice, "Is Mo Jingli planning to use that substance on the Emperor?"
Ye Li nodded. "That’s what I presume. For the past few years, Mo Jingqi and his brother Mo Jingli have appeared harmonious on the surface, but in reality, they’ve been engaged in constant overt and covert struggles. Controlling the southern half of Great Chu, its most prosperous lands, how could Mo Jingli be content with his position as second only to the Emperor? He must be growing impatient."
Xu Qingchen scoffed. "Foolish! The Southern Border people clearly harbor ill intentions. Does Mo Jingli think that by using such methods to kill Mo Jingqi, he won’t leave any leverage for Shu Manlin to hold against him? Unlike the Southern Border, Great Chu places great importance on propriety, righteousness, integrity, and honor—on loyalty, filial piety, and moral principles. Once news of Mo Jingli plotting regicide against his brother and sovereign leaks out, he can forget about securing the throne. He might as well just launch a direct rebellion. Once the Nanzhao people have him by the throat, Mo Jingli will be nothing more than a puppet."
"Shu Manlin does have good strategies. Big Brother, do you have any news of Tan Jizhi?" Ye Li asked with a faint smile.
Xu Qingchen nodded. "I know Shu Manlin to some extent. She doesn’t have the intellect for such schemes. It’s likely Tan Jizhi advising her from behind the scenes. Eliminating Princess Anxi to gain control of Nanzhao, then manipulating Mo Jingli from the shadows to control Great Chu—that’s quite a grand design. It’s just that he’s expecting things to go a bit too smoothly."
Ye Li glanced at Mo Xiuyao and asked, "Xiuyao, what are your thoughts?" Leaning against the large tree behind him, Mo Xiuyao replied with a lazy smile, "What thoughts could I have? What does their imperial family’s struggle for the throne have to do with us outsiders?" In other words, he did not intend to interfere.
Xu Qingchen let out a soft sigh. Mo Xiuyao bore a deep-seated hatred for the imperial family of Great Chu. Many people had been secretly surprised that he hadn’t immediately launched an attack. Naturally, he wouldn’t go out of his way to save Mo Jingqi. Since ascending the throne, Mo Jingqi had been wary of Prince Ding’s Mansion, wary of both Mo Xiuyao and Mo Xiuwen. Yet, he probably never imagined that the person who most wanted him dead was his own full brother.
After some thought, Xu Qingchen nodded. "Very well, it’s correct for us not to get involved in this. The Northwest has already broken with Great Chu, so completely refraining from participating in Great Chu’s affairs is the best course of action. Although things are peaceful for now, everyone knows that a war between Great Chu and the Northwest is inevitable one day. If the Northwest were to interfere in Great Chu’s internal politics during this period, it would damage the reputation of Prince Ding and the Mo Family Army."
"Shu Manlin likely has grand ambitions this time," Xu Qingchen said, his brows furrowing as he recalled the hundreds of experts Shu Manlin had brought from the sacred land of the Southern Border. "Those who can reside in the sacred land of the Southern Border are undoubtedly top-tier experts. Moreover, the Nanzhao people are skilled in using poisons and Gu-sorcery, making them even more dangerous. That’s why people from the Central Plains have always been reluctant to interact with the various ethnic groups of the Southern Border. We haven’t brought many guards this time; if something were to happen, it would be very troublesome."
Mo Xiuyao chuckled. "Princess Anxi is no pushover either, is she? With Young Master Qingchen secretly advising her, she must be like a tiger that has grown wings." Indeed, Princess Anxi, able to contend with Shu Manlin for so many years and remain undefeated despite the King of Nanzhao’s partiality towards Shu Manlin, was naturally not someone easy to manipulate. Xu Qingchen smiled faintly and nodded. "Princess Anxi told me that Pu’a and her maternal grandfather’s tribe have both sent many experts. Moreover, over the years, she herself has cultivated a number of loyal, death-sworn warriors. It’s just this wedding..." A perfectly fine wedding is likely to be stained with blood.
Mo Xiuyao said, "The Nanzhao people don’t believe in such taboos, so they probably won’t care."
Xu Qingchen was exasperated. Is this really a question of caring or not? No one would be happy if their wedding turned into a bloodbath. Ye Li rested her elbow on the table, lost in thought. "Could it be that Princess Anxi organized this wedding specifically to deal with Shu Manlin?"
Xu Qingchen was taken aback. "How so?"
Ye Li shook her head. "I don’t know, it just feels like this wedding of Princess Anxi’s is too sudden. And... she even secretly invited experts to support her. Unless Princess Anxi is clairvoyant, it must be that she deliberately set a trap for Shu Manlin to walk into. However, that doesn’t quite add up. After all, the King of Nanzhao is still around. Even if Princess Anxi wins, she can’t possibly kill Shu Manlin."
Mo Xiuyao chuckled. "I suspect Princess Anxi is being pushed into a corner by Shu Manlin and the King of Nanzhao, forcing her to take a risky move. Haven’t you noticed? The King of Nanzhao’s attitude towards Pu’a can be described as completely dismissive. In other words, the King of Nanzhao doesn’t actually approve of this marriage. In his heart... he probably wants to depose Princess Anxi."
"But the King of Nanzhao has no other children. If he deposes Princess Anxi..."
Mo Xiuyao chuckled. "Then, naturally, he would install Shu Manlin. The Holy Woman’s status in Nanzhao is unique. It’s not unheard of in history for a Holy Woman to temporarily assume the throne, albeit for a very short time. Moreover, in recent years, Shu Manlin has been revered as Nanzhao’s savior and faces far fewer constraints than previous Holy Women—virtually none, in fact. Her influence in court has gradually grown to rival Princess Anxi’s. Under these circumstances... convincing the King of Nanzhao to appoint a new Eldest Princess might not be impossible."
Ye Li sighed helplessly. These power struggles within the imperial family are exhausting just to hear about. It was remarkable how Princess Anxi, as a woman alone, could persevere in such a besieged situation.
"What are Your Lordship’s intentions?" Xu Qingchen asked.
Mo Xiuyao smiled serenely. "Naturally, the Eldest Princess cannot be deposed, and the Holy Woman cannot die."
Xu Qingchen was silent. Mo Xiuyao wants to keep them both alive and at odds, to prevent Nanzhao from having the leisure to stir up trouble elsewhere. After all, the Nanzhao people have always coveted the Central Plains. Even though Great Chu is no longer connected to the Mo Family Army, he cannot simply allow Nanzhao to encroach upon it.
