Crowned Consort in Golden Age-Chapter 255 - 254. The Murong family is annihilated, return home
254. Fall of the Murong Family, Returning Home
"Prince Ding, Southern Garrison Prince, how do you plan to obtain the Murong family’s properties?"
Facing this sudden change, everyone could not help but exchange glances. The Southern Garrison Prince pushed away Lei Tengfeng’s hand and coldly stared at Ren Qining. "What does Young Master Ren want to do?" The price and effort he had paid for the Murong family far surpassed that of Mo Xiuyao and Xu Qingchen. Therefore, he could not tolerate letting his hard-won prize escape.
Mo Xiuyao, still lying on the ground unable to get up, lazily looked at Ren Qining while leaning on Ye Li. He said, "I’ve already mentioned that I am here for the commotion. As for the Murong family’s wealth, what I say doesn’t count. Ah... That old fellow Murong Xiong is indeed powerful. Ah-Li, I’m seriously injured..." Seeing his pale face yet wearing a smile as always, Ye Li’s heart ached. "Does it hurt too much? Let’s go back and get a doctor immediately."
Although Mo Xiuyao claimed to be gravely injured, apart from Ling Tiehan, no one else actually believed that his injuries were severe. Looking at the person lying on the ground, their vigilance intensified.
After hearing Mo Xiuyao’s words, Ren Qining raised an eyebrow and looked at Xu Qingchen, laughing, "Then what does Young Master Qingchen say?"
Xu Qingchen lowered his eyes and said lightly, "The Murong family is, after all, not an asset of Prince Ding’s Mansion. It is merely a windfall." Despite the bloody battle, Prince Ding’s Mansion had not suffered any losses at all, aside from Mo Xiuyao, who suffered injuries of an unknown extent. Those who initiated fights were either from the Southern Garrison Prince, the King of Hell Pavilion, or from Mo Jingli’s faction. Prince Ding’s Mansion hadn’t brought many people, so casualties on their side were naturally limited. Moreover, even if they gained nothing else, at least all of the Murong family’s properties in the Northwest and half of its assets in Great Chu had already been transferred to Prince Ding’s Mansion. Even if they couldn’t get the remaining share, Prince Ding’s Mansion wouldn’t be at a loss.
Upon hearing this, Ren Qining’s face sank a little, and he said with a laugh, "To my knowledge, I have not offended Young Master Qingchen and Prince Ding’s Mansion, have I? Can’t we part amicably?" His greatest bargaining chip now was the wealth of the Murong family. But if Prince Ding’s Mansion was not interested, his chances of escape would diminish...
"Moreover... If Young Master Qingchen is not interested, I wonder if the Southern Garrison Prince, Pavilion Master Ling, the Emperor of Great Chu, and Prince Li are also uninterested?" Ren Qining’s eyes shifted. He looked at the other people and smiled. "It’s quite a coincidence; you all arrived a step too late. The Murong family is indeed a centuries-old family, so wealthy it could rival a country. Their accumulated wealth is probably more than the combined treasuries of Xiling and Great Chu, right?" The expressions of the others indeed became somewhat subtle. Ling Tiehan, finally managing to stand up with the help of Leng Liuyue and the ailing scholar, glanced at Xu Qingchen and said, "Whatever Young Master Qingchen means is what I mean."
"Southern Garrison Prince, what do you say?" Xu Qingchen asked.
The Southern Garrison Prince hesitated for a moment and said, "Speaking of which, Young Master Ren doesn’t really have any disputes with Xiling." The Southern Garrison Prince’s meaning was self-evident.
Mo Jingqi’s gaze slowly passed over Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li, and suddenly he laughed. "The Southern Garrison Prince is right. Besides, Young Master Ren didn’t do anything wrong. If something were to happen to him in Xiling, who would dare to come to Xiling in the future? I hit it off with Young Master Ren at first sight, why don’t we share a drink together sometime?"
In fact, the person with the most authority on the scene now was Mo Jingqi. Everyone else, more or less, had been through a vicious battle. Only Mo Jingqi’s hundreds of elites had not made any move. Looking at Mo Xiuyao, who was leaning on Ye Li’s side, Mo Jingqi’s eyes were filled with resentment, fear, and unwillingness. He couldn’t be sure how badly Mo Xiuyao was injured, nor did he dare gamble on whether his subordinates could kill him. Thus, he dared not act rashly.
If it had been someone else, Mo Jingqi might have tried. But now, the injured person was Mo Xiuyao, so Mo Jingqi dared not. Back then, many imperial physicians had diagnosed Mo Xiuyao’s injuries and said he wouldn’t survive for more than a month, but he had stubbornly pulled through. Many people said he would never recover in his lifetime, but in less than ten years, he stood perfectly fine in front of Mo Jingqi, his martial arts even stronger than before. Faintly, a strange thought had formed in Mo Jingqi’s mind: Mo Xiuyao was unkillable.
Xu Qingchen sighed helplessly and glanced at Mo Jingqi, who was looking at him provocatively. A king provoking a strategist from Licheng and still feeling smug about it. Truly dignified.
"Southern Garrison Prince and Emperor of Great Chu, I understand your intentions. If that’s the case... Young Master Ren, hand over the location of the Murong family’s treasures. Prince Ding’s Mansion will not make things difficult for you before you leave Xiling." In other words, that guarantee wouldn’t necessarily hold once he left Xiling.
Ren Qining secretly sighed with relief, nodded, and said with a smile, "Thank you, Young Master Qingchen, for showing mercy." As long as he left Xiling—no, as long as he left Ancheng City—there would be people to receive him. At that point, he wouldn’t necessarily fear Prince Ding’s Mansion. It was just that the wealth he had worked so hard to obtain seemed destined to be lost. Fortunately, he wasn’t entirely unprepared.
Everyone present was a dominant figure; naturally, they wouldn’t play tricks over this matter. Ren Qining readily handed over the address and ledger of the Murong family’s treasure. The gold and silver accumulated by over ten generations of Murong Family Heads were truly astonishing. Once it was confirmed that the treasure indeed belonged to the Murong family, Ren Qining didn’t care how they planned to divide it and cleanly excused himself; how they divided it was none of his concern anyway. Ren Qining even took Murong Mingyan, the last living descendant of the Murong family, with him as he left.
According to the original agreement with the Southern Garrison Prince, Prince Ding’s Mansion was entitled to thirty percent, the King of Hell Pavilion ten percent, and the rest went to the Southern Garrison Prince. Mo Jingqi only received an additional share presented to him by Ren Qining. Although he looked at Mo Xiuyao and the Southern Garrison Prince with great envy, he remembered he was under someone else’s roof and didn’t say much. As for Mo Jingli, he had a separate agreement with Prince Ding’s Mansion, which naturally had no connection to the Murong family’s assets.
Upon returning to the Qingyuan Inn, Ye Li and her group found the entire inn deserted. Everyone, from the manager down to the errand boys who did the cleaning, had disappeared. They had known the Qingyuan Inn was connected to Ren Qining, so they were not too surprised. For safety reasons, they moved to the inn where Xu Qingchen was temporarily staying. The Southern Garrison Prince, having tasked Lei Tengfeng with handling the aftermath, had already rushed back to the Xiling imperial city that same day.
Mo Xiuyao was seriously injured and was instructed by Ye Li to stay in bed and refrain from moving around. For Mo Xiuyao, being confined to bed to recuperate was truly more torturous than death. However, Ye Li was somewhat frightened by his injury and insisted that he must rest in bed. As a result, Prince Ding became even more relentless in pestering his Princess Consort to stay by his side as he recovered. This caused Young Master Qingchen, who was busy with matters outside, to look more grim-faced with each passing day.
"My Prince, My Princess Consort. The Emperor of Great Chu and Prince Li have arrived," the guard outside reported.
Mo Xiuyao, who was leisurely resting in bed, being fed fruit by Ye Li, frowned and said impatiently, "What are they here for?" The guard outside was stunned for a moment. How would he know why those two were looking for the Prince? However, this didn’t stop him from noticing the displeasure in his Prince’s tone, and he quickly asked, "Shall I ask them to leave?" It was quiet in the room for a while until Ye Li’s voice came. "Please show the Emperor of Great Chu and Prince Li in."
The door opened, and Mo Jingqi and Mo Jingli entered together. Inside the room, the folding screen between the inner and outer sections had been removed. The moment they stepped in, they saw Mo Xiuyao half-reclining in bed, his white hair spread casually on the bed. Dressed in white, he appeared exceptionally cold and distant.
Ye Li was sitting on the bedside. She casually put down the apple she had just finished peeling, nodded to the two with a smile, and said, "Emperor of Great Chu, Prince Li, please sit." The two of them sat down silently. Their guards remained outside, and since Mo Xiuyao wouldn’t let go of Ye Li, they naturally couldn’t expect anyone to serve them tea. Fortunately, they weren’t here for tea.
Mo Xiuyao glanced at the two and asked, "What brings you to see this prince at this time?"
His casual tone didn’t bother Mo Jingli, but it struck a very different chord in Mo Jingqi’s ears. When Mo Xiuyao was still in the Capital of Great Chu, he would never have spoken to him in such a casually perfunctory tone, no matter the circumstances. Even if the respect and obedience in Mo Xiuyao’s previous address were feigned, at least there was a pretense. But now, Mo Xiuyao’s tone was as if he wasn’t addressing the ruler of a nation, but rather some random cat or dog on the street—speaking a few words if pleased, and ignoring him if not.
Seeing that Mo Jingqi was about to lose his temper, Mo Jingli nonchalantly coughed and said, "Imperial Brother, didn’t you have something you wanted to ask Prince Ding?" Although he also found Mo Xiuyao an eyesore, he had to admit that seeing his Imperial Brother’s face darken with anger was rather delightful.
Mo Jingqi took a deep breath to suppress his anger, looked at Mo Xiuyao, and asked, "Where is Princess Changle?"
Mo Xiuyao looked puzzled at Mo Jingqi. After a while, he sneered lightly and said indifferently, "Princess Changle is your daughter, why would this prince know where she went?" 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
Mo Jingqi sneered, "Changle has gone missing in the King of Nanzhao’s palace. Who else could be behind this but you?"
Mo Xiuyao curled his lips, his words dripping with sarcasm. "Indeed, Princess Changle has gone missing in the King of Nanzhao’s palace. How should this prince know why she went to the King of Nanzhao’s palace? How should this prince know when she went to the King of Nanzhao’s palace? Mo Jingqi, you come to this prince when your daughter is lost. Will you also come to this prince to demand it back if you lose your throne one day?"
"You!" Mo Jingqi’s face turned shades of green and white with rage. Finally unable to restrain himself, he slammed the table and glared at Mo Xiuyao. How could Mo Xiuyao care about his anger? He lay back on the soft pillow, looking at Ye Li expectantly. "Ah-Li, I’m hungry..."
Ye Li, helpless, picked up the apple from the side again, cut it into small pieces, and fed him. Mo Xiuyao ate happily and didn’t forget to share with Ye Li. "Ah-Li, you eat too. The things Lei Tengfeng sent over are quite good."
Looking at the two people acting as if no one else was present, Mo Jingqi was so angry his hair felt like it was standing on end, yet he could do nothing. He could only flick his sleeves and leave in a huff. Just as he was about to leave, Mo Xiuyao finally spared him a glance and said, "Wait."
Mo Jingqi gritted his teeth. "What else do you want to say?"
Mo Xiuyao gave him a cryptic smile and after a moment of thought, said, "Since you’ve come all this way to see this prince, I might as well give you a piece of good news for free. You remember that Young Master Ren you hit it off with the other day...? He is now the Commander of the Northern Territory, the orphan of the previous dynasty, Lin Yuan."
This news struck Mo Jingqi dizzy, and he couldn’t recover for a long time. Mo Jingli, on the other hand, frowned and asked, "If Ren Qining is Lin Yuan, then who is Tan Jizhi?"
Mo Xiuyao shrugged, indicating he didn’t know.
Mo Jingqi scoffed, "You think I will believe your nonsense?"
Although he said that, Mo Jingqi felt a flicker of doubt in his heart because he knew that Mo Xiuyao wouldn’t tease him with such matters. Seeing Mo Xiuyao’s lightly mocking and derisive expression, Mo Jingqi wished he could find a hole to crawl into. The Tan Jizhi he trusted so much was a remnant of the former dynasty, and the Ren Qining he had casually saved just two days ago was also a remnant of the former dynasty. If word of this got out, where would he, this Emperor, hide his face? No longer in the mood to bicker with Mo Xiuyao, Mo Jingqi flicked his sleeves and left with a grim face.
Mo Jingli was a step behind him, walking at the rear. He turned to Mo Xiuyao with evident hesitation and asked, "Is Ren Qining really...?"
Mo Xiuyao scoffed dismissively. "What benefit is there for this prince to deceive you? That trash Mo Jingqi, people are making moves on Great Chu’s territory, and he hasn’t heard a peep. These past few years, Ren Qining has reclaimed the entire Northern Territory, and his hand has already reached into Great Chu. What is that trash doing? This is also good, lest this prince can’t stand it one day and eliminates him first. You tell Mo Jingqi, if he ever becomes the ruler of all nations, this prince will, on behalf of the Great Ancestor Emperor, send him a sword to help him die for his country."
Mo Jingli was silent for a moment, then turned and walked out. Outside the door, Mo Jingqi had clearly heard Mo Xiuyao’s derogatory remarks. He was trembling with anger, yet he couldn’t bring himself to turn back and argue with Mo Xiuyao.
Mo Jingli’s eyes darkened slightly. He stepped forward and said, "Imperial Brother, it’s time for us to return to the capital."
Mo Jingqi gave a cold snort, flicked his sleeves, and strode away.
Having nursed his injuries for nearly half a month, Mo Xiuyao finally set off with Ye Li, leisurely making their way from Ancheng City towards the Northwest. As for the ever-capable Young Master Qingchen, he had already returned ahead of them.
「Before they left, Ling Tiehan and his two foster siblings came to say their goodbyes. Having gained some enlightenment from his consecutive battles with Mo Xiuyao and Murong Xiong, Chief Pavilion Master Ling had decided to retreat into seclusion to practice his martial arts. The once bustling and lively Ancheng City had gradually quieted down.」
Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao were sent off only by Lei Tengfeng, as he was to remain behind in Ancheng City to clean up the huge mess left behind by the Murong family’s annihilation. Comparatively speaking, although Prince Ding’s Mansion didn’t quite achieve its full objective, it benefited the most. Because they had paid nothing, everything they obtained was pure profit, and they were even spared the clean-up.
「The two of them traveled slowly, and by the time they reached the Northwest, it was already the end of September, nearing October.」
Just as they returned to Licheng, even before they could enter the imposing gates of Prince Ding’s Mansion, a fair and tender little dumpling in ink-colored brocade clothes rushed out from within. Mo Xiaobao flung himself into Ye Li’s arms, wailing pitifully, "SOB, SOB... WAAAH... Mother, you didn’t keep your word... SOB, SOB... You clearly said you’d come see Xiaobao the next day. WAAAH... Mother doesn’t want Xiaobao anymore. Xiaobao is an unwanted child. SOB, SOB..."
Ye Li felt utterly exasperated. Who taught this child all this nonsense? But seeing the little bun crying his eyes out, even calling himself ’Xiaobao’—a name he usually detested others using for him—it was clear he was truly heartbroken. Ever since Mo Xiaobao was born, she had always kept him by her side. This was the first time she had left him for such a long period. Seeing her son choking on his sobs, Ye Li hastily bent down to kiss his tear-streaked face, saying softly, "I’m sorry. It’s all Mother’s fault. How could Mother not want Xiaobao? Xiaobao is Mother’s darling treasure."
Being kissed by his mother in front of so many people, Mo Xiaobao still felt a tiny bit shy, and his little face instantly turned as red as an apple. But he really, really missed his mother. In the end, unable to bear leaving his mother, Mo Xiaobao buried his little face in her shoulder, his two small hands clutching her neck tightly, not letting go. "Mother, Xiaobao missed Mother."
Looking at Mo Xiaobao’s fair, tender, and dewy face, his wet, large eyes, Ye Li’s heart felt as soft as a cloud of cotton. "Mother missed Xiaobao too."
"Then Mother won’t leave Xiaobao?" Mo Xiaobao gazed at Ye Li with pleading eyes.
Ye Li instantly lost all resistance. "Mother will never, ever leave Xiaobao."
"Mother is the best! Xiaobao loves Mother!" SMACK! Mo Xiaobao joyfully gave Ye Li several kisses filled with longing.
The people who had come to greet them watched as their young heir and the Princess Consort expressed their longing for each other after the separation. They also noticed their Prince standing to one side, a dark expression on his handsome face. After a good while, Mo Xiaobao was still clinging to his mother, recounting his longing and grievances. Mo Xiuyao couldn’t help the corner of his mouth twitching. He bent down and lifted Mo Xiaobao out of Ye Li’s arms.
"Mother..." Lifted by the collar by Mo Xiuyao, Mo Xiaobao kicked his little legs unhappily while calling out to his mother for help.
"Xiuyao..." Ye Li disapproved of Mo Xiuyao’s actions. Constantly lifting a child by the collar wasn’t good. What if Xiaobao got hurt?
Mo Xiuyao quickly changed his hold on Mo Xiaobao to one Ye Li could accept. Holding Mo Xiaobao in his arms, he looked at his son, whose eyes were darting around rapidly, and said with a smile, "Son, Father has missed you very much as well. Seeing your father, don’t you miss him even a little?"
Mo Xiaobao bared his teeth at him where Ye Li couldn’t see. He didn’t miss his annoying father at all! It would be best if his father didn’t come home often, then no one would fight with him for Mother’s attention.
However, in front of Ye Li, Mo Xiaobao could only nod obediently and say, "Son also missed Father." He leaned over and planted a SMACK! on Mo Xiuyao’s cheek.
Mo Xiuyao, with a face full of saliva, was momentarily stunned. Then, glancing at the mischievous smile on his little son’s face, Mo Xiuyao suppressed the urge to throw this little rascal out and said with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes, "Truly Father’s good son. Since Xiaobao is so well-behaved, you must have finished the homework Father assigned before he left, right?"
Mo Xiaobao’s face stiffened, and his eyes darted left and right, not daring to look at Mo Xiuyao. Seeing his expression, how could Mo Xiuyao not understand? He looked at him with a kind and amiable smile, saying, "Xiaobao, it seems you’ll have to explain properly to Father and Mother just how much you missed us these past few months, so much that you even forgot to do your homework."
Mo Xiaobao immediately deflated, much like a popped balloon. Father is the worst!
