Crowned Consort in Golden Age-Chapter 405 - 404. Prince Ding’s Trace
404. Tracing Prince Ding
The guards were ordered to summon the person. Meanwhile, everyone in the tent couldn’t help but speculate. Yun Ting scratched his head and asked, "Could it be someone from the Princess Consort’s maternal family?" The only people surnamed Ye they knew were the Princess Consort.
He Su raised an eyebrow and said, "From the Princess Consort’s maternal family, the only one of an age to be called ’young master’ is that Ye Rong from the Ye Family. Do you think he would travel such a long distance to come to the military camp?" Yun Ting realized how absurd his guess was. He had seen Ye Rong, the chubby scholar whose eyes were nearly hidden by his fat. There was no trace of the refined air usually found in diligent students. In fact, sometimes he appeared even more vulgar than warriors like them. Speaking of which, Minister Ye, Ye Rong’s father, was once a famously handsome man in the Capital of Great Chu. The Ye Family also had several daughters who, regardless of their character, were all beauties. But they ended up with an underachiever like Ye Rong. Worse still, the two elderly women of the Ye Family doted on him excessively, as if fearing he would be blown away by the wind if he stepped outside.
In fact, Ye Rong was not ugly at all. As a child, he had been quite handsome. It was a pity that Ms. Wang didn’t know how to raise children; as the saying goes, one’s appearance is a reflection of one’s heart. Ye Rong hadn’t even learned half of Minister Ye’s talents. Instead, Ms. Wang taught him all sorts of nonsense, which made his temperament even more coarse. Coupled with years of overeating and binge drinking, his figure had constantly expanded, leaving Yun Ting, who had only met him once, with a very unfavorable impression.
Leng Huai also shook his head. Despite having lived in the capital for decades, he couldn’t recall any notable figures in the Ye Family. He smiled and said, "The person has arrived. We’ll naturally know who it is when we see them."
Before long, an unfamiliar man dressed in white walked in. He greeted everyone with a light smile, "Hello, everyone."
Leng Huai and Lv Jinxian frowned simultaneously. The man had an ordinary appearance, the type one might meet several times yet still not remember. However, given his elegant white attire, they were certain they had never seen him before.
"This honorable young master..." Leng Huai asked in a deep voice.
"Who are you?!" Before Leng Huai could finish, He Su, who was sitting to the side, had already stood up, staring at the man in white with an ice-cold expression. Everyone turned to look at He Su. He was usually calm and composed and would definitely not interrupt Leng Huai under normal circumstances.
He Su narrowed his eyes and said, "He’s in disguise." Indeed, there were some exquisite disguise techniques in this world, but few could fool Ye Li. After all, no matter how exquisite, it wasn’t a real face; there would always be flaws. It wasn’t as if his face had been truly altered. Since such disguises couldn’t fool Ye Li, they naturally couldn’t fool He Su, whom Ye Li had taught.
Upon hearing He Su’s words, everyone immediately became wary.
The man in white gave a helpless smile, sighed, and said, "If I had known you were here, I wouldn’t have bothered with this." He wiped his hand across his face, revealing an exceptionally handsome countenance, which made everyone gasp in astonishment, "Pri-Prince?!"
Yun Ting was so shocked that the chair he was sitting on overturned. Completely disregarding his status, he pointed at the man and stammered, "You... you, what manner of demon are you?! How dare you impersonate the Prince!"
It was no wonder they were shocked. A few days ago, when the news of Mo Xiuyao’s death reached the military camp, Lv Jinxian and several others had nearly fainted. At first, they found it hard to believe, until they heard that the Princess Consort was already at Feihong Pass to prepare Prince Ding’s coffin for burial, and even Lei Zhenting and Mo Jingli had personally gone to pay their respects. This gradually made everyone accept the terrible news. Now, Mo Xiuyao suddenly stood before them, alive and well. How could they not be startled?
Mo Xiuyao glanced faintly at Yun Ting and waved his hand. A gust of wind from his finger flicked past Lv Jinxian’s desk, instantly shattering an inkstone. Everyone looked at each other, then at Mo Xiuyao. There were very few people in the world who could command such profound internal energy. Yun Ting frowned and asked, "Are you Ling Tiehan or Mu Qingcang?" He was at least sure it wasn’t Lei Zhenting; Lei Zhenting had only one arm, and it would be rather difficult for him to disguise himself as the two-armed Mo Xiuyao.
By now, He Su had calmed down. After a long silence, he said, "It really is the Prince."
Mo Xiuyao sighed, took out an ink-black jade pendant, and waved it, saying, "Now you should believe me, right?"
After seeing the ink-black jade pendant representing Prince Ding’s identity, everyone finally regained their senses. Lv Jinxian and the others were extremely excited. "Prince... Prince, how could you..." For a moment, Lv Jinxian was so overwhelmed he couldn’t articulate his thoughts. They wanted to ask so many questions that they ended up not knowing what to ask.
It was Leng Huai who calmed down first and asked, "Your Highness, why are you here?"
Mo Xiuyao replied, "I heard you were blocked in Liyang, so I came to take a look."
"We are incompetent. Please punish us, Your Highness," Lv Jinxian and Leng Huai pled guilty in unison. Mo Xiuyao waved his hand. "How could this be your fault? It was my sudden incident that disrupted your deployments."
Lv Jinxian asked worriedly, "Your Highness, were you really injured?"
Mo Xiuyao nodded. "I did sustain some minor injuries." The more lightly Mo Xiuyao spoke of it, the more worried Lv Jinxian and the others became. If he hadn’t been seriously injured, why would Prince Ding have suddenly disappeared? After all, the current situation was not at all beneficial to the Mo Family Army. Mo Xiuyao shook his head and said with a smile, "I am truly fine. It’s just... I felt this was an opportunity. That’s why..." He didn’t want Ah-Li to think he was seriously injured when he returned in the future. With Mo Hua by Ah-Li’s side now, Ah-Li would only think he faked his death for strategic purposes and wasn’t injured at all. Of course, he hadn’t actually suffered any severe injuries in the first place.
After examining him up and down and seeing that Mo Xiuyao was indeed fine, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief. Lv Jinxian asked, "May I ask if Your Highness has any plans?" Prince Ding’s sudden arrival here couldn’t possibly be just to ’check on them’ as he said. They were surely part of his plan.
Mo Xiuyao raised an eyebrow. "There’s no hurry for plans. Let’s deal with Mo Jingli first." Mo Xiuyao’s eyes flickered slightly, making no effort to hide the flash of murderous intent within them.
"Your Highness is right," Lv Jinxian said. "Now that Lei Zhenting’s troops are stationed at Feihong Pass, we must quickly deal with Mo Jingli so we can return to the Northwest to lift the siege of Feihong Pass." He then explained their plan to have Xu Qingfeng lead men into the city to burn Mo Jingli’s grain supplies. Mo Xiuyao raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Very good, I’ll go too."
Lv Jinxian frowned. "Although this matter is critical, there’s no need for Your Highness to personally venture into danger. Please reconsider, Your Highness."
Mo Xiuyao shook his head. "I have other matters to attend to."
Seeing Mo Xiuyao’s determination, the others didn’t try to persuade him further. Beside them, He Su asked, "Your Highness, does the Princess Consort know your whereabouts? Should we send someone to inform the Princess Consort of your location?" Mo Xiuyao paused for a moment, then casually waved his hand and walked out.
Yun Ting and He Su exchanged a look. Yun Ting asked, "What does the Prince mean by this? Is he not going to tell the Princess Consort?"
He Su frowned. I think he meant it’s up to us. Since he didn’t say no, it means it’s okay. Given the Prince’s character, he probably didn’t tell the Princess Consort his whereabouts this time because... he was injured. The observant He Su naturally wouldn’t have missed Mo Xiuyao’s still somewhat pale face and slightly weak constitution. Yun Ting thought for a moment and felt He Su was right. He nodded and said, "I suppose it doesn’t matter." Anyway, once Mo Jingli is dealt with, the Princess Consort will know where the Prince is. A few days earlier or later doesn’t make much difference.
Although Mo Xiuyao had appeared in the military camp for less than a quarter of an hour before disappearing again, and had strictly ordered that his presence not be revealed to anyone other than Ye Li, Mo Xiuyao’s fleeting appearance greatly soothed the immense anxiety of Lv Jinxian and the others. Given how much importance the Prince placed on the Princess Consort, the fact that he wasn’t rushing to Feihong Pass meant that both the Princess Consort and Feihong Pass were not in danger. Since that was the case, they naturally stopped worrying.
After leaving the military camp, Mo Xiuyao did not seek out Xu Qingfeng and the others to enter Liyang with them. Instead, he waited until dusk, then leisurely scaled the city wall by himself and entered Liyang City. The city was indeed heavily guarded. Although it was just after dusk, the streets were already devoid of pedestrians. Every household had its doors tightly shut, seemingly having retired early for the night. Nevertheless, numerous soldiers patrolled the streets. It was practically a sentinel every five steps and a post every ten. Clearly, Mo Jingli, having suffered considerable losses at the hands of Qilin, was wary of them secretly infiltrating the city.
These heavily guarded posts were no obstacle to Mo Xiuyao. He leisurely navigated the streets and alleys of Liyang. Using the map of Liyang City memorized in his mind, he soon found his destination: the Liyang Governor’s Mansion, where Mo Jingli was temporarily staying. With a flash, Mo Xiuyao leaped into the Governor’s Mansion and headed towards the liveliest area of the mansion.
Tonight, the main hall of the Governor’s Mansion was filled with song, dance, and the clinking of wine glasses. Mo Jingli sat in his chair in high spirits, an enchanting, beautiful woman in his arms, enjoying the wine and entertainment. Although many things had displeased him recently, overall, things were still quite good. Of course, for Mo Jingli, as long as Mo Xiuyao was dead, anything could make him happy. So, even if the aristocratic families of Yunzhou showed no regard for his status as emperor and had given him several subtle rejections, Mo Jingli could still tolerate them. Glancing at the guests below, Mo Jingli smiled with even more satisfaction. What were aristocratic families without power?! Therefore, he was the one high above, while those below, however unwilling, had to sit there and feign enjoyment.
"Mr. Chu, have I been a poor host? Why are you not drinking?" Mo Jingli stared at a middle-aged man seated first on his right, a faint smile on his lips, but his sharp eyes were filled with malice and triumph. This middle-aged man was the current Family Head of the Chu Family, and also the cousin of First Madam Xu.
The Family Head of the Chu Family replied calmly, "Many thanks, Emperor of Great Chu. I am not feeling well and cannot drink."
A glint of ruthlessness flashed in Mo Jingli’s eyes. He sneered, "Emperor of Great Chu? So... Mr. Chu does not acknowledge himself as a subject of Great Chu?" The Family Head of the Chu Family did not back down, calmly stating, "The Chu Family is naturally a subject of Great Chu. It just depends on whether this Great Chu is the same Great Chu as before. The Chu Family only respects the legitimate imperial bloodline."
"Insolence!" Mo Jingli erupted in anger. Now that Mo Xiuyao was dead, Mo Jingli’s greatest insecurity was the illegitimacy of his claim to the throne. Although he had used his power in Jiangnan to suppress various discussions in the imperial court, the fact that Mo Suyun died in the Regent Prince’s Mansion was undeniable. Even if people didn’t say it openly, countless individuals privately cursed Mo Jingli for regicide and usurpation. Mo Jingli had already resolved that upon his return, he would kill all of Mo Jingqi’s sons. Then, let’s see who would dare to say anything more.
Similarly, the Chu Family Head’s mention of the imperial bloodline touched another of Mo Jingli’s sore spots. Mo Jingli would never have a son of his own in this lifetime. Consequently, let alone the legitimate imperial bloodline, the direct line of the Great Chu imperial family would end with him. In the future, he could only adopt a child from the imperial family to inherit the throne. The mere thought of this filled Mo Jingli with surging, uncontrollable rage.
The Family Head of the Chu Family, however, remained unfazed by Mo Jingli’s outburst, calmly looking at the sinister-faced monarch before him. It wasn’t that the Chu Family was audacious enough to deliberately oppose Mo Jingli. Rather, the Chu Family simply didn’t think highly of Mo Jingli as an emperor. For a large family that has endured for generations, the most important thing to remain standing is to know how to choose sides. Even though Mo Jingli currently seemed to have the upper hand, the Chu Family did not believe he would have the last laugh. Yet, Mo Jingli demanded that all renowned families in Yunzhou pledge allegiance to him and issue statements condemning Prince Ding’s Mansion. This was something no Family Head with any foresight would be willing to do.
Even if Prince Ding had suddenly died and the Mo Family Army seemed to be in a predicament, the Mo Family Army still controlled two capitals, the Capital of Great Chu and Xiling, and Licheng, a quasi-capital. They also held all the territory east of Cold Valley Pass, north of Lingjiu Mountain, and west of Feihong Pass. The total area of these regions was more than twice that of Jiangnan. Furthermore, Prince Ding’s Mansion boasted numerous renowned generals and had the support of Young Master Qingchen and the Xu Clan. The Family Head of the Chu Family truly couldn’t see where Mo Jingli’s chances of victory lay.
If they openly opposed Prince Ding’s Mansion now, and Prince Ding’s Mansion eventually won, it would likely be a catastrophe for the Chu Family. Even if they were fortunate enough to escape disaster, if the Chu Family then switched allegiance to Prince Ding’s Mansion, they would inevitably be seen as opportunists, ruining the Chu Family’s reputation.
"Chu Shaoying, you are insolent! Do you think I dare not kill you?" Mo Jingli slammed his wine cup down. CRASH. It shattered on the floor.
The Family Head of the Chu Family lowered his gaze. "I am merely speaking the truth. Even if the Emperor of Great Chu kills me, I will still say the same."
Suppressing his anger, Mo Jingli swept his gaze over the people below and asked, "And you? Do you all share his opinion?" After a moment, someone finally succumbed to the pressure, stood up, and said tremblingly, "We are willing to pledge our loyalty to Your Majesty."
Mo Jingli snorted, clearly dissatisfied. These were merely people from small and medium-sized families; not a single one from a truly first-rate family had stepped forward. Mo Jingli desperately wanted to drag all these people out and kill them. But for now, he had to suppress his anger.
"Mr. Chu, I recall your Chu Family has a young master named Chu Junwei?" Mo Jingli took a deep breath and suddenly asked. The Family Head of the Chu Family paused, somewhat surprised, then nodded slightly. "That’s right. He is a nephew from a branch of the Chu Family."
"Oh? That Young Master Chu could be considered a man of exceptional talent of his generation. I had a pleasant conversation with him when I was in Jiangnan. Why do I not see Young Master Chu here today?" Mo Jingli inquired. A flicker of confusion crossed the Chu Family Head’s eyes. He frowned. "When did the Emperor of Great Chu meet my nephew Junwei?"
"A few months ago."
"That’s impossible," the Family Head of the Chu Family stated.
Mo Jingli narrowed his eyes. "Is Mr. Chu suggesting I am lying?"
The Chu Family Head shook his head and said calmly, "No, it’s just... my nephew was indeed exceptionally talented. But he passed away several years ago. He was not yet twelve at the time. It could be considered an untimely death. How could he have had a pleasant conversation with the Emperor of Great Chu?"
Before the Chu Family Head had even finished speaking, Mo Jingli’s face had turned ashen. The Family Heads of the various families, who had been forced to attend the banquet, looked at the man in imperial robes. His face shifted from ashen to red, then to dark. How could they not know what had happened? They were all natives of Liyang. If the Chu Family truly had such an astonishingly talented individual, how could these local gentry families not know? It was obvious that Mo Jingli had been duped by someone using the Chu Family’s name at some point.
Being so humiliated in front of these Family Heads of aristocratic families, Mo Jingli immediately became somewhat enraged from embarrassment. He stared at the Chu Family Head and said, "What do you mean, Mr. Chu? Are you suggesting I am lying?" In fact, at this point, Mo Jingli had already guessed that he had been fooled by that Chu Junwei. Connecting it to the time Chu Junwei appeared, Mo Jingli was almost certain that Chu Junwei was definitely connected to Prince Ding’s Mansion. However, in front of these people, how could he admit he was fooled by someone from Prince Ding’s Mansion? Besides... The Chu Family and the Xu Family are in-laws; targeting the Chu Family wouldn’t be entirely unjust, would it?
The Chu Family Head calmly said, "I wouldn’t dare. However, Chu Junwei of our Chu Clan indeed passed away many years ago. If the Emperor of Great Chu doesn’t believe it, I can present the Chu Clan’s family register for His Majesty’s inspection."
Mo Jingli naturally wouldn’t do such an embarrassing thing to himself. Ignoring everyone’s expressions, he sneered, "The Chu Clan is in secret collusion with Prince Ding’s Mansion, intending to commit treason! Arrest him! Confiscate all property of the Chu Family and imprison them all." Fortunately, Mo Jingli still retained a shred of rationality, only planning to imprison the Chu Family rather than execute them immediately. Although he very much wanted to do so.
Two guards quickly came forward, seized the Chu Family Head, and began dragging him towards the door. Seeing this, everyone present was utterly shocked. Most of them belonged to highly reputable aristocratic families, many of whom had served as officials for generations. Regardless of who was in power, they were always shown some measure of respect. Yet, they hadn’t expected that less than half a month after Mo Jingli’s arrival in Yunzhou, the Chu Family Head—whose family was second only to the Xu Family in Yunzhou and now considered its foremost aristocratic family—would be dragged out so crudely.
On one hand, the Family Heads of these aristocratic families developed an even more unfavorable impression of Mo Jingli. On the other hand, a chill couldn’t help but rise in their hearts. The status of these scholars was, in fact, determined by the attitude of those in power. When rulers respected scholars, their status was high. But in these chaotic times, when rulers regarded scholars as insignificant as ants and weeds, there was nothing they could do.
Looking at these Family Heads whose expressions had subtly changed, a cold sneer flashed in Mo Jingli’s eyes. He raised his cup and smiled. "Gentlemen, don’t let this small matter spoil your enjoyment. Come, I offer you all a toast." Willing or not, this time at least everyone raised their cups. Mo Jingli was delighted, thinking that with the Chu Family as an example, these people should now understand what it meant: if the ruler wants a subject to die, the subject must die, right?
Outside the hall, Mo Xiuyao leaned leisurely against a large tree, his eyes closed, listening to everything happening inside. Only when the Chu Family Head was dragged out did he open his eyes, a faint smile playing on his lips.
The Chu Family Head was being roughly dragged by two guards towards the Governor’s Mansion dungeon. As he was mentally calculating his next steps, a very low voice suddenly reached his ear, "Don’t worry, the Chu Family members will not be in danger."
The Chu Family Head was stunned, but the two guards beside him showed no reaction. The words just now seemed like a hallucination. But he was certain he hadn’t hallucinated. He had indeed heard a voice, seemingly from far away, yet also as if echoing directly in his mind. Who was it?
As if understanding his confusion, the voice faintly transmitted three words, "Mo Xiuyao."
The Chu Family Head bowed his head, concealing the shock in his eyes. He finally remembered who that voice belonged to. During Mr. Qingyun’s birthday celebration, he had also gone to Licheng. Given the relationship between the Chu Family and the Xu Family, it would have been natural for the Chu Family to align with Prince Ding’s Mansion. But the Chu Family was different from the Xu Family. Although the Xu Family was a large family, it had always been sparsely populated. The Chu Family, not to mention its various collateral branches, just the population of the main lineage in recent generations was enough to astound, and they were spread far and wide. Once the main Chu Family lineage moved to Licheng, these collateral branches would likely suffer greatly. Moreover, the situation of Prince Ding’s Mansion was not as clear then as it became later. So, when the Chu Family went, they merely expressed the Chu Family’s in-law relationship with the Xu Family and their amicable intentions, without pledging allegiance to Prince Ding’s Mansion at that time.
Even though one or two years had passed, the Chu Family Head still remembered Prince Ding’s unique voice—deep, yet easily capable of inspiring a sense of submission in others.
The Chu Family Head didn’t have time to be shocked that Prince Ding hadn’t died but had instead appeared at Mo Jingli’s encampment in Liyang. As the Family Head of a large family, he was able to quickly calm down and realize that this would be a great opportunity for the Chu Family.
With this thought, a look of determination flashed in the Chu Family Head’s eyes. He suddenly called out, "Go and report to His Majesty, the Emperor of Great Chu, the Chu Family is willing to pledge allegiance to the Emperor of Great Chu!"
