Feng Qing works

Title Abandoned Wedding

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o remained calm and said, "Your Majesty flatters you. Meeting Prince today shows that Zhen Nan's successor lives up to expectations."Witnessing the two men chatting amicably amid the tense atmosphere,...65. Engagement Annulled

65. Engagement Annulled

"The future crown prince of Li must be the offspring of Lingyun. Most importantly, Princess QiXia can never have any title, including concubines or higher ranks, and can never bear any children for King Li."

The moment these words were spoken, everyone present—regardless of gender or age—was taken aback. They all looked at Lei Tengfeng with surprise and dissatisfaction. No one could believe that Lei Tengfeng would dare to make such bold demands. After all, King Li had already married his principal wife before the engagement with Princess Lingyun. Lei Tengfeng's conditions clearly meant that the principal wife from a noble family in Great Chu cannot bear children for King Li ahead of Princess Lingyun. Most importantly, having an heir with blood ties to XiLing was something no one in any royal household would be pleased about.

"This is absolutely impossible!" Without hesitation, the empress dowager firmly rejected it.

Lei Tengfeng raised his eyebrows and smiled, "If that's the case, there's nothing more to talk about. I take my leave. As for today's humiliation… Our Great Ling will remember this!" After saying so, he turned around and pulled Princess Lingyun along, saying, "Let’s go." Princess Lingyun had thought the engagement would continue, but she was surprised by her brother's abrupt decision. She didn't say anything more and glanced at Mo Xiuyao sitting on one side before following Lei Tengfeng quickly.

The day King Li married his concubine, the bride’s cousin dragged her away.

No one knows whether news of King Li and Princess QiXia spread throughout the capital city. However, the story that Princess Lingyun abandoned King Li on their wedding day circulated widely within a short time. Lei Tengfeng brought Princess Lingyun back to the embassy, locked her in her room with a look of joy on her face, not allowing her to leave. Then he headed straight for the deepest part of the embassy. He kicked open the door and saw the dark-clothed woman leisurely leaning against a soft couch reading a book. When she saw him enter, she slowly sat up and smiled, "You're back Was Lingyun's wedding interesting"

"Slap!" Lei Tengfeng stared at her for a long time before suddenly slapping the face covered by the veil, "Bitch! I told you not to act rashly." The dark-clothed woman fell back onto the couch from the sudden violence and, after regaining her senses, glared fiercely at the man in front of her. She gritted her teeth and said, "Lei Tengfong!"

"Bitch! What do you want Do you really think I won't kill you" Lei Tengfong's eyes were filled with a cruel aura, his words cold as ice. The dark-clothed woman was stunned for a moment before she laughed, "You brought Lingyun back, right Heh… Anyway, you didn’t agree to the marriage with Great Chu in the first place. Now it’s what you wanted, isn't it So why are you complaining"

"You idiot!" Lei Tengfong cursed angrily, “Who do you think you are There are many talented people hiding in DongChu’s capital city. Do you really think your little tricks can fool anyone Get up; we’re leaving the capital immediately!”

"Leaving" The dark-clothed woman was stunned and showed some hesitation in her eyes. Lei Tengfong sneered, "If you don’t want to leave, fine. I’ll send you to Prince Ding’s palace later. Haven't you been pining for Mo Xiuyao all this time Don’t worry; I'll explain everything when we get back to XiLing!"

"No!" The dark-clothed woman shrieked as she stood up and grabbed Lei Tengfong, "I’ll go with you!" No one knew Mo Xiuyao better than her. If he got his hands on her, she would die without a sound. Lei Tengfong disdainfully pushed away her hand and walked away. A bold yet cowardly woman who was never satisfied...

As expected, the wedding at Li’s王府的婚事毫無意外地成為了一出荒唐鬨劇。更糟糕的是，新娘跑了，連新郎和主人也都被皇上召進了皇宮。

冇了新娘、新郎和主人，賓客們自然也不好繼續賴著不走。於是喝了半天茶水卻冇吃到任何東西的賓客們都紛紛告辭離開。不久之後喧鬨的黎王府恢複了寧靜。隻是那些張燈結綵的紅紗顯得有些黯然失色。

因為皇帝並冇有召定王夫婦進宮，所以葉璃和墨修堯這對半途而廢的新婚夫婦也和其他賓客一樣離開了黎王府。剛出黎王府大門不遠就遇到了許久不見的徐清塵。徐清塵一向神出鬼冇，就算是徐家人也不一定想見就能見到他。葉璃成婚後也隻有回門那天見過他一次，能在這時候碰到倒是有些驚訝。寒暄幾句後三人便移駕到楚湘閣用膳。

“今天的事王爺怎麼看？”徐清塵淺嘗一口杯中美酒，輕聲讚道：“都說楚湘閣的美酒佳肴京城第一，果然名不虛傳。”

葉璃一邊低頭吃飯，一邊聽著兩人的對話。鬨了這半天她真的有點餓了。

“徐兄訊息果然靈通得很。”墨修堯讚道，“徐兄冇問到底發生了什麼事而是直接問我的看法，說明你已經很清楚黎王府發生了什麼。”徐清塵彷彿冇有聽到他的話，輕歎了一聲，有些傷感地看著葉璃柔聲道：“璃兒，為什麼你的丈夫竟然不肯叫我一聲大哥？”

葉璃喉嚨哽了一下，勉強吞下去才抬眼看了看墨修堯，再看看徐清塵，忍不住嘴角抽了下。徐清塵比墨修堯還要小三歲，墨修堯叫得出來纔怪。何況就算墨修堯真的叫得出，那麼同樣

He also had to call Xu Qingze his second elder brother, and even Xu Qingbai his fourth elder brother. Mo Xiuyao passed a bowl of soup in front of Ye Li, and only after watching her take a sip did he turn around and said indifferently to Xu Qingchen: "Brother Xu, you are just Ahli’s cousin."

Xu Qingchen smiled. "I don’t mind if the prince calls me his eldest cousin."

A glint flashed in Mo Xiuyao’s eyes, and he curled his lips slightly as he said: "Then this prince thinks that Brother Xu should remember…that I once benefited from Mr. Qingyun’s guidance." And you are the grandson of Mr. Qingyun, while I am one of his students, "or, my grandmother seems to share her surname with Madam of the First Rank in your family," which means we originate from the same clan and there is a two-generation gap between us. Thus, technically speaking, we’re peers.

Ye Li naturally understood that Xu Qingchen had no intention of putting Mo Xiuyao at odds with him; it was just teasing talk. She took the handkerchief to dab her mouth corner and said with a faint smile: "Big Brother, when did you start caring about titles If the prince truly follows me in calling, isn’t he going to sound old for being called so"

Xu Qingchen glanced indifferently at Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li. Seeing how naturally Mo Xiuyao had handed soup to Ye Li, satisfaction flickered in his eyes. When Ye Li spoke, he pretended to be displeased as he gave her a sideways glance, sighing softly: "Sure enough, after marriage, you’re going to side with others. Father and Uncle must regret agreeing too early to marry you off." As the only girl of Xu’s generation, she had become someone else’s now. Ye Li’s fair face flushed slightly as she said: "Big Brother, are you here just to tease me"

Xu Qingchen shook his head and wiped away the smile on his face as he looked seriously at Mo Xiuyao. Mo Xiuyao thought for a moment and said: "Does Brother Xu think that something is wrong with today’s matter"

"Just now…Lei Tengfeng left the capital with Princess Lingyun," Xu Qingchen said, “Without even giving Emperor a word.”

Mos Xiuyao absent-mindedly touched the warm jade at his waist and frowned: "There must be someone manipulating today’s matter in secret. But… it can’t be Lei Tengfeng. Alliances with Da Chu were settled long before he came to Da Chu. He cannot suddenly break them unless something unexpected has happened."

Ye Li frowned and asked, "Has Lei Tengfeng’s power reached the point where he can casually make such decisions" Marrying off a princess is definitely no small matter even if both countries have ulterior motives. But for Lei Tengfeng to break an agreement so easily—even though Emperor Jingli had been wrong first—would certainly put Xi Ling in the wrong now. Xu Qingchen said with a faint smile, "It’s not that Lei Tengfeng has this power; it is his father, Prince Regent of Southern Command who does. The emperor of Xi Ling is weak and ill, and he only has several princesses and one seven-year-old prince as offspring. Although Prince Regent of Southern Command doesn’t have the title of regent in Xi Ling, he wields real power."

"So… was it the emperor’s intention to marry off Princess Ling Yun or that of Prince Regent of Southern Command" Mo Xiuyao asked.

Xu Qingchen shook his head. Xi Ling and Da Chu had always been enemies, and the Xu Family’s information network hadn’t reached the point where they could penetrate into the imperial palace in Xi Ling. Mo Xiuyao nodded and said: "I’ll send people to look into it."

Ye Li felt that these two men were thinking too far ahead. She raised her eyes and asked, “Who brought Princess Qixia into the Li王府？”就算棲霞公主與黎王再熟悉，進出黎王府像家常便飯一樣。但她畢竟是個公主吧？一個公主在黎王大婚之日來到黎王府，下人居然冇有想過要去稟告主人一聲，這本身就非常不合常理。

Xu Qingchen and Mo Xiuyao were both taken aback, thinking deeply while staring at each other. Suddenly, Xu Qingchen chuckled softly and sighed lightly: "It looks like we’ve ignored many things. After being used to freedom outside the capital for so long, it’s indeed a bit hard to get used to everything here again…" Mo Xiuyao frowned slightly and said: "Brother Xu is right; in recent years, when we didn’t leave our doors, much had changed in the capital that we weren’t aware of. I’ll send people to look into this matter."

Xu Qingchen nodded and said: "I can rest assured leaving it to you, Your Highness. Anyway, I’m leaving the capital soon; there’s little chance for me to get involved in these matters."

Ye Li was taken aback. “Big Brother is leaving the capital Going back to Yunzhou”

Xu Qingchen shook his head and smiled: "No, I plan on visiting Nanzhao."

"Nanzhao" Ye Li was puzzled. “I remember my fifth brother saying that Big Brother had been to Nanzhao a few years ago.”

Mos Xiuyao held his wine cup and frowned as he asked: "Do you think something will happen in Nanzhao"

Xu Qingchen sighed, looking at Mo Xiuyao. “I don’t believe that anyone can see it coming; things may go wrong anywhere.” As soon as the Ding Kingdom’s royal family falls into decline, all those suppressed forces will rise and annex Da Chu in the next hundred years. Whether it be Nanzhao or Xi Ling or Beirong, even to overseas island countries, who wouldn’t look at this most beautiful and prosperous land on the continent with envy But the people in power only see the harm of the Ding Kingdom’s royal family and try their best to suppress them while unwillingly supporting new talents that can unite the forces. Have they never considered how Da Chu would manage without a leader when losing the Ding Kingdom’s talent Does he think that sitting on the dragon throne, he can be invincible in battle by means of his political maneuvers

"Does Big Brother think… Nanzhao will make the first move" Ye Li asked. Although Nanzhao’s people were fierce and brave, they still could not compare to Beirong or Xi Ling in terms of military prowess. Besides, after Mo Xiuyao swept across southern territories years ago, it was uncertain whether today's Nanzhao had the strength to fight Da Chu again.

Xu Qingchen said, "Originally, it shouldn't have been like this, but now… I'm afraid our那位 might take action against Nanzhao first."

"Huh" Ye Li raised an eyebrow and glanced at Mo Xiuyao from the side. She saw approval in his calm eyes, "That person... Has he gone mad" Originally, disputes with Beirong and Xiling were already non-stop. If they provoke a war against Nanzhao as well, won't they fear that three countries might gang up to attack them At that time, forget about there being no outstanding generals in present-day Dachu, even if Mo Langyun and Mo Liufang were still alive, it would be uncertain whether Dachu could survive.

Xu Qingchen sighed, "Our late emperor was relatively young when he ascended the throne, but he was indeed taught by the Regent Prince. However… our current那位 probably didn’t have time to teach him as the emperor seemed to have been educated by the Empress Dowager."

Ye Li frowned and said, "But what can Big Brother do in the past What if he gets into danger"

Looking at these two anxious men, Ye Li couldn't help but feel a sense of despair. This world is like this: some people are exhausted by their worries for the country, while others are plotting and scheming in the shadows; some suffer bitterly with clarity, while others live in ignorant bliss.

Xu Qingchen smiled and said, "I have some acquaintance with Princess Taigu of Nanzhao. I'll go see her."

Princess Taigu Ye Li was impressed by Xu Qingchen's extensive social network.

Moxiuyao raised his cup and looked at him, saying, "Thank you."

Xu Qingchen followed suit with a cup of his own in hand and said calmly, "No need to thank me; it was my father’s idea, not for the King of Dingguo Manor."

After seeing Xu Qingchen off, Ye Li realized that he had come here specifically to say goodbye. Even Mo Xiuyao once praised his big uncle as one of the smartest people in the world. Probably since the news of Princess Lingyun's failed marriage alliance was announced, Big Uncle predicted Dachu’s future trajectory and sent Big Brother to Nanzhao before anyone else, including the person within the palace, had a chance to react. "If there is any trouble for Dachu in the future, will Xu Family be able to escape"

Moxiuyao looked at her gently and said softly, “If you're referring to living in seclusion, then it might not be possible.” With Xu Family's integrity, they would not serve the emperor faithfully but would surely die for Dachu. "Do you know why Xu Family can still enjoy a good reputation in Dachu for over a hundred years despite being former officials" Ye Li raised an eyebrow and Moxiuyao continued, “During the late period of the previous dynasty, the country was chaotic. Actually... The last emperor wasn't a tyrant or a corrupt ruler. He just wasn't suited to be an emperor. Xu Family's ancestors persistently supported the last emperor through difficult times, sacrificing seven members who died on battlefields despite being from an educated family. Finally, Moxianyun led troops to besiege the capital city. The head of Xu Family personally supervised the battle despite his frail body; after fighting for seven days and nights without a break, the eldest son of the founding emperor was killed due to rash advancement seeking military merit in the chaos. Emperor Taizu was enraged and ordered soldiers to capture nearby civilians every day outside the city walls. As long as the last emperor didn't surrender, he would kill 5,000 civilians daily; moreover, on the day when the city fell, everyone inside would be slaughtered. On the second day, Xu Family's head killed the last emperor and opened the gate to surrender under the condition that no more harm should come to the people around the capital city. That same day, Lady Xu led all seventy-three members of her family in a collective suicide for their country; only one thirteen-year-old boy who was far away in Yunzhou was spared. He later became Dachu’s young Chancellor, Xu Yali.”

Ye Li was stunned by this secret she had never heard before, feeling indescribable sadness. She regretted her words towards big uncle that were so careless back then. Perhaps she didn't understand what it meant to have the pride of a scholar, but as a soldier, she knew and deeply understood the iron will and loyalty of soldiers. She couldn't imagine how disappointed and sad big uncle was when she asked such a question; it would be an insult and desecration towards Xu Family's ancestors and those seventy-three loyal souls.

"Then... Why did they..." Ye Li asked with her head lowered.

Moxiuyao replied, "Do you want to know why it’s different from historical records It isn't; Xu Yali indeed assisted the Dachu emperor faithfully. The third emperor was even personally taught by him. After founding the country, Emperor Taizu also granted titles and respectable ranks to all deceased members of Xu Family."

Looking at Ye Li's surprised expression, Moxiuyao smiled calmly: “Emperor Taizu had killed too many people in his conquests, so he needed a reputation for benevolence to consolidate his rule.”

"What letter did Xu Family’s ancestor leave to the King of Dingguo" Ye Li asked hesitantly. It obviously wasn’t as simple as Mo Xiuyao described; Emperor Taizu wouldn't trust a chancellor who had sacrificed his entire family for the previous dynasty. Moxiuyao shook his head and said with a smile, "That's unknown now. It seems the letter was handed to Emperor Taizu in the end. That letter obviously saved Xu Yali’s life. Afterward… The news of Xu Family sacrificing their lives for the people of the capital city spread somehow; combined with Xu Family being several hundred years' prestigious clan, it quickly established them as a household name. Even though there are many ambiguous and vague parts in Taizu's founding history, many things have become deeply rooted in people’s hearts over time.” Many things may have gradually been forgotten by people, but they inherited respect for Xu Family from their parents’ teachings.

Ye Li finally understood why the Xu Family didn't marry into the royal family even though they no longer held any grudge. However, it couldn’t be denied that Xu Family once faced extermination due to Dachu's imperial house. This explained why, despite the Xu Family’s indifference towards fame and power for so long, the royal family never gave up on suppressing them; Mo Langyun might have done more than what was lightly described by Mo Xiuyao back then.

Ye Li massaged her forehead in frustration, asking almost despairingly, "Will a war definitely happen"

"Sooner or later," Moxiuyao sighed softly. “Dachu has been suppressing the other countries for too long; everyone is eagerly waiting for its decline. And we... We seem accustomed to thinking of ourselves as the strongest.” Actually, if it weren’t for that defeat seven years ago, even he would have thought so. But when he left the battlefield with his shattered body, carrying his elder brother’s ashes and a heavily reduced elite force, he realized how ridiculous his previous pride was. Whether it's Xiling or Beirong, they might not be as good as Dachu, but they’re certainly not that far behind either. The more than ten thousand corpses of the Black Cloud Cavalry and Moxia family’s army proved this point. "Ye Li... It is Dingguo Manor which destroyed Dachu..." After a long time, Moxiuyao finally whispered these words. If it weren’t for Dingguo Manor's overwhelming power over all these years, perhaps more outstanding generals and elite soldiers would have emerged in Dachu. Without Mo Family’s army intimidating the frontier for over a hundred years, Dachu might go further in times of crisis.

Ye Li remained silent; she didn’t know who was right or wrong. How many people could faithfully serve Dachu for over a hundred years across generations Had they been wrong Definitely not. Then were those protected by them at fault Not really, as they knew nothing about it. After some time, Ye Li said softly, "You’re not wrong; the problem lies in human nature." Not every emperor understands what scholars' pride means and military integrity entails. Respect for Xu Family was inherited from their parents’ teachings.

Ye Li finally understood why the Xu Family didn’t marry into the royal family even though they no longer held any grudge. However, it couldn't be denied that Xu Family once faced extermination due to Dachu's imperial house. This explained why, despite the Xu Family’s indifference towards fame and power for so long, the royal family never gave up on suppressing them; Mo Langyun might have done more than what was lightly described by Mo Xiuyao back then.

Ye Li massaged her forehead in frustration, asking almost despairingly, "Will a war definitely happen"

Ye Li fell silent; she didn’t know who was right or wrong. How many people could faithfully serve Dachu for over a hundred years across generations Had they been wrong Definitely not. Then were those protected by them at fault Not really, as they knew nothing about it. After some time, Ye Li said softly, "You’re not wrong; the problem lies in human nature." Not every emperor has the capacity to embrace all rivers and seas with broad-mindedness and courage nor can they make the four seas submit themselves due to their greatness.

After hearing Ye Li’s words, Moxiuyao gazed at her absentmindedly for a while before faintly smiling: "Sorry, Ye Li. Did these thoughts scare you"

Ye Li calmly glanced at him; was she so easily scared Shaking his head, Mo Xiuyao said, "There’s no use thinking about this now anyway. Why don’t we guess how the matter of the Li Prince Manor will be resolved"

Feeling bored, Ye Li shrugged and said, "How else can it be resolved The Emperor kills Princess Qixia in a fit of rage and banishes the Li Prince Or perhaps he calms down with the old princes' persuasion, imprisons Princess Qixia and punishes the King of Dingguo slightly. Otherwise… Perhaps Princess Qixia will change her identity and marry Li Prince." Ye Li felt that as a mother, Empress Dowager accepted Princess Qixia’s actions too quickly. Her eldest son's future spouse had an affair with her second son; she merely scolded them and started planning their marriage without considering the Emperor’s reaction at all. If it were any other era, a typical mother would likely have killed that woman first.

"Which one do you think is more likely" Mo Xiuyao asked.

Ye Li pondered for a moment and said, "The third possibility." Frowning, she wondered if today's events were the result of being manipulated by others or manipulating someone else It seemed that... she needed to reassess Mo Jingli’s intelligence, or perhaps even the intelligence of the people behind him

"Jade, stay away from Mo Jingli in the future." Mo Xiyou reminded her. Ye Li nodded absentmindedly, still thinking about the previous question, "What use is the Nan Zhou Princess to Mo Jingli"

Mo Xiyou seemed somewhat surprised and looked at Ye Li before smiling faintly, "She is the younger sister of the Crown Princess of Nan Zhou. She would be more useful than Princess Lingyun."

Ye Li’s brows furrowed even tighter, "If Mo Jingli really has that kind of brainpower, wouldn’t I still be much better off than Ye Ying"

Mo Xiyou seemed to find her words increasingly amusing, "Trust me. If Mo Jingli really is clever, he would rather marry Princess Lingyun than you."

Ye Li felt a vein throb on her forehead. Was this how she was being despised

"However… their plans might have backfired. Mo Jingqi never follows the rules." Although this emperor did not possess as much wisdom and talent as he believed, occasionally taking an unexpected action really wasn’t something ordinary people could handle.

So when they returned to their residence, news had already spread at court—Princess Qixia died of illness. Of course, the news would only be announced in a few days' time because even if high officials and nobles knew what was going on, there were still commoners who needed to be deceived. Today something happened at Li王府 (Li’s Prince's Manor), and Princess Qixia immediately passed away that day. As long as one wasn’t an idiot, they could connect the two events and imagine scenarios. As for Prince Li’s marriage with Lingyun Princess Since there were no indications from court, everyone would happily act as though nothing happened. The emperor had never officially arranged this marriage; therefore, none of them had sent gifts to Li王府 (Li’s Manor) either. Anyway, they didn’t have to send gifts when Prince Li remarried Princess Qixia, so why not give the gifts in advance

In the palace, within a desolate and elegant hall, Mo Jingqi was venting his anger freely. The palace attendants had long since fled, those who could not escape merely huddled in corners trembling. Valuable antiques and paintings were smashed to pieces on the floor; tables and embroidered chairs were overturned by kicks. In one corner sat Consort Liu, her eyes coldly observing the madman before her. A little girl of around seven or eight years old, dressed luxuriously, was clinging to her in fear, seemingly petrified and unable to cry.

Consort Liu raised a hand to cover the child’s eyes and looked at Mo Jingqi with disdain, "Has Your Majesty had enough"

Mo Jingqi was taken aback for a moment before slowly ceasing his actions. He turned back to Consort Liu's icy face; a flicker of fury flashed in his stormy gaze.

"Someone, take the princess away." Consort Liu ordered. The palace attendants who had been cowering in corners were overjoyed and quickly scrambled up to take the terrified girl from her arms and leave.

"My beloved, don’t you have anything to say" Mo Jingqi’s voice was devoid of its usual grandeur, instead filled with coldness and resentment.

Consort Liu raised her eyes to him, "What does Your Majesty want this humble servant to say"

"You also mocked the Emperor in your heart, didn’t you" Mo Jingqi grabbed Consort Liu’s delicate chin and murmured into her ear. His breath was cold and venomous like a snake spitting out its fangs, "I know; you are just like them! No… don’t tell me you look down on this Emperor even more than they do You’re happy to see everyone against Me"

"If the Emperor says so, it must be true," Consort Liu replied indifferently.

“Slap!” Mo Jingqi struck Consort Liu’s porcelain-like face with his palm. Red marks instantly appeared on her cheeks. Consort Liu raised her head and met his gaze calmly. Mo Jingqi was stunned for a moment before murmuring, "Chang'er…" He looked at the red marks on Consort Liu's face with tenderness in his eyes, reaching out to touch them. "Chang'er... It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have hit you… Does it hurt Why do you always disobey me and oppose Me! Why must you keep meddling and threatening Me!" The more he spoke, the more agitated he became, quickly forgetting his earlier tenderness. He grabbed Consort Liu's shoulders tightly and shook her while shouting.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! You are wronging Her Highness!" A palace maid suddenly emerged from a side room, urgently calling out to Mo Jingqi, "Your Majesty, please let go of Her Highness… It has nothing to do with Her Highness at all…" Seeing that Mo Jingqi ignored her words, she looked around and spotted an unbroken antique vase in the corner. With gritted teeth, she picked it up and aimed to smash it against his back wall.

Consort Liu’s expression changed as she quickly reached for a pearl hairpin and tossed it at the palace maid. The vase shattered with a crisp sound on the ground.

The originally frenzied Mo Jingqi suddenly seemed startled into clarity, pausing abruptly. The palace maid was so frightened that her face turned pale and she fell to her knees in shock. When she had picked up the vase, her mind was blank; only upon regaining her senses did she recall what would have happened if the vase had hit.

Mo Jingqi clearly calmed down and glanced at the palace maid who remained unscathed nearby before slowly releasing Consort Liu and standing up.

The moment Mo Jingqi stood, Consort Liu sat up straight again. She was still composed and cold; one might almost believe nothing had happened if not for the red marks on her face. "Chang'er, rest first. I will have someone change your things later." After glancing at Consort Liu once more, he quickly turned around to kick the palace maid who was kneeling in front of him before swiftly leaving.

Consort Liu watched his retreating figure, a trace of resentment and mockery flashing through her cold eyes.thout speaking, Han Mingxi sat down and his gaze swept lightly across Ye Li before settling on Mo Xiuyao again, "Your Highness knew my elder brother's plans from the start" Fixing his gaze on Mo Xiuya...