Cloud State Secret Letter

the Prince Regent gave you earlier. You haven't worn it yet."Ye Li nodded. She indeed liked the set of green jade and plum blossom ornaments which wasn’t too flashy.Qingxia smiled as she carefully pla...86. Secret Letter from Yunzhou

86. Secret Letter from Yunzhou

The Capital City

"Your Highness, a secret letter from Yunzhou!" In the study, Chief Secretary Mo hurriedly entered with a sealed letter bearing a black flame imprint. Seated in the study reading books, Mo Xiuyao suddenly lifted his head and took the letter from Chief Secretary Mo's hand. After quickly glancing at it, his expression gradually turned solemn. The atmosphere in the room seemed to have become oppressive as well. Concerned, Chief Secretary Mo asked, "Your Highness" Mo Xiuyao lowered his head in a moment of daze, realizing that he had unknowingly crumpled the letter in his hand. After closing his eyes briefly to calm himself, Mo Xiuyao unfolded and smoothed out the paper ball and said solemnly, "Call Feng Zhirao over here. Also... ask Mr Shen to come too. Prepare for me going to the palace soon." Chief Secretary Mo frowned. Since the incident involving the princess consort, His Highness had not visited the palace again. It seemed that something significant must have happened in Yunzhou. Though concerned, he could only quietly respond to his master's command: "I will go at once."

Soon after, Feng Zhirao and Shen Yang appeared at the study door. Feng Zhirao raised an eyebrow and smiled, "What does Your Highness need"

Mo Xiuyao handed over the slightly crumpled letter and said solemnly, "Take a look." Feng Zhirao's eyebrows rose as he understood Mo Xiuyao well enough to know what his expression and tone signified. Without further ado, he took the letter and sat down on one side of the room, "From Yunzhou Is this the handwriting of Master Qingyun" Mo Xiuyao nodded silently, and Feng Zhirao's demeanor became serious as well. He had merely hoped that someone from the Xu family might help translate something sent back by Ye Li, but it seemed to have alarmed Master Qingyun instead. An old man who would pay attention to something was not likely to be involved in a trivial matter. While Feng Zhirao read the letter on one side, Shen Yang looked at Mo Xiuyao curiously and asked, "Does Your Highness need anything Or are you feeling unwell" As a physician, Shen Yang usually did not like to inquire about such matters.

Mo Xiuyao shook his head and said, "Mr. Shen should have set off for Western Ling in several days' time. However, it now seems that I must ask him to delay the journey."

Shen Yang frowned and asked, "Does Your Highness’s plan change" Mo Xiuyao sighed and said, "It's too late for that. Mr Shen, I need to make a trip to Southern Frontier."

"What!" shouted Shen Yang as Feng Zhirao sitting by the side also stiffened, his brows furrowing in worry. Without giving Mo Xiuyao any chance to speak, Shen Yang bellowed at him angrily, "Is Your Highness joking Though your health is better than during winter now, remember that this is only a comparison with winter! The climate of Southern Frontier is humid and rainy; it simply does not suit your body. Furthermore… you know yourself that last winter the cold poison inside had already run rampant. Although we managed to suppress it then, your condition will continue to deteriorate, and changing locations might even result in another outbreak!" Feng Zhirao was puzzled, "The climate of Southern Frontier is warm, shouldn’t that be more suitable for Your Highness" Shen Yang rolled his eyes exasperatedly, "If so, why have we been fussing about all these years Why not just send Your Highness to Southern Frontier to recover directly"

"Mr. Shen." Mo Xiuyao frowned and looked seriously at Shen Yang as he said firmly, "I must go." The deep and determined voice declared the speaker's unmovable resolve.

"Reason!" Shen Yang angrily demanded, "Give me a reason why you don't value your own life! As a physician, I have the right to know what my patient is going to his death for."

Moxiu Yao sighed, full of respect for this elder who had pulled him back from the brink of death so many times in recent years. Unfortunately, he had to go against his wishes, "Because… if I don’t go, we will all have no choice but to atone with our deaths." Shen Yang was shaken; something that could make Moxiu Yao say such words must be beyond what he could stop or even comprehend. Shen Yang suddenly seemed to age ten years and said gloomily, "Your Excellency, even if you were to go to Southern Expanse, your body now is incapable of doing anything." A body affected by cold poison was extremely sensitive to changes in climate; the northern climate was dry, yet Moxiu Yao’s body would be severely weakened and painful during rainy days. How much worse it would be for the humid south.

Moxiu Yao lowered his eyes and said, "I know you have a way out, Mr. Shen. But I can’t just go to Southern Expanse like this. I need to stand up and appear complete in Southern Expanse. Do you understand"

"You’ve gone mad!" Shen Yang cried out involuntarily. Feng Zhiyao also abruptly stood up: "Your Excellency, the situation hasn’t reached that point yet. Why don’t we set off for @Southern Expanse first and deal with it then"

Moxiu Yao looked at him calmly and said, "You should know; if I can’t go to Southern Expanse, by the time things reach that point, it’ll be too late."

Feng Zhiyao lowered his head, tightening the letter in his hand as he was rendered speechless.

Shen Yang snorted and said, "I don’t care how bad the situation is! There’s no way around this! I’m a doctor, not an assassin. I absolutely won’t let you do such things!" Moxiu Yao ignored him and said coolly to Feng Zhiyao, "Go prepare; I need to make a trip to court." Feng Zhiyao looked at him for a long time without knowing what to say, and finally could only murmur, "Yes, Your Excellency." With his hand turning, the wheelchair moved towards the door. As he passed Shen Yang, Moxiu Yao left this quiet remark: "Mr. Shen, I expect to see your medicine when I return."

"I won’t give it to you!" Shen Yang finally threw away all pretense and shouted loudly. Unfortunately, the person he was shouting at had already walked far away. Feng Zhiyao looked back at Shen Yang, who was red-faced with anger, clutched the letter in his hand, and followed after Moxiu Yao. Shen Yang could only sulk in the study for a while before finally exploding with rage, "Are you men from the Mo family crazy! Without you all, this world can’t exist!"

Feng Zhiyao glanced back at the study and quickly caught up to Moxiu Yao. Moxiu Yao asked calmly: "What do you want to say"

Feng Zhiyao was stunned for a moment before shaking his head and saying, "I have nothing to say. Please allow Feng San to act as he wishes."

Moxiu Yao frowned, "There are things in the capital that need your handling."

Feng Zhiyao raised an eyebrow; there was a bit of unexpected boldness in his expression: "Your Excellency, Feng San is a soldier. His life’s ambition has always been to be a famous general commanding the battlefield, not controlling spies and gathering intelligence." Moxiu Yao was startled, turning back to look at Feng Zhiyao. After so much time had passed, he’d almost forgotten that when they were still naughty children, the red-robed Feng Zhiyao stood before him saying that he would become a renowned general unbeaten in hundreds of battles. Then, at thirteen years old, Feng Zhiyao had abandoned the luxurious life of his family to follow Moxiu Yao through life and death. Perhaps if it weren’t for what happened back then, Feng Zhiyao might have already achieved his dream of becoming a famous general rather than being in the capital now, using the image of a carefree playboy to conceal his identity as the leader of the Dark Guards.

After a long while, Mo Xiuyao softly said, "Alright, if they truly... then they should know about your connection with the Dingguo王府. I'll arrange for the matter of the Shadow Guards separately." Back then, Feng Zhiyao had anonymously followed him on his campaigns; although few knew, there were still some who did. Feng Zhiyao was overjoyed and said gratefully, "Thank you, Your Highness!" Mo Xiuyao smiled calmly in response, saying, "It's I who should thank you. Also, send a swift messenger to warn Ah Li about Shi Manlin’s dangers!"

Capital of Nanzhao

Ye Li helplessly looked at Han Mingxi and Xu Qingchen with their hostile and calm expressions respectively. "Mr. Han..." With a light snort, Han Mingxi turned his face away from Ye Li and smiled to Flowcloud, saying, “Sister Flowcloud, you needn’t be so formal. Since you know Jun Wei as well, just call me ‘Mingxi Brother’.” Ye Li silently looked at him without saying anything she had planned to say. Seeing that the pretty boy wouldn't speak to him, Han Mingxi shrugged his shoulders somewhat regretfully and said while looking at Ye Li, “Actually, Sister Flowcloud does resemble Jun Wei a bit. In fact, Jun Wei is not Qingchen’s brother but your brother, right Since you both have the surname Chu.” Ye Li silently wiped her sweat in her heart, “Qingchen Brother truly is Jun Wei's eldest brother.” Han Mingxi rolled his eyes and harmlessly blinked at Ye Li, saying, "Then Jun Wei’s name must not be real. Sister Flowcloud, would you tell your elder brother what his real name is"

Ye Li was speechless inside, secretly regretting having asked Han Mingxi for help back then. She turned to Xu Qingchen who was sipping tea beside them and pleaded silently for assistance. Xu Qingchen raised an eyebrow and calmly said, "Xu Qingliu."

"Qingliu What a good name… it matches Jun Wei very well. Unlike some people… they are completely wasting such a good name. Wait… the five sons of the Xu family never had someone named Xu Qingliu!" Han Mingxi muttered to himself before quickly realizing his mistake and glared fiercely at Xu Qingchen. Xu Qingchen raised an eyebrow, saying, "Who told you he was one of the Xu family’s five sons" Han Mingxi thought about it for a moment but couldn't recall anyone telling him that. After some consideration, he lifted his head in realization with a somewhat strange and conflicted expression on his face. If looked at carefully, there would be hints of disdain. Ye Li helplessly watched Han Mingxi: What’s going through your mind now

Han Mingxi snorted and sized up Xu Qingchen before nodding and saying, "I get it. No wonder I’ve never heard of the name ‘Qingliu’. And no wonder he changes his identity when he's out. Hmph… you guys won’t be able to bully Qingliu anymore… wait, if he knows that name, there’s no way your Xu family will be able to bully Jun Wei in future! I’ll protect him." Ye Li looked embarrassed, and Xu Qingchen raised an eyebrow and said, "Mr. Han has a vivid imagination." Han Mingxi snorted with disdain, saying, “My skill at beating people is even better. If it weren’t for Jun Wei’s sake, I would have beaten you up!"

"Mr. Han…" Ye Li helplessly called out as she was deeply moved by how sincerely Han Mingxi cared about Chu Junwei and felt guilty for having kept his identity a secret from him.

Han Mingxi gave her a glance and said, "Sister Flowcloud, you should find yourself another fiancé. Some people may look like upright gentlemen on the outside, but who knows what they're really like inside Hmph… Jun Wei hasn't returned for so long and he doesn’t seem to care about it at all. I’ll go have a look around!" With that, Han Mingxi blew past them as fast as the wind.

Xu Qingchen put down his tea cup and said thoughtfully, "Han Mingxi is indeed quite kind to you."

Ye Li bitterly smiled and said, "I'm now somewhat regretting having deceived him." Xu Qingchen calmly replied, "It's right to be careful when outside; if you explain things early on, he should understand." Ye Li helplessly glared at him and said, "Then what was Brother Eldest saying about Xu Qingliu just now Won't I just deceive him again" Xu Qingchen smiled calmly and said, “Later on, I’ll ask my grandfather to have the name entered in our family records; that won’t count as a deception. As for you…”

Ye Li looked at Xu Qingchen with confusion, but he shook his head without saying anything further.

"Xu Qingchen!" a shrill voice shouted from outside the door, which was kicked open with a bang. A figure in azure blue rushed inside. Ye Li watched the aggressive woman and involuntarily shuddered. She turned to Xu Qingchen only to see him sitting calmly as if the irate woman wasn’t coming for him at all. The woman stopped abruptly when she reached the entrance of the hall, staring blankly at Xu Qingchen. Ye Li blinked and coughed lightly before calling out, “Sister Princess.” Princess Anxi seemed to have just snapped out of her trance and stepped into the hall with concern in her voice, asking, "Qingchen, are you alright"

Xu Qingchen smiled faintly, saying, "I thought you were here to settle accounts with me given your earlier demeanor."

Princess Anxi’s face flushed as she glared at him fiercely and said, "Shouldn’t I hold you accountable What good deeds have you been up to in the palace"

Xu Qingchen smiled innocently, replying, "I haven’t done anything." He had indeed done nothing; everything was handled by his shadow guards and people from Tianyi Pavilion. Princess Anxi walked over and sat down on one side, glowering at Xu Qingchen with dissatisfaction, saying, "You didn’t do anything yet managed to cause chaos in the palace! Father King just summoned me into the palace for questioning and suspected that I was behind it." Although she had intended to do what happened anyway, wasn't it because others beat her to it Why did Father King still suspect her Xu Qingchen raised an eyebrow and asked, "Knowing that Nanzhao’s king suspects you, why are you here" Princess Anxi haughtily lifted her eyebrows and said, "Those useless fools. If I want them to follow me, they’ll follow; if I don’t, even if their legs break from running after me, they won’t catch up."

"Is there something urgent for the princess to come over" Xu Qingchen asked.

Ye Li sighed inwardly as she watched. Wasn’t Princess Anxi rushing here out of concern for her brother’s safety And yet he was asking so nonchalantly if the princess had something important

Princess Anxi paused, glanced at Ye Li and raised her eyebrows, saying, "Can I not come over just because there’s nothing urgent As your friend and advisor, I must ensure that you’re still alive."

Xu Qingchen shook his head and said, "I also have something to discuss with the princess. Your presence saves me from sending someone to look for you at the Princess Manor." Princess Anxi frowned as she looked at Xu Qingchen and asked, "Are you not returning to the Princess Manor" She hesitated before looking at Ye Li again and added, "Miss Chu is now staying in my residence too; it might be better if both of us go back together for mutual support. Won’t that make things more convenient when we need to discuss something" Ye Li pondered for a moment and decided to speak up before Xu Qingchen could: “Princess, I’m truly sorry about lying to you…”

Princess Anxi frowned in confusion as Ye Li whispered, "That is… actually…"

"Actually, Liu Yun isn’t the weak woman she pretends to be; today it was she and Lin Han who rescued me from the palace. I only pretended to know nothing for fear you would doubt her," Xu Qingchen interjected calmly. Ye Li raised an eyebrow and subtly glared at Xu Qingchen, but he remained unperturbed.

Princess Anxi glanced at him strangely before looking at Ye Li with a smile on her face and saying, "So what It’s rare to see such accomplished women from the Central Plains as Miss Chu. Miss Chu is concerned for Qingchen’s safety; I’m not petty enough to mind."yao smiled. “Don’t worry, A’li; the people of the North Rong won’t openly attack me. Although there might be some covert actions behind the scenes, over all these years, has the Dingguo Prince’s Mansi...