123 Restless

en collaborating with the enemy and harboring an imperial relative from another country""You… how cold-hearted…" Su Zuodie looked at the two men sitting side by side before her, tears streaming down h...123. Restless

123. Restless

Outside the palace gate, Princess Yonghua, dressed in a phoenix-and-peony red wedding dress, shed tears as she bid farewell to Empress Dowager and her parents, Emperor and Empress. Even the proud Princess Zhao Ren could not help shedding tears when her only daughter was sent off to marry into the Northern Rong tribe; however, she could say nothing as her daughter prepared to depart. Presently, Empress Dowager, Emperor, and Empress were all there to see off Princess Yonghua. As her mother, even she couldn’t hold on to her child any longer.

Princess Yonghua took leave of Empress Dowager, the emperor, empress, and her parents one by one. She was then escorted to the carriage by a palace maid who accompanied her. Before entering the carriage, she turned back and looked at Ye Li for a moment. Ye Li nodded slightly and smiled at her. Princess Yonghua gave a faint smile and resolutely stepped into the carriage. Inside the lavishly decorated carriage hung a curtain embroidered with peonies which signified her status as a princess. This curtain obscured Princess Yonghua’s beautiful face from view. From now on, she would live in a foreign land as a princess of the Great Chu dynasty; perhaps she would never see her parents again…

"Lily, I’m leaving. Be careful in the capital city," Mo Xiuyao whispered softly to Ye Li.

Lifting her head, Ye Li looked at the elegant man in front of her who was dressed in a dark blue robe with silver dragons embroidered on it and nodded slightly. "I know. You should also be cautious. Come back early." Mo Xiuyao nodded, saying, "I will be careful. Lily, you’ll be alone in the capital city…" Ye Li interrupted him and said firmly, "I will guard Ding王府 well for you and wait for your return."

Mo Xiuyao was taken aback and whispered softly, “As long as Lily is safe and sound, I would feel very happy.”

A servant came forward to urge them to depart. He secretly thought that it seemed Ding Wang and his wife were really hard to part from.

Ye Li stepped back a bit, leaving Mo Xiuyao’s arms. She turned her head towards Lin Han who stood nearby and said, "Lin Han, the safety of His Royal Highness is in your hands."

Lin Han nodded and said earnestly, “Please rest assured, Madam. I won’t let you down.”

Ye Li nodded slightly and bid Mo Xiuyao farewell before retreating into the crowd that was seeing him off. Mo Xiuyao turned back to glance at her once and then led his white horse onto the path where their group had already started, galloping to catch up with them.

Only after the entire convoy of princesses’ dowry disappeared in the distance did Princess Zhao Ren break down and cry. Princess Zhao Yang ordered someone to support her back to the princess’s residence. The emperor and empress accompanied Empress Dowager back to the palace. The bustling gate suddenly fell silent. Ye Li stood in place, staring at where Mo Xiuyao had left off默默地無語，“Madam, His Royal Highness has already left the city. We should go back,” said Chief of Staff Mo. Ye Li nodded and replied, "Let’s go." Without Mo Xiuyao’s presence in the capital city, it seemed somewhat desolate.

With Ding Wang leaving the capital, Ding Wang’s residence closed its doors as usual to guests, falling into a quiet state. However, only those within the household knew that over just ten days, the covert attacks on Ding Wang’s residence had become several times more than in previous years combined.

In the dead of night, after another wave of attacks ended, Ye Li sat in a chair under the eaves and looked calmly at the black-clothed men kneeling in the courtyard. Standing to her left and right were Zhuo Jing, Qin Feng, Chief of Staff Mo, Feng Zhiyao, Mo Hua, Zhang Qilan, and Han Mingchi, who had stayed behind at Ding Wang’s residence to guard it due to his departure. Apart from Feng Zhiyao who was as frivolous as usual, the others’ expressions were not good. Tonight, assassins had broken through the outer defenses of Ding Wang’s residence and nearly invaded Ye Li’s main courtyard. Mo Hua, who led the covert guards, looked even more grim; this was practically slapping them in the face.

"Well, tell me then, where are these people from" Ye Li looked at her subordinates' gloomy faces and asked coolly.

The assassin, who was forced to kneel in the courtyard, showed a look of disdain. He arrogantly turned his head away. Ye Li laughed, "It's my mistake for speaking out of turn. But I believe none of you will talk unless I ask properly. However, just so happens… In the past ten days, seven groups have come here, and there might even be some of your comrades among them. Yet no one has been stubborn enough to stand up against me. Qin Feng, take care of this."

Qin Feng laughed loudly, "Thank you, Your Highness Consort. Just as I was teaching the young men under my command how to interrogate prisoners; their progress has been rapid these past few days thanks to all your contributions." Feng Zhirao, standing by, made a scoffing gesture of disdain, but his eyes were eagerly looking at Qin Feng. "I request to be allowed to watch," he said. He was called the best interrogator in Dingguo王府, yet ever since Qin Feng brought those young men back with him, he realized there are always better people out there. Moreover, these experts could even be mass-produced. Qin Feng looked at him with a forced smile and said, "Top secret matters, outsiders forbidden." With a wave of his hand, someone came forward to push the person in the courtyard down.

Feng Zhirao glared angrily after Qin Feng as he walked away, then turned back eagerly towards Ye Li. There was nothing else to do; since Qin Feng followed His Highness Consort, no one could talk back to him except for His Highness and Her Highness. Ye Li smiled lightly, "Feng San, Qin Feng isn't trying to make things difficult for you. This is a top secret matter." Feng Zhirao snorted, "It's just an interrogation; even if there are unique methods involved, it can't be considered a state secret." Ye Li laughed and said, "The people conducting the interrogations are currently under strict confidentiality."

Feng San rubbed his nose and didn't speak any further. He was one of the most trusted men by Mo Xiuyao, so he naturally knew that Her Highness Consort had a secret team made up of people selected from various divisions in Dingguo王府. No one knew what Her Highness Consort needed these people for, not even His Highness himself. Could this be them now Feng Zhirao recalled the few individuals Qin Feng brought back to carry out the interrogations recently. They seemed unremarkable at a quick glance, but his many years of war and covert operations had honed his alert senses; he felt that these people were indeed no ordinary individuals.

Ye Li got up and smiled at everyone, "Thank you all for your efforts tonight. Let's go to the study."

Zhang Qilan said with a grim expression, "The moment His Highness leaves, these people come after Dingguo王府. Are we just going to let it slide" Ye Li smiled gently and replied, "General Zhang need not worry; this is definitely not something we would leave unaddressed. I… also need some people for practice." Despite her soft tone, the chilling intent in her words sent a chill down everyone's spine. They all fell silent as they followed Ye Li to the study.

Upon returning to the study and sitting down, Ye Li said to Han Mingchi seated nearby, "It's time to deal with matters concerning Xi Ling and Southern Frontier too; Ming Chi, you may leave for the capital tomorrow." Hearing this, Han Mingchi frowned, as if wanting to say something. Ye Li shook her head, "No need to talk more. You've seen how things are in the capital. There isn't anything much for you here anyway, so it's better that you leave early. Your brother should still be in Yongzhou; if there's anything uncertain, you can ask him with my token." Han Mingchi gave her a glance and sighed lightly before saying, "I understand, I'll leave tomorrow morning. I'm going back to pack now."

Ye Li didn't detain him but nodded.

The atmosphere in the study became friendlier as soon as Han Mingchi left. It wasn't that Dingguo王府's people distrusted Han Mingchi or were wary of him; it was just that these individuals had all been honed by years on the battlefield to have piercing eyes and minds. No matter how discreet Han Mingchi’s intentions, he couldn’t hide them from these people. Furthermore, these people were extremely loyal to Mo Xiuyao, so even though they knew there was nothing between Her Highness Consort and Han Mingchi, they still felt somewhat cold towards him.

Ye Li seemed oblivious to everyone's looks as she calmly chatted with everyone about matters within the王府. Everyone had some concerns regarding the safety of Dingguo王府; Director Mo asked, "Your Highness Consort, should we increase the number of covert guards inside" In these days, Dingguo王府 was under continuous attacks, and both the guardsmen and covert guards were probably exhausted to the point where today’s assassins managed to break into Her Highness Consort's residence. Ye Li laughed and said, "No need for such trouble; they worked so hard getting into the capital only to risk their lives breaking into Dingguo王府 which is known as impregnable across the world. We must at least see what they are after. Starting tomorrow, we should capture fewer assassins and let some go."

Feng Zhirao's eyes flashed; he smiled and said, "Is Your Highness Consort trying to… let them believe that Dingguo王府’s defenses are weakening Will the enemy buy it"

Ye Li laughed and replied, "Since they know they can’t break in but still keep coming wave after wave, what if I give them a chance; would you believe them"

Zhang Qilan worriedly said, "If this news spreads, it might make the王府 even more unstable."

Ye Li's smile was cold and indifferent as she said, "This Consort will let the whole world know that Ding Wang Manor is not only impregnable but also a hell for those who dare to enter!"

The crowd was stunned; they stared at the gentle and elegant woman in blue before them speechlessly.

"Your Excellency," Qin Feng pushed open the door and entered with an odd expression. Ye Li raised her eyebrows and asked without surprise, "No results"

Qin Feng said irritably, "One of them committed suicide, and the others are just minor figures who know nothing."

Ye Li shook her head and said, "That's wrong. The person who died was not the leader."

Qin Feng looked at Ye Li in confusion as she calmly explained, "The other side must be aware of how formidable Ding Wang Manor’s interrogation is. If they truly had a death wish, they would have taken their own lives upon being captured. Compared to experience, you are still not as proficient as Feng San." Fei Zhiyao smugly said to Qin Feng with a smile, "Indeed, such incidents of detainees taking their own lives will never happen under my watch." Qin Feng did not care about Fei Zhiyao's provocation at this moment. He frowned and asked, "Your Excellency means that the suicide was merely a cover for the real leader" Ye Li supported her chin as she said, "There is at least a fifty percent chance. Of course, it could also be possible that he genuinely feared your methods and happened to fall into the hands of inexperienced rookies, allowing him an opportunity to commit suicide. However… Your methods should not have reached that point yet."

Qin Feng said somewhat vexed, "Those young men are just learning this; they don’t know how to handle situations with restraint. If any casualties were truly inflicted…"

Ye Li lowered her eyes and softly spoke, "There’s no lack of time now. We can try another method slowly."

"Another method"

Ye Li said, "Torture like training an eagle."

"Training an eagle"

Ye Li played with the white porcelain cup in her hand and softly said, "Light up their cells as brightly as possible. No longer use torture methods; have the guards take turns watching them every hour. One thing, do not let me see anyone sleeping until they are willing to speak truthfully." Fei Zhiyao was puzzled and asked, "Just depriving them of sleep Is that effective"

Ye Li smiled, "Feng San might have tried staying awake for a day or two, but has he ever stayed awake for four or five days This method can tame even the proudest eagles; how much more so humans."

Although Fei Zhiyao was skeptical of Ye Li’s explanation, Qin Feng accepted it without hesitation. He immediately turned to give instructions.

Feng Zhiyao turned to look at Ye Li and asked, "Has the Duchess thought of any ideas regarding these assassins in recent days"

Ye Li handed a dossier over to Zhuo Jing beside her. She took it and opened it while saying, "All sorts of people have been invading our mansion recently. There are those who were hired to kill someone, some seeking revenge, and there are even those taking advantage of the chaos."

"Taking advantage of the chaos Who would dare take advantage of this situation in the Prince Regent’s Mansion" Mo Hua, who rarely spoke, mocked sarcastically.

Feng Zhiyao smiled and said, "Whether they are truly taking advantage or not is unknown. But suddenly there have been so many criminals appearing in the capital these days. Do the people guarding Jingji and the city’s officials just sit idly by" The Chief Steward, Mo, solemnly said, "With Prince Regent Ding’s mansion being attacked repeatedly, even though it isn’t surrounded by many other mansions due to its size, there is no way that person in the palace would be unaware of it. But after so many days, they haven’t sent anyone to inquire. It seems like nothing ever happened." Ye Li massaged her temples and smiled faintly as she said, "That person in the palace probably also wants to see how powerful Prince Regent Ding’s forces are. Feng San, spread the news tomorrow that this Duchess has been extremely frightened recently and is unwell."

"Frightened" Feng Zhiyao looked at Ye Li’s smiling face with a strange expression. It was still debatable whether it was the Princess Consort of Prince Regent Ding or those unfortunate assassins who had been scared lately. Ye Li glanced at him, "What Can’t this Duchess be frightened I am still a woman after all and His Royal Highness is not around. So what if I’m frightened every day with assassins coming to my door"

Feng Zhiyao touched his nose and respectfully said, "No, the Duchess has been too frightened and her body is unwell."

Ye Li lightly snorted and said, "Very well. Let them be happy for a few days then. This Duchess won’t see anyone due to being frightened. That’s final."

The Chief Steward hesitated before asking, "If the palace summons…"

Ye Li smiled and said, "With my illness so grave, I can’t enter the palace. Whatever imperial physicians or rewards sent over by them, just accept it. Don’t agree to anything else."

"This old servant understands," The Chief Steward nodded.

After dismissing everyone, Ye Li left the study alone and walked towards her bedroom. She looked up at the almost full moon with a worried sigh. Turning back to an unknown spot in the darkness she said, "Why are you following me"

A somewhat stiff voice emerged from the dark. "His Royal Highness has instructed to ensure the safety of the Duchess."

Ye Li smiled faintly and ignored him as she turned back towards her room. Only after he was certain that she had left did Mo Hua come out of the shadows, exposing himself under the moonlight. His eyes still displayed obvious anger and frustration. Was his concealment ability worse than the Duchess’s

Extracurricular:iuyao raised his eyebrows. Xu Qingchen shook his head with a smile, saying, "Being clear about public and private matters, whether it’s for Your Highness or Li’er, is all good."Moxiu Yao immediately u...