155 The Survival of the Tianyi Pavilion

I also don’t like people who wear masks. It’s hard to see their expressions and intentions through the mask."Mo Xiuyao was speechless. The young lady before him was vastly different from what Feng Zhi...The World is Astonished 155: The Survival of Tianyi Pavilion

155. The Survival of Tianyi Pavilion

Kim Mingyue sighed when he saw the two guards approaching him and those standing beside Ye Li beside Governor Yao. He didn't attempt to resist but submitted instead, knowing that resistance was futile in this situation if Su Zuodie wasn't involved. Looking apologetically at Su Zuodie, Kim Mingyue said softly, "Zuodie, it seems we will have to stay longer in the governor's residence." Su Zuodie gritted her teeth and glared at Ye Li who sat calmly while she shot Kim Mingyue a resentful look. "You never accomplish anything! No wonder His Royal Highness says that you're good for nothing!"

Kim Mingyue lowered his head bitterly as he heard this. Ye Li looked at the two people before her and sighed, “Was it worth it”

"Once a choice has been made, there's no point in discussing whether it was worthwhile or not," Kim Mingyue said coolly, then bowed to Ye Li and turned around, allowing the guards to take him away.

Ye Li calmly examined Su Zuodie who was indeed exceptionally beautiful. However, after the initial shock, she began to feel indifferent towards the woman’s beauty. After seeing everything that Su Zuodie had gone through in recent days, Ye Li found herself feeling a bit apathetic about her stunning appearance. She smiled slightly at her and thought to herself, "The most beautiful lady of the Great Chu Empire… so what" Although she was naturally endowed with exceptional looks, there seemed to be something missing that made one want to linger and appreciate her beauty. Perhaps people always remember the best moments they had seen or dreamed about. Everyone remembered Su Zuodie's beauty which had amazed the nation when she lived in the capital of Chu, but her early death only added a mysterious veil to her image. However, seeing such an exceptional woman before one's eyes brought a sense of mild disappointment instead. The most beautiful lady of the Great Chu Empire… so what

Su Zuodie was clearly aware of Ye Li’s scrutinizing gaze and at first felt secretly pleased by it. But when she noticed that there was a hint of indifference in Ye Li's gaze, her heart couldn't help but feel angry and frustrated. After enduring for some time, she finally lost patience and shouted angrily, "What are you looking at !" Ye Li pretended not to hear and said coolly, “Does White Consort have anything else to say If not, you should return to your room and rest. I will take my leave.”

Su Zuodie huffed and turned back towards her quarters.

Ye Li smiled slightly and stood up to leave. Qin Feng and the others followed her out. Ye Li asked as she walked, "What's happening outside" Wei Lin replied, "Rest assured, My Lady. All forces of the Skyward Pavilion have been wiped out in the northwest region." Satisfied, Ye Li chuckled, "Although Your Excellency has managed to remove many secret agents from the Skyward Pavilion before this, there were still quite a few who escaped his notice. It wouldn't matter much originally, but now that two countries are at war, having such a force in the northwest is rather troublesome. We owe it all to Wei Lin." Wei Lin lowered his head and smiled, "It's my duty as your subordinate." Zhuo Jing patted Wei Lin on the shoulder with a grin, "Little Four, you don't need to be so modest. My Lady was right; without you we would have had a hard time catching Han Mingyue. The most important thing is that you're back now and we can all be together again. If only Boss could come back too."

Wei Lin looked up at Ye Li, who smiled and said, "Just speak your mind."

"I saw Boss about two months ago," Wei Lin replied.

Ye Li raised her eyebrows slightly, gesturing for him to continue. Wei Lin explained, "Originally I was planning to use the Skyward Pavilion's forces to investigate the Hellgate Pavilion and the Sick Student. After receiving some scattered information, I made an excuse to go to a border post where I happened upon Boss. But according to your orders, I didn't acknowledge him or say anything." Nodding, Ye Li said, "It seems Dark One did well" Wei Lin smiled, "He seemed fine to me; thanks to My Lady's guidance, he appeared to already be a captain when I saw him." Zhuo Jing made an impatient sound and remarked, "Even if the title of captain isn't very high, it's still impressive that Boss reached this level in just a few months. He truly is the boss. Maybe after two more years he'll become a general." Qin Feng, who had served in the Black Cloud Cavalry, scoffed sarcastically, "Stop dreaming; while advancing from an ordinary soldier to captain isn't impossible, becoming a general from there involves more than just one or two steps—it's not something that can be achieved in less than ten years. Young Master Feng San has been by Your Excellency’s side since he was barely a teenager and is still only a deputy commander now."

“Deputy commanders are still commanders; could you have advanced to captain within just two or three months” Zhuo Jing replied, completely unconcerned.

Qin Feng remained silent—he truly couldn't.

Satisfied with the report, Ye Li smiled and halted an argument among her subordinates. "Don’t worry about Dark One for now—have the guards at Han Mingyue’s place been arranged" Qin Feng respectfully answered, “My Lady, it has already been taken care of. However… I don't understand why Han Mingyue and Su Zuodie are not being held together; splitting them up wastes a lot of manpower when we’re short on troops to guard the Taishou Mansion.” Ye Li smiled with her eyes narrowed slightly. "What if they were all put in one place and taken away Don’t worry, if I were Southern Prince, I wouldn't send anyone to rescue Su Zuodie. So... some of your people at Han Mingyue’s can be moved over there as scouts." Seeing his confusion, Ye Li smiled and explained, "If the Southern Prince truly cared about Lady White Consort, would he let her travel alone to Xinyang We’ve been keeping Lady White Consort imprisoned for so long—have you noticed any signs of action from the Southern Prince"

Everyone suddenly understood. “So what should we do with Han Mingyue…”

Ye Li smiled even more joyfully, "Even if this Concubine releases Han Mingyue now, he wouldn’t leave since Su Zuodie hasn’t been rescued." Qin Feng finally understood what Ye Li meant, “Concubine Wang intends to use Su Zuodie as a hostage against Han Mingyue.” Ye Li sighed helplessly and said, "You can say it like that. As long as she is still in good health, Su Zuodie cannot die."

"Reporting to Your Highness… Young Master Han lost contact," an officer reported with respect in the main tent of Xi Ling’s camp.

The Wolf brush pen in the Prince of Zhennan's hand paused slightly. "What about Tian Yi Pavilion"

The subordinate hesitated for a moment and said, "Tian Yi Pavilion also lost contact last night. According to my observations… it is likely to be bad news." The Prince of Zhennan closed his eyes as if he had calmed down, but there was still a trace of killing intent in his calm tone. "Issue the order from me: all troops except those besieging Xin Yang will attack all cities in the northwest for me. I want Xin Yang to become an isolated city!"

"Understood," the subordinate replied obediently. After watching the subordinate leave, the Prince of Zhennan’s face darkened and he gritted his teeth. "Han Mingyue, you fool!"

In comparison with the Prince of Zhennan who was boiling with rage, Han Mingyue appeared unusually calm and relaxed at this moment. When Mo Xiuyao entered the courtyard, he saw Han Mingyue sitting leisurely by the window playing chess alone for his own amusement. Hearing footsteps, Han Mingyue smiled without lifting his head and said, "Ao Yao, would you like to play a game of chess" Mo Xiuyao sat down next to him and picked up a black piece casually placing it on the board. Han Mingyue raised an eyebrow with interest as he dropped a white piece. Mo Xiuyao’s expression remained calm as he placed another black piece down. They continued playing back and forth like this. In less than half an incense stick, what had been a closely contested game was now overwhelmingly in one side's favor – the board was littered with dead white pieces. Han Mingyue sighed and said, "Ao Yao’s chess is full of killing intent."

"You’re becoming more and more incapable," Mo Xiuyao coldly remarked.

Upon hearing this critique from a former friend, Han Mingyue was unperturbed. He smiled lightly and said, "I’m different from you; by nature I am unable to sever my emotions." Sever one’s emotions Mo Xiuyao sneered sarcastically at the comment. He never claimed to be an expert in love but he wasn’t truly heartless either. It was simply that someone who deserved his meticulous care appeared too late in his life, and more importantly, he knew what it meant to take action where necessary and refrain when needed. Mo Family people would never blindly invest their emotions without principle, so Mo Xiuyao felt nothing but disdain for Han Mingyue’s infatuation.

"I thought you didn't come to reminisce with me" Mu Xiuyao said coolly.

Han Mingyue nodded, saying, "Have you already discovered Prince Dinhuan's strategy" Mu Xiuyao did not answer and only looked at him indifferently. Han Mingyue smiled and said, "Now that I'm in your hands, there's no need for you to be so cautious with me. Now the entire Xinyang is under Princess Dingguo’s control; therefore, as a prince of the kingdom, you naturally have more important things to do than worry about me. The only matter I can think of that would be more urgent than breaking through the siege on Xinyang would be this one. But… I'm rather curious why you haven't moved yet since you've already known." Looking at Mu Xiuyao who was silently playing chess, Han Mingyue pondered for a moment and then exclaimed, "Is it because of Mo Jingqi I originally thought that Prince Dinhuan only contacted Mo Jinglei and the Nanzhao Kingdom, but didn't expect Mo Jingqi to get involved too. So you do need to be more careful now. Maybe even Beirong will join in as well. Xiuyao, I'm starting to wonder how you're going to break Prince Dinhuan's deathly trap."

Mu Xiuyao gave a cold laugh and said, "Since you know so much, you should also know that I didn't come here just for chess."

Han Mingyue laughed lazily and said, "Isn't it enough that I haven't told Prince Dinhuan about the things that have already happened"

Mu Xiuyao looked at him calmly. Han Mingyue shrugged helplessly and said, "The power of Tianyi Pavilion in Great Chu has been severely weakened by you; when I came back this time, I was just about to clean up the mess. You won't be able to use it anyway." Mu Xiuyao sneered coldly, "I don’t need Tianyi Pavilion." Han Mingyue was taken aback and looked at Mu Xiuyao in confusion as he said indifferently, "I wouldn’t dare to make use of anything that comes from a traitor." Han Mingyue gave a bitter laugh. "Indeed, people who aren't part of the same family don't have much in common. The words Princess Dingguo said are exactly like yours. So how do you plan to handle this"

Mu Xiuyao replied, "I want to see Tianyi Pavilion cease to exist!"

Han Mingyue was shocked; the chess pieces in his hand fell onto the board with a bang, disrupting the game. Looking up at Mu Xiuyao's indifferent and calm face, Han Mingyue shook his head and laughed bitterly. "Xiuyao, when you take action, it’s earth-shattering. Do you know how many repercussions will follow if Tianyi Pavilion ceases to exist" Tianyi Pavilion was not a small faction or guild; rather, it was the intelligence organization known as the best in the world. Even after suffering heavy losses due to Mu Xiuyao's full-scale suppression, its power still wasn't something ordinary organizations could match. Once Tianyi Pavilion no longer exists, it will mean that all secret forces under heaven will have to be reorganized.

——Author's Note——ing with the sick scholar. As for Pavilion Leader Ling, I will communicate with him personally to ensure that King’s Pavilion won’t cause you any trouble.""Thank you, Brother," Ye Li said with a smile...