Prince Robbery

Ye Li's words; he carried on, heading out without looking back.Qin Feng and the others who were left behind watched Moxiuyao leave with grim expressions. They hadn’t even had a chance to speak to the...236. Robbing the Crown Prince

236. Robbing the Crown Prince

Mosixiao leaned against the roof of the grand hall and with his power, he could clearly hear the conversation inside without removing any tiles. Therefore, there was no need to worry about being discovered by those below. Ye Li knew that her lightness skills were not remarkable, so she did not join them. She simply waited in place for Mosixiao's return. Less than a quarter of an hour later, Mosixiao swiftly returned and pulled Ye Li out of the palace, plucking several幽羅冥花 plants along the way before silently leaving the Southern Frontier Holy Land.

The two of them made their way back through the valley using the original path. To their surprise, the horses they thought might have run off were still grazing calmly at their previous location.

They chose a flat and comfortable spot to sit down and took out some dried food and alcohol for a meal. Mosixiao brought out the two types of flowers he had collected from the valley, his brows furrowed deeply.

Ye Li glanced at them indifferently, leaning against him slightly as she said, "Previously, we assumed one was the幽羅冥花 based on our initial impression. However, if one of these two is it, then that must be the case. Although曼珠沙華 has detoxifying effects, it also contains a deadly poison. Combined with its reputation as黃泉之花, we thought it was the幽羅冥花. But when considering medicinal efficacy, this one… seems more likely to drag someone into the underworld like 黃泉之花." Mosixiao nodded and put down the plants, saying, "Does Li know why Leitengfeng came"

Ye Li frowned for a moment before looking up and said, "He also wants that flower-based medicine" Mosixiao nodded, "Exactly. He received some information somewhere and indeed intends to buy this medicine from the Southern Frontier people. Moreover… he wants to purchase it in large quantities. However, these medicines seem little known by the Southern Frontier people themselves, making their production quite difficult. That elder only agreed to sell him a small portion."

Ye Li's expression darkened even further; if someone like Mo Jinglei wanted to control or harm a few individuals with it, they wouldn't need so much of it. "How much does Leitengfeng want" Mosixiao clearly had the same thought and said seriously, "He says he wants as much as possible, not just now but every year in the future." Ye Li thought for a moment before looking at Mosixiao solemnly, "That valley must be eliminated. If that thing spreads, the consequences are unimaginable." Leitengfeng's intention with so many of those things was already clear.

Mosixiao nodded and said, "The幽羅冥花 will take some time to mature. We didn't have enough preparation today, but we'll send Qilin people here to burn down the valley later." Ye Li nodded in agreement, saying, "Keep an eye on other areas within the Southern Frontier; there might be more places with that kind of thing." Mosixiao agreed.

After resting for a while, Mosixiao pulled Ye Li up and smiled, "We should head back now. Let's find something fun to do along the way."

Ye Li raised an eyebrow, puzzled by what he called 'fun'. Mosixiao grinned maliciously, saying, "To rob."

The official road leading to Nanzhao City was filled with several swift horses. Leitengfeng led the pack, his handsome face showing a confident smile. Just as he was lost in thought, an arrow whistled through the air toward him. Startled, he struck his horse's back and leapt into the sky, dodging the arrow. The guards following behind were also alarmed: "Assassins! Protect the Crown Prince!"

The assassin did not appear; instead, two more arrows whizzed past simultaneously, striking two of the guards down. With such excellent archery skills, they could only be shot at like targets since their enemies remained unseen. A few guards gritted their teeth, with two protecting Leitengfeng while others dashed towards where the arrows had come from. Rushing into a nearby forest, they found no one there.

Not far away, Ye Li leaned against a tree, slightly raising her lips as she watched the guards below searching around aimlessly. Did they think she would stay put and wait for them

A few guards searched the woods for a short while but found nothing. Just as they were about to leave the forest, a white figure suddenly darted past them. A guard exclaimed in shock: "You…" Everyone felt a chill at their necks and fell unconscious.

Leitingfeng waited by the road outside the woods for a moment, but saw no movement from inside the woods. He knew that the guards who entered were likely in grave danger. On this trip out, to avoid drawing attention, he had only brought a few personal guards; however, he never expected to encounter such tenacious assassins.

Although anxious, Leitingfeng remained composed on the surface and bowed: "I don't know who the esteemed elder is inside. If I have offended you today, rest assured that I will make amends with a heavy offering in the future. Please show mercy." In response to his plea, two arrows flew towards him. The last remaining two guards beside him fell instantly. Leitingfeng's heart sank; he could no longer hold back and turned around to sprint ahead. But he didn't realize that Mo Xiuyao had been waiting for this moment. As soon as Leitingfeng turned his back, a powerful force struck him from behind, causing intense pain in his chest before he lost consciousness.

Mo Xiuyao stood with his hands behind his back and coldly observed the unconscious Leitingfeng. Ye Li emerged from the woods, put away her bow and arrow, and smiled as she looked at Leitingfeng: "Isn't this Prince of Southern Yun's second time falling into our hands" Mo Xiuyao lightly huffed in response, showing no concern. When he saw Ye Li about to search Leitingfeng’s body, he stopped her from behind and searched the unconscious man himself.

Soon after, Mo Xiuyao held two white porcelain bottles in his hand, similar in appearance to what Mo Jingli had received. Ye Li took the bottles from him and opened them, pouring out several pills and smelling them. Although the shape of these pills was unusual, their ingredients could not deceive her. They were indeed made from the rare and dangerous flowers found in the sacred land of Southern Yun, also known as poppies. There were at least twenty to thirty pills in this small bottle, which surprised Ye Li due to its high purity level. The first time someone takes it, they might be unable to handle it.

Ye Li turned her head and asked Mo Xiuyao; he replied indifferently: "The elder mentioned that initially only a quarter of the mixture should be dissolved in water." Ye Li nodded seriously: "So it is."

"What do we do with him" Mo Xiuyao pointed his chin at the unconscious Leitingfeng.

Ye Li thought for a moment and smiled: "We used Leitingfeng to exchange something once before; if we use this tactic again, the Southern Yun Prince will be furious. Let's leave him here on this road where people pass by frequently—taking someone with us would only cause inconvenience." Mo Xiuyao agreed entirely with her proposal as he didn't want an extra person hindering their journey. The two of them searched Leitingfeng thoroughly and took all his valuables, leaving behind just his clothes before riding off.

On the way back to Southern Yun's capital city, they made a detour and delayed for several days, returning only two days before Princess Anxi’s wedding. By now, most of the envoys from other countries had arrived.

The moment Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao entered the inn, they encountered Leitingfeng coming their way. Due to the incidents earlier, his appearance and demeanor were not too good. Seeing them walking hand in hand, he was momentarily stunned before greeting them: "Prince Ding, Princess Consort Ding, what brings you here…" Ye Li did not evade his question but smiled candidly: "It's Prince Leitingfeng, we arrived a few days earlier and have been touring the city with King Ding. It would be worth it to experience Southern Yun’s customs. As for Your Highness... your appearance doesn't seem too good; were you just traveling here and feeling unwell on the road"

Ye Li's words sounded sincere, and even Leitingfeng couldn’t tell whether she was truly concerned or gloating over his misfortune. Although news of him being attacked by bandits in Southern Yun had spread, Ye Li mentioned that they just returned from their travels.

Leitingfeng glanced at Mo Xiuyao standing behind Ye Li and suddenly felt a pang of suspicion. He smiled faintly: "Thank you for your concern, Princess Consort Ding. I wonder where Prince Ding and his consort went on their tour After the wedding of Princess Anxi, perhaps I can also take some time off to go sightseeing."

Ye Li replied with a smile: "King Ding said that there’s a Snake Valley in Southern Yun with thousands upon thousands of venomous snakes as well as beautiful red flowers. Out of curiosity, I accompanied King Ding to see it; forgive me for any amusement this might have caused you."

Leitingfeng frowned slightly. The Snake Valley and the road where he was attacked were in opposite directions. Actually, Leitingfeng didn't suspect Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao too deeply since his trip to Southern Yun was quite secret and almost spontaneous. It would be unlikely for them to have known about it beforehand. Only the force that attacked him was overly powerful, a rare skill indeed. Coincidentally seeing Mo Xiuyao now made him want to probe further.

Rui Tengfeng smiled and said, "Indeed, it’s a rare scenic spot in the world. I must visit there for some fun once I am back. Since Your Highness and Princess Consort have just returned and are probably tired, I will not disturb you any longer. Please forgive me."

Ye Li nodded with a smile and said, "Enjoy your walk, Young Master."

The two of them returned to the courtyard arranged for them by Anxi Princess. Xu Qingchen was already waiting in the yard.公子清塵一身白衣翩然，坐在樹下的石桌邊悠然地煮茶。隻是淡淡地看了兩人一眼，便讓葉璃莫名心虛起來。葉璃心虛，墨修堯卻不知道什麼是心虛。拉著葉璃毫不猶豫走到桌旁坐下，徐清塵為兩人各自倒了一杯茶，淡笑道：“王爺王妃此番遊玩得可還痛快？”

"It's fine, but the time is too short," Mo Xiuyao said coolly.

The corner of Xu Qingchen’s mouth twitched slightly and he glanced at Ye Li with a pale look. Feeling guilty, Ye Li quietly reached out to pull on Mo Xiuyao. They had suddenly run away, leaving all the social engagements in the city to their eldest brother. It was only natural for him to be angry about it. Mo Xiuyao gave an indignant snort and looked at Xu Qingchen carelessly. "There’s nothing wrong with that," he said, recounting what he saw in the Holy Land of Southern Yi.

Xu Qingchen’s handsome face finally showed something other than his usual coolness after listening to Mo Xiuyao’s report. His rare dark expression deepened as he gritted his teeth and asked, "Does Your Highness mean that when you discovered such an important thing, your thought wasn’t about returning to deal with it but rather taking Princess Consort around for a detour before continuing the tour" Innocent-looking Mo Xiuyao looked at him and said, "What’s wrong with that" He also cast a pitiful glance at Ye Li. ‘Look, my eldest brother is being unreasonable again.’

Ye Li rolled her eyes as she stared up at the sky. Xu Qingchen was still angry. "Are you stupid No one knows how many experts and dangers are inside the Holy Land of Southern Yi. How dare you take Ye Li directly into it! You want to die yourself, but why drag Ye Li along with you" Mo Xiuyao said, "No one was there at all. I took Ye Li around for a circle before leaving without anyone noticing." Xu Qingchen sneered and said, "That’s because your luck is good. As soon as you left on the first day, Shumanlin quietly brought over more than 100 top experts to the city."

Mo Xiuyao nodded in agreement. "Yes, my luck has always been very good." Seeing Xu Qingchen about to change his expression again, Ye Li hurriedly poured him a cup of tea and said, "Big Brother, take it easy… Your Highness!" She glared at Mo Xiuyao warningly. Displeased, he pursed his lips. ‘Ye Li is so partial.’

Seeing the two men with different expressions who didn’t like each other at all, Ye Li helplessly sighed and gave up on expecting anything from Mo Xiuyao as she spoke about what happened afterward. Hearing Ye Li’s recount of the story of the Dark Lotus Flower, Xu Qingchen no longer cared about venting his anger toward Mo Xiuyao. Furrowing his brows slightly, he said sternly, "Mo Jingli wants to use that thing for the emperor"

Ye Li nodded and said, "It must be so. Over these years, Prince Jingqi and Prince Jinglei have appeared friendly but have actually been secretly fighting each other all along. Mo Jingli owns half of the southern part of Great Chu, which is the wealthiest region in the country. How could he be content with being second to only one person He must not want to wait any longer."

Xu Qingchen sneered and said, "Foolish! The people from Southern Yi definitely have no good intentions. Mo Jingli thinks that using this method to get rid of his brother will leave him without anything for Shumanlin to hold over him Great Chu is different from Southern Yi; the most important thing in Great Chu is honor, righteousness, integrity, and filial piety. Once the matter of Mo Jingli plotting against his older brother—the king—gets out, he won’t be able to sit on the throne either way. He might as well rebel directly then. At that time, if Southern Zhao has a hold over him, Mo Jingli will only be a puppet."

"Shumanlin did indeed have good plans. Big Brother, do you know anything about Tan Jizhi" Ye Li said with a smile.

Xu Qingchen nodded and said, "I am somewhat familiar with Shumanlin; she doesn’t have that kind of mind. It must be Tan Jizhi who is behind the scenes giving her advice. After removing Anxi Princess to obtain Southern Zhao, he controls Mo Jingli from behind the scenes to control Great Chu. This is indeed a good idea. However, he might be thinking too smoothly."

Ye Li looked at Mo Xiuyao and asked, "Xiyao, what’s your opinion" Leaning against the big tree behind him, lazy Mo Xiuyao smiled and said, "What can I think It has nothing to do with us outsiders when brothers are fighting over the throne." This means that he doesn’t care.

Xu Qingchen sighed lightly. Mo Xiuyao had a deep grudge against the Chu Imperial family, and it was already surprising to many people that he did not immediately send troops into battle at the start. Of course, he would not go to rescue Mo Jingqi either. From the moment Mo Jingqi registered his marriage with Ding王府 and Mo Xiwen (Mo Xiuyao), he likely never imagined that his own flesh-and-blood younger brother would be the one who wanted him dead.

After some thought, Xu Qingchen nodded and said, "Alright then, let's not intervene in this matter." Now that the Northwest had broken off relations with Chu, it was best to completely stay out of Chu's affairs. Although there were currently no conflicts between them, everyone knew that a war between Chu and the Northwest was inevitable at some point; if the Northwest meddled in Chu’s internal politics during this period, it would not be good for Ding Wang’s reputation or for Mo Family Army.

"Shumanlin is likely to have ulterior motives," Xu Qingchen frowned as he thought about the hundreds of experts Shumanlin had brought from Southern Border Holy Land. Those who could reside in the Southern Border Holy Land were definitely top-notch experts, and more importantly, people from Nanzhao are skilled at using poison and insects, making them even more dangerous. That was why Central Plains people generally did not like to interact with various ethnic groups in the Southern Border region. They didn’t bring many guards this time either; if anything really happened, it would be troublesome.

Mo Xiuyao smiled and said, "The Anxi Princess is no ordinary person either. With Qingchen's guidance, she will surely gain an edge." The Anxi Princess had managed to remain undefeated against Shumanlin all these years with the South Zhaowang’s favor; naturally, she was not someone who could be easily manipulated. Xu Qingchen smiled and nodded, saying, "The Anxi Princess told me that both Pu Ah and her maternal grandfather's tribe have sent many experts over. Additionally, she has also accumulated quite a few loyal followers in recent years. However… this wedding…" A peaceful wedding would likely not remain bloodless.

Mo Xiuyao said, "The Nanzhao people do not believe in such things, so they probably won’t mind."

Xu Qingchen was helpless; did it matter whether or not one minded No one would be happy with a wedding that turned into a bloody battle. Ye Li leaned on the table and pondered aloud, "Could it be that the Anxi Princess is using this wedding to deal with Shumanlin"

Xu Qingchen was taken aback, “How so”

Ye Li shook her head and said, "I don’t know. I just think the Anxi Princess’s sudden announcement of this wedding seems a bit off. And… she actually invited experts to secretly assist her. Unless the Anxi Princess predicted what would happen ahead of time, it must be that she deliberately provoked Shumanlin into reacting this way. However, even if that is true, it doesn’t make sense because the South Zhaowang is still alive; even if the Anxi Princess wins, she couldn’t kill Shumanlin."

Mo Xiuyao smiled and said, "It’s probably because the Anxi Princess was forced to take a risky move by Shumanlin and the South Zhaowang. Have you noticed that the South Zhaowang has basically ignored Pu Ah This means he is not very supportive of this marriage. In his heart… he might want to depose the Anxi Princess."

"The South Zhaowang does not have other children, deposing the Anxi Princess…"

Mo Xiuyao smiled and said, "He would naturally set Shumanlin as the successor. The Holy Maiden of Southern Border has a unique status in Nanzhao; historically, there are also examples of Southern Border Holy Maidens temporarily taking over the throne, even if only for a very short period of time. Furthermore, in recent years, Shumanlin has been revered as a savior by Nanzhao and is subjected to far fewer restrictions than previous Holy Maidens ever were. In these circumstances, persuading the South Zhaowang to appoint another crown princess might not be impossible."

Ye Li sighed helplessly; just listening to the royal power struggles was tiring enough. It was truly admirable that Anxi Princess could still persist in this difficult situation.

"What does His Excellency think"

Mo Xiuyao smiled calmly and said, "The crown princess cannot be deposed, and the Holy Maiden of Southern Border must not die."Zhiyao and Zuo Jing’s cold mockery, which was making fun of each other, the originally tense atmosphere became inexplicably comical. Although the masked assassins could not be seen through their masks...