Yelü Ye's Visit

air, "If I find out who spread those rumors, I will beat him so badly his parents wouldn’t be able to recognize him! It’s really outrageous, even worse than that mixed-up Liang Hao Yu!" Everyone coul...The Premier Consort of Prosperous Era 114: Ye Liye's Visit

114. Ye Liye's Visit

Exiting the Imperial Garden, Emperor Moxingqi had already sent people to wait at the exit. Given such a significant incident in the palace, it was unlikely that everyone would simply go back and sleep after hearing about it. Although there were quite a few assassins who infiltrated the palace this time, compared to the nearly thousand-strong Imperial Guard, they were just insignificant specks. The reason why they could create such a commotion was mainly due to catching people off guard. It was clear from this that the guards in the palace weren't as strict and vigilant as one would imagine.

It wasn’t surprising then that the secret guards of Ding王府 had looked down on the Imperial Guard with some pride all along. After all, no assassin had ever managed to break into the Ding王府 territory over the past hundred years or so.

Frightened by the sudden attack from assassins, Moxingqi naturally couldn’t sleep well. He moved his frightened ministers to Longteng Hall where he handled state affairs. As Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao approached the entrance, they heard Mo Xiuyao’s angry voice coming from inside, clearly reprimanding the guards for their negligence.

Ye Li raised her eyebrow in thought, recalling that the current commander of the Imperial Guard seemed to be Leng Haoyu’s elder brother, Leng Qingyu

Entering the hall, she indeed saw a young man who bore some resemblance to Leng Haoyu kneeling on the ground with his head lowered, respectfully listening to Moxingqi’s reprimand. When they entered, Moxingqi finally suppressed his urge to continue scolding and fixed his gaze thoughtfully on them, asking, "Why is Princess Consort of Ding王府 here with Prince Ding" Ye Li smiled slightly and replied, "Your Majesty, fearing for my husband's safety, I brought people to look for him. We didn't have time to report it before rushing out so please forgive us." Moxingqi glanced at Ye Li with a complex expression before forcing a smile and said, "The deep affection between Prince Ding and Princess Consort of Ding王府 is truly the beauty of our Da Chu. It's only natural that she would be concerned for his safety, how could I blame her" Ye Li seemed to feel reassured and smiled, "I’m deeply grateful for Your Majesty’s understanding."

"Is my beloved Princess Zhenning alright" Moxingqi asked Mo Xiuyao with a look of concern.

Mo Xiuyao nodded calmly, "Princess Zhenning was somewhat frightened but she wasn’t injured."

Moxingqi smiled and said, "Zhenning is my beloved daughter. If anything were to happen to her, it would break my heart and make me feel deeply distressed." Although he had a smile on his face, Ye Li couldn't detect any genuine joy in it.

"What does Prince Ding think about tonight's incident" Moxingqi asked Mo Xiuyao with narrowed eyes.

Mosiyao frowned and pondered, "I don't know, but... they probably weren't targeting the Emperor."

Back then, most of the guards were protecting the emperor. But those assassins didn't attempt to break through the guards' encirclement to attack the emperor. After all, even if they managed to kill all the ministers on the top floor, at worst it would only infuriate the emperor.

It wouldn’t have a significant impact in reality. Perhaps just a reshuffle of personnel within the court. "But... Cold Official, why did the Imperial Guard arrive so late" Mosiyao turned around and pointed his gun at the kneeling Leng Qingyu.

Leng Qingyu looked up at Mosiyao and said solemnly, "At that time, the assassins split into several groups to attack other parts of the palace. Your subordinate was momentarily careless and fell for a ploy to lure him away from his post. Please punish your servant accordingly."

"Momentarily careless" Mosiyao sneered coldly, "It seems Cold Official has forgotten why the Imperial Guard exists in the first place. Knowing that there were intruders in the palace, regardless of whether or not there were assassins at Zhaixing Tower, shouldn’t your first task have been to rush there and protect the emperor Yet as the head of the Imperial Guard, you were actually deceived by a few mere assassins."

Leng Qingyu's already cold expression stiffened further. He knew that the Prince Ding was right; tonight’s failure indeed lay with him, and he had no grounds to refute it.

"Alright," Mo Jingqi frowned and said, "Tonight, indeed, is Qinyu's fault, so let's deduct half a year of his salary as punishment. Palace guards also need better organization. If there are any future oversights, I won't be lenient." This essentially meant that he wasn’t going to punish Leng Qingyu at all since the Cold family was wealthy enough and wouldn’t feel the impact of losing six months’ worth of salaries.

In fact, if it had been someone else in this situation, they would have likely lost their position or titles. But since the emperor had already spared him punishment, he couldn't protest further either. Upon hearing Mo Jingqi's words, Mosiyao lowered his head without rebutting.

Seeing that Mosiyao didn’t speak up, Mo Jingqi nodded approvingly and asked, "Shall we leave the investigation of tonight’s incident to Prince Ding Surely he’ll quickly report back to me"

Mosiyao frowned and said, "Forgive your servant. Within a month, this servant will be departing for Beirong. There are also many matters with Prince Beirong's side and the estate that require attention, so I'm afraid there won’t be time to spare."

Mo Jingqi was momentarily taken aback but didn't insist further. He nodded and said, "It’s my oversight for not considering this properly. Very well, then I’ll entrust Liushao Chancellor with the investigation."

Mosiyao had no objections to this; in fact, even if he did have them, Mo Jingqi wouldn’t listen.

After leaving the imperial palace and getting into the carriage, Ye Li looked at Mosiyao curiously. "Are you defending Leng Qingyu"

Mosiyao smiled at her and raised an eyebrow. "Did you notice that"

Ye Li撇了撇嘴，“He’s too obvious.” Everyone could see that Mo Xiuyao had deliberately targeted Leng Qingyu in the palace just now. But at the same time, even if Mo Xiuyao really disliked Leng Qingyu, there was no need to add salt to his wounds at such a moment. Moreover, given Mo Jingqi’s personality, he would definitely support whoever Mo Xiuyao wanted to demote. If not for Mo Xiuyao’s provocation, even if Mo Jingqi trusted Leng Qingyu as much as he did, he wouldn’t have just punished him by cutting his salary for half a year. "I didn’t know that you and Leng Qingyu were such good friends Is it because of the second young master" Mo Xiuyao shook his head. "The Second Young Master doesn’t need my respect; besides… Even if he saved an old beggar on the roadside, he wouldn’t plead for me to help his big brother."

Ye Li lowered her head in thought before looking up at him. “Are you planning something with Mo Jingqi and the Leng Family”

Mo Xiuyao leaned back against the carriage and said with a smile, "My wife is very clever. This was just a small tactic to make Mo Jingqi realize things on his own later. However, since Mo Jingqi only needs a slight hint of suspicion to be wary of Leng Qingyu, even if he knows clearly in his heart, he still can’t help but be cautious toward him. This will make it easier for us to stir up trouble in the future." Ye Li understood; this was laying groundwork beforehand. If Mo Jingqi and the Dingguo Prince’s Mansion coexisted peacefully in the future, Leng Qingyu would naturally stay by his side as an emperor’s confidant. But if things came to a point where they couldn’t avoid conflict, then those close to Mo Jingqi would naturally be within the range of people that the Dingguo Prince’s Mansion needed to eliminate. Thinking about Mo Xiuyao leaving for the North Rong in less than two months, Ye Li couldn’t help but frown; she felt an inexplicable unease.

"What’s wrong with you" Mo Xiuyao asked softly as he looked at her furrowed brows.

Ye Li looked up and met his gaze. "Do you have any plans for the trip to North Rong"

Mo Xiuyao 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 Mansion ever been afraid of anyone” Ye Li frowned and said worriedly, "It’s still better to be careful." Knowing that she was concerned about him, Mo Xiuyao pulled her into his embrace and comforted her gently. “I know. A’li, just trust me; I’ll come back safely.” Ye Li nodded heavily, unconsciously gripping the fabric of Mo Xiuyao's clothes.

The next morning, Ye Li was still training at the drill ground when Commander Mo hurriedly came to report that Prince Yelü requested an audience. Ye Li knew that it was rather rushed with less than two months left. Not only did she need to select suitable princesses and relatives for the marriage alliance, but she also needed to teach them imperial etiquette and rules, which could not be accomplished overnight. Since the establishment of the Great Chu Dynasty, there had hardly been any princesses sent abroad for a marriage alliance. Even if it really happened, preparations before and after the marriage alliance would take nearly a year. This time, when Mo Jingqi suddenly agreed to a marriage alliance with North Rong, both sides had relaxed their conditions considerably like child’s play. Although no one took this marriage alliance seriously, they still needed to go through the formalities.

"Is His Excellency available" Ye Li asked as she threw her sword back into its scabbard.

Commander Mo replied, "Young Master Feng came for an audience with His Excellency early this morning. But His Excellency went out."

Ye Li nodded and said, “Please bring Prince Yelü to the main hall. Also, send over the list of young ladies in the capital compiled recently.”

"My lady, it’s really difficult for outsiders to enter this Dingguo Prince’s Mansion," Commander Mo was about to answer when he heard laughter from afar—Yelü Ye riding toward them. Yelü Ye squinted at the guards blocking him in front of the Moon Gate and felt regretful that he couldn’t force his way through. He truly deserved the title ‘Dingguo Prince’s Mansion’ for sending so many assassins and secret agents back defeated. Its defenses were ten times stricter than those of the Great Chu Imperial Palace. Facing the guards with indifferent expressions, Yelü Ye didn’t force his way in since it was impossible to break through their encirclement without their permission. Besides… angering a beauty would be counterproductive.

"Back off," Ye Li said softly as she appeared behind the guard with Commander Mo. The guards silently withdrew while Yelü Ye raised an eyebrow and sized up the woman before him. Unlike previous times, this time Ye Li wore a simple white outfit that accentuated her slender figure; a bright green sash was tied around her waist. Her dark hair was loosely pulled back without any adornment, making her painted eyebrows and unusual aura even more prominent.

Yelü Ye smiled. "Did I disturb your Excellency’s peace

Ye Li looked at him with a faint smile and said, "If the Prince is truly concerned about disturbing others, why did you insist on forcing your way in"

Yelü Ye smiled innocently. "I just wanted to admire the beautiful scenery of Duke Ding's Estate, but I didn't expect it to be so heavily guarded."

Ye Li felt no need to refute such an excuse and said coolly, "Prince, please go to the front hall for tea. I will have to excuse myself first."

"Wait." Yelü Ye stepped forward; Manager Mo, who was standing beside Ye Li, also stepped in front of him with a slight smile. "Please respect yourself, Prince." Yelü Ye laughed loudly and said, "Was the Duchess practicing martial arts just now I'm very curious about Central Plains martial arts. May I have the honor to spar with you" Manager Mo replied, "There are many skilled martial artists in Duke Ding's Estate. If the Prince wants to practice, I can arrange a few of them to spar with you. Even an old man like me could entertain your interest."

Yelü Ye smiled at Ye Li and said, "As expected of Duke Ding's Estate having many skilled martial artists. However… I would like to learn from the high-level skills of Duchess Ding."

Ye Li replied coolly, "I thought we had already sparred last night. Moreover... your own martial arts are also learned from Central Plains, so how can you be curious"

Yelü Ye was taken aback; his martial arts were indeed learned from someone in the Central Plains, but he had always avoided using them during their previous meetings. It seemed that it hadn't been possible to avoid others' eyes after all "Your Excellency Duchess has good insight. I was somewhat hasty last night and missed a few moves, which is quite regrettable. May I have the chance to spar with you today" Ye Li lowered her head and turned around, saying, "If that's the case, Prince Yelü, please proceed." She then led the way into the estate. Seeing Ye Li's back, Yelü Ye raised an eyebrow and followed her with a pleased smile.

Entering the training ground behind the walls somewhat disappointed Yelü Ye; he didn't expect to find that this secluded training field hidden deep in Duke Ding's Estate was no different from others. However, on second thought, it seemed reasonable — Mo Xiuyao had been disabled for nearly seven years and there was simply no need for a training ground. Furthermore, even if the estate had any secrets, they certainly wouldn't be kept openly where anyone could break in, despite no one ever successfully doing so.

He didn't know that just half a month ago, it looked very different here. But since Ye Li now had better options, she had removed these makeshift facilities from the estate and daily training didn't require them either.

Ye Li walked into the training ground and turned to look at Yelü Ye who was following behind her. She said calmly, "Prince Yelü, please."

Yelü Ye frowned; he realized that this Duchess of Duke Ding's Estate wasn't as easy to deal with as he had imagined. He didn't believe that Ye Li hadn't seen through his ruse but she acted as if she knew nothing and walked straight into the training ground, waiting for him to take action. She even put on a welcoming expression as if planning to let him have several moves out of courtesy. This made Yelü Ye feel amused yet frustrated; during sparring, he would be expected to give way to a woman, which would likely make his brother, the crown prince, laugh in disbelief back home. As Prince Seven of Northern Rong with an esteemed status and good looks, even those bold and straightforward women from Northern Rong blushed when faced with him. But this woman had remained unresponsive every time he deliberately tried to tease her. If a woman can remain calm and composed when being shown favor by a distinguished man, it's clear that she is no easy opponent.

Smiling as he walked towards the training ground, Yelü Ye said, "Duchess, aren't you going to take up any weapon Are you learning swordsmanship"

Ye Li replied calmly, "The Prince has already mentioned that I am studying swords. How could a student dare to show off their skillsbeauty like her would surely be killed instantly."Swoosh—" A beam of light flashed across swiftly. Yelü Ye felt a glint before his eyes and quickly pulled back his strength to retreat several steps. Y...