Crowned Consort in Golden Age-Chapter 407 - 406. Restless in Dismay

406. Unsettling Suspicion

On this day, a staggering event, which would surely shake the world if publicized, occurred at the Governor’s Mansion in Liyang City, where the Emperor of Great Chu was temporarily residing. However, no one dared to leak this event because a portion of those who knew about it had their mouths permanently silenced by Mo Jingli, while the rest were loyal confidants of Mo Jingli who lacked the audacity. Thus, everyone in Liyang City, from high-ranking nobles to ordinary people, was unaware of what had transpired. The only event they knew of was the incident the preceding night when the provisions of the Army of Great Chu were set ablaze by the Mo Family Army.

In Mo Jingli’s room, several imperial physicians were trembling on their knees, too frightened to move. Sitting on the bed, Mo Jingli stared coldly at the men below, his countenance twisting ominously as if foreshadowing an imminent storm.

"Tell me... Can it be cured?" After a long time, Mo Jingli asked in a chilling voice.

An uncomfortable silence filled the room before an imperial physician finally managed to speak, trembling, "Your Majesty... The... The assassin... was exceedingly ruthless. Also... poison was involved. We...are incompetent and... powerless to reverse the situation..."

A glimmer of murderous intent flashed across Mo Jingli’s face. He chuckled coldly. "Drag him out and behead him! If you’re incompetent, what’s the point of your existence?" Two guards entered and dragged away the physician who had just spoken. The terrified physician begged, "Have mercy, Your Majesty! Your Majesty...please..." However, Mo Jingli paid no heed to his pleas and turned to the remaining imperial physicians kneeling by the bed. "What do you have to say?"

The remaining physicians, thoroughly shaken by Mo Jingli’s ruthless actions, promptly pleaded, "We will... We’ll try our best... Please spare us, Your Majesty..." 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

"Try your best?" Mo Jingli was not satisfied. The physicians hurriedly amended their statement, "We will definitely concoct an antidote. We’ll definitely cure Your Majesty... We certainly will..." At that moment, who cared about the crime of deceiving the emperor? Deceiving him meant a later death; not deceiving him meant immediate death. The imperial physicians hastily made all sorts of promises, as if a certain someone hadn’t had a rather crucial part of his anatomy severed, but had merely suffered an accidental minor cut on the hand.

Mo Jingli narrowed his eyes and said coldly, "I am giving you three days."

"Yes! We obey!" The physicians sighed in relief and quickly agreed.

Watching these physicians, scared stiff, Mo Jingli snorted coldly. "Get out!" The physicians scrambled out of the room to research the prescription. Although they were all well aware that the assassin who injured Mo Jingli clearly intended to sever his lineage, let alone whether they could even develop an antidote. Even if Shen Yang, renowned as the Divine Doctor of the age, arrived with Bilo grass, it would be useless. After all, a man isn’t like a garlic shoot; it can’t grow back once plucked. Yet, none of them dared to speak the truth, especially with the lesson from their predecessor laid out plainly before them. At this moment, these imperial physicians couldn’t help but hope in their hearts that the Mo Family Army would conquer Liyang City quickly, allowing them to escape.

In the room, Mo Jingli leaned against the headboard, staring at the letter in his hand which he had read countless times, the look in his eyes shifting indeterminately.

"Your humble servant Qiu Yunan requests an audience with Your Majesty." An elderly voice came from outside.

Mo Jingli replied in a deep voice, "Enter."

A man in his sixties, dressed as a scholar, walked in. He looked at the person on the bed and cautiously bowed his head in greeting. "May I know Your Majesty’s command for summoning me?"

Mo Jingli stared at him for a long moment before asking, "Lord Qiu, you’ve served under four reigns now, haven’t you?"

Lord Qiu promptly replied, "Yes, Your Majesty, I indeed started my career during the reign of the Grand Previous Emperor." Unfortunately, he wasn’t blessed with good fortune; his abilities were average, his looks unremarkable, and his family background ordinary, so despite serving through four reigns, he remained obscure. However, he generally knew how to conduct himself and had managed to live these years peacefully. Now, with the capable officials in the Great Chu court either dead or departed, it was finally, barely, his turn to come to the fore. Nevertheless, Mo Jingli still did not hold him in high regard; he had only promoted him out of desperation, having no one else available.

Mo Jingli raised his hand, passing over the letter. "Then take a look. Do you recognize this handwriting?"

Lord Qiu cautiously took the letter. He glanced at its contents and was momentarily startled, but quickly noticing Mo Jingli’s icy gaze, he hastily refocused his attention on the handwriting. He frowned for a good while before shaking his head. "Your Majesty, I... do not recognize this handwriting."

Mo Jingli gave a cold laugh. "Is that so? Then, does it perhaps look a little familiar?"

Familiar? Lord Qiu, puzzled, redirected his gaze to the letter. This time, he did discern something. Hesitating for a moment, he finally said, "This... Your Majesty, this handwriting seems to be from the school of... the school of..."

"The school of Su Zhe, isn’t it?" Mo Jingli asked coldly. In those years, Su Zhe was not only a great Confucian scholar in Great Chu, second only to Mr. Qingyun, but also a renowned master calligrapher of his generation. Those who wished to become his disciples were as numerous as ox hairs. However, only two people ever had the opportunity to be taught by Su Zhe from their initial tutelage.

Lord Qiu nodded. "Correct. However... this person’s handwriting is still vastly different from Su Zhe’s. Su Zhe’s writing was elegant, possessing a scholar’s refined grace and unyielding spirit. This person’s handwriting, on the other hand, has more of a free-spirited quality and an air of dominance. At first glance, they don’t seem alike, but if... examined closely, there is indeed a shadow of Su Zhe’s style. Therefore, they likely studied under Su Zhe from a young age." Only by starting to learn from a young age could habits become so deeply ingrained. Even if they later developed their own unique style, traces would still be discernible.

Mo Jingli tossed out another petition and asked, "Are these two handwritings by the same person?"

As Lord Qiu unfolded it, he nearly went limp and collapsed to the ground in fright. This petition was in the handwriting of Prince Ding, Mo Xiuyao. Although Mo Xiuyao was not a renowned calligrapher, due to his status and reputation, any of his occasional calligraphy pieces that circulated were even more valuable than those of many famous masters. Lord Qiu, having served as an official for thirty or forty years, had naturally seen it before. But... wasn’t Prince Ding already dead?

Looking at Mo Jingli somewhat fearfully, Lord Qiu had even forgotten proper etiquette. He was quietly guessing whether yesterday’s incident had driven the Emperor mad.

Seeing Lord Qiu’s shocked expression, Mo Jingli’s face became even more unpleasant. Did he enjoy being suspected of being mad? He had compared that letter for a long time. The person who left the letter seemed to have done it deliberately; the handwriting was seventy percent similar to Mo Xiuyao’s, yet thirty percent dissimilar, as if intentionally written to be ambiguously alike. If Mo Xiuyao were truly alive and wanted to conceal his identity by changing his handwriting, then he wouldn’t need to write the letter in a script resembling his own at all; he could have easily found a way to completely disguise his calligraphy. But with it being like this, Mo Jingli couldn’t help but wonder if Mo Xiuyao was really still alive. However, if this was merely a deceptive tactic by the Mo Family Army, he would lose face before the entire world once more. Then, everyone would know that he, Mo Jingli, was afraid of Mo Xiuyao—so afraid that even with Mo Xiuyao supposedly dead, he was like a bird startled by the mere twang of a bowstring.

"Is it or not?!" Mo Jingli demanded coldly.

Lord Qiu grimaced. "Your Majesty... although these two handwritings bear some resemblance, I’m afraid... they are not from the same person. Moreover... Prince Ding is already dead."

"Get out," Mo Jingli said gruffly.

"Yes, this old official takes his leave." Lord Qiu, as if granted amnesty, hastily exited.

"Mo Xiuyao... Mo Xiuyao! It must be you!" Mo Jingli exclaimed, gritting his teeth. As he tried to rise suddenly, he inadvertently pulled at his wound; his face turned pale, and he nearly fainted again. He had no idea what kind of drug Mo Xiuyao had used. Initially, he had felt no pain at all. But shortly after waking, sensation returned, and the pain grew increasingly intense. Mo Jingli clenched the letter in his hand tightly. "Mo Xiuyao! I will kill you! I swear I will kill you!"

Mo Jingli desperately wanted to dispatch all his men to find Mo Xiuyao and kill him again, regardless of whether he was truly dead or feigning death. However, others, including Mo Jingli’s own confidants, did not see it that way. The whole world knew Prince Ding was dead; it had been personally confirmed by the Emperor and the Southern Garrison Prince. How could he possibly have returned to life? As for an assassin infiltrating the Governor’s Mansion undetected in the dead of night, if Qilin could silently burn the Army of Great Chu’s provisions, then it was certainly possible for someone to sneak into the Governor’s Mansion. Most people regarded this as a provocation and a warning from the Mo Family Army to the Army of Great Chu. As for Mo Jingli’s belief that Mo Xiuyao was still alive... His Majesty must be overly anxious! Although Mo Jingli longed to prove himself right, he also knew that Lei Zhenting had seen Mo Xiuyao’s corpse with his own eyes that day. Lei Zhenting had absolutely no reason to deceive him about this. Moreover... he truly couldn’t bring himself to show everyone the letter left by the assassin. Wouldn’t that reveal his injuries to the entire world?

"If it were Prince Ding, there would be no need to hide his identity, so why alter his handwriting? And if he wanted to alter his handwriting, why make it seventy percent similar to Prince Ding’s? It’s clearly the Mo Family Army deliberately trying to sow confusion." If one truly didn’t want to be recognized, never mind hiring a ghostwriter, even writing with the left hand would make it unrecognizable. In the end, the words of his subordinates finally persuaded Mo Jingli. Or perhaps, it could be said that Mo Jingli convinced himself in his own heart. He had no choice but to order the guards to be reinforced again. Mo Jingli, his heart shrouded in darkness, hid himself away in the Governor’s Mansion to nurse his wounds.

「Mo Xiuyao, still maintaining an ordinary appearance, continued to blend in with the Mo Family Army.」

Aside from Leng Huai and a few others, no one in the Mo Family Army knew that the supposedly deceased Prince Ding was currently sitting in their camp, drinking tea. Although Mo Xiuyao was disguised, everyone in the main tent could still sense that the Prince’s mood was excellent, exceptionally so. Compared to his disposition when he had just arrived at the camp yesterday, it was evident that the Prince had done something in the city last night that had greatly pleased him.

"Your Highness... is there any good news?" Lv Jinxian asked curiously. Despite everyone else pretending to be busy with their own tasks, their ears pricked up at the question.

Mo Xiuyao said leisurely, "All six great families of Yunzhou have agreed to submit to Prince Ding’s Mansion. Wouldn’t you consider that good news?"

Everyone looked unimpressed. What kind of good news was this? None of them believed any Family Head, unless utterly brainless or absolutely forced, would choose to side with Mo Jingli. Between Mo Jingli and Prince Ding’s Mansion, the advantages of choosing the latter were glaringly obvious. If it were Mo Jingqi, he could at least claim a righteous and legitimate cause. But with Mo Jingli, who had usurped the throne and killed his own brother and nephew, even this final shred of legitimacy was about to be lost.

Mo Xiuyao said with a grin, "As for other things... as the Buddha said, ’It cannot be told...’" Whenever he recalled Mo Jingli’s current state, Mo Xiuyao felt the gloom of the past few days instantly vanish. Resisting the urge to kill Mo Jingli last night and sparing his life was an absolutely correct decision! After a moment’s thought, Mo Xiuyao raised an eyebrow and asked, "General Lv, can Liyang be conquered within three days?"

Lv Jinxian laughed. "Rest assured, Your Highness, there will be absolutely no problem. The Army of Great Chu’s provisions convoy is already approaching and will arrive by this evening at the latest. We can make our move then."

Mo Xiuyao raised an eyebrow. "Are you planning to attack when the Army of Great Chu’s provisions convoy arrives?"

Lv Jinxian nodded; that was indeed his plan. Besides, the Princess Consort had made it clear when she left: half of the wealthy Jiangnan merchants supplying provisions to the Army of Great Chu were affiliated with Prince Ding’s Mansion. Those provisions were meant for the Mo Family Army, so naturally, Mo Jingli could not be allowed to obtain them.

Mo Xiuyao contemplated for a moment, then shook his head. "No, let them enter."

Lv Jinxian looked at Mo Xiuyao, puzzled. "Your Highness means to say?"

Mo Xiuyao said, "Send men to help them transport the provisions in. And then..." He took out a delicate small porcelain vial, placed it on the table, and said calmly, "You know what to do?"

"Is Your Highness suggesting poisoning them? I’m afraid that’s not very reliable," Leng Huai said with some concern. "After all, with an army of several hundred thousand, it’s impossible for all of them to be poisoned simultaneously. If even one discovers it prematurely, the entire plan could very well fall apart."

Mo Xiuyao said calmly, "Don’t worry. I obtained this from Shen Yang. After ingestion... the effects will only manifest after two hours. Furthermore... this substance isn’t lethal; it will merely leave them temporarily without the strength to fight. I do not wish to kill too many people. Xu Qingfeng."

"Your subordinate is here!" Xu Qingfeng rose and responded.

Mo Xiuyao flicked out a slip of paper and said lightly, "Within six hours after the provisions enter the city, I want to see the heads of these people."

Xu Qingfeng took it, glanced at the names, and committed them to memory. Nodding, he replied, "Your subordinate obeys. I will go and make arrangements immediately."

Mo Xiuyao nodded, cautioning, "You’ve entered the city once before and alarmed the Army of Great Chu. The defenses are likely to be more stringent now, so be careful."

"Yes, Your Highness." Xu Qingfeng nodded, turned, and left.

Inside the tent, He Su asked, "Does Your Highness intend to eliminate the Army of Great Chu’s generals first?" Once the commanding generals are dead, even a vast army becomes like a swarm of headless flies. If, in addition, most of the soldiers lose their ability to fight, the Mo Family Army might indeed be able to take Liyang City without shedding blood.

Leng Huai raised his eyebrows, hesitated for a moment, then said, "Does Your Highness plan to incorporate these 800,000 Army of Great Chu soldiers?"

Hearing this, everyone was startled. But they saw Mo Xiuyao nod with satisfaction and smile. "General Leng’s words are spot on. Lei Zhenting would never imagine... that the allies he originally set up would suddenly turn around and strike him instead."

"A brilliant strategy, Your Highness!" Lv Jinxian also praised. If successful, this would indeed deliver a fatal blow to Lei Zhenting. However, such a plan could only be executed by Mo Xiuyao. Even if individuals like Lv Jinxian and Leng Huai could take Liyang without bloodshed, their prestige was insufficient to subdue an army of over 800,000 soldiers in one go. Therefore, they had never conceived of such a method, nor dared to.

「When night fell once more, the Army of Great Chu’s rear convoy transporting provisions had indeed arrived before Liyang, as expected.」

This was naturally excellent news for the Army of Great Chu, which had just lost nearly all its supplies. After a series of inspections, the large contingent transporting the provisions smoothly entered Liyang City. Mo Jingli, lying listlessly on his bed, was in no mood to concern himself with such trivial matters and simply waved his hand, delegating them to his subordinates. He was unaware, however, that at this very moment, the Jiangnan tycoons responsible for procuring these provisions, led by Zhang Baiwan, were guests in the Mo Family Army’s main camp.

"Greetings, General Lv, General Leng." Upon seeing Lv Jinxian and Leng Huai in the seats of honor, Zhang Baiwan visibly shrank and clasped his hands in salute. Though he was a man who desperately loved money, this was the first time he had faced military men like Lv Jinxian and the others, who exuded such a potent aura of slaughter. As for the generals he had encountered in Nanjing, they were clearly not worth mentioning in comparison.

Lv Jinxian chuckled. "Old Master Zhang, there’s no need for such formalities. We are greatly indebted to you for this matter."

Zhang Baiwan waved his hands repeatedly. "Not at all, not at all! The Grand General can simply call me Zhang Baiwan. Since it was an order from Princess Consort Ding, how could we dare disobey? Rest assured, Grand General; I guarantee that after today, Mo Jingli will not be able to transport even half a grain of provisions from Jiangnan."

Lv Jinxian nodded in satisfaction. Seeing Zhang Baiwan’s still apprehensive expression, he smiled reassuringly. "Old Master Zhang, please rest easy. The Princess Consort has already made all necessary arrangements. I, this general, guarantee that even if news of your allegiance to Prince Ding’s Mansion reaches Jiangnan, your families will not be in any danger."

Zhang Baiwan’s eyes lit up. What they feared most in doing these things was being discovered by Mo Jingli. After all, their foundations were still in Jiangnan, and in Jiangnan, Mo Jingli still called the shots.

"Old Master Zhang, there is a matter that requires you to make a trip back to Jiangnan. I wonder if that would be possible?" Mo Xiuyao, who had been sitting to one side without speaking, suddenly interjected. To conceal his whereabouts, Mo Xiuyao had constantly maintained a disguise within the army. Without his conspicuous white hair and with an ordinary-looking face, even his formidable aura made it difficult for anyone to connect him with the deceased Prince Ding.

Zhang Baiwan hesitated for a bit before looking up at Lv Jinxian and asked, "Who might this gentleman be..."

Lv Jinxian said, "This is Young Master Ye."

Although Zhang Baiwan didn’t know exactly who this Young Master Ye was, he at least remembered that Princess Consort Ding’s surname was Ye. Now that Prince Ding was gone, didn’t that mean Princess Consort Ding called the shots in Prince Ding’s Mansion? Besides, judging by Lv Jinxian’s attitude, he knew this was someone he could not afford to offend. He hastily replied with deference, "Young Master, please give your instructions."

Mo Xiuyao took out a letter and handed it to Zhang Baiwan. "Please take this letter back and deliver it into the hands of the person named on the envelope."

Zhang Baiwan was taken aback and asked skeptically, "Just this?" He had initially assumed it would be some critical task, but to his surprise, it was merely delivering a letter. Anyone could do something like this; Young Master Ye specifically asking him to deliver it couldn’t help but arouse a sliver of suspicion in his mind.

Mo Xiuyao smiled faintly. "Old Master Zhang, no need to hesitate. It is indeed just a letter. It wouldn’t have mattered who delivered it, but... people from Prince Ding’s Mansion entering Jiangnan would easily attract attention, so I thought to trouble you with this task."

This wasn’t a particularly significant task, so Zhang Baiwan naturally wouldn’t refuse. He accepted the letter and nodded. "Please rest assured, Young Master. I will definitely deliver the letter."

Mo Xiuyao nodded with satisfaction and smiled. "Old Master Zhang, you only need to deliver the letter. I can guarantee on behalf of the Princess Consort... that the Zhang Family will absolutely not be treated unfairly in the future."

Zhang Baiwan’s heart leaped with joy. Seeing that Lv Jinxian and the others all wore normal expressions, it seemed this Young Master Ye truly possessed the authority to make decisions on behalf of Princess Consort Ding. The smile on his face instantly widened, and he nodded repeatedly. "Young Master, please rest completely assured."

「After dismissing Zhang Baiwan, Leng Huai furrowed his brows.」

"Your Highness, this Zhang Baiwan is too greedy. I’m afraid he may not be reliable."

Mo Xiuyao raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Ah-Li chose to cooperate with him rather than others, which proves he indeed has this value. Besides... greed isn’t necessarily a drawback. ’Man dies for wealth as birds die for food.’ If he truly possesses genuine ability, I wouldn’t mind letting him take a little more." It’s just that if he becomes too excessive, then I can’t guarantee I won’t make him cough up his entire family fortune.

"But... according to the intelligence we’ve received, this man also has some ambiguous connections with Xiling," Leng Huai frowned. In the letter Princess Consort Ding left when she departed, she had warned that this man was not to be fully trusted.

Mo Xiuyao was not surprised. He smiled. "He’s a businessman. Naturally, he wouldn’t put all his eggs in one basket."

"What did Your Highness write in the letter to him?" Yun Ting asked curiously.

Mo Xiuyao said, "I wrote that... Prince Ding is not dead, but is currently critically injured and in grave danger. I instructed the hidden agents of Prince Ding’s Mansion in Jiangnan to go to Nanzhao to request troops, in order to relieve the siege of Princess Consort Ding at Feihong Pass."

Everyone was utterly bewildered. Requesting troops from Nanzhao? Surely their situation hadn’t deteriorated to that extent? Besides... Nanzhao had just experienced internal turmoil a few years ago and had subsequently been entangled with Xiling for some time. Even if Nanzhao exhausted its national strength, how many troops could it possibly lend?

After pondering for a moment, He Su said, "Your Highness, do you suspect Zhang Baiwan is Lei Zhenting’s man? If Zhang Baiwan truly were Lei Zhenting’s man, upon receiving this letter, he would absolutely not return to Jiangnan. Instead, he would deliver it directly into Lei Zhenting’s hands."

Mo Xiuyao shook his head. "He is definitely not Lei Zhenting’s man at present. But after he reads this letter, that might no longer be certain."

Everyone exchanged glances, finally understanding. This was fundamentally a test from the Prince for the Jiangnan tycoons, spearheaded by Zhang Baiwan. If they chose incorrectly...

Yun Ting frowned. "Isn’t this a bit too... After all, perhaps Zhang Baiwan doesn’t harbor such intentions at present." Deliberately tempting others into disloyalty—although much of the blame would fall on their own lack of conviction—the truth was that most people in this world were ordinary individuals with unsteady hearts. If not given the chance, they might never betray.

Mo Xiuyao said indifferently, "Jiangnan will soon undergo a complete transformation. At that time... these people will become extremely important. Rather than have these vacillating individuals ruin my plans later, I would prefer to eliminate them all and replace them with people who harbor no disloyal intentions." Such methods might seem somewhat ruthless, but Mo Xiuyao had far too many matters to consider. He shouldered the responsibility for the prosperity and decline of the entire Prince Ding’s Mansion and the Mo Family Army; he had no time to concern himself with individual lives, deaths, or innocence. Besides, hadn’t he still left them a chance?

Glancing at Mo Xiuyao’s indifferent eyes, Yun Ting inwardly sighed and fell silent. He understood Prince Ding’s meaning. Compared to these veteran soldiers of the Mo Family Army, who had experienced so much, he was clearly still too softhearted and naive.