113 Peach Grove Secrets

several hundred to chase after someone non-stop shouldn’t be too hard. By the way, I have a King Yama Order in hand, wondering if Lord Ling will be willing to hunt down the person who claims to be hi...113. Peach Grove Secret News

113. Peach Grove Secret News

Ye Li was moving swiftly through the somewhat dim palace, as if she had walked these routes countless times before and was very familiar with them. Her slender figure landed nimbly under a palace eave, and Ye Li stopped her steps to look up at the eaves behind her, saying coolly, "Prince Yelü, do you have something to tell this concubine at this hour"

When his movements were discovered, Prince Yelü Ye did not hesitate but leaped down from the roof with a smile and asked, "Is Concubine Wang going to look for Duke Ding Do you know where he is" Ye Li replied calmly, "This seems irrelevant to Prince Yelü. Instead of pondering such matters, it would be better if Prince Yelü thought about how to explain your attempt on Lian Qi's life upon your arrival in the Great Chu."

Earlier, the assassin had called out Yelü Ye’s name directly at Zhaixing Pavilion, and there must have been many people who heard it. Even though few knew about the assassination that happened during the lantern festival, it still might spread. If something important happens tonight, those powerful families are likely to blame Prince Yelü.

Yelü Ye innocently said, "I came from far away, and I didn’t know how dangerous the Great Chu was."

Ye Li coldly remarked, "In my view, compared with your Northern Rong, you seem more like a person from our Great Chu." Finished speaking, she ignored Yelü Ye’s expression and walked quickly to her destination. The two of them were walking one after another in the palace at an appropriate distance. Perhaps because most guards had gone toward Zhaixing Pavilion due to the assassin, the entire palace was actually less guarded than usual.

Ye Li frowned unconsciously as she thought that if someone sneaked into the palace now and hid here, it would be unimaginable. Yelü Ye followed Ye Li leisurely; he could tell that Concubine Dingwang was not aimlessly searching in the palace but heading toward a particular direction. But with his eyesight, he couldn’t find any traces left by Mo Xiu Yao on this route and had to conclude they were some hidden marks of Dingwang Manor that he didn't know about.

They soon arrived at the edge of the imperial garden’s peach grove.

Yelü Ye frowned, "Concubine, are you sure you’re not mistaken"

Ye Li leaped over a river blocking her way and said calmly, "I didn’t ask Prince Yelü to come along." As soon as she landed, without hesitation, she entered the peach grove. Yelü Ye shrugged with a smile and followed, asking, "Concubine Wang seems to trust me; are you not afraid I might sneak an attack from behind"

"You can try."

Yelü Ye scratched his nose speechlessly as he wasn’t someone who liked to die. Even if Concubine Dingwang herself was a formidable opponent, the moment they entered the imperial garden, Yelü Ye had vaguely felt that someone was following them. It would have been fine if it were so, but he couldn't identify who exactly was following them. This intuition of his came from countless times narrowly escaping death since childhood. Since Concubine Dingwang said this, Yelü Ye knew in his heart that the one following them must be a person from Dingwang Manor. He secretly resented how powerful Dingwang Manor was; although it was chaos in the palace now, he could guarantee that even the least important person of Dingwang Manor wouldn’t get caught.

The guards did not feel any panic.

After entering the forest for a short while, Ye Liye heard sounds coming from afar. Some of them didn't seem like fighting sounds but rather like an argument between a woman and someone else. Seeing Ye Lie in front of him with her face unclearly visible, Ye Liye smiled amusingly; following this woman was indeed correct.

In the peach grove, Princess Zhen Ning sat on the ground dazedly staring at her mother who looked completely different from usual. Just now, she had been scared and wanted to cry in her mother’s arms, but instead, she could only sit there blankly without making a sound. Because her mother hadn't even spared her a glance, although she was still young, she keenly knew that her mother didn’t want her to disturb her.

Murong Xiuyao frowned as he looked at the white-clothed woman in front of him. "Since Princess Zhen Ning is fine now, I will take my leave." Not long after chasing out from Zhaixing Tower, he discovered that those who had taken away Princess Zhen Ning weren’t intending to harm her but only wanted to lure him away. However, Murong Xiuyao didn't expect the person responsible for abducting Princess Zhen Ning to be arranged by this woman in front of him. Moreover, she was even able to calculate that Emperor Mo Jingqi would let him rescue Princess Zhen Ning. It seemed like he had consistently underestimated Concubine Lady Liu's influence over Emperor Mo Jingqi.

"Do you hate me so much..." said Concubine Lady Liu softly; her usually cold and indifferent voice now added a hint of sorrowful questioning.

Murong Xiuyao frowned and turned to look at Concubine Lady Liu. "Between this king and the concubine, we have not reached the stage where it concerns whether I hate you."

Upon hearing his words, Concubine Lady Liu's face paled and she lightly bit her red lip without being able to say anything more. Such an answer was actually more heart-wounding than simple hatred; in Murong Xiuyao’s eyes, she didn't even deserve for him to hate her because they never had any relationship.

"Why... why treat me this way" asked Concubine Lady Liu tremulously; her icy-cold face added an extra touch of fragility and sorrow. Compared to her usual high and mighty demeanor, she now appeared more delicate and dependent. She raised her head and looked at Murong Xiuyao, unwillingly asking, "Why have you never even glanced at me Before it was Su Zui Die, now it’s Ye Lie; I’ve always been no worse than them. Xiu Yao… why can’t you even look at me…" Whether in family background, appearance, or talent, she had never fallen short to anyone, not even the once-famed beauty Su Zui Die whom she didn't think was more beautiful than herself. But since his teenage years, this man who had instantly captivated her from their first meeting had never given her even a second glance. In the past, he would only look at Su Zui Die, smile gently towards her and accompany her in playing music, reciting poetry and painting pictures. He would never notice that there was another person right beside him. Originally, she thought that once Su Zui Die was gone, he wouldn’t show any special affection for anyone else. But now… as a woman who had been infatuated with Murong Xiuyao from the depths of her heart, she was more sensitive than anyone else towards his feelings; Murong Xiuyao’s treatment of Ye Lie was even more special than how he treated Su Zui Die.

Murong Xiuyao frowned slightly unhappily. He wasn’t unaware of Concubine Lady Liu's feelings for him, but back then as a teenager, he had completely ignored them. As the second son of Duke Ding’s Manor and an unparalleled handsome man in the capital city, countless women harbored secret affections towards him. And because of his mother and father, even with an engaged fiancée, he wouldn’t pay attention to other girls around him. After Concubine Lady Liu entered the palace, it was even less likely for her to develop such feelings; even if he hated Mo Jingqi, he wouldn't stoop so low as to flirt with his concubines. Therefore, he couldn’t understand why Concubine Lady Liu had such grievances now. "Concubine Lady Liu, be careful with your words. This King’s name is not something any common person can mention."

It can call out like this."

Imperial Concubine Liu gritted her teeth and said, "Why have you never looked at me before Am I really that unworthy in your eyes"

Moxiuyao frowned and said, "This King only advises you to respect yourself."

"I don’t need the status of imperial concubine!" Imperial Concubine Liu shouted. Her voice was filled with a hint of sorrow. "Do you think I like being this imperial concubine None of this is my choice… as long as you… just as long as you… I can give up everything…"

Moxiuyao looked at the clearly out-of-control woman in front of him with furrowed brows. He turned around indifferently.

"Don’t leave!" Imperial Concubine Liu called out and tried to grab Moxiuyao’s sleeve. But even though her martial arts skills were not weak, she was completely on a different level than Moxiuyao. Since he did not want to hurt her, he merely flicked his sleeve slightly to brush her away. Imperial Concubine Liu stumbled and fell onto the ground. "Don’t leave… Xiyao, I have something important to tell you. Mo Jingqi… Mo Jingqi has ulterior motives towards Prince Ding’s王府，he wants to take advantage of you."

Moxiuyao looked down at her with a calm expression and said, "When has the emperor ever treated Prince Ding’s王府 well Before, when you defended Princess Ahli several times, I saved Princess Zhenning today as repayment for your previous kindness. Imperial Concubine, take care of yourself from now on. Our emperor is not someone who can tolerate much."

"Why…"

"Tsk… Such a cold-hearted man indeed. This Imperial Concubine Liu is truly a rare beauty," said Yelvyehui mischievously beside Ye Li in the peach grove.

Ye Li glanced at him indifferently. Meeting Imperial Concubine Liu here was unexpected. When she came down from Star Plucking Tower, Imperial Concubine Liu was still by Mo Jingqi’s side. How did she manage to escape and appear here in such a short time Ye Li had already known about Imperial Concubine Liu's feelings for Moxiuyao as well as his thoughts.

So seeing the two of them didn’t really make her angry. She was just surprised by how deeply Imperial Concubine Liu felt for Moxiuyao and disregarded everything else. Seeing Princess Zhenning sitting on the ground without daring to say anything, Ye Li silently shook her head in disapproval. Devoting oneself entirely to a man isn't wrong, but if it means disregarding all other things, that’s not very good. How much did Imperial Concubine Liu disregard her daughter to be able to speak of her feelings for Moxiuyao in front of her It should be noted that although Princess Zhenning was only eight years old, children of the royal family at this age were no longer ignorant.

"How about it, Lady Wang, do you want to go out and take a look" Yelvyehui smiled. "Seeing how deeply Imperial Concubine Liu loves her husband, don’t you have any thoughts If Prince Ding is moved…"

Ye Li glanced at him with no interest. "If the prince wants to sow discord, he should come up with a more clever excuse." Did she look like an idiot now Imperial Concubine Liu might only be heartbroken and upset right now, but if she appeared in front of her again, Imperial Concubine Liu would likely immediately turn into unbridled hatred. Of course, it wasn't as though she didn't hate her already. Ye Li reminded herself to be more careful with Imperial Concubine Liu from now on. Despite having disfigured her face, she was still able to attract someone, clearly not having been thoroughly punished enough. Ye Li silently pondered this. Moxiuyao couldn’t help but feel a chill run down his spine in the peach grove as he looked at Imperial Concubine Liu’s tear-stained face and turned around without hesitation.

Moxiu Yao walked out of the peach grove and stood by the river for a moment before turning back with a faint smile, "Alu, why didn't you come out after arriving"

Ye Li strolled out from the peach grove with a gentle smile, "Isn’t it to avoid ruining Your Royal Highness’s affairs"

Moxiu Yao fell silent for half a moment before saying, "Suddenly I felt a jolt in my heart just now. Could Alu be planning to ruin this face of mine again"

Ye Li glared at him fiercely. She would never admit that he had guessed her intentions correctly. Yelü Ye followed behind Ye Li and strolled out leisurely, looking at Moxiu Yao with a smile, "Prince Ding truly is extraordinary! This small prince admires you."

Moxiu Yao said calmly, “Yelü Prince, your flattery is unnecessary. I am not on par with Yelü Prince…”, but he did not finish his sentence as he turned to look towards another part of the imperial garden. Yelü Ye remarked, "Looks like someone’s looking for Yelü Prince…" He lifted his head and saw several figures hurriedly walking in their direction; they were clearly palace guards. It seemed that even though Mo Jingqi was death-fearing, he did not forget that there was still a distinguished guest here. Yelü Ye clicked his tongue and smiled brilliantly at Ye Li, "This small prince need not trouble the palace guards for it. Prince Consort Ding, let’s meet tomorrow." With that said, he leaped into the peach grove.

"Your subordinate greets Your Royal Highness! Your Royal Highness Consort!" The palace guards approached and were initially taken aback when they saw Moxiu Yao and Ye Li standing side by side. They quickly bowed to greet them.

Moxiu Yao nodded, "What are you guys doing here"

The lead guard replied, "Your Royal Highness! We noticed that Yelü Prince and Your Royal Highness Consort were missing in the chaos just now. We searched for them everywhere according to His Majesty’s orders."

Moxiu Yao nodded. He said calmly, "Prince Consort Ding was worried about me so she came over here too. Just inform his majesty that Prince Consort Ding is with me and there’s no need for you guys to search for Yelü Prince any further." The guards naturally did not dare to delay; they bid farewell to Moxiu Yao and Ye Li before hastening away to report back to Mo Jingqi and continue searching for Yelü Ye.

Ye Li cast a glance at the peach grove behind her, frowning slightly. "Empress Dowager Liu…"

Moxiu Yao pulled Ye Li along as they headed back in the direction from which she came; he smiled softly to himself and said, "Empress Dowager Liu has nothing to do with me, my lady. Don’t wrong me."

Ye Li gave him a cold glance and asked, "Leaving Empress Dowager Liu inside is okay"

Moxiu Yao replied, “Empress Dowager Liu isn't as simple as you imagine her to be. Do you think she could have made it here so quickly from Zhaixing Tower if all she had was average martial arts ability If your relationship with the Empress is close, I suggest you warn her about Empress Dowager Liu.” Ye Li looked at Moxiu Yao strangely; he had just said that he owed a favor to Empress Dowager Liu and yet now he acted as though he did not care. Even if he had paid back his debt of gratitude earlier, it was not right for him to turn around and act like they were strangers! A smile played on Moxiu Yao’s lips when he looked at her, “Do you think she would really give up everything just because I accepted her help”

Ye Li raised an eyebrow. Wasn’t that the case

Moxiu Yao said indifferently, "Would a high-ranking clan raise a daughter who would disregard everything for love If she truly has nothing left to lose, why would she continue to bear children and remain the Empress’s favorite even after losing her status as empress She doesn’t genuinely want to be with me; it’s just that she cannot tolerate my ignoring her in the past but treating you so well now.” Ye Li frowned. She believed that Empress Dowager Liu had genuine feelings for Moxiu Yao. At least they weren't entirely goal-oriented, and a woman who was as proud as she was couldn’t have been completely fake when she begged him despite knowing how little her chances were of success. There must be some sincerity in there somewhere.ll. Mo Xiuyao pondered for a moment before waving his hand and saying, “Not yet. General Mu Sang will be the first person that Mo Jingqi suspects. He must have spies around him right now. We only need...