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ared for Li. The difference between a newly rich family and an established aristocratic clan was not just a little.After listening to his father's words, Xu Qingfeng couldn’t help but chuckle and said...208. Reactions from All Sides

The Xu family's welcome banquet was held at the King Ding王府, and to show seriousness and respect for the Xu family, Mo Xiuyao invited all officials and military officers in Youyang Prefecture, as well as forewarned elite members of the Ding王府 stationed in other states northwest of Youyang. He introduced the Xu family with great solemnity to the generals and officials in the northwest, making it clear that the Xu family was not merely the maternal family of Princess Consort Ding; they would play a significant role in the future on this land in the northwest. Due to the original reputation of the Xu family, people naturally did not have any feelings of rejection or envy towards them. Anyone with some insight knew that at this time, the Xu family's arrival in the northwest would only benefit the Ding王府 and Mo Family Army.

The banquet was lively and harmonious. Although Ye Li had to look after the baby, she still attended for a while before leaving early. Walking back through the garden, she saw Qin Zheng sitting alone by a pond, lost in thought under a pavilion. Ye Li stopped and asked softly, "Sister Zheng, what are you doing here" Behind her, Qingyu said, "Miss Qin seemed unwell at the banquet earlier and left early." Qingshuang added, "Since Miss Qin came to the northwest alone, she might not be used to it yet." Ye Li thought for a moment and said, "Wait here for me."

Ye Li walked gracefully into the pavilion with a light smile. "Sister Zheng, why are you sitting here"

Qin Zheng was clearly startled and let out a breath of relief when she saw Ye Li. She stood up to say, "Princess Consort…" Ye Li held her hand to stop her from standing and said with a wry smile, "It's been over a year since we last met, yet Sister Zheng seems quite unfamiliar with me." Qin Zheng looked at Ye Li in difficulty, unsure what to say. Ye Li smiled and asked, "Doesn't Sister Zheng want to call me ‘sister’ after marrying Brother Second" Qin Zheng blushed and glared helplessly at Ye Li, her original ease returning.

After a bit of banter, Ye Li sat down and held Qin Zheng's hand. "I see that you look unhappy; is there somewhere you're not used to or have been treated poorly in the house" Qin Zheng shook her head hurriedly, her eyes slightly red as she said softly, "Everyone treats me well, but… I miss home so much. My parents raised me with all their hearts and I haven't repaid them at all while staying away from them. Truly ungrateful." Ye Li sighed lightly and patted Qin Zheng's hand gently, saying in a soothing voice, "Mr. and Mrs. Qin let you leave the capital for your happiness. Just settle down here happily; there will be many opportunities to meet again in the future. What is most important now is Brother Second and Sister Zheng’s marriage. Auntie First and Auntie Second told me about it this evening too. It seems that Brother Second and Auntie Second are eager to marry you home."

"Ling!" Qin Zheng's pretty face turned red, but she couldn't avoid Ye Li's teasing and covered her face with her hands. "It has only been a year since I last saw you, Ling. Why have you learned from the Mu family" Ye Li smiled. "What’s wrong with learning from the Mu family Speak your mind and don’t keep things bottled up inside. Alright, Sister Zheng, there's no need to be shy. If Brother Second hadn't accompanied me here to the northwest last year, you would already have been married for some time. Just settle down as a new bride happily. I will surely prepare a grand wedding for you and Brother Second." Qin Zheng lowered her head, hiding the tears in her eyes, saying softly, "Ling, thank you." Ye Li smiled and said, "We are family; there's no need to thank me." Qin Zheng smiled without speaking. As someone still in her teens, leaving home and going far away to the northwest was naturally a daunting task for her heart. Although the Xu family were not hard to get along with, and Second Lady Xu treated her very well, she felt insecure without her parents' support. Furthermore, Xu Qingze himself was cold and aloof, so he wouldn't be attentive towards Qin Zheng either, further increasing her worries.

After comforting Qin Zheng, Ye Li called a servant girl who served her and personally escorted Qin Zheng back to the small courtyard where she temporarily resided.

Upon returning to her room, she found Mo Xiuyao already back. He was aimlessly playing with Little Treasure's delicate face beside his cradle. After washing up and changing clothes, Ye Li said helplessly, "Your Highness, do you want to make the baby ugly" She had come in while he was playing, and even after she was done grooming herself, he still continued to play. Even without applying much force, Little Treasure's delicate skin couldn't withstand such mischief. Approaching the cradle, she found the little one already awake, looking at her with round eyes that appeared piteous due to just waking up. Hugging him tenderly, Ye Li said sympathetically, "Be a good boy, baby. Don’t pay attention to Father." While softly consoling the baby, she walked around slowly in the room to help the baby fall asleep. She completely ignored the suddenly dark expression on someone's face behind her; he was bad This brat and his father were indeed natural enemies! Even Ling would speak ill of him!

Mo Xiuyao’s real resentment finally caught Ye Li's attention, and she looked back at the man sitting by the bed with a darkened expression. Other men all longed for an adorable son, but this one seemed to regard his son as a past-life nemesis. Gently placing Little Treasure in Mo Xiuyao’s hand, she smiled, "Your Highness, are you still young Why quarrel with the baby"

Moxiu Yao snorted lightly and pinched the little meatball in his hand, not feeling any regret, "Are you going to eat him since you’ve raised him so plump" Ye Li rolled her eyes. It was true that their baby boy was chubby and rosy, but he wasn’t fat by any means! Thankfully, Moxiu Yao knew that Aunt Yali didn’t like others to disparage her precious son and did not continue on the topic. Instead, he asked while secretly disapproving of Mo Xiaobao who wouldn’t fight back against his pinching: "Why are you so late" Ye Li told him what she had seen in the garden earlier before asking, "Aunt Yali and Aunt Erli both want to set a wedding date after Bao’s full moon banquet. In my opinion, it would be better for Zeng to get married from the王府 rather than her brother-in-law's residence. What do you think" After all, it didn’t look right to marry into one’s uncle’s family.

Moxiu Yao thought about it and replied, "We don’t have any elders at home. You can’t send Qin Zeng off in marriage when you’re younger than her. How about this… General Lu and General Zhang and their families are all in Ruyang, so you can choose a suitable one to recognize Qin Zeng as a foster daughter and get married from there. Both General Lu and General Zhang are the most respected generals of Mo Family Army; therefore, it won’t be an insult for Qin Zeng to marry into either residence. By doing this, we’ll have cemented a relationship between XU family and Mo Family Army. After all, Ruyang王府 was established on military merit, so having such a relationship will make things easier for the XUs in Northwest.

Ye Li did not expect Moxiu Yao to think of this much already; he had really thought it through from the perspective of the Xu family. Her heart felt sweet as she said softly, "Thank you for thinking so much about the Xus." Moxiu Yao snorted again and lowered his head to play with their son instead. Ye Li looked helplessly at the man who refused to look her in the eye, wanting to ask: My lord, are you being stubborn

The news of Prince Yan’s birth spread rapidly to various surrounding countries, not to mention Moxiu Yao was sending out invitations lavishly for a full moon banquet celebrating the baby prince.

In Southern Town Ruyang王府

In his study, Southern King’s eyes narrowed dangerously at the lavish invitation on the desk. Since the Southern King did not speak, no one else dared to either and the room was tense. After a long while, Prince Le Tengfeng asked cautiously, "Father, what does Moxiu Yao mean Does he really want to break away from Great Chu" As Duke Ding of Great Chu, it would be disrespectful for Ruyang王府 to invite nobles from other countries over for the prince’s full moon banquet. In fact, even emperors wouldn’t do that kind of thing for a prince or crown prince’s full moon banquet. However, if Moxiu Yao were to break away and establish himself as king, he would have the authority to communicate with other royal families, in which case his invitation wasn’t an offense. As for whether Moxiu Yao was willing to hold such a grand event for his son, that was none of their business.

The Southern King said coldly, "It’s only a matter of time before Duke Ding breaks away from Great Chu, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise. I didn’t expect… the Duchess is still alive and returned to Ruyang王府 in one piece." He was even more surprised that not only did the duchess survive falling off a cliff, her baby was unharmed too! Moxiu Yao’s luck truly made him feel envious!

"Ye Li!" The Southern King gritted his teeth.

Le Tengfeng glanced at his father who looked murderous. Unlike the Southern King, he didn’t have such anger when remembering the woman in green who was elegant yet surprising. He had felt a little sad that the duchess passed away after her ordeal, but it turned to envy once she returned and gave birth to a baby prince safely. However, Le Tengfeng quickly dismissed this thought as he asked, "Father, should we attend the full moon banquet" Ruyang was not far from Great Chu or Southern Town’s borders, but it wasn’t close enough to its capital city either. The invitation had probably been sent out immediately after the baby prince was born and before his name was known. Regardless of that, they would have to leave as soon as possible if they wanted to attend the banquet.

"Of course we’ll go!" Southern King said with a cold smile, "Do you think Moxiu Yao is really just doing this for his son’s full moon banquet I’m sure Ruyang will be bustling with activity." Le Tengfeng thought about it and realized immediately what the Southern King meant: “Father means the Imperial Seal and the treasures of Former Dynasty” The Southern King nodded. "Indeed. Rather than having people secretly traveling in Northwest, why not openly invite them At least he can keep an eye on these people; Moxiu Yao’s idea is good…" Le Tengfeng frowned as he asked, “What do you think of the Imperial Seal being truly with Moxiu Yao The information we received… seemed to suggest that there are people in Ruyang王府 secretly looking for a man named Lin Yuan, who has something to do with the Imperial Seal.”

"Lin Yuan Lin…" The Southern King was thinking as Le Tengfeng said, "Lin is Former Dynasty’s royal family name. This person also known as Tan Jizhi tried to kidnap Duchess Ding to threaten Duke Ding and leaked news about it before he could be captured by the duke. After that, Moxiu Yao released him and soon after news spread about Imperial Seal being in Ruyang王府; both Ruyang王府 and Mo Jingqi were looking for this man." The Southern King was thoughtful for a long while before saying, "I remember Tan Jizhi somewhat. Su Zuodie once said he is an orphan from Former Dynasty’s royal family.

"Orphan of the previous dynasty's imperial family" Lei Tengfeng curled his lip in disdain. The previous dynasty had been overthrown more than a hundred years ago, who would still care about orphans If this were to be counted, there might be countless descendants from various dynasties scattered across the world. With each change of dynasty, several descendants of the royal family often ended up living among commoners, but how many of them had successfully restored their country The story of sleeping on brushwood and tasting bile became a well-known anecdote because it was an exception rather than the rule. "Did Father already know about Tan Jizhi's identity" Prince Southern Command obviously didn't take him seriously either, he smiled indifferently, "Whether he is a descendant of the previous dynasty or a traitor doesn't matter to us as long as he can help Mo Jingqi deal with Duke Ding's household. Since that’s the case, I will naturally keep his identity confidential for him. What a pity… Su Zuidie! If she could tell me about his identity, why wouldn’t she have told others"

Lei Tengfeng frowned and said, "Then what does Father think, who actually has the Imperial Seal of State"

The Prince Southern Command pondered for a moment before saying, "Given Duke Ding’s personality, the Imperial Seal of State doesn’t hold much significance to them. Mo Xiuyao is even prouder than his father was in the past, and he wouldn’t use the Imperial Seal to enhance the reputation of his family army." Lei Tengfeng said, "So Father thinks…" The Prince Southern Command waved a hand and interrupted, "No, it’s not necessarily that Mo Xiuyao has the Imperial Seal. But also, it doesn't mean for sure that Tan Jizhi does either. Therefore, we must still go to Northwest."

Lei Tengfeng nodded and said, "I understand, Father plans on personally going to You Yang" The Prince Southern Command nodded, "You can come with me, there's nothing urgent in Xi Ling recently."

"Yes, Father."

The atmosphere in the Imperial Study of Chu Palace was even more serious. Mo Jingqi’s face turned black as he threw away an invitation letter, “Mo Yuchen! How could it be Mo Yuchen! Mo Xiuyao, you really know how to cause trouble…” Just like him, Mo Jinglei had just received an invitation and entered the Imperial Study, where he saw a card with Duke Ding’s emblem being thrown across the room. He reached out his hand to catch it and said smilingly, "Brother Emperor, who angered you so" Seeing this half-brother of his, Mo Jingqi’s expression turned even more ugly as he coldly asked, “What are you doing here in the palace”

Mo Jinglei took out another invitation letter with a smile and said, "I came to pay respects to mother, also… it looks like my brother emperor has received Duke Ding's invitation. What do you plan on doing" He casually opened the invitation letter and read the name written in large, sweeping strokes – Mo Yuchen. Mo Yuchen… what a good name! Finally, Mo Xiuyao couldn’t hold back anymore

Mo Jingqi coldly stared at his brother. Ever since he returned from the south, this brother of his had become more clever and difficult to deal with. Either he suddenly understood something or someone was guiding him in secret, "What do you intend to do Since Mo Xiuyao sent an invitation to you, will my younger brother go" Mo Jinglei smiled and said, “Duke Ding personally issued the invitation, how could I not attend What gift does Brother Emperor plan on sending for Duke Ding’s son” Mo Jingqi snorted coldly and suddenly gave a malicious smile and said, "My younger brother should indeed go. After all, Ye Li is not a stranger to him. She is also his sister-in-law, the wife of Prince Li.”

Mentioning this matter made Mo Jinglei’s expression turn ugly as well. Whenever he thought about that pitiful and whining Ye Ying in his own household, compared with the Ye Li who could fight on battlefields and courtrooms and had the Xu family backing her up, Mo Jinglei would feel a sharp pain in his stomach whenever he recalled how she used to be his betrothed. If only back then he had won Ye Li instead of that useless Ye Ying… With Ye Li’s ability to defeat Prince Southern Command of Xi Ling, it was possible that he wouldn’t have needed to face off against his brother emperor from north and south but would directly attack Chu Capital. And there was also Xu Qingchen in the South who caused him so many troubles back then. If his wife had been Ye Li instead, not only would Xu Qingchen not cause him any trouble, but might even help him out. He could possibly take down Nanzhao and wouldn’t be restricted by it as he is now!

Seeing Mo Jinglei’s face turn gloomy, Mo Jingqi’s mood immediately improved a lot. Raising his brows, he said, "Since my younger brother intends to go, why not bring Li Prince Consort along as well It's also good for them to catch up on old times."

Mo Jinglei gritted his teeth and replied coldly, “Thanks Brother Emperor for reminding me. If that’s the case, I will start preparing now. Time is short; we’ll leave early tomorrow morning for Northwest.”

Mojing Qi nodded and said, "Your Majesty, you may go."

The moment Mojing Li left, the smile on Mojing Qi's face vanished instantly. Did Mojing Li really think he didn't know what the prince intended to do in the northwest Congratulate Mo Xiyaoyao's son for his full moon celebration Hmph! Mojing Li would want Mo Xiyaoyao's child to die even more than he did, because that boy’s mother was his former fiancée. Ye Li's existence was a constant reminder to everyone of how blind and shortsighted the Prince of Li had been. Did he intend to search for the Imperial Jade Seal in the northwest You're being too greedy, Mojing Li!

"Your Majesty"

Looking at the gray-robed man kneeling in front of him, Mojing Qi asked coldly, "Do you have any news about Tan Jizhi’s whereabouts"

"Please forgive me, Your Majesty. We haven’t found out where he is yet."

Bang! With a single sweep of his arm, Mojing Qi sent the inkstone on his table flying toward the gray-robed man who crouched on the ground. The man didn't dare to dodge and thus took the hit full-on in his shoulder. After being struck by the inkstone, he let out an ‘oof’ as it fell back to the floor, "Please forgive me!"

"A bunch of useless men! Keep searching for Tan Jizhi even if you have to dig up the entire city and bring him before this emperor!"

"Yes."

—— Interlude ——

Xiao Li'er: You feathered one! Where’s my perfect husband How could my Yao be so wise, ruthless, and magnificent Did you eat it all Why did I end up having two children!

A Certain Phoenix (sweating): This isn't my fault. Yao is clearly the wise, formidable, and mighty one. Who knew he would suddenly change like this… *runs*m the emperor A cool breeze blew across the city wall, causing Prince Regent De to shudder and suddenly clear his thoughts while breaking out into a cold sweat.After so many years of enjoying a comfor...