le at seeing Ye Li’s smile, "I’ve always told Third Pavilion Master I don’t like taking risks."Han Mingyue looked at the sick scholar’s ugly expression and chuckled softly, “Sister-in-law, you don’t h...428. Little Treasure Plan

After hearing Princess Anxi's response, Ye Li stood up and prepared to go downstairs. She seemed not to care at all about the life or death of Princess Anxi. Such a reaction stunned the few men present. After all, what they knew was that Prince Ding was cold-hearted and ruthless, but his wife, the Princess Consort, was extremely cautious and would never abandon Princess Anxi.

"Wait!" The man said solemnly.

A man guarding at the stairwell heard the leader's voice and immediately reached out to攔住 Ye Li. But he saw Ye Li's expression darken slightly as she raised her hand, grabbed the man's extended arm, twisted it with a snap, causing him to groan and retreat to the side of the ground. Turning around, Ye Li coldly said to the black-clothed leader: "This Consort respects your loyalty, but you should also know when to stop."

"Wait," the black-clothed man said. "We can release Princess Anxi, but... what makes me believe that you won't do anything within half an hour" Ye Li raised her eyebrows and asked: "Then what do you want" The black-clothed man replied: "Please have Prince Consort Ding and the Prince wait here for half an hour. After half an hour, we will release Princess Anxi ourselves. Additionally, during this half-hour period, neither of you can see anyone from Prince Ding's王府."

Ye Li lowered her eyes in thought before nodding and saying: "Okay. First let this Consort take Princess Anxi away. We'll wait outside."

The black-clothed man frowned, wanting to refuse. Ye Li said coolly: "Sir has indeed thought of a good plan. If this Consort and the Prince accompany you for half an hour but at the end you burn Princess Anxi alive, who will this Consort cry out to for justice"

The man struggled for a long time. Seeing his indecisive expression, Ye Li shook her head and turned to leave.

"Prince Consort Ding..."

"If you agree, come out; if not, keep holding on. If I don't appear within fifteen minutes, Prince Ding will personally come in."

Watching Ye Li's figure disappear gracefully at the stairwell entrance, those upstairs exchanged glances and said to their leader, "What do we do" The black-clothed man leading them thought for a long time before sighing, "Let's go out."

"But what if..." What if Prince Consort Ding was lying They could still use this room doused in flammable alcohol as leverage here, but once they left, the waiting 墨家軍 outside would be enough to turn them into pincushions. The black-clothed man said helplessly with a bitter smile: "Just now when Prince Consort Ding came and we didn't immediately kill her, we had already lost. And besides, what Prince Consort Ding said was right, does the life or death of Queen Nan Zhao really have much to do with Prince Ding's王府 Even if Nan Zhao wants to take revenge against Prince Ding's王府, they would still need to go through Xi Ling and Da Chu first." Furthermore, he doubted that there were any countries now willing to provoke Prince Ding's王府.

"Are we just going to leave like this"

The black-clothed man clenched his teeth and said, "We'll take the chance that Princess Consort Ding will keep her promise. Anyway, it's all the same as dying. If we can delay the enemy for half an hour for His Majesty... it would be enough to show our loyalty."

The others remained silent. Regardless of whether they were acting out of loyalty or other reasons, there was no turning back now. The leader was right; death was inevitable either way, and dying swiftly from a single arrow piercing their hearts was still better than being burned alive.

Outside the tavern, Ye Li stood beside Mo Xiuyao, with Pu'a standing behind them both, anxiously watching inside the tavern. After a moment, they finally saw Princess Anxi being escorted out of the tavern slowly.

"Princess Anxi!" Pu'a called out in alarm.

Princess Anxi shook her head to indicate that she was fine.

Mo Xiuyao glanced at everyone with a cool expression and said, "Since you’ve come out, let the princess go." The men were wary of Mo Xiuyao but did not move. Mo Xiuyao snorted dismissively, saying, "The Princess Consort has already told me that if I break my promise, all of you would have been killed as soon as you stepped outside. So release her!"

The black-clothed man holding Princess Anxi paused before finally releasing his grip on the princess.

Once free, Princess Anxi immediately ran towards them. "Pu'a..."

Pu'a embraced Princess Anxi enthusiastically and asked worriedly, "Anxi, are you alright"

"I'm fine," Princess Anxi said excitedly, but then added, "But... But our child, Shuo... was taken away by Mo Jingli."

The safe return of his wife calmed Pu'a's mind considerably. Although he was anxious about the disappearance of their son, admiration and confidence towards Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li could be seen in his gaze.

"Don't worry... don't worry, Shuo will be fine."

On one side, Mo Xiuyao had already pulled Ye Li to sit down on a chair brought by the guards of Ding王府. It was rare for Mo Xiuyao to keep his promise with enemies; he sat in the mild sunlight waiting for half an hour to pass.

The black-clothed man opposite saw Crown Prince Ding leaning against Crown Princess Consort Ding, eyes closed and resting calmly. A complex expression flashed across his face, containing admiration, helplessness, regret, and respect. Even when deciding to leave, he couldn't be sure whether Crown Prince Ding would keep the promise; now this solution was already quite good. It also continuously highlighted the difference between Crown Prince Ding and Mo Jingli.

He knew that if it were his master Mo Jingli handling such a matter, Mo Jingli definitely wouldn’t abide by any agreements.

"Your Highness," A shadow guard hurried over to whisper, "Mr. Qingchen has sent for you and requests your immediate return home."

Moxiu Yao opened his eyes and said indifferently, "What is it"

The dark guard hesitated for a moment before saying softly, "We haven't found Young Master Xiao yet."

Moxiu Yao sat up and glanced coldly at the group of black-clad men standing vigilantly not far away. Calmly lowering his gaze, he said, "This王爺 understands. Let Qingchen take care of it first."

"But..." It was indeed an emergency concerning Young Master Xiao, but seeing that the王爺was completely unmoved by it made the dark guard somewhat worried. However, upon meeting Moxiu Yao’s calm eyes, the dark guard shivered inwardly and hurriedly said, "Understood, I will withdraw."

Hearing that Mo Xiaobao had still not been found, Ye Li frowned slightly. Looking down at Moxiu Yao's hand holding hers - dry yet steady - she relaxed somewhat as well. Slowly leaning back into the chair again, she accompanied Moxiu Yao in waiting for time to pass.

Half an hour felt like fleeting moments to some and an eternity to others. When the time finally arrived, Moxiu Yao pulled Ye Li up slowly. Calmly looking at the black-clad men before him, he said, "This王spares your life today. Go back and tell Mo Jingli that... his son is still in this王’s hands." Finished speaking, Moxiu Yao turned around and pulled Ye Li away without a backward glance.

Watching Moxiu Yao's departing figure, the black-clad man let out a long sigh of relief. Facing-to-face with Prince Ding was absolutely an unbearable pressure to bear. Wiping his forehead, he found that sweat had already drenched half of his hair.

"Swoosh swoosh swoosh!"

A few sounds of arrows piercing through the air rang out. The black-clad man leapt warily to the other side, landing beside a feathered arrow which was just nailed to his heel. When he turned around again, all the men who had been with him were already lying on the ground. Not far away, sitting atop a roof was another black-clad man holding a bow and arrow, saying calmly, "Don't be afraid, the王爺has spared your life, we won't shoot at you."

Seeing that person quickly vanish behind the eaves, the black-clad man felt chills run down his spine. After quite some time, he turned around and ran crazily towards a crossroad.

Moxiu Yao and Ye Li returned to the王府where Xu Qingchen was anxiously waiting in the study.

"Big Brother."

Xu Qingchen’s handsome face was gloomy as he said displeased, "Why are you guys only returning now" Moxiu Yao said indifferently, "What happened" Xu Qingchen picked up a calling card on the table and passed it over, saying, "Xiaobao has fallen into Mo Jingli's hands. This is what Mo Jingli sent."

Ye Lü took the note and saw that it was indeed written in Mo Jingli's handwriting. The text was filled with malice and arrogance. Xu Qingchen sat down, displeased as he asked them, "What happened With so many people watching over Xiao Bao, how did he still end up in Mo Jingli’s hands"

Mos Yao glanced at the note Ye Lü passed him and said calmly, "Don’t worry. Nothing will happen to Xiao Bao."

Xu Qingchen sized up Mos Yao for a while before scoffing, “Was this your trap Be careful; being too clever might backfire on you.” Mos Yao smiled bitterly, somewhat helplessly. “This wasn’t my trap.” He looked longingly at Ye Lü. Why did he feel so resentful

Xu Qingchen frowned slightly and asked, "Mo Xiaobao"

Mos Yao blinked innocently. So… it really had nothing to do with this king.

Xu Qingchen looked at Mos Yao and sneered, “You just let him run wild. If anything happens…”

"Brother Qingchen," Mos Yao said calmly with a smile, "Xiao Bao is turning eleven soon; he’s not a child anymore. If we don’t let go and let him take on responsibilities, we’ll never feel at ease. Besides, someone will be watching over him to prevent anything from happening. If something does happen, the people around him won’t fail to report back." Xu Qingchen shook his head helplessly with a sigh. "Fine, if you as a father aren’t worried, why should I"

"Of course your brother is thinking of Xiao Bao’s best interests," Ye Lü said with a light smile, her pretty eyebrows slightly furrowed. "I am also somewhat concerned about Xiao Bao. This father-son duo… truly live up to their title as father and son!" Everyone disliked each other at all times, but when it came down to important matters, they cooperated so smoothly that it made one feel frustrated.

The Guo Wang, who had been blamed by his wife, innocently touched his nose and decided to blame a certain audacious little brat for this.

“Ah-choo!” In some dark corner, a little brat in plain clothes sneezed lightly. Someone beside him immediately covered his nose and whispered, "What are you doing"

A pair of quick-witted eyes appeared under the dim light. "Sorry sorry… I think I’m getting a cold."

"Your misfortune is not important; don’t drag Qin Lie into this," Xu Zhirui said softly, dressed in similar plain clothes. Mo Xiaobao pouted in complaint and said, "I could have gone on my own, so why did Qin Lie insist on going with me"

"Shut up!" Xu Zhirui rolled his eyes impatiently. "Don’t you know it’s dangerous to stand under a crumbling wall Do you want to be cursed by Prince Guo" Mo Xiaobao blinked and looked at Xu Zhirui longingly, saying, "Cousin Zhirui, you’re so irritable."

Xu Zhirui shot Wei a glare. He must be crazy to accompany Mo Xiaobao in doing such dangerous things; did this madman not know how young they were If it weren’t for Qin Lie having taken the lead, Mo Xiaobao would have walked right into the hands of some lunatic.

Moi Xiaobao felt wronged. "It’s because Qin Lie was too anxious. He had already decided to change his plan, but he ran off without even discussing it with anyone and now we have to go rescue him."

Xu Zhirui glanced at Mo Xiaobao silently for a long time before saying, "When my aunt gave birth to you, why didn’t she just strangle you then" People like Mo Xiaobao were called ungrateful white wolves. Who was Qin Lie risking himself for

Moi Xiaobao smirked arrogantly and rubbed his nose. “Mommy loves me best; of course she wouldn’t want to.”

Xu Zhirui snorted and ignored him. Wait till you get back and are tortured by Auntie Ding Wang! Xu’s young master silently grumbled in his heart. However, he didn’t realize that there was a kind of person who was like an indestructible cockroach; the more they were tortured, the more trouble they could cause, and the more trouble they caused, the more abnormal they became. Completely unaware that there was a small abnormality evolving right next to him, Xu Zhirui carefully got up and moved slowly along the wall corner covered with lush vines. The most important thing for them now was to find out where Qin Lie had been taken; it wasn’t about arguing here with someone as heartless as Mo Xiaobao.

The Mo Xiaobao following behind Xu Zhirui rolled his eyes heavenward in exasperation. Didn’t Xu Zhirui know that he, Mo Xiaobao, was the older brother

Although both Xu Zhirui and Mo Xiaobao were still young, Mo Xiaobao, who had been favored by everyone from the Xu Family as well as Auntie Ding Wang’s family since childhood, did not slack off in his studies. As the only cousin of Mo Xiaobao, Xu Zhirui naturally shared the same hardships with Young Master Mo. Thus, the young boy became the second person to practice martial arts after Xu Qingfeng in the Xu Family. Although they were still young, their techniques were taught by experts and thus they were very agile; even if they couldn’t win a fight, it was difficult for ordinary people to catch up with them as they ran.

After quite some time, the two finally moved to the entrance of the courtyard. Mo Xiaobao looked at the mark that Qin Lie had left on the ground nearby and asked in puzzlement, "This isn’t the Chu State’s Post Station; what kind of place is this"

Xu Zhirui said with a roll of his eyes, “It seems to be behind Zhao Family’s residence.”

"Zhao family"

"The family that Uncle Wu talked about who wanted to marry their daughter off to Auntie Ding Wang. They also brought a group of people to Mount Liang Academy and looked for Great-Grandfather." Xu Zhirui explained. Mo Xiaobao’s eyes turned, finally revealing an odd smile on his face. "So it was him."

Don’t think that Mo Xiaobao only knew how to be mischievous every day; there wasn’t any information he had missed out on. At the very least, the people who wanted to snatch his mother’s man remained clearly in Mo Xiaobao’s memory. Although he also disliked his loathsome father, he didn’t have plans of changing fathers yet. Even if he did, it would only be based on what his mother thought. As long as she hadn’t said no, anyone who dared snatch Young Master Mo Xiaobao was a dead man.

"What are you planning to do We’re here to save Qin Lie," Xu Zhirui warned warily.

Moi Xiaobao looked up at the sky. "Who said we were saving Qin Lie If we wanted to rescue him, wouldn’t it be easier for the dark guards and qilins to come save him directly What if Qin Lie was injured; could any of us carry him out" Although their strength wasn’t too different from adults’, they still had the bodies of children. If Qin Lie’s movements were restricted, no one could bring him back.

"I always feel like you might end up killing me!" Xu Zhirui muttered softly. Mo Xiaobao laughed like a cat that had stolen fish, saying, "Nephew Zhirui, don't worry. Your cousin will protect you. Once we go inside, look for Qin Lie and the young emperor. I'll check if there are any secrets left in Zhao's residence; I've met Zhao Zhifang before. With his timid personality, he wouldn’t dare to betray my father alone." When Mo Xiuyao wanted to torture someone, it was simply beyond anyone’s imagination how cruel he could be. Even with a hundred bold hearts, Zhao Zhifang would never dare to betray the Ding王府 in Li City. Unless he had been caught with no choice but to comply or unless he was certain that he could escape consequences afterward.

Xu Zhirui hesitated for a moment before nodding and saying, "Be careful."

Seeing Xu Zhirui leave by crouching down, Mo Xiaobao smiled and signaled to the hidden guards with a gesture: “Protect Zhirui.” Upon sensing someone leaving from the shadows, he followed the already departed Xu Zhirui. Only then did Mo Xiaobao cheerfully leap onto the wall and disappear behind it.

From the shadows, someone asked in low voice, "Now that Young Master has entered, what should we do"

"No need to worry about it," another person replied, “The王爺 said as long as there's no life-threatening danger to the young master, he doesn't want us to interfere.”

“Alright then, let’s go in too. We hope that the guards inside aren’t too strict.” To protect the young master, they must follow him at all times; however, once they enter the courtyard and try to secretly follow him step by step without being noticed, it becomes much more difficult.

After a moment, the place fell silent again.

In a somewhat dim study in one of Zhao's hidden corners, the family head Zhao Zhifang sat behind the desk with a gloomy expression, lost in thought. Just as he was deep in thought, a servant announced softly from outside the door: "Master, Minister Li, Minister Zhu, and Minister Wang have arrived."

"Let them come in!" Zhao Zhifang suddenly stood up.

Soon after, the study doors were opened, and several middle-aged men entered one by one. The leader of them laughed as he walked: "Brother Zhao, what’s brought you to summon us at this hour"

Zhao Zhifang glanced at them and said coldly, “I want you to meet someone.”

“Who is it that Brother Zhao wants to introduce with such caution Today is the birthday banquet for Ding王府's young master and princess. Although we may not be prominent figures, we can't simply ignore this occasion.” When he said "not prominent," there was a thick layer of sarcasm in his voice.

Zhao Zhifang remained silent and turned to walk inward. The other three exchanged glances before following him inside. In the specially partitioned room for rest within the study, lying on a soft couch were two children around ten years old. One person curiously remarked, "Brother Zhao, this… is it the young emperor of Greater Chu!" It wasn't due to his familiarity with Mo Suicun; rather, anyone could recognize the imperial dragon robe he was wearing.ticularly downcast. He continued his daily routine of shuttling between Qilin's base and Li City, though he stayed longer at Qilin’s headquarters than before. After the imperial examinations ended, Mo...