288 Wily Little Treasure

Li last night. This morning Prince Li’s forces breached Qingyuan City; their vanguard likely will reach outside Yonglin City by tonight." The generals all felt a chill at this news. Originally, the t...288. Cunning Little Mo Xiaobao

288. Cunning Little Mo Xiaobao

"What happened" Ye Li hurried over and heaved a sigh of relief when she saw Mo Xiaobao and Leng Junhan standing safely by. She turned to ask the guards beside her what had occurred. The two Kirin who were temporarily serving as bodyguards glanced at the woman nearby, whose appearance was disheveled, and then looked back at their young masters. Even if they were from the same side, it was still a bit difficult for them to admit that their young master had been wronged.

Upon seeing the expression on the guards' faces, Ye Li guessed what happened. She glanced at Mo Xiaobao coolly and without any trace of fear in his eyes, he grinned sweetly back at her instead. Looking around, she noticed several handsome boys about seven or eight years old nearby. A delicate-looking woman dressed in a large red robe with lotus patterns was struggling to stand up from the ground, having tripped and fallen earlier. On her red clothes were dark stains that looked quite bizarre and unsettling. Beside her, an exceptionally beautiful woman wearing water-red clothing tried to help her up but she pushed away her hand rudely.

Ye Li frowned as it finally dawned on her who the red-clad woman was. She was Lady Yunyang, the wife of Lord Suning and one of the young wives in the Prince Consort Ding's harem at that time. From a gentle and shy girl back then, she had now grown into a haughty married woman with an air of arrogance.

The moment Lady Yunyang stood up, she slapped Yao Ji who was beside her. Although Yao Ji did not have any martial skills, she excelled in dance and could dodge easily when necessary. So as soon as Lady Yunyang raised her hand, Yao Ji had already stepped aside to avoid the slap.

"Lady!" Yao Ji took a step back and said sternly.

Seeing that her slap did not land on anyone's face, Lady Yunyang's expression became even uglier. "You filthy woman! You dare dodge me Don't you think now is the time when my husband is at home to support you" Yao Ji looked back coolly and said, "I don't know if Lord Suning can still support me or not. All I know is that we are currently in the palace. If Lady Yunyang wants to make a scene, it won't just be her reputation at stake but also that of the Suning Manor."

Lady Yunyang was taken aback by Yao Ji's words and she knew all too well how much her husband’s parents would value their family’s name. Regardless of who was right or wrong in today's incident, if they lost face here, none of them would come out looking good. But to simply let Yao Ji off the hook so easily also made her feel very aggrieved. When Lord Suning was still home, he had always protected Yao Ji and made life difficult for her. Now that he was away on a military campaign, his mother favored her son because she did not have any children of her own, but she could only tolerate the situation as it was. Furthermore, Yao Ji seemed much more difficult to deal with now compared to several years ago; no matter what she tried in public or privately, nothing had worked out for her. This time, she thought she finally found a way to get back at Yao Ji by taking advantage of an incident but being in the palace and attracting even Prince Consort Ding’s attention made matters worse.

Glancing angrily towards Ye Li and the three children, Lady Yunyang sneered, "Is Princess Consort Ding here to support this woman When did a concubine from Suning Manor become so important" Frowning slightly, Ye Li replied calmly, “Lady Yunyang seems to be mistaken. I just heard some noise and came over to see if anyone was in danger.” In her heart, she sighed at the extent of changes that had happened to Lady Yunyang in just a few years. What puzzled her most was where did this woman's hatred towards her come from

True enough, it was with Ye Li’s agreement that Yao Ji returned to Suning Manor but there was no way for Lady Yunyang to know about that. As for their first meeting back then, Ye Li had not shown any favoritism towards Yao Ji.

"It seems like Lady Yunyang does not have anything else to say. I will take my leave now." After saying this, Ye Li turned to Mo Xiaobao and said, "Why aren't you bringing Junhan over Have you been causing trouble again"

Mo Xiaobao pouted slightly as he walked slowly towards Ye Li and looked up at her. “Son is not playing around. Son found a new friend. Mother, may I play with him” Mo Xiaobao pointed to the boy standing beside them who was none other than the youngest son of Suning Manor - Mu Lie.

Before Ye Li could say anything, she heard Lady Yunyang scoff and said sharply, "Prince Consort Ding’s young master certainly has unique tastes. He’s actually chasing after a concubine's child to play with him No wonder he doesn’t care about etiquette…" She glanced disdainfully at her own clothes that had been stained with something unknown and which looked particularly ugly against the auspicious red robes she was wearing as a high-ranking woman in the palace. Beside her, Yao Ji tugged her gently and reminded, "Lady Yunyang, be careful what you say." Lady Yunyang glared fiercely at Yao Ji before turning even more angry inwardly.

Lady Yunyang’s clothes were ruined by Prince Consort Ding’s son who was dressed in black silk. She had been walking around the garden with Yao Ji and insulting them when she happened to see Mo Xiaobao and Leng Junhan playing nearby. Since Lady Yunyang still did not have any children after being married for so long, she always felt envious of other people's kids but naturally not those born by Yao Ji.

When Lady Yunyang saw the two kids playing by the garden, she walked over to take a look and was met with Mo Xiaobao’s guards who did not see any ill intentions in her. Noticing their young master signal them to let her through, they allowed it but when she crouched down to get closer to him, something jumped out of Mo Xiaobao's arms and pounced on Lady Yunyang instead. Startled, she tried to move away only to trip over something and fell flat on the ground. The dirty, wet creature that was neither a cat nor a dog then scampered off quickly after stepping all over her clothes. To make matters worse, Mo Xiaobao did not even apologize when he saw someone else getting hurt but instead taunted her and pulled Leng Junhan to talk and laugh with him.

As they were talking, the noble ladies who had been following Ye Li caught up and all of them looked at Lady Yunyang's miserable state in shock. Feeling humiliated and angry at being stared at by so many people, Lady Yunyang’s temper flared up even more as she spat out angrily towards Ye Li, “How could he not be taught properly! I was just trying to greet Prince Consort Ding’s son but look what happened! Can this be considered proper upbringing!”

Ye Li's expression darkened; although Mo Xiaobao might have been at fault in this matter, Lady Yunyang had also said something quite unreasonable. Moreover, who were the people from Suning Manor to lecture those from Prince Consort Ding’s household! All of them looked as though they thought she was mad.

Before Ye Li could say anything, Mo Xiaobao popped his head out behind her and pleaded, “Mother, it wasn’t like that. Son didn't do it on purpose.” His large black eyes were so wet with tears that the noble ladies who had gathered around all felt a wave of sympathy towards him.

Ye Lü smiled and leaned down to pat her son's head, asking curiously: "What happened Tell Mother."

Murong Xiaobao said in a pitiful tone: "I saw a little puppy fall into the water over there, so I had someone pull it out. Myself and Leng Xiaodai were trying to dry its fur when this lady came up from behind me and wanted to hit me. The puppy suddenly raised its head, then... Mother, I didn't mean to soil this lady's clothes... But... This lady is very angry, Mother, should we buy her a new set I don’t have any money; Mother can pay for it on my behalf. When I grow up, I will earn money and repay you."

Seeing the handsome boy in front of them not reaching their thighs sincerely negotiating with his mother, all the ladies present softened towards him. If they shared Ye Lü's background, they would understand one word: "cute". A group of pampered noblewomen were instantly charmed by this adorable, kind child who was willing to admit his mistake.

"Young Prince, it was just an accident; Miss Mu is likely not upset," someone beside them hurriedly consoled them.

"Really" Murong Xiaobao raised his head and looked at the lady speaking with worry written all over his wet eyes.

"Of course. A piece of clothing isn’t worth much, Young Prince needn't worry," the lady quickly guaranteed. She completely ignored the fact that the aggrieved party was still standing to the side. The shadow guards on one side looked at Murong Xiaobao with admiration. Their young prince was so young but already understood the art of lying, how to avoid serious issues and lie without blinking his eyes—truly... He had a promising future. Of course, if they ignored that it was their little prince who carelessly caused the puppy to fall into the water; if they also disregarded that the incident happened after Mu Zhen entered the imperial garden; and if they ignored that drying the wet puppy resulted in even more messiness, with colorful stains all over... In fact, their young prince wasn’t lying.

Seeing those ladies pitying him while ignoring the puppy who had run off to take a bath somewhere, he secretly shook his head: "It’s better to pity that little dog than this sometimes even the royal prince can’t stand up to our little prince."

Ye Lü gently patted her son's head, seemingly consoling him but actually warning him to stop. Murong Xiaobao blinked and obediently returned to Ye Lü's side, holding onto Leng Junhan with his left hand and Mu Zhen with his right.

Looking at the livid Miss Mu, Ye Lü said with a smile: "My son is merely mischievous. I hope Miss Mu can forgive him. He hit it off with Young Master Mu immediately; let them play together for a while. What do you think" A trace of disgust flashed across Miss Mu's face as she coldly replied: "Mu Zhen is naturally naughty and very rude, likely to corrupt young Prince."

The crowd fell silent—was this woman crazy Although many could guess the reason behind her actions (the fact that Young Master Mu’s mother was once the most famous dancer in the capital wasn't unknown), as a rational head of household, disregarding whether it would offend the Prince of Ding王府 now or not, tarnishing their only male heir's reputation was really beneficial She had yet to bear any children after years of marriage and might rely on this illegitimate son in the future.

Ye Lü frowned unhappily: "Just now, Miss Mu doubted the upbringing at Ding王府. It seems it’s not that she thinks Young Master Mu will corrupt my son, but rather fears my son might corrupt him."

"The Consort is jesting, for Little Prince to favor his son is a great fortune," said Miss Mu, wanting to say more when a stern female voice came from behind the crowd. Miss Mu's face turned pale as Lady Yanghui stepped forward with an imposing manner.

"Mother..." Miss Mu tried to protest.

"Shut up!" Lady Yanghui shot her a harsh look and turned to Ye Lü, bowing slightly: "My daughter-in-law is impetuous; please don’t be offended by her." Ye Lü smiled: "Lady Yanghui jests. It was my son's mischief; Miss Mu should change into another set of clothes."

"The Consort says wisely," Lady Yanghui nodded, then to Miss Mu: "Hurry up and go, it’s improper not to be properly dressed." Miss Mu blushed as she glared at Mu Zhen before turning away. Yao Ji looked at Ye Lü before following.

Seeing that Consort of Prince Ding wasn’t in a good mood, others knew it was time for them to leave and dispersed to tour the imperial garden. Lady Yanghui also left after giving some quiet instructions to Mu Zhen.

"Greetings, Consort and Young Prince," Mu Zhen said formally as he bowed towards both of them. Leng Junhan looked curiously at this new brother.

Murong Xiaobao was displeased: "Prince is Prince; why must it have a ‘little’ in front"

Ye Lü pinched his little face, not amused: "You’re so troublesome. Have you been well recently" Naturally, the latter part of her question was for Mu Zhen. When she chose this boy to follow Yao Ji back to the capital, he had undergone rigorous training. Even if Ye Lü highly regarded this eleven-year-old who looked like only seven or eight, those surviving under Qin Feng’s hand were definitely experts. Therefore, Mu Zhen's role wasn’t merely pretending to be Yao Ji and Mu Yang’s son; in critical situations, his importance might even surpass that of Yao Ji herself.

"Thank you, Consort, Prince Lie is fine," Mu Lie said solemnly with a serious expression.

Ye Li smiled and rubbed his little head. "You're just a child, why so serious Don't you worry about frightening Mu Yang" When Ye Li suddenly became affectionate to him, Mu Lie froze up, his originally stern face turning red without noticing it as he said seriously: “They only think I’m mature beyond my years and extraordinarily talented.” Ye Li smiled. "It looks like the people of the House of Mu Yang still like you."

"Hmph!" Mu Lie pouted. "As long as they are sons of the House of Mu Yang, they all like them. I heard that in recent years, the Lady of Mu Yang has nearly gone mad for her grandchildren. She keeps stuffing women into Mu Yang’s room until we entered the House of Mu Yang before it got better. But she still wants a legitimate son, so she keeps giving that woman medicine every day. Too much medicine really does affect one’s mind, hmph!"

Ye Li tidied his clothes and said softly: "In a few days, His Highness and I will be leaving the capital. Leng Er has now gone to the border, Feng San is also going with us. Then only you and Yao Ji will remain in the capital. You must take care yourselves, alright If you run into any trouble, get yourself out of it first. Staying alive is more important than anything else."

There was a flicker of emotion in Mu Lie's eyes as he said seriously: "Consort can rest assured. Yao Ji is not stupid and neither am I. The people of the House of Mu Yang will never suspect us. We will handle everything well, so His Highness and Consort don’t need to worry." Ye Li sighed apologetically: "You’re still just a child…"

Mu Lie instantly bristled, “I’m not a child! I’m the Qilin!” Reserves.

"Alright… Alright…” Ye Li hurriedly soothed him. "When you come back, I’ll have Qin Feng make an exception for you to enter the Qilin. So, be careful"

"Thank you, Consort!" Mu Lie happily said. He thought his abilities were no worse than anyone else’s, but Commander Qin always refused him entry into the Qilins because he was too young. Hmph! Didn’t he now have a mission And it was one that even those tall buffoons could never take over!

Just by looking at Mu Lie's expression, Ye Li knew what he was thinking and smiled slightly while shaking her head.

"Water spilling! Water spilling…" A sudden commotion came from afar. Ye Li stood up to look in the direction of the noise. Two guards stood on either side of Mo Xiaobao and Leng Junhan. Mu Lie stood on a stool, looked around and said with raised eyebrows: "That’s Cold Palace. It’s Autumn Cool Hall where Imperial Concubine Liu is currently imprisoned!"

"Autumn Cool Hall So coincidentally that the great hall of the new emperor was set on fire" Ye Li mused. After thinking about it, she ordered the people around her: "Take the young prince to find His Highness and I’ll go take a look."

"Consort" The guard behind her hesitated.

Ye Li shook her head. "There won’t be any danger in the palace, protect those three children and go."

Mu Lie grumbled unhappily: "I don't need to be protected! Consort, I’ll protect you!" Ye Li smiled humorously: "That’s not possible, if you were with me, people would suspect us. Be good, stay with Xiaobao and Junhan. Those two little rascals will have to do without your protection." Without giving Mu Lie a chance to object, Ye Li had already leapt away.

Mu Lie wore a solemn expression but his ears were red as beets. He gave Mo Xiaobao an awkward glance and muttered: "Alright, I’ll reluctantly protect you two then." Mo Xiaobao rolled his eyes. “Who needs your protection” Leng Junhan stretched out his little hand to Mu Lie with a smiling face. "Brother, Baby."

"Cold Stupid! Don’t you know who’s close and who isn’t!" Mo Xiaobao was furious.

“Um… Cold Stupid, Mo Xiaobao… Haha…”

Mu Xiaobao had a black line on his face. "Haha, what the hell"

When Ye Li arrived at Autumn Cool Hall, half of the side hall was already ablaze. The Autumn Cool Hall could be considered the coldest part of Cold Palace. It was long neglected and overgrown with weeds, making it hard to believe that it was in the imperial palace. Even on a normal day, there were few people who came here, let alone today when it was the day of the emperor’s enthronement ceremony. No one would have come here naturally. Even if there had been a fire, the maids and eunuchs who saw it from afar would take some time to return through the overlapping palace courtyards before they could get help. At least by the time Ye Li arrived, she did not see a single person trying to extinguish the flames.

"Princess Consort," the guards ultimately did not stay entirely with Mo Xiaobao and dispatched two to follow Ye Li after her.

"Help... help..." A faint cry for help came from inside, making Ye Li frown. This wasn’t Empress Concubine Liu’s voice; she would never mistake that arrogant and cold tone. Even when she was weak, her voice wouldn't sound like this.

"Help...

Ye Li leaped into the Chouliang Palace and two guards hurried to follow but were stopped by Ye Li's voice from inside: "Stay outside!" The Chouliang Palace itself was a side hall, not very large. As soon as Ye Li entered, she saw a woman lying on the ground and quickly stopped the two guards who wanted to enter. hope gradually fade into disappointment made him smile coldly. Were they still holding out hope for Mo Xiuyao Truly foolish. Possessing the wealthy Jiangnan region, why would he need to vie with thos...