103 Farewell to Han Mingyi
Li led Dark Two and Dark Three towards the place that Heavenly Pavilion had sent word of along with the markings left by the Black Guards. Fortunately, Southern Frontier wasn't particularly vast; the...103. Farewell to Han Mingyi
103. Farewell to Han Mingyi
"Greetings, Your Highness."
In the flower parlor, Qing霜 and others hurriedly greeted a white-clothed man who was leisurely walking out from inside. Mo Xiuyao's gaze swept calmly over the four people as he asked indifferently, "What is it" After glancing at the other three, Qingyu could only step forward and report, "Your Highness, the new head of the Han family, Mr. Han Mingyi, seeks an audience with Your Highness's consort." They had never accompanied the Duchess outside before, so they didn't know how she was acquainted with that Mr. Han. However, according to the secret Second and Third who followed the Duchess, that Mr. Han was a friend of the Duchess. Therefore, even though they knew that Their Highness wasn’t happy about being disturbed at present, the four of them still gathered their courage to report it.
"Han Mingyi" Mo Xiuyao raised his eyebrows and said lightly with a soft snort, "He came rather quickly. Take him to the study; I'll go see him. Alu is resting; don't disturb her. Have more food prepared in case she needs it. Qingyu, follow me."
The four people exchanged glances furtively, it seemed that Their Highness’s mood was indeed very good now.
"Yes, Your Highness."
In the study, Han Mingyi stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at a calligraphy on the wall in silence. The character '忍' (endure) appeared restrained and warm, but細細品味卻能清楚感覺到其中森然的殺意和凜冽銳氣。他半生都在父母兄長庇佑下生活，無法想象什麼樣的人才能把一個字寫得如此溫潤平和卻又內藏殺機。這就像把有毒劍鋒包裹在最柔軟的心中一樣危險且痛苦。目光慢慢地從那字上移開，轉身看向門口。不知何時，墨修堯已經站在了門口。與上次在廣陵城相見時相比，現在的墨修堯似乎顯得隨意了一些。雖然韓明晰並不瞭解墨修堯，但他覺得現在他的心情很好。
韓明晰注視著眼前的男子，樸素無華的白衣，一縷烏黑長髮隨意滑落肩頭，整個人看起來慵懶而無害。當韓明晰的目光落在他頸邊淡淡的紅痕時，眼神驟然收縮，身後緊握的手不自覺地緊緊攥起，“王爺。”他是一個風流男人，說他在百花叢中也不為過。所以即使墨修堯的儀表並冇有失禮之處，他依然能看出在進入書房之前墨修堯做了什麼。
"Mr. Han, take a seat." Mo Xiuyao stepped into the study and nodded indifferently, "Alu is not feeling well today; I'm afraid she can't meet with Mr. Han. Please forgive me."
Han Mingyi silently took his seat and said in a deep voice, "Your Highness is too kind. Since our family has already chosen to serve Your Highness and Your Lady, we will wait until Your Lady has time."
Mo Xiuyao looked at Han Mingyi with some surprise. He was very clear about what kind of person Han Mingyi was; he had been pampered by Han Mingyue since childhood, which fostered Han Mingyi's character that was bold and unrestrained. But the Han Mingyi sitting opposite him now was remarkably calm and patient, indicating that the departure of Han Mingyue must have dealt a huge blow to both the Han family and Han Mingyi himself. After pondering for a moment, Mo Xiuyao said, "Since I've already said that the Han family will follow Alu's orders, there's no need for me to say more to you. Mr. Han might as well rest in one of our guest rooms; if you need anything, feel free to ask Head Butler Mo or Secret Second and Third, who should be familiar with you."
Han Mingyi nodded indifferently, "Thank you, Your Highness, I will take my leave now."
After seeing Han Mingyi off, Qingyu cautiously walked in from outside the door, “Your Highness.”
Mo Xiuyao nodded, "Have we found out who poisoned that cup of tea" Qingyu nodded, "I checked and there was musk, red safflower, and some cold medicines in it. After coming back, I consulted Doctor Shen; he said the tea could indeed have... sterilizing effects, but only for imperial concubines. Many court ladies often use perfume like musk and agarwood, which can affect their constitution. If they consume a large amount of cold substances, infertility is quite possible. However, our Lady does not use such perfumes and has excellent health; so Doctor Shen says unless she takes it regularly, drinking that cup of tea will cause her no major harm. Furthermore, the scent of musk would be too strong to mask with tea leaves, easily noticeable. Hence, Doctor Shen believes the person who poisoned the tea might have just wanted to test our Lady... as a trial."
"A trial" Mo Xiuyao raised his eyebrows slightly.
Qingyu quickly nodded, "Medicines like musk are not harmful to ordinary people and cannot cause infertility in one or two uses. However, for pregnant women, such tea could be very dangerous. Doctor Shen also said that if our Lady were pregnant, just a sip of it would... induce miscarriage."
The study was silent for a while before Mosiuyao waved his hand and said, "You may leave now. Only you understand medicine and can help Agli. Be more careful."
"Servant withdraws," Qingyu heaved a sigh of relief as she curtsied and hurriedly left. Although the王爺didn’t show it on his face when he was angry, the oppressive atmosphere wasn’t something they could bear.
After Qingyu left, silence enveloped the study. Mosiuyao’s usually calm eyes were filled with gloom. Mo Jingqi really knew how to prepare for future contingencies; as soon as he recovered from his illness, he was in a hurry to test Agli. Perhaps he also wanted to test whether or not he had fully recovered. Or perhaps he truly believed that Mosiuyao wouldn’t dare act against him
"Come here."
"Your Highness," a figure dressed in gray appeared in the study, "Your Highness, I have found out what happened. The Concubine Zhaorong had someone put medicine into her tea. It’s said that Emperor Hong once mentioned Consort Mo’s offspring when he was favoring Concubine Zhaorong. She wanted to show off and please him so she secretly put the medicine in the tea." Mosiuyao snorted coldly, "A mere Concubine Is there anyone who has the ability to poison tea in the Empress’ palace" The man dressed in gray naturally did not dare answer as he knew that the王爺didn’t want his answer. He simply asked, "Concubine Zhaorong attempted to determine the fate of the Mo family’s heir. Your Highness, should we…" Mosiuyao shook his head with a cold smile, "No, since she likes to add things in tea so much, tell Qingyu to prepare medicine according to that cup of tea and make her drink it for three months."
"Your Highness… Concubine Zhaorong might already be pregnant," the man said.
"Do you not understand what I’m saying"
The gray-clad man shivered, hurriedly lowering his head as he replied, "Yes, Your Highness."
In the bedroom, Ye Li slowly opened her eyes. She couldn’t help but frown at the slight discomfort in her body. Recalling what had happened earlier, she felt a blush rise to her cheeks as memories of their passionate and intimate moments flashed through her mind. Helplessly reaching up to pat her hot face—hot enough that one could fry an egg on it—Ye Li buried herself under the blankets and shook her head vigorously in an attempt to shake off those embarrassing images from her mind. The discomfort made her let out a soft moan, Ye Li, you’re really too useless and shameful…
Rolling around under the blankets, she clenched her teeth when she thought about that damn man who had disappeared somewhere. If she hadn’t figured it out earlier, she would have been an idiot. But in her moment of idiocy, seeing him look dejected made her feel flustered and panicky. She had even thrown herself into the situation as she apologized and tried to comfort him. Although later on she didn’t know where that sudden impulse came from and she hadn’t opposed it…
"Agli, have you woken up"
The sound of steady footsteps came through the screen door. Ye Li looked up to see Mosiuyao standing by her bed with a smile on his face. Glaring at him hatefully when she saw him properly dressed and standing in front of her, she asked, "Where did you go" Mosiuyao’s sword-like eyebrows rose slightly as he walked over to the table and poured some warm water for her to drink. Ye Li quickly reached out and took it from him instead. He didn’t mind, simply smiling faintly as he sat down by the bed and said, "I was afraid sitting inside would wake you up so I watched something outside. Oh, right… Han Mingxi came this afternoon; I let him stay in a guest room."
Ye Li choked on her drink before she could reply, “Han Mingxi is here How did that happen so quickly Let me see him…”
A warm pair of lips pressed against hers, blocking the words about to leave her mouth. After a moment of soft kissing and caressing, Mosiuyao took the teacup from her hand and placed it aside before saying softly, "Agli, there’s no need for you to see him tomorrow."
"But…" Ye Li frowned slightly. Mosiuyao didn’t allow any refusal as he lightly tapped his finger against her soft lips, “Agli, if I find out that you are too concerned about another man, I would be jealous.”
Ye Li’s clear eyes flashed as she looked at him and said, "So what if you’re jealous"
"If this王爺is jealous… maybe he’ll kill the other person." Mosiuyao smiled faintly. Ye Li raised an eyebrow, “So you did it on purpose today Hmm” Mosiuyao didn’t deny it since his Agli was too smart for him to refute anything. "I just thought that today is a good day." Leaning against him lightly, she sighed and said, "As long as you don’t betray me, I will never betray you either."
"Mo Xiuyao would owe the world, but he wouldn't betray Ah Li."
Ye Li eventually couldn't convince Mo Xiuyao. Someone once said that when you start to make concessions for a person, it means you might already be in love with them. Ye Li wasn’t someone who liked to stick her head in the sand; Mo Xiuyao was her husband and the closest person to her besides blood-related family members. She didn't want to deny the possibility of falling in love with Mo Xiuyao because even when she heard his low, loving words during intimacy, it made her heart feel genuinely happy and contented. In this era, what could be more blissful for a woman than marrying someone who loved her and was loved by her
"Mr. Han." When Ye Li stepped into the guest courtyard, Han Mingyi was sitting under a magnolia tree lost in thought, with lavender-red petals gently falling on his white robes, creating an unusual luxury. Having grown accustomed to seeing Han Mingyi dressed in flamboyant red gauze wherever he went, she felt a bit alienated looking at him now.
Han Mingyi came back to reality and watched the graceful woman approaching him with slight daze but quickly regained his composure, "Junwei… Consort."
Ye Li smiled helplessly, "It's strange for me when you call me like that."
Han Mingyi raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Although Consort has always called me Mr. Han, I also don’t quite feel comfortable with it. Besides, in the future, Han Mingyi will be Consort’s subordinate; if you keep calling me this way, won't it seem odd" Ye Li turned her head and smiled, "Since that's the case, I'll call you Mingyi, and you… do as you wish. Is everything okay at the Han family"
Han Mingyi nodded, "Han Mingyue is now completely unrelated to the Han family, and future incidents won't involve the Han clan either. By the way, I've already organized the Han family's accounts; Consort… would you like to take a look at them" He still preferred not to address her with such a distant term.
Ye Li looked at him in surprise and shook her head, "The King and I don't have any intention of annexing the Han family."
Han Mingyi raised an eyebrow and smiled, "I understand that His Majesty wouldn't set his eyes on such a small clan like the Han family. But now that I’ve sworn allegiance, it’s only proper to show my sincerity." Ye Li laughed, "Even if the Han family were truly loyal to the Ding Family Mansion, there's no reason for them to empty their coffers. The Han family remains the Han family, and their assets will still be under the Han name. These accounts make me headache just looking at them; hence, I suggest you take them back and go through them slowly. Hmm… perhaps you could exchange insights with Dark Two and Three, Lin Han and Zhuo Jing, who are currently studying these accounts." Han Mingyi pondered for a moment before nodding and smiling, "Understood. If there's anything that needs to be done by me or the Han family in the future, just let me know."
Ye Li nodded, "Great. I have some new collaborations to discuss. If you’ve already eaten breakfast, we can head to the study room shortly; otherwise, perhaps we could eat together.
"I thought you would accompany His Majesty for breakfast"
Ye Li said coolly, "The King’s inner strength is formidable; he won’t feel hungry even if he skips a meal." Recalling that certain audacious man, she couldn't help but let out a soft snort. Not being angry didn't mean she wasn’t keeping score.
Han Mingyi turned around and saw the slight hint of allure in the woman’s eyebrows that hadn’t been there before; his heart sank as he walked towards the house, "Then I have the honor of inviting Consort to breakfast."
The matters Ye Li had postponed were pushed back further. The Ding Family Mansion remained closed off from visitors, avoiding the expected chaos and clamor. Yet, invitations and greetings continued pouring in every day. Ye Li merely glanced through them before handing them over to Head Manager Mo and Aunt Sun for handling.
Dark Two and Dark Three made remarkable progress under the joint guidance of Head Manager Mo and Han Mingyi. Although Han Mingyi had never managed anything previously, as a descendant from a commercial family, he was naturally intelligent and well-versed; otherwise, Han Mingyue might not have entrusted him with such responsibility so confidently.
Ye Li's cooperation mostly involved suggesting ideas and providing funding, while the operational details were entirely handled by Han Mingyi. When they finally concluded their discussion, several days had already passed. Ye Li thought about the elite forces she'd left in the valley and decided to check on them first.
The past few days hadn't been easy for Qin Feng either; although he hadn't stayed in the valley with his comrades, the King Consort had tasked him with leading the newly trained troops once they were ready. As their leader, he couldn’t lag behind his men. So, upon returning home, he sought advice from Dark Two and Three. It turned out that Dark Three was overwhelmed by piles of accounts; Qin Feng's arrival provided some relief for Dark Three who had no qualms about using him as an outlet. The rigorous and varied training regimen exhausted the proud Black Cloud Cavalry leader.
Upon returning to the valley under the Black Cloud Peak, Qin Feng couldn’t help but be curious about how the elite forces were faring after their ordeal.
The sight of his comrades covered in dust made him clench his fists. This state was a disgrace to the Black Cloud Cavalry and Mo Family Army.
Ye Li still sat on the roof, patiently waiting for everyone to finish running laps before descending with a warm smile to ask, "Elite troops, how are you feeling these days"
The men had dull faces devoid of any emotion. Could they say that they were so exhausted from just running and doing odd exercises If anyone told them this back then, they wouldn't have believed it. What kind of people were they The best covert guards and soldiers in the vast Chu kingdom. How could such minor tasks challenge them Now they understood; they never truly ran properly before.
Ye Li nodded approvingly at their grim faces and said with a smile, "I’ve always said that being skilled doesn’t equate to being physically fit, nor does physical fitness equate to stamina. After these days of training, I believe all of you have made significant progress in both strength and endurance. Keep it up. Additionally, add five miles more running each day and increase other exercises by a hundred repetitions."
Under the floor came a chorus of groans. Ye Li wasn’t bothered; she continued, "I don't need many of you to become unparalleled experts, but I do want you all to be the strongest soldiers. You will be elite within the Mo Family Army and perhaps even the entire Chu kingdom."
"Sir, does this mean we'll return to the army as part of the Mo Family Army" someone couldn’t help asking. This was also everyone's doubt; most believed that His Majesty intended to train them into a more secretive and powerful unit separate from the Dark Guards. But they were still soldiers, and according to Master Chu, they would eventually be integrated back into the Mo Family Army.
Ye Li smiled faintly, "I can't tell you now, but I assure you that in the end, you will have legitimate titles. Your promotions will match those of the Black Cloud Cavalry and even surpass them. When it's time to retire or due to injury, you'll be reassigned within your capabilities."
The crowd was stunned by this treatment which even the Black Cloud Cavalry didn't receive; they were more intrigued about what kind of unit they would become.
"However, all of this is contingent upon successfully staying through the training. Although you've managed not to drop out for the past seven days, it's only the beginning. Qin Feng, here’s a half-month training schedule."
Qin Feng looked at the roll of paper as if it were a death warrant. He slowly opened and read it, his eyebrows furrowing into a knot. "Master, these… I can't really understand," Ye Li smiled and said, "It doesn’t matter if you don’t understand. Starting tomorrow, Zhuo Jing and Lin Han will take turns to monitor them. Before they arrive, you can study the equipment on the training ground yourselves. Actually, for the first month, it’s purely physical training; I won't be too strict with you. The eight experts watching over you are going to withdraw after tomorrow, so everyone has to rely on their own initiative. In your free time, read the books I brought with me; see how much you can manage. This will make things easier for you in the following two months."
Qin Feng handed the paper roll over and let everyone take a look at it while getting an idea of its contents. The soldiers, who had been pushed to their limits these days, silently bled as they realized that with the new content added, their workload was at least 50% more than before. Was this Young Master Chu trying to kill them Worse still, in addition to completing tasks previously required, there were now specific time requirements for running and other activities on the paper. After these days of tough training, everyone had a rough idea of what was expected; even they, as elite soldiers, found it too harsh.
"Young Master Chu, this is simply impossible to complete!" A soldier in the front row不服地說道。
Ye Li glanced at him and raised an eyebrow with a smile. "Impossible"
"That’s right! Without using lightness skills, it's impossible to complete so many tasks within such a short time," the soldier said.
The smile on Ye Li's face deepened. "Black Cloud Cavalry I haven’t heard of you guys being that dependent on martial arts. It should be the Dark Warriors who enjoy researching martial arts, right If someone manages to do it, what would you do" The soldier said proudly, "If anyone can really do it, we can too."
Ye Li nodded satisfactorily. "Very good. Assemble on the training ground."
As Qin Feng watched the soldiers leave in formation, he looked worriedly at Ye Li and whispered, "Your Excellency… could you be referring to yourself" He believed that someone could indeed achieve it, but Your Excellency wouldn’t deliberately give an impossible task just to play with them. But how could it possibly be the delicate-looking Your Excellency Although he knew that she was very skilled, as Your Excellency had said, being good at martial arts and physical fitness were two different things; this paper clearly required more physical strength than martial skills. If anything happened to her, the Duke would kill him!
Ye Li looked down at her clothes, which she had specially chosen to fit for such emergencies. Given her experience in training people before, these elite soldiers’ reactions were mostly ones she had experienced herself while being trained or training others. Even if she guessed, she could figure out a lot.
The craftsmen building this valley were very diligent; the courtyard’s training ground basically met Ye Li's requirements. A group of dissatisfied soldiers stood on the field, staring dumbfounded at Young Master Chu, who was much taller and thinner than them, casually running while carrying several dozen pounds of weight. At first, no one paid attention, but when she ran around the field for five or six laps without breaking a sweat, everyone finally realized that this Young Master Chu wasn’t ordinary. After ten rounds, instead of stopping to rest, he directly rushed toward the strange objects in the middle of the field, climbing through a low net covered with iron caltrops and sharp things, scaling a two-meter-high rope web, jumping over a one-meter-high dirt wall, holding onto ropes to swing across a distance of several meters and landing accurately on a wooden beam less than half a foot wide but five feet high. Under everyone’s stunned gaze, he casually rushed past it. Finally, he reached the endpoint where bows and arrows were set up. Ye Li picked up a longbow, drew an arrow, and shot it straight into the bullseye with ease. The sand in the hourglass beside her was still slowly leaking out.
Ye Li turned back to look at this group of stunned people with raised eyebrows, sighing inwardly. Actually, she found these movements from last night a bit strenuous for her now, although she had never stopped training herself over the years and could train freely in the Ding王府 since joining it. Because of Mo Xiuyao's occasional guidance, she also made considerable progress in ancient martial arts, but she hadn’t done such a complete set of actions in many years. Fortunately, she managed to pull through; otherwise, her future lessons wouldn't be easy if she messed up in front of these guys. She flexed her stiffened body secretly and smiled calmly at them, "What do you think"
"Great!" After a moment of silence, applause erupted from the crowd. Regardless of how they thought before, this Young Master Chu easily achieved what they couldn’t, making him superior to them; they all admired the strong.
"Then… will everyone follow the instructors’ guidance and show me your results in half a month"
"Yes! Your Excellency!" Everyone answered in unison.
After dismissing the crowd, Ye Li’s previously calm expression fell. Leaning against a balance beam with an unhappy face, she sighed deeply. Qin Feng raised his eyebrows and said, "I thought it would be easy for Your Excellency."
Ye Li waved helplessly. "Even if it's easy, I can't withstand not training for too long; my skills are rusty… I nearly fell from up there just now. I was overconfident again, and when I came back, I was busy with other things and didn’t have time to familiarize myself with the ground. But it’s okay… on a battlefield, who would give you time to get accustomed to the environment"
Qin Feng frowned and said不解地說道, "Your Excellency doesn’t need to be so relentless."
Ye Li smiled, "Not really, compared with the back-and-forth probing in the capital city, I prefer staying here. If you don’t push them hard, will those arrogant guys really submit This is just the beginning; I’ll have to scare them often later on so they don’t get too full of themselves."
Qin Feng couldn't help but press his palm against his forehead. You’ve already been quite discouraging today; do you still want to scare themt Jun Wei is an extraordinary woman hard to find in this world Could it be that Your Highness can prevent everyone from looking at her"The corners of Mo Xiuyao's mouth turned down into an even colder...