284 When Affection Turns to Deserving a Slap

dence, Ye Ying's usually gentle and elegant voice had a sharp edge to it. In the refined and tranquil floral hall, the kneeling maidservants trembled with fear as they replied: "R-rumors are circulati...284. Passion at Its Deepest — Deserving a Beating

284. Passion at Its Deepest — Deserving Abuse

"What These two beasts!" Feng Huaiting gritted his teeth in anger and said angrily. The reason why the Feng family was loyal to Mo Jingqi was not without reason. Back then, the Feng family had almost faced an overwhelming disaster. At that time, it was still Prince Mo Jingqi who came to their aid. Regardless of how much people criticized Mo Jingqi's character, he did indeed save the entire Feng family and its vast assets. Because of this, back then, Feng Huaiting would not only drive Feng Zhirao out of the family because of fear of being suspected by the royal family. Knowing that Mo Jingqi was harmed by Mo Jinglei, yet still siding with him, in the eyes of Feng Huaiting, who although a merchant still upheld some righteousness, was considered an act of ungrateful and beastly behavior.

Mo Xiuyao glanced sideways at the silent empress sitting on one side with a mixture of smile and seriousness, then said calmly, "Mr. Feng doesn't need to be so angry. To put it bluntly, your son was also thinking about saving the lives of the entire Feng family." Of course, he didn't lack his own push and pull in all this. He did not feel regretful for handing over half of the Feng family to Mo Jinglei. Money could always be earned anytime; but those who earn money… The two legitimate sons of the Feng family are sufficient to maintain their legacy, while the one before him truly possesses the ability. It was under his hand that the Feng family came to have its current reputation and wealth.

The industries under the jurisdiction of Prince Dingtang's mansion were varied and numerous beyond count. Han Mingyue had already lost his trust, and Han Mingxi and Leng Haoyu were gradually finding it difficult to cope with them alone. Moreover, after years of development in Northwest China, it was beginning to face a bottleneck; he needed a genius in commerce very much. So... what's one Feng family worth With sufficient talent, he would soon have two or three or even ten Feng families. Although the Mo family might not be good at business, they had never been short of money because they were better at using others to make money.

Feng Huaiting could allow the Feng family to flourish under his hand naturally was no fool either. He said with a somewhat helpless smile, "Perhaps Liwang has already set his eyes on the Feng Family's industries." It is known by many that the Feng Family belongs to the late emperor. Although Mo Jinglei might not be as suspicious as Mo Jingqi, he would never trust letting the Feng family break free from his control. Besides, there are also the tempting wealth of the Feng family. This incident was more about the Feng family's wealth rather than something caused by Feng Zhirao.

Mo Xiuyao smiled without answering; he liked to talk with smart people.

"My Lord, Noble Consort Liu requests an audience," Zhuo Jing announced loudly at the moon-shaped entrance.

Mo Xiuyao smiled at Feng Huaiting and said, "Here she comes. Is Feng San here"

Zhuo Jing looked at everyone with some difficulty before nodding and saying, "Yes, but... it's not looking good."

"What happened to him" Both voices asked simultaneously, their faces showing awkwardness as they looked at each other. Ye Li patted the empress' back with a smile and said gently, "Since Zhuo Jing says this, there shouldn't be anything major." However, enduring some minor pain was inevitable; Ye Li would not say that Mo Xiuyao sent Qin Feng to take Feng Huaiting away in advance just to deal with Feng Zhirao. This time, Prince Dingtang was particularly displeased by the mess caused by Feng Zhirao. If Feng San had said it outright beforehand, all Mo Xiuyao needed to do was speak a few words for him. But now he had created so much trouble; naturally, the王爺 would be unhappy.

"Let's go and see how many pairs of guts this Noble Consort Liu has to dare detain our lord," said everyone present except Ye Li and Mo Xiaobao. Everyone involuntarily shivered at the coldness in his tone. Even the youngest Leng Junhan cleverly hid his small head into Ye Li’s arms. Ye Li picked up Leng Junhan as she stood, while Mo Xiuyao glanced sideways at the little fellow buried in his wife's embrace and lightly huffed as he reached out to grab him. Leng Junhan hung halfway in the air, staring blankly at the person with white hair; he pouted and stretched a small hand towards Ye Li, "Auntie... pick me up..."

Next to them, Zhuo Jing looked admiringly at the little ball of fluff carried by Mo Xiuyao: who said that Leng Haoyu's son was timid He clearly has guts as big as a bull’s.

Mo Xiaobao also wiped his sweat; wouldn't Cold Stupid be killed by his father This is his future first subordinate...

In the grand hall of Prince Dingtang, Noble Consort Liu sat solemnly in an intricately carved rosewood chair, her eyes lowered deep in thought. Opposite her was a bound and tossed handsome young man, Feng San, who stood two tall men on either side of him, their eyes restrained, with prominent veins above the temples indicating they were internal martial arts experts. Originally, Noble Consort Liu would never bring Feng Zhirao to Prince Dingtang's mansion; after all, Feng Zhirao was one of her chips. But upon arriving at Prince Dingtang’s mansion, she found out that without Feng Zhirao, she could not enter the Prince Dingtang's mansion.

Leaning against the chair, being bound up like a zongzi made Feng Zhirao feel very uncomfortable; in addition, several whip lashes on his body were still burning painfully. This made the long-injured Feng Zhirao curse inwardly, and he stared at Noble Consort Liu with increasingly vicious eyes. He must kill this woman!

After waiting for a long time without seeing Mo Xiuyao's arrival or anyone bringing tea, Noble Consort Liu did not have the heart to criticize Prince Dingtang’s reception manners. Her delicate eyebrows were tightly knitted, as if thinking of something important.

"Your Highness, Lady..." A guard and maid announced their greetings from outside the door; Noble Consort Liu raised her head with eyes shining brightly and clasped her hands firmly under her sleeves.

Moxiuyao and Yé Lì entered the room side by side, with Moxiuyao holding a chubby white-clothed baby boy in his arms. However, following close behind them was Dingwang Shizi Moxiaobao, who had caused Empress Liǔ to grind her teeth with hatred. When he saw Empress Liǔ, Moxiaobao's eyes lit up and Empress Liǔ immediately felt something was amiss. Before she could speak, she heard Moxiaobao cheerfully say, “Auntie, why did you come again”

“Auntie” Leng Junhan tilted his head curiously to look at Empress Liǔ, blinking uncertainly. This aunt is very pretty. She doesn’t resemble the middle-aged women in the palace at all.

"Idiot Cold Xiaodai, those elderly women in the palace are called nannies. This one is called auntie," Moxiaobao said disdainfully. Clearly, Cold Xiaodai had accidentally voiced his question out loud. Listening to Moxiaobao’s nonsensical explanation and seeing Empress Liǔ's increasingly amusing expression, Yé Lì couldn't help but secretly laugh. Perhaps due to being suppressed by Moxiuyao so harshly, Moxiaobao's ability to speak nonsense had improved drastically—now even Yé Lì could no longer tell if he was being serious or just trying to provoke people.

“Dingwang!” Empress Liǔ’s face turned black. If she continued talking, she might lose control and beat that little brat first.

Moxiuyao calmly stepped into the main hall, casually placing Leng Junhan on a chair next to Feng Zhiyáo, then glanced at the two people standing behind Feng Zhiyáo and said, “Get out.”

The two men moved but were shocked to find that they could not move. Forget about going against Feng Zhiyáo or the child in the chair who was curiously watching them—neither of their fingers would budge, as if their whole bodies had instantly stiffened. Clearly, Dingwang’s martial arts skills far surpassed what they imagined. This is one of the Four Great Experts’ strength Sweat silently seeped out from under their brows, quickly sliding down like after a heavy rain.

Moxiuyao lightly huffed and turned around to pull Yé Lì to sit in the main seat.

Only after Moxiuyao walked several steps away did the two men finally breathe a sigh of relief. When they found that they could move, their bodies instantly went limp and they fell to the ground. Without Empress Liǔ’s order, they scrambled out without hesitation. Leng Junhan happily waved at Moxiaobao from his chair, then received Moxiaobao’s disdainful glare but wasn't bothered—instead, he curiously poked Feng Zhiyáo who was tightly bound next to him, “Eh eh… Uncle Feng, what happened to you”

Feng Zhiyáo helplessly smiled and looked for rescue from Yé Lì. At this moment, he couldn’t dare ask Moxiuyao, otherwise the way Moxiuyao would untie him was definitely not something he wanted to experience. Yé Lì smiled with pursed lips, then raised her finger and a silver light shot out. Feng Zhiyáo felt his arm go cold as the ropes binding him loosened instantly. Turning back, he saw that the silver blade had been embedded in the wall three inches deep—his hair stood on end. Alright, this person is equally someone he can’t provoke.

“Feng San, are you alright” Yé Lì looked at the torn clothes and bloodstains from the whip marks on Feng Zhiyáo’s body and asked.

"I'm fine," Feng Zhiyáo shook his head. It was just a few whiplashes—nothing serious for someone like him who had been in battle before. Just his pride got hurt.

“Dingwang, this concubine…” Empress Liǔ furrowed her brows and said anxiously.

Moxiuyao raised a hand to stop her words; the elegant thin lips then spat out something that made Empress Liǔ’s body shudder coldly, "Drag her out and whip her ten times before she speaks again." From their first encounter, Moxiuyao had clearly seen Feng Zhiyáo's injuries.

“Dingwang, you… What did you say” Empress Liǔ paled instantly.

Moxiuyao said indifferently, “Feng San is my Dingwang Manor’s man; he may have made a huge mistake, but it will be borne by our Dingwang Manor. When has it been your right to deal with him Whether or not you want to say something, this whipping you must endure.” The guards outside heard the order and immediately came in without hesitation, heading towards Empress Liǔ’s direction. Can't whip a current empress There will be serious consequences But if the prince is angry, the consequences are even more severe! Unfortunately, these days, his mood has been rather poor.

"Stop!" Empress Liǔ shouted sternly, "You cannot touch me! I am the current empress!"

Moxiuyao sneered, “You’re a concubine of the previous emperor. If I whip you, what’s it to others Who dares save you Your father Mo Jingli”

“I have something important to tell you… It will benefit Dingwang Manor. If you don’t listen, you’ll regret it,” Empress Liǔ said anxiously with fear biting at her lips.

"Drag her away, don't make me say it again," Mo Xiuyao said coldly.

The two guards efficiently pulled Empress Concubine Liushui by the arms and dragged her out of the room. She was no match for them with only a little knowledge of martial arts; she was practically dragged away without resistance. Soon, sounds of whips cracking in the air were heard outside the door. Ye Miaoba curiously opened his eyes wide, "Why isn't she screaming"

Ye Li covered her face. Was it really okay to do this in front of the children Moreover, why did not only Mo Xiaobao show no fear and stick out his head, but also Leng Junhan who was usually well-behaved look so curious and excited Did she raise them wrongly How could she explain to Meng Murongting and Leng Haoyu when they returned that their obedient sons had become so brutal

Ten lashes were actually very quick. Empress Concubine Liushui was dragged back and put in her chair before the half hour was up. But this time, her snow-white clothes were stained with bright red blood marks. She could no longer maintain her graceful posture but instead collapsed in her seat無力趴在椅子裡，那模樣比鳳之遙淒慘多了。

Feng Zhirao watched Empress Concubine Liushui's even more miserable state and suddenly found that his own injuries weren't so painful. But when he met Mo Xiuyao's mocking gaze, Feng Zhirao immediately shrank back in fear. He was still worse off than Empress Liushui. The future awaiting him was undoubtedly filled with disasters.

"Now, you can speak," Mo Xiuyao seemed to be feeling much better and took a sip of tea.

Empress Concubine Liushui trembled in pain. How could she say anything She wasn't as thick-skinned as Feng Zhirao; besides, the ten lashes from Ding王府's guards were not given lightly. She was only still sitting here because the person who had carried out the punishment knew that he would have to talk with His Royal Highness afterwards and thus showed some mercy.

Empress Concubine Liushui panted as she looked at Mo Xiuyao, who was smiling and pouring a cup of tea for Ye Li sitting beside him. Even though he was speaking to her, he didn't even spare her half an eye; it made her shiver all over, "You're so cruel..."

Mo Xiuyao raised his eyebrows, "I didn't come here for you to spout nonsense."

After such a severe punishment, if Empress Liushui still didn't know that the old tricks wouldn't work on Mo Xiuyao, she had truly wasted her decades of living. Grinding her teeth, Empress Concubine Liushui said, "I can help you take over three states in northern Chu bordering Beirong without a single soldier."

"Oh" Mo Xiuyao looked sideways at her with suspicion.

Seeing this, Empress Liushui knew that she had piqued his interest and felt pleased as she said solemnly, "But I have one condition."

Mo Xiuyao leaned back slightly, leaning on Ye Li and asked, "Tell me."

"I want you to marry me!"

"Humph," Feng Zhirao coughed repeatedly in anger at the woman across from him. He hadn't had a drop of water for over twenty-four hours; this woman was making him choke!

Ye Li couldn't help but fall back as well when she saw that. Mo Xiuyao, who was leaning on her, only sat up himself and wrapped his arms around her slim waist to pull her closer, "Aili..." Ye Li smiled apologetically; she wasn't angry or mistrustful of Mo Xiuyao, but Empress Concubine Liushui's audacity had frightened her. She was still so devoted after being whipped by Mo Xiuyao and wanting to marry him. Wasn't she afraid that he would kill her once he used her Was this masochism The reason why Empress Liushui didn't love Emperor Jingqi might be because he treated her too well.

Seeing Ye Li's smile, Mo Xiuyao was content and nuzzled against her, "Aili, what do you think"

Ye Li raised an eyebrow. Wasn't this something that should be resolved by himself What did he mean by pushing it to her

"Isn't it the concubine that the Queen Consort should decide on" Mo Xiuyao asked innocently.

Taking a concubine Ye Li's eyes narrowed slightly. "Your Highness, do you want to take a concubine" Her voice was calm and carried a smile.

"I'm a good husband," said Mo Xiuyao grandly. "The matters of the inner chambers are decided by my beloved."

“Prince Ding,” Osprey Consort’s face turned black with anger, “what I want is not for you to take me as a concubine!” Originally she had wanted to say ‘chief consort’, but seeing Prince Ding's attitude towards Ye Li, she knew that was impossible. Therefore, Osprey Consort decided to lower her expectations slightly: becoming his wife would suffice; once this happened…

"Pfft…" Feng Zhiyao sneered. "Osprey Consort, do you not know A concubine is the same as a chief consort; they are both secondary wives!"

Osprey Consort's eyes turned sharp and she glared at Feng Zhiyao fiercely. "Feng San, shut your stinking mouth or I will let you share the same fate as her!"

Feng Zhiyao raised an eyebrow. “Share a disgraceful fall from grace Like what Osprey Consort is doing now: personally going to demand the prince take you in as his concubine Ah… Let me think, you even threatened to give away the land of three states in the north of Great Chu. What’s this called again… Treason"

Osprey Consort was so enraged that she trembled; when she tried to stand up, a pain shot through her body and rendered her immobile. She took several deep breaths before finally suppressing her anger and asked Prince Ding: "Prince Ding, what do you think of this"

Mo Xiuyao replied calmly. "I never interfere with matters within the household."

Feng Zhiyao smiled secretly; it was very interesting to hear this. Did the Prince Ding Manor really have any domestic issues

Osprey Consort, however, felt that she understood Mo Xiuyao’s meaning: whether or not he took her as his wife would be decided by Ye Li. This made Osprey Consort rather unhappy, but since Mo Xiuyao had said so much, the consort could only console herself that this was because of the XU family and their status as Prince Ding; hence, he had to give face to Ye Li. She raised her chin haughtily and looked at Ye Li: "Miss Ye, surely you understand how beneficial I am to the Prince Ding Manor and Mo Family Army"

Ye Li raised an eyebrow and stopped Xiao Bao from jumping up in protest; she smiled faintly. "With Osprey Consort's mind… How could she come up with such a thing Let me guess, this is Minister Tan’s idea"

Seeing Osprey Consort's dark face, Ye Li smiled lightly and said: "Minister Tan is currently in our hands at Prince Ding Manor. Do you think it is sensible to use him as leverage for negotiations However, I should thank the Consort for providing such an interesting piece of information. Also…" Seeing that Osprey Consort wanted to interject, Ye Li’s voice turned serious and continued: "Those three states bordering Northern Rong have a thousand miles of territory; once Mo Family Army takes them over, they will face attacks from Northern Rong in front and criticism from the people of Great Chu behind. Consort, are you trying to help Prince Ding Manor or harm it"

Osprey Consort opened her mouth but could not say anything: she really didn’t understand this; all she had done was listen to Tan Ji’s analysis before thinking about it herself.

"You… You are lying! Mo Family Army will never be afraid of Northern Rong or those commoners!" Osprey Consort said with a pale face.

Ye Li smiled and did not respond: talking about the people's hearts with this woman who had gone mad for a man was a waste of time. She raised her hand to gently touch her hair by her ear, looked at Osprey Consort, and calmly said: "It seems that you don’t have any constructive ideas. Then please leave; if you lack the ability, do not go after other men’s husbands. If you are truly desperate…"

"Ahem ahem ahem…" Feng Zhiyao put down her teacup with a twisted face and looked at Ye Li in fear. A wind pavilion… That was a male brothel, right Consort, how did you know about this

— Interlude —Your Highness and Dingguo王府 will surely be greatly affected. I just received a message from an undercover guard that the people in many parts of Jingcheng seem to have been misled by Mo Jinqi's edict...