148. Sadness

Xinyang City Governor's Mansion is the temporary headquarters of the Mohist Army. All the Mohist Army's commanders, including Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao, are temporarily staying here. After the bloody massacre, only one in ten of the original population of Xinyang City, which was hundreds of thousands, survived. The entire Xinyang City is almost entirely made up of soldiers and has entered militarized management. There are no pedestrians coming and going on the wide streets, no enthusiastic vendors hawking their wares, only neat and orderly soldiers coming and going. Even if there are civilians passing by occasionally, their faces are full of sadness and numbness.

Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao walked on the largest Xuanwu Street in Xinyang City. Ye Li sighed as she looked at the empty street. Mo Xiuyao looked down and saw her sad face. He reached out and held her hand without saying a word. Ye Li raised her head and smiled at him. "I'm fine. I just feel a little disappointed when I see the largest city in the northwest become empty." Mo Xiuyao said softly, "After this war, it will be prosperous again in a few years." Ye Li shook her head and said, "No matter how prosperous it is, those people are not the people who originally lived in this city." A trace of sadness flashed across Mo Xiuyao's eyes. "When a war breaks out, it is inevitable that ordinary people will be injured and killed."

"Yeah... one general's success is the result of the sacrifice of thousands of soldiers..." Ye Li sighed softly.

"One general's success is based on the sacrifice of thousands of men..." Mo Xiuyao was thoughtful. The Mohist ancestors had made great military achievements and were feared by the world. Wasn't the Mohist army's great reputation forged by the flesh and blood of tens of millions of people? The Dingguo Palace had always claimed to protect the peace of the people of Dachu, but had he ever really felt sorry for the innocent people who died in the war, including himself? Ye Li walked in front, looked back at Mo Xiuyao and smiled faintly, with a nostalgia in her eyes that he had never had before, and said leisurely: "Do you know? Someone once told me that the duty of a soldier is to protect the country and the people. The greatest shame of a soldier is to let the people they protect experience the most real war at their doorstep." Mo Xiuyao was silent. The nostalgic look of Ah Li in front of him made him feel ethereal and distant, but so beautiful that it made him feel a little painful in his heart. He suddenly felt a little panic in his heart and wanted to catch the person in front of him, as if she would disappear in the next moment if he didn't do so. So, he followed his own wishes, stretched out his hands and held her in his arms, supported her head with his handsome chin, and said in a deep voice: "This incident is indeed a shame for the Mohist Army."

Ye Li smiled softly and shook her head, "That's not what I meant. Just think I'm just talking nonsense. This time... it's not your fault."

Mo Xiuyao said softly, "It's not your fault, Ah Li. You have done your best."

Ye Li nodded, and was about to stand up and get out of Mo Xiuyao's arms, when a pleasant voice with surprise and a hint of resentment came from behind, "Xiuyao, are you here?" The two turned around and looked at the stunning woman standing not far away, looking at Mo Xiuyao with joy. Ye Li sighed in her heart. Su Zuidi was not only a stunning woman. She was also a woman who knew how to use her advantages. All industries in Xinyang City were sluggish, and she, a guest, was obviously not favored by the prince and the princess, so naturally no one would specially prepare gorgeous clothes and accessories for her. But look at the woman in front of her, she was just wearing the most ordinary white clothes, but she could wear it like a fairy from the ninth heaven entering the mortal world. With her jet-black hair casually draped and tied loosely with a white ribbon, Su Zuidie is already twenty-five years old this year, but standing gracefully in the middle of the street, she looks only two years older than Ye Li, who is only fifteen or sixteen years old.

"What are you doing here?" Mo Xiuyao frowned slightly and looked at her indifferently.

Su Zuidie held her hands tightly in her sleeves, trembled her lips and looked at Mo Xiuyao with sorrow, "Don't you want to see me?" Mo Xiuyao remained calm, staring at her sharply and said in a deep voice, "I ask you, what are you doing here?"

Su Zuidie was startled, then smiled miserably and looked at him resentfully, "I see, you really still hate me, and you're still blaming me for leaving you alone, right? But... I had no choice, why can't you forgive me? You're still guarding against me like an enemy, can't I even go out for a walk and get some fresh air? If you hate me so much, why don't you just kill me?" Mo Xiuyao frowned, no longer paying attention to Su Zuidie, and said to the empty street, "Someone come!"

The two figures soon appeared at the corner of the street, waiting respectfully for instructions. Mo Xiuyao pointed at Su Zuidi, who was crying with her face covered, and said coldly: "Take her back. If I see her again, you will be punished."

"As you command!" they said in unison.

Su Zuidie looked at Mo Xiuyao in shock, and said in disbelief, "You want to put me under house arrest? Xiuyao, you are so cruel... My grandfather will not allow you to do this to me!"

Mo Xiuyao said calmly: "You want to let Elder Su know that you are still alive?"

Su Zuidie was speechless for a moment. With her grandfather's temper, if he knew what she had done over the years, he would definitely kill her! Looking at Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li who were still holding hands, Su Zuidie was unwilling but could not follow the secret guards back. It would be even more embarrassing if she was forcibly escorted back.

Ye Li smiled and shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly at the resentful look from her subordinate Su Zuidie as she was leaving. No matter how stunning a beauty is, you will get used to it after seeing her too many times. She always believed that a true beauty should be just the right amount of beautiful. Being too beautiful... is sometimes a flaw.

After walking around the city with Mo Xiuyao to check the defenses of various places and comforting the surviving people in the city, the two returned to the prefect's mansion. As soon as they entered the door, Mo Xiuyao was asked to leave by Feng Zhiyao, and Ye Li also returned to the study to deal with the matters that needed to be handled by herself.

The desk was already filled with various files and documents sorted by Zhuo Jing and Lin Han. Seeing Ye Li coming in, Lin Han and Zhuo Jing, who were still busy, stood up and saluted. Ye Li waved her hand to indicate that they didn't need to salute, and then they sat down again and focused on the files in their hands. After two months of teaching, Zhuo Jing and Lin Han have basically met Ye Li's needs for the position of assistant. Zhuo Jing, in particular, because he has spent more time with Ye Li than Lin Han, can understand Ye Li's intentions better. Many times, there is no need to talk. Zhuo Jing can understand what she needs with just a gesture and a raised hand. This freed Ye Li from her busy work every day, and she only needed to pay attention to some more important matters that required her to make decisions.

"Any news from An Er?" Ye Li sat down and asked while picking up the memorial that needed to be processed.

Lin Han stood up and presented a letter, saying, "I received this as early as possible. An Er sent it back quickly." Ye Li took it and opened it. The letter was densely written. The content was all related to Su Zuidie. Including Su Zuidie's current status in Xiling, and all the situations of her family, Xiling Bai. There were also many things about Su Zuidie in the palace, and her relationship with the Xiling Emperor, concubines, and princesses in the palace. Seeing the latter part, Ye Li was amazed. She didn't expect that Su Zuidie was not only the favorite concubine of the Xiling Emperor, but also said to have an ambiguous relationship with the Zhennan King. Su Zuidie had a very bad relationship with Queen Bai of Xiling. She was almost killed by Queen Bai several times, but she was saved by the help of King Zhennan. King Zhennan directly suppressed Queen Bai afterwards. Now Queen Bai is more like a puppet in Xiling Palace. Su Zuidie has the final say in Xiling Palace. Ye Li was puzzled. Why did Su Zuidie, who almost had power over the harem, come all the way back to Da Chu? Wasn't she afraid that Mo Xiuyao would still hate her and kill her with a sword? Or was she too confident in her appearance and was sure that Mo Xiuyao would fall at her feet?

After reading about Su Zuidie's life, which was more like a wild history legend, Ye Li curled her lips in boredom and said, "I'll send it to the prince when I'm free later."

Lin Han nodded, put the memorial aside and prepared to deliver it to the prince after he finished the work at hand.

"Zui Die wants to see Miss Ye San." Su Zui Die's gentle voice came from outside the door. Ye Li frowned, thought for a moment and said, "Please come in, Concubine Bai."

Outside the door, Su Zuidie glanced at the two guards at the door with an angry look on her pretty face, raised her eyebrows and said, "Can I go in now?" Unfortunately, the beauty's angry and coquettish look seemed like a stone puppet in the eyes of the two loyal guards, who said respectfully, "Princess, please invite Concubine Bai in."

The title of Bai Guifei made her angry and embarrassed. Everyone in the Mo family army knew that she was Mo Xiuyao's fiancée, but the people around Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li all called her Bai Guifei. Such a title always made her wonder if it was a deliberate mockery of her. In fact, Su Zuidie was just overthinking. Most people in the Mo family army knew that the prince's former fiancée was the most beautiful woman in the world, Su Zuidie, but they also knew that Su Zuidie was dead. Even if she called herself Su Zuidie, as long as the prince didn't admit it, it wouldn't be true in the eyes of these people. What's more, the prince and the princess both called her Bai Guifei, so naturally the subordinates had to follow suit.

With a light snort, Su Zuidie stepped into the study. As soon as he entered the study, he saw Ye Li sitting behind the desk, looking at the memorial in his hand. Not far away on the other side of the study, two tables put together were also piled with various account books and memorial files. Lin Han and Zhuo Jing sat at the table, busy with their own things, and didn't even give a glance to the most beautiful woman. It's not that they don't like to see beauties, but this beauty always meets the prince from time to time in the past few days. Coincidentally, the prince is with the princess most of the time, and they are also with the princess most of the time. So it is inevitable that they see the beauty more often. People like beauties because they are out of reach. If this beauty is always clinging to you, no matter how beautiful she is, she will inevitably lose some of her luster.

Seeing Ye Li busy, Su Zuidie felt even more unwilling. When she was still with Mo Xiuyao, Mo Xiuyao didn't even allow her to enter his study, let alone help him with his affairs. But now, Ye Li was sitting in Mo Xiuyao's seat and handling the affairs of the Dingguo Palace. How could Su Zuidie accept that something she had never gotten was obtained by someone who was not as good as herself?