421. Queen of Nanzhao was assassinated

In the study of Prince Ding's mansion, Mo Xiuyao, Ye Li, Xu Qingchen and others were sitting and discussing matters. Qin Feng came outside the door and asked for an audience. "Prince and Princess, Qin Feng wants to see you."

Ye Li frowned slightly and said, "Come in. What's the matter?"

Qin Feng stepped into the study and took a look at the people in the study. Xu Qingchen, Feng Zhiyao, Han Mingyue and others were all people trusted by the prince and princess. He did not hesitate and reported in a deep voice: "Mo Jingyu just went to a small teahouse in the city to meet someone secretly. I suspect that this person may be Mo Jingli."

Mo Xiuyao raised his eyebrows and asked, "Where are the people?"

Qin Feng lowered his head with some shame and said, "He slipped away. That teahouse is probably Mo Jingli's secret base in Licheng. Please punish him, Your Majesty." When the people from Ding Wangfu sneaked in, the whole teahouse was already empty. It was obvious that the place was specially arranged at that time, and there was a secret passage for people to escape. Mo Xiuyao waved his hand and said calmly, "There is no wall that is impenetrable in the world. It's not your fault. Are you sure it was Mo Jingli? What did he want to do with Mo Jingyu?"

Han Mingyue smiled and said, "Mo Jingli dares to come to Licheng now. His intention is self-evident. As for Mo Jingyu... I'm afraid that Mo Jingli has some leverage over him and wants to take it away." Xu Qingchen nodded and agreed with Han Mingyue's opinion. He looked at Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li and said, "Let Xiaobao be careful these days." Although Mo Jingli may hate Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li more, it is extremely difficult to harm them given their abilities. And Mo Xiaobao, who has not yet grown up, will naturally become the most obvious weakness.

Ye Li nodded solemnly and took note of Xu Qingchen's reminder. In fact, she was planning to send more people to protect Mo Xiaobao. No matter how smart Mo Xiaobao was, he was just a ten-year-old child.

Feng Zhiyao frowned and said, "Mo Jingli has become smarter now. Even the secret guards of Prince Ding's mansion can't catch him."

Han Mingyue smiled and said, "He is not smarter, but he is afraid of death. If he really became smarter, he would never come to Licheng." Leng Haoyu said with some worry, "The fact that he can sneak into Licheng at least proves that he has more than a few useful people under his command. I am afraid that he has nothing left now, and he just wants to die with Prince Ding's Mansion. Such people are always dangerous, so it is better to catch him as soon as possible."

Everyone nodded in agreement. Fools are not scary, and neither are smart people. The scariest thing is a lunatic who thinks he is smart and is not afraid of death. Because it is difficult to guess what he wants to do.

After hearing what Leng Haoyu said, Mo Xiuyao raised his eyebrows and seemed to be thinking about something. Xu Qingchen glanced at him and asked, "Does the prince have any plans?" Mo Xiuyao smiled calmly and said, "It's just Mo Jingli, don't take it too seriously. The prince has his own plans. In a few days, it will be Lin'er and Xin'er's first birthday banquet, so you should spend more time on it. It seems that there are quite a lot of people coming this year?"

Feng Zhiyao nodded and smiled, "Yes, in addition to the envoys from Beirong Dachu and Xiling who are already in Licheng, the Queen and her husband of Nanzhao, Princess Helan of the Northern Territory, and envoys from the Western Regions are all on their way. They will arrive in Licheng soon."

"It seems that Qingbai and Zhang Qilan are doing well in Xiling?" Mo Xiuyao smiled while stroking his chin. Xiling Imperial City is located in the extreme west, bordering the Western Regions. However, the relationship between Xiling and the Western Regions has always been hostile. Not to mention that the countries actively sent envoys to congratulate, even the trade routes between the two countries were often intermittent. In the early years, the trade routes between the Western Regions and the Central Plains were maintained by the agreement reached between Dingwang Mansion and Xiling. It was not until most of the northern areas of Xiling were taken over by the Mohist Army that the exchanges between the Central Plains and the Western Regions became truly smooth.

Xu Qingchen smiled faintly and said, "I heard that there were a few battles at the beginning. Now that Prince Ding's Mansion is on the rise, even the people of the Western Regions know how to read people's expressions. It's natural for them to send envoys to congratulate. By the way, Qingbai and his men are also coming back with the envoys from the Western Regions this time. They will arrive in about two days."

Xu Qingchen nodded and said, "Then... let Qingze take care of the matter of the Western Region envoys?" It just so happened that Xu Qingze and Xu Qingbai were also brothers, so they could communicate with each other if they had any problems.

Xu Qingchen and Xu Qingze nodded, indicating that they had no objection.

After the discussion was over, everyone left. Ye Li looked at Mo Xiuyao and asked, "What are you going to do about Mo Jingli?" Mo Xiuyao held her in his arms and smiled softly, "Don't be nervous. Xiaobao has a lot of people following him. He himself is not an easy person to deal with. If he really runs into Mo Jingli, it's hard to say who will suffer and who will take advantage."

Ye Li frowned and said unhappily, "He is still a child."

"In Prince Ding's mansion, there are no children after the age of ten. Ah Li, we can't stay with him forever. One day he will have to stand on his own." Ye Li sighed silently. Although she understood that Mo Xiuyao was doing it for Mo Xiaobao's good, it was difficult for Ye Li to accept the situation of treating children as adults, a happy child who was born in the spring breeze and grew up under the red flag and grew up like a normal child even though he was born in a military family. When she was ten years old in her previous life, she was still in the courtyard with a group of girls and boys making noises.

But the current situation does not allow Mo Xiaobao to grow slowly. With Mo Xiuyao's temperament and plan, it is obvious that he intends to hand over Dingwang Mansion to Mo Xiaobao as soon as possible, and live a carefree life. In order to prevent someone from suddenly giving up and leaving Mo Xiaobao in a mess, it is the right choice to start training Mo Xiaobao now.

"Don't worry, Ah Li. Xiao Bao is also my son." Knowing that Ye Li was worried about Xiao Bao's safety, Mo Xiuyao comforted her softly, feeling helpless about Ye Li's excessive worry. No matter how bad Mo Xiao Bao was, he was still his son. As a father, he would never kill his own son. Could it be that he treated Mo Xiao Bao so badly that Ah Li was so worried? His Royal Highness Prince Ding rarely reflected on himself with a guilty conscience.

Ye Li smiled faintly and said, "I know, but I still can't help but worry. You know...reason and emotion are sometimes two different things." Not to mention that Mo Xiaobao is still a child in his early ten years old. Even if he becomes the world's number one master like Mo Xiuyao, a mother still has to worry. "Since you have a plan in mind, you can handle it. I will take good care of Lin'er and Xin'er." If Mo Jingli is really heartbroken, Mo Xiaobao may not be the only one in danger. Lin'er and Xin'er are also in danger.

"I promise that Mo Xiaobao will be safe." Mo Xiuyao promised solemnly.

"Yeah, I know." Ye Li nodded and smiled.

"Your Highness and Princess, something has happened!" Qin Feng hurried in from outside the door and said with a very ugly expression.

Ye Li stood up, "What's wrong?" Qin Feng was always calm. If something serious hadn't happened, he would never have been so reckless and rushed into the study. Qin Feng said in a deep voice: "The Queen of Nanzhao was assassinated not far from Licheng. The Queen and the little prince are missing!"

"What?!" Not only Ye Li, but even Mo Xiuyao showed a hint of surprise. Mo Xiuyao thought for a moment and frowned, "Why would the Queen of Nanzhao bring the prince to Licheng?" Last year, Princess Anxi gave birth to a little prince in Zhongyuan. At that time, Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao were not in Licheng. Now the child is less than half a year old. Logically, even if the Queen of Nanzhao came to Licheng to congratulate, she would not bring the little prince with her because the journey was too long.

Qin Feng said, "Princess Anxi and the prince did not return to the country after leaving Licheng last year, but continued to travel in the Central Plains. They were originally planning to return to the country, but when they heard that Prince Ding's Mansion was going to hold a birthday banquet for the young prince and the little princess, they turned back with the little prince. Unexpectedly, they were assassinated by a group of unknown people less than a hundred miles away from Licheng. The prince was seriously injured, and the whereabouts of the queen and the little prince are unknown."

"Where is Mr. Wang? Please invite him in." Ye Li said hurriedly.

Soon, Nanzhao King's wife Pu'a walked in. As expected, his originally gorgeous sapphire blue Nanjiang costume was stained with blood. Pu'a also had scars on his arms and face, obviously having been in a fierce battle.

"Prince Ding, Princess Ding." Because Princess Anxi and Ye Li had a good relationship, Pu'a was also familiar with Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li, so he was not polite at the moment and anxiously said, "Prince Ding, Princess, please save Anxi and the child!" As he spoke, he was about to bow to Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li. The men of Southern Xinjiang are actually very proud and will not kneel down to others easily. The disappearance of his wife and son made this man from Southern Xinjiang panic.

Mo Xiuyao quickly reached out to support him and said in a deep voice, "Pu'a, don't worry. As long as the Queen of Nanzhao is still in the northwest, I promise to find her. Regarding this matter... Prince Ding's Mansion will also give Nanzhao an explanation."

Mo Xiuyao was born with a power that could calm people and convince them. Hearing him say this, Pu'a quickly calmed down, took a deep breath and said, "If there is anything I can do to help, please let Prince Ding know. As long as... Anxi and the child can return safely."

Mo Xiuyao patted his shoulder and said, "Sit down first and tell the king and the princess what happened. Then go to the guest room and have a good rest. You are also seriously injured."

Pu'a nodded heavily, sorted out his thoughts and told the story of the assassination. It turned out that Princess Anxi and Pu'a had been traveling around with their children for the past six months. During the past six months, there was a melee among the three forces in the Central Plains. Princess Anxi accepted the opinions of Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao and did not participate. There was nothing going on in Nanzhao itself, so the two of them did not remember to go back. This time, they heard that the Dingwang Mansion was preparing to hold a birthday banquet for the two young princes and the little princess. With the friendship between Nanzhao and Dingwang Mansion, it was naturally impossible not to participate. So the two people who had originally planned to go back to Nanzhao turned back. But they did not expect to encounter an ambush on a sparsely populated official road not far from Licheng. Pu'a led his guards to fight to the death, but the opponent had a lot of people and each of them was not weak. They were caught off guard and fell behind at the beginning. In the end, Princess Anxi and her child were abducted.

After hearing what Pu'a said, Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li looked at each other and gradually understood what was going on. Ye Li called Chief Steward Mo to ask Pu'a to go down and rest. Pu'a had just left the house when Feng Zhiyao and others who had heard the news arrived.

"I said that Mo Jingli would definitely do something!" Leng Haoyu cursed, "But why did he kidnap Princess Anxi? Isn't he afraid of disturbing Prince Ding's Mansion and arousing our vigilance? Or is Mo Jingli really that capable that he treats Prince Ding's Mansion as nothing?"

Han Mingyue frowned, looked at Mo Xiuyao and said, "There is no point in kidnapping Princess Anxi, and Mo Jingli will not get any benefit. The only possibility is... he wants to sabotage the Dingwang Mansion's first birthday banquet. If the envoys from various countries who came to the banquet were assassinated or something happened..." The envoys from various countries were killed on the territory of Dingwang Mansion. Even if it has nothing to do with Dingwang Mansion, I'm afraid Dingwang Mansion must give an explanation to various countries.

Feng Zhiyao said in a deep voice: "If this is the case, he will not only target Princess Anxi. There is also Princess Helan who will arrive in Licheng soon, and those envoys from the Western Regions." To put it bluntly, Mo Jingli just wanted to embarrass the Ding Palace.

Ye Li lowered his eyes and thought for a while, then said in a deep voice: "Feng San, tell Mo Hua to send the secret guards of Prince Ding's Palace to welcome the envoys from various countries, and make sure that these envoys arrive in Licheng safely. In addition, mobilize 50,000 soldiers from the camp near Licheng, divide them into teams of 500, and patrol the area within a hundred miles of Licheng continuously for twelve hours a day. Tell Qilin to station two teams to guard Licheng, and the other four teams to station in the four directions of east, south, west and north to guard the surroundings of Licheng, so that they can provide support at any time if anything happens."

"Yes, Princess." Feng Zhiyao nodded and accepted the order.

"What do you think about the Queen of Nanzhao?" Mo Xiuyao asked. Everyone was silent for a while, and Leng Haoyu sighed in a low voice: "I just hope that if Mo Jingli... wants to negotiate with us, he will not harm Princess Anxi for the time being. Otherwise..." If the Queen of Nanzhao and the only prince died in Licheng, it would not be good for the relationship between Prince Ding's Mansion and Nanzhao.

"Let's try our best to send people to search everywhere." Feng Zhiyao's voice was also a little solemn.

Ye Li nodded and said, "Give the order, be very careful, and make sure Princess Anxi and the little prince are safe."

Han Mingyue said: "Princess Anxi is not an ordinary person. It is impossible for Mo Jingli to walk around Licheng with a woman like this and a child less than half a year old without revealing some clues. Princess, there is no need to be too anxious." Ye Li thought for a while and said: "Then, this matter will be handed over to Master Mingyue." Han Mingyue was once the head of the largest intelligence organization in Da Chu. He should have more experience than others in finding people.

Han Mingyue cupped her hands and smiled, "I will definitely live up to the princess's trust."

Ye Li sighed and said, "Thank you, Mr. Lao."

In a cave somewhere outside Licheng, Princess Anxi woke up from her coma, rubbed her slightly aching forehead, a sharp gleam flashed in her eyes, she regained consciousness in an instant, and hurriedly looked around.

"Are you looking for him?" A male voice came from not far away, with a hint of malice and mockery.

Princess Anxi looked in the direction of the sound and saw a man wearing coarse clothes and with a thick beard standing not far away, holding a baby in his arms. He was not very skilled in holding the baby, and he did not care. He just held the baby casually with one hand. Fortunately, the baby had fallen asleep, so he was not worried.

"Shuo'er! Who are you?!" Princess Anxi stared at the man in front of her with caution. He looked familiar, but when Princess Anxi thought about it carefully, she found that there was no such person in her memory.

The man seemed to be stunned for a moment, then sneered: "The Queen of Nanzhao really has a bad memory. I remember that it has not been long since we last met."

"I?" This word is the exclusive self-proclaimed name of the emperor of the Central Plains. Princess Anxi was stunned for a moment, then took a closer look and said hesitantly, "Are you... Mo Jingli?" It's no wonder that Princess Anxi didn't recognize him. Princess Anxi had never seen Mo Jingli before. Moreover, the man in front of her didn't look like the arrogant and sinister King Chu Li in the past except for his height. His face, which was originally handsome, has become sallow and thin, and his eyes are full of violence and a twisted madness. He also has a beard that makes people feel very incongruous, like a mountain king in a bandit camp. No one would doubt that he is a bandit who ran out of some mountain.

Mo Jingli looked at Princess Anxi and laughed, "Yes, I am Mo Jingli! I never thought that the Queen of Nanzhao still remembered me!"

Princess Anxi looked at the child in his arms with some fear and trepidation, because of his crazy size. The sleeping child had already begun to struggle and was obviously about to wake up.

"Give me the child first." Princess Anxi calmed down and said.

"Child? Why should I listen to you?" Mo Jingli asked, looking at Princess Anxi from above. Princess Anxi said in a deep voice, "Shuo'er is still young and can't understand what adults say. He will definitely cry when he wakes up. You don't want his crying to attract people from Prince Ding's Mansion, right?"

Sure enough, before Princess Anxi finished her words, the child pouted and sobbed. Seeing that she was about to burst into tears, Mo Jingli was most annoyed by the sound of crying during his days of escape. He immediately shouted angrily, "Shut up!"

How could a half-year-old baby understand his warning? She burst into tears. Mo Jingli glared at Princess Anxi fiercely, raised his hand and threw the child out. Princess Anxi was startled and quickly jumped up to catch the child in mid-air. After falling back to the ground, Princess Anxi patted the child gently, still in shock, "Shuo'er... Shuo'er, be good, don't cry..."

"Shut him up immediately! Otherwise, don't blame me for being rude!" Mo Jingli ordered coldly. Princess Anxi glanced at Mo Jingli, but didn't answer. She just coaxed the child in her arms softly. After a while, the child's crying became quieter, and she slowly sobbed and fell asleep again.

After watching the child fall asleep, Princess Anxi carefully found a flat and dry place to put the child down, and sprinkled a circle of snake and insect repellent around. As a southern Xinjiang person, these things are the most abundant.

Only after she had settled the child did Princess Anxi walk towards Mo Jingli who was standing at the entrance of the cave and said calmly, "Why did the King of Chu bring me here?"

Mo Jingli looked at Princess Anxi with malicious intent and sneered, "What's the matter? Can't I arrest you if there's nothing wrong?"

Princess Anxi shook her head and said, "I don't believe it. If the King of Chu had no reason, he could have killed me right away. Why did he wait until now? Was it because of... Prince Ding's Mansion?" It's not hard to guess. Although Mo Jingli was dismissed by the Empress Dowager and the ministers of Great Chu, the reason was because of the war with Prince Ding's Mansion. If they hadn't been defeated by Prince Ding's Mansion, the ministers of Great Chu would not have dared to rebel against Mo Jingli in Jiangnan even if they had ten times the courage.

Mo Jingli stared at her and said, "You are smart. No wonder Shu Manlin couldn't beat you. It's a pity... no matter how smart you are, it's useless in my hands. If you want to blame someone, blame yourself for coming to Licheng."

Princess Anxi stopped talking. With her alertness and intelligence, she could see that Mo Jingli was abnormal. If Mo Jingli was determined to kill her, it would be useless to say anything. As the queen of Nanzhao, she would not kneel down and beg for mercy.

But Princess Anxi's calmness angered Mo Jingli. Mo Jingli stared at her and smiled sinisterly, "Do you think your husband will come to save you? Yes, he escaped, but... do you think the people from Prince Ding's mansion will definitely find you? Even if they can find you... this child is not even a year old yet? Can he survive until then?"

Princess Anxi said calmly: "What do you want?"

Mo Jingli smiled and said, "I don't want to do anything. I just want to see how powerful Prince Ding's Mansion is."

Princess Anxi closed her eyes and remained silent for a long time before she spoke: "You arrested me just to divert the attention of Prince Ding's Mansion. You wanted to do something else...you wanted to harm the people in Prince Ding's Mansion."

Mo Jingli tilted his head and looked at Princess Anxi for a long time before sighing, "You are indeed a smart woman. You are much better than that idiot Qixia. Why did I fall for that idiot back then?"

Princess Anxi gritted her teeth, a flash of anger in her eyes. When Princess Qixia was sent back to Licheng by Ye Li, her serious injuries were still not healed, not to mention that she looked like a seven or eight-year-old child. Although she was very angry with this disobedient sister, seeing her being harmed by the man she had given everything to and loved for more than ten years, Princess Anxi couldn't help but hate Mo Jingli's ruthlessness.

"Since you know, just stay here obediently. Maybe when I'm in a good mood, I'll let you go. If you don't behave... I promise to let you watch your precious son die ugly!" Mo Jingli stared down at Princess Anxi and smiled coldly. As if he thought of something, Mo Jingli's eyes flashed with hostility, and he smiled: "I just heard that the people in Dingwang Mansion are looking for us everywhere. But... Don't worry, they will never find us here. Even if they find us... they won't dare to come here, unless they don't want your life anymore. By the way, if you want to escape, you can also go out and try."

After saying that, Mo Jingli no longer paid attention to Princess Anxi and walked out of the cave in a swagger.

Watching Mo Jingli disappear at the entrance of the cave, Princess Anxi slowly moved to the entrance. Soon, she understood why Mo Jingli was not afraid of her escaping or being found by the people in Prince Ding's Mansion. This cave was located halfway up a cliff. Below the cliff was a vast lake that was almost endless. If she was alone, she could take a chance and jump off the cliff, but with a child, she really couldn't escape by herself.

She looked at the lake below the cliff in silence. She was not very familiar with the northwest, and could not guess where she was. After pondering for a while, Princess Anxi turned around and walked back into the cave.