Shanhe Festival 224. The Crown Prince Becomes a Grave Robber

"Your Highness, something bad has happened!" Inside the Licheng Inn, the servant knocked on the door of the Zhennan King's room with a panicked look on his face. Soon, the door opened from the inside. The Zhennan King stood at the door with a gloomy face, staring at the flustered servant in front of him, and said coldly, "What happened?" The servant panted and stammered, "The prince! Something happened to the prince... The prince was captured by the people of Ding Wangfu." The Zhennan King's heart sank. The people below would naturally not make a fuss, but in the past two days, there was no news of any troop movements in or near Licheng. How could Tengfeng...

"What else is there? Tell me all at once!" King Zhennan said in a deep voice.

The attendant said hurriedly, "All the people who went out with the prince have lost contact. I heard that early this morning, Princess Ding personally escorted a group of people back to the palace. The people below came to report that they saw the prince, the crown prince of Beirong, the seventh prince, and the king of Li of Dongchu." King Zhennan frowned, "What does the Ding Palace want to do by arresting so many people?" King Zhennan definitely didn't believe that the Ding Palace wanted to go to war with other countries. Apart from anything else, no matter how powerful the Mohist army was, it could not withstand the simultaneous attack of the coalition forces of the three countries. Just as he was thinking about the purpose of the Ding Palace's trip, someone sent a note below, "Your Majesty, Princess Ding of the Ding Palace invites you to come to the palace for a talk." King Zhennan took the note and said lightly, "I understand, go down."

After dismissing the servant who reported the news, the attendant standing by asked cautiously, "Your Highness, shall we go?"

The King of Zhennan flipped through the elegant and majestic post in his hand and sneered, "Tengfeng is in someone else's hands, how can I not go?"

In Prince Ding's mansion, Han Mingxi was complaining to Ye Li about what happened yesterday. Ye Li smiled at his angry look and said, "Mingxi, it was all a misunderstanding. Can't I pay you for them?" Han Mingxi glanced at Mo Xiuyao who was sitting on the side drinking tea calmly, snorted and muttered, "What misunderstanding! Someone is obviously plotting against me!" Knowing that the people from Qilin were going to arrest people, they still told him that he could go there to make a fortune. It was obviously not a good intention. He was also an idiot. He actually believed that Mo Xiuyao would show him the way to make money. Mo Xiuyao would obviously only exploit him, okay? Ye Li smiled and covered her lips, "Mingxi, this is really a misunderstanding. The matter of Qilin was a temporary decision I made, and even the prince didn't know about it." Han Mingxi knew that Ye Li would not lie to him for such a small matter, so he could only snort and admit his bad luck.

Mo Xiuyao put down his teacup, raised his eyebrows and looked at him and said, "Even so, didn't you get a lot? What's there to complain about?" The people sent in by Lei Tengfeng and others can be said to have helped them to set up almost all the traps and devices in the imperial mausoleum, and the people from Prince Ding's Mansion who went in later can be said to have gone straight in without any obstacles. Han Mingxi naturally benefited a lot from this. Han Mingxi thought about the various treasures, antiques, gold, silver and jewelry that he had just moved home from outside, and his anger was not so great. He stared at Mo Xiuyao vigilantly and said, "Those things are all mine, don't even think about touching them." Mo Xiuyao did not comment. If he really wanted to, would he worry about not being able to get the things in Han Mingxi's hands? There was no need to argue with Han Mingxi in front of A'li.

Xu Qingchen, who was sitting on the side watching the show, saw that they had finished arguing, then he said with a smile: "Li'er, what are your plans for those people you captured?" Those were all important figures in their respective countries, and that was why it was difficult to deal with them, and they could not be treated lightly or heavily. Ye Li smiled and said, "What do you think, big brother?" Xu Qingchen nonchalantly played with the beautiful jade around his waist, pondered for a moment and said, "I don't think Li'er has any intention of doing anything to them. In the end, I'm afraid we have to let them go. The key is how to let them go... and how much benefit can we get?" Ye Li smiled and said, "It's good that big brother knows what's going on. We don't expect to get much benefit. This time we just plan to send these people out of the northwest all at once. They have been struggling in the northwest for long enough." A look of understanding flashed across Xu Qingchen's face. This time, he made such a big fuss, more to give way to the forces that were jealous of the northwest and make them dare not act rashly. Nodding, he said, "I understand. I'll tell my father and second uncle later." Ye Li nodded, "Then Brother Lao and uncle will be in charge of the negotiations with the various countries."

"Princess, the King of Zhennan has arrived!" The guards outside reported at the door. Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao looked at each other and smiled. Mo Xiuyao stood up and said, "He came so quickly, Ah Li, let's go out and meet the King of Zhennan. It's better for me to talk to him in person." Ye Li also agreed. Although the King of Zhennan is only a prince, he is different from others. He can have the most direct influence on Xiling. Because the entire Xiling is under his control. Such a person is naturally more difficult to deal with than the Prince of Beirong or the King of Chuli.

When the two of them walked to the hall, there was no one in the hall, but there was a sound of fighting outside. When they stepped out of the hall, they saw two figures in the yard, rising and falling and entangled. It turned out that the King of Zhennan and Ling Tiehan were fighting, which had attracted many people who passed by to stop and watch. When Ling Tiehan fought with others, he didn't say "I'll let you go if you lose an arm". You lost an arm because you don't have the ability. So his palm was like a tidal wave, without any mercy. Ye Li leaned against Mo Xiuyao and watched the sounds of the two fighting fiercely, while whispering: "If you fight with Ling Tiehan, are you sure you can win?" Mo Xiuyao focused on the battle in front of him, and after a long time, he answered in a deep voice: "No. Ling Tiehan is talented, perceptive, and hardworking, and he has been practicing hard all these years. If I hadn't been injured for the past ten years, I might be able to beat him. If it were now... I'm afraid I would be a little worse." Mo Xiuyao's talent is indeed rare in the world, but no matter how good the talent is, it can't withstand the consumption of these ten years. In fact, Mo Xiuyao's martial arts can still be maintained at the current level, and I don't know how much sweat and hard work it has taken to obtain it.

"Now, Ling Tiehan can be said to be the undisputed number one master in the world..." Looking at the two men fighting in front of him, Mo Xiuyao sighed softly.

"You mean..." Ye Li was stunned, and Mo Xiuyao said, "Prince Zhennan is not Ling Tiehan's opponent, and Mu Qingcang is even less so." Mo Xiuyao also admitted that he was not as good as Ling Tiehan, and Ling Tiehan was indeed the world's number one master. Sure enough, with Ling Tiehan ruthless and Prince Zhennan obviously not in good condition, Prince Zhennan soon began to show signs of defeat. However, Ling Tiehan obviously had no intention of stopping, and continued to attack mercilessly. Seeing this, Ye Li couldn't help but mourn for Prince Zhennan. Her original intention of inviting Prince Zhennan to Dingwang Mansion today was definitely not to let Ling Tiehan punish him. She just wanted to end the matter as soon as possible. Everything was just a coincidence...

"Who does Ling Tiehan fight with so ruthlessly?" Ye Li asked with a frown, remembering that Mo Xiuyao and Ling Tiehan had an agreed duel before, she couldn't help but feel a little worried. Mo Xiuyao smiled, stretched out his hand to hold her in his arms, and ignored the sidelong glances of the people watching the fight. He laughed softly and said, "Ling Tiehan is not a fool. If he really fights with me, even if I am more miserable, he will not be much better." The gap between them is not enough for Ling Tiehan to suppress him one-sidedly. If they perform exceptionally well, it is unknown who will win or lose. If Ling Tiehan wants to fight him to the death, both will suffer. "What's more...even though they fight so hard, Ling Tiehan didn't use his full strength, and Lei Zhenting still has some room to spare." Ye Li pointed at the Zhennan King who was slapped just now and his movements were obviously slow, and asked, "Are you hinting that Ling Tiehan and Lei Zhenting have a personal grudge?"

Mo Xiuyao smiled but said nothing. Ling Tiehan had lost interest in Lei Zhenting's martial arts. If there was no personal grudge, why would he rush over and fight him when he heard that he had come to Prince Ding's mansion? When they had almost finished watching the show, Mo Xiuyao thought that he couldn't let the guests of Prince Ding's mansion be beaten to death in the mansion. He laughed loudly and said, "Prince Zhennan, Master Ling, we have almost finished fighting. How about we stop fighting?" Ling Tiehan glanced over here, flew back and pushed him, landing on the top of the wall and standing there, looking down at the Prince Zhennan. Compared with Ling Tiehan's unrestrainedness, the Prince Zhennan seemed a little bit wolfish. A trace of blood flowed from the corner of his lips. He pressed his hand on his chest, which was aching slightly from Ling Tiehan's palm strike. His face was as gloomy as water. He turned around and looked at Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao who were standing aside to watch the fight. He said in a deep voice: "Prince Ding, Princess Ding, what do you mean by this?"

Ye Li stepped forward and said with a faint smile: "Please forgive me, King Zhennan. Master Ling has been a guest in your house these days. I hope you can forgive me for my impoliteness. Master Ling, if you can't drink, how about we have a cup of tea together?" Ling Tiehan clasped his fists towards Ye Li and said with a loud laugh: "I just passed by here and happened to see King Zhennan coming in. I was itching to exchange some skills with him. I hope your Highness will forgive me. I have something important to attend to, so I will leave you first." Ye Li nodded and smiled: "Master Ling, take care." Ling Tiehan nodded to Mo Xiuyao and flew out of the front yard.

Asking the King of Zhennan to sit down in the hall, Ye Li looked at the King of Zhennan with a somewhat ugly face and asked: "Prince, do you need a doctor to come and take a look?" King of Zhennan snorted lightly, wiped the blood from his lips and said: "Thank you, Princess, it's just a minor injury." Ye Li nodded, it seems that the injury is not serious. Although I don't know why Ling Tiehan suddenly intervened to make enemies with King of Zhennan, Ye Li does not object to the current result. The King of Zhennan who suffered internal injuries is obviously more in line with their interests than the King of Zhennan who is intact.

After having the maid serve tea and leave, Prince Zhennan looked at Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li and asked bluntly, "I heard that Quan'er is visiting the palace. I wonder if we can ask him to come out and meet us?" Mo Xiuyao raised his sword-like eyebrows, and his snow-white hair made his whole face look cold and heartless. "Visiting? A'li, have you invited Prince Zhennan to visit your palace?" Ye Li shook her head and smiled lightly, "I went out of the city the day before yesterday to inspect the Qilin resident area, and just came back this morning. How come you invited Prince Zhennan to visit?" Hearing this, Prince Zhennan's heart sank, and he understood why Lei Tengfeng, who brought so many people with him, had fallen into the hands of Princess Ding quietly. Qilin…the most powerful brigade under Princess Ding’s command, but no one has ever actually seen their whereabouts. All that can be known about them is their fierce battle record that has never failed.

The King of Zhennan frowned slightly, took out the invitation and asked, "So, what does this invitation from the King and the Queen mean? I wonder why you invited me to your house?"

Mo Xiu Yao leaned against the armrest and smiled faintly, "It's nothing big. In a few days, the king and the princess will be touring various places in the northwest, not in Licheng. So I wanted to tell your Excellency to avoid any poor hospitality then." King Zhennan lowered his eyes, thought for a while, and then smiled, "So that's the case. In fact, the king and I have been away from Xiling for nearly two months. Due to the busy domestic affairs, I had originally intended to say goodbye. It's just... Yesterday, my son went out and didn't come back. I'm afraid that my Excellency and the princess will have to worry about it." Mo Xiu Yao agreed generously, "Don't worry, King Zhennan. As long as the prince is still in my northwest territory, I can find him for you even if he is hiding in a cave." King Zhennan felt a little depressed. After talking for a long time, Mo Xiu Yao seemed to have agreed, but in fact he didn't agree to anything. Everyone knew that the person was captured by Mo Xiuyao, but as long as Mo Xiuyao denied it, no one could do anything to him. Moreover, he promised to find the person, and it would take ten days, half a month, three years or five years. Dingwang Mansion could afford this time, but Xiling and Zhennan Mansion could not. Although Tengfeng was not his only son, he was the only one with outstanding talents, and he could not be killed by Mo Xiuyao no matter what.

Looking up, King Zhennan said in a deep voice: "My son is ignorant. If he has offended the prince and princess in any way, I will apologize on his behalf. I hope King Ding will show mercy." Saying this was a sign of weakness.

Mo Xiuyao's eyes flickered slightly, and he smiled faintly: "Your Highness, you are too serious. I seem to remember... when A'li went out of the city yesterday, he met a lot of people who suddenly appeared in the northwest and moved mysteriously, so he ordered people to capture these people. A'li?" Ye Li smiled gently and nodded: "We did catch a lot of people yesterday. Zhuo Jing?" Zhuo Jing thought about it and nodded: "There is indeed a person who claims to be the Prince of Zhennan, but he is not familiar with the Prince of Zhennan, and why would the Prince of Zhennan stay in the inn and go to the vicinity of Hongzhou? I thought he must be a liar, so I ordered people to lock him up." The frank words coupled with Zhuo Jing's cold and upright handsome face suddenly seemed righteous as if it were true.

Everyone present was an expert at acting. Mo Xiuyao sat up and gently scolded, "How can you take such a big thing lightly, Prince Zhennan? Why don't you go check it out quickly? Come back soon." Zhuo Jing responded and immediately withdrew to investigate. When Zhuo Jing's back disappeared at the door, Mo Xiuyao took a sip of tea and smiled at the King of Zhennan, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. Zhuo Jing is someone close to A'li and is very reliable in his work. This time it was just a momentary oversight. I believe he will soon figure out the whole story." How could the King of Zhennan not see that Mo Xiuyao was acting, but his son was in his hands, so naturally he would do whatever others said. He smiled faintly and said, "Thank you, King Ding."

Zhuo Jing really went and came back quickly. It took only a cup of tea for Zhuo Jing to reappear at the door of the hall. After entering the hall, Zhuo Jing stepped forward and bowed to Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao, and apologized: "I failed in my duty. Please forgive me, Princess and Prince. I went to the prison to investigate just now. That... is indeed the prince of Zhennan." Mo Xiuyao raised his eyebrows and said, "If that's the case, why don't you invite the prince out?" Zhuo Jing said in embarrassment: "This..."

"Just say it straight." Ye Li said. Zhuo Jing said, "After those people are captured, they will be handed over to the Third Master Feng. The Third Master Feng said that he hates grave robbers the most. The Third Master Feng said that grave robbers are punishable by 100 strokes of the cane and exile to the border according to the law. Stealing the imperial tomb is punishable by beheading. Princes who break the law are guilty of the same crime as common people, so... the Third Master Feng refused to hand over the criminals to his subordinates. I have done a bad job, please forgive me, Princess." Looking at the green-faced Zhennan King sitting on the side, Ye Li smiled apologetically and said, "Feng San obeyed the order of the prince to participate in the formulation of the laws of Licheng and Northwest. As the saying goes, a new official has three fires when he takes office, so it is inevitable that he is a little confused. Please forgive me, Prince." Turning back to Zhuo Jing, he said, "Please ask Feng San to come over."

"No need to ask, I, Feng San, want to see the prince and princess." Before Ye Li finished speaking, Feng Zhiyao's voice rang out from outside the door. Young Master Feng San was still dressed in red, and he looked like a noble young man from a famous family. Ye Li said, "Feng San, do you have the prince of Zhennan?" Feng Zhiyao raised his eyebrows and smiled, waving his folding fan leisurely and said with a smile, "Princess, I don't have any prince, only tomb robbers. I came to report this to the prince and princess. In my opinion, these people are so bold as to steal from the imperial tomb, and their crimes should be executed. I suggest that these people be executed in public and their crimes be announced to the world!"

The face of the King of Zhennan was extremely ugly. If the prince of Zhennan was really beheaded for the crime of tomb robbing, then the face of the King of Zhennan and Xiling would be known to the world. But Feng Zhiyao still said it in a high-sounding way that no one could refute. Because tomb robbing is indeed a crime whether in Xiling or Da Chu. But to put it bluntly, this crime is actually aimed at ordinary people and tomb thieves. Even if the royal family dug up the tombs of the previous dynasty, who could do anything about it? But now that Lei Tengfeng fell into Mo Xiuyao's hands, this crime made people helpless.

Feng Zhiyao continued his impassioned speech, "Our Northwest has just been established, and the legal code is not complete. We should punish severely to serve as a warning to others. Moreover, stealing and digging graves is a serious crime that disregards human ethics and disturbs the souls of the dead. Although it is the tomb of the emperor of the previous dynasty, if we do not punish severely, it will inevitably leave the impression that our Northwest has no human ethics and morality. Please think twice, Your Majesty."

The Prince of Zhennan sighed in his heart, knowing that he was doomed today no matter what. He stood up and bowed to Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao, saying, "My son acted recklessly and committed such a heinous crime. I beg the Prince of Ding and the Princess to forgive me. Xiling and the Prince of Zhennan are willing to do our best to compensate the Prince of Ding and the Northwest for their losses."

Hearing this, Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao looked at each other and smiled knowingly. It's a good thing to admit defeat.

..