Taiping 399. Various parties come to investigate

Perhaps it was because Ye Li's reputation in the Mohist Army was already high enough, or perhaps it was because the generals of the entire Mohist Army were very calm and composed. After the news of Mo Xiuyao's serious injury spread, the entire Mohist Army did not cause chaos and low morale as Feng Zhiyao and others worried. Even more than ten days later, when the news of Mo Xiuyao's death spread and the entire Mohist Army was in mourning, the army did not have any major problems. All the Mohist Army soldiers were more hatred and shared hatred for the enemy.

When they actually received Mo Xiuyao's warning, everyone was stunned. Even the confident Mo Jingli and the originally worried Lei Zhenting. No one could believe that Mo Xiuyao... the man who made the world jealous and fearful, who had been turning the tide for ten years and controlled most of the world, was actually... dead?

Looking at the letter delivered to him, Lei Zhenting sighed with a complicated expression.

"Father?" Lei Tengfeng stood aside, looking at Lei Zhenting's expression of joy and sorrow, and asked in confusion. Mo Xiuyao's death was naturally a good thing, but he didn't know why his father looked like this. This made Lei Tengfeng guess something bad, "Father, but...what's wrong with the news of Mo Xiuyao's death?"

In fact, Lei Tengfeng couldn't believe that Mo Xiuyao died just like that. Mo Xiuyao's cunning and fickleness also left a deep impression on Lei Tengfeng, so he had to wonder if Mo Xiuyao was a fake corpse. But for a moment, he didn't understand the meaning of Mo Xiuyao's fake death? Originally, this war had gradually tilted towards Ding Wangfu. As long as there were no accidents, even if the stalemate lasted for another two or three years, Ding Wangfu would have a much greater chance of winning than Zhennan Wangfu. Mo Xiuyao had completely given up all the advantages in the early stage.

Lei Zhenting frowned and shook his head and said, "It's not likely, but it's possible. Send someone to investigate and make sure whether Mo Xiuyao is really dead." If Mo Xiuyao really faked his death, he must have a big plan, and we must not take it lightly. But in this situation, if we stand still and do nothing, it is impossible to give up this opportunity in vain.

"Son understands." Lei Tengfeng nodded seriously. Of course, he also understood the importance of this matter. There was also Mo Jingli who was far away outside Hangu Pass who had the same idea as Lei Zhenting.

In a secret base somewhere in Prince Ding's mansion, Mo Xiuyao looked at the secret memorial presented by his subordinates and suddenly didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Looking at the memorial filled with his own words in front of him, he couldn't help but whispered: "Ali must be angry... It's really bad. But... good opportunities are hard to come by..." However, since Ali announced the news of his death, there must be a way to make outsiders believe the truth of this news. This is of great benefit to his secret conspiracy. Sure enough, it was a good decision not to hide Ali at the beginning. If Feng Zhiyao and others were in charge of Feihong Pass at this time, I'm afraid it would backfire. This is not about ability, but Feng Zhiyao and others do not have the reputation and status of Ye Li, nor do they have the tacit understanding with Mo Xiuyao that does not require conversation.

"Prince..." The subordinate standing in front of him looked at the prince who was muttering in front of him and said with some confusion.

Mo Xiuyao smiled and said, "Leave the battlefield to Ah Li and Feng San. We should also go and prepare." It is not easy to get such an opportunity to leave the battlefield without being suspected. After all, his martial arts are too strong. If there is no joint explanation, even if his body is defeated in front of Lei Zhenting, Lei Zhenting will probably think it is someone else in disguise. Cangmang Mountain... is a good excuse. In this case, he must take the opportunity to give Lei Zhenting and Mo Jingli a shocking gift.

"But, Your Majesty...your injury..."

Mo Xiuyao lowered his head and glanced at his chest, then waved his hand nonchalantly and said, "It's just a minor injury. It's nothing serious. Go ahead."

"Yes, I will take my leave."

The death of Prince Ding was such a shocking event that it could not be dealt with lightly. So as soon as the news came out, the entire Mo family camp and Feihong Pass were immediately covered in mourning. White cloth was draped everywhere, and the entire army was in mourning. When the people near Feihong Pass heard the news, they also wore plain clothes, and many people even cried out in pain. In such a chaotic world, the people of the entire northwest have been living a stable and happy life, all thanks to the protection of Prince Ding's palace. The pain of the people now is not only the worry for their own future, but also the mourning and sadness for the death of Mo Xiuyao, the Prince Ding.

"Report to the princess, the King of Xiling Zhennan is here." In Feihong Pass, Ye Li was sitting in the study, reviewing the pile of memorials on the table in front of him. Mo Xiuyao's sudden "death" naturally left countless things to be dealt with. Everyone in Feihong Pass and the Dingwang Mansion in Licheng were extremely busy. Xu Hongyu, Xu Qingchen and others in Licheng were also so busy after sending someone to deliver a letter that they could no longer spare any time.

Ye Li raised her head and looked at Qin Feng, frowning and asked, "Lei Zhenting? What is he doing here?"

Qin Feng said: "Of course I am here to mourn the prince." Although the two sides are now enemies, Lei Zhenting came to mourn in the name of Xiling, and the Mohist Army really can't do anything to him.

Putting the memorial aside, Ye Li stood up and said, "Mourning? Are you here to gather information? I thought he should send Lei Tengfeng." Qin Feng thought about it, smiled softly and said, "Given the situation among his subordinates, he is probably afraid that the princess will get angry and really kill Lei Tengfeng." Lei Tengfeng is the only son of Lei Zhenting, and Lei Zhenting is now nearly sixty years old. It is probably too late for him to have another son to raise.

"Forget it, go and meet him. Ask people to get ready, Mo Jingli will probably be here too." Ye Li said.

"Mo Jingli?" Qin Feng frowned and asked, "Does he dare to come?" Mo Jingli is not a skilled and courageous person. Going deep into the enemy camp is not something that Mo Jingli would do. Ye Li walked out while saying, "He should have received the news. From what I know about Mo Jingli, he will definitely not miss such an opportunity." After all, in Mo Jingli's life, Mo Xiuyao's death was the first time, and perhaps the only time.

"I understand." Qin Feng nodded.

In the lobby, Lei Zhenting was drinking tea while looking around the whole hall. This mansion was originally the mansion of the general stationed in Feihong Pass. It was not particularly large, nor was it very luxurious. After Mo Xiuyao and others moved in, they obviously did not decorate it with special care. Now the whole mansion was covered with plain white cloth, which made it even more cold and solemn.

Not far away, Feng Zhiyao, who was in charge of reception, and Leng Haoyu, who had just returned from Chujing, stared at Lei Zhenting with very unfriendly eyes. Being treated like this, Lei Zhenting was not angry, but just sat calmly and drank tea. After just going to the mourning hall to burn incense, Lei Zhenting was thinking about how to go and see Mo Xiuyao's body in person. In such a heavily guarded mansion, it is obviously not feasible to sneak over to investigate secretly.

"I have seen the princess before."

Ye Li was wearing a plain white dress, with her long hair tied up in a simple bun. A white smiley flower was pinned on the bun, making her look even more cold and pale. Standing on Ye Li's left was Mo Xiaobao, who was wearing a dark brocade dress and a white gauze dress. As soon as he entered the room, Mo Xiaobao glared at Lei Zhenting fiercely.

Looking at Mo Xiaobao staring at him intently, Lei Zhenting couldn't help but smile. He secretly sighed that Mo Xiuyao had given birth to a good son. Although he was still young, he already had the style of his father. Just looking at his round eyes that seemed cute but could not hide his shrewdness and sharpness, you knew that this kid was definitely not as cute and well-behaved as he looked on the surface.

"Princess Ding, Prince, please accept my condolences." Lei Zhenting stood up and bowed.

Ye Li nodded slightly and said with a faint smile: "Thank you for coming here in person, King Zhennan. Please take a seat, King Zhennan." Lei Zhenting looked at Ye Li and said sincerely: "I am also very sorry for the sudden death of King Ding. Although the Ding Palace is an enemy of Xiling, it is also a respected opponent of mine. I came here this time, firstly to mourn King Ding, and secondly, to discuss peace with the Ding Palace." Seeing the surprise flashing in Ye Li's eyes with satisfaction, Lei Zhenting smiled and said nothing.

Feng Zhiyao and Leng Haoyu stared at Lei Zhenting in disbelief. Everyone knew the relationship between Prince Ding's Mansion and Xiling. Once Lei Zhenting confirmed that Prince Ding was really gone, he would definitely annex Prince Ding's Mansion without saying anything. At this time, I believe he would be a gentleman and not bully orphans and widows. Anyone who believes this is a fool.

Ye Li raised her beautiful eyebrows, looked at Lei Zhenting in front of her with a faint smile, and said, "Negotiation?"

Lei Zhenting nodded and said, "That's right. Now that Prince Ding has passed away, I'm sure... Princess Ding will be too busy for the time being. If the princess agrees, Xiling is willing to negotiate peace with Prince Ding's Mansion." Ye Li smiled and said, "If that's really the case, Prince Ding's Mansion will certainly be more than happy to help. Here, I would like to thank Prince Zhennan."

Seeing Ye Li smiling decently, but with a trace of fatigue in her eyes, Lei Zhenting frowned in his heart. He was a little unsure whether Ye Li was acting or real. With his experience of reading countless people, he could not see the slightest flaw in Ye Li. He just said the words of peace talks just to test Ye Li's mind and the current situation of Ding Wangfu. But Ye Li's attitude made him unsure of what the situation inside Ding Wangfu was now.

"Princess, the Emperor of Chu is outside the pass asking for an audience." Outside the door, the guard reported loudly.

Lei Zhenting's eyes flickered slightly, and there was no surprise on his face. He turned his head to look at Ye Li who was sitting at the top, wanting to see how she was going to deal with it. Ye Li said calmly: "The King of Chu has come from afar, please invite him in. Feng San, you take the prince to greet the King of Chu." The etiquette of formal occasions should not be neglected because of something. Although it seems that the King of Zhennan is more powerful than Mo Jingli, Mo Jingli is the king of a country after all, and sending someone out to greet him is also a courtesy.

"I obey your command." Feng Zhiyao replied in a deep voice.

"As you command, son." Mo Xiaobao jumped down from the chair beside Ye Li and followed Feng Zhiyao out.

"All the people under the Ding Palace are really loyal and righteous." Lei Zhenting looked at Feng Zhiyao who was walking out, and said meaningfully. With Feng Zhiyao's arrogance, he would go out to greet Mo Jingli, which was enough to show that the people in Ding Palace were submissive to Ye Li. Obviously, Ding Palace was now in Ye Li's hands without any chaos. Even if it was true... the loss was just Mo Xiuyao. Thinking of this, Lei Zhenting looked at Ye Li with more complicated eyes, and secretly regretted that Ye Li had escaped Ling Tiehan's killing a few days ago.

Leng Haoyu, who was sitting on the side, snorted and laughed, "King Zhennan, you are too kind. A loyal minister should not serve two masters. We are just doing what we should do." Meeting Leng Haoyu's unfriendly gaze, Lei Zhenting didn't care and smiled faintly.

Ye Li glanced at Leng Haoyu with a smile, not feeling dissatisfied at all, "What King Zhennan said is absolutely true. If it weren't for their help these days, I would be really... somewhat powerless."

"In that case, why doesn't Princess Ding invite Master Qingchen to come and take charge?" Lei Zhenting asked. This was also what puzzled him the most. Under normal circumstances, if Mo Xiuyao was really dead, then the Ding Palace would have to support Mo Yuchen to take the throne. But now Mo Yuchen is not even nine years old, so it is naturally impossible for him to take charge of the Ding Palace and the Mo family army. Therefore, Ye Li should invite Xu Qingchen or Xu Hongyu to come to Feihong Pass to take charge of the situation. But now no one from the Xu family showed up, which made Lei Zhenting doubt the claim that Mo Xiuyao had passed away.

Ye Li smiled bitterly and shook her head, saying, "Licheng also needs Big Brother to take charge of the overall situation, not to mention..." After shaking her head, Ye Li did not continue. Undoubtedly, it aroused people's imagination. Lei Zhenting certainly knew the importance of the entire northwest to Prince Ding's Mansion, not to mention that after the news of Mo Xiuyao's death came out, he secretly ordered the troops in Xiling to move to the north. It was not that he really wanted to attack the original Xiling Imperial City, but to contain Zhang Qilan's army stationed in the west.

And there is Beirong. Mo Xiuyao just destroyed almost half of Beirong's troops, and a prince died. Now that he heard the news of Mo Xiuyao's death, how could the King of Beirong not come out and stir up some trouble to save his face. Therefore, it is particularly important whether the northwest, especially Licheng, can be stable at this time. As long as the northwest is still there, even if the Mo family army is defeated this time, they can still have a place to retreat and stay. In a few years, when Mo Yuchen grows up, it will be impossible for the Mo family army to make a comeback. After all, according to Lei Zhenting's understanding of the blood inheritance of the Dingwang Mansion, which is almost monstrous, there is almost no doubt that Mo Yuchen can stand on his own when he is in his teens. Of course, Lei Zhenting does not intend to give him this opportunity.

Seeing Ye Li's hesitation, Lei Zhenting believed the news of Mo Xiuyao's death even more. Lei Zhenting didn't care that Ye Li didn't cry like other women and looked pale. After all, Ye Li was not an ordinary woman. If she was really in grief and pain, Lei Zhenting would doubt her or look down on her.

"Princess! Princess, something bad has happened!" A guard came in hurriedly from outside the door and reported. Ye Li frowned slightly and asked, "What happened?" The guard glanced at Lei Zhenting and said with some embarrassment, "The young master... the young master hurt the King of Chu."

Everyone present was stunned. No matter how powerful Mo Xiaobao was, he was only an eight or nine-year-old child. How could he hurt Mo Jingli? Seeing everyone's suspicious eyes, the guard quickly said, "It's true. The young master... the young master bit the King of Chu hard."

"Is the young master okay?" Leng Haoyu asked hurriedly, never having any hope for Mo Jingli's character. Mo Jingli was a petty person, and he would not ignore Mo Xiaobao just because he was a child. The guard wiped his sweat and said, "The young master is fine... However, the young master said he wanted to kill the King of Chu. The Third Master Feng couldn't stop him, so please ask the princess to go over and take a look."

Ye Li lowered her eyes, hiding the trace of smile in her eyes. She stood up and said to Lei Zhenting anxiously, "Prince Zhennan, I am really sorry. I will leave you first." Lei Zhenting smiled and said, "You are too polite, Princess. How about I accompany you to take a look?" Ye Li hesitated for a moment, but finally couldn't resist the worry for her son, and nodded and said, "Prince Zhennan, please."

"Princess, please."

Ye Li didn't bother to be polite with him and hurried out of the hall first.

Not far from the gate of the palace, Mo Jingli's procession and the guards of Prince Ding's palace blocked the narrow street. In the middle of the crowd, Mo Jingli, dressed in bright yellow imperial attire, was staring at Mo Xiaobao with anger. His right hand, which was placed in front of him, was bitten and left a bloody wound. It was obvious that the person who bit him had no intention of showing mercy.

Mo Xiaobao was held tightly in Feng Zhiyao's arms, but just looking at the anger and vicious expression on his little face as he bared his teeth towards Mo Jingli, one could tell that if Feng Zhiyao hadn't held him tightly, Mo Xiaobao would have rushed forward again.

"What's going on?" Ye Li walked in from behind the crowd and asked with frowned brows.

Seeing Ye Li coming, Feng Zhiyao was obviously relieved. He was not afraid that the young master would bite Mo Jingli, but he was worried that Mo Jingli would get angry and attack Mo Xiaobao.

"Mother..." As soon as Feng Zhiyao let go of Mo Xiaobao, Mo Xiaobao threw himself into Ye Li's arms aggrievedly. He rubbed his little face in Ye Li's arms, staring at Mo Jingli with his big round eyes. His delicate little face was full of grievances, which was very different from the fierce look just now when he was about to throw himself up and take someone away.

Ye Li held him in her arms, patted him gently and said softly, "What's wrong, Xiaobao? Are you hurt?"

Mo Xiaobao buried his little face in Ye Li's arms and shook his head. Ye Li breathed a sigh of relief, touched his head and said, "I'm glad you're okay. Be careful. What if you get hurt?"

"He's a bad guy! Xiaobao hates him!" Mo Xiaobao said aggrievedly, and the innocent and tender voice of a child spread far away. Everyone present couldn't help but glance at Mo Jingli. How bad could he be to make such a lovely young master of Dingwangfu hate him so much?

Mo Jingli's face suddenly darkened. He was almost bitten off by this little devil. This little devil actually dared to complain first!

"Ye Li, is this how you teach your son? How undisciplined!" Mo Jingli stared at Ye Li and said coldly.

Ye Liqing's eyes sank slightly. She stood up and looked at Mo Jingli without showing any weakness. She said calmly, "It is not necessary for the Emperor Chu to interfere in how I teach my son. If the Emperor Chu has the time, he might as well teach his own son well."

"Puff..." Feng Zhiyao beside him couldn't help but burst out laughing. The princess definitely hit Mo Jingli's sore spot. Who in the world doesn't know that Prince Li is already over 30 years old, let alone a son, he doesn't even have a daughter. There are even rumors that Prince Li has an incurable disease. Of course, Feng Zhiyao, a confidant of Prince Ding's mansion, knows better. It is precisely because of this that Feng Zhiyao almost wants to sympathize with Mo Jingli. The most painful thing in the world is not to have never had anything, but to have something and then lose it, and then find it again, only to find that it is all in vain.

Therefore, now I am afraid that even if I curse Mo Jingli a hundred times, it would not be as irritating as Princess Ding's casual words to make Mo Jingli angry.

"Ye Li!" Mo Jingli shouted. Ye Li turned around, holding Mo Xiaobao and facing Mo Jingli, and said in a deep voice: "I respect the King of Chu as the ruler of a country, but if the King of Chu does not have the slightest courtesy to be a guest, I will be sorry that I will not see you off."

Mo Jingli laughed in anger, raised his hand and sneered, "I came here with good intentions to offer condolences, but just after I closed the door, I was bitten by this kid. Is this how the Ding Palace entertains guests?"

Mo Xiaobao stood beside Ye Li, raised his delicate little chin and said crisply: "You are not here to mourn your father, you are here to cause trouble! People who come to mourn their father will not wear clothes like you!"

Everyone turned their eyes to Mo Jingli again. Even though Mo Jingli was an emperor, the status of Dingwang Mansion was no less than that of Da Chu. As a guest, he was not required to wear mourning clothes, but at least he should change into a simpler set of clothes. He should not come in a bright dragon robe like Mo Jingli. Standing aside, Lei Zhenting, who was wearing a black shirt with dark patterns, suddenly felt that the eyes of the Mo family soldiers looked at him much friendlier. Mo Jingli's dress did not seem like he was here to pay condolences, but rather to show off his power.

Mo Jingli was speechless. He really didn't really want to come to mourn Mo Xiuyao. He wanted to laugh even in his dreams when Mo Xiuyao died. How could he want to come to mourn him? But being exposed by a child in front of so many people still made him feel a little embarrassed.

After a long while, Mo Jingli snorted softly, looked at Ye Li and said, "Princess Ding, I have come all the way here, do you want to stop me here?" Ye Li glanced at him calmly and said, "If the King of Chu really came to pay his respects to Prince Ding, I would not dare to stop him."

Mo Jingli said proudly: "Of course I came here for this."

Ye Li nodded calmly and said, "In that case, please ask King Li to burn a stick of incense in front of the spirit."

Mo Jingli did not object and nodded, "That's right, I also want to see Prince Ding's body. After all... we have been friends since childhood. I believe that Princess Ding will not object, right?"

Ye Li was silent for a moment before she said calmly, "Emperor Chu, please."