Taiping rift 404. Prince Ding's traces

The guards were ordered to invite someone, and everyone in the tent couldn't help but speculate. Yun Ting touched his head and asked, "Could it be someone from the princess's family?" The only person they knew whose surname was Ye was the princess.

He Su raised his eyebrows and said, "In the princess's family, the only one who can be called a young master of this age is the boy named Ye Rong from the Ye family. Do you think he could have traveled thousands of miles to the military camp?" Yun Ting reacted and immediately felt that his guess was ridiculous. He had seen the fat man Ye Rong before. He was obviously a scholar, but he was so fat that his eyes were almost invisible. He did not have the noble air of those scholars who studied hard. Sometimes he looked even more vulgar than those martial artists. Speaking of which, the Minister Ye at that time was also a famous handsome man in Chujing. No matter what the character of the daughters of the Ye family was, at least they were all beauties. But they gave birth to a defective product like Ye Rong. But the two old women of the Ye family protected him very closely, as if they were afraid that he would be blown away by the wind if he went out.

In fact, Ye Rong's appearance is definitely not ugly. He was a handsome child when he was young. It's a pity that Wang didn't know how to teach children. As the saying goes, appearance is determined by the heart. Ye Rong didn't even learn half of Ye Shangshu's talent. Wang taught him some nonsense all day long, which made his temperament even more vulgar. In addition, he ate and drank too much in recent years, and his body continued to expand, which gave Yun Ting, who had only seen him once, a very ugly impression.

Leng Huai also shook his head. Although he had lived in Chujing for several decades, he could not remember any outstanding figures in the Ye family. He smiled and said, "Everyone is here. You will know who it is when you see him."

After a while, a strange man in white came in, looked at everyone and smiled faintly, "Hello, everyone."

Leng Huai and Lu Jinxian both frowned. The man in front of them had an ordinary appearance, the kind that they couldn't remember even if they had seen him several times. However, considering the elegant white clothes, the two were sure that they had never seen the man in front of them.

"This young master..." Leng Huai asked in a deep voice.

"Who are you?!" Before Leng Huai finished asking, He Su, who was sitting on the side, stood up and stared at the man in white with a cold expression. Everyone looked at He Su, who had a calm temperament. If there were no special circumstances, he would never rob Leng Huai.

He Su narrowed his eyes and said, "He changed his appearance." There are indeed some exquisite disguises in this world, but few can hide Ye Li. After all, no matter how exquisite it is, it is not a real face. There will always be some flaws. It is not a plastic surgery. Since it can't be hidden from Ye Li, it is naturally impossible to hide He Su, who was taught by Ye Li.

After hearing what He Su said, everyone immediately became alert.

The man in white smiled helplessly and sighed, "If I had known you were here, I wouldn't have done this." He raised his hand and wiped his face, revealing an extraordinarily handsome face, but everyone couldn't help but scream, "King, King... Master?!"

Yun Ting was so shocked that the chair he was sitting on fell to the ground. He pointed at the man in front of him without caring about his identity and said, "Who... who the hell are you? How dare you pretend to be a prince!"

It's no wonder that everyone was shocked. When the news of Mo Xiuyao's death reached the army a few days ago, Lu Jinxian and others almost fainted. They didn't believe it at first, until they heard that the princess had already entered Feihong Pass to hold a memorial service for Prince Ding, and even Lei Zhenting and Mo Jingli went to pay their respects in person. Only then did everyone gradually accept the bad news. Now Mo Xiuyao suddenly stood in front of everyone alive again, how could they not be shocked.

Mo Xiuyao glanced at Yun Ting calmly and raised his hand. A gust of wind passed by, and the inkstone on Lu Jinxian's desk above was instantly shattered. Everyone looked at each other and looked at Mo Xiuyao in front of them. There are not many people in this world who can have such exquisite and profound internal strength. Yun Ting frowned and said, "Are you Ling Tiehan or Mu Qingcang?" At least it is definitely not Lei Zhenting. Lei Zhenting only has one hand, and it is still a bit difficult for him to become Mo Xiuyao with two hands.

He Su had calmed down by now. After a long silence, he said, "It really is the prince."

Mo Xiuyao sighed, took out a black jade pendant and shook it, saying, "You should believe it now, right?"

Seeing the black jade pendant representing the identity of Prince Ding, everyone came back to their senses. Lu Jinxian and others were even more excited, "Prince...Prince, how could you..." For a moment, Lu Jinxian was also a little confused and couldn't express himself. They wanted to ask too many questions, and for a moment they didn't know what to ask.

Leng Huai calmed down and asked, "Why is the prince here?"

Mo Xiuyao said: "I heard that you were blocked in Liyang, so I came to take a look."

"I am incompetent, please punish me, Your Majesty." Lu Jinxian and Leng Huai pleaded guilty. Mo Xiuyao waved his hands and said, "How can you be blamed for this? It was because something happened to me that I interrupted your deployment."

Lu Jinxian asked worriedly, "Is the prince really injured?"

Mo Xiuyao nodded and said, "I did get some minor injuries." The more Mo Xiuyao downplayed it, the more worried Lu Jinxian and others became. If he wasn't seriously injured, how could Prince Ding suddenly disappear? You know, the current situation is not good for the Mo family army at all. Mo Xiuyao shook his head and smiled, "I am really fine, but... I just thought this was an opportunity. That's why..." He didn't want to let Ah Li think he was seriously injured when he returned in the future. Now that Mo Hua was by Ah Li's side, Ah Li would only think that he deliberately killed himself for the sake of conspiracy, and he was not injured at all. Of course, he didn't actually suffer any serious injuries.

After looking him up and down, they all breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that Mo Xiuyao was indeed fine. Lu Jinxian asked, "I wonder what plans the prince has?" It was impossible that Prince Ding suddenly came here to see them as he said. It must be because they were also part of the plan.

Mo Xiu Yao raised his eyebrows and said, "Don't worry about the plan. Let's deal with Mo Jingli first." Mo Xiu Yao raised his eyes slightly, not disguising the murderous intent that flashed across them.

"Your Highness is right." Lu Jinxian said, "Now that Lei Zhenting's troops are approaching Feihong Pass, we really need to get rid of Mo Jingli as soon as possible so that we can return to the northwest to relieve the siege of Feihong Pass." He then told Xu Qingfeng about the plan to have him lead people into the city to burn Mo Jingli's grain and grass. Mo Xiuyao raised his eyebrows and smiled, "Very good, I will go with you."

Lu Jinxian frowned and said, "Although this matter is of great importance, it does not require your Highness to take the risk personally. Please think twice."

Mo Xiuyao shook his head and said, "I have something else to do."

Seeing that Mo Xiuyao was determined to leave, no one tried to persuade him. He Su asked, "My Lord, does the Princess know where you are? Should I send someone to inform her of your whereabouts?" Mo Xiuyao paused, waved his hand casually, and walked out.

Yun Ting and He Su looked at each other, and Yun Ting asked, "What does your Highness mean by this? Aren't you going to tell the Princess?"

He Su frowned and said, "I think it should be casual." If it's not said no, it's okay. He Su felt that given the prince's personality, it is very likely that he did not tell the princess his whereabouts this time. Because... he was injured. He Su, who was observant, naturally would not miss Mo Xiuyao's still pale face and the appearance of being a little short of energy. Yun Ting thought about it and felt that what He Su said was right. Nodded and said, "It doesn't matter." Anyway, after killing Princess Mo Jingli, she will know where the prince is. Yun Ting doesn't think there is any difference between two days earlier or later.

Although Mo Xiuyao had just appeared in the army for only a quarter of an hour before disappearing again, and before leaving, he strictly ordered not to leak his news to anyone except Ye Li, but Mo Xiuyao's short-lived appearance still comforted the extremely anxious hearts of Lu Jinxian and others. With the importance that the prince attached to the princess, he was not anxious about the Feihong Pass, which definitely proved that the princess and Feihong Pass were not in danger. In this case, they naturally did not worry.

After leaving the military camp, Mo Xiuyao did not go to find Xu Qingfeng and others to go to Liyang with them. Instead, he waited until it got dark and then leisurely crossed the city wall and entered Liyang City. The city was indeed heavily guarded. Although it was just dark, there were no pedestrians walking on the streets. Every household had closed their doors and rested early. But even so, there were still many soldiers patrolling the streets. It can be said that there was a sentry every five steps and a guard every ten steps. It was obvious that Mo Jingli had suffered a lot from Qilin and was on guard against them sneaking into the city.

These strict sentries naturally posed no obstacle to Mo Xiuyao. Mo Xiuyao leisurely shuttled through the streets and alleys of Liyang. According to the map of Liyang City in his mind, he quickly found his destination. The original residence of the Liyang governor was also where Mo Jingli temporarily stayed. Mo Xiuyao flashed and flew into the governor's mansion, heading towards the busiest place in the mansion.

In the hall of the prefect's mansion, there was singing and dancing tonight. Mo Jingli sat in a chair in a happy mood, drinking and enjoying himself with a charming and beautiful woman. Although there were many things that made him feel very unhappy these days, it was still very good overall. Of course, for Mo Jingli, as long as Mo Xiuyao died, anything would make him happy. Therefore, even though these aristocratic families in Yunzhou did not care about his status as an emperor and made him suffer several setbacks, Mo Jingli could still tolerate them. Glancing at his highness's guests, Mo Jingli smiled with satisfaction. So what if they are aristocratic families? Without power, they are nothing? ! Therefore, he is the one who is high above, and those below have to sit down and force themselves to smile even if they don't want to.

"Mr. Chu, did I not treat you well? Why don't you drink?" Mo Jingli stared at the middle-aged man in the front row from the right and smiled faintly, his sinister eyes were filled with malice and pride. This middle-aged man was the current head of the Chu family, and the cousin of the eldest lady of the Xu family.

The head of the Chu family said calmly: "Thank you, Emperor Chu. I am not feeling well and cannot drink."

Mo Jingli's eyes flashed with hostility, and he sneered, "Emperor Chu? So... Mr. Chu doesn't admit that he is a citizen of the Great Chu?" The head of the Chu family did not back down, and said calmly, "The Chu family is naturally a citizen of the Great Chu, but it depends on whether this Great Chu is that Great Chu. The Chu family only respects the royal orthodox bloodline."

"How dare you!" Mo Jingli was furious. Now that Mo Xiuyao has passed away, the biggest knot in Mo Jingli's heart is that he did not get the throne legitimately. Although he used his influence in Jiangnan to suppress all kinds of discussions in the court. But the fact that Mo Suyun died in the Regent's Mansion is a fact that no one can avoid. Even if others don't say it on the surface, there are definitely many people who privately scold Mo Jingli for regicide and usurpation of the throne. Mo Jingli had already made up his mind in his heart before that he would kill all of Mo Jingqi's sons after returning to see who can say anything more.

Similarly, when the head of the Chu family mentioned the royal bloodline, he also touched another sore spot of Mo Jingli. Mo Jingli would never have a son of his own in this life. In this way, let alone the royal bloodline, the royal line of the Great Chu would be extinct at his age. In the future, he could only inherit the throne by adopting a child from the royal family. Whenever he thought of this, Mo Jingli could not help but feel angry.

The head of the Chu family was not afraid of Mo Jingli's exposure, and calmly looked at the king in front of him with a sinister face. In fact, it was not that the Chu family was so bold that they had to go against Mo Jingli. It was that the Chu family really did not think highly of Mo Jingli as an emperor. For a large family that has continued for generations, the most important thing to stand firm is to know how to stand. Even if Mo Jingli seems to have the upper hand now, the Chu family does not think that Mo Jingli will have the last laugh. However, Mo Jingli asked all the famous families in Yunzhou to be loyal to him. Yunzhou is a place with rich humanities, and most of these famous families in Yunzhou are also families of scholars, and have always had an extraordinary influence on the literati and scholars of the world. Mo Jingli asked all these families to publicly pledge allegiance to him and issue a statement to attack the Dingwang Mansion. This is definitely something that no visionary head of the family is willing to do.

Even now that Prince Ding suddenly passed away, the Mohist Army seemed to be in a dilemma. But don't forget that the Mohist Army still controls the two capitals of Chujing and Xiling Imperial City, and the quasi-capital of Licheng. There are also all the places east of Hangu Pass, north of Lingjiu Mountain, and west of Feihong Pass. The area of ​​these places combined is more than twice that of Jiangnan. In addition, Prince Ding's mansion is full of famous generals, and there is also the support of Master Qingchen and the Xu family. The head of the Chu family really can't see where Mo Jingli's chances of winning are.

If they openly oppose the Ding Palace now, and if the Ding Palace wins in the future, it will be the end of the Chu family. Even if they are lucky enough to escape, if the Chu family turns to the Ding Palace again, they will definitely be regarded as fence-sitters, which will ruin the reputation of the Chu family.

"Chu Shaoying, you are so outrageous! Do you think I dare not kill you?" Mo Jingli swung the wine glass in his hand, and it fell to the ground and broke into pieces with a bang.

The head of the Chu family lowered his eyes and said, "I am telling the truth. Even if the Emperor Chu kills me, I will still have only this to say."

Mo Jingli suppressed his anger, glanced at the people below, and asked, "What about you? Do you agree with him?" After a while, someone finally stood up and said tremblingly, "We are willing to be loyal to the emperor."

Mo Jingli snorted, not satisfied with this. These people were just some small and medium-sized families, and none of the truly first-class ones stood up. Mo Jingli wanted to drag these people out and kill them all. But at this time, he had to endure it.

"Mr. Chu, I remember that your Chu family has a young master named Chu Junwei?" Mo Jingli took a deep breath and suddenly asked. The head of the Chu family was stunned for a moment, nodded with some surprise and said: "Yes, he is a nephew of the branch of the Chu family."

"Oh? This Mr. Chu is a talented person. I had a very pleasant conversation with him when I was in Jiangnan. Why didn't I see Mr. Chu come today?" Mo Jingli asked. The head of the Chu family had a hint of doubt in his eyes and frowned, "When did the King of Chu meet Jun Wei's nephew?"

"A few months ago."

"This is impossible." said the head of the Chu family.

Mo Jingli narrowed his eyes, "Mr. Chu, are you saying that I'm lying?"

The head of the Chu family shook his head and said calmly, "No, it's just that... my nephew is indeed stunningly beautiful. But he died several years ago. He was not even twelve years old at the time. It can be considered a premature death. How could he have had such a good conversation with the Emperor of Chu?"

Before the Chu family's head finished speaking, Mo Jingli's face had already turned livid. The heads of the families who were forced to attend the banquet looked at the man in the imperial robes, whose face sometimes turned livid, sometimes red, and sometimes black. How could they not know what was going on? They were all born and raised in Liyang. If the Chu family really had such a brilliant and talented person, how could these local nobles not know about it? It was clear that Mo Jingli had been fooled by someone in the name of the Chu family.

Mo Jingli was so embarrassed in front of the heads of these famous families that he immediately became angry. He stared at the head of the Chu family and said, "Mr. Chu, what do you mean? Do you think I'm lying?" In fact, at this point, Mo Jingli had already guessed that he must have been fooled by that Chu Junwei when he was in Nanjing. Considering the time when Chu Junwei appeared, Mo Jingli almost dared to conclude that Chu Junwei must have something to do with the Dingwang Mansion. But in front of these people, how could he admit that he was fooled by the people of the Dingwang Mansion? What's more... the Chu family and the Xu family are in-laws, so it's not unfair for him to attack the Chu family, right?

The head of the Chu family said calmly: "I dare not, but the Chu family's Jun Wei has indeed passed away for many years. If the emperor of Chu does not believe it, I can take out the Chu family's genealogy for the emperor to review."

Mo Jingli naturally couldn't do such a thing again. He didn't care about other people's expressions and sneered, "Chu secretly communicated with Prince Ding's palace and intended to betray the country. Take him down for me, and confiscate the property of the entire Chu family and put them in custody." Fortunately, Mo Jingli still retained some rationality and only planned to imprison the Chu family instead of directly beheading them. Although he really wanted to do that.

Two guards came forward quickly, grabbed the head of the Chu family and dragged him out. Everyone present was shocked. Most of them were from prestigious families, and many of them were from official families. No matter who was in power, they would always give them some face. But Mo Jingli had been here for less than half a month, and the head of the Chu family, the second most famous family in Yunzhou after the Xu family and now the most famous family in Yunzhou, was dragged out so rudely.

On the one hand, the heads of these famous families had a worse impression of Mo Jingli, but at the same time, they couldn't help but feel a chill in their hearts. You know, the status of these scholars is actually determined by the attitude of the superiors. When the superiors respect the scholars, their status is very high. But in this chaotic world, when the superiors regard the scholars as ants and grass, they can do nothing about it.

Seeing these family heads with slightly changed expressions, Mo Jingli sneered, raised his glass and said with a smile: "Don't ruin your mood for such a small matter. Come, I'll toast you all." Whether they were willing or not, at least everyone raised their glasses this time. Mo Jingli was happy. He thought that with the Chu family's experience, these people should know what it means to say "If the king wants the subject to die, the subject must die"?

Outside the hall, Mo Xiuyao leaned against a tree outside the house leisurely, closing his eyes and listening to everything that happened inside. He only opened his eyes when the head of the Chu family was dragged out, with a hint of a smile on his lips.

The head of the Chu family was dragged to the dungeon of the prefect's mansion by two guards without any care. When he was thinking about what to do next, a very low voice suddenly came into his ears, "Don't worry, the Chu family will not be in danger."

The head of the Chu family was stunned, but the two guards around him did not react. It seemed that what he said just now was just his hallucination. But he was sure that he was not hallucinating. He did hear a person's voice, which seemed to be far away from him, but it seemed to echo in his mind. Who was it?

As if understanding his doubts, the voice faintly said three words, "Mo Xiuyao."

The head of the Chu family lowered his head to hide the shock in his eyes. He finally remembered who the voice belonged to. He also went to Licheng on Mr. Qingyun's birthday. Originally, according to the relationship between the Chu family and the Xu family, it was natural for the Chu family to join the Dingwang Mansion. However, the Chu family is different from the Xu family. Although the Xu family is also a large family, it has always had a small population. As for the Chu family, not to mention the various side branches, the population of the main family in recent generations alone is enough to surprise people, and it is spread all over the place. Once the main family of the Chu family moves to Licheng, these side branches will probably be in big trouble. Moreover, the situation of the Dingwang Mansion at that time was not as clear as it was later, so the Chu family went there only to express the marriage relationship and good intentions between the Chu family and the Xu family, and did not pledge allegiance to the Dingwang Mansion.

Although a year or two had passed, the head of the Chu family still remembered Prince Ding's unique voice, which was deep but easy to make people submit.

The head of the Chu family did not have time to be shocked by why Prince Ding did not die, but instead appeared at Mo Jingli's residence in Liyang. As the patriarch of a large family, he was able to calm down quickly and realized that this would be a great opportunity for the Chu family.

Thinking of this, the head of the Chu family had a flash of determination in his eyes, and suddenly said: "Go and report to His Majesty the Emperor Chu, the Chu family is willing to be loyal to the Emperor Chu!"