The world is shocked 98. A tryst?

"How are father and grandmother these days?" Ye Li asked in a low voice after the servants served tea and left.

Ye Shangshu was stunned for a moment, looked at Ye Li's expression and replied: "It's all fine, but your fourth sister..." Ye Li raised an eyebrow, "Didn't Prince Li take the fourth sister with him when he left Beijing?" Ye Shangshu shook his head. Fortunately, Mo Jingli didn't take Ye Ying away, otherwise the Ye family and Prince Li would have conspired to rebel.

There is no way to escape the accusation. Although Ye Ying is now under house arrest, she has finally convinced the emperor that the Ye family is not in cahoots with Prince Li. Ye Li lowered his head and thought for a moment, then asked, "Who did Prince Li take with him when he left the capital?" Minister Ye had nothing to hide, and said in a deep voice, "He only took the woman from Southern Xinjiang away, and even left Concubine Xianzhao in the capital. The Queen Mother has already brought Concubine Xianzhao close to the palace, but now that Prince Li has rebelled, the Queen Mother's life is not easy." Thinking of this, Minister Ye regretted it in his heart. He is a good man of the Queen Mother, and privately he is more inclined to Prince Li.

That's right, but he never expected that Prince Li would suddenly rebel. If he had known that Prince Li was so crazy, he would have followed the emperor wholeheartedly. At least he still had a daughter, Zhaoyi, and a grandson, but now he has nothing.

"Fourth sister is under house arrest by the emperor?" Ye Li asked with a raised eyebrow, "Why didn't Prince Li take her away? After all, she is his legally married wife. Prince Li must know what will happen to Fourth sister if he leaves her in the capital."

Minister Ye sighed helplessly and said, "Ying'er is already two months pregnant. It's not suitable for her to travel long distances."

Ye Li's mind changed, and she looked up at Minister Ye and Madam Ye and smiled faintly, "Prince Li doesn't know that the fourth sister is pregnant, right?" Even if Mo Jingli was cruel, he would not abandon his own flesh and blood, not to mention that Ye Ying was pregnant with his only child. The only possibility was that he didn't know that the fourth sister was pregnant.

I didn't know that Ye Ying was pregnant. It was Ye Ying who found an excuse to stay. Old Madam Ye felt guilty when she saw her, and said awkwardly: "Princess Qixia is not a good person, and Prince Li dotes on her very much. With Ying'er's scheming, I'm afraid she will die before she reaches Lingzhou. Anyway, Prince Li often

We all live in the capital, so we thought of letting Ying'er stay in the capital to wait for the birth of the baby."

How could Ye Li not understand what Old Lady Ye was thinking? Ye Zhaoyi and the little prince in the palace had died. After all the hard work, Ye Ying had Prince Li's child, so naturally she had to keep the child in the capital so that the child could be close to the Ye family in the future. But she didn't expect that Mo Jingli would raise an army without even notifying them. But

The accident saved the Ye family. Of course, the emperor has not punished the Ye family now, and I am afraid that there are some connections with the Dingguo Palace. Ye Li sighed and looked at Minister Ye and said, "Father, the emperor may have known that the fourth sister is pregnant. The reason why he has not touched her now is probably because he wants to use

Her child came to ask for the king of Greece."

Minister Ye had naturally thought of this a long time ago. He came to Prince Ding's Mansion in a hurry not really for Ye Ying, "Then let's..."

Ye Li raised her hand to stop him from saying anything, and looked at Minister Ye with a serious expression, saying, "Father, as an official, I know that I don't understand. But the most fearful thing for a superior is that the people below have two minds. Father, you can't really think that the emperor knows nothing after what he has done in the past two years, right? In Li'er's opinion, when it comes to wisdom and strategy, Prince Li may not be as good as him.

It's the opponent of the one in the palace." Minister Ye's face changed slightly, "You mean..."

Ye Li lowered her head, took a sip of tea and did not answer, leaving Minister Ye sitting there with a changing expression.

Old Madam Ye was getting impatient and asked, "Li'er, what should we do now?" Ye Li said calmly, "Father, please submit a letter to the emperor as soon as possible to report Prince Li's crimes and apologize to the emperor. As for the future... the emperor will no longer trust the Ye family, so father had better ask the emperor to remove the position of Shangshu at the same time.

Job. You should keep a low profile and teach your brother Rong well in the future."

"This..." Both Minister Ye and Old Madam Ye were stunned, with some unwilling expressions on their faces. After thinking for a while, Old Madam Ye looked at Ye Li cautiously and said, "Li'er, Prince Ding just made great contributions in suppressing the rebellion in Yongzhou, should we invite him..." Seeing Old Madam Ye's hopeful expression, Ye Li sneered,

He said calmly: "Prince Dingguo's Mansion has made many contributions to suppressing rebellions. Grandmother doesn't know. Does father also not know the current situation of Prince Dingguo's Mansion?" Minister Ye could only sigh in frustration. It was precisely because Prince Dingguo's Mansion had made contributions that it was even more impossible to plead for him. The more Prince Ding pleaded, the more the emperor would suppress the Ye family.

Shu now didn't know whether to blame or not. Because of the Dingguo Palace, the emperor would never use the Ye family again. But it was also because of the Dingguo Palace and because his daughter was the Dingguo Princess that the Ye family was spared from destruction.

"Father, if you can take it, you should be able to let it go. Fight when you should fight, and retreat when you should retreat. No matter how good fame and fortune are, can they be better than your own name?" Ye Li said softly.

Minister Ye was in a state of struggle for a moment. He looked at Ye Li and said, "If I..." Ye Li interrupted him and said, "Father, be careful with your words." Minister Ye finally lowered his head, sighed and said nothing more. Old Madam Ye also understood that Ye Li was personally refusing.

The matter of asking Prince Ding to plead for mercy ended the last hope of the Ye family. Thinking that she would no longer be the old lady of the Shangshu Mansion, and the Ye family would decline from then on, she could not help but feel resentful, "Li'er, how can you be so cruel? Even if your father has a thousand faults, he is still your father. Our Ye family is still your mother's family, Ye

What good will it do you if your home is in decline? We don’t have many relatives in King Ding’s palace. Don’t you want someone to help you in the court in the future? "

"Help?" Ye Li murmured softly, looking up at Madam Ye with a distressed look on her face, "Have father and grandmother gone to see the eldest sister and the Nanhou Crown Prince?"

Old Madam Ye was speechless. They had been to Nanhou Mansion when Prince Li had just gotten into trouble. Unfortunately, Nanhou Mansion was closed to visitors, and they had not even seen Nanhou and the prince. Ye Zhen had only quietly returned to Ye Mansion a few days ago, and the implication was that Nanhou Mansion could do nothing to help. After all, no minister would dare to provoke a rebellion.

"Last year, my eldest uncle mentioned to me that my father had been very cautious all his life, but he had gotten a little carried away in the past two years. I also mentioned this to my grandmother, but unfortunately, both my grandmother and father probably thought that I was just jealous of my second and fourth sisters because I was married to Prince Ding's mansion. Now that things have come to this, let alone the prince, I can't help but

Ask for mercy for father, even if it is possible, father, have you ever thought about how you will gain a foothold in the court in the future? I have also heard on the way back that the emperor has favored Concubine Yun and Wang Zhaorong these days, and has even hinted that he wants to make Concubine Liu Gui's son the crown prince. It seems that he wants to use people from the Yun family and the Wang family, and the Liu family is even more popular. Father, both the Liu family and the Yunwang family are famous families with origins, and the important thing is... they are not in harmony with the Ye family. Father, don't you understand what the emperor means?"

Minister Ye seemed to have aged ten years in an instant, and said in a hoarse voice, "I understand... I will submit a letter of apology to the emperor when I return."

Seeing the old and decrepit appearance of Ye Shangshu, Ye Li shook her head secretly but was not much moved. Some people are born to regard fame and fortune as more important than life, but there is no other way.

"The prince is back."

The atmosphere in the flower hall was a little depressing when the voice of the maid came from outside the door. Before she finished speaking, Mo Xiuyao had already entered the hall. After returning to Beijing, he was summoned to the palace by Mo Jingqi without even having time to change his clothes. Mo Xiuyao was still wearing a white robe at this time, with a trace of fatigue between his brows that was difficult for outsiders to detect.

"Greetings, Your Highness!" Minister Ye and Old Madam Ye quickly stood up and saluted.

Mo Xiuyao nodded calmly, walked to Ye Li and sat down, saying, "Master Ye, is the old lady here to see Ah Li?"

Minister Ye nodded awkwardly and said, "That's right. Li'er has been missing for several months and my mother and I have been very worried. So when we heard that the prince had brought Li'er back, we hurried over to see her." Mo Xiuyao nodded calmly, and naturally didn't care about these words in his heart. If he was going to worry, he would have worried a long time ago.

Why are they worrying now? In the past month or two, the Ye family has not sent anyone to look for him, and they haven't even sent anyone to the Dingwang Mansion to ask. Even the Nanhou Mansion has sent people to ask twice. In the eyes of outsiders, the Ye family is not only cold-hearted, but also ruthless.

"Madame Sun said that you were busy dealing with the affairs of the mansion as soon as you came back. If you are tired, take a rest first. It's not too late to talk about those trivial matters later." Ignoring Minister Ye and Old Lady Ye, Mo Xiuyao turned sideways and whispered to Ye Li. Ye Li smiled and shook her head. How could Minister Ye not see that Prince Ding didn't like him?

I was too embarrassed to stay any longer, so I had to get up and leave. Looking at the man sitting next to Ye Li, who was gentle and elegant but could not hide his awe-inspiring demeanor, except for the silver mask covering half of his face, how could he look sick and disabled? If Prince Ding really recovered completely, the resurgence of Prince Ding's Palace would be a sure thing. I only regretted that I was blind and ignored them because Prince Ding's Palace was jealous of the emperor and Prince Ding's health problems. Now it's too late to regret.

"What's the matter that the emperor wants you to come to the palace so urgently?" After having Minister Ye and Old Madam Ye sent out, Ye Li turned around and asked.

Mo Xiuyao rubbed his brows and frowned, saying, "The emperor plans to marry a princess to the Northern Rong people."

"Marriage?" Ye Li couldn't help but think of the botched marriage with Princess Lingyun of Xiling last year. She frowned in confusion and asked, "Who does the emperor plan to send for marriage?" All the princesses of the previous emperor have been married, and the oldest among Mo Jingqi's own daughters seems to be Princess Changle, who is only eight years old this year. Mo Xiuyao said calmly, "Of course, they will choose someone from the dignitaries or royal families in the capital. The granddaughter of Duke Hua is also on the list of candidates."

"Tianxiang?" Ye Li frowned. Beirong is a cold and bitter land. And everyone knows that the emperor chose to marry a princess now just to free up his hands to deal with Prince Li. When the matter of Prince Li is over, who will still remember that there is a princess who is far away in Beirong? What if the two countries go to war, the princess who is married will be a sacrifice. Mo Xiuyao said: "You don't have to worry too much. The emperor has to give face to the Duke of Hua and the Queen. And if there is really a marriage with Beirong, the most likely person to be chosen is the royal family. After all, the people of Beirong are not so easy to fool." Ye Li nodded and asked curiously: "For the matter of marriage with Beirong, does the emperor need to specially summon you to the palace to discuss it?"

Mo Xiuyao raised a sneer on his lips and said, "When the princess gets married, the emperor wants me to represent Da Chu to escort her, and to attend the sixtieth birthday celebration of the King of Beirong in September."

Prince Dingguo personally escorted the bride. The specifications of this marriage were somewhat unexpected. Ye Li frowned and thought for a while before raising her head and said, "The emperor wants to transfer you away from Da Chu. Why?" The capital of Beirong is far in the north. If they want to catch up with the birthday of the King of Beirong in September, the wedding escort team must set out in mid-July. Even if they rush back as soon as possible after the wedding, it will be at least October for Mo Xiuyao to return to the capital. In other words, Mo Xiuyao was not in Da Chu for nearly three months. No one could imagine how many things could happen in three months.

Mo Xiuyao shook his head and said, "The emperor has made a lot of preparations in recent years. I really can't guess what he wants to do at the moment." It's not hard to guess the thoughts of smart people, and it's not hard to guess the thoughts of stupid people, but it's the thoughts of those with wild imaginations that are hard to guess. For example, Mo Jingli, even if they are as smart as Mo Xiuyao and Xu Qingchen, they never thought that he would start a rebellion at that time. Because no matter who they are, they can see at a glance that it is impossible to succeed. In fact, even if Mo Jingli really joined forces with Southern Xinjiang to break through the Broken Snow Pass, Mo Jingli would not be able to gain much advantage. It just made the people on the border suffer. And as the emperor, how much does Mo Jingqi care about the suffering of the people?

"So you agree?" Ye Li asked.

Mo Xiuyao raised his eyebrows and smiled calmly, "It's hard to disobey the emperor's order." Ye Li shrugged helplessly, "I know, I'll stay in the capital." Mo Xiuyao shook his head and smiled, "No, you go to Yunzhou when the time comes." Ye Li raised her eyebrows and looked at him in confusion. Mo Xiuyao smiled and said, "Prince Ding is not the emperor, and the Dingguo Palace is not the imperial palace. It doesn't need to be guarded by someone. Mo Jingqi... sometimes when he is forced into a corner, he likes to use some tricks that hurt others and benefit himself. I feel more at ease if you go to Yunzhou." The real core of Dingguo Palace is not in this palace in the capital, but the people in this palace. Even if Dingguo Palace is razed to the ground, as long as the owner is still there, Dingguo Palace is still Dingguo Palace.

Ye Li shook her head and said, "That's even worse. If I go to Yunzhou, won't that put grandpa and the others in danger? Don't tell me that Mo Jingqi won't take action against Yunzhou. Since they dared to take action against Prince Ding's Mansion, how could they be jealous of the Xu family? Besides, Prince Ding's Mansion's opponents are not just the one in the palace." Mo Xiuyao looked at Ye Li quietly, and after a long time he sighed and said, "Ali, I always seem to be unable to let you live a peaceful life." Ye Li chuckled, "Peaceful and quiet, of course I can. You You can find a place where no one knows to hide me, but I don't like that, do you understand? Just like this trip to southern Xinjiang, it is not necessary for me to go, someone else can be sent, and even if no one goes, it will be fine. Even if I can't show up in front of people for the time being, I can just find a place to live in seclusion for a while. I went there because I wanted to go out for a walk, and I think I like the days outside more. "Even if there are dangers outside, at least the goals are clear and the enemies and friends are clear. When Ye Li returned to the capital and thought about facing those people who smiled and said sweet words to each other on the surface, but stabbed him in the back, he felt a headache. It's not that he can't, but he doesn't like it.

"I also think that Ah Li is more... stunning when she's outside." Mo Xiuyao laughed softly. Ah Li always wore a faint smile in front of people in the capital, gentle and elegant, as if she was a qualified princess from a scholarly family. Mo Xiuyao would never tell anyone that when he shot the arrow under Yonglin City, he saw the woman in front of him in black clothes that were no different from Heiyunqi, and when she looked back, she had a certain cold and proud aura and dazzling starlight in her eyes. There has never been a moment that made him know more clearly that his princess was not just the graceful woman holding a book under the lamp, but also a remarkable figure who could look down on the battlefield. Mo Xiuyao suddenly remembered the almost forgotten vow he made in front of his father and brother many years ago - "My wife, Mo Xiuyao, will be like our ancestor, Princess Qingyun, who will follow me in my conquests and travel the world hand in hand to see the vast land together." When Mo Xiuyao shot that arrow, he felt that perhaps what he shot was not only the arrow that saved Ah Li, but also his heart.

Ye Li's face was slightly dizzy. Ever since they met in Yonglin City, there was always something strange when she and Mo Xiuyao were together. She didn't think much about it when she was busy, but she always felt a little uncomfortable when she was quiet. She was not a blockhead who didn't understand romance. After the kiss outside the Broken Snow Pass, she naturally understood that the relationship between the two was no longer the same as before. It was just that when facing Mo Xiuyao, she could never show the ease and casualness when she was in love in her previous life. This seemingly uncontrollable emotion made her feel a little annoyed with Mo Xiuyao. Mo Xiuyao seemed to understand her mood very well and didn't provoke her too much. But when the two of them were together in private, they were always a little more intimate and gentle than before.

"How are Qingluan and Qingyu? Can we let them out?" Ye Li turned her head and asked in a low voice.

Mo Xiuyao smiled faintly, "It was nothing in the first place. We didn't let them out for their safety. Now that you're back safely, everything is fine. Just let them out later."

Back in her own courtyard, Qingluan and Qingyu were indeed doing very well. It seemed that no one had troubled them in the past month or two. Qingxia and Qingshuang were also busy around Ye Li, bringing her food and new clothes, as if she had suffered a lot outside. Ye Li had no choice but to let the maids keep busy. When they calmed down a little, she dismissed Qingxia and Qingshuang, leaving only Qingyu and Qingluan.

"I have failed in my duty. Please punish me, Princess." The room fell silent, and Qingyu and Qingluan both knelt on the ground and said.

"Get up." Ye Li frowned, looked at the two and said, "Have you been okay these two months?" Qingyu and Qingluan couldn't help wiping tears, Qingluan nodded repeatedly and said, "We are all fine, but we are very worried about the princess... If something happens to the princess, we will never face the old lady and the eldest master again even if we die." Looking at the obvious joy and relaxation between the two brows, Ye Li also understood that these two girls must have been worried for the past two months, and sighed softly, "What did you hide? I know the prince's temperament, you are my people, if you didn't really hide something, he would never have kept you under house arrest for the past two months. Is it inconvenient to tell the prince, or can't even tell me?"

The two of them couldn't help but look at each other, seeing some hesitation in Ye Li's eyes. Ye Li didn't urge them, just looked at them indifferently. After a long while, Qingyu looked at Ye Li, and finally said with determination: "We... did fail in our duty. In fact... we had left before the fire in Yaohua Palace. Later, Qingluan also left to save us. Therefore, the secret guards couldn't find us after the fire in Yaohua Palace." Ye Li nodded, "So... where did you go?"

"I saw a man, so I followed him." Qingyu said in a low voice.

"I followed Qingyu because I heard her scream." Qingluan continued.

Ye Li frowned, "Who did you see?"

Qingyu whispered, "Su Zuidie, and... the prince."

"Su Zuidie and the prince?" Ye Li blinked in surprise, "You mean you saw Su Zuidie and the prince together in the palace, so you followed them? Are you sure it was Su Zuidie you saw?" Qingyu lowered her head and thought for a while, "I've seen the painting of the most beautiful woman in Chujing that someone sent to the prince and princess when they got married. She is at least 70% similar to the woman in the painting. There are not many people who are so beautiful even in the palace. And the prince... the prince, so this maid..."

Ye Li nodded slightly, finally understanding why the two girls had been refusing to tell Mo Xiuyao the truth. "So, you saw the prince meeting a woman who looked very similar to Su Zuidie in the palace, and it just so happened that there was a fire in Yaohua Palace and I was missing, so you deliberately concealed the truth and refused to tell him the truth." Qingyu bit her lip and nodded.

Ye Li thought for a moment and asked, "Have you ever thought about this... If the prince had difficulty walking at the time, would it be too conspicuous to meet a woman in the palace? With the prince's martial arts, he shouldn't let you get too close. If you don't get close, how can you be sure that the people you saw were Su Zuidie and the prince?" Qingyu said, "I'm not sure if that woman is Su Zuidie. But the man's voice is definitely the prince's." Ye Li frowned. She knew Qingyu's hearing. Qingyu had very good hearing since she was a child, even better than Qingluan who practiced martial arts since childhood. She would never forget a voice she had heard once, not to mention that seeing Mo Xiuyao every day was like seeing him by her side.

"What about Qingluan?"

"I heard Qingyu's scream. Although Qingyu can use poison, she doesn't know martial arts, so I rushed over immediately. But I fainted as soon as I saw Qingyu's back."

Qingyu frowned and said, "I heard that the prince was indeed startled and knocked unconscious. But... it was just a very small sound and it was impossible to alarm Qingluan."

Ye Li smiled and said, "You have worked hard in the past two months. Tell me what you think?"

The two of them couldn't help but look at each other. Qingluan carefully glanced at Ye Li before saying, "Your servant... Your servant didn't think of anything..."

Qingyu said: "I suspected at the time that...the prince was with someone...and then I heard that the princess was missing, so..."

Ye Li smiled and said, "So you suspect that the prince is conspiring with others to harm me?"

Qingyu blushed, and Qingluan looked at Qingyu with eyes wide open, looking frightened. Ye Li understood that what they said must be true. After all, Qingluan and Qingyu lived separately for the past two months and had no chance to meet. The secret guards also found them from different places. Unless they had woven together their confessions before the secret guards found them, there was nothing they could say. Qingluan was very quiet for the past two months, except that she cried every day at the beginning. On the contrary, Qingyu, who was always quiet, always tried to escape, and was always hostile to the people in the palace. It made sense if it was because Qingyu saw Mo Xiuyao and Qingluan didn't.

After thinking for a while, Ye Li nodded and said, "I understand. Qingyu, don't mention this matter again. I believe in the prince, understand?"

Qingyu frowned slightly and wanted to say something. Ye Li said calmly, "Sometimes what you hear may not be true. Have you ever thought about it? If it was really the prince, would he show up in the palace on the day he knew I entered the palace? In addition, there is another biggest flaw, which is that you are all still alive. You were knocked unconscious because you discovered the prince, so... Qingluan is fine, but why are you still safe and sound? This is the Dingguo Palace. If the prince wants to kill people to silence them, not only you, but even I, the princess, can't escape. Do you understand?" Qingyu's face turned pale, "The princess means..."

Qing Luan asked in confusion: "If the other party wanted to sow discord, did he know that the princess was fine in the fire?"

Ye Li nodded and smiled, "It's very possible. However, if something really happens to me and the prince knows that you are indeed innocent, he will naturally let you go. What will Qingyu do after she gets out?"

Qingyu said firmly: "Of course I will report the matter to the old lady and the eldest master, and seek justice for the young lady!"

Qingluan screamed, "The other party wants to sow discord between the Dingguo Palace and the Xu family?!"

Ye Li held his forehead and said, "Whether he wants to sow discord between me and the prince or between Prince Ding's Mansion and the Xu family depends on whether he knows about the fire in Yaohua Palace. In fact, it's the same. If the relationship between me and the prince breaks down, how can the relationship between Prince Ding's Mansion and the Xu family be good?"

Qingyu said with a pale face: "I... I suspect that the prince... has made a mistake?" But she couldn't figure out who that person was. She was definitely more confident in her ears than her eyes.

"It doesn't matter. Fortunately, the prince also suspected that you knew something dangerous, so he put you under house arrest. Now there are no bad consequences. As for the prince you mentioned... I will find out what happened later." Ye Li smiled, with a cold light flashing in her eyes. As expected, there are constant disputes as soon as she returns to the capital. Then let her see if there is another Su Zuidi and Mo Xiuyao in the capital.

Qingyu nodded seriously and said, "I also want to know who could deceive me."

Ye Li smiled faintly. Seeing with one's own eyes could deceive people, let alone hearing with one's own ears. However... she also wanted to know who could understand her and the people around her so well.