ALL NOVEL In the woods outside Silent Spirit Temple, Mo Xiu Yao leaned in his wheelchair. With his eyes closed, he rested alone. Slanting rays of the setting sun fell on him through the branches which made everything look warmer in a slightly cold early spring day.
“Xiu Yao.” As Ye Li walked closer, she saw his thin and tired face. Her heart sank. She couldn’t help but feeling a little guilty and worried.
Opening his eyes and looking up at her, Mo Xiu Yao stilled before giving her a faint smile. “No wonder nobody managed to find you, Ah Li. I probably won’t recognize you myself without looking closely.”
Walking up to him and seeing his forgiving smile, she said in a low voice: “Sorry to let you worry.”
“Ah Li, are you still not going to come back?” Mo Xiu Yao asked lightly with his eyes fixed on her, calm and gentle.
She shook her head, looking back at him, she said: “I want to go to Nan Zhao.”
He frowned. “Ah Li, if you are worried about Brother Xu, I can send Feng San to Nan Zhao to help him.”
She shook her head again and said: “Without Leng Hao Yu here, you only have Feng Zhi Yao and Chief Steward Mo in the capital for assistance. How can you send Feng Zhi Yao away, too? Besides, it’s not a good time for me to go back, is it?”
If she went back now, an answer would be needed as to who had kidnapped her in the palace. Like Mo Jing Li had said, even for the dignity of Prince Ding’s Manor, it wouldn’t let whoever did it get away with it. Once Prince Ding’s Manor targeted Mo Jing Li, it would only benefit Mo Jing Qi. Or maintain the status quo, with Princess Ding missing in the palace, everyone would stand by Prince Ding’s Manor in terms of reason and feelings. Let Mo Jing Li and Mo Jing Qi have their internal strife. Though Mo Jing Li knew she was out of danger, he had to keep the grievance to himself since he can’t admit that he was the one who kidnapped her and let her run away from him.
“Ah Li, if you are bored in the capital, go to Yunzhou. I’ll get you back when everything is over, all right?” Mo Xiu Yao pulled Ye Li to him and asked with his head lifted.
She bit her red lips slightly and looked at him with determination. She knew this man wanted to protect her. She was moved but she wasn’t a weak woman who can bring herself to stand behind her man and watch others go through fire and water. Besides, she wasn’t only doing this for Mo Xiu Yao, but for her family, her brother who were involved in this dispute as well. In the future, her uncle who loved her dearly and her grandpa who was old in years might also get involved.
“I’ll bring secret guards with me and won’t get myself into trouble.” Ye Li refused his suggestion in a small voice.
She saw clearly a trace of disappointment in his eyes and quickly looked away. In the past half a year she spent with him, she slowly got used to his gentle and calm tone and manner. He seldom asked her to do anything. However, she suddenly realized that she barely met his rare requests. Come to think of it, she wasn’t a good wife in every aspect.
“Ah Li, I’m sorry. It’s all because of me…”
“No!” She interrupted. “I know I can stay at somewhere safe if I’m willing to, that you’ll have everything arranged. But… Xiu Yao, I don’t want that. I don’t want to hide behind you. If I’m meant to spend my life with someone, I’d like to stand by him instead of under his wings. Do you… understand?”
Mo Xiu Yao’s finger trembled so slightly that one can hardly notice. “Then…take care, Ah Li.” After he had said that, he took out a jade with red silk ribbon tied on it and put it in her hand with a slight smile: “Take it and don’t lose it.”
Ye Li turned that jade around in her hand. It was a suet white jade of the best quality carved into a divine beast, the second son of the dragon. Though it was a gentle suet white jade, one can still feel the domineering manner of the beast. Holding it, Ye Li looked at Mo Xiu Yao. “What is this?”
He smiled slightly: “It’s handed down from my forebears. I wanted to give you this a long time ago. Keep it safe. It’s a family heirloom as the Sword of Lan Yun.”
Ye Li was quiet and put it away without a word.
Watching Ye Li disappear outside the woods, his gentle smile faded. Looking down at his crippled legs, anger and resignation rose in his eyes.
Boom! With a wave of his hand, a tree with its trunk as big as a bowl hit the ground. He coughed slightly and leaned in his wheelchair. Gasping for breath, he looked really tired. “As expected… I’m good for nothing…”
“Your Highness, it’s not good for you to get angry given your health condition.” Emerging from the depth of the woods, Shen Yang frowned as he looked at the tree trunk lying on the ground. The specks of blood on Mo Xiu Yao’s snow-white handkerchief came as no surprise to him. Ah Jin was behind Shen Yang. He also looked at Mo Xiu Yao with worry.
“My Lady is special. Your Highness, you ought to be happy for marrying her.” Glancing at the direction where Ye Li left, Shen Yang said pensively.
Mo Xiu Yao spoke coldly: “Do you mean I should be happy to let my princess get herself in danger?”
Looking at Mo Xiu Yao’s clenched fists on his knees, Shen Yang said with a tone of a man who was more advanced in years which he rarely did: “Though it might hurt your self-esteem, I don’t think My Lady needs much protection, Your Highness. Isn’t she more attractive like this than she did when she was a noble lady of a manor? Or is Prince Ding the same as those ordinary folks who prefer a woman that depends on them?”
“Enough.” Mo Xiu Yao said in a deep voice. “I know what to do. Back to the manor!”
Ah Jin walked forward and pushed Mo Xiu Yao to the other end of the woods. Shen Yang shook his head while following them.
At Prince Li’s Manor, sitting in the study, Mo Jing Li glared gloomily at the man who was on his knees in front of him. “Are you saying you have no trace of Ye Li yet?”
The middle-aged man who was kneeling on the ground was well aware of Mo Jing Li’s anger and groaned inwardly. “Please forgive me, Your Highness. I’ve sent men to search thoroughly the area where Princess Ding disappeared but found nothing.”
Mo Jing Li snorted coldly. “Ye Li hasn’t gone back to Prince Ding’s Manor nor Ye Manor or Xu Manor. I never heard she was able to fly or dug holes in the ground.”
The middle-aged man hurriedly added: “Your Highness, though we’ve rigged up the horses, it seemed Princess Ding found that out as well. She sent the horses to east and west which distracted our men. So… now…”
“So, now you are telling me you aren’t match for a woman?” Mo Jing Li scorned with a cold laughter.
The middle-aged man lowered his head deep in shame but complained inwardly: “Is she ordinary at all? You have suffered because of her more than once or twice, haven’t you, Your Highness? So, it’s understandable that we fail.”
“Get out! Keep your eyes on Prince Ding’s Manor. I don’t think she isn’t going to return home!” Having driven his subordinate away, Mo Jing Li started pondering. It was indeed out of his expectation that Ye Li didn’t return home after she got away. He can’t quite figure out whether he was happy or not about that. It was like a multiple-choice question where he had to choose whether to face Prince Ding’s Manor directly or his emperor brother. If Ye Li made it back to Prince Ding’s Manor safely, nor did he or Mo Xiu Yao had another choice and his emperor brother who sat high on the throne would be the only one to benefit from it all. However, right now… with Mo Xiu Yao busy looking for Ye Li everywhere while causing Mo Jing Qi trouble from time to time, it seemed he ought to seize this opportunity to… but if he and Mo Jing Qi both suffered…
“Your Highness, what’s wrong? In a bad mood?” A pretty girl walked out from the inner room and looked at Mo Jing Li, beaming.
“Ye Li hasn’t returned home yet. Your track medicine is no use. She is missing again.” Mo Jing Li said in a deep tone, looking at that pretty young girl in front of him.
Xiao Yun, who had got rid of the plain maid outfit now looked even more attractive. She was a little surprised and said: “This Princess Ding is indeed somebody. Even a master of poison can hardly detect my Soul Seeking Smoke.” With her head tilted, she held her braid in front of her chest and looked at Mo Jing Li with blinking eyes: “Do you need me to find her? I can find her without a doubt.”
Mo Jing Li glanced at her: “Find her? Can you make it back if you do find her?” Mo Jing Li felt he didn’t know what Ye Li was indeed capable of even after his past confrontations with her. Besides, those four secret guards she had weren’t easy to deal with either. He wouldn’t be able to retrieve Xiao Yun’s dead body if she went after Ye Li herself. “Stay here and don’t run around. I don’t care what your sister thinks if you ruin my plan.”
Xiao Yun bit her lips and stared at him bitterly.
Mo Jing Li wasn’t a man who would show pity and tender love for women. He snorted coldly and buried himself into the books, totally ignoring Xiao Yun.
Coming up with a good idea, Xiao Yun rolled her eyes. She walked up to Mo Jing Li and said with a small laughter: “Brother Jing Li, how about I poison Mo Xiu Yao and the emperor to death for you?”
“You can try if you want to get yourself killed.” Mo Jing Li said. Did she think nobody tried that with Mo Xiu Yao over the years? Mo Xiu Yao was still alive with his sickly crippled body while the dead bodies of those killers were nowhere to be found.