The room went back to quietness. Mo Xiu Yao looked up and saw Ye Li staring at him blankly. He smiled slightly and said: "Ah Li, don"t worry about me. If it"s so easy to cure the toxin, it won"t take all these years. My hope wasn"t up at first."
Ye Li sat down by the bed. Looking at him, she sighed and said: "There is disappointment, after all, isn"t there?"
Mo Xiu Yao was stunned. Looking at Ye Li, he smiled bitterly after a good while: "Is it that obvious?"
Ye Li didn"t say anything. Mo Xiu Yao reached out for her and held her with his arms. Ye Li wasn"t used to this and wanted to refuse him, but she gave up on that immediately and leaned quietly on his chest, letting him hold her all he wanted.
Mo Xiu Yao tightened his embrace and buried his face in her aromatic hair. "Ah Li... I can"t take this..." His voice so hollow and despairing than she had ever heard. Ye Li frowned slightly and put her hands on his shoulder. She knew he wasn"t always as calm and collected as he showed. If he was, he wouldn"t be that Prince Ding who had to plan strategies in bed but a man not far away from a saint.
"If Father Prince and my big brother are still alive... within five years I could sweep across Xi Ling and with at most another five years I could chase Bei Rong to the desolate desert in the north! By then no enemy could threaten the peace we have. Great Chu could become a greater dynasty than the previous dynasty. That has always been the long-cherished wish of every Prince Ding. Besides, that is also a wish of the founding emperor. Why did they... Why did they do this? Ah Li... Do you know that seven years ago, when I woke up... I wanted to kill them all! How dare they... How dare they do that to my brother?" He held Ye Li firmly, his voice deep and he sounded tired. "My father has told me to protect the people of Great Chu. My brother has said that the peace of Great Chu is more important than anything else. But what have they done to us? At that time, I told myself... that even if I couldn"t stand for the rest of my life, I would have them all killed!"
"But you didn"t, did you?" Ye Li said softly in his arms. Considering the power of Prince Ding"s Manor, it might not have been possible for it to compete with the total military force of Great Chu, but in a life-and-death struggle, it wouldn"t be a problem to kill a few people. But Mo Xiu Yao didn"t choose to do that even when he was most furious.
He was quiet for a while before he said in a soft voice: "I couldn"t... the Army of Mo Family and Hidden Cloud Soldiers have been military men for generations and guarded the border of Great Chu. I couldn"t let them be condemned with treason. If so...what is the point of Prince Ding"s Manor and the Army of Mo Family sacrificing and insisting for the past century?"
Ye Li was silent. That might be the source of his pain. His intelligence and the power of Prince Ding"s Manor saved him the process of pondering over who his enemy was. He hated the ruler of this country. Perhaps, he hated this country even more. But he couldn"t simply destroy them. Instead, he had to protect them. To protect what one hated most...was no doubt an utmost torment.
"Ah Li, there will come a day... when I"ll have them all killed. Will you... become frightened by me?" Leaning against Ye Li"s shoulder, he asked below his breath.
Ye Li lowered her eyes. She looked at the bed curtain behind him and answered softly: "You"ve known this a long time ago that I"m not a coward."
"But I know you have a tender heart." Mo Xiu Yao laughed softly and said: "It is better to tell you myself than to let you find out one day that I"m no good."
Ye Li was a little surprised. She got away from him a little. Looking at him, who is looking back at her so focused and gentle, she said: "Does it really matter what I think of you?"
Mo Xiu Yao lifted his head and stroked the hair by her ear. "It sure does. You are my princess, Ah Li... Even if you find me a bad guy one day, I won"t... let you leave me." A smile brushed his lips, brighter and warmer than she had ever seen. She was at a loss and only felt a soft and warm kiss touched her lightly on the lips. It was so soft that it seemed to linger for a while. Then she heard his laughter by her ears. "Ah Li, I"ll never let you leave me."
With her lips still a little electrified, Ye Li felt her ability to react immediately lost.
Huh? Did I ever agree to that?
"My Lady, Miss Murong is here to see you." Qing Luan reported at the door.
Ye Li stood up abruptly. Seeing Mo Xiu Yao"s smiling face, she glared at him fiercely and called to the door: "Take Murong to the reception room. I"ll be there in a minute."
Qing Luan answered and left.
Ye Li snorted slightly. She turned around and was about to leave when Mo Xiu Yao held her by the hand. Looking into her angry eyes, he smiled, defeated, and said: "Ah Li, change your clothes before you go." Ye Li looked down at her clothes, a little confused. Though they were a bit casual, it wouldn"t be impolite to meet Murong in them. Mo Xiu Yao explained: "Leng Er must be here with her. I"m a little tired. Talk to him for me."
Seeing the tiredness between his eyes, it occurred to Ye Li that he hadn"t had time to rest after Shen Yang was here. Though Mo Xiu Yao didn"t show anything, she could guess how frustrated he was. She felt her heart soften and she said in a small voice: "I will. Get some sleep."
Helping Mo Xiu Yao lie down and tucking him in, Ye Li walked into the inner room to change.
Lying there, Mo Xiu Yao looked Ye Li"s back and had a faint smile. Ah Li, you are such a kind-hearted girl that I don"t want to let you go. So... even if you don"t like it, I won"t give you a chance to regret.
In the reception room, Murong Ting looked at the elegant decoration with great interest. Seeing Leng Hao Yu drinking tea at leisure, she remembered to glare at him and said: "I"m here to say goodbye to Ah Li. How are you so shameless and come here, too?"
Leng Hao Yu smiled in good temper and said: "Ting-er, I met Princess Ding once. Can"t I bid her farewell when you say goodbye to her?"
Murong Ting said, a little irritated: "Leng Hao Yu, I"ll leave for Yong Zhou because my father will be there. Why would a playboy like you go there as well? Be careful and don"t tire yourself to death on the road!"
Leng Hao Yu blinked and looked at her with grat.i.tude, he said: "Ting-er, are you worrying about me? Set your mind at ease. I"ll persist no matter how difficult the journey is for your sake."
"Leng Hao Yu! Go to h.e.l.l!" Having been pestered by Leng Hao Yu for all these years, Murong Ting found that she had underestimated how shameless this guy was. She was so angry that her face blushed and she kept stumping her feet.
Leng Hao Yu looked at his angry fiancé in a good mood and drank tea with a smiling face. However, there was a sense of loss in his lowered eyes. In her eyes, he will always be a playboy who idles away his time in pleasure. He will never be as promising or accomplished as his big brother and he only feels himself special to her when she is angry at him.
"*Cough... Murong, who gets you so angry?" Walking slowly into the reception room, Ye Li looked at Murong Ting, whose eyes were on fire with a smile.
Only by then did it occur to Murong Ting that she wasn"t at her own manor or anywhere else but Prince Ding"s Manor which was treated cautiously by many n.o.bles in the capital. She was suddenly taken aback. Glaring at Leng Hao Yu she said angrily: "Who else except him? He makes me forget all about my manners."
Leng Hao Yu rose with curtsy. "My Lady."
Ye Li smiled and said: "You are so polite, Mr. Leng. Please have a seat." Taking Murong Ting aside and sitting down with her, Ye Li nipped Murong Ting"s angry face and smiled: "Are you here to say goodbye, Murong?"
Murong Ting looked at her in surprise and smiled: "I didn"t think you would be so well-informed not putting a foot outside. I"ve only got the news yesterday afternoon. But I"m not left with much time. My father will leave tomorrow in the morning so I could only say goodbye to you since I simply have time today."
"You are going to Yong Zhou with General Murong?"
Murong Ting answered proudly: "Of course. I can"t let my father go to the border by himself without anyone there to look after him."
Ye Li raised her brows and said: "Has General Murong agreed to it?"
Murong Ting wasn"t young anymore. She would have to get married in two years at most. However, General Murong might not be able to return to the capital in three to five years.
Murong Ting glanced at Leng Hao Yu, who was sitting nearby and tugged at her braid, then said in a small voice: "My father has agreed to it." Her father didn"t agree to take her at first. But something that Leng Hao Yu said to him changed his mind. She wondered whether she was her father"s daughter or was that playboy her father"s real son? Murong Ting thought to herself enviously. How come her father changed his mind after hearing from Leng Hao Ye? She had been begging him for a whole evening!
Aware that Murong Ting wasn"t happy, Leng Hao Yu had no choice but to rub his nose and add: "My Lady, I"m here to bid you farewell, too. I"ll head south in a short time."
Ye Li was a little surprised and raised her brows. "Oh? Are you leaving for Yong Zhou as well, Mr. Leng?"
"No, I"ll go to Ling Zhou." Leng Hao Yu smiled: "I have some business to deal with in Ling Zhou. Perhaps I"ll go to Nan Zhao after that. I"ve heard Mr. Xu is visiting Nan Zhao as well. If I have the pleasure to meet Mr. Xu, do you have any message for him, My Lady?"
Murong Ting cast him a sidelong glance disdainfully and snorted slightly: "You? Business? What business have you done successfully except fooling around with the money of your family? How would Uncle Leng ever agree to let you go out?"
A dissipated and unrestrained smile brushed his lips. "Ting-er, you are right. My father finds me so worthless that he has kicked me out to let me make a living by myself."
"Well..." It never occurred to Murong Ting that Leng Hao Yu was kicked out of his family. She used to think that Uncle Leng and Big Brother Leng would provide for Leng Hao Yu for the rest of his life. Though she hated how mischievous and unruly he was, she felt sorry for him when she thought that he would have to go to Ling Zhou all by himself. "Well... if you can"t make a living by yourself, you can come to Scattered Snow Pa.s.s. My father would need a lot of soldiers..."
"I know you care about me, Ting-er." Leng Hao Yu put his hands on his chest and acted as if he was drunk with her word. Murong Ting became angry at that and couldn"t help herself, she threw a dart directly at his face. Leng Hao Yu tilted his head. With a slight move of his fan, the dart dropped into a flowerpot beside him.
Ye Li covered her mouth and laughed in a m.u.f.fled sound while speaking to Murong Ting: "Well, Murong, I do have a letter which I wish Mr. Leng could bring to my big brother. Mr. Leng, shall we talk in the study?"
Leng Hao Yu stood up and said: "It"s my pleasure. After you, My Lady."
Ye Li apologized to Murong Ting. After calling Qing Shuang and the other girls to keep Murong Ting company, she invited Leng Hao Yu to the study.
Looking at Leng Hao Yu"s back as he was leaving, Murong Ting stopped a second and found him not as irritating when he was serious.
"Mr. Leng, please have a seat."
In the study, that usual playful smile which belonged to a playboy slowly vanished from Leng Hao Yu"s face and a sharpness appeared between his eyes. He looked a totally different person, not as harmless as he acted a while ago.
"Why do you pretend to be someone Murong won"t like since you know what kind of guy she"s into?" Sitting behind a desk, Ye Li asked a little curiously.
Leng Hao Yu raised his brows with a faintly bitter smile and said: "If nothing went wrong, the Leng Hao Yu that the world would know about would be exactly the guy from a while ago."
Every family goes through its problems. Leng Family wasn"t a merry and peaceful place either.
Ye Li didn"t asked any further private questions about him. She only said: "Murong is a lively and compet.i.tive girl. She is going to like someone who is stronger and more powerful than she is. Good luck."
"Thank you, My Lady." Leng Hao Yu answered with a smile.
Looking at the young man who was ready to show the world his abilities, Ye Li sighed to herself. The world only knew that Leng Qing Yu, the first son of Leng Family was adept with both pen and sword and how highly the emperor thought of him but seldom did it know that this young man who seemed to linger in brothels and winehouses and fool around with disreputable friends was in charge of nearly half of the properties that belonged to Prince Ding"s Manor. The money that he handled everyday could easily arose the envy of any n.o.ble or wealthy family.
Ye Li made ink slowly and put down a few words unhurriedly. After the words were dry, she folded the paper and handed it to Leng Hao Yu without an envelope, then said: "If you come across my brother, give it to him. If you don"t meet him, just get rid of it."
Opening the paper and sure that he didn"t know what she had written, he didn"t mind it, raised his brows he put it away then asked: "My Lady, is there anything His Highness or you want to tell me?"
Ye Li smiled and said: "His Highness has always trusted your ability. I don"t have anything to tell you either. Only that we might have underestimated Mo Jing Li before. Be very careful and watch out for General Murong. I think that is one of the reasons that His Highness has sent you."
Leng Hao Yu said, a little apologetically: "Has His Highness... agreed to it?"
Ye Li raised her brows and said: "Why else would we be here?"
A flash of joy brushed between his eyes. He had insisted on going south. Though His Highness had not bawled at him angrily, he had indeed disobeyed His Highness which set his uneasy.
Ye Li looked at him and said: "His Highness is a little uncomfortable so he is in a rest. He hasn"t prevented you means he has agreed to your plan. But there is no going back to the tension over Nan Zhao. You are not the same as Feng Zhi Yao so it"s a bit dangerous for you to go south."
Though Feng Zhi Yao looked like a playboy, he had fought on the battlefield like Mo Xiu Yao did since he was a teenager. Changes were made in the dark. Leng Hao Yu was very eye-catching with a lot of money in his hands. Once Mo Jing Li or the emperor found something was wrong with him, he might meet a fatal disaster.
Hearing what Ye Li had said, Leng Hao Yu"s mind was more at ease. "Please don"t worry about me, My Lady. I won"t make things worse for His Highness. I"ve wanted to do a little business in the south since a few years ago. The mess over there is an opportunity as well."
"As long as you know what you are doing, Mr. Leng. General Murong will leave tomorrow. What about you?"
Leng Hao Yu shook his head and said: "I"ll leave in five days by water."
Seeing that Leng Hao Yu had everything planned, Ye Li didn"t ask anything further. She only told him a few things before going back to the reception room to see Murong Ting with him.