Goodbye Han Mingxi

  Goodbye, Han Mingxi

  "Have seen the king."

  In the flower hall, they saw a man in white clothes walking out from inside and immediately bowed to him. Mu Xiuyao's calm gaze swept over the four of them and asked faintly: "What is it?" After glancing at the other three, Qing Yu stepped forward and said: "Reporting to Your Highness, the new head of the Han family, Han Mingxiao, requests an audience with the Princess." They had never followed the princess out before, so they didn't know how she knew that Mr. Han. It was only because Da Er and San Sheng, who followed the princess, said that Mr. Han was a friend of the princess. So even though they knew the king wasn't in a good mood and wouldn't be happy about being disturbed, the four of them still plucked up their courage to report it.

  "Is that Han Mingxi?" Mo Xiuyao raised an eyebrow and said lightly, "He's arrived quickly. Take him to the study, I'll go see him. Don't disturb Ah Lian while she's resting. Have someone prepare more food. Qingyu, come with me."

  The four of them exchanged a few silent glances, and it seemed that Wang Ye's mood was indeed quite good at the moment.

  "Yes, Your Highness."

  In the study, Han Mingxi stood with his hands behind him, staring at a calligraphy on the wall in silence. A single character "ren" (endurance), seemingly gentle and elegant, yet upon closer inspection, revealed a sharp and cold aura. He had lived under the protection of his parents and elder brother for half his life, unable to imagine what kind of person could write such a character that was both warm and deadly at the same time. It was as if wrapping a poisonous sword in one's own soft heart, a dangerous and painful thing. His gaze slowly moved away from the character, turning towards the door. Mo Xiuyao was already standing at the entrance, he didn't know when he had arrived. Compared to their last meeting in Guangling City, Mo Xiuyao seemed more relaxed now. Although Han Mingxi didn't understand Mo Xiuyao, he just felt that his mood was very good now.

  Han Mingxi gazed at the man in front of him, wearing simple and unadorned white clothes, with a strand of black hair falling casually over his shoulder. The whole person looked seemingly lazy and harmless. Han Mingxi's gaze fell on the faint red mark on his neck again, and his eyes suddenly narrowed. His hand behind his back clenched tightly without realizing it. "Wang Ye." He was a charming man, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he had been through a hundred flowers. So even though Mo Xiuyao's appearance didn't show any disrespect, Han Mingxi could still tell what Mo Xiuyao had been doing before appearing in the study.

  "Lord Han, please take a seat." Mo Xiuyao stepped into the study and nodded slightly, "A Lian is not feeling well today, I'm afraid she won't be able to see you. Please forgive her."

  Han Mingxi sat down quietly and said in a low voice, "Your Highness is being polite. Since the Han family has already chosen to be loyal to you and the princess, we will naturally wait until the princess has some free time."

  Mo Xiuyao looked at Han Mingxi with some surprise. Mo Xiuyao was naturally very clear about what kind of person Han Mingxi was, having been spoiled by Han Mingyue since childhood and developing a flamboyant personality as a result. However, the Han Mingxi sitting across from him now was unusually calm and reserved, it seemed that Han Mingyue's departure had been a huge blow to both the Han family and Han Mingxi. After a moment of contemplation, Mo Xiuyao spoke up: "Since I've already said that the Han family should listen to Ah Lian's arrangements, I won't say anything more to Young Master Han. You might as well go rest in the guest room first, if you need anything you can ask Mo Zongguan or An Er An San, they're probably still familiar with you?"

  Han Mingxi nodded slightly, "Thank you, Prince Wang, I'll take my leave."

  Seeing Han Mingxi off, Qingyu cautiously walked in from outside the door, "Your Highness."

  Mo Xiu Yao nodded, "Has the tea been investigated?" Qing Yu nodded and said: "I've checked it out, the tea contains musk and red flower, as well as some cold medicines. After returning, I also went to ask Shen Daifu, Shen Daifu said that the tea indeed has...the effect of making people infertile, but that refers to the palace's imperial concubines. Many women in the palace have been using musk, dragon brain incense and other fragrances for years, which already affects their physical constitution. If they also take a large amount of cold medicine orally, it is very likely to be infertile. However, the queen never uses those fragrances, and her body is also very good. So Shen Daifu said that unless she takes it long-term, even if the queen drank that cup of tea, there would be no big deal. Moreover, the musk flavor is extremely heavy, and the tea leaves' flavor cannot cover it at all. It's very easy to be discovered, so Shen Daifu thinks that the person who poisoned the tea may not have planned to let the queen drink that cup of tea...it should just be a probe."

  "Trying to probe?" Mu Xiuyao raised an eyebrow lightly.

  Qing Yu hastily nodded and said, "Medicines like musk are not very harmful to ordinary people, and one or two times will absolutely not have the effect of infertility. However, they are extremely dangerous for pregnant women. The tea water that the slave brought back was also seen by Dr. Shen, who said that if the princess is pregnant, such tea water would be enough to cause a miscarriage with just one sip."

  The study fell silent for a while before Mo Xiuyao waved his hand and said, "You can go down now. Only you understand pharmacology and medicine beside A Lian, be more careful usually."

  "The servant girl retreated." Qingyu quietly let out a breath of relief, curtsied and hastily backed out. When the prince got angry, even if he didn't show it on his face, just that oppressive atmosphere was enough to make these little maids unbearable.

  Qing Yu retreated, and the study room fell silent. Mu Xiuyao's usually warm and profound eyes were filled with gloom. Mu Jingqi really knew how to prepare for a rainy day; as soon as he recovered from his illness, he couldn't wait to test Alu. Perhaps he also wanted to test whether he had fully recovered or not. Or maybe he was so confident that he thought he wouldn't dare move him?

  "Come in."

  "Your Highness." A figure in gray appeared in the study, "Your Highness, it's been investigated clearly. It was Wang Zhaorong who had someone put medicine in the tea. Apparently, previously when the Emperor was favoring Wang Zhaorong, he casually mentioned something about the Wang family's descendants, and Wang Zhaorong wanted to invite his favor by putting medicine in the tea." Mo Xiuyao sneered, "A mere Zhaorong, does her person have the ability to put medicine in the tea water of the Empress's palace?" The gray-clad man naturally didn't dare respond, he also understood that the prince wasn't seeking an answer. He only asked: "Wang Zhaorong intends to plot against the Wang family's descendants, Your Highness, should we..." Mo Xiuyao shook his head, his smile icy and bone-piercing, "No, since she likes adding ingredients to tea so much. Tell Qingyu to follow that cup of tea and add medicine, let me watch her drink it for three months!"

  "Your Highness... Wang Zhaorong may already be with child."

  "Don't you understand what I'm saying?"

  The man in grey felt a chill in his heart and hastily bowed his head, saying: "Your subordinate obeys!"

  In the bedroom, Ye Li slowly opened her eyes. The slight discomfort in her body made her frown involuntarily. As she recalled what had happened before, those passionate and intimate scenes flashed through her mind, and her face suddenly flushed with a crimson glow after their recent intimacy. Helplessly, she patted her hot cheek as if it could fry an egg, Ye Li wrapped herself in the quilt and shook her head desperately trying to shake off the embarrassing images in her mind. The discomfort in her body made her hum softly, "Ye Li, you're really useless and shameless..."

  Rolling around in her blanket, Ye Lü couldn't help but grit her teeth as she thought of that bastard who had gone who-knows-where. If she still couldn't figure out he was doing it on purpose by now, then she'd be an idiot. And yet, this idiot had actually believed him at the time, getting flustered at his gloomy expression. After trying every which way to apologize and console him but ending up failing, she even went so far as to sacrifice herself...

  "A Li, are you awake?"

  The soft footsteps came from outside the screen, and Ye Li looked up to see Mo Xiuyao standing at the head of the bed with a smile. Seeing Mo Xiuyao standing in front of her with his clothes neatly dressed, Ye Li glared at him and asked, "Where did you go?" Mo Xiuyao slightly raised an eyebrow, walked over to the table, poured a cup of warm water, and brought it over to feed her. Ye Li quickly reached out to take it and drink it herself. Mo Xiuyao didn't mind, smiled faintly, and sat down on the edge of the bed, saying, "I was afraid that sitting inside would disturb you, so I went outside to look at some things. By the way... Han Mingxi came this afternoon, and I had him stay in the guest house first."

  Ye Li swallowed the water in her mouth and said: "Han Mingxi has arrived, how come so soon. I'll go see..."

  His warm lips pressed against hers, blocking the words that were about to spill out of her mouth. The gentle friction of their lips lasted for a moment before Mo Xiuyao took the teacup from her hand and put it aside, chuckling softly: "A Li, there's no rush to see him tomorrow."

  "But..." Ye Li furrowed her brow slightly, Mo Xiuyao wouldn't let her refuse, his index finger lightly pressed against her delicate lips, "Ah Li, if you care too much about other men's words, I'll get jealous."

  Ye Li's clear eyes flashed, and she looked at him with a flowing gaze: "What's wrong with being jealous?"

  "This king is drunk... maybe he wants to silence him." Mo Xiuyao said with a light smile. Ye Li raised an eyebrow, "So you did it on purpose today? Hmm?" Mo Xiuyao didn't deny it, his Ah Li was indeed too clever and denying it would be useless, "I just think today is a good day." Leaning lightly in his arms, Ye Li let out a soft sigh, "As long as you don't betray me, I won't betray you either."

  "Mo Xiuyao would rather owe the whole world than owe Alu."

  Ye Li ultimately couldn't outdo Mo Xiuyao. Someone had once said that when you start getting used to making concessions for someone, you're likely already in love with them. Ye Li wasn't the kind of person who liked to deceive herself, and Mo Xiuyao was her husband, the closest person to her in this world aside from blood relatives. She didn't want to deny the fact that she might have fallen in love with Mo Xiuyao. Because even when they were intimate, hearing Mo Xiuyao's low, loving words made her heart feel genuine joy and happiness. In an era like this, what could be better for a woman than marrying someone who loved you and whom you also loved, making everyone think it was a happy thing?

  "Prince Han." Ye Li stepped into the guest hall when Han Mingxi was sitting under a yulan tree, lost in thought. The light purple-red petals falling from the gentle breeze fell on his white clothes, weaving a strange luxury. Used to Han Mingxi's usual bold red robes, looking at the person in front of him felt somewhat unfamiliar and distant. Han Mingxi came back to himself, looking at the elegant woman walking slowly towards him, couldn't help but lose his mind for a moment, but quickly regained his composure, "Your Highness...the Princess."

  Ye Li smiled helplessly and said, "I'm not used to being called that by you."

  Han Mingxi raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Although the princess has always called me Young Master Han, I'm not very used to it either. Moreover, from now on, Han Mingxi will be under the princess's command, if she continues to call me that, wouldn't it seem strange?" Ye Li turned her head and smiled, "In that case, I'll call you Mingxi, you...you do as you please. How is the Han family doing?" Han Mingxi nodded, "Han Mingyue has already severed ties with the Han family, even if something happens in the future, it won't implicate the Han family. By the way, I've organized the Han family's account books, would you...like to take a look?" In the end, he still didn't want to use the distant and unfamiliar title of "princess" to address her.

  Ye Li looked at him with some surprise and shook her head: "I and the king have no intention of annexing the Han family."

  Han Mingxi raised an eyebrow and smiled: "The Dingguo Wangfu is rich enough to rival a country, so I naturally understand that the King of Ding looks down on the small Han family. However, since we have already sworn allegiance, we must also show some sincerity." Ye Li smiled: "Even if the Han family really did pledge allegiance to the Dingguo Wangfu, there's no reason for them to empty out the Han family's assets. The Han family is still the Han family, and their industries will naturally still be surnamed Han. Those account books give me a headache just looking at them, so it's better if Han Mingxi takes them back and looks at them slowly. Hmm... maybe you can exchange ideas with An Er and An San - Lin Han and Zhuo Jing - they've also been looking at the account books recently." Han Mingxi thought for a moment, then nodded and smiled: "Understood, from now on if there's anything that needs to be done, just give us orders." Ye Li nodded, "Good, it so happens I have some new cooperation plans. If you're finished with breakfast, we can go to the study and discuss them. If not, we can eat together."

  "I thought you should have had breakfast with Ding Wang by now?"

  Ye Li said faintly, "The king's internal strength is profound, and skipping a meal won't make him hungry." Thinking of a certain man who took advantage of her, Ye Li hummed softly in her heart, not being angry didn't mean she wouldn't take revenge. Han Mingxi turned around, looking at the woman behind him with unintentionally flowing charm between her eyebrows that wasn't there before, his heart darkened as he turned and walked into the house, "So I'm honored to invite Princess Dingwang to have breakfast together."

  The matter of choosing and selecting relatives was pushed back by Ye Li, the Dingguo Wangfu still closed its doors to guests, avoiding the expected noise and commotion. However, the stream of visiting cards and invitation cards sent to the Dingguo Wangfu every day continued unabated. Ye Li just took a casual look and then put them aside for Mo Zongguan and Sun Yiniang to handle.

  An Er and An San made rapid progress under the joint guidance of Mo Zongguan and Han Mingxi, Han Mingxi, although he had never managed affairs before, was after all from a business family background, and was intelligent, having heard and seen more than ordinary people since childhood. Otherwise, Han Mingyue might not have dared to entrust the Han family to him so readily.

  Ye Li's so-called cooperation with Han Mingxi was mostly Ye Li coming up with ideas and contributing some funds, while the specific operations were all handled by Han Mingxi. It wasn't until after discussing with Han Mingxi for several days that Ye Li thought about the elite of the Dingguo Wangfu who had been left in the mountain valley, not knowing what kind of torture they had endured. She decided to go take a look at them first.

  These days, Qin Feng didn't stay in the valley with his comrades, but his life wasn't easy either. After all, the princess had already suggested that he would lead the last team trained. As the leader, he couldn't be worse than his subordinates. So on that day, he went to ask for advice from An Er and An San as soon as he returned to the mansion. Coincidentally, An San was dizzy from a house full of account books, Qin Feng came to serve as a punching bag, and An San didn't know how to be polite at all. The heavy and varied training every day made Qin Feng, the originally arrogant Black Cloud Rider leader, lose his temper completely.

  Following Ye Li to the valley below Hei Yun Peak again, Qin Feng couldn't help but admit that he was indeed a little curious about what those elite troops had been reduced to. When he finally reached the bottom of the cliff and saw his comrades and fellow soldiers crawling around in the dust-covered arena, Qin Feng also couldn't help but pinch himself. This appearance...was really too embarrassing for Hei Yun Cavalry and Mo Family Army.

  Ye Li remained seated on the rooftop, patiently waiting for the people running laps to finish. Until everyone returned to the courtyard with a disheveled appearance, she jumped down from the rooftop and asked with a smile: "Elite ones, how do you feel after these few days?"

  The elite troops were all pale and expressionless, could they say they were tired to death? If someone had told them in the past that just running and doing some strange exercises would exhaust them, they probably wouldn't have believed it even if they were beaten to death. Who were these people? The best dark guards and soldiers of the entire Great Chu. How could they be defeated by such a small thing? Now they understood, they thought running was not difficult because they had never really run before. In fact, the most unfortunate dark guard on the first day was so tired from just running that he couldn't even crawl. Looking at the elite troops' faces, Ye Li nodded in satisfaction and smiled: "I've said it before, being good at martial arts doesn't mean you're physically fit, being physically fit doesn't mean your endurance is good, and having good endurance doesn't mean your stamina is good. After these few days of training, I believe that all of you have made significant progress in both physical strength and endurance, and I hope you continue to maintain it. Also, add five more miles to the running every day, and increase each action by a hundred." As soon as this was said, the troops below finally couldn't help but let out a chorus of mournful cries. Ye Li didn't mind, continuing: "I don't need most of you to become top-notch masters, I just need you to become the strongest soldiers, you will be the elite among the Mo family's army and even the entire Great Chu."

  "Gongzi, do you mean we will still return to the military and remain members of the Mo family army?" someone below asked, unable to hold back. This was also the doubt shared by everyone present, with most people leaning towards the idea that Wang Ye was preparing to train them into another team that was even more ruthless than the Dark Guards and Hidden Division. But they didn't expect that they would still be soldiers, and according to Chu Gongzi's words, they would return to the Mo family army in the future.

  Ye Lian smiled faintly: "For now, I still can't tell you, but I can guarantee that in the end, you will have a glorious and upright name. All positions and promotions will be the same as or even better than those of the Black Cloud Riders and the Mo family army. When you reach an age where it's no longer suitable to stay or due to unexpected injuries, you will be transferred to the Mo family army or other places within the capabilities of the Ding Wang Fu."

  Everyone was shocked by this treatment, even the Black Cloud Riders had never experienced such a thing. This also made everyone more curious about what kind of army they would become.

  "But all of this is based on the premise that you can stay here smoothly. Although it surprised me that none of you fell behind in these seven days, ...this is just the beginning. Qin Feng, this is the training plan for the next half month."

  Qin Feng looked at the scroll with white paper and black characters, his expression as if he was looking at a death warrant. He slowly opened it and took a look, and Qin Feng's eyebrows immediately furrowed into a knot. "Young Master, these... I don't quite understand." Ye Li smiled and said: "It's okay if you don't understand, from tomorrow on, Zhuo Jing and Lin Han will take turns to come over and watch them. Before they arrive, you can study those things on the training grounds by yourselves. In fact, last month was all physical training, I won't be too strict with you. Tomorrow, those eight experts watching you will also withdraw, so everyone is on their own. Also, in your free time, take a look at the books I brought, as much as you can read is fine. These will make it easier for you to get through the next two months."

  Qin Feng handed down the paper scroll, letting everyone appreciate it for themselves and get a rough idea. The soldiers who had been tortured for days silently vomited blood in their hearts, and with some new content appearing, the training volume was at least 50% more than before. Was this Chu young master trying to drive them to death? What's even more deadly is that previously only completing tasks was required, but now this paper requires running within a certain time limit. After these days of tempering, everyone had some idea in their hearts, and the requirements on this paper were too harsh even for these elite soldiers.

  "Lord Chu, this is simply impossible!" a soldier in the front row said disbelievingly.

  Ye Li raised an eyebrow and smiled: "Impossible?"

  "Not bad, it's absolutely impossible to complete so many tasks in such a short time without using light work!"

  Ye Li's smile deepened, "Black Cloud Riders? I've never heard that you guys are so reliant on martial arts. It should be the Dark Guards who like to specialize in martial arts. If someone can really do it, what will you do?" The soldier replied proudly, "If someone can really do it, we naturally can too." Ye Li nodded in satisfaction, "Good, gather at the training grounds." As she watched the soldiers line up and leave, Qin Feng looked at Ye Li with some concern and whispered, "Your Highness... are you saying that you're the one who can do it?" He believed that someone could really do it, and the princess wouldn't intentionally give them an impossible task to mock them. But how could it be the princess herself, who looked so delicate? Although he knew the princess was very capable, just like she said, being good at martial arts and having physical strength were two different things, and what was written on that paper clearly required more physical strength than martial arts. If anything happened to the princess, the prince would definitely kill him!

  Ye Li lowered her head to take a look at the clothes she was wearing. In order to respond to such sudden events, Ye Li had deliberately worn a suitable outfit. After all, having experienced many training sessions before, she knew more or less how these elite individuals would react. Even if she were to guess, she could probably guess correctly to some extent.

  The craftsmen in charge of building this valley were very dedicated, and the training grounds outside the courtyard basically met Ye Li's requirements. A group of disgruntled soldiers stood on the training ground with their eyes wide open, staring at Chu Gongzi, who was running with ease while carrying dozens of kilograms of heavy objects on his back. At first, no one paid attention, but when he ran around the training ground for five or six laps without even breaking a sweat, everyone finally realized that this Chu Gongzi was not simple. After ten laps, Chu Gongzi did not stop to rest, but instead charged directly towards the strange things in the middle of the training ground. He climbed over the low-hanging net covered with iron thistles and sharp objects, crawled over the high net rope, flipped over the high earth wall, grabbed the rope and swung over a distance of two zhang, accurately landing on a wooden board that was less than half a foot wide but five feet high. Under everyone's astonished gaze, he rushed past like walking on flat ground. Finally, when he reached the finish line, bows and arrows were already set up there. Ye Li picked up his longbow, drew an arrow, and shot it with ease, hitting the red heart. The sand in the hourglass placed aside was still slowly flowing out.

  Ye Li turned around, raised an eyebrow and looked at the group of foolish people in front of her. In her heart, she let out a long sigh of relief. To be honest, last night's series of actions was still a bit strenuous for her current state. Although she had not stopped training herself over the years, this past year after marrying into the Ding Wang Fu had allowed her to exercise freely without any hindrance. And because of Mo Xiu Yao's guidance in ancient martial arts, she had made significant progress. However, it had been many years since she last performed such a series of actions completely. Fortunately, she was able to complete it smoothly; if she had messed up in front of these people, it would have been difficult to teach them afterwards. Silently moving her slightly stiff body, Ye Li's face still wore a gentle smile, "How was it?"

  "Good!" The crowd was silent for a moment, then burst into applause. But what they thought before, the Chu Gongzi in front of them easily did what they couldn't do, which means he is stronger than them. And they undoubtedly all admire the strong.

  "So... everyone will listen carefully to the teachings of the instructor who comes next. And in half a month, let me see your results?"

  "Yes! Young master!" The crowd responded in unison.

  She dismissed the crowd, and Ye Lian's expression, which had been calm and smiling, suddenly fell. Leaning against a nearby balustrade, she let out a sigh of frustration. Qin Feng raised an eyebrow and said, "I thought being a princess was easy?"

  Ye Li waved her hand helplessly, "Even if it's easy, you can't hold on for too long without practicing, your hands get rusty... I almost fell off just now. Indeed, I was overconfident, and after coming back, I've been busy with no chance to familiarize myself with the terrain. But it doesn't matter... when you're really on the battlefield, who gives you time to get used to the terrain?"

  Qin Feng furrowed his brow and said inexplicably: "The princess doesn't have to be so desperate."

  Ye Li smiled and said, "It's not that I don't want to, but compared to the probing and guessing in the capital city, I'd rather stay here. Are those arrogant guys willing to admit defeat? This is just the beginning, later we'll have to scare them from time to time, or they'll all become too proud."

  Qin Feng couldn't help but rub his forehead, "You've already shocked them enough today, must you scare them some more?"

  "Alright. I'm almost dead tired, let's take a break and head back later." Ye Li rubbed her arm, turned around and walked towards the small courtyard, "By the way, no need for me to remind you what it means to keep a secret, right? If Prince Wang finds out about today's events, all your tasks will be doubled."

  "Yes. Your Highness."