The First Jasmine - Chapter 122

Chapter 122 - Before the Departure

The political storm surrounding the imperial marriage edict was quietly brushed aside, swept under the rug by the tacit, shared understanding of the imperial palace, the Prince of Ding's Mansion, and the Northern Rong Embassy. The capital remained as bustling and busy as ever. The only change was the newly minted title of fierce shrew attached to the Princess of Dingnan. Although the noble ladies still spoke of her with hidden contempt and mockery during their private gatherings, who could deny that the sentiment beneath it all was mostly envy and jealousy? Turning a deaf ear to the outside world, Ye Li went about her daily routine of managing the Prince of Ding's Mansion just as before, secretly slipping out of the city whenever she had free time to check on the troops undergoing training. In the blink of an eye, the day of the peace-marriage princess's departure had finally arrived.

On the eve of their departure, the husband and wife who were about to be separated strangely found no time to spend alone together. The secretive study of the Prince of Ding's Mansion was, quite uncharacteristically, filled to capacity. When Mo Xiunyao walked into the study hand in hand with Ye Li, everyone present paused for a brief moment before hurriedly standing up to pay their respects. Mo Xiunyao waved a hand and said, "Spare us the tedious formalities. A'Li, you're already familiar with most of these people, but let's introduce the rest." Ye Li sat poised and calm beside Mo Xiunyao, nodding with a slight smile. Scanning the room, she recognized familiar faces like Steward Mo, Feng San, and Leng Haoyu, but a few others looked rather unfamiliar. Turning her head to look at Mo Xiunyao in quiet puzzlement, he smiled lightly and said, "This is General Zhang Qilan; he commands the Mo family army troops stationed near the capital. That one is Sun Yan, the commander-in-chief of the Black Cloud Cavalry. Mo Hua." After introducing two imposing-looking middle-aged men, Mo Xiunyao lowered his voice to call out a name. A figure in gray garments instantly dropped down from the rafters, bowing respectfully as he said, "Your Highness, Your Ladyship." Looking at Ye Li with a smile, Mo Xiunyao explained, "This is Mo Hua, the commander of the shadow guards." Ye Li nodded and smiled at the three men. All of them were trusted confidants who wielded the true power of the Prince of Ding's Mansion. Especially Mo Hua; having spent over a year inside the mansion, Ye Li naturally knew that anyone bearing the surname Mo in the Prince of Ding's Mansion enjoyed Mo Xiunyao's utmost trust, having served the estate loyally from generation to generation since the days of Mo Lanyun.

Zhang Qilan and Sun Yan hurriedly stood up to say, "This subordinate pays respects to the Princess."

Ye Li smiled and replied, "We're all our own people here, the two generals needn't stand on ceremony."

Feng Zhiyao and Leng Haoyu, sitting off to one side, exchanged a glance, seeing a flash of both surprise and affirmation in each other's eyes.

Once everyone had retaken their seats, Mo Hua once again melted into the shadows and vanished from the study. Ye Li glanced sideways at a certain shadowy corner of the study and offered a faint smile. She could naturally sense the slight dissatisfaction—or rather, a lack of complete conviction—that Mo Hua held toward her, but that wasn't an issue that needed immediate resolution.

"Your Highness, Northern Rong is a distant land, and this trip will undoubtedly take several months. Is it entirely proper for Your Highness to go alone?" Zhang Qilan was a military man, straightforward and outspoken, speaking his mind whenever something crossed it.

The others also nodded in succession, even though they knew full well that an already finalized decision was impossible to alter. Sun Yan suggested, "Your Highness, would it be possible to request the Emperor's consent for the Mo family army and the Black Cloud Cavalry to escort the princess and Your Highness to Northern Rong?" Those present echoed his sentiment. Northern Rong and the Prince of Ding's Mansion shared a blood feud; they could not feel at ease letting the Prince travel to Northern Rong alone under any circumstances. Mo Xiunyao smiled indifferently and said, "The Emperor would never agree—not to mention the Emperor, even Northern Rong would refuse." If the Mo family army and the Black Cloud Cavalry were sent to escort the delegation, they probably wouldn't even make it past the Northern Rong border. Northern Rong hostility toward the Mo family army was no less intense than the army's animosity toward them.

Leng Haoyu chuckled and said, "Everyone needn't worry too much. Presumably, the people of Northern Rong don't have the audacity to directly make a move against His Highness. The Mo family army and the Black Cloud Cavalry certainly cannot go, but surely nobody can object to bringing along a few shadow guards." As for the exact number to bring, that would be left for them to decide.

The murmurs of discussion in the study paused as everyone turned in unison to look at Mo Xiunyao. Although the Prince of Ding's Mansion had kept a very low profile over the years, back then it was indeed His Highness who, dragging his broken and sickly body, single-handedly revived the crumbling estate. They ought to trust that since the Prince had agreed to the Emperor's directive to go to Northern Rong, he must have already formulated a plan in his heart. Holding Ye Li's hand in his own, Mo Xiunyao smiled calmly and said, "Since this Prince is heading to Northern Rong, I naturally have foolproof measures in place. What we need to worry about instead is the situation in the capital after my departure." Everyone was taken aback. Feng Zhiyao frowned and asked, "Does Your Highness suspect someone will target the Prince of Ding's Mansion after you leave?"

Mo Xiunyao replied with serene detachment, "Having waited so long for an opportunity when this Prince is far away from the capital, it will be hard for our opponents to resist making a move. Once I leave the capital, everyone is to obey the orders of the Princess."

Everyone present was startled, involuntarily casting their gazes toward the calm and collected woman sitting beside Mo Xiunyao. Although the Princess's performance over the past year or so had earned their deep respect, entrusting the entire Prince of Ding's Mansion to a sixteen-year-old girl still naturally raised doubts about her capability. Sun Yan frowned and asked, "Your Highness, do you mean..." Instead of answering immediately, Mo Xiunyao looked at Ye Li with a smile and asked, "A'Li, is the jade pendant I gave you a few days ago still with you?" Ye Li paused, suddenly recalling what he was referring to. She lowered her head, drew a jade pendant from her sleeve pouch, and laid it out on her palm. As the others focused their gazes upon it, they couldn't help drawing a sharp breath. Lying in Ye Li's palm was a piece of top-grade mutton-fat white jade. Because the pendant wasn't suited for a woman's everyday wear, Ye Li had simply kept it stored away on her person rather than wearing it openly. Carved onto the pendant was a lifelike Yazi.

Yazi, the second son of the dragon, possessed the head of a dragon and the body of a jackal. It had a fierce temperament, loved valor, excelled in combat, and was bloodthirsty and combative. However, this was the true military tally of the Prince of Ding's Mansion. Much like the Black Cloud Cavalry, the Mo family army had no general-use military tally. All troops could only be mobilized at the sole discretion of the Prince of Ding—with one single exception: the Princess of Dingnan holding the Yazi jade pendant possessed authority entirely identical to that of the Prince himself. It was precisely for this reason that the world mistakenly believed the Princess of Dingnan could likewise mobilize the Mo family army and the Black Cloud Cavalry, when in reality, among past generations of Princesses, only one or two had ever truly wielded this power. The reason was simply that the other Princesses had never been given this pendant.

"Your Highness... the Princess is far too young, is this really..." Zhang Qilan said with deep worry. Although the others didn't voice their thoughts, their expressions conveyed the exact same sentiment. The Princess was indeed exceptionally capable, and with a few years of tempering, she might stand on her own. But right now, she had just turned sixteen and had only entered the mansion a year ago; it was genuinely difficult for them to feel entirely at ease.

Feng Zhiyao smiled, stood up, and bowed toward Ye Li, saying, "Feng Zhiyao respectfully obeys His Highness's command and will unquestioningly follow the orders of the Princess."

Leng Haoyu raised an eyebrow slightly, stood up alongside Feng Zhiyao, and said, "I respectfully obey the orders of the Princess."

"Feng San, Second Leng, you both..." Zhang Qilan glared anxiously at the two seemingly reckless young men. Feng Zhiyao leisurely fluttered his folding fan and chuckled, "General Zhang worries too much. The Princess's mastery of both civil and military arts is extraordinary. Earlier this year at Yonglin City, she used a mere twenty to thirty thousand troops to block over a hundred thousand soldiers of the Prince of Li, wiping out tens of enemy troops and completely annihilating the Prince of Li's two flanking armies. Who dares to claim the Princess is unversed in military strategy?" Zhang Qilan was stunned. He had naturally heard rumors about the Princess defending the city in Yongzhou, but he hadn't taken them seriously—after all, Murong Shen was still in Yongzhou, and the Princess was merely a woman. Since antiquity, there had never been a precedent of women entering the battlefield. He had simply assumed that because the Princess and the Black Cloud Cavalry happened to be in Yonglin, she had merely ordered the cavalry to assist in the defense. But hearing Feng Zhiyao state this personally was an entirely different matter. Feng Zhiyao had overseen the mansion's shadow guards and intelligence network for years; he would never speak thoughtlessly. The military generals looked at Ye Li with a new layer of probing intensity. Stationed primarily in military camps, they hadn't interacted much with Ye Li personally and thus lacked the deep understanding possessed by Feng Zhiyao and Leng Haoyu. Hearing Feng Zhiyao's words now, they began to wonder if their initial doubt toward the Prince's decision had been far too rash.

Ye Li put the jade pendant away once more, raised her head, and smiled at the generals, saying, "I am young and my experience remains limited. I will look forward to your abundant guidance in the future." Her words were delivered with her usual light and composed tone, yet the generals keenly felt a sharp, cutting edge and a chilling aura of slaughter wash over them. Such presence could only be forged by someone who had truly walked through a battlefield, yet this young Princess could completely conceal such murderous intent to the point where, unless intentional, others wouldn't feel even a shred of it—making her seem as utterly harmless as she appeared to the naked eye. A tremor ran through the hearts of the generals, and one by one they lowered their heads. "We respectfully obey the orders of the Princess."

Mo Xiunyao cast a satisfied look around the room, nodded, and said, "Very well. After this Prince leaves the capital, all affairs of the Prince of Ding's Mansion shall be decided by the Princess. The word of the Princess is my command. Is that understood?"

"Understood, Your Highness!" the group answered in unison.

The secret discussion in the study lasted late into the night. When the guests were finally seen off, the couple stepped out of the study hand in hand only to find a crescent moon hanging high in the sky. Ye Li looked up at the handsome, refined man beside her, a sudden stir of emotion rippling through her heart as a quiet reluctance to part quietly spread within her.

"A'Li, what's wrong?" Mo Xiunyao asked softly.

Ye Li shook her head, casting away the melancholy in her heart with a smile. "I still feel somewhat uneasy about your trip to Northern Rong. I've handpicked a few people; take them with you to Northern Rong."

Mo Xiunyao chuckled softly, curiosity dancing in his eyes as he asked, "What kind of people could make A'Li feel so confident? Could there be some prodigy I don't know about yet?"

Ye Li let out a soft sigh and said, "If I had a choice, I wouldn't want to hand them over to you just yet, because their training and evaluations haven't even concluded. But this time the Emperor will certainly not allow you to take too many people from the Prince of Ding's Mansion, and the number of personal bodyguards is strictly limited after all. You had better take them with you." Mo Xiunyao smiled, "Since A'Li has such high confidence, this Prince would also love to witness the fruits of A'Li's labor over this past month or more."

Ye Li smiled faintly and clapped her hands twice. Mo Xiunyao focused his gaze on the surrounding shadows, his eyes flashing as he called out loudly, "Shadow guards, maintain vigilance!"

In the night, a few extremely faint rustling sounds echoed before the surroundings plunged back into silence. Moments later, several figures dropped down from the trees, walls, and eaves, quickly falling into a neat line as they spoke in low voices, "Please give us your instructions, Young Master."

Ye Li raised an eyebrow in mild surprise, smiling, "To be able to recognize me—it seems Lin Han and the others have taught you well. Your Highness, what do you think?"

Mo Xiunyao shook his head with a helpless smile. "It seems the shadow guards truly need to retrain." While these individuals didn't appear to possess profoundly deep martial arts, they had managed to infiltrate the heavily guarded Prince of Ding's Mansion without a sound, and then successfully subdued opponents twice their caliber. One had to admit their capabilities were astonishingly formidable. Perhaps the shadow guards of the Prince of Ding's Mansion had indeed grown far too arrogant over the years. Ye Li chuckled, "Your Highness needn't feel depressed. They were able to slip in without a sound entirely because they knew the layout of the mansion's guards beforehand. There aren't any glaring vulnerabilities in the security of the Prince of Ding's Mansion." Mo Xiunyao replied, "A'Li needn't comfort this Prince; I won't blame them. Where have the courtyard guards gone?"

A moment later, more than a dozen shadow guards and courtyard guards walked in looking disheveled and covered in dust, the shadow guards in particular looking too ashamed to lift their heads. Priding themselves on being the most elite guards of the Prince of Ding's Mansion, they had been caught completely off guard and subdued silently right under their own noses. If this had been an actual enemy assassination attempt and the Prince or Princess had suffered any harm, ten thousand deaths wouldn't have sufficed to redeem their failure.

Mo Xiunyao looked with curious interest at the eight individuals standing rigidly straight before him, sensing that they felt entirely different compared to the Mo family army, the Black Cloud Cavalry, or even the shadow guards. Yet he knew these people had indeed been selected directly from those three forces. To achieve such a near-rebirth transformation in less than two months—he had to admit his beloved wife was truly exceptionally gifted at training troops. "A'Li, they aren't just good at ambushes, are they?" Ye Li raised her chin with a touch of pride and replied, "Of course not. Setting aside internal energy and looking purely at close-quarters combat, each of them can effortlessly solo at least fifteen elite soldiers. Every one of them is proficient in various combat weapons—whether it's single combat, group attacks, night operations, naval warfare, assassinations, infiltration, or surprise night raids, none of it poses a problem. As for what else they're capable of, why don't you tell His Highness yourselves?"

The line of soldiers began reporting from the first one onward. "Reporting to Your Highness, this subordinate originally belonged to the Mo family army. I specialize in assassinations and infiltration. This subordinate also speaks Northern Rong and Nanzhao languages."

"This subordinate originally belonged to the Black Cloud Cavalry, specializing in archery and close-quarters grappling."

"This subordinate was originally a shadow guard, specializing in disguise, lightness skills, and poison arts..."

"..."

After listening to their reports, even Mo Xiunyao had to praise them. "A'Li is truly formidable. Are these people really giving them to me?"

Ye Li glanced at him and retorted playfully, "Otherwise, did you think I brought them out just to make your eyes turn green?" Without waiting for his reaction, she looked at the people in the courtyard and said, "You are the most outstanding soldiers from the first batch of trainees, and almost all of you completed your initial training ahead of schedule. Ordinarily, you would have had another month to learn additional skills before facing your final evaluations. But now, you are required to execute a mission ahead of time. I am sorry."

The lead soldier replied, "Serving Your Highness and the Princess is our honor. Please give your orders, Your Princess." Ye Li nodded, "Very well. From today onward, you are His Highness's personal bodyguards until His Highness returns from Northern Rong. Therefore, your primary mission is protection. My goal is to see His Highness return to the capital safe and sound. Can you accomplish this?"

"This subordinate obeys, and will complete the mission even at the cost of our lives!" everyone shouted in unison.

Ye Li smiled and said, "Excellent. This mission is not only an assignment, but also your formal evaluation. Because this is your first field operation, I will send Lin Han along with you. He is not only your leader, but also the one who will grade your performance. Everyone, I wish you a safe and smooth journey."

"Thank you, Young Master."