215 Dismissal of Affection and Righteousness

pulse point. "I don’t recommend rash actions before you have absolute certainty. Just half an inch further and even a Great Immortal of Gold would be powerless to save you."The man, defeated in his at...215. Cutting Ties

215. Cutting Ties

Yelü Yadang had made quite a spectacle in front of what could be considered the nobility from various countries. He watched as the white eagle, furious and banging against its cage in an attempt to escape, was taken away. Yelü Yadang looked like a beaten wolf with a grim expression. Those present whispered among themselves as they watched his miserable appearance. The people from Ding王府 (Ding Prince's Manor) were considering their host's hospitality and refrained from saying anything too harsh. However, the envoys from other countries had no such restraint, and several people from Xi Ling even laughed so hard that they bent over backwards. This made Yelü Yadang's mood even gloomier.

Ye Li handed Mo Xiaobao to the wet nurse standing beside her and smiled: "It was just a small incident; there's no need for everyone to mind it. Prince Yadang, why don't you go change your clothes"

Yelü Hong nodded and said, "Your Excellency is right, Seventh Brother made an inadvertent mistake that disturbed the prince and princess. Please forgive him. Go quickly, Seventh Brother." Yelü Hong and Yelü Yadang had never gotten along when they were in Beirong; it could be said that each wished for the other's demise. However, being here in Da Chu, Yelü Hong did not plan on fighting within their ranks. He merely reminded him gently. Yelü Yadang looked grim as he bowed to Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao before turning away to change his clothes. The small incident didn't affect anyone's mood much, and it was Yelü Hong who stood up and said with a smile, "Since my seventh brother has already presented his gift first, this little prince on behalf of Beirong and my father also prepared a gift for the young prince; I hope that Prince Ding and Princess will not find it unworthy."

Yelü Hong waved his hand, and two men from Beirong carried up a brocade box. When the box was opened, a dazzling golden light lit up the entire banquet hall and caught everyone's attention. Inside the box was also an eagle, but different from the white eagle that had caused trouble earlier, this was a golden eagle. It was almost the same size as the white eagle, cast in gold with lifelike detail. Even its eyes were set with two green gemstones. From the weight it took for the two Beirong men to carry, one could tell that this was not some gilded object but rather an actual solid-gold statue of a golden eagle. Although there were many gold mines within Beirong's borders, this gift from Beirong was certainly substantial.

Mo Xiuyao nodded with a smile and said, "Thank you for the generous gifts from Prince Yelü." With a wave of his hand, someone immediately came forward to take the box away. Yelü Hong didn't mind; he just smiled lightly and returned to his seat.

Afterwards, envoys from various countries presented their gifts in turn, and even the generals from Ding王府 (Ding Prince's Manor) did not lag behind as they each brought gifts for the young prince. There was no great intention behind them; even when Southern General Zhen sent four Xi Ling beauties, Mo Xiuyao accepted all of them without blinking an eye. The people present looked at the faces of Prince Ding and Princess Ding with some strangeness. Ye Li held her wine cup and sipped it while saying softly, "Your Excellency certainly enjoys a good life." Mo Xiuyao snorted lightly and said with a smile, "To be able to marry Ahli as my wife, naturally I enjoy a good life." Ye Li raised an eyebrow slightly, "And what are you planning to do with the ten Xi Ling beauties" Mo Xiuyao shrugged indifferently and replied, "After receiving so many gifts tonight, we can't not return some, right As for that Yelü Yadang, Yelü Hong, and Mo Jing Li Anxi... let's skip Princess Anxi. Just give them a few each; could they possibly refuse my return gifts" Even if he didn't want to accept their gifts, he would have to deal with it privately without embarrassing them in public.

Hearing this, Ye Li couldn't help but twitch at the corner of her mouth, "Mingchi and Feng San were right; your Excellency really is becoming more and more miserly." It was fine to use gambling winnings for Mo Xiaobao's full moon celebration, but even returning gifts had to come from others' gifts. Mo Xiuyao smiled and said, "Ahli, you can't blame me for being cheap; who else would feed the men under Mo Army other than us Hmm... besides, I saw a set of jewelry coming in from the Western Regions a few days ago that looked quite nice and suited Ahli very well. It cost me six ten-thousand strings of coins."

"Oh For me" Hearing the price tag of six ten-thousand strings of coins made Ye Li raise her eyebrows slightly; it wasn't six thousand dollars, but rather six ten-thousand strings of silver. However, she still felt a bit pleased hearing that Mo Xiuyao had given something to herself. No woman disliked receiving gifts from their husband. Mo Xiuyao nodded and complained at the same time: "These people are really uncouth; what does Xiaobao know The hard work of giving birth was all Ahli's, isn't it If they want to give a gift, shouldn't they give it to Ahli"

The people on the dais were all looking at the husband and wife sitting in the main seat with a strange expression. Prince Dì received ten Xi Ling beauties while his consort did not seem unhappy at all, but rather seemed even happier than before. What was going on It didn’t look like she was putting up an act.

Before anyone could say anything else, a sharp voice sounded from below the city gate, "The imperial edict has arrived!"

The people present were taken aback by this sudden announcement. Most of them couldn’t understand what was going on. It was so late at night; where had this person who delivered the imperial edict come from Shouldn’t the city gates be closed already Moreover, it seemed that the emperor was strange as well. He hadn’t even shown up for Prince Dì’s celebration and now he had suddenly arrived in the middle of the banquet to scare people. Many people turned their gazes towards Emperor Mò Jǐnglí, who had a frown on his face as if he didn’t understand what was going on.

Ye Li and Mò Xiuyáo remained calm and composed. Mò Xiuyáo’s smile deepened slightly as he glanced at Xu Hongyu and Xu Qingchen sitting below the dais. Xu Hongyu nodded slightly while Xu Qingchen smiled calmly, looking unperturbed.

The person delivering the edict had already walked up to the city gate by then. The one in front was wearing a court robe of grade 2nd Rank. He was the current Minister of Rites. Behind him were also officials from the Ministry of Rites and several imperial guards, looking solemn and dignified. The minister held the imperial edict with both hands and raised it above his head as he declared loudly: "The imperial edict has arrived! Mò Xiuyáo, receive your orders!" Everyone was shocked. This wasn’t to celebrate Prince Dì’s birthday; this seemed more like someone had come to spoil the mood.

Mò Jǐnglí led Ye Li and others to kneel down to receive the edict. Although he didn’t have much affection for his emperor brother, he was still the King of Lí at the moment and needed to go through with the motions. As for the rest, they weren’t as polite. The military officers and officials from the Mò family simply ignored it, drinking their wine and chatting as before. In Northwest, an imperial edict wasn’t worth a scrap of paper. As for the envoys from Xi Ling and Beirong, they just looked on like spectators. Seated at the main seat, Mò Xiuyáo didn’t seem to have any intention of getting up to receive the edict. This left only Mò Jǐnglí and others kneeling down.

The Minister of Rites obviously hadn’t expected this situation either. He looked at Mò Xiuyáo, who was lazily leaning against a chair on the platform, looking down at him from above. The minister sternly said, "Mò Xiuyáo, receive your orders!"

"Read it." Mò Xiuyáo replied indifferently.

The minister frowned and wanted to speak when he saw Mò Xiuyáo sit up straight and stare at him. He said, “Either read what you’re holding or take whatever’s in your hand and leave Yongyang City.” “I’m feeling generous tonight and don’t want any of your lives,” the prince added.

"How dare you!" The minister turned red with anger and pointed at Mò Xiuyáo but could only stare for a moment, unable to speak. After being stripped of his rank by imperial decree, Mò Xiuyáo still dared to act so arrogantly; it was clear that he didn’t care about the court or the emperor. "Prince Lí!" The minister wasn’t stupid and knew that he had no chance against Mò Xiuyáo, so he turned to Mò Jǐnglí who was kneeling beside him.

Mò Jǐnglí’s expression darkened as if his face had been completely lost by this brother of his. He stood up coldly and looked at the minister, "Didn’t you hear If you don’t read out the edict, do you really want to be thrown out"

The minister twisted his face a few times before finally suppressing his anger. After all, he had been sent by the emperor to deliver this imperial edict and if he was thrown out without delivering it, he would definitely not receive any favors when returning to the capital.

Taking a deep breath, the minister opened the yellow silk cloth and read aloud: "By imperial decree: The commoner Mò Xiuyáo has committed great crimes by raising an army against the state and declaring himself king. He shall be stripped of his royal title and banished to live as a slave. The Xu family in Yúnzhou, who conspired with traitors and plotted to overthrow the state, shall have their entire clan executed.

The entire city gate was silent, even the calls of vendors and commoners on the nearby street could be heard clearly. Everyone looked at Li Shangshu, who held the imperial decree, with a look that seemed to think him mad. What use was this thing Could he just demote Mo Xiuyao as he pleased Even if Mo Jingqi wrote one thousand decrees to cast Mo Xiuyao down into the dust, he would still remain high and mighty in the Northwest, overlooking nobles from above. Was Xiang’s clan something that could be executed by an imperial order Why didn’t he try executing someone from the Xiang clan first

Of course, Mo Jingqi knew this decree was useless. Today, he sent people here not because he really wanted to execute the entire Xiang clan nor because he wanted to do something to Mo Xiuyao. He just wanted Mo Xiuyao to lose face in front of all the heroes and nobles.

“Ha ha…” A clear laugh suddenly came from the main seat. Mo Xiuyao leaned back in his chair as if he had heard a very amusing thing, and laughed until he fell into his chair. After finishing laughing, Mo Xiuyao sat up with Ye Li’s shoulder to look down at the seemingly calm Li Shangshu and raised an eyebrow, “To strip me of my name Did that fool forget that my surname was not given by him It just so happens that I share the same ancestor as him.

"You are being disrespectful! How dare you be so rude to His Majesty!" Although Li Shangshu shouted angrily, his face showed a hint of embarrassment. The Great Chu Empire established its foundation on filial piety, and no one was allowed to change their ancestor’s surname, not even the emperor. Even if someone committed such heinous crimes that they deserved death for nine generations, their surname could still not be changed. Moreover, Mo Xiuyao originally had the surname “Mo,” which was not granted by the emperor. Also, although both families originated from one source, after Emperor Taizu set up separate ancestral halls, it no longer mattered whether two people shared a common ancestor or not. Although Mo Jingqi could expel many royal and imperial relatives in the capital city from their family lineages, he had no authority over Mo Xiuyao. Nevertheless, regardless of how embarrassed this situation might be, he still could not tolerate Mo Xiuyao openly insulting the emperor as being foolish.

Mo Xiuyao raised an eyebrow calmly and did not take Li Shangshu’s anger seriously. The people that Mo Jingqi sent to die here obviously were not important figures. They must have just been newly appointed officials, right

Although Mo Xiuyao was not bothered by this, the generals of the Mo Army below could no longer bear it and started cursing loudly. These big men who came from military camps had no elegance like those scholars in court; they would curse without holding back any vulgar or dirty words. Perhaps Emperor Mo Jingqi hadn’t been cursed at so much in his entire life as he was tonight. Mo Xiuyao leisurely enjoyed the cursing of his soldiers and did not try to stop them. After all, accepting gifts from Mo Xiaobao’s full moon banquet meant that everything was over. From now on, they could just have fun.

Below, Lei Tengfeng frowned as he sat next to Prince Southern Command; he asked softly, "Father, what does Duke Ding mean with this" If news of Mo Jingqi's actions spread, Mo Xiuyao wouldn't look good. If Mo Xiuyao wanted to stop this matter from happening, those officials who delivered the imperial decree would never be able to enter in the first place. Now it was clear that not only did he have no intention of stopping them, but there were signs that he wanted to encourage and fuel these actions even more. This made Lei Tengfeng puzzled as to what Mo Xiuyao wanted.

Prince Southern Command narrowed his eyes slightly; he glanced at Mo Xiuyao who was smiling with a hint of coldness in his eyes from the main seat, then turned to Ye Li sitting beside Mo Xiuyao. She looked calmly at the commotion without any signs of anger. Prince Southern Command knew that Ye Li was not someone who easily got angry. In fact, she seldom lost her temper; but once she did, no matter whether it was a woman or a man in this world, they would have difficulty bearing it. The members of the Xiang clan below also seemed very calm; even the two most hot-headed sons of the third and fifth brothers sat quietly drinking alcohol as if the whole thing had nothing to do with them.

After pondering for a moment, Prince Southern Command felt his heart jump slightly and said in a solemn voice, "Perhaps… Mo Xiuyao is ready to tear apart relations between him and the Great Chu." This was not good news for Western Li. Even though Western Li and Northern Rong as well as Southern Zhao had tried their best to sow discord between the imperial court of Great Chu and Duke Ding’s family all along, they did not want these two sides to actually break ties with each other. If Duke Ding's family and the Mo Army were a sharp sword, then the Great Chu was already somewhat rusted, but it could still contain the actions of Duke Ding’s family and the Mo Army when necessary and provide breathing space for people who were threatened by them. For example, during the time when Mo Xiuyao led his troops to subdue the south, if he had not been restrained by the court, Southern Zhao would have either collapsed or become a nominal country long ago. If the Mo Army was actually out of control from Great Chu’s grasp in the future, it would be like an unsheathed sword, and wherever it swung, there would be unavoidable destruction and bloodshed that no one could stop.

Lei Tengfeng was stunned; as the crown prince of Western Li's Prince Southern Command, he naturally understood this key point. He just didn’t understand why Mo Xiuyao chose to break ties with Great Chu at this moment. During earlier times when the Mo Army struggled on the battlefield and Mo Jingqi stabbed them in the back, Mo Xiuyao did not act up; after Ye Li fell off a cliff, although Mo Xiuyao killed seven thousand soldiers and took over the Northwest, he didn’t really make trouble either. Even when Mo Jingqi issued an imperial decree to strip him of his title, he ignored it without concern. But today... Looking at how everything unfolded before them, Lei Tengfeng knew that perhaps Mo Xiuyao was no longer willing to endure this situation any longer. Was it because the Xiang clan Looking at the serene Xiang family members sitting opposite him, from old Mr Baiyun to young Master Fifth of the Xiang Family, every one of them had a unique aura and were outstanding people. But if Mo Xiuyao was breaking ties with Mo Jingqi just for their sake, it didn’t make sense either because the Xiang clan had been in the Northwest for quite some time already.

The Prince Regent Wang sneered and said coolly, "Mo Xiuyao was right. Mo Jingqi really is a fool. He fell into Mo Xiuyao’s trap. Mo Xiuyao was waiting for him to make the first move." With the pride of the Mo army, if they didn’t react after being humiliated by Mo Jingqi, something would be wrong.

In the midst of the uproar and curses below, Mo Xiuyao calmly raised his hand. The cursing soldiers instantly fell silent. Everyone was looking at Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li who slowly stood up from their seats. When the two stood side by side, they appeared high above everyone else and gave people a feeling that they were looking up at them. Smirking coldly, Mo Xiuyao looked at the Minister of Rites whose face had turned pale with anger, then swept his gaze over Mo Jingli. Suddenly, Mo Jingli’s heart tightened as he stared intently at Mo Xiuyao and clenched his hand behind his back.

“I’m quite clear about what Mo Jingqi wants to say. Since everyone is here today, I also have something that I want to say. Once you hear it, take every word back to Mo Jingqi,” said Mo Xiuyao.

Zhuo Jing, who was holding a roll of light yellow silk behind him, stepped forward and handed the scroll to Mo Xiuyao. Mo Xiuyao casually took it and looked at it before throwing it down without even unfolding it and saying, “Phoenix Third Brother, read!”

Phoenix Third Brother, who had been drinking with Zhang Qilan, leaped up from where he was standing. His crimson attire flipped over in the air like a red cloud that landed right in the middle of the hall. He held the light yellow silk tightly.

"Mo Jingqi is incompetent and has plotted against loyal officials. As an emperor who doesn’t think about his country’s stability, he conspired with an enemy state to frame Prince Mo Xiwen, causing the previous emperor to die suddenly at the border. Tens of thousands of soldiers lost their lives as a result. He later collaborated with another foreign force in order to drive the Mo army and me into a corner. The Chu imperial family killed my father and brother, disgraced my heroes, and framed them by spreading lies. Generations of the Mo army have been loyal to Chu for hundreds of years, but today we are faced with humiliation that shames our ancestors and leaves their spirits unrested. As such, beyond Flying Swallow Pass, the Mo army will be independent from Chu. Relations will cease!" Phoenix Third Brother read out loud with his voice carrying a hint of inner strength. Not only was it silent on the city wall, but even in the bustling streets nearby, all sounds ceased instantly as everyone listened to Phoenix Third Brother’s clear and heavy voice that echoed throughout most of Youyang City.

"The Chu imperial family killed my father and brother and disgraced my heroes. From now on, I have severed ties with them, leaving us no more relations!" Mo Xiuyao’s voice reverberated across the entire Youyang City. On the city wall, the soldiers of the Mo army shouted in approval that their prince was just. Mo Jingli’s expression was complicated and hard to read while the Minister of Rites, whose face had previously been pale with anger, now looked as if he was about to collapse.

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La la la~ Thanks for everyone's love! Let's vote for Phoenix Clouds popularity award!the man who seemed like a child throwing a tantrum but couldn't bring herself to scold him. Mo Xiuyao had never hated children; he had even looked forward to their arrival when they were in love. Soon...