60 Bamboo Grove Assassination

looked at Ye Li with a strange expression that was both envious and jealous, mixed with fear and schadenfreude. Not only in the Great Chu Kingdom for over a hundred years since its founding, but even...The Imperial Capital Ode 60. Encountering an Assassination in the Bamboo Grove

60. Encountering an Assassination in the Bamboo Grove

"The Emperor's meaning is that Princess Qixia will enter the palace, and Princess Lingyun will be betrothed to Prince Li."

Ye Li quickly glanced at Ye Ying sitting beside Mo Jingli, indeed scowling while staring intently at Princess Lingyun. Over in the Nanzhao Kingdom, Princess Qixia also had a very unpleasant look on her face. And Mo Jingli's expression was clearly not pleasant either; he glared gloomily at the rather pitiful-looking Princess Lingyun. Ye Li thoughtfully looked at Emperor Mojingqi who seemed to be thoroughly pleased with her arrangement for the moment, but she could not quite understand what the emperor’s intentions were. Could it simply be that because Princess Lingyun had angered him, he was therefore betrothing her to Prince Li But Princess Qixia had already been in Chu Capital for several months; Emperor Mojingqi couldn’t possibly not know about the rumors surrounding Princess Qixia and Prince Li.

"The Emperor would never allow Jingli to have any further connections with Nanzhao. Even without Princess Lingyun, he could never betroth Princess Qixia to him." As if understanding Ye Li's confusion, Mo Xiuyao said softly beside her, "Nanzhao is predominantly inhabited by barbarians and though it’s a small country with weak people, they have extremely fierce customs. It’s just that due to their small number, they are unable to make any significant impact." Ye Li muttered, “The Emperor doesn’t want Prince Li to be involved with Nanzhao But Xi Ling seems stronger than Nanzhao.” Mo Xiuyao chuckled lowly and said, "Xi Ling is an age-old enemy of Chu. Unless Mo Jingli betrays his country, Xi Ling cannot give him any benefits. Besides… the Emperor also never wishes to see a prince with blood ties from Xi Ling among the imperial heirs."

Ye Li was enlightened and looked at Mo Jingli somewhat sympathetically. It seemed that this emperor’s own brother didn’t make him feel very secure.

Mosiyao chuckled softly, "Lily, your heart is too soft. There are never people in the royal family who don't have ambitions."

Ye Li was taken aback and thought deeply about Mo Xiuyao’s words before looking at Mo Jingli with a few more layers of contemplation. But… could Mo Jingli really be that complex Or had he always been pretending to be stupid

Returning to the Dingguo王府, Ye Li couldn’t help but sigh deeply. She was much more exhausted from half a day in the palace than she had been for the past month combined. After bidding farewell to Mo Xiuyao, Ye Li returned to her courtyard where Aunt Lin and Aunt Wei immediately brought people forward to receive her. Evidently, word of what had transpired at the palace that afternoon had already reached the王府. The two aunts worriedly scanned Ye Li from head to toe before they could finally let out a sigh of relief upon confirming she was indeed fine. Frustrated, Ye Li requested for some food to fill her stomach with, but Aunt Lin waved her hand and someone brought forth a chicken porridge that had been prepared long ago. Looking at the three-person-sized serving of chicken porridge before her, Ye Li said, "Aunt, although I’m hungry, it doesn’t mean I suddenly have such an appetite."

Aunt Wei glared at her and retorted, “Your Excellency, do you think only you are hungry”

Ye Li blinked in confusion. Qingle had already gone down for dinner.

Aunt Wei pushed the chicken porridge along with its tray into Ye Li’s hands, saying, "The Duke has gone to his study; Your Excellency should bring this over and eat it together with him."

“That… I don’t think that would be necessary. I’ll have someone take it over to Ah Jun.”

"Your Excellency!" Aunt Lin glared at Ye Li and said seriously, "You are the Duke's wife; how can you let others do tasks like this for you Didn't Second Madam forget to teach you about your duties as a wife when you were in the Xu family" Looking at Aunt Lin’s expression prepared to lecture her, Ye Li quickly put aside her propriety and picked up the porridge bowl, saying, "Aunt, I understand. I’ll go take this over to His Excellency right away." Without waiting for any further reaction from Aunt Lin, she dashed out with the chicken porridge in hand. Ye Li felt wronged; both aunts were very talkative but compared to her wet nurse, Ye Li was more afraid of Aunt Lin who followed Lady Mo. As soon as she opened her mouth, she would cite Confucian classics and expound on moral lessons while making one admit fault humbly. No ordinary person could withstand such attacks from both language and spirit.

Feeling helpless, she held the night snack in hand as she walked through the王府corridors while the maids behind her followed at a considerate distance. Mo Xiuyao still stayed in his quarters beside Ye Li’s courtyard where he resided before their wedding ceremony. So Ye Li was already standing outside Mo Xiuyao's study by the time she had finished complaining in her mind. Before she could knock, she heard Mo Xiuyao’s voice from inside, "Is it Lily Come in."

She pushed open the door and saw that Mo Xiuyao was writing something with his brush pen under candlelight. Looking up at her, he asked, “Why did you come without resting”

Ye Li put down what she was carrying and said, "Do I bother you"

Mosiyao shook his head and looked at the chicken porridge on the table with a raised eyebrow. He then smiled and asked, “You came to bring me midnight snack”

Ye Li felt her cheeks heat up and acted indifferently as she retorted, "What I can’t bring you some food"

Mosiyao shook his head and put down the brush pen. He then said with a smile, “I was merely curious how Lily could be so proactive in bringing me midnight snacks. Hmm… it’s no wonder that even after my return for such a long time, nobody thought of bringing some food to me. Indeed, ever since I married the duchess, other people have stopped being concerned.” Ye Li helplessly rolled her eyes and said, “So you’re going to eat or not” Mo Xiuyao nodded, "How could I possibly refuse a midnight snack personally brought by my duchess"

The two of them sat down at the table. Ye Li took out two bowls and poured one bowl of porridge for each before giving one to Mo Xiuyao first. Although they had been eating meals together almost every day lately, this was their first midnight snack together. As they ate the porridge, Mo Xiuyao thought for a moment and said, "If you have nothing else to do tomorrow, would you accompany me to see my step-sister" Ye Li nodded, “It’s indeed long overdue that we pay her a visit. I hope she will not be angry at us.” Mo Xiuyao shook his head, “She won’t mind these things.”

“Is there anything I need to prepare” asked Ye Li.

Mosiyao shook his head, "It is only necessary for us to visit her."

Thinking about the faceless step-sister, Ye Li could only sigh in her heart. It was truly sad that a woman’s life had become as withered as dried grass at such a young age.

"How did you deal with that palace maiden tonight" Ye Li thought for a moment and asked about the palace maid who stopped them on their way back to the palace earlier. Mo Xiuyao frowned, "That wasn’t actually from the palace."

"Not" Ye Li was surprised. When did the imperial palace become a place where outsiders could freely come and go Could the emperor sleep soundly at night

Mos Yao smiled, "She's not listed as an official palace maid in the registry, but that doesn't mean she isn't part of the palace. Some influential people within the palace always have a few hidden cards."

"But that palace maid didn't seem to be anything special," Ye Li said.

Mos Yao said calmly, "Sometimes it's precisely those who don’t stand out who are the key players."

Ye Li asked, "Someone you can't get any information from"

"She is a suicide soldier," Mos Yao answered. Ye Li understood; suicide soldiers had no way of surviving after their mission failed.

Mos Yao said, “However, such people within the palace are not that common. So, Ahli… if you must enter the palace in the future, be careful.”

Ye Li nodded, "I understand." She certainly didn't have a death wish.

The former Duchess Wen of Ding Prince lived outside of the Ding Prince Manor. After her husband Mo Xiwen's death, she moved to Wuyue Nunnery on the outskirts of the city citing that being there brought back painful memories. Accompanying her were two secondary consorts of Mosiwen’s. Since then, apart from returning for his memorial day each year, Wen had never returned to the Ding Prince Manor. For many reasons, Mo Xi Yao also rarely left home in recent years. Thus, he wasn't very familiar with this sister-in-law despite respecting her.

After receiving MosiYao's approval, Ye Li started exercising early and accompanied him for breakfast before they left to go to the Wuyue Nunnery outside of town.

The Wuyue Nunnery was located on a scenic little hill near the outskirts of the capital city. It also served as the Ding Prince Manor's family temple, so there weren't many visitors coming to pay homage or tourists around. The road leading up to it was quite tranquil and pleasant. Once they entered the gate, Ye Li wrinkled her nose at the lingering sandalwood scent in the air.

Mos Yao turned his head and asked her, "What's wrong"

Feeling a bit embarrassed, she said softly, "I don’t believe in Buddhism." If something happened and she wasn't sure whether to worship or not, Ye Li thought it was meaningless for non-believers to make offerings at the Buddha’s feet. Would that be considered impolite by others

Mos Yao smiled calmly, "No wonder I've never seen Ahli go to temples in other cities." In Chu Jing City, both noble ladies and common girls loved going to various temples or nunneries for incense offerings or fortune-telling. Some wished for a smooth life while others sought an ideal husband. Yet, there had been no mention of the Third Miss Ye ever visiting any temple.

Ye Li lowered her head and said, "Since I don’t believe in deities, it would be inappropriate to ask them for blessings. If they truly exist with power, how could they manage so many worshippers every day"

Mos Yao raised his eyebrows as he looked at Ye Li and smiled, “So you trust yourself more”

Ye Li lifted her head and laughed brightly, "If I can't even believe in myself, what else is there to believe in"

Mos Yao nodded in agreement. "Exactly. Neither do I. You may act as you wish."

Soon a small nun came out to guide them inside. Wen was an extremely gentle and graceful woman. Although her appearance wasn't exceptional, the tranquility and peacefulness in her eyes added a unique touch to her beauty. Even though she wore grey nunnery clothes, they didn’t hide her refined upbringing. Upon seeing Ye Li and Mos Yao enter, there were no ripples of emotion in her calm eyes.

"Xiyao greets his elder sister," said Mos Yao as he pulled Ye Li forward to introduce her: "Elder Sister, this is Ahli."

Ye Li respectfully greeted Wen. “Greetings Elder Sister.”

Wen’s eyes fell on the wheelchair and then quickly turned towards Ye Li. Her tranquil gaze flashed a hint of sorrow as she softly said, "No need for formalities. You can sit down." After thanking her, Ye Li went over to sit beside Wen who held her hand, looked at her, then picked up an old brocade box from the side and handed it to her: “As I am now outside of this world, there's nothing much I can offer you as a gift. This is what Prince… your elder brother gave me when I first married into the Ding Prince Manor. He said that it was left behind by my mother. You keep it.”

“This …” The box appeared old and worn, but its surface was smooth from frequent handling, indicating that Wen kept it close to her heart as a keepsake. She smiled gently and shook her head: "Take it then. I don’t need these things anymore." Ye Li no longer refused and accepted the box with gratitude: “Thank you Elder Sister.”

Wen looked at Ye Li, pulled her hand and said: "Your elder brother only has one younger brother; as his elder sister, there's not much I can do for you. You should support each other in the future and live a good life." Ye Li understood that Wen was referring to when Ding Prince Manor underwent changes and she didn’t remain at the manor to run its affairs but left to go into seclusion after her husband’s death, leaving behind a severely injured Mo Xi Yao. Yet, Ye Li did not blame Wen for this decision. At twenty years old, she wasn't from a prominent family that could have trained her in such matters. After her husband's sudden passing and the heir becoming crippled, it was understandable why an ordinary woman couldn’t manage the entire Ding Prince Manor.

Ye Li nodded respectfully: "I am married to the Prince now; we will share both honor and disgrace."

"Good. I feel at ease then," Wen nodded with satisfaction.

Ye Li frowned, hesitating for a moment before saying: "Elder Sister living alone here must be lonely. Would you consider returning to the manor… if you continue your practice there"

Wen shook her head: "I'm used to this tranquil life here; it would be strange for me to go back." After Ye Li’s repeated urging, Wen remained firm in her decision and they had no choice but to accept it. After chatting for a while longer, Wen offered them lunch before asking Mos Yao to take Ye Li around.

Even though Wuyue Nunnery was just the family temple of Ding Prince Manor, it still covered quite an area. As Ye Li pushed Mos Yao through the quiet bamboo forest behind the nunnery, she couldn't help but feel melancholy due to Wen’s situation.

"Ah Li, if it were you, you wouldn't be like Senior Sister-in-law, right" After a long while, Mo Xiuyao asked in a deep voice.

Ye Li nodded and suddenly remembered that Mo Xiuyao couldn’t see her actions. She said, "No, I will try my best to live better."

Mo Xiuyao smiled faintly, "That's good. Senior Sister-in-law… actually isn't suitable to be the queen of Dingguo Prince’s Manor; it is our Mo Family that has wronged her." If it wasn’t for Brother wanting to avoid Mo Jingqi’s suspicions, maybe he wouldn’t have chosen a woman from an ordinary scholarly family like the Wen Clan. Ye Li thought about this and said, "Maybe Senior Sister-in-law hasn’t regretted it." Every time she heard Senior Sister-in-law talk about her husband, Ye Li could see the tender and yearning emotions in her calm eyes. Perhaps Mo Xiwen chose her for the sake of Dingguo Prince’s Manor, but Wen Clan Lady or Mo Xiwen might not have no feelings towards each other.

Mo Xiuyao smiled faintly, "Dingguo Prince’s Manor never gave her a chance to regret it." The Great Chu Dynasty did not forbid a widow from remarrying after losing her father, but a widow in Dingguo Prince’s Manor would find it difficult to do so. Without the courage to face others’ gazes, Wen Clan Lady wouldn’t even have the thought of regretting her decision. "But… Ah Li, I allow you to regret your decision."

"Your Highness, tell me honestly, if I died, am I allowed to remarry" Ye Li asked with a raised eyebrow.

Mo Xiuyao didn’t object and nodded, saying, "Yes, that's what I mean."

Ye Li looked up at the sky and rolled her eyes in a place where Mo Xiuyao couldn't see. A surge of unknown anger made her sneer coldly, “So… Your Highness wants to die early or die sooner”

Moon Xiuyao raised an eyebrow at Ye Li's strange sentence and said with a smile, "I would still like to live as long as possible."

“Is that so That’s really not good news…”

"Move!" Before Ye Li finished speaking, Mo Xiuyao suddenly turned around and pushed her away.

A series of whistling sounds passed by. Three diamond-shaped darts with a cold blue light were embedded in the bamboo beside Ye Li.

“Since you’re here, why not come out to see us” Mo Xiuyao lowered his gaze and said indifferently while staring at his hand placed on the wheelchair handle.

A loud laugh echoed through the bamboo grove. A tall figure appeared among the bamboos. Soon after, a group of black-clad men surrounded them.

Mo Xiuyao lifted his head to look at the intruder and said with a cold smile, "Do you dare say that again without your mask"

The intruder’s laughter abruptly stopped as his dark eyes narrowed. He snorted and turned his gaze towards Ye Li standing beside Mo Xiuyao. “This lady… is the Queen of Dingguo Prince Manor”

Ye Li nodded calmly, "That's right, sir."

"Good courage," the man praised her, but with a hint of regret in his eyes.

"Mo Xiuyao, with such a woman to accompany you into death, there shouldn't be much you're still sad about, right" The man clearly didn’t want any nonsense. With a wave of his hand, the black-clad men rushed forward.

“Firstly, take Queen away,” Mo Xiuyao gave an indifferent order. A few shadows darted into the crowd. Ah Jin landed in front of Mo Xiuyao with a long sword in hand, watching the surroundings cautiously. Two dark guards landed beside Ye Li and tried to escort her away. The rest began fighting the black-clad men.

Ye Li glanced at the few people that Ah Jin brought along—only seven or eight of them. She already took two from him which left only five for him. But there were at least twenty or thirty black-clad assassins around them. Without time to think, Ye Li waved away the dark guards who wanted to escort her and said coldly, “Stay behind to help.”

“Your Highness…” The dark guard was stunned and tried to say something in disagreement. However, Ye Li had already passed him by impatiently, knocking down a black-clad assassin with a swift kick as she did so. She then said coldly, “What are you wasting time for Deal with these people first.” As she spoke, she deftly kicked away another attacker’s attack and landed on the fallen attacker's back. The attacker groaned and fainted.

The two dark guards looked at each other—obviously they would follow their queen's orders to deal with these assassins before anything else. Although they didn’t understand what skills Ye Li was using, they saw how she had blocked one assassin’s attack and knocked out another in just a few moves. The unlucky victim on the ground might have to stay in bed for months if he was lucky; otherwise, he would be paralyzed for life.

Ye Li felt relieved after successfully dealing with this attacker. Although she was confident about her abilities, she wasn’t sure how deep ancient martial arts were. After all, she hadn't really encountered a situation that required real combat in this era. If the Flying Moon Young Master’s agility skills were taken into account, it would be hard to deal with him. However, fortunately not everyone could have such agile agility skills like the Flying Moon Young Master’s. If it was just close combat, Ye Li thought she could handle most of the experts.

The assassins didn’t expect that this seemingly harmless Queen of Dingguo Manor would knock out one person in her first move. By the time they recovered from their shock, another person had been knocked down by a shoulder strike from Ye Li.

Ye Li’s past training was quite varied. She had studied martial arts and various fighting styles such as taekwondo and judo since she was young. After entering the military, especially the special forces, her focus shifted from disabling opponents to killing them. Women naturally didn't have the same strength as men, so Ye Li concentrated on techniques and speed. In everyday life, few people would dare to spar with her. At first, Ye Li wasn’t very proficient, but after knocking out two people, she gradually felt that some of her old instincts were returning. Over the years, she had been persistently training her body, which now showed its results in practical combat.

"Queen… Queen…" Ah Jin, who was loyal to Mo Xiuyao’s side, was stunned when he saw what happened on the other end and couldn't speak. The person who kicked an assassin taller than him with one foot was really the gentle and elegant queen Ah Jin vaguely remembered that he had once seen the Queen knock out Prince Li using some unknown method late at night. He thought it must have been a hidden weapon, but now, it seemed possible that she could solve problems through brute force

"Ah Li!" Mo Xiuyao’s voice came from behind as a sword swung fiercely towards Ye Li. She immediately ducked and narrowly avoided the incoming blade while slicing across her attacker's wrist with a dagger in her hand. She then twisted him around, causing his arm to snap loudly as he fell unconscious on the ground. Ye Li looked down curiously and saw that there was now a small knife embedded in her assailant’s back.

Ye Li raised an eyebrow and quickly dodged another attacker, reaching Mo Xiuyao's side. Mo Xiuyao frowned, "Didn’t I tell you to leave

Ye Li was on guard against the assassins with Ah Jin while asking, "What if we run into another group of people when we leave Could something happen to Senior Sister-in-law"

"Someone has gone to protect Senior Sister-in-law," Mo Xiuyao said coolly. "There are many traps in Moonless Nunnery. If those assassins had entered the nunnery first, we would have already noticed."

In just a short while, more than half of the twenty or so assassins had fallen. A man who had been watching from the sidelines sneered and said, "King Ding's mansion guards are indeed famous for their skills. Too bad there aren't enough of them!" The man suddenly leaped up and thrust his long sword at Mo Xiuyao. Ah Jin immediately stepped forward to intercept him with his saber. In an instant, they exchanged over ten moves. But Ah Jin was only a teenager who had made a mistake in one move which allowed the man to push him aside with a spear; it left a ghastly gash on Ah Jin's right arm. The man ignored Ah Jin and turned back to attack Mo Xiuyao again after he blocked the saber. Ah Jin cried out and tried to get up but was held back by two assassins behind him.

"Ah Li, move aside," Mo Xiuyao pushed Ye Li away and maneuvered his wheelchair backwards. After dodging the first sword, a second even more vicious strike followed. A person sitting in a wheelchair could never be as agile as someone standing up. Mo Xiuyao thrust his saber into the backrest of the wheelchair while simultaneously grabbing onto the sword's tip with one hand and flinging out a cluster of darts at the man. Startled, the man quickly retreated several feet to avoid being hit by the darts. He sneered and lunged again. Clearly, he had figured out that Mo Xiuyao’s biggest weakness was his inability to move; no matter how skilled or well-armed Mo Xiuyao was, there would be a point when he ran out of weapons. Mo Xiuyao stopped evading and whipped out a long whip with a whooshing sound, instantly putting distance between them. For a while neither could gain an advantage.

Standing by Ye Li calmly helped to subdue the assassins trying to sneak up on or surround Mo Xiuyao from time to time. While observing one of the men, she analyzed his weaknesses.

Finally, when Mo Xiuyao’s whip entangled with the man's sword, Ye Li sneered and threw her golden hairpin at his wrist. Seizing this opportunity, she charged forward to attack the man's vital points with her dagger without mercy as he was forced to let go of his sword. Even among all the martial arts manuals in existence, Ye Li’s moves were incredibly ruthless; after only a few exchanges, the man had already been slashed twice—once on his right arm and once on his left shoulder. Ye Li made an unhappy sound before risking everything to thrust her dagger into the man's chest despite his right hand's incoming palm attack. The man paled as he quickly pushed at Ye Li with his right hand while blood poured from his wound.

Ye Li could not retreat now, but a long whip tail suddenly wrapped around her waist and pulled her backward to avoid the man’s palm strike, leaving her standing in front of Mo Xiuyao.

The man nearby looked pale as he tightly clenched his teeth and blood flowed from his wound. When Ye Li had twisted the dagger still embedded into his chest earlier, its sharp tip had nearly made a full circle before she pulled it out; now there was no way to cover up the ghastly hole in his chest.

Ye Li looked at her dagger with some displeasure and frowned. This type of dagger was nothing compared to her beloved military trident.

"Cough… A formidable Queen Consort indeed! I never expected you to be so hidden," the man coughed while clutching his wound then rasped.

"I will not attack unless attacked," Ye Li glared at him coldly.

"Today, my turn has come. Mo Xiuyao, you are indeed lucky to have such a formidable queen consort," the man glanced at the few remaining assassins and knew that his assassination attempt was bound to fail. Even though there were still seven or eight people left, their underlings could not possibly match King Ding’s mansion guards in equal numbers, "However, you can dodge once or twice but not ten times or more. Mo Xiuyao, do you know how many people want your life Haha… I will wait for you underground!" With that, the man gave up on attacking Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li and ordered loudly, “Retreat!” As the black-clad assassins retreated to the side in unison, one of them blocked the path of a pursuing mansion guard, killing him with his sword.

"Pursue!"

Mo Xiuyao shook his head and said, "Do not chase after a vanquished foe. Let us go back."

The pursuing guards stopped immediately as Ah Jin gave them instructions to check on the assassins.

Ah Jin, ignoring his right arm injury, gripped tightly onto his saber and said, "Your Excellency… You are very formidable."

Ye Li shook her head and replied, "It was just luck." That victory seemed easy but if Mo Xiuyao hadn’t helped, she would have ended up critically injured. She still lacked in strength and agility; there were several instances where she had hit the man only to find out that her lack of force wasn't enough to cause serious injury. Even when she found a weakness in his movements, her speed was too slow for it to be effective.

"You are very formidable. I couldn’t defeat him," Ah Jin insisted.

Ye Li smiled and said, "If I hadn't dealt with him within fifteen minutes, he would have killed me."

"Your Excellency is very capable. Can you teach me martial arts" Ah Jin stared at Ye Li eagerly as if she was a godsend; if he had her skills, then his master wouldn’t need to step in.

Mo Xiuyao looked complexly at Ye Li and said, "I thought that Ah Li only knew basic self-defense techniques. Now I see that I was wrong. You always surprise me." He had been watching closely when she fought just now; those eyes and her swift and efficient strikes were not something an ordinary woman could achieve. Even many of the mansion guards couldn’t match her decisiveness and ruthlessness. Mo Xiuyao was certain that if three guards attacked her at once, they wouldn't necessarily win. But he had no idea how a girl raised in a wealthy household since childhood managed to have such skills; people would think she was someone who had seen battlefields many times rather than a lady from an influential family.

Ye Li smiled faintly and did not rush to explain herself, "As long as Your Excellency is not scared."

Mo Xiuyao looked at her for a long time before sighing softly and asking, “Ah Li, are you really the Third Miss of House Ye and Xiao’s granddaughter”

"Of course," Ye Li answered.

"Then… When you decide to tell me, let me know."

Ye Li was taken aback by his words for a while before replying softly, "Although I can't tell you everything right now, I guarantee that I am indeed Ah Li. Moreover, I had no purpose when marrying into King Ding’s mansion."re you here to play" Mo Hua appeared on the wall without anyone noticing him earlier, looking down at everyone below with cold eyes."Humph! Daring petty thieves actually dare to intrude into Duke Dìng...