Fire in the Palace, Departure from the Capital

tim of collateral damage, thought that Princess Qixia was right— foreign princesses were indeed insane."Let go of your hand or I won't hesitate to break it for you," Mo Xiyaoyao looked at the agitated...289. Palace Fire, Departure from the Capital

289. A fire broke out in the palace, and they had to leave the capital.

The buildings within the imperial palace were mostly constructed of pure wood, and even along the borders various colors of lacquer were used as decoration. Once a fire started it spread rapidly; in less than half an hour the entire Qiu Liang Palace was engulfed by flames, spreading to other palaces around it. Ye Li, Mo Xiaoyao, and Jin Ning Princess could only retreat to the imperial garden far from the Qiu Liang Palace. Placing Jin Ning Princess beside a small lake that was open and ventilated, she looked at the distant place where people had started attempting to extinguish the fire and instructed, "Go get a physician."

"Ah Li!" Before the physician arrived, Mo Xiaoyao appeared like the wind. Seeing Ye Li unharmed he let out a sigh of relief, glanced at Jin Ning Princess beside him and raised his eyebrows at Ye Li. Wordlessly shaking her head, Ye Li felt it inappropriate to speak about such matters in front of Jin Ning Princess. Behind them, Mo Xiao Bao was also being carried over by a guard with Leng Junhan similarly held in another's arms.

"Mommy…" Joyfully leaping out of the guard’s arms, Mo Xiao Bao rushed towards Ye Li but was picked up from behind by Mo Xiaoyao and swung around mid-air. "Mommy, mommy… I’m so worried about you… Father is bad, let me go! I want my mommy…" Smiling, Ye Li took him out of Mo Xiaoyao’s arms and patted him gently as she comforted, "I’m fine, I asked you to be careful. Good boy…" Contentedly nestling against his mother, Mo Xiao Bao ignored the dark look on Mo Xiaoyao's face and nodded repeatedly, "Mommy is safe. Your child loves mommy…"

Sitting by a rockery, Jin Ning Princess looked at the giggling Mo Xiao Bao in Ye Li’s arms then glanced at the gentle smile on Ye Li’s face and a trace of envy and bitterness flashed through her eyes. Seeing this, Ye Li placed Mo Xiao Bao on the ground and squatted down to softly ask, "How are you doing, Princess Jin Ning"

Jin Ning Princess nodded and whispered, “Thank you…thank you for saving my life.” Facing the elegant and refined woman before her, she truly had no face to look at. She knew what her mother did but it was the Duchess of Ding Wang who saved her despite not considering her mother’s relationship with her. And yet her own mother used and almost killed her. Why…why is her mother such a person

"Sister! Sister!" A sharp call came from behind, Qin Wang rushed over followed by his eight-year-old brother upon hearing the news. Behind them were other royal princes of the imperial family and influential officials who had come to investigate. The fire at Qiu Liang Palace was no small matter; although people had gone to extinguish it, the wind made the blaze even more rampant, and now it threatened to engulf several palaces. Even from where they stood diagonally opposite Qiu Liang Palace, the intense heat seemed almost palpable.

Moshaoyun rushed over and saw Princess Jin Ning sitting on the ground at first glance. Hurrying forward he asked, "Big Sister, are you alright Did you get hurt" In a hurry to cover her scars with her hands, she said, “No... no serious injuries…” But how could that small new injury be covered up by her hand The people around her involuntarily drew back a sharp breath. On the originally delicate and gentle girl’s face there was now a large scar covering an area as big as a palm. At this moment it still had some blood and flesh attached and looked burned, making those who saw it feel nauseous. Many ladies-in-waiting and young misses screamed in shock and took several steps back.

Jin Ning Princess’s face darkened even more as she lowered her head to try to use her hair to cover the scar on her face.

"Don’t let your hair touch it, hair isn't clean and would easily cause an infection." A slender hand gently pressed down on her shoulders while pressing back the hands that wanted to pull at her hair. Jin Ning Princess was stunned for a moment, then lifted her head in shock as she stared at the woman before her who had a faint smile on her lips. There was no trace of disgust or fear on her face; but from her clear and gentle eyes, she saw such an ugly herself. Shuddering, Jin Ning Princess lowered her head hastily.

Ye Li sighed softly as she took out a piece of plain white silk handkerchief to carefully tie it over Jin Ning Princess’s face to cover the scar. "When the physician arrives and prescribes some medicine for the wound, it will be fine soon."

In the large Chu dynasty women were usually educated in seclusion and had the habit of wearing a veil when they went out; therefore, with her veil on Jin Ning Princess didn't look too different from the other ladies-in-waiting. The people around them all let out a sigh of relief; most of them were raised in isolation and hadn’t seen such a wound before. Now that it was covered it was better. At the same time more eyes turned to the elegant white-robed woman, admiring Duchess Ye's composure.

"What exactly happened" Mo Jinglei glanced at Ye Li who had returned beside Mo Xiaoyao and asked in a low voice.

Jin Ning Princess bit her lip but did not speak. Seeing this, Mo Jinglei turned to look at Ye Li, who said calmly, "We saw the fire from the imperial garden and rushed here to save Jin Ning Princess. We don't know if there are other people in the palace."

Mo Jinglei frowned as he asked, "Why was Princess Jin Ning in Qiu Liang Palace at this time"

Jin Ning Princess did not speak; Mo Shaoyun took a deep breath and stood up to pat his fearful brother who was cowering beside him. "Grandmother imprisoned my mother in the Qiu Liang Palace, and Big Sister went to visit her."

"That's right," said Empress Dowager indifferently as she arrived with an entourage of palace maids and eunuchs. She had just heard Mo Shaoyun’s words when she spoke up calmly.

Mo Jinglei said in a deep voice, "Imperial Concubine Liu was imprisoned in the Qiu Liang Palace I didn't know about this."

The Empress Dowager sneered. "This is an internal matter of the palace; what business do you have with me on how to punish unruly concubines" Mo Jinglei had no words to say in return, though he was unhappy with the Empress Dowager’s decision regarding Imperial Concubine Liu behind his back, he could not openly criticize her. After all, even as regent he only handled political matters; it would be inappropriate for him to interfere with palace affairs.

After a moment of silence, Mo Jingli said, "If that's the case… I wonder if Consort Li died in the fire." Everyone looked at Princess Zhen Ning. The fire had yet to be extinguished and no one knew what was happening inside except for Princess Zhen Ning. No one knew whether Consort Li had been burned to death or not. But Princess Zhen Ning stubbornly refused to speak, leaving everyone helpless.

Mo Xiuyao looked at everyone calmly before Mo Jingli thought he would say something important. Instead, Mo Xiuyao said leisurely, "Since there is a matter in the palace, this banquet likely cannot proceed as planned. My lord and I will leave early to return to our residence. Furthermore, my lord and I are set to depart for the northwest in a few days, so we won't come to bid farewell."

Mo Jingli secretly sighed with relief and nodded. "In that case, Duke Ding can proceed first."

Mo Xiuyao nodded, holding Mo Xiaobao in one arm while taking Ye Li's hand with the other as he prepared to turn around and leave.

"Duchess Ding," Mu Shaoyun suddenly spoke up. He walked over to Ye Li and said solemnly, "Thank you for saving my imperial sister. I can't repay such a life-saving favor, so please accept my bow." With that, he bowed deeply towards Ye Li. Seeing the young man of only twelve or thirteen years old performing such a formal bow made Ye Li smile faintly and say, "King Qin is being too polite. It was just something trivial to do for you. Please take good care of Princess Zhen Ning. I must bid farewell now."

When he watched the family leave under the escort of guards from the Imperial Garden, Mo Jingli's heart relaxed slightly. Only at this moment did he truly begin to believe that perhaps Mo Xiuyao really wasn't interested in matters concerning the Great Chu.

In the carriage leaving the palace, Leng Junhan, who had been sleeping against Ye Li’s chest since earlier, was sound asleep again. Sitting on Mo Xiuyao's lap, Mo Xiaobao was already tired despite not having slept yet, his spirit diminished from the events of the day in the palace. After all, he was only five or six years old and the excitement of the day had made them very tired.

Ye Li patted Leng Junhan gently as she asked, "Xiuyao, did Consort Liu die"

Mo Xiuyao shook his head. "No. After being a powerful woman in the harem for over ten years, even if her allies have all abandoned her, there would still be some forces that can serve her. With so many people coming and going during today's banquet in the palace, it wouldn't necessarily be impossible for her to escape."

Ye Li frowned. "If she had someone who could help her, why did she treat Princess Zhen Ning like that Could she really have wanted to burn Princess Zhen Ning alive" Just thinking about this made Ye Li shudder. What kind of heart would it take for a mother to be able to do such things to her own child Even if the father wasn't someone she loved, the child was still her flesh and blood. Princess Zhen Ning risked punishment from Empress Dowager by visiting Consort Liu; instead of gratitude, all she received was this kind of treatment. No wonder her eyes had looked so lifeless when Ye Li saved her.

Mo Xiuyao shook his head. "I don't know. Have the people below keep an eye out and kill without mercy if that woman appears." He didn't care whether Consort Liu wanted to burn Princess Zhen Ning alive or why she wanted to do it. However, if this were true, then he would make sure Consort Liu died! A woman with such a heart was absolutely dangerous.

Ye Li nodded silently; she had no pity for Consort Liu.

"Did Xiao Bao say that Lady Mu Yang was rude to you earlier" Mo Xiuyao asked, bringing up the topic of Consort Liu's actions again.

Ye Li glanced at Mo Xiaobao, who was playing the part of the victim. "A woman twisted by jealousy," she said with a smile. "Do I really need to take action against her Don't worry; Yaohui isn’t someone easy to bully either and won't let her get away with it." Mo Xiuyao snorted softly, saying, "I should have been more ruthless towards the Mu Yang family when we first met."

Thinking of some grudges between his faction and the Mu Yangs, Mo Xiuyao began to regret the original plan that he had used the Mu Yangs to hide Yaohui and Molie in the capital. This meant that he couldn't take action against them just yet. But seeing a member of the Mu Yang family, especially Mu Yang himself, brought back memories that he tried to forget, leaving him feeling rather bad.

News spread quickly among the people about the fire at the palace on the day of the new emperor's ascension almost burning half of it down. The people began to speculate that the new emperor was unworthy and thus received divine punishment. But those in Duke Ding’s residence only laughed silently at this, knowing better than to believe such rumors. After all, a six or seven-year-old child could hardly be judged as worthy or not worthy. Once news like this spread, it wasn't easy to suppress it—especially when someone was trying to fuel the flames.

The people of Duke Ding’s residence were indifferent towards these rumors because they were preparing to leave for the northwest again. Although most of them were born in Chu's capital, their years spent in the northwest made them feel more at home there than ever before. Everyone prepared happily for departure. In court, besides Li Wang officially becoming regent and taking over state affairs, the death of the empress and Consort Liu’s supposed suicide after her were also announced. The former empress dowager had used her deceased daughter as an excuse to avoid being forced into a traditional ritual, instead having her hair shaved off temporarily before being placed in the imperial tomb. She would be buried alongside the late emperor when she died.

No longer paying attention to the wind and rain of the capital, Mo Xiuyao left three days later for the northwest. In their carriage were not only a beautiful middle-aged woman but also a stunning young lady and an elderly man of great bearing.

"Lady Tian Xiang," in the carriage, Ye Li reached out to grasp Hua Tianxiang’s still shaken hand with a faint smile.

Hua Tianxiang's beautiful face was still filled with shock. She stared at Ye Li blankly for a long time before she let out a sigh and said softly, "Lily… Aunt…" The empress nodded gently and patted her black hair fondly. "Tian Xiang, you've had it tough these years." Hua Tianxiang was originally the granddaughter of Marquis Hua and the niece of the Empress—someone everyone in the capital envied. However, because of this status, she was still unmarried even at over twenty despite being expected to already be a wife, mother, and housewife by now.

Hua Tianxiang shook her head with a smile. "Aunt, what are you saying I've been well taken care of—what hardship could there possibly be for me It's just… seeing you…" As she got more emotional, Hua Tianxiang’s eyes reddened as well. Initially, hearing the news at Ciyun Temple had made her believe that her aunt was dead. This morning, she had been doing her usual early prayers when she suddenly blacked out and woke up to see her supposedly deceased aunt and long-lost friend. They were already in a carriage heading for the northwest. It’s no wonder it took her so long to recover.

"Lily, Auntie, I... "

Looking at the two people in front of her, Hua Tianxiang was still a little puzzled and wanted to ask something, but she didn't know where to start.

Ye Li pulled her hand and smiled. "General Duke Hua entrusted you to me. In the future, Miss Hua will have to inconvenience you by living a hard life in the Northwest."

"It's Grandpa…" Hua Tianxiang said excitedly as she suddenly remembered some strange instructions that her grandfather had given her during his last visit. At the time, she hadn't thought much about it, but now she realized that her grandfather had already planned to entrust her to Lily long ago The Empress gently said, "Your grandfather did this for your own good. With the new emperor ascending to the throne and Prince Li acting as regent, Prince Li hinted a few days ago that he wanted to take you in as his concubine. Although Father immediately rejected it on the spot, as long as you're still unmarried…"

Hua Tianxiang wiped her tears and said, "I know Grandpa did this for my own good, but if we all leave... what about Grandpa"

"Don't worry. General Duke Hua is highly respected. Mo Jingli won’t do anything to him now that he’s just taken power. However, to avoid trouble, you should change your name, and so should Empress… Miss Hua."

The two of them nodded. Ye Li's words were clear enough for them to understand. Although few people had seen them before, precautions still needed to be taken. If it was known that there were many people who shouldn’t appear in Licheng and the Ding Prince’s residence, it would not be good for either the Ding Prince's residence or the Hua family.

Hua Tianxiang thought about it and said generously, "My maternal grandfather’s surname is Yang. I’ll go by Ruohua."

The Empress smiled faintly and said, “If so, I’ll take Tianxiang’s surname and call myself Madam Yang.” She seemed unwilling to choose a new name. Ye Li sighed lightly as she looked at the Empress with some worry. The Empress smiled and said, "Being able to leave this prison called the palace is already enough good fortune for me in my life. Moreover, there will be Changle when we reach the Northwest; everything will turn out well."

"I’m worried about Feng San…" Ye Li frowned as she spoke. Ever since Feng Haiting had been convinced by Feng Zhiyao to return to the Northwest with them, the relationship between Feng Zhiyao and his father had gradually eased up. Unlike Empress Tianxiang, Feng Haiting was openly taken from Mo Jingli by Mo Xiu Yao. Since Mo Jingli had already drained Feng Family’s resources, he wouldn’t care about an old man in his sixties like Feng Haiting. Even other members of the Feng family were willing to go with them. However, neither of the two legitimate sons wanted to move to the Northwest and live under their younger brother’s roof; they still held important positions under Prince Li's favor. Lady Feng was very angry at her husband for his decision and naturally stood by her son as well. Other than a few loyal servants and young illegitimate children, no one in the Feng family was willing to follow impoverished old Feng Haiting to the Northwest.

"But Old Master Feng…" Even though Feng Haiting hadn't explicitly said anything, Ye Li could tell his attitude toward Empress Tianxiang and Feng Zhiyao’s relationship. The Empress shook her head with a smile and said, "Yao has never had parental care since childhood and always values emotions more than others do. With him having a father to look after him now, he will gradually understand. After all these years… I’m tired as well. As long as Tianxiang is fine and Changle is safe, I won’t have any regrets."

Ye Li was silent; it's difficult for outsiders to intervene in matters of the heart. The only thing she could do about Empress Tianxiang and Feng Zhiyao’s relationship was wait until they sorted it out themselves. Hua Tianxiang looked at them somewhat confusedly but also felt that the atmosphere was heavy, so she pulled on both their hands with a smile and said, "We will all be fine, everyone will be well. Auntie should still call me Ruohua to avoid any mishaps in the future."

The three of them smiled at each other; Ye Li nodded and said, “Right, we’ll all be well.”

In a dark corner somewhere in Jingcheng, there was a disheveled woman with a thin figure wearing plain grey cloth clothes. Her hair was held up by a crude wooden clip, almost unrecognizable from her original appearance. She hid inside an old dilapidated house at the darkest part of a nearly deserted alleyway. A pair of eyes emitted chilling light in the darkness.

“Has Prince Ding already left Chu Capital”

“That’s right, this morning, Prince Ding left with his wife and heir.” An indistinctly low voice muttered.

“It’s been so many days and you still haven’t found a way to get me out of the city!” The woman’s voice was sharp and angry.

The man rubbed his hands awkwardly, saying, “The entire city is under strict martial law right now. They say that on the day when the new emperor ascended the throne, there was a fire in the palace which burned Princess Zhenning's face. The officials are probably searching for assassins from the縱橫organization.”

“” The woman’s eyes widened in shock; her pale complexion revealed visible horror due to lack of sunlight for days. Mistaking her reaction as fear, the man quickly held her hand and said comfortingly, "Don’t be afraid, assassins wouldn’t come here." Looking at this woman who was still beautiful despite wearing rough clothing and not having any makeup on, he couldn’t help but behave improperly.

The woman’s face showed a hint of impatience as she waved him off with her hand. "Get lost, I’m not in the mood!"

"Baby… don't be anxious; we'll soon have a way out of the city. Baby..." The man lazily grabbed the woman and pressed her onto the bed, his eyes flashing with lustful desire as he lowered his head to kiss her roughly.

The woman endured her disgust and let the man do as he pleased with her body, but her mind had already wandered elsewhere. How could it be… Why was Jin Ning burned At that time, she had been worried that Jin Ning would ruin everything, so she gave her some sleeping pills to keep her out of the way. But she clearly ordered them to take Jin Ning away and burn down Qiu Liang Palace after she left.

What she didn't know was that she needed a scapegoat to die in there for her. Not just any dead person, but someone who was burned alive. Those people working for her were flesh-and-blood humans too; how could they willingly sacrifice themselves or make those close to them do it Princess Jin Ning, personally drugged by Concubine Lady Liu, naturally became the perfect scapegoat. Otherwise, once Jin Ning woke up and told everyone what happened, they would be in just as much trouble.

Jin Ning... don't blame Mother. Mother didn’t mean to burn you; it was an accident. How could I...

"My darling, why aren’t you concentrating" the man complained, his ordinary face flushed red as he fiercely kissed the woman's delicate lips. The woman shut her eyes in disgust. Compared with this coarse man, Mo Jingqi would be considered a stunningly handsome man. But now she could only rely on this man to escape from the capital city of Chu. Mo Xi堯... Ye Li, it’s all your faults! It’s all your fault...

"My darling, you are so beautiful..." The man impatiently tore open the woman's clothes; he had never seen such a beautiful woman in his life before. Such good fortune would have been unimaginable to him back then. But now, this beautiful beauty belonged to him and would be his wife in the future.

In a dimly lit alleyway and pitch-black small room, there were sounds of heavy breathing and intimate contact followed by soft moans from the woman...

—— Interlude ——

All hate Concubine Lady Liu, right Want her to die immediately, don’t you I’ll make her a super villainess instead! It’s hard work and a tragic ending.

…

Somewhere, Phoenix: Do you want to live

Lady Liu: Of course! I want to survive and see Mo Xi堯 and Ye Li suffer!

Somewhere, Phoenix: Your dreams are full of hope while the reality is harsh. Surviving will be a life filled with suffering.

Lady Liu: I fear no hardship!

Somewhere, Phoenix: You might survive only to die and come back to life over and over without being able to take your revenge (I’m lying. You won’t be able to.)

Lady Liu: I’ll endure it.

Somewhere, Phoenix: Surviving means you may have relations with n-number of men

Lady Liu: Your Highness...

Somewhere, Phoenix: You might be forced to marry...

Lady Liu: Actually, I’d rather die in the fire; I’ll return to the palace now.

Somewhere, Phoenix: …enly worsened, even someone as strong-willed as him was shaking uncontrollably and couldn’t form complete sentences due to the pain. Any analgesic or acupuncture point anesthesia methods were ineffect...