Return to Li City

his bullying behavior due to his martial arts skills "Are you here at the Meng family just to praise this old man"Ren Qining smiled and glanced at Meng Mingyan beside him, then said with a smile, "To...320. Return to Li City

The journey back to Li City was slow and steady, not only out of concern for the child in Ye Li's womb but also to observe the livelihoods of the people in the various regions of West Lingshan under the occupation of Mo Family Army. The trip that would normally take only a few days by horseback took over a month due to their cautious pace. By the time they returned, it was already November. In November, not just Li City but the entire northern region had become extremely cold, and in the northwest, Li City had already received two heavy snowfalls. Xu Hongyu governed well, and officials in the northwest worked diligently. Although the war outside continued to rage, the people in the northwest lived peacefully and happily.

The group returned to Li City without prior notice, so when the Prince Ding's mansion staff received the news, their carriage had already arrived at the gate of the mansion. The guards who were startled by the unexpected return of the prince were dismissed, and Mo Xiuyao helped Ye Li into the residence while leaving other matters to Feng Zhirao, Qingfeng Zhuojing, and others who followed behind them.

"Mother!" From afar in the somewhat desolate garden, Miaobao's voice could be heard coming from the inner courtyard. As soon as Ye Li stood still, she saw little Miaobao, dressed in a black brocade robe embroidered with silver dragon patterns, running towards her at top speed. In just a few months apart, it seemed that Miaobao had grown taller.

As Miaobao was about to rush to embrace his dear mother, Mo Xiuyao effortlessly reached out and grabbed the collar of his clothes from beside him. Unable to move forward, Miaobao squirmed but could not break free from his father's grasp; he could only pout and look longingly at Ye Li, saying, "Mother..."

Ye Li smiled gently as Mo Xiuyao lifted Miaobao in front of her and said condescendingly, "Your mother is pregnant."

Miaobao was stunned for a moment, blinking his round black eyes before realizing what it meant. He looked helplessly at Ye Li's now noticeable belly and hesitantly asked, "Mother... will Miaobao have a little brother or sister" Ye Li nodded, stroking her son's head and asking, "Yes, does Miaobao prefer having a little brother or sister"

Miaobao frowned in confusion before nodding seriously after some time. "I like both." He naturally preferred having a younger sister, but if it was a younger brother, that wouldn't be bad either. Then he could properly teach him; his brother would definitely be smarter than Little Cold Dullness. They could then work together to deal with their father and take back their mother. Ah! Big Uncle said that brothers working together can achieve great things! If the little brother doesn’t compete for their mother, that would be even better. Of course, as an older brother, he was very generous; he would share his mother a bit with his younger brother.

Ye Li watched humorously at Miaobao's ever-changing expressions—nodding one moment and then laughing mischievously the next. She didn’t know what thoughts had crossed his mind for him to stand there lost in thought. Mo Xiuyao looked at his son’s unashamedly naughty smile and raised a mocking eyebrow. It was obvious what nonsense he was thinking about, so he lightly tapped Miaobao on the forehead; Miaobao howled in protest, tears welling up as he glared at Mo Xiuyao with both hands clutching his forehead. Mo Xiuyao arched an eyebrow and looked down coldly: "So what if I tapped you"

Wail... Mother, Father is bullying Little Miaobao.

The little one got bullied by others; Miaobao was aggrieved indeed.

"Alright, let mother see how sore it is." Seeing her son’s pitiful look, Ye Li helplessly glared at Mo Xiuyao. She bent down to massage the invisible pain on his forehead and said softly, "Miaobao, be good, don't cry." In fact, Mo Xiuyao hadn’t used much strength, and Miaobao didn't feel any real pain; he felt more hurt in his pride. The obvious inferiority and inability to retaliate against an opponent only made him lose even more self-esteem.

"Uncle Yunchen..." Little Cold Dullness, who was short-legged, also hurriedly followed up with little strides. Upon seeing Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao whom he hadn't seen for a long time, he paused in surprise before smiling shyly at Ye Li, "Aunt Concubine..." The little child quickly ran to Miaobao's backside, holding onto his clothes without letting go. Children always felt things very keenly; thus, whether it was the not-yet-four-year-old Leng Junhan or the already nearly five-year-old Xu Zhirui were all afraid of Mo Xiuyao.

Miaobao knew he could no longer pretend to be pitiful in front of his little brother and so reluctantly put away his crying face, secretly glaring at Mo Xiuyao with resentment.

Ye Li helplessly took Miaobao by one hand and Leng Junhan by the other as they walked towards the main hall. Xu Hongyu, Xu Hongyan, Xu Qingze, and others who had just received news rushed out from their study rooms. After observing Ye Li carefully—the fact that she hadn’t lost weight or looked pale relieved both uncles; they relaxed their expressions a bit. Ye Li smiled and said gently, "Big Uncle, Second Uncle, Lilei has returned."

Xu Hongyu nodded and said in a solemn voice, "It's good that you're back."

After entering the main hall and sitting down, Xu Hongyu asked, "Did everything go well on your journey Li'er..." The news of Ye Li being pregnant had been kept secret from the outside world but Xu Family members had already received this message in advance. Ever since giving birth to Mo Xiaobao, there has not been any news about Ye Li. Although Shen Yang and Doctor Lin said that everything was normal and they should follow nature's course, Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao didn't have a strong desire for another child. However, from the perspective of outsiders, it seemed somewhat thin for Ding Wang Mansion to only have one child. Now, with Ye Li being pregnant again, although there may be some issues later on, it is still good news.

Ye Li nodded and said, "Li'er is well and has caused Uncle to worry." She also talked about some matters from Western Ling and Xue Qingbai's injuries to reassure everyone. Xu Hongyu noticed that Ye Li looked a bit tired and was just going to suggest she rest when he heard someone greet outside, "Greetings Old Grandfather." It turned out to be Mr. Qingyun who had rushed over upon hearing that Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao were back.

The group quickly stood up to welcome him. Xu Qingze helped Mr. Qingyun in. Ye Li stepped forward and bowed gracefully, "Grandpa, Li'er is back." Mr. Qingyun reached out to support her with a loving smile, "You're already carrying another child, yet you’re still so careless. You can skip those formalities if it’s tiring for you. Our family doesn’t need such empty formalities."

Understand that this was his grandfather's tender concern, Ye Li順勢站起身來笑道：“外公也太小心了，璃兒哪裡有那麼嬌弱。” 清雲先生看了看她的氣色，點頭道：“嗯……看來還不錯，不過也要好好養著。上次有了禦宸就很是驚險，這次一定要平平安穩才行。” 葉璃和徐清澤一人一邊扶著清雲先生到首位上坐下。清雲先生不僅德高望重，輩分也是極高。一般不是極正式的場合，比如私底下在府中墨修堯也是以外孫女婿的身份陪坐下首的。“Li'er was just thinking of going to pay respects to Grandpa later, how did you personally come over” Sitting down, Ye Li asked with a smile.

Mr. Qingyun waved his hand and said, "I am in good health now; walking around won’t be a problem. I came here to see that you’re well and can rest for a while before returning home. Let’s talk about the welcoming banquet later when it isn’t so rushed. After all, outsiders don't know yet that you're back."

Xu Hongyu frowned and said, "The welcome banquet might have to be postponed. The王爺恐怕要儘快趕往大楚纔是。”

墨修堯劍眉微挑，問道：“前方不是有徐兄坐鎮麼？聽說還算順利，出什麼事了？”

徐鴻羽從袖中取出一封信函道：“這是冷皓宇派人快馬送來的，王爺看看吧。清塵到底不善戰事，坐鎮前方也幫不上什麼忙。南侯雖然用兵不減當年之勇，兩邊對峙的北戎和西陵大軍已經有撤軍的跡象。但是守住付飛鴻關足以，想要在一個多月內帶兵殺到楚京城下，卻是萬萬不能。何況…楚京的守軍到底能不能撐到一個半月還是個未知之數。”

Mo Xiuyao was intrigued by the letter from Cold Haoyu, smiling and said, "Cold Haoyu certainly knows how to make a profitable deal." Originally, he intended to lead troops eastward after returning north to rescue Chu Capital. Taking it as his own territory naturally followed. Now, with this letter from Cold Haoyu, it became even more justified. However, Ye Li is now pregnant… Glancing at Ye Li seated beside him, Mo Xiuyao frowned slightly.

Ye Li took the letter from Mo Xiuyao and read it, smiling lightly and said, "He's right; Cold Haoyu has made a good business deal this time. If Chu Capital is held, there won't be much to say about Mo Jingli later on. Therefore, after resting for two days, the王爺should go to Feihong Pass to replace大哥吧。”

Mo Xiuyao frowned and said softly, "But Li... ." Ye Li smiled slightly and replied, "I will stay in Licheng with the children; it can't be more dangerous than a battlefield. It's only for these few months anyway."

Mos Xiuyao felt depressed and casually put the letter back on the table saying, "Alright, I'll rest for a few days before discussing further. There’s no rush in Chu Capital at this moment." Everyone looked at him; how could there be no rush It's clear that Chu Capital is under imminent threat; every minute counts. Ye Li understood Mo Xiuyao's concerns and merely smiled in passing.

After some casual chat, Mr. Qingyun urged Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao to rest. Even Xiaobao and Leng Junhan were taken by him for instruction in the study room. Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao did not waste time with formalities but said goodbye and returned to their courtyard where servants had already prepared tea, snacks, and warm water. Over these years, the people around Ye Li remained mostly the same; only a few maids who once followed her have settled down, with Qingfeng still unmarried and accompanying Ye Li, along with two nurses.

Upon entering, Qingfeng greeted them with a smile, no longer the naive little maid she was years ago. "Greetings Grand Duke and Duchess; congratulations on having another prince." Ye Li smiled faintly at Qingfeng; among all her maids, she always felt closer to this one bought from outside when young. She said gently, “I’ve been away for a year, you must have worked hard.” Qingfeng replied with a smile, "It's what I should do as your maid; how could it be tiring It’s my blessing to serve the Duchess. Warm water has been prepared, please use it after washing up and enjoy some hot porridge today.

This was something Qing霜 said with all sincerity. She had gone from a destitute orphan living on the streets to becoming one of the most trusted maidservants beside the esteemed Duchess Consort of Ding Kingdom, and Qing霜 felt that she was the luckiest person in the world. Unlike Qing玉 or Qing鸞, who still had their families, Qing霜 had long forgotten her parents and origins as an orphan. The Duchess Consort always treated her exceptionally well; despite being a maid serving by her side, her status surpassed many wealthy daughters from Li City. Qing霜 thought that even if she never got married and served the Duchess Consort for life, it would be worth it. Therefore, after several years, when Qing玉, Qing鸞, and others had all gotten married in succession, Qing霜 repeatedly declined marriage proposals to continue serving Ye璃 with dedication.She was one of the earliest people to follow Ye璃, and now she was also among those who had followed Ye璃 for the longest time.

Ye璃 and Mo修堯 washed up and changed clothes; sure enough, Qing霜 had prepared their favorite nourishing porridge. Over the past few years, as Qing霜 grew older, her actions became more mature and thoughtful, no longer as carefree or occasionally absent-minded as before. Dismissing everyone else, Ye璃 ate while lost in thought. Mo修堯 raised his eyebrows and asked, "What’s A璃 thinking about"

Ye璃 smiled and said, "Nothing much, I just suddenly realized that Qing霜 has already turned twenty."

Marrying off Qing霜 had been delayed by her.

Mo修堯 said, “A璃 wants to arrange a marriage for her Let’s wait a bit longer.” Once married, the maids would no longer be able to serve beside them. It wasn’t that Mo修堯 was unwilling to part with Qing霜; it was just that over these years, she had served A璃 very well and reliably. Now that A璃 is pregnant, it's a time for utmost caution, so it’s better to wait until after the child is born.

Ye璃 nodded and said, "We should ask Qing霜 what she thinks. Back then, I arranged marriages for Qing玉 and Qing鸞 with relatives of my uncle, allowing them to reunite with their families. They originally came from Yunzhou to Chu Capital for my sake; now, Qing霞’s life is not bad either. But Qing霜 has grown up beside me since childhood, so it requires a bit more thought."

Mo修堯 thought about it and said, "Since that’s the case, let her still serve you after marriage. What about A謹"

"A謹" Ye璃 was momentarily stunned; although A謹 had been with Mo修堯 since childhood, she hadn’t really spent much time with him. Not long after their wedding, A謹 was sent out on missions and seldom returned home. Unlike Feng之遙 or Leng皓宇 who were articulate, A謹 was quiet and taciturn, often making people think he was mute, hence Ye璃 didn't know him well.

Mo修堯 nodded and said, "A謹 is my uncle's nephew; his character isn’t suited to succeed my uncle. My uncle’s family, as well as A謹’s parents, died because of the Ding Kingdom Prince王府. Over these years, I’ve sent him out on missions in hopes that he can stand alone and make my uncle feel at ease. Although it may not be like Feng三 or Leng二, it won’t be too much to ask from a maid."

Ye璃 naturally knew; although she didn’t know A謹 well, she understood what kind of person her uncle was. Furthermore, Mo修堯 speaking so much about Qing霜's matter was quite unusual for his character. Frowning slightly, Ye璃 said, "I’ll talk to Qing霜 later, but A謹 is rarely around the Duchess Consort; even if Qing霜 wishes it…"

"After the child is born and Chu Capital falls under our control, I will take A謹 with me when you come to fetch me in Chu Capital," Mo修堯 said intently as he looked at Ye璃.

At this point, Ye璃 paused while eating. In a few days, Mo修堯 would set off again for Feihong Pass. Gently stroking her slightly protruding abdomen with some helplessness, she smiled bitterly and said, "The baby really couldn’t have chosen a worse time to come."

Mo修堯 also felt somewhat displeased; he placed his hand on her belly and said in a deep voice, "Just like Mo小寶, loves causing trouble!"

Ye璃 couldn't help but smile. Wasn’t that true Both chose the busiest time to cause chaos.

"I’m going, will A璃 miss me at all" Mo修堯 asked somewhat resentfully. Unfortunately, A璃 was pregnant; otherwise, he would have taken her along with him to Feihong Pass, even though he wanted to stay and accompany her. Smiling, Ye璃 looked at him and asked, "If I don’t want the王爺to leave, won't he" The lives of hundreds of thousands of Mo Family soldiers, millions of residents in Chu Capital, countless soldiers defending it; years of careful planning and operation by Mo修堯. How could these matters be changed simply by a phrase like ‘I miss you’ Moreover… Ye璃 looked at Mo修堯 with half-smiling eyes and said, "Doesn’t the王爺think that we’ve spent too much time together" Since she returned to Northwest after being pregnant with Mo小寶.

"Is A璃 already tired of her husband!" Mo修堯 exclaimed dramatically.

Ye璃 smiled and replied, "I’m not tired of him; they say distance breeds affection, and that absence makes the heart grow fonder. An occasional separation isn’t such a bad thing."

Mojin looked at her and said, "They also say one day without seeing each other feels like three autumns have passed. I start to miss A璃 even before parting."

Ye Li smiled and said, "Then you'd better come back quickly, or I'll find you after giving birth"

Moxiu Yao thought for a moment and said seriously, "This King will return as soon as possible before A Gui gives birth."

"Alright, I'm waiting for you," Ye Li smiled gently.

Moxiu Yao reached out to hug her and whispered, "A Gui, sorry." Ye Li was a little startled and said softly with a smile, "What is it now" Moxiu Yao sighed and said, "You're pregnant, but I can't be by your side."

Ye Li rolled her eyes and smiled, "What's the big deal This isn't just idle wandering around. You have important matters to attend to." Getting up from Moxiu Yao’s embrace, Ye Li looked at him seriously and said, “When I’m pregnant, naturally I hope you can accompany me until my child is born. But one must fulfill their duties in their position. If you were to abandon the hundreds of thousands of troops because of me, as well as the garrison waiting for you in Chu Capital and its people, would that still be the Moxiu Yao I love”

Hearing her words, Moxiu Yao’s eyes lit up. "A Gui..."

Ye Li helplessly looked at his delighted but unsatisfied expression. She was indeed not someone who often talked about love and affection, but didn't she make him look too surprised This made Ye Li secretly reflect on whether she had been neglecting him all along

"Come back early, I and Little Treasure will miss you," Ye Li said softly.

Moxiu Yao was satisfied. He ate the porridge he prepared for himself with great relish again.

After returning to the city, Moxiu Yao rested for only three days before preparing to leave for Feihong Pass again. This time when he returned, even people in Ding王府 (Ding Manor) and most of the other people didn’t know that Prince Ding and his wife had come back.

Outside Li City, Moxiu Yao only took Feng Zhirao and Yun Ting with him. The three of them set off lightly for Feihong Pass. Although Moxiu Yao did not allow it, Ye Li still followed Xu Qingze to see them off. Seeing Ye Li get out of the carriage wearing a thick cloak, Moxiu Yao couldn't help but frown and help her tighten the cloak over her shoulders. He whispered, "I told you no need to see us off outside the city gates. It's so cold now. Go back quickly."

Ye Li nodded with a smile and said, "I know, I'll go back when you leave. Be careful on the battlefield." Of course she knew that Moxiu Yao was actually happy in his heart to see her off, but he was worried about her catching cold. Her body wasn't bad; even during these two months of pregnancy, she hadn’t been overly exhausted.

Moxiu Yao nodded and looked back at Ye Li with some reluctance before turning to Xu Qingze and said, "Li City and A Gui will be a bother for you."

Xu Qingze usually had an indifferent expression. He nodded in agreement. Although Xu Qingze was taciturn, he was always meticulous about things he promised. This made Moxiu Yao more at ease. Although he knew that with the protection of both the Xus and Ding Manor, A Gui was much safer than following him to battlefields, not having her by his side made him uneasy.

After one last look at Ye Li, Moxiu Yao no longer dawdled but got on his horse cleanly. He spurred his horse toward the distance.

Watching their figures disappear from sight, Qing霜 (Qing Frost) softly said to Lady Wang, "It's very cold outside, let's go back early and avoid worrying His Highness."Seeing the Black Cloud Cavalry, Leng Haoyu finally breathed a sigh of relief. He caught one soldier and asked urgently, "Has the main force arrived" Overwhelmed with emotion, the soldier almost lost c...