Heavenly Secrets

  Secret of Heaven

  On this day, the Marquis of Moyang's estate suddenly had an unexpected guest. The Marquis of Moyang was stunned for a moment after receiving the report from the butler, and his face quickly turned stiff. Standing beside him, Moyang's slightly pale and handsome face furrowed in confusion. In just a few days, he would be getting married, but there was no joy on his young face. Seeing his father's stiff and ashen expression, Moyang's heart, which had been resentful for some time, suddenly softened, and he asked in a low voice: "Father, what's wrong?"

  Marquis Mu Yang raised his head and looked at him with a forced smile: "Nothing... Father is going out to see the King of Dingguo."

  Mo Yang furrowed his brow, seeing that his father's expression was not good, and said: "I'll accompany Father to see Queen Dingguo instead. I also have a bit of a relationship with the queen." Marquis Moyang was taken aback by his son's obvious concern, and shook his head, saying: "No need, Queen Dingguo probably has some official business to discuss with me, so I'll just go see her myself." Seeing him insist, Mo Yang didn't press the matter further.

  In the study of the Marquis of Moyang's estate, Ye Li stood with her hands behind her back, leisurely admiring the famous paintings on the wall. Zhuo Jing stood respectfully to one side, his hands clasped together. The Marquis of Moyang pushed open the door and entered, seeing a slender figure standing with their back to him, he was taken aback for a moment before quickly regaining his composure and bowing his head in greeting, "I have seen the Empress Dowager." Ye Li turned around and smiled, saying: "Marquis, please dispense with the formalities, I came uninvited and disturbed your peace, please forgive me." Ye Li's soft voice was very pleasant to hear, but the two words "peace" seemed to be intentionally emphasized, these two words were like a thunderclap to the Marquis of Moyang, causing his heart to skip a beat. He forced a smile and said: "Your Majesty is joking, Your Majesty's presence in the Marquis of Moyang's estate makes it radiant with splendor. Please, have a seat." Ye Li also didn't stand on ceremony, sitting down across from the Marquis of Moyang. After the maid had served tea, the Marquis of Moyang looked at Ye Li and Zhuo Jing who was standing behind her, hesitating for a moment before saying: "This..."

  "Your Excellency doesn't have to be polite, I'm just a subordinate of the princess after all." Zhuo Jing said calmly.

  Zhuo Jing called himself a lower-ranking official, but Marquis Mu Yang didn't dare to truly treat him as an ordinary lower-ranking official. Although no one knew Zhuo Jing's original identity and background, for the past two months, most of the affairs handled by the Empress Dowager were taken care of by Zhuo Jing and Lin Han. It could be said that these two people were completely trusted by the Empress Dowager as her private confidants.

  Ye Li smiled at Zhuo Jing: "Zhuo Jing, sit down and talk. Later when you speak with Lord Hou, you can't have me and Lord Hou always looking up to you, can you?"

  Zhuo Jingdao nodded and stepped down from his position at the bottom.

  The study seemed to have regained its calm, with the three of them quietly sipping their tea, as if competing in a test of patience. The Marquis of Moyang's gaze fell on Ye Li and Zhuo Jing, his face still smiling but his heart secretly cursing. No wonder the Emperor was so wary of the Crown Princess of Dingguo. Although he knew that the King of Dingguo was not in the mansion, even if he razed the entire Dingguo Mansion to the ground, it would be pointless... The Crown Princess of Dingguo had such an aura at a young age, and her future prospects were boundless.

  After a long time, Marquis Mu Yang let out a soft sigh and looked at Ye Li, saying: "The arrival of the Empress Dowager is an honor, does she have any instructions?"

  Ye Li smiled faintly and said: "I dare not instruct, actually I am here on someone's behalf to discuss a matter with the Duke in the main hall."

  Marquis Mu Yang put down his tea cup and said, "Your Highness can speak freely, I will definitely keep your secret."

  Ye Li smiled slightly and said: "Thank you so much, Lord Hou. I'm just here on someone's behalf to ask the king a question. Does the king remember someone named Mu Qingcang?"

  Marquis Moyang's hand trembled, almost knocking over the teacup placed beside him, but he quickly steadied himself. Zhuo Jing sat on one side, raising an eyebrow, clearly seeing Marquis Moyang's hand hanging by his side clenching into a fist twice, apparently forcing himself to relax. Marquis Moyang forced a smile and said: "I naturally know that Moyang Cheng is known as the number one master of Great Chu, ranked above Ding Wang in the world rankings, who doesn't know this?" Ye Li lowered her head to drink tea, smiling faintly: "The marquis says so, speaking of which, Moyang Cheng and the marquis share the same surname, I wonder if the marquis knows him?"

  Marquis Mu Yang fell silent for a moment before speaking in a low voice: "Although I have long admired your great name, unfortunately we have not yet met."

  "Does Marquis really not recognize Mu Qingcang?" Zhuo Jing suddenly asked.

  Marquis Mu Yang frowned and said somewhat displeased: "What does Master Zhuo mean by this? Is he suspecting that I, the Marquis, am telling a lie?"

  Zhuo Jing's sword-like eyebrows slightly raised, and he didn't respond as if he had tacitly agreed with Marquis Mu Yang. Seeing that Marquis Mu Yang was about to get angry, Ye Li put down his teacup and smiled: "Marquis, don't be annoyed. It's just that a few days ago, our estate caught an assassin who claimed to be Mu Qing Cang, and he said he was an old acquaintance of yours. That's why I came to ask you about it." Marquis Mu Yang furrowed his brow: "An assassin? But the assassins handed over by the Dingguo King's Estate to the Dalisi Temple didn't..." He stopped mid-sentence. The number of assassins handed over was something everyone knew but didn't dare speak of, just like how the Dingguo King's Estate knew the identities of the masterminds behind each assassination attempt but kept it secret. It was also an unspoken secret that the Dingguo King's Estate had kept more important assassins for themselves. The previous night's events at the Dingguo King's Estate had left everyone shaken, and no one dared to attempt a jailbreak in the near future.

  Ye Li smiled apologetically at Marquis Mu Yang and said, "Since the marquis is not aware of the situation, I have disturbed you. There are still many things to attend to in the palace, so I will take my leave."

  Marquis Mu Yang's heart suddenly tightened, and he blurted out: "Your Highness, how do you plan to deal with that Mu Jing Cang?"

  Ye Li's lips curled up with a very faint smile, pale and cold, "Just an assassin, killing is just that."

  Marquis Mu Yang's heart turned cold, but he stared blankly as Ye Li stood up and took Zhuo Jing out. Zhuo Jing followed behind Ye Li, and when they reached the door, he suddenly turned his head to look at Marquis Mu Yang, who was still in a daze, and said: "The queen has decided that tonight, all the assassins will be executed as a sacrifice for the soldiers who died defending the palace. If you want to see someone, Lord Hou, it's best to hurry." Marquis Mu Yang's eyes flashed, and he forced a smile, saying: "Zhuo Gongzi is joking, I don't have anyone I want to see." Zhuo Jing nodded indifferently and followed Ye Li out.

  Until the footsteps of the two people completely disappeared at the end of the corridor, Marquis Mu Yang, who was still stiffly maintaining the posture of seeing off his guests, suddenly seemed to have exhausted all his strength and fell back into his chair. His old but sharp eyes flashed with a hint of fatigue and guilt, but more so, a kind of unyielding determination and decisiveness.

  "Father." Mu Yang appeared at the door, his expression complex as he looked at the rarely seen dispirited father in front of him, "Father, did Princess Dingguo say something that troubled you?"

  Marquis Mu Yang waved his hand and smiled: "Nothing, Yang Er you're getting married soon, don't worry about these things for now. These trivial matters will naturally be handled properly by your father. You just need to be a good groom."

  Mo Yang furrowed his brow and looked at Mo Yang Hou in a deep voice, saying: "Father, as a child of the Mo family, what can't be told to me?"

  Marquis Mu Yang said: "Actually, there's nothing going on. You're thinking too much, Yang Er."

  "Son is not a fool. Father, what's the relationship between our house and the assassination at the Ding Wang Fu that night? Otherwise, why would the Ding Wang Fei..."

  "Shut up!" The Marquis of Muyang suddenly shouted sternly, his eyes piercingly staring at Muyang's solemn expression. "You remember clearly, the matter of the Ding Wang Fu has nothing to do with our Muyang family!"

  Actually, this reaction itself has already explained the problem. Looking at his father with a somewhat painful expression, he sighed and said: "Father, do you know what you're doing?" The Marquis of Muyang was taken aback, lowered his eyes and said: "I'm also for the prosperity of the Muyanghou Mansion, Yang'er, don't worry, nothing will happen. Go down." Mu Yang still wanted to say something else, but seeing his father's expression, he swallowed back what he had just said and quietly exited the study.

  Returning to the Dingguo Wangfu, Ye Li turned around and looked at Zhuo Jing who was following behind her, saying faintly: "Are you satisfied with this outcome?"

  Zhuo Jing fell silent for a moment, then suddenly raised his hand and wiped it across his face. A thin layer of skin-like mask was removed from his face, revealing the rugged and sorrowful complexion underneath. In fact, Mu Qingcang's disguise as Zhuo Jing didn't look very similar to the real Zhuo Jing, but few people had seen Zhuo Jing before, and at least Mu Yang Hou had never seen him. Zhuo Jing always maintained a poker face in front of outsiders, so even Mu Yang Hou didn't notice anything off about Mu Qingcang's stiff expression. Mu Qingcang lowered his head and said indifferently, "I concede defeat."

  Ye Li didn't show any sign of triumph, but simply said: "It's just a transaction. Now tell me the information you know."

  "Aren't you afraid I'll break the promise?"

  Ye Li coldly smiled and said: "You broke your promise, this princess will kill Marquis Mu Yang!"

  Mo Qing closed his tired eyes and said, "I know. I'll tell you what I know. Ask away."

  Ye Li's smile faded from her face as she looked at the person in front of her with a solemn expression and asked in a low voice, "How did Wang Moxiu die?"

  She stared blankly for a moment, not expecting her to ask such a question. She took a deep breath and replied calmly, "I did it."

  Ye Li raised an eyebrow, but didn't speak. Mu Qingdao said: "It was I who was ordered to go to the border to fight against the Northern Rong and put poison in Mo Xiuwen's water, creating a fake appearance of his illness and death." Ye Li stared at him coldly, sneering: "Mr. Mu really dares to say anything."

  Mo Cheng said calmly, "Since I promised the princess, I will naturally keep my promise. If the princess feels that she doesn't dare to listen, then let's just pretend I didn't say anything."

  Ye Li hummed softly and said: "Mr. Mu's words are half-true and half-false, I naturally dare not listen."

  "Need I spell it out for you, Your Highness?" Mu Cheng said with a hint of sarcasm. "With your intelligence and wit as the princess, do you still need me to elaborate on the obvious?" Ye Li closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and said, "Very well, I won't ask about the mastermind behind you, Mr. Mu. Please tell me everything you know. And...I don't guarantee your safety."

  "It doesn't matter. Whether I live or die makes no difference to me now that things have come to this."