After being thoroughly violated, he ran away with the enemy emperor's child.

He cursed himself inwardly, while recalling the scene when Aci fainted in the Yanci Hall.

What did he say then?

As Mo Yan recalled, his breathing suddenly became heavy.

He said, "You must be feeling uneasy entering the palace alone. Therefore, I have decided that on the day my Great Zhao cavalry crushes the capital of Yong, I will give Yong to you. Is that alright?"

"The two kingdoms of Zhao and Yong have been at odds for decades, each wanting to devour the other. Now that Chu Ling of Yong is seriously injured, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

"I have decided to personally lead the expedition next spring."

"..."

Upon learning that he was going to personally lead the army, Aci fainted in front of him.

Later, at Ning'an Palace, Aci overheard his conversation with General Fu and stabbed him several times with a dagger...

He asked him why, and Aci said, "Because you attacked the State of Yong."

One by one, every event related to the Yong Kingdom in the past surged in Mo Yan's mind, and he finally understood.

Why was Aci so angry and so afraid? It was because—

Aci is Chu Ling.

Aci is Chu Ling, Mo Yan thought to himself.

He staggered a few steps, braced his hands on the table, and dared not think any further.

A moment later, a question arose in my mind: What was Aci doing at Snowfall Cliff?

Is it...

The speculation made Mo Yan's face turn ugly. He tried his best to suppress the conclusion that "Aci went to Luoxue Cliff to kill him" and turned to leave the secret room.

The secret door closed, and before it was completely shut, a tinderbox with a flame was thrown into the secret room, and soon a raging fire broke out.

Mo Yan jumped onto the roof and left the Xie residence. Shortly after, a scream rang out from inside the mansion: "Fire! It's terrible!"

"Come put out the fire!"

Amidst the chaos and turmoil at the Xie residence, Mo Yan had already returned to the inn.

He stood by the window, the cold wind blowing through his hair, arms crossed, gazing towards the direction of the palace.

His Aci lived there, as did... Chu Ling.

"Chu Ling..."

He murmured silently, "So you are Chu Ling."

"...Ah Ling."

The title, which should have been unfamiliar, sounded strange to Mo Yan; on the contrary, it seemed somewhat familiar.

"Ah Ling," he called again.

As long-buried memories were about to resurface, Mo Yan frowned, suddenly feeling a terrible headache.

If Aci is indeed Aling, then they might have actually met... When he was eight years old, he served as an envoy of the Zhao Kingdom to celebrate the birthday of the late Emperor of the Yong Kingdom.

The thought made Mo Yan's breathing become heavier. He returned to the table and drank a large cup of tea.

After drinking the herbal tea, he rested his forehead on his right hand, and fragments of thoughts flashed through his mind, but he couldn't grasp them.

A quarter of an hour later, he got up again and headed toward the palace.

It was late at night, and the surroundings were extremely quiet. The guard yawned, feeling somewhat drowsy.

Mo Yan hid in the shadows, carefully observing the scene. He spotted the young archer again, who was patrolling the palace with his guards.

The reason Yuan Jin is here is entirely because—

As evening approached, Chu Li suddenly appeared in a great hurry: "Brother, brother, I heard that you have strengthened the palace's defenses and even sent a portrait to the soldiers guarding the city."

"Have assassins entered the city?"

He looked anxious. "Brother, A-Li also wants to protect you. Please don't hide anything from me."

"..."

"Ah Li, I'm just guessing, I can't be sure yet."

"That definitely indicates something is wrong!"

Chu Li crossed his arms and voiced his guess: "Is...is that toad Mo Yan coming?"

"..."

Chu Junci remained silent for a while, then nodded: "I received a letter from my spies saying that Mo Yan has left the capital of Zhao Kingdom."

"He must have come here!"

Chu Li braced his hands on the table: "Brother, please don't let Mo Yan enter the city!"

"Have the guards drag him out!"

"..."

Chu Li looked excited, and Chu Junci moved his lips slightly: "A Li, don't rush."

"I have already instructed the guards to keep a close watch. If he does enter the city, I will send someone to him."

"Should we lock him up in jail? Or just...?"

He made a "kill" gesture. "If Mo Yan dies, Zhao Kingdom will be leaderless. Brother, perhaps we can strike first..."

"No. I don't want to start a war unless absolutely necessary," Chu Junci interrupted him.

"I am more inclined to sign a peace treaty, increase trade and commerce along the border, and strengthen our military."

"Next month, I will send someone to Zhao Kingdom to sign the contract. If Mo Yan really comes, I will capture him, or..."

He didn't say anything more, only saying, "In short, nothing is settled yet. Let's wait for news from the city gate."

"All right."

Chu Li pursed her lips, then looked up again after remembering something: "Then let A-Jin enter the palace to protect my brother?"

"If Mo Yan really enters the city, I can feel more at ease with Ah Jin by my brother's side."

Chu Li was genuinely worried about him, and Chu Junci didn't refuse, "I'll listen to Li."

"Then I'll let Ah Jin enter the palace now!"

Chu Li came in a hurry and left in a hurry. Chu Junci watched his back and gently shook his head.

Half an hour later, Yuan Jin appeared before him in armor: "Your Majesty, I will patrol the palace tonight to ensure that no thieves are allowed to enter."

It's unclear what Chu Li said to him, but Yuan Jin's tone was also very dissatisfied: "If I see any thief, I will shoot him dead with an arrow."

"…Um."

Time flies, and now, Mo Yan is hiding in the shadows, carefully avoiding Yuan Jin.

Having learned from his first experience, and knowing that no one expected him to return, he ventured into several more palaces this time.

Standing in a corner of an unfamiliar palace, Mo Yan hid in the shadows and heard the sounds of soldiers patrolling not far away.

suddenly!

A "woof" rang out in the quiet of the night.

"Woof! Woof woof!"

"..."

Mo Yan lowered his eyes and saw the big yellow dog running out of the palace. The dog was heading straight for him, and the commotion attracted the attention of all the guards.

"Let's go take a look over there!"

"...Damn it!"

Leaping onto the palace wall, Mo Yan swiftly moved across the tiles. Arrows shot from behind him, but he dodged them and saw that pretty boy again.

"Thief, don't run!"

Yuan Jin chased after him, and the two pursued each other on the rooftop. Chu Li appeared below and patted the big yellow dog on the head.

"Well done, Big Yellow!"

Since Mo Yan appeared, his dislike for Da Huang has decreased dramatically, and now he can get along with it peacefully.

He led Dahuang to the Qianhe Hall and said to Chu Junci, "Brother, that assassin is here again."

"Luckily, Big Yellow was there, otherwise he would have taken advantage of the situation again!"

"A-Li, sit down."

"Uh-huh."

Sitting down opposite Chu Junci, Chu Li ate a pastry and asked, "Brother, do you think that assassin could be Mo Yan?"