Chapter 1761: Severing Ties Once and for All

 Chapter 948: Worse Than Death (1)  

The two men were so engrossed in their chess battle that they played deep into the night. Mo Yan yawned, her eyelids heavy with sleep, and finally couldn’t help but remind them, “Father, Brother Xiao, it’s already very late. You both should wash up and go to bed.”  

Mo Qingze glanced at Xiao Ruiyuan, who looked a bit tired, then at the water clock in the corner. Seeing that it was already well past the second half of the Hai hour (9–11 PM), he hesitated briefly before saying, “It’s late. You should stay the night.”  

Xiao Ruiyuan concealed the slight upward curve of his lips, stood up, and said with a face full of gratitude, “Many thanks, Father-in-law.”  

Too sleepy to notice his reaction, Mo Yan simply muttered, “There’s hot water in the pot,” and rubbed her eyes as she left the study, heading back to her courtyard.  

While soaking in her spatial hot spring, Xue Tuanzi leisurely floated over. Its two little stalk eyes peered into the bath for a moment before shifting away nonchalantly. “Yan Yan, you knew that foolish woman was going to act tonight. Why did you stay so late?”  

Feeling refreshed after her bath, Mo Yan poked Xue Tuanzi’s soft belly and said, “They didn’t get to do anything yet. They’re not going anywhere. What’s there to worry about?”  

Xue Tuanzi blinked and had nothing to say to that.  

After drying off, Mo Yan changed into a short-sleeved undergarment and shorts, left the space, and lay down on her bed. Just as she settled in, there was a knock on the sitting room door. Before the knocking could continue, the door creaked open by itself.  

She had deliberately left it unlocked this time—to let a few sneaky little thieves walk right into her trap.  

However, Xiao Ruiyuan misunderstood. He thought Mo Yan had been waiting for him. His lips curled into a pleased smile, but the moment he saw her fair arms and legs exposed under the lamplight, he nearly believed his beloved was deliberately trying to seduce him.  

Mo Yan, unaware of his thoughts, just wanted to get rid of him before the thieves arrived. She faked a yawn and said, “Brother Xiao, whatever you need, let’s talk tomorrow. I’m exhausted.”  

For a split second, the curve of Xiao Ruiyuan’s lips froze, but he quickly recovered and sat down at the edge of her bed. His voice was gentle as he said, “Go to sleep. I’ll leave once you’re asleep.”  

Mo Yan silently rolled her eyes and frowned. “But I can’t sleep with you here.”  

The smile disappeared from Xiao Ruiyuan’s face. His gaze sharpened slightly as he asked in a deep voice, “Are you hiding something from me?”  

She never rushed him out like this, no matter how late it was.  

Damn. Why is he so sharp?  

Mo Yan’s lips twitched. Maybe having a smart fiancé wasn’t such a good thing after all.  

Seeing his face darken, she caved and quickly explained, “N-no! It’s just… I can’t sleep with someone sitting next to me. If it were you, could you?”  

Xiao Ruiyuan’s furrowed brows relaxed slightly, as if he accepted her explanation. He stood up and moved to a chair opposite the bed, staring at her without blinking.  

Though he said nothing, his meaning was clear: I’m not at your bedside anymore. Now you can sleep.  

Mo Yan was speechless. Left with no choice, she lay down, shut her eyes, and forced herself into deep sleep mode, thinking that maybe once she dozed off, he would leave.  

It wasn’t a bad idea, but unfortunately, Xiao Ruiyuan didn’t play by the rules.  

When Mo Yan’s breathing evened out as if she had fallen asleep, he got up, walked back to the bed, and sat beside her. His rough fingertips gently traced the contours of her delicate face, as if he could never get enough of looking at her.  

This was utter torture for Mo Yan.  

Since she had her eyes closed, her other senses became much more sensitive. The warmth of his hand on her skin sent tingles through her entire body. Just as she was about to lose her patience and open her eyes to shoo him away, she suddenly felt something pressing down toward her—  

(End of chapter)

 Chapter 947: Secret Omen (4)  

Xiao Ruiyuan nodded slightly and did not hide anything. “Recently, a powerful cavalry force appeared from an unknown origin and destroyed a neighboring state of Kucha. Now, they intend to attack Kucha itself. The situation in Kucha has only just stabilized, and they are unable to resist this cavalry force. As a result, they have sent an envoy to request aid from His Majesty, who is considering deploying troops.”  

This cavalry force wasn’t large, only twenty thousand strong. However, they were exceptionally well-equipped and formidable in battle. In just over a month, they had decisively defeated Kucha’s neighboring state. Though Kucha had an army of one hundred thousand, they would likely be no match in a real fight.  

Moreover, those twenty thousand cavalry might only be the vanguard—no one knew if more troops were waiting behind them.  

If Kucha fell, the next likely target would be Da Chu. The principle of "lips gone, teeth cold" applied here—allying with Kucha to keep the cavalry force at bay beyond the borders was far better than allowing them to charge straight into Da Chu, pillaging and slaughtering its people.  

Ideally, Da Chu’s army could join forces with Kucha’s troops to eradicate this threat before it could grow.  

Hearing this, Mo Yan suddenly recalled something Xue Tuanzi had once told her—about a catastrophic war that had broken out in Da Chu during her first life. The invaders had ravaged Da Chu’s lands, slaughtering and enslaving its people. In just a few short years, fewer than thirty percent of the population had survived.  

However, that war had erupted after she had succumbed to the plague in her first life. The timing didn’t match. Could it be that she was overthinking things, and this cavalry force wasn’t the same as the invaders from her past life? Or had history’s trajectory changed, bringing everything forward?  

The second possibility sent a chill through Mo Yan’s entire body. She immediately asked Xue Tuanzi in her consciousness, “What’s going on? Has the war been brought forward?”  

Sensing her anxiety, Xue Tuanzi reassured her, “Yan Yan, don’t worry. This cavalry force is formidable and does have connections to the army that invaded Da Chu in your first life, but they are merely a vanguard and won’t cause much of a stir. In your first life, at this point in time, this cavalry force also attempted to invade Kucha, but they were eliminated by the joint efforts of Da Chu and Kucha’s armies.”  

They weren’t the same?  

Mo Yan let out a breath of relief. That was good. That was very good!  

However, when she thought about how this cavalry was merely a scouting force and that behind them might stand an army of hundreds of thousands, all eyeing Da Chu hungrily, she couldn’t feel at ease.  

The great war twenty years later seemed unavoidable. Now that she knew about it, she had no choice but to find a way to warn Xiao Ruiyuan, who could then alert Chu Heng and Emperor Hui’an to remain vigilant. It would be best to investigate the origins of this cavalry force—after all, knowing the enemy was half the battle.  

If they could eliminate these invaders before they had the chance to prepare for their conquest of Da Chu, that would be even better!  

In the face of a collapsed nest, no egg remained unbroken. If the great war twenty years later was inevitable, she could only prepare by purchasing as much land as possible. She could use the land as cover to gradually bring out supplies stored in her space. Who knew how long the war would last? When the time came, provisions would be the most crucial factor—having enough or running out could determine victory or defeat.  

With a plan forming in her mind, Mo Yan gradually calmed down and focused on listening to the conversation between her father and her fiancé.  

“…His Majesty intends to cultivate young generals, so it is unlikely that I will be leading the troops this time. Father-in-law, you can rest assured.” Xiao Ruiyuan addressed himself as “son-in-law” and referred to Mo Qingze as “father-in-law” with practiced ease, clearly not saying it for the first time.  

Indeed, this wasn’t the first time. Now that both men were serving as officials in court and the imperial edict for the marriage had been issued, Xiao Ruiyuan had begun openly addressing Mo Qingze as his father-in-law. The first time he did so in front of all the Hanlin Academy officials, it had caused quite a stir.  

Though not entirely in accordance with protocol, it showed that the powerful General Xiao highly valued this imperial marriage.  

At first, Mo Qingze had kept a stern face, unwilling to acknowledge it. But after hearing it so many times, he had completely lost the will to argue and simply accepted it.  

“Ahem, there are indeed too few capable and battle-tested generals in the court. If His Majesty doesn’t intend for you to go, then don’t step forward. The younger generation must be given opportunities.” Mo Qingze coughed, tactfully expressing that he didn’t want his son-in-law to go to war.  

The battlefield was merciless, and he naturally didn’t want his son-in-law taking such a risk. Since the emperor had other plans, he could only remind Xiao Ruiyuan not to take on too much responsibility and push himself onto the battlefield. Whether His Majesty approved or not was another matter.  

Hearing this, Mo Yan glanced at Xiao Ruiyuan, who had an involuntary twitch at the corner of his eye, and stifled a laugh behind her hand. Did her father really think his son-in-law was old?  

Xiao Ruiyuan noticed her amusement but held back the urge to flick her forehead in front of his father-in-law. Instead, he respectfully said, “I will heed Father-in-law’s advice.”  

If this had been in the past—before he had anything to care about, before he understood Emperor Hui’an’s intentions—he might have voluntarily requested to lead troops to the frontier. But now, he had someone he wanted to protect, and he no longer felt the same eagerness to charge into battle.  

Mo Qingze, seeing that his son-in-law showed no signs of reluctance, was quite satisfied. After a few more words of encouragement, he pulled Xiao Ruiyuan back to another round of chess. The atmosphere became even more harmonious.  

Mo Yan let out a long sigh of relief, picked up the empty fruit plates, and walked out of the grand study.  

She admired heroes who defended their country, but she didn’t want the man she loved to risk his life on the battlefield. Call her narrow-minded or say she lacked a sense of national duty—she didn’t care. That was just how she felt.  

If he insisted on going, she wouldn’t stop him. She would even prepare his battle gear for him. But if this happened too many times, she couldn’t guarantee that one day, after too much waiting and too much worrying, she wouldn’t lose her hope for this relationship. She wasn’t sure if she could continue living in endless waiting and fear…  

(End of chapter)    

 Chapter 1760: I'll Take You to See Him

 Chapter 1759: I Didn't Lie to You

 Chapter 946: Secret Omen (3)  

“Cui Ping’an, you’d better not say it!”  

Mo Yan had a vague idea of what Cui Ping’an wanted to say and suddenly didn’t want to know. With Xue Tuanzi around, she already knew everything she needed to know. No matter how bizarre Cui Ping’an’s experiences were, she had no interest at all.  

The path ahead could only be walked alone. Whether it was her or him, they were no exception.  

Cui Ping’an, who had spent a long time mustering the courage to speak, was instantly dumbfounded. Was there really someone in this world who didn’t want to know another’s secret? Did this mean that the person before him was truly trustworthy?  

Mo Yan, unaware of Cui Ping’an’s thoughts, said seriously, “No matter what secret you have, as long as it could put you in danger, never tell anyone—even if that person is someone you trust with your life.”  

“W-why?” Cui Ping’an stammered, completely unable to understand why he couldn’t even confide in someone he trusted.  

That secret had been buried in his heart for too long. Every morning when he woke up, he wondered who he really was—was he the Cui Ping’an of his past life, who failed to protect the girl he loved and died in sorrow? Or was he the Cui Ping’an of this life, starting anew, where those tragedies had yet to happen but were about to unfold?  

“If there’s no conflict of interest, perhaps the person who knows your secret will keep it for you. But once interests are involved, it’s uncertain. Even if that secret torments you, you can try to forget it or use it as a warning, but don’t easily reveal it. Doing so protects both yourself and others.”  

Mo Yan knew that Cui Ping’an was simple-minded and lacked cunning. If he only encountered kind people, he might live a peaceful and happy life. But in a lifetime, who wouldn’t meet a few scoundrels? If she didn’t warn him now, who knew if he’d end up being sold out one day?  

If someone wanted to deal with Cui Ping’an and threatened the person who knew his secret, wouldn’t that secret bring disaster upon them? Under pressure, who could guarantee they wouldn’t reveal it?  

Cui Ping’an seemed to understand vaguely, though not entirely.  

Mo Yan smiled slightly and didn’t disturb him further. She picked up two plates of watermelon and quietly walked out of the kitchen.  

…  

In the grand study, the interaction between the father-in-law and son-in-law was quite harmonious. When Mo Yan entered, the two were engrossed in a game of chess.  

Back in Mo Family Village, Mo Qingze rarely had the chance to play chess with others, so his skills weren’t particularly advanced. But after coming to the capital, he had more opportunities to play, and with the help of the spiritual spring water enhancing his mental acuity, his chess skills had improved significantly.  

Xiao Ruiyuan had learned chess from the late Marquis Xiao since childhood and was quite skilled. In the past, he would have defeated Mo Qingze without leaving a single piece standing. Now, though he could still win, how could a son-in-law dare to completely defeat his father-in-law? That would just be asking for trouble!  

Their styles were completely different—one played with meticulous strategy, moving cautiously, while the other was decisive and aggressive. It was hard to say which approach was superior; it all depended on the level of play.  

With Xiao Ruiyuan subtly holding back, Mo Qingze won more games than he lost, yet he remained unaware that he was being given an advantage. But if one were to truly compare, Xiao Ruiyuan’s chess skills were still better.  

Mo Yan watched a game but didn’t notice anything unusual. She simply called them over to eat watermelon.  

Halfway through eating, Mo Qingze suddenly thought of something and asked Xiao Ruiyuan, “I heard that things in the northwest aren’t stable, and the court is considering sending troops. Is this true?”  

If it were anyone else, Mo Qingze wouldn’t inquire about court affairs so casually. But since the man before him was his son-in-law, things were different. If war broke out, his son-in-law would most likely go to the battlefield—how could he not be worried?  

(End of chapter)