instead, it might dig up a bunch of scandals about Mo Jingqi’s harem. If it were normal times, he wouldn’t mind following along to see what happened, but now his mood was terrible, and enduring calmn...256. Transactions and Persuasion
On the day after Rén Qínyín dispatched his army, Queen Helan paid a visit to them. Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li had already left the inn and moved into a small courtyard in town. Although several influential young men were missing, nobody reported this suspicious matter to Rén Qínyín, including Tán Jìzhī. Therefore, Rén Qínyín was unaware of the changes that took place secretly within his capital city as he set out confidently with his army to attack Zǐjīng Pass.
Although the Northern Realm had been established for a relatively short time, the influential figures in court, especially former officials from the previous dynasty, no longer possessed the zeal and spirit of founding the nation. They had waited too long; if Rén Qínyín’s generation couldn’t achieve their dream of a prosperous state, they might abandon this elusive goal. Although their ancestors’ vision of a prosperous empire was still far from realization, they had already established a vast country. In their view, driving out or eliminating all the people in the Northern Realm would be enough to succeed. After enduring hardships for so long, it was finally time for them to enjoy themselves.
For these former officials, matters concerning the court were far less important than their own affairs. The wealth they accumulated, the lands and mansions they owned, their beautiful wives and concubines, and their children and grandchildren—all were rewards for generations of hard work on behalf of the Lin family. Therefore, no one found it odd that their sons had been kidnapped or that some power might have infiltrated Changqing City; all they wanted was to save their descendants from harm. The current chancellor was particularly concerned because his beloved concubine’s son and Emperor Huán’s brother had both been kidnapped.
"Your Highness, Princess Consort, Queen Helan requests an audience," reported a guard outside the courtyard. Ye Li threw down her chess pieces with a smile and said, "Please invite Her Majesty in."
Soon, Queen Helan entered accompanied by a group of people. Following her was the Northern Realm man who had fought with others at the inn the previous day; he was supposedly her cousin.
"Prince Dìng, Princess Consort," greeted Queen Helan warmly and briskly, without any coyness typical of Central Plains women. Ye Li smiled and said, "Your Majesty’s visit is much appreciated. Please take a seat." Queen Helan sat down across from them, smiling, "Prince Dìng and Princess Consort are indeed capable; if my cousin hadn’t told me, I wouldn’t have known you had arrived in the Northern Realm."
Ye Li said apologetically, "We came hurriedly and didn’t have time to inform Your Majesty. Please forgive us."
Queen Helan waved her hand dismissively, saying, "No need for formalities between us. I’m glad you personally came here, which shows your genuine intention to cooperate with our Northern Realm." Ye Li glanced at Mo Xiuyao who smiled slightly, indicating that he would leave everything to her.
Ye Li nodded and asked without beating around the bush, "Can Queen Helan make decisions on all matters in the Northern Realm"
Queen Helan laughed, "The various tribes have secretly elected my father as Khan. If there’s anything I can’t decide, my father will be able to. Princess Consort can rest assured." Ye Li nodded approvingly but sighed inwardly; the people of the Northern Realm were not as naive as they seemed. At least Queen Helan, her father, and this seemingly wise young man standing beside her weren’t simple.
"That’s good," said Ye Li coolly, "Prince Dìng’s residence can assist your Northern Realm in dealing with Rén Qínyín. We will ensure his forces have no chance to cause trouble again within the realm. In return, the Northern Realm must promise to withdraw beyond its original borders after the matter is settled. Does Queen Helan have any objections"
Queen Helan nodded, "No problem. All we want is our old life back. We may not be as smart as you Central Plains folks but we don’t like being used."
Rén Qínyín always made the Northern Realm troops衝鋒在前，這固然因為北方大軍比剛剛組建不久的中原兵馬英勇，又何嘗不是想要以這種方式削弱北境的兵馬，減少北境的人口呢？如今說起來建立了國家，土地麵積也擴大了。但是他們北方人不善耕種，甚至許多人不習慣中原的生活，日子反而過得更加艱難。
"Although Rén Qínyín’s subordinates are selfish and greedy, there are some who possess real talent. Moreover, he keeps us on our guard everywhere. Now that he has set out to campaign, he has taken the majority of Northern Realm troops with him; most of the soldiers stationed in Changqing City are Central Plains men. After these two years of battles, the Northern Realm forces number only around three hundred thousand, whereas Rén Qínyín’s Central Plains troops amount to over a million. What do Prince Dìng and Princess Consort plan to do" asked the young man who had remained silent until now; his tone hinted at resentment. The current size of the Northern Realm forces was partly due to assistance from Prince Dìng’s residence last year, when the Northern Realm lost more than two hundred thousand troops in a battle for Chuzheng City.
Ye Li didn’t mind his attitude. During war, there could be no leniency; moreover, many lives were lost on both sides to protect Chuzheng City. There was neither eternal friendship nor unceasing enmity between nations. At least regarding Rén Qínyín’s matter, their objectives were aligned now, weren’t they
Ye Lǐ said coolly, "Ren Qíning's troops are indeed much larger than those in the northern borderlands, but the ones who can actually be used might not be that many." Whether it was Emperor Mò Xiūyáo or Ye Lǐ, both of them were from military backgrounds and naturally understood the difference between soldiers who had just joined the army without any experience and so-called battle-hardened elite troops. If they really fought, Ren Qíning's ten Central Plains soldiers might not be able to handle one soldier from the northern borderlands. It wasn’t that they were too weak; rather, compared with those fierce and brave warriors who had fought their way through the snowy mountains and various tribes, they were just ordinary civilians picking up weapons for the first time.
Moreover… these troops originally belonged to the people of Dàchǔ. When it comes down to it, they might not necessarily be loyal to Ren Qíning. The reputation of the orphans of the previous dynasty wasn't bad, but that was only when they made efforts and allowed the people to live better than before; then, the people would start to miss the long-gone previous dynasty. But now, with Ren Qíning establishing a country as the Northern Borderlands Imperial Son-in-Law and invading Dàchǔ, in many people’s eyes, he was just an alien invader who looked like a person from Central Plains. Not to mention that these past two years, the people here had not been living well. Instead, Ren Qíning conscripting so much manpower made life even more miserable for them. The areas outside of Zi Jīng Pass were close to the barbarian lands and were usually sparsely populated. How could Ren Qíning’s conscription of over two million soldiers within a short period not make these people complain
Queen Helán blinked and smiled, saying, "I forgot that with Prince Dìng here, why would there be any worries about those troops refusing to switch sides" Queen Helán had witnessed the status and appeal of the House of Dìng in the hearts of the people of Dàchǔ when she made a trip there. That was also the reason they readily agreed to the terms so quickly. They were not strong enough to compete with Prince Dìng for this place.
“What about those troops taken away by Ren Qíning What are we going to do with them” A young man asked, frowning.
Ye Lǐ and Mò Xiūyáo exchanged glances. Mò Xiūyáo said coolly, "Isn’t this something you should consider" The young man’s face darkened as he said, "Are you saying we let Ren Qíning take so many people to be cannon fodder They are all the most valiant men from my northern borderlands!"
Mò Xiūyáo said nonchalantly, “Was it me who asked you to agree with Ren Qíning’s demand for troops” You made trouble for me. Do I still have to help you bring back your troops Just thinking about the troops surrounding Zi Jīng Pass now makes Mò Xiūyáo somewhat unhappy. Queen Helán pulled her temperamental cousin and apologized to Ye Lǐ, saying with a smile, "Prince Dìng and Princess Consort, we are helpless. Ren Qíning is determined to go to war. Unless we immediately turn against him, what else can we do We’ve already delayed his time as much as possible."
Ye Lǐ smiled slightly and tugged at Mò Xiūyáo’s sleeve gently from behind her back, shaking her head lightly. Mò Xiūyáo finally put away the displeased look on his face and didn’t say anything more. Ye Lǐ thought for a moment and said, "There is still a way to get them to return their troops. But… I have no idea how many we can bring back. We can only take it step by step."
Queen Helán happily said, “I’ve heard that Princess Consort is intelligent and resourceful. Today’s meeting proves that it’s true. Princess Consort is generous; our Northern Borderlands people are not stingy either. As long as you help us bring back the troops of my northern borderlands, Helán will reveal all the underground forces under Ren Qíning’s control to you. The Lín family has hidden in Dàchǔ for two hundred years and still has such a large force. Prince Dìng and Princess Consort certainly don’t hope that they’ll come back after a few decades, right”
Ye Lǐ looked at Queen Helán with surprise. She smiled and said, "Princess Consort need not doubt it; these are all collected by my elder sister before her death. After being married to Ren Qíning for more than ten years, she naturally knew much more than us."
Ye Lǐ pondered for a moment before agreeing. The northern borderlands had been greatly weakened after being exploited by Ren Qíning these past few years. Even if they were able to bring back all 300,000 troops, it would be impossible for them to compete with the Mò family army in the short term.
Queen Helán clasped her hands and said with a smile, "Then we are indebted to Princess Consort."
"Each side benefits. Queen need not be so polite." It was better to make preemptive strikes against Ren Qíning instead of waiting for him to lead his troops to besiege Zi Jīng Pass in cooperation with the Northern Rong. Once he had a fire burning behind him, would Ren Qíning still have time and energy to cause trouble for the Mò family army
After seeing off Queen Helán and her group, Mò Xiūyáo looked at Ye Lǐ silently for a while. Ye Lǐ said with a gentle smile, "What is it"
Mò Xiūyáo held her hand in his palm and said solemnly, “I have to go.” Ye Lǐ nodded and said, “I know; I will finish the matters of the northern borderlands as quickly as possible and return to you.” At present, the Mò family army was already at war with both Northern Rong and the Northern Borderlands. This was different from last year’s battle for the capital city of Dàchǔ. Last year, whether or not they managed to capture it did not mean life or death to either side. However, this time it would be a fight until the end without any compromise; such circumstances made it impossible for both leaders of House Dìng to remain in this small place in the northern borderlands. Even if it was just to stabilize morale, someone had to appear on the battlefield. The fact that Mò Xiūyáo could accompany Ye Lǐ to the Northern Borderlands and stay here so long already made a huge difference.
“Keep an eye on Tan Jìzhī; don’t trust him too much. If he shows any signs of disloyalty, kill him,” Mò Xiūyáo murmured solemnly. Knowing that she was worried about her safety, Ye Lǐ snuggled into his embrace and said softly with a smile, “You know I am always very careful when dealing with things and know what to do and not do so as not to put myself in danger.” If she had still been unconcerned about life and death before, now she certainly wouldn’t be. She had her loving husband, three minor children, and many family members whom she cared about deeply. No matter why, she would protect herself well.
Mò Xiūyáo said sullenly, “How could I not worry I just want to find a place to hide you so that no one can ever see you or put you in danger.”
"Such a big person, yet still acting like a child. How can you bear to do this" Ye Li無奈地翻了個白眼，含笑道：“I cannot always avoid meeting others.” Mo Xiuyao’s expression became even more gloomy. “Of course, I know that you won’t let go of the Xu family and your friends, not to mention Xiao Bao!” When mentioning Xiao Bao, Mo Xiuyao instinctively ground his teeth.
Seeing his aggrieved and jealous look, Ye Li smiled and lightly kissed him on the lips. "Alright, if you still think like this after I am no longer in charge of Ding王府, where would you want to go" Hearing her words, Mo Xiuyao’s eyes lit up. “Are you serious”
Ye Li blinked her eyes and said: “Of course I’m serious.”
"Alright, after I pass the throne to Xiao Bao, we will live in seclusion." The gloominess on his handsome face instantly vanished, and he seemed full of spirit. Seeing him excitedly eager for it, Ye Li couldn’t help but roll her eyes. "Are you planning to immediately abdicate upon your return" She believed Mo Xiuyao would definitely do such a crazy thing.
Mo Xiuyao held her and said somewhat regretfully: “This King really wants to…” Seeing Ye Li narrow her eyes in displeasure, he hurriedly continued. "Unfortunately, Xiao Bao is still too young. At the very least, wait until he can ride a horse and go to war Hmm… how about fourteen years old I was on the battlefield before I reached fourteen." Mo Xiao Bao is eight this year, so fourteen would be six years later… What an exciting thing! By then, Xu Qingchen will still be around. If Mo Xiao Bao is clever enough, he can trick Xu Qingchen to work for him a few more years. With these thoughts in mind, Mo Xiuyao felt the heavens were treating him very well; surely it was compensating for his miserable first half of life with this anticipated second half…
Seeing the person before her daydreaming happily, Ye Li pushed him aside and walked into the room. Mo Xiuyao followed helplessly, glancing at a nearby wall just as he left; then there was a whistling sound and something fell heavily to the ground with a stifled groan.
After seeing off Mo Xiuyao, Ye Li turned around to go back into the house. As soon as she entered, Tan Jizhi was sitting in the courtyard smiling at her. But his posture seemed somewhat odd, and he kept stretching a particular spot on his shoulder with an expression of pain.
Seeing him like this, Ye Li raised her eyebrows coolly. "Why does Mr. Tan have time to come over"
Tan Jizhi laughed and said: “I have something important to report to Prince Ding and his wife.” As I happened to see His Excellency and the Princess bidding farewell to each other, I couldn’t disturb them and thus waited here." Ye Li looked at the mud on his deep blue robe and said coldly: "Thank you for your long wait."
"Indeed, a long wait," Tan Jizhi muttered angrily. As soon as he saw Ye Li sitting down opposite him, he raised his eyebrows in a smile and asked: “Prince Ding really trusts the Princess enough to leave her alone in the North” A flash of silver light appeared from Ye Li’s fingertips; then there was a sharp sound, followed by a clear blade flying past Tan Jizhi’s face and embedding itself into a tree behind him. Ignoring his teasing, Ye Li smiled slightly and asked: "Would you like to try why His Excellency trusts me"
Tan Jizhi quickly shook his head; he hadn’t missed Mo Xiuyao's words of “if anyone is causing trouble, just kill them.” He also believed that Ye Li would be willing to kill him. Quickly changing the subject, he said seriously: "I have already contacted the Chancellor in the North and… mentioned the issue regarding my identity and Ren Qining’s."
Ye Li looked at him and asked: “Why should he believe you are genuine and that Ren Qining is fake” When Lin Yuan was born, the Lin family went through a major upheaval. Several relatives took the young master Lin Yuan away in haste, while Ren Qining wasn’t discovered until he was almost ten.
Tan Jizhi shook his head and said: “He doesn’t need to believe me. After all, the former dynasty has been over for two hundred years; do you really think it matters whether those so-called descendants are genuine or fake Some people can't forget their former glory and family, while others have no other way out. Even if they hadn’t found Ren Qining back then, there would still be Zhang Qining and Li Qining now. All they need to believe is that I can provide them with more benefits.”
"This might be difficult." Ye Li rubbed her forehead in thought. Although Ren Qining was currently in trouble, he was still better than Tan Jizhi from any perspective; after all, Ren Qining had a country while Tan Jizhi did not. Giving up on Ren Qining would mean those people having to work hard for another few decades; would they be willing
Tan Jizhi smiled and said: “Indeed it is difficult but not impossible. There are contradictions between these former officials and Ren Qining. They want to quickly drive out or exterminate the Northeners so that they can enjoy their victory without sharing with the Northeners, while Ren Qining wants to use them for his wars. However, the Northeners aren’t fools; if he doesn’t let Empress Helan give birth to an imperial heir and establish him as crown prince, they won’t continue working for him. This is precisely what these old conservatives cannot tolerate. Recently, after Ren Qining brought back Empress Helan and Concubine Yun from the Northeners’ palace, Concubine Yun suffered a miscarriage, which the Chancellor suspects was caused by the Northeners. He wants Ren Qining to punish Empress Helan severely, but Ren Qining is eager to attack Purple Thorn Pass and has suppressed this incident.”
"What’s the truth behind this" Ye Li raised her eyebrows and asked.
Tan Jizhi: "It's possible that it was indeed the Northerners who did this. After all, they would never allow Cloud Concubine to give birth to a prince of purely Central Plains descent. However... it could also be that Cloud Concubine suffered from fatigue during her journey and had an accidental miscarriage. But does anyone really care" On the side of the Central Plains people, they only want to use this incident to hold the Northerners accountable. Whether or not the Northerners were behind it, at least they are pleased with such a situation. As for Ren Qining, for now, he can only try to calm things down.
"So, is Chancellor displeased with Ren Qining" Ye Li asked.
Tan Jizhi smiled and said, "Not really. In their eyes, the country's fate has already been decided, so who becomes emperor doesn't matter much. As long as they can benefit from it, replacing Ren Qining with Tan Jizhi wouldn't be a bad idea either. Even if one day they want to climb up and become emperors themselves, I won't find that surprising."
"I'm sorry, but you're not going to become an emperor this time," Ye Li sincerely apologized.
Tan Jizhi gave a wry smile and said, "It's fine. I don't want to be the emperor of the Northern Region anyway, nor do I want to be a puppet." He wanted to restore his country, but he certainly didn't wish to become a mere figurehead who couldn't make any decisions on their own, let alone one carrying the name of a barbarian.
Seeing Ren Qining's somewhat dejected expression, Ye Li asked curiously, "Have you ever done anything in your life that you really wanted to do"
Tan Jizhi looked at her and said, "Yes, I've been doing it."
Ye Li's lips twitched slightly as she asked, "Are you referring to restoring the country"
"What's wrong with that" Tan Jizhi didn't think there was anything unusual. His greatest aspiration in life had always been to restore his country; what else could he be doing
Ye Li shook her head and looked at him complexly, "It's clear you really want to restore your country."
Tan Jizhi had interacted with Ye Li several times before and could barely understand her. He asked, "Your Excellency doesn't seem convinced." With a faint smile, Ye Li said, "Everyone has their own aspirations. Since I'm not from the imperial family, I can't understand that feeling. But... is it really necessary to drag all of the people into war for the sake of one's own ambitions"
Tan Jizhi's face darkened as he said, "What do you mean by 'necessary' This empire was originally ours, the Lin family!"
Ye Li calmly replied, "Before your Lin family, this empire belonged to the Xue family. If you can change dynasties simply by killing the emperor every day, I have no objections. But each time there's a regime change, it's the common people who suffer most. They owe nothing to your Lin family; instead, it was your ancestors' incompetence that dragged them into war back then. And now, your descendants are trying their best to drag them into another war."
Tan Jizhi was speechless. He disagreed with Ye Li's words but couldn't help feeling there might be some truth in what she said. After a while, he sneered and replied, "Your Excellency speaks well. But what are you and Duke Ding currently doing Are you still trying to tell me that Duke Ding has no ambition for the throne Do I believe you" Mo Xiuyao's scheming was so deep it made one shudder just thinking about it; he appeared controlled by circumstances, with no other choice but in a few short years, he transformed the defeated and suppressed Ding王府 into what it is now—a territory spanning two countries of Greater Chu and Western Ling, controlling their respective capitals. Such transformation could not fail to shock people. Looking back now, one would realize that many things were actually planned ahead by Mo Xiuyao.
Ye Li said coolly, "Does it matter if you believe me or not In any case, Ding王府 doesn't seem to want to be the scapegoat in this situation. Mr. Tan Your ancestors only refused to accept their defeat, while you merely wish to fulfill your ambition. It has nothing to do with whether you can restore your country or not."
Tan Jizhi fell silent again and after a long pause sighed, "Perhaps, Your Excellency is right. But the path I've chosen spans over thirty years; even if I wanted to stop, it would be impossible.r drug will be useless for His Royal Highness in the future."Ye Li felt a chill in her heart, meaning that even if Mo Xiuyao was injured in the future, he wouldn’t be able to use painkillers or anesth...
