109. Discussion

Ye Li, with thunder and lightning on his head, ordered people to send Yao Ji back to settle down. As soon as he returned to the mansion, Nanny Sun came to report that someone had sent something specifically for the princess. Ye Li opened the box and saw that it was a piece of jade that had only been slightly processed and had not yet been carved. But just looking at the flawless emerald green color, you can tell that this is a piece of top-quality jade of the best quality. Frowning and thinking, Ye Li had an idea of ​​who sent the gift. Looking up at Nanny Sun, he asked, "Did the other party leave his name and address?" Nanny Sun smiled and said, "Don't worry, princess. The prince has already sent someone to send a return gift. The prince said that if the princess likes it, she can accept it. If she doesn't like it, just deal with it casually."

Ye Li nodded and said, "Put it away first and we'll talk about it later. Where is the prince?"

"The prince is in the study, Master Feng is back."

Ye Li nodded and turned to go to the study.

Before, Feng Zhiyao and they split their troops in Yongzhou into two groups and led the Black Cloud Cavalry all the way north, but they arrived in the capital nearly half a month later than them. As Ye Li walked to the door of the study, Mo Xiuyao's voice came from inside, "Ali, come in." Ye Li pushed the door open and went in. Feng Zhiyao stood up and said, "I've met the princess." Ye Li nodded and smiled, "No need to be polite, Young Master Feng." Feng Zhiyao looked at Ye Li and then back at Mo Xiuyao. He always felt that there seemed to be something different between the two of them. "Princess, just call me Feng San." Ye Li responded with a smile, walked to Mo Xiuyao and sat down beside him and said, "I didn't disturb you, did I?" Mo Xiuyao shook his head and said, "It's nothing serious. Is there something wrong, Ali?" Ye Li told him about meeting Yelu Ye when she went out, and looked at Feng Zhiyao who was standing beside her. She just mentioned that she met Yao Ji and Mu Yang, but did not mention that Yao Ji was pregnant. In this case, it is up to the person involved to decide whether or not to tell others.

Mo Xiuyao frowned at Yelu Ye's obvious deliberate approach to Ye Li, and sneered, "It seems that the pressure from Yelu Hong is not enough, so he can stroll around the streets of Chujing so leisurely. Feng San, go back and spread the news that Yelu Ye has arrived in the capital and will participate in the selection and selection of relatives." Feng Zhiyao raised his eyebrows and smiled, nodded and responded silently. Once this news spread, the perception of Yelu Ye by the dignitaries in Chujing would drop to a lower level. No one would care if he arrived in Chujing secretly in advance, but participating in the selection and selection of relatives is definitely too much. Yes, Da Chu did not send a real princess to marry, but the ladies of Da Chu are not for you to pick and choose from.

"Ah Li, I'm afraid you'll have to get busy. Have you finished reading the flower list I gave you before?" Mo Xiuyao turned around and looked at Ye Li and asked softly. Ye Li nodded, and Mo Xiuyao said, "You don't have to decide who will go to marry. Just recommend two or three candidates and give them to the emperor. The final choice will still be decided by the emperor."

Ye Li frowned in confusion and said, "Wouldn't it offend more people if we do this?" Mo Xiuyao smiled and said, "The one in the palace gave this task to you, so how could we not offend anyone? If we are worried about offending people and randomly choose a woman with a bad family background, not to mention the commotion in the Northern Rong, the one in the palace might even overturn the election on the grounds that you are not doing a good job, and then we will offend more people. In this case, Ah Li, you don't have to consider the issue of offending people. Just choose a few people you think are suitable and send them up. As for which one the emperor chooses, it's his own business. If he is not satisfied with any of them, it's better to let him choose another one."

Ye Li nodded, "I understand. I will carefully look at the family background, talents and intelligence of these young ladies." Putting aside all emotional reasons, it would be much easier to choose candidates based on their status and personal conditions.

Feng San worked very fast. That afternoon, the news that the Seventh Prince of Beirong had arrived in the capital was known to everyone in the city. Even the inn where Yelu Ye was staying was known clearly. Yelu Ye, who had originally intended to delay meeting the Emperor of Great Chu for a few days, had to put down his work and go to the palace to meet him. While secretly cursing Mo Xiuyao in his heart, he also felt a little regretful that he had appeared that night to test Mo Xiuyao, which also exposed himself.

The next morning, the invitation for the palace to hold a cleansing banquet for the Prince of Beirong was delivered to the Dingguo Palace. Mo Xiuyao, who was accompanying Ye Li in the backyard training ground, raised his eyebrows and waved to let the people go, then turned around and continued to teach Ye Li swordsmanship.

"Princess, Master Han and Master Leng want to see you." Qingshuang came over and reported.

Mo Xiuyao said with some displeasure: "What is he doing here again?" Now Mo Xiuyao had some deep doubts about whether his decision to assign Han Mingxi and the Han family to A-Li was a bit like shooting himself in the foot. Although there was no need to worry about the other party's loyalty, Han Mingxi had been visiting A-Li every other day since he arrived in the capital, and now that he had moved out of Prince Ding's mansion and found another place to live, he still did not stop. The jealous Prince Ding naturally forgot that Leng Haoyu, a married man, was also seeking an audience.

Ye Li sheathed her sword, looked back and smiled: "Mingxi has been busy discussing cooperation with Leng Haoyu these days, maybe he has some new ideas to ask me." To Han Mingxi, Leng Haoyu is a wealthy man. This seemingly useless dandy controls most of the industries of the Dingguo Palace. With his joining, Han Mingxi's business can naturally be bigger. When Han Mingxi thought of this, he seemed to see countless gold ingots flying in front of him. He has been busy these days. So... In fact, the people of the Han family are born with the attribute of liking to save money, and it is not unique to Han Mingyue.

"I'll go and listen too. Does A'li welcome you?" Mo Xiuyao asked.

Ye Li lowered her head and suppressed her laughter, pretending not to notice someone's jealous look, and said with a smile: "Since Leng Haoyu has participated in the meeting, what secrets can there be from the prince?" In fact, Ye Li sometimes felt that it might not be conducive to the operation to clearly separate her people from Mo Xiuyao's people like now, but she also knew that this was because the future of Dingguo Palace was uncertain, and Mo Xiuyao wanted to leave some power for himself in case something happened in the future. So she was very appreciative of Mo Xiuyao's kindness.

In the study, Leng Haoyu and Han Mingxi both stood up to greet Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li when they came in hand in hand. Mo Xiuyao nodded and smiled faintly, "No need to be polite, please take a seat."

Ye Li smiled at Han Mingxi, who looked much better, and said, "Mingxi, what brings you here so early?" Han Mingxi nodded, raised his eyebrows and smiled, "Indeed, there is something. Leng Er and I have almost discussed it in the past few days. Leng Er will be in charge of Da Chu. I plan to go to Nanzhao and Xiling in a few days. As for Beirong, I can

"Let's talk about it later." In terms of commercial value, Beirong can be said to be the least developed country among the four countries. Many businesses in the Central Plains simply don't work in Beirong and can't make much money. Ye Li tilted his head and thought for a while and said, "It is said that there are many gold and silver veins in Beirong." Leng Haoyu nodded and said, "Indeed, although Beirong is remote and cold, it has many

Gold and silver mines. Just look at the Northern Rong nobles. "No matter if they are men or women, the Northern Rong nobles who are a little bit famous like to use large gold ornaments, decorating themselves like a mobile gold treasure chest. Although the people of the Central Plains despise the barbarians from outside the Great Wall for their crudeness and vulgarity, who can say that they don't envy their boldness in using gold as silver?

"What does the princess mean?" Leng Haoyu asked hesitantly. You wouldn't bite your hand if you have too much gold, right? "But the larger mines in Beirong are controlled by the royal family, and the Beirong people are very xenophobic. It's basically impossible for us to get involved in this area."

Ye Li shook her head and smiled, "No, I have no intention of getting my hands on their gold mines. The most valuable things about the Northern Rong are not only their gold mines but also their war horses."

Han Mingxi frowned and said, "The restrictions on the war horses of the Northern Rong are more severe than those on gold mines." The war horses of the Northern Rong are world-famous, and there are no good horses in the territory of Da Chu. Nowadays, most of the horses used by the cavalry of Da Chu are crossbred with horses from Da Chu, the Northern Rong, and even some horses from foreign countries. Compared with the purebred horses of the Northern Rong, they are still a little inferior. Fortunately, the territory of Da Chu is not a flat grassland, and the role of cavalry is far less important than that of the Northern Rong. Otherwise, horses would really be a big problem. Knowing that Ye Li asked this question for the sake of the Mohist Army and the Black Cloud Cavalry, he couldn't help but feel bitter even though he knew that he had no right to say anything. He glanced at Mo Xiuyao who was sitting quietly listening to their conversation and said, "No matter how much we offer, Beirong will not sell our horses. Even if they do, they will be inferior horses. Besides... shouldn't the issue of horses be solved by the court or the people in charge of the army? Jun Wei's plan to intervene in this matter may alarm the court, which would be bad."

Ye Li smiled and said, "No one would be willing to sell it openly. But isn't there a business called... smuggling?"

"smuggling?"

Ye Li smiled and said, "It's a private transaction. It doesn't go through the customs and doesn't require tax. It's a huge profit."

Leng Haoyu rubbed his forehead and said with a smile: "Princess, do you mean that we should secretly send people to buy horses? In Beirong, selling good horses to other countries is a capital crime."

Ye Li smiled and said, "No matter which country people are from, there are people who love money. Merchants value profit. If they can make 50% profit, they will take risks. For 100% profit, they will dare to trample on all human laws. And if they can make 300% profit, even if it is a death penalty, there will be people who will risk their lives." If the death penalty is useful, there will not be so many crimes in the world. "Don't be too anxious. Beirong is vast and sparsely populated, and the products are scarce. We will give them whatever they want, food, cloth, porcelain, tea. It would be even better if we can collect some medicinal materials, furs, etc. over time. We will have channels to get what we want."

Han Mingxi's eyes lit up and he smiled, "I understand. The situation in Beirong is different from ours and Xiling Nanjiang, so we naturally cannot deal with Beirong's problems in the same way. But since we are going to do business in Xiling and Nanjiang, we can also send the specialties of Xiling, Nanjiang and Dachu to Beirong. Those Beirong nobles are all very wealthy, so it's too easy to get money from them. It's not that no one did this business originally, but the journey was too far and the grassland was very dangerous, so they were all small merchants. But if it were us, we naturally wouldn't have to worry about safety issues. Even if we can't use the name of Dingwang Mansion, we can just rely on the Dingwang Mansion's military force and reorganize a team to protect the safety of those goods."

Mo Xiuyao was of course also very interested in the war horses of Beirong. He smiled and said, "This marriage is a good opportunity. We can send someone to follow the marriage team to Beirong to take a look. Later, I will write to the emperor to allow merchants and travelers to go to Beirong with the marriage team. This can be regarded as a contribution to the diplomatic relations between the two countries." The other three were silent. Was this a contribution to the treasury of Prince Dingguo's Palace and the future combat effectiveness of the Mohist Army?

Seeing that Mo Xiuyao also agreed, Leng Haoyu smiled and said, "If that's the case, then it's settled. Brother Han goes to Xiling and Nanjiang, and you can go to Beirong again. There's still more than a month before we leave, so there's still time to deal with things in Dachu."

Han Mingxi nodded indifferently. Ye Li took out an iron token and threw it to Han Mingxi, saying, "Brother should still be in Southern Xinjiang. If you need any help, you can go to him. This is the Yan Wang Order of Yan Wang Pavilion. Take it with you just in case. If you encounter any difficulties in Xiling, the owner of Ling Pavilion will probably help you for the sake of Yan Wang Order." Han Mingxi was naturally clear about the origin of Yan Wang Order. He took it in his hand and looked at Ye Li, seeming to be hesitant to speak. Ye Li waved her hand to signal him not to say more, "Give it to whoever is useful. I probably won't bother Master Ling if I take him to Chujing. It would be a waste if he is always owed. As for the sick scholar... the chance that he can come to Da Chu is not very high." An Si sent a message a few days ago, and just found Mr. Liang who was taken back to Xiling by the sick scholar. Before the Blue Sky Grass was found, the harm of the sick scholar was really limited. Of course, if he insisted on appearing in Chujing, she would not mind taking action, even if she didn't kill him, she would at least destroy him. Ling Tiehan probably couldn't blame her.

Leng Haoyu exclaimed in amazement: "The princess is so generous that she even spared Yan Wangling so easily." He glanced at Mo Xiuyao as he spoke. He thought Yan Wangling was given to the princess by the prince to protect her. Seeing that the princess gave him to another man, who knows who the prince would vent his anger on. Of course, it would be best if the culprit, the romantic young man Han Mingxi, was found guilty. As the saying goes, it is better to kill a fellow Taoist than to kill a poor Taoist. Besides, he had caused this himself.

Ye Li raised her eyebrows and smiled, "Master Ling Pavilion gave it to me for free. It's free." In fact, even if Ling Tiehan didn't show up in the end, she wouldn't really want the sick scholar's life. Who knows if Ling Tiehan would be too concerned about the brotherhood and use the power of Yan Wang Pavilion to avenge the sick scholar? But it was inevitable that his martial arts would be destroyed at that time. As long as she kept the sick scholar alive, Ling Tiehan would not bother her for the sake of his eldest brother. Leng Haoyu touched his nose and lowered his head to drink tea. Is the Yan Wang Order measured by money? That is something that many people would rather spend a fortune to buy, okay? As long as you don't mess with the Xiling royal family, having the Yan Wang Order basically means that you can walk around Xiling.

After finishing the business, Han Mingxi frowned at Ye Li and said, "Yesterday morning, Yeluye sent people to plunder the finest jade in the entire capital. I don't know what they used it for. I haven't heard that the people of Beirong like jade." Although Yeluye sent people to buy anonymously in batches, his mistake was that he shouldn't have gone to the shop under the name of the Han family. The fine jades of two or three shops were bought by strangers in a row. The shopkeeper naturally would not forget to report to the master. Although the Han family's Tianyi Pavilion no longer exists in Da Chu, Han Mingxi still has many people under his command. It is naturally not a big problem to check the sales of various jade and antique jewelry stores in the capital and the identity of the buyers. Ye Li certainly knew what Yeluye bought the jade for, and sneered indifferently, "It seems that Beirong is indeed very rich."

Ye Li was in a bad mood when she remembered that her schedule yesterday was ruined by a prince's show of wealth. Especially since that person sent a jade piece to annoy her. With a turn of her eyes, Ye Li smiled and said, "Please help me spread the news. This princess wants to find a piece of the best jade as a birthday gift for the prince." Leng Haoyu looked at Mo Xiuyao and then at Ye Li, not quite understanding what Ye Li meant.

Han Mingxi was the first to react. He smiled and waved his fan, "So we can sell all the good jade we have stored. Once this news comes out, I am sure there will be people who will buy it even if the price doubles. And... the princess is right, the people of Beirong are rich. I will definitely send the news to Prince Yelu first to prevent him from falling behind." As for whether the prince of Beirong planned to use the jade as a betrothal gift for the princess or move it all back to Beirong, it was none of their business. Leng Haoyu nodded in agreement and said, "Speaking of which, it has never been reported what the princess likes, and we have lost a lot of money. It just so happens that I still have a lot of things I want to clear out, so I will sell them to Prince Beirong at a low price. But... um, does the princess need to leave a good piece for you?" If the rich and powerful Prince Beirong really snatched them all, what will happen to the birthday present of the prince? Although the prince usually looks good-tempered and generous, no one can stand him when he gets stingy. He and Feng San have experienced this deeply over the years.

Ye Li glanced at Mo Xiuyao, pursed her lips and smiled, "No need, I was just saying that."

Han Mingxi raised his eyebrows and sighed sadly, "It turns out that Prince Ding's birthday is coming soon. What a coincidence... I was also born in June. In previous years, I celebrated it with my eldest brother, but now..."

Leng Haoyu's body stiffened, and he stared at Han Mingxi warily. Even if this guy didn't want to live, there was no need to drag him down with him. He was just a newlywed.

Ye Li smiled and said, "Mingxi's birthday is also in June? Then let's celebrate his birthday in Beijing before leaving."

Han Mingxi blinked, "Will Jun Wei give me a gift?"

"Of course, tell me what you like and I'll prepare it later." Ye Li nodded. Considering her friendship with Han Mingxi, it would be unreasonable not to give him a birthday gift. Besides, she and Mo Xiuyao had contributed a lot to Han Mingxi's current situation. Han Mingxi smiled brightly, "That's good. I'll like whatever Jun Wei prepares." After saying that, she raised her eyebrows at Mo Xiuyao fearlessly.

A gleam of light flashed across Mo Xiuyao's calm eyes, and he smiled faintly, "Ali is right. What a coincidence that Brother Han's birthday is also in June. Naturally, Ali and I have to express our gratitude. Don't worry, I will definitely give Brother Han a surprise gift." Mo Xiuyao's voice could almost be described as gentle when he said the last sentence, but the people who heard it felt cold in their hearts.

Leng Haoyu grabbed Han Mingxi and smiled dryly at Mo Xiuyao, "Although Brother Han and I have known each other for a short time, we feel like old friends. Brother Han, let's discuss how you want to celebrate your birthday." He ignored Han Mingxi's objection and dragged him out. Han Mingxi, who was first-rate in Qinggong and third-rate in martial arts, couldn't even struggle before being dragged out by Leng Haoyu, who seemed third-rate but was actually first-rate.