326. Return to Licheng, Twins

In Chujing, the newly arrived Mohist Army replaced the exhausted Great Chu garrison and re-stationed on the city tower. Looking at the ink-colored flags on the city tower and the black-clad soldiers standing in the cold wind, the Northern Army had to temporarily stop and dared not act rashly.

Mo Xiuyao led everyone into the palace of Dachu. Looking at the still magnificent but somewhat desolate imperial city in the light snow, Mo Xiuyao's cold eyes could not help but flash a trace of melancholy, but more of it was an inexplicable complexity. As soon as they entered the palace, Mo Xiaoyun came out with Princess Zhenning. Seeing Mo Xiuyao, they also respectfully stepped forward to salute, "Xiaoyun meets Uncle Ding."

Mo Xiuyao glanced at Mo Xiaoyun indifferently. He naturally didn't have any good feelings towards the son of Mo Jingqi and Concubine Liu Gui. However, the Mo Xiaoyun in front of him was quite different from Mo Jingqi. He raised his eyebrows and looked at the two people in front of him and asked, "Where is the eldest princess?"

Mo Xiaoyun lowered his head and said, "The Grand Princess passed away two days ago, but she was worried that it would affect the morale of the soldiers defending the city, so she kept her death a secret from her nephew and others. The Grand Princess's coffin is still in the palace, and Princess Zhaoyang is still keeping vigil." Mo Xiuyao nodded and went to pay his respects to the Grand Princess first.

The eldest princess was two years older than Duke Hua, and she did not suffer from too many illnesses during her lifetime, so she died of natural causes. After paying respects in the palace where the eldest princess's coffin was temporarily laid to rest, Mo Xiuyao then met with Princess Zhaoyang. Princess Zhaoyang was wearing plain clothes, without makeup, and her face was tired and haggard that could not be concealed. The two sat down in the side hall, and Princess Zhaoyang looked at Mo Xiuyao and said with relief: "Originally, I thought you would not be able to make it, and Chujing would really fall into the hands of the Northern Territory. Fortunately..."

Mo Xiuyao told a little about the war in the city, including the death of Duke Hua. Princess Zhaoyang couldn't help but tear up after hearing this, and sighed, speechless.

There was silence in the side hall for a moment, and Princess Zhaoyang asked, "What are you going to do with those two children?"

Mo Xiuyao raised his eyebrows and looked at Princess Zhaoyang. Princess Zhaoyang sighed, "I didn't like those two kids at first. What good can there be from that woman surnamed Liu and the children raised by the Liu family? But after spending these days together, I found that these two kids are very different from their parents. If possible... leave them a chance to live. I know you hate the Great Chu royal family... I hated them too..."

Mo Xiuyao lowered his eyes and thought for a moment before saying, "Don't worry, as long as they behave themselves, I won't touch them." Princess Zhaoyang was startled by his slightly unfamiliar words and nodded, "In that case, thank you very much."

It seemed like they had not seen each other for a long time, yet they seemed to have nothing to say. The atmosphere in the side hall made both of them feel a little uncomfortable, and soon Mo Xiuyao stood up and said goodbye and left. Looking at his leaving back, Princess Zhaoyang sighed helplessly. She knew where this sense of alienation came from. From now on... this palace is still named Mo, but it is no longer the Mo of the past. And she is still the princess of Da Chu after all, no matter how much she hates it. But fortunately, now she is just... a princess of a fallen country.

With the Mohist Army in place, the capital of Chu quickly became lively again. Although the city was still full of blood and the sound of killing shook the sky two days ago. The people in the city were also trembling in fear and anxiety while hiding in their homes. However, in just a few days, people buried the bodies and cleaned up the streets. Soon, the empty city became more lively.

Mo Xiuyao quickly issued an order to posthumously honor the soldiers who died in the battle and reorganized the government of Chujing. Although there were still hundreds of thousands of northern troops besieging the city, the lives of the people in the city had returned to their original tracks. Now there were not only hundreds of thousands of Mohist troops in Chujing, but also many Mohist troops and generals of the Great Chu. Naturally, the people were not too worried about the enemy outside the city. The two armies rested for half a month, and Mo Xiuyao once again ordered the Mohist army to split into two groups. One group was led by Lu Songxian to rush out of the city to fight the northern army, giving the other side no chance to recover and attack the city again. The other group was led by Murong Shen to fight against Yelu Ye's northern army.

In the same month, the Changxing King Mo Xiaoyun, who stayed in Chujing, announced to the world: the Mo family army and King Ding had saved Changxing City. From then on, Changxing City and the people under its rule were under the command of King Ding, and were no longer subjects of the Chu. After this announcement, many people were naturally angry and vomited blood, but they could do nothing about it. The most angry among them was naturally Mo Jingli who was entrenched in Jiangnan. The Chu had abandoned the capital, and now King Ding had rushed thousands of miles to save the capital. The people of the capital voluntarily submitted to King Ding. The Chu court was like a dumb man eating coptis, with no way to express its suffering.

The Mohist army had just captured Chujing and was in high spirits. Murong Shen and the Nanhou father and son who stayed behind at Feihong Pass attacked from both sides, forcing the Northern Army to retreat. In addition, the Northern Army was short of food and could not withstand months of hard fighting, so both sides had to temporarily cease fighting. The Northern Army had been fighting hard for more than a month without any success, and there were some internal disputes in the rear. Ren Qining had no choice but to order the withdrawal of Zijing Pass and return home in anger.

This continued until the beginning of spring in March. Although much of the original territory of the Great Chu was still in the hands of the Northern Rong and the Northern Border. However, in just seven or eight months, the Mohist Army was able to conquer all the way from east to west and then from west to east, which was enough to prove that the fighting power of this world-famous iron-blooded brigade was still as strong as ever. In this way, the territory under the command of the Mohist Army extended to the former Anpingzhou of Xiling in the west and to Zijing Pass of the Great Chu in the east. Although the territory was slightly smaller than that of Xiling, it was much larger than that of the Great Chu court in the south of the Yangtze River. More importantly, the Ding Wang family owned two imperial cities in the east and west, and their reputation was unrivaled in the world for a time.

After more than half a year of fighting, both sides had spent countless money and supplies. For a while, no one had the energy to fight again, so although the armies of each side were watching each other with vigilance, they all stopped fighting to rest and recuperate. As soon as the war stopped, Mo Xiuyao threw all the affairs of Chujing to Feng Zhiyao, Lu Songxian and others, and quickly returned to the northwest. The Mo family soldiers also knew that the princess was pregnant, and they understood the prince's anxiety, so they didn't say anything.

"Ari!"

In mid-April, although spring came later in the northwest, it was already late spring. In the flower garden of Prince Ding's mansion, various beautiful flowers were still in full bloom. The most gorgeous and eye-catching of them were the peonies transplanted from Yunzhou. Peonies of various colors competed with each other for beauty, making the whole garden look elegant and magnificent, and the fragrance was overflowing.

Ye Li sat on a stone bench with a thick cushion in the garden, smiling as she watched Mo Xiaobao swinging a small sword with great concentration. Leng Junhan and Xu Zhirui, who were standing on the side and watching, also cheered, although Ye Li was very suspicious whether the two little guys knew what was good and what was bad. Under the thin green cloak, the bulging belly was already very big like a servant. Ye Li smiled as she watched the sword dance and gently stroked her round belly. Although it was already nine months, the belly was still a little too big, Mo Xiaobao's belly was not this big at the beginning. Ye Li smiled faintly when she remembered that Doctor Lin mentioned that this pregnancy might be twins. There was nothing wrong with twins, but she hadn't told Mo Xiuyao about it yet. Otherwise, given his temper, he might even abandon his soldiers on the battlefield and run back.

Hearing the sound coming from outside the garden, Ye Li was slightly startled. She couldn't help but wonder, could it be possible to have auditory hallucinations in the late stages of pregnancy?

Mo Xiaobao, who was dancing with the sword, listened, blinked, turned to Ye Li and said with a pout, "Mother, father is back." Although his tone seemed very unhappy, his big dark eyes suddenly brightened.

Ye Li turned around and saw someone covered in dust standing at the gate of the garden, smiling at her. "Ah Li, I'm back."

"Xiu Yao..."

Seeing that she was about to stand up, Mo Xiuyao quickly stepped forward into the garden and supported Ye Li, saying, "Don't move, you..." Looking at the round belly in front of him, the usually calm Prince Ding couldn't help but widen his eyes and looked at Ye Li with some worry, "Ah Li, are you okay? He... why is he so big?"

"Doctor Lin said they might be twins, so naturally one baby would be much bigger than the other." Ye Liqian said with a smile.

"What?" Mo Xiuyao felt his eyes go dark and his hands and feet go limp. One made him worried and scared, but now there are two! "How could this happen? Where is Shen Yang? Ask him to come over to the princess as soon as possible." Mo Xiuyao said anxiously. Ye Li glanced at him unhappily and said, "Don't you know that Mr. Shen went to the fourth brother? Doctor Lin has checked me out. I'm fine and the child is fine too."

"but……"

"No buts!" Ye Li said firmly, pulling Mo Xiu Yao and said, "Why don't you wash up and have a good rest after just coming back? I'll be back soon. Go back and rest first." Mo Xiu Yao was already in a state of being out of his mind, so he had to let Ye Li pull him away.

The third brother and his friends looked at each other in bewilderment. After a while, Xu Zhirui blinked his eyes and asked with the same serious face as his father: "We didn't greet our uncle."

The youngest child, Leng Junhan, touched his head and said, "Uncle Ding Wang didn't see us, so he won't be angry." Uncle Ding Wang didn't even look at them, but... thinking about Uncle Ding Wang's cold eyes, Leng Xiaodai shook his head. If he didn't see it, then he didn't see it. It's good that he didn't see it.

Mo Xiaobao stared at his father's receding back with a proud look, snorted, and raised his head, "I don't want him to see it, let's go find my uncle."

The three little kids got together to discuss it, and all of them agreed that Mo Xiaobao's suggestion was a good one. The eldest uncle (big uncle, Uncle Xu) was much more amiable than the father (uncle, Uncle Ding).

Back at the main courtyard where the two of them lived, Mo Xiuyao came out after taking a bath. Ye Li had already ordered people to prepare some of Mo Xiuyao's favorite meals and put them on the table. Mo Xiuyao had been in a hurry to return to the northwest these days and had indeed not eaten anything properly. Seeing these things also whetted his appetite, so he sat down and pulled Ye Li to eat together.

It was not meal time, and Ye Li did not feel very hungry, so she only ate half a bowl of porridge and left. She sat aside and watched Mo Xiuyao eat, occasionally picking up some meat for him. After so many years, Mo Xiuyao was still picky about food. If Ye Li did not pick up food for him personally, he would basically only eat vegetarian food. He was even more immortal than Xu Qingchen.

While eating, Mo Xiuyao talked about some things in Chujing. Of course, the story of Duke Hua's death was indispensable. Ye Li also had a good impression of the old man, Duke Hua, and was naturally very sad to hear the news of his death. "I'm afraid I have to talk to Sister Hua and Tianxiang about this. But they..." Mo Xiuyao said: "Don't worry about it, I will let someone talk to them. You... still need to take care of the children, wait until these two guys are born before talking about it."

Ye Li thought about it and nodded, saying, "The baby will be born next month. When the baby is one month old, it will be Grandpa's birthday." Ye Li frowned and stroked her round belly, saying, "In this case, we won't have to hold the full month celebrations for the two children." It's no small matter to hold the full month celebrations for Prince Ding's son and princess. If they are held together with Grandpa's birthday, there will be nothing to do in these two months. Mo Xiu Yao didn't have any idea about whether to hold the full month celebrations for the children. He just raised his eyebrows and asked, "Mo Xiaobao's full month celebration was a big one back then. Won't these two little ones be unhappy when they grow up?"

Ye Li smiled and said, "My Lord, are you still concerned about the relationship between the brothers and sisters? What's the point of a full moon banquet? If they are unhappy about this, then we as parents have failed to teach them well."

Mo Xiuyao nodded and looked at Ye Li's belly with a smile. It's not that your father is partial to you, it's your mother's intention.

"Is Li'er here?" Xu Qingchen's elegant voice came from outside the door.

The maid guarding the door hurriedly bowed and said, "The prince has just returned, and the princess is dining with him."

Hearing their voices, Mo Xiuyao suddenly became unhappy. He had just come back and hadn't even had time to catch his breath, so why did Xu Qingchen come to his door? Would he let him rest?

Ye Li didn't sense Mo Xiuyao's unhappiness, and laughed loudly, "Brother, come in."

Xu Qingchen stepped into the flower hall and smiled as he looked at Mo Xiuyao, who was staring at him with a gloomy face. "We don't even know when the prince will come back." Ye Li said apologetically, "I just arrived and went straight back to the courtyard. Brother, do you have anything to do at this time?"

Xu Qingchen certainly couldn't say that he knew Mo Xiuyao had just returned and came to annoy him. He smiled and said, "It's nothing serious, but it's almost time to write the invitation for my grandfather's birthday in two months. I happened to be free today, so I came to discuss it with you." Ye Li frowned slightly and thought for a moment and said, "Of course, the dignitaries and celebrities in the northwest, Xiling, and Chujing should be invited. But do you want to invite people from other places... Nanzhao, the northern border of Beirong, Xiling, and Jiangnan?"

Mo Xiuyao put down his bowl and chopsticks, raised his eyebrows and said, "Of course, they will come. There have been such dramatic changes in the past year. Even if we don't invite them, they will come on their own."

Xu Qingchen nodded and said, "I understand. Also, does the prince plan to hold it in Chujing or Licheng?"

This is also a problem. If it is held in Chujing, it means that Mo Xiuyao will move Dingwang Mansion back to Chujing. If it is held in Licheng, then the treatment of Chujing will have to be reconsidered. After all, it is a capital city, and it is different from Xiling Imperial City. Xiling Imperial City can be regarded as a free pick, and it is naturally the best to have it, and the loss is not big if it is lost. Chujing is surrounded by enemies, and once it is lost, it will definitely be a huge blow to the reputation of Dingwang Mansion.

Mo Xiuyao rubbed his brows, thought for a moment, and asked, "Brother, what do you think?"

Xu Qingchen smiled and said, "Such an important matter will naturally be decided by the prince."

Mo Xiuyao rolled his eyes at him unhappily, raised his head and said proudly: "You are ordered by the king to speak." Xu Qingchen didn't care either, he shrugged and smiled: "Licheng is still too small after all. If we want to build on a large scale, it will not be completed overnight. Your Majesty is stationed in Chujing, which is a great threat to the people in the northern border of Beirong and the south." The implication was that Xu Qingchen still preferred to move Prince Ding's Mansion back to Chujing.

Mo Xiuyao naturally understood that what Xu Qingchen said was indeed reasonable. He pondered for a moment and asked, "Chujing is too far away from Xiling. If something happens there in the future, we will be out of reach." Licheng also has its advantages. For example, its geographical location is in the center of the entire continent. If you are not strong enough, you will be in a bad situation of being attacked from all sides, but if you are strong, this place will just expand in all directions.

Xu Qingchen said: "We naturally cannot give up Licheng. But at present, we have no way to expand Licheng to a sufficient scale in a short period of time. The world is in chaos now, and it is not a good thing to hurt the people and property." To put it bluntly, Licheng is too small. Originally, if Dingwang Mansion only guarded this small piece of land in the northwest, there would be nothing to say. But now the territory under Dingwang Mansion is no smaller than any powerful country. If it continues like this, it will inevitably make people feel shabby, and it will be easier for the officers and soldiers below to feel uneasy. Because Dingwang obviously has no plan to ascend the throne and become emperor, no one knows what Dingwang Mansion will be like in the future. Xu Qingchen has been handling various political affairs in Licheng for a long time, and naturally he knows clearly the doubts and rumors between officials and people. Under the current circumstances, either Licheng will be expanded on a large scale, or Prince Ding's Palace will be moved back to Chujing.

Mo Xiuyao pondered for a while, raised his head and said: "Mr. Qingyun's birthday will still be held in Licheng. After that, the prince and A'li will temporarily stay in Chujing. Er...Mr. Qingchen, you should go with us. All affairs of Licheng remain the same. Please ask Mr. Hongyu to take charge. What do you think?" Xu Qingchen was a little helpless and smiled: "The prince has decided to be a subordinate, so I can only obey your order. Does the prince plan to... operate Licheng and Chujing at the same time?"

Mo Xiuyao nodded and said, "The terrain we occupy now runs from east to west, and the distance between east and west is too far. If something happens in the west, it will be too late by the time the news reaches Chujing. And after Ren Qining is dealt with, the role of Chujing will be greatly reduced. At that time, Xiling and Beirong will be the focus." And the place closest to Xiling and Beirong is obviously Licheng.

Xu Qingchen raised his eyebrows and said with a smile: "Your Highness is indeed ambitious. However... I have a question that I have not asked, and I believe many people must have been very troubled in their hearts."

Mo Xiuyao raised his eyebrows slightly and looked at Xu Qingchen with a smile.

"Prince, have you ever thought about ascending the throne and becoming an emperor?" Xu Qingchen asked, "If it was before, Prince Ding's Mansion was only a small piece of land in the northwest, it would not be surprising that Prince Ding disdained it. But now Prince Ding's Mansion has thousands of miles in the east and west, why did Prince Ding..." This question really troubled many people. Not only the people under Prince Ding's Mansion, but also outsiders could not see through Mo Xiuyao's thoughts. If it were someone else, he would have become a king and dominated such a vast territory. Unlike Mo Xiuyao, he has no self-awareness in this regard.

Mo Xiuyao held Ye Li's hand, looked at Xu Qingchen with a friendly smile and said, "Nothing else, I'm not interested."

"Not interested?" Xu Qingchen frowned and rolled his eyes in his heart. It was also because Young Master Qingchen was calm and composed by nature, and he was very receptive. If it were someone else, such as Feng Zhiyao and others, they would probably rush over and grab Mo Xiuyao's collar and shake it hard, "Are you kidding us?" Xu Qingchen was only surprised for a moment before he regained his composure. Well, it wasn't him who was going to be the emperor anyway. If he wasn't interested, then he wasn't interested. In fact, the so-called enthronement is just a ceremony and a title. Who dares to say that Mo Xiuyao's authority is not as great as that of the empress under the Dingwang Mansion? To hell with legitimacy!

Mo Xiuyao looked at Xu Qingchen with some disdain and said, "Since Master Qingchen is fine, just go back first. I'm a little tired and want to rest for a while." The couple are reuniting after a long separation, so how could he come here and interfere and refuse to leave?

Xu Qingchen seemed to be oblivious to his look of wanting to drive him away, and said to Ye Li with a smile, "In that case, Li'er, you should have a good rest. I will take good care of Xiaobao and the others."

Hearing this, Ye Li's face suddenly became depressed. She actually left three children in the garden and left. Was her mind really confused during pregnancy? "Brother, are Xiaobao and the others with you? Sorry to bother you..."

"It's no trouble. It's just that Xiaobao told me sadly just now that his father left without even looking at him." Xu Qingchen's smile was as playful as a spring breeze.

Mo Xiuyao sneered and said calmly: "Then please take care of them first, Master Qingchen. After all, Mo Xiaobao likes his uncle the most, right?" Speaking of liking him the most, Mo Xiuyao couldn't help but grit his teeth, feeling that he had raised a little ungrateful bastard. Seeing that Mo Xiuyao was really going to go berserk, Xu Qingchen stopped teasing him and said goodbye with a smile.

In the flower hall, Ye Li looked at Mo Xiuyao curiously, wanting to say something but stopping herself. Mo Xiuyao looked at her with a smile, "Ali, why are you looking at me like this? Did you find that your husband has become more handsome after not seeing him for a long time?"

Ye Li looked up at the sky in silence, "You really don't plan to ascend the throne as emperor?"

Mo Xiuyao snorted and said nonchalantly, "What's good about ascending the throne? You worry all day whether someone will take your throne again. If you want to play around occasionally, you will be reported to the history books. If you want to kill someone, you have to listen to those old men nagging you about a lot of reasons. The most important thing is... I am not interested in accepting the daughters of those old guys who can't get married. Do you like me to have three palaces and six courtyards? Well... Actually, it's not impossible. After I ascend the throne, I will order that future emperors can only marry one empress and not concubines. Then... kill all those old guys who like to give advice. What do you think of me being a tyrant?"

Ye Li felt powerless for a moment, waved his hand and said, "Let's discuss the matter of ascending the throne later."