328. Queen Helan

The Northwest Li City was just an inconspicuous city in the northwest of Great Chu six or seven years ago. However, because the Ding Wang Mansion was located here, it developed into a must-pass place connecting the Western Regions and the Central Plains trade routes in just a few years, and at the same time became one of the most prosperous cities in the surrounding countries. And now, it is even connected to the former Xiling Imperial City in the west and Chujing Changxing in the east. At this point, the east-west trade route that Ding Wang Mansion has painstakingly managed for many years has finally been declared complete. And Li City is destined to become a transit point for the two sides, and its prosperity is even greater than that of the west.

It was only mid-June, and more and more people came to Licheng from other places. Among them were not only wealthy businessmen, famous families, and elegant scholars from all over the country, but also people in power and royal families from various countries. For a time, the whole Licheng was full of heroes. Originally, although Mr. Qingyun was famous all over the world, if it was just his birthday, there would definitely not be so many people coming. But when Mr. Qingyun was the grandfather of Princess Ding and the Xu family members occupied extremely important positions in the Ding Palace, everything became very different. Not to mention the two major events that Prince Ding had just conquered two capitals and had a son, basically anyone who could make it would not miss this event.

In the Dingwang Mansion in the city, Mr. Qingyun and Suzhe were sitting under a shady tree playing chess. No matter how noisy it was outside, it would not reach them. While thinking about the chess game in front of him, Suzhe smiled and said, "Nowadays, Licheng is a gathering place of heroes. Mr. Qingyun is so lucky."

Mr. Qingyun shook his head calmly, "What's the point of celebrating a birthday? It's not as good as having a simple meal together as a family. How many people in this city really want to celebrate the birthday of an old man like me?" Su Zhe thought about it and realized that although Mr. Qingyun's words were straightforward, they were also the truth. He smiled faintly and said, "After all, it is the filial piety of the children and grandchildren. Mr. Qingyun should not discourage them like this."

Mr. Qingyun laughed and said, "How could I be so ignorant? Although we old men are old and weak, we can still watch a few plays."

Hearing this, Su Zhe also smiled and shook his head. He slowly placed a piece on his hand and said with a smile: "If you say so, it will make those people who rushed here in a hurry embarrassed."

"Hello, Mr. Qingyun." A young servant in blue clothes said respectfully at the door. Mr. Qingyun raised his head and asked, "What's the matter?"

The servant reported respectfully, "Mr. Xu Si has returned and is waiting outside the door to pay his respects to you, Mr. Xiu Ting also wants to see you."

Su Zhe and Mr. Qingyun looked at each other, and Mr. Qingyun hurriedly said, "Please invite Mr. Xiuting and Qingbai in." The servant took the order and left. Su Zhe smiled and said, "Chen Xiufu is here too. I heard that he helped the Fourth Young Master in Xiling. It seems that he is now sincerely attached to Prince Ding's Mansion." Mr. Qingyun smiled and said, "Qingbai can get his sincere help, and he will definitely get twice the result with half the effort."

As they were talking, Mr. Xiuting and Xu Qingbai had walked in one after the other. Xu Qingbai walked up to Mr. Qingyun and knelt down respectfully, "Grandson pays his respects to grandfather. It has been a long time since I have served you. I hope you will forgive me." Mr. Qingyun quickly reached out and pulled him up. He looked him up and down, nodded and smiled, "Good boy, you look energetic. It seems that you are living well in Xiling?" Xu Qingbai smiled and said, "Thanks to Mr. Xiuting's help, grandson is not in a hurry."

Mr. Xiuting also hurriedly stepped forward to greet him, "I, Chen Xiufu, have met Mr. Qingyun and Mr. Su." Mr. Xiuting had also met Su Zhe when he traveled to Chujing. Although he hadn't seen him for many years, he still remembered his general appearance. Mr. Qingyun smiled and said, "Xiuting, you don't have to be so polite. It's a rare opportunity to come to Licheng. If I'm being rude, please don't blame me." Mr. Xiuting hurriedly said he didn't dare. Suzhe invited Mr. Xiuting to sit down and talk for a long time. The three of them were rare great scholars in this world, so they naturally got along very well. Seeing that they were chatting happily, Xu Qingbai got up and said goodbye to meet Xu Hongyu.

At this time, the study room in Prince Ding's mansion was also busy. Even Ye Li, who was usually not allowed to do this or that, was caught and brought to the study room to fetch things. It was less than ten days away from Mr. Qingyun's birthday, and many distinguished guests who came to attend the birthday banquet had arrived one after another. This banquet was unprecedentedly grand. In less than a month, the population of Li City increased by more than 30%. In addition to the guests invited by Prince Ding's mansion, there were also merchants from various countries who heard the news, as well as many scholars and tourists who came to participate in the event. The inns of all sizes in the entire Li City were naturally full, and there were even many people who came late and couldn't find a place to stay.

With so many people suddenly appearing, there are naturally countless problems to deal with, such as food, clothing, housing, transportation, and public security. In addition, there is the balance between the dignitaries of various countries, the relationship between these people, and the relationship between them and Prince Ding's Palace. What kind of agreement can be reached by both parties and what kind of benefits can each party get, all need to be carefully considered. No wonder they are so busy.

When Xu Qingbai came in, he saw his father, two brothers, Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li sitting around a long, wide table. In front of each of them were piled various thick memorials. Not to mention, Zhuo Jing and the others outside had even more memorials piled up in front of them, which they were doing preliminary review and classification. Thinking of how busy he had been in Xiling for the past few months, he didn't even have time to eat, and he couldn't help but smile. It seems that he is not the only one who is tired in Xiling, his father and brothers who stayed in Licheng are no less tired.

"Prince, father, elder brother, second brother, Li'er. I'm back." Xu Qingbai said with a smile.

Seeing him come in, Mo Xiuyao, who was originally sitting next to Ye Li, suddenly had a gleam in his eyes, which made Xu Qingbai feel a chill down his spine. Mo Xiuyao smiled warmly and said, "Qingbai is back. You've worked hard on the journey. Come in and sit down." Being treated so politely by Mo Xiuyao, Xu Qingbai couldn't help but feel a little flattered. He looked at Mo Xiuyao warily and smiled faintly, "You're too polite, my Lord. I'm fine."

In this way, Mo Xiuyao smiled even more happily, "Since you are not tired... Come, these are yours." Mo Xiuyao casually raised his hand and slammed Xu Qingbai into the chair beside him. It didn't hurt, but he couldn't stand up. Then Mo Xiuyao unceremoniously moved all the documents in front of Ye Li to Xu Qingbai, and said with a friendly smile: "These are for you. Ah Li, the doctor said that you can't use your eyes too much after giving birth. Leave these things to Qingbai."

Xu Qingbai stared at the piles of memorials in front of him, and when he met his eldest brother's teasing look, he realized that he was clearly the coolie who had come to his own door.

"Is Fourth Brother doing well in Xiling?" In the end, Xu Qingze was more kind and asked Xu Qingbai about his family. This prevented him from feeling that his family had become so inhumane less than a year after he left. Xu Qingbai raised his hand and flipped through the memorial in front of him, while answering, "It's OK. It's almost on the right track."

Ye Li looked at the empty desk in front of her helplessly, turned around and took a book from Mo Xiuyao, saying with a smile: "Fourth brother is too modest. Xiling has been much quieter in the past few months, which shows that fourth brother is very good at managing it." Xu Qingbai shook his head and said with a smile: "How can I talk about good management? There were a lot of troubles last month. This time when I come back, General Zhang can only stay to guard the place. I have to hurry back as soon as my grandfather's birthday comes."

Xu Hongyu said calmly: "Governing a region will not be effective in a short time, so there is no need to be impatient."

Xu Qingbai nodded, "Thank you for your advice, father. I'll save you some trouble." He was indeed a little anxious. He was too old. He became a provincial governor before the age of 25, so naturally there were too many people who didn't obey him. But he also understood, as his father said, that it would take three to five years to see the results of local governance. Thinking of this, his originally impatient mood gradually calmed down.

With one more person, the work will be done faster. In less than an hour, the documents on the table had been processed. In fact, these things did not need so many people to work together. Normally, Mo Xiuyao, Xu Qingchen or Xu Hongyu could finish it. But during this period of time, they did not believe it. Each of them had a lot of things to do and did not have so much time to read these memorials.

After finishing the things on hand, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. The leaders of various countries who like to put on airs will be arriving in the next two days. If they are not dealt with now, they will have to wait until after the birthday banquet. However, it would not be good if many important matters were delayed for the birthday banquet. After finishing the things and having tea and snacks served again, the family had time to sit down and chat for a while.

"Second brother, have my aunt Shen and Wuyou come back?" Ye Li asked while eating the extra supplements prepared for her. When Shen Yang went to Xiling last year, he also brought Mo Wuyou with him. After all, he was studying medicine with Shen Yang, so he couldn't stay in this small place like Licheng. Even if he was talented, he wouldn't make any progress just by studying.

Xu Qingbai paused as he held the teacup in his hand and said, "Everyone is back. Mother was a little tired on the way, so she went home to rest first. Mr. Shen seemed to have some new ideas that he wanted to discuss with Doctor Lin, so he took Wuyou with him."

Hearing this, Ye Li raised her eyebrows slightly and looked sideways at Xu Qingchen who was standing opposite her. Xu Qingchen smiled lightly, as elegant as ever.

But Xu Qingbai seemed a little uncomfortable and changed the subject, asking, "Why don't you see your second uncle?"

Xu Qingchen said, "My second uncle has gone to Beirong, but he should be coming back with the Beirong envoy this time." Xu Qingbai was far away in Xiling, and didn't know much about the things in Licheng. He looked at him with some curiosity. Xu Qingchen briefly told him about the things that happened in Licheng in the past few months. After listening to him, Xu Qingbai couldn't help but sigh that he was actually quite safe far away in Xiling.

"So, after fighting for a year, we should be able to have some peace and stability for a while, right?"

Xu Qingchen smiled faintly and said, "Who knows? However, apart from the confrontation with the Northern Rong, the Mohist Army should be able to be stable for a while. What are your plans, Your Majesty?" This year, the Mohist Army has demonstrated its strength to all the surrounding forces with a near-complete victory. In a short period of time, I am afraid that no one will have the courage to provoke the Mohist Army. However, we must also guard against the possibility that these people will all join hands to deal with the Mohist Army.

Mo Xiuyao leaned back in his chair and said lazily, "Rest and recuperate. I am not in a hurry. As long as they don't want to fight anymore, they can take a rest first. By the way... the strength of the Mo family army is still a little different from that of Beirong Xiling, so it is just right to recuperate the soldiers." Anyway, he didn't want to be the emperor, and he was not in a hurry to seize territory, let alone worry about competing with anyone for the throne. But as long as he swallowed the territory, no one can expect him to spit it out. So compared with the rulers of the surrounding countries, Mo Xiuyao is now the most leisurely and comfortable. The King of Beirong is old, and the brothers Yelu Ye and Yelu Hong have been fighting openly and secretly for more than ten years, and no one knows what the ending will be. Ren Qining of the Northern Territory seems to have all the power, but the conflict between his Northern Territory people and the Central Plains people has already erupted. Lei Zhenting of Xiling and the Emperor of Xiling have almost torn their faces apart now. Lei Zhenting, who was originally in the upper hand, was seriously injured by Mo Xiuyao's bloodbath and was as bad as the Emperor of Xiling. Who will win in the end depends on whose means are better. As for Mo Jingli who lives in Jiangnan and Princess Anxi of Nanzhao, they cannot be taken seriously by Mo Xiuyao for the time being.

"What if they still want to fight?" Xu Qingchen asked.

Mo Xiuyao raised his eyebrows, "If you want to fight, then fight. Do you think I am afraid of them?"

Hearing this, Xu Qingchen couldn't help but smile. That's right. If it comes to a war, who would the Mohist Army be afraid of?

"Your Highness and Princess, the King of the North has arrived." Qin Feng came in from outside the door and reported.

"Hmm?" Mo Xiuyao was a little surprised. No matter from the distance or the friendship between the two families, Ren Qining should not be the first to arrive. Originally, even he thought that the first to arrive was either Lei Zhenting or someone from the Xiling Emperor. After a moment of surprise, Mo Xiuyao pulled Ye Li to stand up and said with a smile: "No matter whether it is legitimate or not, he is the king of a country. Ah Li, come with me to greet him in person." Since they came in the name of birthday celebration, it was impossible for these people not to come to Dingwang Mansion to pay respect to Mr. Qingyun. As the masters of Dingwang Mansion, it was indeed a bit rude for Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao not to go out to greet him.

Ye Li looked at Mo Xiuyao with a faint smile and said, "Let me and my elder brother go. Are you sure the King of the North won't draw his sword and kill you when he sees you?" It's too much to ask someone to welcome you with a smile after killing all his wives, concubines, children and grandchildren. Ye Li could imagine what expression Ren Qining would have if Mo Xiuyao went to greet him in person. Mo Xiuyao smiled indifferently and said, "How could that be? Since he's here, it means he can definitely endure it. Besides, if he draws his sword, would I be afraid of him? Killing a King of the North is not good, but if he was the first to attack, I wouldn't have any psychological barriers."

Ye Li couldn't convince him, so she could only be dragged by him to greet Ren Qining with great enthusiasm. Yes, she was very enthusiastic. Even the people around him could clearly feel that Prince Ding was very enthusiastic about welcoming the King of the Northern Territory.

At the gate of Prince Ding's mansion, two rows of guards in black stood in neat rows, guarding the gate with solemn expressions. They also turned a blind eye to the painful scene in front of them, as if they saw nothing. Ren Qining, who had just arrived, was wearing the unique royal clothing of the northern border, and stared at the handsome man with white clothes, white hair and a smile standing at the gate with a distorted expression. Although he had a very typical appearance of a Central Plains person, Ren Qining did not look strange in the clothing of the northern nomadic people, but instead showed a bit of roughness and boldness that he did not have when wearing Central Plains clothing.

But such a majestic kingly aura disappeared the moment he saw Mo Xiuyao's little face, becoming distorted and ferocious. No matter how ambitious one is and how willing one is to sacrifice everything for the world, one will definitely not have as much self-control as one imagines when facing the murderer who killed his wife and children. Especially when the murderer is smiling at you with a happy face. Mo Xiuyao doesn't care what Ren Qining thinks. In fact, the more unhappy Ren Qining is, the happier he is. So when he saw Ren Qining's expression, he just raised his eyebrows and asked in confusion: "King of the North, what's wrong? Your temperament has changed a lot after not seeing you for a year or two. Or is it that I, Prince Ding, didn't treat you well enough?"

Ren Qining gritted his teeth and endured it, saying in a deep voice: "Prince Ding, you are joking. I am a little tired after all the hard work."

"I see." Mo Xiuyao said with a smile, "I was not thoughtful enough. So...why don't you let the King of the Northern Territory go to the inn to rest first? I will then host a reception for the King of the Northern Jin in the evening?"

"No need for that. I'd better pay my respects to Mr. Qingyun first to show courtesy." Ren Qining said.

"Don't worry, King of the North. Grandfather will understand." What will he understand? Don't people in the North know etiquette?

"Prince Ding, is this the famous Princess Ding?" Seeing Ren Qining's increasingly ugly face, a gorgeously dressed woman beside Ren Qining asked. Mo Xiuyao seemed to have just noticed the two women beside Ren Qining, both of whom were good-looking. One of the women in blue looked delicate and gentle, and she was obviously a Central Plains woman. The bright and beautiful woman who was speaking did not have the white jade complexion of an average Central Plains woman, but a healthy tan skin color. Although she had a gorgeous appearance and a rather arrogant demeanor, she did not look arrogant.

Ye Li took a step forward and said with a smile: "I don't deserve to be so famous. I am Ye Li. I wonder who this person is..."

Ren Qining said: "This is my queen Helan, and this is Concubine Yun."

Ye Li smiled in her heart. Ren Qining's actions were quite fast. He had already replenished his wives and concubines in just a few months. However, he took his wife and concubines with him when he went out. I'm afraid the conflict between the locals in the Northern Territory and the people in the Central Plains has become very serious. Without looking at the woman in blue, Ye Li smiled at the gorgeous Queen Helan in a friendly manner and said, "Your Majesty, please come to Licheng. The Ding Palace is really a place of great splendor. King of the Northern Territory, Princess, please come in."

Queen Helan looked at Ye Li and smiled, "Although I don't quite understand what you're saying, I know you're praising me. Princess Ding, I like you very much." Ye Li couldn't help but smile and said, "Thank you, Queen, for your kindness. Please come in." Queen Helan was not polite either. She walked up to Ye Li and tried to hold her hand. Mo Xiuyao, who was standing next to her, frowned slightly and raised his hand to block Helan's hand. Queen Helan turned her eyes and raised her hand to hit Mo Xiuyao.

A slender hand came from between them and grasped her wrist. During this time, Ye Li looked at her with a smile and said, "Queen Helan, our prince has never liked to fight with women, so let me play with you."

Queen Helan's eyes lit up and she smiled, "Okay." She shook off Ye Li's grip on her wrist, and took out a colorful long whip she carried with her and smiled at Ye Li, "I heard in the North that the princess of Prince Ding's mansion is very capable, and I was thinking of fighting with you. I'm going to do it now." After saying that, she raised her arm and swung the long whip towards Ye Li. Ye Li smiled faintly, and moved lightly, and drew a long sword from Qin Feng's hand standing next to her. With a flick of the sword, the two of them fought together.

"Helan!" Queen Helan's sudden move obviously caught Ren Qining off guard. Her face darkened and she called out in a deep voice.

Mo Xiuyao didn't care, he looked at the two people fighting calmly, and said with a smile: "Don't worry, King of the North, just spar casually. Ah Li has always been sensible and will not hurt Queen Helan." Mo Xiuyao's words were definitely not mocking Ren Qining. Everyone present could see that although Queen Helan's kung fu was good, it was obviously far inferior to someone like Ye Li who fought hard on the battlefield.

Ren Qining said with a gloomy face, "The Queen is rude. Thank you, Prince Ding, for not blaming me."

Mo Xiuyao smiled faintly and turned his gaze to the two slim figures at the door.

The woman in blue standing next to Ren Qining was the concubine that Ren Qining had taken in when he was forced to marry Helan. She was the daughter of Ren Qining's trusted subordinates, so naturally she was much more favored than Queen Helan, who was born in a noble family in the northern border. But today at the gate of Prince Ding's mansion, both Prince Ding and Princess Ding ignored her unanimously, which made Concubine Yun, who was already a little arrogant because of her favor, a little embarrassed.

At this time, seeing that Prince Ding's Mansion and Queen Helan had captured everyone's attention, she felt even more unhappy and couldn't help but whisper, "Isn't it said that Princess Ding comes from a scholarly family? Why didn't she invite the guests in but instead started a fight at the door?" She thought she was speaking softly, but everyone present was a master with profound skills. Mo Xiuyao glanced at her calmly, with a hint of coldness in his eyes. Ye Li and Queen Helan, who were fighting, also separated at the moment she finished speaking and each returned to their original positions. Ye Li smiled and said, "Queen Helan is very skilled. Why don't we have a fight together when we have time?"

Queen Helan smiled and said, "Well, Princess Ding, you are indeed amazing. I admire you and would like to make you my friend!"

Ye Li smiled and said, "It is Ye Li's honor to have the princess as a friend. King of the North, Queen Helan, please come in."

Ren Qining looked at Ye Li deeply and said with a faint smile: "Thank you, Princess. It's been a long time since we last met. You look as energetic as ever."

Ye Li smiled elegantly, "Thank you, the King of the Northern Territory."