333. Princess Ronghua's Choice

Looking at the woman in white with a light veil fluttering across her face, Ye Li's smile deepened, but if you look closely, you can see that there is a hint of coldness in her smile. Looking at the people around Yeluye with a half-smile, Ye Li smiled and said, "Come to think of it, the Seventh Princess looks very familiar to me. Crown Princess, what do you think?"

Princess Ronghua smiled, glanced at the woman opposite her and said, "That's right. I was shocked when we first met. I thought..."

"Sister-in-law!" Yeluye's face was humble, and he interrupted Princess Ronghua abruptly. Princess Ronghua didn't bother with him. Many things can be understood as long as the meaning is conveyed. It is not necessary to speak directly. After listening to Ye Li and Princess Ronghua, Mo Xiuyao turned his gaze to the woman beside Yeluye and frowned slightly. Ye Li reached out and held his hand and smiled faintly: "Does the prince also think that the seventh princess looks familiar?"

Mo Xiuyao glanced at it calmly and said, "I don't have any impression."

Although the answer was contrary to what Ye Li and Princess Ronghua meant, Ye Li's smile became even happier. After all, no woman likes her husband to remember another woman's appearance, even if it's because he hates her. Mo Xiuyao could also see that Ye Li seemed to be in a very good mood, and his originally wrinkled brows gradually relaxed.

Qing Yina, who was sitting below, changed color because of Mo Xiuyao's few words. If she hadn't been wearing a veil, I'm afraid everyone present would have been frightened by her ferocious look. Her half-closed eyes flashed with a mad and malicious light.

Although the relationship with Beirong was not good, it was still necessary to treat them well since they were guests at the Ding Palace. After exchanging a few pleasantries with Yelu Hong and Yelu Ye, Ye Li stood up and took Princess Ronghua and Qing Yina to talk somewhere else. After all, the things the men wanted to talk about were a bit boring for the two women, and given the relationship between Ye Li and Princess Ronghua, it was only natural for them to talk in private. It was just that they were a little uncomfortable with the silent and unfriendly Seventh Imperial Concubine following behind them. Princess Ronghua obviously had no good feelings for this future sister-in-law.

"Qing Yina, Princess Ding and I have something to say. Is it okay for you to step aside for a while?" Princess Ronghua still has a bit of the arrogance and arrogance she had in the capital of Chu. She nonchalantly ordered the woman she disliked to leave.

Qing Yina glanced at her coldly. Although there was displeasure in her eyes, she obviously did not want to really have a conflict with Princess Ronghua. Ye Li smiled and said, "It just so happens that I haven't seen the princess for many years. The flower garden of Prince Ding's mansion is still acceptable. Please go to the garden first. If there is any impoliteness, please forgive me." After saying that, she raised her hand to call Qingshuang and the aide who had just returned a few days ago and said, "You can accompany the guests to walk in the flower garden."

Qingshuang had become very smart and clever over the years. She understood what Ye Li meant and smiled, "I obey your order. Please come this way, young lady." Although she was already in her twenties, A-Jian was still as taciturn as before. She just glanced at Qing Yina and stood silently behind Qingshuang. Qing Yina glanced at Ye Li, but turned away without saying anything.

After driving away the annoying person, Princess Ronghua finally revealed a relaxed smile and said, "Finally he left. He looked like a ghost and made people feel uncomfortable."

The two of them strolled in the garden. Ye Li asked softly, "Is that really the case..." Princess Ronghua nodded and said, "That's right. When we first met, I thought I had made a mistake. We just looked similar. But looking at her expression and attitude, how many women in this world are as annoying as her?" She pouted in disgust. She had completely forgotten that her arrogance in Chujing was no less than that of the woman. "But I didn't expect that she actually escaped, and I don't know how she hooked up with Yelu Ye." This "she" was naturally referring to Concubine Liu Gui, who had been missing after escaping from the palace. Ye Li didn't expect that Concubine Liu Gui would become the future princess of the seventh prince of Beirong.

Princess Ronghua originally had no feelings towards Concubine Liu Gui, but no matter how much she hated Mo Jingqi for marrying her to Beirong, she was still a member of the royal family of Dachu and Mo Jingqi's cousin. Seeing that Concubine Liu Gui had faked her own death and escaped after Mo Jingqi's death, and even hooked up with Yelu Ye, her husband's political enemy, how could Princess Ronghua like her?

"Don't be fooled by her arrogant look. She is really good at seducing men. Not only is Yelu Ye devoted to her, but even the King of Beirong admires her." Princess Ronghua was also angry when she mentioned this. Yelu Hong and Yelu Ye were the two sons that the King of Beirong valued the most. The King of Beirong liked Qing Yina, so he would naturally value Yelu Ye more, which was naturally not good for Yelu Hong.

Ye Li smiled, looked at her angry face and said, "It seems that the princess has had a good relationship with the Crown Prince of Beirong over the years?"

Princess Ronghua blushed, glared at Ye Li angrily, and said unhappily: "You are here to tease me, everyone knows that Prince Ding and Princess Ding are the envied couple of gods and goddesses in the world." Ye Li smiled and said: "You can also tease me, Mo Xiuyao and I have a good relationship, are you jealous?" Princess Ronghua was so angry that she felt blocked in her heart, and said angrily: "The relationship between me and the prince is also very good!"

Ye Li looked calm, smiling slightly at Princess Ronghua. But the smile on Princess Ronghua's face gradually faded, and she looked at Ye Li and said seriously, "Don't worry, I promised you and Prince Ding that I will never go back on my promise."

Ye Li said softly, "As far as I know, the princess and the Crown Prince of Beirong already have two children. Princess, is it really okay? If there are any difficulties, I hope that the princess will bring them up first, rather than causing any trouble later. I believe the princess understands what I mean." If there are any difficulties, please bring them up now so that everyone can discuss it. If Princess Ronghua regrets it in the future and causes any losses to Prince Ding's Mansion, then Prince Ding's Mansion will not be polite.

Princess Ronghua took a deep breath and said in a deep voice: "Please rest assured, Princess. I am the princess of Da Chu. Even though Da Chu has already... And, although the prince and I have a very good relationship, but... if the prince succeeds to the throne in the future, my child will definitely not be the prince's heir." The people of the Central Plains certainly look down on the barbarians outside the Great Wall, but those ethnic groups outside the Great Wall may not look up to the people of the Central Plains, or even more seriously. The rejection of foreign blood by the Northern Rong royal family can be said to be almost pathological. No matter how outstanding the child she gave birth to, it would never be possible for him to ascend to the throne of the Northern Rong king. Therefore, even though Yelu Hong treated her well, he also married many concubines, and even valued the children born by those Northern Rong women more. Being in the royal family, Princess Ronghua knew very well the saying "love fades with beauty", and since ancient times, there has been a saying that the love of a beauty is cut off before she is old. When Yelu Hong no longer has feelings for her in the future, Prince Ding's Mansion will be the greatest support for her and her children.

Ye Li calmly looked at Princess Ronghua for a long time, and finally nodded and said, "I believe you, Princess. Actually, you don't have to worry now. The positions of Prince Ding's Mansion and Prince Yelu are not opposite. Now, Prince Ding's Mansion has no interest in the grasslands outside the Great Wall. We just want to drive back the Beirong army entrenched in the north. I'm sure you know what Yelu Ye did with his troops in the north."

Princess Ronghua nodded heavily. She was a princess of the Great Chu who married into the Northern Rong. The fall of the Great Chu would not benefit her in any way. Ever since Mo Jingli led the Great Chu court to move south, her position in the Northern Rong has been somewhat precarious. That is why she followed Yelu Hong to Li City. As long as the Ding Palace acknowledged her existence, the stronger the Ding Palace became, the safer it would be for her. "The Crown Prince has mentioned the withdrawal of troops to the Northern Rong King many times, but the Northern Rong King saw that the Seventh Prince was making great progress and did not unify the Crown Prince's suggestion." Ye Li smiled and said, "Although the Northern Rong army has been blocked by the Mo family army and cannot move forward, Yelu Yebi still conquered a large area of ​​territory for the Northern Rong. In this case, the Crown Prince's position is probably a little unstable, right?"

Princess Ronghua looked at Ye Li, nodded in amazement and said, "Princess, you are right. This is also the reason why the Crown Prince was reluctant to let the Seventh Prince lead the army. In the army, the Seventh Prince has always been in the upper hand. If he can achieve such military exploits again, I am afraid that more people will support him. By then, the Crown Prince..."

Ye Li said softly: "The Mohist Army can provide some help to the Prince of Beirong."

"So...what do the prince and princess want the prince to do?" Princess Ronghua asked. Pies don't fall from the sky for no reason. If you want to get something, you always have to pay something.

Ye Li smiled and said, "Well... the prince will naturally discuss this with the Northern Rong Crown Prince. Princess just needs to put in some effort at the right time to get the Northern Rong Crown Prince to make a decision early. Knowing too much will only make the Crown Prince suspicious."

Princess Ronghua hesitated for a moment, and had to admit that what Ye Li said made sense, so she nodded in agreement.

After sending someone to escort the Prince of Beirong and his entourage back to the inn for settlement, Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao returned to their room hand in hand.

"How did Concubine Liu meet Yeluye?" Ye Li leaned in Mo Xiuyao's arms, thinking and asking curiously. Mo Xiuyao leaned lazily on the couch, holding a scroll in his hand and reading it, and one hand kept playing with Ye Li's hair, saying lightly: "When Mo Jingqi died, Beirong sent Yeluye, so it's not surprising if Concubine Liu was saved by him."

"But don't you think it's strange that Yelu Ye is so obsessed with Concubine Liu? Yelu Ye is as scheming and capable as Yelu Hong. It always makes people feel a little weird that he is so obsessed with a concubine who escaped from the Great Chu." This is really something Ye Li can't understand. If it comes to obsession, it is more believable that Yelu Hong, who looks more gentle, is obsessed with Concubine Liu than Yelu Ye.

Mo Xiuyao put down the book, frowned and thought for a while, then said: "It is very likely that Concubine Liu has something that Yelu Ye values. Don't you think Yelu Ye's previous attacks were too smooth?" The Northern Rong have always been an important target of defense for the Great Chu, but Yelu Ye's success was smoother than Ren Qining in the Northern Border, which was surprising. However, at that time, the Great Chu was surrounded by enemies on three sides and was defeated all the way, so no one thought about these problems carefully.

"Could it be that Concubine Liu..." is collaborating with the enemy and selling out the country.

"It's very likely." Mo Xiuyao said calmly, "The Liu family is an important official in the court, although they have never produced any talents who can lead troops to fight. But Mo Jingqi values ​​civil affairs over military affairs, and the people of the Liu family know quite a few military secrets." Although her expression did not change, Ye Li could already hear the murderous intent in Mo Xiuyao's voice, and frowned, "If that's the case, what are you going to do?"

Mo Xiuyao said, "If so, she doesn't have to leave Licheng anymore. Before that... where should Mo Xiaoyun and Zhenning be placed?" After all, Mo Xiaoyun is the prince of the Great Chu. Although he has personally appeared in Chujing, it is not suitable for him to live there anymore. Naturally, he has to move to Licheng, the base camp of Prince Ding's Mansion. Ye Li said, "Place them in a mansion in the city. Li Xu Mansion and General Lu Mansion are unwilling." Mo Xiuyao nodded and smiled, "Very good, let someone pass the news to Mo Xiaoyun and Zhenning. Since their own mother is here, they can't be kept in the dark."

Thinking of Princess Zhenning whose face was disfigured, Ye Li sighed in her heart. Ye Li had also seen the two children when they first arrived in Licheng. Because Ye Li had saved Princess Zhenning's life, Mo Xiaoyun and Princess Zhenning both respected her. Ye Li could see clearly the hatred in Princess Zhenning's heart when she mentioned Concubine Liu Gui.

"I see. What do you think of the Beirong Crown Prince?"

Mo Xiu Yao lowered his eyes and said, "Compared to Yelu Ye, Yelu Hong's ambition is much smaller. But this is also related to his calm character, which is different from the Beirong people. He sees things more clearly than Yelu Ye. If he is interested, he will naturally come to us to talk." Ye Li nodded and exhaled softly. Dealing with these princes and nobles these days was actually a bit more difficult than being on the battlefield.

Mo Xiuyao lowered his head, looked at Ye Li and said softly: "Are you tired, A-Li?"

Shaking her head, Ye Li smiled faintly and said, "I just think these things are too complicated. It's better to just deal with them on the battlefield." Mo Xiu Yao said softly, "If A Li doesn't like it, you can leave it to me and Xu Qingchen to deal with it. Don't force it." Ye Li shook her head, leaned against Mo Xiu Yao, closed her eyes and rested.

"Prince, Princess, Lin Han requests to see you." Lin Han's voice was heard from outside the door.

Mo Xiuyao raised his eyes and said calmly, "Come in."

Lin Han stepped into the room, glanced at the prince and princess leaning against each other, then lowered his eyes and said seriously, "Princess, Princess Li just went to the Ye Mansion." Ye Li sat up, glared at Mo Xiuyao who was rubbing against her in dissatisfaction, and asked, "Is there any problem?" Lin Han looked straight ahead and said, "The secret guards found someone in the Ye family and felt that they should report it to the prince and princess."

"Oh? Who?" Ye Li asked curiously. He really couldn't imagine what would attract the attention of the secret guards when the Ye family had fallen to such a state.

Lin Han said: "Ye Yue."

"What?" Ye Li was stunned. Even Mo Xiuyao raised his head and his face darkened. Ye Li looked at Lin Han with a serious expression and said lightly, "Tell me carefully."

Lin Han said: "After Princess Li returned to the Ye Mansion, she talked to the Ye family and was then taken back to her room by Ye Wangshi to talk alone. Princess Li and Ye Wangshi had a disagreement and started arguing. The secret guards hiding in the mansion discovered that a maid in Ye Wangshi's room was a little strange. The image sent showed that the girl was 70% similar to Ye Yue who was burned to death in the palace fire that year."

"Ye Wenhua is so brave." Mo Xiuyao's voice was a little sinister, and Lin Han, who was standing next to him, couldn't help but feel cold in his heart. The fire in the palace that year caused Ye Li to disappear for a long time. The impact of that incident on Mo Xiuyao's heart was not to be underestimated. Even Mo Xiuyao didn't expect Ye Wenhua to dare to hide Ye Yue.

Ye Li frowned slightly, "Maybe he doesn't know." It's not that Ye Li felt that Ye Wenhua had a deep father-daughter relationship with her, but Ye Wenhua didn't seem like someone who would take such a risk for his daughter.

Mo Xiuyao sneered and said, "Don't know? Ye Yue is in Ye Wangshi's room. Even if he didn't know in advance, wouldn't he have doubted it for so long?" Therefore, even if Ye Wenhua was not the main messenger, he would definitely turn a blind eye to it. Ye Li nodded and sighed, "I know. I will go to Ye Mansion in person later." If it was really Ye Yue, who helped Ye Yue escape death? Why did she hide in Ye Mansion? It's impossible that she just wanted to hide her identity for the rest of her life. If so, she wouldn't have come to Licheng. Licheng is under the eyes of Dingwang Mansion, so it's not a good place to hide your identity.

"Your Highness, Princess. Someone surrounding Princess Li wants to see you." Someone outside the door reported.

Ye Li raised her eyebrows slightly, "Let her in."

Soon, an inconspicuous little girl was brought in. When she saw Ye Li, she immediately rushed forward and knelt on the ground and said, "Princess, please ask Princess Ding to save our princess."

"What's going on?" Ye Li frowned, but she was a little worried. She spent a lot of effort to cultivate Ye Ying, not for her to fail here. The little girl cried and said, "Our princess went to the Ye Mansion to pay respect to the old lady and Master Ye and Madam Ye, and then she left the Ye family angrily, saying that she was going to Dingwang Mansion. But as soon as she left the house, she was taken back to the inn by Master Wang. I...I am a maid who does rough work in the palace. I didn't want to attract attention, so I sneaked out to report the news to the princess."

While the little girl was talking, another secret guard from Prince Ding's mansion came to report that Ye Li had been taken back to the inn by Prince Li and was under house arrest.

Although it was difficult to place a person among Mo Xiuyao's close associates, there were many people from Ding Wangfu in the inn. These could not be hidden from Ding Wangfu. The secret guard quickly told the story, and it was exactly the same as what the little girl said. Ye Li thought for a moment and said, "Ye Ying knew the news about Ye Yue and wanted to go to Ding Wangfu to tell us, so she was put under house arrest by Mo Jingli? But this is not right... Why did Ye Ying sell out her own sister for us?"

Mo Xiuyao said: "Of course it's because Ye Yue's interests conflict with hers. Ye Yue is Mo Jingqi's favorite concubine, and we are not sure whether she is Mo Jingqi's or the Queen Mother's. She is not useless to Mo Jingli."

After hearing this, Ye Li suddenly realized what was going on. After thinking for a while, he said to the secret guard, "Go back and tell Princess Li to make a scene with Prince Li. The more she makes a scene, the less Prince Li will doubt her. Also, let her think about it carefully. Even if it is really Ye Yue, as long as she can keep herself stable, it will not threaten her position." The secret guard nodded silently, turned around and walked out.

Ye Li also stood up and looked at Mo Xiuyao and said, "It seems that I really have to go to the Ye Mansion."

Mo Xiuyao stopped her and said, "If we go to Mo Jingli now, he will be suspicious. There are people watching over the Ye Mansion and we won't be able to get out of this mess. Let's go tomorrow."

In the inn, Ye Ying waved her hand to let the maid who suddenly appeared in her room leave. She slowly wiped the tears from her face and sat up. "Someone come!" After a while, a guard appeared at the door. "Princess, the prince has ordered that you should not go out casually."

Ye Ying said coldly: "This princess is not going out. Go and ask the prince to come over. Just tell him that this princess has something to tell you."

The guard hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded when he saw Ye Ying's rare cold expression and went to report to Mo Jingli. Watching the guard leave, Ye Ying closed the door again, and a resentful light appeared in her once gentle eyes. The corners of her lips, which were bitten and white, trembled slightly, "Second sister... Second sister... Why don't you just die?!"

Ye Ying couldn't help but look grim when she recalled that she suddenly saw her second sister who she thought had passed away in the Ye Mansion today. What she could not have imagined was that her mother and grandmother would actually make such a request. And her second sister... is really her good second sister! The third sister is right... Ye Ying slowly calmed down the anger in her heart, and forced a smile on her face. Gradually, the person in the bronze mirror on the table smiled more and more naturally, with a hint of grievance and tenderness. The third sister is right, as long as she can stay stable, no one will ever be able to surpass her position, at least... Princess Qixia can't, and Ye Yue can't!

After a while, Mo Jingli pushed the door open and walked in, looking unfriendly and asking, "What else do you want?"

Ye Ying threw herself into Mo Jingli's arms with tears in her eyes, sobbing. Mo Jingli frowned and looked coldly at the woman crying in his arms. Ye Ying grabbed Mo Jingli's clothes with one hand and cried, "Prince, Prince, please don't treat Ying'er like this. Ying'er knows she is wrong."

Mo Jingli pushed her away and sneered, "Do you know you're wrong? What did you want to see at Prince Ding's Mansion just now? Do you want to tell Mo Xiuyao about what happened at the Ye family?"

Ye Ying shook her head repeatedly and said, "Your Highness has wronged me. Ying'er is not familiar with Prince Ding. I just... wow, if Your Highness and Second Sister do this, where do they put Ying'er? Even Mother and Grandfather help Second Sister, Ying'er feels wronged... Third Sister said that if there is any grievance, she can talk to her. All of you have bullied me, what's wrong with me wanting to cry with Third Sister? Your Highness, you are so cruel... Ying'er has been with you for so many years, and our child is still missing, and you... you can't wait... wow..."

Hearing Ye Li's name, Mo Jingli was slightly stunned and asked, "What's the difference between telling Ye Li and telling Mo Xiuyao?"

Ye Ying shouted: "Why can't I tell anyone about the shameful things you did?!"

Mo Jingli frowned and looked at Ye Ying for a long time before finally saying, "What nonsense are you talking about? Ye Yue is still useful, not what you think?"

Ye Ying didn't believe it. "Really? The prince really has no intention of taking my second sister into the palace?"

Mo Jingli said coldly, "I am not so hungry as to want a middle-aged woman. Ye Yue is useful to me, so you must not make trouble." As if she really believed what Mo Jingli said, Ye Ying wiped her tears and looked at him pitifully and said, "I know, Ying'er is wrong. But this matter cannot be blamed entirely on Ying'er. If people knew that my second sister and the prince...how can I still have the face to stay in Prince Li's mansion?"

Seeing her delicate appearance, tears slightly lingering on her eyelashes, a look of grievance and worry, Mo Jingli's expression also eased a lot. After all, he had some real feelings for Ye Ying back then. He nodded and said, "It's good that you understand. Don't tell anyone about this. You can go to Dingwang Mansion more often in the future. Rest in the inn for the next two days."

Ye Ying nodded obediently, "I understand."