414. The Troublesome Throne

After the battle of Feihong Pass was decided, Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li set off to return to Licheng. Conquering the world depends on force, but governing the world cannot rely on force. Even with Master Qingchen in charge, there are still many things in Licheng that Mo Xiuyao needs to go back and deal with personally. Counting from last year when they left Licheng for the northern border, it has been a full ten months since the two of them left Licheng. Ten months may seem long, but pacifying the northern border, driving out the northern barbarians, defeating Nanchu and Xiling, so many things, the time is surprisingly short. With so many military achievements, no matter who it is, it is enough to use for three lifetimes. It only took Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li ten months. When everyone came to their senses and looked back at these incredible achievements, they could only sigh in amazement.

Ten months seemed short, but it was long. It was long enough for two children who had just turned one month old and could not even turn over to sit in the arms of adults, curiously looking around and learning to speak. When Ye Li saw the two babies in the arms of the two Mrs. Xu, she couldn't help but shed tears again. The two babies were fostered in the Xu family just after they turned one month old. They hadn't even seen their parents for nearly a year. How could Ye Li not feel guilty?

Fortunately, although they had hardly seen their parents, the two children were not shy. Madam Xu smiled and placed the little baby wearing a moon-white brocade blouse with white fox fur trim in Ye Li's hands, and said with a smile: "Lin'er, call mother... call mother..."

The little kid opened his big dark eyes and looked at Ye Li curiously. He felt that the embrace was sweet and soft with a very comfortable fragrance, which was different from the embrace of his aunt and aunt. But he liked it very much. The little kid made Ye Li smile widely and followed Madam Xu to shout, "Mother...Mother..."

"Lin'er can call people now?" Ye Li said in surprise, looking up at the baby in pink brocade clothes held by Madam Xu. Madam Xu smiled and said, "These two children are as smart as Xiaobao. Xin'er, call mother."

Xiao Xin'er giggled at Ye Li, her sweet face full of intimacy. She was obviously not shy at all, and she stretched out her little hand and called to Ye Li, "My Queen, hug me..."

Ye Li felt soft and cozy in her heart, as if something was slightly warming. She carefully took Xiao Xin'er into her arms and sat him down. Fortunately, both children were almost one year old, so they could sit comfortably in Ye Li's arms, one on each side. The two babies grew up together and had a good relationship. Not only did they not fight for being held in her arms, but they also held each other's hands in Ye Li's arms and babbled incomprehensible words.

Mo Xiuyao stood behind Ye Li, occasionally reaching out to help her hold the baby in her arms, with a faint smile on his lips, washing away the murderous aura that had just come down from the battlefield.

Mo Xiaobao stood beside Ye Li, looking at the two babies in Ye Li's arms with some regret. He had grown up and could no longer be hugged by his mother. At least... he could not be hugged by his younger brothers and sisters like his mother.

"Mom, Xiaobao misses you too." Mo Xiaobao looked at Ye Li eagerly.

Ye Li smiled and said, "Mother misses you too. Have you listened to your uncle these days?" Thinking of the time when she was sending Mo Xiaobao back to Licheng a few days ago, when Mo Xiaobao was about to leave, Ye Li felt guilty. Although it was for his safety, Mo Xiaobao was a very smart child. Even if no one told him at that time, he must have understood that the situation was very bad, so he followed the guards without saying anything. I'm afraid he must have been very worried these days.

Mo Xiaobao nodded repeatedly, "Xiaobao is the most obedient. If you don't believe me, ask my uncle." Mo Xiaobao became more and more naughty as he grew older, but he was also very smart. Even if he bullied someone who didn't have any skills, he couldn't find any evidence. In the entire Licheng, only Xu Qingchen could control him.

"Are you obedient? Who was the one who insisted on going to Feihong Pass yesterday?" Xu Qingchen's voice came from outside the door with a faint smile. Soon, a fairy-like young man in white clothes as white as snow appeared in front of everyone. There is a kind of person who is born to be favored by God. Even time seems to have frozen on him. If Mo Xiuyao has remained handsome for so many years because of his profound skills, then Xu Qingchen is a natural favorite favored by God. Xu Qingchen's youth does not make people feel immature. His handsome and elegant face and temperament make him seem to have the handsomeness of a young man and the calmness of a middle-aged man, but he is different from the solemnity of court officials who have been busy with paperwork for many years. There is also a leisurely feeling like a wild crane.

Xu Qingchen stepped into the hall and said with a smile: "In less than a year, we have defeated four countries in a row. This achievement is unprecedented. Congratulations, Your Majesty."

Mo Xiuyao smiled and said, "How could I be so relieved if Brother Qingchen hadn't been stationed in Licheng? Not to mention conquering the world." This was not an empty statement. As the saying goes, food and fodder come before troops move. The importance of military supplies to a war is self-evident. In the past year, it was precisely because of the Xu family members stationed in the northwest that the Mo family army had almost never been troubled by military supplies and fodder. With such logistical support, it would naturally be much easier to win a battle.

Xu Qingchen smiled faintly, not modestly. They were both smart people, so they could naturally tell which of the other's words were true and which were false. Moreover, considering the relationship between Ye Li and the Xu family, it would be hypocritical and distant to shirk modesty like an outsider.

Xu Qingchen sat down, and the two Xu ladies knew they were going to talk about business, so they got up and left. Ye Li had just returned, so she naturally couldn't bear to leave the two children, so the two children stayed. The two babies sat in Ye Li's arms, and they were not in a hurry to see the two aunts who had been taking them away, which made the second Xu lady laugh and scold the two little conscienceless people.

Mo Xiuyao took the cute little girl, who was wearing a pink brocade dress and silver anklets and bracelets, from Ye Li's arms and sat down beside Ye Li. After leaving her mother's arms, Xiao Xin'er did not cry, because she also liked this white man. Curiously, she grabbed Mo Xiuyao's long white hair and pulled it gently. Mo Xiuyao looked at his daughter helplessly, raised his hand and took out a jade bead that was beautifully carved and hollowed out in the middle, the size of a pigeon egg, and put it in her hand to play with. Xiao Xin'er did not dislike it, and lowered her head to play with the jade bead in her hand curiously.

Mo Xiaobao looked at his brother in his mother's arms and his sister in his father's arms, and then he moved to Xu Qingchen's side. Xu Qingchen smiled and shook his head, pointing to the seat next to him. Mo Xiaobao then sat down below Xu Qingchen.

The hall was quiet for a while, and then Xu Qingchen said, "You just came back, so I shouldn't bother you. But there is something that you still need your Highness to look at in person." Xu Qingchen took out a letter from his sleeve. Ye Li knew what it was at a glance. A giant wolf with bared fangs and claws was drawn on the bright yellow shell. This was a letter from the Northern Rong.

"What's going on with Beirong?" Ye Li asked with a frown. Ye Li never had a very good impression of Beirong people, even though they had some form of cooperation with the Beirong prince.

Mo Xiuyao held his daughter in one hand, and took the letter with one hand. He looked at it with wrinkled eyebrows and said, "Use Princess Ronghua to exchange for the remains of Yeluye and the Northern Rong soldiers?" Mo Xiuyao was silent for a long time, then raised his head and looked at Ye Li with some annoyance, "Where is Yeluye's remains?"

Ye Li was dumbfounded. She really didn't remember where Yeluye's body was. She was very busy at the time and cleaning up the battlefield was not her responsibility, so how could she remember such a thing?

Mo Xiuyao said somewhat dissatisfiedly: "Since they want to exchange Yelu Ye's body back, why did they come only now?" It has been such a long time, who knows where Yelu Ye's body has been put?

Xu Qingchen couldn't help but twitch his lips and said, "The Northern Rong was frozen for thousands of miles in winter. Now it's just the beginning of spring, and their envoys have already arrived in Licheng. It's fast." And the Northern Rong must also observe the situation. If the Mohist army is defeated by the Xiling and Da Chu coalition forces, who will exchange with you? Just send troops to fight again.

Mo Xiuyao nodded impatiently and said, "Okay, I understand. Tell them that they can exchange Yeluye and Beirong's soldiers for them. But only Princess Ronghua is not enough."

"What else do you want?" Xu Qingchen raised his eyebrows.

Mo Xiuyao smiled and said, "That depends on what Master Qingchen can get them to give out." Of course, the more benefits, the better. The Dingwang Mansion is rich enough to rival a country, but it can't handle so many people. What place doesn't cost money?

Xu Qingchen nodded and said, "I understand, but... can you find Yelu Ye's body?" With Mo Xiuyao's character, he knew without thinking that Yelu Ye's final fate would definitely not be to be buried in peace.

Mo Xiuyao looked at Xu Qingchen with a look of "are you stupid?" and asked, "Are Yeluye's ashes made of gold or are there any words engraved on them?"

It was the first time in his life that his brain was questioned, but Master Qingchen was willing to admit defeat: So are you planning to fool people with just some dust?

"Are you really planning to exchange Princess Ronghua back?" Xu Qingchen looked at Mo Xiuyao with some suspicion. In his impression, Mo Xiuyao was not a kind person unless there was something profitable. But Master Qingchen really couldn't think of any other benefits in Beirong that Mo Xiuyao could get. Forget about the land. Even if the Beirong people were willing to give it, there would be endless grasslands outside the border. Few people would be willing to live there. They would have to endure the plundering of the Beirong people from time to time for at least eight months a year. Now the Central Plains people haven't dealt with themselves yet, and Mo Xiuyao will never reach out at this time. Otherwise, it seems that there is nothing in Beirong that Mo Xiuyao would like.

Mo Xiuyao nodded and said, "Of course. Didn't the Beirong people say that Princess Ronghua is A-Li's adopted sister? If Princess Ding's adopted sister is harmed by the Beirong people, wouldn't it be the Ding Palace that will be embarrassed?"

"We all know that's not true." Xu Qingchen raised his eyebrows. Ye Li and Princess Ronghua's relationship was not bad, but it was not good enough to become sworn brothers.

Mo Xiuyao waved his hand and said, "That doesn't matter. By the way, it would be best to tell the Beirong people that I am very interested in their war horses."

"What if they don't agree?" The breed of war horses in the Central Plains has always been inferior to that of the Northern Rong or even the Western Regions. Even if precious horses from foreign countries are introduced, they will become much inferior over time. The Northern Rong and the Central Plains have been enemies for generations, and war horses are strictly prohibited from entering the Central Plains through any channels. Although the Ding Palace has secretly obtained some from various channels in recent years, the amount is really pitiful. No wonder Mo Xiuyao is so generous this time.

"Don't agree?" Mo Xiuyao sneered, "Then I will go get it myself."

"I understand." Xu Qingchen nodded, indicating that he understood Mo Xiuyao's determination. With Xu Qingchen's statement, Mo Xiuyao's expression immediately eased up and he put the matter aside. If Master Qingchen was willing to express his opinion, it meant that there was no problem in most cases.

After talking about Beirong, Xu Qingchen looked at Mo Xiuyao, raised his eyebrows and smiled, "Also, someone has been asking me about something these days. But... I don't know how to answer, so I'd like to ask for your opinion."

"What could possibly stump Master Qingchen?" Mo Xiuyao said indifferently. He obviously thought Xu Qingchen was too boring and was looking for trouble with him. Xu Qingchen played with the blue and white teacup in his hand, staring at Mo Xiuyao with his handsome eyes and said, "Someone asked me a long time ago when the prince planned to... take the throne."

"Ascend the throne?" Mo Xiuyao paused while playing with Xin'er's little hand and frowned, "Who said that I intend to ascend the throne?"

Xu Qingchen raised his eyebrows and said, "No one said it, but it's clear that some people think so."

"Including Master Qingchen?" Mo Xiuyao asked.

Xu Qingchen smiled without saying anything, the answer was obvious.

"I have no intention of ascending the throne." Mo Xiuyao said seriously. If he wanted to be the emperor, he would have done it a long time ago. Why did he drag it on for so many years? Xu Qingchen sighed softly and frowned slightly, saying, "You should know the pros and cons of this." Young Master Qingchen simply looked at it from the perspective of governing the world. The so-called legitimate name, Mo Xiuyao has nothing wrong, and it is inevitable that he will rule the world. But as long as he does not ascend the throne, he will lack that name. This does not prevent Mo Xiuyao from controlling Dingwang Mansion and even all the territories currently occupied by Dingwang Mansion, but it always makes people feel a little uneasy.

Moreover, because it was not a formal court, the ranks of officials under Prince Ding's palace were also in a disarray. In all these years, no mistakes had been made in the chaos, and even Prince Qingchen himself was very surprised.

"Even if you, Prince Ding, have no idea about the throne, you should consider the feelings of those who follow you." So many people are loyal to the Prince Ding's Mansion for loyalty, but it is definitely not just for loyalty. Although Master Qingchen does not care about fame, wealth and power, he does not despise those who value power and work hard for fame and fortune. Cultivate literary and martial arts, and sell them to the imperial family. This is a concept that has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people for thousands of years. In the eyes of the world, only the royal family is orthodox. Only by serving the royal family can you have a true origin. Today's Prince Ding's Mansion is no longer the Prince Ding's Mansion of the past. Now, Prince Ding's Mansion not only has those generals who have been loyal to Prince Ding's Mansion for generations, but also more people and families who come to seek refuge.

"Why? Master Qingchen also has this intention? How about I appoint you as the Prime Minister?" Mo Xiuyao looked at Xu Qingchen with a full smile. Xu Qingfeng lifted his eyelids calmly, "Thank you very much, I can't afford it."

Mo Xiuyao raised his eyebrows and gave him a slightly smug look. So, if I ascend the throne and become the emperor, and appoint all the officials and everything goes well, wouldn't the Xu family immediately resign and retire? Do you think I'm a fool? A young master Qingchen is worth half of the court, not to mention the entire Xu family...

More importantly, what is the purpose of ascending the throne? As an emperor, I have to attend court every morning and listen to the ministers quarreling over trivial matters. If I don't attend court for a day, my ears will be numb by the noise of the ministers. It's so good now. I can deal with things when there are things to do, and do whatever I want when there are no things to do. It's not necessary for a prince to attend court every day, right?

If Xu Qingchen didn't understand what Mo Xiuyao was thinking, he would have lived in vain for so many years. He ignored him and looked at Ye Li and said with a smile: "What do you think, Ah Li?" Ye Li teased the baby and said with a smile: "For this matter, you can just ask Xiuyao, big brother."

Mo Xiuyao looked at Xu Qingchen proudly and said, "Ali and I are husband and wife, so naturally we should follow each other's lead. However...if Ali wants to be the queen, I don't mind ascending the throne."

Ye Li frowned slightly. She knew that Xu Qingchen was willing to say all this for their own good. After all, even if Xu Qingchen didn't say it, someone would definitely bring it up soon. But... Ye Li had thought about becoming the empress, but she was really not that enthusiastic. In her current situation, being the empress would not be better for her, but would bring many more constraints. This constraint was not given to her by Mo Xiuyao or anyone else, but was a specific constraint of this generation.

"Don't think about it. I have already made up my mind." Seeing Ye Li frowning, Mo Xiuyao immediately slammed the table and made the decision, "Ah Li, can we not be the queen? Let Mo Xiaobao make you the queen mother in the future."

Xu Qingchen raised his eyebrows. Mo Xiuyao's words, apart from anything else, at least made it clear that the next heir of Prince Ding's Mansion, or even the future master of the world, would undoubtedly be Mo Xiaobao.

Looking at the two parties involved, Xu Qingchen sighed softly and said, "Forget it, just keep it in mind. No matter what... Li'er, the Xu family will support you." Ye Li nodded gently and smiled, "Brother, I know." She knew that the Xu family had always stood behind her and supported her. If it weren't for the Xu family, even if she was more capable, it would be difficult for so many people in Prince Ding's mansion to submit. The noble family background of the Xu family and the grandfather, uncle and cousin of the Xu family, who were extremely powerful in the eyes of the world, have always been her strongest backing.

Xu Qingchen stood up and said to the two of them, "Even if we don't consider ascending the throne, Lin'er and Xin'er will soon be one year old. I'm afraid we have to hold a big ceremony this year." Whether it's to reward the three armies or for people from all sides who want to inquire about the situation. Even if we don't hold it, those who are supposed to come will still come, but they will come uninvited.

Mo Xiuyao nodded and said, "I understand. I will do as you say."

When Xu Qingchen went out, Mo Xiaobao knew that his father and mother had something to say, so he followed him out in a flash.

In the hall, Ye Li smiled at Mo Xiuyao and said, "Xiuyao, you really don't plan to..." Mo Xiuyao smiled and said, "I never planned to be an emperor." He stood up and held the little baby in his arms and walked to Ye Li's side. They squeezed into a chair and sat down. Mo Xiuyao teased his daughter and smiled at Ye Li, "We are living so well now, why do we have to make so many things worse? We have lived like this for the past few years. I don't believe that we will not be able to live like this in a few years. When the time comes, let Mo Xiaobao worry about it." Anyway, in the past two years, the Xu family's education of Mo Xiaobao has begun to lean towards the way of the emperor. Isn't it just right for him to become an emperor after teaching him? He, Mo Xiuyao, has never learned how to be an emperor.

Ye Li looked at him with a half-smile and said, "Aren't you afraid that Xiaobao will hate you in the future?"

Mo Xiuyao said righteously: "I am cultivating his abilities. If I can do everything for him, what is the point of him?" How can ready-made things be so easy to pick up? Most importantly, he has worked hard for most of his life, so why should he let Mo Xiaobao live a peaceful and stable life?

Ye Li sighed softly and said, "I don't care about you, go and talk to those people yourself."

Mo Xiuyao looked at Ye Li with a smile and said, "I know that even if I don't become the emperor, Ah Li will be happy too. Right?"

Ye Li did not hide it and nodded generously, "I am indeed very happy that you are not the emperor." Although saying this is a bit unfair to those generals and subordinates who fought hard for Dingwang Mansion. But Ye Li must admit that Mo Xiuyao is right. What is an emperor? The Son of Heaven, the son of heaven, the ruler of the world. But in the end, it will no longer belong to any one person alone. Not to mention that by then, there will surely be many people fighting for things like the three palaces and six courtyards. Ye Li did not want to compete with any woman for Mo Xiuyao. After all, she was not a woman born and raised in this era. Mo Xiuyao can only be all hers, or none of hers. There is no possibility of having more or less of hers. Ye Li smiled faintly in her heart. She loved him...so, she was unwilling to share with others.

"Isn't that good? Mo Xiaobao is already nine years old. In a few years at most, we can hand over Prince Ding's Mansion to him. By then, whether they want the emperor or something else is none of our business. After so many years... I am also very tired. Ah Li, you won't be so cruel as to make me get up before dawn every day to attend the morning court, right? Speaking of which, in fact, I felt that the position of emperor... is simply not a job for humans. You get up earlier than chickens and sleep later than dogs. You can't eat this or do that. You may not marry the woman you like, and you may not like the woman you marry. If you make a mistake, you will be scolded by the historian, but you have to endure it and show that you are open-minded and magnanimous. Otherwise, the historian will record you harshly in the history books..."

"Okay, the more you talk, the worse it gets." Ye Li didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but she had to admit that what Mo Xiuyao said made some sense. More importantly, she felt much more relieved after hearing what Mo Xiuyao said, "Just make sure you don't regret it."

"Then... Ah Li must stick with me. We won't be the emperor and empress. When Mo Xiaobao ascends the throne, we will be the emperor and empress dowager... eh?!" Mo Xiuyao was talking happily when his face suddenly froze. Ye Li looked at him strangely, "What's wrong?"

Mo Xiuyao held Xiao Xin'er in his hands with a stiff face. The little girl looked at her mother with innocent dark eyes.

There was a large water stain on the snow-white clothes of His Royal Highness Prince Ding, and a lot of water had quietly fallen from the hem.