416. People are always seeking profit

Watching Ye Li leave, Hua Tianxiang and the other two looked at each other with some worry, and sighed helplessly. Every family has its own problems, even a couple like Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao, who can be said to be the most powerful couple in the world, will also have times when they have no choice.

Murong Ting sighed and said, "Fortunately, Leng Er doesn't have any great ability, and no one forces him to marry or take concubines." As for those blind people who want to come to her door, she naturally has ways to deal with them. But a situation like the Dingwang Mansion cannot be solved by just driving those people out like she did.

Qin Zheng also sighed quietly. Murong Ting paused and looked at Hua Tianxiang and said, "Prince Ding has been reluctant to ascend the throne. Could it really be because of this?" Hua Tianxiang glanced at her and said, "Even if it's not all of it, it should be a little bit. But... forget about it after hearing it here. Don't spread it outside, including to Leng Haoyu!"

Murong Ting rolled her eyes at him. "Of course I know. Do you think I'm an idiot? These people are so annoying. Why didn't they marry their daughters to Prince Ding when Prince Ding's mansion was in decline? Now that Prince Ding has the whole world in his hands, they come rushing in and talk about etiquette and clan law... They are actually secretly trying to help the Xu family gain power over their relatives by marriage. It's really..."

Qin Zheng smiled and patted the back of her hand and said, "Okay, I'm not angry, why should you be angry? Since Li'er knows what's going on, we can't help much, just watch."

Murong Ting chuckled and said, "Who said we can't help? At least I have convinced a few girls not to marry Prince Ding."

Hua Tianxiang raised her eyebrows, "Do you have such eloquence?" Prince Ding is now the future emperor. Not to mention that Murong Ting's eloquence is really not that good, even if she is really eloquent, she may not be able to convince those women who are vying to become the emperor's concubine.

Murong Ting snorted, "They were so overwhelmed that they forgot who Prince Ding was. Prince Ding is not someone who would not kill a woman. I told them about the various fates of women who admired Prince Ding, and several of them said on the spot that they did not want to be his concubines anymore."

Qin Zheng didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Ting'er, do you think they can decide whether to marry Prince Ding or not? What's the point of scaring them?"

Murong Ting was stunned, and lowered her head in frustration. Isn't it true? In this world, how many things can women decide? Women who want to marry Prince Ding as a concubine certainly yearn for glory and wealth, but even if they don't want to marry, what can they do? In the final analysis, they have no choice whether to marry or not.

Ye Li stood outside the study and did not go in immediately. Before she entered the study, she heard Mo Xiuyao's voice coming from inside. When Mo Xiuyao was really angry, he was very calm, but such calmness was often accompanied by shocking blood and rain. Perhaps it was for this reason that Xu Qingchen secretly ordered someone to invite her over. After all, the war was just beginning and the world was not really at peace. Xu Qingchen did not want to hear that King Ding had killed his meritorious officials, although Master Qingchen did not think that many of the people here had any merits.

"What's wrong with not ascending the throne? You don't need to live anymore? In the past few years, there has been no emperor in the northwest, and no one has died without one." Mo Xiuyao said calmly, "The country cannot be without a king for a day? If that's the case, what do you need to do?"

"Your Highness..." Apparently some people still wanted to continue giving advice.

Ye Li saw that if she didn't go in, Mo Xiuyao would really explode. So she pushed open the door of the study and walked in slowly, "What's wrong, Prince? I heard you getting angry before I even walked in?"

Mo Xiuyao glared at Xu Qingchen unhappily, but Xu Qingchen smiled without saying anything.

"Ah Li, why are you here?" Mo Xiuyao got down from his seat, stretched out his hand and pulled Ye Li, asking softly. Ye Li smiled faintly and said, "I remembered something I wanted to discuss with the prince, so I came here. Isn't it the right time for me to come?"

Mo Xiuyao pulled her forward and said, "It's nothing, sit down and talk. If you have nothing else to do, please leave."

Seeing Mo Xiuyao pulling Ye Li to sit down on the main seat, the people below couldn't help but frown, and some even showed some dissatisfaction. As for those confidants of Prince Ding's Mansion, they quickly lowered their heads and wished they could dig a hole and bury themselves in it, complaining in their hearts: If you want to die, you should wait until we leave.

"Your Highness, we are discussing matters with you!" An old man with gray hair came forward and said in a deep voice. Ye Li took a glance and felt that he looked familiar but not too familiar. He seemed to be from a famous family in the Great Chu, and he was also a veteran of two dynasties. When the Northern Rong invaded, he came to Dingwang Mansion because it was closer to the northwest. However, he had not done anything so it was natural that Ye Li did not know his name.

Mo Xiuyao glanced at him unhappily and said calmly, "Meeting? I've been sitting here listening to all your nonsense so early in the morning. Do you think I have nothing to do? If you have any problems in the future, come back and tell me after you've argued and come up with the result!"

The old gentleman was nearly choked by Mo Xiuyao's words, "How can the coronation ceremony be nonsense?!" In the eyes of the old gentleman who has studied all his life and claims to be a descendant of poetry and calligraphy, is there anything more important than becoming the king of a country?

Next to him, several confidants of Prince Ding looked at the old gentleman with sympathy and consciously leaned back to avoid being affected by the prince's anger. For Prince Ding, ascending the throne was really not a big deal. If he wanted to be the emperor, Prince Ding would have ascended the throne a few years ago.

Mo Xiuyao said impatiently: "Who told you there was a coronation ceremony? Two years ago, you were crying and shouting that you were a loyal minister of the Great Chu. How come you are so eager to serve the emperor when the Great Chu hasn't been destroyed yet? You want a coronation ceremony, right? It just so happens that there is a coronation ceremony in Jiangnan at this time. I will send someone to take you there. Maybe you can catch up and have a drink?"

"Prince...Prince?" These words, to the ears of these former great Chu nobles, were definitely words of disrespect. But Mo Xiuyao was angry at the moment, so he didn't care about their pale faces. He sneered and said, "Want to send your daughter to Prince Ding's mansion? Sure! My beloved concubine is still in need of a few maids to serve tea, wash feet and fold quilts! If it's really not possible, you can give them the work of washing and sweeping in the mansion, and save the Prince Ding's mansion the money of buying more maids."

"But Prince, having three wives and four concubines is common sense in ancient and modern times. In the past, Prince was busy with many things and had no time to take care of these things, but now the world is peaceful, if there is only one princess in Prince's mansion, it would be... it would be a loss of face for Prince Ding's mansion." Someone still said unwillingly, this time it was a former official of Da Chu, who was once a senior official of the Shangshu. However, he had always been ambiguous, neither offending Prince Ding's mansion nor Mo Jingqi. After Da Chu moved south, he brought his family to the northwest, which was considered a good bet.

Ye Li didn't take these people seriously. What really worried Ye Li were those former officials of the Mohist Army who were also eager to try.

Many of these people have been with Dingwang Mansion for generations. Although unlike Feng Zhiyao and Leng Haoyu, who have known Mo Xiuyao since childhood and have both confidant trust and brotherly affection, their relationship between Dingwang Mansion and the Mo family army is more complicated than that of confidants like Feng Zhiyao and Leng Haoyu. These people have been suppressed by the royal family of Dachu for many years while following Dingwang Mansion, and they can be regarded as loyal. Now that the prince is finally going to unify the world, it is naturally time for them to be proud. It is not their fault to think this way. After all, aren’t all the founding heroes of the dynasties like this? Is there any dynasty where the benefits and credit of the founding of the country are all taken by one family? However, the master they met was Mo Xiuyao, who did not play by the rules.

Ye Li sighed softly, raised her hand and patted the back of Mo Xiuyao's hand, calming him down. Although Mo Xiuyao was not angry, Ye Li could feel the coldness coming from him even when she was sitting next to him.

But such a situation was a bit out of place in the eyes of those old officials. These scholars were not military commanders on the battlefield, and they were most particular about etiquette and rules. Ye Li, as a princess, broke into the study room where the meeting was held, and sat side by side with Prince Ding. In the eyes of these old scholars, this was an act of treason and a violation of the code of conduct for women.

"Your Highness, as a woman, the princess should be a lady of the royal family and stay in the back house. How can she sit in the meeting hall so openly? It is really... inappropriate!" An old minister with a white beard said tremblingly, "The princess is also from the Xu family, a family of scholars. To do this... is not to disgrace Mr. Qingyun's reputation?"

"Girl training?" Mo Xiuyao sneered, looking down at the old gentleman with a distressed face below and asked: "When Lei Zhenting led his troops to invade the border, why didn't anyone think that my beloved concubine was a woman and should be careful to observe the rules of concubine training? When I was in trouble this time, why didn't you think that the princess was a woman, why didn't you go to the front line to lead the troops to resist the enemy for the princess? Now that the world is peaceful, you remember that the princess is a woman? It turns out that... the so-called loyalty, filial piety and etiquette are... hiding behind a woman when danger comes, and then sitting on the empire and wealth that the woman has won for you, and then accusing the woman of not observing the rules of concubine training? It's really good... it's a good idea. I admire it very much..."

These few plain words made the faces of the old gentlemen who had just spoken righteously blush. These people were not the confidants of Prince Ding's mansion, so naturally they did not understand Prince Ding's personality. They were just relying on their reputation and qualifications to take advantage of their age.

Mo Xiuyao waved his hand, stared at everyone and said coldly: "Whatever the princess wants to do, it is none of your business. Remember this, everything the princess says and does is what I want. If you dare to disobey, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

In the huge study, everyone felt their scalps go cold and said quickly, "I obey your command!"

After sending everyone away, Mo Xiuyao's anger had not yet dissipated, and he glared at Xu Qingchen with a face full of displeasure. Master Qingchen drank his tea elegantly and said calmly: "Why are you glaring at me? You didn't ask Li'er to come over. Do you really want to kill a few people to establish your authority?"

Mo Xiuyao snorted, "Do you think I don't dare?" Those old men only grumble useless nonsense all day long and can't do anything. They only cause trouble for him. I really don't know why he took them in in the first place. He would rather use these people to exchange for a few civilians who can farm and work.

Xu Qingchen smiled leisurely and said, "These people are useless and sometimes quite annoying. But we really can't do without them. Your Majesty, it's true that these people are old and corrupt, but each of them can be said to have students and former officials all over the world. They are all old and cunning, and if they really start to cause trouble, the effect will be no worse than thousands of troops." The pen in the hands of a scholar is much more troublesome than the knife in the hands of an enemy. Of course, if Mo Xiuyao wants to be a tyrant who burns books and buries scholars, then don't worry about it.

Ye Li sat next to Mo Xiuyao and frowned slightly, "Is it to persuade Xiuyao to ascend the throne as soon as possible?"

Xu Qingchen glanced at Mo Xiuyao with a half-smile, and said jokingly: "If it was only about the enthronement, why would it be so much? Those old ministers have nothing to do, and they even thought of setting up a harem for the new emperor. I was planning to present the memorial for selecting a concubine to the princess. If the new emperor ascends the throne and there is only one princess, wouldn't it be ugly? Then the concubines can be canonized at the same time. Look, even the ranks are listed. Under the empress, there should be two noble concubines, four concubines, and the imperial concubines, imperial concubines, and so on..."

Xu Qingchen ignored Mo Xiuyao's murderous gaze and handed the memorial in his hand to Ye Li with a smile. The reason why Mo Xiuyao was furious was because those people were so smart as to plan to send the memorial directly to Ye Li, but Mo Xiuyao was one step faster and intercepted it.

Ye Li took it and flipped through it. She had written several pages in a very proud manner. Ye Li smiled and shook her head. She looked at Xu Qingchen and frowned, "Has anyone gone to the Xu family to disturb my aunt and uncle these days?"

Xu Qingchen looked at Ye Li gently and said, "These are just small matters. We can't just ignore the ladies who come to visit us. They don't dare to act presumptuously in front of mother and second aunt." Ye Li frowned and said, "I'm afraid that in a few days, they will go to disturb grandpa."

Xu Qingchen didn't care and said calmly, "Grandfather is so old, how could he still be unable to see through these things? Li'er, you know what my father, my second uncle and I mean. No matter what you do, the Xu family will support you."

Ye Li nodded and said softly, "I understand, brother."

After saying almost everything, Xu Qingchen stood up and said, "Now it seems that it is right not to ascend the throne. Many people can't wait even before ascending the throne. Moreover, this time things happened too quickly. There may be someone behind the scenes, and the people under the Dingwang Mansion should be cleaned up in due time. As a father, don't be too lazy and want to throw everything to your son. It will take many years for your son to handle major matters." The last sentence was naturally said to Mo Xiuyao. Mo Xiuyao said with a sour face, "This king knows. If they dare to reach out in front of this king, this king will cut off their hands and feet!"

After Xu Qingchen left, only Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li were left in the study. Ye Li smiled and pulled down Mo Xiuyao's handsome face, saying, "Are you still angry?" Mo Xiuyao sneered and said, "If they really want to be the emperor, I don't mind showing them what a tyrant is!"

"I don't want my husband to become a notorious tyrant." Ye Li said with a smile.

Mo Xiuyao held her in his arms and said with a smile: "If I become a tyrant, how about Ah Li becoming a demon queen?" Ye Li leaned in Mo Xiuyao's arms and couldn't help but twitched her lips. As a soldier who sacrificed his life for the country in the new era, becoming a demon queen was really challenging to her worldview. And although they said so, they both knew that none of them could really act recklessly without considering the cost. Mo Xiuyao was very cruel to his enemies and never showed mercy. But he was actually very soft-hearted to his own people.

They could not challenge the concepts and traditions of this era for thousands of years. So Mo Xiuyao chose to put this issue aside. If he did not ascend the throne or become an emperor, there would naturally be no problem with the harem. As a prince, having offspring is the biggest explanation to the Ding Palace. The previous kings of the Ding Palace did not require a large number of wives and concubines. On the other hand, Mo Xiuyao was really not interested in the throne. He liked the process of conquering the world, not the lofty golden dragon throne. He did not want to be tied to that position, but once he sat on that position, many things would become beyond his control.

Mo Xiuyao rubbed Ye Li's hair affectionately and said with a smile: "Ah Li, just play happily with Xin'er and Lin'er. I will take care of these annoying things. When Xiaobao grows up, we can go out to travel and live the life we ​​like freely."

"Okay, I'll listen to you." Ye Li smiled faintly, lowered her eyes, and whispered: "If those people keep disturbing the Xu family and grandpa..."

"Just take care of Ah Li. I've said before that whatever Ah Li does is my will." Mo Xiuyao said in a deep voice. Even if Ah Li wanted to kill everyone, I would bear the blame. But Mo Xiuyao didn't say this because he knew Ah Li would never do that. Ah Li is soft-hearted... If you don't want to do something that you can't do, I will do it for you!

Ye Li's prediction was correct. After Mo Xiuyao mercilessly demoted the most enthusiastic people, those who were clamoring for the throne and the concubine suddenly fell silent. But soon someone came up with a new way out. In the face of interests, glory and wealth, there are always countless people who want to get in by any means and regardless of the cost.

In the bamboo forest behind the Lishan Academy outside the city, Mr. Qingyun was playing chess with Su Zhe. Su Zhe was holding a black piece, looking at the chessboard and thinking, and said with a smile: "Now that King Ding's great cause is about to be accomplished, why is Mr. Xu still frowning?"

"It is said that keeping watch is harder than starting a business. With King Ding's talent and character, it is not difficult for him to unify the world as long as nothing unexpected happens. However, there are countless people who have won the world but failed to keep it in peace. Who says that the ancient Thai king is not the greatest emperor in history? But after unifying the world, he ruled the country for less than 30 years. How can we, the descendants, not sigh?" Mr. Qingyun has white hair and beard, and his face is gaunt, and he looks a bit leisurely. But the old man has been teaching students all his life, so how can he really see through the world and be detached from the world?

Su Zhe also sighed, and slowly put down a child and said: "Let's not talk about anything else. Prince Ding's reluctance to ascend the throne and take a concubine is ultimately detrimental to the stability of the world." Ascending the throne, taking a queen and taking a concubine, and spreading out branches and leaves not only represent the beginning of a dynasty, but also give the people of the world a message of stability and calm the people's hearts. "Prince Ding's temperament... is too much like the founding prince Ding of the past." If Mo Suyun, the first generation of Prince Ding of the founding of the Great Chu, had not insisted on marrying the princess of the previous dynasty, it might not be the turn of the founding emperor of the Great Chu to sit on the throne. And now... there is not even a chance to repeat what happened back then. In this world today, no one except Prince Ding can sit on the throne steadily, and no one who sits on the throne can obey the people.

"Old Xu, should we go and persuade Prince Ding?" Su Zhe hesitated for a moment, and finally spoke. Although they were far away from the city, they still knew all the big and small things in Licheng. It was really not a good thing to have a quarrel between the monarch and his subjects before the founding of the country.

Mr. Qingyun waved his hands and smiled, "No need, they know what's going on. It's just a little chaotic now, but those who really know their place are very smart. It's better to have a little chaos now than to leave these problems to be passed down from generation to generation in the future."

Su Zhe was stunned for a moment and said, "Isn't this too risky?" The most important thing when the world is first settled is to seek a word of peace. That's why so many emperors gave away fiefs at the beginning of the country, so that in the end, they had to spend a lot of effort to eliminate the tail. How could those wise and wise founding emperors not know these problems? It's just a word, the situation forced them to stop. It's too risky to start eliminating ministers before the world is settled. If you are not careful, I'm afraid there will be chaos again.

Mr. Qingyun smiled and said, "We are old now, and we have to think ahead before doing anything. Since Prince Ding has the courage, why not take a look?"

Su Zhe smiled bitterly and shook his head, saying, "You, the grandfather, are not in a hurry, so why should I worry? But I'm afraid those old scholars will come to you soon." These people have no ability, but great reputation, small minds, but big tempers. It's strange that they came to Mr. Qingyun after they ran into trouble with Prince Ding and Princess Ding.

"Sir, there are a few old gentlemen outside the door who want to see you. They say they are old friends of Mr. Qingyun and Mr. Su." A servant boy walked into the bamboo forest and reported respectfully. The two looked at each other and smiled. Su Zhe smiled and said, "You really came when I said you would."

Mr. Qingyun casually threw the chess piece in his hand and said with a smile: "You can't hide away. We haven't seen each other for many years, so we might as well go and see each other." These people came to visit several times when they first arrived in Xiling, but they were all rejected by Mr. Qingyun for various reasons. So it can be said that he hasn't seen these people for many years. With Mr. Qingyun's age, status and reputation, no one would dare to be unhappy if he didn't want to see someone. But this time, these people might not stop until they see him. Mr. Qingyun is not really afraid of them, but he is too old to deal with these people with ulterior motives. "Go ahead, invite them in."

"yes."