Mountain and River Festival 232. Concubine Liu brought disgrace upon herself
At night, Ye Li returned to her room and was still frowning as she thought about Princess Changle. Although Princess Changle was still a child in Ye Li's eyes, she had actually grown up. Although she often provoked Concubine Liu Gui, she knew very well what to say and what not to say. So she just found an excuse to avoid Ye Li's question. Ye Li also knew that although she was a princess, she was not free, so she didn't force it.
"What are you thinking about, Ah Li?" Mo Xiuyao asked softly, holding Ye Li's shoulders from behind. Ye Li looked back at him and smiled, "Nothing... I'm thinking about Princess Changle." It was a bit unreasonable for the great Chu to let a concubine and a princess go in person for the marriage of a Nanzhao princess. Of course, it was more unreasonable for Concubine Liu to go than Princess Changle, but what Ye Li was concerned about was that Princess Changle naturally had no thoughts about Concubine Liu. Mo Xiuyao sat down next to Ye Li, and while reaching out to pour a cup of tea for each of them, he asked, "What's wrong with Changle?"
Ye Li said, "Don't you think it's strange that Mo Jingqi didn't come to Princess Anxi's wedding, but sent a concubine and a princess?" It's reasonable for a princess to go on a diplomatic mission to another country, but it's particularly strange to let a concubine go on a diplomatic mission alone.
Mo Xiuyao put the teacup on the table, looked up at Ye Li and said, "Mo Jingqi... probably wants to marry a foreign princess."
"Marriage?" Ye Li was stunned, and she was a little bit unresponsive. "Marriage to whom? Marry to whom?" Mo Xiuyao looked at her calmly without answering. Ye Li also quickly reacted and frowned, "You mean Princess Changle?! But Nanzhao has no princes, and there are almost no noble families that need the eldest princess of Dachu to marry."
The King of Nanzhao has no sons, not even any living brothers or nephews. That's why Princess Anxi became the Crown Princess, the next Queen of Nanzhao. In this case, who should the princess marry? Mo Xiuyao said calmly: "Although Nanzhao has no prince, it still has the King of Nanzhao."
"You mean..." Ye Li was silent, and finally understood why Princess Changle looked so gloomy when she heard her question.
Although she had never met the King of Nanzhao in Nanzhao, Princess Anxi is already 25 or 26 years old this year, and the King of Nanzhao seemed to have Princess Anxi when he was about 20 years old, which means that the King of Nanzhao is now close to the age of destiny. If this is true, compared with Princess Changle, Princess Ronghua, who married the Prince of Beirong, was lucky. Another point is that if the two countries really want to marry, they should first submit a letter of state, and the two countries' dignitaries and officials should discuss and arrange the wedding ceremony, and then the other party should send people to welcome the bride for a formal marriage. Now, directly letting someone take Princess Changle to Nanzhao, it is clear that Princess Changle is being given to the King of Nanzhao. In this way, even if they really get married in the future, the respect of the Nanzhao people for Princess Changle will be very limited. I really don't know what this Mo Jingqi is thinking?
"Mo Jingli is secretly connected with the Saint of Southern Xinjiang and several tribes in Southern Xinjiang. Princess Anxi has always been on good terms with us because of Master Qingchen. Now that Da Chu is facing internal and external troubles, Mo Jingqi probably wants to form an alliance with the King of Nanzhao." Mo Xiuyao said calmly.
"Alliance?" Ye Li raised her eyebrows. Mo Xiuyao smiled and took her into his arms. He rested his chin on her head and said calmly, "This generation of Nanzhao King has great ambitions but little talent. He entered the palace rashly and was beaten back by me, and the country was almost destroyed. On the contrary, Princess Anxi has shown a very good political talent since she was a child. She was able to assist the Nanzhao King in governing Nanzhao at the age of fourteen. If it weren't for Princess Anxi, Nanzhao would not have been able to recover so quickly after the war. And the Southern Frontier Saint... Although she is not good at politics, her scheming and the people behind her are pretty good. At that time, the Nanzhao King used the Southern Frontier Saint to suppress Princess Anxi. In recent years, I heard that the fight between Princess Anxi and the Southern Frontier Saint has become more and more intense. I'm afraid it's not easy for the Nanzhao King to be squeezed in the middle."
Ye Li understood that this was a power struggle between an incompetent father and two powerful daughters. Ye Li nodded and said, "I understand. The King of Nanzhao is the King of Nanzhao after all. Even if he himself has no ability, as long as he is still in the position, he can compete with Princess Anxi and Shu Manlin. Because Princess Anxi and Shu Manlin have someone to help them, the King of Nanzhao also plans to form an alliance with Mo Jingqi of the Great Chu? Speaking of which... Shu Manlin should have retired from the position of the Saint and gone to that Southern Xinjiang Holy Land to retire, right?"
Mo Xiuyao said calmly: "Rules are made by people." Naturally, there are ways to break them. At least now Shu Manlin is still comfortably staying in the position of the Saint of Southern Xinjiang, and even more so, she has more freedom and rights than before.
Ye Li sighed helplessly. After all, this was all a power game between Mo Jingqi, King Nanzhao and others, and the only victim was the innocent Princess Changle.
Mo Xiuyao reached out and put his arms around Ye Li, holding her in his arms. He patted her hand gently and whispered, "Are you soft-hearted, Ah Li?"
Ye Li sighed and said, "Princess Changle is still a child." Mo Xiuyao said, "The royal family has no children. She knows what she wants to do." Ye Li frowned, turned around and looked at him and said, "Princess Changle asked me for a dagger." Mo Xiuyao thought for a moment and said, "Give it to her."
Ye Li nodded and leaned back into Mo Xiuyao's arms. She couldn't save Princess Changle. If it was just Princess Changle, she could just have someone take her away and hide her. But the fate of the Hua family, the royal family of Da Chu, the queen, and countless others involved in Princess Changle's life were not something she could control. So, since she couldn't save her, then... just give her what she wanted.
"Xiu Yao, I don't want my baby to marry anyone else in the future." Leaning in Mo Xiu Yao's arms, Ye Li said softly.
Mo Xiuyao stroked her hair, his eyes filled with a hint of warmth, "Our son doesn't need to rely on marriage to do anything." Hearing this, Ye Li couldn't help but smile comfortably. Yes, their son didn't need to sell his marriage for any benefit. At this moment, Ye Li was extremely grateful to Mo Jingqi for pointing her to Mo Xiuyao. Not only because of herself, but also because of her child, "Xiuyao, I didn't say that meeting you is the happiest thing in my life."
Mo Xiuyao looked down at her beautiful eyes, which were filled with intense emotions. He lowered his head and kissed her fragrant lips gently, "No, I will tell you every day from now on."
The next day, not only did Mo Xiuyao and his party not leave Yonglin, but Prime Minister Liu and his party also did not leave. Once again, they met in the best wine house in the city. Ye Li couldn't help but raise her eyebrows, glanced at Concubine Liu standing next to Princess Changle, and smiled as she put her arm around Mo Xiuyao's arm: "Are Concubine Liu and the princess out shopping too? Why don't we see Prime Minister Liu with them?"
Concubine Liu watched in silence as the two stood side by side. Ye Li naturally held one of Mo Xiuyao's arms, and Mo Xiuyao obviously did not show any rejection. He looked down at Ye Li with a warmth that he had never shown to others. Concubine Liu's eyes darkened and she said lightly, "My father is not feeling well. Thank you Miss Ye for your concern."
Ye Li had naturally heard about the incident yesterday when Prime Minister Liu fainted on the spot due to being squeezed. The most squeezed person in Ding Palace, besides Feng Zhiyao, is Zhuo Jing. Feng Zhiyao grew up in the light and used to attack with words of contempt, while Zhuo Jing developed a paralyzed expression when he was a secret guard, but he was not paralyzed at all in his heart. Not to mention holding grudges, the venomous tongue that pops up from time to time can also easily offend people. Prime Minister Liu had to deal with these two people and Mo Xiuyao, the irresponsible master who never restrained his subordinates. Prime Minister Liu had no other way to leave except to pretend to faint. Rather than saying that he was unwell, it was better to say that he was ashamed to see people?
"I see." Ye Li had no interest in what happened to Prime Minister Liu, so she just nodded and smiled, "Then I wish Prime Minister Liu a speedy recovery. My husband and I still have to go to dinner, so we won't disturb the noble concubine and the princess. Changle... I have prepared the gift you asked for, and I will have someone send it to you later?" This noble concubine Liu even wants to make a fuss about the title. Does she think that if she calls her Miss Ye, she will not be the Princess Ding? Princess Changle smiled and said, "Thank you, Princess."
"Since you two don't need to eat, why don't you come in together?" Concubine Liu Gui stepped forward and looked at Mo Xiuyao steadily.
Mo Xiuyao turned a blind eye, and Princess Changle frowned slightly. Although there were no outsiders here now, they were still outsiders. Her father's beloved concubine was a little too careless. "Liu Guifei, Uncle Ding and the princess are having dinner together, why are we outsiders interfering? If you don't want to eat, we can go to the guest house."
At this moment, Princess Changle finally understood why Concubine Liu, who always treated her as nothing, dragged her out for dinner. She even said that she was afraid that the food in the guest inn would not suit her taste, but she had never been seen caring about her food during this journey. If she didn't want to stay in the guest inn and get bored, who would come out to eat with her? She would lose her appetite in front of that face that she thought was holy and inviolable, okay? She actually dragged her to meet Uncle Ding and Princess Ding. If they were in the palace instead of outside, Princess Changle would have reprimanded her for being shameless! I've heard that Concubine Liu admired Uncle Ding before, but I've never seen her so shameless as to disturb the couple's dinner.
Concubine Liu Gui was unwilling to listen to Princess Changle's advice. Instead, she looked at Mo Xiuyao and said, "We are old acquaintances. Don't you even want to treat me to a meal?"
Mo Xiuyao frowned slightly, and just when Concubine Liu thought he had finally let go of the smile on his face, he raised his head and frowned, saying, "I am not familiar with you." The smile on Concubine Liu's face, which had not yet fully appeared, immediately froze on her face. Seriously speaking, Mo Xiuyao and Concubine Liu were not really familiar with each other. When he was young, he had already been engaged, so naturally he would not look at other women. Even if he had not been engaged, he would not go back and like the daughter of a family that was not on good terms with his father and brother. After Su Zuidi left, he stayed indoors due to his injury, and Concubine Liu had already entered the palace. After marrying Ye Li, he no longer had any other women in his eyes, so he was really not familiar with Concubine Liu.
Concubine Liu Guifei was obviously hurt by this unfamiliar remark. Her beautiful face turned pale instantly and she gritted her teeth and said, "Am I... really so unattractive to your eyes?"
Ye Li frowned, pulled Mo Xiuyao and said, "I'm hungry, let's go in and have dinner first. How about Concubine Liu and Princess Changle come together?" It's not that Ye Li was soft-hearted and wanted to invite them, but although there were not many people where they were standing, it was a busy place in the restaurant. It didn't matter if Concubine Liu didn't want a reputation, but she didn't like to hear that her husband had a scandal with some woman. Mo Xiuyao nodded, pulled Ye Li and turned to go into the chamber that had been reserved not far away. When she walked past Concubine Liu, she heard her gritting her teeth and whispering, "You don't have to pretend to be kind!" Ye Li stopped in her tracks, turned around and looked at her with a half-smile, and said sarcastically, "Are you coming or not?" Concubine Liu's pale face suddenly turned pink, and she gritted her teeth and finally took a step forward to follow.
Mo Xiuyao has never been good at entertaining guests. Of course, it's not his fault. From childhood to adulthood, no matter where he went, he was always warmly entertained. He could not count the number of people he entertained on one hand. So when Concubine Liu and Princess Changle came in a few steps late, Mo Xiuyao had already sent away the waiter who was waiting for them to order. Unsurprisingly, what they ordered were all things Ye Li and he liked to eat. However, Ye Li had some understanding of Princess Changle because she was very familiar with Hua Tianxiang, so she added a few dishes that Princess Changle liked to eat.
So when the dishes were served, Concubine Liu looked even uglier. Ye Li looked at Concubine Liu, who had a gloomy face and only picked a few pieces of green vegetables to eat, and she was a little confused. Even if the dishes were not ordered completely according to her wishes, the dishes in this restaurant should not be so bad, right? Ye Li was wondering, Mo Xiuyao had already picked up some dishes she liked and put them in her bowl, and whispered: "The chefs in this restaurant are pretty good. Try it..."
Ye Li lowered her head and took a bite. It smelled good indeed. Although it was not as good as the chef of Ding Wangfu and the chef of Ningxiang Pavilion, it was definitely much better than Ye Li's cooking. Ye Li was not a picky eater. She could even enjoy the taste of the home-cooked dishes she made, let alone such cooking skills. She raised her hand and picked up a piece of the very tasty chicken for Mo Xiuyao and said, "Try this, it's delicious." Mo Xiuyao's expression immediately became gentler. Although he frowned when he looked at the chicken, he still lowered his head and ate the whole piece of chicken. Seeing Mo Xiuyao eating seriously, Ye Li smiled faintly and picked up some dishes for him from time to time. Because of the injuries he suffered during those ten years, Mo Xiuyao ate very simple food and did not like meat. But Ye Li thought that although it was necessary to eat more vegetarian food, it was still necessary to combine meat and vegetables. So from time to time, she would pick up some meat for Mo Xiuyao. Fortunately, although Mo Xiuyao did not like to eat these, as long as Ye Li picked up some meat for him, he would always finish it without saying a word. After a few years, it became a habit for Ye Li to pick up food for him when they ate together in private. So much so that one time, Ye Li forgot to pick up food for him while she was thinking about something. When she found out, Mo Xiuyao had already eaten more than half a bowl of white rice. She immediately felt at a loss for words because of someone's childishness.
"Uncle Ding and the princess have a really good relationship." Princess Changle looked at the two of them and smiled with envy. Although she had seen many couples who were very affectionate in public, Princess Changle still felt that the scene in front of her was so beautiful and enviable. In the palace, my father would have to have his food tested for poisons, and he would have to have palace maids and eunuchs taste the food before he could swallow it with confidence. In this case, which concubine or child would dare to serve food to my father? At least in Changle's memory, my mother and my father always ate their own food.
Ye Li glanced at her and said unhappily, "Little girl, do you know what love is? Uncle Wang is very difficult to serve."
"Miss Ye, you know that the prince doesn't like to eat those things, why do you deliberately give them to him?" Concubine Liu, who had been sullen all the time, suddenly spoke up, and in front of everyone's gaze, she put some stir-fried bamboo shoots into Mo Xiuyao's bowl, and smiled faintly, "I remember that the prince likes bamboo shoots the most." The room immediately became quiet, and the atmosphere became solemn. Mo Xiuyao had just put down his chopsticks and was drinking the mushroom and ginseng chicken soup that Ye Li had prepared, but he suddenly saw Concubine Liu putting food into his bowl, and his face immediately darkened. He didn't want the half-drunk soup anymore, and raised the bowl and threw it at Concubine Liu.
Concubine Liu was not a weak woman, and when she saw the bowl of soup coming towards her, she immediately stepped aside. Unfortunately, the table was not big to begin with, and the two of them were not far away, so even though she stepped aside a little, half of her shoulder was still soaked by the chicken soup. The exquisite white porcelain bowl hit the wall behind Concubine Liu and shattered.
"Prince Ding, you!" Concubine Liu Gui never expected that Mo Xiu Yao would treat her so directly and rudely. Her face turned pale and she was speechless for a moment.
Seeing Concubine Liu Gui's embarrassed face, Ye Li didn't feel the slightest bit of sympathy. If she didn't want to be too rude, Ye Li would have wanted to curse her directly: Do you have any shame? !
Picking food for others was something that only people with whom they were very close or had a good relationship would do, not to mention in this era. Ye Li really didn't know what kind of shit Liu Guifei was thinking about.
"Get out!" Mo Xiuyao stared at Concubine Liu and said coldly.
"You..." Concubine Liu Gui bit her lip awkwardly and looked at Mo Xiuyao.
Mo Xiuyao remained unmoved, and this time his words were even more concise, "Get lost!"
After all, she was a woman, and after being treated so ruthlessly by Mo Xiuyao, Concubine Liu finally stood up and rushed out of the room. Mo Xiuyao looked at the bamboo shoots in his bowl with disdain, and stretched out his hand to push the bowl aside. Ye Li silently put the chicken soup that had not been drunk in front of him in his hand and whispered: "Drink some more." Mo Xiuyao then picked up the chicken soup again and slowly drank two sips, and his originally locked brows gradually relaxed.
Ye Li took an empty bowl from the side and filled it with rice for him before picking up the chopsticks and continuing to eat her own meal.
Princess Changle looked at the two of them with a smile and said, "Of course I know that Uncle Ding and Princess Ding have a good relationship. Because even if Princess Ding gives Uncle Ding something he doesn't like to eat, Uncle Ding will eat it all. But even if someone else gives Uncle Ding his favorite dish, Uncle Ding will smash the bowl. Princess, do you think I'm right?"
"You're such a smart kid!" Ye Li smiled as she pursed her lips.
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