Mountain and River Festival 319. The Ownership of Chu Jing

Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li brought their entourage back to Li City. Because Ye Li was pregnant, she walked slowly along the way and did not feel impatient because the Mo family army left in the northwest had already started a war with the Xiling Beirong.

Meanwhile, Mo Jingli, who was thousands of miles away and confronting the King of Zhennan, also received the news from Licheng. In the palace that was renovated on the basis of the original Prince Li's Palace, Mo Jingli looked at the memorial that had just been presented in his hand and his face turned black. Although the current Chu Palace was expanded on the basis of the original Prince Li's Palace, the reconstruction had already begun when Mo Jingli and Mo Jingqi had a quarrel, so after so many years, there have been considerable achievements. The court of Da Chu hurriedly moved to the south of Yunlan River, and there was no chaos. The small court of Da Chu headed by Mo Jingli was maintained in this way. However, the court now located in the south of the Yangtze River can no longer be called big, and it can only be called Nan Chu.

In the hall sat the six or seven-year-old cowardly and timid little emperor, and next to him sat the powerful regent prince Mo Jingli, who was almost as magnificent as the dragon throne. Seeing Mo Jingli's unhappy face, the ministers below did not dare to speak. Now the whole Jiangnan region is completely in the territory of Prince Li, and living under someone else's roof is always inferior to him. Moreover, the truly upright civil and military officials would rather die than leave the capital and stayed in the crumbling Chu Capital, and how can we expect those who are left now to have the courage to fight against Prince Li?

Although the Grand Empress Dowager still has some power, she has gradually become weaker since the capital was moved. The Empress Dowager is not much braver than the young emperor who is only six or seven years old. Everyone knows that it will not be long before the young emperor abdicates and the Great Chu will have a new emperor.

Mo Jingli looked down from above, glanced at the people below, sneered and said, "Do you want to know what it says?"

Everyone was startled and exchanged glances secretly. This was really strange.

Mo Jingli didn't care. He raised his hand and flicked the memorial in his hand and said, "After Mo Xiuyao conquered Xiling Imperial City, he changed its name to Anping City. Now Mo Xiuyao has left Xiling and returned to the northwest."

Hearing this, the ministers present had different expressions, and exchanged their views with their close colleagues. Mo Jingli said impatiently: "Just say what you want to say!"

After a while, a minister stood up and bowed, saying, "Your Highness, now that Prince Ding has returned to the northwest, does it mean that... the Mo family army may send troops to rescue Chujing? If so..." Mo Jingli sneered disdainfully, looked at him with a half-smile and said, "If so, what? Do you still expect to return to Chujing? Let's not talk about it... Lei Zhenting is blocking the other side, so what if Chujing is taken back? Beirong's northern border Xiling is surrounded by enemies, how is Chujing different from an isolated city? What's more... do you think the Chujing that Mo Xiuyao rescued is the royal Chujing or the Chujing of Prince Ding's mansion?"

"This... Your Majesty is very insightful. I am sorry for what you have said." The minister's face changed slightly and he returned to the line unhappily.

Mo Jingli looked at everyone calmly and said, "You don't have to be too disappointed. Even if Mo Xiuyao wants to reinforce Chujing, I'm afraid it's too late. There are still hundreds of thousands of Beirong cavalry and 200,000 Xiling troops stationed outside Feihong Pass."

"My Lord, the King of Xiling Zhennan..."

Mo Jingli said disdainfully: "The soldiers of Xiling are not good at fighting on water. The Yunlan River is no different from a natural barrier for them. Order the soldiers along the river to stay here. One day, the king will embarrass Lei Zhenting!"

Everyone understood immediately that King Li was planning to stay in a corner of Jiangnan, guarding the natural barrier of Yunlan River and enjoying the abundant food in Jiangnan. He had no intention of raising troops to the north to restore the country in a short time. They were disappointed and confused. They didn't want to fight in Chujing, and followed King Li to move the capital to Jiangnan. They only comforted themselves in their hearts that they would make plans for the future. But now... maybe this is the end of their lives?

Seeing that there was nothing to discuss, Mo Jingli dismissed the ministers. Soon, besides the eunuchs, only the young emperor Mo Suyun was left in the hall. Mo Suyun was very afraid of this uncle who always stared at him with a very scary look. Seeing that there was no one around, he could only shrink his thin body into the dragon chair.

Mo Jingli's eyes darkened, and he stared at the child on the dragon chair with an increasingly gloomy look. If his son were still alive, he should be as old as this child, but Mo Jingqi didn't know where he had taken his son, and he had to take good care of Mo Jingqi's son! He became more and more displeased with the timid child. Mo Jingli pulled Mo Suyun off the dragon chair and dragged him to the back palace, not caring that the seven-year-old child could not keep up with the adults' pace. He was almost dragged along by Mo Jingli, stumbling all the way. The palace servants and eunuchs along the way naturally saw the wolfish appearance of the little emperor, but now the regent is the only one who has the final say in the palace, and who dares to advise him?

Mo Jingli dragged Mo Suyun all the way to the Queen Mother's palace, where the Queen Mother Li was talking to her. Seeing Mo Jingli, she was shocked at first, but when she saw her son's wolfish appearance, she stopped crying, "My son..."

"Get out of here!" Mo Jingli said impatiently. If he still had some respect for his former sister-in-law, Empress Hua, then in Mo Jingli's eyes, Empress Dowager Li was not even as good as a blade of grass. Li was frightened and stood there, not daring to move. She could only look at her son with tears in her eyes, helpless. The Queen Mother sitting on the side secretly shook her head and sighed. Although she didn't like the Queen Mother to be too strong, Li was too weak. It is said that mothers are strong, but Li couldn't be strong even for her son.

"Li'er, what are you doing?" Looking at Mo Jingli with a gloomy face, the Queen Mother scolded unhappily.

Mo Jingli threw Mo Suyun to the ground beside him, not caring whether he was hurt or not, and laughed coldly: "What do you think I did? Mother, tell me, where did Mo Jingqi take my son?!" The Queen Mother remained silent. If she didn't understand before, she would have understood after such a long time. She never thought that her two sons would be equally ruthless to their brothers from the same mother. She shook her head and said, "I don't know. You also know that the relationship between me and your brother is not as loving as outsiders see. If he did such a thing, how could he tell me?" In the past few months, Mo Jingli came to ask almost every few days. The Queen Mother also vaguely understood that the child born by Ye Ying was probably the only child in Mo Jingli's life.

"You should ask Liu about this. Wasn't it you who wanted to save her?" The Queen Mother said calmly, but there was a hint of sarcasm in her words. Her own son did not save his mother when she was forced to be buried alive, but saved an outsider. Whenever she thought of this, the Queen Mother felt a wave of blockage in her heart.

"That bitch, Concubine Liu!" Mo Jingli cursed angrily. Outsiders thought that Concubine Liu was burned to death in the fire, but those who knew the truth understood what happened. Concubine Liu was willing to kill her own daughter in order to escape the golden cicada. She was really vicious. However, Mo Jingli searched the entire country, but he could not find any trace of Concubine Liu. In a rage, Mo Jingli threw all the Liu family members into prison, but after several months of torture, he still could not get any information.

The Queen Mother sighed softly, looked at Mo Jingli and said, "I heard that Prince Ding has already set out to return to Licheng after taking over Xiling Imperial City?"

Mo Jingli sneered and said, "My mother is well-informed, but... this doesn't require my mother's concern. The harem... is not allowed to interfere in government affairs!"

"You!" The Queen Mother's face darkened, and she couldn't breathe out. Her face turned red and blue. Her finger pointed at Mo Jingli and kept shaking, but she couldn't say a word. Li came to her senses. Fortunately, she was used to serving the Queen Mother, so she hurried forward to calm her down. It took a long time for the Queen Mother to recover, but Mo Jingli had already left.

"Mother..." Li called timidly while holding a cup of ginseng tea.

The Queen Mother waved her hand and threw all the decorations on the table to the ground. She cried with tears streaming down her face, "What sin have I committed to give birth to two such evil sons..."

Mo Jingli, who had already stepped out of the palace, listened to the crying coming from inside, and showed a sneer of disdain on his face. The so-called mother-son relationship had been worn out over the years. In Mo Jingli's mind, his biological mother was not even as important as his aunt, Concubine Xianzhao, who took care of him. So after the migration to the south, Mo Jingli did not hesitate to confer the title of Empress Dowager to Concubine Xianzhao. This also made the Empress Dowager feel resentful towards her cousin who had supported her all her life, and the relationship between the two was no longer as good as before.

Walking on the winding corridors in the palace, Mo Jingli temporarily put aside his son's affairs and recalled what happened in the hall. He couldn't help but smile colder when he heard the rising expectations and gradually dimming eyes of those ministers. Are you still looking forward to Mo Xiuyao? How stupid. He owns the rich land of Jiangnan, why should he compete with those people? He only needs to guard the natural barrier of Yunlan River, manage Jiangnan well, enrich the people and strengthen the army. Let Mo Xiuyao fight with the barbarians in the northern border of Beirong and Xiling. Mo Xiuyao can fight against one or two families, can he fight against three families? When both sides are defeated, he will take advantage of the situation to recover the country... Who dares to say that he, Mo Jingli, is not the leader of the revival?

But at this time, Leng Haoyu, who had retreated to Chujing because of the loss of Zijing Pass and planned to take his old father to the northwest to see his beloved son, immediately fell down when he saw the letter personally delivered by Wei Rui. He looked at Wei Rui helplessly and said, "Little Wei, can't you come two days later? I am ready to set off to the northwest." Wei Rui looked at him with a smile and said, "Master Qingchen means that even if you, Master Leng, have reached the gate of Feihong Pass, I am afraid you will have to return the same way."

Leng Haoyu snorted twice, but he knew what he said was true. He raised the letter in his hand and asked, "Why did Master Qingchen let you come to see him off in person? Isn't this a waste of talent?" Although Wei Rui was only a personal guard beside Princess Ding, everyone in Prince Ding's mansion knew that the princess had never used Zhuo Jinglin, Han Wei Rui and the other three as guards. Moreover, their abilities were far beyond what a mere guard could compare to. If they were released to do things, their status would not be much lower than Leng Haoyu's. Therefore, even Feng San and Leng Haoyu, who were Mo Xiuyao's old confidants, always treated Wei Rui and the others equally.

Wei Wei said seriously, "Master Qingchen wants me to work with Master Leng Er to help General Leng defend Chujing."

Leng Huai, who was sitting on the side, was stunned. Since Leng Haoyu brought him back to Chujing, he had been somewhat disheartened by the current situation of Chujing. However, Leng Huai did not want to abandon Chujing and flee to the west like a deserter. However, this son, whom he had never taken seriously since he was a child, showed unprecedented cruelty and means, and did not give Leng Huai any chance to choose. However, he did not expect that there would be another unexpected turn before he left. Leng Huai was happy in his heart, but he was still a little worried about what would happen if Leng Haoyu was trapped in this. As a minister and general of the Great Chu, his death was not a pity, but he did not think of his son being buried with him.

"Master Wei, will His Royal Highness Prince Ding send reinforcements?" Leng Huai asked.

Wei Rui frowned slightly and said, "When I left the northwest, the prince was still in Xiling and had not returned yet. Outside Feihong Pass, there were hundreds of thousands of Northern Rong troops and Xiling troops eyeing us covetously. However, several years ago, the princess arranged an ambush in the territory of Da Chu, and General Murong Shen also received a letter from Master Qingchen. He will temporarily give up the confrontation with Lei Zhenting and continue to march north. Master Qingchen hopes that Chujing can at least hold on for three months."

"Three months..." Leng Huai frowned slightly. It was not that he didn't know the difficulties of the Mo family army at this time, but the life in Chujing was not easy. Mo Jingli took most of the troops with him when he went south. Now, only the remnants of the defeated soldiers from the Beirong and Northern Frontier fronts and some troops left to defend the city, including the old subordinates of Duke Hua, totaled only about 200,000 people. The morale of the soldiers who were defeated on the front line was extremely low, and now that the army was at the gate of the city, the morale of the entire army and the people in the city was also low. Leng Huai was a little worried whether they could hold on for a month, let alone three months.

"Three months is no problem. If you can't hold on to Chujing in these three months, I will die on the day the city is broken!" A somewhat old but still loud voice came from outside the door. Everyone turned around and saw that it was the white-haired Duke of Hua. Although he was already in his seventies, the Duke of Hua came in wearing armor and a battle robe, walking like a dragon and a tiger, with a hint of the courage and heroism of the days when he was on the battlefield.

Everyone stood up and said, "Old Duke, Grand Princess." The one following Duke Hua was Grand Princess Fuxi, who also had white hair, and the one supporting the Grand Princess was Grand Princess Zhaoyang. Behind them were two boys and girls about twelve or thirteen years old. The girl half lowered her head but still couldn't hide the scars on half of her face. They were Princess Zhenning and Prince Mo Xiaoyun, who were born to Concubine Liu Gui. Mo Jingli left with many princes, princesses and royal relatives, but I don't know why this brother and sister stayed and followed Grand Princess Fuxi.

Duke Hua looked at Leng Huai, then at Leng Haoyu for a while before asking, "Will Prince Ding really send troops to rescue Chu Jing?"

Leng Haoyu's expression slightly sank, and a few more dandy smiles appeared on his lips. He said, "Old Duke, aren't you making things difficult for me? I have been in Da Chu and have not even been to the northwest a few times. How can I know what the prince means? Moreover, the prince is still far away in Xiling, and it is Master Qingchen's intention to help defend the city." Therefore, no one can tell what Prince Ding is planning. Although Master Qingchen has the final say in the northwest, he is not Prince Ding himself, so he cannot make any promises to Duke Hua on behalf of Prince Ding.

Duke Hua snorted, looked at Leng Huai with a half-smile, and said, "Of your sons, I think this one is more capable." Duke Hua has always been in the palace, but Leng Haoyu has always been close to Feng Zhiyao, who has been friends with Mo Xiuyao since childhood, so Duke Hua is naturally no stranger to him. I didn't expect that he was also a pig pretending to be a tiger. In the past, I only thought that the descendant of the Leng family was a business-loving person. Now, looking at his performance in Zijing Pass, Leng Haoyu, who has always behaved like a dandy, is actually a hidden talent, and is better than Leng Qingyu, who has always been praised by others.

Leng Huai could only smile awkwardly, thinking that the old duke was teasing him for not being able to see his own son clearly. However, he was not unhappy that Leng Haoyu, a bastard, was more capable than his eldest son whom he had carefully nurtured. Leng Haoyu was able to surpass his elder brother even though he was not valued at all, which proved that he was capable. Since they were both his sons, Leng Huai naturally had no grudges.

Duke Hua narrowed his eyes at Leng Haoyu, who looked lazy and relaxed, and said lightly: "Leng boy, don't beat around the bush with an old man like me. I don't believe you don't know what Ding Wangfu means." Leng Haoyu's eyes turned, sat up and said with a smile: "Old Duke, you can't say that. Let's not talk about what Ding Wangfu means. Let's say that even if the prince comes back early and is willing to send troops to help. The Beirong army between the northwest and Da Chu is more than a million, and it depends on whether it is too late. In addition...even if the younger generation says ugly words in advance, old Duke, even if Chu Jing is saved, who will it belong to?"

Duke Hua stared at Leng Haoyu and asked, "Is this what Prince Ding or Master Xu meant?"

Leng Haoyu didn't care about the pressure that Duke Hua deliberately released. He touched his nose and smiled, "I was just asking casually. The old Duke also knows that Leng Haoyu is a businessman. Logically speaking... Chu Jing's life or death has nothing to do with my Dingwang Mansion. Why should Dingwang Mansion take the risk of a fire in the rear to reinforce Chu Jing, or even face the Beirong and Northern Border Army?"

Duke Hua remained silent. He certainly understood what Leng Haoyu meant. The Mohist Army had no obligation to sacrifice so many lives to repel the enemy for Da Chu and to defend Chujing for Da Chu. Especially now that the entire Da Chu royal family had abandoned Chujing and Emperor Cang went south, what right did the Mohist Army have to help their enemies recapture the city?

"Second Master Leng." Mo Xiaoyun, who had been standing behind the Grand Princess, suddenly spoke up: "Second Master Leng, the incompetence of the Great Chu royal family has led to the loss of most of the country's territory. Now they have abandoned thousands of people and are living in the south. They are too ashamed to face the people of Great Chu. As long as the Mo family army can save the people of Chujing from being massacred by the barbarians, in the future... Chujing will naturally belong to the palace." When these words came out, everyone was stunned. It also made everyone's eyes fall on this young man who was only twelve or thirteen years old. Speaking of which, although he has a mother like Concubine Liu, Mo Xiaoyun is indeed the most decent one among the princes who are still alive in Mo Jingqi. After all, the Liu family's years of cultivation are not in vain. Originally, Mo Jingqi was planning to pass the throne to Mo Xiaoyun, but unfortunately, he was ruined by his mother. At this time, it was rare for a boy of twelve or thirteen to say such words.

Leng Haoyu looked at Mo Xiaoyun, raised his eyebrows and asked, "Can the King of Qin... make the decision?"

Mo Xiaoyun said sternly: "The emperor had already named me the King of Changxing before he moved south, so I can naturally make the decision."

Chujing, the ancient name of Changxing. Now that the capital has been moved, the name Chujing can no longer be used. However, in order to show that the royal family has not abandoned the people, a prince must be left here to rule the country. So Mo Jingli changed the title of the former deposed prince, Qin Wang Mo Xiaoyun, to Changxing Wang. This means that this place is Mo Xiaoyun's fiefdom. Although it still belongs to Da Chu in principle, under the current circumstances, as long as Mo Xiaoyun agrees, the Da Chu court in the south really has nothing to say.

Leng Haoyu looked at Mo Xiaoyun with interest and asked, "This is Chu Jing, are you really willing to give it up?"

Mo Xiaoyun said calmly, "What's the use of being reluctant? Without the support of the Mohist Army, Chujing will be destroyed sooner or later. By then, let alone the King of Changxing, I probably won't even be able to save my life. King Ding is kind and righteous, I believe that King Ding will not harm the lives of my sister and me."

"Old Duke, what do you say?" Leng Haoyu asked.

Duke Hua snorted and said, "Prince Changxing has already agreed. What else can I say? Second Master Leng is really good at doing business. The Leng family can be considered to have a successor." Leng Haoyu touched his nose in shame and said, "Old Duke, you are too kind."

Duke Hua stood up and said, "In this case... within three months, whether it is Beirong or the Northern Territory, I will never let these barbarians from outside the Great Wall set foot in!"

Leng Haoyu smiled and said, "Thank you, Duke Lao."

After seeing off Duke Hua and his party, Leng Haoyu stroked his chin and silently wondered whether he should write a letter to urge Master Qingchen to send troops as soon as possible. It was really not easy to hold on for three months. If he was not careful, he might lose his life.

Leng Huai, who was standing aside, remained silent as he watched his son lower his brows in deep thought. Compared to the almost foreseeable tough battle that was about to come, it seemed that who Chu Jing would eventually belong to was not that important.