Mountain and River Festival 343. The Heir of Cangmang Mountain

Compared to Mo Xiuyao's merciless ridicule and scolding, Xu Qingchen's polite and distant attitude obviously made Dong Fangyou feel at a loss. Dong Fangyou stared at Xu Qingchen for a long time, then sighed and asked, "Master Qingchen, do you not believe what I said?" Xu Qingchen smiled and said nothing, neither saying yes nor no.

Dongfang You obviously took Xu Qingchen's silence as tacit consent, and said calmly: "Master Qingchen, don't worry. The reason why I chose to marry Prince Ding as his concubine is not because I want Prince Ding's favor or anything else. It is just to assist Prince Ding. Once Prince Ding reigns, Dongfang You will retire and pursue my own happiness. I will never miss Prince Ding nor bring any trouble to Princess Ding."

Xu Qingchen smiled and said, "Miss Dongfang, you can pursue your own happiness now. Forgive me for being frank, but it seems that Prince Ding doesn't need your assistance. In addition, it must be because Miss Dongfang hasn't come down the mountain for too long, so she doesn't know some of the established rules and regulations in this world. For example, a concubine... can't be said to be married, but to be taken in." How could a woman who could say so openly that she would marry Prince Ding be as non-confrontational as she said. Maybe she really doesn't need Prince Ding's favor, because what she wants is more important than Prince Ding's favor. Xu Qingchen has never had a good impression of these so-called legendary hidden families, and as for the so-called Dai Tianzhu, it is even more nonsense. If he really had that vision, he should have come out ten years ago. Although the general situation in the world is not clear now, it is obvious that Mo Xiuyao has the greatest chance. It is indeed not difficult to create a hegemon who can unify the world with the power of Cangmang Mountain. However, even without the people of Cangmang Mountain, Dingwang Mansion can still do it, so why must it have such a reputation?

Dongfang You's eyes flashed with anger. It was hard for her to remain calm when Xu Qingchen didn't give her face. However, Xu Qingchen's attitude made it impossible for her to vent her anger. For a moment, the expression on her face became complicated and difficult to discern.

Dongfang You always knew her own strengths and abilities, but she also knew that her innate talent would be useless in front of determined people like Mo Xiuyao and Xu Qingchen, so she didn't want to humiliate herself. She looked at Xu Qingchen calmly and said, "I think some things still need to be discussed in person with Prince Ding. Maybe Prince Ding will give a different answer. After all... Young Master Qingchen can't fully represent Prince Ding's mansion, right?" Xu Qingchen raised his eyebrows slightly and didn't comment. He just said lightly, "Prince Ding is busy now."

Dong Fangyou was not in a hurry, "I can wait."

Xu Qingchen frowned and looked at the woman in front of him. He suddenly felt from the bottom of his heart that this woman was a trouble. But he didn't know that this woman was indeed a trouble, but not a trouble for Mo Xiuyao.

Dongfang You was indeed very patient. Xu Qingchen sat in the hall and drank six or seven cups of tea with her. Even the usually calm and composed Master Qingchen felt that it was a bit too much to sit in silence with such a woman, but Dongfang You did not show any sign of impatience. She sat in the hall with a dignified demeanor, sipping a few sips of tea from time to time.

It was not until almost noon that Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li finally came to the party. Seeing the stiffness and helplessness hidden under Xu Qingchen's gentle face, Mo Xiuyao's mood obviously improved a lot. The guest sat down, and Mo Xiuyao leaned back leisurely and gave the initiative to Ye Li. Ye Li smiled at Dongfang and said, "I haven't asked this girl's name yet."

Dongfang You stood up and bowed gracefully, saying, "My little girl Dongfang You has met the princess."

Ye Li nodded and smiled, "Miss Dongfang, there is no need to be polite. I have some small matters with the prince, and I am sorry to have kept you waiting." Dongfang You smiled and said, "How could that be? With Master Qingchen's reception, my daughter and Master Qingchen are having a great time." Mo Xiuyao smiled and looked at Xu Qingchen and said, "In that case, why don't you tell Master Qingchen directly if Miss Dongfang has anything to say? Most of the affairs of the Ding Palace are now handled by Master Qingchen." Hearing this, Dongfang You frowned slightly and said, "Prince, please forgive me for speaking frankly. Although the prince and the princess are in love, the prince also values ​​and trusts the Xu family. The monopoly of foreign relatives has been the source of chaos since ancient times, not to mention that the prince has not yet truly achieved success. If in the future..."

The three people in the hall silently watched Dongfangyou talking about admonitions. It's not that there is anything wrong with these words. If it is at a certain time, these words can even be regarded as good advice. But the problem is that this girl Dongfang is neither a relative of the Ding Palace nor a confidant of the Ding Palace. Is it really okay to say bad things about others in front of the Xu family and the Ding Princess? Did this girl memorize these words from a book?

After waiting for Dongfang You to finish her words, Ye Li smiled and said, "Thank you for your advice, Miss Dongfang. I'm sure you know the situation well."

Dongfang You frowned slightly, looked at Ye Li with a little dissatisfaction and said: "Princess Ding, although the Xu family is your maternal family, as the saying goes, a daughter who is married off is like water spilled out, not to mention that you are not a daughter of the Xu family, shouldn't you be wholeheartedly thinking about the Ding Palace? Doing things for the family's own benefit is not the way to be a wife or concubine?"

Ye Li was silent. This girl not only wanted to be a loyal minister and martyr, but also wanted to be Ban Zhao's eldest grandson's empress. If all the descendants of Cangmang Mountain were like this, Ye Li really doubted how they climbed to the throne of queen. She should have been killed by the emperor because of her unfavorable advice.

"Miss Dongfang, you don't need to think about these things for the time being. Why don't you tell me what you are doing at Prince Ding's mansion? How about that?" Ye Li finally couldn't help but interrupt her and asked. Dongfang You's beautiful face showed a trace of disbelief, staring at Ye Li and said, "Princess Ding, don't you understand yet?" Ye Li felt very innocent when she found that her IQ was doubted, "What should I understand?"

Dongfang You said: "I came down the mountain to assist the new king."

"Then go find your new king." Ye Li was also in a gloomy mood, and replied lightly. Dongfang You was choked and forgot about Ye Li for a while before smiling and saying, "The new king chosen by Cangmang Mountain this generation is King Ding. I am the heir of this generation of Cangmang Mountain, and I am here to assist King Ding by the will of heaven."

Ye Li looked at her and asked, "Miss Dongfang, what you mean by assistant is to enter the Dingwang Mansion and become the prince's concubine?" Dongfang You said indifferently, "This is just a temporary measure. Since the Dingwang has already married, I will naturally not interfere. When the Dingwang unifies the world, I will naturally retire." Ye Li turned her head and handed the question to Mo Xiuyao, "Prince, you decide. Do you want to take in a female counselor?"

Mo Xiuyao's answer was merciless, "Throw her out to me. You are wasting my time."

"Prince Ding!" Dongfang You's eyes widened in surprise, staring at Mo Xiuyao and said, "Prince Ding, do you really not want to know what benefits I can bring to you? The power of Cangmang Mountain is much greater than you think." Mo Xiuyao did not even raise his eyes, and said indifferently, "This king has no interest in your Cangmang Mountain, not to mention... With a descendant like you, I'm afraid that Cangmang Mountain will be useless even if it can resist millions of soldiers."

Such words were even harder for Dongfang You to accept than directly looking down on Cangmangshan. She sincerely wanted to assist Mo Xiuyao, and she believed that with the help of her and Cangmangshan, Prince Ding would definitely unify the world and become a great leader in the shortest possible time. And Cangmangshan's reputation and status would become more resounding and solid from then on. But she didn't expect that Mo Xiuyao would look down on her and the forces behind her.

Looking at Mo Xiuyao and then at Ye Li, Dongfang You suddenly realized something. She turned her head to Xu Qingchen, frowned and said, "Since Prince Ding cannot accept my idea, then we can change to another one." Mo Xiuyao was calm and unmoved. Dongfang You said in a clear voice, "Since Prince Ding does not want me to marry into Prince Ding's mansion and destroy the relationship between Prince Ding and Princess, then I can marry into the Xu family."

The three people present were stunned at the same time. Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li looked at Xu Qingchen at the same time. Xu Qingchen and Xu Qingyan were the only ones in the Xu family who had not yet arranged a marriage. Dongfang You would not want to marry Xu Qingyan, whom she had hardly met, so there was only Master Qingchen. Mo Xiuyao's eyes suddenly became playful, and he looked at Master Qingchen as if he was looking at a piece of good fat meat. If Master Qingchen could get the help of Cangmang Mountain, then it was obviously a very calculated plan. Of course, this woman named Dongfang You could only stay at home to take care of her husband and children and serve her parents-in-law, and there was no need to think about anything else.

"Don't even think about it." Xu Qingchen rejected Mo Xiuyao's plan without any hesitation.

Mo Xiuyao didn't care. He didn't think the power of Cangmang Mountain was that important. It would be good to have it, but it didn't matter if he didn't. Moreover, if he really got the help of Cangmang Mountain, he would have to find a way to take it back, so as to prevent a boring woman from choosing the master of heaven in a hundred years. Spreading his hands, Mo Xiuyao said, "Okay, this matter... should be handed over to Master Qingchen. I won't ask any more questions. Ah Li, let's go first. There are still things to deal with in the study."

Ye Li looked at Xu Qingchen hesitantly, and Mo Xiuyao pulled her out, comforting her: "Don't worry, if Master Qingchen can't even handle this, then he is unworthy of being called the best master in the world. Brother Qingchen, thank you for your trouble." Seeing Mo Xiuyao pulling Ye Li and disappearing at the door without hesitation, Xu Qingchen wanted to slap all the memorials in the study on his face. He worked hard for Prince Ding's Mansion, and Mo Xiuyao didn't show any gratitude, and he was always thinking about making things difficult for him.

"Master Qingchen." Dongfang You said softly.

"Miss Dongfang." Xu Qingchen stopped Dongfangyou from speaking and said calmly, "Don't say anything. Prince Ding's Mansion doesn't need Miss Dongfang's assistance." Most importantly, the Xu family doesn't need a daughter-in-law like Dongfangyou. Dongfangyou said unhappily, "Prince Ding didn't say that. Isn't it too selfish for Master Qingchen to make such a decision?"

Xu Qingchen waved his sleeves and called the guards outside the door, "Send Miss Dongfang out, and no one is allowed to let her in."

"I won't give up!" Dongfang You said firmly.

Xu Qingchen's expression remained unchanged. "Take it away."

After sending Dongfang You away, Xu Qingchen walked towards the study with a gloomy face. In the study, Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li sat together. The warm and intimate atmosphere made people feel that they were very redundant. Seeing Xu Qingchen coming in, Ye Li stood up and smiled slightly: "Brother, has Dongfang You been sent away?" Xu Qingchen nodded, and his eyes swept to Mo Xiuyao on the side. Mo Xiuyao was not ashamed at all, and said with a smile: "Mr. Qingchen, what are you doing? That sentence was not proposed by the king. Isn't it that the Dongfang girl herself fell in love with you?"

Xu Qingchen smiled faintly and said, "Even Prince Ding doesn't like a woman like that, who can she like?" Although it was just a few short sentences, Xu Qingchen had seen it very clearly. Dongfang You, this woman, didn't know how the people of Cangmang Mountain were raised. There was no such thing as love in her mind. So she really didn't interfere with the relationship between Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li. Of course, she proposed to marry Xu Qingchen not because she liked him. But she thought it was convenient. Marrying into Prince Ding's mansion as a concubine, or marrying Xu Qingchen as a wife, she could use her own means to assist Prince Ding's mansion to dominate the world. In the final analysis, all she had in her heart was her so-called ambition and achievement. But her lofty ambitions seemed illusory to people like Mo Xiuyao and Xu Qingchen. She had nothing except the power of Cangmang Mountain behind her, let alone assisting an emperor.

A talented general or minister, a lady behind an emperor's harem doesn't just need to be smart. There are many smart women in the world, and there are also many women who are proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting. But a woman who can stand shoulder to shoulder with a man like Ye Li is unique. But if we really talk about music, chess, calligraphy and painting, poetry, songs, and even astrology and medicine, Ye Li may not be as good as Dongfang You. But if Dongfang You can do it, there are other women in the world who can do it. And what Ye Li can do, few women in the world can do it, so she is unique. Moreover, even the first few queens born in Cangmang Mountain never positioned themselves as assistants to the emperor. In a word, Dongfang You thinks too highly of himself.

Mo Xiuyao smiled and said, "Perhaps the Eastern girl likes a fairy-like gentleman like Master Qingchen?"

"Your Highness, I suddenly remembered that I want to travel for a while. As for the affairs of the palace, you will have to handle them yourself." Xu Qingchen said indifferently with a bad look on his face. When it comes to this issue, Mo Xiuyao can only admit defeat. After all, if Master Qingchen is really forced to leave, it will be a big loss. After coughing twice, Mo Xiuyao said righteously: "Anyway, you can leave Dongfang You to you. You don't need me to ask whether you want to kill her or marry her home. Brother Qingchen, don't worry, no matter what you do, this king and A'li will definitely support you." After speaking, he did not forget to secretly pat Xu Qingchen on the shoulder to show his support.

Xu Qingchen raised his hand in disgust and pushed away Mo Xiuyao's hand. Have you ever seen such a shameless person? Master Qingchen deeply felt that marrying such a cousin-in-law was definitely the greatest disbelief in his life. If he had known this day would come, he would never have married Li'er to this shameless person.

Ye Li helplessly stroked his forehead with his hand, and asked, "Brother, Xiu Yao, what is this Cangmang Mountain like?" Ye Li was not completely a person of this world, and he would not deliberately learn about many things that were not particularly important. For example, Ye Li really did not have much impression of this Cangmang Mountain.

Xu Qingchen sat down and frowned, saying, "The reason why Cangmang Mountain is so mysterious is that it has produced three queens, and the people who have gone out of the mountain to train in the past generations are indeed outstanding. But if you say that someone is really powerful enough to dominate the world..." Young Master Qingchen's lips slightly raised a little. Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li both knew him very well, so they naturally understood the mockery contained in it.

Master Qingchen continued, "The three generations of queens belonged to three different countries, and they lasted for hundreds of years. So it is true that Cangmang Mountain has great power, otherwise it would not be able to continue its glory and mystery for hundreds of years. Now that the heir of Cangmang Mountain has left the mountain, then... the other people in Cangmang Mountain will not be too far away. So the prince now has three options: good, medium, and bad."

Mo Xiuyao smiled thoughtfully and said, "I am all ears."

Xu Qingchen smiled and said, "The worst option is that the prince should ignore Dongfangyou. When she gives up, she will definitely choose someone else. Then the Ding Palace will have another powerful enemy. The middle option is that the prince obeys Dongfangyou's wishes and takes her as a concubine. Then Cangmangshan will definitely do its best to help the Ding Palace." Mo Xiuyao said, "This prince always takes the best option."

Xu Qingchen smiled and said, "The best strategy is to... destroy Cangmang Mountain. From now on, the legend of the Lord of Heaven's Choice will cease to exist."

"That's a good idea." Mo Xiuyao nodded in agreement.

Xu Qingchen nodded and smiled, "It is indeed a good idea. Even if the prince unifies the world in the future, he can avoid the worry of being controlled by Cangmang Mountain. But the problem now is... Cangmang Mountain is not so easy to destroy." Although they, the Dingwang Mansion, disdain Cangmang Mountain, it does not mean that others think so. As long as someone is interested in the descendants of Cangmang Mountain and the Lord of Dai Tianze, there will naturally be someone to deal with Dingwang Mansion for them without the people of Cangmang Mountain taking action. Even if they are not careful, it may cause the consequences of all forces in the world attacking Dingwang Mansion at the same time. Even if Dingwang Mansion is not afraid, fighting on multiple fronts is definitely a very dangerous thing.

Mo Xiuyao pondered for a moment and said, "It's not as difficult as you think. The only ones who can really go against us are Mo Jingli and Lei Zhenting. Lei Zhenting is under the control of the Xiling Emperor, and Mo Jingli... there is also Lei Zhenting following him. If he wants to go against me, he has to deal with Lei Zhenting first. As for Beirong and Beijie, they don't have this opportunity."

Xu Qingchen also knew about Mo Xiuyao's plan for the northern border of Beirong, and the chances of success were not small. It was indeed possible. He raised his eyebrows and looked at Mo Xiuyao and asked, "Have you decided, Lord?"

Mo Xiuyao snorted lightly and disdained to answer.

Actually, there is another way that Xu Qingchen did not mention. Mo Xiuyao can agree to cooperate with Cangmangshan, and then take action to clean up Cangmangshan after the matter is accomplished. With Mo Xiuyao's intelligence, Xu Qingchen also thinks it is not difficult to plot against Cangmangshan. Ye Li looked at the two men with serious faces and asked, "Is it possible that Dongfangyou is not from Cangmangshan at all? Don't you think she is a little too..."

Xu Qingchen shook his head and said, "Dynasties change, and it is impossible for a family to always be composed of elites. But Dongfang You is indeed from Cangmang Mountain."

Ye Li raised her eyebrows, not understanding why. Xu Qingchen said with a hint of disgust, "The people of the Dongfang family in Cangmang Mountain have a secret method that naturally makes people feel good about them. Li'er also saw the scene at the banquet last night, didn't she?"

Ye Li wanted to ask, is that really a good impression? She felt that Dong Fangyou aroused some kind of hidden desire in men.

"Brother, how do you know so much?" Ye Li asked curiously.

Xu Qingchen did not hide it, and said calmly: "Isn't there a legend that our Xu family's ancestor married a woman from Cangmang Mountain?"

"So what is the truth?"

"There was indeed such a woman, but the ancestor of the Xu family did not marry her. But he almost fell into her trap back then. So he mentioned this matter in the note he left behind, and warned his descendants to be careful of the women of Cangmang Mountain." Xu Qingchen said.

It turned out that there was such a thing. Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao heard about it for the first time. Besides being somewhat surprised, the impact on Cangmang Mountain was also somewhat different.

Ye Li pondered for a moment and asked, "Since Cangmang Mountain has the so-called ability to choose the Lord on behalf of the heaven, why is Lei Zhenting willing to send Dong Fangyou to Dingwang Mansion? Could it be that Lei Zhenting is also controlled by Cangmang Mountain?" Xu Qingchen shook his head and said, "It shouldn't be said that he is controlled. Maybe Lei Zhenting knows that Lei Tengfeng's ability may not be able to deal with Cangmang Mountain. And Dingwang Mansion... Lei Zhenting may be betting that Dingwang Mansion will not accept Dong Fangyou. In this way, Dingwang Mansion and Cangmang Mountain will inevitably become enemies. At that time, no matter who Cangmang Mountain chooses to support, with Dingwang Mansion as a powerful enemy, he can also wait for an opportunity to profit from it."

Lei Zhenting was famous throughout his life, but his biggest regret was his son Lei Tengfeng. It's not that Lei Tengfeng was bad, Lei Tengfeng was very good, both in character and ability, but he was not good enough. Lei Tengfeng, who had lived under the sharp edge of his father since he was a child, obviously did not have the mentality of surpassing his father in the Ding Palace. Therefore, as a prince of the Zhennan Palace, he was good enough, but as a king who shouldered the entire Xiling, Lei Tengfeng was not strong enough.

"That is to say... Lei Tengfeng will not cooperate with Cangmangshan either." Mo Xiuyao thought, "Then, the most likely candidate for Cangmangshan is Mo Jingli." Mo Jingli, the regent of Da Chu. He occupies the most prosperous Jiangnan in Da Chu, and has millions of soldiers under his command. The most important thing is that he is more vicious than decisive and courageous. Such a person is simply the best candidate for a puppet. If it were Mo Xiuyao, he would choose Mo Jingli.

Xu Qingchen raised his eyebrows, "Do we need to move Mo Jingli now?"

Mo Xiuyao shook his head and said, "It's not the right time yet. Right now, we should deal with Yeluye and Ren Qining. But... we still need to get what we want. Send someone to tell Mo Jingli to deliver the things I want as soon as possible, or I will give them to Lei Zhenting." He only wanted a few treasures. If they were in Lei Zhenting's hands, he didn't know what Lei Zhenting would want. "By the way, tell Mo Jingli what Dongfangyou meant. Let's see what Mo Jingli will do."

"If that's the case, what about Ye Ying..." Ye Ying is also an important chess piece, but if they want Ye Ying to work for them and put people around Mo Jingli, that is obviously impossible, and Ye Ying can't be so obedient.

Xu Qingchen shook his head and said, "Don't worry about this Li'er. If Dongfangyou really helps Mo Jingli, Ye Ying will rely more on Ding Wangfu." The Ye family has no chance of recovery. The reason why Ye Ying can still sit firmly on the throne of the princess is largely because she is the sister of Princess Ding. Once an extremely important woman appears by Mo Jingli's side, the support and help of Ding Wangfu will become more important to Ye Ying.