Shanhe Festival 337: Queen Helan's Intention
Age is definitely the most taboo for every woman, especially for a stunning beauty who is already quite old. The aging of a beauty and the graying of a general's hair are the most helpless things in the world. So even the proud Concubine Liu Gui, who was unwilling to be on the same level as a foreign woman like Queen Helan, was still enraged.
"What did you say, you bitch?!" Concubine Liu was shaking with anger and glared at Queen Helan.
Queen Helan is only sixteen or seventeen years old this year, just the age of a flower. Although she does not have the delicate and fair skin of the women in the Central Plains, her young complexion also shows remarkable health and delicateness under the sun. This is exactly what Concubine Liu Guifei lacks. No matter how delicate her makeup is, she is already over thirty years old and no matter how hard she takes care of herself, she will never have the tender skin of a girl. What's more, she suffered for a long time in the past two years, which almost made her years of maintenance efforts go to waste. Although she has tried her best to take care of herself in the past two years, her appearance can never return to its prime. Queen Helan's words were undoubtedly a ruthless rubbish on her wounds.
"How dare you!" Queen Helan's face darkened, she raised her chin and stared at Concubine Liu proudly, saying: "Since you are the daughter of Prince Yelu, I will give you some leeway. Believe it or not, I will slap you in the face. You are not the Northern Rong imperial concubine. I don't believe that the Northern Rong king will trouble me for this!" Concubine Liu stared at Queen Helan with a look as if it was poisoned. Yelu Ye frowned and said in a deep voice: "Okay, Queen Helan, Qing Yina's words are out of control, please forgive me. But you were also rude first. Why don't we just forget about it?" Queen Helan glanced at Ren Qining, who was obviously not going to stand up for her, snorted lightly, turned her head and stopped talking.
Concubine Liu Guifei was unwilling at first, but she stopped at Yelu Ye's warning look.
"Hey, isn't that Prince Ding and Princess Ding?" Queen Helan looked out the window and happened to see Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li walking hand in hand in the crowd. In a crowd of black-haired people, Mo Xiuyao's white hair was naturally very conspicuous. Hearing this, others also looked over. Sure enough, they saw a pair of outstanding men and women walking side by side in the crowd. The two held hands and laughed while talking about something dissatisfied. Mo Xiuyao was wearing a light blue shirt with dark silver patterns, a jade belt around his waist, and his long silver-white hair was casually scattered. He looked down at the black-haired woman beside him, talking and laughing softly, which was completely different from his usual indifference and coldness.
The woman standing next to him had long black hair tied up in a loose bun. She casually wore a purple hibiscus flower on her head, and a delicate silver footstool swayed gently beside her ear, which made her beautiful face more elegant and graceful, making people reluctant to look away. Ye Li was wearing a very simple white dress with silver trim, and a light purple jade pendant was tied to her silver belt. The two of them were obviously not dressed formally, but walking in the crowd, everyone's eyes could not help but follow them.
Not knowing what Mo Xiuyao said, Ye Li glared at him angrily and raised her hand to grab the thing in his hand, but Mo Xiuyao smiled and let her go, holding her waist with one hand and handing the thing in his hand to her lips with the other. Everyone saw clearly that what Mo Xiuyao was holding was actually a string of candied haws. Ren Qining and Yeluye couldn't help but twitch their lips. With their status, no matter which woman they favored, they would never do such a thing. But seeing Mo Xiuyao doing it, he was calm and at ease, and it was obvious that he was enjoying it.
"I've long heard that Prince Ding and Princess Ding are deeply in love. Seeing them today, I know that their reputation is indeed well-deserved." Concubine Yun sighed softly, and her tone could not hide her envy of Princess Ding.
Queen Helan also agreed with Concubine Yun's words, "Prince Ding is indeed an extraordinary man."
Yeluye's mouth twitched. Is the standard of a good man actually to go out on the street to buy candied haws? Glancing at his indifference, Queen Helan said unhappily: "Seventh Prince, which woman can you go out on the street with candied haws for?"
Yeluye curled his lips in disdain. How could a prince like him do such a degrading thing for a woman? Queen Helan was even more disdainful. "I originally thought that only men in the Central Plains were so vain and cared about face, but I didn't expect that you Beirong people are almost the same. Men in our northern border are not as vain as you. Every one of them is a good man like Prince Ding."
Seeing that Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li were about to pass by downstairs, Queen Helan stood up and smiled down: "Prince Ding, Princess Ding..."
Downstairs, Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao looked up and saw Queen Helan waving at them happily. Of course, there were also Ren Qining and Yelu Ye, both of whom looked unhappy. Ren Qining and Yelu Ye had previously formed an alliance to fight against the Mohist Army, so it was not surprising that the two of them appeared in a teahouse at the same time. But the two families hooked up right under the noses of the Mohist Army in Licheng, which was too much of a disregard for Prince Ding's Mansion. Ye Li raised a slight smile at the corner of her lips, nodded to Queen Helan and said with a smile: "The Queen is here too, what a coincidence." Queen Helan leaned over the window and smiled: "Are Prince Ding and Princess out shopping? Why don't you come up and sit together?"
"Obedience is worse than respect." Ye Li agreed with a smile and pulled Mo Xiuyao into the teahouse.
As soon as the two entered the door, the shopkeeper of the teahouse came up to them with an excited look on his face. Although Prince Ding and Princess lived in Licheng, they rarely went out. It was no wonder that the shopkeeper was so excited to be able to visit this small teahouse. Looking at the shopkeeper who was excited and at a loss, Ye Li smiled and nodded and said, "Shopkeeper, don't pay attention to us, we will go up by ourselves." The shopkeeper naturally nodded repeatedly and carefully glanced at Prince Ding who was standing next to the princess. The prince holding candied haws and other things was really beyond the acceptance of ordinary people. He didn't dare to step forward to greet them, so he could only watch Ye Li pulling Mo Xiuyao upstairs.
Ren Qining and his party did not sit in the private room, but the shopkeeper knew that they were of special status, and the place where they sat was the best and cleanest place in the whole teahouse. Separated by an eight-fold landscape screen, it was a world of its own, with a sense of tranquility in the midst of noise. Looking at the two people who came hand in hand, Ren Qining and Yelu Ye's eyes involuntarily fell on Mo Xiuyao's other hand. Although the candied haws just now were gone, the prince Ding holding the snack box in his hand was just as unbearable. This feeling was like a nine-day god worshipped by all living beings, and suddenly someone told you that gods also have to eat, drink, defecate and urinate.
Mo Xiuyao didn't care about the strange looks from Ren Qining and Yeluye. He put the snacks on the table, and everyone could see the words "Pinlianzhai" on the box. This is the most famous pastry in Licheng. Queen Helan's eyes lit up, "Is this the snack from Pinlianzhai? Their snacks are the best. I went there twice and had to wait in a long line."
Of course, Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li didn't have to queue up. Even if they were willing to queue up, the customers in front of them would immediately give up their seats. Mo Xiuyao smiled and said, "Not bad, Ye Li likes it too. If the queen likes it, you can try it."
Queen Helan was not polite and said with a smile: "Thank you very much, Prince Ding. Prince Ding is really a good man."
Everyone present couldn't help but twitch. Prince Ding is a good man...How many bad people are there in this world? As if she didn't notice other people's expressions at all, Queen Helan ate the snacks happily. Of course, she would not forget to give half of the snacks to the original owner.
"In just a few years, Licheng has become so prosperous. Prince Ding and the Princess are indeed good at governing." Yeluye said in a deep voice. Yeluye participated in Mo Xiaobao's full moon celebration, so he could see the changes in Licheng over the years. The area alone has more than doubled. Not to mention, now that Xiling Imperial City and Chujing are declining, Licheng can be said to be the most prosperous city in the world. Beirong is poor, and the people of Beirong live by following water and grass. Even the few cities are not large in scale. The most prosperous Beirong Royal Court in Beirong may not be comparable to the second-rate cities in the Central Plains. Therefore, the prosperity of the Central Plains cannot help but make the people of Beirong envious. Although the Northern Rong now have several cities that were seized from the Great Chu, the Northern Rong are brave and invincible in battle, but governing a country cannot be done by fighting alone. The cities that were originally considered good have become dilapidated in Yelu Ye's hands, and look like a declining country.
Mo Xiuyao said calmly: "Seventh Prince, you are right. Compared with Chujing and Jiangnan, the Northwest is still very poor. I am just doing my best."
Both men were not impressed by his humility. No matter how prosperous and wealthy Mo Jingli was in Jiangnan, he had nothing that could not be guaranteed. But Mo Xiuyao was different. At least in the short term, no one dared to take anything from him. Although the dignitaries from various countries had not interacted with each other in Licheng these days to avoid suspicion and show respect to their master, they all had their own sources of information. At least for now, Xiling, which had lost a large piece of land but regained it from Da Chu and was still strong, had no intention of provoking Mo Xiuyao. Lei Zhenting instead focused his attention on Mo Jingli in Jiangnan. If so, they would have to think twice before competing with Mo Xiuyao. Regardless of whether you can win or not, if you end up helping others, then you will end up losing more than you gain.
Yelu Ye had no intention of going to war with Mo Xiuyao for the time being, as he had heard from the Northern Rong Kingdom that his brother the Crown Prince was making frequent moves. Coupled with the tense war with the Mohist Army during this period, his mind, which had been dazzled by victory before, became clearer. If his brother the Crown Prince had the upper hand in the country, it would be useless even if he defeated Mo Xiuyao once or twice in the front, unless he could annihilate the Mohist Army, otherwise it would just be a waste of his own strength. Thinking of the fact that the relationship between Yelu Hong and Prince Ding's Mansion was much more harmonious than his own, Yelu Ye's heart moved slightly. Looking at Mo Xiuyao, his eyes became more sober and profound, "Prince Ding, I have a deal that I want to discuss with Prince Ding, what do you think?"
"Trade?" Mo Xiuyao seemed to have heard a joke. "Seventh Prince, your Northern Rong army of several hundred thousand is still waiting at the border, what trade do you want to discuss with me?"
Yeluye smiled indifferently and said, "You have a saying in the Central Plains: there are no permanent friends, only permanent interests. Similarly, there are no permanent enemies, right?"
Mo Xiuyao raised his eyebrows, "It seems to make sense? Why don't you tell me, Prince Seven?" Ren Qining, who was sitting opposite, looked unhappy when he saw Yelu Ye actually wanted to negotiate a deal with Mo Xiuyao in front of him. After all, the Northern Territory and the Northern Rong were allies. Yelu Ye certainly would not offend Ren Qining, and smiled and said, "Actually, this matter is good for everyone. I wonder if the King of the Northern Territory is interested?"
Ren Qining said calmly: "I'm all ears."
Beside them, Queen Helan frowned and said, "What's wrong with you men? You came here for fun, but now you're talking about these disgusting things. I don't want to hear you talk nonsense." Hearing this, Ren Qining frowned somewhat unhappily and said, "In that case, Queen, please go back to the inn first."
"What are you saying? I haven't had enough fun yet." Queen Helan refuted his words without hesitation, which successfully made Ren Qining's face look even uglier. Ye Li stood up and smiled: "In this case, Queen Helan, why don't you go out with me for a walk, so that I can show my hospitality?" Queen Helan's eyes lit up, and she happily stepped forward and took Ye Li's arm and said: "Where are you going to take me to play? There are so many people in Licheng, and so many interesting things. I want to buy more to take back." Ye Li smiled and said: "When the queen leaves, I will ask someone to give you a portion of what the queen likes."
"Princess Ding, you are such a good person. Let's go!" After saying that, he didn't care about other people's reactions and hurriedly pulled Ye Li downstairs. Ye Li waved to Mo Xiuyao to indicate that it was okay, and then followed Queen Helan downstairs. Mo Xiuyao frowned, watched from the window as the guards waiting outside the teahouse followed him, and then sat back down with peace of mind.
"Prince Ding's deep love for the princess is really enviable." Concubine Liu stared at Mo Xiuyao and gritted her teeth. Seeing Mo Xiuyao still handsome with white hair and a fierce aura, Concubine Liu felt as if she was bitten by a poisonous snake. Mo Xiuyao was one or two years older than her. If they looked about the same age two years ago, now if Concubine Liu took off her veil, even though she was still beautiful, she looked a few years older than Mo Xiuyao.
Mo Xiuyao pretended not to hear him, lowered his head and drank a sip of tea, then said to Yelu Ye: "Prince Yelu, please tell me what the deal is."
The beautiful face of the ignored woman was distorted and hideous under the veil.
In another jewelry store in the city not far from the teahouse, called Fenghualou, Ye Li and Queen Helan sat opposite each other in a quiet room on the second floor. Ye Li leisurely sipped the new tea brought by the shopkeeper, while smiling as she watched Queen Helan curiously playing with the various exquisite jewelry on the table. After a while, Ye Li asked softly, "Does Queen Helan have anything to tell me?"
Hearing this, Queen Helan put down the jewelry in her hand and raised her head. The originally open and curious smile on her face gradually disappeared, replaced by the determination rarely seen in Central Plains women and the wisdom and calmness rarely seen in Northern women. The sudden change made the young woman who originally looked a little arrogant immediately more imposing. Queen Helan nodded and smiled and said, "I knew I couldn't hide it from Princess Ding."
Ye Li smiled and said, "The Queen showed her goodwill to me on the first day she came here. If I can't see it, I will disappoint the Queen. But, I wonder what the Queen wants to discuss with the King of the Northern Territory alone?" Queen Helan looked at Ye Li deeply and said in a deep voice, "I want to cooperate with Prince Ding's Mansion. No, it should be said... we in the Northern Territory want to cooperate with Prince Ding's Mansion."
"People from the Northern Border?" Ye Li paused and said, "Isn't it the Northern Border Kingdom?" There are two kinds of people in the Northern Border now, the native Northerners and the Central Plains people who consider themselves the descendants of the previous dynasty. And these so-called descendants of the previous dynasty are nothing more than the people of Da Chu who have surrendered or been accepted by Ren Qining in recent years. Ren Qining trusts the Central Plains people more. He wants to restore the orthodoxy of the previous dynasty. The later it gets, the more he has to suppress the Northerners, and even in the end he must completely abandon the Northerners. Otherwise, his so-called Central Plains orthodoxy is unworthy of the name and cannot be accepted by the Central Plains literati. Unless he is willing to use the Northern Border as the name of the country and rule the Central Plains as a foreign race. But in this way, not only will the resistance he encounters be several times or even hundreds of times greater than before. Even the Central Plains people who were originally loyal to him may turn against him. From the beginning, there were irreconcilable contradictions between the two tribes. That's why Mr. Qingyun told Ren Qining that he was wrong from the beginning.
After thinking for a moment, Ye Li asked curiously, "Can Queen Helan decide on such a thing?"
Queen Helan raised her head and said proudly, "Since I am here, I can make the decision. We in the North are not like you in the Central Plains who only lock up our daughters in the concubine's room. We can do what men can do. There have always been few children in our family, and I don't have any brothers or sisters. After my father passed away, I should have taken over the position of the clan leader. And after my cousin died, according to the rules, their clan should also be succeeded by me or my children. But those annoying Central Plains people around Ren Qining are holding on to the rights of us northerners. We just want to take back what belongs to us."
Ye Li had considered doing something through Queen Helan, but she had never thought that this young Queen Helan was such an important person. She was a little surprised for a moment, but she was always calm and composed, so Queen Helan naturally couldn't tell what she was thinking. Ye Li looked at her and said softly, "I heard that the former Queen of the North was also a beautiful woman, but it's a pity that we didn't have the chance to meet."
Queen Helan's eyes suddenly turned red when she mentioned this. She gritted her teeth and said, "If it wasn't for Ren Qining, how could my cousin have wronged herself like that? My cousin gave up her position as the clan leader for him, and he was always on guard against my cousin, making those women angry with her. He also found opportunities to kill everyone my cousin trusted. If it wasn't for my cousin saving him, how could this ungrateful person have ended up like this."
Seeing the angry Queen Helan, Ye Li sighed in her heart. With Ren Qining's martial arts and power, how could he be in danger in a place like the North Border? I'm afraid that the encounter itself was a conspiracy. However, Ren Qining was willing to spend money for his so-called great cause. "Queen, I think you should know. The death of your cousin..." This was not a secret in the first place. Ye Li thought it was better to make it clear. Otherwise, she didn't want to feel the feeling of being stabbed in the back in the middle of the cooperation.
Queen Helan said firmly, "I know. My father said that these grudges can be put aside for the time being. We in the Northern Territory are trustworthy. As long as the princess helps us drive Ren Qining out, we will not go against the Ding Palace." Ye Li raised her eyebrows and smiled, "If so, what benefits can this princess get?"
Queen Helan said: "The northern army will all retreat to the original border with the Great Chu. Although you in the Central Plains are good, our northern border with white mountains and black waters is not bad either. We just want to live our own lives." It's not that the people of the northern border have no ambitions at all, but that the development of the northern people has not yet reached the point where they can carry ambitions. Before Ren Qining appeared in the northern border, the northern border was inhabited by tribes. The people of the northern border also lived a life of fishing and hunting. Not to mention that the people of the Central Plains generally farmed, they didn't even herd horses and sheep like the Northern Rong. The residents were naturally very simple, and Ren Qining brought too many changes. However, not everyone can accept the earth-shaking changes in less than twenty years. From the occasional fights between tribes in the past, to the current fights with the regular Great Chu and the Mohist army. The people of the North suffered the most. They were not all stupid, and it was almost foreseeable that if things continued like this, even if Ren Qining really unified the world one day, the people of the North would probably be almost wiped out.
Therefore, they decided to drive out Ren Qining and his cronies and take back the rights that belonged to the northerners. Perhaps one day they would also participate in this battle for supremacy, but that would be a long, long time in the future, definitely not now.
Ye Li was silent for a long time before nodding and saying, "I am very moved by Queen Helan's proposal. If Queen Helan is sincere in cooperating, then I think it is possible."
Queen Helan was stunned by the quick response. In her impression, people in the Central Plains always think twice before acting, and it is rare to see someone as neat and tidy as Ye Li. "Can the princess make the decision?" Ye Li smiled. "If I can't make the decision, wouldn't it be a loss for the queen to come to me to discuss this matter?"
Queen Helan felt a little guilty. "I originally wanted to ask the princess to give a message to Prince Ding. Besides, I've also heard that the princess is very powerful. Maybe the princess can help me convince Prince Ding. Prince Ding may not be willing to cooperate with me. You people in the Central Plains always prefer women to interfere in these matters."
Ye Li smiled and said, "I can indeed make the decision. However... Your Majesty, you must let me see the sincerity of the North, right? Otherwise, how can I trust Your Majesty?"
Queen Helan nodded, and solemnly took out a box and placed it in front of Ye Li, saying, "This contains the sacred object of my ancestors in the Northern Territory. With it, you can exchange all the 26 tribes in the Northern Territory for one thing. As long as you ask, all the people in the Northern Territory will go through fire and water to complete it for you. This is the most precious treasure in our Northern Territory. I will give it to you for safekeeping for the time being."
Ye Li opened the box. Inside was a brown patterned animal skin that looked like tiger skin. On the animal skin was a short knife that looked a bit rough, but many of the marks on it had become blurred and rounded, obviously having been worn for a long time. The short knife was not made of iron or copper, nor was it a jade knife that you would normally play with. It looked like it was made of some stone. Although Ye Li was not superstitious about the binding force of tokens, she knew that some ethnic groups believed in so-called sacred objects.
"Aren't you afraid that I won't pay you back, Queen?"
Queen Helan said solemnly: "If so, the North will use all its strength to bring back the holy relic. But I believe that neither the princess nor the prince is such a person."
Ye Li put away the box and nodded, saying, "This concubine and the prince will give the queen an answer by tomorrow at the latest."
Queen Helan then smiled and nodded, "Thank you very much, Princess."
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