Taiping Lie 356. Transaction and Persuasion

Queen Helan came to visit the day after Ren Qining sent out his troops. Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li had already left the inn and lived in an ordinary courtyard in the city. Although several powerful and noble children were missing, no one knew how Tan Jizhi did it. These powerful and noble families all agreed not to report this very suspicious matter to Ren Qining. So Ren Qining didn't know what kind of changes had secretly taken place in his own royal city, and he was full of confidence and led his army to attack Zijing Pass.

Although the North was founded not long ago, the dignitaries in the court, especially the former officials, have long lost the will and fighting spirit to found a country. They have been waiting for too long. If Ren Qining's generation still cannot do it, they may give up this empty and illusory dream of a rich country. Therefore, although it is still far from the great cause of a rich country envisioned by their ancestors, a huge country has been established after all. In their view, as long as they drive away or kill all the people in the North, they will succeed. Therefore, they have worked too hard for too long, and now it is naturally time for them to enjoy.

Now, in the eyes of these former officials, the so-called court affairs are far less important than their own affairs. The gold, silver and jewelry they have obtained, the land and mansions they have obtained, their beautiful wives and concubines, and their children and grandchildren. They have worked hard for the Lin family for so many generations, and now it is time to get rewards. Therefore, no one thinks that their sons were kidnapped. It is strange that some forces may have infiltrated Changqing City. They only know that they must rescue their children and grandchildren and not let the kidnappers ruin their reputation. Among them, the prime minister of the current dynasty is the most concerned, because the kidnapped person is the son of his most beloved concubine, and also the younger brother of Concubine Yun.

"My Lord, Princess, Queen Helan requests an audience." In the courtyard, Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao were sitting opposite each other, playing chess. Upon hearing the guard's report, Ye Li dropped the chess pieces and said with a smile, "Please let her in."

After a while, Queen Helan came in with her people. Following her was the northern man who led the fight in the inn the day before, and was said to be Queen Helan's cousin.

"Prince Ding, Princess Ding." Queen Helan smiled brightly, without the shyness of a Central Plains woman. Ye Li smiled and said, "Thank you Queen Lao for coming to visit us personally. Please take a seat." Queen Helan was not polite and sat down opposite Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao, smiling and saying, "Prince Ding and Princess Ding are really capable. If my cousin hadn't come to the palace to tell me, I'm afraid I wouldn't have known that you two had already arrived in the northern border."

Ye Li apologized, "We came in a hurry and didn't have time to greet the queen. Please forgive us."

Queen Helan waved her hand and said, "Don't be polite with me. I'm glad that Prince Ding and the Princess can come in person. At least this proves that you two are really sincere about cooperating with our northern border, right?" Ye Li side-glanced at Mo Xiuyao, who smiled faintly, indicating that everything would be left to her.

Ye Li nodded, and stopped beating around the bush with Queen Helan. She looked at the two people present and asked, "Can Queen Helan make the decisions on all matters in the North?"

Queen Helan smiled and said, "The tribes in the northern border have secretly recommended my father to be the Khan. Even if there is something I cannot decide, my father can always make the decision. Princess, just rest assured." Ye Li nodded with satisfaction, but secretly sighed in her heart. The people in the northern border are not as simple-minded as they think. At least this Queen Helan, her father, and the young man in front of them who looks wise but foolish, are not easy to deal with.

"That's great. Prince Ding's Mansion can help the Northern Territory deal with Ren Qining. Make sure he and his forces never have the chance to stir up trouble in the Northern Territory again. But at the same time, the Northern Territory must promise to retreat back to the border between the Northern Territory and the original Great Chu after the matter is accomplished. I wonder if Queen Helan has any objections?" Ye Li said lightly.

Queen Helan nodded and said, "No problem, we just want to live our original life. Although we northerners are not as smart as you Central Plains people, we don't want to be used as guns." Ren Qining always wants the Northern Army to rush to the front every time he fights. This is of course because the Northern Army is braver than the newly formed Central Plains troops, but isn't it also because he wants to weaken the Northern Army and reduce the population in this way? Now that the North has established a country, the land area has also expanded. But they, the Northerners, are not good at planting, and many of them are not used to the life in the Central Plains. Instead, their lives are more difficult than before.

"Although Ren Qining's men are selfish and greedy, many of them are really capable. Moreover, Ren Qining is always on guard against us. Now that he has gone to war, he has taken away most of the troops in the Northern Territory, and most of the troops stationed in Changqing City are from the Central Plains. After two years of war, there are only more than 300,000 troops left in the Northern Territory, but Ren Qining has more than a million troops from the Central Plains. I wonder what Prince Ding and Princess Ding are planning?" The young man who had been silent asked, with a hint of resentment in his tone. There are only more than 300,000 troops in the Northern Territory now, which can be regarded as a gift from Prince Ding's Mansion. In the battle of Chujing last year, the Northern Territory lost more than 200,000 troops, and at the same time, the tribes in the Northern Territory hated Ren Qining.

Ye Li didn't care about his attitude. When two armies are fighting, there is no mercy. Moreover, in order to protect Chujing, many people from Da Chu and Dingwang Mansion died. There are no eternal friends or eternal enemies between the two countries. At least for now, regarding Ren Qining, their goals are the same, right?

Ye Li said calmly, "Ren Qining's troops are indeed much more than those in the North, but I'm afraid there aren't many who can really be used." Both Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li came from the military camp, so they naturally understood the difference between these newly enlisted soldiers who knew nothing and the so-called elite soldiers who had fought a hundred battles. If a real fight broke out, I'm afraid that ten Central Plains soldiers under Ren Qining might not be able to defeat one Northern soldier. It's not that they are too weak, but compared to those brave elite soldiers who have galloped through the white mountains and black waters and fought among various tribes, they are actually just a group of ordinary people who have just taken up arms.

"What's more... these soldiers were originally the people of Da Chu. When the critical moment comes, they may not be loyal to Ren Qining." The reputation of the orphan of the previous dynasty is good, but that means that after careful management, the people can live better than before, and they will begin to miss the very distant previous dynasty. But now, Ren Qining established a country and conquered Da Chu as the son-in-law of the Northern Border. In the eyes of many people, he is just a foreign invader who looks like a Central Plains person. What's more, the people in the Northern Border have not lived well in the past two years. Instead, it was Ren Qining's large-scale conscription that made these people miserable. The area outside Zijing Pass is close to the barbarian land and has always been sparsely populated. Ren Qining recruited more than two million soldiers in just two years. How can these people not complain?

Queen Helan blinked and smiled, "I forgot, with Prince Ding here, why worry about those soldiers not turning against us?" Queen Helan had seen the status and appeal of Prince Ding's Mansion in the hearts of the people of Da Chu after traveling to Da Chu and Licheng. This was also the reason why they agreed to the conditions so readily. They were not strong enough to compete with Prince Ding's Mansion for this place.

"If we withdraw from Da Chu, what should we do with the troops taken away by Ren Qining?" the young man asked with a frown.

Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao exchanged a glance, and Mo Xiuyao said calmly: "Isn't this a problem you should consider?" The young man's face darkened and said: "Could it be that so many people were just given to Ren Qining to be used as cannon fodder? They were all the bravest men in our northern border!"

Mo Xiuyao asked idly, "Did the king ask you to agree to Ren Qining's dispatch?" You have caused trouble for the king, and you still expect the king to help you withdraw your troops? Thinking of the soldiers surrounding Zijing Pass, Mo Xiuyao was also a little unhappy. Queen Helan helped her cousin who had a hot temper, and smiled apologetically at Ye Li, saying, "Prince Ding, Princess, we are helpless. Ren Qining is determined to go to war. Unless we turn against him immediately, what else can we do? We have tried our best to delay his time."

Ye Li smiled slightly, pulled Mo Xiuyao's sleeve from behind and shook her head slightly. Mo Xiuyao then put away his unhappy look and stopped talking. Ye Li thought for a moment and said, "It's not impossible to ask him to withdraw his troops. However... I'm not sure how many troops he can withdraw. We can only take it step by step."

Queen Helan said happily, "I have heard that the princess is resourceful and resourceful. Today I see that it is true. The princess is straightforward, and we in the north are not stingy. As long as the princess helps us, we can bring our soldiers back safely. Helan is willing to tell us all the secret forces under Ren Qining. The Lin family was able to hide in Da Chu for two hundred years and still have such a huge force. Prince Ding and the princess don't want them to come back again after a few decades, right?"

Ye Li looked at Queen Helan with some surprise. Queen Helan smiled and said, "Don't doubt it, Princess. These were all collected by my sister before she died. After all, she has been married to Ren Qining for more than ten years. Naturally, she knows much more than us."

Ye Li hesitated for a moment and nodded in agreement. After being exploited by Ren Qining for several years, the Northern Territory has been severely damaged. Even if all the 300,000 soldiers were brought back, they would not be able to compete with the Mohist Army in a short period of time.

Queen Helan smiled and said, "Thank you very much, Princess."

"You and I will each take advantage of it. Queen, you don't have to be polite." They passively waited for Ren Qining to lead the army to attack Zijing Pass and encircle the Mohist Army together with the Northern Rong. It would be better for them to stab Ren Qining in the back first, and see if Ren Qining has time to trouble the Mohist Army when the fire breaks out in the backyard.

After seeing off Queen Helan and her group, Mo Xiuyao looked at Ye Li for a long while without saying a word. Ye Li smiled and asked, "What's wrong?"

Mo Xiuyao pulled down her hand and held it in his palm, and said in a deep voice: "I'm leaving." Ye Li nodded and said: "I know, I will settle the matter in the Northern Territory as soon as possible and come back to meet you." Now the Mo family army has already started a full-scale war with the Northern Rong and the Northern Territory. This is also different from the battle last year. Last year, it was to seize Chujing. Whether it was seized or not was a matter of life and death for both sides. But this time it is really a battle to the death. Under such circumstances, it is impossible for the two people in power in Dingwang Mansion to stay in the small area of ​​the Northern Territory. Even if it is to stabilize the army's morale, one person must appear on the battlefield. It is not easy for Mo Xiuyao to accompany Ye Li to the Northern Territory and stay for so long.

"Have someone keep an eye on Tan Jizhi. Don't trust him too much. If he shows any signs of restlessness, just kill him." Mo Xiuyao warned in a low voice. Knowing that he was worried about her, Ye Li leaned into his arms and smiled softly, "You know, I've always been very sensible in doing things. I know what to do and what not to do, and I won't put myself in danger." If she didn't care about life and death in the past, she no longer does that now. She has a husband who loves her, three underage children, and so many relatives who care about her. No matter what the reason, she will protect her life well.

Mo Xiuyao said gloomily, "How can I not worry? I just want to find a place to hide you, never let anyone see you, and never let you encounter any danger."

"You are so old and still childish, are you ashamed?" Ye Li rolled her eyes helplessly, looked at him with a smile and said seriously: "I can't never see anyone else." Mo Xiu Yao's face became even gloomier, "I know you can't let go of those people in the Xu family, and your friends, and Mo Xiaobao!" Speaking of Mo Xiaobao, Mo Xiu Yao gritted his teeth out of habit.

Seeing his face full of resentment and jealousy, Ye Li smiled, gently kissed him on the lips and said, "Well, if you don't have to take care of Ding Wangfu in the future, if you still think so, I will sacrifice myself and we can go wherever you like." Hearing this, Mo Xiuyao's eyes lit up, "Are you serious, Ah Li?"

Ye Li blinked, "Of course you are serious?"

"Okay. We'll go into seclusion after I pass the throne to Mo Xiaobao." The gloomy look on Junya's face disappeared, and Mo Xiuyao's face was full of high spirits. Seeing his excited and eager look, Ye Li couldn't help but frown, "You're not planning to pass on the throne right away, are you?" She believed that Mo Xiuyao would definitely do such an unreliable thing.

Mo Xiuyao hugged her and said with some regret: "I really want to do this..." Seeing Ye Li narrowing her eyes in displeasure, he continued quickly: "It's a pity that Mo Xiaobao is really a little young. We should at least wait until he can get on a horse and fight, right? Well... how about fourteen years old? I went to the battlefield before I was even fourteen." Mo Xiaobao is eight years old this year, and fourteen years old is six years later... What a wonderful thing. Xu Qingchen will still be there by then. If Mo Xiaobao is smart, he can trick Xu Qingchen into selling a few more years of his life for him. Thinking of this, Mo Xiuyao suddenly felt that God was really kind to him. It must be to make up for his rough and unlucky first half of his life that he was given the second half of his life that he was looking forward to...

Seeing the man in front of her with a happy face and wandering in the sky, Ye Li pushed him aside speechlessly and walked into the room. Mo Xiuyao followed helplessly, and before leaving, he glanced at the wall not far away. The cuffs of his sleeves moved, and a strong wind swept past, something fell to the ground with a thud, and another muffled groan was heard.

After seeing Mo Xiuyao off, Ye Li turned around and went back to see Tan Jizhi sitting in the yard, smiling at her. However, his sitting posture was a little strange, and he kept reaching for a certain place on his shoulder and grinning.

Seeing his strange look, Ye Li raised her eyebrows and asked, "Mr. Tan, how come you have time to come here?"

Tan Jizhi smiled and said, "Don't you have something to report to Prince Ding and Princess? I just happened to run into them saying goodbye, so I can't disturb them and can only wait here respectfully." Ye Li looked at the mud on his dark blue clothes and said lightly, "Thank you for waiting for me, Master Tan."

"I've been waiting for a long time." Tan Jizhi gritted his teeth. Seeing Ye Li sitting down opposite him, he couldn't help but raise his eyebrows and smile: "Prince Ding really trusts the princess to stay alone in the northern border?" Ye Li's fingertips flashed silver light, and with a swish, she flew to Tan Jizhi's cheek and nailed to the tree behind him. Ignoring his teasing, Ye Li smiled and said: "Master Tan, do you want to give it a try? Why does the prince trust me to stay alone?"

Tan Jizhi shook his head quickly. He had not missed Mo Xiuyao's words "If there is anyone who is restless, just kill him." He also believed that Ye Li would definitely kill him. He quickly changed the subject and said seriously: "I have already contacted the prime minister of the northern border, and... briefly mentioned the issue of my and Ren Qining's identities."

Ye Li looked at him, "Why does he believe that you are real and Ren Qining is fake?" When Lin Yuan was born, the Lin family experienced a dramatic change. Several family members took the young master of the Lin family, Lin Yuan, and fled in panic. Ren Qining was not found by the Lin family's retainers until he was almost ten years old.

Tan Jizhi shook his head and said, "He didn't believe me, and he didn't need to. The previous dynasty has been gone for more than 200 years. Princess, do you really think it's that important whether the so-called orphan of the previous dynasty is real or fake? Those people are just... some can't forget the glory of the previous dynasty and their own family, and some are really desperate. Even if they didn't find Ren Qining back then, there would still be Zhang Qining and Li Qining. They just need to believe that I can give them more than Ren Qining can give them."

"That might be difficult." Ye Li thought, stroking her forehead. Even though Ren Qining was in trouble, no matter from which angle, Ren Qining was still more successful than Tan Jizhi and could bring more benefits to others. After all, Ren Qining still had the Northern Border Country, while Tan Jizhi had nothing. Giving up Ren Qining meant that those people would have to fight again for decades. Would they be willing to do that when they were already enjoying their life?

Tan Jizhi smiled faintly and said, "It is indeed difficult. But it is not impossible. There are conflicts between these former ministers and Ren Qining. These people want to drive away the northerners as soon as possible, or kill them all. So that they can enjoy the fruits of victory without having to share them with the northerners. But Ren Qining is more like using the northerners to fight for him. But the northerners are not fools. If they want the northerners to continue to fight for him, they will be defeated. He would not allow Queen Helan to give birth to an heir and make her the crown prince. This was exactly what those old antiques could not tolerate. This time, Ren Qining had just returned to the palace with Queen Helan and Concubine Yun for two days when Concubine Yun had a miscarriage. The Prime Minister's Office believed that it was the work of the northerners and wanted Ren Qining to severely punish Queen Helan. But Ren Qining was anxious to send troops to attack Zijing Pass and suppressed the matter. "

"What's the truth of the matter?" Ye Li asked with a raised eyebrow.

Tan Jizhi said: "It is possible that it was really done by the people of the Northern Territory. After all, the people of the Northern Territory will never allow Concubine Yun to have a prince who is completely of Central Plains descent. However...it is also possible that Concubine Yun was tired from the journey and it was really an accident. However, who cares about such things?" The people of the Central Plains just want to seize this incident to hold the people of the Northern Territory accountable. Regardless of whether it was said by the people of the Northern Territory, at least they are happy to see it. As for Ren Qining, he can only keep things quiet for the time being.

"So, the Prime Minister is dissatisfied with Ren Qining?" Ye Li asked.

Tan Jizhi smiled and said, "It's nothing. In the eyes of those people, the country has been decided now, so who will be the emperor doesn't matter. As long as it can bring them more benefits, there is nothing wrong with replacing Ren Qining with Tan Jizhi. I wouldn't be surprised even if they want to climb up and become emperor one day."

"I'm sorry, you can't be the emperor this time." Ye Li apologized sincerely.

Tan Jizhi curled his lips and said, "It doesn't matter. I don't want to be the emperor of the North, let alone a puppet." He wanted to restore his country, but he didn't want to be a puppet who couldn't make his own decisions, not to mention that this puppet had a barbarian name on it.

Seeing Ren Qining looking somewhat lost, Ye Li asked curiously, "Have you ever done anything you wanted to do in your life?"

Tan Jizhi looked at her and said, "Yes, I have been doing it."

Ye Li's mouth twitched slightly, and said, "Are you talking about restoring the country?"

"What's wrong?" Tan Jizhi didn't care. His biggest dream in life was to restore the country. He had been working on it, though there had been no results.

Ye Li shook her head, looked at him with a complicated expression and said, "It can be seen that you really want to restore the country."

Tan Jizhi had dealt with Ye Li several times, so he had some understanding of her. He asked, "The princess doesn't seem to agree." Ye Li smiled and said, "Everyone has their own aspirations. I'm not from the royal family, so I don't understand that feeling. But... if we drag the people of the world into war just to rule the world for one family, is it really necessary?"

Tan Jizhi's face darkened as he said, "What do you mean by necessary? This world originally belonged to my Lin family!"

Ye Li said calmly, "Before your Lin family, everyone in the world was surnamed Xue. If you could just kill the emperor and change the dynasty, I would have no problem with you changing the emperor every day. However, the common people are the ones who suffer the most from every dynasty change. They don't owe your Lin family anything. On the contrary, it was your ancestors who were incompetent and dragged them into the war. After that, the descendants of the Lin family have been trying to drag them into the war again."

Tan Jizhi was speechless. He disagreed with Ye Li's words, but he felt that what she said was not wrong. After a while, Tan Jizhi sneered and said, "What the princess said is nice, but what are the princess and Prince Ding doing now? Do you want to tell me that Prince Ding has no intention of competing for the world? Do you think I will believe it?" Mo Xiuyao's scheming is so deep that people can't help but sweat. It seems that he is restricted everywhere and has no choice. But in just a few years, he has changed the Dingwang Mansion from being depressed and suppressed for several years after the defeat to the present. The territory spans the two countries of Da Chu and Xiling, and occupies the capitals of the two major countries in the world. How can such a change not be terrifying? Looking back now, I realize that many things were clearly planned in advance by Mo Xiuyao.

Ye Li said calmly, "So what if you believe it? So what if you don't? It just happened that Prince Ding's Mansion was going to take advantage of the situation? Master Tan? The ancestors of the Lin family just didn't want to admit their failure, and you... just wanted to fulfill your ambition. In fact, it has nothing to do with whether the country will be restored or not."

Tan Jizhi was silent again. After a long silence, he couldn't help but sigh and said, "Perhaps, the princess is right. But I have been on this road for more than 30 years. Even if I want to stop, I can't."

Ye Li raised her eyebrows. "Because he took the wrong path in the front, he will go down without looking back? If there is a cliff in front, will Master Tan also jump down without blinking?"

Tan Jizhi smiled helplessly and said, "Maybe."