Taiping Rift 405: The Choice of the Noble Family

Although they were a little surprised by the sudden change of heart of the Chu family patriarch, the two guards still took him back to the hall. After all, the emperor did not intend to kill the Chu family patriarch. It would be difficult for such a person to die. If he turned over, he could kill these penniless guards with just a slap.

Sure enough, almost immediately Mo Jingli ordered the head of the Chu family to be brought back to the hall.

This time, the head of the Chu family did not hesitate at all, and knelt on the ground. He bowed his head and said, "I, Chu Shaoying, pay my respects to His Majesty!" Everyone present was shocked. You know, among them, the Chu family was the coldest to Mo Jingli before. And due to the relationship between the Chu family and the Xu family, everyone with a discerning eye knew that even if the Chu family was loyal to Mo Jingli, they would not be reused.

Mo Jingli raised his eyebrows in satisfaction. Seeing the previously proud and elegant head of the Chu family kneeling down in front of him, Mo Jingli felt indescribably happy. It was as if he saw someone from the Xu family kneeling in front of him. Raising his eyebrows, Mo Jingli asked, "Why did Mr. Chu change his mind so quickly?"

The head of the Chu family lowered his head and said, "I was confused for a moment, please forgive me, Your Majesty. If... the Chu family is destroyed by me, I will be blamed even if I die a thousand times."

"Oh?" Mo Jingli seemed to be thinking about something. If Chu Shaoying gave any other reason, he might not believe it. But Mo Jingli knew that these so-called aristocratic families valued their own families more than anything else. They were willing to sacrifice anything for the continuation of their families. If it was for the Chu family, it was understandable.

"Oh? The Chu family is willing to be loyal to me? Then what about my previous proposal?" Mo Jingli asked.

Chu Shaoying nodded and said, "Yes, the Chu family is willing to be loyal to Your Majesty, and I wish Your Majesty to unify the country as soon as possible. Your Majesty's orders, the Chu family will do their best to satisfy Your Majesty." Seeing him like this, Mo Jingli was finally satisfied. He laughed loudly, and personally stood up to subdue Chu Shaoying. He smiled and said, "I was just joking with you, Mr. Chu, please don't blame me."

Chu Shaoying’s face turned pale and he nodded respectfully, “I dare not, I dare not…” as if he was really frightened.

Mo Jingli glanced at the people present and smiled, "I am really relieved that Mr. Chu is making such a righteous statement. I wonder what the other people who are working on this think?" Several family heads who have the best relationship with the Chu family and who were originally very pessimistic about Mo Jingli looked at Chu Shaoying in confusion. Chu Shaoying lowered his eyes calmly and nodded slightly.

Although they didn't know why he suddenly changed, these people still had some confidence in Chu Shaoying. It was impossible for the Chu family to leave the Dingwang Mansion and the Xu family as big trees and turn to Mo Jingli. Even if the Dingwang Mansion was really going to fail, it would be better to retreat to the mountains than to turn to Mo Jingli. At least they didn't have to worry about being confiscated or killed by Lei Zhenting.

After thinking it over, the few people stood up at the same time and said, "We are willing to be loyal to Your Majesty."

"Good! Great! Come... I'll toast to Mr. Chu and everyone else!" Mo Jingli laughed with satisfaction, and his anger just now was gone.

The hall had just returned to a peaceful state, but it seemed as if God had destined that tonight's banquet would not go smoothly. Someone outside the door hurried in to report, "Your Majesty, the Mohist Army has sneaked into the city and just set fire to the granary in the west of the city!"

"What?!" Mo Jingli slammed the table and left, asking in a sharp voice, "Where is the person?"

"Your Majesty, General Li is leading people to arrest him." The person who came to report said hurriedly.

"Arrest?! Arrest your ass! We only found out after someone sneaked into the city and burned down the granary. What are we going to do now?!" Mo Jingli angrily kicked away a wooden block in front of him and roared angrily.

"I...I admit my guilt."

"That's enough!" Mo Jingli interrupted his meaningless apology, glanced at the people present, and said coldly: "You go back first. That's all for tonight." Chu Shaoying and others stood up and said goodbye. Chu Shaoying thought for a moment, then stepped forward and said: "Your Majesty, the Chu family still has some food in reserve, and I am willing to donate it to Your Majesty to solve the urgent problem." After hearing Chu Shaoying's words, Mo Jingli's expression eased a little, and he nodded and said: "Thank you, Mr. Chu."

After everyone else had left, Mo Jingli asked in a cold voice, "How much was burned?"

The man swallowed hard and trembled as he said, "Three granaries in the west of the city caught fire at the same time. They were all burned. There is also a granary in the north of the city... most of it was also burned. I'm afraid our army's food... won't last for two days."

Mo Jinglijian frowned slightly. He was not very worried about the food and fodder. This march was urgent, so the military supplies had not arrived yet. Food and fodder would arrive in a few days. Moreover, there were many wealthy families in Liyang City. Even if these people did not look as rich as the so-called wealthy businessmen, their foundation was beyond the reach of the wealthy businessmen. Now that the world was in turmoil, he absolutely did not believe that these people did not secretly hoard food and fodder.

What really made Mo Jingli uneasy was the Mohist Army that had sneaked into the city. With Liyang City on such a tight alert, the Mohist Army was able to sneak into the city and set fire to the grain, which made Mo Jingli feel very shocked and uneasy.

"Tell General Li to capture all the Mohist troops that enter the city!" Mo Jingli said in a deep voice.

"As you command!"

"Get out!" Watching the people below tumbling and crawling out, Mo Jingli looked at the empty hall in front of him with annoyance. He raised his hand and smashed the wine glass in front of him to the ground, "Mo Xiuyao! I don't believe that I can't beat you now that you are dead!"

Late at night, Mo Jingli was drunk and was helped back to his room by his servants. The charming woman who had been waiting there for a long time came up to him and helped him walk to the bed, while softly calling, "Your Majesty... Your Majesty, are you drunk?"

Mo Jingli looked at the woman in front of him with drunken eyes and said, "How dare you! Who are you?"

The woman said aggrievedly: "Your Majesty, what's wrong with you...I am Concubine Li."

"Li Fei?" Mo Jingli was in a bad mood and drank too much. He was confused for a moment, "Who is Li Fei... um... it's you... you are..." Li Fei smiled happily and said, "It's your concubine, your concubine..." Although she was just a dancer, she was Mo Jingli's most beloved concubine, otherwise Mo Jingli would not have brought her with him even when he marched to war.

Mo Jingli nodded and said, "It's you. You are Ye...Ye Li."

Concubine Li felt a chill on her head, and was a little confused for a moment. She had heard of Ye Li's name, but she didn't expect the emperor to call out Princess Ding's name in such a place. Concubine Li didn't feel jealous at all. When one person is so different from another, even jealousy can't arise. She was just shocked, and she felt that hearing this was definitely not a good thing for her.

Mo Jingli, who was drunk, didn't care about Concubine Li's shock. He hugged the woman in front of him and kissed her. While kissing her, he murmured: "Ye Li... Ye Li, you dare to reject me! Time and time again... Haha... Now that Mo Xiuyao is dead, you will be mine sooner or later. Since you don't know how to behave, I will take back my previous promise and demote you to the lowest concubine! Ye Li..."

Concubine Li was so frightened by what Mo Jingli said that she almost dared not move. She wished she could faint immediately and pretend that she had not heard anything. Just when she wanted to cry but had no tears, she felt a pain in the back of her neck and immediately lost consciousness.

Beside the large and gorgeous bed, a man in white stood tall. The murderous intent in his eyes was enough to make anyone retreat. Even Mo Jingli, who was lying on the bed holding the beauty and was drunk and confused, instinctively felt a chill. He couldn't help but shiver and hugged the woman in his arms tighter, "Ye Li... I must get you... I must let you know that I am more powerful than Mo Xiuyao..."

Mo Xiuyao looked down at the man and woman on the bed. His originally handsome eyes were now filled with a sinister scarlet, as terrifying as a fierce ghost from the underworld.

Mo Xiuyao leaned over, raised his hand and slowly touched Mo Jingli's neck. Mo Jingli, who was still asleep, had no idea that if the man in front of him exerted a little force, he would never wake up again. After a long time, the hand that was originally clasped on his neck slowly let go. Then he moved his hand to touch the woman in Mo Jingli's arms. The sleeping woman trembled slightly, a trace of blood flowed from her lips, and soon she stopped breathing.

There was no mercy in Mo Xiuyao's eyes. This woman might be innocent, but she would never be able to live after hearing such words.

Mo Xiuyao stood beside the bed for a while, and suddenly a bloodthirsty smile appeared on his lips.

Half a minute later, a graceful white shadow flashed out from the prefect's mansion and melted into the dark night.

In the west of Liyang City, Chu Shaoying, the head of the Chu family, had just sent off a group of soldiers from the Chu family who came to search and returned to the study. There were already several people sitting in the study. When they saw Chu Shaoying walk in, one of them immediately stood up and grabbed Chu Shaoying and asked anxiously: "Brother Chu, what do you think? What happened today... that Mo Jingli really looks..." Which of these people who can control the head of the Pang family is not a shrewd person? In their opinion, even if King Ding died and the Mo family army was defeated in the end, Mo Jingli would probably be swallowed up by King Zhennan. Even if we take a step back and say that Mo Jingli has stabilized the situation. With Mo Jingli's character, they will definitely not have a good time in the future. By then, I'm afraid the outcome will be that the bird has been killed and the bow has been hidden.

Chu Shaoying glanced at everyone and said with a smile, "You are all my best friends, and I am worthy of your name. I will not lie to you. To be honest, I am not optimistic about Mo Jingli either."

"Then... Brother Chu, what are you doing?" Everyone was puzzled. After publicly pledging allegiance to Mo Jingli, if they betrayed him again, the Chu family's reputation would be ruined. Moreover, even if they defected to someone else in the future, they would probably not be reused. After all, the Chu family could betray Mo Jingli, and they could also betray others in the future.

Chu Shaoying smiled but said nothing. One of them looked at the smile on Chu Shaoying's face and thought to himself, "Could it be that Brother Chu has already made a decision?"

Chu Shaoying nodded and said, "Not bad."

Everyone looked at each other, and one of them reached out and dipped his hand in water and wrote the word "定" on the table. Everyone present looked as if it was just as expected. Chu Shaoying said seriously: "I have entrusted my life and the entire Chu family to you. Please..."

"Brother Chu, what are you talking about? We have known each other for decades, can't we trust each other? To be honest, I have the same idea as Brother Chu. It's just that I have never had a way. With the relationship between the Chu family and the Xu family, it will be much more convenient." Although Prince Ding is gone now, there is still Master Qingchen. The young master of Prince Ding's mansion is also eight or nine years old. With the assistance of Master Qingchen and the two gentlemen and several young masters of the Xu family, he will definitely be able to stand on his own within ten years. By then, it is not certain who will have the final say in this world. At least... Prince Ding's mansion seems to be much more reliable than Mo Jingli.

Chu Shaoying smiled and said, "Thank you all. As long as the Chu family is still here, you will not suffer any loss."

After hearing Chu Shaoying's promise, everyone couldn't help but smile. Chu Shaoying had originally refused to submit to Mo Jingli, but suddenly changed his mind after going out. Mo Jingli might think that Chu Shaoying was scared, but how could they, who had known each other for decades, not know what kind of person Chu Shaoying was? Without absolute certainty, Chu Shaoying would never take risks with the Chu family.

"In that case, everything is up to Brother Chu. We will obey Brother Chu's orders in everything." Everyone bowed and smiled. Chu Shaoying nodded and replied solemnly: "Don't worry. Chu Shaoying will not let you down."

"In that case, we have Brother Lao Chu. We will take our leave."

"No."

After seeing the people out of the study, Chu Shaoying turned around after closing the door and was almost startled. A man in white was sitting in the empty study, looking at him leisurely. He was holding a cup of hot tea in his hand. In the moment when he was seeing people off at the door, this man not only entered the study, but also had time to make a cup of tea for himself.

After a moment of stunned silence, Chu Shaoying came back to his senses and bowed respectfully to the man in white, "Chu Shaoying has met His Royal Highness Prince Ding." Mo Xiuyao nodded and said with a smile, "Mr. Chu, there is no need to be polite. I have wronged you tonight." Mo Xiuyao secretly praised Chu Shaoying for his extraordinary determination. Although the head of the Chu family seems to be of average reputation under the reputation of the Xu family, which is full of talented people. But to be able to manage the second largest family in Yunzhou and one of the top five in the entire Chu, Chu Shaoying's ability must be extraordinary. When I met him tonight, I found that this head of the family is indeed a real smart man. But compared to the natural intelligence of the Xu family, this one is more like a foolish man with great wisdom.

Chu Shaoying smiled bitterly and said frankly: "Your Majesty, you are too kind. If it weren't for your reminder tonight, I would have been..." Mo Xiuyao understood what Chu Shaoying meant. No matter what, the Chu family was still the most important in Chu Shaoying's eyes. If Mo Xiuyao hadn't appeared, Chu Shaoying would have most likely compromised with Mo Jingli when it came to the last resort.

Mo Xiuyao waved his hands to indicate that it was not necessary to worry about it.

Chu Shaoying thanked him quickly, and then sat down cautiously and asked, "Your Majesty, you came into the city late at night. Do you have any instructions?"

Mo Xiuyao smiled faintly and said, "It's not really an order. The Mo family army will definitely break through Liyang City within three days. Before that, I hope to announce this to the world in the name of the Chu family and the major families in Yunzhou." Mo Xiuyao took out a letter with handwriting and handed it to Chu Shaoying. Chu Shaoying took it in his hand and just glanced at it twice before he couldn't help but twitched his mouth. When he read further, his face changed even more. It clearly described how Mo Xiuyao used the secret medicine of Southern Xinjiang to murder the late emperor Mo Jingqi, forced Mo Suyun to death, imprisoned the empress dowager, withheld the military pay for Zijing Pass, which led to the Beirong breaking through Zijing Pass and finally the army coming to Chujing. If these were really sent out, Mo Jingli would be ruined and condemned by everyone.

Chu Shaoying thought about it and asked, "Prince, are these all true?!" Even someone like Chu Shaoying would never have thought that Mo Jingli had so many shameful things in private. The most important thing is that even if it is true, you can't let your enemies get hold of it.

Mo Xiuyao nodded leisurely, "Mr. Chu, you don't believe in Qilin and the Mo family army's secret guards' ability to collect intelligence?"

Chu Shaoying shook her head quickly, "I just don't understand why the prince didn't bring these out earlier. And...if the prince announced these to the world personally, or if someone from the Xu family announced them, the impact would be greater, right?"

Mo Xiuyao shook his head and said, "Before, the time was not right. But now... the Xu family is far less convenient than the Chu family. Of course... Mr. Chu doesn't have to do this himself."

Chu Shaoying pondered for a moment and figured out the whole story. After all, the Xu family is from the Dingwang Mansion. Although several members of the Xu family are highly respected, Mo Jingli may turn the tables and say that the Dingwang Mansion slandered him. But if it is disclosed by others now, it will be completely different. Of course, in Chu Shaoying's opinion, part of the reason may be that the Dingwang does not want the Xu family to be involved in these things. In any case, many secrets of the Great Chu are revealed here. After all, they are also subjects of the Great Chu. Once these are disclosed, Mo Jingli will certainly be ruined. But they who did these things will inevitably be criticized by some sour scholars.

"I understand. Your Highness, please rest assured. I will definitely choose an appropriate time to make these things public."

After hearing what Chu Shaoying said, Mo Xiuyao was also very satisfied. He stood up and said with a smile: "In this case, I will wait for good news from Mr. Chu." Chu Shaoying nodded and said: "Don't worry, Your Majesty."

Mo Xiuyao left the Chu family and quickly passed over the wall and left the city. Even though Liyang City was heavily guarded, it still couldn't stop His Royal Highness Prince Ding, who was dressed in white. After leaving Liyang City, Xu Qingfeng and several Qilin team members were waiting there early.

Mo Xiuyao raised his eyebrows and asked, "What are you doing here?" Xu Qingfeng smiled helplessly. He just returned to the camp and found out that Mo Xiuyao was still alive and appeared in the military camp. You know, when the news of Mo Xiuyao's death came, Xu Qingfeng was almost scared crazy. His mind was full of thoughts about what to do with his cousin if Mo Xiuyao really died? Finally, he didn't die, but he ran away before he saw him. Xu Qingfeng almost thought that Lu Jinxian and others were joking with him. After waiting in the camp for Mo Xiuyao to come back, Xu Qingfeng had to wait outside Liyang City with his people.

When it was almost dawn and Xu Qingfeng was about to break into Liyang City again, Mo Xiuyao finally showed up.

"My Lord, are you okay?"

Mo Xiuyao raised his eyebrows. What could happen to him?

Xu Qingfeng sighed and nodded, "I'm glad you're okay." After that, he turned around and went back without caring about Mo Xiuyao's reaction. Mo Xiuyao, who was always quick-witted, couldn't help but be stunned. Xu Qingfeng waited here in the middle of the night just to make sure he was okay? To care about him? Apart from official business, the brothers of the Xu family have never been so friendly to him.

In front, Xu Qingfeng walked towards the main camp while muttering to himself, "It's good that he's not dead. If he really died, I would have to find another husband for Li'er. Li'er would be gone, but my nephews and nieces would be in trouble..."

The next morning, the servant who served Mo Jingli was surprised to see that it was already late and the emperor had not called anyone in to serve him. Even Concubine Li had no intention of getting up. He waited and waited until a general reported the military situation and still saw no movement. He had to carefully walk in and ask Mo Jingli to get up. However, as soon as he entered and before he could open his mouth to wake up the person in the bed, the servant let out a sharp scream.

The eunuch's unique sharp voice was very high-pitched and piercing. Not only were the people waiting outside startled and rushed in, but Mo Jingli, who was originally lying on the bed and unconscious, was also awakened.

Mo Jingli frowned in displeasure after being woken up by someone. He lowered his head and saw the woman in his arms, her cold temperature and stiff body, and the dark red blood hanging from her lips. All this told Mo Jingli one thing... He actually slept with a dead person in his arms all night. More importantly, someone sneaked in and killed Concubine Li last night and he didn't know anything about it. If the person the other party wanted to deal with was him... Mo Jingli couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.

Sitting up, he pushed Concubine Li's body away and shouted angrily, "Move her away!"

"Your Majesty..." the attendant pointed at a certain part of his body and shouted, trembling. Following the attendant's line of sight, all the people who broke in could not help but glance at Mo Jingli's lower body. The originally bright yellow underwear below the abdomen was also stained with dark red blood. Mo Jingli's expression suddenly twisted, and he finally felt that something was wrong. There was a certain part of his body that he could not feel at all. It was not painful, so he did not notice it from the beginning. Instead, he had no feeling at all, as if it did not exist at all.

"Quick! Call the imperial physician!" Mo Jingli roared.

"Your Majesty... here... here is a note." The attendant trembled as he picked up a note from the table beside him and presented it to Mo Jingli. Mo Jingli grabbed it. It was a very ordinary note, like a page torn from the book he usually used. There were only a few words on it, "I heard that you wanted to steal my treasure, and I was worried day and night. After much reflection, I decided to stop your evil and stop my worries. I hope you take care of yourself."

Mo Jingli stared at the unrestrained handwriting on it. Finally, he couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of blood, and his eyes rolled back and he passed out.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty?! Quick... call the imperial physician..."