Taiping Split 349. Tan Jizhi's Compromise

In a dark and cold dungeon hidden in the Prince Ding's mansion, a dishevelled, unkempt man sat on the floor of the cell in a daze. Even though it was the end of June, this underground cell still felt a bit chilly. Compared to other places, this cell was still chilly but relatively clean, and there were no scary torture instruments. But the bearded man's eyes were blank at this moment, as if he had lost his mind.

If possible, he even hoped that someone would torture him and beat him up. At least in this way he could still feel that he was still alive and that he was not the only one in the world. In fact, he knew that he was not really the only one left in the world. Outside this cold and lonely cell, there must be a lively and festive atmosphere with people coming and going. But all of this had nothing to do with him. He was locked up here and could not hear a single sound from outside, not even the jailer guarding the dungeon. No one would appear in front of him, and no one would talk to him. Even the daily delivery of food and water was silent. He could no longer remember how long it had been since he had seen a stranger or spoken a word. When he was first locked up, he would yell and curse, but later on he didn't even have the energy to curse. Gradually, he forgot how long he had been locked up here.

There was a strange sound of footsteps outside the door. The man came back to his senses with a glimmer in his eyes. He stood up quickly and ran to the door, but his body was a little weak after being imprisoned for a long time and eating only a simple meal every day. He fell to the ground after taking only a few steps. The door of the cell was opened from the outside, and two guards in black came in, picked up the man on the left and right, and walked out.

There was no one in the dungeon of Prince Ding's mansion, so it was very clean. The guard carried the man through two or three empty cells and walked into a spacious hall, then raised his hand and threw him to the ground.

"Mr. Tan, have you been okay after not seeing you for a long time?" Mo Xiuyao held Ye Li's hand and sat in the hall, looking at the dishevelled man lying on the ground with interest.

"Mo Xiuyao..." Perhaps because he hadn't spoken for a long time, Tan Jizhi's voice was a little hoarse. However, the look in his eyes when he looked at Mo Xiuyao was absolutely passionate.

Mo Xiuyao didn't care about Tan Jizhi's look of wanting to tear him apart, and smiled faintly: "I came here today to tell Master Tan a good news."

Tan Jizhi stared at Mo Xiuyao coldly. He certainly didn't believe that Mo Xiuyao would tell him any good news. Mo Xiuyao raised his eyebrows and smiled, "Mr. Tan, you can leave now."

"What?" Tan Ji was stunned and couldn't react for a moment.

"I say that from today on, Master Tan is free. He doesn't have to stay in this dungeon anymore. Or is Master Tan addicted to living here? He doesn't want to go out?" Mo Xiu Yao repeated patiently.

"You...would you be so kind? Let me out?" Tan Jizhi's words were a little incoherent after not speaking for a long time, but he became more consistent after saying a few words. "What's your purpose?"

Mo Xiuyao nodded with satisfaction and said with a smile: "Not bad, your brain is still intact after being locked up for so long." He certainly would not let him go unconditionally.

"What are your conditions?" Tan Jizhi asked. At this moment, he even felt that he would agree to whatever conditions Mo Xiuyao offered. Only those who have truly lost their freedom can understand the value of freedom, and he also no longer wanted to stay in that cell where he was the only one in the eternal silence.

Mo Xiuyao smiled and said, "Ren Qining is in Licheng now. Mr. Tan, I have always been curious, who between you and Ren Qining is the last royal descendant of the previous dynasty, Lin Yuan? Or are you both... or neither of you?" Tan Jizhi's face changed, and he said in a deep voice, "Of course it's me!" Mo Xiuyao nodded with satisfaction. It seems that after being imprisoned for two years, Tan Jizhi's ambition has not been completely polished. But it's better this way. If there is really nothing left, then Tan Jizhi is useless.

"Really? Ren Qining doesn't think so. He is now the legitimate King of the North. He might be able to change the country's name back to the previous dynasty at any time. Although I think the chance is slim, it is at least better than you, right?" Mo Xiu Yao said with a smile.

Tan Jizhi's expression changed, staring at Mo Xiuyao and said, "You want me to help you deal with Ren Qining."

Mo Xiuyao smiled and said, "You don't have to be so nervous. I will let you out whether you agree or not. You can also choose to help Ren Qining to go against me after you get out. I just don't know if Ren Qining will accept you or not."

In fact, the answer is very obvious. If Tan Jizhi was someone else, Ren Qining might still use him. However, their identities were destined to be incompatible. There was only one descendant of the previous dynasty, Lin Yuan, and they both knew that one of them must be fake. Therefore, the one who survived was the real one.

Tan Jizhi was silent for a while, then asked: "Even if I agree to your request, what's the use? You also said that he is now the King of the Northern Territory. And I..." Tan Jizhi laughed at himself and said: "I am a prisoner in Prince Ding's Mansion." Mo Xiuyao said: "I don't think you can kill Ren Qining, just give him some trouble. As for other things, naturally someone will do it."

"Aren't you afraid that I will regret it after I leave?" Tan Jizhi asked.

Mo Xiuyao shrugged and said, "So what if you regret it? Doctor Lin saved A'li and Xiaobao's lives. For his sake, I feel embarrassed to kill you. However... if you do something you shouldn't do... I have already repaid Doctor Lin for saving your life." If Tan Jizhi did anything else, he would naturally not have to feel embarrassed to kill him.

"My father..." When mentioning Doctor Lin, Tan Jizhi couldn't help but be stunned. Back then at the Mausoleum of Emperor Gaozu of the previous dynasty, he had already severed all ties with Doctor Lin, but he didn't expect that he could still be alive in the hands of Mo Xiuyao, and it was all thanks to him. After thinking for a while, Tan Jizhi finally nodded and said, "I promise you." No matter what, he couldn't go back to the cell. He wondered if he couldn't bear it and committed suicide if Mo Xiuyao didn't come in another year or two.

Mo Xiuyao nodded with satisfaction, "Very good. Ah Li, I'll leave him to you to arrange."

Ye Li nodded and smiled at Tan Jizhi, "After you go out, Mr. Tan, you might as well settle down and take care of your body. Someone will naturally come to find you later."

Tan Jizhi glanced at Ye Li and nodded, "Thank you, Princess."

Ye Li thought for a moment and said, "If Mr. Tan is free, he can go see Doctor Lin. He now has a clinic in the city." Tan Jizhi shook his head and said, "Forget it. We have no relationship anymore."

Seeing him say this, Ye Li did not force herself. In fact, Doctor Lin had nothing to do with Tan Jizhi anymore, so she would probably have to live a more stable life.

After saying what he needed to say, Mo Xiuyao pulled Ye Li up and looked at Tan Jizhi and said, "By the way, Mr. Tan, if you have nothing to do, you'd better not wander around the city. Now it's not just Ren Qining who is in Li City, Mo Jingli, Concubine Liu, and Lei Zhenting are all in Li City." Lei Zhenting didn't have any big grudges with Tan Jizhi, but Mo Jingli and Concubine Liu were different. No matter how bad Mo Jingli was, it would be easy for him to kill Tan Jizhi now. "In addition, Da Chu has now moved to the south of Yunlan River. Da Chu... is finished. Mr. Tan's wish is also about to be realized."

"Great Chu moved south? Then Chujing..." Tan Jizhi was shocked.

Mo Xiuyao said: "The capital of the Great Chu and the imperial city of Xiling are now mine."

Tan Jizhi was silent. In just two years, he had missed too much. What he needed to do most now was to understand the current situation and what had happened in the past two years. Mo Xiuyao no longer paid attention to Tan Jizhi and left the dungeon with Ye Li in a good mood.

In the following days, Prince Ding's Mansion seemed to have calmed down. But people outside Prince Ding's Mansion were still busy. I don't know who leaked the news that the Lord of Cangmang Mountain came to Licheng. Within a few days, Mo Jingli, Ren Qining and others came to visit. Even Yelu Ye and Yelu Hong, who had nothing to do with him, went to join in the fun. They said they had nothing to do with him because although the people of Cangmang Mountain claimed to choose the Lord on behalf of God, they still had a sense of propriety. The Northern Rong, a barbarian tribe outside the Great Wall, was definitely not within their range of choice. And the most active among them was naturally Mo Jingli.

In Prince Ding's mansion, Ye Ying sat opposite Ye Li and sobbed non-stop. Ye Li did not try to persuade her, but sat quietly aside and waited for her to finish crying. After a long time, Ye Ying finally stopped crying, looked at Ye Li with tears in her eyes and said, "Third sister, I regret it so much. Why did I marry him? Wuwu... He clearly said that he would treat me well for the rest of his life, but now, now..."

Ye Li raised her eyebrows and said softly, "What happened? Tell me the truth. What's the point of crying?"

Ye Ying wiped her tears with some resentment, nodded and said: "Third sister, you are absolutely right, I won't cry... It's not worth crying for that bastard. I was really blind to like him at the beginning, no wonder... No wonder you, third sister, didn't like him back then, Prince Ding is so good to you." Speaking of this, Ye Ying couldn't help but feel a little sour. Back in Chujing, who couldn't sympathize with the third daughter of the Ye family? Not only did she lose her position as Princess Li, but she also married a disfigured waste sitting in a wheelchair. But now, although Prince Ding has white hair, how many men in the world can compare with his appearance and demeanor? Not to mention his devotion to Ye Li, he is the object of envy and jealousy of women all over the world.

Qing Shuang, who was standing behind Ye Li, curled her lips secretly. If the fourth young lady had been allowed to marry Prince Ding, she would have cried her eyes out. But now she was envious of their princess?

Ye Li didn't care about her sour words and asked calmly, "What happened?"

Ye Ying sobbed as she told Dong Fang You and Dong Fang Hui that Mo Jingli would run to them every day to show his courtesy. She even discussed with her confidants that if Dong Fang You was willing to marry, she would abolish her position as the principal wife. The more she spoke, the sadder she became. Before she finished, Ye Ying started crying again. Looking at Ye Ying, who was like a tear bag in front of her, Ye Li could only sigh helplessly. For the first time, she began to doubt whether her idea of ​​having Ye Ying be Mo Jingli's spy was reliable? Or should she let Yao Ji think about it more? But then she thought about how old Qin Feng was. Although she didn't know if their relationship had progressed, it wasn't a good idea for Yao Ji to stay in Marquis Muyang's mansion forever.

"Third sister, what should I do?" Ye Ying asked with red eyes. Ye Ying was not a fool. If Mo Jingli had thought of herself as Princess Ding's sister in the past, it would not be good enough compared to the coveted power of Cangmang Mountain. If Dongfang You of Cangmang Mountain was really willing to marry Mo Jingli, Mo Jingli would definitely abandon her without any hesitation. She is not young anymore, and she had a quarrel with her mother because of Ye Yue's affairs. Apart from Mo Jingli, she has no one else to rely on. Moreover, although Ye Ying is a little selfish, she still can't do things like Concubine Liu.

Ye Li thought for a moment and comforted him, "Don't worry, even if Mo Jingli really marries Dongfang You, I can at least guarantee that you won't be demoted to a concubine."

Ye Ying was a little unconvinced. Would a woman from a place like Cangmang Mountain be willing to be a concubine? Being Mo Xiuyao's concubine might be possible, because Ye Li's backing was also very strong. The Xu family now held an important position in Prince Ding's mansion. But she couldn't do that. She was alone in Jiangnan and had no one to rely on.

Ye Li smiled faintly and said, "Why would I lie to you? Even if we have never been close, outsiders still know that you are my sister. Would it be a great honor for me to have you demoted to a concubine? If it really doesn't work, let Mo Jingli marry two wives, it will be equally good."

"But...is it not possible..." Ye Ying said somewhat unwillingly.

Ye Li smiled and said, "Don't let Dongfangyou marry Mo Jingli? It's not impossible. But do you think Mo Jingli will be angry with you, or even kill you in a place where we don't know?" Ye Ying shuddered. After following Mo Jingli for so many years, Ye Ying still knew how cruel and ruthless Mo Jingli was. Thinking of Ye Yue being burned to death, Ye Ying's face became even uglier.

It has to be said that Mo Jingli took a big blame for Ye Yue's death. At least, whether it was the Ye family, young and old, or Ye Ying, they all believed that Mo Jingli was responsible for Ye Yue's death.

"We are sisters, and you have two choices. You can stay in Licheng and sever ties with Mo Jingli from now on. After all, you are the daughter of the Ye family. Your father and grandmother will not ignore you when you return to the Ye family. Live a plain life from now on. The second is to follow Mo Jingli back to Jiangnan. All I can do is hold on to your position as the main wife. As for what happens in the future... it's your own fate."

"I..." Ye Ying looked a little hesitant, but after a while she shook her head and said, "No, I want to go back. I can't go back to the Ye family, I'm Princess Li. And I have my child..."

Ye Li's eyes flickered, and she said, "I will help you find your child, and I will send someone to notify you when there is news."

"Third sister, why are you so nice to me?" Ye Ying was not stupid, and she would not forget that her relationship with Ye Li was not good in the past. Some things that were easy for Ye Li to help her with might not be a big deal, but these things obviously took some effort. Ye Li still helped her without hesitation, so she couldn't help but doubt Ye Li's purpose.

Ye Li didn't plan to perfunctorily say anything nice to her, and smiled faintly: "It's nothing. If Mo Jingli really marries Dongfang You, it will be very dangerous for Prince Ding's Mansion. Just give me some news occasionally. Don't worry, I won't ask you to do anything dangerous. I can also promise you that if you encounter danger in the future, I can keep you safe and sound."

"What if King Li didn't marry Dongfang You?"

"Then just think of it as a good deed from me. It also fulfills our blood relationship." Ye Li said calmly.

Ye Ying lowered her head and thought. She understood what Ye Li said. If Mo Jingli really married Dongfangyou, her life would definitely not be easy. But if she had the help of Prince Ding's Mansion...

"Okay, I promise."

Ye Li nodded with satisfaction, handed her a handkerchief and said, "Since you still want to see your child, don't cry all the time when you encounter problems. Now you should understand that many things cannot be solved by crying alone. You can rest assured that even if Mo Jingli goes to Dongfangyou, it will not shake your position in the Li Palace. I will help you."

"Thank you, Third Sister." Ye Ying wiped her tears and whispered.

"Princess, King Li requests to see you." Wei Rui came in and reported.

Ye Li glanced at Ye Ying with a smile and said, "It just so happens that I also have something to discuss with Prince Li. Please invite him in. Ying'er, you..."

Ye Ying bit her lip and said angrily, "I don't want to see him!"

"Well, go sit in the front pavilion for a while." What a silly child, do you really think Mo Jingli is here to coax you? Someone was called to take Ye Ying away, and soon Mo Jingli came in from the other end.

From a distance, Mo Jingli saw the woman in green sitting by the lake. Ten years had passed in the blink of an eye, and Mo Jingli suddenly found that he could still clearly remember what Ye Li looked like when he first saw her after breaking off the engagement. Although Ye Li embarrassed him in Shen De Xuan that time, he also had a vague feeling for the first time that Ye Li was actually different from what he had originally thought. After so many years, Ye Li's appearance had not changed much from the past, but perhaps because she had a few children, she had a different kind of elegance and gentleness.

"King Li." Looking at Mo Jingli who was coming towards him, Ye Li nodded but did not stand up to greet him, "King Li, please take a seat."

Mo Jingli sat down in silence, watching Qingshuang come up with tea, and then asked calmly, "This girl is still following you."

Ye Li was a little surprised that the arrogant Mo Jingli would actually remember a little girl beside her. She smiled and said, "Qingshuang is not young anymore, and she won't be with me for long." The marriage between Qingshuang and Azhen has been discussed. Manager Mo is naturally satisfied, and Azhen and Qingshuang have no objections. They just wait until they are free to get married.

There seemed to be nothing to say and there was silence for a while.

Ye Li was in no hurry to speak. When Mo Jingli didn't say anything, she just drank her tea calmly. After a while, Mo Jingli felt a little uncomfortable, so he asked, "Is Ying'er here with you?"

Ye Li did not deny it and nodded, "Just came to chat with me for a while, and then went to rest. King Li is here to look for the fourth sister?"

"What did she tell you?" Mo Jingli's tone was a little stiff, and there was a hint of anger and frustration. Ye Li glanced at him inexplicably and said, "Can you tell me something new? Isn't it just that Prince Li plans to divorce his wife and remarry?"

"I don't want to divorce my wife!" Mo Jingli said angrily. Ye Li nodded with a smile and said, "I know that King Li just wants to demote his wife to a concubine so that Miss Dongfang can make room for the position of the first wife." Mo Jingli looked at her and said, "I see Ye Ying was demoted to a concubine, aren't you happy?" Ye Li was a little puzzled and asked, "Why should I be happy that my fourth sister was demoted to a concubine? Is it worse to have a sister who is a princess than a sister who is a concubine?"

"She stole your position as Princess Li. Don't you hate her?" Mo Jingli looked at Ye Li steadily and asked in a deep voice.

Ye Li was stunned, and said with a smile: "Does His Royal Highness Prince Li want to say that you are venting your anger for me? Or is Prince Li going to use some strange excuse to cover up your excuse of demoting your innocent wife to a concubine?" Mo Jingli was not furious as usual, and looked at Ye Li and said: "If you were Princess Li, I would not marry Dongfang You even for Cangmang San."

"Ahem..." Ye Li almost choked on the tea and looked at Mo Jingli in surprise. What is this? He was discarded like a rag back then, but now he is expressing his deep love for her. He was loved like a treasure back then, but now he is not even as good as a weed? Seeing Mo Jingli's serious expression, Ye Li suddenly felt a little disgusted.

"You don't believe it?" Mo Jingli stared at her.

Ye Li shook her head and said, "It doesn't matter whether I believe it or not. Please don't say such things again. Besides, my fourth sister has been with you for ten years and has suffered a lot. Please have mercy on her and leave her a place to stay." Mo Jingli said unhappily, "What do you mean? I don't mean to abandon her? Did she tell you that?"

Ye Li said calmly, "What if the prince has no such intention? The prince is born in the royal family, so he must have seen a lot of affairs with the red and the white. The fourth sister has no relatives in Jiangnan, let alone any backing. If she is demoted from the princess to the concubine, what kind of life do you think she will live?"

"You're really nice to her!" Mo Jingli gritted his teeth and said. Ye Li speaking for Ye Ying was nothing, but Mo Jingli felt very uncomfortable when he heard it.

Ye Li smiled and said, "We are all women, so why should we embarrass women? In this world, women have a hard life, and not everyone is as lucky as Ye Li." Looking at the faint smile on Ye Li's face, Mo Jingli felt even more irritated and said, "This king knows, this king can guarantee that Ye Ying will always be the principal wife, but...what benefits can this king get?"

"Ren Qining will never be able to marry Dongfang You. Is that a good thing?" Ye Li said calmly.

Mo Jingli's expression changed slightly, and he finally nodded and said, "It's a deal." Ren Qining claimed to be a descendant of the previous dynasty. Regardless of whether it was true or not, it was at least a huge gimmick and also his biggest enemy.

"Mo Xiuyao gave up Cangmang Mountain for you, will he really not regret it in the future?" Mo Jingli asked maliciously, as if he couldn't stand the smile on Ye Li's face. Ye Li smiled and said, "I believe he won't regret his decision." It was indeed because of her that Mo Xiuyao didn't take a concubine, but it was not entirely because of her that he didn't want Dongfang You and Cangmang Mountain. In the long run, Cangmang Mountain was not a help to Dingwang Mansion, but a trouble.

Mo Jingli snorted coldly and said, "What? Mo Xiuyao may not regret it now, but one day he will regret it, and then he will only hate you even more."

"Are you talking about me, King Li?" Mo Xiuyao's voice came lazily from behind. Mo Jingli's expression froze and he turned around to see Mo Xiuyao already three steps away from him. Without noticing Mo Jingli's ugly expression, Mo Xiuyao walked to Ye Li and leaned over to kiss her. He held Ye Li's shoulders and smiled proudly, "For Ah Li, this king will never regret it."