109 Consultation

th children in my residence, which gives me a good rapport with them."The Empress took her words to mean that she was talking about Mo Xiaobao. She said with a smile, "If this child has the same coura...109. Deliberation

109. Deliberation

Ye Li, with a head full of thunderbolts, had someone take Yao Ji back to be settled in place. No sooner did she return home than Lady Sun came to report that someone had sent her a gift specifically for the Princess Consort. Ye Li opened the box and found an uncarved piece of jadeite that was only slightly processed. The emerald green color without any flaws indicated it was an excellent, high-quality jadeite. Frowning in thought, she knew who the gift-giver might be. Looking up at Lady Sun, she asked, "Did they leave their name and address" Lady Sun smiled and said, "The Princess Consort need not worry; His Royal Highness has already sent a reply gift. The King said that if you like it, you can keep it, but if not, feel free to dispose of it."

Ye Li nodded and said, "Put it away for now. We'll talk about this later. Where is His Royal Highness"

"His Royal Highness is in the study; Feng Boyu has returned," Lady Sun replied.

Ye Li nodded and turned to head towards the study.

Earlier, Feng Zhirao had split paths with them in Yongzhou, leading the Black Cloud Cavalry northwards. He was about a month behind them in reaching the capital. As soon as Ye Li reached the entrance of the study, she heard Mo Xiuyao's voice from inside: "Are you here, Ah Li Come in." Ye Li pushed open the door and entered; Feng Zhirao stood up to greet her. "I have seen the Princess Consort," he said.

Ye Li nodded with a faint smile. "Feng Boyu need not be so formal." Feng Zhirao looked at Ye Li then back at Mo Xiuyao, feeling that something seemed different about them both. "Princess Consort can just call me Feng Three," he said. Ye Li smiled and agreed, walking to sit beside Mo Xiuyao. "Did I interrupt you" she asked.

Mo Xiuyao shook his head. "Nothing important. Does Ah Li have something"

Ye Li recounted the encounter with Yelv Ye outside the door and mentioned briefly meeting Yao Ji and Mu Yang, but did not mention Yao Ji's pregnancy. She felt it best for Yao Ji to decide herself whether or not to tell others about her condition.

Mo Xiuyao frowned at Yelv Ye’s obvious intention of getting close to Ye Li. With a cold laugh, he said, "It seems that the pressure from Yelv Hong is still insufficient if Yelv Ye can leisurely stroll around Chu Capital. Feng Three, spread the news that Yelv Ye has reached Chu Capital and will participate in the selection process for Princesses and peace envoys."

Feng Zhirao raised his eyebrows with a smile, nodding silently to agree.

Once this news spread, the nobles of Chu Capital would view Yelv Ye differently. Arriving secretly was one thing, but participating in the selection process for Princesses and peace envoys was too much. True, Chu did not have genuine princesses or peace envoys to send off, but its noble daughters were not at his disposal to choose from.

"Ah Li, you may soon be very busy. Have you finished reviewing the list of names I gave you" Mo Xiuyao asked softly as he turned around to look at Ye Li.

Ye Li nodded and Mo Xiuyao continued, "You don't need to decide on a specific candidate for the peace envoy; just recommend two or three options to the Emperor. The final decision will be made by him."

Ye Li frowned in puzzlement. "Won't this offend more people"

Mo Xiuyao smiled and said, "The Empress would not give us a chance to avoid offending anyone with such tasks. If we were concerned about offending others and randomly chose someone from an unsuitable background, the North Rong wouldn’t be the only ones making trouble; the Empress might use your failure as an excuse for a new selection. Then more people would be offended. Therefore, Ah Li need not worry about these things. Select a few suitable candidates to present to the Emperor. As for which one he picks is his own business. If none of them satisfy him, even better; let him choose someone else."

Ye Li nodded. "Understood. I will carefully review all aspects of these noble daughters’ backgrounds and qualifications."

Leaving aside emotional and political considerations, selecting based solely on status and personal conditions would be much easier.

Feng Three worked quickly; by the afternoon, news of North Rong's Seventh Prince reaching Chu Capital had spread throughout the city. Even the inn where Yelv Ye was staying knew about it. Originally planning to delay several days before meeting with Chu Emperor, Yelv Ye could only set aside his plans and head for the palace first.

The next morning, an invitation for the prince of Beirong's welcoming banquet arrived at King Dingwang’s residence. While Ye Li was practicing martial arts with Mo Xiuyao in the courtyard, Mo Xiuyao raised his eyebrows and waved someone away before continuing to teach Ye Li swordsmanship.

"My Lady, Han Mingyi and Leng Haoyu have come to see you," Qing霜 reported.

Mo Xiuyao said somewhat displeased, "What does he want now" Mo Xiuyao was beginning to doubt whether his decision to give the Han family to Ye Li had backfired on him. Although there were no concerns about their loyalty, since Han Mingyi arrived in the capital, he paid frequent visits to Ye Li and continued to do so even after moving out of Dingwang’s residence. The envious King naturally forgot that Leng Haoyu was also here.

Ye Li sheathed her sword and turned back with a smile, "Mingyi has been busy discussing cooperation with Leng Haoyu these few days; perhaps he has some new thoughts to discuss with me." For Han Mingyi, Leng Haoyu was a wealthy man. This seemingly good-for-nothing playboy actually controlled half of the industries under King Dingwang’s residence. With his participation, Han Mingyi's business could naturally expand further; just thinking about this made Han Mingyi see countless gold ingots flying in front of him. These days he had been extremely busy as a result. Therefore... Actually, people from the Han family have an inherent trait to amass wealth, which is not unique to Han Mingyue alone.

"Shall I join you Would Li like that" Mo Xiuyao asked.

Ye Li lowered her head and stifled a laugh, pretending not to notice the man's jealous expression. "Since Leng Haoyu has already joined us, what secrets could there possibly be from your highness" Sometimes Ye Li also felt that it might not be conducive for operations if she strictly distinguished between her people and Mo Xiuyao’s people; however, she was well aware of the reason behind this: the future of King Dingwang's residence was uncertain, so Mo Xiuyao wanted to leave some power for himself in case something happened in the future. Therefore, Ye Li appreciated his intentions.

In the study, when Leng Haoyu and Han Mingyi saw Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li enter together, they rose to greet them. Mo Xiuyao nodded with a faint smile, "No need for formalities; please take your seats."

Ye Li smiled at Han Mingyi who looked much better than before and asked, "Mingyi, what brings you here so early" Han Mingyi nodded and raised his eyebrows, smilingly saying, "Indeed, there is something to discuss. These few days I’ve been discussing with Leng Er and have almost reached an agreement. In the Great Chu region, Leng Er will be in charge, while I plan to visit Nanzhao and Xiling soon. As for Beirong...

we can talk about it later." Among the four countries, Beirong was the least developed in terms of commercial value; many businesses from Central Plains would not work there and wouldn’t earn much money. Ye Li thought for a moment and said, "I heard that there are quite a few gold and silver mines in Beirong." Leng Haoyu nodded, "Indeed, although remote and cold, Beirong has plenty of gold and silver deposits. Just look at the nobles there."

Almost all Beirong’s prominent noble men and women liked to use large gold accessories, decorating themselves like mobile jewelry boxes. While people in Central Plains might despise barbarians for their crudeness, who could deny their boldness in treating gold as silver

"What does my lady mean" Leng Haoyu asked hesitantly; would anyone be displeased with too much gold "However, major mines are controlled by the royal family of Beirong and they are very exclusive. We likely won’t be able to intervene."

Ye Li smiled shaking her head, "No, I don't plan on meddling in their gold mines. Besides gold mines, Beirong's warhorses are also valuable.

Han Mingyi frowned and said, "The restrictions on the warhorses of Northern Rong are even stricter than those imposed on gold mines." The warhorses from Northern Rong were renowned throughout the world, while none of them came from the fertile grasslands within Great Chu. At present, the cavalry in Great Chu used a mix of horses bred with both local and Northern Rong breeds, as well as those from neighboring countries. Although this was inferior to purebred warhorses from Northern Rong, it was fortunate that Great Chu's terrain wasn't entirely flat like a grassland, or else its cavalry would have been far less important than those in Northern Rong. Han Mingyi guessed that Ye Li had asked about the matter because she wanted to plan for the Black Cloud Cavalry and the Military of Mo, but he knew it was inappropriate for him to speak up against this plan. Still, he couldn't help feeling a twinge in his heart at her suggestion. Glancing at Mo Xiuyao, who sat quietly next to them listening, he said, "No matter how much money we offer, Northern Rong won’t sell us their horses, and even if they did, the quality would be poor. Besides… isn't this a problem that should be handled by the government or those in charge of the military If Jun Wei plans on getting involved in this matter, it might cause trouble for the government instead."

Ye Li smiled sweetly and said, "No one will sell us horses if we act openly. But there is a type of business called smuggling."

"Smuggling"

Ye Li replied with a smile, "It's secret transactions that don't go through customs or pay taxes; it’s highly profitable."

Leng Haoyu rubbed his forehead and said, smilingly, “Lady Wang means we should send people secretly to buy horses Selling quality warhorses from Northern Rong to other countries is a death sentence."

Ye Li smiled slightly and answered, "People in every country love money; merchants prioritize profit. With fifty percent profit, they’ll take risks; with one hundred percent profit, they’ll defy the law; and if there’s three hundred percent profit, even risking their lives wouldn’t stop them from doing it." If a death sentence was effective, there would be fewer crimes in this world. "We don't need to rush too much. Northern Rong has vast land but sparse population, with scarce natural resources. They need food, cloth, porcelain, tea, and more; we can supply what they want. Additionally, it's even better if we can bring back medicinal herbs, furs, and other specialties from them in return. The wealthy nobles of Northern Rong are easy targets for making money from."

Han Mingyi’s eyes lit up with an idea as he smiled and said, "I understand now. The situation in Northern Rong is different from ours or the Western Capital and Southern Frontier; we shouldn't handle it the same way. But since we're planning to expand our business into those regions, we can also deliver Great Chu's specialties to Northern Rong. It will be easy to squeeze money out of these wealthy nobles. There were already people doing this kind of business before, but due to the long distance and danger on the grasslands, they were only small traders. But if we do it, there’s no need to worry about safety. Even without the name of the Prince Regent's Household, our military strength alone would be sufficient protection for these goods."

Of course, Mo Xiuyao was also very interested in Northern Rong’s warhorses and smiled faintly as he said, "This is a good opportunity with this marriage alliance. We can send people to accompany the marriage envoy to Northern Rong to take a look around. I'll submit a memorial to His Majesty, allowing merchants to travel with the marriage envoy to Northern Rong. This will also contribute to the diplomacy between our two countries." The other three remained silent; they would be contributing to the Prince Regent's Household’s treasury and Mo Army’s future combat capability.

Seeing that Mo Xiuyao agreed, Leng Haoyu smiled and said, "If so, let's make it official. Brother Han will go to Western Capital and Southern Frontier; I'll take a trip to Northern Rong. We still have more than a month before departure; there’s time for us to prepare here."

Han Mingyi nodded casually, and Ye Li took out an iron token she always carried with her and tossed it to Han Mingyi. "Your brother should still be in Southern Frontier now; you can find him if you need help. This is a Demon King Order from the Demon King Pavilion, take it just in case. If anything difficult happens in Western Capital, Pavilion Master Ling will assist you for the sake of the Demon King Order." Han Mingyi was well aware of the origin and significance of this Demon King Order; he held it in his hand and looked at Ye Li hesitantly as if there was something more to say. She waved her hand and told him not to worry about it, saying "Whoever can use it should have it. I’ll probably not trouble Pavilion Master Ling when I’m in Chu Capital anyway. It would be a waste otherwise. As for the Sick Scholar… he doesn’t seem likely to come to Great Chu." Leng Haoyu had recently passed on news that they’d just found Mr Liang, who was taken back to Western Capital by the Sick Scholar. Before locating Bilo Caofu, the Sick Scholar's threat was limited at best. Of course if he insisted on appearing in Chu Capital, she wouldn’t mind taking action against him even if it meant crippling or killing him. Leng Ihan couldn't really blame her for that.

Leng Haoyu exclaimed, "Lady Wang is so generous; she’s willing to give away a Demon King Order so easily." He glanced at Mo Xiuyao as well, thinking the order was given by His Highness to protect Lady Wang. If Lady Wang gave it to another man, he didn't know where His Highness's anger would be directed at then. Of course, his wish was that the culprit Han Mingyi himself got blamed for it; after all, it was his own fault.

Ye Li raised an eyebrow and said with a smile, "Pavilion Master Ling gave me this order freely; I didn’t pay anything." In fact, even if Leng Ironhan hadn't appeared at the end, she wouldn't have wanted to take the Sick Scholar's life. Who knew whether Leng Ihan would be so loyal to his brother that he'd use all of Demon King Pavilion’s strength to avenge the Sick Scholar Still, it was inevitable that she disabled his martial arts back then; as long as she left him alive, even out of respect for her brother, Leng Ironhan wouldn’t cause trouble with her. Leng Haoyu scratched his nose and lowered his head to drink tea; he wondered if a Demon King Order could be measured in money It was something that many were willing to spend vast sums on but still couldn't obtain. Owning a Demon King Order basically meant you could run rampant in Western Capital as long as you didn’t offend the royal family of Western Capital.

Han Mingyi looked at Ye Li with a frown and said, "Early in the morning yesterday, Yelvyew sent people to buy up all the best jade from the entire capital. I don’t know what he plans on using it for. But as far as I know, the nomads aren’t fond of jade." Although Yelviyew had his men purchase the jade anonymously and in batches, they made a mistake by going to Han Mingyi’s stores. It would be impossible for the shopkeepers to forget that strange men bought up all their best jade and not report it back to their masters. Even though Tianyi Pavilion no longer existed now in Dachu, Han Mingyi still had people under his control. Checking on the sales of jade items at various antique shops and identifying their buyers was nothing difficult for him. Ye Li knew what Yelvyew planned to do with the jade he bought, but she simply smiled coolly. "It appears that the nomads are indeed wealthy."

Ye Li’s mood worsened when she thought about how her schedule had been disrupted by a prince who flaunted his wealth yesterday. Especially since that person had sent over one piece of jade to purposely annoy her. Turning her gaze around, Ye Li smiled and said, "Spread the word, this duchess wishes to find the finest quality jade for my husband’s birthday gift." Leng Haoyu looked from Mo Xiurao to Ye Li and did not understand what she meant.

Han Mingyi was the first one to react. He shook his fan as he said with a smile, "Then let us put all our stored jade on sale. Once this news spreads, I’m sure even if we doubled the prices people would still buy them. Moreover… The duchess is right; since the nomads are rich, I’ll make sure to be the one to inform Prince Yelviyew first so as not to lag behind." It didn’t matter what the prince intended to do with those pieces of jade—whether he planned on using it for his princess’ dowry or transporting them back to the north. Leng Haoyu nodded in agreement and said, "To be honest, we haven’t been able to earn much money since no one has heard about the duchess liking anything recently. I actually still have quite a few things that I wish to sell off. Perhaps I can just give them to Prince Yelviyew. However… Should the duchess keep one for yourself" If the prince managed to buy all their jade, what would they use as a birthday gift for His Excellency Although His Excellency usually had a kind and magnanimous personality, he was notoriously tight-fisted when it came down to his personal belongings.

Ye Li glanced at Mo Xiurao and smiled. "No need, I’m just saying that."

Han Mingyi raised an eyebrow sadly and sighed. "So Duke Ding’s birthday is approaching It’s rather coincidental… My birthday falls in June as well."

Leng Haoyu stiffened up and glared at Han Mingyi. That fool wasn’t trying to drag him down with himself, was he He had only just gotten married.

Ye Li smiled and said, "Doesn’t Mingyi also have a birthday in June Why don’t you spend the day celebrating it here before leaving"

Han Mingyi blinked. “Will Junwei send me a gift”

"Of course, tell me what you like and I’ll prepare it for you." Ye Li nodded her head in agreement. Since she had such a close relationship with Han Mingyi, not sending him a birthday present would be impolite. Furthermore, Han Mingyi’s current situation was also due to their efforts. Han Mingyi smiled brightly. "That’s great, no matter what Junwei prepares I will like it." He then looked at Mo Xiurao and raised an eyebrow.

Mo Xiurao maintained a composed expression as a glint flashed across his eyes. Smiling faintly, he said, “Ye Li is right; coincidentally this month also marks your birthday. My wife and I naturally wish to show our appreciation for that day. Rest assured, we will give you an unexpected gift.” In the last sentence of his speech, Mo Xiurao’s voice was almost gentle but the listener felt a chill run down their spine.

Leng Haoyu pulled Han Mingyi away and said with a forced laugh toward Mo Xiurao, “Although I’ve only known Brother Han for some time now, we seem to be on friendly terms. Since it’s Brother Han’s birthday, let us go discuss how he would like to spend the day.” He paid no mind to Han Mingyi’s protest and pulled him out of the room without a second thought.

The man who excelled in lightness skills but was mediocre when it came to martial arts could not even struggle as Leng Haoyu, who appeared mediocre yet truly excelled, dragged him away.ng."Fourth Brother, did you suffer any injustice these days" Although Ye Li felt relieved seeing that Xu Qingbai was safe, she still worried about whether Fourth Brother suffered any injustice in Xi L...