With thunder still rumbling overhead, Ye Li had someone escort Yao Ji back to rest. Upon returning to the mansion, Granny Sun came to report that someone had delivered an item specifically meant for the Princess Consort. When Ye Li opened the box, she found a piece of jade that had been only minimally processed and not yet carved. However, just by looking at its flawless emerald color, one could tell it was an exceptional piece of the highest quality. After a moment’s contemplation, Ye Li had a good idea who the gift was from. Looking up at Granny Sun, she asked, “Did they leave a name or address?”
Granny Sun smiled, “The Princess Consort need not worry. The Prince has already sent a return gift. He said if you like it, keep it; if not, dispose of it as you wish.”
Ye Li nodded, “Put it away for now. Where is the Prince?”
“The Prince is in the study. Young Master Feng has returned.”
Ye Li nodded and turned toward the study.
Earlier, Feng Zhiyao had split from their group in Yong Province, leading the Black Cloud Cavalry northward on a separate route, arriving in the capital nearly half a month after them. Just as Ye Li reached the study door, Mo Xiuyao’s voice came from within, “Is that you, A-Li? Come in.” Ye Li pushed open the door, and Feng Zhiyao stood up, saying, “Greetings, Princess Consort.” Ye Li nodded with a slight smile, “No need for formalities, Master Feng.” Feng Zhiyao glanced between Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao, sensing something different about the couple. “Princess Consort can just call me Feng San.” Ye Li smiled in acknowledgment and sat down beside Mo Xiuyao, asking, “Am I interrupting?”
Mo Xiuyao shook his head, “Nothing important. Did you need something, A-Li?” Ye Li recounted her encounter with Yelü Ye outside, and noticing Feng Zhiyao standing nearby, only briefly mentioned meeting Yao Ji and Mu Yang, without bringing up Yao Ji’s pregnancy. Such matters were best left to the individuals involved to disclose.
Mo Xiuyao frowned at Yelü Ye’s obvious attempt to approach Ye Li, letting out a cold laugh, “It seems the pressure from Yelü Hong isn’t enough if he can stroll through Chu’s capital. Feng San spread the word that Yelü Ye has arrived in the capital and will be involved in selecting the bride for the political marriage.” Feng Zhiyao raised his eyebrows with a smile, silently nodding in agreement. Once this news spread, the nobility’s opinion of Yelü Ye would surely drop. His secret early arrival in the capital might be overlooked, but participating in the bride selection was going too far. True, Great Chu wasn’t sending a real princess for the marriage alliance, but the daughters of Great Chu weren’t merchandise for the Northern Rong to pick and choose from.
“A-Li, you’ll likely be getting busy soon. Have you finished reviewing the registry I gave you?” Mo Xiuyao turned to ask Ye Li softly. Ye Li nodded, and Mo Xiuyao continued, “You don’t need to decide exactly who will go for the marriage alliance, just recommend two or three candidates to present to the Emperor. The final choice will be His Majesty’s.”
Ye Li frowned in confusion, “Wouldn’t that offend even more people?” Mo Xiuyao smiled, “When those in the palace gave you this task, did they leave any chance for us to avoid offending people? If we worry about that and carelessly choose someone from a modest background, not only will the Northern Rong make trouble, but those in the palace might overturn the selection citing your poor judgment, leading to even more offense. Since that’s the case, A-Li, don’t worry about who might be offended. Select a few candidates you think are suitable and submit them. Which one the Emperor chooses is his business, and if he’s not satisfied with any of them, even better – let him choose someone else.”
Ye Li nodded, “I understand. I’ll carefully consider the ladies’ backgrounds, talents, and various aspects.” Setting aside all emotional factors and selecting candidates purely based on status and personal qualifications would indeed be much simpler.
Feng San worked quickly; by that afternoon, news of the Northern Rong’s Seventh Prince’s arrival had spread throughout the city. Even the details of Yelü Ye’s lodgings at the inn were common knowledge. Originally planning to delay his audience with the Great Chu Emperor for a few days, Yelü Ye had no choice but to put aside his affairs and go to the palace. While internally cursing Mo Xiuyao, he also regretted his rash attempt to test Mo Xiuyao that night, which had exposed his presence.
Early the next morning, an invitation to a welcoming banquet for the Northern Rong Prince arrived at the Prince of Dingguo’s mansion. Mo Xiuyao, who was accompanying Ye Li at the training ground in the back courtyard, raised an eyebrow, dismissed the messenger with a wave, and returned to teaching Ye Li swordplay.
“Princess Consort, Young Master Han, and Young Master Leng request an audience,” Qing Shuang came to report.
Mo Xiuyao said with some displeasure, “What does he want now?” At this point, Mo Xiuyao deeply questioned whether his earlier decision to assign Han Mingshi and the Han family to A-Li had been like lifting a rock only to drop it on his own feet. Though there was no need to worry about loyalty issues, ever since Han Mingshi arrived in the capital, he had been visiting A-Li every few days. Even after moving out of the Prince of Dingguo’s mansion to his residence, he showed no signs of restraint. The jealous Prince conveniently forgot that Leng Haoyu, a married man, was also requesting an audience.
Ye Li sheathed her sword and turned with a smile, “Hasn’t Mingshi been busy discussing business cooperation with Leng Haoyu these past few days? He probably has some new ideas to discuss with me.” For Han Mingshi, Leng Haoyu was a major financial backer. This seemingly useless playboy controlled most of the Prince of Dingguo’s mansion’s business enterprises. With his participation, Han Mingshi’s business could naturally expand further. Just thinking about it made Han Mingshi envision countless gold ingots flying back and forth before his eyes, keeping him busy these days. So… it seemed the Han family members were naturally inclined toward accumulating wealth, not just Han Mingyue.
“I’ll go listen too. Does A-Li welcome that?” Mo Xiuyao asked.
Ye Li lowered her head to hide her smile, pretending not to notice someone’s obvious jealousy, and replied, “Since Leng Haoyu is involved, what secrets could there be from you, my lord?” Sometimes Ye Li felt that having her people and Mo Xiuyao’s people so clearly separated might not be ideal for operations, but she also understood this was because the Prince of Dingguo’s future was uncertain, and Mo Xiuyao wanted to reserve some forces for himself in case something happened in the future. She was quite appreciative of this thoughtfulness.
In the study, when Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li entered hand in hand, Leng Haoyu and Han Mingshi both rose to greet them. Mo Xiuyao nodded with a faint smile, “No need for formalities, please sit.”
Ye Li smiled at Han Mingshi, whose complexion had improved considerably, “Mingshi, what brings you here so early?” Han Mingshi nodded and smiled with raised eyebrows, “Indeed, there is something. These past few days, Leng Er and I have mostly finished our discussions. He will handle matters in Great Chu, and in a few days, I plan to travel to Nanzhao and Xiling. As for Northern Rong, that can wait.” In terms of commercial value, among the four nations, Northern Rong was the least developed, and many businesses from the Central Plains simply wouldn’t work there or make any money.
Ye Li tilted her head in thought and said, “I hear Northern Rong has many gold and silver mines.” Leng Haoyu nodded, “Indeed, though Northern Rong is remote and harsh, it’s rich in gold and silver mines. Just look at their nobles.” Northern Rong nobles, both men and women of any status, loved wearing large gold ornaments and decorating themselves like mobile treasure chests. While Central Plains people might despise the barbarians’ crudeness, who could deny envying their extravagant use of gold as if it were silver?
“What does the Princess Consort mean?” Leng Haoyu asked hesitantly, thinking one could never have too much gold. “However, the larger mines in Northern Rong are controlled by the royal family, and the Northern Rong people are very xenophobic. We can’t get involved in that sector.”
Ye Li shook her head with a smile, “No, I’m not planning to interfere with their gold mines. What’s valuable in Northern Rong isn’t just gold mines but their warhorses.”
Han Mingshi frowned, “Northern Rong’s warhorses are even more strictly controlled than their gold mines.” Northern Rong’s warhorses were renowned throughout the world, while Great Chu didn’t produce good horses. Currently, most of Great Chu’s cavalry used horses that were crossbreeds between Great Chu horses and those from Northern Rong or even foreign countries. Compared to purebred Northern Rong horses, they were somewhat inferior. Fortunately, Great Chu’s territory wasn’t all flat grassland, so cavalry wasn’t as crucial as in Northern Rong; otherwise, the horse situation would be a real problem. Knowing Ye Li asked this question certainly for the Mo family army and Black Cloud Cavalry, though knowing he had no position to comment, he still couldn’t help feeling bitter. Glancing at Mo Xiuyao, who sat quietly listening to their conversation, he said, “No matter how much money we offer, Northern Rong won’t sell us horses, and even if they did, they would only be inferior ones. Moreover… shouldn’t horse matters be resolved by the court or those in charge of the military? Jun Wei getting involved in this might alarm the court and cause problems.”
Ye Li smiled sweetly, “Of course, no one would sell openly. But isn’t there a business called… smuggling?”
“Smuggling?”
Ye Li smiled, “Private transactions, bypassing checkpoints and taxes. Extremely profitable.”
Leng Haoyu rubbed his forehead and smiled, “You mean we secretly send people to buy horses? Selling good horses to foreigners is a capital offense in Northern Rong.”
Ye Li smiled gently, “People from any country can be greedy, and merchants chase profits. With fifty percent profit, they’ll risk it; for one hundred percent profit, they’ll trample all human laws; and for three hundred percent profit, there will always be people willing to risk their lives even facing death penalties.” If death penalties were effective, there wouldn’t be so many crimes in the world. “We don’t need to rush. Northern Rong is vast with a sparse population and scarce resources. Grain, cloth, porcelain, tea – whatever they want, we provide. If we can collect some medicinal herbs and furs in return, even better. Given time, channels will naturally develop to get what we want.”
Han Mingshi’s eyes lit up as he smiled, “I understand now. Northern Rong’s situation is different from ours, Xiling, and the Southern Frontier, so we naturally can’t handle their issues the same way. But since we’re planning to extend our business to Xiling and the Southern Frontier, we can certainly take specialties from there, as well as from Great Chu to Northern Rong. Those Northern Rong nobles are loaded with gold – getting money from them would be too easy. People already do this business, but because the journey is so long and the grasslands are dangerous, it’s mostly small-scale merchants. But for us, security wouldn’t be a concern. Even without using the Prince of Dingguo’s name, just the military force of the prince’s mansion would be enough to protect the goods with a small reorganized unit.”
Mo Xiuyao was naturally interested in Northern Rong’s warhorses and smiled faintly, “This marriage alliance is a good opportunity. We can send people along with the marriage procession to survey Northern Rong. I’ll petition the Emperor to allow merchants to travel with the marriage party – it can be considered a contribution to diplomatic relations between our nations.” The other three remained silent, thinking: isn’t it more like a contribution to the Prince of Dingguo’s treasury and the future combat power of the Mo family army?
Seeing Mo Xiuyao’s agreement, Leng Haoyu smiled, “Then it’s settled. Brother Han will go to Xiling and the Southern Frontier, and I’ll make the trip to Northern Rong. We have over a month before departure, plenty of time to handle matters here in Great Chu.”
Han Mingshi nodded indifferently, and Ye Li took out an iron token she carried and tossed it to him, saying, “Big Brother should still be in the Southern Frontier. If you need any help, you can find him. Take this King of Hell token from the King of Hell Palace, just in case. If you encounter any difficulties in Xiling, Palace Master Ling should help for the token’s sake.” Han Mingshi knew well the token’s origins and looked at Ye Li with words caught in his throat. Ye Li waved her hand to stop him from speaking further, “It should go to whoever can use it. I probably won’t need Palace Master Ling’s help while in Chu’s capital. Keeping it unused would be wasteful. As for the Sick Scholar… he’s unlikely to have much chance to come to Great Chu.” Dark Four had recently reported finding the old Master Liang who had been taken back to Xiling by the Sick Scholar. Without finding the Falling Jade Grass, the Sick Scholar’s threat was limited. Of course, if he insisted on appearing in the capital, she wouldn’t mind taking action – if not killing him, at least crippling him. Surely Ling Tiehan couldn’t blame her for that.
Leng Haoyu exclaimed admiringly, “Princess Consort is so generous, giving away even the King of Hell token so easily.” He glanced at Mo Xiuyao as he spoke, thinking the token was given to the Princess Consort for protection, and now seeing her give it to another man, wondering who would bear the Prince’s wrath later. Hopefully, it would be the culprit himself, the romantic Young Master Han – better a dead friend than oneself, especially since he brought this on himself.
Ye Li raised an eyebrow and smiled, “Palace Master Ling gave it freely, it cost nothing.” Even if Ling Tiehan didn’t appear in the end, she wouldn’t take the Sick Scholar’s life. Who knew if Ling Tiehan might value brotherhood enough to use the King of Hell Palace’s power to avenge the Sick Scholar? Though crippling his martial arts would be unavoidable at that point, as long as she left him breathing, Ling Tiehan couldn’t cause her trouble for her brother’s sake. Leng Haoyu rubbed his nose and lowered his head to drink tea – could the King of Hell token be measured in money? It was something many would spend a fortune on but couldn’t obtain. Having the token meant you could practically walk sideways through Xiling, as long as you didn’t offend the royal family.
With business matters settled, Han Mingshi looked at Ye Li with furrowed brows, “Yesterday morning, Yelü Ye had people buy up all the fine jade in the capital. Don’t know what for. I hadn’t heard that Northern Rong people particularly liked jade.” Though Yelü Ye had sent people to buy anonymously in batches, his mistake was going to shops owned by the Han family. When several stores had their fine jade bought up by strangers in succession, the managers naturally reported it to their master. Though the Tianyi Chamber no longer existed in Great Chu, Han Mingshi still commanded many people, making it no great challenge to investigate the sales and buyers’ identities at various jade, antique, and jewelry shops in the capital. Ye Li naturally knew what Yelü Ye wanted the jade for and smiled coldly, “It seems Northern Rong is indeed wealthy.”
Thinking of how her plans yesterday were disrupted by a certain prince’s show of wealth, Ye Li’s mood soured, especially since he had specifically sent a piece to provoke her. Her eyes glinted as she smiled, “Help me spread the word that this Princess Consort is seeking the finest jade for the Prince’s birthday gift.” Leng Haoyu looked between Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li, not quite understanding her meaning.
Han Mingshi caught on first, fanning himself as he smiled, “So we can bring out all our stockpiled fine jade to sell. Once this news spreads, surely people will buy even at double the price. And… Princess Consort is right, since the Northern Rong people are wealthy, I’ll make sure to get this news to Prince Yelü first, so he doesn’t fall behind.” Whether the Northern Rong prince planned to use the jade as a princess’s betrothal gift or take it all back to Northern Rong was none of their concern. Leng Haoyu nodded in agreement, “Come to think of it, there haven’t been any rumors about what the Princess Consort likes, which has cost us quite a bit in potential profits. I happen to have quite a few things I want to clear out, might as well sell them cheaply to the Northern Rong Prince. But… um, Princess Consort, should we save a good piece for you?” If the wealthy Northern Rong prince bought everything up, what about the Prince’s birthday gift? Despite the Prince’s usually generous demeanor, when he got petty, no one could stand it. He and Feng San had deep experience with this over the years.
Ye Li glanced at Mo Xiuyao and smiled, pressing her lips together, “No need, I was just saying that.”
Han Mingshi raised an eyebrow and sighed somewhat sadly, “So the Prince of Dingguo’s birthday is coming up. What a coincidence… I was also born in June. In previous years, I always celebrated with Big Brother, but now…”
Leng Haoyu stiffened, glaring warily at Han Mingshi. If this guy had a death wish, he didn’t need to drag him down too – he was still in his honeymoon phase!
Ye Li smiled, “Mingshi’s birthday is also in June? Then stay in the capital until after your birthday before leaving.”
Han Mingshi blinked, “Will Jun Wei give me a gift?”
“Of course, tell me what you like and I’ll prepare something,” Ye Li nodded. Given her friendship with Han Mingshi, not giving a birthday gift wouldn’t be right. Besides, she and Mo Xiuyao had put considerable effort into Han Mingshi’s current situation. Han Mingshi smiled brilliantly, “That’s wonderful, I’ll love whatever Jun Wei prepares.” He finished by fearlessly raising his eyebrows at Mo Xiuyao.
Mo Xiuyao’s calm expression flickered with a gleam in his eyes as he smiled faintly, “A-Li is right. What a coincidence that Brother Han’s birthday is also in June. Naturally, A-Li and I must show our regard. Rest assured, I will prepare a surprising gift for Brother Han.” The last sentence was delivered with almost gentle tenderness, though those who heard it felt a chill run down their spines.
Leng Haoyu grabbed Han Mingshi and forced a laugh at Mo Xiuyao, “Though I haven’t known Brother Han long, we hit it off immediately. Brother Han, let’s go discuss how you want to celebrate your birthday.” Ignoring Han Mingshi’s protests, he dragged him out directly. Despite his first-rate qinggong but third-rate martial arts, Han Mingshi couldn’t even struggle against Leng Haoyu, who appeared third-rate but was first-rate, as he was dragged away.