After the marriage announcement between the Li Prince Manor and Mount Cangmang, there wasn’t much commotion since most of the nobles who had come to offer birthday congratulations had already left. Among those involved in this marriage, perhaps only Mo Jingli was truly happy. His choice to hold the wedding in Li City carried somewhat of a show of force against the Ding Prince Manor. However, when he considered that it was the Ding Prince Manor’s initial rejection of Mount Cangmang that gave him this opportunity, this display of force became somewhat awkward and pointless. Consequently, his original ten parts of respect and caution toward Mount Cangmang were reduced to seven.
Compared to Dong Fangyou’s resentment and rejection of the marriage, Dong Fanghui’s mood was equally poor. After the Ding Prince Manor had rejected her proposal and she had denied Ren Qining, Mo Jingli was Mount Cangmang’s only choice. But there was a world of difference between choosing Mo Jingli herself and marrying down to the Mount Cangmang heir under the current circumstances.
Originally, with Dong Fangyou marrying into the Li Prince Manor, Mount Cangmang would still have maintained its superior position. However, marrying down after these events created an entirely different impression among the Great Chu court officials. Mount Cangmang couldn’t even refuse Dong Fangyou’s marriage. Although Mo Jingli and Dong Fangyou’s affair wasn’t known to all under heaven, those who should know did know, and facing such a disadvantageous situation, Mount Cangmang had no choice but to swallow this bitter pill.
These messy affairs left Dong Fangui in a foul mood, to the point where she even directed her hatred toward the Ding Prince Manor and the Xu family. Ever since the Ding Prince Manor had rejected Mount Cangmang, their position had become somewhat delicate. If they didn’t immediately withdraw and reverse Mount Cangmang’s involvement in worldly affairs, they would have to choose someone else to support. However, this would severely damage Mount Cangmang’s reputation for selecting heaven’s chosen ruler.
Originally choosing the Ding Prince Manor, then being ignored and choosing someone else – this made it seem as if heaven’s chosen ruler wasn’t predetermined at all. If that were the case, why should Mount Cangmang act as heaven’s selector when various heroes could compete based on their own merits?
For this very reason, Mo Jingli’s marriage to Dong Fangui didn’t cause much of a stir. While Mount Cangmang’s influence naturally aroused envy and jealousy, many people also clearly saw the drawbacks of having Mount Cangmang’s support. It was merely that they couldn’t let go of the title of heaven’s chosen ruler. Now that Mount Cangmang’s so-called reputation had become nearly meaningless, a group of misguided women didn’t seem so important anymore.
While Mo Jingli and the Dong family were busy preparing for the wedding, the Ding Prince Manor was equally occupied. From Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li to the ordinary soldiers of the Mo family army, everyone was preparing for battle at any moment. The high-ranking commanders in the Ding Prince Manor understood that this expedition would be a true life-and-death struggle with the Northern Rong army, avenging the near-destruction of the Mo family army and the death of the previous Ding Prince, Mo Xiuwen. Not a single Northern Rong soldier who had crossed into their territory would be allowed to return north.
Inside the Nanzhao Embassy:
Ye Li and Princess Anxi sat facing each other, leisurely drinking tea. Princess Anxi’s belly had grown quite large, clearly indicating a healthy and strong prince or princess to come. Her usually straightforward and bright countenance had gained a touch of gentleness and grace. No matter how high-ranking or powerful a woman might be, those about to become mothers always gained an additional measure of tenderness and maternal love.
“I’ve been constantly busy these past few days, and now that I finally have some free time, I must leave soon. I haven’t been able to properly host you,” Ye Li smiled apologetically at Princess Anxi. As the queen of a country, Princess Anxi naturally couldn’t relate well to ordinary women. Unfortunately, with various matters keeping her occupied these days, Ye Li had been too busy to properly fulfill her duties as a host.
Princess Anxi smiled and said, “We’re both people whose actions are not entirely our own to choose. What is there to apologize for? Are you planning to follow the Ding Prince into battle this time?” Ye Li nodded, “Of course.” Although she was somewhat worried about her two newborn children, Ye Li was even more concerned about Mo Xiuyao on the battlefield. Last time in Xiling, he had nearly lost control, but this time they would face the Northern Rong and He Lianzhen, who had nearly laid waste to half of Great Chu’s north and harbored deep hatred for the Mo family army. How could she be at ease without going along? Speaking of which, she felt somewhat guilty toward her three children. Over these years, Mo Xiaobao had been half-raised by the Xu family. Now with two children barely two months old, they had to go to war again, and the children would have to be entrusted to her elder and second aunts-in-law.
“Come to think of it, I once dreamed of galloping across battlefields with a sword in hand, but you beat me to it,” Princess Anxi sighed with a smile. “The Ding Prince’s wife must be the world’s first female general.”
Ye Li smiled helplessly, “What female general? When have I ever truly led troops in battle? I merely watched from the sidelines.”
Princess Anxi laughed, “That’s right, how could the Ding Prince allow you to lead troops into battle? You must be more suited as a strategist planning from behind the lines. Isn’t there a saying in your Central Plains that fierce generals are easy to find, but strategists are hard to come by?”
Ye Li fell silent, wondering if such a saying existed in the Central Plains.
After a moment of silence, Ye Li smiled and said, “With the Central Plains in chaos, one can’t help but envy how the Queen remains detached from it all.”
The South had always been remote, considered barbarian territory since ancient times. Although every dynasty’s emperor liked to launch campaigns there, none had truly conquered it. It wasn’t that Nanzhao was particularly powerful – though its people were fierce, the country was small and poor, with few troops. Previous emperors attacked Nanzhao either because it violated borders or because during peaceful times they wanted to expand territory to add glory to their historical records. No one would truly commit their entire nation’s strength to attacking Nanzhao, because even if they succeeded, the gains would be far less than the costs. During times of war, various ambitious figures had even less interest in dealing with Nanzhao – they were too busy fighting over the rich lands of the Central Plains to worry about a small border country.
“It seems the Queen truly has no intention of participating in this chaotic era?” Ye Li asked with a smile. She could understand Princess Anxi’s thoughts. Although Princess Anxi had a talent for governing, women naturally lacked that drive for territorial expansion and grand ambitions in their character. This wasn’t necessarily bad for Nanzhao’s people. Though Nanzhao’s troops were strong, the entire nation had only a few hundred thousand people. Many tribal areas only nominally submitted to authority while governing themselves. In today’s imminent conflicts involving millions of troops, Nanzhao’s participation would only make them cannon fodder.
Princess Anxi shook her head, gently stroking her belly as she smiled, “I only hope for Nanzhao’s people to live in peace and prosperity, for this child to be born and grow up safely, and to eventually pass the throne to them. That would make my life complete.”
Ye Li sighed lightly, “Ordinary people only seek peace in their lives. A queen who can protect her people’s well-being has achieved boundless merit.” Princess Anxi smiled, “With the Central Plains in chaos, only the people under the Ding Prince and his wife can live in peace, without worrying about the suffering of war. No wonder that on our journey north, people in many places spoke gratefully of the Ding Prince and his wife’s names.”
Ye Li smiled faintly at Princess Anxi’s praise. In this life, being able to protect the peace of one’s people was enough; there was no need to care too much about judgments of merit and fault.
“Reporting to the Queen and Princess: A lady claiming to be Princess Qixia requests an audience outside,” a servant announced respectfully at the door.
Hearing the servant’s words, Princess Anxi frowned slightly with displeasure, “What does she want?” Regarding this sister, Princess Anxi’s heart had grown cold. Princess Qixia was her only blood sister, but during her difficult struggles with Shu Manlin in her youth, Princess Qixia not only failed to help her but also sided with Shu Manlin against her because of Mo Jingli, causing endless trouble. In the end, she even ran away to Great Chu, refusing to return, bringing shame to the Nanzhao royal family. Even during their recent meeting in Li City, Princess Qixia’s words were full of dissatisfaction and jealousy toward her elder sister. Princess Qixia only remembered that she had been named crown princess and inherited the entire Nanzhao throne. She never considered the hardships and difficulties her sister faced when she was framed by Shu Manlin and suppressed by their father. With such a sister, it was better to have none at all.
“Very well, she’ll be returning to Jiangnan with the Li Prince in a few days anyway. Let her in,” Princess Anxi said flatly.
The servant acknowledged the command and left. Ye Li stood up and said, “I’ll take my leave while you sisters catch up.” Princess Anxi quickly pressed her hand down, saying, “I have nothing much to say to her. You’re about to go to war, and who knows when we’ll meet again? Please stay seated.” Ye Li had originally wanted to give the sisters space to talk privately, but seeing Princess Anxi’s insistence and having more to discuss with her, she didn’t refuse and sat back down.
Soon after, Princess Qixia entered. Seeing Ye Li present, she was startled for a moment before approaching Princess Anxi and timidly calling out “Royal Sister.”
Princess Qixia was already twenty-eight or twenty-nine years old, and though still beautiful and captivating, she was no longer a young maiden. Such behavior now seemed less pitiful and more affected. Princess Anxi frowned slightly, pointing to a nearby chair, “Why have you come? Sit down and speak.”
Seeing her act fail to achieve the desired effect, Princess Qixia lowered her head disappointedly and sat in the indicated chair. Princess Anxi asked, “What has happened?”
Princess Qixia bit her lip, her eyes reddening as she said, “The Li Prince is going to marry Dong Fangyou. I beg Royal Sister to help me.” Princess Anxi’s brow clouded with annoyance. Princess Qixia had visited the embassy several times recently, always hinting that Nanzhao should pressure the Li Prince Manor to formally take her as a consort. Princess Anxi naturally hadn’t agreed – even as Nanzhao’s queen, she had no right to interfere in whom Great Chu’s regent married. Moreover, the Nanzhao royal family no longer recognized Princess Qixia, making any intervention even more inappropriate.
“How can I have any say in the Li Prince’s marriage to Dong Fangyou? Qixia, you’re not young anymore. Can you still not see these matters?” Princess Anxi frowned.
Princess Qixia said resentfully, “But Mount Cangmang is extremely overbearing. Dong Fangyou forced the Li Prince to promise that there would only be two official consorts in the Li Prince Manor in the future, and no one else would be given status or allowed to bear children before her. Even if the Li Prince ascends to the throne, I cannot be made a consort.” Thinking of Dong Fangyou’s arrogant demeanor before her, Princess Qixia wished she could stab her to death. She was also a princess of a nation, yet she was being oppressed by a country-bred girl. Unfortunately, she knew that regardless of whether Mo Jingli liked Dong Fangyou or not, she and Mount Cangmang were undoubtedly the most important to him now. If she were to truly harm Dong Fangyou, Mo Jingli would likely kill her first.
“Princess, this Dong Fangyou…” Princess Anxi had some knowledge of Dong Fangyou and Mount Cangmang but didn’t fully understand the situation.
Ye Li shook her head, “Let’s not mention Dong Fanghui, but that Dong Fangyou spends all day reciting the ways of being a wife, consort, and empress as if she wants to be seen as a living female sage. She shouldn’t make such unreasonable demands, should she? Princess Qixia must be hiding something?”
Princess Anxi looked at Princess Qixia, whose expression changed slightly. Biting her lip hatefully, she said, “It was that Dong Fanghui… she said my status was too low to be the Li Prince’s consort.” Was Princess Qixia’s status truly low? Of course not. Although the Central Plains nobility, who prided themselves on orthodox legitimacy, looked down somewhat on small border countries, they would still show a certain respect for a princess’s status. But Princess Qixia was different – everyone knew there was no longer a Princess Qixia of Nanzhao in the world.
Princess Qixia had been named Consort Xia by the late emperor Mo Jingqi, but because she had “died” before the formal conferment ceremony, she wasn’t recorded in the imperial genealogy. However, nominally, she was Mo Jingqi’s woman. Now, Qixia was just an unnamed concubine of unclear origin in the Li Prince Manor, approaching thirty without any official status. Dong Fanghui’s words about her low status weren’t entirely wrong.
In truth, Princess Qixia’s feelings for Mo Jingli could be called genuinely deep and sincere, perhaps even surpassing Ye Ying’s. But how much space Princess Qixia occupied in Mo Jingli’s heart was hard to say. After all these years, if Mo Jingli truly cared, he could have at least given Princess Qixia the title of secondary consort, rather than letting her remain in this awkward, nameless position in the Li Prince Manor. Now with Mount Cangmang’s heir marrying into the Li Prince Manor, Dong Fangyou was not like the helpless and powerless Ye Ying. No wonder Princess Qixia was anxious.
Princess Anxi looked at Princess Qixia and asked, “How do you want me to help you?”
Princess Qixia’s eyes brightened, and she quickly said, “If only Royal Sister would agree to ally with Great Chu… Nanzhao’s strength is no less than Mount Cangmang’s. Then… naturally, the Li Prince would have to formally take me as his consort…”
“How dare you!” Hearing this, Princess Anxi flew into a rage, coldly looking at Princess Qixia, “I thought you had grown wiser over these years, but you’re still so foolish! You want me to drag all of Nanzhao and our people into the Central Plains’ warfare for your personal affairs? As a Nanzhao princess, have you ever done anything for Nanzhao’s people? What do they owe you? Why should they risk their lives just for your status?”
“I…” Faced with Princess Anxi’s merciless rebuke, Princess Qixia was stunned. She stared at Princess Anxi, “Royal Sister, I…” Princess Anxi waved her hand to stop her words and said coldly, “You need not say more. If your Li Prince were truly worthy, I wouldn’t mind taking a gamble for you. But I’ll tell you honestly, I don’t have faith in him. If you’re willing, return to Nanzhao with me this time and find a good man to marry. Even if not as a princess, no one in Nanzhao would dare mistreat you. As for other matters, don’t even think about them.”
“I…” Princess Qixia knew well that staying in Great Chu wouldn’t lead to an easy life, but she couldn’t bring herself to give up and return to Nanzhao. She had sacrificed too much for Mo Jingli – her youth of over ten years alone was something nothing could compensate for. If she left now, what would those years amount to?
Looking at Princess Anxi, who was now lowering her head and gently stroking her protruding belly, ignoring her, Princess Qixia knew she couldn’t persuade her sister. She cried, “Royal Sister, how cruel you are!” before running out.
Princess Anxi stared at her retreating figure, sighing helplessly, “Am I truly too cruel?” she said softly as if talking to herself.
Ye Li spoke quietly, “You only did what you had to do. You’re not just Princess Qixia’s sister; you’re also Nanzhao’s queen.”
“Indeed,” Princess Anxi smiled bitterly, “If I were soft-hearted, the grass on my grave would be who knows how tall by now. Let her be. Who knows if we’ll ever meet again in this life?”
Seeing her sadness, Ye Li could only offer gentle consolation. Her relationships with Ye Zhen and Ye Ying were distant, and they weren’t born of the same mother, so she couldn’t truly understand Princess Anxi’s feelings. But if it were her cousins from her previous life, they would likely be quite emotional about such a situation.
Mo Jingli and Dong Fangyou’s wedding proceeded as scheduled despite Dong Fangyou’s extreme reluctance. However, the ceremony’s scale wasn’t even a third of that of Master Qingyun’s birthday celebration. This was understandable – the various nations’ representatives had just left and wouldn’t return especially for the Li Prince’s marriage to Mount Cangmang’s heir. Moreover, with the Li Prince gaining Mount Cangmang’s support, he became their great enemy. That they didn’t secretly sabotage the event was already showing respect to the Ding Prince and Princess, considering Li City was the Ding Prince’s territory. Why would they come specifically to offer congratulations?
After attending Mo Jingli’s wedding, Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao left Li City that very night for Feihong Pass.
At this time, outside Feihong Pass, the Great Chu’s northern enemy had split into two – the Northern Rong and Mo family armies faced each other. As soon as Yelü Ye returned to the Northern Rong camp, he immediately deployed troops, moving their battle lines southward. He also sent urgent letters to the Northern Rong King requesting reinforcements, hoping to crush the Mo family army in one stroke.
Yelü Hong kept his promise, writing to the Northern Rong King along with Yelü Ye, requesting that He Lianzhen be sent to assist Yelü Ye in attacking Great Chu. Since He Lianzhen’s defeat by the then eighteen-year-old Mo Xiuyao, he had been abandoned by the Northern Rong King. Although his situation had improved somewhat in recent years, his defeat had left Northern Rong unable to recover for several years, and the Northern Rong King’s deep distrust of his abilities meant he would never be favored again.
Although Yelü Ye suspected Yelü Hong’s help might conceal some plot, thinking of the trap he had prepared for Yelü Hong’s return to Northern Rong, he didn’t care much. Regardless, he truly needed He Lianzhen’s assistance now.
The Northern Rong reinforcements naturally couldn’t arrive quickly, but Yelü Ye didn’t mind, continuously mobilizing troops from various regions, preparing to strike while the Mo family army was unprepared. However, Lü Jinxian, guarding the border, wasn’t as unprepared as he thought. Seeing the Northern Rong army’s movements, he also mobilized troops, and within just five days, the two armies had clashed more than three times. The north of Great Chu was once again engulfed in warfare.
At this time, Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li hadn’t appeared on the battlefield but were instead leisurely traveling in the northern territory outside Zijing Pass. After dyeing his distinctive white hair black and making some minor disguises, they appeared as an outstanding young couple, completely different from the majestic Ding Prince and Princess who commanded awe throughout the realm in Li City.
Accompanying Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li was Tan Jizhi, who had recently been released from the Ding Prince Manor. Few people in the world knew Tan Jizhi’s true appearance, and most of those who did were already dead. After two years in seclusion, even fewer could recognize him. Therefore, he wasn’t worried about being recognized even walking in the northern territory with his original appearance.
Whether Ren Qining was overeager or truly confident in himself, after the northern army took Zijing Pass, he moved the original northern royal city to Changqing City, just over three hundred li from Zijing Pass. This was originally the most prosperous city in Great Chu’s northeast, where he established his capital and began extensive palace construction. Although the palace wasn’t completely built yet, its outline was visible. Changqing City had many magnificent, spacious mansions and official residences, their splendor rivaling those in Li City and the Chu capital.
Similarly, Changqing City had a strange phenomenon. Except for a few clusters of grand mansions, the rest of the areas were dilapidated, with thatched huts and shabby houses being common. It had none of the feeling of its former glory as Great Chu’s northeastern metropolis. It seemed that besides a few extremely wealthy officials and nobles, only people who could barely clothe and feed themselves remained. The middle class, who should have made up the majority – those who weren’t wealthy but could at least make ends meet – seemed non-existent. Such a scene would be extreme even for a remote small town, let alone Changqing, the capital.
Tan Jizhi followed Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao into an unremarkable inn in the city. The innkeeper led the three to a secluded room on the second floor before respectfully greeting them, “This servant pays respects to the Prince and Princess.”
Ye Li smiled faintly, “Rise. You’ve worked hard these past two years.”
The innkeeper respectfully replied, “It’s my duty, how dare I speak of hardship? This servant has already arranged accommodations for the Prince and Princess. Please feel at ease staying here. If there’s anything you need this servant to do, please just command.”
Ye Li nodded and smiled, “Very well, you may go now. If we need anything, we’ll call for you.”
“This servant takes leave,” the innkeeper withdrew without further questions.
“I never expected the Ding Prince Manor to have spies even in Changqing City. The Ding Prince Manor truly has eyes everywhere. Ren Qining has truly invited heaven’s wrath by offending the Prince.” Changqing had only been the northern capital for about a year, and the city’s condition showed that Ren Qining must have initially used iron-fisted methods to eliminate opposition. Yet this innkeeper could remain safely in the city, speaking without any hint of difficulty or worry – clearly, their organization in the city must be quite formidable. Not just Ren Qining, but Tan Jizhi also felt a hint of dejection – could he compete with such people?