ciously stroked her still flat stomach before smiling faintly and saying, "Let's go south for a look. The weather there is much more comfortable than the capital, isn’t it I’ve saved some money over t...414. The Troublesome Throne
414。 Handling the Troublesome Throne
After the battle at Feihong Pass was settled, Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li set out for Licheng City. Conquering a kingdom relies on military might, but governing it cannot depend solely on force. Even with Qingchen's presence, there were still many matters that required Mo Xiuyao to return personally. Since they left Licheng City last year to head north, it had been整整十個月。十個月似乎很長，但平定北境、驅逐北戎、打敗南楚和西陵這麼多事情算下來卻顯得時間短暫得驚人。這麼豐厚的軍功戰績放在任何人身上都足夠享用幾輩子了。然而，墨修堯與葉璃僅用了區區十個月便完成了這一切。當所有人都回過神來重新審視這些驚人的戰績時，除了驚歎之外再也無話可說。
雖然十個月看起來很短，卻又是很長的一段時間。這段時間足以讓兩個剛滿月還不會翻身的孩子坐在大人的懷裡好奇地望著四周，咿呀學語。當葉璃看到徐夫人懷中的兩個嬰兒時，忍不住再次落淚。這兩個孩子從出生不久就被寄養在徐家，將近一年的時間都冇有見過父母的麵，這讓葉璃感到愧疚。
幸運的是，雖然可以說幾乎冇見過父母的麵，但這兩個孩子並不認生。徐大夫人笑著將穿著白色狐狸毛邊、月白色的錦襖的小嬰兒放在葉璃手中，逗他說：“麟兒，叫孃親…叫娘……”
小嬰兒睜著烏黑的眼睛好奇地望著葉璃。他覺得抱著自己的人香軟舒適，與平日裡抱他的舅奶奶和舅母不同。不過他很喜歡。小嬰兒咧開嘴露出一個大大的笑容，跟著徐大夫人叫道：“娘…孃親……”
“麟兒會叫人了？”葉璃驚喜地說著，抬眼望著徐二夫人懷中的另一個穿著粉色錦衣的小寶寶。徐二夫人笑道：“這兩個孩子和小寶一樣聰明呢。心兒，叫孃親。”
小心兒對著葉璃咯咯笑起來，甜美的小臉上滿是親近之意。顯然她也不認生，伸出小手朝向葉璃說：“娘娘，抱抱……”
葉璃隻覺得心中柔軟無比，彷彿有什麼在微微發熱。她小心翼翼地將小心兒也抱進懷裡坐著，幸好兩個孩子都快滿一週歲了，在葉璃懷中坐得穩當。這兩個小寶寶從小一起長大，感情很好，不但不會爭搶懷抱，還在葉璃的懷裡互相拉著手咿咿呀呀地說著彆人聽不懂的話。
墨修堯站在葉璃身後，不時伸手幫她扶住懷中的孩子，唇邊也染上了一絲淡淡的笑意，將剛剛從戰場上下來的煞氣沖洗得乾乾淨淨。
墨小寶站在葉璃身邊，有些遺憾地望著懷中的兩個小寶寶。他已經長大了，不能再讓孃親抱了。至少…不能像弟弟妹妹那樣被孃親抱著了。
"Mama, Xiaobao misses you too," said Mo Xiaobao with longing eyes to Ye Li.
Ye Liruo smiled and said, "Mother misses you too. Have you been obedient to Uncle Yao these days" Thinking back to the time when she had to send Mo Xiaobao back to Li City, Ye Liruo felt guilty seeing how miserable Mo Xiaobao looked before he left. Although it was for his safety, Mo Xiaobao was an intelligent child and would have understood that something terrible must have happened even without anyone telling him, so he followed the guard without a word of protest. He might be worried these days.
Mo Xiaobao nodded repeatedly, "Xiaobao is the most obedient. If Mother doesn’t believe me, ask Uncle Yao." Mo Xiaobao had become increasingly mischievous as he grew older, and no one could catch him in the act since he was so smart. Only Xu Qingchen could control him.
"You are obedient Who insisted on going to Feihong Pass yesterday" Outside the door, Xu Qingchen’s voice with a hint of amusement entered the room. Soon after, a godlike young man clad in snow-white clothes appeared before everyone. There were some people who seemed naturally favored by heaven; time itself seemed to stand still for them. If Mo Xiuyao had remained handsome over these years because of his profound inner cultivation, then Xu Qingchen was naturally favored and pampered by the heavens. Although Xu Qingchen looked young, it didn’t make him seem immature. His handsome and ethereal appearance combined with a mature demeanor gave him an air of youthful beauty as well as middle-aged composure, unlike officials who were perpetually overworked.
Xu Qingchen stepped into the room and said with a smile, "In less than a year, you have defeated four countries. Such achievements are unprecedented; congratulations to Your Highness."
Mo Xiuyao smiled and said, "Nonsense, if not for Brother Qingchen’s presence in Li City, how could I be so at ease Not to mention conquering the world." This was no empty praise; as they say, provisions precede troops. The importance of military supplies for a war couldn’t be understated. In the past year, due to the Xu family's control over northwest, Mo Family Army had never been troubled by supply issues. With such support in the rear, winning battles naturally became much easier.
Xu Qingchen smiled faintly without being modest; both were intelligent enough to tell when someone was being sincere or not. Besides, given Ye Liruo and the Xu family's relationship, it would seem insincere if they acted like strangers.
Xu Qingchen sat down while the two Xu Madams left after knowing that important matters needed to be discussed. Ye Liruo had just returned home and couldn’t bear to part with her children; thus, they stayed behind. The babies didn’t seem worried when their two aunts left and even amused Mrs. Xu No. 2.
Mo Xiuyao took the pink-clad little girl wearing silver anklets and bracelets from Ye Liruo’s arms who was so cute that she had to be called Xian’er and sat beside his wife. Away from her mother, Xian’er didn’t cry; instead, she liked this pale person very much. Curious, she tugged at Mo Xiuyao’s long white hair gently. Frowning, Mo Xiuyao retrieved a beautifully carved jade bead about the size of a pigeon egg and put it into his daughter's hand to play with. Unbothered by her father's actions, Xian’er lowered her head curiously to play with the jade bead.
Mo Xiaobao looked at his little brother in Ye Liruo’s arms and his sister in Mo Xiuyao’s arms before pitifully nuzzling up to Xu Qingchen. With a smile, Xu Qingchen shook his head and pointed to the seat beside him; only then did Mo Xiaobao sit down.
The room fell silent for a moment as Xu Qingchen said, "You have just returned home so I shouldn’t disturb you, but there is something that Your Highness needs to take a look at." He took out an edict from his sleeve. Ye Liruo knew immediately what it was; the yellow cover with a fierce wolf painted on it was the letter of the Northern Rong.
"What does Northern Rong want" Ye Liruo frowned as she asked. She didn’t have a good impression of the people of Northern Rong, even after they had cooperated with Prince Taizi in some form.
Mo Xiuyao held his daughter in one arm and took the letter from Xu Qingchen; frowning, he read it aloud, "Exchange Princess Ronghua for Ye Liye’s body and that of Northern Rong soldiers" Mo Xiuyao fell silent for a moment before looking up at Ye Liruo with some vexation, "Where is Ye Liye's body
Ye Lvy啞然失笑，她還真不記得耶律野的遺體放在哪裡了。當時忙得不可開交，打掃戰場的事情也不歸她管，自然不會記得這種小事。
Mou Xiuyao said with some dissatisfaction, "If they want to exchange for the remains of Yelü Ye, why are they only coming now After such a long time, who knows where they put it"
Xu Qingchen couldn't help but twitch his lips and replied, "In the winter of Beirong, the land is covered in ice for thousands of miles. Now that spring has just begun, their envoys have already arrived in Li City. This can be considered quite fast." Moreover, the people from Beirong must also observe the situation; if Mou's army loses to the combined forces of Xi Ling and Great Chu, who would still want to exchange Simply send troops to attack again.
Mou Xiuyao nodded impatiently. "Alright, I understand. Tell them that we will agree to exchange for the remains of Yelü Ye and Beirong soldiers. However, Princess Ronghua is not enough."
"What else do you want" Xu Qingchen raised an eyebrow.
Mou Xiuyao smiled and said, "We'll see what benefits we can get from Young Master Qingchen." Naturally, the more benefits they receive, the better. Dingwang Mansion was wealthy enough to rival a country, but it couldn't support so many people either. What place doesn't require money
Xu Qingchen nodded and said, "I understand. However... Can you find the remains of Yelü Ye" Knowing Mou Xiuyao's personality, he knew that without thinking, Yelü Ye's final fate wouldn't have been a dignified burial.
Mou Xiuyao looked at Xu Qingchen with an expression as if he had gone crazy. "Is the ashes of Yelü Ye made of gold or engraved with words"
For the first time in his life, someone doubted his intelligence, but Young Master Qingchen was willing to admit defeat: So do you plan on using some random ash to fool them
"Are you really going to exchange back Princess Ronghua" Xu Qingchen looked at Mou Xiuyao with suspicion. In his memory, Mou Xiuyao wasn't someone who would act out of kindness; he only acted when there was something in it for him. However, Young Master Qingchen couldn’t think of any benefit that Beirong could offer to Mou Xiuyao. Forget about land—it wouldn’t be practical even if they were willing to give it. Even if Beirong people agreed to give the land beyond the borders, it would just be vast grasslands where few people would want to live and would have to endure Beirong’s raids for at least eight months a year. Now that the Central Plains hadn't stabilized yet, Mou Xiuyao wouldn’t stretch his hand out now either. As for anything else, Beirong didn't seem to have much that could attract Mou Xiuyao's attention.
Mou Xiuyao nodded and said, "Of course. Didn’t the people of Beirong say that Princess Ronghua is Ye Lvy’s sworn sister If my wife's sworn sister was mistreated by the people of Beirong, wouldn't it be a disgrace for me"
"We all know that isn’t true," Xu Qingchen raised his eyebrows. The relationship between Ye Lvy and Princess Ronghua wasn't bad, but they weren't close enough to become sworn sisters.
Moxiu Yao waved his hand and said, "It doesn’t matter. By the way, it would be best to inform the Beirong people that this king is very interested in their warhorses."
"What if they don't agree" The horse breeds of Central Plains had always been inferior to those of Beirong and even Western Regions. Even after introducing foreign breeds back home, over time, these horses would deteriorate significantly. And since generations past, the two regions had been at war with each other, preventing any trade or exchange of warhorses between them. Although in recent years, Duke Ding王府 had secretly obtained some through various channels, the numbers were truly minimal.
It was no wonder that Moxiu Yao was being so generous this time.
"They don’t agree" Moxiu Yao sneered and said, "Then this king will take them by force."
"I understand," Xu Qingchen nodded to show he understood the determination of Moxiu Yao. With Xu Qingchen’s agreement, Moxiu Yao’s expression immediately softened, and he put aside the matter. If a matter was important enough for Qingchen公子 to表態 (express an opinion), it meant that there was likely no problem.
After discussing matters with Beirong, Xu Qingchen looked at Moxiu Yao, raised his eyebrows, and said with a smile, "Also, someone has been asking me about something recently. But... I don’t know how to respond, so I thought it might be best to seek the Duke’s opinion."
"What could possibly perplex Qingchen公子" Moxiu Yao asked dismissively, seemingly thinking that Xu Qingchen was bored and looking for an excuse to trouble him. Playing with a blue-and-white porcelain tea cup in his hand, Xu Qingchen said with clear eyes staring at Moxiu Yao, "A long time ago, someone started asking me about when the Duke plans... to ascend to the throne."
"Ascend to the throne" Moxiu Yao paused mid-motion of playing with Xing Er’s small hand and frowned. He asked, “Who says this king intends to become emperor”
Xu Qingchen raised his eyebrows and said, "No one has explicitly said so, but it seems obvious that many people believe so."
"Including Qingchen公子" Moxiu Yao asked.
Xu Qingchen smiled without speaking; the answer was clear.
"This king does not intend to ascend to the throne," Moxiu Yao said solemnly. If he wanted to be an emperor, he would have done so long ago, why wait all these years Xu Qingchen sighed softly and frowned slightly, "You should understand the pros and cons." Qingchen公子 viewed things purely from a governance perspective; that is, being a rightful ruler. Moxiu Yao was lacking in nothing but his name (title), because it was naturally destined for him to rule. But as long as he didn’t ascend to the throne, there would always be this lack of legitimacy. This wouldn't prevent Moxiu Yao from controlling Duke Ding王府 or its territories, yet it might cause some unease.
Moreover, since it was not an official court, the ranks of officials under the Ding王府 were also in a mess. Surprisingly, despite all these years, there had never been any major mistakes, which even astonished Qingchen himself.
"Even if Prince Ding has no intention to claim the throne, you should consider the feelings of those who follow you." So many people are loyal to the Ding王府 out of loyalty and righteousness, but it's certainly not just because of that. Although the Qingchen公子 doesn't care much about fame and power, he does respect those who strive for them earnestly. 'To refine literary and martial arts is to sell them to the imperial family.' This concept has been deeply rooted in people's minds over thousands of years; only the royal family represents legitimacy. Only by serving the royal family can one claim true lineage. Today's Ding王府 is no longer what it was back then, now under its command are not just generations-old loyal officials but also many individuals and families who have come to seek shelter.
"So Does Qingchen公子 also feel this way How about I appoint you as the Grand Chancellor" Mo Xiuyao looked at Xu Qingchen with a smile. Xu Qingchen lifted his eyelid nonchalantly, "Thank you for your kind offer, but I'm not worthy."
Moiuyao raised an eyebrow and gave him a slightly smug look. So what If he ascends to the throne as emperor and appoints officials in order, wouldn't the Xu family immediately resign Does Mo Xiuyao think he's stupid A Qingchen公子 alone could be worth half of the court’s people, not to mention the entire Xu family...
More importantly, what was the point of ascending to the throne anyway As emperor, one has to attend early morning court every day and listen to officials argue over trivial matters. Not attending court for even a single day would result in being berated by censors until their ears hurt. It's much better now—deal with issues as they arise, and do whatever you want when there are none. Why bother attending court daily if one is just a prince
If Xu Qingchen didn't understand what Mo Xiuyao was thinking after all these years, he might as well have lived in vain. He no longer paid attention to him but turned to Ye Lvy and asked with a smile, "What do you think, Miss Glass" While playing with the baby, Ye Lvy replied, "This kind of matter, Brother can just ask Mo Xiuyao."
Moiuyao looked at Xu Qingchen smugly, saying, "I am Liya's husband, so naturally I lead and she follows. However... if Liya wants to be empress, then I'm not against ascending the throne for her."
Ye Lvy frowned slightly. She knew that Xu Qingchen was only considering their best interests but didn't want such a thing. After all, even without Xu Qingchen's urging, someone would propose it soon anyway. However... Ye Lvy had never been enthusiastic about becoming empress; in her current situation, being an empress wouldn’t actually be better for her as it would bring more constraints that weren't imposed by Mo Xiuyao or anyone else but by the times.
"No need to think about it, I've already decided." Seeing Ye Lvy frown, Mo Xiuyao immediately made his decision at the table. "Miss Glass, do we really have to be empress In the future, let Xiao Bao封 you as Empress Dowager."
Xu Qingchen raised an eyebrow; Mo Xiuyao's words clearly indicated that the next successor of Ding王府 and even the future ruler would undoubtedly be Xiao Bao.
After looking at the two involved parties, Xu Qingchen sighed softly. "Alright then, it’s good as long as you’re clear on your decision. Regardless... Miss Glass, the Xu family will always support you."
Ye Lvy nodded gently and smiled, saying, "Brother, I know." She knew that the Xu family had always been her strongest backing behind her. Without them, even with her abilities, it would be difficult to have so many people submit within Ding王府. The noble lineage of Qingchen公子, as well as the formidable relatives like uncles and cousins in people's eyes, were always her most powerful support.
Xu Qingchen stood up and said to the two of them, "Even if we don’t consider the matter of ascending the throne, Linqi and Xine are about to be a year old. We must have a big celebration this year."
Moshouyao nodded and said, "I understand. Let’s do it as you suggested."
After Xu Qingchen left, Mo Xiaobao knew that his father and mother had something important to discuss and slipped out.
In the hall, Ye Li looked at Moshouyao with a smile and said, "Xiaoyao, are you really not going to..." Moshouyao smiled and said, "I never intended to be an emperor." He stood up, picked up his little baby, walked over to Ye Li, and sat down beside her. While playing with his daughter, he said to Ye Li, "We’re living such a good life right now; why should we complicate things If I can survive these years, I don’t believe that adding a few more years would be impossible. When the time comes, let Mo Xiaobao worry about it."
Ye Li looked at him with a smile and asked, "Aren’t you afraid that Xiaobao will hate you in the future"
Moshouyao said sternly, "I’m cultivating his ability. If I do everything for him, why would he need to exist" Ready-made things aren’t easy to obtain. What’s more important is that after a lifetime of hard work, how could Mo Xiaobao sit idly and become the Heavenly Emperor
Ye Li sighed lightly and said, "I won't interfere; you talk to them."
Moshouyao looked at Ye Li with a smile and said, "I know. You’re glad that I’m not going to be an emperor, right"
Ye Li didn’t hide her feelings and nodded in agreement. "Indeed, I’m happy you won’t be the emperor." Although this might seem unfair to the generals and subordinates of Ding王府 who fought hard for it, Ye Li had to admit that Moshouyao was right. What was an emperor The Son of Heaven, the ruler of the world. But he wouldn’t belong solely to any one person anymore. Even more so, there would be many people vying for titles like those in the Three Palaces and Six Halls. Ye Li didn’t want to compete with other women for Moshouyao because she wasn’t born in this era. She wanted him entirely or not at all; there was no possibility of sharing.
“Isn’t that great Mo Xiaobao is already nine years old. In a few more years, he can take over Ding王府. Then, whether they want an emperor or nothing will have nothing to do with us. After so many years... I’m also tired. Aili, you won't make me get up before dawn every day for court sessions, right To be honest, back then, I felt that the position of an emperor was something no one could handle. It’s earlier than a rooster waking up and later than a dog going to bed. You can’t do this or eat that. The woman you like may not marry you, and even if she does, she might not like you. A slight mistake will be scolded by the censor, and you have to tolerate it while pretending to be magnanimous. Otherwise, the historian will harshly record your actions in history books…”
"Alright, stop saying such nonsense," Ye Li was at a loss for words but had to admit that Moshouyao’s reasons made some sense; more importantly, after hearing what he said, she felt much better. "As long as you’re not regretful."
“Then... Aili, let’s stick with it together. We won’t be the emperor and empress, but when Mo Xiaobao ascends to the throne, we’ll be the Retired Emperor and Empress Dowager… uh!" Moshouyao was in high spirits when he suddenly froze. Ye Li looked at him strangely and asked, “What’s wrong” I understand the thoughts of women. It's just that on Ding Wang's side..." Today Lily's actions in the hall were indeed bold and unreasonable, but given her status as Princess Consort of Ding Wang, s...