Chaos in the Northern Frontier
still belongs to the emperor!" He then swept his sleeve and followed into the city.After entering the city, however, the sight of Hongzhou left the officers of the Mo Family Army unable not to be enr...358. The Northern Region in Turmoil
Less than a month and a half had passed, but He Su had already managed to consolidate nearly half of the military forces near Changqing under his control. Naturally, this was not without much bloodshed behind closed doors, while everything appeared calm on the surface.
"Your Excellency Consort's methods are indeed admirable," Queen Helan said with a smile as she sat before Ye Li in the small courtyard. Her gaze towards Ye Li also held more admiration than ever before. To control half of Changqing's military within just over a month and even infiltrate among those stubborn Central Plains officials, Queen Helan believed that it was something she could not achieve. While there were reasons such as her being from the North and thus naturally distrusted by Central Plains people, Queen Helan also had to admit that she likely would not have thought of as many ways as Ye Li did.
Ye Li shook her head with a light smile, saying, "Queen, you flatter me. It's just an opportunity I happened upon and took advantage of. If it were another place, it wouldn't be so easy." This was not false modesty from Ye Li; she herself had not anticipated such smooth progress either. The reason for this ease was the internal looseness within the Northern Region. While these former court officials were adept at scheming and plotting against one another, they had distanced themselves too far from political power and governance. Hence, despite appearances, there were numerous loopholes internally. Even if Duke Ding王府 did not scheme against Ren Qining, the Northern Region would likely not survive a decade without internal reform.
Queen Helan smiled and said, "To seize an opportunity is to be clever. However, these Central Plains old men are most suspicious. How could they not have noticed after so much activity" Recently, their Northern Region people had secretly prepared to return outside the fortress once taken out by Ren Qining's troops for attacking Zi Jing Pass. They also did everything possible to create trouble for those Central Plains officials, diverting their attention. But even losing command of the army hadn't been noticed This was too much. Could it be that all of Ren Qining's Central Plains forces were planning a revolt How poor must his reputation be
Ye Li toyed with her tea cup and smiled, "They should discover soon enough. Don’t forget that the Yun family also holds significant military power. They will definitely notice something amiss." Having civilian officials in charge of military powers was indeed another mistake by Ren Qining, though it might be better said as不得已而為之.
"Your Excellency Consort, a missive from Chancellor Yun’s residence invites Your Excellency to visit," ZHUO Jing entered with the invitation and presented it to Ye Li. She picked up the golden and splendidly illustrated invitation, confirming its authenticity.
"Where's Tan Jizhi" asked Ye Li.
ZHUO Jing replied, "Tan Young Master was invited to Chancellor Yun’s residence this morning. With all due respect… The chancellor's residence likely has already noticed something amiss and sent the invitation in hopes of ensnaring you."
Ye Li stood up with a smile, saying, "Then let's go meet this loyal official from the previous regime. Send word to He Su to keep an eye on the troops outside the city; no holds barred if something unexpected happens. Also, instruct Qin Feng to block all roads to Zi Jing Pass without my orders."
"Understood!" ZHUO Jing took his leave.
Queen Helan also rose with a smile and said, "Many thanks this time. I’ll have them prepare accordingly while cooperating with you guys. By the way, those officials under Ren Qining, can I kill them"
Ye Li smiled lightly, saying, "Do as you please."
With ZHUO Jing and Lin Han in tow, they entered Chancellor Yun’s residence. Ye Li paid no mind to his smile hiding a knife. However, Tan Jizhi had already been restrained by the chancellor's men. She couldn’t help but chuckle and say, "Young Master Tan, what happened" Given Tan Jizhi’s abilities and precautions, she didn't believe he could be restrained by them.
Tan Jizhi shrugged with a smile, saying, "Isn’t it waiting for you to rescue me"
Seeing the two chatting calmly without regard for him, Chancellor Yun's face darkened. He sneered and said, "Miss, might as well reveal your identity all at once Could it be that you are truly from Cangmang Mountain"
Ye Li smiled slightly, saying, "If Chancellor didn’t believe me in the first place, why ask" By this point, the chancellor had to know he was indeed tricked by these two. While he had doubted her initially, it was just that — doubt. He hadn't paid much attention as Tan Jizhi needed him and both were under his control within Changqing City. Yet their capabilities exceeded expectations; they managed half of Northern Region's troops in less than a month.
"You must be from Duke Ding’s residence!" The chancellor coldly demanded, staring at them. He simply couldn't think of anyone else capable of such power and tactics.
Tan Jizhi smiled bitterly and did not answer. Ye Li nodded gracefully, "Ye Li greets Chancellor Yun."
"You are the Duchess of Ding!" Upon hearing this, Chancellor Yun exclaimed shrilly and almost fell to the ground. Ye Li felt somewhat helpless; was her name so terrifying
Chancellor Yun, looking dazed, sat back down on his armchair after a moment before slamming his foot on the floor and sighing heavily, "What an audacious Duchess of Ding! It is truly impressive that she has already planned this with those northerners for some time now!" Chancellor Yun was no fool; if they only just noticed such a large commotion from the Ding王府 in the north, there must have been an insider aiding them.
Ye Li sighed softly, "It is not that the Ding王府 is heartless. The Northern King allied with the Beirong tribe to destroy my family and overthrow Central Plains. This move was truly too ruthless; if they had succeeded, we would be caught between enemies on both fronts. Therefore, we took a risk and cut off their support. I hope Chancellor Yun can understand."
"Winner takes all, why must the Duchess explain further" Chancellor Yun stared at Ye Li's beautiful face sternly, "A young lady with such courage and skill deserves admiration even from an old man like me. But... if the Ding王府 is willing to risk everything after exposing its identity, it shows they do not take this old man seriously."
Ye Li smiled lightly, "Chancellor Yun is a senior; how can I refuse your summons"
"Good, good, good..." Chancellor Yun said three times 'good', his face turning pale with anger as he stood up and shouted sternly, "If you dared to come to my mansion, how could I not detain you Otherwise, it would undermine the authority of the northern region!"
"Chancellor Yun, even if it undermines your authority, we are the ones who lose face. What do you care" A female voice echoed from outside with a hint of amusement, and Queen Helan entered the room accompanied by several northerners as if she owned the place. Chancellor Yun narrowed his eyes and stared at Queen Helan, "I said I was wondering how those barbarians in the north could ally with the Ding王府; it turns out it's because of you!" Everyone had thought that when Queen Helan insisted on going to Licheng City, she was merely throwing a tantrum due to her conflict with Yun Fei. However, they never expected such a disaster would come from this.
Queen Helan's face darkened and said coldly, "You old man have no shame! Your master Ren Qining relied on my aunt’s status and power to become the Northern King, only then did you all start living comfortably. But now you cross a bridge and dismantle it; you oppress us northerners in every way possible. Every time there's war, you make our northern men charge ahead while you take the spoils behind. Over seventy thousand of our northern men crossed the border, but now fewer than thirty thousand remain. Yet you still can't tolerate us You are truly disgusting. No wonder your country hasn’t been restored in hundreds of years; it must be that heaven's eyes have seen through your villainy and won't let you restore your country again!"
Chancellor Yun was flushed with rage from Queen Helan's tirade, his face turning red and purple. Ren Qining’s greatest flaw when founding the northern kingdom was using the power of the northerners. He did not reclaim them or build cities for them; instead, he married into their family and inherited his father-in-law's position. This made it impossible for him to claim legitimacy in Central Plains anymore. Even the descendants of previous queens took on the surnames of northern people, which these former officials could never accept. However, they had no choice but to acknowledge the kindness shown by the northerners who had helped them establish their kingdom. These conflicting feelings made it even harder for them to tolerate northerners, and all they wanted was to get rid of them as soon as possible.
"Humph! I won't argue with you!" Chancellor Yun said angrily when he had nothing else to say in response to Queen Helan’s accusations.
Queen Helan sneered, "It's me who shouldn’t waste my time on an old man like you."
The others couldn’t help but twitch at this exchange. Ye Li held back her laughter and asked, "Your Majesty, why did you come so quickly" Queen Helan waved dismissively, “I’ve captured many of Ren Qining’s officials in the city already. The rest can't escape now either. There's a battle going on outside the city walls too; will your men win”
Ye Li said calmly, "Drop that 'might'. Since it has started, why aren’t you sitting tight in the palace"
Queen Helan sighed and replied, “I heard this old man was hiding many people to deal with you, but if I knew you were so confident, I wouldn't have come. I’ll go back now.” As there were matters at court, Queen Helan came quickly and left just as fast after giving a lecture. With her anger released, she walked even faster.
With the quick departure of Queen Helan, Chancellor Yun's face became more pale than before. Ye Li looked at his face that seemed to have aged ten years in an instant and said calmly, "Chancellor Yun, I do not want unnecessary killing; please order your subordinates to stop fighting. After so many years of hard work, why don’t you retire"
Chancellor Yun sneered and said coldly, "It's well-known that the Ding王府’s qilin is mysterious and undefeatable. The whole city must be under the control of your highness already; why are you still pretending"
Ye Li smiled lightly and did not refute him, instead gesturing for someone to take him away.
In Changqing City, chaos broke out as Queen Helan ordered palace gates closed and captured many officials loyal to Ren Qining. The city’s gates were also sealed off. Outside the city, soldiers under He Su's command clashed with those previously under Ren Qining. Inside and outside Changqing City was in disarray, while news of the turmoil spread rapidly to Ren Qining’s troops stationed far away at Zijing Pass.
Speaking of which, Ren Qining led nearly a million soldiers besieging Zijing Pass for months now. Although his opponent remained Leng Huai, this time was more challenging than before. The last siege saw Leng Huai commanding the Chu army and holding out for months; now he had the renowned fierce Mo Army at his disposal, and there was also the grudge of killing Ren Qining’s son to settle. Last year during Ren Qining's attack on Chu Capital City, Leng Huai’s eldest son Leng Qingyu died in battle, sacrificing himself for his country. Such a deep enmity would not be forgotten by Leng Huai easily. The two armies fought countless battles outside Zijing Pass but the northern army failed to even reach its gates.
The situation at the front was not going well, and he kept receiving urgent letters from Ye Liye urging him to hurry up. The letters also clearly showed his dissatisfaction with Ren Qining's duties in defending the northern border. This made Ren Qining feel very frustrated. Then, he received news of a mutiny among the troops left behind.
"Damn it!" Ren Qining couldn't help but curse out loud as he slapped down the letter on the table.
The reactions of his generals were quite different. His trusted officers naturally felt worried and anxious, while the northern border generals kept a cool demeanor and seemed to hope for his downfall. Ren Qining knew what they thought, so he suppressed his anger and dismissed them.
Of course, these northern border generals also knew that Ren Qining didn't like them and didn't care either. They all stood up and left the tent.
The remaining Central Plains generals in the tent watched Ren Qining's face as they hurriedly asked, "Your Majesty, has something happened to the capital" Ren Qining gritted his teeth and replied, "The cavalry of the troops that were left behind have mutinied."
Everyone was stunned for a moment. They could hardly believe it. If the northern border soldiers had mutinied, they would still find it believable. But Central Plains soldiers To make matters worse, there weren't even 50,000 troops from the northern border left in the capital's vicinity. Even if they did try to rebel, they wouldn't succeed. Yet, while those northerners didn't mutiny, their own forces did. This was simply unbelievable.
"Your Majesty, could this be a trap" someone asked suspiciously.
Ren Qining pressed his palm against his throbbing forehead and said, "This matter is of great importance. The capital city is crucial to our military. There are more than 500,000 troops left behind there. If they attack us from the rear, we will be in a difficult situation, even without a home to return to."
"Could it be that someone from Ding王府 (Ding Prince's Mansion) is causing trouble"
Ren Qining sneered and said, "At such a critical moment, who else could it be but Ding Prince's Mansion What an admirable Ding Prince's Mansion. What an admirable Black Warriors Army..." The people in the tent looked at each other with worried expressions. Although they had besieged Zijin Pass for more than a month without any success, if Changqing were to fall into Ding Prince's Mansion's hands, everything would be over. Not to mention anything else, feeding 100,000 troops alone was enough to make them anxious. Within three months, everyone would starve to death.
"Your Majesty, since the capital city has already sent for reinforcements, it is likely that they can no longer hold on. We should return our troops as soon as possible to suppress the rebellion." It was indeed important to ally with Beirong and attack Zijin Pass, but their own territory was more critical. If the capital city really fell into rebel hands, then everything would be lost. Even if Leng Huai opened up Zijin Pass for them, what could they do Become refugees
Of course Ren Qining understood this very important issue. After a moment of contemplation, he still decided to send an officer back with 200,000 troops as reinforcements, but at the same time, it was also a test. As someone who had dealt with Mo Xiuyao several times before, Ren Qining was well aware that Mo Xiuyao never followed conventional rules. Since this matter involved Ding Prince's Mansion, he could not afford to neglect its form.
After settling the matter of sending reinforcements to suppress the rebellion, Ren Qining sighed and wrote a few letters, calling his subordinate over and instructing him to personally deliver them to Queen Consort and Chancellor.
In Changqing City, in the Northern Border Palace
Changqing was now under control of the northern border people. Outside the city walls, there was chaos everywhere. The entire palace became a domain controlled by Empress Dowager Helan alone. She invited Ye Li to live in the palace so that they wouldn't have to leave it whenever something happened. Ye Li didn't mind; Changqing was not only under control of the northern border people but also secretly controlled by the Black Warriors Army. Even a fly couldn't escape from there. Based on the information provided by Empress Dowager Helan about Ren Qining's hidden forces, the Black Warriors Army began to secretly eliminate Ren Qining's hidden influence in the northern border region.
"Hehe, Princess Consort Ding, look at this…" Empress Dowager Helan lazily sat on a wide phoenix chair and waved the letter she had just received as she grinned at Ye Li. Ye Li raised her head, put down the book she was reading, and arched an eyebrow. "What does King of Northern Border want to say to you"
Empress Dowager Helan smiled sweetly and said, "He says that there's a mutiny in his army and he is worried about my safety. He also tells me to be careful and stay inside the palace so as not to get into trouble. As for what… I think it might be asking about my father and other northern border tribal leaders' thoughts."
Ye Li nodded with a smile and said, "He probably wants to test your attitude. Empress Dowager can write back."
"Write back" Empress Dowager Helan blinked innocently at Ye Li and asked, "But I killed the messenger he sent."
Ye Li smiled coolly and said, "That is your business. If you don't want those 200,000 troops to come back, then just ignore him.
The Queen Dowager of Helan sighed and helplessly lowered her shoulders. While looking for a brush and ink to reply to Ren Qining, she said, "Duke Ding’s Consort, you’re so evil!" Ye Li smiled and replied, "Have I ever told the queen that I’m a good person" The Queen Dowager of Helan ground her teeth and asked, "Can’t you stop calling me ‘Queen Dowager’"
"Sure, Princess Helan," Ye Li readily agreed.
The Queen Dowager of Helan huffed as she continued to write a letter to Ren Qining. The letter stated clearly that the rebellion in Central Plains had nothing to do with her Northern territory and that if they wanted her father’s help, they would have to offer him satisfactory terms. Once done writing, Ye Li looked at it and added several sentences. "Rewrite it," she instructed.
Even though the Queen Dowager of Helan only had a basic knowledge of Chinese characters, she could still tell that Ye Li’s letter contained subtle hints of affectionate undertones. She shuddered involuntarily and said to Ye Li, “Duke Ding’s Consort, don’t defame me like this! I would never fall for such an ungrateful scoundrel.”
Ye Li raised her eyebrows and replied, "But haven’t you always acted that way Suddenly acting so cold toward him will cause Ren Qining to have doubts about your sincerity." To avoid arousing Ren Qining’s suspicion, the Queen Dowager of Helan had previously competed with Cloud Concubine in a show of jealousy. If she now suddenly adopted an impersonal attitude, it might easily make Ren Qining suspicious and prevent him from releasing his 200,000 troops.
"Alright then, I’ll just be a little inconvenienced," the Queen Dowager of Helan reluctantly conceded that Ye Li was more considerate than she had expected. She picked up her pen and rewrote the letter from scratch.
“Helan... Come out here!” While busy rewriting the letter for Ren Qining, a shrill voice suddenly came from outside the door. The Queen Dowager of Helan’s hand paused in shock, causing ink to spill on the half-finished letter. Her face darkened as she called out loudly, “Let them in!”
Within moments, Cloud Concubine stormed into the room with a group of women trailing behind her. They had been trapped inside the palace without knowing what was happening outside and were forbidden from communicating with anyone. After enduring this for so long, Cloud Concubine could no longer hold back her anger and came to cause trouble at Helan’s residence. As Ren Qining’s favored concubine, the Queen Dowager of Helan did not dare to do anything to offend her. Most of the servants in the palace were from Central Plains as well, so they naturally brought Cloud Concubine straight to her door.
"Helan! What is the meaning of this You won’t let my people leave the palace. Do you want to rebel"
The Queen Dowager of Helan dropped her brush and looked at her with a wry smile. "Yes, what do you plan on doing about it"
"How dare you! Don’t you fear that King will come back and kill you for this" Cloud Concubine shrieked in outrage. The Queen Dowager of Helan propped up her chin lazily and replied, "Don’t worry, before Ren Qining kills me, I’ll make sure to take care of all of you first—including your detestable father and his relatives." She cast a disdainful glance at the group of women following Cloud Concubine. Ever since becoming queen, these women had caused her endless trouble. Even back when her cousin was still alive, those concubines would often cause problems for her as well. The Queen Dowager of Helan despised everything about the harem.
"You… What did you do to my father" Cloud Concubine was alarmed. Knowing that the Queen Dowager of Helan wouldn’t dare lock up the palace or act so brazenly unless she had a strong card in hand, she demanded an answer.
The Queen Dowager of Helan glanced at Ye Li and smiled sweetly. "I don’t have the power to do anything to your chancellor father."
Everyone then noticed that there was another woman seated in white by the pillar reading a book. They had been so focused on the Queen Dowager of Helan that they hadn’t even noticed her presence.
Raising her head, Ye Li looked at Cloud Concubine and said coolly, "For now, your chancellor father is safe—he’s just resting at home. I heard that Lady Consort Cloud has a good grasp on calligraphy and is skilled in imitating other people’s handwriting"
“That’s right. And” Cloud Concubine answered reflexively.
Ye Li smiled sweetly, “Nothing for now, but could you help me write a letter I don’t have anyone else available to do it.”
"Why should I help you Hold on… Who are you I think we’ve met somewhere before…" Cloud Concubine looked at Ye Li with confusion. Although Ye Li had changed her appearance, there was still something about her that felt strangely familiar.
Ye Li remained silent and continued smiling.
A voice from behind the Queen Dowager of Helan suddenly called out sharply: "You’re Duke Ding’s Consort!the Xu family, even with their strict rules they wouldn’t mistreat her. Unfortunately, what Dongfang Hui didn’t know was that Dongfang You had already offended Mister Qingchen's mother and first wife...