Chapter 99: Business Discussion at the Xu Mansion

the water ripples indicating that others had jumped into the water to help. She swiftly turned behind Princess Lingyun, knocked her unconscious while she was flailing about, then dragged her towards...99. Chatting at the Xu Mansion

99. Chatting at the Xu Manor

Ye Li told Mo Xiuyao about Qingyu and Qingle's matter. Mo Xiuyao immediately ordered people to investigate it. Whoever impersonated him, that woman would certainly not be Su Zuodie. There must be someone trying to use this incident to sow discord between the two of them or even between Ding Wang Manor and the Xu family. This person definitely had a thorough understanding of both Ding Wang Manor and Mo Xiuyao himself.

Mo Xiuyao wasn't worried about being impersonated, because subordinates in his manor followed orders instead of their superiors. Although the王爺和王妃這個例子不在其例，但是所有的人都知道，定王從來不會隨意越級向下麵的人下命令。何況那些暗衛連自家王爺的真假都認不出來也不用再混了。

The day after returning to the capital, Ye Li personally went to visit her aunt and uncle at the Xu Manor. Although most people didn't know what happened in Yonglin City, it certainly couldn't escape the eyes of those within the palace or influential figures with their own channels of information. Moreover, since Mo Xiuyao had recovered from his illness, he naturally needed to take on his responsibilities as the Ding Wang. Therefore, Ye Li no longer had to be so low-key.

As soon as she stepped into Xu Manor, Xu Qingyan rushed out like a gust of wind, pulling Ye Li along and chattering nonstop. Watching him from behind, Xu Hongyan's forehead veins were jumping. "Qingyan!"

Xu Qingyan froze for a moment before squeezing his eyes at Ye Li in desperation, then turned around with a flattering smile toward Xu Hongyan, "Second Uncle, I'm just so happy to see Sister Li back…" Xu Qingze watched him calmly without saying anything. Xu Qingbai gave him a disdainful glance and said, “We’re all glad that Li is back, but look at your behavior! If this happened in Yunzhou, Grandfather and Father would punish you.” Xu Qingyan shrank his neck, making a face at his fourth brother.

Ye Li felt warmth in her heart seeing her family members. She smiled and said, "Second Uncle, Second Brother and Fourth Brother don't blame Fifth Brother then. It's been a while since I've seen Li as well."

Xu Hongyan sized Ye Li up before nodding with satisfaction, saying, “It seems you haven’t suffered much these days; your complexion is better than when you were in the capital.” Lady Xu came forward to pull Ye Li aside for some warm inquiries and expressed her concern over how hard she must have been working alone outside. She thought that Ye Li had lost weight and needed to replenish herself. Knowing they had important matters to discuss, Lady Xu spoke with Ye Li briefly before going to instruct the kitchen to prepare lunch, leaving space for her husband and sons.

After entering the study and settling down, Xu Qingyan fidgeted restlessly, looking at Ye Li eagerly and asking, "Sister Li, did you really go to Yonglin" Ye Li raised an eyebrow in surprise, saying, "Even you know The news travels pretty fast indeed." Xu Qingyan waved his hand dismissively, “Sister Li doesn't know. Some information is a secret outside the capital but once it reaches the capital, it's not secret anymore. Quite a few people know about this incident. Just a few days ago someone indirectly asked me for your whereabouts; hum! Are you trying to take advantage of my young age" Xu Qingze nodded and looked at Ye Li, saying, "Little Five is right; there aren't many channels that can reach Suixue Pass. But once news reaches the capital, it's no longer a secret."

Ye Li waved her hand, saying, "It doesn’t matter. I've already discussed this with the王爺. Originally, the Ding Wang妃調動黑雲騎的能力 is not a secret anyway. My going to Yonglin means many things can't be hidden on the battlefield; it's useless keeping them from others." Xu Hongyan frowned and asked, “Is that what the王爺means” Looking at his beautiful niece who resembled her younger sister, Xu Hongyan was uncertain if he understood correctly. After all, while曆代定國王爺都不喜女色對王妃十分敬重，真正掌控過定王府兵權的王妃實際上也隻有百年前的輕雲郡主一人而已。如果定王對璃兒…雖然很開心看到外甥女受到重視和信任，但徐鴻彥卻擔心這份看重可能帶來的後果。一旦掌握了定國王府的兵權，璃兒就不再是單純的王妃了。到時候麵臨的複雜情況隻怕不是他這個舅舅能幫得了的。

Ye Li looked at Xu Hongyan seriously and said, "I understand your worry, but… from the day of my wedding, I've already tied myself to Ding Wang Manor. If some things can't be avoided, it's better to face them head-on. Two people are better than one."

Xu Hongyan couldn't help sighing. Although he hadn't paid attention to the Emperor's actions in court recently, he wasn't really oblivious to them. Since Li Prince's uprising began, the Emperor had been openly favoring and promoting the Liu, Wang, and Yun families, even using the excuse of suppressing the Li Party as an opportunity to suppress officials who were once loyal to the Ding王府.

In recent years, the Emperor has secretly or openly placed many people in court. Now, with the sudden rise of the Wang and Yun families replacing the Ye family, there's even a trend towards surpassing the Hua family. What's worse is that it seems these three families have already secretly united. Originally, having these three forces separate wasn't such a big deal, but

now it turns out that only the Emperor’s people are at the forefront. If one were to say that the emperor’s actions were truly aimed at dealing with Li Prince, even Xu Qingyan wouldn’t believe it. Xu Hongyan naturally also understood clearly; the emperor didn't take his brother seriously and his real target was always the Ding王府.

Xu Qingze's voice was一貫的冷漠，看著葉璃的眼裡卻帶著淡淡的暖意，“If you have the ability, it doesn’t matter what happens next,” he said softly.

With a helpless nod, Xu Hongyan looked at Ye Li with affection and said, "Your eldest uncle mentioned in his recent letter that since you managed to appear in Yong Prefecture, he probably guessed Prince Ding's intentions. But you must be extremely careful from now on. In our family, apart from your third brother, everyone else is a scholar and likely won't be much help."

Although Xu Hongyan was not a military officer, it didn’t mean that he wasn’t familiar with generals. Unlike scholars, famous generals who have fought on the battlefield don’t care about status or identity; if they can’t win over people’s hearts, even if you're the emperor's daughter, they won't give in to your demands. Ye Li nodded and smiled slightly, saying, "Uncle, don’t worry. This time in Yong Prefecture, the Prince gave me a decent lieutenant under General Murong as well as the leader of the Black Cloud Cavalry who guards Yonglin together with him. They are all acquaintances, so there’s no need to be overly concerned about anything else for now."

Xu Hongyan finally relaxed slightly and nodded, saying, "It's still Prince Ding thinking ahead."

Xu Qingyan laughed, “If I had known that Miss Ye could command the Black Ink Army, why did Third Brother have to go to the army himself He just needed to follow you.”

Xu Hongyan glared at him and said, "Nonsense. If Xiao Feng doesn't make a name for himself in the military, won’t he only hold back Ye Li Besides, if he's capable regardless of where he is" Xu Qingyan blinked and said, “I just think it’s better to have Third Brother there as his own person, so Miss Ye can rest assured.” Ye Li smiled and said, "It's too early to talk about this now. I don’t manage the Black Ink Army right now anyway. Moreover, with Third Brother’s personality, if he knew that he joined the Black Ink Army because of me, he would probably run far away as soon as possible until he makes a name for himself." Thinking about his son's character, Xu Hongyan couldn't help smiling and seemed quite satisfied when he said to Ye Li in a serious tone, "Although Prince Ding trusts you, remember that many things must be handled with fairness. Whether it’s the royal family or others, what they fear most is excessive power held by relatives through marriage. Do you understand"

Ye Li felt warm and nodded, saying, “I understand, thank you for your guidance, Uncle.”

Satisfied that Ye Li had taken his words to heart, Xu Hongyan nodded with a light sigh. Unlike her clever but weak younger sister, despite not being surnamed Xu, he still felt proud of having such a daughter like Ye Li. He believed that seeing such an accomplished Ye Li would make his father extremely happy.

Ye Li then recounted in detail about her trip to the Southern Zha and what happened with Xu Qingchen. Xu Hongyan frowned disapprovingly, saying, “Placing yourself in danger is too risky for Qingchen.” However, Xu Qingbo wasn’t worried at all about his eldest brother’s safety; he smiled and said, "Uncle, don't worry. When has Eldest Brother ever done something without confidence Ye Li also mentioned that even if she hadn't gone to the Southern Zha, Eldest Brother would still have a way out." Xu Qingyan nodded rapidly and agreed, “Fourth Brother is right, Miss Ye. Is the Holy Maiden of the Southern Zha beautiful Why did she capture Eldest Brother but not harm him Not even under torture! Could it be that she’s interested in Eldest Brother" It must be said that to some extent, Xu Qingyan was on point. Ye Li blinked and shook her head with a hint of regret, saying, “I haven’t seen the Holy Maiden of the Southern Zha myself, but she should be beautiful.”

Xu Qingbo raised an eyebrow and said, "I think Princess Anxi has feelings for Eldest Brother. Big Brother, what do you think"

Placing down his tea cup, Xu Qingze said calmly, “Impossible in both cases. Eldest Brother only sees Princess Anxi as a friend.”

Xu Qingyan hid behind Xu Qingbai and grinned at his second elder brother, muttering to himself, "He's really unromantic. I wonder how Sister Qin puts up with you." Xu Qingbai looked curiously at Ye Li and asked, "Second Brother, what did Eldest Brother say when you told him that you were lying about being Eldest Brother’s fiancée" Hearing this, Xu Qingyan immediately

lit up his eyes and stared greedily at Ye Li. Ye Li ground her teeth in frustration; she should have known that she had been duped by Eldest Brother. He hadn’t written to her uncles about it and now it was all out in the open because of her. She cautiously glanced at Second Uncle and whispered, "Eldest Brother didn’t say anything… And he even used me as a shield."

Xu Hongyan shook his head helplessly and instructed her, “Your status is different. It’s important to find your brother but you also have to be mindful of your reputation.”

"I understand." Xu Hongyan didn’t scold her which made Ye Li heave a sigh of relief. She said crisply, "Oh right, I haven’t congratulated Second Brother and Fourth Brother on being successful in the exams yet."

Xu Hongyan shook his head and glared at Xu Qingyan irritably. Though this spring had started off badly for them, the examinations still took place as scheduled every three years. There was nothing unusual about that since no one would have thought that a son of the Xu family would fail the exams, but when all three sons passed with flying colors it couldn’t help but attract attention. Xu Qingyan pouted and said sullenly, “I only wrote down whatever I could think of… Who knew this year’s questions would be so easy…” Under everyone’s watchful gaze, he finally lowered his head in shame. He couldn’t admit that the exam was so easy because a powerful young lord had put pressure on him to work hard.

Ye Li smiled and said, "So… Second Brother got third place in the top ten names for first-class imperial scholars, Fifth Brother came in fourth place, and Fourth Brother placed nineteenth"

Xu Qingyan glanced at Xu Qingbai and hung his head even lower. He was well aware of his brother’s talents and knew that Second Brother could easily surpass the狀元and榜眼, but he had purposely held back on showing just how talented he really was. All he could do was work as hard as he could to get fourth place. Seeing Xu Qingyan’s guilty expression, Ye Li said persuasively, "Second Uncle, there’s nothing wrong with that. If Fifth Brother truly failed the exams people might suspect something." Xu Hongyan frowned and said, “He shouldn’t have taken part in the exams this year.” Xu Hongyan was helpless as well because Xu Qingyan was only fourteen years old while Xu Qingbai was around sixteen or seventeen. As a man who wanted to make his name known throughout the world and achieve great things, no one could blame them for wanting that. However, being born into the Xu family meant they were just living out their ambitions through the family’s reputation. All of these… were all because of the burden of the Xu family’s reputation. Xu Hongyan would always remember when his father had looked at him with a heavy and apologetic gaze as he left office and left the capital city to return home. He used to be full of ambition, but the royal family didn’t need them. All they wanted was for him to remain in the position of censor to show how kind the emperor was.

"Since Second Brother, Fourth Brother, and Fifth Brother all passed the exam successfully, do you plan to have them stay on in the capital" Ye Li asked. It would be fine with Xu Qingze and Xu Qingbai. Xu Qingze was already twenty years old and he was very steady in nature. Although Xu Qingbai was still young, he knew how to handle himself well. However, although Xu Qingyan was quite young, he was also a bit of a wild child like an unformed child. Xu Hongyan shook his head and said, "Second Brother and Fourth Brother will stay on, but I’ve already submitted a petition to the emperor. Since Fifth Brother is still so young and his father needs him back home because he’s getting old."

"Will His Majesty agree" In Mo Jingqi’s opinion, keeping Xu Qingyan in the capital was more useful than Xu Qingbai.

Xu Hongyan smiled calmly. "Little Fifth is the youngest of the Xu family. Filial piety comes first. The emperor cannot refuse."

Since Second Uncle seemed confident that he could convince His Majesty, Ye Li didn’t ask him for any more details. She then thought about her brother and cousin’s positions in the court. As a third-place candidate in the imperial scholar exams, Xu Qingze was assigned to work as a rewriter in the Hanlin Academy. Xu Qingbai, who passed the imperial scholar exam, was given an office position under the Ministry of Rites. Both were relatively leisurely posts without any power. In comparison with the other top candidates of that year, their ranks were the highest but they had the least amount of authority. Especially for Xu Qingbai, he was receiving a salary as a deputy minister in charge of rites even though it was only an honorary position and no one knew when he would actually get to take up such a post. Most importantly, the personalities of both brothers were not suited to their positions at all, so they needed to be switched around. "Second Brother has to stay on in the capital, while Fourth Brother should preferably be assigned to another place."

Xu Qingbai seemed young and gentle-natured but he was actually very shrewd and skilled in dealing with people, a typical example of someone who feigned weakness to take advantage of others. Without the influence of the Xu family name, even if he had come from an ordinary background, it wouldn’t be long before he reached a position where he could make decisions for the nation. In fact, Xu Qingbai was most suitable to become an official in the Xu family.

Xu Hongyan shook his head and said, "How can His Majesty trust him enough to let him leave"

Ye Li frowned and said thoughtfully, “Not necessarily. Since Fourth Brother is still young, the emperor might be more willing to give him some leeway. But… This will be hard for Fourth Brother.”

Xu Qingbai smiled calmly and said, "If His Majesty lets me go, it must be somewhere far from here in a poor area. It’s better than staying here doing nothing while being restricted by everyone." Xu Hongyan looked at his cousin with understanding; he was clearly interested in Ye Li’s suggestion. Of course, if given the choice between going out to another place or remaining as an official in the capital city and having to listen to idle chatter from other civil officials all day long, any man would choose to go out even if it meant being a county magistrate or a minor clerk. After some thought, Xu Hongyan nodded and said, “Well then, since His Majesty is busy now, he should agree to this.” Xu Qingbai smiled faintly and said, "Thank you, Second Uncle." Xu Hongyan waved his hand and dismissed him.

After having lunch with her uncles and aunt-in-law, Ye Li prepared to return home. As she was leaving, Xu Hongyan solemnly advised her, "Lily, be careful of people in the palace."

Ye Li was taken aback and looked at him with surprise; Xu Hongyan merely waved his hand without saying anything more. She bowed to them respectfully before turning around and returning home.

Upon her return to the manor, she saw that invitations from other families in the capital city had piled up on top of each other. Ye Li skimmed through them and selected a few important ones for response. She realized that perhaps it was necessary for her to find one or more capable assistants. The maids around her were not suitable; Qingxia and Qingshuang could barely do anything, while Qingluan and Qingyu’s skills did not fit the purpose at all. Han Mingxi also made a good candidate but he was too flashy and attracted too much attention. Ye Li thought over everyone she had available to use before finally summoning An Er and An San and handing them piles of documents that needed processing. An San glumly discovered that they were originally supposed to do nothing more than follow their masters as secret bodyguards, then become second sons’ personal guards, and now they were expected to be all-rounder protectors for the eldest daughter and a duchess. Now they had been transformed into accountants in the Duke of Ding Kingdom’s household, and various head servants. The responsibility was too big and made An San tremble inwardly as he wanted to cry but couldn’t; "Your Excellency… I don’t understand this…”

"Then learn." Ye Li wrote rapidly on the documents before her without looking up.

Darker Three had a gloomy expression and said, "Your Excellency the Consort, we are Dark Guards."

Ye Li raised her head indifferently and glanced at him. "I don’t need Dark Guards. Qin Feng will follow me in the future."

"He is the commander of the Black Cloud Cavalry," muttered Darker Three unwillingly. Even if the Consort needed someone to help with calculations, he should have found Old Man Mo or Auntie Sun. Why did she make him do such feminine tasks and let Qin Feng take his place Ye Li nodded in satisfaction. "Because he is the commander of the Black Cloud Cavalry, he can assist me while also serving as a bodyguard. You two… can serve as my assistants."

"Assistant" Darker Three was bewildered, and Dark Two looked wooden. What were assistants It didn’t sound nearly as impressive as being a Dark Guard.

Ye Li smiled warmly at the two subordinates who had been very useful to her. "They are people who help me handle all matters."

"All"

"That’s right, all the matters I need you to assist with." Dark Two and Darker Three were smart enough, loyal enough, and skilled enough. Dark Two was steady while Darker Three was agile; they had been around her for such a long time without any of the other people's stiffness. They were born talent as assistants. Thinking about being able to escape from trivial matters and do things that she previously didn’t have time for, Ye Li felt rather pleased with herself. "First go find Uncle Mo and learn everything within half a month; otherwise… your fate will be at Black Cloud Peak’s foot for the next three months. I’ve been thinking of quite a few new ideas recently."

Seeing their master's gentle smile and recalling the month they spent crawling in the forest last year, both men shuddered simultaneously before turning around swiftly.

Hearing her two subordinates sprinting away, Ye Li couldn’t help but chuckle softly while shaking her head.

"Your Excellency the Consort, Gongzi Yunti and Gongzi Qin Feng request an audience," said Qingluan as she entered to report.

"Ask them in." Yunti’s home was also near the capital city. After leaving Yongzhou, they parted ways with him. They headed east towards Guangling while Yunti returned north straight to his home. It surprised Ye Li that he had arrived at Ding王府with Qin Feng.

A moment later, both men entered the study side by side and said respectfully, "Subordinates Yun Ti and Qin Feng greet Your Excellency."

Ye Li smiled and replied, "There’s no need for formalities. Is your home all settled"

"Thank you, Your Excellency," Yunti responded with a cheerful laugh. “Everything is fine.”

Satisfied, Ye Li nodded at him before turning to Qin Feng who respectfully reported back, "The matter the Consort ordered me to prepare has been completed and awaits her inspection."

Ye Li glanced at the remaining ledgers on her desk and nodded. "It’s still early; let’s go now." To Yunti, she said, “Later, someone will take you to the barracks. The王爺has recommended several military books for you. Finish reading them within three months, and if you pass the assessment afterward, you can officially join Mo Family Army. Understand”

Yun Ti’s eyes lit up as he replied confidently, "Understood! I’ll finish all of them in three months."

Satisfied with his response, Ye Li smiled gently and nodded.

Filled with joy at the prospect of joining Mo Family Army, Yun Ti forgot to ask about how many books there were or what he should do during those three months. This oversight would impact him over the next few months.

After changing into men’s clothing, Ye Li led Qin Feng out of the city with some anticipation. Along the way, she encountered Darker Three who had just received a pile of overdue accounts from Old Man Mo; he was sending glances full of resentment towards Qin Feng that made the newly appointed commander of the Dark Guards feel disoriented and shudder.

Exiting the capital city with Ye Li, Qin Feng found it hard to believe what he saw. The young man beside her was still charmingly handsome despite being slightly shorter than before. He finally understood why no one could find the Consort outside the capital city—her disguise skills were far superior to any face-changing techniques in the江湖. Even if she stood right in front of him, Qin Feng would likely only recognize her as someone vaguely familiar.

Seeing his odd expression, Ye Li smiled and said, "Don’t be so surprised; it’s just a little disguise."

Shaking his head, Qin Feng replied, "Your Excellency’s disguise skills are not something anyone could master." True face-changing wasn’t simply about changing appearance. Top trackers didn’t focus on faces or clothes when identifying people but rather on habits and body language. But as he followed the Consort around, he couldn’t find any similarities between her male and female forms in terms of actions or demeanor—she was completely natural as a young man. Qin Feng was clueless about how she knew such skills given her noble upbringing, but if His Majesty trusted her and they had witnessed her abilities firsthand, he would follow the Consort’s orders without question.

Leading Ye Li on horseback to Black Cloud Peak, Qin Feng recognized the place from his previous visit with the王爺. In one year, it had transformed quite a bit. Where once there was only an old mountain stronghold, two estates stood now at its base and another small estate had been built halfway up.

Leaving their horses behind, they ascended to a cliff at the back of the mountain. Qin Feng peered over the edge and saw that it wasn’t too deep, so he asked, "Your Excellency, shall we go down"

Ye Li smiled sweetly and said, "I’ve heard your Black Cloud Cavalry skills are excellent; jump if you’re not afraid of death."

Skeptically studying the cliff, Qin Feng frowned. With his abilities, it wouldn’t be dangerous to jump from here unless there was a trap below. Taking Ye Li’s warning seriously, he used wall-climbing techniques rather than acrobatics and slowly slid down. However, most footholds had worn away; fortunately, he carried a dagger which helped him avoid sliding further. Finally spotting an outcropping, he realized that any protruding rocks were actually sharp arrowheads pointing outward.

With great care and his blade, Qin Feng avoided each perilous spot until reaching the base where a clear lake awaited—complete with green lotus leaves and budding flowers. But the numerous glinting objects above water seemed to mock him.

Taking a deep breath, he used acrobatics to leap over the lake without touching its surface., he said, "I would advise the Viscountess to be extra careful."Ye Li nodded and said, "This Duchess understands. May I ask Doctor Yang to stay in the Prefectural Residence these days"The young doctor...