Study Room for Discussion

  Study Room for Discussion

  As she stepped into the study, she saw two people sitting in the room playing chess. Feng Zhiyao couldn't help but feel envious of Mo Xiuyao's life.

  "I'm telling you, Wang Ye, it's not right for others to be working hard outside while you're playing chess at home." Feng Zhiyao leaned lazily against the doorframe, her voice laced with sarcasm. This world is really unfair, how can people be mentally balanced? Those who are unfortunate have to run around in the cold wind and rain all day, like him. Those who are fortunate can leisurely sit in a warm study playing chess, accompanied by beauties, like Mo Xiu Yao. Ye Li looked at Feng Zhiyao with a hint of a smile, although the third young master's face was full of displeasure, but his eyes had more genuine smile than usual. It could be seen that he wasn't in a bad mood.

  Mo Xiuyao lowered her head and looked at Feng Zhiyao: "What's wrong?"

  Phoenix walked in slowly, fanning herself and said: "Can't you come to see me just because you're married to the princess? You used to be half dead at this time of day." Phoenix didn't seem to mind poking fun at Mo Xiu Yao's past, and she sat down beside him, looking around the room and saying: "I heard that Manager Mo had Leng Er find an expert in architecture recently, was it for this side hall? Not bad, really not bad. Princess, can you also get a set of these... things?" Even someone as worldly as Phoenix looked at the room for half a day without understanding how it worked. It didn't matter if she didn't understand, as long as she knew what it did. In the cold winter, who would bother to burn those expensive coals that smelled bad and were inconvenient, but weren't as warm as this?

  Ye Li smiled shallowly: "Actually, I don't quite understand these things either. If Feng Gongzi is interested, he can go find those few master craftsmen to discuss it." The wisdom of ancient craftsmen should not be underestimated, and she had only drawn a rough design diagram, proposed her own ideas and principles. Those experienced and skilled craftsmen used less than half a month's time to set up the water heating system in this side hall. No wonder someone said that many lost crafts cannot be made even with 21st-century machinery. Feng Zhiyao's eyes lit up, "Are they all Cold Two's people? Thank you, Wangfei. This Gongzi will go find him tomorrow." Hehe, wait until he has a warm house like this one, then hold a banquet in the mansion. See if those arrogant guys will be so envious that they drool, "Huh? Wangye, did Cold Two say we can use this to make some money? Of course... we won't forget Wangfei's contributions." Remembering Ye Li was the original creator of this warm house, Feng Zhiyao didn't forget to send a flattering smile.

  Mo Xiu Yao pinched the chess piece and said, "Leng Er has calculated it. To build a warm house like this, at least 17,000 taels are needed. Even if the cost decreases after maturity, it won't be less than 15,000 taels. The cost is too high, do you think many people will be willing to spend that much money?" Feng Zhi Yao thought for a moment and shook his head, "Indeed, not many." There are many wealthy officials in the capital city, but if this small pavilion alone costs over 10,000 taels, there won't be many people willing to spend tens of thousands of taels to build a warm house. If it's just for a profit of tens of thousands of taels, it's not worth researching specifically for that purpose, at least not currently.

  Ye Li smiled and said: "Actually, Feng Gongzi's idea is not bad. If the cost can be compressed to around one thousand two... it still has a market."

  Feng Zhiyao sneered, "What can you earn with just over a thousand taels?"

  "If it's just around a thousand or two taels, then the nobles of the capital, wealthy merchants, and even ordinary affluent businessmen might choose to warm their houses rather than burn silver charcoal. Then what about the entire Great Chu...or even Xiling and Beirong?" Ye Lishang smiled lightly.

  Feng Zhiyao was taken aback for a moment, looked at Mo Xiuyao who seemed to have no intention of interrupting, and said after a moment's hesitation: "I'll mention it to Leng Er later."

  "Are you referring to Leng Er, the second young master of the Leng family, Leng Haoyu?" Ye Li asked, "I don't seem to have heard that Leng Er and the king get along well." Leng Haoyu was different from Feng Zhiyao and Mo Xiu Yao, who grew up together. He was a few years younger than them. When Mo Xiu Yao got into trouble, Leng Haoyu should have been just a 12 or 13-year-old child at the time. Moreover, the Leng family was loyal to the emperor. Feng Zhiyao nodded and looked at Mo Xiu Yao with some curiosity, asking: "Didn't the king mention it to the queen?" Mo Xiu Yao replied calmly: "I sent a message to Leng Haoyu to ask him to come to the palace for a visit, but he seems to be busy." Feng Zhiyao seemed to remember something and lowered her head, chuckling: "A few days ago, Leng Er went to drink flower wine and was caught by his future father-in-law. He was beaten up by General Murong and probably can't leave the house now." With Leng Er's love of face, he would definitely not reply to Mo Xiu Yao saying that he had been beaten up and couldn't leave the house.

  Ye Li was taken aback and asked in surprise: "Was Leng Er Gongzi beaten by Murong Jiangjun?"

  "It's not that, the princess didn't see it at the time, but General Murong really didn't show any mercy. Poor Leng Huan Yu, that little brat who is neither loved by his father nor mother, might still be lying in bed with no one to care for him now. I'll go take a look at him later." Feng Zhi Yao said with a hint of schadenfreude.

  Yue Li called someone over to pour a cup of hot tea for Feng Zhi Yao before asking: "Since Leng Gongzi is the prince's friend, should we send someone to check on him now that he's injured?"

  Mo Xiu Yao said: "Let Feng Zhi Yao go and it'll be fine." Before Feng Zhi Yao could respond, Mo Xiu Yao added: "When he's able to leave his house, have him come over for a visit."

  Feng Zhi Yao knew that without a good reason, Mo Xiu Yao wouldn't let them come to the Wang Gong Fu, so she immediately put away the lazy smile on her face and seriously nodded: "What are your orders, Your Highness?"

  Mo Xiuyao took the scroll from Ye Li and said, "This was just sent over from Nanjiang, take a look."

  Feng Zhiyao glanced at Ye Li, opened the case file and carefully read it. The further she read, the more unpleasant her expression became. It wasn't until Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li finished their game of chess and left after putting away the pieces that she finally looked up and said: "Mo Jingli secretly supported the rebellion of the Holy Girl of Nanjiang? What's going on here. If I'm not mistaken, the Princess of Nanjiang should be the younger sister of Qi Xia Gongzhu. Once the Princess ascends to the throne, Nan Zhuo will become Mo Jingli's greatest ally." Mo Xiuyao held his warm tea cup and said lightly: "You shouldn't forget that the King of Nan Zhuo is only forty years old this year. As long as nothing unexpected happens, the Princess will have to wait at least twenty years before she can ascend to the throne."

  "The King of Nanzhao and Princess Qi Xia are also father and daughter. Will he not support his own son-in-law?" Feng Zhiyao said.

  Mo Xiu Yao shook his head and said, "I have had dealings with the King of Nanzhao before, when he was still the Crown Prince. He is a very cautious and intelligent person, and he would never support Mo Jing Lei. If he did, he would have married off Qi Xia Gongzhu to him two years ago when I went on a diplomatic mission to Nanzhao, instead of waiting for Qi Xia Gongzhu to come all the way to Da Chu herself. The King of Nanzhao must have been very unhappy about that incident in June, and it's unlikely that either he or the Princess supported Mo Jing Lei." Feng Zhi Yao looked down at the scroll in her hand and said, "This analysis is also on here. So... when did Mo Jing Lei get involved with the Holy Maiden of Nanjiang?"

  Feng Zhiyao felt that they had underestimated Mo Jingli all these years. In his eyes, Mo Jingli was just a hot-tempered fool since childhood, so even though he was the high and mighty crown prince while Mo Jingli was only the illegitimate son of a wealthy merchant family, he never put Mo Jingli in his sights before. But looking at the messy things that happened in the capital over the past two years, which one didn't have Mo Jingli's involvement? Especially in the past half year, he discovered that the officials in the imperial court who supported King Lei were not in the minority.

  "It should also be when he was sent to the southern border. After all, he stayed in the southern border for a not short period of time at that time." Mo Xiuyao frowned and said.

  "You said... does that person in the palace know about this matter now?" Feng Zhiyao asked curiously, the royal family's brothers slaughtering each other was the most interesting.

  "You shouldn't know. Don't you still not have any news from your subordinates?" Mo Xiuyao said. Feng Zhiyao's face turned black, he was in charge of receiving and sending various messages for the Dingguo King's Mansion, and now the news from Nanzhao had already arrived at the mansion, but his subordinates hadn't even heard a whisper. Of course, he knew that Mo Xiuyao didn't distrust him, if he did, Mo Xiuyao wouldn't have shown him the message so easily. But knowing someone was better than himself wasn't very comfortable.

  "You don't have to feel ashamed, this news hasn't spread yet. Apart from those who have seen the file, no one else knows." Mo Xiuyao also didn't want to overly disappoint his good friend and confidant, saying: "However, I can't tell you where this information came from. You figure out a way to hand him over to Mo Jingqi."

  "Hand it over to Mo Jingqi?" Feng Zhiyao raised an eyebrow and said, "He's not crazy yet. However, let them bite each other, we'll have more time to do other things. Do we need to send someone to Nanjiang? Although the current chaos in Nanjiang is beneficial to us, it may not be the case if it drags on." The people of Nanzhao were known for their ferocity, and like Zhou, they had long coveted the vast territory and rich resources of Great Chu. However, their national strength was too weak, and several times they had provoked Great Chu only to be defeated and forced to surrender.

  "Now we have no one to send either. There is someone on the southern border who should be able to handle it. Let's not worry about it for now. Is there any news from the northern nomads?"

  Feng Zhiyao hummed softly and said, "After the alliance between Xiling and Da Chu failed, they have been secretly communicating with Beijun more frequently than before. I'm afraid Leiteng Feng has also noticed the problem with Mo Jingqi and Mo Jingli brothers, so he changed his mind so abruptly. He plans to wait for the internal strife in Da Chu to start before joining forces with Beijun to launch a siege."

  "Lei Tengfeng... the internal situation of Da Chu is unstable, does he think Xiling will be fine wherever he goes?" Mo Xiuyao's smile was cold and gloomy, furrowing his brow as he said: "Mr. Shen should return now."

  "It should be soon."

  "Wait for him to come back and ask him to go to Xiling." Mo Xiuyao smiled lightly: "I heard that the Emperor of Xiling is also suffering from a long illness, Shen Yiyuan's medical skills are outstanding, I'm sure he will be interested."

  Feng Zhiyao smiled and said, "The Western Hill Emperor and the King of Southern Stability? It seems like a good idea, but I wonder if the healthy Western Hill Emperor can still tolerate having a nameless yet powerful regent king in the Western Hill Kingdom?"

  Ye Li sat quietly on one side, listening to the two discussing matters between countries, and unknowingly became somewhat distracted. Over the past half year or so, she had a clear understanding of many things in the capital city. The emperor and empress dowager's continued struggle for power with King Lei, both openly and secretly, was also something she saw clearly. Unexpectedly, Mo Jing Lei even wanted to pull Nanzhao into it, these three mothers and sons were calculating and fighting each other, did they ever think that there were people being guarded against and calculated who were secretly maneuvering for the rise and fall of this country?

  "A Li, what benefits do you think Mo Jing has in secretly helping the Holy Maiden of Nanjiang?" Mo Xiu Yao suddenly asked, breaking Ah Li's reverie.

  Ye Li was taken aback, furrowed her brow and said: "Even with the support of the Empress Dowager, Mo Jing Lei is not necessarily a match for the Emperor. Firstly, in terms of public opinion and moral integrity, he is at a disadvantage. The Emperor has inherited the throne from his father, and as his elder brother, has treated him well after ascending to the throne. It would be unwise for him to confront the Emperor head-on, which would bring no benefits to him whatsoever. I think... Mo Jing Lei has always overestimated Nanzhao's strength. On the surface, it seems that he has gained more than he lost due to his relationship with Princess Qixia. Therefore, there must be some powerful force or figure in Nanzhao that he can rely on."

  Mo Xiuyao nodded and said, "Ah Ling is right. We all think that Mo Jingli has changed too quickly in recent years. However... if you look closely, you will find that he only started to change after returning from Nanjiang. It's just that most people haven't noticed this change. I dare say that before this, Mo Jingli may have had ambitions, but he absolutely never had the intention of usurping power."

  Ye Li stood up, took out a map from the cabinet on one side and spread it out on the table, saying: "I don't know what makes him so confident in the South Territory. But in my opinion, if we can control the entire South Territory, even if Mo Jing Lei fails to seize power, he won't be the one who loses." Feng Zhi Yao curiously leaned over and asked: "What do you mean?"

  Ye Li pointed to the map and said, "Mo Jing Lei's fief is in Fengzhou, which is only three hundred miles away from Nanzhao. The Great Chu royal family stipulates that the imperial princes need to reside in the capital for only two months every year. However, Mo Jing Lei has been stationed in the capital all year round due to the concern of the Empress Dowager and Xian Zhao Taifei. Of course, this may also be a precaution taken by the Emperor against Mo Jing Lei. Nevertheless, Fengzhou is still under the control of King Li. Given King Li's current momentum, Fengzhou is absolutely within his grasp. Once Nanzhao provides full assistance to King Li and launches a pincer attack on Fengzhou and Nanzhao, Yongzhou in between will also be captured. To the east of Fengzhou lies a vast plain, and with sufficient troops, King Li can march all the way east and control half of the southwestern region. As for the reinforcements from the imperial court, even if they are the fastest Black Cloud Riders, it would take at least twenty days to arrive, and they need to cross the Yunlan River that runs across the entire Great Chu. According to my knowledge... Great Chu does not have an army skilled in water battles, including the Mo family army and the Black Cloud Riders."

  As the slender fingers lightly gestured, Feng Zhiyao's face gradually turned unsightly. He was more familiar with the terrain of Nanzhao and Dachu than Ye Li, so he naturally understood what would happen if the two armies were to clash. The eastern part of Dachu's Lingzhou had always been calm and far from the border, so there were very few troops stationed there. If Mo Jingli really united with Nanzhao to march southeast instead of Nanzhao's usual habit of going north, as long as they crossed the Shuixue Pass in Yongzhou, it could be said that half of Dachu's territory south of the Yunlan River would be given away for free.

  Digression

  I'll make up for it tomorrow since I'm on vacation now ~