12dz Chapter 414 A Heart-to-Heart Conversation
Chapter 414 A Heart-to-Heart Conversation
Regardless of whether Murong Yanhui agreed or not, the Hundred Flowers Conference was held as scheduled, and it was the emperor who personally ordered Murong Yanhui to attend, otherwise he would be charged with disobeying the emperor's order.
Murong Yanhui knew that this must be the Queen Mother's intention. He really didn't expect that the Queen Mother would take so much trouble for this matter. After careful consideration, Murong Yanhui decided to participate in the Hundred Flowers Conference. After all, in the end, whether to choose those women or not, isn't it up to him?
Since it was a conference ordered by the emperor himself and was for the purpose of selecting a concubine for Prince Yan, all the ministers in the court were as excited as if they had been injected with chicken blood. This was a rare good opportunity. Although Prince Yan was notorious, it did not hinder everyone's impulse to marry their women into the prince's palace. This was the future princess, and even if Prince Yan played with many more women outside, it would not threaten the princess's position.
As the concubine bestowed by the emperor, I think that no matter how unruly the Prince of Yan is, he will not openly confront the emperor.
So, all the princes and nobles in the court tried their best to find young and beautiful women. Those who had daughters asked their daughters to go, and those who didn’t had daughters found some nieces and nephews. They dressed up and waited to appear at the Hundred Flowers Conference. After all, it was also an opportunity to establish a relationship with the royal family, right?
In the Ju'an Palace, Yu Qingli was practicing calligraphy calmly. The beautiful handwriting unfolded from the tip of the pen, and each word was gorgeous and majestic, with a bit of the style of a master.
"Clap clap clap!"
Applause sounded from behind Yu Qingli. Yu Qingli knew who the person was without even looking up. The familiar smell now made her feel nauseous.
Sure enough, the next second, Murong Feng's voice floated into Yu Qingli's ears, "Qingli, your handwriting is getting more and more beautiful!"
"Thank you for the compliment, Your Highness. I was just writing this for fun when I had nothing better to do. How come Your Highness is free today?"
Yu Qingli put down the brush and picked up the tea beside her. Xiluo had just brought it, and the temperature was just right.
Murong Feng walked up to her side and observed Yu Qingli's expression calmly, "I heard that the palace is going to hold a Hundred Flowers Conference."
"I've also heard about this. There should be quite a few people there by then, right? It's rare for the palace to be so lively!" Yu Qingli smiled lightly, without a trace of inappropriateness.
Murong Feng couldn't see the clues, so he just took drastic measures. "This time, Father and Grandmother have made up their minds. They will definitely make the young uncle choose a princess at the Hundred Flowers Conference. It seems that the young uncle's romantic and carefree days are coming to an end."
"That's true!" Yu Qingli continued to smile. "But speaking of which, it's time for the young uncle to marry a royal sister-in-law. Wouldn't it be nice to have someone to talk to in the palace?"
Murong Feng narrowed his eyes, a trace of doubt in his heart. Could it be that the information he had received was wrong? Yu Qingli didn't care at all, or perhaps it was just the little uncle's wishful thinking. So what was the purpose of their accidental meeting?
"Qingli, you don't care?"
Yu Qingli raised her eyes, the confusion in her eyes was clear, and there was also some childish confusion. This expression made her look very innocent. "What do you care about?"
Then, Yu Qingli's expression turned cold, as if she suddenly understood Murong Feng's intention. "Your Highness, what do you mean? Why should I care about Prince Yan's choice of concubine? Do you also believe those rumors?"
Murong Feng saw Yu Qingli's expression change. Although he didn't know whether it was true or not, he felt relieved. He gently put his arm around her slender waist from behind, "How could I believe it? I know you love me, Qingli. I just wonder why you allow rumors to spread in the palace? Sometimes you even meet with the young uncle in private, but you never tell me anything."
Yu Qingli sneered in her heart, as expected, Murong Feng had placed spies around her.
Pushing Murong Feng away without leaving a trace, Yu Qingli's beautiful eyes were as cold as frost. "Your Highness, if you want to know, you can just come and ask me why I act so secretly. I can tell you right now that everything I do is for you!"
Murong Feng was puzzled and waited for Yu Qingli's explanation.
Yu Qingli placed the teacup on the table, walked to the window, and looked at the distant sky. After a long sigh, she asked, "Your Highness, what do you think of the current situation in the world?"
Murong Feng was stunned. He obviously didn't expect Yu Qingli to ask him such a question. "Now, my country Canghe, the Northern Kingdom, and the Eastern Tang Kingdom divide the world into three parts. The three countries have always coexisted peacefully, and there is no dispute."
"Your Highness, what you're talking about is just the surface situation, right? In fact, there are often foreign invasions on the Canghe border. Although they are just minor skirmishes, Your Highness must be aware of the saying that a thousand-mile dike is destroyed by an ant hole. Moreover, how long can this situation last? As far as I know, the Northern Kingdom is martial and warlike. Although the Eastern Tang is not as warlike as the Northern Kingdom, it may not always remain neutral. On the other hand, Canghe has always valued civil officials over military officials over the years, and the status of military generals in the court is very low. If a war breaks out, I'm afraid it will be extremely disadvantageous to Canghe, right?"
These words made Murong Feng's eyes change a lot when he looked at Yu Qingli. He never thought that this woman would be so unexpected. Before, he really underestimated her!
"Where did you hear this?"
Murong Feng straightened his expression and his tone became a little colder. He still didn't know Yu Qingli's purpose, but everything this woman did made him extremely uneasy. A woman who could not be controlled was a dangerous existence for Murong Feng.
"Your Highness, please don't worry about how I know this. All you need to know is that everything I do is for your Highness. You and I are husband and wife, people on the same boat. We prosper together and suffer together. I understand this principle very well. That's why I went to find Prince Yan. I'm sure Your Highness hasn't forgotten that Prince Yan was once Canghe's most powerful general!"
Murong Feng frowned, his mind was full of thoughts: this woman is not simple. These days, the border areas have begun to stir. Although his father did not tell the news to the public in order to appease everyone, he has also begun to prepare to raise supplies. I am afraid that a war will be inevitable soon.
If she had not taken over the Anbu, it would have been impossible for her to know this information. However, how did Yu Qingli, a woman who was raised in seclusion, know this information?
Could it be Yu Zhengsha? He had apparently severed ties with Yu Qingli, but was actually secretly supporting her? If that were the case, everything would make sense.
Thinking of this, Murong Feng no longer worried about the source of Yu Qingli's information. Instead, he felt fortunate to have such a woman by his side. Perhaps, their combination was not as bad as he had imagined.
"Yu Qingli, the harem doesn't participate in politics, and you don't need to ask about the affairs of the court. You can just say these words in front of me, but you must never mention them in front of others in the future!"
"Of course I know this. Your Highness has come here specially, but is there anything else?"
"Actually, I'm a little confused. I heard that not long ago, Prime Minister Yu brought the Second Miss to the palace to meet the Emperor, and then there was a rumor that the palace was going to hold a Hundred Flowers Festival. I wonder if there's any connection between the two."
"Your Highness guessed correctly. This idea was probably proposed by Yu Zhengsha, and Yu Zhenzhen is just a pawn in his hands. I'm afraid Yu Zhengsha must have made some promise to Your Majesty in exchange for Your Majesty agreeing to hold this Hundred Flowers Conference."
Murong Feng was also thoughtful. He had to admit that Yu Zhengsha's move was indeed brilliant. It not only guaranteed his neutral position, but also showed his loyalty to His Majesty. Perhaps Yu Zhenzhen was a spy specially planted by His Majesty for Murong Yanhui.
"Qingli, it seems that I have failed you before. From today on, I will definitely..."
"Your Highness, you don't have to promise anything. I do all this willingly. During this time, Your Highness, why don't you think carefully about how I, Canghe, will respond if a war breaks out."
Murong Feng looked suspiciously, "Qingli, why are you so sure there will be a war?"
Yu Qingli remained silent, only evading the question by saying, "I am only guessing. Besides, if Your Highness wants to achieve great things, he must make some achievements!"
Murong Feng nodded slightly, thinking that what she said was quite reasonable. The battle between him and the prince had never stopped, but he had never won. The root cause was that he had made no achievements in the court and had no chance of accomplishing anything great. Just as Yu Qingli said, if an enemy country invaded, then he would have a chance!
Murong Feng's eyes became even warmer when he looked at Yu Qingli. This woman was indeed very interesting!
Yu Qingli remained calm and composed. Murong Feng could no longer have any influence on her emotions. However, she trusted the person who could influence her very much. It seemed that this Hundred Flowers Conference was really something to look forward to!
After Murong Feng left, Xiluo frowned and asked Yu Qingli, "Miss, are you really not concerned? I heard that the Queen Mother and the Emperor have jointly issued an order, ordering His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan to attend the meeting."
Yu Qingli curled her lips, "Even if he attends, he may not choose someone. However, if he really chooses the right one, I will bless him."
Yu Qingli's eyes and eyebrows were filled with confidence, which made Xiluo beside her secretly criticize her. Really, the emperor is not anxious, but the eunuch is. The young lady is so calm and composed, so why is she worrying so much? And looking at the young lady's expression, it is clear that she believes that the master will not choose anyone else.
Oh! Why can't they be together openly? It really makes people feel distressed! When will the lady's business be completed?
Yu Qingli restrained her expression. She had more important things to do than the Hundred Flowers Conference. She heard that the Queen Mother would attend the Conference. Perhaps this was a great opportunity.
"Xiluo, how are the preparations for what I asked you to do before going?"
"Don't worry, Miss. Everything has been arranged. Those people are all good at martial arts, and since they are strangers, the master shouldn't notice."
"Very good, Xiluo, everything is going according to plan!"