Crowned Consort in Golden Age-Chapter 359 - 358. Chaos in the Northern Territory

358. Unrest in the Northern Territory

In less than a month and a half, He Su had successfully rallied nearly half of the forces near Changqing under his command. There was inevitable bloodshed and conflict behind the scenes, but on the surface, everything remained tranquil.

"The Princess Consort’s tactics truly merit admiration." In the small courtyard, Queen Helan chuckled, seated before Ye Li. Her gaze towards Ye Li held an even greater degree of admiration. In just over a month, she managed to gain control over half of Changqing’s forces and even infiltrate those stubborn groups of Central Plains people. Queen Helan admitted to herself that she couldn’t have done the same. Although one reason was that, as a Northern Territory native, she was naturally guarded against and viewed with hostility by the Central Plains people, Queen Helan also had to admit she likely wouldn’t have thought of as many strategies as Ye Li.

Ye Li shook her head and smiled faintly. "Your Majesty overpraises me. I merely seized an opportune moment; it was a stroke of luck. It wouldn’t have been so easy in another place." This wasn’t just Ye Li being modest; in truth, even she hadn’t expected things to proceed so smoothly. It was truly because the Northern Territory’s internal structure was too lax. Although these old ministers of the former dynasty were well-versed in scheming and plotting against others, they and their families had, in fact, been too far removed from governance and power for too long. As a result, while the Northern Territory appeared adequate on the surface, it was internally riddled with vulnerabilities, possessing form but no substance. Even if Prince Ding’s Mansion hadn’t plotted against Ren Qining, if Ren Qining himself didn’t consolidate his rule, the Northern Territory probably wouldn’t last another ten years.

Queen Helan laughed. "Those who seize opportunities are the smart ones. But those old men from the Central Plains are extremely suspicious by nature. Could they truly have failed to notice all you’ve done?" These days, we Northern Territory people have been secretly preparing. We’re waiting until our forces, which are supposed to be led out to attack Zijing Pass, can instead return beyond the pass. On the other hand, we’re doing everything possible to create trouble for those Central Plains people to divert their attention. But for them not to even notice that military authority has been snatched away from them—that’s going too far! Could it be that all the Central Plains forces want to rebel against Ren Qining? Just how terrible is Ren Qining’s reputation?

Ye Li toyed with the teacup in her hands and smiled faintly. "They should be discovering it soon. Don’t forget, the Yun Family also holds considerable military power. They will definitely realize something is amiss." Civil officials holding military authority—one must say, this is another of Ren Qining’s errors. Or perhaps, it couldn’t be called an error, but rather something he was compelled to do.

"Princess Consort, an invitation has arrived from the Prime Minister’s Mansion, requesting you to visit for a discussion," Zhuo Jing said, walking in with an invitation card and presenting it to Ye Li. Ye Li took it and saw that it was indeed an invitation from the Prime Minister’s Mansion. The glittering gold card was adorned with an exquisite auspicious cloud pattern, giving it a magnificent appearance.

"What about Tan Jizhi?" Ye Li asked.

Zhuo Jing replied, "Young Master Tan was invited to the Prime Minister’s Mansion this morning. In your subordinate’s opinion... the Prime Minister’s Mansion has likely already discovered that something is amiss. That’s why they’ve sent an invitation for the Princess Consort, intending to catch you in a trap."

Ye Li stood up and smiled. "Then let’s go and meet this loyal minister of the former dynasty. Send word to He Su to keep an eye on the troops outside the city. If anything unexpected happens, tell him not to hold back. Also, have Qin Feng block all roads to Zijing Pass. Without my command, not a shred of information is to be allowed to reach Zijing Pass."

"This subordinate obeys!" Zhuo Jing accepted the order and departed.

Queen Helan also rose and smiled. "I must thank you for this. I’ll also go back and have my people prepare to coordinate with your actions. By the way, do you still need those officials of Ren Qining? Can I kill them?"

Ye Li smiled faintly. "Your Majesty may do as you please."

Accompanied by Zhuo Jing and Lin Han, Ye Li entered the Prime Minister’s Mansion. She wasn’t bothered by Prime Minister Yun’s demeanor, which hid hostility behind a smile. However, she saw that Tan Jizhi had already been subdued. Ye Li couldn’t help but smile knowingly and said, "Young Master Tan, what has happened to you?" Considering Tan Jizhi’s capabilities, and that he should have been on guard, Ye Li didn’t believe he could be so easily subdued by people from the Prime Minister’s Mansion.

Tan Jizhi shrugged, still smiling, and said cheerfully, "Isn’t it because I was waiting for Young Lady to rescue me?"

Seeing the two of them chatting and laughing casually, completely disregarding him, Prime Minister Yun’s face darkened. He sneered, "Young lady, why don’t you just tell me who you really are? Don’t tell me you’re actually from Cangmang Mountain?"

Ye Li smiled faintly. "Since Prime Minister Yun didn’t believe me from the start, why bother asking now?"

At this, the Prime Minister naturally understood that he had indeed been played by the two people before him. Ye Li’s claim that he hadn’t believed her from the start wasn’t entirely accurate. He had merely been skeptical. He had been relying on the fact that Tan Jizhi needed something from him, and that these two individuals were in Changqing City, essentially in the palm of his hand, so he hadn’t paid them much mind. He never imagined that their capabilities would exceed his expectations to such an extent that in just over a month, they could gain control of half the Northern Territory’s forces.

"You are from Prince Ding’s Mansion!" the Prime Minister stared at the two of them and asked coldly. Besides Prince Ding’s Mansion, he truly couldn’t think of anyone else who possessed such capabilities and methods.

Tan Jizhi gave a helpless, bitter smile and didn’t answer. Ye Li, however, nodded with a captivating smile and said, "Ye Li pays her respects to Prime Minister Yun."

"You are Princess Consort Ding?!" Upon hearing this, Prime Minister Yun couldn’t help but exclaim sharply, nearly stumbling to the ground. Ye Li felt a little helpless. Is my name really that terrifying?

Prime Minister Yun, somewhat dejectedly, slumped back into his grand preceptor’s chair. After a long moment, he stomped his foot and sighed, "What a Princess Consort Ding! Such courage, such methods! I presume, Princess Consort, you’ve been plotting with those Northern Territory barbarians for a long time?" Prime Minister Yun was no fool. Prince Ding’s Mansion had caused such a huge commotion in the Northern Territory, yet they had only just now become aware of it. There must have been an insider helping them.

Ye Li sighed softly and said, "It’s not that we of Prince Ding’s Mansion are heartless. But the King of Northern Territory allied with Beirong, intending to annihilate Prince Ding’s Mansion and overthrow the Central Plains. This move was exceedingly vicious. If they had succeeded, Prince Ding’s Mansion would inevitably have been attacked from both front and rear. Therefore, we had no choice but to take a desperate risk and cut off his line of retreat. I hope Prime Minister Yun can understand."

"The victor becomes king, the vanquished a bandit. Princess Consort, there’s no need for further words." Prime Minister Yun stared at Ye Li’s beautiful face and said sternly, "For Princess Consort Ding to possess such courage and methods at such a young age, even this old man must express admiration. However... since Prince Ding’s Mansion already knows its identity has been exposed, yet still dares to come to my Prime Minister’s Mansion, it seems you don’t regard this old man in the slightest!"

Ye Li smiled faintly. "Prime Minister Yun is a senior. When a senior summons, how could I dare to refuse?"

"Good! Good! Good!" Prime Minister Yun repeated "good" three times, his face turning livid with anger. He slammed his hand on the table and rose, declaring harshly, "Since you dared to enter my Prime Minister’s Mansion, if this old man doesn’t detain you, wouldn’t it mean letting the Northern Territory’s dignity be utterly trampled?!"

"Prime Minister Yun, even if the Northern Territory’s dignity is trampled, it would be *our* faces that are lost. What has it to do with you people?" A female voice, tinged with amusement, sounded from outside the door. Queen Helan walked in with a few Northern Territory people, treating the entire Prime Minister’s Mansion as if it were an unguarded place. Prime Minister Yun’s eyes narrowed as he stared at Queen Helan. "This old man was wondering how you Northern Territory barbarians could collude with Prince Ding’s Mansion! So, it was because of you, you shameless woman!" Previously, when Queen Helan had insisted on going to Licheng, everyone had merely thought she was throwing a tantrum due to Consort Yun and paid it no mind. Who would have thought it would bring such a devastating disaster upon the Northern Territory?

Queen Helan’s pretty face darkened, and she said coldly, "You old scoundrel Yun, how utterly shameless! Your master, Ren Qining, became the King of Northern Territory by relying on the status and power of my elder female cousin and her husband! It’s only because of that, that you old scoundrels are living such comfortable lives now. Yet now you discard us after we’ve served your purpose, ostracizing us Northern Territory people at every turn. Whenever there’s a war, you make the men of the Northern Territory charge at the front while you reap the benefits from behind! Over seven hundred thousand of our Northern Territory men entered the pass, and now fewer than three hundred thousand remain. Still, you people cannot tolerate us, constantly marginalizing and making things difficult for us. It’s truly disgusting! No wonder you lot haven’t been able to restore your dynasty for hundreds of years. It’s clear the great gods in Heaven have eyes and know you are all despicable villains; how could they possibly allow you to succeed in restoring your dynasty!"

Prime Minister Yun’s face turned shades of livid and purple under Queen Helan’s verbal lashing. One of the most criticized aspects of Ren Qining’s establishment of the Northern Territory was his exploitation of the Northern Territory people’s power. Moreover, it wasn’t that he had subjugated the Northern Territory people and brought them into his domain; rather, he had married into a Northern Territory family and inherited his father-in-law’s position. Consequently, it became difficult for him to claim legitimacy as representing the orthodox Central Plains. Even the heirs born to the previous queen had taken Northern Territory surnames. How could these old ministers of the former dynasty tolerate this? However, the founding of the Northern Territory kingdom had indeed relied entirely on these Northern Territory people. This engendered extremely conflicting feelings in the old ministers towards them. On one hand, they despised these ’Northern Territory barbarians’; on the other, they had to admit they had received a great favor from them. Such complex and convoluted sentiments made these self-proclaimed orthodox individuals even more intolerant of the Northern Territory people. They only wished to find a way to drive them out as soon as possible, partly to restore the orthodox bloodline of the Lin Family, and partly so they would be out of sight and out of mind.

"Hmph! This old man will not stoop to arguing with a woman like you!" Rendered speechless by Queen Helan’s sharp remarks, Prime Minister Yun said with a grim expression.

Queen Helan retorted disdainfully, "It is *I* who can’t be bothered to argue with an old scoundrel like you!"

The onlookers couldn’t help the corners of their mouths twitching. Ye Li suppressed a smile and asked, "Queen Helan, how did you get here so quickly?"

Queen Helan waved her hand. "Many of Ren Qining’s people in the city have been captured by me. Those who haven’t been caught can’t escape now either. The fighting has also started outside the city. Princess Consort Ding, can your people win?"

Ye Li said calmly, "Remove the ’can’ from your question. Since the fighting has already begun, why are you out here instead of holding down the fort in the palace?"

Queen Helan sighed. "I heard this old fellow had many people hidden in his mansion to deal with you. If I’d known you were so confident, I wouldn’t have come. I’ll head back first." As she had matters to attend to in the palace, Queen Helan indeed came and left quickly. Having just thoroughly scolded Prime Minister Yun and vented the frustration in her chest, she walked away with a spring in her step.

With Queen Helan’s swift arrival and departure, Prime Minister Yun’s complexion became even more ashen. Ye Li sat opposite him, calmly observing his face, which in those few moments seemed to have aged a decade. She said softly, "Prime Minister Yun, I do not wish to cause unnecessary bloodshed. Please order your subordinates to stand down. You gentlemen have toiled for so many years; why not lay down your heavy burdens and live out your remaining years in peace?"

Prime Minister Yun sneered. "I’ve long heard that the Qilin of Prince Ding’s Mansion are mysterious and unstoppable. Presumably, this humble Prime Minister’s Mansion of mine is already entirely under your control, Princess Consort. Why bother with such false sincerity?"

Ye Li gave a faint smile and didn’t argue, gesturing for someone to take him away.

As chaos erupted in Changqing City, Queen Helan ordered the palace gates closed, had many of Ren Qining’s former ministers arrested, and sealed the city gates. Outside the city, the forces commanded by He Su clashed with Ren Qining’s old guard. Chaos reigned both inside and outside Changqing City. Simultaneously, news of the internal strife among the Central Plains forces in Changqing City spread with extreme speed to Ren Qining’s army, far away at Zijing Pass.

「Meanwhile, Ren Qining was leading nearly a million troops to besiege Zijing Pass.」

Although his opponent was still Leng Huai, this engagement was far more challenging than the last. Previously, Leng Huai had commanded troops from Great Chu, and the two sides had been locked in a stalemate for several months. Now, those troops had been replaced by the Mo Family Army, renowned for their fierce valor. Furthermore, Leng Huai harbored a deep-seated hatred for Ren Qining due to the death of his son. During Ren Qining’s assault on the Capital of Great Chu the previous year, Leng Huai’s eldest son, Leng Qingyu, had died fighting valiantly, sacrificing his life for his country. How could Leng Huai not bear such a profound grudge? The two armies had clashed in dozens of battles, large and small, before Zijing Pass, yet the Northern Territory army had not even managed to touch its gates.

The war situation was unfavorable, and he was constantly receiving urging letters from Yelv Ye. These letters also clearly expressed criticism of and dissatisfaction with the Northern Territory army, which was already giving Ren Qining a massive headache. Then, on top of that, he received news of a rebellion among the garrisoned troops. Ren Qining was so enraged that his vision periodically darkened.

"Bastard!" Slamming down the letter in his hand, Ren Qining couldn’t help but swear in anger.

Within the main tent, the generals’ reactions were distinctly varied. Ren Qining’s trusted generals were naturally worried and anxious, while those of Northern Territory origin adopted an air of indifference, as if the matter had nothing to do with them. They were practically eager to see Ren Qining made a fool of. How could Ren Qining not know what these men were thinking? He secretly suppressed his anger before dismissing them.

These Northern Territory generals naturally knew Ren Qining disfavored them, but they didn’t care. They rose one after another and walked out of the main tent.

Inside the tent, the Central Plains generals who remained looked at Ren Qining’s expression and quickly asked, "Your Majesty, has something happened in the Royal City?"

Ren Qining gritted his teeth. "The Central Plains cavalry we left garrisoned have rebelled."

Everyone was stunned, momentarily unable to process the news. If it were the Northern Territory forces rebelling, they might believe it, but the Central Plains forces... Then again, the Northern Territory troops left near the Royal City numbered less than fifty thousand; even if they wanted to rebel, it’s unlikely they could succeed. For their own troops to rebel instead of the Northern Territory people was truly baffling.

"Your Majesty, could it be a trick?" Someone speculated.

Ren Qining raised a hand to press his throbbing temples. "This is no small matter. The Royal City is our army’s lifeline. The forces left behind number over five hundred thousand. If they attack us from the rear, and we are caught in a pincer attack with Leng Huai, our army will be in a dire situation, possibly even left with no base to return to."

"Could it be the work of Prince Ding’s Mansion?"

Ren Qining sneered. "For trouble to arise at this precise moment—if not Prince Ding’s Mansion, then who? What a Prince Ding’s Mansion! What a Mo Family Army!"

The assembled men looked at each other in dismay, worry etched on their faces. Their army of over a million had besieged Zijing Pass for more than a month without achieving a shred of progress. If Changqing fell into the hands of Prince Ding’s Mansion, they would be finished. Leaving aside other concerns, just the provisions for over a million troops would be a colossal headache. They would all starve to death within three months.

"Your Majesty, since the Royal City has already sent for reinforcements, it’s likely they can’t hold out much longer. We must quickly withdraw troops to suppress the rebellion." Forging an alliance with Beirong to attack Zijing Pass was certainly important, but not as crucial as their own territory. If the Royal City truly fell to the rebels, they would have nothing left. At that point, even if Leng Huai opened Zijing Pass and let them through, what could they accomplish once inside? Become refugees?

His subordinates understood this crucial point, and Ren Qining naturally understood it as well. After contemplating for a moment, he appointed a general to lead two hundred thousand troops back as reinforcements. This also served as a way to test the waters. Having crossed swords with Prince Ding’s Mansion several times, Ren Qining was deeply aware of Mo Xiuyao’s penchant for unconventional tactics. Since Prince Ding’s Mansion’s shadow loomed over this affair, he had to proceed with caution.

Having settled the matter of sending reinforcements to quell the rebellion, Ren Qining sighed, took up his brush, and wrote several letters. He then summoned a subordinate and instructed, "Deliver these letters personally to the Queen Consort and the Prime Minister."

「Changqing City, within the Royal Palace of the Northern Territory.」

Changqing City was now under the control of the Northern Territory people, while fierce fighting raged outside its walls. The entire Royal Palace had become Queen Helan’s sole domain. She invited Ye Li to stay in the palace to save her the trouble of going out to find her if anything arose. Ye Li didn’t mind. With both the Northern Territory people and, secretly, the Mo Family Army controlling Changqing City, not even a fly could escape. Following the intelligence provided by Queen Helan on Ren Qining’s clandestine network, the Mo Family Army also began to secretly dismantle Ren Qining’s hidden power base in the Northern Territory. This network had likely been established in secret by the former queen, who feared that Central Plains influences would later threaten her son’s position. Little did she expect that it would end up being used to the advantage of Prince Ding’s Mansion.

"Hehe, Princess Consort Ding, take a look at this..." Queen Helan, lounging languidly in her spacious Phoenix Throne, waved the letter she had just received and said to Ye Li with a grin. Ye Li looked up, put down the scroll in her hands, and raised an eyebrow. "What does the King of Northern Territory have to say to the Queen?"

Queen Helan beamed. "He says there’s a military rebellion and he’s worried about my safety. He also told me to be very careful, stay in the palace, and not wander around, lest something happens. And what else... he’s probably trying to gauge the stance of my father and the chieftains of the other Northern Territory tribes."

Ye Li nodded and smiled. "He’s likely just trying to test your stance. Your Majesty can decide how to reply."

"Reply?" Queen Helan blinked, looking innocently at Ye Li. "But I’ve already killed the messenger he sent."

Ye Li smiled nonchalantly. "That is Your Majesty’s affair. If Your Majesty doesn’t want those two hundred thousand troops to return, you can certainly ignore him."

Queen Helan’s shoulders slumped in resignation. While fetching a brush and ink to reply to Ren Qining, she grumbled, "Princess Consort Ding, you’re truly wicked!"

Ye Li smiled. "Did I ever tell Your Majesty I was a good person?"

Queen Helan gritted her teeth. "Can you not call me ’Queen’?"

"Certainly, Princess Helan," Ye Li replied agreeably.

Queen Helan, huffing indignantly, bent over to write the letter to Ren Qining. In it, she stated plainly and directly that the rebellion of the Central Plains forces had nothing to do with her Northern Territory. If he wanted her father’s assistance, he would have to offer conditions that satisfied them. When she finished, Ye Li came over, looked at it, added a few strokes, and said, "Transcribe it again."

Although Princess Helan was only roughly proficient in the Central Plains script, she could still discern subtle, almost imperceptible hints of affection in the additions Ye Li had made to the letter. She couldn’t help but shiver. "Princess Consort Ding, don’t you dare try to frame me! This young lady certainly doesn’t harbor any feelings for that ungrateful bastard!"

Ye Li raised an eyebrow. "Isn’t that how you’ve always behaved? If you suddenly become so cold and unforgiving now, it will make Ren Qining suspicious." Previously, to avoid arousing Ren Qining’s suspicion, Princess Helan had always put on a show of rivalry with Consort Yun, subtly exhibiting signs of jealousy. Ren Qining was extremely astute; if Princess Helan were to suddenly adopt a completely business-like attitude at this juncture, it would easily arouse his suspicions, potentially causing him to hold back those two hundred thousand troops.

"Alright then, I’ll just endure this slight," Princess Helan had to admit Ye Li had thought things through more thoroughly than she had. Feeling rather aggrieved, she picked up her brush and transcribed the letter anew.

"Helan... you get out here!" Just as Princess Helan was painstakingly transcribing the letter to Ren Qining with a troubled expression, a shrill, angry shout came from outside the door. The piercing sound startled her, causing her hand to jolt and blot a large patch of ink onto the half-written letter. Princess Helan’s face immediately darkened. She raised her voice and called to those outside, "Let them in!"

A moment later, Consort Yun, accompanied by several women, stormed in furiously. They had been confined within the palace and were unaware of the events unfolding outside, knowing only that they were forbidden to leave and their contact with the outside world had been severed. After enduring this for many days, Consort Yun could finally bear it no longer and had come with her entourage to cause trouble for Princess Helan. After all, she was Ren Qining’s favored consort, so Princess Helan hadn’t had her mistreated. Moreover, most of the palace attendants were from the Central Plains, which had allowed her to push her way unimpeded to the entrance of Princess Helan’s chambers.

"Helan! What are you up to? How dare you prohibit my people from leaving the palace? Are you rebelling?"

Princess Helan tossed down her brush and looked at her with a smirk. "That’s right. What do you intend to do about it?"

"Such audacity!" Consort Yun shrieked. "Aren’t you afraid the King will return and have you killed?"

Princess Helan propped her chin on her hand and said languidly, looking at her, "Rest assured, before Ren Qining returns to kill me, I will certainly kill all of you first. That includes, of course... your loathsome father. And all of your fathers..." She cast a disdainful glance at the group of women trailing Consort Yun. Ever since becoming Queen, these women had caused her no end of trouble. Back when her elder female cousin was still alive, those concubines had frequently bothered her cousin as well. Princess Helan had absolutely no favorable impression of such harem intrigues.

"You... what have you done to my father?" Consort Yun exclaimed, startled. For Princess Helan to dare to seal off the Royal Palace and so brazenly admit her intentions, she definitely wasn’t mad. It meant she must be holding a significant trump card.

Princess Helan glanced at Ye Li, who was sitting off to the side reading a book, and said with a grin, "Oh, I don’t have the ability to do anything to that Prime Minister father of yours."

Only then did the onlookers notice another woman, dressed in white, seated in the hall. She was leaning against a pillar, reading a book. As everyone’s attention had been focused on Princess Helan, they had failed to notice her until this very moment.

Ye Li looked up, glanced at Consort Yun, and said calmly, "Prime Minister Yun is currently fine; he’s recuperating at home. I hear that Consort Yun is quite skilled in calligraphy and also excels at imitating others’ handwriting?"

"That’s right. What about it?" Consort Yun replied instinctively.

Ye Li gave a captivating smile. "Oh, nothing much. I’m just a bit short-handed at the moment, so I’ll have to trouble Consort Yun to help me write a letter."

"Why should I help you? Wait... who are you? I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere before..." Consort Yun looked at Ye Li with confusion. While Ye Li’s appearance had slightly changed due to her disguise, Consort Yun felt a strange sense of familiarity.

Ye Li merely smiled without speaking.

From behind Princess Helan, a shrill voice cried out, "You’re Princess Consort Ding!"