Remarrying Chun Yuan

Chapter 445 Chaos

Liu Yuechu didn't understand the Crown Princess's intentions, but she was still worried about the children, so she hurriedly returned to the palace.

In front of Yonghe Palace, Yuwen Chan held his two children tightly and wouldn't let go, even when the nannies tried to take them away.

"Madam Liu has arrived."

When Granny Chang saw Liu Yuechu coming over, she didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "His Majesty and the Empress both want to see the two young masters, but Sect Leader Yuwen just won't let go."

"They insisted on waiting for you to return. But look at them! Anyone who didn't know better would think they were the masters of Mongolia, as if we were kidnapping them."

“These are my adopted son and daughter, so of course they are the masters of the Mongol Kingdom. What’s wrong with that?” Yuwen Chan picked up the two little ones from his shoulders and gently lifted them down, making them giggle.

Granny Chang didn't dare to say anything more. She had intended to make a sarcastic remark, but unexpectedly, Yuwen Chan took the opportunity to back down.

Moreover, Qi Xiao hadn't even been recognized by the capital yet, but was instead dragged to the Mongol Kingdom by Yuwen Chan. This made it difficult to exchange pleasantries, and who knew whether the person sitting on the dragon throne was willing or not.

Liu Yuechu scoffed, "Then why don't you send the best horses from Mongolia to your adopted son and daughter? You want to establish kinship without giving any gifts?"

"Wait for next time, I will give them the best horses from the Mongol Kingdom." Yuwen Chan could not stand being ostracized like this.

Liu Yuechu smiled and thanked him first. At this time, Yuan Cuo had also "escaped" back and was preparing to take his wife and children back to the Duke's Mansion. "I'll send you back first, and then I'll deal with Wei Tianxuan, so that they won't keep bothering me and causing me trouble."

He made arrangements, but the Minister of Personnel thought it was not feasible and asked him to change his mind.

But Yuan Cuo didn't want to change it, so it was settled.

Upon hearing that they were leaving, Yuwen Chan immediately picked up the two children again. "I, the sect leader, will take them back. You can stay and do your work. Anyway, the carving competition is the day after tomorrow. I need to talk to Madam Liu in detail about carving the celestial god statue for our Mongol Kingdom."

"..." Liu Yuechu could get Song Liu'er to fool Song Ziwen once, but how could she possibly do it a second time?

"We haven't even sculpted the statues of our gods yet, how could we have time for you? Besides, you've always been skeptical of superstitions, yet you've started using this tactic too."

“That doesn’t matter. Yan Kingdom has it, why shouldn’t I?” Yuwen Chan persisted. “Our Meng Kingdom also contributes money. They give 50,000, and I, the sect leader, will also contribute 50,000.”

Liu Yuechu's eyes lit up at the mention of silver.

After all, she had only raised a little over 60,000 taels for the 200,000 taels of military supplies, which was still a considerable amount short.

"If you offer a little more, I might consider it." She couldn't resist squeezing out even more, wanting to draw blood from every last drop of flesh.

Yuwen Chan coldly retorted, "Aren't you afraid that I, the sect leader, will withdraw this fifty thousand taels as well, and not pay a cent at all? Fifty thousand taels, just fifty thousand taels, do you agree or not?"

"Do you really think I'd have to eat chaff and wild vegetables if I didn't have your 50,000 taels?" Liu Yuechu ignored his cunning and left with the children. "You're the clan leader of the Mongol Kingdom, after all. Don't come to our house to freeload all the time. If you keep scheming like this, we'll have to charge you for meals from now on!"

"Fine, fine, sixty thousand taels, that's the most I can offer." Yuwen Chan couldn't refuse outright, so he had no choice but to give up.

After all, he needed to maintain his dignity, and most importantly, he couldn't avoid going to the Duke's mansion for meals.

Actually, he didn't just go there to freeload meals and coax the children; he could occasionally glean valuable ideas and experiences from Yuan Cuo.

For example, he listened to Yuan Cuo's advice on how to divert water from the Meng Kingdom and how to build the capital of the Meng Kingdom.

He desperately needed a strategist like Yuan Cuo, but unfortunately, the Mongols only knew how to fight and had no strategic vision that was so sharp and grand.

Therefore, when Liu Yuechu deliberately extorted money from him, he willingly accepted the situation.

The idea provided by Yuan Cuo alone was priceless. Moreover, Liu Yuechu never made money by dishonest means; he always ensured that Liu Yuechu would gain something from his business dealings, a point that Liu Yuechu fully appreciated.

Despite his agreement, Yuwen Chan still refused to back down, saying, "Sixty thousand taels of silver! You can't fool me like that. I want the statue of the celestial being carved by Song Ziwen. You can't fool me."

Liu Yuechu chuckled, “Isn’t that simple?” He immediately summoned the people from the Ministry of Rites, “Later, we will ask Sect Master Yuwen to invite their celestial statue. The day after tomorrow, we will add an item to the carving competition. After selecting a hundred carving masters, the top ten will carve this item to determine the ranking.”

“These are all familiar objects, and there is no challenge in carving them. I will provide the best agarwood, and I hope they will not disappoint me.”

She didn't believe Yuwen Chan only wanted one of the ten statues of the gods.

Ministry of Rites official: "..."

Yuwen Chan: "..."

"I've always felt that the final carving competition needs a bit of excitement, and Madam Liu's idea is just right, truly brilliant."

An official from the Ministry of Rites offered a flattering remark, for he could already smell the strong stench of money.

Without saying a word, he cupped his hands and left, giving Yuwen Chan no chance to back out.

Yuwen Chan moved his lips slightly, losing all interest in going back to her residence for a meal. Instead, he led Tuoba Yun and the others away.

Liu Yuechu and Yuan Cuo bid farewell to Emperor Qi Xiao and the Empress, and then returned to their residence together.

On the way, she mentioned meeting the Crown Princess and the Crown Princess's inexplicable remarks, "Could it be that Her Majesty the Empress wanted to test you?"

After all, she and the Crown Princess had never crossed paths, and even when they met in the palace, they were only nodding acquaintances. There was no need for them to have such profound private conversations.

Yuan Cuo told her not to worry, "At this time, there is a lot of commotion from all sides, and it is not clear what their purpose is. But as long as we do not engage, they will only be able to fight among themselves."

"I didn't expect that person to appear so calm today, and not to pay much attention to you. That's quite surprising." When Liu Yuechu mentioned the Chu Emperor, she specifically looked at Yuan Cuo, trying to capture the surging emotions in his heart, but she was a little disappointed.

He looked at her with a doting smile, but his expression remained completely unchanged.

"You don't need to see her lately, at least not when I'm not with you." His instructions were very serious, even carrying a hint of dangerous hostility.

Liu Yuechu nodded slowly, "Don't worry, I'll let you know in advance."

Yuan Cuo seemed a little tired, so he stayed in the carriage and fell asleep.

When the two arrived home, Liu Yuechu took the children back to Yuanchu Pavilion. Yuan Cuo wanted to rest for a while, but Wei Tianxuan still came to his door.

Even if he made the mistake first, he would still curse and swear.

"Yuan Cuo, come out here! What exactly do you mean? Come out here and explain yourself!"

He roared as he entered the Duke's mansion, his imposing manner evident. He seemed to know the place well, and went straight to Yuan Chu Pavilion to find him.

Seeing his expression, Liu Yuechu was quite puzzled. What idea did Yuan Cuo come up with that made him so anxious?