Crowned Consort in Golden Age-Chapter 244 - 243. The Richest Man in the World
243. The Richest in the World
"Excuse me, would you mind if I shared your table?" At the entrance, a scholar clad in a blue silk robe stepped inside. He glanced briefly around the bustling tavern, which had quickly filled up, before making his way directly to where Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li were seated. Ye Li took a quick look around; the inn’s lobby, not very large to begin with, had only seven or eight tables, all of which were now occupied. While there were still empty seats at other tables, it would indeed be awkward for a scholarly-looking man like him to squeeze in with those boisterous and imposing figures of the worldly society. It wasn’t a major issue. After glancing at Mo Xiuyao, Ye Li said lightly, "Please, go ahead."
The scholar could tell from a single glance that the man before him was not an amiable person, so he hadn’t held out much hope. Unexpectedly, the plainly dressed woman readily agreed. He was taken aback for a moment before hastily expressing his gratitude, "Thank you, Miss."
Ye Li’s lips twitched as she clearly felt the intense chill emanating from the man beside her. Looking up at the scholar, she said, "This is my husband." The scholar looked even more surprised. He had initially assumed, based on Ye Li’s plain attire and the fact that her hair wasn’t styled in a complete bun like a married woman’s but was simply tied up with a silver ribbon, that they were traveling companions—perhaps siblings or fellow disciples. She looked to be about sixteen or seventeen, and it wasn’t uncommon for women in Xiling to remain unmarried at seventeen or eighteen. He hadn’t expected them to be a married couple. He quickly apologized, "I’m terribly sorry, Madam... May I ask for this gentleman’s surname?"
Mo Xiuyao looked up at him, his eyebrows slightly furrowed. After a long pause, he replied indifferently, "Ye."
In just a moment, the embarrassment and apology on the scholar’s face vanished completely. He looked at the couple with the cordiality of an old acquaintance of many years. "So, Brother Ye and Madam Ye have also come to attend this year’s Martial Arts Conference?"
Mo Xiuyao replied nonchalantly, "Not exactly participating. We were just traveling through and thought we’d join in the excitement." The scholar clapped his hands, laughing. "That’s excellent! I also happen to be interested in joining the excitement. Why don’t we travel together? Right... My name is Ren Qining."
This time, Ye Li didn’t reply. She truly wasn’t familiar with the worldly society; apart from a few genuinely famous experts, she didn’t know what other remarkable people or strange events existed. But at least she could tell that this Ren Qining before her was definitely no ordinary scholar. Xiling was different from Great Chu; Xiling wasn’t a place teeming with Confucian scholars. For a scholar to appear in such a place was strange enough, much less one who wanted to drag them along to join the excitement at the Martial Arts Conference.
Mo Xiuyao put down his chopsticks. Seeing that Ye Li beside him had also finished eating, he stood up, took her hand, and said indifferently, "There’s no need. My wife and I don’t like to be disturbed by outsiders." Ignoring Ren Qining’s expression behind them, he led Ye Li upstairs to rest.
"Xiuyao?"
In the afternoon, inside the inn, Ye Li sat by the half-open window, reading a travelogue. The warm sunlight shining on her made her feel lazy and unwilling to move. When someone embraced her from behind, Ye Li put down her book and turned her head to look at the man behind her.
"Hm?" Mo Xiuyao stood behind Ye Li, leisurely watching the people coming and going on the street downstairs.
After some thought, Ye Li asked, "That Ren Qining probably isn’t an ordinary person, is he?" Mo Xiuyao lowered his head, gently smoothed the somewhat disheveled strands of hair by her ear, and whispered, "Indeed, he’s somewhat formidable, but there’s no need to worry. There are always remarkable people and strange events in the worldly society. Ah-Li, just treat it as going to watch the excitement."
Ye Li curiously asked, "How good is Ren Qining’s martial arts?" Ye Li herself could only tell that Ren Qining was not a frail scholar who lacked the strength to truss a chicken, but she couldn’t determine the depth of his martial arts skill. That proved Ren Qining was significantly superior to her, at least in terms of internal energy cultivation.
Mo Xiuyao frowned, thought for a moment, and said, "In the worldly society, he’d rank at least in the top ten. Perhaps even the top five. I can’t tell which school or family he belongs to." Ultimately, Mo Xiuyao was not a man of the worldly society. After he stunned the world with a single sword stroke at the tender age of fourteen and earned the title of one of the Four Great Experts, he had spent most of his time and energy on the battlefield. He only knew the general gist of matters in the worldly society. Ye Li gave a somewhat helpless, bitter smile. "What luck. We randomly bump into such an expert just by taking a casual stroll."
Letting Ye Li lean against him, Mo Xiuyao looked down at her with a smile. "Don’t pay him any mind. If such a trivial matter spoils our enjoyment, we might as well not go to this Martial Arts Conference at all."
"Aren’t you afraid someone will take your title as one of the Four Great Experts?" Ye Li asked with a smile.
Mo Xiuyao snorted disdainfully. "Even if the titles of all top ten experts were taken, it wouldn’t change the fact that this Prince’s martial skills are superior to theirs. Besides... how many people in this world require this Prince to act personally? The title of expert, or not, was just something I pursued for fun out of youthful exuberance back then." Ye Li leaned against his chest, sighing softly, feeling both moved and amused. The title of ’expert,’ so eagerly pursued by people in the worldly society, was merely a game in Mo Xiuyao’s eyes. She wondered what expressions those martial arts masters would wear if they knew.
"I’ve never seen a Martial Arts Conference. Shall we go and see what it’s like?" Ye Li said, turning around.
"Good, wherever Ah-Li wants to go, we will go," Mo Xiuyao agreed.
The Martial Arts Conference naturally wouldn’t be held in this obscure little town, but the location wasn’t too far. It was at Murong Manor, ten miles outside Ancheng City—the fourth largest city in Xiling—which was two hundred miles from this small town.
「The next morning.」
Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao set off for Ancheng City. Just as they came downstairs, they saw Ren Qining, who was also preparing to check out and leave. Unlike Mo Xiuyao’s cold indifference, Ren Qining was very pleased to see them. "Young Master Ye, Madam Ye, what a coincidence! Are you two also preparing to depart?"
Mo Xiuyao settled the bill, took Ye Li’s hand, and walked straight out, ignoring him. Being so blatantly snubbed, Ren Qining, despite his usual suave demeanor, couldn’t help his expression from stiffening slightly. Yet, he still hurried to catch up. "Young Master Ye, Madam Ye..." Before he could finish, Mo Xiuyao turned, sized him up for a moment, and then said, "Young Master Ren, my wife and I rarely have the leisure to travel. Disturbing a married couple’s private time... well, you might get kicked by a horse." And so, a stunned Ren Qining could only watch blankly as Mo Xiuyao helped Ye Li onto a horse, and they rode off, leaving him unable to recover his wits for a long time.
「After leaving the small town.」
Ye Li couldn’t help but laugh out loud at the memory of Ren Qining’s expression, as if he had swallowed a fly. Mo Xiuyao leaned on Ye Li’s shoulder, casually controlling the horse’s speed and direction, and chuckled, "Ah-Li, what’s making you laugh so happily?" Ye Li shook her head repeatedly. Mo Xiuyao naturally knew what she was laughing about and didn’t mind, saying lightly, "That Ren Qining likely has significant ulterior motives. Regardless of why he insisted on traveling with us, having him along would always be uncomfortable." Ye Li nodded; she also had no intention of traveling with others. "What kind of place is Murong Manor? A famous family in the worldly society?" Murong Manor and the like... they really are places that often appear in martial arts novels. It’s always something like the eight great families of the worldly society or whatnot. If I had known I was going to get involved in the worldly society, I should have finished reading those intelligence reports from the Shadow Division about it back then.
Mo Xiuyao said, "Murong Manor... is not a famous family of the worldly society. Rather... it is home to the richest person in the world."
"Eh?" Ye Li was surprised. "The richest in the world?" She had met wealthy people before; Feng Zhiyao’s Feng Family was one of the four wealthiest families in Great Chu, but even they wouldn’t dare claim to be the richest in the world. Just how wealthy could this Murong family be? "How do they compare to the Feng Family?"
Mo Xiuyao replied, "Five Feng Families combined might not match the wealth of the Murong family."
Even though she was somewhat mentally prepared, Ye Li was still quite shocked. Mo Xiuyao calmly explained, "The Murong family, like the Xu Family, are distinguished, great clans with histories spanning several hundred years. But unlike the Xu Family, which is a scholarly, aristocratic family, the Murong family is a family of merchants. Therefore, their prestige and status have never matched that of the Xu Family. Back when Xiling and Great Chu were still one entity, the Murong family was already the wealthiest in the world. Rumor has it they control three mysterious gold mines. For many years, the Xiling imperial family, and even Great Chu, Nanzhao, and Beirong, have all coveted these mines, but none have ever succeeded."
"Wealthy enough to rival a nation... For such a Murong family to have established such a firm footing in Xiling for so long, they must have some backing?" Ye Li said. Although merchants traditionally held the lowest status in the hierarchy of scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, every aspect of life—food, clothing, shelter, travel, firewood, rice, oil, salt—is inseparable from commerce. Throughout history, very few who were ’wealthy enough to rival a nation’ have met good ends.
Mo Xiuyao said, "When Xiling was founded, the Murong family provided significant assistance. After Xiling’s establishment, the Murong family naturally reaped great benefits. One reason Xiling’s commerce has always been less prosperous than Great Chu’s is that the Murong family is said to control nearly sixty percent of the shops in Xiling."
Ye Li nodded. A single family controlling sixty percent of a nation’s commerce... under such a monopoly, it’s no wonder business is difficult in Xiling. If business is difficult, commerce naturally cannot develop. After pondering for a moment, Ye Li smiled. "So, the Xiling imperial family has long viewed the Murong family as an eyesore?"
Mo Xiuyao nodded in agreement and laughed. "Correct. But even so, the Xiling imperial family doesn’t dare to rashly act against the Murong family. Firstly, the Murong family consists of merchants, unlike Prince Ding’s Mansion. If pushed to the brink, their defection to any other country would be an absolutely fatal blow to Xiling. Secondly, it’s said the Murong family has an exceptionally formidable, peerless expert. The peculiar thing is, no one has ever seen this expert. If they were provoked into a desperate struggle... whether it’s the Emperor of Xiling or the Southern Garrison Prince, they each only have one life."
"Even the Southern Garrison Prince is no match?" Ye Li asked, surprised.
Mo Xiuyao lowered his head, smiled at her, and said, "Although the title of the Four Great Experts is determined through competitions in the worldly society, the truly supreme experts in this world are recluses who don’t emerge. There are also many experts of the older generation, many of whom have already retired to the mountains and forests. If they were to truly act, their martial cultivation aside, just their experience and worldly wisdom would be beyond comparison for the current younger generation. The Murong family is wealthy beyond measure, yet for so many years, no one has dared to cause trouble at Murong Manor or steal anything. So, the assertion that they have an expert holding down the fort is somewhat credible."
"Is Your Highness interested in that mysterious expert?" Ye Li asked, seeing that Mo Xiuyao’s eyes were a shade brighter than usual.
Mo Xiuyao shook his head. "It’s not really about being interested or not. If we were to truly face off, I would naturally fight with all my might. If we don’t encounter them, there’s no regret either."
If it were the younger Mo Xiuyao, knowing such a mysterious expert existed, he would certainly have gone to their door to issue a challenge. But the current Mo Xiuyao would not. As the Lord of the Northwest, he was responsible for the safety of hundreds of thousands in the Mo Family Army and the people of the Northwest. He was Ah-Li’s husband and Mo Xiaobao’s father; he had to protect them and provide them with a stable and peaceful home. If he were truly forced to confront such a mysterious expert, he could only go all out and fight to the best of his ability. If there was no such encounter, he wouldn’t go looking for trouble. He was not like Ling Tiehan, who single-mindedly pursued the path of martial arts.
"Who is left in the Murong family today? It seems I’ve never heard of anyone particularly famous in Xiling with the surname Murong." Even if she didn’t understand the worldly society, Ye Li still had a certain understanding of the Northwest. Logically, a family with the Murong family’s reputation shouldn’t have escaped her notice.
Mo Xiuyao smiled indifferently. "Great prosperity must eventually lead to decline. The Murong family flourished for hundreds of years, and unlike the Xu Family, they didn’t practice hiding their strength and biding their time, nor did they endure when necessary, so naturally, they had to pay a price. The previous Murong Family Head originally had three sons and four daughters. Among them, one son and one daughter died before adulthood. Of the two surviving sons, the more accomplished one was named Murong Jie, but he died mysteriously at the age of twenty-three. The other son was sickly from a young age and passed away before reaching thirty. He left behind a son and a daughter, but unfortunately... that grandson was born a simpleton. The Murong Family Head, fearing his collateral relatives would seize his grandson’s wealth and status, ruthlessly eliminated all of them, leaving none behind. Who would have thought that the simpleton grandson would drown in a pond at the age of nine? This incident alone greatly devastated the Murong Family Head; it’s said he hasn’t received outsiders for many years now. It’s natural that Ah-Li wouldn’t know about this."
An idea struck Ye Li, and she asked, "Doesn’t that mean all the future assets of the Murong family will belong to that sole remaining Miss Murong? How old is that Miss Murong this year?"
Mo Xiuyao paused, thought for a moment, and said, "Legend has it that the Murong Family Head’s granddaughter is three years younger than that simpleton grandson who died young. She should be seventeen or eighteen this year."
Ye Li pursed her lips into a smile, turned back to look at Mo Xiuyao, and said with a grin, "I don’t know why... but I somehow feel that this Martial Arts Conference has something to do with that Miss Murong."
Mo Xiuyao lowered his head and leaned against Ye Li’s forehead, chuckling softly. "Even if it’s related to her, it has nothing to do with us, right, Ah-Li?"
Ye Li blinked and said, "The Murong family is wealthy enough to rival an entire nation, are you really not tempted, Your Highness?"
Mo Xiuyao sighed helplessly. "There’s nothing to be done. Who asked this Prince to marry a Princess Consort who, though not wealthy enough to rival a nation, is more precious than gold mountains and silver rivers? Therefore, this Prince is not fated to touch the immense wealth of the Murong family."
Ye Li squinted at him, wanting to feign annoyance but unable to suppress her laughter. "Is Your Highness regretting it?"
Mo Xiuyao shook his head playfully. "If this Prince can’t have both Ah-Li and gold, this Prince would only forsake gold to marry Ah-Li. If what Ah-Li says is true, then this year’s Martial Arts Conference will be very lively indeed. Let’s hurry and go watch the excitement. However... if the Murong family really wants to choose a son-in-law for their granddaughter, why do it at the Martial Arts Conference? Ordinary dignitaries and famous scholars usually don’t attend such events, do they? Could it be that the Murong family only wants to choose someone with high martial arts skill?"
"Who knows? We’ll find out when we go and see."
The wild horses captured in Nanzhao were in no way inferior to thousand-gold treasured steeds. Carrying two people, they covered the journey of over two hundred miles in just half a day. Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li went straight into Ancheng City. As Ancheng City was the fourth largest city in Xiling, they naturally didn’t need to inconvenience themselves and found the best inn in the city to stay. This Martial Arts Conference was indeed vastly different from previous ones. Although the official start time had not yet arrived, every inn in the city was already fully occupied. Not only by people from the worldly society, but also by many wealthy merchants and even dignitaries. The best rooms in the inn where Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao were staying were all taken, so they had to settle for second-tier ’Earth’ character rooms.
Given Mo Xiuyao’s status, he normally wouldn’t have needed to jostle with others for inn lodging. However, Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao had spent the past month or more enjoying the scenery along secluded paths, so they were unaware that over a month ago, the Murong family had already widely distributed invitations, inviting heroes from all under Heaven to attend the Martial Arts Conference. As Prince Ding, Mo Xiuyao was naturally among those invited, but his invitation had been sent to Licheng in the Northwest. All who received an invitation were provided accommodation by the Murong family. For this purpose, the Murong family had specially set aside a courtyard villa for these world-renowned heroes to stay temporarily. Since Mo Xiuyao had no intention of participating in this Martial Arts Conference, he naturally wouldn’t reveal his identity to go to the Murong family’s place, and could only stay at an inn with Ye Li.
Qingyuan Inn in Ancheng City was one of the best inns in the entire city. Those who could afford to stay here were naturally either wealthy or influential, and among them were also some outstanding disciples from renowned sects of the worldly society.
Ye Li curiously watched the well-dressed travelers coming and going, then turned her head to ask Mo Xiuyao, who was leisurely sipping tea beside her, "Is every Martial Arts Conference this formal?"
Mo Xiuyao pursed his lips. "How could that be? Most of the time, it’s just a few experts from the previous conference arranging a place to compete in advance. Once the news gets out, people from the worldly society naturally go to join the excitement. The one I attended was rather an exception. Ling Tiehan was there to challenge the Southern Garrison Prince. I just happened to be fooling around nearby, went to join the excitement, and accidentally got into a fight. Speaking of which, in that session, Mu Qingcang was the only one who actually went to *participate* in the Martial Arts Conference."
So the so-called Martial Arts Conference was actually this casual. Ye Li felt a bit disillusioned. But this also, from another perspective, confirmed just how immense the Murong family’s attraction was to the people of the world.
Downstairs, a few handsome young men started fighting over a disagreement, and the area immediately descended into chaos. Ye Li coldly watched the people below exchanging blows, each move aimed to kill, without the slightest desire to intervene. Before long, victory and defeat were decided. The loser actually had his hand tendons severed, meaning he could never practice swordsmanship again. The winner, naturally smug, sneered contemptuously, "Don’t you even take a look at your own capabilities? Daring to covet Miss Murong!"
This single statement immediately made it clear that these people had not come for the so-called Martial Arts Conference, but for that Miss Murong, or rather, for the Murong family. Before he could finish gloating, a hidden weapon, shot from who knows where, struck him in the chest. The young man, who had been exultant just moments before, immediately collapsed.
"Which family let such an idiot out to harm others and himself?" Ye Li frowned and whispered. The fight below had been instigated by that same young man who was just struck by the hidden weapon. He had crippled another’s hand, only to lose his own life.
"That was Sun Jianhui, the eldest legitimate son of the Sun Family of Great Chu, renowned for their swordsmanship." A refined and smiling voice came from behind. Ye Li turned around to see Ren Qining standing at the head of the stairs, smiling as he looked at the two of them by the window.
