“Princess Consort.” Zhuo Jing entered the side hall, looked at Ye Li and Ye Wenhua, and called out respectfully. Ye Li nodded and asked with a smile, “What is it?” Zhuo Jing said, “His Highness says the young princes’ and princess’s object-picking ceremony is about to begin and requests the Princess Consort’s presence.” Ye Li nodded and asked, “Has the Crown Prince arrived?” Zhuo Jing shook his head, “I haven’t seen the Crown Prince.”
Ye Li somewhat helplessly gestured for Zhuo Jing to first go find Mo Xiaobao, while rising and saying to Ye Wenhua with a smile, “Father, let’s go over as well. It’s about to begin.” Ye Wenhua was slightly startled, then quickly nodded, “Good, let’s go.”
Entering the main hall, it was already bustling with excitement. Prince Ding’s manor had specially prepared a large table five or six chi long, covered with all sorts of items. The two babies were being held by Xu Qingyan and Xu Qingfeng, one each. Seeing Ye Li approach, they immediately reached out their little hands toward her excitedly. Ye Li smiled, stroked the babies’ faces, and asked, “Has it started?”
Beside them, Manager Mo said solemnly, “The auspicious time has arrived. The young princes and princesses can begin picking objects.”
Ye Li clapped her hands and smiled, “Let them go ahead then.”
Xu Qingyan grinning placed Lin’er on the table surface, while beside him Xu Qingfeng also put Xin’er up. The two babies looked curiously at everything before them. Though so many eyes were watching them, neither baby showed any shyness. Instead, they enthusiastically began to play with the items on the table.
They watched as Xin’er picked up a small golden abacus and curiously moved the beads a couple of times. Beside them, Han Mingxi couldn’t help but laugh, “Could it be the little princess who wants to become a wealthy merchant in the future?” Before he finished speaking, Xin’er giggled and quickly stuffed the small abacus into Lin’er’s arms. Lin’er looked at the small toy in his hands puzzledly, seemed to think for a moment while tilting his little head, then turned around to put the abacus behind him and grabbed a book to stuff into Xin’er’s arms.
Xin’er seemed unwilling to be outdone, giggling as she grabbed a brush from nearby and gave it to Lin’er. And so the siblings, under everyone’s watchful eyes, began playing a game of exchanging items one after another.
Feng Zhiyao stared dumbfounded at the siblings happily playing on their own, “What are they doing?” Ye Li looked at the small piles of items accumulated behind each of them and couldn’t help but smile. She didn’t know what they were doing either. After thinking for a moment, Ye Li clapped her hands and smiled at the two babies, “Lin’er, Xin’er, choose something you like and bring it to Mother.”
The children may not have fully understood Ye Li’s words, but seeing her hold out her hands to them, after some hesitation, Lin’er was the first to crawl up. They watched as he walked back and forth along the long table, soon returning with several items. Among them were an exquisite small sword, a delicate purple sandalwood box, and a scroll painting. But his tiny hands couldn’t hold so many things; he’d only walked a few steps when items started dropping. After some thought, he pushed the scroll toward Xin’er’s direction, then picked up the small sword and sandalwood box to continue walking. Halfway there, he casually tossed aside the wooden box and picked up a jade seal instead, then walked toward Ye Li holding the small sword in one hand and the seal in the other.
“Congratulations! The young prince will become a supreme martial artist in the future, commanding thousands of troops!” It turned out the seal Lin’er had picked up was a military commander’s seal.
Lin’er threw himself into Ye Li’s arms, giving her the seal, “Mother… Lin’er good…” Ye Li smiled as she held her son, kissing his little forehead and saying, “Yes, Lin’er is good.”
Still sitting on the table, Xin’er pouted seeing her brother leave. She calmly looked at the crowd of onlookers around her and slowly began to move. Though she was the elder sister, her walking wasn’t as steady as Lin’er’s. She walked a few steps then stopped, continuing to crawl around on the table instead. When she saw something she liked, she would drag it to where she had been sitting. Soon she had gathered a large pile of items beside her. There were weapons and toys that boys liked, jewelry and treasures that girls liked, as well as scholarly items like brushes and ink—everything imaginable. When she felt she had enough, she sat there and stopped moving.
Ye Li didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, “Xin’er, choose one thing you like and bring it over.”
Xin’er looked at Ye Li, hesitated, and then looked down at the large pile of things in front of her. Her bright eyes darted around, then she crawled up and moved toward the edge of the table. People rushed forward, afraid she might fall. They watched as Xin’er grabbed onto Xu Qingyan’s sleeve, the nearest person to her, and crawled back, bringing him to her pile of collected items, then just stared at him with her big eyes without saying anything.
Xu Qingyan was at a loss for words. Seeing everyone looking at him, he could only helplessly touch his nose and ask, “Xin’er, do you want uncle to help you carry things?” Xin’er giggled, and Xu Qingyan had to ask, “Which one do you want?”
Xin’er began pushing items one by one toward Xu Qingyan. Xu Qingchen looked helplessly at Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, “Sister Ye Li, your little princess is quite greedy.”
Beside them, people found the little princess’s actions quite amusing. Mo Jingyu laughed and said, “It seems the little princess has broad interests. She will surely be wealthy and want nothing in her future life.”
Everyone joined in congratulating Prince Ding and Princess Consort on their good fortune, and in the end, only Xu Qingyan was forced to help the little princess collect all her items because she refused to move from her pile of treasures until he did.
The object-picking ceremony was quite simple. After the two babies had finished picking, they were carried away. The visiting guests were invited to the garden to enjoy the scenery, drink wine, and chat while waiting for the evening banquet.
The Prince Ding Manor’s people gathered in the flower hall, where the two babies were still happily playing with their spoils in the adults’ arms. Xu Qingyan held Xin’er with an amused expression, with her pile of treasures still on the table beside him. Xin’er was focused on examining an exquisite and ornate jewelry box in her hands.
“Xiaobao hasn’t returned yet?” Ye Li asked with furrowed brows.
Xu Qingfeng frowned slightly and said, “Not yet. Zhirui, Junhan, and Qin Lie aren’t in the manor either. But they should be fine—if anything happened, the people following them would have come back to report.” Ye Li looked at Mo Xiuyao, who smiled and nodded, “Don’t worry, A’Li, Xiaobao, and the others will be fine.”
Ye Li nodded and turned to Qin Feng to ask, “How is the Queen of Nanzhao?”
Qin Feng frowned and said, “Though Princess Anxi is in disguise, it’s not to the point where we can’t recognize her. She’s being led around the city—Mo Jingli probably doesn’t intend to do anything to Princess Anxi, but rather wants to use her to divert our attention.” Ye Li pondered for a moment and said, “When the opportunity comes… regardless of anything else, rescue Princess Anxi first.”
“Your Highness, Princess Consort, something terrible has happened!” Outside the door, Manager Mo hurried in to report.
“What happened?” Mo Xiuyao asked calmly. Manager Mo said gravely, “Prince Pu’a somehow heard the news of Princess Anxi and has rushed out of the manor with people to rescue her.”
“How rash!” Ye Li frowned. For the other side to boldly parade Princess Anxi around the city, they must have made preparations. It was too risky for Pu’a to rush out like this. After some thought, Ye Li said, “Zhuo Jing, take some people and…”
“No, A’Li, let’s go ourselves,” Mo Xiuyao stood up, taking Ye Li’s hand and saying softly.
Ye Li frowned slightly. The Prince Ding manor was currently full of guests and needed the Prince to preside, and this matter wasn’t serious enough to require the Prince and Princess Consort’s attention. Mo Xiuyao smiled, “Come on, Pu’a and Princess Anxi are our guests, let’s go take a look.”
Ye Li sighed helplessly and said, “Fine, if you say we should go. Third Brother.” Xu Qingfeng smiled and said, “Don’t worry, Ye Li, leave the manor’s affairs to us.”
On an unremarkable small street in Lichieng, because of the special occasion today, the city was particularly lively, but some of the more remote streets were even quieter than usual. By the time Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao arrived, Pu’a’s Nanzhao guards were already engaged in combat with Mo Jingli’s men. Though Mo Jingli’s men weren’t many, each one was highly skilled. Worst of all, they had been forced by Pu’a’s guards toward a tavern by the street. They had smashed all the wine in the tavern and threatened that if anyone dared step inside, they would immediately set fire and perish together with Princess Anxi.
“Prince Ding, Princess Consort!” Seeing Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao arrive, Pu’a hurriedly came forward and anxiously explained the situation. Ye Li’s expression also darkened. The current situation wasn’t that they couldn’t defeat these people, but that they were constrained. These people’s actions clearly showed they were prepared to die—if anyone made a rash move and lit a fire, the entire tavern, soaked in strong wine, would instantly become an inferno. If Princess Anxi were harmed, their efforts would backfire and the losses would outweigh any gains.
Pu’a knew he had acted rashly, but with his wife and son missing for so many days, this man who was never good at patience had already reached his limit. Upon hearing news of Princess Anxi, how could he contain himself any longer?
Seeing Pu’a’s guilty and frustrated expression, Ye Li sighed inwardly and calmly consoled him, “Prince Consort need not worry. The Queen of Nanzhao is blessed with good fortune; she will be fine.”
Pu’a nodded and said, “I trouble the Princess Consort… please, you must save Anxi.”
“Rest assured, Prince. This is Lichieng—Prince Ding’s manor will spare no effort in ensuring the Queen’s safety.” Ye Li gave Qin Feng a look, and he stepped forward, announcing in a clear voice, “Listen, those inside! Prince Ding and Princess Consort have personally arrived. Release the Queen of Nanzhao quickly, and your lives may be spared.”
After a moment of silence, a figure appeared at a second-floor window, looked at the crowd below, and finally said, “We can release Princess Anxi. Let Prince Ding and Princess Consort come in to exchange for her.”
“How dare you!” Qin Feng said sternly, “You are quite bold—do you truly think Prince Ding’s manor is powerless against you?” These people knew that by now they were probably dead either way. Perhaps having nothing left to lose had only made them bolder, as they laughed and said, “We naturally know that. With just one order from Prince Ding, arrows could kill us all without spending a single soldier. However… having a queen die with us would make it worth it.”
As Mo Xiuyao was about to speak, Ye Li raised her hand to stop him and stepped forward with a smile, “Would you dare if I truly agreed to come up with the Prince?”
The other side fell silent. The Prince’s supreme martial arts were known throughout the world—if they let him come up, they couldn’t be certain what would happen. After a moment, the man laughed coldly and said, “Thanks for the reminder, Princess Consort. Then just you alone coming up will suffice.” Though there were rumors that Princess Consort’s martial arts were quite good, they weren’t yet at a level that would make ordinary martial arts masters fear her. They were all considered first or second-rate masters—dealing with the Princess Consort alone would naturally be no problem.
“Very well,” Ye Li said with a smile.
“A’Li.” Mo Xiuyao frowned in displeasure. Though he knew Ye Li had her calculations, he was still unhappy seeing her take any risks in front of him. Even for the Queen of Nanzhao, it wasn’t acceptable. Even if the Queen and Prince of Nanzhao both died in Lichieng, what of it? Even if Nanzhao became hostile toward Prince Ding’s manor for a time, they couldn’t do anything to them.
Ye Li gently squeezed his hand and smiled reassuringly, “Don’t worry, nothing will happen.”
Mo Xiuyao pressed his lips together, staring at her in displeasure. Ye Li smiled, “I promise to come out in a quarter hour.”
After a moment, Mo Xiuyao finally let go, watching as Ye Li walked toward the tavern.
Entering the tavern, a strong smell of wine indeed hit her face. The main hall was filled with shattered wine jars, and the floor was wet with spilled wine. Ye Li walked leisurely up to the second floor to find several men glaring at her vigilantly. Princess Anxi sat by a table, watching her motionlessly with eyes full of anxiety, “Princess Consort… don’t come closer. Mo Jingli took Shuo’er—please save Shuo’er.”
Ye Li smiled slightly and said, “Princess Anxi, don’t worry. Shuo’er will be fine.”
Thinking of her son who had been taken away by Mo Jingli to parts unknown, Princess Anxi couldn’t help but tear up, “Princess Consort, don’t mind me. As long as… as long as Shuo’er is safe…”
Ye Li sighed and said, “The Queen and Prince have suffered this misfortune because of Prince Ding’s manor—how could I not care?” Walking to sit at a table not far from Princess Anxi, Ye Li calmly looked over the men before her. Some faces were familiar but she couldn’t recall their names—they should all be Mo Xiuyao’s former guards, whom she might have met before.
“Gentlemen, using women and innocent infants as hostages—Mo Jingli’s methods have become increasingly disgraceful.”
The leader stepped forward, looked Ye Li over, and said, “At this point, who cares about being graceful? We admire Princess Consort’s courage in risking herself alone for people unrelated to you. Unfortunately, given our opposing positions, please forgive us.”
Ye Li examined him with interest and smiled, “You speak quite well. That someone like you would still loyally follow Mo Jingli to this point—that does surprise me.”
The man smiled bitterly and said, “A loyal minister does not serve two masters. Moreover, His Majesty showed me the favor of recognizing my talents.”
“The favor of recognition—you are indeed a loyal and righteous man,” Ye Li sighed.
The man looked at Ye Li and said, “That someone of Princess Consort’s status would risk coming alone—that surprises me. If I were to set a fire now… burning the Princess Consort would be worth far more than burning the Queen of Nanzhao. And now… I’m afraid the Princess Consort will have to perish alongside the Queen of Nanzhao?”
Ye Li looked at him leisurely and smiled, “First, are you certain I couldn’t escape if you set a fire? Second… you’ve been leading the Queen around the city for so long, and after being surrounded you put on this show—do you want to kill Princess Anxi? Either way, you know you’re bound to die—if you truly wanted to kill Princess Anxi, why not simply cut her throat? Then you might even have a chance to fight your way out. Now… I don’t know about Princess Anxi, but you few—you look like you have no way out. What’s the point?”
The man’s eyes darkened. “What do you mean?”
Ye Li covered her mouth and laughed, “Don’t you understand? I’m urging you to act quickly if you’re going to act.”
The man looked suspiciously at the white-robed woman before him. Being willing to risk entering for Princess Anxi’s sake, yet urging them to act quickly—this was completely unexpected. Though he couldn’t see through Ye Li’s thoughts, he had served beside Mo Xiuyao long enough to have heard of the Princess Consort’s craftiness. He remained vigilant of Ye Li’s every move.
Ye Li smiled and said, “You don’t need to be so tense. I know that right now you don’t want to kill Princess Anxi at all. In fact… you probably hope she lives as long as possible.”
The man remained silent, and Ye Li continued with a smile, “You want to use Princess Anxi to tie up me and the Prince? Does Mo Jingli have other secret arrangements, wanting to draw the tiger away from the mountain? However… does Mo Jingli think the Prince and I would abandon everything else to be stuck here for Princess Anxi’s sake?”
The man laughed coldly, “Princess Consort is here now—doesn’t that already say something?”
Ye Li sighed helplessly and said, “I came in only to tell you that in a quarter hour, Prince Ding’s manor’s hidden guards will begin their assault.”
The man’s face changed, and he said gravely, “You’re not afraid I’ll kill the Queen of Nanzhao?”
Ye Li said, “Whether dead or alive, there needs to be an accounting, doesn’t there? Today Prince Ding’s manor is full of guests—how could the Prince and I stay here for long?” Watching the man’s grave expression as he stared at her, Ye Li sat casually, examining the tavern’s furnishings while saying carelessly, “Does Mo Jingli want to cooperate with Mo Jingyu? What do you think Mo Jingyu can accomplish?”
At this, the man’s expression finally changed. Ye Li acted as if she hadn’t noticed and continued, “There’s also secret support from some of Great Chu’s old ministers and noble families in Lichieng. Even so… what can they do? Every soldier in Lichieng is under Prince Ding’s manor’s control—can they turn Lichieng upside down?”
“Princess Consort is indeed formidable,” the man stared at Ye Li and said gravely. “Princess Consort didn’t come in just to chat with us about these things—what do you want?”
Ye Li smiled and said, “Release Princess Anxi, and I can consider pardoning past offenses.”
A mocking smile curled the man’s lips—he didn’t believe Ye Li’s words at all. Even if he did believe them, he wouldn’t consider it.
Ye Li wasn’t concerned and thought for a moment before saying, “First choice: I wait with you for half an hour, you release Princess Anxi, and I let you go. Second path… in a quarter hour, Prince Ding’s manor begins the assault.”
“You’re afraid the Princess Anxi won’t survive?!”
Ye Li looked at Princess Anxi and said with a slight apology, “Princess Anxi, don’t worry. I swear on Prince Ding’s manor’s reputation that we will rescue the young prince.” Princess Anxi clearly understood Ye Li’s meaning and smiled, saying, “Princess Consort, you should go. Have Prince Ding’s manor’s people attack immediately—waiting another quarter hour or half hour has no meaning.”
Ye Li stared at Princess Anxi for a moment, then nodded and said, “Very well.”