“Miss Helian, are you unable to find a husband?”

The atmosphere in the great hall instantly grew tense. The flush hadn’t yet faded from Helian Huimin’s face when it was filled with undisguised shock. Such words would be a profound insult to any unmarried woman. Ye Li looked at Mo Xiuyao with surprise. She knew he had a bad temper, but he had never deliberately insulted a woman before. Even last year with the brazen Princess Lingyun from Xiling, he hadn’t spoken such harsh words. But as both a woman and a wife, Ye Li had to admit that when Mo Xiuyao treated Helian Huimin so coldly, a faint sweetness arose in her heart.

“Prince Ding, you’ve gone too far!” Yelv Ye glared at Mo Xiuyao darkly.

Mo Xiuyao glanced at him and said with a faint smile, “What makes Prince Yelv say that?”

“Huimin agreed to marry into Great Chu for the sake of diplomatic relations between our nations. Even if Your Highness looks down on our Northern Rong noble ladies, you shouldn’t insult her like this! This prince will report this to your emperor and must seek justice for Huimin.” Yelv Ye declared indignantly.

“Justice?” Mo Xiuyao raised an eyebrow and said mockingly, “This prince would like to seek justice too. In the Golden Hall, this prince personally rejected the imperial marriage decree. This prince has repeatedly stated that Prince Ding’s mansion has only one mistress, yet Prince Yelv and Miss Helian keep coming to disturb us, even slandering and trying to drive a wedge between me my wife in front of her. Does Prince Yelv not know how important the mistress of Prince Ding’s mansion is? If Ah Li develops ill feelings toward this prince because of this, who should this prince complain to? If she were a woman of our Great Chu, she would naturally know to withdraw after being politely rejected. But you two have not only visited daily these past few days but have also spread rumors everywhere to damage Ah Li’s reputation. This makes this prince wonder if Miss Helian couldn’t find a husband in Northern Rong and is being forcibly pushed onto this prince. Prince Ding’s mansion will only have one mistress. If Miss Helian insists on staying, she could be a rough servant girl doing cleaning work. She can’t be a first-rank maid though – all first-rank maids in Prince Ding’s mansion are at least well-educated and virtuous women.”

“Prince Ding, you…” Helian Huimin seemed to finally recover from the earlier shock, only to hear Mo Xiuyao’s speech, which instantly made her face flush red with anger. Even her beautiful eyes were rolling with crystalline tears. But she didn’t retreat or cry because of this. Instead, she turned to face Ye Li, “Since the Princess is so deeply loved by Prince Ding, don’t you have anything to say? Or does the Princess of Prince Ding’s mansion only know how to hide behind Prince Ding and enjoy the benefits?”

Ye Li sighed lightly in her heart – this girl was indeed not simple. When ordinary women are so openly insulted by men, even if they don’t immediately run away in tears, they would likely cry uncontrollably. But this Miss Helian not only wasn’t defeated but still had the strength to attack. Blinking her eyes, Ye Li smiled most innocently, “Miss Helian, isn’t it natural for men to protect women? With His Highness here, this princess naturally doesn’t need to worry. His Highness and I are in love with each other, and I don’t want anyone to come between us. Please be understanding, Miss Helian.”

“It’s common practice for men to have three wives and four concubines, and your Great Chu also requires women to be virtuous and gentle. Aren’t you afraid of being criticized for saying such things, Princess?” said Yelv Ye.

Ye Li smiled and said, “Our Great Chu requires women to understand propriety and shame even more. Women who actively seek marriage cannot be accepted. Moreover… this princess simply doesn’t like His Highness taking concubines. Whoever wants to criticize can go ahead.”

Helian Huimin hadn’t expected Ye Li to be so different from ordinary Great Chu women, to be so difficult even on this issue. She gritted her teeth and said, “Doesn’t the Princess fear the Emperor will blame Prince Ding’s mansion?”

“Blame?” Ye Li’s fine eyebrows were slightly furrowed. Just when others thought she might waver, she bit her delicate teeth and said, “This princess will go to the palace right away to ask for punishment. Miss Helian… no, anyone who wants to marry into Prince Ding’s mansion can do so – this princess will just slash her throat and give up the position of Princess. Then His Highness can marry whoever he wants!” After speaking, she looked up at Mo Xiuyao and asked, “What does Your Highness think?”

The gloom that had been on Mo Xiuyao’s face instantly disappeared. Completely disregarding the two outsiders present, he pulled Ye Li into his embrace and smiled, “Beloved must not do that. If my beloved is harmed even slightly, this prince would feel it too. In that case, this prince would have to crush to pieces those trash who hurt my beloved to ease the hatred in my heart.”

Ye Li nodded with satisfaction and turned back to look at Helian Huimin, “You see, Miss Helian, even if this princess dies, His Highness won’t marry you.” Helian Huimin wanted to say something more but was stopped by Yelv Ye. Yelv Ye stood up and said, “Since that’s the case, we’ve disturbed Your Highness and the Princess today. We’ll take our leave first.”

“No need to see us out,” Mo Xiuyao said indifferently.

After sending away the two unwanted visitors, Ye Li turned back to examine Mo Xiuyao, saying with a half-smile, “To have such a beauty showing favor, Your Highness truly has good fortune in romance.”

Mo Xiuyao looked at her helplessly, “To this prince, only Ah Li is a beauty. This one… is just trouble that came out of nowhere.”

Ye Li frowned and said, “Why was there no mention at all of this so-called diplomatic marriage from Northern Rong before?” Just looking at how busy the Ministry of Rites had been these two months showed how much preparation was needed for a formal diplomatic marriage between the two countries. How could Helian Huimin just show up like this? It seemed more like child’s play than a diplomatic marriage.

Mo Xiuyao said, “It was only proposed by Yelv Ye after the Northern Rong marriage envoys arrived in the capital. It probably wasn’t the Northern Rong king’s idea, but Yelv Ye’s own sudden decision.”

Ye Li was puzzled, “A sudden decision? If they wanted to plant a spy in Prince Ding’s mansion, doing it this way seems too obvious.”

Mo Xiuyao smiled and said, “Plant a spy? Yelv Ye wouldn’t do something he knows is impossible. Even if he wanted to, he wouldn’t do it so poorly. He just wanted to make a big scene to give this prince some trouble. After all, Helian Huimin is just Helian Zhen’s adopted daughter – who knows what her real background is? Whether she’s ruined or dead, it won’t cause him any loss.”

Ye Li snorted lightly and said, “If that’s the case, would Your Highness care to explain what these rumors in the capital are about?”

Mo Xiuyao smiled and said, “You mean the rumors about Ah Li being unvirtuous? Those were spread by this prince.”

“So Your Highness has been dissatisfied with me for a long time?” Ye Li glanced at him sideways and said flatly.

Mo Xiuyao smiled and said, “How could that be? This prince loves how unvirtuous my beloved is.”

Ye Li raised an eyebrow, “I suppose the palace will be calling for me to talk soon?”

“Ah Li can go ahead, feel free to blame everything on me. This prince wants everyone in the world to know that even if the Princess of Prince Ding’s mansion is unvirtuous and jealous, she is this prince’s only beloved.” Mo Xiuyao said in a deep voice as he held Ye Li’s slender waist.

Ye Li remained silent, leaning against Mo Xiuyao’s chest to slowly calm the waves surging in her heart.

The news from the palace came extremely quickly, not even waiting until the next day – that same afternoon, someone came to summon Ye Li to the palace. The two of them were admiring flowers in the garden and weren’t surprised. Since they had made such a scene about the arranged marriage, the palace couldn’t remain silent. Mo Xiuyao put down his painting brush and stood up, preparing to go to the palace with Ye Li, but was pushed back down by her hand, “The Empress Dowager summoned me to the palace, what are you going for?”

Mo Xiuyao smiled and said, “Does this prince need the Empress Dowager’s summons to enter the palace?”

Ye Li smiled coldly and said, “They want to talk to me, and you have to join in the excitement. If they can’t say what they want this time, they’ll have to find another opportunity. Since that’s the case, we might as well let them say everything at once. This princess wants to see exactly what they have to say!” Speaking of this point made Ye Li extremely depressed. She thought she had married a husband no one would try to steal, but look at this past year… first there was that Princess Lingyun, then there was that cousin Noble Consort Liu who Mo Xiuyao threw out to the city, and now there’s this Miss Helian. Are these women just too well-fed and bored, or is Mo Xiuyao’s face still not ruined enough?

Noticing Ye Li’s gaze lingering on his face, Mo Xiuyao innocently rubbed his brow and smiled, “If that’s the case, Ah Li, be careful in all things. Also, stay away from that Yelv Ye.”

Ye Li blinked in surprise, looking at Mo Xiuyao in confusion. Mo Xiuyao felt somewhat embarrassed under her gaze, letting out a light snort as he pulled her into his embrace and lightly bit those rouge-red lips, saying, “In any case, stay away from him.”

Ye Li smiled sweetly, “Is Your Highness jealous?”

Mo Xiuyao didn’t try to hide it, nodding, “That’s right, so the Princess should keep her distance from him. Hmm?”

Ye Li stepped out of his embrace, covering her mouth to hide her laugh, “Your Highness, too much jealousy isn’t good for your health.” Before Mo Xiuyao could react, she had already turned and quickly left. Mo Xiuyao let out a helpless laugh – how could one not frequently be jealous of such an outstanding wife? If possible, he would even wish for Ah Li to go nowhere and do nothing, just stay in the mansion with him every day. But he knew this was impossible, not only because the situation and Prince Ding’s mansion’s position wouldn’t allow it, but also because Ah Li wasn’t someone who could truly be constrained by anyone. Watching Ye Li’s figure disappear at the end of the corridor, the smile gradually faded from Mo Xiuyao’s face, slowly being replaced by a cold, murderous look. Diplomatic marriage, arranged marriage? Did Yelv Ye think he didn’t know what he was planning? Yelv Ye, offending this prince isn’t a good idea. It seems Yelv Ping’s lesson wasn’t enough for you to remember, “Come here.”

“Your Highness.”

“Reply to Yelv Hong’s messenger, and tell him this prince accepts his proposal.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

The Zhangde Palace remained as magnificent as ever, but Ye Li knew that since the Li Prince’s rebellion, the Empress Dowager’s power in the palace had been suppressed and checked everywhere by the Emperor, and was far from what it used to be. However, although the Empress Dowager favored the Li Prince, she was still the Emperor’s birth mother and Great Chu put filial piety first. Even if mother and son were estranged, the Emperor still had to show outward respect to the Empress Dowager. Stepping into Zhangde Palace again, Ye Li’s mindset was much calmer than before.

“Ye Li pays respects to the Empress Dowager and the Empress.” Entering the hall, Ye Li gently curtsied to the Empress Dowager and Empress.

“Princess Ding, no need for formalities, please be seated,” the Empress said softly.

Ye Li expressed her thanks and sat down in the empty seat at the front, looking with slight confusion at the hall full of noble court ladies and at Helian Huimin sitting across from her with a calm face. Ye Li had to admire this woman – her face now showed no trace of the embarrassment and resentment from when she left Prince Ding’s mansion. Even the way she looked at Ye Li was very calm and dignified. “What occasion is this today, why is everyone here? It seems this princess came late?” When one reaches a certain status, one doesn’t need to be so constrained in speech. As long as Ye Li wasn’t foolish enough to talk about rebellion, even if she said something wrong, ordinary people wouldn’t dare say she was incorrect.

The Empress smiled and said, “Not late, I was just in the palace and only just arrived myself. The Northern Rong envoys sent some Northern Rong specialties to Mother Empress the other day, and Mother Empress thought to invite everyone to taste them together. It’s just that you haven’t been in the capital, and only now that you’ve returned did Mother Empress decree for us to gather at Zhangde Palace.”

Ye Li smiled and said, “Thank you for the Empress Dowager’s consideration. I was just staying with Imperial Aunt for a few days.” The Empress seemed to say nothing special, but Ye Li understood her meaning. She nodded almost imperceptibly, and the Empress smiled slightly before turning to speak with the consort beside her.

The Empress Dowager said calmly with a smile, “You don’t usually like coming to the palace, so I had to use this pretext to invite you to gather with everyone. How is the Grand Princess Imperial?”

“Imperial Aunt is in good health, thank you for Empress Dowager’s concern,” Ye Li replied with a faint smile.

A warm gaze fell on Ye Li, and she gave a slight smile of reassurance to the worried-looking Madam Xu. In her heart, however, she smiled coldly – these people had calculated well, did they think that with her aunt present, she would consider her position and agree to their demands? Calmly withdrawing her gaze, Ye Li looked up at another gaze fixed on her. Unlike Madam Xu’s worry, this gaze was extremely complex, filled with scrutiny and hatred. Without looking, she knew it was Noble Consort Liu sitting on the other side of the Empress Dowager. These days, not only had the Empress Dowager become more haggard and aged, but Noble Consort Liu had also changed considerably. Her original ice-snow-like coldness seemed to have gained something else, making that pear-blossom-like cold beauty somewhat unpredictable. Ye Li nodded slightly to her, but she acted as if she hadn’t seen it, just staring fixedly at Ye Li, that gaze making Ye Li frown slightly in discomfort.

“Princess Ding, Miss Helian will be part of Prince Ding’s household from now on. Miss Helian has come from far away in Northern Rong, Princess Ding must treat her well.” Sure enough, barely seated and having exchanged only a few words, the Empress Dowager smiled and spoke. Her manner and tone were so natural as if Prince Ding’s public rejection of the marriage had never happened.

Ye Li wasn’t planning to be polite either – she didn’t want to keep having to deal with others sending concubines to Mo Xiuyao’s door every few days. Putting down her teacup, Ye Li blinked her eyes in confusion and said, “Miss Helian? Is the Empress Dowager saying Miss Helian has agreed to be a cleaning maid at Prince Ding’s mansion? Rest assured, Prince Ding’s mansion never oppresses servants, and this princess won’t quibble unnecessarily with servants.”

“Cleaning maid?!” Even the experienced Empress Dowager was stunned for a moment and asked in confusion.

Ye Li smiled and glanced at Helian Huimin, asking puzzledly, “Isn’t that right? Earlier, His Highness made it clear in front of me, Prince Yelv, and Miss Helian that he agreed to let Miss Helian enter the mansion as a cleaning maid. When the Empress Dowager brings it up now, are we not talking about the same thing? Did this princess misunderstand?”

The Empress Dowager choked, then said seriously, “Princess Ding is joking. How could someone of Miss Helian’s status be a rough servant girl?”

Ye Li asked in confusion, “Status? Do you mean being General Helian’s adopted daughter? That status would indeed be wasted as a rough servant girl. However, that’s what our Prince said, and although I am the Princess, I cannot go against the Prince’s wishes. I’m afraid Miss Helian and our Prince Ding’s mansion have no fate together.”

The Empress Dowager could naturally see this was Ye Li’s way of deflecting, and frowned slightly, “Princess Ding, how can you speak so casually of a marriage bestowed by the Emperor in court? The Emperor just asked me to inquire with the Princess about when Prince Ding’s mansion plans to hold the wedding. It would be best before the Northern Rong marriage envoys leave – what are your plans?”

Ye Li smiled tightly, saying calmly, “Reporting to the Empress Dowager, Prince Ding’s mansion has no plans to hold a wedding.”