The two men fighting in the center finally noticed something was amiss with the surrounding spectators. They turned to see Ye Li standing to the side, watching them with interest. Yun Ting’s face reddened with embarrassment, and in his momentary distraction, he caught another punch from his opponent. However, his opponent still held some reverence for the Princess Consort’s status – after landing the hit, he didn’t press further. The two quickly separated, though their mutual glares revealed their lingering dissatisfaction. Ye Li clapped her hands and smiled at the two, “Why did you stop?”
“Princess Consort…” Yun Ting lowered his head in shame. Over these past few months, he had developed genuine respect and admiration for the Princess Consort and took pride in being personally selected and trained by her. This was why he had been so easily provoked by the somewhat contemptuous attitudes of several young Mo family army officers, leading to this physical confrontation.
Ye Li smiled, “It’s fine. Sparring between comrades is common in military camps – there’s no need to feel embarrassed. Or… is my presence here hindering your performance?”
At these words, several of the observing officers also reddened with embarrassment. If they hadn’t doubted Yun Ting’s abilities and even the Princess Consort’s capabilities, they wouldn’t have allowed these two to fight like this. Now, seeing the Princess Consort’s attitude made these proud men seem petty in comparison. Seeing they had no intention of continuing, Ye Li smiled and waved for the surrounding soldiers to disperse, leading several officers to the main tent in the camp. Currently, Lu Jin Xian was in charge of the camp outside the city, but he had gone into the city early to discuss defense arrangements with the city guard and wasn’t in camp, which had led to no one managing the situation when these two colonels started fighting. When Lu Jin Xian received the news in the city, he hurried back but was still a step behind Ye Li. He could only glare at Colonel Chen before stepping forward to apologize.
Ye Li laughed melodiously, raising her hand to signal Zhuo Jing to help Lu Jin Xian up, saying with a smile, “General Lu need not be so formal. As long as young people know their limits, let their scuffles serve as a way to build camaraderie.”
After everyone was seated in the main tent, Lu Jin Xian called Colonel Chen forward to inquire about the cause of the fight. Fighting in the military wasn’t particularly unusual, but it should be done in the training grounds or arena – fighting without regard for the proper place in front of ordinary soldiers was inappropriate and could lead soldiers to believe there was discord among the officers. Colonel Chen glanced sideways at Yun Ting and gave a light snort without answering Lu Jin Xian. This contemptuous snort reignited Yun Ting’s recently calmed anger, and he lifted his chin, saying, “Not convinced? If you’re not convinced, let’s fight again!” Chen coldly smiled and raised an eyebrow, “You think I’m afraid of you? If it weren’t for… this young master would have knocked your teeth out!”
“Empty boasts – aren’t you afraid of spraining your tongue?” Yun Ting mocked.
“Silence!” Lu Jin Xian erupted in anger. It was bad enough that two colonels were fighting in front of so many generals and the Princess Consort, but now they were hurling street insults. This was completely lawless!
Ye Li set down her teacup and smiled slightly at Lu Jin Xian, “General Lu, calm yourself. Young people are inevitably hot-blooded – there’s no need for anger. Yun Ting, after a few months in the capital, if nothing else, your tongue has certainly grown sharper?”
Yun Ting’s face twisted slightly. Although he was among the younger officers in the military, he was still several years older than the Princess Consort. Being called young and hot-blooded by a younger Princess Consort made his face burn with embarrassment. He lowered his head and said, “This subordinate was rash. Please punish me, Princess Consort.”
“I said I don’t blame you, so I don’t,” Ye Li said. “Tell me, what were you two… hmm, sparring about so early in the morning?”
Colonel Chen and Yun Ting, for once in agreement, hesitated and looked at Ye Li without speaking. Ye Li frowned, “What? Can’t say? Or should I ask the generals who were present?”
Colonel Chen stepped forward and said through gritted teeth, “This subordinate was disrespectful in speaking about the Princess Consort, which led to the conflict with Colonel Yun. Please punish me – I will accept any penalty!”
Ye Li gazed at him for a moment before nodding, “At least you own up to your actions.”
Colonel Chen remained silent. Yun Ting looked around at everyone before also stepping forward, “This subordinate was also at fault and is willing to accept punishment alongside Colonel Chen.” Looking at Yun Ting’s young face, Ye Li nodded inwardly. The months of teaching and guidance had been beneficial – a few months ago, given Yun Ting’s temperament, he absolutely wouldn’t have voluntarily asked for punishment at this moment. It wasn’t for any other reason than that he better understood how to conduct himself. The Mo family army officers weren’t unreasonable people – seeing Yun Ting speak thus, their expressions indeed improved considerably.
After a moment of silence, Ye Li spoke softly, “This is my first time commanding the Mo family army, and I haven’t met many of you generals before. Understandably, you have doubts, so let’s consider this matter settled. Now, if anyone present still has any misgivings, feel free to speak up. You are all true heroes who have fought many battles – let’s not play at the roundabout games of the court.” Seeing everyone’s hesitation, Ye Li smiled gracefully, “Right here in this tent, speak without fear of punishment. Say whatever you’re thinking – or are you afraid I’ll seek revenge afterward?”
After a period of silence, a middle-aged brigadier general stood and bowed to Ye Li, “Princess Consort, forgive us. Originally, it was natural for you to lead the Mo family army in the Prince’s absence. However, warfare is different from other matters – it concerns the lives of tens of thousands of brothers, which is why we subordinates had additional thoughts. Princess Consort, you are still young and born to a scholarly family, this…” Ye Li listened to her subordinate’s words while nodding with a smile to show she understood. Seeing that she truly showed no signs of anger, others also gathered their courage to stand and voice their doubts. They mainly questioned Ye Li’s youth and her ability to command troops and fight. Ye Li sat in her chair, quietly waiting for everyone to finish before smiling brilliantly, “Only now do I understand how many worries and concerns you generals have – indeed, I have been remiss. Colonel Chen, is this why you were dissatisfied with me?”
Colonel Chen stiffly said, “Warfare is no child’s play. If the Princess Consort has no real ability, this small officer naturally won’t submit!”
“Chen Yun, how dare you!” Lu Jin Xian scolded.
Ye Li waved her hand with a smile, “It’s fine. I specialize in treating all kinds of insubordination. Why don’t we go to the training ground and test our abilities?”
“This subordinate wouldn’t dare!” Colonel Chen Yun was startled by Ye Li’s words, dropping to his knees with a thud. Although these Mo family army officers doubted Princess Consort’s ability to command the army, they respected her status as Prince Ding’s consort. However, the lives of soldiers on the battlefield were more closely tied to victory or defeat, so they wouldn’t blindly trust her abilities just because of her status as Princess Consort. Now that the Princess Consort suggested competing with him, how could Chen Yun dare to raise his hand against her?
Ye Li stood up and said calmly, “Get up. A real man shouldn’t kneel so readily. What’s wrong? Don’t tell me a big man like you is afraid of a woman like me?”
Chen Yun’s face reddened, momentarily unsure whether to say he was afraid or not.
Ye Li smiled slightly and, ignoring him, walked toward the tent exit. With Ye Li leaving, naturally everyone else had to follow. Chen Yun looked helplessly at Lu Jin Xian, who was walking last, “General…”
Lu Jin Xian shook his head and sighed, “Go on, don’t keep the Princess Consort waiting.” Yun Ting, who had reached the entrance, turned back and smiled gleefully at Chen Yun. He had personally witnessed the Princess Consort’s martial abilities. If Chen Yun was thinking of holding back, he would certainly end up in a miserable state.
At the training ground, Ye Li stood with her hands behind her back, smiling as she watched the hesitant Chen Yun below. Around them, quite a few soldiers who had finished training had unconsciously gathered. Seeing Chen Yun still hesitating, Ye Li smiled, “Colonel Chen, please come up.”
Chen Yun finally walked onto the training ground, though he appeared completely different from his earlier spirited and fierce fight with Yun Ting, instead looking quite constrained. He looked at Ye Li and said, “Princess Consort… please go first.”
Ye Li raised an eyebrow slightly, knowing that if she didn’t make the first move, Chen Yun would not dare to engage her. She smiled and raised her eyebrows, “In that case, Colonel Chen, be careful!” Rather than using her customary dagger, Ye Li turned and drew a long sword from Zhuo Jing, who stood to the side. The sword tip trembled, transforming into a cold flash as it rushed straight at Chen Yun. Chen Yun dodged this flying sword with a sidestep, and Ye Li smiled as she swept her sword horizontally. In the blink of an eye, Ye Li had executed several strikes, forcing Chen Yun to retreat several steps, which drew jeers from the soldiers below.
Originally, Chen Yun had planned to let the Princess Consort make a few moves before finding an opportunity to voluntarily concede, which would neither embarrass himself nor cause the Princess Consort to lose face. But from Ye Li’s first sword strike, he knew he had been wrong – the Princess Consort’s sword stance and the force and angle of her strikes were not just for show. Rather, each strike was very dangerous. If he hadn’t been agile enough to dodge quickly, and if the Princess Consort hadn’t held back her strength and not used her full power, he would likely have several holes in his body by now.
Chen Yun flipped backward to quickly retreat to a safe distance, and Ye Li also stopped pursuing, standing in the center watching him. Chen Yun bowed and said, “This subordinate was blind – please forgive me, Princess Consort. I dare to request another match.” Having spoken, he walked to the weapons rack at the side and took up a long spear, shaking it in his hand as he faced Ye Li with a solemn expression. Ye Li nodded with satisfaction, “Very good, that’s more like it. Colonel Chen, please.”
“Forgive my offense!” Chen Yun called out loudly as he thrust his spear straight at Ye Li. Ye Li nimbly sidestepped while her sword danced out a brilliant flower pattern. As the saying goes, one inch longer give one inch of advantage – Ye Li’s three-foot sword held no particular advantage against Chen Yun’s long spear. However, the crowd below quickly noticed that the Princess Consort consistently controlled the distance between them within a certain range, and this distance greatly restricted the sweeping advantage of the long spear, making the match temporarily even.
Below, Feng Zhi Yao, who had arrived at some unknown time, stood lazily beside Mu Yang with folded arms and asked with a grin, “Young Master Mu, who do you think will win between the Princess Consort and Colonel Chen?” Mu Yang smiled faintly, “I have had the honor of witnessing the Princess Consort’s skills – she is truly one in ten thousand. Colonel Chen… I’m afraid he falls a bit short.”
Hearing Mu Yang’s words, Lu Jin Xian turned his head in surprise to look at the two, finally resting his gaze on Feng Zhi Yao. Feng Zhi Yao was also an old acquaintance of Lu Jin Xian and didn’t conceal anything, chuckling, “General Lu doesn’t know, but the Princess Consort’s swordsmanship was personally taught by the Prince. Moreover… swordsmanship is probably what the Princess Consort is least skilled at.”
At these words, all the officers changed color slightly. They could all see Princess Consort’s swordsmanship – while it might not be supreme, they could discern the killing intent behind that sword. This was truly a sword technique meant for killing, and this… was said to be what the Princess Consort was least proficient in. In other words, the Princess Consort hadn’t even used her real skills in sparring with Chen Yun.
Mu Yang looked up at the graceful figure moving like a swimming dragon above and couldn’t help but laugh softly. He suddenly recalled Ye Li’s earlier words… “I specialize in treating all kinds of insubordination”… Before such a woman, how many could truly remain unconvinced?