Ye Li leaped down from the arena platform with the Howling Moon Blade in hand. Cloud Ting immediately rushed forward, eyeing it eagerly: “Princess Consort, may this humble servant take a look at the precious blade you won?” The Howling Moon was a famous blade from the Northern Rong. While Da Chu had many renowned sword craftsmen and famous swords, their blade-forging techniques couldn’t compare to those of Xi Ling and Northern Rong. The Northern Rong people were especially skilled with blades, and their forged weapons were of the highest quality—particularly the legendary Howling Moon Blade.
Ye Li gave him a meaningful half-smile, and Cloud Ting suddenly remembered the trouble he’d caused before. His excitement instantly turned to dejection and fear. After enjoying his crestfallen expression enough, Ye Li smiled and tossed the blade into his hands. Cloud Ting hurriedly thanked her and carefully examined it, his joy evident.
“Princess Consort’s archery skills are truly divine. This servant is deeply impressed,” Chen Yun sincerely praised. Ever since the military training ground competition last year, Chen Yun had greatly admired this young Princess Consort. After today’s display, he was even more genuinely convinced of her abilities.
Ye Li laughed, “It’s not as mystical as you say. I simply put in extra effort during practice. On the battlefield, not everyone needs to shoot copper coins off trees in the middle of the night. You’re warriors meant to kill enemies in battle, not performers in an arena.”
Chen Yun smiled without speaking, understanding that Princess Consort was comforting him. In his heart, he resolved to practice archery more diligently after returning.
Chen Yun and Cloud Ting lived in the military camp and didn’t share Ye Li’s route home. When parting, Cloud Ting reluctantly returned the precious blade to Ye Li. Seeing his longing expression, Ye Li smiled faintly and casually tossed the blade back to him, saying, “If you like it, keep it.”
“Ah?” Cloud Ting froze, overjoyed. Beside him, Chen Yun helplessly rolled his eyes. With that pitiful, reluctant expression of his, others might think the Princess Consort wasn’t taking away a blade but his beloved. Fortunately, knowing the Princess Consort’s usual generosity toward her people, he hadn’t stopped Cloud Ting’s foolishness. When Cloud Ting finally reacted, he carefully cradled the blade and dazedly asked, “Princess Consort… you’re really… giving this to me?”
Ye Li smiled, “I didn’t come for this blade anyway, just happened to win it. Besides, none of the ladies in the manor prefer this type of blade. Since you like it, keep it.” Compared to these slightly curved blades, Ye Li preferred light, straight-edged daggers and military stilettos. Moreover, the jewels and decorations on the scabbard weren’t suitable for carrying as a practical weapon.
After Ye Li’s confirmation, Cloud Ting foolishly hugged the blade, looking as if he wanted to bite it to verify its reality. Standing beside him, Chen Yun couldn’t help but quietly step back, embarrassed to be associated with him.
Ye Li looked at Chen Yun and smiled, “I remember Colonel Chen specializes in spears, but you need a close-combat weapon for protection. I recently acquired a Cold Rhino Blade—I’ll have someone bring it to you to see if it suits you.”
Chen Yun was overjoyed. Though the Cold Rhino Blade’s scabbard wasn’t as ornate as Cloud Ting’s Howling Moon, its blade was absolutely no inferior. They were, after all, forged by the same master. Moreover, it was more practical than the Howling Moon Blade. The Howling Moon had been acquired by the Northern Rong royal family and decorated so elaborately that it was no longer suitable for battle, while the Cold Rhino Blade maintained the blacksmith’s original simplicity and sharpness. “This servant thanks the Princess Consort.”
Ye Li waved her hand and smiled, “No need. It’s a good thing when a fine weapon finds a worthy owner. I’ll take my leave first—enjoy your rare leisure time.”
“We respectfully send off the Princess Consort.”
The place where Ye Li’s group was talking was barely more than ten steps from the arena. Naturally, many people witnessed her casual gifting of the Howling Moon Blade to Cloud Ting. Common people saw it as the Prince Consort of Ding being generous to her subordinates, but those involved in court politics all darkened their expressions.
In the Lingxiang Pavilion, Yelü Ye and Mo Jingli both stared at the graceful figure walking away through the crowd. A flash of gloom and anger crossed Yelü Ye’s eyes. Ye Li had publicly exposed Huyan Lü’s true identity, then casually gave away the Howling Moon Blade she’d won to a mere colonel—this was clearly showing contempt for Northern Rong and him, Yelü Ye.
The usually proud Yelü Ye had once again been rebuffed by Ye Li, and he could hardly swallow this insult.
Yelü Ye stood up, intending to leap down from the window to pursue that figure gradually melting into the crowd. Suddenly, he sensed a cold gaze carrying undisguised killing intent directed at him. Following the gaze to its source, in an open window across the street corner, a snow-white-haired man stared at him motionlessly with an icy expression. Yelü Ye’s heart jumped, and he forced down the chill in his heart to slowly sit back down. Across the way, Mo Xiuyao watched him sit and curved his lips in a cold smile, raising his wine cup in a mock toast. Yelü Ye coldly snorted and drained his cup in one gulp.
“The Princess Consort of Ding is truly a unique woman of our time. This prince deeply admires her,” in a quiet private room, the Northern Rong Crown Prince Yelü Hong said to Mo Xiuyao with a smile. Earlier, everyone had been focused on the arena below, not noticing the Northern Rong Crown Prince and Prince of Ding watching from a second-floor chamber by the street. Mo Xiuyao gave a light snort, his cold countenance gaining some warmth, clearly pleased by Yelü Hong’s flattery. Princess Ronghua sat beside Yelü Hong—the once proud imperial princess who had stirred the capital with her beauty now showed more feminine gentleness and charm in her foreign home of Northern Rong. Princess Ronghua docilely leaned against Yelü Hong, occasionally pouring him wine, her slightly lowered beautiful eyes carrying complexity and bitterness.
Just two years ago, she hadn’t thought anything of the Princess Consort of Ding. Yet in merely these two years, the gap between her and the Princess Consort had grown so vast that she felt ashamed to even make the comparison. Watching the Princess Consort’s composed bearing on the arena earlier and her archery skills that even Northern Rong’s best archers couldn’t match, Princess Ronghua knew the Princess Consort was someone she could never equal in this lifetime.
The chamber door was gently pushed open from outside, and Ye Li stood smiling at the entrance: “Crown Prince Yelü, am I interrupting?”
Yelü Hong started, then quickly smiled, “How could you be? The Princess Consort’s presence greatly honors this prince. Please, come in.” Ye Li entered and walked to Mo Xiuyao’s side. Mo Xiuyao reached out to help her sit, saying softly, “You could have found someone else to play with him. Why did A-Li personally compete with him?” Ye Li smiled, “I just wanted to see how capable Northern Rong’s number one archer was.”
Yelü Hong raised his cup and smiled, “The Princess Consort jokes. Let this prince toast you. Though Huyan Lü held the title of Northern Rong’s greatest archer, that was over ten years ago. Now, Huyan Lü…” Yelü Hong shook his head and smiled, “Let’s not speak of such dispiriting matters. Come, Princess Consort, Prince, please.”
Ye Li picked up her wine cup and smiled faintly, “Crown Prince, please. Crown Princess, please.”
A few days before the Prince of Ding’s heir’s full-month celebration, the entire Ruyang City was filled with music and dance. Behind this festive atmosphere, some agreements and accords were being quietly reached. For instance, trade with Nanzhao and annual purchases of large quantities of medicinal materials from them. Or secretly buying vast amounts of grain from certain Da Chu merchants. Or the temporary border peace agreement reached secretly with the Northern Rong Crown Prince, and so on—all proceeding silently without people’s knowledge. Thus, compared to the joyful harmony outside, the people of the Prince of Ding’s manor were even busier than usual.
“Reporting to the Princess Consort, the Prince of Zhen Nan and his heir request an audience.” Ye Li was rarely free to stay in her chambers accompanying the baby. The little one, almost a month old now, wasn’t as sleepy as when newly born, staring at Ye Li with bright round eyes, black pupils gleaming as if covered with a layer of moisture, making Ye Li’s heart melt completely. She felt no amount of love for this little treasure would be enough. Hearing Lin Han’s report, Ye Li frowned and asked, “Is the Prince in the manor?” Lin Han replied, “The Prince accompanied Young Master Qingchen out of the city this morning and hasn’t returned yet. Should we… ask the Prince of Zhen Nan to return tomorrow?” Everyone in the Prince of Ding’s manor held no good feelings toward the Prince of Zhen Nan. The incident of the Princess Consort’s cliff fall particularly rankled with people like Zhuo Jing and Lin Han, so naturally they didn’t want Ye Li to meet with the Prince of Zhen Nan again.
Ye Li put down little Mo Bao and smiled faintly, “No need. We’re in the Prince of Ding’s manor—if I refuse to see him, it would appear cowardly.”
Lin Han remained silent and retreated outside the door to wait for Ye Li to come out.
Soon after, Ye Li had settled little Mo Bao and headed to the front hall with Qing Luan and others. In the main hall of the Prince of Ding’s manor, Lei Tengfeng sat calmly below the Prince of Zhen Nan, surveying the hall’s furnishings. Objectively speaking, the Prince of Ding’s manor in Ruyang couldn’t compare to their manor in the Chu capital in terms of grandeur, and being newly renovated, it lacked even the ancient, deep cultural atmosphere of the Prince of Ding’s National Manor in the capital. Instead, it carried more of the Northwest’s rugged simplicity and ease. The Prince of Zhen Nan was also examining the entire hall, though his gaze remained fixed more on the entrance. Hearing the tinkling of ornaments outside, his eyes grew sharper and more penetrating.
Ye Li entered the hall and said with a clear laugh, “This consort is late, keeping the Prince and Crown Prince waiting. Butler Mo, why haven’t you served tea to our guests?” Standing beside Ye Li, Lin Han looked expressionlessly at the seated father and son of Zhen Nan and said flatly, “Reporting to the Princess Consort, Butler Mo went to arrange accommodations for Master Qingyun.” Lei Tengfeng knew they weren’t welcome in the Prince of Ding’s manor and smiled bitterly at Ye Li, “Princess Consort need not stand on ceremony.” Ye Li smiled gracefully, “Courtesy cannot be neglected. The manor has been busy lately, and Butler Mo may have been somewhat negligent. I hope the Crown Prince understands. Lin Han.” Lin Han nodded and went to the door to instruct the waiting-maid to serve tea.
After tea was served and Ye Li had taken a sip, she looked at the Prince of Zhen Nan with a smile, “With our son’s full-month celebration approaching, both the Prince and I are quite busy today. Please forgive any discourtesy.”
The Prince of Zhen Nan stared deeply at Ye Li for a long while before shifting his gaze, smiling, “How could there be? The Princess Consort’s arrangements are thorough—this prince feels quite at home.” Ye Li naturally didn’t take his pleasantries seriously, as she hadn’t overseen the guest arrangements. Given Zhuo Jing and Wei Lin’s vengeful natures, they probably hadn’t made things particularly hospitable. After a pause, Ye Li asked, “What important matter brings the Prince and Crown Prince to visit?”
Lei Tengfeng smiled, “Indeed, there are some minor matters we wished to discuss with the Prince of Ding. However, this prince was turned away twice when seeking an audience with him, so we had no choice but to trouble the Princess Consort. We hope for your understanding.” Ye Li blinked, remembering how Mo Xiuyao’s face would darken at any mention of Xi Ling or the Prince of Zhen Nan—he might have refused Lei Tengfeng’s requests. These days, Mo Xiuyao often acted unreasonably when he wished. But Ye Li felt no displeasure at this, understanding that Mo Xiuyao’s rude treatment of Xi Ling people wasn’t just due to the current Northwest-Xi Ling opposition, but more because of her. Nations fighting to the death was common enough, and afterward, they could still drink together as if their friendship was eternal. After all, nations have no permanent enemies or friends, but personal matters were more likely to breed lasting resentment.
Smiling at Lei Tengfeng, Ye Li said without apology, “Xiuyao has been overwhelmingly busy these days. I hope the Crown Prince understands.”
Lei Tengfeng naturally had to understand, and when Ye Li said, “The Crown Prince can tell this consort just as well,” he glanced at his father sitting lost in thought and smiled, “Actually, it’s nothing major. This prince happened to hear that the Prince of Ding has reached trade agreements with both Northern Rong and Nanzhao…” Ye Li raised an eyebrow—that “happened to hear” was quite cleverly put. Xi Ling must have quite a few spies in various countries to have such coincidences. She calmly waited for Lei Tengfeng to finish. Lei Tengfeng felt quite helpless inside—he didn’t enjoy talking with Ye Li, because, after a few interactions, it became impossible to treat her as an ordinary person. No matter when, it was difficult to detect any unexpected emotions in her eyes or face as if she were just a gentle, harmless noble lady. You could never see emotions like curiosity, surprise, or worry on her face. Such a person created unimaginable pressure during negotiations, because you could never gauge their bottom line. Perhaps their bottom line was just a hair’s breadth away, but it felt like it was a thousand miles distant.
This wasn’t Lei Tengfeng’s first time feeling so frustrated. After a moment’s irritation, he continued, “The Princess Consort surely knows that our humble country also has many annual trades and exchanges with Eastern Chu and Nanzhao. Many goods must pass through the Northwest.” Though Xi Ling was large, it was genuinely resource-poor and needed to import many things from other countries. Of course, Xi Ling’s policy was to take by force when possible, but there were always things that couldn’t be seized or seized in sufficient quantities. For instance, the Xi Ling royal family’s beloved fine silks, tea, and porcelain all needed to be purchased from Nanzhao and Da Chu, as the small countries to the west lacked these items. Moreover, the Xi Ling people were originally of the same stock as the Da Chu people, so most Xi Ling people were more accustomed to Da Chu products. The Northwest occupied the key transport routes between Da Chu and Xi Ling, so these goods had to pass through the Northwest to reach Xi Ling. As for the southwestern routes, since ancient times the Shu roads were known to be as difficult as ascending to heaven. Just entering Shu was extremely difficult, let alone crossing more mountains and rivers to send merchant caravans back to Xi Ling. Not to mention the lengthy detour—just the dangers and bandits along the way were enough to make most merchants give up.
Ye Li smiled gently, understanding their purpose today from just that one statement. The Prince of Ding’s manor had been waiting for their arrival, though Ye Li hadn’t expected that rather than Xi Ling trying to raise their price by delaying, Mo Xiuyao had simply turned them away. Setting her teacup down lightly, Ye Li leaned back in her chair and looked sideways at Lei Tengfeng, asking, “This consort understands the Crown Prince’s meaning. Opening trade routes and fostering commerce between countries is naturally good, but… what benefit does this bring to our Northwest?” In one sentence: why should the Mo family army allow Xi Ling merchants passage?
Lei Tengfeng’s eyes darkened slightly as he smiled, “Even in wartime, trade between countries is not forbidden. The free exchange has always been the consensus between our humble country and Eastern Chu, Northern Rong, and Nanzhao. The Princess Consort’s words puzzle this prince.”
Ye Li lowered her eyes and smiled faintly, “If that’s the case, Xi Ling merchants are welcome to pass through the Northwest. Why does the Crown Prince need to specially inquire with this consort?”
Lei Tengfeng was struck speechless. The so-called consensus was mostly just waste paper when it came to implementation. With long trade routes full of incidents, who could say when bandits might appear or accidents might happen? At least in the past year and especially the last six months, there were even fewer Xi Ling merchants coming to Da Chu than during wartime. Many items in the Xi Ling capital now commanded sky-high prices.
Ye Li continued leisurely, “This consort seriously questions the Crown Prince’s statement about unimpeded wartime trade. When two countries are at war, naturally they wish death upon each other. Would Da Chu still agree to sell silk and grain to Xi Ling then? Would they still allow Nanzhao’s medicines to be transported through Da Chu to Xi Ling? Moreover, even if all that didn’t matter, how would the Crown Prince distinguish whether these merchants flooding in during wartime are genuine merchants or spies?” Lei Tengfeng paused, sighing helplessly as he looked toward the Prince of Zhen Nan, who had been sitting quietly listening to their conversation.
The Prince of Zhen Nan finally raised his head to stare at Ye Li and asked, “What conditions does the Princess Consort require?”
Ye Li smiled and waved to Lin Han behind her, who efficiently produced two documents, one each for the Prince of Zhen Nan and Lei Tengfeng.
The Prince of Zhen Nan took his copy, glancing questioningly at Ye Li before lowering his head to open it. After a while, he looked up to ask, “As the Princess Consort said, what benefit is there for Xi Ling?” Ye Li smiled lightly, “Since the Northwest can accommodate trade from all four seas, naturally we cannot treat Xi Ling differently. Wouldn’t that resolve the conditions the Prince and Crown Prince mentioned?”
The Prince of Zhen Nan frowned and said gravely, “This prince needs time to consider.”
Ye Li smiled, “Of course. You can answer before the Prince and Crown Prince leave Ruyang.”
The Prince of Zhen Nan put away the document and stood up, looking at Ye Li, “Is the Princess Consort truly unwilling to consider this prince’s previous proposal? If the Princess Consort would come to Xi Ling, this prince would treat you with the courtesy due to a Prime Minister.”
Ye Li started, then couldn’t help but laugh. Just as she was about to answer, Mo Xiuyao’s cold voice came from outside the door, “Many thanks for the Prince of Zhen Nan’s kind offer, but this prince’s beloved consort does not need Xi Ling’s Prime Minister position. Besides, everyone knows that the Prime Minister position in Xi Ling is merely an empty title!”