The Emperor’s intention was clear: Princess Qixia would enter the palace, while Princess Lingyun would be betrothed to Prince Li.

Ye Li quickly glanced at Ye Ying, who sat beside Mo Jingli, and sure enough, she was glaring at Princess Lingyun with a dark expression. From the Nanzhao side, Princess Qixia’s face also looked extremely displeased. Mo Jingli’s expression was visibly unhappy as well, his gaze brooding as he stared at Princess Lingyun’s pitiful face. Ye Li thoughtfully looked at Mo Jingqi, who was satisfied with his arrangements in the great hall, unable to understand what exactly this Emperor was planning. Was it purely because Princess Lingyun had angered him that he was betrothing her to Prince Li? But Princess Qixia had been in Chu Capital for several months now, and Mo Jingqi couldn’t possibly be unaware of the rumors in the capital about Princess Qixia and Mo Jingli.

“The Emperor would never allow Jingli to have any connection with Nanzhao. Even without Princess Lingyun, he would never betroth Princess Qixia to him.” Seemingly understanding Ye Li’s confusion, Mo Xiuyao spoke softly beside her, “Nanzhao may be called a small and weak nation, but their people are extremely fierce. They only lack influence due to their small population.”

Ye Li whispered, “The Emperor doesn’t want Prince Li to have ties with Nanzhao? But isn’t Xiling somewhat stronger than Nanzhao?”

Mo Xiuyao chuckled, “Xiling and Great Chu are hereditary enemies. Unless Mo Jingli commits treason, Xiling can offer him no benefits. Moreover… His Majesty does not want any princes with Xiling blood in the imperial lineage.”

Ye Li suddenly understood, looking at Mo Jingli with some sympathy. It seemed this Emperor’s younger brother wasn’t as trusted by his imperial brother as one might think.

Mo Xiuyao laughed softly, “Ali, your heart is too soft. There has never been anyone without ambition in the imperial family.”

Ye Li was stunned, carefully pondering Mo Xiuyao’s words, her gaze toward Mo Jingli becoming more thoughtful. But… was Mo Jingli’s mind capable of such complex scheming? Or had he been playing the fool all along?

Back at the Dingguo Prince’s Manor, Ye Li couldn’t help but let out a long sigh. This half day in the palace had been more exhausting than her entire past month combined. After bidding farewell to Mo Xiuyao, Ye Li returned to her courtyard where Matron Lin and Matron Wei immediately led people to welcome her. News of the afternoon’s events in the palace had already reached the manor. The two matrons carefully examined Ye Li from head to toe, only relaxing once they confirmed she was indeed unharmed.

Ye Li helplessly requested a late-night meal to fill her stomach. Matron Lin waved her hand, and someone brought up a portion of chicken porridge that had been prepared in advance. Looking at the chicken porridge before her that could feed three people, Ye Li said, “Matron, although I’m hungry, I won’t suddenly be able to eat this much.”

Matron Wei shot her a disapproving glance and said, “Princess Consort, do you think you’re the only one who’s hungry?”

Ye Li blinked in confusion, “Qingluan and the others have already gone down to eat…”

Matron Wei, with an expression of exasperation, pushed the chicken porridge along with its tray into her hands and said, “The Prince has gone to his study. Princess Consort should take this and eat with the Prince.”

“This… that’s not necessary, right? I can just have someone take it to Ajin.”

“Princess Consort!” Matron Lin fixed Ye Li with a serious stare and said, “You are the Prince’s wife! How can you delegate such tasks as bringing late-night meals to others? Did Second Madam forget to teach you the duties of a wife when you were in the Xu family?”

Seeing Matron Lin’s expression ready to launch into a lecture, Ye Li quickly picked up the porridge and said tactfully, “Matron, I understand. I’ll take it to the Prince right away.” Without waiting for Matron Lin’s response, she hurried out with the chicken porridge.

Ye Li felt quite wronged. Both matrons were nagging, but compared to her wet nurse, Ye Li was more afraid of Matron Lin who had served her mother. Whenever she opened her mouth, she would inevitably quote classics and cite examples, thoroughly explaining principles until one had no choice but to bow their head and admit fault. Ordinary people absolutely couldn’t withstand such dual attacks of language and spirit.

Helplessly carrying the late meal through the manor’s corridors, the maids behind her also tactfully maintained neither far nor near distance. Mo Xiuyao still lived in the same courtyard he had occupied before their wedding, right next to Ye Li’s courtyard. So before Ye Li could finish grumbling internally, she was already standing outside Mo Xiuyao’s study. Just as she was about to knock, Mo Xiuyao’s voice came from inside, “Is that Ali? Come in.”

Pushing open the door, she found Mo Xiuyao writing something under the candlelight. Seeing Ye Li enter, he looked up at her and asked, “Why haven’t you gone to rest?”

Ye Li walked over and set down what she was carrying, asking, “Am I disturbing you?”

Mo Xiuyao shook his head, looked at what was placed on the table, and raised an eyebrow with a smile, “You’ve come to bring me a late-night meal?”

For some reason, Ye Li’s face grew slightly warm, but she maintained a casual tone as she countered, “What? I’m not allowed to bring you a late-night meal?”

Mo Xiuyao shook his head, set down his brush, and said with a smile, “I’m just curious why Ali would take the initiative to bring me a late-night meal. Hmm… no wonder no one has thought to bring me anything to eat since I returned. Indeed, after taking a Princess Consort, others have become lazy about such concerns.”

Ye Li gave him a helpless look and said, “Are you going to eat or not?”

Mo Xiuyao nodded, “How could I not eat when the Princess Consort personally delivered it?”

The two sat down at the table, and Ye Li took two bowls, ladled porridge into each, and handed one to Mo Xiuyao first. Although they had been eating meals together almost every day lately, this was their first time sharing a late-night meal. While eating the porridge, Mo Xiuyao thought for a moment and said, “If you have no plans tomorrow, would you like to accompany me to see Sister-in-law?”

Ye Li nodded, “Indeed, we should have paid our respects to Sister-in-law long ago. I hope she won’t blame us.”

Mo Xiuyao shook his head, “Sister-in-law won’t mind such things.”

“Should I prepare anything?” Ye Li asked.

Mo Xiuyao shook his head, “We just need to go see Sister-in-law, that’s all.”

Thinking of that unseen sister-in-law, Ye Li could only sigh inwardly. For a woman to let her life become like withered wood in her most beautiful years was truly lamentable.

“How did you deal with that palace maid tonight?” After some thought, Ye Li asked about the palace maid who had blocked their path in the palace that evening.

Mo Xiuyao frowned and said, “She wasn’t a palace maid.”

“She wasn’t?” Ye Li was surprised, “When did the imperial palace become a place where outsiders could come and go as they pleased? Can the Emperor sleep at night?”

Mo Xiuyao smiled and said, “Not being a registered palace maid doesn’t mean she wasn’t from the palace. Those with capability in the palace always have a few hidden cards up their sleeves.”

“But that palace maid didn’t seem to have anything outstanding about her.”

Mo Xiuyao said flatly, “Sometimes it’s precisely those who have nothing outstanding about them who make the best trump cards.”

“Couldn’t get anything out of her about whose person she was?”

“She was a death warrior,” Mo Xiuyao said. Ye Li understood – that death warriors would only die when their mission failed, naturally, nothing could be gotten out of them.

“However, there aren’t many in the palace who could have such death warriors. So Ali… if you must enter the palace in the future, remember to be careful.”

“I understand,” Ye Li nodded. She had no desire to court death.

The former Princess Consort of Prince Ding, Lady Wen, did not live in the Dingguo Prince’s Manor. In the second year after Mo Xiuwen’s death, Lady Wen moved to Wuyue Temple outside the city, citing that the surroundings brought back painful memories. With her went Mo Xiuwen’s two concubines. Since moving to Wuyue Temple, in fact, except for Mo Xiuwen’s death anniversary each year, Lady Wen had never returned to the Dingguo Prince’s Manor. In previous years, Mo Xiuyao had also remained secluded for many reasons, so although he respected his sister-in-law, they were not close.

Having received Mo Xiuyao’s agreement, Ye Li openly did some morning exercises, then ate breakfast with Mo Xiuyao before they set out by carriage for Wuyue Temple outside the city.

Wuyue Temple was located on a small mountain with beautiful scenery on the outskirts of the capital and was also the family temple of the Dingguo Prince’s Manor. Therefore, no worshippers or tourists were coming to burn incense. The journey up was quite peaceful and pleasant. As soon as they entered the temple gates, they smelled the lingering sandalwood incense in the air. Ye Li wrinkled her nose slightly in discomfort, and Mo Xiuyao turned to look at her, asking, “What’s wrong?”

Ye Li said quietly, somewhat embarrassed, “I don’t believe in Buddha.” She wasn’t sure whether she should bow when they went in – to her, it seemed meaningless for a non-believer to pay respects before Buddha, and others might find it disrespectful.

Mo Xiuyao smiled faintly, “No wonder I’ve never seen Ali go to burn incense outside the capital.” Whether noble ladies or common girls in the Chu Capital, most loved to visit the various temples and monasteries in and around the capital to burn incense or draw divination lots. Some prayed for everything to go smoothly, others asked about finding an ideal husband. But indeed, there had never been any news of the Ye family’s third young miss going to temples to draw lots or burn incense.

Ye Li lowered her eyes and said, “Since I don’t believe in gods and Buddha, how could I have the face to ask for their blessing? If gods and Buddha were divine, how could they handle so many faithful men and women every day?”

Mo Xiuyao raised an eyebrow, looked at Ye Li with a smile, and said, “So, Ali believes more in herself?”

Ye Li looked up with a bright smile, “If one can’t believe in oneself, what else in this world can be believed?”

Mo Xiuyao nodded in agreement, “Perfect, I don’t believe either. Ali can do as she pleases.”

Before long, a young nun came out to lead them in. Lady Wen was a very gentle woman. Although her features were not particularly outstanding, the quiet serenity between her brows added a unique flavor to her countenance. Even in gray Buddhist robes, she couldn’t conceal the gentle grace of her scholarly family background. Seeing the two enter, her calm eyes showed no ripples. She had either achieved a state of perfect tranquility or her heart had become like withered wood.

“Xiuyao greets Sister-in-law,” Mo Xiuyao pulled Ye Li forward and said to Lady Wen, “Sister-in-law, this is Ali.”

Ye Li respectfully stepped forward to pay her respects, “Greetings, Sister-in-law.”

Lady Wen’s gaze fell on Mo Xiuyao’s wheelchair and face, then quickly moved to Ye Li. A trace of sorrow flashed through her calm eyes as she said softly, “No need for formalities. Come sit, sister-in-law.”

Ye Li thanked her and sat down beside Lady Wen. Lady Wen held her hand and looked her over, then took an old brocade box from beside her and handed it to her, saying, “Your sister-in-law is already a person outside the mortal world and has no proper meeting gift to give you. This was given to me by the Prince… your elder brother when I first married into the Dingguo Prince’s Manor. He said it was left by the Princess Mother. You should keep it.”

“This…” Although the brocade box looked old, it was worn very smoothly, showing that someone often took it out to polish it. This must have been a memento that Lady Wen kept close. Lady Wen smiled faintly and shook her head, “Take it. I have no use for these things now.” Ye Li didn’t refuse any further and accepted the box, saying, “Thank you, Sister-in-law.”

Lady Wen held Ye Li’s hand and said, “Your elder brother only had Second Brother as his sibling, and I as a sister-in-law… was really of no use. In the future, you and Second Brother must support each other and live well together.” Ye Li understood that Lady Wen was referring to when the Dingguo Prince’s Manor underwent changes years ago, and how she hadn’t stayed to manage the manor’s affairs for Mo Xiuyao, instead leaving the severely injured and disabled Mo Xiuyao to go into religious seclusion. Regarding this, Ye Li didn’t think Lady Wen was wrong. She was only a woman not yet twenty at the time, and not even one raised in a great noble family. When her husband suddenly passed away and the manor’s only bloodline was severely injured and disabled, a woman who wasn’t strong enough indeed would find it difficult to support the entire Dingguo Prince’s Manor.

“Thank you for your guidance, Sister-in-law.” Ye Li nodded, glancing at Mo Xiuyao before saying softly, “Now that I am married to the Prince, we naturally share glory and hardship.”

“Good, now I can rest assured.” Lady Wen nodded with satisfaction.

Ye Li frowned, hesitating for a moment before saying, “Sister-in-law must be lonely living here alone. Perhaps you might consider returning to the manor… even if you wish to practice religious cultivation, you could do so at the manor.”

Lady Wen shook her head and said, “I’ve grown accustomed to the tranquility here. Going back would feel strange now.” Despite Ye Li’s repeated persuasion, Lady Wen remained firm in her refusal, leaving Ye Li no choice but to drop the matter. After talking for a while, Lady Wen kept them for lunch but then said she needed to copy Buddhist scriptures, telling Mo Xiuyao to take Ye Li for a walk around the grounds.

Though Wuyue Temple was only a family temple, it was quite large. Ye Li pushed Mo Xiuyao’s wheelchair through the quiet bamboo grove behind the temple, her mood inevitably heavy because of Lady Wen’s situation.

“Ali, you wouldn’t be like Sister-in-law, would you?” After a long while, Mo Xiuyao asked in a deep voice.

Ye Li nodded, then suddenly remembering that Mo Xiuyao couldn’t see her gesture, said, “No, I wouldn’t. I would try my best to live well.”

Mo Xiuyao smiled faintly and said, “That’s good. Sister-in-law… wasn’t suited to be the Princess Consort of the Dingguo Prince’s Manor. Our Mo family failed her. If it weren’t for Elder Brother trying to avoid Mo Jingqi’s suspicion, he might not have chosen Lady Wen from an ordinary scholarly family.”

Ye Li thought for a moment and said, “Perhaps Sister-in-law has no regrets.” Every time she heard Lady Wen speak of her husband, Ye Li could see gentle affection and reminiscence rippling in those calm eyes. Perhaps Mo Xiuwen had chosen her for the sake of the Dingguo Prince’s Manor, but that didn’t mean Lady Wen didn’t have feelings for Mo Xiuwen, or that Mo Xiuwen didn’t have feelings for Lady Wen.

Mo Xiuyao smiled faintly and said, “The Dingguo Prince’s Manor never gave her the chance to regret. Great Chu doesn’t prohibit fatherless women from remarrying, but widows of the Dingguo Prince’s Manor don’t have such an easy path to remarriage. Without enough courage to face people’s gazes, Lady Wen couldn’t even allow herself to have thoughts of regret. But… Ali, I allow you to regret.”

“Is Your Highness telling me that if you die, I can remarry?” Ye Li raised an eyebrow and asked.

Mo Xiuyao didn’t object, nodding and saying, “Yes, that’s what I mean.”

Ye Li looked skyward, rolling her eyes where Mo Xiuyao couldn’t see. An inexplicable anger made her laugh coldly, “Then… does Your Highness wish to die soon or die soon?”

Raising an eyebrow at her odd phrasing, Mo Xiuyao smiled and said, “This prince would rather live to a ripe old age.”

“Is that so? That’s not good news…”

“Move!” Before Ye Li could finish speaking, Mo Xiuyao suddenly turned and pushed her away.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! A series of whistling sounds passed by, and three diamond-shaped darts gleaming with an eerie blue light embedded themselves in the bamboo beside Ye Li.

“Since you’re here, why not show yourself?” Mo Xiuyao lowered his eyes, staring at his hand resting on the wheelchair armrest as he spoke calmly.

“Hahaha… Mo Xiuyao, you’ve finally decided to leave the Dingguo Prince’s Manor? I thought you’d hide in there forever, too afraid to show your face.” With a brazen laugh, a tall figure appeared in the bamboo grove. Soon, a group of black-clad men surrounded them, encircling the three.

Mo Xiuyao raised his head to look at the newcomer, his smile as cold as snow, “Those words… do you dare remove your face covering and say them again?”

The newcomer’s laughter cut off abruptly, his dim eyes suddenly contracting. He snorted lightly and turned his gaze to Ye Li standing to the side, “This must be… the Princess Consort?”

“Indeed. And you are…?” Ye Li nodded calmly.

“Such courage.” The man praised, looking at Ye Li with what seemed like regret, “What a pity…”

“Mo Xiuyao, having such a woman accompany you in death, you should have no regrets, right?” The man had no intention of wasting words. With a wave of his hand, the black-clad men immediately closed in.

“Take the Princess Consort away first.” Mo Xiuyao commanded calmly. Several shadows quickly darted into the crowd. Ajin, gripping his sword, landed in front of Mo Xiuyao, vigilantly watching the surrounding black-clad men. Two guards landed on either side of Ye Li, attempting to lead her away. The rest had already engaged with the black-clad men. Ye Li glanced at the men Ajin had brought – only seven or eight, and with two assigned to her, only five remained. Meanwhile, at least twenty or thirty black-clad assassins were surrounding them.

Without time to think further, Ye Li shook off the guards holding her and said, “Stay and help.”

“Princess Consort…” The guards hesitated, wanting to object. Ye Li had already impatiently moved past them, casually taking down an assassin attempting a sneak attack while coldly saying, “What’s there to discuss? Let’s deal with these people first.” As she spoke, she spun around smoothly to kick away another assassin’s attack, landing with her foot precisely on the first assassin who was trying to get up. The assassin on the ground let out a cry of pain before immediately passing out.

The two guards exchanged glances, deciding it was better to follow the Princess Consort’s orders and deal with these assassins first. Although even as well-trained guards they couldn’t quite identify what fighting style the Princess Consort was using, this didn’t prevent them from witnessing how she had blocked one assassin and knocked another unconscious in two moves. That unfortunate unconscious man on the ground would likely need three to five months of bed rest if lucky, or risk permanent paralysis if unlucky.

Having succeeded with her first strike, Ye Li felt more confident. Although she had some faith in her martial abilities, she had been uncertain about the depth of ancient martial arts. After all, she hadn’t encountered any situations requiring serious combat in this era. Judging by that Romance Prince’s lightness skill, it would be quite difficult to handle. Modern people, no matter how skilled, didn’t exactly fly around everywhere. Fortunately, not everyone possessed such flying lightness skills as the Romance Prince. If it came to close combat, Ye Li felt she could handle most skilled fighters.

These assassins hadn’t expected this seemingly harmless Princess Consort to immediately take down one of their own, and by the time they recovered their senses, a second man had fallen to Ye Li’s elbow strike.

In her previous life, Ye Li had studied various martial arts, from wushu to taekwondo to judo, and of course, had plenty of fighting experience from growing up with many siblings. After joining the military, especially the special forces, her training focus shifted from subduing opponents to eliminating them. Women naturally had less strength than men, so Ye Li had always specialized in technique and speed, in achieving lethal strikes in a single move. Few people dared to spar with her, not just women but even the men in her unit. Though somewhat rusty at first, after taking down two opponents, Ye Li gradually felt her former instincts returning. The results of her years of unrelenting physical training were also apparent – without it, no amount of combat experience or technique would have been enough if her body couldn’t keep up.

“Pri… Princess Consort…” Ajin, faithfully guarding Mo Xiuyao nearby, was struck speechless by the scene. Was that graceful and gentle Princess Consort the same person who had just kicked a man taller than himself so hard he coughed blood?

Ajin vaguely recalled one evening when he seemed to have witnessed the Princess Consort somehow knock Prince Li unconscious. He had always assumed she had used some kind of hidden weapon, but now it seemed entirely possible she had resolved it through physical means.

“Ali!” Mo Xiuyao’s voice rang out from behind her as a sword slashed viciously from behind. Ye Li quickly bent backward, narrowly avoiding the thrust of the blade. At the same time, a dagger that had appeared in her hand somehow swept across the sword-wielding wrist. She then gripped that hand and, using his stance as leverage, rose and twisted backward. With a crack, the entire arm gave way and the man collapsed limply, his eyes still open. Ye Li looked down in confusion to find that at some point, a small knife had been planted in the man’s chest, the blade buried deep with only the handle visible outside. Someone had delivered a fatal strike.

Ye Li raised an eyebrow, quickly evading the assassins’ entanglement to reach Mo Xiuyao’s side. Mo Xiuyao frowned and said, “Didn’t I tell you to leave first?”

While helping Ajin guard against the surrounding assassins, Ye Li countered, “What if we encounter another group outside? And might something happen to Sister-in-law?”

“People have gone to protect Sister-in-law,” Mo Xiuyao said calmly. “Wuyue Temple has many mechanisms. If those people had entered the temple first, we would have discovered them earlier.”

In this short while, more than half of the twenty-plus assassins had already fallen. The man who had been observing from the side gave a cold laugh and said, “The Dingguo Prince Manor’s guards truly live up to their reputation. It’s just a pity there are too few of them!” The man suddenly leaped up, his sword striking swiftly toward Mo Xiuyao. Ajin immediately stepped forward with his sword to block him. The two exchanged more than ten moves in an instant, but Ajin was, after all, only a teenager. One moment of carelessness and the man’s sword caught him, leaving a savage bloody gash on his right arm. The man ignored Ajin, pushing him aside with one stroke before turning back toward Mo Xiuyao. Ajin cried out in alarm, trying to rise to help but finding himself entangled by two assassins behind him.

“Ali, move aside.” Mo Xiuyao pushed Ye Li away while simultaneously sliding his wheelchair backward. Having avoided the first sword strike, an even fiercer second one followed immediately. A person sitting in a wheelchair naturally had far less mobility than someone standing. Mo Xiuyao tilted his head as a sword struck the wheelchair’s back, while simultaneously reaching out to grasp the blade. His sleeve flickered and a burst of hidden weapons shot toward the man. The man was inwardly startled and hurriedly withdrew his sword, quickly retreating several zhang to avoid the incoming projectiles. The man gave a cold laugh and charged forward again. He had identified Mo Xiuyao’s greatest weakness – his inability to move. No matter how skilled he was or how many hidden weapons he had, they would eventually run out.

Mo Xiuyao no longer tried to dodge. With a swooshing sound, a long whip appeared, immediately creating distance between the two men. For a moment, neither could gain an advantage over the other.

Ye Li stood to the side without rushing, occasionally helping to deal with anyone trying to sneak up on Mo Xiuyao while studying the man’s movements, looking for weaknesses.

Finally, when Mo Xiuyao’s whip entangled the man’s sword, Ye Li gave a cold laugh and pulled the golden hairpin from her head, throwing it at the man’s wrist. In the instant he was forced to release his sword, she closed in, her dagger mercilessly striking at his vital points. Ye Li’s techniques would be considered ruthless even among all martial arts manuals. In just three to five moves, the man had already taken wounds to his right arm and left shoulder. Ye Li gave a dissatisfied snort and took a risk, ignoring the man’s incoming palm strike to drive her dagger into his chest. The man’s face changed color, his right hand striking out at Ye Li with deadly speed and force. By now it was too late for Ye Li to retreat, when suddenly the thin end of the whip wrapped around her waist, quickly pulling her backward. Ye Li used the momentum to avoid the man’s right palm and landed steadily in front of Mo Xiuyao.

The man not far away had turned ashen, gritting his teeth as blood poured from his chest wound. When Mo Xiuyao’s whip had pulled her away, Ye Li had twisted the dagger embedded in his chest, the sharp blade turning almost halfway before being withdrawn, leaving a savage bleeding hole that couldn’t be stopped even when covered with his hand.

Ye Li looked down at the dagger in her hand, frowning slightly in dissatisfaction. This kind of dagger was like garbage compared to her favorite three-edged military dagger.

“Cough cough… what a formidable Princess Consort of Dingguo. Who would have thought you were hiding such skills.” The man pressed his chest wound, coughing once before speaking hoarsely.

“I don’t harm those who don’t harm me,” Ye Li stared at him coldly.

“I admit defeat today. Mo Xiuyao, you’re lucky to have married such a formidable Princess Consort.” The man glanced at his subordinates, who had been mostly defeated, knowing the assassination attempt had failed. Even though seven or eight were still fighting, his men could never match the Dingguo Manor’s guards in equal numbers. “But you can dodge once or twice, not ten or eight times. Mo Xiuyao, you know how many people want you dead, don’t you? Haha… I’ll wait for you in the underworld!” With that, the man gave up on Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li, shouting, “Abandon the mission, retreat!” Then, as the remaining black-clad assassins began withdrawing, he blocked the path of the pursuing guards, finally meeting his end with someone’s sword.

“Pursue them!”

Mo Xiuyao shook his head and said, “Don’t pursue a desperate enemy. Let’s return first.”

The guards who were about to give chase immediately stopped, examining the fallen assassins under Ajin’s command.

Ajin, ignoring his wounded right arm, gripped his sword tightly, “Princess Consort… so formidable.”

Ye Li shook her head, “Just lucky.” Though the battle seemed to have been won easily, without Mo Xiuyao’s help, even if she had managed to wound that assassin, she would have been seriously injured herself. After all, her strength and agility were still insufficient. There were several times when she had struck the man, but due to lack of strength, couldn’t cause serious damage. Even when she found openings in his defense, she sometimes couldn’t capitalize on them due to insufficient speed.

“Very formidable. Ajin couldn’t defeat him,” Ajin insisted.

Ye Li smiled and said, “If I couldn’t finish him within a quarter hour, I would have been the one to die.”

“Princess Consort is so formidable. Can Ajin learn martial arts from Princess Consort?” Ajin was a stubborn child, staring at Ye Li hopefully. If he had been as skilled as the Princess Consort, the Prince wouldn’t have needed to act earlier.

Mo Xiuyao looked at Ye Li with a complex expression and said, “I thought Ali only knew enough martial arts for self-defense. It seems I was wrong. Ali always surprises me.” He had watched her fighting earlier – that kind of gaze and clean, decisive strikes were not something ordinary women could achieve. Even many of the guards couldn’t match her decisiveness and ruthlessness. He dared say that even if three guards attacked her simultaneously, she might not be the one to lose. However, Mo Xiuyao couldn’t understand how Ye Li, raised as a sheltered young lady, could possess such skills. Anyone who didn’t know better would think she was a battlefield-hardened warrior rather than a noble young lady from a prestigious family.

Ye Li smiled faintly, not rushing to explain herself, saying only, “As long as Your Highness doesn’t find it shocking.”

Mo Xiuyao watched her for a long time before finally sighing lightly and asking, “Ali, are you the Ye family’s third young miss, the Xu family’s granddaughter?”

Ye Li said, “Of course I am.”

“Then… tell me when you want to.”

Ye Li was stunned, watching Mo Xiuyao for a long time without speaking. Given Mo Xiuyao’s situation and that of the Dingguo Prince’s Manor, such words were truly unexpected. After a while, Ye Li finally said softly, “Though I can’t tell you everything now, I can guarantee that I am Ye Li. Moreover, I married into the Dingguo Prince’s Manor without any ulterior motives.”

“I believe you. We’re husband and wife, aren’t we?” Mo Xiuyao said softly.

“Thank you,” Ye Li felt warmth in her heart as she spoke quietly. She had considered what to do if her differences were discovered, originally planning to learn martial arts from Mo Xiuyao’s master and gradually let people get used to it. This plan seemed quite unreliable; at least she wasn’t sure she could fool Mo Xiuyao, and if it aroused his suspicion, that would be even more troublesome. Now things were much simpler – at least Mo Xiuyao was willing to trust her. No matter how much trust there was, it was already much better than she had originally expected.