Princess Lingyun's Farce

  Princess Lingyun's Farce: 58

  The moment she fell into the water, Ye Li couldn't help but curse. Although she had been working hard to train her skills and physique over the years, it was still a far cry from the rigorous training she had undergone in her previous life, where she had crawled and struggled through mud and rain. Moreover, this body, even if not pampered, was undoubtedly a delicate and refined young lady, and as soon as she entered the water, she couldn't help but feel a slight... Fortunately, Ye Li had mentally prepared herself and quickly adjusted to swim towards Lingyun Princess's direction, successfully grabbing hold of the struggling princess and dragging her underwater.

  It was clear at a glance that Princess Lingyun couldn't swim, and Ye Li couldn't help but sneer. Good, should she praise the princess for her bravery in sacrificing herself for love? She didn't know how to swim yet dared to jump into the water! Let her experience what it's like to drown, believe me, next time she'll know what it means to be cautious. Originally, Princess Lingyun wasn't too flustered, knowing someone would come to save her soon. But soon she found herself sinking rapidly to the bottom of the water, and she couldn't help but struggle even harder in panic. Ye Li hummed softly in her heart, clearly feeling the ripples in the water as she knew someone had entered the water. She quickly swam behind Princess Lingyun, knocked her out while she was still struggling, then dragged her to the other side until she estimated the princess was about to reach her limit before pushing her back up.

  It was as if only in an instant, all the people in the Imperial Garden had gathered by the lake. The first to arrive were the guards from Xiling Country and the guards inside the Imperial Garden, who had already jumped into the water to rescue people.

  "Someone's there!" a person by the lake suddenly shouted, and everyone rushed to look over. Indeed, they saw a colorful silk fabric emerging from the water surface, and then they also saw Empress Dingwang floating out, with one hand still holding Princess Lingyun. In everyone's eyes, it was clear that Empress Dingwang had saved Princess Lingyun.

  Ye Liri looked at the guards who had rushed over to their location and smiled at the still unconscious Princess Lingyun, "Princess, wake up. Princess... someone has come to save us." Originally, Ye Liri hadn't been able to rescue her in time, but after being pulled out of the water, Princess Lingyun quickly opened her eyes.

  However, she found Ye Liri smiling mockingly at her, and without caring about their current surroundings, Princess Lingyun shrieked, "Let go of me!" Then she struggled with all her might.

  "Princess, don't move. Be careful..."

  "This palace doesn't need you to interfere!" Seeing that the guard had already arrived in front of her, Princess Lingyun fearlessly pushed Ye Li away.

  Very well... Ye Li carried a terrified expression in the sight of everyone and sank back into the water in the direction that Lingyun Princess had pushed her.

  Princess Lingyun stepped ashore, and the palace maids waiting on the shore immediately presented her with dry clothes to put on. Qingyu and Qingxia glared at Princess Lingyun in anger, saying: "Your Highness, our princess kindly saved you, why did you push her!"

  Lingyun Princess lifted her head and indeed saw that many people in the scene were looking at her with condemning eyes, and she was taken aback. This was not what she had planned! "I didn't push her!" Huatian Xiang coldly said: "A princess dares to do but not dare to admit it. Even if you want to lie, can't you come up with a lie that can deceive people? Are you saying that all the eyes of the people present are blind?" Lingyun Princess angrily said: "It was she who pushed me down, I don't need her to save me." Zhaoyang Long Princess said with a stern face: "Your meaning is that Crown Prince's wife pushed you into the water and then jumped in to save you? As a result, you are safe and sound but she hasn't come up yet? It would be best for you to pray that Crown Prince's wife is fine. If not, I'm afraid it will be difficult for you to get away with this, even if you are the West Hill Princess of our Great Chu!"

  "Princess... found the princess..." Qingyu called out anxiously from the shore, as Qingfeng and Qingluan helped Ye Li float to the surface of the water, one on each side. The people on the shore quickly helped pull her up and put dry clothes on Ye Li, while Qingyu took her pulse. Princess Zhaoyang looked at Ye Li anxiously and asked, "How is she? Why hasn't the imperial physician arrived yet?" Qingyu replied, "Thank you for your concern, princess. The princess drank some water and fainted, so she should be fine. However... the princess needs a place to rest now." Princess Zhaoyang looked around and said decisively, "This is closest to the Chaoxia Palace, let's send the princess there." The crowd surrounded Ye Li, who was still unconscious, and followed Princess Zhaoyang to the Chaoxia Palace. Meanwhile, Lingyun Princess, who had also fallen into the water but was unharmed, was unintentionally ignored by everyone. As she watched the crowd hurry away, her face turned pale and then flushed again.

  "Princess..." The palace maid from Western Hill Country who was following her called out cautiously.

  "Get out!" Princess Lingyun shouted in anger.

  The atmosphere in the Chaoxia Hall was heavy, and inside the hall, Mo Xiuyao sat on the edge of the bed with a serious expression, staring at the woman who was sleeping soundly. The imperial physician carefully approached and took her pulse. The Princess Chang sat on one side, furrowing her brow and asking, "How is the Crown Prince's consort?" The imperial physician thought for a moment, glanced at Mo Xiuyao, and then replied, "Your Highness, the Crown Prince's consort is fine. She just... probably suffered some shock, and I will prepare some calming medicine and warming medicine." Princess Chang asked, "If she's fine, why hasn't she woken up yet?" The imperial physician explained, "This... after all, the Crown Prince's consort is a woman, and it's likely that she suddenly inhaled water and lost consciousness. However, inhaling water isn't serious, and she'll wake up after resting for a while." Princess Chang couldn't help but recall Ye Liri holding Lingyun Princess above the water surface when Lingyun Princess suddenly pushed her, and her expression became even more solemn. She nodded and said, "You can go prepare the medicine now."

  "I bid farewell."

  The room was left with only Princess Zhaoyang and Mo Xiuyao. Princess Zhaoyang stood up and said, "Xiuyao, take good care of the queen, I will personally help Queen Lingyun get justice." Mo Xiuyao nodded slightly, "Thank you, aunt, but let's wait for Arli to wake up before making a decision." Princess Zhaoyang sighed lightly and nodded, "As you wish, you stay with your queen. I'll leave first." After watching the princess leave, Mo Xiuyao pushed his wheelchair forward, staring at the woman sleeping on the bed for a while before asking, "Arli, are you planning to sleep through tonight's palace banquet?" Ye Liri's eyelashes trembled slightly as she slowly opened her eyes, "How did you know?" Mo Xiuyao shook his head and said lightly, "Instinct. If even the imperial physician couldn't deceive me, how could I not see it?" Remembering the imperial physician's strange expression when he said Ye Liri was just sleeping due to shock, a faint smile appeared in Mo Xiuyao's eyes.

  "A Lian, I didn't know you liked saving people in distress so much?" Mo Xiu Yao looked at Ye Lian calmly.

  Ye Li said helplessly: "I have no choice either. If I don't save her now, it would probably become me pushing her into the water."

  Mo Xiuyao's eyes flashed, "Just now outside, Princess Lingyun indeed insisted that it was you who pushed her into the water."

  "In the outside... she's really stubborn. So much trouble and still making a fuss?" Ye Li exclaimed. Underwater, she had indeed made a big deal out of Lingyun Princess, but didn't expect her to not want to see the imperial physician and yet still follow and make a scene. Thinking of the mastermind behind her own misadventure, Ye Li's clear eyes narrowed slightly, staring at Mo Xiu Yao's half-exposed handsome face: "Speaking of which, Your Highness... today's matter also originated from you. Do you have anything to say?"

  Mo Xiuyao raised an eyebrow, looking at her with a questioning gaze. Ye Li hummed softly and said, "That Princess Lingyun has devoted herself to the king, and she swore that she would definitely become the official wife of the Dingguo King's Manor."

  "Is this the Princess Lingyun of Xiling?" Mo Xiuyao furrowed his brow. Ye Li's eyes were fixed on him with a dangerous glint, "You wouldn't actually have some kind of long-standing agreement with this princess, would you?" Even a 7 or 8 year old girl could swindle and deceive, what a scoundrel...he deserved to be beaten to death!

  Mo Xiuyao shook his head and looked at Ye Li seriously: "I can confirm that I should have never met Lingyun Princess."

  "She's never met you before, so why would she cry and make a fuss about marrying you, and even jump into the lake by herself? Could it be... because of the status of the Dingguo royal family?" Ye Li was puzzled. She didn't suspect that Mo Xiuyao would deceive her on this matter. In fact, Mo Xiuyao and Lingyun Princess had known each other

  The chances were low to begin with, "It's said that... marrying into the Dingguo King's household doesn't seem to be in line with a Xiling Princess's interests. If Xiling wants to form an alliance through marriage, the best choice would still be to marry Lingyun Princess off to the Emperor."

  Mo Xiuyao looked at her with a hint of surprise, "How did you know that Xiling wanted to form an alliance through marriage?"

  "Otherwise, why would you come all the way here with a princess? Are you just making a social call?"

  Mo Xiu Yao said: "Xiling and our Great Chu have never gotten along, even though it's been relatively calm these past few years. But everyone knows the truth - sooner or later, we'll be at each other's throats again. Generally speaking, Xiling would never actually let a princess come to Great Chu for a marriage alliance."

  It's just like being a hostage, once the two countries go to war, no matter if you're a princess or a county lady, you can only be a pitiful sacrifice. Ye Li frowned and said that in this situation where both sides have their own calculations, even if the Xiling Emperor has many daughters and nowhere to place them, there's no need to send one over to his own enemy.

  Enemy.

  Mo Xiuyao looked at her frowning and deep in thought, leaning against the headboard, his eyes slightly warm, "No need to think too much, whether or not you want to form an alliance will be clear tonight at the palace banquet."

  When Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao walked out from inside, the crowd in the hall who were originally whispering to each other immediately fell silent. Obviously, what happened in the Imperial Garden had shocked many people, not just the Empress, but even the Emperor himself had come over. Along with him came everyone except Bei Rong

  The envoys of various countries. Seeing the two come out, Mo Jingqi's gaze first fell on Ye Li, and after a moment, he asked: "Ding Wang, how is Ding Wangfei?" Mo Xiuyao replied calmly: "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. Ali has no major problems." The empress nodded in relief:

  "It's good as long as Queen Jeong is fine." "Please sit down, Your Majesty."

  The two thanked the empress and sat down. The South King of Xiling Town, Lei Tengfeng, stood up and said loudly: "Ding Wangfei, Lingyun was just frightened and accidentally startled you, please forgive her." Before he finished speaking, Princess Lingyun beside him had

  He clutched his chest in pain and stood up, shouting: "Wang brother, I told you it was her who pushed me down!" Princess Zhaoyang frowned at Princess Lingyun, saying: "Princess, everyone present saw that it was the Crown Prince's consort who wanted to save you, but instead you pushed the exhausted Crown Prince's consort into the water.

  "The one who caused Princess Dingwang to faint." Lingyun Princess's face turned red as she said, "I have a witness."

  Princess Zhaoyang furrowed her brow and said lightly, "This palace knows that the princess just mentioned that your maid personally saw Crown Princess Ding push you into the water. However...the way you acted towards Crown Princess Ding in Fengde Palace and the situation in the water, it's likely that your maid's words will be hard to believe."

  Lingyun Princess shrieked, "Are you saying that I'm lying!" Zhao Yang Princess looked at her calmly, although she didn't respond, but the expression was enough to explain.

  "Lingyun, stop your nonsense!" Lei Tengfeng rebuked in a deep voice.

  The Princess Lingyun burst into tears and said angrily, "Fine! You don't believe me? I'll prove it with my death!" After speaking, she pulled out a golden hairpin from her head and was about to stab herself in the heart.

  "The princess cannot——!"

  "Surpassing the clouds——!"

  Lei Teng's swift and agile hands quickly grabbed Lingyun Princess's arm, snatching the hairpin away. He looked at his spoiled younger cousin with a headache, while also casting a suspicious glance at Ye Li across from him. Although this younger cousin was always prone to causing trouble, such an intense reaction

  But it hasn't happened yet, could she really be wronged?

  "King's wife, I don't know if you can ask you to say what was going on at that time?" Lei Tengfeng stared into Ye Lixi's eyes and asked.

  Ye Li calmly met his gaze, speaking softly: "I don't know what happened either. Princess Lingyun was talking to me, and then suddenly fell into the lake for some reason. Then I also fell in."

  Lei Tengfeng's eyebrows furrowed even tighter, staring at Ye Lili with some wariness: "You fell down too? Then do you know how you fell?"

  Ye Li shook her head, "Princess Lingyun suddenly fell backwards and I was so startled that before I could react, she had already fallen into the lake."

  "The Empress Dowager seems to be able to walk on water." said Lei Tengfeng.

  Ye Li smiled shallowly: "It's not that I'm good at it, it's just that when I was a kid, I almost drowned in water, so I learned a bit. It's just that after all, I don't have experience, so..."

  Ye Li seemed to say nothing, but what she said was indeed heard by everyone present. Even in their minds, the outline of the whole thing was smoothly outlined. Everyone saw with their own eyes that it was Princess Lingyun who insisted on pulling Queen Wang and talking to her, presumably they were saying something.

  An unpleasant thing happened, Princess Lingyun was momentarily agitated and didn't notice that she fell into the lake, taking Empress Ding with her. If it were just this, it could be barely considered an accident, but surprisingly, although Empress Ding saved Princess Lingyun, Princess Lingyun still repaid kindness with ingratitude to Empress Ding

  The princess of the defeated kingdom fainted underwater. And taking advantage of the victim's fainting, he declared that it was the other party who pushed himself into the water. Suddenly, everyone in the grand hall looked at Princess Lingyun and the envoy of Xiling with changed eyes. Originally, the nobles of Da Chu didn't have a good impression of the people of Xiling, now they are even more

  How disgusting! What kind of people are these from Xiling?

  "In fact, Princess Lingyun doesn't have to be so desperate. After all, this is the Great Chu Imperial Palace, if something unexpected happens to Princess Xiling, wouldn't it damage the friendship between Xiling and our Great Chu? Although I am a woman, I would never do anything that would harm the peace between the two countries."

  "It's just a matter of time." Yeli looked at Lingyun Princess and said calmly, "But I have some doubts. The princess and I came from the Imperial Garden, we both left our maids behind. According to reason... whether it was the princess herself who fell down or I...

  "The princess pushed her down, and your maid can't see unless she stands by the lake. I don't know how they saw me push the princess down with their own eyes? Your Majesty, Empress Dowager, may I ask for my maid and Princess Lingyun's maid to come in together?"

  The emperor glanced at Mo Jingqi and saw that he had no objection, so he nodded and said, "Let's do as the princess says."

  Qing Luan and the others quickly entered, accompanied by Lingyun Princess's maids from Xiling. It was still Zhao Yang Princess who spoke up and asked: "You few were following the Queen and Princess at that time, weren't you?"

  Qingyu took a step forward and said, "Reporting to Your Highness, at that time, Princess Lingyun said she wanted to have a private conversation with Her Royal Highness the Queen, and she also ordered her own palace maid to withdraw first. Therefore, the Queen also instructed us slaves not to follow." Princess Zhaoyang raised an eyebrow and continued to ask, "So, did you see..."

  "What exactly happened by the lake at that time?" Qingyu shook her head and said, "Between the lake and the Imperial Garden, there is a fake mountain that blocks our view. We were far away and didn't see what happened." Lingyun Princess's maid stepped forward and said, "We saw

  "It was the Empress Dowager who pushed our princess down."

  Princess Zhaoyang said, "The artificial hill by the lake is also known to this palace. When this palace was young, it had even played inside before. If you stand behind the artificial hill, you are absolutely impossible to see what happened on the lake at that time."

  "We were not behind the fake mountain at that time!" The maid blurted out.

  Princess Zhaoyang raised an eyebrow and looked at Princess Lingyun with a hint of a smile, asking: "Oh... where were you guys at that time?"

  "We... we are at the peach forest by the lake." The maid seemed to think she had misspoken, and hastily glanced towards Xiling before forcing out an answer.

  Princess Zhaoyang nodded, "If it was there, then it's indeed possible to see. But I want to know, why did you all originally waiting in the back appear on the side of the peach forest after circling almost half of the imperial garden? I remember that between the peach forest and the lake's artificial hill, there is a small river separating them. And the bridge seems to be quite far away." "This..." In front of so many people, including the Emperor and Empress of Great Chu, this maid didn't dare not answer Princess Zhaoyang's question, and could only say: "It...the princess ordered me to go over there...to go over there..."

  Princess Zhaoyang smiled and said, "What's over there? If you say it's to pick some peach blossoms in March, that might be believable. But now that it's almost June, ordinary people wouldn't go there."

  "Slave... slave..." The maid was in a panic, wanting to ask Princess Lingyun for help, but at this time, Princess Lingyun herself couldn't think of any reason that could be self-consistent, and she strongly argued: "No matter how my maid is over there, at least it can prove that they really saw the princess being pushed into the lake by her."

  The princess stared at the maid with her phoenix eyes, not blinking for a moment: "Since you said it was Ding Wangfei who pushed Lingyun Gongzhu, then how did Ding Wangfei push her? Was Lingyun Gongzhu facing Ding Wangfei or turning her back or sideways to her? Did Ding Wangfei use her left hand or right hand to push her? Did the Lingyun Gongzhu who was pushed into the water by Ding Wangfei cry out for help? If so, what did she say?" The maid's face stiffened, and after a while, she said: "The slave remembers...the princess was facing away from Ding Wangfei at the time. Ding Wangfei used both hands to push the princess. After being pushed into the water, the princess struggled and cried out for help."

  Lei Tengfeng's face sank on one side, and he secretly scolded a fool in his heart.

  Zhaoyang Princess's expression changed, and she said sternly: "How dare you! You even dare to lie in front of the Emperor and Empress! At that time, the guards who rushed to the lake for patrol said they didn't hear any cry for help, but only heard your shout and came over. They only knew someone had fallen into the water when they saw ripples on the surface. Why did you hear Lingyun Princess's cry for help? Or is your martial arts skill high and your senses more acute than those of the palace guards?"

  "I...I..." The maid barely managed to squeeze out this long string of responses, already at the end of her rope. Scolded by the princess, she immediately softened and fell to the ground, "Princess spare my life, Princess spare my life, I am but a lowly servant..."

  "Shut up!" Lei Tengfeng suddenly spoke out, "You obviously didn't hear Lingyun's cry for help. Princess Chang asked you a question, just honestly answer what you know, don't add oil to the fire and talk about things that aren't true." The maid was taken aback, hastily nodding her head, "Yes...yes...I was wrong, I didn't hear the princess's voice asking for help..."

  Lei Teng turned around with a smile and bowed to Ye Li, saying: "Your Highness, please forgive me. This little girl has been following Ling Yun since she was young and hasn't seen many grand scenes, so it's understandable that she got nervous and mistakenly blamed Your Highness. Ling Yun has always trusted this little girl, and today she was frightened and misled... I hope Your Highness will be magnanimous."

  Ye Li looked at Ling Yun's expression, which refused to admit fault, and her smile turned slightly cold. "The young master is being too serious, it wasn't a big deal to begin with. However... this is the first time I've attended a palace banquet and something like this happened, it's really embarrassing for the Dingguo King's household. Maybe... what Princess Ling Yun said has some truth to it. Princess, don't you think so?"

  Lingyun Princess hummed and turned her head away, refusing to look at Ye Lian.

  The Ronghua County Princess sitting beside the Zhao Yang Princess suddenly raised an eyebrow and smiled, asking: "What did the Lingyun Princess say that made the Ding Wangfei also agree?"

  Ye Li sighed softly and said, "The queen is so rude, losing face for the Dingguo King's mansion and the king. Who knows, maybe tomorrow the king will give me a divorce letter, and it seems that the Queen of Dingguo will be replaced."

  The queen rebuked in a low voice: "Nonsense, this is just an accident, would Ding Wang be so inhumane?"

  Mo Xiuyao, who had been quietly watching the play, nodded solemnly and said, "The Empress is right." He turned to Ye Li with a smile and said, "Don't worry, no matter what happens, you are my legitimate wife, the official consort of the Dingguo Kingdom. Whoever dares to question you is questioning me and the dignity of the Dingguo Kingdom!" Princess Zhaoyang also smiled and said, "Xiuyao's words are right. Whoever dares to question the King's Consort is going against me. Just put your mind at ease, everyone knows that you were wronged today."

  "Your Highness, Your Majesty, Princess, I don't understand what's going on, but it seems there's been a misunderstanding about the Queen. I'll take responsibility for her and apologize. Please forgive her."

  Ye Li lowered her eyes and remained silent, with a humble and obedient demeanor as if waiting for Master Wang to take charge.

  Mo Xiuyao said lightly, "Young Master, apologizing is something that should be done in person to show sincerity. Don't you think?" Lei Tengfeng was taken aback, Mo Xiuyao wanting Lingyun to apologize personally was completely a slap in the face, not leaving any room for saving face. After thinking for a moment and glancing at Ye Li, Lei Tengfeng said, "Lingyun is still young, it's my fault as her older brother for not teaching her properly, so I should be the one to apologize." Mo Xiuyao raised an eyebrow, his lips curling up slightly, "Perhaps Young Master should teach the princess what it means to take responsibility for one's actions and how to be accountable. Can today's incident be considered a provocation by Xiling against my Dingguo King's Manor?" Princess Lingyun's eyes had already turned red with grievance after being scolded in front of her crush.

  Lei Tengfeng's heart skipped a beat, he would have directly apologized to Lingyun Princess if he knew Mo Xiuyao's attitude would be so tough from the start. Losing face is better than losing one's life! Lingyun must stay in Eastern Chu, and if she offended Mo Xiuyao, Lei Tengfeng could still protect her when he was there, but if he left, who knows how she would die? Today's events made Lei Tengfeng believe that Lingyun indeed wanted to target Ding Wangfei, but as for whether this Ding Wangfei was truly innocent, Lei Tengfeng didn't believe it one bit. What's more, Mo Xiuyao directly escalated the matter to the attitude of Western Hill Country towards the Ding National Palace. Although Mo Xiuyao is now disabled, the power of the Ding National Palace still has the Black Cloud Riders who make the world tremble. If Mo Xiuyao showed some weakness, it would be better, but his tough attitude made Lei Tengfeng even more wary. Western Hill Country currently does not need war.

  "Apologize to Princess Ding Wang!" Almost immediately, Lei Tengfeng made a decisive decision to Princess Lingyun.

  "What? Apologize to her?" Princess Lingyun shrieked, causing everyone present to furrow their brows. Even the elegant and refined Duchess Ronghua couldn't help but curl her lip in disdain. As the proudest princess in the capital, she would never stoop so low as to be so rude in such a setting. The upbringing of the Princess of Xiling was truly eye-opening.

  Lingyun Princess glared at Ye Lixi, saying: "Why should I apologize to her? As the most noble princess of Xiling, can she afford for me to apologize?"

  Ye Li frowned, "The princess refuses to apologize, is she looking down on me?"

  "What do you have that's worthy of my attention?" Princess Lingyun raised her chin proudly, looking at Ye Li with a slanted gaze. She had already investigated Ye Li thoroughly over the past few days - a neglected miss from the Shangshu Mansion who was infamous in the capital as one of the "Three Nothings" - no talent, no virtue, and no looks. Even the Prince of Lei couldn't bear her reputation and abandoned her. It was just good luck that she was assigned to the Duke of Ding by the Emperor. As for being the champion of the Hundred Flowers Banquet, in Princess Lingyun's eyes, it wasn't worth paying attention to - Ye Li had simply been lucky.

  Yelü's eyes flashed with a cold light, constantly comforting herself in her heart: She's still young, no need to see things from the same perspective as her... she's still young! This girl is just asking for trouble, if she were still in the army, someone like her would have been stripped of a layer of skin long ago. "So... does the princess look down on me or look down on the identity of the Crown Princess of Dingguo Kingdom?" Yelü asked.

  "You're not even worthy of being the Crown Princess!" Princess Lingyun shouted. Ye Li pursed her lips and smiled sweetly at Princess Lingyun, everyone present couldn't help but think that she had a good temper and was well-bred. "So, Princess, who do you think is worthy of being the Crown Princess?" If you have the nerve to say it's me... I'll admit defeat.

  Lingyun Princess let out a snort and quickly glanced at Mo Xiuyao. Unfortunately, the fallen flowers had intentions, but the flowing water was heartless, and Mo Xiuyao only looked at her with a faint smile, completely unaware of Lingyun Princess's resentful gaze. Even if Lingyun Princess could declare her ambitions for the position of Queen in front of Ye Lian, she still didn't have the face to express that only she was worthy of being the Queen in front of so many people. On the other hand, Ye Lian found it strange and intriguing that Lingyun Princess's expression was so... deep. This girl had never seen Mo Xiuyao before, yet on their first meeting, she could display such... intense emotions. If it were eight years ago, it might have been possible to say it was love at first sight, but the current Mo Xiuyao really lacked the conditions for someone to fall in love with him at first sight. Could hero worship really make a girl infatuated like this? Even so, shouldn't she be worshipping her own country's heroes instead?

  Is this princess also a person without borders?

  "If it were in the past, Princess, you looking down on me wouldn't be a big deal. But now... I, as the Imperial Consort, cannot let the ancestors of the Dingguo Royal Family be shamed because of me." Ye Li stared at Lingyun Princess. Lingyun Princess haughtily said: "This princess absolutely will not apologize to someone who is inferior to this princess!" Ye Li raised an eyebrow, "Earlier, Princess invited me to a sword match, but I declined. How about we try again now? If I lose, today's matter... I'll consider it as me pushing the responsibility onto you, Princess, for you to handle. But if you lose..."

  "Impossible!" Princess Lingyun said: "This princess will never lose to you!"

  Ye Li ignored her and continued: "I want the princess to kneel down and apologize in front of all the officials, military officers, and noblewomen at the palace banquet."

  "You! The princess has agreed." Before Leiting Feng could stop him, Lingyun loudly said: "If you lose, the princess will make you kowtow three times and knock nine times from the palace gate all the way to the busiest place in the capital, and then admit to everyone that you are not worthy of being the crown princess!"

  Ye Li nodded calmly, "It's settled then."

  "Hold on!" Princess Zhaoyang stood up and said: "This palace remembers that Empress Ding never knew swordsmanship."

  Ye Li smiled and said: "The princess is right, so we won't compare swords or arrows. I believe Princess Lingyun will also be able to do it, right?"

  "Hah! You want to compete with me in archery?!" Princess Lingyun seemed to have heard a joke, and looked at Ye Lixiao with disdain, bursting out laughing. "I started learning archery at the age of seven, and by ten, I could hit my target every time. Can... you even draw a bow?"

  Ye Li lowered her eyebrows and smiled slightly, "Does the princess mean it's no comparison?"

  "This princess is afraid you'll lose too miserably. Since you're so overconfident, I'll just grant your wish. You tell me, how do we compete?"

  Ye Li smiled in satisfaction, stood up and said to Mo Jingqi and the Empress: "So, I trouble Your Majesties to bear witness." Mo Jingqi looked at her and asked: "Princess Ye, have you made up your mind? You must consider carefully." Ye Li smiled: "I beg Your Majesty to grant my wish. The dignity of the Dingguo Duke's manor cannot be trampled on."

  Mo Jingqi's expression changed slightly, staring at Ye Li for a long time before saying in a deep voice: "Alright, I agree."

  Ye Li bowed respectfully and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness." Then he turned around and smiled at Princess Lingyun, saying, "Princess, please."

  "Hmph!" Princess Lingyun turned around and walked out of the palace first. Ye Li smiled calmly and warmly, strolling along to catch up.

  Lei Tingfeng followed behind, watching the woman's straight and determined back, and for some reason, he felt a bad premonition in his heart.