Mo Xuyao's injury

  Mo Xuyao's injury

  "A Li, be careful!"

  Just as she was about to leave, Ye Li suddenly heard Mo Xiuyao's voice and quickly turned around. A sleeve arrow shot towards her. The dagger in Ye Li's hand also fell out instantly. In front of her, Qing Ying moved swiftly and a figure pounced on her, pinning her to the ground.

  "Mo...Xiu Yao..." Ye Li called out hesitantly, reaching out to support Mo Xiu Yao's back, and instantly felt a dampness.

  Moxi Yao fell weakly by her side and smiled faintly: "It's okay..."

  "Your Highness!" Ah Jin rushed over to help Mo Xiuyao up, Mo Xiuyao's face was pale and furrowed his brow, saying: "I'm fine. See if there are any survivors."

  Ye Li sat up and looked forward, the person who had just shot out a sleeve arrow was lying on the ground with his own dagger inserted into his heart. And that person... was actually the one she had knocked unconscious earlier. She couldn't help but smile wryly in her heart, having left the battlefield for too long really made her forget what it meant to be vigilant? She had actually left several people alive in this bloody battle. No... in fact, except for this last one, she hadn't killed any of them. If all these people were to wake up at some unknown time... she couldn't help but feel a chill run down her spine.

  A warm large hand covered hers, Mo Xiuyao looked at her with a faint smile and said: "A Li, I'm fine."

  Ye Li lightly bit her lip and said resentfully, "You're not even bothered after getting hurt? What would it take for you to consider it a big deal?" Letting Ah Jin support Mo Xiuyao, Ye Li stood up and retrieved her dagger, wiping it clean before tearing open the back of his clothes to check the color of the blood that flowed out. It looked normal, so she assumed there was no poison on the arrowhead, and only then did she slightly relax. Just then, Mo Xiuyao spoke in a low voice, "If I don't die, it's not a big deal."

  Ye Li clenched her teeth and waved her hand, letting Ah Jian and the people beside him take him back to Wu Yue An. Without her orders, there were already dark guards flying out, presumably to invite a doctor.

  Back at the Wu Yue An, as expected, there were no assassins to disturb them. Madame Wen had received news of their arrival and was waiting for them at the door, greeting them warmly and leading them to a prepared guest room. Although Mo Xiuyao's injury didn't look too severe now, Ye Li had examined the assassin's sleeve arrows earlier and they all had reverse barbs, which would make removing the arrow a bloody affair. Worried about frightening Madame Wen, Ye Li asked her to return to her room and rest first. Madame Wen looked at her with an expression of concern before leaving to prepare food for them.

  Mo Xiuyao sat on the bed, wincing occasionally due to the wound on his back. Ye Li asked worriedly, "Is it very painful? The doctor will arrive soon." Mo Xiuyao smiled bitterly and said, "Even if the doctor comes, he'll only be able to remove the arrow. It's better to let Ah Jian come instead. He should be more skilled than those doctors." Ye Li furrowed her brow and looked at Ah Jian sideways, "Can he remove the arrow? This sleeve arrow has a reverse hook." If it were an ordinary arrow that hadn't hit any vital spot, pulling it out directly would be fine. However, arrows with reverse hooks are extremely difficult to pull out, and if forced, they might tear off a large piece of flesh. Ah Jian shook his head solemnly.

  Mo Xiuyao couldn't help but say, "If it had pierced directly through, that would have been more convenient."

  Ye Li coldly gazed at him and couldn't help but mock: "If it had gone down another two inches, it would have really been convenient."

  "A Li... are you angry?" Mo Xiuyao sighed, his warm gaze looking at her as if the person with an arrow still stuck in their back wasn't him.

  "I...” Ye Li lowered her head, somewhat disheartened, and after a while, she calmed down and said: "Sorry, I was scolding myself." If it weren't for her carelessness and underestimating the enemy, if it weren't for her being distracted by her thoughts, Mo Xiuyao wouldn't have gotten hurt. After so many years of living in peace, her vigilance had actually regressed to such an extent that on the battlefield back then, she would have already died seventeen or eighteen times.

  The doctor indeed arrived quickly, as he was being dragged by the collar. This doctor surprisingly had a few points of bravery and was able to run with his feet off the ground without changing color, and went forward to examine Mo Xiu Yao's injuries. After examining the wound, the doctor took the sleeve arrow brought back by Ye Li and looked at it for a while before opening his mouth: "Either I use a knife to cut open the wound and take out the arrow, or...I'll push it in a bit further and take it out from the front of the chest. Which do you think is better?"

  "Let's go with the last one."

  "Take it out from the front."

  Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao said in unison, and after finishing, they couldn't help but glance at each other. Ye Li casually shifted her gaze away and asked, "Doctor, what do you think?" The doctor nodded in satisfaction, saying, "The two of your choices are very wise. Although it seems painful to take the arrow out like this, it's just a brief pain. But using a knife to slowly cut open the flesh is a slow and torturous process, and even if it heals, it will be slow."

  "The doctor seems to be quite skilled at treating arrow wounds?" Ye Li asked while supporting Mo Xiu Yao and looking at the doctor who was making preparations with ease.

  The doctor replied without lifting his head: "I used to be a military doctor."

  So that's how it is.

  The doctor cleaned the arrow tail, then grasped it and pushed it forward without hesitation. Mo Xiuyao's body tensed up in an instant, one hand tightly gripping Ye Li's arm. Ye Li silently supported him, watching as the doctor put a sturdy strap around the exposed arrowhead with the hook and pulled it out with force. A blood flower splashed out, and the entire sleeve arrow immediately left Mo Xiuyao's chest. The doctor took some strong liquor from beside him to clean the wound, then applied medicine with skilled hands and bandaged it up with white cloth. Only then did he lift his head to wipe away the sweat beads on his forehead, saying: "It's done, no vital organs or bones were hurt. Just change the dressing once a day and take care of it for now."

  Ye Li looked at the bloody water in the basin beside her and the pile of blood-stained gauze on the ground, asking: "Do you need to take something? Something like a hemostatic?"

  The doctor snorted and said, "Prince Wang is still young and in good health, just take care of him. If the princess is really worried, she can stew some Four Materials Soup, Angelica and Rehmannia Soup, or Red Date Soup." Watching the doctor leave with a few packets of external medicine, Ye Li felt a bit embarrassed - why did she think those soups sounded like something women would drink? "This doctor... has quite a personality."

  Mo Xiuyao smiled faintly: "That's our family's exclusive doctor. He used to be the military doctor of the Black Cloud Riders."

  Mo Xiu Yao was injured, and Wen Shi left two people in Wu Yue An to recuperate until he got better before returning to the capital. However, Mo Xiu Yao refused, and Ye Li also did not object. Since those assassins dared to openly attempt to kill Mo Xiu Yao near the capital, they would definitely not give up after failing once. Wen Shi had already made up her mind to ignore worldly affairs, and their presence here would only bring unnecessary danger to her. When the dark guards sent by Ding Wang Fu arrived, Mo Xiu Yao left a portion of the dark guards to protect Wen Shi and took Ye Li back to the capital.

  The Crown Prince was seriously injured near the capital, which is not a trivial matter. However, it seems that Mo Xiuyao has ordered the news to be sealed off, and when they returned to the capital, the nobles in the city seemed to be unaware of Mo Xiuyao's injury. As for Mo Xiuyao, he didn't need to attend court every day like ordinary people, so he could just stay at home and rest. However, there was one thing that made the two of them feel helpless - as soon as they returned to the mansion, Sun Shangshu used the excuse that the Crown Prince's injury needed someone to take care of him personally and had Mo Xiuyao sent directly to Ye Li's courtyard. Lin Shangshu, Wei Shangshu, and Mo Zongguan were naturally delighted and enthusiastically instructed the servants to move Mo Xiuyao's belongings into the new house as well. Their excited and joyful appearance seemed to have forgotten that their master had just been stabbed and seriously injured.

  Due to the joint efforts of everyone in the mansion, Ye Li had no choice but to take on the task of changing Mo Xiu Yao's medicine every day. Even though Ye Li was once a soldier who had been through life and death, seeing the scars on Mo Xiu Yao's body still made her feel shocked. The tightly wrapped chest and back wounds, as well as some other miscellaneous injuries, made it difficult for people to associate this body with Mo Xiu Yao's gentle and refined appearance. Ye Li also somewhat understood what Mo Xiu Yao meant by "as long as I'm not dead, everything is fine". Being able to survive such severe injuries must have been a near-death experience that ordinary people couldn't imagine. Every time she applied the medicine, seeing the calm man in front of her smiling at herself, Ye Li's heart would involuntarily ache slightly. However, she wasn't someone who liked to dwell on things, and quickly attributed this unusual emotion to Mo Xiu Yao being injured because of her, and soon threw herself into making up for it and correcting the situation.

  Ye Li refused the proposal of Mo Xiuyao to invite a skilled swordsmanship teacher for her, and instead devoted all her time except handling household chores and taking care of Mo Xiuyao to secretly practicing in the courtyard's hidden martial arts arena. She was training very specifically to improve her strength and speed. At the same time, she also practiced a certain type of internal power recommended by Mo Xiuyao, but Ye Li knew that this kind of thing couldn't be achieved overnight. As for the rumors about internal power being able to move mountains and split rocks when practiced to its strongest degree, Ye Li didn't understand: why would she need to use her own hands to move mountains and split rocks? If she could recover to her peak condition, without internal power, she could still break a person's bones with just one punch. What made Ye Li satisfied was that this body had great potential. In Mo Xiuyao's words, it was good material for practicing martial arts.

  So, Ye Li spent most of her time in the training hall every day. The original training hall in the mansion was changed a lot by her. It just so happened that only she and Mo Xiuyao used it, and Mo Xiuyao didn't care how she changed or practiced. Occasionally, he would come to the training hall to take a look at her training without doing anything else. On the other hand, Ah Jian had been obsessed with Ye Li's skills against enemies since he saw them. Every time he followed Mo Xiuyao, he would stare at Ye Li and Qingfeng and Qingluan who practiced with Ye Li, almost begging the queen to take him as a disciple.

  Mo Xiuyao also came from a military background, and at first, he didn't see the benefits of Ye Li's training. However, as time passed, he naturally saw the door open. Seeing Ah Jian pitifully glancing at the three slender figures in the martial arts arena, Mo Xiuyao couldn't help but speak up for him. Ye Li just smiled and said, "I'm only doing rehabilitation training now, focusing on building strength, speed, and endurance. There's no secret to it. It's just that Ah Jian doesn't have as much time since he follows you around every day." The word "rehabilitation" made Mo Xiuyao raise an eyebrow, and he smiled faintly, saying, "Do you think this kind of training will allow you to contend with high-level martial artists?"

  Ye Li shrugged helplessly, took the handkerchief handed over by Mo Xiuyao and wiped his sweat, saying: "Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. This method of mine is important because it takes less time, and the requirements for human talent and wisdom are not so high. Take the internal skill heart method you gave me, for example, without considering talent and wisdom, even if I practice for ten hours a day, how long will it take to achieve something?"

  Mo Xiuyao was lost in thought, and Ye Li smiled slyly at him: "My training may not be able to produce a martial arts master who can fly over rooftops and walk on walls, but it can bring a healthy person's physical condition to its peak within a year. With targeted training in various skills... even a martial arts master only has one life." Mo Xiuyao understood that many people have good bodies, but not everyone can become a martial arts master. Ye Li seemed to be planning to take a different approach, bypassing internal strength and using a method that could make someone strong.

  "A Li's idea is very special. I look forward to A Li's outcome." Mo Xiu Yao said with a smile.

  "Thank you." Ye Li smiled. She didn't mind revealing some things to Mo Xiuyao, because only Mo Xiuyao could provide her with what she needed.

  In the entire mansion, only two people were dissatisfied with Ye Li's infatuation with martial arts - Lin and Wei. It was clear that no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't understand why their elegant and refined mistress had become fond of dancing with knives and guns after marrying into the Dingguo King's mansion. They even thought that women should prioritize gentleness and that being too strong would make the king dislike her. Ye Li felt like turning around and running away whenever she heard Lin and Wei's voices. Mo Xiu Yao just watched with an amused expression, not saying a word, allowing Ye Li to be bombarded by the two women's nagging.

  "Your Highness, Your Highness. The invitation from the Li Wang Fu has arrived." Mo General Manager personally handed over a large red gold dragon and phoenix auspicious wedding invitation, Ye Li stretched out her hand to take it and raised an eyebrow saying: "Li Wang welcomes Ling Yun princess as his consort?"

  Mo Zongguan also knew that the current Princess Li was her own princess's sister, and explained: "The notice from the Li Wangfu said it was to welcome Lingyun Gongzhu as a concubine."

  These past few days, Ye Li has been busy with Mo Xiu Yao's injury and her own matters, so she hasn't had time to pay attention to things that don't concern her. She almost forgot about the marriage between Ling Yun Gong Zhu and Qi Xia Gong Zhu, and asked curiously: "So... did Qi Xia Gong Zhu really enter the palace?" Mo Zong Guan replied: "Qi Xia Gong Zhu is currently still living in the Shao Yang Long Gong Zhu's residence. The Emperor and Empress Dowager seem to want to choose a good day in August to welcome Qi Xia Gong Zhu into the palace. However, the title has already been bestowed, and the Emperor has already conferred Qi Xia Gong Zhu as Xia Fei. As for Ling Yun Gong Zhu, because Zhen Nan Wang's son is about to set off to return to Xi Ling, the wedding was rushed a bit." What Mo Zong Guan didn't say was that although Ling Yun Gong Zhu was a Ping Fei, she wasn't like a Di Fei after all, so naturally, it wouldn't require as many preparations.

  "When is the wedding?" Mu Xiuyao asked.

  "In three days."

  Mo Xiuyao nodded and said, "Alright, Steward, go prepare a gift for the king and queen on our behalf."

  Mo Zongguan hesitated and said, "Does the king mean to attend the wedding?" The king had just been stabbed, so going out to attend a wedding was naturally a cause for concern. Mo Xiuyao smiled lightly and said, "Can't not go out just because of this little thing? Go prepare."

  "Yes." The ink general quickly responded and left. He not only had to prepare the congratulatory gift for King Li, but also carefully arrange the guards and secret guards around the king and queen, ensuring that nothing went wrong.

  Watching Mo Zongguan hurry away, Ye Li sighed helplessly and looked at Mo Xiuyao: "I don't know why, but I always feel that the peaceful days are about to disappear again?" Mo Xiuyao raised an eyebrow and asked: "Do you like peaceful days?" Ye Li nodded, "It's best to be calm and peaceful, a lifetime of smooth sailing until old age, and then die in bed without any regrets."

  Mo Xiuyao shook his head, "If so, why bother practicing martial arts?" Mo Xiuyao always thought that Ye Li was a very contradictory person. Although she appeared to be elegant and refined like a noble lady, her impression on him from the beginning was different from ordinary noble ladies. Sometimes she even seemed more like a general's daughter than Murong Ting did. Occasionally, the sharp aura flashing between her eyebrows was not something an ordinary woman could exhibit.

  Ye Li sighed, "You can just assume I like to be safe and sound." Even if she told herself that she wanted a peaceful life like a traditional lady, Ye Li knew in her heart that it was impossible for her to completely hand over control of her life to someone else like Wen Shi did. She could compromise on the different treatment from her father, she could compromise on all the complicated rules and etiquette she wasn't used to, and she could even compromise on her own marriage. But she would never be able to compromise on the essence of who Ye Li was as a person. She couldn't let herself become a weak woman who didn't know how to do anything and relied on others for everything, including self-defense. There were many things she had prepared for that she might not use in her lifetime, but she would rather keep them there forever than discover one day when she needed them that she didn't have them.

  "If you don't like those trivial matters, A Li, then you don't have to bother with them." Mo Xiuyao said: "Someone will take care of those things later, besides... the Dingguo royal family doesn't need too many social interactions either."

  Ye Li was suddenly enlightened, and the silence of the Dingguo Wangfu for so many years was actually in line with the intentions of that person in the palace. Over the years, slowly suppressing the prestige of the Dingguo Wangfu in Dachu, if she, as the newly appointed Dingguo Wangfei, were to be too active now, it would only make the Emperor wary. Thinking of this, Ye Li's mind suddenly flashed with inspiration, and she abruptly raised her head to look at Mo Xiu Yao: "Why did Nan Zhao and Xi Ling suddenly form an alliance with Dachu through marriage?" The reason she had given to Ling Yun Gongzhu earlier was just a lie to fool a child. Xi Ling and Dachu were like sworn enemies, and if Xi Ling suffered a disaster, it would be strange if Dachu didn't take advantage of the situation. How could a single princess's marriage possibly resolve this?

  Mo Xiuyao's eyes flickered slightly as he said lightly: "Nanzhao is just a convenient stop, the one who truly wants to form an alliance with Great Chu through marriage is Xiling."

  Ye Li lowered her eyelids, and for a moment, the thoughts in her mind were racing so fast that she couldn't grasp anything. After a long while, she raised her head and asked, "If another war breaks out in Da Chu, what will happen to the Dingguo King's Manor?"

  Mo Xuyao was taken aback, a hint of sorrow flashing across his eyes that was hard to detect. After a long time, he spoke in a low voice: "The Dingguo Wangfu has no one who can go to war, and within five years, the hundred-year reputation of the Dingguo Wangfu will be lost." The common people are always forgetful. Even though the Dingguo Wangfu had protected Great Chu for over a hundred years, even though in their eyes, Great Chu was like a god of war, but once another war broke out and the Dingguo Wangfu was powerless, they would not remember the past glory, only their incompetence. However...the Dingguo Wangfu could not blame them, because they were not wrong.

  "In the study, it was quiet for a long time before Ye Li's voice faintly sounded. Looking at Mo Xiu Yao's expressionless face, he sighed softly, isn't it good if everyone lives in peace and stability? Why drag the people into the merciless flames of war for some completely unnecessary reasons. Ye Li felt that she would never be able to understand the thoughts of those in power."

  Ye Li suddenly felt that this man was pitiful. He should have been as majestic and heroic as his ancestors, pointing at the mountains and rivers with a flourish. But instead, he could only rely on his youthful energy to turn the tide when his brother passed away suddenly. As early as eighteen years old, he had already paid out everything he could, just to maintain the prestige of the Dingguo royal family for a hundred years. After losing his robust health and handsome appearance, he still had to carefully face the scrutiny and calculations from all sides, as well as the unknown threats that might strike at any time. Intelligent as he was, perhaps he had already seen through the future of the Dingguo royal family, but he refused to admit defeat.

  "Can... one really retreat?" Ye Li asked, but as soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted her own naivety. Since ancient times, how many of those with great achievements and shocking fame have been able to retire completely?

  Mo Xiuyao said calmly: "If Mo Xiuyao retreats, where will the 800,000 Mo family soldiers and 50,000 Black Cloud Cavalry go?"

  Ye Lian was silent. The people of the Mo family, as clever as the former regent king Mo Liu Fang, and even the masters of the Mo family in the past few generations, would not be stupider than themselves. Although the master of the Dingguo Wangfu could leave with a few words, where could they go? However, the hundreds of thousands of troops who were loyal to the Mo family and the Dingguo Wangfu were not so easy to leave. When Da Chu was in trouble, they needed them, but when the country was at peace, each one became a thorn in the emperor's eye and a stab in his heart. Once the master of the Dingguo Wangfu left, their best outcome would be to be dispersed and suppressed, while the worst outcome was something no one dared to imagine. Hundreds of thousands of troops, in the eyes of the emperor, were sometimes not even as valuable as a chess piece in his hand.

  "If the Northern Rong really rekindle the flames of war, how do you plan to handle it?" Ye Li asked.

  Mo Xiuyao looked at her and calmly said, "Lead the troops to conquer. Ah Li, when the time comes, I will send you to Yunzhou. With Qingyun Master there, no one dares to do anything to you, if I...the royal family would not dare to touch you either."

  Ye Li furrowed her brow, suddenly feeling a bit absurd. They were originally discussing Mo Jingli's marriage to Ping Fei, so why did they suddenly end up on this topic? Clearly... clearly it was still something that didn't even have a shadow yet. But the faint unease in her heart told her that their previous conversation wasn't just her momentarily spacing out and coming up with nonsense. Even if she had spaced out, Mo Xiu Yao wouldn't have gone along with it.

  Turning a deaf ear to Mo Xiuyao's words, Ye Liruo changed the subject as if nothing had happened, "The King of Li is going to marry Princess Ping, shouldn't I go back to the Ye family for a visit?"

  Without waiting for Ye Li to consider it, before noon, someone came to inform the old lady of the Ye family that she had invited Wang Fei back to the Ye family for a meeting.

  Back at the Ye Manor, Ye Li was directly invited into Old Lady Ye's courtyard. As soon as she stepped into Rong Le Hall, she saw Ye Li's eyes red and swollen from crying and Wang Shi's angry shouting. Old Lady Ye and Ye Shangshu sat with equally gloomy expressions. Ye Li pouted slightly, somewhat understanding what was going on. "Grandmother, Father."

  "Lier..." Old Lady Ye's eyes lit up when she saw Ye Lier enter, and she hastily beckoned her to come forward. Ye Lier's mouth twitched slightly, and she remained silent in her heart. The old lady shouldn't think that she could control the Emperor's decision on marriage, right? As a Crown Princess, not only couldn't she stop the King of Lei from marrying a princess, but even if he wanted to take a concubine, it was also beyond her control... "Lier, you're finally back. Look at your sister...Yinger is really pitiful..."

  Ye Li walked forward and looked at Ye Ying, who was crying in Wang's arms. She sat down beside Old Lady Ye and asked, "Fourth sister, what's wrong?"

  "Ying'er has only been married for less than a month and the King of Lei is already going to marry Princess Ping. What kind of face will our Shangshu Fu have? How can your sister live like this in the future?"

  Ye Li nodded and said: "Just now, our Wang Ye also received a letter from the Lei Wang Fu. At this time, Fourth Sister is not in the palace to preside over matters, what is she running back here for?" Wang Shi glared with anger and said: "What are you saying?! Now that Ying Er has become like this, you still blame her for coming home? Ye Li, are you or aren't you human?! Father, look..."

  "Shut up!" Old Lady Ye glared at Wang Shi and scolded, "Li'er is right. I've been talking to you for half a day, but it seems like you're just ignoring me? The Li King's household is currently busy with the wedding preparations. If Ying'er, as the legitimate queen, doesn't take charge, how can others respect her?" Wang Shi said discontentedly, "Is it fair that the Li King wronged Ying'er and now she has to help him with the wedding preparations?" Old Lady Ye sneered, "The Emperor's words are the heavenly principle. You were also present at the imperial decree that night, why didn't you come out and refuse the order then? Don't give Ying'er any more bad ideas."

  Ye Ying's mind was still reeling from her conversation with Mo Xiuyao that afternoon, and she had no interest in listening to them now. She endured their words of comfort for a few moments, but Ye Ying didn't appreciate it. With tears welling up in her eyes, she hugged Wang Shi and sobbed, "Waaah... Father, it's all your fault! Why did you have to marry me off to the Lei King? If not for that, I wouldn't be suffering like this today... This was originally supposed to happen to her..."

  "Ying'er!" Ye Shangshu's low growl, his face dark and glaring at Ye Ying. The unprecedented gloomy expression made Ye Ying involuntarily hide in Wang Shi's arms, sobbing pitifully. Ye Li silently lowered her eyes, subtly covering the turmoil in them. So... it wasn't Ye Ying's intention to hook up with Mo Jingli from the start? Then... what did her father mean by letting one of his daughters seduce another daughter's fiancé?

  "Alright, things have already turned out this way, what's the point of saying all this?" Ye Shangshu waved his hand impatiently and looked at Ye Li, "Li'er, how do you see it?"

  Ye Li covered up the doubts in her heart, raised her head and calmly said: "The imperial decree is difficult to disobey, let alone this matter concerns the diplomatic relations between the two countries. I'm afraid there's no room for negotiation."

  Ye Shangshu frowned and said: "Can't it just be like this? If it were someone of low status, that would be fine, but she is the princess of Xiling Kingdom."

  Ye Li smiled faintly: "It's precisely because she is Princess Xiling that we don't have to worry, isn't it, Father?"

  Ye Shangshu sank into thought for a moment, his brow gradually relaxing as he said, "That's right, the future heir of King Li will absolutely not have the bloodline of the Xiling imperial family. Moreover, that day in the palace, Princess Xiling performed such an act, I'm afraid King Li has some resentment towards her in his heart. As long as Ying'er can grasp the major power within the manor, there's no need to worry about a princess who is engaged to be married."

  "Fourth Sister wants to gain a foothold in the mansion, but I'm afraid she'll have to start with Empress Dowager Xianzhao." Ye Li said softly.

  "What?" Ye Ying couldn't help but shriek: "That old woman has always looked down on me, and you still want me to fawn all over her? She's always been trying to torment me! I..."

  Ye Li furrowed her brow, interrupting her: "Xian Zhao Taifei is the paternal aunt of King Lei and also the younger sister of the Empress Dowager. You don't want to flatter her more than people think. Moreover, I didn't ask you to flatter her either; just let her not find fault with you, best if she thinks you're a satisfactory princess consort." Xian Zhao Taifei has been in the palace for decades, how could she be easily flattered? It's likely that when the time comes, one will end up drawing a tiger but getting a dog instead, and the flattering words will fall flat.

  Yue Ying said resentfully: "Since our grand wedding, she has been picking on me. Whatever I do is not right! How can I satisfy her?"

  "When she picks on you, just bear with it. When you have time, go ask your grandmother how to be a virtuous wife. You are the sister of Zhaoyi and the daughter of the Shangshu Mansion, holding the title of Di Wangfei. Your advantages far surpass those of Princess Lingyun, who was married off to another country. If you can't even do this, then just pack your things and come back to the Shangshu Mansion. Compared to Father and Madame not minding supporting you for a lifetime."

  "You!" Ye Ying suddenly forgot her grievances and annoyances, her small face flushing red as she glared at Ye Li with eyes that seemed to be shooting fire. She sneered and retorted, "Well, if you couldn't bear it, you would have cried and run back to the Prime Minister's residence by now. If I were you, I'd rather hang myself with a rope before getting married." Ye Li was too lazy to argue with her, calmly putting down the teacup in her hand and glancing at her, saying, "If you had the energy to get angry with me, it would be better to go back and do what you should be doing."

  Yeying wanted to retort, but Ye Old Madam slapped the table and said: "Ying'er, that's enough! Learn from your third sister properly, look at what you've become now!"

  Ye Ying was stunned, thinking of her own affairs and couldn't help but burst into tears again. Wiping away her tears, she said: "What can I become? Who is to blame for my current state? Now in the capital city, who knows how many people are secretly laughing at me...Waaah...How could Prince Wang treat me like this...what did I do wrong?"

  Mrs. Ye was so annoyed by her crying that she scolded, "Enough! What's the use of crying? You only know how to cry all day long. Now that you're married, don't think you can still behave like you did when you were at home. Someone, go and invite King Li to come and take Fourth Miss back."

  Grandmother.

  Ye Li stopped her and said, "Since Fourth Sister has returned, it's not a bad idea to stay for a while longer. The King of Lei should come personally to receive her. If we send someone to invite the King of Lei now, we'll be at a disadvantage."

  Ye Shangshu looked at Ye Lian with a nod of approval and said, "Mother, Lian'er is right."

  Mrs. Ye pressed her temples and sighed: "I'm being driven crazy by her."

  "Old madam, old master, madam, Li Wang has arrived." The steward outside the door reported.

  Digression

  It's not just the male lead's injuries, but also the miserable situation between the male lead and Dingguo Wangfu... Some readers may feel that the development of these two people's emotions is too slow, but neither of them are easy to fall in love. However, don't worry, there will be later... Let's see what it means to give up everything for you, what it means to kill for you until the mountains and rivers are all red... Haha~