120 Shocks

at a small hill five miles outside Jiangxia City. Ye Liuy brought along Qin Feng and Zhuo Jing, as well as several specially trained soldiers from Qin Feng's unit and a dozen bodyguards. Although cap...Fright

Fright

"Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, the Prince Ding王府 does not plan to hold a wedding."

The moment these words were spoken, the grand hall fell silent. Almost everyone's eyes turned towards Ye Li. Among them, Helian Huimin and Concubine Liu on the dais had the most intense gazes. Helian Huimin probably did not expect that Ye Li would dare to reject her in front of the entire court and the Empress Dowager in the palace. This actually put herself in a difficult situation. If the Prince Ding王府 insisted on not marrying Helian Huimin, she would lose face completely. Meeting Helian Huimin’s gaze filled with anger and shock, Ye Li smiled faintly. Could it be that because of her usual gentle behavior, this Miss Helian thought she wouldn’t dare to reject the marriage publicly

"Princess Consort Ding," the Empress Dowager frowned and looked at Ye Li unhappily. In fact, the current Empress Dowager did not want any connection with the Prince Ding王府. When her youngest son rebelled against her without even a word of warning, leaving her in an impossible situation, she realized that this son could not be relied upon. And for women in the palace who had no sons to depend on, even if they were powerful, it would all be in vain. Although her power was now restricted, Queen Consort still treated her with respect as usual, so she only wanted to enjoy her twilight years peacefully within the palace. Unfortunately, while she wished to withdraw from the political arena, her emperor son did not want her to retreat. Therefore, after Mo Jingqi encountered a refusal at Mo Xiuyao’s place, he pulled her out and hoped that she could put pressure on Princess Consort Ding. The Empress Dowager, now outside of the situation, saw things more clearly and understood that this Princess Consort Ding was not someone who could be easily controlled.

Ye Li smiled at Xu Lady nearby and turned to look back at the Empress Dowager with a clear and resolute voice, "Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, the Prince Ding王府 has no plans for a wedding recently. In fact, as long as this Princess Consort is still in the position of Princess Consort, His Royal Highness will not take any concubines."

The grand hall erupted into a commotion.

"Princess Consort Ding, you are being reckless!" Princess Zhao Ren suddenly stood up and pointed at Ye Li: "You, as a woman, dare to stop the Prince from taking a concubine. You have no virtue whatsoever. How can such an envious wife befitting of a prince" Princess Zhao Ren's only beloved daughter had been sent off in a marriage alliance with Beirong, and she was still very angry about it. She also held much resentment towards Ye Li on a daily basis, so she naturally stood up first to challenge her.

Ye Li looked lazily at Princess Zhao Ren, who seemed to have disliked her from the beginning. No, it should be said that Princess Zhao Ren did not like Mo Xiuyao and thus also disliked her as well. Usually, if Ye Li made way for her, it was fine, but today’s matter could not simply be avoided by doing so. Therefore, Ye Li had no intention of apologizing to her and said with a faint smile: "Princess Zhao Ren should mind your words better. Our royal husband does not wish to take concubines or secondary wives, as his wife, I must follow his wishes naturally. Could it be that I should join others in forcing the prince Princess Zhao Ren speaks of virtue; do you know about following one’s husband after marriage"

Princess Zhao Ren's face turned red and pale alternately. Who did not know in the capital city that Princess Zhao Ren had been unable to bear a son, controlled her consort, and forbade him from getting close to concubines or secondary wives This was why her consort was still childless even at forty years old. Fortunately, he was only the second-born son; if it were his eldest son, no matter how high Princess Zhao Ren’s status, she could not suppress the dissatisfaction of a powerful noble family. Now, when words of virtue came from her mouth, they had a sarcastic undertone. With a stern expression, Princess Zhao Ren harrumphed: "Even so, as the wife of Prince Ding, you should consider the descendants of the Prince Ding王府 and help it to flourish. Even if His Royal Highness is momentarily confused by someone’s witchcraft and does not take a concubine, you as his wife are also responsible for advising him; otherwise, you don’t deserve to be called virtuous."

Ye Li raised her eyes and smiled faintly: "When did I ever say that I deserved the title of virtuous If being virtuous means spending my days looking for beautiful concubines for my husband, I’m sorry, but I am not virtuous and have no intention to be."

"You… you…" Princess Zhao Ren was so furious that she could hardly speak, her finger pointing at Ye Li shaking for a long time without uttering a word. Ye Li showed no hesitation and raised an eyebrow at her with a smile.

The empress in the hall saw the Long Princess almost faint from anger and flashed a hint of amusement before speaking out, "Alright, if there is anything to say, just say it calmly. Don’t get angry, Long Princess. Princess Consort Ding, one must not be disrespectful when taught by elders."

Ye Li nodded respectfully and said, "The Empress’ teachings, Ye Li will surely remember the elder’s guidance and take the Long Princess as a role model without daring to violate it."

The empress dowager frowned slightly and coughed lightly. Looking at Ye Li, she said, "Princess Consort Ding, this time Emperor bestowing marriage on Miss Helian is both family affairs and state matters. Princess Consort Ding should prioritize state matters and not act recklessly out of whim."

Ye Li felt an anger rise within her. What was going on with these people If it were a man being promiscuous, that would have been one thing, but forcing men to be promiscuous by sending women into their households themselves—what was the point of doing this when she didn’t like propriety and virtue Ye Li stood up and said coldly, "The Empress Dowager is joking. A marriage alliance between two countries cannot be so casual; the King of Beirong never mentioned dispatching someone to form an alliance with Princess Consort Ding’s household at that time. If it truly was a matter of state, where is the letter from the country of Beirong Without such a letter, then it must have been decided by some individuals privately. Do you think Princess Consort Ding’s household is somewhere anyone can enter as they please Miss Helian wants to enter Princess Consort Ding’s household; there are positions for maids waiting to be filled in the household. With just an unclear identity of being an adopted daughter, one cannot expect to enter Princess Consort Ding’s household! Miss Helian, give a clear identity and then speak with this princess consort!"

Helian Huimin stood up, her beautiful face full of rage, "Even if you are the Princess Consort of Ding Kingdom, I am still an esteemed lady from Beirong. How dare you shame me so recklessly"

"An esteemed lady from Beirong" Ye Li raised her brows disdainfully, "This princess consort has never heard that an esteemed lady’s identity is someone else’s adopted daughter who cannot even reveal the details of their birth parents."

The people present understood what Ye Li meant. Even in the Great Chu Kingdom, despite a foster father's status being far higher than one’s biological parents, when speaking to others outside they would first mention their blood relatives before adding something like "the adoptive daughter of so and so." Helian Huimin never mentioned her birth parents’ identity at all; this could only mean that her parents' status was not merely low but very low. Considering some customs in Beirong, there weren’t many noble people as handsome as Ye Liye, most Beirong nobles were unattractive by the standards of the Great Chu Kingdom. On the contrary, those who looked good among the Beirong were mostly slaves, or captives from other countries sold to Beirong, with quite a few being descendants of the Great Chu people. Therefore, not mentioning her birth parents made one suspect whether Helian Huimin was the offspring of a Beirong slave. If this were true, bringing such a person back into Princess Consort Ding’s household as a concubine would be a huge joke. The noble ladies’ gazes towards Helian Huimin couldn’t help but become subtle and more filled with disgust and contempt. Slaves in Beirong had an even lower status than servants or maids in the Great Chu Kingdom. They were subject to arbitrary life and death, tasked with doing dirty work that most people wouldn't do, and didn't receive silver monthly wages; many female slaves were also mistreated and abused by their masters.

Helian Huimin was an extremely intelligent person who couldn’t help but notice the change in everyone’s gazes. She looked at Ye Li with even more resentment.

The empress dowager hesitated as she glanced at Helian Huimin; she didn’t know Helian Huimin's true identity either. If it were so, spreading her real status would only make officials and military personnel dissatisfied with the emperor’s marriage decree, even believing that he was deliberately trying to humiliate Princess Consort Ding’s household, "Princess Consort, you might have overstepped. Since Beirong is friendly with our Great Chu Kingdom, they naturally understand our customs. The women sent for a marital alliance are naturally of noble status; perhaps Miss Helian lost both her parents early in life and grew up in General Helian's household, so it’s become a habit"

Ye Li hadn’t intended to stick to the identity issue with Helian Huimin either. If Helian Huimin had an inferior background, spreading this wouldn't benefit Princess Consort Ding’s household much anyway. Standing up, Ye Li glanced at Helian Huimin and looked directly at the empress dowager, "Empress Dowager, I am declaring here that unless His Highness agrees to take a concubine into the household personally, no one will enter.

The dowager empress secretly frowned, wondering why they had to go through all this trouble with the Consort Wang if it was possible to approach the Prince Ding directly. "Consort Wang, the emperor’s decree has been issued. Don’t you know that one cannot defy an imperial order Do you want the emperor to renege on his word"

Ye Li smiled and raised her head. "Then there is only one way out: have the emperor and dowager empress issue a death sentence for this consort. When I’m gone, the position of Consort Wang will be vacant, allowing His Royal Highness to take another concubine. At that time, who he marries or takes in will no longer concern me."

"Consort Wang!" The dowager empress was furious. Ye Li remained calm and composed, showing no reaction at all. With a cold smile, the dowager empress said, "What if哀家 insists on bringing Miss Helian into the palace"

A faint smile appeared on Ye Li’s face as she revealed a glint of cold light in her hand. "Then the Dowager Empress would have no objections to having both a wedding and funeral at Prince Ding's residence simultaneously, wouldn’t she This consort guarantees that the funeral will be more grandiose than the wedding."

The people present were startled; they looked at Consort Wang’s gleaming dagger and realized that even those few who had other intentions now put their fantasies to rest. Even a despised illegitimate daughter from an ordinary household could still bring some benefit to her family through marriage, but entering Prince Ding's residence would only offend Consort Wang and lead them into trouble for no reason. Seeing the woman before them with a gentle smile on her face, they dared not doubt that she was merely joking earlier. Ye Li smiled as she glanced at everyone present, her gaze stopping on Helian Huimin before she said with a smile, "How about it Does Miss Helian still insist on entering Prince Ding’s residence"

Helian Huimin took a deep breath inwardly and looked defiantly at Ye Li. "If Consort Wang wants to kill this lady, she won’t have the ability to do so. Can such a short dagger really scare me off" The daughters of Northern Rong were all trained in martial arts from childhood. Although Helian Huimin’s background was slightly lower than those around her, she had been raised by Helian Zhen since childhood, and naturally wasn’t weak in martial skills. She instantly drew the curved saber in its gem-encrusted scabbard from her side and pointed it at Ye Li.

"Miss Helian, how can you casually draw your weapon before the Dowager Empress Put it down," the empress frowned and rebuked.

On the other side, Concubine Liu calmly said, "Didn’t anyone scold Consort Wang when she drew her weapon just now"

The empress smiled lightly. "Sister has forgotten that our ancestors decreed that Prince Ding and Consort Wang may carry weapons in the palace."

Concubine Liu sniffed and turned away, no longer paying attention to the empress, who didn’t argue with her but simply gave a nonchalant smile.

Looking at Helian Huimin holding that ornately decorated curved saber towards herself, Ye Li smiled faintly as she pursed her lips.

Huo Lian Huimian frowned and said, "Why are you smiling"

Ye Li smiled and said, "To be honest... there are quite a few women who have their eyes on my husband. Today, this Queen Consort will start with you!"

"Arrogant!" Huo Lian Huimian sneered and swung her curved knife at Ye Li. Ye Li casually moved to the side, evading it effortlessly. Huo Lian Huimian continued to attack relentlessly. As a woman raised on the vast grasslands, Huo Lian Huimian wielded her curved knife with great vigor. However, after about ten slashes, Ye Li laughed crisply and said, "Have you finished, Miss Huo Now it's my turn." Compared to Huo Lian Huimian’s overwhelming display of power, Ye Li’s moves were simple yet effective; the audience couldn’t even understand what was happening before they saw her approach Huo Lian Huimian and grab her returning hand while kicking away her leg. With a flash of cold light in her other hand, she thrust towards Huo Lian Huimian's chest without any hesitation.

"Queen Consort Ding, please hold back!" The Empress and the Queen called out together.

Realizing that she could not break free from Ye Li’s grip, Huo Lian Huimian closed her eyes in resignation. She was unwilling to accept defeat. She believed that her martial arts skills were top-notch even among women of Northern Rong, but she had been defeated by a woman from the Chu Kingdom without knowing what hit her. Yet now it didn’t matter anymore; no matter how reluctant she was to lose, death awaited...

A few moments passed and the pain that Huo Lian Huimian expected did not come. Confused, she opened her eyes to see Ye Li push her aside without any courtesy and calmly put away her dagger. Having walked through the gates of hell, Huo Lian Huimian was still dazed. She could feel that Queen Consort Ding wasn’t just trying to scare her; the killing intent that hit her made it clear she had narrowly escaped death.

After such a shock, Huo Lian Huimian couldn’t speak for a moment and stood motionless in the hall.

The Empress’s face turned green with anger. She said, "Queen Consort Ding, you’re very bold! Alright… I’m getting old and can no longer manage these matters. Queen, take care of this afterwards; I’ll be returning now." After saying that, she massaged her chest and had the palace maids nearby help her leave.

With the Empress stepping down, the Queen could only苦笑 (bitter smile). Lady Liu looked at the Queen and asked, "Your Majesty, how should we handle this"

The Queen smiled and said, "Of course, we’ll report it to His Majesty for him to decide. But after today… I believe resolving this won’t be difficult. Sister, don’t you think so" If Huo Lian Huimian still dared to seek marriage into the Ding Kingdom Mansion, Lady Liu could only admire her courage.

Lady Liu lowered her head and looked at Ye Li below, with more complex and profound emotions in her eyes. The Queen ignored her and simply smiled and said, "I like Queen Consort Ding’s character. When she acts, it's impressive. She handles matters decisively and efficiently; I believe that those who want to marry their daughters into the Ding Mansion will have to think twice now." Smiling faintly at Ye Li below, the Queen’s eyes contained admiration and praise. the King Ding王府 was announced with great pomp and circumstance across the land within a short time. Furthermore, King Ding decided to hold a grand banquet for his first month celebration, inviting no...