The First Jasmine - Chapter 140

Chapter 140 - The Western Ling Envoy

Upon the stage, the two combatants moved with agile swiftness, locked in a fierce and evenly matched struggle. The three-foot azure blade in Ye Li's hand flickered like a venomous snake, relentlessly probing for Chen Yun's vital points. Chen Yun was no slouch either, wielding his long spear in a seamless defense that left no gaps, leaving the two momentarily deadlocked. Gazing at the focused, solemn young commander before her, Ye Li offered a faint smile. Her longsword effortlessly morphed into a chilling flash of light, thrusting straight toward Chen Yun's face. Chen Yun hastily swung his spear to parry, only to find that the sword—originally heading straight for him—suddenly diverted mid-course, gliding smoothly up along the shaft of his spear. In that split second of hesitation, Chen Yun felt a chill against his neck; the tip of Ye Li's sword was already pressed lightly against his throat, while her other hand firmly gripped the shaft of his weapon.

Ye Li raised an eyebrow and smiled gently, "Captain Chen?"

Chen Yun lowered his spear and bowed in deep, solemn surrender. "The Princess Consort's swordsmanship is profound; this subordinate concedes defeat." Unwilling to make things difficult for him, Ye Li withdrew her sword, tossed it casually to Zhuo Jing standing by the edge of the stage, and turned back to smile at the generals below. "Are there any other generals who remain unconvinced? Feel free to come up and try your hand." The officers exchanged a few glances before a burly middle-aged man wielding a pair of twin maces leaped onto the stage, cupped his fists, and said, "Lu Feng, deputy commander of the Mo Family Army from Chizhou, requests to receive the Princess Consort's esteemed guidance."

Ye Li nodded slightly and took two steps back. Unlike Chen Yun, whose slender frame lent him agile swiftness, General Lu was clearly built as a power-type opponent at a single glance. Judging by his pair of twin maces, which weighed at least several tens of catties apiece, taking a blow from such heavy weaponry would be far from pleasant. Knowing better than to stubbornly rely on brute strength against brute force, Ye Li directly drew the dagger that she wielded with the greatest ease and fluency. Lu Feng glanced with mild surprise at the glittering, chilling dagger in Ye Li's hand. "Is this the Princess Consort's weapon of choice?" Ye Li nodded. "General Lu, please."

"Then this subordinate will take the offense. Princess Consort, please be careful." With that, Lu Feng swept one mace toward Ye Li with the rushing, thunderous momentum of a gale. Ye Li nimbly sidestepped, the dagger in her hand gleaming with a cold, frosted light in the morning sun.

Everyone watching below clearly noticed that with the dagger in hand, Ye Li posed a far deadlier threat than she had with the longsword. On multiple occasions, her blade swept dangerously close to Lu Feng's vulnerable spots. Had Lu Feng not possessed immense, boundless strength that infused every single strike and stance with a heavy, formidable pressure forcing her to evade his frontline blows, he likely would have fallen wounded beneath that compact dagger long ago. Clearly grasping Lu Feng's advantages and shortcomings, Ye Li refused to engage him in a direct head-on clash. Instead, she leveraged her speed and agility to constantly drain his stamina while waiting for an opening to strike. Though she failed to land a successful blow on Lu Feng, she still succeeded in keeping him thoroughly on edge and rattled. When Lu Feng once again raised both maces to bring them crashing down upon her simultaneously, Ye Li slipped to the side, executed a mid-air side kick, slapped her left hand against the ground, and drove her right dagger straight toward the ribs beneath Lu Feng's left shoulder. Realizing the danger, Lu Feng hurriedly raised his right mace to parry downward, but Ye Li had already flashed behind him in an instant. "General Lu..."

Lu Feng's body stiffened. The chilling edge of the dagger rested flat against his spine. Having campaigned for years, Lu Feng had naturally witnessed all manner of injuries and knew full well that if Ye Li's blade were to sink home, he would be looking at nothing less than lifelong paralysis. Lowering his twin maces, Lu Feng turned around, cupped his fists, and bowed deeply to Ye Li. "Thank you for holding back, Princess Consort. This subordinate submits." Ye Li smiled warmly. "General Lu possesses the strength to match a thousand men and extraordinary martial prowess. This princess holds you in high regard."

A brief silence fell over the crowd below before an eruption of cheering broke out, with the assembled soldiers raising their voices in enthusiastic applause. Having secured back-to-back victories, the officers were now utterly convinced of Ye Li's martial capabilities, and naturally no one else stepped forward to challenge her. Having fought two consecutive matches, even if she won a third, it would be an ungracious victory that risked earning her the reputation of a group of grown men engaging in a wheel-match against a single woman.

Seeing Ye Li step down from the stage, the others hurried forward to greet her. Lü Jinxian cupped his fists and smiled, "Witnessing the Princess Consort's skills firsthand today has left us subordinates in absolute awe. We rough-hewn men lacked manners and gave offense to the Princess Consort; we earnestly hope the Princess Consort will not hold it against us." Ye Li laughed lightly, "General Lü speaks too seriously; such minor matters are not worth taking to heart. I still have affairs in the city that require attention, so I must leave the military camp in General Lü's capable hands." Lü Jinxian quickly replied, "The Princess Consort can rest easy." Nodding, Ye Li cast an amused glance at Yun Ting. "Captain Yun..."

Rubbing the back of his head with a bitter expression, Yun Ting muttered, "Princess Consort, this subordinate knows he was wrong." Nodding with satisfaction, Ye Li smiled, "To recognize one's mistakes and correct them is the greatest virtue. Have you been keeping up with your reading lately?"

Recalling the period when he was first sent to the Mo Family Army by the Princess Consort and the towering mountain of books piled high in his room, the smile on Yun Ting's face turned even more wretched. "I have read them. I just finished Military Strategies." Ye Li's smile grew all the more affable. "Good progress. Coincidentally, I need a few copies of military treatises to use as teaching materials for the soldiers. Could I trouble Captain Yun to hand-copy ten volumes for me and deliver them in three days?"

"Understood, Princess Consort." With glazed eyes and a rigid posture, Yun Ting stared in blank horror as Ye Li turned and walked away.

"Brother, what's wrong with you?" Chen Yun asked, patting him on the shoulder as he watched him wear the expression of someone mourning a parent.

Giving him a silent, lifeless look, Yun Ting turned and trudged off. If he ever fought this guy again, he'd be a pig.

Frowning in bewilderment at the desolate, soul-crushed figure retreating into the distance, Chen Yun looked down at his own hands in utter confusion. They had merely traded a few blows; there was no need to be this petty, right? Feng Zhiyao strolled over, tapped him lightly on the shoulder with his folded hand fan, and chuckled, "Don't mind him; the poor lad is agonizing over how to copy all those books. If Captain Chen has some idle time, you could go help him write a few pages. I guarantee he'll treat you as a brother bound by life and death from that day forward."

"Copy books?" Chen Yun's face contorted slightly. Recalling the days of his childhood when his father and tutor used to chase him around demanding he copy texts, he hastily shook his head. "I'll pass. I'll go check if there's anything to eat, and once Captain Yun is worn out from copying, I can bring him a snack to boost his strength." As for copying books, absolutely not—his handwriting was completely unpresentable to human eyes.

While their departure from the city had been hurried and tense, the return journey was far more leisurely. Ye Li and her entourage strolled along at an unhurried pace, taking the opportunity to inspect the various security checkpoints and the condition of the commoners. Although a massive war was currently looming overhead, the residents of Jiangxia seemed remarkably at ease. They carried on with their daily lives in an orderly fashion, acting as though nothing out of the ordinary was happening—even though they had experienced a bloody battle just yesterday, teetering right on the brink of falling to the enemy. Early this morning, the commoners had still gone about opening their shops and stepping out onto the streets, utterly devoid of the panic and anxiety typically left in the wake of war.

Walking beside Ye Li, Feng Zhiyao twirled his folding fan while offering an explanation. "These commoners place their absolute, unwavering trust in the Mo Family Army. They believe that wherever the Mo Family Army stands, the city will never fall, and their homes will never be trampled by invaders."

Ye Li let out a soft sigh, unsure whether she should feel a sense of praise or worry. Being able to inspire such unshakeable confidence in the populace was something the Mo Family Army could rightfully take pride in. Yet... when everyone entrusted their entire faith—along with all their responsibilities—to the Mo Family Army and relied wholly upon them, what an oppressive, suffocating weight of pressure that truly was. No wonder the successive masters of the Prince Ding's Estate could never simply lay down everything and retire at the height of their success; the Prince Ding's Estate and the Mo Family Army had long since become the spiritual and literal backbone of Great Chu. Should the day ever come when the Mo Family Army ceased to be the Mo Family Army, what would become of Great Chu itself?

"Reporting to the Princess Consort, an envoy from Western Ling requests an audience." Just as they stepped up to the gates of the official residence, General Yuan Pei was already waiting outside. Spotting Ye Li and her group's return, he hurried forward to report. Frowning slightly, Ye Li asked, "A Western Ling envoy?"

With a solemn nod, Yuan Pei replied, "The Western Ling envoy requested an audience outside the city walls just a moment ago. This subordinate took the liberty of granting them entry; they are currently waiting in the outer courtyard for the Princess Consort's summons." Ye Li nodded. "General Yuan did well. Let's go meet this Western Ling envoy. Anyone bold enough to step foot inside Jiangxia at a time like this is bound to be no ordinary figure. Invite them to the study."

"Understood."

After changing into a fresh set of robes, Ye Li returned to the study. Moments later, General Yuan Pei escorted the Western Ling envoy inside. Leading the group was a middle-aged man with completely unremarkable, plain features, flanked by a military officer and three attendants. All five were dressed in ordinary civilian garb without swords or sabers at their sides, appearing entirely confident and devoid of any fear as they stepped into a city controlled by the Mo Family Army.

The middle-aged man glanced at Ye Li, stepped forward, and cupped his fists. "Mo Fei, retainer under the command of the Western Ling Prince of Zhennan, pays respects to the Eastern Chu Princess Consort of Prince Ding."

"Mr. Mo, please rise." Raising a hand slightly, Ye Li smiled, "What brings Mr. Mo here on this trip?"

Mo Fei swept his gaze across the people seated in the study and chuckled, "Indeed, the Prince of Zhennan does have a minor matter he wishes to consult with the Princess Consort about. However... I wonder if it might be possible to speak with the Princess Consort in private?" Ye Li smiled. "It's not that we cannot, but rather that there is no need. As the temporary commander of the Mo Family Army, holding private discussions with an enemy envoy goes against both reason and propriety. Moreover, there is nothing that cannot be said in the open; if Mr. Mo has business to discuss, please state it directly before everyone present."

To the side, Zhuo Jing let out a cold laugh. "Talk in private? Who knows if you lot are simply looking for an opportunity to assassinate our Princess Consort?"

Feng Zhiyao chimed in lazily, "You probably lack the capability to assassinate the Princess Consort, but one can never be too cautious against outsiders."

A flash of irritation crossed Mo Fei's face as he prepared to flare up, but he quickly reined it in. Looking up at Ye Li, he said, "Since the Princess Consort puts it that way, this subordinate will not press the matter further. I presume everyone present here consists of the Princess Consort and the Prince Ding's Estate's most trusted confidants?" Ye Li nodded indifferently, prompting Mo Fei to continue, "Our Prince has a letter he wishes to present to the Princess Consort; I ask that the Princess Consort peruse it."

With that, he drew a letter from his sleeve and presented it forward. Step forward, Zhuo Jing took the letter, inspected it thoroughly to ensure there were no hidden dangers, and then handed it over to Ye Li. Unfolding the missive, Ye Li scanned the contents for a few moments, then raised her eyes to look at Mo Fei—who stood in the center of the hall maintaining an unhurried, serene demeanor—and offered a faint smile before lowering her gaze to finish reading. After a long beat, she finally lifted her head, slowly folded the parchment back up, slipped it into its envelope, and calmly sized Mo Fei up. With a polite smile, Mo Fei asked, "Princess Consort, I wonder what your verdict is regarding what the Prince has proposed?"

"My verdict?" Ye Li echoed with a smile, slowly leaning back as she drawled, "Someone come—drag this man outside the city gates and execute him!"