The First Jasmine - Chapter 141
Chapter 141 - Prince of Zhennan
"Men, drag this person out and execute him!"
Everyone froze in surprise. Yuan Pei looked at Feng Zhiyao, who turned his head to glance at Xu Qingze, who was sitting to one side reading a book. Perhaps because Feng Zhiyao's gaze was too intense, Xu Qingze—who rarely spoke—put down his book, raised his head, and said to Ye Li, "Little Sister, when two armies meet in battle, one does not execute the envoy." Ye Li gave a faint smile and replied, "Thank you for the reminder, Second Brother. So then, Mr. Mo, will you walk out on your own, or shall I order my men to throw you out?" Mo Fei looked around at the crowd and gave a cold laugh. "So this is how the Consort of Prince Ding of the Eastern Chu treats her guests?" Ye Li said casually, "If a guest comes, I naturally treat them with the courtesy due a distinguished visitor. But if a thief comes, there is no need for me to be polite, is there?" Mo Fei raised an eyebrow and looked at her. "Is the Princess Consort truly not going to consider our Prince's proposal?" Ye Li looked down on him, gazing at him with a indifferent expression, a remarkably icy smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "Mr. Mo, do you truly believe that I will not kill you?"
The smile on Mo Fei's face stiffened slightly. Since he had been sent as the envoy of the Prince of Zhennan to meet Ye Li, he naturally possessed true ability. How could he fail to see the hidden killing intent and coldness within the eyes of the beautiful, green-robed woman before him?
Mo Fei forced a laugh, nodded, and said, "I understand. In that case... I shall take my leave." After saying this, Mo Fei cupped his hands to Ye Li, turned, and walked outside. Coming to Jiangxia City this time, he had originally thought it would be an easy matter. After all, no matter how high the Consort of Prince Ding's rank and power were, she was still just a woman whose everything relied upon Prince Ding. Mo Fei had not taken her very seriously. He had never expected that the Consort of Prince Ding would give him no chance at all, forcing him into a hasty retreat before he even had the opportunity to speak of the matters he intended to discuss.
Ye Li stared at his departing back and smiled faintly. "Stop him."
Before her voice had even faded, two figures swiftly appeared at the doorway from the left and right, blocking Mo Fei's path. Mo Fei's eye twitched. He turned around, glared at Ye Li, and demanded sternly, "Princess Consort, what is the meaning of this?" Ye Li smiled and said, "If Mr. Mo wishes to leave, please feel free. As for the Prince of Zhennan, I am afraid I must trouble you to stay for a short while." Mo Fei's complexion changed slightly, and he forced a laugh. "What Prince of Zhennan? What kind of joke is the Princess Consort making?" As soon as Ye Li's words left her mouth, the people present immediately scanned the four individuals following Mo Fei with vigilance. Setting aside the tall and burly martial general, they locked their targets onto the three attendants. Feng Zhiyao, Yuan Pei, and Qin Feng swiftly shifted their positions, while Zhuo Jing casually moved closer to Xu Qingze's side. Ye Li stared with a smile at one of the men and said, "Your Highness, Prince of Zhennan, since you have already come, why bother hiding?"
A moment later, a burst of unbridled laughter echoed in the room. The tall, slender man wearing an attendant's clothes standing in the middle casually wiped his hand across his face, and his originally unremarkable appearance instantly changed. The Prince of Zhennan was only in his early fifties. His features bore a seventy to eighty percent resemblance to Lei Tengfeng, yet carried more grace and overbearing majesty. However, the look in his eyes as he gazed at Ye Li made one feel particularly uncomfortable; any man would understand what the gleam flashing within them represented. Anger and killing intent flashed across the faces of Feng Zhiyao and the others in unison. Ye Li did not fly into a rage. In her past life of over twenty years, what kind of person had she not seen? A degree like this was not enough to make her lose her composure. With a calm expression, she looked at the wildly laughing Prince of Zhennan without speaking. Only when the Prince of Zhennan seemed to have finally laughed his fill did he walk over to a chair on the side and sit down. Mo Fei and the other three stood respectfully behind him. Even though he was clad in servant's attire, it was still difficult to conceal the wild, arrogant majesty surrounding him.
"How did the Princess Consort see through it? What fine eyesight, I truly admire it," the Prince of Zhennan said in wonder.
Ye Li pressed her lips into a smile. "Zhuo Jing, what is the most important thing I taught you all when attempting to infiltrate using disguises?"
Zhuo Jing replied in a deep voice, "To be plain, ordinary, and unremarkable."
The Prince of Zhennan raised an eyebrow and said, "I cannot think of any flaw."
Zhuo Jing glanced at the Prince of Zhennan, then looked up at Ye Li. Ye Li nodded gently, and Zhuo Jing said, "A person with a physical disability is not suitable for disguised alteration." Everyone's eyes instantly focused on the Prince of Zhennan's left arm. Everyone in the world knew that over ten years ago, the Prince of Zhennan was defeated by Mo Liufang, losing an arm just to save his own life. Originally, no one had paid too much attention, but now that they focused their attention on his arm, those with good eyesight immediately noticed something wrong. The Prince of Zhennan had never moved his left arm, and his left hand had always been hidden within his sleeve. Although the sleeve was not empty, looking closely still made one feel it was excessively stiff. After all, no matter what object it was, even if the shape was identical, it could never replace the texture of a real arm. The Prince of Zhennan's expression froze, and the corner of his eye twitched rapidly a couple of times. Clearly, Zhuo Jing's words had struck his sore spot. Suffering defeat at the hands of Mo Liufang was a shadow and disgrace he could not shake off in his lifetime. Yet Mo Liufang had been dead for many years, leaving him without even the chance to win it back. In the eyes of the world, he would forever leave behind the impression that Lei Zhenting, the Prince of Zhennan of Western Ling, would never be as good as Mo Liufang. Therefore, he placed even greater importance on how to thoroughly defeat the Mo Family Army and Mo Xiurao, because this was the only way he could wash away his disgrace.
"Good. The Consort of Prince Ding indeed has talented individuals rising in abundance among her subordinates," the Prince of Zhennan finally said in a deep voice after a long silence.
Ye Li nodded and smiled faintly. "Your Highness flatters us."
The Prince of Zhennan sized Ye Li up and spoke to ask, "Just now, the Princess Consort rejected my letter without the slightest hesitation. I wonder if you might reconsider now?"
Ye Li propped her head on her hand, shook her head, and sighed softly. "I cannot find a reason to consider it."
The Prince of Zhennan laughed aloud and said, "Does the Princess Consort believe that I am inferior to Mo Xiurao?"
Ye Li tilted her head, pondered for a moment, and shook her head. "How could that be? At the very least, Your Highness is older than our Prince."
A gleam flashed in the Prince of Zhennan's eyes. "The Princess Consort is indeed no ordinary woman. What if I say that as long as the Princess Consort stays with me, I will immediately withdraw my troops and retreat from Eastern Chu?"
"Presumptuous!" Yuan Pei was furious. He slammed his hand on the table, stood up, and glared at the Prince of Zhennan in rage. The expressions on the faces of the others were not pleasant either. Ye Li raised her hand to stop Yuan Pei and smiled calmly. "For Your Highness to say such words, do you believe that because I, Ye Li, am a woman, my mind must be foolish?" The Prince of Zhennan raised an eyebrow and asked in confusion, "Why does the Princess Consort say this?" Ye Li sneered and said, "Western Ling's army of hundreds of thousands has invaded our Great Chu, and with great difficulty, you have reached the gates of Jiangxia City. For Your Highness to want to withdraw your troops now, I am afraid it would not be that easy, would it? Besides... I feel that rather than humiliating our nation and forfeiting our rights to exchange for Your Highness's troop withdrawal, it would be much more convenient to directly exchange using Your Highness. Don't you agree, Your Highness?"
Upon hearing this, the complexions of several Western Ling attendants instantly changed. The man who looked like a martial general drew his sidearm sword with a clang and shielded the Prince of Zhennan. Ye Li raised her delicate eyebrows, smiling without saying a word.
The Prince of Zhennan raised his hand, pressing down the weapon in his subordinate's hand, and said, "Every person in this room is a top-tier expert. The Consort of Prince Ding's willingness to let you enter with a sword indicates she is all the more confident your sword poses no threat. Put it away." That person looked at Ye Li with some unwillingness, but in the end, he obeyed the Prince of Zhennan's order and sheathed his longsword. Seeing that he was about to become a prisoner, the Prince of Zhennan was surprisingly in no hurry. As the host, Ye Li was naturally in no hurry either, sitting and drinking her tea at an unhurried pace. After quite a long while, the Prince of Zhennan let out a sigh and said, "Although my rash arrival today was indeed somewhat risky, seeing the Princess Consort makes me feel the trip was not in vain. What are your plans, Princess Consort?" Ye Li set down her teacup and said, "As I said, the others may leave, but I must ask Your Highness to stay and linger for a few days." The Prince of Zhennan shook his head and said, "Military affairs are pressing and busy; I am afraid I must fail Your Highness's kind intentions."
"No matter. If Your Highness feels that relying solely on the few of you can break out of Jiangxia, feel free."
The Prince of Zhennan lowered his head in deep thought for a moment, then raised his head and smiled. "How about this: I have a person in my hands in whom the Princess Consort might be interested. Consider this person a meeting gift for the Princess Consort today."
Ye Li raised an eyebrow, her heart stirring slightly, yet her face remained calm and expressionless as she looked at him. The Prince of Zhennan did not beat around the bush and spoke directly: "The Heir of the Southern Marquess—I hear he is considered the Princess Consort's brother-in-law?"
"The Heir of the Southern Marquess is in Your Highness's hands?" The Prince of Zhennan smiled without speaking, and Ye Li asked, "How can I believe Your Highness?" The Prince of Zhennan said, "I can let the Princess Consort see the person first."
Seeing him act like this, Ye Li knew there was an eighty percent chance that the Heir of the Southern Marquess was indeed in the Prince of Zhennan's hands. The same problem arose: whether or not to use the Prince of Zhennan to trade back the Heir of the Southern Marquess.
After a long silence, Ye Li finally raised her head and said, "Very well. Once I see the Heir of the Southern Marquess, I will immediately let Your Highness out of the city."
"It's a deal."
After sending men to lead the Prince of Zhennan and his party away, the study instantly erupted. Yuan Pei asked anxiously, "Princess Consort, using the Prince of Zhennan to trade for the Heir of the Southern Marquess... isn't that far too...?" Anyone could see that this was definitely a losing bargain. The weight of the Heir of the Southern Marquess and that of the Prince of Zhennan differed by far too much. Ye Li looked at Feng Zhiyao with a smile and asked, "Feng Third, what do you think?" Feng Zhiyao pointed his fan at his chin, thought for a moment, and said, "The Prince of Zhennan cannot be killed. Once the Prince of Zhennan dies, Jiangxia and the territories occupied by Western Ling will surely suffer bloody retaliation from Western Ling. Furthermore, Lei Tengfeng, the Heir of the Prince of Zhennan who is stationed in Xinyang, is not an easy opponent to handle either. If he frantically attacks Jiangxia to avenge his father, we might not necessarily be able to hold out. Moreover, once the Prince of Zhennan dies, the current balance among the Three Kingdoms and the Imperial Court's attitude toward the Mo Family Army will undergo unpredictable changes. When that time comes, we... In addition, although the Southern Marquess has consistently remained neutral and dislikes interfering in worldly affairs, he possesses considerable influence in both the Imperial Court and the military. If we rescue the Heir of the Southern Marquess, even if the Prince Ding's Manor cannot gain an additional helper, he at least will not be an enemy."
Yuan Pei was not someone ignorant of worldly affairs. Hearing Feng Zhiyao explain it like this, he pondered for a moment before nodding and saying, "This general was short-sighted. I ask the Princess Consort to forgive my offense."
Ye Li shook her head and said, "If we could kill the Prince of Zhennan, that would naturally be best. Unfortunately, we are not yet fully prepared for that right now. Let his head remain on his neck for a few more days."
Hearing this, the crowd could not help but burst into laughter. Soon, Ye Li put away her smile and said with a solemn expression, "Let us discuss how to exchange for the Heir of the Southern Marquess. Qin Feng, I leave the Prince of Zhennan to you." Qin Feng nodded and said, "Princess Consort, please rest assured. I guarantee that outsiders won't even be able to touch a single strand of the Prince of Zhennan's hair.”