The First Jasmine - Chapter 142
Chapter 142 - Exchanging Hostages
Upon receiving news of his son, the Southern Marquess rushed over to request an audience with Ye Li almost immediately, completely ignoring the fact that he was still bedridden with a severe illness. Once he understood the full picture of what had transpired, the Southern Marquess pushed aside the attendant supporting him, fell to his knees on both legs, and bowed with solemn respect to Ye Li. He said, "This old man and the Southern Marquess Manor will never forget the Princess Consort's immense grace and virtue as long as we live. Please accept this bow from me!" Ye Li was startled, quickly leaving her desk to walk down the hall and personally support the Southern Marquess up. "Marquess, you must absolutely not do this. I am unworthy of such a gesture. Not to mention the Heir's status, even out of consideration for my eldest sister's sake, I could not refrain from saving him." Tears had long been streaming down the Southern Marquess's weathered face. Though the Heir of the Southern Marquess was not the only offspring of this generation in the manor, he was the Southern Marquess's only son—and the sole heir of this generation capable of propping up the entire family. If any mishap befell him, they would have no choice but to adopt an heir from a collateral branch. However, there were no outstanding candidates among the collateral branches, so the lineage of the Southern Marquess Manor would likely end with his generation.
"My useless son suffered defeat and was captured, bringing trouble upon the Princess Consort." Being defeated and taken captive was hardly a honorable reputation. The Southern Marquess no longer prayed for his son to achieve glorious military deeds or hold paramount power; he only wished for him to return alive and preserve the family bloodline.
Ye Li comforted him in a soft voice, "Victory and defeat are common occurrences in military affairs. The Prince of Zhennan of Western Ling has long been known as Western Ling's God of War. For the Heir of the Southern Marquess to fall to him is no disgrace. As long as he remains alive, there will always be a day when he can win."
The Southern Marquess thanked her with deep sincerity, "This old man thanks the Princess Consort."
The Prince of Zhennan had been detained in Jiangxia City to be exchanged for the Heir of the Southern Marquess. Such a trade was obviously immensely advantageous to Western Ling, so upon receiving the letter, the main camp of Western Ling agreed almost without a moment's hesitation. After all, the Prince of Zhennan was the commander-in-chief of the Western Ling military. Should any misfortune happen to him, not only would the Western Ling army be left leaderless, but the entire nation of Western Ling would likely fall into chaos. On the other hand, the Heir of the Southern Marquess was merely the heir of a marquess's manor. Even if the Southern Marquess possessed considerable prestige in the Chu Capital, to the Great Chu army, a greenhorn entering the battlefield for the first time like the Heir held less influence over the Mo Family Army than a mere captain. Such exchange conditions were so lenient that they were nearly unbelievable.
Both sides quickly completed preparations for the hostage exchange, setting the location in a small mountain basin five miles outside Jiangxia City three days later. Ye Li brought along only Qin Feng, Zhuo Jing, a few specially trained soldiers under Qin Feng, and over a dozen secret guards. Although he had become a prisoner, the Prince of Zhennan retained his usual commanding presence, displaying not the slightest trace of a hostage's wretched embarrassment. Seeing Ye Li, he even had the good mood to smile at her. Ye Li paid no attention to him, simply waving her hand to have her men lead him forward.
Compared to the Prince of Zhennan, the condition of the Heir of the Southern Marquess was visibly far worse. dragged out from behind by the Western Ling soldiers, the Heir of the Southern Marquess was covered in injuries, his expression exhausted and dispirited. The leader of the Western Ling side turned out to be Lei Tengfeng, the Heir of the Prince of Zhennan, whom Ye Li had met a few times years ago in Western Ling. Evidently, upon receiving the news, he had ridden post-haste through the night from Xinyang. Seeing Ye Li likewise seated atop a horse, he was taken aback for a moment before saying with a smile, "Princess Consort, how have you been since we parted last year?" Ye Li raised an eyebrow and replied indifferently, "Tolerable. It could have been quite good, but unfortunately, you and your noble country were unwilling to give me the opportunity." Lei Tengfeng smiled and said, "Battles on the field are matters for men. Given the Princess Consort's status, you ought to be enjoying fine clothes and gourmet food, pampered in luxury and honor. Why bother entangling yourself in the mundane affairs of the mortal world?" Ye Li sighed, "I am merely a worldly person; how could I transcend the mortal realm? Heir Lei, let us pause our pleasantries here. May I ask what is going on with our country's Heir of the Southern Marquess in his current state?"
Lei Tengfeng glanced back at the Heir of the Southern Marquess being held by his men, turned to Ye Li with an apologetic smile, and said, "Swords have no eyes on the battlefield. It was inevitable that the Heir of the Southern Marquess would suffer a few injuries; I hope the Princess Consort will not take offense."
Ye Li smiled faintly. "I take no offense. I understand now—Heir Lei is reminding me that I have been far too lenient toward my prisoners. Zhuo Jing." Her slender, pale hand lifted slightly, making a simple gesture. Zhuo Jing voiced his assent and moved as fast as the wind. With two sharp cracking sounds, a agonized scream echoed from behind. Mo Fei, who was standing beside the Prince of Zhennan, had his left arm drooping at a bizarre, contorted angle.
Lei Tengfeng's expression changed slightly, his gaze piercing like lightning as he glared at Ye Li across the distance. Ye Li's expression remained as calm as ever. Turning her head to glance at the Prince of Zhennan beneath his horse, who wore a slightly surprised look, she smiled at Lei Tengfeng and said, "Heir Lei, I do not like mistreating prisoners. However, I have always believed in an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. This time, Mr. Mo will suffer on your father's behalf. If there is another opportunity in the future, I would not mind inflicting it directly onto the Prince of Zhennan. Or perhaps... have the injuries on you healed yet, Heir Lei?"
Lei Tengfeng remained silent for a moment before instructing the people beside him, "Escort the Heir of the Southern Marquess over."
Two soldiers supported the Heir of the Southern Marquess as they walked toward Ye Li's side. Ye Li waved her hand and said, "For the sake of fairness, send the Prince of Zhennan over." Qin Feng nodded, and two men behind him flanked the Prince of Zhennan on the left and right, escorting him toward the opposite side. Reaching the midpoint, the two sides exchanged position. Just as the two hostages had returned to their respective sides, Lei Tengfeng's deep voice suddenly called out from the opposite side: "Strike!" Before his words had even landed, the Prince of Zhennan retreated rapidly while the two soldiers shot forward like arrows released from a bowstring—one lunging toward the Heir of the Southern Marquess, and the other leaping straight toward Ye Li. Simultaneously, over a dozen figures beside Lei Tengfeng charged out at lightning speed, accompanied by a sudden shower of arrows. All of this transpired within a single, fleeting instant.
Standing in the middle, one of the Great Chu soldiers side-stepped to block the path in front of the Heir of the Southern Marquess. Before the Western Ling soldier lunging for the Heir could even reach him, he felt a sudden chill in his chest and collapsed to the ground with a look of disbelief on his face. Meanwhile, the other soldier did not attempt to block the man rushing toward Ye Li; instead, he pounced toward the retreating Prince of Zhennan. The soldier who had just dealt with the Western Ling enemy ignored the Heir of the Southern Marquess and joined his companion nearby in charging toward the Prince of Zhennan.
Following this sudden turn of events, the Heir of the Southern Marquess snapped back to his senses. Disregarding the countless wounds on his body, he joined the pursuit as well. The Prince of Zhennan had clearly not expected these two seemingly ordinary Eastern Chu soldiers by his side to possess such agile skill, executing their moves with near-flawless coordination. Yet, as a top-tier expert of world-class renown, even with one arm lost, the Prince of Zhennan remained a supreme warrior and naturally harbored no fear of these soldiers. However, these men were clearly nothing like the Eastern Chu soldiers he knew; they were evidently adept at dealing with peak martial artists. In less than a few exchanges, several more men swarmed in, encircling him completely without displaying the slightest disarray despite their numbers, moving together with a tacit understanding honed as if rehearsed thousands of times.
On Ye Li's side, her personal secret guards swiftly engaged the Western Ling attackers in combat. After taking just a few glances, Ye Li could tell that although these men wore the attire of Western Ling soldiers, they were not true military personnel, but rather martial arts experts of the martial world. Ye Li raised her eyes to look at Lei Tengfeng, who was also watching her from across the field. She gave a cold smile and commanded, "Kill!"
"Understood!"
The secret guards and accompanying soldiers immediately grew spirited, whetting their blades as they charged toward the Western Ling men, rapidly devolving the scene into a chaotic bloodbath.
Two fists cannot match four hands—a truth proven once more by the specially trained warriors under Qin Feng's command. As the slaughter in the surrounding area drew to a close, the Prince of Zhennan became a captive of Great Chu once again. Watching the Prince of Zhennan being escorted back, Ye Li raised an eyebrow in a notably good mood. The Prince of Zhennan wore a rare, bitter smile as he said, "The Mo Family Army is disciplined and well-trained; I am deeply impressed." Ye Li smiled and replied, "Your Highness is too polite. You are a world-renowned master; to receive guidance from Your Highness is their fortune." Pointing at the soldiers who had just successfully defeated yet another top expert of the era, the light in Ye Li's eyes was filled with satisfaction. Although every single one of them had sustained varying degrees of injuries, the morale of the warriors was soaring. Hearing Ye Li's words, they held their heads high, puffed out their chests, and cupped their fists toward the Prince of Zhennan, saying, "Thank you for the guidance, Prince of Zhennan!" Truth be told, even with only one arm, the Prince of Zhennan remained far more difficult to handle than Mu Qingcang, who was reputed to be Great Chu's top master. One could tell simply from the fact that every single soldier was wounded; had they not possessed prior experience and practice coordinating to defeat Mu Qingcang, defeating the Prince of Zhennan would have been exponentially harder. This was also because the Prince of Zhennan held his own status in high regard and would not engage in a life-or-death struggle with them; otherwise, casualties among their ranks would have been unavoidable.
The Prince of Zhennan's face twitched slightly as he looked at Ye Li and asked, "What are the Consort of Prince Ding's plans now?"
Ye Li beamed and said, "Your Highness puts me in a difficult position. Wouldn't it have been wonderful if everyone had peacefully exchanged hostages and returned home? But now, what would you have me do?"
From across the field, Lei Tengfeng gave a bitter smile and said, "Princess Consort, this matter was my mistake. I ask the Princess Consort to show magnanimity and release my father back to us." Ye Li said nonchalantly, "Heir Lei speaks so lightly. If the Heir of the Southern Marquess or I had been injured by your hands just now, I wonder what your attitude would be right now?" Knowing he was in the wrong, Lei Tengfeng let out a sigh and said, "As long as it lies within my capabilities, the Princess Consort may name whatever condition she wishes." Today had indeed been far too reckless on his part. He had assumed Ye Li would be unprepared, never anticipating that her arrangements were specifically designed to wait for him to make a move. Ye Li pondered for a moment before asking, "How about Heir Lei leading your army to withdraw from Great Chu?"
Lei Tengfeng's expression darkened slightly as he said, "The Princess Consort is making things difficult for me."
Ye Li raised an eyebrow, looking at the Prince of Zhennan with a touch of helplessness. "Your Highness, it turns out you are not even worth a single Xinyang City. Is the Prince of Zhennan of Western Ling truly this cheap?" The Prince of Zhennan smiled faintly and said, "To capture Xinyang, my Western Ling sacrificed countless soldiers. This matter is indeed beyond my son's authority to decide; the Princess Consort is putting him on the spot." Ye Li narrowed her eyes slightly, then quickly said, "Fine, I shall not press him. Fifty thousand piculs of grain and provisions, and five million taels of silver."
"The Princess Consort is making an utterly outrageous demand!" Lei Tengfeng frowned. Ye Li let out a cold snort and commanded sternly, "Sever the Prince of Zhennan's other arm!" Zhuo Jing nodded and replied, "Understood."
Seeing that Zhuo Jing had indeed drawn his blade from a soldier behind him and was about to swing it toward the Prince of Zhennan, Lei Tengfeng hastily called out to stop him, "Princess Consort, wait!"
Ye Li raised an eyebrow and looked at him indifferently. After a long moment, Lei Tengfeng finally nodded and said, "Very well, it is a deal. However, I require time. Furthermore, the Princess Consort must guarantee that my father suffers no harm whatsoever; otherwise, I will slaughter every single Eastern Chu citizen wherever my army marches!" Ye Li's smile turned even colder. "Five days from now, at this exact spot. Also, Heir Lei had better hope those words were merely spoken on a whim. Otherwise, I would not mind slaughtering every single Western Ling general—like Zheng Bian, for instance. Of course, I wouldn't mind slaughtering all of Western Ling, either!"
Lei Tengfeng's heart trembled. He took a deep, lingering look at Ye Li, then nodded, "It is a deal."