her command that were currently undergoing renovations. Although she didn't enter any of them, from outside they looked satisfactory, and she believed they could reopen a month before the wedding dat...239. Everlasting Joy Without Worries

239。 Everlasting Joy Without Worries

The battle outside the hall was still intense, but inside the hall, the atmosphere was cold and silent. Ye Li looked at the Nanzhao King, who towered over her by a head, with a calm expression, showing an apologetic look on her beautiful face as if she truly felt guilty for having taken him hostage. However, the dagger placed against his neck showed no signs of moving away.

The Nanzhao King could feel his hair standing up due to the cold blade touching his skin, "Dingwangfei, what exactly do you want" Ye Li glanced at Princess Changle sitting on the ground and smiled with pursed lips: "Why does His Majesty the King of Nanzhao need to ask Isn't it obvious"

"Are you after this little beauty then" The Nanzhao King was somewhat disbelieving. This young lady in front of him was a princess of Great Chu and had no connection with Northwest, so he didn’t believe that Lady Dingwang would go through all the trouble just for a princess who had nothing to do with them. "Although she is a princess of Great Chu, she has no value to Emperor Chu. The emperor already gave her to me."

The Nanzhao King could only conclude that Lady Dingwang wanted to threaten Emperor Chu by taking Princess Changle away after much thought. Who would have thought that everyone in the world knew how deep-rooted their enmity was

"This doesn’t concern His Majesty the King of Nanzhao, all he needs to do is tell this humble empress whether you will allow me to take Princess Changle away," Ye Li did not refute his statement but said coldly.

The Nanzhao King sneered and replied: "A beauty that someone else has given to the king isn’t something Lady Dingwang can’t desire. But… Is Lady Dingwang treating this humble kingdom as if it had no one I advise you, Lady Dingwang, to put down your weapons immediately. Considering Wang’s favoritism towards Prince Ding, we won't make things difficult for you. Otherwise, when the guards come in, Lady Dingwang will find it hard to escape."

Ye Li thought that the Nanzhao King wasn’t as useless as he appeared on the surface. On her face, she smiled calmly and said, "I’m afraid there won’t be any chance for your guards to enter." At some point, the sounds of battle outside had gradually ceased. The Nanzhao King’s look of satisfaction quickly turned to worry when he realized something was amiss. If his guards had been victorious, they would have reported it no matter what, but now there was utter silence outside and not a sound could be heard inside either. His expression changed as the king said: "Our palace has one thousand guards and our capital city is guarded by eight thousand elite troops. Do you think you can escape"

"That group of eight thousand elites may have other things to attend to," Ye Li smiled at the Nanzhao King and asked, "Has His Majesty forgotten about tonight’s important event"

Upon hearing this, a chill ran down the spine of the Nanzhao King. His face darkened even more. How could he forget Shumanlin planned to take action against Anxi tonight, and he had secretly given her the token needed to mobilize the guards in his capital city. If something has already happened...

Ye Lüe sighed softly and said, "There has been fighting in the palace for quite some time now. However, apart from the guards originally stationed at the Southern Zha King's sleeping quarters, no one came to protect him. Why don't you guess where they went" The Southern Zha King was speechless, saying, "You can do as you please." Ye Lüe smiled and said, "How could this Concubine Consort kill the Southern Zha King I merely took a little-known girl away from his palace. After tonight, Princess Anxi will surely not hold this against me. The friendship between Southern Zha and our Northwest will continue to flourish." She was referring to Princess Anxi's lack of concern rather than the Southern Zha King himself. Of course, he understood her implication. After tonight, the Southern Zha Kingdom would no longer be controlled by him. The Southern Zha King gritted his teeth and said, "Ding Wangfu is a helper that Anxi invited!"

"That's not true anymore," Ye Lüe didn't mind offending the Southern Zha King because it couldn’t affect the relationship between Southern Zha and Northwest any more. No matter who won tonight, real power in Southern Zha would have nothing to do with him. If Princess Anxi won, having learned from her previous lesson, she wouldn't spare Shu Manlin or the Southern Zha King anymore. If Shu Manlin won, the Southern Zha King would only become a puppet of either Shu Manlin or Tan Jizhi. His mistake lay in choosing to cooperate with Mo Jingqi. Perhaps Mo Jingqi genuinely wanted to work together with him, but both Empress Consort Liu and Chancellor Liu seemed unlikely to provide any help to the Southern Zha King.

"That wicked girl!" The Southern Zha King cursed angrily through gritted teeth.

Ye Lüe frowned as she looked at the king, somewhat puzzled. "There's something that puzzles me. Princess Anxi is now the only princess under your name. And given her capable governance and lack of attachment to power, you should be happy to have such a daughter. Why then do you help Shu Manlin in targeting Princess Anxi" It was impossible for an esteemed maiden who was essentially powerless without real authority to hold a position that could threaten the life and status of a princess. This couldn't have happened without his support. Even if Shu Manlin were also his daughter, even if he favored her more than Princess Anxi, it didn't explain why he would hate Princess Anxi so much.

The Southern Zha King’s face flashed with confusion as Ye Lüe's question clearly puzzled him too. How did things end up this way between them

He still remembered how different Anxi was from Qi Xia who had always loved dancing and singing since childhood, being playful in nature. Unlike her, Anxi had a cheerful personality yet acted very maturely. Even at thirteen or fourteen years old, she could help him handle state affairs well. Many issues he found overwhelming, she would handle them perfectly. Back then, all he felt was grateful to have such an intelligent daughter, and even without a prince, there was no regret. Therefore, he appointed Anxi as the Crown Princess, watching her diligently govern the country, earning the people's admiration.

However, from some point onward, that joy and satisfaction began to sour. Whenever he saw the respect in the eyes of the commoners when they met his daughter, a strange displeasure would rise within him. After decades of hard work governing the kingdom, the people always criticized this or that, even showing fear and compliance but not reverence and love towards him. Why could his daughter so easily attain what he had never gotten

Seeing the Southern Zha King's changing expressions, Ye Lüe felt she understood everything. Out of jealousy, not because he was worried about Anxi usurping power nor because he favored Shu Manlin more; it was merely out of jealousy. A father who envied his daughter’s governing abilities and public support would go to great lengths to create difficulties for her or even turn a blind eye when others tried to harm her, pushing them further in their actions. Ye Lüe shook her head and looked at the Southern Zha King, saying, "If Princess Anxi truly loses, how will Southern Zha continue Southern Zha King, have you really thought this through"

The Southern Zha King's expression turned sinister as his breathing grew quick. At that moment, Ye Lüe released the Southern Zha King and walked towards Changle Princess who had already stood up by herself, smiling softly, "Princess, let's go."

Changle Princess looked warily at the nearby Southern Zha King but didn't know what he was thinking or why his face twisted in anger yet seemed oblivious to their presence. Ye Lüe said with a smile, "Don’t worry, let’s go," and pulled Changle Princess directly out of the palace hall.

Outside the hall, all the guards guarding the sleeping quarters had already been dealt with as well as those who rushed over upon hearing the commotion. Qin Feng and Zhuo Jing stood at the entrance waiting for Ye Lüe to come out.

"Princess..." As soon as the two people came out, the leader of the survivors rushed forward but was pulled back by Zhuo Jing who stepped forward. The man hurriedly said, "Princess! Princess, are you alright I failed to rescue you earlier..."

The man pulled off the cloth covering his face, revealing a stern yet familiar face. Ye Li frowned and recalled that this was the head bodyguard of Empress Dowager’s palace. Ye Li said, "Let's leave the palace first." The guard clearly knew Ye Li too as he respectfully replied, "Thank you for your assistance, Lady Wang."

The group left the palace without much obstruction along the way. Outside the palace gate, the square was still bustling and joyous, but a closer look would reveal that those who should be there were no longer present.

Ye Li's group returned to the inn almost immediately without stopping to ask questions. The guard knelt down before Longle Princess first and said, "I failed you, Princess. Let me give you this antidote." He took out a green ceramic bottle from his sleeve and offered it to Longle Princess. Ye Li frowned and asked, "Princess, are you poisoned"

Throughout the journey, Longle Princess appeared normal with no signs of poisoning. Longle Princess hesitated before nodding her head. The guard said bitterly, "If not for those poison-women poisoning you, we wouldn’t have rescued you so late. This type of poison is only in their possession; once they know you’ve been saved, they would destroy the antidote immediately. Therefore, we had to obtain the antidote along the way to save you."

"Is it Consort Lady Liu" Ye Li asked. "How did you get the antidote"

The guard replied, "The poison-woman thought that once she sent Princess into the palace, the antidote would be unnecessary. However, we still had to sacrifice several brothers before obtaining the antidote; fortunately, we managed to do it in time… otherwise, even if we were to die a hundred deaths, we wouldn’t dare face Empress Dowager and Duke Gao."

Ye Li raised an eyebrow and asked, "Was it Empress Dowager who sent you to save Princess" The guard responded solemnly, "Of course. I am one of her trusted subordinates whom she has favored greatly, as are several other brothers. Originally, we wanted to act on the way but could never obtain the antidote, nor dared we take any rash actions that might harm your life. We sincerely thank Lady Wang for your assistance."

Longle Princess was already in tears when she heard about her mother’s condition and asked hurriedly while holding the medicine bottle, "How is my mother" The guard hesitated before saying, "Empress Dowager... by the time I left the capital city, Empress Dowager was still under house arrest. But please rest assured that Duke Gao has already made arrangements for her; even if she remains in confinement, Emperor would ensure her safety out of face-saving considerations. Please don’t return to Chu Capital anymore." He continued, "This is a message from Empress Dowager entrusting me to give it to Princess."

The guard handed over an exquisite yet ordinary wooden box. Longle Princess was stunned and opened the box; inside were several silver bills folded up, with only one exquisite hairpin and seven or eight night pearls placed on them. Although she did not see the amount of money, just those few night pearls alone could ensure a comfortable life for Longle Princess; "Lady Wang… Mother doesn’t want me anymore" Longle Princess asked softly while holding the box.

Ye Li sighed gently and said, "Your mother is doing this out of concern for you." Longle Princess was not sent here to marry by force but was given as a gift by Mo Jingqi to the King of Nanzhao. This meant that Longle Princess would never be able to appear in Chu Capital or in public as a princess again; otherwise, if Mo Jingqi could bring himself to give his daughter away, he wouldn’t hesitate to take her life.

"I know..." Lady Changle held the wooden box and couldn't help sobbing. From now on, she would no longer be Princess Changle of the Great Chu Dynasty; surely her father, the emperor, would soon announce that Princess Changle had passed away due to illness. She might never see her mother or maternal grandfather again after this. She would have to live outside without a name or identity.

Seeing Lady Changle's sad appearance, Ye Li patted her hair and said, "Good child, don't be upset. After we finish the business in Southern Yi, you can join us and go back to Northwest."

Lady Changle hesitated but still refused Ye Li’s suggestion, saying, "Thank you, Duchess Dingwang. However, my status is inconvenient and it might bring trouble to you and Duke Dingwang." Ye Li smiled and said, "We even managed to enter the palace of Nanzhao; what's a little trouble I'll have someone check this antidote later. Princess, please rest first. We can discuss other things when Duke Dingwang returns. No one dares to intrude here."

Yang the Guard was also delighted upon hearing Ye Li’s words. The Empress and Marquis Guo were most worried about Lady Changle living alone outside. Although they had arranged for her protection, in this chaotic era, who could guarantee that any place would be safe except Northwest They originally planned to secretly send the princess to live incognito among the common folk in Northwest; with Duchess Dingwang's invitation, it was naturally better for the princess. "This subordinate thanks Duchess on behalf of the Empress and Marquis Guo," said Yang.

Ye Li waved her hand and said, "Our duke respects the Empress as his elder sister, General Huaguo watched him grow up, and Miss Hua is a good friend of this duchess; Princess Changle is naturally not an outsider."

Yang thanked again. Lady Changle looked at Ye Li and said, “I am no longer the princess. Mother gave me a pet name, Wuyou. Duchess can call me Wuyou.” The Empress’s love for her daughter was evident in this choice of name.

Ye Li smiled and nodded, saying, "Alright, Wuyou must be tired; go back to your room and rest."

Lady Changle, now Wuyou, nodded and followed the guard to an empty room. As soon as she closed the door, she cried into her pillow. She didn't know that those outside were all experts in inner strength who could hear her clearly. Ye Li turned around and watched Feng Zhirao standing silently under the eaves with a sigh.

—— Interlude ——

Sob… I went to visit relatives today, then to the hospital for an elderly family member's surgery, and came back tired but entertained. Yesterday’s chapter was somewhat unrealistic in some aspects. Ahem... Algi and Xiuyao didn’t bring many people with them when they came to Nanzhao; naturally, our agents buried here can't be dug out just for this little princess. As for why they didn’t arrange anything even knowing the danger… Official explanation: Algi and Xiuyao both thought it wouldn’t happen so soon, only to find that Concubine Liu sent her directly into the palace at that time. Private explanation is... Feng had a temporary lapse of judgment... you and Auntie into the manor in some days to enjoy your life"Xu Hongyan looked at her neither agreeing nor refusing. Ye Li felt helpless as she patted his nose with her hand and lowered her head. Sh...