Chapter 116: Princess Ronghua

In the days that followed, Ye Li would personally go to the valley below the Black Cloud Mountain cliff every day to guide those she had chosen. Qin Feng, who had been studying by her side all along, benefited even more and admired Ye Li's abilities even more. Qin Feng couldn't understand how Princess Consort was clearly just a young woman in her teens, yet she knew so much that they had never even heard of. Qin Feng considered himself clever, but he had to admit that if he wanted to master everything Princess Consort taught, he would probably need at least ten or twenty years.

For these soldiers who were specially selected to be trained as spies, Ye Li also paid attention to their psychology and thoughts. Therefore, during the teaching, she would also add some adapted stories of legendary agents from her previous life. Although there were no specific names, it also made these smart soldiers understand the importance of the tasks they would have to bear in the future, and that being a spy… was not as unbearable as they thought, and sometimes it could even determine the outcome of a war. The faint regrets and dissatisfaction that may have been in their hearts were also drowned out by the various novel knowledge and skills brought by Ye Li.

“Princess Consort, do you already have plans for this group of people?” Qin Feng, who was following Ye Li, asked curiously as he watched Ye Li writing quickly at her desk.

Ye Li looked up at him and said, “They can only be considered an experiment. I’m not sure what kind of role they can really play. Training a qualified spy is more difficult than training a hundred qualified elite soldiers, and it takes more time. Besides, I’m not very familiar with this area.” Qin Feng smiled and said, “This subordinate can’t tell that Princess Consort is unfamiliar with it. This subordinate has also found the things Princess Consort has taught in the past few days to be refreshing. Many things I have never even thought of before. I really don’t understand how Princess Consort thought of them.” Ye Li looked at him with a half-smile and asked, “Do you really want to know?” Qin Feng was startled and couldn't help shrinking his neck and shaking his head repeatedly, “This subordinate was just joking.” The Xu Family has been a family of scholars for generations, with great scholars and famous families emerging one after another. It’s not surprising that another genius woman like Princess Consort would appear, right? Looking at the thick pile of documents on the table, Qin Feng frowned and said, “Princess Consort, if you want to train spies, why only choose men and not women? After all, women are less likely to arouse suspicion.” Ye Li glared at him and said angrily, “Do you think I haven’t thought about it? It’s not that easy to find suitable women. Women are not like men. It doesn’t matter if men’s appearance and talent are mediocre, and they are less likely to be vigilant. But if it’s a woman, she definitely needs top talent, appearance, and skills, otherwise she won’t even be able to get close to the enemy, let alone anything else.”

Qin Feng nodded and said, “Princess Consort is right.”

Ye Li said, “You will probably be responsible for this area in the future. You usually pay attention to whether there are any suitable candidates. Also, these few, I will be returning to the Capital City in the next two days. These are the things they still need to learn, and you can take a look at them yourself. When these are over, I will ask someone else to give them separate instructions on other things. I have two enrollment spots for Lishan Academy here. After their training is over, you can pick two to send there.” Qin Feng was stunned. Lishan Academy was a place that many children from Great Chu's prestigious families wanted to squeeze into. And these soldiers from the bottom of the army don’t necessarily have good family backgrounds. No matter what Princess Consort wants to do, being able to go to Lishan Academy to study is a great favor to them. “Thank you, Princess Consort.” Ye Li waved her hand and said, “No need to thank me, try to choose some younger ones. Also, it’s useless if they can’t pass the Lishan Academy entrance exam themselves.” Qin Feng smiled and said, “These few have all read some books at home, and they are somewhat different from those rough men in the army. Knowing Princess Consort's kindness, they will pass the exam even if they risk their lives.”

Ye Li nodded in satisfaction. Just as she was about to order something else, a sharp shout suddenly came from outside the door, “Ye Li, you get out here for this princess!”

Qin Feng frowned displeasedly and said, “Who is so bold as to cause trouble in Grand Princess's courtyard?”

As soon as Ye Li heard the sharp voice, she knew who it was. She smiled and said, “It’s not easy for her to come to my door after so many days. But now I’m afraid everyone is tolerating her. Let her make a fuss for a while. Tell them to lead her over and not disturb Imperial Aunt's rest.”

“Is it Princess Ronghua?”

“It’s Princess Ronghua.” Ye Li corrected. Although she doesn’t live in the Capital City, the things that happen in the Capital City are sent to her desk on time every day. The Emperor named Princess Ronghua as Princess Ronghua to marry Beirong. These days, Princess Zhaoren's mansion can be said to be turned upside down. Princess Ronghua initially thought that her mother and aunt could support her, but when she found that her mother was unable to do anything, she began to act wildly, make noise, and even go on a hunger strike, which made Princess Zhaoren's hair almost turn white with anxiety. However, no matter how much Princess Ronghua made trouble, how could she resist the Emperor’s decree? She was still escorted by the female officials sent by the palace to learn the etiquette of the palace every day. Princess Ronghua herself was born into the royal family, so the requirements were not as strict as those of the princesses in the palace, and she was not too bad in terms of etiquette, so she did not suffer much. But I don’t know why she came here to make trouble today?

Listening to the noise outside, Ye Li put down her pen and walked out. As soon as she went out, she saw Princess Ronghua coming with a large group of people. As soon as she saw Ye Li, her eyes were full of hatred and anger, “Ye Li, you bitch, I’m going to kill you!” Seeing Ye Li, Princess Ronghua seemed to see an enemy from several lifetimes ago and rushed towards Ye Li without regard for anything. Ye Li frowned slightly, and Qin Feng, who was behind her, stepped forward and blocked Princess Ronghua two steps away from Ye Li, and said lightly, “Princess, please respect yourself.” The title of princess made Princess Ronghua's pretty face twist instantly, and she scolded, “Shut up, what I do is up to you, a servant, to criticize?” Qin Feng raised his eyebrows lightly and said, “Sorry, princess, I am a subordinate of Prince Dingguo's Manor, not your servant.”

“You… you…” Princess Ronghua has always been arrogant and used to it. She was already angry, but she didn’t expect the people from Prince Dingguo's Manor to dare to be so rude to her. She was so angry that she couldn’t speak for a long time. The servants behind her came back to their senses and rushed forward to comfort her. Princess Ronghua was annoyed by the noisy voices around her and slapped the person next to her hard, “Shut up, all of you!” The courtyard suddenly became silent, and the people around Princess Ronghua quickly fell silent, not daring to provoke their master’s anger again. Ye Li waved her hand to Qin Feng and said, “Qin Feng, you go ahead and get busy.”

Qin Feng frowned in disapproval and said, “Princess Consort, I’m afraid this is inappropriate…”

Ye Li smiled lightly and said, “Don’t worry, Princess Ronghua won’t do anything to me.” Although he was worried about the crazy Princess Ronghua, Qin Feng still chose to believe Princess Consort. After all, this is Grand Princess's courtyard. Even if Princess Ronghua really wanted to do something, it wouldn’t be that easy. As for fighting, Qin Feng himself didn’t dare to say that he could beat Princess Consort. Ten of this Princess Ronghua wouldn’t be enough for Princess Consort to deal with.

After Qin Feng retreated, Ye Li turned her head and smiled at Princess Ronghua, “Please come inside, princess.”

Princess Ronghua was a little unable to advance or retreat because of her kind attitude and stared at her warily, “What’s your trick?”

Ye Li smiled faintly and said, “You don’t have to worry, I won’t use any tricks on you. Is it worth it for me to use tricks on a princess who is marrying for peace?”

“You!” Princess Ronghua blushed with anger, Ye Li smiled and said, “Princess, let’s sit down and talk inside.”

In the end, Princess Ronghua still obediently entered the flower hall and sat down, but those almond eyes were still ruthlessly cutting Ye Li into pieces. Ye Li took a sip of tea and then asked, “What is the princess here for today? Just to vent your anger? If that’s the case, I can not fight back. You can make noise, scold me, and smash things as you please, as long as you’re happy. But… what’s the point of this? Can it change the current situation? Besides, does the princess really think that your marriage to Beirong is because of me?” Princess Ronghua was stunned, but quickly puffed up her pretty face with confidence and said, “Of course it’s because of you, who told you to add this princess in? Do you dare to say that you didn’t want to take revenge for personal gain?” Ye Li raised her eyebrows and said, “Take revenge for personal gain? You can think so if you want, but the order was issued by the Emperor. I just chose the people I thought were most suitable. I wasn’t the one who chose you, princess.” Princess Ronghua said angrily, “Why didn’t you cross my name out?” Ye Li looked at her with amusement and asked, “Why should I cross your name out?” Was she very familiar with Princess Ronghua? Were they on good terms?

“This princess doesn’t want to marry for peace. Those barbarians in Beirong are so vulgar and so ugly…”

Looking at the trace of fear and weakness finally revealed on Princess Ronghua’s proud face, Ye Li sighed slightly in her heart, “Who wants to marry for peace?”

Princess Ronghua was stunned and couldn’t speak for a long time. Yes, Beirong is not a good place. Which daughter from a famous family would want to marry for peace? Ye Li has no friendship with her, and even has some grudges. Why would she help her cross her name out? Looking at Princess Ronghua’s stubborn biting of her lip and holding back her tears, Ye Li shook her head lightly in her heart. Although she doesn’t like Princess Ronghua, she doesn’t hate her that much. Princess Ronghua is indeed spoiled, domineering, and arrogant, but she is also relatively straightforward and easier to get along with than those women who are full of schemes and calculations. “How did the princess get out of the city today? It shouldn’t be just to beat me up to vent your anger, right?”

“You want me to beat you up?” Princess Ronghua asked.

Ye Li shook her head with a smile, and the porcelain cup in her hand shattered in response. She said lightly, “You can’t beat me.”

“You!” Princess Ronghua glared at her angrily, feeling that this woman was making a fool of herself. Ye Li looked at her calmly and said, “The matter of marriage cannot be changed. If the princess has time to be angry with me, it’s better to think about what to do in the future.”

A trace of sadness and helplessness flashed in Princess Ronghua’s eyes, and she snorted softly, “What else can I do? Wait to be escorted onto the carriage to Beirong. When will Beirong and Great Chu turn against each other? Either I’ll be thrown into the cold palace or be taken to sacrifice to the flag.” Even if she is spoiled and willful, she is still born into the royal family. She doesn’t know many relationships of interest, but she just didn’t need them before. Ye Li’s eyes flashed, and she casually put the broken teacup back on the table and said, “If the princess goes to Beirong, she will be the Beirong Crown Prince Consort. As long as Beirong and Great Chu have not officially broken up, no one will do anything to you on the surface. As long as the princess is smart enough, she can survive well in Beirong and may have a chance to return to Great Chu in the future.” Princess Ronghua naturally didn’t believe it and snorted coldly, “Return to Great Chu? It’s easy for you to say. When that time comes, who will remember a mere princess who married for peace?” Ye Li frowned and thought for a while, took out an exquisite jade pendant, split it in half, and handed it to Princess Ronghua, “Princess, please accept this. If the princess’s life is in danger in the future, Prince Dingguo's Manor can save the princess’s life. This is the token.”

“What do you want me to do?” Princess Ronghua is not a fool. As Ye Li said, their friendship is not good enough to allow Ye Li to help her.

Ye Li said, “Take on the responsibility of a princess marrying for peace and the Beirong Crown Prince Consort. Do your best to assist the Beirong Crown Prince.”

“I… assist the Beirong Crown Prince? Are you kidding me?” Princess Ronghua has some self-knowledge of her own abilities. It’s okay for her to be an ordinary Princess Consort, but assisting a country’s Crown Prince… Is Ye Li looking up to her too much?

Ye Li said lightly, “You don’t have to worry. Since I said that, I will naturally help you. If you trust me, someone will come to you with the other piece of jade in the future. You just need to trust him. In addition, you can reveal some information to the Beirong Crown Prince as soon as you arrive in Beirong so that he believes that you can help him. So as not to… be killed by him as soon as you go over. The Beirong Crown Prince must be unhappy to marry Great Chu's Crown Prince Consort.” Princess Ronghua looked at Ye Li with some complicated eyes. Compared to herself, who grew up in the royal family since she was a child and was even two or three years older than Ye Li, she had never thought about so many things. Is this the difference between Princess Consort Dingguo and an ordinary princess?

“If the Beirong Crown Prince knows that I have a relationship with Prince Ding's Manor, how can he trust me?” Princess Ronghua asked.

Ye Li smiled and said, “Find a way to let him know that you can help him deal with Yelu Ye. When Xiu Yao sends you to Beirong, I will ask him to communicate with the Beirong Crown Prince. And… what do you want the Beirong Crown Prince’s trust for? Do you really think that Beirong will accept a Great Chu’s future queen mother? Although Beirong is the Land of the Barbarians, it values bloodlines more than other places. Beirong has never had a foreign queen in hundreds of years, nor has a King of Northern Rong had blood other than Beirong nobles in his body. Of course, if you can really attract Yelu Hong to change everything for you, I can also change the plan to support you.”

Thinking of those hideous Beirong people in the rumors, Princess Ronghua frowned in disgust. Although that Yelu Ye looks pretty good, he is just pretty good. Great Chu has tens of thousands of more handsome men than him. Who knows what Yelu Hong looks like? That Yelu Ping looked as ugly as a pig before. Princess Ronghua took the jade pendant from Ye Li’s hand without good grace and said, “This is just a fair trade. Don’t think that this princess will thank you.” Ye Li pursed her lips and smiled, “No need to thank you, but the princess should know that some things cannot be known to too many people, right?”

“This princess is not stupid.” Princess Ronghua snorted coldly. Of course she is not stupid. She knows that Ye Li is using her, but how many princesses who marry for peace have a good life since ancient times, especially in a place like Beirong. Ye Li is using her, but at least she also provides her with the help she can to survive. What did that high-ranking cousin in the palace do? In addition to sending people to teach her the etiquette she had already learned, she didn’t even give her a word of advice. She just treats herself as a flag that can be discarded at any time. In that case, she can’t be blamed for helping Prince Dingguo's Manor, she also wants to live.

Ye Li nodded, “There is still a lot of time before the departure. The princess should go to see Grand Princess Zhaoyang and the Empress more often these days.”

Princess Ronghua glanced at her in confusion, Ye Li smiled and said, “Those two are smart people. If the princess sincerely asks for advice, they will teach you a lot. I don’t know what Princess Zhaoren taught the princess, but after so many years of watching, there is no need to learn anymore, right?” Princess Ronghua was not angry at Ye Li’s blatant mockery of her mother, but seriously thought for a moment and said, “This princess knows. This princess is leaving. By the way… if you have nothing to do, you should go back to the Capital City earlier. Be careful your Prince Dingguo is abducted.” After saying that, Princess Ronghua still walked out with a proud face, leaving Ye Li alone in the flower hall in a daze, thinking about whether Princess Ronghua was joking or really saying something.