Crowned Consort in Golden Age-Chapter 139. Learn from Each Other

139. Sparring

The two men who were in the thick of the fight finally noticed the abnormal reactions of the onlookers. Turning their heads, they spotted Ye Li observing them with interest from the side. Yun Ting’s face flushed. In his distraction, he took another punch from his opponent. However, his opponent, out of respect for Princess Consort Ding’s status, did not press the advantage. They quickly separated, but their glaring expressions made it clear they were still very dissatisfied with each other. Ye Li clapped her hands and smiled at them. "Why did you stop?"

"Princess Consort..." Yun Ting lowered his head in shame. Over the past few months, he had developed a heartfelt respect and admiration for Princess Consort Ding. He also prided himself on being personally selected and trained by her. This was why he had become so easily angered by the somewhat contemptuous attitude of the young officers from the Mo Family Army, and in a fit of irritation, had ended up in a fistfight.

Ye Li laughed. "No worries. It’s common for soldiers in the barracks to spar with each other. There’s no need to be embarrassed. Or... did my presence somehow hinder your performance?"

Upon hearing this, a few of the onlooking officers blushed. If they hadn’t harbored doubts about Yun Ting, or even about Princess Consort Ding’s abilities, they wouldn’t have allowed these two to fight like this. Now, seeing the Princess Consort’s attitude, it made them, grown men, seem petty by comparison. Ye Li saw they weren’t going to continue fighting, so she smiled and waved for the surrounding soldiers to disperse. She then led a few officers into the main tent of the military camp. The encampment outside the city was currently under Lv Jinxian’s charge. However, he had gone into the city early that morning to discuss defense arrangements with the city garrison and was not in the camp. This led to the situation where the two colonels started fighting with no one to manage them. Lv Jinxian had rushed back from the city as soon as he received the news, but he was still a step slower than Ye Li. He could only scowl, glare at Colonel Chen, and step forward to offer his apologies.

Ye Li’s laughter was clear and melodious. She signaled Zhuo Jing to help Lv Jinxian up and said with a smile, "General Lv, there’s no need for this. As long as young men know their limits, a bit of roughhousing can be considered a way to build camaraderie."

Once everyone had settled inside the main tent, Lv Jinxian summoned Colonel Chen to ask about the reason for the fight. Skirmishes in the army weren’t rare, but if they wanted to fight, they could go to the training grounds or the sparring arena. Fighting like this in front of ordinary soldiers was improper and could easily make the soldiers think there was discord among the commanding officers. Colonel Chen glanced sideways at Yun Ting, snorted lightly, and didn’t answer Lv Jinxian. This contemptuous snort reignited the anger Yun Ting had just suppressed. He lifted his chin and shot back, "Not satisfied? If you’re not satisfied, let’s go again!"

Colonel Chen sneered, raising an eyebrow. "You think I’m afraid of you? If it weren’t for... I’d beat you until you were looking for your teeth all over the floor!"

"Such shameless boasting!" Yun Ting mocked. "Aren’t you afraid the wind will sprain your tongue?"

"Shut up!" Lv Jinxian was furious. It was bad enough that two colonels were fighting in front of so many generals and Princess Consort Ding, but now they were brawling like common street thugs! This was utter disregard for military discipline!

Ye Li put down her teacup and smiled gently at Lv Jinxian. "General Lv, please calm down. Young men are inevitably a bit hot-headed; there’s no need for the General to be angry. Yun Ting, you’ve spent a few months in the Capital City. If nothing else, your tongue has certainly become sharper, hasn’t it?"

Yun Ting’s expression twisted. Although he was considered young in the army, he was still a few years older than Princess Consort Ding. Being called ’young man’ and ’hot-headed’ by someone younger than himself made his face flush with heat. He lowered his head and said, "This subordinate was reckless. Please punish me, Princess Consort."

"If I say you’re not to blame, then you’re not to blame," Ye Li said. "Now, tell me, why did the two of you... ah, decide to ’spar’ so early in the morning?"

Colonel Chen and Yun Ting both hesitated, a rare moment of agreement between them. They looked at Ye Li but didn’t speak. Ye Li frowned. "What? You can’t say? Or perhaps I should ask the generals who were present at the time?"

Colonel Chen stepped forward and gritted his teeth. "It was this subordinate who spoke disrespectfully of the Princess Consort, which is why I clashed with Colonel Yun. Please pass sentence, Princess Consort. This subordinate is willing to accept any punishment!"

Ye Li stared at him for a moment before nodding. "You do dare to act and take responsibility."

Colonel Chen remained silent. Yun Ting looked at the others and also stepped forward. "This subordinate is also at fault and is willing to be punished alongside Colonel Chen."

Seeing Yun Ting’s youthful face, Ye Li couldn’t help but nod inwardly. The past few months of learning and guidance had indeed been beneficial. If this had happened a few months ago, with Yun Ting’s temperament, he definitely wouldn’t have volunteered for punishment at this time. It wasn’t for any other reason than he had simply learned more about how to conduct himself. The men of the Mo Family Army were not unreasonable. Seeing Yun Ting speak thus, their expressions indeed softened considerably.

After a moment of silence, Ye Li finally spoke in a calm voice, "This is my first time formally taking charge of the Mo Family Army, and I hadn’t met you generals before. It’s understandable that you might have reservations in your hearts, so let’s consider this incident closed. Now, if any of you still has any concerns or dissatisfaction, feel free to express them. You are all true heroes who have fought on battlefields for many years; let’s not learn the roundabout ways of those in the imperial court. Say whatever you think. Or are you all afraid that I, the Princess Consort, will retaliate afterwards?"

The tent was silent for a while before a middle-aged deputy general stood up, cupped his fist to Ye Li, and said, "Princess Consort, please forgive me. Originally, with the Prince not here, it is natural for the Princess Consort to command the Mo Family Army. But leading troops into battle is unlike other matters. It often concerns the lives of tens of thousands of our brothers, which is why we subordinates have some extra thoughts. The Princess Consort is still young and comes from a scholarly family, this..."

Ye Li listened to her subordinate, nodding and smiling to show she understood. Seeing that she showed no signs of anger, others also plucked up the courage to stand and voice their own doubts. These were mostly about Ye Li’s young age and questioning her ability to lead troops and her martial skills. Ye Li sat in her chair and waited quietly until everyone had finished speaking. Then, she smiled brilliantly and said, "Only now do I realize that you generals have so many worries and concerns. It is indeed my oversight. Colonel Chen, was it because of these things that you were dissatisfied with me?"

Colonel Chen stiffened his neck. "Military campaigns and battles are not child’s play! If the Princess Consort doesn’t have real ability, this junior general will naturally not be convinced!"

"Chen Yun, how audacious!" Lv Jinxian rebuked.

Ye Li waved her hand and laughed. "No matter. I, the Princess Consort, specialize in treating all kinds of insubordination. Why don’t we head to the training ground and settle this?"

"This subordinate wouldn’t dare!" Colonel Chen was clearly startled by Ye Li’s words and fell to his knees with a THUD. Although these generals of the Mo Family Army doubted the Princess Consort’s ability to command them, they held absolute respect for her status as Princess Consort Ding. However, the lives of the soldiers on the battlefield were more closely related to the outcome of the war, so they wouldn’t blindly trust her abilities merely because of her title as Princess Consort Ding. Now that the Princess Consort said she wanted to compete with him, how could Chen Yun dare to commit such an offense against a superior?

Ye Li stood up and said calmly, "Get up. A real man doesn’t just kneel at the drop of a hat. What? Could it be that a grown man like you is afraid of me, a woman?"

Colonel Chen’s face turned red, and for a moment, he didn’t know whether to say he was afraid or not.

Ye Li smiled faintly and, without regard for him, walked out of the tent. When Ye Li left, the others naturally had to follow. Colonel Chen looked somewhat helplessly at Lv Jinxian, who was the last to leave. "General..."

Lv Jinxian shook his head and sighed. "Let’s go. Don’t keep the Princess Consort waiting for you."

Yun Ting, who had already reached the doorway, turned back and shot Colonel Chen a somewhat gloating smile. He had personally witnessed the Princess Consort’s skills. If Colonel Chen was still thinking of going easy on her or something, he would definitely suffer a miserable defeat.

「On the training ground」

Ye Li stood with her hands behind her back, smiling at the hesitant Colonel Chen below. Unnoticed, many soldiers who had finished their training and were idle had gathered around. Seeing Colonel Chen still hesitating, Ye Li smiled. "Colonel Chen, please come up."

Colonel Chen finally walked onto the training platform. However, he seemed completely devoid of the spiritedness and ferocity he had shown when fighting Yun Ting earlier; instead, he appeared very constrained. He looked at Ye Li and said, "Princess Consort... please, after you."

Ye Li raised her eyebrows slightly. She knew that if she didn’t make the first move, Colonel Chen would absolutely not dare to attack her. She smiled and said, "In that case, Colonel Chen, be careful!"

Instead of using her customary dagger, Ye Li turned and drew a long sword from Zhuo Jing, who was standing to one side. The sword tip quivered, transforming into a streak of cold light that shot straight at Colonel Chen. Colonel Chen sidestepped to avoid the incoming sword. Ye Li smiled, and her long sword swept out horizontally. In an instant, Ye Li had delivered several quick slashes—SWISH, SWISH, SWISH—forcing Colonel Chen back several steps. The soldiers below the platform naturally jeered when they saw Colonel Chen’s performance.

Colonel Chen had originally planned to let Ye Li make a few moves and then find an opportunity to concede defeat. This way, he wouldn’t embarrass himself, nor would he cause the Princess Consort to lose face. But when Ye Li executed her first strike, he knew he was wrong. The Princess Consort’s stance with the sword, the power and angle of her strikes—none of it was mere show. On the contrary, every strike was dangerously potent. If not for his own agile movements and the fact that the Princess Consort had also restrained her power and wasn’t using her full strength, he feared he would have already been riddled with holes.

Colonel Chen did a backflip, quickly retreating to a safe distance. Ye Li didn’t pursue, merely holding her sword and standing in the center of the platform, watching him. Colonel Chen cupped his fist in salute. "This subordinate was blind and failed to recognize a great person. Please forgive me, Princess Consort. This subordinate boldly requests that the Princess Consort grant him another match!"

With that, he walked to the weapon rack at the side, selected a long spear, and gave it a flick. His expression became serious and focused as he faced Ye Li. Ye Li nodded in satisfaction. "Very good. That’s more like it. Colonel Chen, please proceed."

"Forgive my offense!" Colonel Chen announced loudly, thrusting his long spear straight at Ye Li. Ye Li, with agile footwork, sidestepped the attack, her long sword weaving a dazzling flower of light. As the saying goes, ’an inch longer is an inch stronger.’ Ye Li’s three-foot long sword was not at an advantage against Colonel Chen’s long spear. However, the onlookers soon discovered that the Princess Consort consistently controlled the distance between them within a specific range. This range greatly restricted the sweeping power of the long spear, and for a time, they seemed evenly matched.

Below the platform, Feng Zhiyao, who had arrived at some unknown time, stood lazily beside Mu Yang with his arms crossed, asking with a grin, "Heir Mu, who do you think will win between the Princess Consort and Colonel Chen?"

Mu Yang smiled faintly. "I have had the honor of witnessing Princess Consort Ding’s skills before. She is definitely a master, one in ten thousand. Colonel Chen... I’m afraid he’s still lacking a bit."

Hearing Mu Yang’s words, Lv Jinxian, standing to the side, turned his head in surprise to glance at the two of them, his gaze finally landing on Feng Zhiyao. Feng Zhiyao was an old acquaintance of Lv Jinxian, so he didn’t hide anything and chuckled. "General Lv, you may not know this, but the Princess Consort’s swordsmanship was personally taught by the Prince. Moreover... swordsmanship is likely her weakest skill."

Upon hearing this, the expressions of all the generals changed slightly. They had all seen the Princess Consort’s swordsmanship. While it couldn’t be called peerless, they could faintly perceive the killing intent beneath her blade. That was a swordsmanship truly capable of killing, and yet... it was said to be what the Princess Consort was least skilled at. In other words, the Princess Consort hadn’t even used her true abilities when sparring with Colonel Chen.

Mu Yang looked up at the graceful figure on the platform, moving like a swimming dragon, and couldn’t help but let out a low laugh. He suddenly recalled Ye Li’s earlier words... I, the Princess Consort, specialize in treating all kinds of insubordination... In the presence of such a woman, how many people could truly remain unconvinced?