Crowned Consort in Golden Age-Chapter 141. Southern Garrison Prince

141. The Southern Garrison Prince

"Guards, take this man out and behead him!"

Everyone was taken aback. Yuan Pei glanced at Feng Zhiyao, and Feng Zhiyao turned his head to look at Xu Qingze, who was sitting to one side reading a book. Perhaps Feng Zhiyao’s gaze was too intense; Xu Qingze, who usually didn’t speak much, put down his book, raised his head, and said to Ye Li, "Little sister, envoys are not killed when two armies are engaged."

Ye Li responded with a light smile, "Thank you for the reminder, Second Brother. So, Mr. Mo, will you leave by yourself, or shall this consort have someone throw you out?"

Mo Fei glanced at everyone and sneered coldly, "So this is how the Princess Consort Ding of East Chu treats her guests?"

Ye Li replied indifferently, "If you are a guest, this consort will naturally treat you with the courtesy due to an honored guest. But if you are a thief, then there is no need for pleasantries, is there?"

Mo Fei raised his eyebrows at her. "Is the Princess Consort truly not considering our Prince’s proposal?"

Ye Li looked down upon him, the corners of her lips curling into an icy smile. "Mr. Mo, do you genuinely believe this consort will not kill you?"

The smile on Mo Fei’s face stiffened slightly. Since he had been dispatched as the Southern Garrison Prince’s envoy to meet Ye Li, he naturally possessed some genuine ability. How could he fail to detect the murderous intent and coldness hidden in the eyes of this beautiful young woman in green?

Mo Fei forced a smile and nodded. "I understand. In that case... I shall take my leave first." After speaking, Mo Fei cupped his hands in a salute towards Ye Li, turned, and started to walk out. He had thought this visit to Jiangxia City would be an easy task. After all, no matter how high Princess Consort Ding’s status or power, she was still just a woman, and everything she possessed came from Prince Ding. Mo Fei hadn’t really taken her seriously. He hadn’t expected Princess Consort Ding to give him no opportunity at all, even forcing him to retreat hastily without a chance to say what he had intended.

Ye Li stared at his retreating back and said with a faint smile, "Stop him."

Before her voice had even faded, two figures swiftly appeared at the doorway, blocking Mo Fei’s path. Mo Fei’s eyes twitched, and he turned to stare harshly at Ye Li. "Princess Consort, what is the meaning of this?"

Ye Li smiled. "Mr. Mo, please feel free to leave. As for the Southern Garrison Prince, I’m afraid I’ll have to trouble you to stay for a while."

Mo Fei’s face paled slightly. He forced a smile. "What Southern Garrison Prince? What kind of joke are you making, Princess Consort?"

At Ye Li’s words, everyone present immediately turned their attention to the four men accompanying Mo Fei. They disregarded the tall, imposing military officer, their attention locking onto the three attendants. Feng Zhiyao, Yuan Pei, and Qin Feng quickly shifted their positions, and Zhuo Jing inconspicuously moved closer to Xu Qingze. Ye Li smiled, her gaze fixed on one of the men. "Your Highness, the Southern Garrison Prince, since you’re already here, why bother with such concealment?"

A moment later, unrestrained laughter echoed through the room. The tall man in servant’s attire standing in the middle casually wiped his face, and his previously unremarkable features transformed instantly. The Southern Garrison Prince was just over fifty years old, his countenance seventy to eighty percent similar to Lei Tengfeng’s, yet imbued with a greater air of dignity and dominance.

However, the way he looked at Ye Li made everyone present extremely uncomfortable; any man would understand the meaning behind the glint in his eyes. Anger and murderous intent flashed across the faces of Feng Zhiyao and the others. Ye Li, however, did not show any anger. In her more than twenty years of her previous life, she had encountered all sorts of people. This level of provocation wasn’t enough to make her lose her composure. She calmly watched the wildly laughing Southern Garrison Prince without saying a word.

Only when the Southern Garrison Prince seemed to have finally had his fill of laughter did he walk over to a chair and sit down. Mo Fei and the other four men respectfully stood behind him. Even in servant’s attire, his arrogant and domineering aura was impossible to conceal.

"How did you see through it, Princess Consort? Impressive insight. This prince is truly impressed," the Southern Garrison Prince inquired.

Ye Li pursed her lips and smiled. "Zhuo Jing, has this consort ever taught you what the most important thing is when one wishes to use a disguise to infiltrate?"

Zhuo Jing replied in a low voice, "To be ordinary and unremarkable, attracting no attention."

The Southern Garrison Prince raised an eyebrow. "This prince cannot see any flaw in that."

Zhuo Jing glanced at the Southern Garrison Prince, then looked up at Ye Li. Ye Li nodded slightly. Zhuo Jing said, "Those with physical disabilities are not suited for disguise."

Everyone’s gaze instantly focused on the Southern Garrison Prince’s left arm. It was common knowledge that more than a decade ago, the Southern Garrison Prince had been defeated by Mo Liufang, losing an arm and barely escaping with his life. No one had paid much attention before, but now, as they focused on his arm, those with keen eyesight immediately noticed something amiss. The Southern Garrison Prince had not moved his left arm at all, and his left hand remained hidden within his sleeve. Although the sleeve wasn’t empty, a closer look revealed an unnatural stiffness. After all, no matter what it was, even if the shape was similar, nothing could ever replicate the texture of a real arm.

The Southern Garrison Prince’s expression froze, the corners of his eyes twitching rapidly. Zhuo Jing’s words had clearly struck a nerve. His defeat at the hands of Mo Liufang was a shadow and humiliation he could never erase. However, Mo Liufang had been dead for many years, leaving him no opportunity to even reclaim his honor. In the eyes of the world, the impression would forever remain that he—Lei Zhenting, the Southern Garrison Prince of Xiling—would never be Mo Liufang’s equal. Therefore, he was all the more focused on how to crush the Mo Family Army and Mo Xiuyao, for this was the only way he could wash away his shame.

"Excellent. Princess Consort Ding truly has an abundance of capable individuals under her command," the Southern Garrison Prince said in a deep voice after a long pause.

Ye Li nodded and smiled faintly. "Your Highness overpraises."

The Southern Garrison Prince sized up Ye Li and then asked, "A short while ago, Princess Consort Ding rejected this prince’s letter without hesitation. I wonder if you might reconsider now?"

Ye Li propped her head on her hand, shook her head, and sighed lightly. "This consort sees no reason to consider it."

The Southern Garrison Prince laughed heartily. "Does the Princess Consort think this prince is inferior to Mo Xiuyao?"

Ye Li tilted her head, thought for a moment, and then shook her head. "How could that be? At the very least, Your Highness is older than our Prince."

The Southern Garrison Prince’s eyes flickered. "The Princess Consort is indeed no ordinary woman. What if this prince said that if you, Princess Consort, were to come with this prince, this prince would immediately withdraw his troops and depart from East Chu? What say you?"

"Audacious!" Yuan Pei roared, slamming his hand on the table and rising to his feet, glaring furiously at the Southern Garrison Prince. The expressions on the faces of the others were also grim.

Ye Li raised her hand to stop Yuan Pei and said with a faint smile, "Your Highness, by making such a statement, do you presume that I, Ye Li, being a woman, am also dim-witted?"

The Southern Garrison Prince raised an eyebrow, feigning confusion. "Why would the Princess Consort say such a thing?"

Ye Li sneered. "Hundreds of thousands of Xiling troops have invaded our Great Chu and have finally reached the gates of Jiangxia City. It won’t be so easy for Your Highness to withdraw your army now, would it? Besides... this consort believes that rather than sacrificing honor and dignity to secure Your Highness’s withdrawal, it would be far more convenient to exchange Your Highness directly. Wouldn’t you agree, Your Highness?"

Hearing this, the expressions of the few Xiling attendants changed instantly. The man who appeared to be a military officer drew his sword with a CLANG, positioning himself protectively in front of the Southern Garrison Prince. Ye Li raised her shapely eyebrows slightly, a hint of amusement in her eyes, but said nothing.

The Southern Garrison Prince raised his hand, pressing down on the weapon in his subordinate’s grasp. "Everyone in this room is a top-tier expert. Princess Consort Ding allowing you to enter with your sword means she is confident your weapon poses no threat. Put it down."

The man glanced at Ye Li with some reluctance but ultimately obeyed the Southern Garrison Prince’s command and sheathed his sword. Despite being on the verge of captivity, the Southern Garrison Prince showed no signs of anxiety. As the host, Ye Li was naturally in no hurry either, sitting leisurely and sipping her tea. After a good while, the Southern Garrison Prince sighed. "Although this prince’s sudden visit today was indeed somewhat reckless, seeing you, Princess Consort, makes me feel it was not a wasted trip. What are the Princess Consort’s intentions?"

Ye Li put down her teacup. "This consort has already stated: the others may leave, but Your Highness is requested to remain for a few days."

The Southern Garrison Prince shook his head. "Military affairs are pressing; I’m afraid I must decline the Princess Consort’s kind offer."

"No matter. If Your Highness believes that just the few of you can fight your way out of Jiangxia City, then by all means, be my guest."

The Southern Garrison Prince lowered his head and pondered for a moment, then looked up and chuckled. "How about this: this prince has someone in his possession who might interest you, Princess Consort. Consider this person a welcoming gift for our meeting today."

Ye Li raised an eyebrow, a flicker of movement in her heart, but her expression remained serenely calm as she looked at him.

The Southern Garrison Prince didn’t beat around the bush. "The Heir of Marquis South. I hear he is something of a brother-in-law to you, Princess Consort?"

"The Heir of Marquis South is in Your Highness’s hands?" The Southern Garrison Prince merely smiled without speaking. Ye Li then asked, "How can this consort trust Your Highness?"

The Southern Garrison Prince said, "This prince can let you see the person first."

Seeing his demeanor, Ye Li knew there was an eighty to ninety percent chance that the Heir of Marquis South was indeed in the Southern Garrison Prince’s hands. The same dilemma arose: whether or not to exchange the Southern Garrison Prince for the Heir of Marquis South.

After a long silence, Ye Li finally looked up. "Very well. The moment this consort sees the Heir of Marquis South, I will immediately allow Your Highness to leave the city."

"It’s a deal."

After the Southern Garrison Prince and his men were escorted away, the study immediately erupted. Yuan Pei asked anxiously, "Princess Consort, exchanging the Southern Garrison Prince for the Heir of Marquis South... isn’t that too great a loss?" Everyone could see that this was definitely an unfavorable trade. The disparity in value between the Heir of Marquis South and the Southern Garrison Prince was far too great.

Ye Li looked at Feng Zhiyao with a smile and asked, "Third Feng, what are your thoughts?"

Feng Zhiyao tapped his chin with his fan, pondered for a moment, and said, "We cannot kill the Southern Garrison Prince. If he dies, Jiangxia and the territories currently occupied by Xiling will undoubtedly face bloody retaliation from Xiling. Moreover, Lei Tengfeng, the Heir of the Southern Garrison Prince stationed in Xinyang, is not an easy opponent to deal with. If he were to launch a frenzied attack on Jiangxia to avenge his father, we might not be able to withstand it. Also, the death of the Southern Garrison Prince would cause unforeseeable shifts in the current balance of power among the three kingdoms, as well as in the Imperial Court’s stance towards the Mo Family Army. Our position then would be... precarious. Additionally, although Marquis South has always maintained neutrality and dislikes meddling in worldly affairs, he holds considerable influence both in the Imperial Court and within the military. If we rescue the Heir of Marquis South, even if the King of Ding Kingdom’s Mansion doesn’t gain an additional ally, it will at least not make an enemy of him."

Yuan Pei was not ignorant of worldly matters. After hearing Feng Zhiyao’s explanation, he thought for a moment and then nodded. "This subordinate was shortsighted. Please forgive me, Princess Consort."

Ye Li shook her head. "Naturally, it would be best if we could kill the Southern Garrison Prince. Unfortunately, we are not prepared for that yet. For now, let his head remain on his shoulders for a while longer."

Everyone couldn’t help but burst into laughter at her words. Soon after, Ye Li’s smile vanished, and she said seriously, "Let’s discuss how to secure the return of the Heir of Marquis South. Qin Feng, the Southern Garrison Prince is your responsibility."

Qin Feng nodded. "Rest assured, Princess Consort. I guarantee that no outsider will be able to even touch a hair on the Southern Garrison Prince."