Crowned Consort in Golden Age-Chapter 142. Exchange Hostages

142. Hostage Exchange

The moment Marquis South received news of his son, he disregarded his severe illness and personally sought out Ye Li. After understanding the circumstances, he pushed away those supporting him and respectfully knelt before Ye Li. He said, "Princess Consort, I am profoundly grateful for your grace and virtue. It shall not be forgotten by Marquis South’s Mansion. Please accept my deepest gratitude."

Ye Li was taken aback. She immediately left her desk, walked down, and personally helped Marquis South to his feet. "Marquis, please, there is no need for such formalities. Even without considering the Heir of South Marquis’s status, I couldn’t ignore the plea out of respect for my elder sister."

Marquis South was already teary-eyed. He admitted that though the Heir of South Marquis was not the only successor in his generation, he was Marquis South’s only son and the sole person eligible to continue the lineage. If anything unexpected were to happen to him, they would have to adopt someone from a collateral branch of the family. However, there were no outstanding candidates within the collateral branches. In that case, the lineage of Marquis South would most likely end with him.

"It was my son’s incompetence; his defeat and capture have caused you trouble, Princess Consort." Defeat and capture were not reputable matters, and Marquis South no longer sought illustrious achievements or overwhelming power for his son; he only hoped he could return alive to continue the Marquis South’s Mansion lineage.

Ye Li gently consoled, "Victory and defeat are common in warfare. The Southern Garrison Prince of Xiling has long been known as Xiling’s God of War. It is no disgrace for the Heir of South Marquis to be defeated by him. As long as one is alive, there will always be a day to win."

Marquis South said gratefully, "This old man is deeply grateful to you, Princess Consort."

Upon receiving the letter proposing the exchange of the Southern Garrison Prince for the Heir of South Marquis, the Xiling military camp agreed almost without hesitation. After all, the Southern Garrison Prince was the commander-in-chief of the Xiling army. If anything happened to him, not only would the Xiling army be leaderless, but the Xiling Kingdom itself would likely fall into chaos. The Heir of South Marquis, on the other hand, was merely the heir to a marquis. Even though Marquis South held considerable prestige in the Capital of Great Chu, the Heir of South Marquis, a newcomer to the battlefield, likely had less influence on the Mo Family Army than even a colonel. Such a trade was almost unbelievably generous.

The two sides quickly prepared for the hostage exchange, which was set to take place three days later in a small hollow five li outside Jiangxia City. Ye Li brought only Qin Feng, Zhuo Jing, a few specially trained soldiers under Qin Feng, and a dozen secret guards. Despite being a captive, the Southern Garrison Prince maintained his composure, showing no sign of the discomposure expected of a hostage. He even had the good humor to smile at Ye Li. Ye Li ignored him and, with a wave of her hand, had him taken away.

In contrast, the Heir of South Marquis was in a much worse state. Dragged out from behind by the Xiling men, he was covered in injuries and appeared exhausted and dispirited. The leader of the Xiling party was none other than the Heir of Southern Garrison Prince, Lei Tengfeng, whom Ye Li had met several times in Xiling years ago. Apparently, he had rushed from Xinyang overnight by express horse after receiving the news. Seeing Ye Li also on horseback, he paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Princess Consort, we parted last year. Have you been well recently?"

Ye Li raised an eyebrow and said coolly, "Tolerable. It could have been very good, but unfortunately, Heir Lei and your esteemed country were unwilling to give this princess consort that chance."

Lei Tengfeng chuckled, "War on the battlefield is men’s business. With the Princess Consort’s status, you should be living in luxury and comfort. Why meddle in these worldly affairs?"

Ye Li sighed. "This princess consort is but a common person; how could I transcend the mortal realm? Heir Lei, let’s dispense with the pleasantries. Could you please explain the current condition of our Great Chu’s Heir of South Marquis?"

Lei Tengfeng glanced back at the Heir of South Marquis, who was being restrained by his men, and offered Ye Li an apologetic smile. "On the battlefield, swords and blades have no eyes. The Heir of South Marquis has inevitably suffered some injuries. I hope the Princess Consort will not take offense."

Ye Li smiled faintly. "No offense taken. This princess consort understands. Heir Lei is reminding this princess consort that I have been too lenient with prisoners. Zhuo Jing." Her slender, fair hand rose slightly, making a simple gesture. Zhuo Jing acknowledged and moved like the wind. Only two CRACKING sounds were heard, followed by a miserable scream from behind. Mo Fei, who had been standing beside the Southern Garrison Prince, now had his left arm hanging limply, bent at an unnatural angle.

Lei Tengfeng’s expression changed slightly, his gaze as sharp as lightning fixed on Ye Li opposite him. Ye Li’s expression remained calm. She glanced sideways at the somewhat surprised Southern Garrison Prince beside her horse, then smiled at Lei Tengfeng. "Heir Lei, this princess consort does not enjoy torturing prisoners. However... I have always abided by the principle of ’an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.’ This time, Mr. Mo will bear it. If there is a next time, this princess consort wouldn’t mind taking it out directly on the Southern Garrison Prince. Or perhaps... has the Heir’s own injury healed yet?"

Lei Tengfeng remained silent for a moment, then ordered his men, "Send the Heir of South Marquis over."

Two soldiers supported the Heir of South Marquis towards Ye Li’s side. Ye Li gestured and said, "For fairness, send the Southern Garrison Prince over as well." Qin Feng nodded, and two men behind him, one on each side, escorted the Southern Garrison Prince towards the opposing party. They exchanged hostages in the middle. Just as the two hostages had returned to their respective groups, Lei Tengfeng’s stern voice suddenly commanded, "Attack!"

Before his words faded, the Southern Garrison Prince quickly retreated, while the two Xiling soldiers who had been escorting him shot forward like arrows loosed from a bow—one towards the Heir of South Marquis, the other towards Ye Li. Simultaneously, more than a dozen figures leaped out swiftly from beside Lei Tengfeng, accompanied by a volley of arrows. All this happened in the blink of an eye.

One of the two Great Chu soldiers who had been in the middle dodged, positioning himself in front of the Heir of South Marquis. The Xiling soldier rushing towards the Heir of South Marquis felt a sudden chill in his chest before he even reached his target and collapsed with an expression of utter disbelief. The other Great Chu soldier, instead of intercepting the assailant heading for Ye Li, lunged at the retreating Southern Garrison Prince. The soldier who had dispatched the first Xiling attacker ignored the Heir of South Marquis and joined his comrade in pouncing on the Southern Garrison Prince.

After this sudden turn of events, the Heir of South Marquis also reacted. Ignoring his numerous wounds, he too chased after them. The Southern Garrison Prince had not expected these two seemingly ordinary East Chu soldiers to possess such agile skills and almost seamless coordination. But the Southern Garrison Prince himself was one of the world’s foremost martial experts; even with a severed arm, he remained a supreme expert and naturally did not fear these soldiers. However, these soldiers were clearly different from any East Chu soldiers he knew; they were obviously skilled at dealing with supreme experts like him. Within just a few exchanges, several more men rushed up to encircle him. Despite their numbers, they showed no signs of disarray, their coordination as flawless as if rehearsed a thousand times.

Meanwhile, Ye Li’s accompanying secret guards quickly engaged the Xiling men. After only a few glances, Ye Li realized that although these men wore Xiling soldier uniforms, they were not genuine soldiers but rather experts from the worldly society. Ye Li looked up at Lei Tengfeng, who was also watching her from the other side, and smiled coldly. "Kill!"

"As you command!"

The secret guards and the soldiers who had accompanied them immediately grew excited, eagerly advancing on these Xiling men. The two sides quickly engaged in a fierce melee.

The principle that two fists are no match for four hands was once again proven by Qin Feng’s specially trained warriors. As the fighting drew to a close, the Southern Garrison Prince once again became a captive of Great Chu. Seeing him escorted back, Ye Li, in high spirits, raised an eyebrow. The Southern Garrison Prince’s smile was tinged with bitterness. "The Mo Family Army is well-trained. This Prince is impressed."

Ye Li laughed. "Prince, you are too polite. The Prince is one of the world’s foremost experts; it is their good fortune to receive your guidance." She pointed to the soldiers who had just successfully defeated another top expert of the era, her eyes shining with satisfaction. Although every one of them had sustained injuries, some light, some serious, the soldiers were clearly in high spirits. Hearing Ye Li’s words, they all straightened up, puffed out their chests, and cupped their fists towards the Southern Garrison Prince, saying, "Thank you for your guidance, Prince!"

Truthfully, even with only one arm, the Southern Garrison Prince was still more difficult to deal with than Mu Qingcang, who was renowned as Great Chu’s number one expert. This was evident from the fact that all of them were injured. If not for their previous experience and coordination in defeating Mu Qingcang, overcoming the Southern Garrison Prince would have been even more challenging. This was also because the Southern Garrison Prince, valuing his status, did not fight them to the death; otherwise, they would have inevitably suffered casualties.

The Southern Garrison Prince’s face twitched slightly. He looked at Ye Li and asked, "Princess Consort Ding, what are your intentions now?"

Ye Li said with a beaming smile, "Prince, you’re making things difficult for this princess consort. Originally, wasn’t it perfectly fine for everyone to exchange hostages amicably and return to their respective homes? But now, what is this princess consort supposed to do?"

Across from them, Lei Tengfeng gave a bitter smile. "Princess Consort, this matter is my fault. I ask the Princess Consort to be magnanimous and release my father."

Ye Li said coolly, "Heir Lei speaks so lightly. If, just now, the Heir of South Marquis or this princess consort had been injured by your men, I wonder what the Heir’s attitude would be right now?"

Lei Tengfeng knew he was in the wrong. He sighed and said, "As long as it is within my ability, Princess Consort, please feel free to state your terms. It was indeed I who was too reckless today. I thought Princess Consort Ding would be unprepared, but I didn’t expect that her arrangements were likely made precisely in anticipation of my move."

Ye Li pondered for a moment and then asked, "How about asking Heir Lei to lead his army to withdraw from Great Chu?"

Lei Tengfeng’s expression sank slightly. "Princess Consort, you are making things difficult for me."

Ye Li raised an eyebrow and looked at the Southern Garrison Prince with an air of helplessness. "Prince, so you aren’t even worth a mere Xinyang City? Is Xiling’s Southern Garrison Prince truly so cheap?"

The Southern Garrison Prince smiled faintly. "To conquer Xinyang, our Xiling also sacrificed countless soldiers and generals. This matter is indeed not something my son can decide. The Princess Consort is making things difficult for him."

Ye Li narrowed her eyes slightly and quickly said, "Alright, this princess consort won’t make it difficult. Fifty thousand dan of provisions, five million taels of silver."

"Aren’t you asking for too much, Princess Consort?" Lei Tengfeng frowned. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Ye Li snorted coldly and ordered sharply, "Chop off the Southern Garrison Prince’s other hand!"

Zhuo Jing nodded. "As you command."

Just as Zhuo Jing drew a sword from a soldier behind him and was about to swing it at the Southern Garrison Prince, Lei Tengfeng quickly intervened, "Princess Consort, wait!"

Ye Li raised an eyebrow and looked at him coolly. After a long moment, Lei Tengfeng finally nodded. "Fine, it’s a deal. However, I need time. Also, the Princess Consort must guarantee that my father will not suffer any harm. Otherwise, this Prince will definitely slaughter all East Chu people wherever my army passes!"

Ye Li’s smile grew colder. "In five days, same place. Also, Heir Lei, it’s best if what you just said was merely talk. Otherwise, this princess consort wouldn’t mind slaughtering all of Xiling’s generals. For example, someone like Zheng Bian. Of course, this princess consort would mind even less slaughtering the entire Xiling!"

Lei Tengfeng felt a jolt in his heart. He looked deeply at Ye Li and nodded. "It’s a deal."