Imperial Capital 68. Princess Dingguo's "Playground"
"Someone come quickly! King Li fell into the water!"
Suddenly, a piercing scream came from the beautiful lake, which was filled with the sound of bamboo and bamboo. People on the nearby pleasure boats were stunned to see a tall figure falling out of a large and magnificent pleasure boat, then splashing into the water. When everyone realized what the scream had just happened, they were shocked. Prince Li had fallen into the water! The nearby pleasure boats came over one after another. Those who had a grudge against Prince Li found a seat to watch the show, while those who were friends with Prince Li quickly ordered their servants to jump in to save him.
With such a big commotion, the people outside the cabin naturally heard it. Murong Ting and Leng Haoyu rushed in first, "Ali, Ali, are you okay?" Murong Ting pulled Ye Li and looked at her nervously. After confirming that Ye Li was fine, she breathed a sigh of relief and said dissatisfiedly, "What's wrong with this King Li? Ali, did he bully you?" Ye Li smiled with a little panic, "I'm fine... It's King Li. He... I don't know how he fell into the lake."
"Prince?!" Ye Ying and Princess Qixia were shocked and rushed to the window to see. Many people had already gone down to the lake to rescue people, but they hadn't seen Mo Jingli yet. Ye Ying said anxiously: "How could the prince fall into the lake? He...he can't swim. Third sister..." This time Ye Ying didn't doubt Ye Li. After all, in Ye Ying's mind, Mo Jingli was still a man who was both civil and military. No matter what, it was impossible for him to be thrown into the water by Ye Li so silently. Ye Li didn't care to comfort her frightened sister at this time, "It's okay, so many people went down to rescue Prince Li. It will be fine." Ye Ying stared at the people in the lake with tears in her eyes without blinking, and didn't bother to say anything to Ye Li anymore. Princess Qixia looked at the people in the cabin, turned around and was about to leave. Ye Li said calmly, "Miss, where are you going?"
"I'm going to save the prince, what's your business!" Princess Qixia knew that Ye Li had recognized her. Thinking of how Ye Li had seen her in such a ferocious state, Princess Qixia felt uncomfortable looking at Ye Li, and she didn't want to stay in the same cabin with her. Ye Li pulled Ye Ying over and said, "Fourth sister, take this girl back to your ship. Since this girl is the Prince Li's person, you, as the Princess of Li, must take good care of your guest and make sure nothing happens."
"But..." Ye Ying hesitated. She disliked Princess Qixia. Moreover, how could she have the mood to care about these things when Prince Li's life or death was in danger?
"Okay, don't forget your identity." Ye Li frowned and said, "Prince Li will be fine, don't mess up yourself first."
After persuading Ye Ying to leave, Ye Li smiled at the other three people and sat down leisurely to watch the cleaning work below. After a while, Prince Li was finally rescued from the water. Under the sunlight, one could clearly see a large bruise on Mo Jingli's forehead, which was usually stern. It was probably because he stayed in the water for too long, but his nose didn't look bad for the time being. Everyone hurriedly sent him to the boat of Prince Li's mansion parked not far away. Seeing the lively people gradually gathered around, Ye Li's side became much quieter.
Leng Haoyu looked thoughtfully at Ye Li who was leaning against the window leisurely, and said, "Are you not worried at all, Princess?"
Ye Li smiled and said, "What are you worried about? Master Leng, don't worry. Prince Li is a very lucky man and nothing will happen to him. Master Leng saw him just now, he's still alive, isn't he?"
Murong Ting held her chin up and asked curiously, "How could the Prince Li fall into the lake?" It is true that there are always one or two people who fall into the lake during the golden period of boating every year, but they are usually ignorant children or weak young ladies. How could the Prince Li, a man who has practiced martial arts since childhood, fall into the lake? Ye Li answered seriously, "People make mistakes, and horses stumble. The Prince Li... suddenly stood up, probably because the boat was unstable, so he fell into the lake."
Was the boat unstable? Murong Ting, who had been staying outside, wondered in her heart, "His Qinggong should be pretty good."
"Prince Li is afraid of water, so he probably forgot about it for a moment." Ye Li replied calmly. Qinggong is not omnipotent, especially when one leg suddenly becomes numb. Unless he has someone's ability to fly without using his legs. However... it may not be so easy to mess with Mo Jingli next time. Ye Li thought silently in her heart that she must be careful when she sees Mo Jingli next time. Hua Tianxiang was not interested in how Mo Jingli fell, and said with some concern: "Li'er, Prince Li had an accident on your boat, and the Queen Mother and Concubine Xianzhao..." Ye Li blinked innocently, "It's common for boats to be unstable occasionally. Do you want me to be responsible if Prince Li drank and didn't take charge? Well... it seems that it was my fault for not closing the window properly." Leng Haoyu's eyes swept to the only two open windows in the cabin, and smiled and said: "Although it's only early summer, it's still a little hot on the lake. I believe everyone can understand that the princess forgot to close the window properly."
"Thank you for your understanding, Mr. Leng." Ye Li said with a smile.
Hua Tianxiang shook her head and said, "Li'er, we are fine. But Prince Li has always been at odds with Prince Ding and has a grudge against you. He can find something to do when there is nothing to do. You should be careful." Ye Li smiled and said, "Thank you, Tianxiang. I will pay attention." If Mo Jingli really had the nerve to tell everyone that he was beaten by a woman, then she wouldn't mind having a good talk with him. She would not act rashly without thinking it through. Thinking of Mo Jingli's miserable face just now, Ye Li suddenly felt that her fist was still a little itchy, and secretly regretted not punching him a few more times.
Prince Le Palace
Mo Jingli was awakened by a burst of sobbing. He was already feeling extremely uncomfortable all over, and the rising and falling sobbing made his brain feel as if it had exploded. "Shut up... Shut up!"
"Prince, you finally woke up..." Ye Ying rushed over in surprise. Princess Qixia also hurried over, "Brother Jingli, how are you? Are you feeling unwell?"
Mo Jingli closed his eyes and finally remembered what had happened to him. A breath was stuck in his chest and he couldn't breathe out. He coughed loudly again. Ye Ying quickly supported Mo Jingli and helped him to breathe. "Prince, are you feeling better?" Looking at Ye Ying's tearful face, and thinking of the cold and indifferent face of a certain hateful woman, Mo Jingli felt annoyed. "Don't cry. I'm not dead yet. Where's Ye Li?" Princess Qixia snorted and said, "Brother Jingli, what are you talking about? Ye Li naturally went back to her Dingwang Mansion. You had an accident in her bed, and she didn't even come to see you. How rude!" Ye Ying glared at Princess Qixia. "Third sister is much more polite than some people. There are differences between men and women. Why would third sister come to see you when you are in bed?" Ye Ying was not stupid. Even her father couldn't stop Princess Qixia from entering Prince Li's Mansion. Although Ye Li had been at odds with her since childhood, she also had a grudge against Princess Qixia. Compared to Princess Qixia, she would definitely stand on the side of her younger sister. Thinking of how Ye Li reminded her today to watch Princess Qixia and not let her run around, even the Concubine Dowager, who had always been critical of her, praised her after she came back. Ye Ying felt that it was not wrong to listen to her third sister sometimes. After all, no matter how powerful and smart her second sister was, she was still in the palace and could not help her. Grandmother was right, and they should support each other after they got married.
"You!" Princess Qixia was furious. That incident was destined to make her unable to raise her head among the noble ladies in the capital. She would even lose her identity as the Princess of Nanzhao. Although she could put it all aside and return to Nanzhao, even if she was not Princess Qixia, she would still be the high and mighty Princess of Nanzhao. But she really loved Brother Jingli. Even if she lost her identity as a princess, she would always be with Brother Jingli. "Brother Jingli, look at her..."
"That's enough, Qixia Ying'er, you two go out first. I'm tired!" Mo Jingli said impatiently. Although the two girls were usually not easy to deal with, they still obeyed Mo Jingli's words. Seeing that he had a gloomy face, they had to get up silently and turned around and left with a look of reluctance.
"Li'er." The room had just been clean for a while when Concubine Xianzhao walked in. Mo Jingli hurriedly wanted to get up, but Concubine Xianzhao took the lead and held his shoulders and sat down on the bed, frowning and saying, "Why are you so careless?" Mo Jingli said in a deep voice, "My child has made mother worry." Concubine Xianzhao still stared at him and asked, "How could you fall into the water for no reason? And on the boat of Prince Ding's Mansion. Mother has told you many times not to provoke Ye Li again. Tell me if it was Ye Li who made you fall into the lake."
Mo Jingli's face darkened, and he was silent for a moment before he said, "I fell down accidentally."
"Careless? What time is it now? Are you still not careful?" Concubine Xianzhao scolded unhappily, "I won't ask you what happened this time. But... from now on, stay away from the people in Prince Ding's Mansion. Don't provoke Prince Ding, understand?" Mo Jingli raised his eyebrows disdainfully and said, "Mother, you and the Queen Mother take Mo Xiuyao too seriously." Seeing his disdainful look, Concubine Xianzhao sighed and said, "You have been fighting with Prince Ding since you were a child. Mother knows that you don't take him seriously. But you have to remember that you can ignore Mo Xiuyao, but you must not ignore Prince Ding's Mansion. We can neither interfere with Prince Ding's Mansion nor offend the Xu family. Therefore, mother will not ask about today's matter. Even if you really suffer a loss, you have to swallow it for me!"
Mo Jingli was silent for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "I'm sorry to have made you worry. I know."
Concubine Xianzhao nodded, looked at Mo Jingli and said softly: "Mother knows that you are a good child. Sometimes you can't do everything according to your own preferences. When you get everything, doesn't it all depend on your heart to do what you want? Before that, you must be patient."
"Thank you for your teachings, mother. I understand." Mo Jingli nodded respectfully.
Ye Li spent a lot of time making clothes and gave them to Mo Xiuyao as a gift on his birthday. Of course, in view of the not-so-good impression of Jiaren Lake and the fact that Mo Xiuyao might have a new lover, Ye Li did not accept Hua Tianxiang's suggestion to invite Mo Xiuyao to the lake. Although she was more curious about where Mo Xiuyao's ideal person came from, since he stayed at home more than her all year round. Since he already had a favorite person, why did he marry her or did he find his ideal person after marrying her? No matter which idea it was, she felt very unhappy. Because she didn't know which was more unfortunate, being married in as a shield or having her husband cheating less than a month after marriage. Therefore, the servants of the entire Dingwang Mansion didn't understand why the relationship between their own prince and princess seemed to have slowly returned to the situation in the first few days of their marriage. It should be said that the princess was unilaterally alienating the prince. Did they have a quarrel? But seeing that the two of them were still calm and at peace with each other, it didn't look like they had a quarrel, right?
Of course, Mo Xiuyao knew that Ye Li was distancing herself from him without leaving any trace. It should not be said that she was distancing herself from him, but that she was trying to get their relationship back to its original state without leaving any trace. But it was obviously not very successful. Because not only Mo Xiuyao discovered it, but also the nanny beside Ye Li and Nanny Sun, who was usually very busy, discovered it. But Mo Xiuyao couldn't figure out why for a while. It seemed... it started from the afternoon when Yang Qianru came to give him a birthday gift. When he was alone in the study, Mo Xiuyao thought silently. He didn't think that Ye Li was angry because of Yang Qianru's matter. Not only did they all know that Yang Qianru was not a big deal, but also with Ye Li's personality, he would not get angry because of a woman like that. So... it was because of their conversation? Mo Xiuyao held the book but didn't read it. Instead, he silently recalled every word of the conversation that day...
While Mo Xiuyao was lost in thought in the study, Ye Li had already changed into men's clothes with Qingluan and Qingshuang and left the house. Princess Ding's identity meant that she would attract attention wherever she went, so Ye Li had to learn how to disguise herself. Fortunately, Ye Li's disguise skills were quite good. Of course, she didn't make a human skin mask, but just slightly modified the skin color, eyebrows, etc., and took care of the details such as the Adam's apple and ear piercings, and a handsome boy with a slightly dull complexion was born. In addition, Ye Li's temperament was different from that of the women of this era, so it would be difficult to recognize her if you didn't look closely. So, in the astonishment of Qingluan and Qingxia, Ye Li contentedly left the two of them in Cangzhen Pavilion to settle the account, and walked out swaggeringly, swinging a folding fan that he had picked up at random.
The two secret guards following Ye Li secretly sweated for their prince. What kind of princess did the prince marry? If they hadn't stared at the room where the princess went in without daring to leave, and saw the handsome young man walking out of it, they would have almost lost the princess. They are the most senior secret guards in Dingguo Palace. If they lost the princess, they would not have the face to stay in the secret guard. They should just go back to the barracks and train. But... looking at the elegant young man walking leisurely in front. Ah San, does he look like a woman?
I can’t tell at all, Xiaosi.
Ever since she could practice martial arts openly and without restraint, Ye Li felt that she seemed to dislike her previous life more and more. Pretending is still pretending after all. She never had the temperament of a lady from a noble family, and of course she was definitely not lively and active. But she still needed entertainment and leisure that satisfied normal human preferences. As for the issue of Mo Xiuyao, she put it out of her mind after thinking about it for two or three days. If Mo Xiuyao really had a lover and decided to break up with him peacefully, she would not be unable to accept it. Anyway, she had money, and she believed that Mo Xiuyao would not be stingy with the issue of maintenance. But in this case, the issue of cultivating feelings and having children in the future would have to be put on hold. She didn't have the hobby of having children with someone even though she knew the other person already had someone else in their heart, so Ye Li, who thought she didn't need to cultivate feelings anymore, had more free time and decided to go out more often. A married woman doesn't have to be locked up at home every day.
"Asan, where is the princess going?" The fourth secret guard who was following silently asked in a low voice.
"How would I know? The princess seems to want to leave the city." Dark Guard Three replied.
"The prince and the princess seem to be having a quarrel. Is the princess planning to run away from home?" The secret guards suddenly remembered that when they were changing shifts yesterday, Yi Er seemed to have mentioned that the relationship between the prince and the princess had been a little strange in the past few days.
"This... shouldn't happen, right?" The third dark guard hesitated, "How about I follow the princess, and you go back and report to the prince and see?"
"What if the princess really runs away from home? Can you stop her? What if you lose her?" Although they have not personally tested the princess's fighting ability, it is definitely different from those who only show fancy moves.
"This... has been lost!" Dark Guard Three cried out, how come the princess disappeared just after they left the city? Could it be that they were too engrossed in their conversation just now?
"What are you talking about? Hurry up and look for her!" Two secret guards emerged from the dark and looked around for the princess's whereabouts. Although they didn't dare to follow too closely just now, they didn't stay too far away either. It was impossible for the princess to go too far in such a short time.
Ye Li sat on the tree trunk and looked at the two secret guards who were chattering below. They were good at hiding their tracks, but their personalities were a bit off. "I said... you never look up there?" The two passing secret guards looked at the handsome young man leaning against the tree with embarrassed faces. That's because there has never been a princess who can climb trees in Prince Ding's mansion, and we have been walking under the tree for a long time without hearing a single breath. "Princess... Princess..." The two secret guards shed tears silently, and they have decided in their hearts to report to the commander when they return today. They are not worthy of being secret guards, and they need to retrain themselves.
Ye Li jumped down from the tree lightly and landed in front of the two people. "Thank you for your hard work."
"I dare not."
"I'm not planning on running away from home." Ye Li smiled as she looked at the two nervous guards. The third guard breathed a sigh of relief and asked carefully, "Then...Princess, what are you doing out of town?"
"I just want to see how long you can follow me." Ye Li smiled and nodded in approval, "All in all, it's not bad. But it would be better if you could control your eyes. I just left the Treasure Pavilion and your eyes made it impossible for me to pretend I didn't know."
"Thank you for your advice, Princess." We were discovered before we even got a mile. Is that a compliment?
Ye Li looked at the frustrated secret guards in front of her with a happy mood, and said: "You can follow me, but... you shouldn't tell anyone else what I do every day, right?" The two secret guards were overjoyed, "Thank you, princess. Since the first day of the wedding of the prince and the princess, the two of us and the other two have been the princess's exclusive secret guards. Unless the princess is in danger of her life, we will not reveal anything about the princess to anyone. Including the prince." Secret guard four explained. Ye Li nodded. Mo Xiuyao told her about the problem of the secret guards in Dingguo Palace. These days she also confirmed that these people did not tell Mo Xiuyao anything about her. But it doesn't matter if they tell him, because what she will let them see is naturally not a secret.
"It just so happens that I need some coolies. You guys follow me."
The three or four secret guards looked at each other. Didn’t they say they were secret guards?
On this day, the title of Princess Dingguo by the three or four secret guards finally transcended the word "woman". The princess can ride a horse? That's nothing. Most women in Xiling and Beirong can ride a horse. The princess knows martial arts? That's nothing, they already knew it in the mansion. But who can tell them why the princess would lead two people to bravely break into the bandit camp? Well, there are no bandits here now. As early as the night when the princess was robbed, the third son of Feng led the Black Cloud Cavalry to clean up the bandit camp called Black Cloud Peak. The brothers of the Black Cloud Cavalry were very depressed. The blind bandits dared to name it Black Cloud Peak and dared to provoke the prince. Isn't this a discredit to them, the Black Cloud Cavalry?
Seeing Ye Li riding a horse for hundreds of miles, and then walking up the mountain leisurely, without feeling tired at all. Sansi, who changed from a dark guard to a bright guard, was very depressed. Ye Li turned around, looked at the two of them in confusion, and raised his eyebrows, "Why don't you walk? Are you tired?"
The two of them were shaking their heads like toads. The third dark guard summoned up his courage and asked, "Princess, what are we doing here?"
Ye Li turned around and smiled at the two of them, "Climbing mountains, taking a walk, going on a picnic, relaxing, are you two going to be ripped off?"
"princess…."
The three or four secret guards had all been to Black Cloud Peak before, but when they got to the top of the mountain, they found that this place was completely different from the last time they came. The original village on the mountain was not damaged, but the traps and mechanisms that led to the mountain had been removed, and the way up the mountain was much easier to walk. Although this was nothing for people like them who were highly skilled in martial arts, it was obviously a big difference for ordinary people. Moreover, there were actually people living in the village. They could see the smoke from cooking from a distance. Could it be that the princess wanted to become a bandit? Or did Black Cloud Peak have a new group of bandits, and the princess planned to take the two of them to suppress the bandits?
As the three approached the front of the village, they heard a dog barking. After a while, a spirited old man in his sixties came up with a few old people and children. When he saw Ye Li, he smiled and greeted him, "Mr. Chu."
Ye Li nodded, "Mr. Wang, would you please come in?"
The old man leaned on his cane and nodded repeatedly, saying, "I am doing very well, thanks to your care. Please come in."
Ye Li asked the old man to go first, and walked in front of him while asking: "I can't come here often, is Mr. Wang happy here?"
The old man said: "This place is not too far from the capital, everything is fine. We have been doing everything according to your instructions. Do you want to go and take a look first? Ah... It's almost time for lunch now. You must not have eaten yet after coming so far. If you don't mind the simplicity of the village, why don't you eat first?" Ye Li had left in the morning and indeed had not eaten lunch, so he nodded in agreement. The old man was very happy to order people to prepare lunch, and personally invited Ye Li to a simple but very clean house to rest.
"Princess...how come this place..." Secret Guard Three couldn't wait to ask as soon as the old man left, but he couldn't figure out what to ask for a long time.
Ye Li sat in the chair with a leisurely look on his face, and said: "You want to ask about this place? After my last visit here, I thought this place was very good. So I thought of a way to buy it." This place is not far from the capital, and it is not a deserted place. These mountains and forests are naturally owned by someone, but because there are bandits entrenched, ordinary people dare not manage them. The four dark guards asked in confusion: "Why did the princess buy this mountain? It looks like... it has no value." Neither the trees nor the plants on the mountain have any high value, and this mountain does not look like a place with gold or silver mines.
Ye Li blinked her eyes. "I didn't intend to add any value to it. It's just an ordinary mountain. There's just a village and a few households on the mountain and at the foot of the mountain."
"Down the mountain?" Dark Guard Three remembered that there was indeed a large manor not far from the mountain.
The secret guards are not stupid. They know that even if the manor at the foot of the mountain belongs to the princess, the princess must still value something on the mountain. Otherwise, she would not have climbed up the mountain on purpose. Looking at the handsome young man in front of him silently, Ye Li closed the fan that pretended to be elegant helplessly and said: "Okay, I will take you to see it after dinner. I don't believe you know how to abide by the professional ethics of the secret guards. If you don't understand, I will teach you personally until you understand." Secret guards Sansi shuddered and answered almost instinctively: "I understand."
After a simple lunch, Ye Li thanked the old man and went to the back mountain with two secret guards.
Not long after, the three or four secret guards finally understood why the princess told them that she needed coolies. Climbing down from the cliff at the back of the mountain, there was a very huge valley inside. The valley was full of towering trees. Although it was broad daylight, one could even hear the howling of wolves in the distance. How could there be such a place near the capital? Ye Li took them around in the gloomy forest for a while, and finally found a group of people who were busy. These people were busy building some simple houses and some of the things they saw in the martial arts training ground in the mansion and many more things they did not understand at all. What surprised them the most was that they had been following the princess all these days and had never seen her do anything. What was going on here?
The man who came forward to greet them was a 30-year-old strong man. When he saw Ye Li, he immediately came forward and said, "Mr. Chu."
Ye Li nodded and said, "How is it going?"
Zhuang Han had a sincere smile on his face and said, "Don't worry, sir. We dare not make any mistakes. We did everything according to your instructions. What do you think?" Ye Li nodded with satisfaction and said with a smile, "I have seen it. You did a great job." Zhuang Han scratched his hair and said with a smile, "Although we don't know what these things are used for, Master Chu has been kind to us and gave us a job to do, so we I will definitely make it for you." Ye Li smiled and said, "You're welcome. You also make money by your own efforts. Today I brought new drawings. Take a look and see if there is anything you don't understand. It's a good opportunity to talk about it in detail." Ye Li took out a thick stack of drawings and handed it to him. Zhuang Han opened it and looked through it. He smiled and said, "You understand what I drew. I'll take it to a few old teachers to see. Do you want to go with me?"
"I'll take a look first and then go over after they're done."
The man left happily with the blueprints, and Ye Li glanced at the two people who looked dazed and said, "You can ask whatever you want."
An Si looked around and said, "Princess...Princess, are you building a martial arts training ground?" "There are many things that are very similar to those in the mansion."
Ye Li nodded with satisfaction and smiled: "You have good vision. You can say that I am building a fun playground."
Princess, your hobby is really special.
"How did the princess find this place?" asked An San.
"Ah, I asked someone if there were any hidden and fun places near the capital, and he recommended this place. I came here once and I think it is indeed a good place."
An San frowned, looked up and said, "It's easy for someone to break in here, right?" They just came down from the cliff. And the last time the owner of Tianyi Pavilion escaped from below, it means there is more than one way in and out. Ye Li smiled and said, "If you mean the way out from below, I have blocked it. If you want to go out or come in from this forest, I have checked. The edge of this forest is fifty miles away or even farther. There is a deeper cliff below one side. There are swamps in the forest, various poisonous plants, birds and beasts. Didn't you see that there are snake repellents everywhere around here? It is simply a hunting ground with unique advantages. It is really not easy to find such a place near the capital. If you plan to come down from above like we did just now... when this place is repaired, the way up will disappear, and... if you are not afraid of death, you can try to jump down with Qinggong."
An San and An Si unconsciously moved closer to each other. From what the princess said, the consequences of jumping down from above might be more serious than breaking into the forest.
"Princess, why did you build a place like this?" An San swallowed and asked with some difficulty.
Ye Li said with a smile: "Didn't I tell you to have fun? The limited facilities in the mansion are too boring. When it's repaired, come here for a walk when you feel bored, and you will definitely feel twice as good." An San and An Si were terrified. They should have known that the princess with such a special interest was definitely not a normal person. Everyone in the capital was deceived by the princess... Even if the old prince was resurrected, he would be scared by such a tough daughter-in-law, right?
Looking at the surrounding arrangements with satisfaction, Ye Li's smiling eyes dimmed slightly. Life will not always be so peaceful, so she can't really pretend to know nothing and be a carefree Princess Dingguo. The eldest brother went to southern Xinjiang, and the third brother went to the military camp... If it weren't for the inevitable crisis in the future, the eldest uncle would not let the eldest brother interfere in the affairs of the court. Master Qingchen's reputation is too great and the Xu family doesn't need more fame. So... before things happen, she must also prepare herself so that she can protect her family in the future, in her own way.
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