Taiji Palace, Liangyi Hall.

The weather was hot, and water was sprinkled in front of the steps. The rising sun shone through the floating clouds as light as bird feathers, casting down large golden beams of light. The uneven tiled ground was sparkling with wet ripples, and from a distance it looked like pools of clear water.

The chief eunuch entered the palace and reported that the seventh princess wanted to see her.

Li De raised his head from the pile of memorials with a look of surprise on his face.

Unless it was a major event, Li Zhongqian and Li Yaoying rarely took the initiative to see him.

The eunuch whispered to Li De: "Your Majesty, the Seventh Princess has been working hard to rescue the King of Qin these days."

Li De put down the half-read memorial in his hand and frowned slightly.

"It's a major military matter, why would a young lady who never leaves her house get involved?"

The eunuch hesitated for a moment, then bowed and said, "Your Majesty, the King of Qin and the Seventh Princess have a deep brother-sister relationship. The King of Qin was ambushed and his life or death is unknown. The Seventh Princess is naturally extremely worried. You should meet the Seventh Princess."

Li De raised his eyelids and glanced at the eunuch indifferently.

Although the eunuch lowered his head, he was still frightened and said with an even more respectful expression: "Your Majesty, please forgive me for speaking too much."

Li De looked at him, his eyes sparkling. "You are an old man beside me, and you are always very cautious and mature. Zheng Yu came to you for help, and you had to think about it first. Why are you making an exception for the Seventh Princess today?"

The eunuch was sweating profusely and was about to explain, but Li De waved his hands.

"Let her in."

The eunuch nodded, left the inner hall, stood at the doorstep, closed his eyes, and slowly exhaled a long breath.

Serving the emperor is like serving a tiger. The emperor was warning him to have less contact with the prime ministers in the Council of State in the future.

The eunuch paused for a long while, put on a smile, walked to the front of the corridor, and said to Li Yaoying who was standing at the bottom of the steps with her back to him: "Seventh Princess, the emperor invites you in."

Yaoying turned around, her face bathed in the morning light was as pale as the first snow, which made her bright eyes look dark and shiny. Her slightly furrowed brows seemed to be enveloped by the misty willow color of the spring season.

A branch of pear blossoms wet with spring rain, jade-like trees and beautiful flowers covered with snow, so pitiful, delicate and timid, yet with a kind of natural pride that is a bit like that of Guyue Zhenren.

Under the moonlight on Yaotai Tower, the spirit is pure and heroic, and the mood is lofty and pure.

The eunuch thought to himself that anyone who saw the Seventh Princess like this would not be able to bear to stop her outside the palace.

Yao Ying raised her eyelids, stood in the bright sunlight, looked at the soaring eaves and gargoyles on the densely packed roofs of the hall, and slowly climbed the stairs.

The eunuch saw that she looked haggard and her steps were unsteady, as if she couldn't stand steadily. He felt sorry for her and signaled the young eunuch to go forward and support her.

Yao Ying indicated that it was not necessary and walked towards the inner hall step by step.

Hearing the footsteps, Li De did not raise his head, his eyes fell on the spread out memorials, and said: "I have sent people to Huangzhou to search for Erlang. You don't understand what happens on the battlefield, so don't bother the ministers in the court anymore."

Yaoying walked to the dragon table.

"Your Majesty, you owe me something."

Li De frowned, raised his head, and his eyes were as bright as lightning.

Yao Ying met his scrutinizing gaze without fear, "Nine years ago, the emperor threw me on the battlefield in order to save the young masters of the Kong and Lin families. I almost died in the rebellion."

Li De's pupils shrank and his face darkened.

Yao Ying said calmly: "Your Majesty, you owe me a life."

…

That happened when Yaoying was five years old.

That year, Li Zhongqian returned to Jingnan to sweep the tombs. Concubine Xie suddenly fell ill. The Li family was worried that no one would take care of Yaoying, so they sent her to Li De in Xiangzhou.

Yao Ying finally met her father.

Li De was often away at war and had no fixed return date. Even when he returned to Wei County, he would never enter Concubine Xie's courtyard. Before she was five years old, Yao Ying had never seen Li De.

When she arrived at Li De's temporary residence in Xiangzhou, the servants often told her about Li De's youth, saying that he was handsome and outstanding, and that the girls in Wei County were jealous of him all day long.

That night, Yaoying was playing in front of the window. The lights were flickering and the sound of horses neighing could be heard from outside the courtyard wall.

She stood on tiptoe and looked out, imitating the maid's example.

A tall and straight man walked slowly from the darkness to the light, wearing a majestic bright armor, tall and handsome, with a posture as strong as a pine tree.

Yao Ying thought that the maid had not lied to her and that her father was indeed the most handsome man in the world.

No wonder my mother fell in love with him at first sight.

Yao Ying remembered the instructions of the chief secretary, and walked out of the corridor on her short legs. She stood at Li De's feet, raised her little face, and called him softly, "Aye."

Very well behaved.

Li De was stunned for a moment, then looked down at Yao Ying, and touched her little head with his rough hands, "Qiniang has grown up so much."

Concubine Xie's maid stood aside, quietly wiping away tears.

That night, when the maid was coaxing Yaoying to sleep, she said happily: "Xiaoqi, the general still has you in his heart."

Half a month later, Xiangzhou City was captured. Yao Ying was awakened from her deep sleep by the sound of hurried footsteps. The guards rushed into the house, picked her up, and took her and the families of Li De's subordinates to escape from Xiangzhou.

When they met the defeated Li De and his entourage on the road, they immediately went to meet them and offered them horses. Suddenly, a group of pursuers rushed out from the hillside and surrounded them.

The situation was urgent. Seeing the pursuers approaching, Li De decisively abandoned Yao Ying, picked up his subordinates' two sons, and rode out of the encirclement.

Yaoying fell to the ground.

All around were ferocious pursuers, swords and knives rained down, blood and flesh flew everywhere.

She was thrown by her father into a rain of arrows like locusts. Amidst the deafening shouts of killing, sharp blades slashed towards her.

The loyal guard gritted his teeth and stood in front of her, blood spurted out and splashed all over her head and face.

Yao Ying was covered in blood, staring blankly at Li Deyi riding away in a cloud of dust.

Li De didn't look back.

Yaoying thought of the maid's words, smiled at herself, and slowly closed her eyes.

The guards died one by one.

Yao Ying hid under the guard and soaked in the smelly blood for a long time.

So long that she thought she was dead too.

Until she heard Li Zhongqian's voice and the persistent, hoarse calls of the young man kneeling in front of the pile of dead bodies.

"Xiao Qi, my brother is here to pick you up."

Li Zhongqian, who was thousands of miles away, came to find her across the smoke-filled battlefield, carrying a pair of hammers on his back.

Yaoying burst into tears.

That year, Li De abandoned his own daughter Yao Ying and went to save the two sons of his subordinates. Kong's father and Lin's father were so moved that they burst into tears and have been loyal to him ever since.

After being rescued, Yao Ying wandered with Li Zhongqian for half a year. The brother and sister walked thousands of miles to return to their hometown.

The Lin and Kong families felt ashamed of her and asked the two young masters to kowtow to her.

Yao Ying smiled nonchalantly and helped the two young men up.

Why should she hate the young man from the Lin family and the young man from the Kong family?

It wasn't them who abandoned her.

Yao Ying's magnanimity saved the Lin and Kong families from embarrassment, and everyone was happy.

…

Incense smoke lingered in front of the gilded Suanni incense burner, and the air was filled with the sweet scent of green tulips.

Yao Ying looked at Li De and said, "Father, the horse you took the Kong family's young master and the Lin family's young master out of the encirclement was the mount of the Xie family's guards."

Li De was silent for a while: "Qiniang, what do you want?"

Yao Ying smiled and said, "Don't worry, Aye, this is just the first bill."

She wanted to settle all the debts Li De owed her, the Xie family, and Li Zhongqian with him.

The author has something to say: Ahhhh, there are too few updates tonight, sorry wuwu┭┮﹏┭┮