u and your child. Think it over yourself and let me know when you've made up your mind." With that, Ye Li disregarded Aunt Zhao's reaction and headed towards the inner chambers.Although Aunt Zhao came...139. Sparring

139. Sparring

The two people in the middle of a fierce battle finally noticed something amiss with the crowd watching outside. Upon turning around, they saw Ye Li standing by with an interested look on her face as she watched them. Yun霆 (Yun霆 is kept as it's likely a proper name) blushed and was hit by the other person once again due to his carelessness. However, the other party still held some respect for the identity of the Queen Consort of Ding Kingdom, so after landing one strike successfully, he didn't糾纏 (tangled in original text, but seems inappropriate here, "pursue" is used instead) anymore and quickly separated from Yun霆. Yet their glares at each other indicated that they were still very unsatisfied with each other. Ye Li clapped her hands and smiled as she asked them, "Why did you stop"

"Your Excellency Consort..." Yun霆 lowered his head in shame. These months he had been completely convinced by the Queen Consort of Ding Kingdom, feeling proud to be among those personally cultivated by Her Highness. Therefore, when faced with some younger members of Mo Family Army who looked down on them, it was easy for him to get angry and actually fight with someone.

Ye Li said with a smile, "It's fine; sparring is common in the army, no need to feel embarrassed. Or... am I hindering your performance here"

After these words were spoken, even the few generals watching by the side turned slightly red and flustered. If they didn't have some doubts about Yun霆's or even the Queen Consort’s abilities, they wouldn’t let this happen. Now looking at the Queen Consort’s attitude made them feel petty in comparison to her as real men. Seeing that they weren't planning on continuing their fight, Ye Li waved her hand and dispersed the surrounding soldiers before leading a few generals into one of the large tents within the encampment. The current camp outside the city was managed by Lu Jinxian, but he had gone to discuss defense strategies with the garrison inside the city early in the morning and wasn't present at this moment, which resulted in no one stopping these two sub-lieutenants from fighting. After receiving news of this situation, Lu Jinxian hurried back but was still slower than Ye Li. He could only glare sternly at Sub-Lieutenant Chen before bowing to apologize.

Ye Li's laughter was clear and bright; she raised her hand to gesture Zhuo Jing to help Lu Jinxian up. She said with a smile, "No need for such formality, General Lu. As long as the youngsters know their limits, having some fights can be seen as building camaraderie."

After returning to the large tent and settling down, Lu Jinxian called Sub-Lieutenant Chen forward to inquire about the reason behind the fight. Although fighting in the army was not unusual, it should take place on a practice field or arena rather than randomly among ordinary soldiers, which would be inappropriate and could easily make soldiers think that there is discord between their leaders. Sub-Lieutenant Chen glanced sideways at Yun霆 with disdain, huffed lightly without responding to Lu Jinxian. This provoked the already simmering anger in Yun霆 again; he lifted his chin and challenged, "Not convinced Then let's fight again!"

Sub-Lieutenant Chen sneered and raised an eyebrow, saying, "Do you think this servant is afraid of you If not... then I made your teeth fall everywhere on the ground!

"To speak boldly without shame, and not fear the wind turning your tongue!" Yun霆 mocked.

"Shut up!" Lu Jinxian was furious. Not only were two lieutenants fighting in front of so many generals and Princess Consort Ding, they also started cursing each other out. This was simply lawless!

Ye Li put down her teacup and smiled at Lu Jinxian, "General Lu, there’s no need to be angry. Young people are naturally impetuous. You don’t have to get upset over it. Yun霆, after a few months in the capital city, other than that your tongue is sharper, what else has changed" Yun霆's face contorted; he might be young for his military rank but was still older than Princess Consort Ding who was younger than him. Being called impetuous by someone younger made his face burn with shame as he bowed his head and said, "Underling was reckless and disrespectful. Please let Princess Consort punish me."

"I’ve already said I won’t blame you," Ye Li said. "Tell me then, why did the two of you start sparring so early in the morning"

Both Lieutenant Chen and Yun霆 hesitated for a moment before looking at Ye Li without speaking. Ye Li frowned, "What’s going on Can’t say it Or should I ask the generals who were there instead"

Lieutenant Chen stepped forward and gritted his teeth, "Underling shouldn’t have spoken disrespectfully to Princess Consort, hence the conflict with Yun霆 Lieutenant. Please let Princess Consort punish me for everything!" Ye Li looked at him for a moment before nodding, "You are brave."

Lieutenant Chen remained silent while Yun霆 glanced around and then stepped forward as well, "Underling is also in the wrong and wishes to accept punishment alongside Lieutenant Chen." Seeing that Yun霆’s young face didn’t reveal any reluctance, Ye Li silently nodded. The few months of training did have its benefits; a few months ago, given Yun霆's personality, he definitely wouldn't volunteer for punishment at this time. It was simply because he could better understand how to behave and conduct himself now. None of the officers of the Black Ink Army were unreasonable people either, seeing Yun霆’s attitude they indeed looked much better.

After a moment’s silence, Ye Li said in an indifferent tone, "This Consort just started managing the Black Ink Army and hadn’t met all these generals before. It’s understandable that there might be some resistance. So this time, let’s forget about it. If any of you have any other grievances, feel free to speak up now. You are seasoned warriors who’ve fought on countless battlefields for years. We won’t play around like the court officials do." Seeing everyone hesitate, Ye Li smiled and said, "In this tent, speaking one’s mind is blameless. Whatever thoughts come to your mind, say them out loud. Are you afraid that I’ll retaliate later"

The room fell silent for a moment before a middle-aged general stood up and gave Lady Ye a slight bow. "Princess Consort, forgive us. Originally, it is only natural that you lead the Black Family Army while His Royal Highness isn't around. However, going to war isn’t like other things; there are tens of thousands of brothers' lives at stake. Therefore, we want to be cautious. Princess Consort is still young and comes from a family steeped in literature..." Lady Ye listened with a smile as she nodded, indicating that she understood her subordinates’ concerns. Seeing that she wasn't angry, the others also plucked up their courage to voice their doubts. They were basically questioning whether Lady Ye was too young to lead troops and if they should doubt her military capabilities and combat skills. Sitting in her chair, Lady Ye waited calmly until everyone had finished speaking before smiling brightly and saying, "I only now realize that you all have so many worries; I’ve failed in my duties as Princess Consort. Captain Chen, is it because of this that you’re not convinced by me"

Captain Chen replied stubbornly, "Going to war isn’t child’s play! If Lady Princess doesn’t really have the ability, naturally I wouldn't be convinced!"

"Chen Yun, how dare you!" Lu Jinxian scolded.

Lady Ye waved her hand with a smile. "No harm done; I specialize in dealing with people who aren’t convinced. How about we go to the training ground and settle this"

"Subordinate doesn't dare!" Captain Chen was obviously taken aback by Lady Ye’s words, kneeling down on one knee without hesitation. Although these Black Family Army generals doubted her ability to lead troops, they still deeply respected her status as Princess Consort of the Determination Kingdom. However, soldiers' lives on the battlefield were closely linked to the outcome of war, so they wouldn’t blindly trust her abilities just because she was a princess consort. Now that Lady Ye said she wanted to compete with him, how could Chen Yun bear to offend her

Lady Ye stood up and said coolly, "Stand up. You're a man; don't kneel at the drop of a hat. What Are you afraid of me"

Chen Yun’s face turned red as he couldn’t decide whether to say that he was or wasn’t afraid.

Lady Ye smiled slightly and walked out of the tent without him. Seeing Lady Ye leave, everyone naturally followed her. Chen Yun looked helplessly at Lu Jinxian who was walking last, "General..." Lu Jinxian shook his head with a sigh. "Let’s go; don’t make Princess Consort wait." Yun Ting, who had already reached the door, turned back and grinned somewhat maliciously at Chen Yun. He knew Lady Ye's skills firsthand, so if Chen Yun still thought about holding back, he would definitely die a terrible death.

In the training ground, Ye Li stood with her hands behind her back and smiled at Chen Yun who was hesitant to move forward. Unknowingly, quite a few soldiers had gathered around them after finishing their drills for the day. Seeing that Chen Yun remained indecisive, Ye Li said with a smile, "Captain Chen, please come up."

Finally, Chen Yun stepped onto the training ground, but he did not look as spirited and determined as when he had fought with Yun Ting before. Instead, he appeared rather restrained. He glanced at Ye Li and said, "Princess Consort… You go first."

Ye Li raised her eyebrows slightly. She knew that if she didn’t take the initiative to attack, Chen Yun wouldn’t dare move against her. Smiling, she said, “If so, Captain Chen, please be careful!” Ye Li did not use her usual dagger but instead turned around and took a long sword from Zhuo Jing who was standing by her side. With a flick of the wrist, she sent a flash of cold light toward Chen Yun with the sword’s tip. Chen Yun dodged this sudden attack as he moved to the side. Ye Li smiled and swept out horizontally with her sword. In the blink of an eye, several more swift sword strikes were directed at Chen Yun who was forced to take several steps back. The soldiers watching below naturally began to boo him.

Chen Yun had originally planned on allowing Princess Consort Ye a few attacks before finding an opportunity to admit defeat and thus avoid embarrassing himself or making her look bad. But when he saw the first sword strike, he knew that he was wrong. No matter how she held the sword or applied force in her strikes, they were not just for show and would be very dangerous if it weren’t for his agility and Princess Consort Ye’s restraint. If she had used all of her strength, there might have been several holes on him by now.

Chen Yun rolled to the side and quickly backed away to a safe distance from Ye Li who did not chase after but instead stopped with her sword in hand and looked at him. Chen Yun clasped his hands together and said, "I was shortsighted and ask for your forgiveness, Princess Consort. May I request a rematch" He walked over to the rack of weapons and took out a long spear which he held firmly as he stared straight ahead at Ye Li with a serious look on his face. Satisfied, Ye Li nodded her head and said, "Very good. That is how it should be done. Captain Chen."

"Here I come!" Chen Yun shouted loudly as he thrust the spear forward toward Princess Consort Ye. With agility, she moved aside to avoid him while waving her sword around to form a beautiful sword flower. It was said that an inch of length brought an inch of strength; therefore, when it came down to using a three-foot-long sword against a long spear, there were no advantages for the former. However, everyone below soon realized that Princess Consort Ye always kept a certain distance between her and Chen Yun which greatly limited his ability to use his weapon’s full range of movement. Thus, it could be said that they were evenly matched.

Below, Feng Zhirao had arrived at the training ground without anyone noticing and was standing beside Mu Yang with his arms crossed, looking amusedly at him as he asked, "Young Prince Mu, who do you think will win between Princess Consort Ye and Captain Chen" Mu Yang smiled faintly as he replied, “I have had the fortune of seeing Princess Consort Ding’s fighting skills. She is undoubtedly a first-rate expert among ten thousand people. But…Captain Chen might be lacking somewhat.”

Hearing what Mu Yang said, Lu Jinxian was surprised and glanced at them both before looking at Feng Zhirao. Since Feng Zhirao knew Lu Jinxian from the past, he did not hide anything but laughed happily as he replied, "Commander Lu is unaware that Princess Consort’s swordsmanship skills were personally taught to her by Your Highness. Moreover…Swordplay might just be what she is least good at."n to the person standing not far away and frowned slightly while holding his chisel and jade hairpin in one hand each. It had been too long since he last did this, so he was a bit rusty…"This is Bai Y...