Tempering

  139. Whetstone

  The two people who were fighting in the middle of the arena finally noticed that something was off about the onlookers outside, and when they turned their heads, they saw Ye Li standing to one side, watching them with great interest. Yun Tian's face turned red with anger, and in a moment of carelessness, he took another punch from his opponent. However, his opponent still had some respect for the Crown Princess's identity, so after gaining the upper hand, he didn't continue to entangle himself with Yun Tian, and the two quickly separated, their eyes fixed on each other with an unsatisfied glare. Ye Li raised her hand and clapped, smiling as she said, "Why did you stop?"

  "Your Highness..." Yun Tian's face turned red with shame as he lowered his head. For the past few months, he had been deeply impressed by Crown Princess Ding and was also proud to have been personally promoted and nurtured by her. That's why he had a somewhat condescending attitude towards the young generals of the Mo family army, which made him easily lose his temper, and in a fit of rage, he even started fighting with someone.

  Ye Li smiled and said: "It doesn't matter, it's normal for everyone in the military camp to compete with each other. Don't be embarrassed. Is... Consort Ben interfering with your performance here?"

  As soon as this was said, the several generals standing on the side watching also couldn't help but blush and become flustered. If they hadn't doubted Yun Tian's abilities, or even Wang Fei's, they wouldn't have let these two people fight like that. Now looking at Wang Fei's attitude, it seemed to make them appear narrow-minded. Ye Li saw that they didn't plan on fighting anymore, so she also smiled and waved her hand, letting the surrounding soldiers disperse, bringing several generals closer to the large tent in the military camp. The military camp outside the city was currently under Lü Jìn Xián's responsibility, but he had gone into the city early to discuss defensive matters with the city guards, which is why no one was there to stop the two lieutenants from fighting. Lü Jìn Xián rushed back as soon as he received the news, but still arrived a step later than Ye Li, and could only lower his face and glare at Chen Lieutenant before stepping forward to apologize.

  Ye Li's laughter was clear and bright, she raised her hand to signal Zhuo Jing to help Lu Jin Xian up, smiling: "General Lu doesn't have to be like this, young people just need to know the measure, fighting and quarreling is just a way of bonding."

  A group of people returned to the big tent and sat down, and Lü Jìnxián called Chén Xiào Wèi over to ask about the reason for the fight. Fighting in the military was not a rare occurrence, but wanting to fight to the end on the martial arts stage or the arena was one thing, but fighting in front of ordinary soldiers without regard for the occasion was unbecoming and could lead soldiers to think that the relationship between leaders was discordant. Chén Xiào Wèi glanced at Yún Téng with a sidelong glance, snorted lightly, and did not respond to Lü Jìnxián's words. Yún Téng was once again enraged by his disdainful snort, and jumped up, saying: "Not satisfied? Not satisfied, let's fight again!" Chén Xiào Wèi sneered, raised an eyebrow, and said: "Do you think I'm afraid of you? If it weren't for...I would have beaten you until you were picking your teeth off the ground!"

  "Big words don't shame me, nor am I afraid of the wind slapping my tongue!" Yun Tian sneered.

  "Shut up!" Lü Jìnxián was furious. The two school lieutenants were fighting in front of so many generals and the Princess of Ding, and they even dared to scold each other on the spot. It's simply lawless!

  Ye Li put down the teacup in her hand and smiled slightly at Lü Jingxian: "General Lü, please calm down. Young people can't help but be a bit hot-headed, there's no need for you to get angry. Yun Tong, after staying in the capital for a few months, if nothing else, your tongue has become quite sharp?" Yun Tong's face twisted, although he was considered young in the military, he was still several years older than the Crown Princess of Ding Guo. Being called "young and hot-headed" by the younger Crown Princess made his face flush with heat, and he bowed his head: "This subordinate is reckless, please punish me, Your Highness."

  "The princess said it's nothing, then it's nothing." Ye Li said: "Let's talk about it, you two are...hmm, starting to spar at dawn?"

  Chen Xiao-wei and Yun Tian hesitated, looking at Ye Li who remained silent. Ye Li furrowed his brow: "What? Can't speak? Or should I ask the generals present at that time?"

  Chen Shuai took a step forward, gritting his teeth and saying: "It was I who should not have spoken disrespectfully to the princess, which is why I clashed with Yun Shuai. Please, Princess, punish me, I am willing to take all responsibility!" Ye Li looked at him for a moment, then nodded and said: "You are indeed brave enough to take responsibility."

  Chen Xiao Wei remained silent, and Yun Tian looked at the crowd before taking a step forward and saying: "I also have something to apologize for. I'm willing to accept punishment together with Chen Xiao Wei." Looking at Yun Tian's young face, Ye Li nodded secretly in her heart. Several months of teaching had indeed been beneficial; if it were several months ago, Yun Tian would never have volunteered to take the blame at this time. It was simply that he could better understand how to conduct himself now. The people of Mo Jia Jun were not unreasonable, and seeing Yun Tian speak like this, their faces all improved significantly.

  After a long silence, Ye Li spoke in a light tone: "When I first took charge of the Mo family army, I hadn't met any of you generals before. It's understandable that many of you may have had doubts and misgivings about me. Let's just forget about what happened this time. If anyone still has any doubts or concerns, feel free to speak up now. You are all seasoned veterans who have fought on the battlefields for many years, so let's not play those evasive games like they do in the imperial court." Seeing that everyone was hesitant and indecisive, Ye Li smiled slightly: "In this tent, whoever speaks will be immune from punishment. What are you afraid of? Are you worried that I'll retaliate against you afterwards?"

  The crowd fell silent for a moment, and then a middle-aged general stood up and bowed to Ye Li: "Your Highness, please forgive us. Originally, it was only natural that the king's concubine would lead the Mo family army when the king was not present. However, marching and fighting are different from other things, as they involve the lives of tens of thousands of brothers, so we subordinates thought a bit more about it. Your Highness is still young, and you were born into a scholarly family, so..." Ye Li listened to her subordinate's words while nodding with a smile, indicating that she understood. The others saw that she didn't show any signs of anger, so they also gained courage and stood up to express their doubts. They were just questioning Ye Li's youth and her ability to lead the army and wield a sword. Ye Li sat in her chair, quietly waiting for everyone to finish speaking before suddenly smiling and saying: "I only now understand that you generals have so many worries and concerns, indeed I was derelict in my duties. Chen Gongwei, is it because of these things that you have been dissatisfied with me?"

  Chen Xiao-wei stiffened his neck and said: "Marching and fighting are not children's games, if the princess doesn't have real skills, General Xia will naturally not obey!"

  "Chen Yun, you dare!" Lü Jin Xian scolded.

  Ye Li waved her hand and smiled: "It doesn't matter, I specialize in treating all kinds of disobedience. How about we go to the school field first to see who's better?"

  "How dare I!" Chen Yun, the commander, was clearly startled by Ye Li's words and knelt down on the ground with a thud. Although these Mo Family Army generals had doubts about Princess Wang's ability to lead the army, they still deeply respected her identity as Princess Dingguo. However, on the battlefield, the lives of soldiers were more closely related to the outcome of the war, so they would not blindly trust her abilities because of her status. Now that the princess said she wanted to compete with him, how could Chen Yun dare to make a move against his superior?

  Ye Li stood up and said calmly, "Get up, a real man shouldn't kneel down so easily. What's wrong? Are you, a grown man, afraid of me, the princess?"

  Chen Yun's face turned red, and for a moment he didn't know whether to say he was afraid or not.

  Ye Li smiled slightly and ignored him, walking out of the tent. Ye Li walked out, and others naturally followed suit. Chen Yun looked at Lv Jin Xian who was walking at the end with a somewhat helpless expression, "General..." Lv Jin Xian shook his head and sighed, "Let's go, don't keep the princess waiting." Yun Tian, who had already reached the door, turned around and smiled at Chen Yun with a hint of schadenfreude. The princess's skills were unknown to others, but he had personally witnessed them. If Chen Yun still thought about playing tricks, he would definitely die a miserable death.

  On the training grounds, Ye Li stood with her hands behind her back and a hint of a smile as she watched Chen Yun hesitate below. Unbeknownst to them, a crowd of idle officers who had finished their training had already gathered around. Seeing that Chen Yun was still hesitating, Ye Li smiled and said, "Commander Chen, please come up."

  Chen Yun finally walked onto the school grounds, but he looked completely different from his previous fight with Yun Tian. He seemed stiff and awkward instead of fierce and energetic. He glanced at Ye Li and said, "Your Highness... please go first."

  Ye Li slightly raised an eyebrow, knowing that if she didn't take action, Chen Yun would never dare to fight her. With a smile, she said: "In that case, be careful, Captain Chen!" Ye Li did not use her usual dagger, but instead turned around and drew out a long sword from Zhuo Jing's hand, the tip of which quivered and transformed into a cold gleam that shot straight at Chen Yun. Chen Yun dodged to one side, avoiding the incoming sword, and Ye Li smiled as she swept the sword horizontally across. In an instant, Ye Li had already unleashed several swift swords, forcing Chen Yun back several steps, while the soldiers below the stage let out a chorus of gasps.

  Chen Yun had originally planned to let Ye Li win a few moves and then find an opportunity to concede, so as not to embarrass himself or make Ye Li lose face. However, when Ye Li drew her first sword, he knew he was wrong - the princess's posture, force, and angle of drawing her sword were absolutely not those of a useless ornament. On the contrary, every sword stroke was very dangerous. If it weren't for his own agility and quick reflexes, and if the princess hadn't held back her strength, he would probably have had several holes in his body by now.

  Chen Yun quickly retreated to a safe distance, and Ye Li also stopped chasing him, standing in the middle of the arena with his sword still in hand. Chen Yun bowed and said: "I was blind to my own abilities, please forgive me, Your Highness. I'm willing to take a risk, please let's have another match." After finishing speaking, he walked over to the rack where the weapons were placed, took down a long spear, and held it in his hand with a steady gaze at Ye Li. Ye Li nodded in satisfaction: "Good, this is more like it. Chen Captain, please go ahead."

  "Offended!" Chen Yun shouted loudly, his long spear thrusting straight at Ye Li. Ye Li's agile footwork dodged to the side, and the long sword in her hand danced out a dazzling sword flower. As they say, "one inch longer is one inch stronger", Ye Li's three-foot-long sword was not at an advantage when facing Chen Yun's long spear. However, the crowd below soon discovered that the princess had been controlling the distance between the two within a certain range, and this distance greatly restricted the advantage of Chen Yun's long spear, which relied on its wide swings. For a moment, they were evenly matched.

  Under the stage, Feng Zhiyao, who had arrived at some unknown time, stood lazily beside Mu Yang with her arms crossed and a smile on her face, asking: "Mu Shizi, do you think Wang Fei or Chen Xiaowei will win?" Mu Yang smiled faintly: "I have been fortunate enough to see the skills of Princess Dingwang, she is absolutely a top-notch expert. As for Chen Xiaowei... I'm afraid he still falls short."

  Lu Jingxian was slightly surprised and glanced at the two of them, finally fixing his gaze on Feng Zhiyao. Feng Zhiyao also knew Lu Jingxian and didn't hide it, smiling: "General Lu doesn't know, but the princess's swordsmanship was personally taught by the king. Moreover... swordsmanship is probably what the princess is least skilled at."

  Upon hearing this, all the generals' complexions changed slightly. They had all seen the princess's swordsmanship and couldn't help but feel that it was extraordinary, though not necessarily the best. However, they could vaguely sense the killing intent behind her sword. That was truly a swordsmanship capable of taking lives, and yet...it was said to be the princess's weakest suit. In other words, when the princess exchanged blows with Chen Yun, she hadn't even used her true skills.

  Mu Yang raised his head to look at the slender figure on stage, and couldn't help but smile slightly. Suddenly, he remembered Ye Li's words from earlier... The princess specializes in treating all kinds of disobedience... In front of such a woman, how many people can truly be obedient?