Yelü Heng saw Xiao Man's smiling face, her eyes full of affection, and felt a hidden joy. Though born a princess, she was still a woman and wished to be cherished.
"I know a wonderful place, would Princess be willing to accompany me on an outing?" Yelü Heng asked with a fawning smile.
Xiao Man's gaze fell upon the woman being held captive, her meaning clear. If she were to go on an outing with him, surely he couldn't bring other women along.
Seeing this, Yelü Heng quickly ordered the woman released, "With the Princess's company, why would I need anyone else? Let her go."
The woman hesitated, looking at Xiao Man. Upon seeing Xiao Man nod, she quickly departed, fearing Yelü Heng might recapture her if she lingered.
Yelü Heng's eyes fixed on Xiao Man, scrutinizing her from head to toe as if she were merchandise. "Princess, shall we go?"
"Go where?" Xiao Man asked, her smile unwavering.
"Naturally, to go on an outing together." As he spoke, Yelü Heng extended his hand towards Xiao Man. However, the moment he did, Xiao Man seized it. With a sudden surge of strength, her slender fingers became like iron claws, gripping his arm tightly and attempting to throw him to the ground.
Yelü Heng was startled and quickly employed his 'thousand jin drop' technique, standing his ground. Xiao Man, still holding his arm with one hand, struck at his abdomen with the other. Yelü Heng sneered and grabbed Xiao Man's wrist.
"With just this little skill, you think you can... Ah!"
Xiao Man lifted her leg and viciously kicked him between the legs. Yelü Heng let out a piercing scream, released Xiao Man, clutched his groin, and collapsed to the ground, writhing in agony.
"Your Highness, are you alright?" the guards immediately surrounded Xiao Man. "You are incredibly audacious to dare attack our Prince."
Xiao Man's lips curved into a slight smile. "Guards, seize them! According to the laws of my Blue Moon, public molestation of a woman is a grave offense. Seeing as you are guests, we shall be lenient today, fifty military strokes per person, as a warning! General Hua, arrest them!"
Hua Wen, who had been intending to slip away unnoticed, found herself called to a halt by Xiao Man. She could only stop. "Yes, Princess."
Resigned, Hua Wen led the guards of the patrol battalion to surround Yelü Heng's men.
"What do you think you're doing? We are envoys from Bei Rong. Do you intend to wage war with Bei Rong?" the leading man immediately rebuked. "Your Princess inexplicably attacked our Prince. If anything happens to my Prince, Bei Rong will absolutely not let this matter rest."
"Why are you still standing there? Arrest them," Xiao Man said coldly. "I care not if you are from Bei Rong or Yun Qi. If you dare bully the citizens of my Blue Moon, even if you were the Jade Emperor himself, you will not escape punishment!"
Yelü Heng had never imagined he would repeatedly fall victim to women. The women of Yun Qi were supposed to be so gentle and alluring, yet here was a fierce Dugu Man who had caused Bei Rong heavy losses. Just as they had recovered, they were robbed of three cities by the master behind the Wu Yue Kingdom, resulting in countless soldiers killed. Due to these successive defeats, he was sent as an envoy to Blue Moon, only to encounter the Blue Moon Princess here!
Yelü Heng felt he must be jinxed by women, otherwise, how could he repeatedly suffer at their hands!
Xiao Man ordered Yelü Heng and his guards arrested and publicly sentenced to fifty military strokes. The common people, who had initially found Xiao Man arrogant and overbearing for her reprimand of Jing Yujun, now saw her daring to offend a foreign prince for the sake of an ordinary citizen. Instantly, their admiration for her soared.
"Princess is mighty!"
From the crowd, someone shouted "Princess is mighty!" and the cries immediately spread, converging into a resounding wave of support.
The Eldest Princess lowered her veil, concealing her annoyance. Xiao Man was skilled at winning people's hearts, but what good was winning over these commoners? Ultimately, it was the scions of noble families and influential houses who brought them benefits.
Yun Jing stole a glance at the Eldest Princess. Seeing her unhappy expression, he pursed his lips tightly, remaining silent. Faced with her own people being bullied, the Eldest Princess chose to turn a blind eye. In such a situation, many would indeed look the other way. Sacrificing one person to ensure peace between two nations was a choice even the Empress might make, perhaps even forcing the woman to submit to the Third Prince of Bei Rong. Yet, Xiao Man stepped forward.
Yun Jing couldn't articulate his feelings. At the selection ceremony for a consort, Xiao Man was willing to forsake her position as Princess for a man. As for the Eldest Princess, to gain the support of the court officials, she brought one person after another into her household. Yun Jing did not want to admit it, but he felt a pang of jealousy, envious of Wen Mohan's good fortune in receiving Xiao Man's unwavering protection.
"Eldest Princess, if one day I were in danger, would the Eldest Princess save me?"
"With this Princess here, who would dare put you in danger?" the Eldest Princess replied impatiently. "Instead of thinking of such trivialities, it would be better to focus on how to help me gain Prime Minister Yao's support."
Yun Jing fell silent. To the Eldest Princess, he was merely a pawn to be used. If the Emperor threatened her with the position of Princess, the Eldest Princess would likely abandon him without a second thought.
Yun Jing thought of Lord Ye in the palace, Ye Fei. Since Feng Moran's return to the palace, the male attendants had all lost favor, including Ye Fei. Ye Fei lacked connections and was of common birth. Once deprived of the Emperor's favor, his position in the palace became precarious.
The Eldest Princess, who had once received much help from Ye Fei, turned a blind eye to his predicament, even deeming him useless. Yun Jing felt a sense of desolation, like the hunter being discarded after the hounds had done their job. Once he lost his value to the Eldest Princess, or if someone with greater utility appeared, with the Eldest Princess's nature, she would likely cast him aside without hesitation.
Yun Jing, able to become the Eldest Princess's consort, was not only from a good family but was also intelligent. Before Xiao Man appeared, the Eldest Princess was the most likely candidate to become the heir apparent. However, her status as not being of royal blood now dictated that she could never become Princess, never become the Empress of Blue Moon!
His marriage to the Eldest Princess was an exchange of favors. His family sought to advance their status through the Eldest Princess, while the Eldest Princess aimed to win over his family and strengthen her own influence. They each got what they needed. But now, the Eldest Princess could no longer help the Yun family ascend, and might even drag them down. He had to secure a way out for himself.
The troubled Eldest Princess was utterly oblivious to the seeds of doubt sown in Yun Jing's heart by her attitude. Or perhaps, she simply didn't take Yun Jing seriously. After all, she had granted him the position of consort, bestowed upon him a distinguished status, and they were bound together, their fates intertwined. How could she have ever imagined that Yun Jing would one day betray her.