oon approached, Lady Dowager's gray eyebrows gradually furrowed. She instructed those around her: "Go out and check if the bridegroom’s party has arrived."Awhile later, the person sent to investigate...427. Baby's First Birthday Ceremony

427. Baby's First Birthday Ceremony

"My Lady." Zhuo Jing walked into the side hall and saw Ye Li and Ye Wenhua, respectfully calling out to her. Ye Li nodded and smiled as she asked, "Is there anything" Zhuo Jing replied, "The Prince said that Young Master Ling'er and Princess Xing'er's birthday ceremony is about to begin. He invited My Lady over." Ye Li nodded and asked, "Has the Young Master arrived yet" Zhuo Jing shook his head and replied, "I haven't seen the Young Master."

Ye Li somewhat helplessly indicated for Zhuo Jing to go find Mo Xiaobao first while she got up and smiled at Ye Wenhua, saying, "Father, let's go over there. It’s about to start." Ye Wenhua was slightly stunned but quickly nodded his head in agreement, saying, "Alright, let's go."

Entering the main hall, it was already bustling with activity. The Ding王府had specially prepared a large table around five or six feet long, filled with various items. The two babies were each held by Xu Qingyan and Xu Qingfeng. Seeing Ye Li come over, they immediately reached out their little hands to her joyfully. Ye Li smiled as she touched the babies' small faces and asked, "Has it started"

The head steward Mo, in a deep voice, said, "The auspicious time has arrived, Young Master Ling'er and Princess Xing'er can start with their birthday ceremony."

Ye Li clapped her hands and smiled, saying, "Let them go over there."

Xu Qingyan laughed as he put Ling'er on the table, while Xu Qingfeng also placed Xin'er beside him. The two babies curiously looked at everything around them; though so many pairs of eyes were fixed upon them, neither baby was fazed but instead started playing with the things on the table.

It seemed that Xin'er picked up a small abacus made of gold and curiously played with it for a moment. Han Mingchi could not help but laugh, saying, "Is Princess Xing'er planning to be a wealthy merchant in her future" Before he finished his words, Xin'er giggled and quickly stuffed the abacus into Ling'er's arms. Ling'er looked at the little toy in confusion, as if pondering something before twisting his body to place the abacus behind him and picking up a book beside him to stuff it into Xin'er’s embrace.

Xin'er did not want to be outdone either; she laughed and grabbed a pen near her and passed it onto Ling'er. Thus, under everyone's watchful eyes, the two kids started passing items back and forth as they played.

Feng Zhiyao was speechless, staring at his happily playing sister and brother-in-law, "What are they doing" Ye Li looked at the piles of objects behind each child and couldn't help but smile. She didn’t know what they were up to either. After thinking for a moment, she clapped her hands and smiled at the two children, saying, "Ling'er, Xin'er, pick out something you like and come over to give it to your mother."

It wasn't clear whether the kids understood Ye Li's words or not; they only saw Ye Li spread her hands towards them. After hesitating for a moment, Ling'er was the first to crawl up. It appeared that he walked back and forth on the long table, returning with a pair of items after some time. Among what he brought back were an exquisite little sword, a small zitan wooden box, as well as a scroll painting. But his tiny hands could barely hold all these things; just a few steps later everything dropped to the ground. He seemed to ponder for a moment and pushed the scroll towards Xin'er while he picked up the sword and zitan box and continued walking forward. Halfway through, he casually threw away the wooden box and grabbed an emerald seal instead. Then, with one hand holding the sword and another lifting the seal, he walked towards Ye Li.

"Congratulations to the little prince for his future martial prowess and command over thousands of soldiers!" It turned out that Liner picked up a military commander's seal at last.

Liner threw himself into Ye Li’s arms, handing her the commander's seal. "Mother... I was good..." Ye Li smiled and held her son, leaning down to kiss his little forehead and said with a smile, "Yes, Liner is being good."

Xin'er, who still sat on the table, saw her brother leave and pouted slightly. Calmly looking around at the crowd that had gathered, she slowly began moving as well. Even though she was the older sister, she walked less steadily than Liner did; after a few steps, she stopped and continued to crawl on the table instead of walking properly. Whenever she saw something she liked, she would drag it over to where she had been sitting previously. Before long, there was a pile of objects around her. Toys and weapons that boys like, as well as jewelry and writing materials for girls, were all present in abundance. When she felt satisfied with what she had selected, she sat down and stopped moving.

Ye Li was somewhat at a loss for words, "Xin'er, pick something you like and bring it over."

Xin'er looked at Ye Li, hesitated slightly, then lowered her head to look at the pile of objects in front of her. Her big round eyes turned around a few times before she climbed up again towards the edge of the table, causing everyone to worry about her falling and rush forward to support her. Xin'er grabbed onto Xu Qingyan’s sleeve, who was closest to her, and crawled back, dragging him along until he reached the pile of objects in front of her, then stared at him with big eyes.

Xu Qingyan felt speechless; seeing everyone looking at him, he could only sigh helplessly and ask, "Xin'er, do you want Uncle to get it for you" Xin'er giggled, and Xu Qingyan had no choice but to ask again, "Which one do you want"

Xin'er began pushing items one by one towards Xu Qingyan. Xue Qingchen looked at Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao with無奈之情, feeling a mix of amusement and frustration, "Sister Li, this little princess is really quite greedy."

The people around also found the little princess's actions amusing; Mo Jingyu smiled and said, "It seems that the little princess has broad interests. She will surely be well-provided for in her future life with nothing to worry about."

Everyone congratulated Ding Wang and his consort on their good fortune as well. In the end, Xu Qingyan was forced to help the little princess collect all of her selected items because she wouldn't move from them otherwise.

The ceremony itself was quite simple; after the two babies finished picking up their prizes, they were taken away by someone else. The guests who came to attend the ceremony were invited to the garden for sightseeing and drinking while waiting for the evening banquet.

In the meantime, everyone from Ding Wang’s residence gathered in the flower hall, with both kids still playing happily with their loot in their parents' arms. Xu Qingyan held Xin'er with a smile on his face; there was also her pile of prizes on the table next to him. In her hand, Xin'er clutched an exquisite jewelry box and studied it intently.

"Has Little Treasure come back yet" Ye Li asked frowningly.

Xi Qingfeng frowned and said, "Not yet. Zhiri, Junhan, and Qin Lie are not in the residence either. But they should be fine; if anything happened to them, their people would return and report it."

Ye Li looked at Mo Xiuyao who nodded with a smile, "Trust me, Aoao is fine."

Ye Li nodded and asked Qin Lie, “How’s the Queen of Nan Zhou”

Qin Feng frowned. "Although Princess Anxi had disguised herself, she was still recognizable. She was dragged around the city by someone else; Mo Jingli probably doesn’t want to do anything with her but rather wants to use Princess Anxi to distract us."

Ye Li pondered for a moment and said, “We must seize the opportunity. No matter what, we should first rescue Princess Anxi.”

"My Lord and My Lady, something’s happened!" The head steward hurriedly informed them from outside.

"What is it" Mo Xiuyao asked coolly.

The head steward said solemnly, "Prince Pu’a heard about the news of Princess Anxi and led his men out to rescue her."

"Foolish!" Ye Li frowned. They were bold enough to lead Princess Anxi around in broad daylight; they wouldn’t be unprepared. Prince Pu’a charging out alone was too reckless.

After a moment’s thought, she said, "Zhao Jing, take some people and…"

"No, Li, we’re going ourselves," Mo Xiuyao stood up, pulling Ye Li's hand gently.

Ye Li frowned slightly. It was an important time for the Dingwang Residence to be hosting so many guests; besides, it wasn’t urgent enough that they needed to personally attend to this matter themselves. Smiling, Mo Xiuyao said, "Let’s go, Prince Pu’a and Princess Anxi are our guests; we should pay them a visit."

Ye Li sighed helplessly and said, "Alright then, Third Brother."

Xu Qingfeng smiled and assured her, “Trust me. Leave the Dingwang Residence to us.”

The streets of Li City were unusually busy due to today being a special day. However, some less frequented streets were even quieter than usual. When Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao arrived, Prince Pu’a's Nan Zhou guards had already clashed with Mo Jingli’s men. Although the latter wasn’t numerous, each man was well trained. To make matters worse, they were cornered by Prince Pu’a’s guards in a tavern on the side of the street. They smashed all the alcohol within and threatened to set fire to it if anyone dared enter. The whole place would soon be engulfed in flames.

"My Lord, My Lady!" Seeing Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao arrive, Prince Pu’a quickly explained the situation with some anxiety.

Ye Li’s expression was not good either. They were not worried about defeating these men; they just didn’t want to risk hurting Princess Anxi if something went wrong. These people had clearly decided to die fighting rather than be captured, and igniting the alcohol would turn the tavern into an inferno in no time. If they injured Princess Anxi, it would backfire.

Prince Pu’a knew he had been hasty but his wife and son’s disappearance for so long pushed him past his limits of patience; upon hearing about Princess Anxi, how could he remain calm

Looking at Pu'a's guilty and frustrated expression, Ye Li sighed softly in her heart and comforted her calmly, "Don't worry, Your Highness. Queen of Nanzhao has good fortune and will be fine."

Pu'a nodded and said, "It's troublesome for the queen to do this. Please, Queen, you must save Anxi."

"Rest assured," Ye Li reassured her. "This is Li City, and Your Highness’s safety is a priority for the Ding王府." She gave Qin Feng a look, who nodded in agreement and stepped forward loudly, saying, "People inside, listen up! Prince Ding and Princess Consort Ding have arrived personally. Quickly release Queen of Nanzhao to spare your lives."

There was silence for a moment before a figure appeared at the second-floor window, looking down at them and then said, "First, you must let Princess Anxi go. Only then will Prince Ding and Princess Consort Ding come in to exchange."

"Reckless!" Qin Feng sternly rebuked. "How dare you think that there's nothing the Ding王府 can do about this" These people were clearly aware by now that they had no way out, perhaps deciding to take a last stand but showing even more audacity. They laughed and said, "We know naturally. If Prince Ding orders an attack, he could kill all of us without losing one soldier. However... having the Queen as company for death would be quite the gain."

Before Mo Xiurao could speak, Ye Li raised her hand to stop him and stepped forward with a smile, saying, "If I really agree to come up with Prince Ding, will you dare"

The other side fell silent. The martial prowess of Prince Ding was well-known throughout the world; they truly couldn't be sure what would happen if he went inside. After a moment, the man sneered and said, "Thank you for reminding us, Your Highness. Then we just need one person to come up." Although it was rumored that Princess Consort Ding’s skills were also remarkable, they hadn’t reached the level where ordinary martial artists would fear her. They themselves could be considered first-rate experts; dealing with one Princess Consort Ding naturally wouldn't be a problem.

"Alright," Ye Li smiled.

"A-璃." Mo Xiurao frowned unhappily, although he knew that Ye Li had everything under control. He just didn’t like seeing her take any risks in front of him. Even for the sake of Queen Nanzhao, it was unacceptable. So what if both the queen and prince of Nanzhao died in Li City For a while at least, even if Nanzhao fell out with the Ding王府, they wouldn’t be able to do much about it.

Ye Li gently squeezed his hand and smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry; nothing will happen."

Mos Xiurao pursed his lips and glared at her unhappily. Ye Li smiled. "I guarantee I'll be out in a quarter of an hour."

After a moment, Mo Xiurao let go and watched as Ye Li left for the restaurant.

Upon entering the wine house, a strong smell of alcohol indeed greeted her. The main hall was filled with shattered wine jars and puddles of spilled liquor on the ground. Ye Li leisurely walked up to the second floor and saw several men staring at her menacingly. Princess Anxi sat by a table motionless, her eyes brimming with anxiety as she watched Ye Li approach, "Dingwang's Consort… Don’t come over. Mo Jingli took Shuoer away; please save Shuoer."

Ye Li smiled slightly and said, "Princess Anxi, don't worry. Shuoer will be fine."

Thinking of her son who had been taken away by Mo Jingli and was nowhere to be found, Princess Anxi couldn’t help but tear up as she said, "Dingwang's Consort, don’t bother with me. As long as… Shuoer is unharmed…"

Ye Li sighed and said, "The Queen and the Prince have also suffered this unexpected disaster because of Dingwang’s Manor. How could I not take care of it" She walked to a table nearby Princess Anxi and sat down calmly. Looking around at the men in front of her who looked somewhat familiar but she couldn’t put names to their faces, they were likely guards that had served Mo Xiyr previously.

"Gentlemen, using women and innocent infants as leverage, Mo Jingli’s methods are indeed becoming increasingly unsavory."

The man in the lead stepped forward, sized Ye Li up, and said, "At this point, does it matter whether something is appropriate or not We greatly admire Consort Dingwang for risking herself alone to help a total stranger. Unfortunately, our positions are different; we hope you understand."

With interest, Ye Li observed him several times before smiling and saying, "Your words are quite interesting. Someone like you would still be faithfully serving Mo Jingli until now is rather surprising for this Consort."

The man smiled bitterly and said, "A loyal minister serves only one sovereign; moreover, His Majesty has shown me great favor."

"Great favor, indeed a loyal and righteous person," Ye Li sighed.

Looking at Ye Li, the man continued, "It’s because of Consort Dingwang's status that I’m surprised. If I were to light a fire now… killing one Consort Dingwang would be more advantageous than killing one Queen of Nanzhao. Moreover, right now… wouldn’t Consort Dingwang have to die alongside the Queen of Nanzhao"

Ye Li calmly looked at him and smiled, "Firstly, are you sure that after lighting a fire I couldn't escape Secondly... you’ve been parading around with the Queen of Nanzhao for so long. After being surrounded, do you truly intend to kill Princess Anxi first Since all of you know there’s no way out, if you really want to kill her why not just slit her throat and maybe make a last-ditch attempt to break free Doing it this way… I don’t know what will happen to Princess Anxi, but your fates seem sealed. Why would you do that"

The man’s eyes darkened, "What are you trying to say

Ye Li covered her mouth and laughed, "Did you not understand me I’m advising you to act quickly."

The man suspiciously looked at the white-robed woman before him. He had entered for Princess Anxi’s sake but was now being advised to take action swiftly. This certainly wasn’t what they had expected. However, he had heard about Consort Ding’s shrewdness when he was by Mo Xiuyao's side. Although he couldn't see through Ye Li's thoughts, he was still wary and closely watched her every move.

Ye Li smiled and said, "You don’t need to be so tense. I know that you really do not want to kill Princess Anxi right now; in fact… you wish she lived a long life."

The man remained silent. Ye Li laughed, "Are you planning to use Princess Anxi to hold us here while Mo Jingli has some secret arrangements But... does Mo Jingli really believe that I and the Prince will be tied up by Princess Anxi"

The man sneered, "If Consort Ding is here now, doesn’t it already show something"

Ye Li sighed helplessly, "I came in just to tell you. In 15 minutes, the dark guards of Prince Ding’s mansion will commence a strong attack."

The man's face paled and he said gruffly, "Don’t you fear that I’ll kill Queen Nan Zhao"

Ye Li replied, "Dead or alive, there needs to be an explanation, isn't it With so many guests at Prince Ding’s mansion today, how could the Prince and I stay here for a long time" Seeing the man staring intently at her, Ye Li sat back relaxedly. She observed the decorations of the tavern while casually remarked, "Does Mo Jingli want to cooperate with Mo Jingyu What do you think he can accomplish"

Hearing this, the man finally changed his expression. Unaware of it, Ye Li continued, "There are also some old officials and noble families in Li City secretly helping them. Even so… what can they do Every soldier in Li City is under Prince Ding’s control; could they really overturn Li City"

"Consort Ding is indeed extremely capable," the man stared at Ye Li deeply, "You must not have come here to chat with us. Consort, how are you planning to proceed"

Ye Li smiled and said, "Release Princess Anxi and I can consider forgiving."

The man curled his lips in a mocking smile, clearly not believing Ye Li’s words. Even if he believed them, he wouldn’t consider it.now, are Lady Wang and King's Mansion going to sit idle"Ye Li scoffed inwardly at his arrogance. She glanced at him coldly and was about to speak when Duke Huaguo suddenly stepped forward and glared f...