Heartstrings Resonance: The Beloved Princess of the Female Power

Yongle smiled softly upon hearing this, and then said, "Father, why don't you think about yourself first? This marriage was granted by your own decree."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Qing Zhao was speechless. However, he was reluctant to blame his daughter, so he could only wave his hand helplessly and said in a serious tone, "Alright, alright, stop making such a fuss here and leave immediately! I have important matters to attend to with the ministers."

Yongle nodded obediently and replied submissively, "Yes, father!" After that, she turned and left the hall.

After Yongle left, Emperor Qing Zhao immediately took action. He quickly dispatched an elite team to secretly investigate the matter, leaving no one who might be suspected unscrupulous. If anyone was found to be suspicious, they would be arrested without hesitation and subjected to rigorous interrogation to uncover the truth.

At the same time, Emperor Qing Zhao urgently summoned several trusted ministers to discuss countermeasures. They gathered together to discuss how to strengthen national intelligence to promptly detect and prevent similar incidents. They also discussed how to prevent foreign infiltration into the country and ensure national security.

After a period of intense yet efficient work, Emperor Qing Zhao finally felt a hint of fatigue. He sighed deeply, aware of the immense responsibility and pressure he shouldered as the ruler of a nation. However, he also knew that only through decisive action and unwavering resolve could he protect this land, ensure the people's peaceful and prosperous lives, and ensure the nation's prosperity.

After coming out of the palace, Yongle went straight back to the princess's mansion, and told Ouyang Yi about his conversation with Emperor Qing Zhao in detail, and told him that Emperor Qing Zhao had decided to let him go.

Upon hearing this news, Ouyang Yi was delighted and quickly bowed to express his gratitude: "Thank you, Princess!"

However, Yongle simply responded: "Don't be in a hurry to thank me. It won't be too late to thank me after the truth is revealed." She frowned slightly, thought for a moment and continued: "It seems that you are not safe at the moment. You should stay in my house for the time being!" After that, she gently picked up the teacup on the table, took a sip, and then stared at the tea in the cup quietly without saying anything.

Ouyang Yi wanted to say something more, but seeing that Yongle had already made a gesture to send him away, he had no choice but to shut his mouth and say no more. He secretly speculated that perhaps Yongle still had some affection for him, otherwise how could Emperor Qing Zhao let him go so easily? He firmly believed that it must be Yongle who interceded for him. But he didn't know that Yongle had already told Emperor Qing Zhao everything without reservation.

Yongle looked at his departing figure, a hint of sarcasm on his lips, and whispered to himself: "Do you think I am still the one who loves you deeply? How ridiculous."

She thought of the letter she had written to the other party yesterday, and a feeling of disgust welled up in her heart. She turned to the maid beside her and ordered, "Go and call him back." The maid took the order and left. After a while, Ouyang Yi was brought back.

Yongle looked at him expressionlessly and asked in a cold tone, "Where's the letter?" Ouyang Yi was a little confused at first, but soon realized what she was asking. He took out a letter from his sleeve and handed it to Yongle.

Yongle took the letter, quickly opened it, and after confirming that it was correct, he threw it directly into the stove beside him. Ouyang Yi had no time to stop him and watched helplessly as the letter was engulfed in flames.

Yongle smiled with relief and said to himself, "I feel much better now." He turned to Ouyang Yi and said, "You don't know, when I was writing this letter yesterday, I almost vomited."

Ouyang Yi stood there blankly, looking at Yongle with eyes filled with shock and loss. He couldn't believe what was happening before his eyes, as if all his hopes were shattered in an instant.

At this moment, he finally understood that Yongle no longer had any attachment to him, and even his eyes were filled with undisguised disgust.

Seeing that he looked sympathetic, Yongle said indifferently: "Don't worry, the marriage between you and me still exists, and you are still my consort." She looked at Ouyang Yi with a hint of sarcasm in her eyes.

Ouyang Yi was puzzled when he heard this, as if he couldn't believe his ears. He frowned and asked softly, "Princess, what does this mean?"

Yongle smiled, but her laughter was devoid of any warmth. She said coldly, "You heard me right. You are still my consort, and you will always be my consort." Her eyes were fixed on Ouyang Yi, as if she wanted to see through him.

Ouyang Yi's eyes widened in disbelief. He muttered to himself, "The princess and the emperor already know my identity, so why don't they withdraw their order and cancel the engagement?" His voice was filled with confusion. He had assumed that Emperor Qing Zhao would withdraw his order once he knew his identity.

He asked again: "But... why? You... don't love me anymore! Don't you?" He still held a glimmer of hope in his heart, hoping that Yongle still had some feelings for him.

Yongle looked at him expressionlessly, and uttered cold words: "I am saving you! If you don't become my consort, you will have no way out. And you have been gambling all this time, gambling that I still have feelings for you. Do you think... do you?" She stared at Ouyang Yi's eyes, suddenly smiled, and then continued word by word:

"It's not that you're unaware of the spies controlled by the Grand Prince of Youdu, but rather that your heart is already leaning towards Youdu. This time, you're willing to hand over the list of these spies to me as a bargaining chip. Perhaps it's because you gave so much to Youdu in your past life, yet Youdu didn't acknowledge you, leaving you disappointed!

"Furthermore, these people have the blood of the people of Zhao State flowing through their veins, but you have not revealed to me any of the pure bloodline of Youdu. Yet you are trying to shift our attention to the Grand Prince of Youdu. I suspect... you want us to help you deal with him! Because your biological mother died at his hands? Is what I say true?"

"Both." Ouyang Yi did not deny it. In fact, he was very surprised that Yongle could even guess his mother's death. But when he thought about it carefully, considering his eldest brother's dirty reputation of abusing married women since childhood, it was not surprising that Yongle could guess it.

He sighed and continued, "But after you passed away, I realized that my love for you was so real. I couldn't bear the pain of losing you, and finally chose to commit suicide. Because without you, my life has lost its meaning." His eyes were full of affection and attachment, as if he wanted to convey his inner feelings to Yongle through his eyes.

However, Yongle did not respond to his love. Instead, he stared at him for more than ten breaths before slowly speaking with a deep meaning in his tone: "Be a good consort. When Youdu no longer exists... you will be free."

Hearing the name "Youdu", Yongle couldn't help but think of Youzhou. She stared at Ouyang Yi and asked, "Did you know that Youdu was not called Youdu in the past?"

Ouyang Yi slowly shook his head, feeling immense pain and helplessness about his life story. His biological mother had been secretly executed after giving birth to him. He only knew that it was the eldest prince who tortured her to death, or that his wet nurse had told him before she died.

Furthermore, he never received the respect he deserved in Youdu, living like a servant in the gloomy palace. Due to his low status, he had no access to royal annals and knew nothing of historical events. However, the greatest warmth he received came from Princess Yongle. It was this warmth that fueled his grief and anger after Yongle's death in his previous life. Despite his utmost efforts, he still failed to gain the King of Youdu's approval, ultimately committing suicide out of hatred.

Seeing that he seemed truly ignorant of the situation, Yongle patiently explained to him, "Youdu was formerly called Xiqi. This happened when you first founded your country more than two hundred years ago. At that time, your king passed by Youzhou of my Zhao Kingdom and mistakenly thought that Youzhou was the capital of my Zhao Kingdom. He marveled at the prosperity of this city, and his heart was filled with yearning. He hoped that Xiqi would be as prosperous as my Zhao Kingdom in the future. So, he changed the name of Xiqi to Youdu to express his respect for our country. In addition, regarding those spies that you gave up, it was actually because Youdu had a sparse population and needed to expand its population size by intermarrying with outsiders. My great-grandfather was kind-hearted and ordered the entire Zhao Kingdom that if anyone was willing to intermarry, he would never stop them. I didn't expect that they would be developed into spies by your two current kings." Yongle's eyes were full of teasing.

Seeing his shocked expression, Yongle continued, "You have few pure bloodlines in Youdu, right?"

Ouyang Yi didn't know how to answer. He didn't understand why Yongle suddenly asked this question.

Yongle didn't care about his answer and continued to talk to herself, "I guess that the current king of Youdu feels that the intermarriage was a shame. He wants to wash away this shame by annexing Zhao and making Zhao become Youdu." At this point, she suddenly looked at Ouyang Yi with a hint of teasing and provocation in her eyes, "Is what I said true or not?"

Ouyang Yi nodded blankly. He was so shocked by Yongle's words that he was at a loss for words.

Yongle covered his mouth and laughed for a while, then waved his hand and said in a relaxed tone: "It's late, go down! Wait to become a prince consort!" After that, she turned and left, leaving Ouyang Yi standing there alone.

Ouyang Yi walked out of the room and returned to his room. He was immersed in Yongle's words all the way. He couldn't understand why Yongle had such thoughts, and he didn't understand why she said these to him.

When he finally returned to the room, he sat in the chair in a daze for a long time, still unable to get over Yongle's changes.

Thinking of Yongle in his previous life, she was gentle and graceful, like a spring breeze, soft and warm. Her eyes always showed kindness and tenderness, and she always treated him with care and consideration. Her smile was as bright as the sun, which could melt people's hearts.