Saving the foolish general, she accidentally becomes his favorite.

The eunuch led Ye Li forward.

The Royal Racecourse was packed with people today, a constant stream of all sorts of people.

Ye Li could see people setting up along the way, and some were already eagerly exchanging skills. People were warming up in various activities, including playing musical instruments, chess, calligraphy, painting, horseback riding, and archery. Judging from the cheers of the onlookers, today's event was indeed more than just a rehearsal.

It seems we really need to determine who is superior...

Ye Li didn't take the difficulties caused by those noble ladies to heart; such an interlude wasn't even worth mentioning.

Palace intrigue is like a knife hidden in cotton, its depths unfathomable.

The eunuch led her to the most magnificent viewing platform, where the most honored person in the palace was seated—the Empress.

The Empress did not make things too difficult for her; she only said a few words and even rewarded her.

Finally, she was told to learn a lot from the other young ladies today so that she wouldn't make a mistake at the birthday banquet.

She was then allowed to roam freely at the Royal Ascot.

Ye Li had a good impression of the empress; she was beautiful and didn't cause any trouble.

The eunuch leading the way then smiled and said:

"General's wife, you are truly blessed. Other noble ladies have received rewards before, even on their first meeting with the Empress..."

The eunuch's attitude towards her wasn't exactly good at first, but after Ye Li was rewarded by the Empress, he became much more respectful.

Ye Li took out a jade pendant from the gifts and handed it to the eunuch in a generous manner.

The eunuch was stunned: "This..."

The eunuch seemed alarmed, then anxiously reassured her, "Madam General, you may not know this, but the rewards in the palace are completely different from what you usually see on the street. These are truly priceless treasures..."

Ye Li thought, "Of course I know it's a treasure. The Empress bestowed it upon me in public, how could she give me something from a street stall?"

Unable to speak, Ye Li grabbed his sleeve, placed the jade pendant in the eunuch's palm, and then pointed to the area around the racetrack where people were now sparring.

She gave the eunuch a look, and then gestured with her fingers.

Having spent many years in the palace, the eunuchs, who were masters of reading people's expressions, naturally understood this.

The eunuch smiled obsequiously and said, "Madam General, would you like to know the rules of the Royal Racecourse? I will explain them to you one by one."

"This Royal Racecourse event is held to showcase skills and select the best athletes in each event. So that when other countries come to pay tribute in the future, if they want to challenge or compete with us, we can send our outstanding young talents to the race and demonstrate our national prestige."

"Her Majesty the Empress said this morning that everyone can compete on their own and choose their own events. For each event, eunuchs and palace maids will count the winners and the number of participants. The winners will be the outstanding students who can represent the Tian Shu Kingdom."

"Madam General, if you have no special talents, you may rest on your own. If you wish to play a game or two, I will take you there."

“However…” The eunuch hesitated for a moment, but finally spoke:

"However, Madam may need to be careful. After all, Madam's status is not as high as that of other noble ladies. If she really wants to engage in a sparring match, a situation like what happened just now is unavoidable..."

The eunuch accepted Ye Li's gift, and his attitude softened considerably; he even gave her some guidance.

"Fortunately, Her Majesty the Empress did not make things difficult for you. You can rest in the tent for a while. Once the sun sets and the outcome of the battle is decided, I will have someone escort you back to your residence."

Seeing that the eunuch was still relatively friendly to her, Ye Li gave him another jade ruyi, saying:

"You, help me."

Having spent so much time observing people's expressions and moods in the palace, the eunuchs naturally learned to read lips. Moreover, Ye Li's words were concise and to the point, so he understood.

He stepped back slightly and said respectfully:

"Oh, no, no, if Madam wishes to have a friendly spar, this servant can take a look and see if I can help you."

The eunuch pointed to a spot where a group of women were practicing pitch-pot.

The eunuch said, "This Miss Wen is known throughout the capital for her good temper. If you can play a few rounds with her, even if you can't speak, she won't target you."

The eunuch pointed to another spot where a flower arranging competition was taking place. "The young ladies there are known for their quiet demeanor and soft-spoken manners. Madam may also visit that area."

And over there, the eunuch pointed to the area where the pastries were made, "The noble ladies of Tian Shu Kingdom care a great deal about food. If you, Madam, can demonstrate an outstanding skill, they will immediately treat you as an honored guest."

"In the capital, there are quite a few women who have managed to infiltrate the inner circles of these nobles by using their culinary skills..."

Ye Li organized the information the eunuch had given her, and then said to the eunuch:

"Would you like to come with me?"

The eunuch understood, and then respectfully said:

"If Madam doesn't mind, then this servant will do his best."

Ye Li headed straight for the food area.

I'm quite confident that I've eaten countless delicacies in my past life.

After Ye Li arrived, the eunuch spoke first, without waiting for anyone else to react:

"This is the first time the General's wife has visited here today. She was just about to offer a delicious dish to all the young ladies. Would you ladies do me the honor of giving her your comments?"

Because it was a palace eunuch who spoke first, all the daughters of officials made way, and a few asked curiously:

"Great! There's new delicious food again! I'm so tired of the food prepared by the imperial kitchen lately!"

"Then come quickly, come quickly. We've used up too much energy today, so it's good to have something to eat."

As the eunuch had said, the women in this circle were indeed relatively easy to get along with.

So Ye Li showed off her skills and made gorgeous lotus flower pastries.

The layers of flaky pastry bloom like flowers, and one bite is so crispy and delicious that everyone in the circle immediately exclaimed how delicious it was.

Then Ye Li also made little rabbit glutinous rice balls. The cute white balls had two adorable ears and eyes made of black sesame seeds. They were not only uniquely shaped, but also had a soft and chewy texture.

The glutinous rice balls were filled with peanut filling, which made them very delicious and won them a lot of praise!

There are few barriers to communication among foodies, and Ye Li quickly won everyone's praise with her culinary skills.

She didn't reveal that she couldn't speak, bowed, and left.

Ye Li went directly to the next competition venue.

The flower arranging circle is the least populated and the most deserted.

There appeared to be no more than ten people, but each woman had a gentle smile on her face, like that of a well-bred lady.

Having learned from his previous experience, the eunuch smiled and said this time when he arrived at the flower arranging competition:

"The General's wife would also like to have a friendly spar with you ladies. What do you all think?"

Upon hearing this, the ladies immediately made way for each other and gestured for her to leave.

Ye Li thought the eunuch's information was quite good; these quiet beauties were pleasing to the eye and also knew how to be polite.

There were all sorts of flowers on the table. Ye Li took a few main bouquets and a few bunches of supporting flowers, and then began to prune them.

The other women were all very puzzled. In Tian Shu Kingdom, flower arranging was all about figuring out how to arrange the flowers according to their original shape. This was the first time they had ever seen someone who could predict the outcome before even arranging the flowers and start trimming them directly...

Seeing Ye Li's serious and focused expression, the others didn't want to disturb her.

Only after the pruning was complete, and Ye Li arranged all the flowers in one go, did the others realize the secret behind it all…

There are variations in height, size, color, and the interplay of solid and void...

Not only is it beautiful and highly entertaining, but more importantly, it wasn't made while adjusting and creating it; it was improvised on the spot!

Just like writing poetry, the highest level is to write spontaneously.

The ladies were all very well-mannered, and upon seeing this, they spontaneously burst into applause.

Ye Li bowed and left again.

A low voice came from behind: "That's so creative, it was done in one go..."

There are always people better than you, and mountains beyond mountains...

Ye Li was actually a little guilty. She couldn't speak, so she could only try to minimize her appearance time in each place.

Because there were eunuchs speaking up, the other noble ladies did not say anything to make things difficult for her.

Next…

That's the hardest part.

The place the eunuch mentioned, where the arrow-throwing game was played, was the last relatively easy place to make one's presence felt...

Ye Li took a step and walked towards the area with the most people and the most bustling crowd...