Saving the foolish general, she accidentally becomes his favorite.

Su Zhelan never expected that Ye Li would share her culinary recipes with other countries.

This was after he had spent a thousand taels of gold.

He choked for a moment...

Gu Qing was furious: "This is a complete waste of money!"

If they had known earlier that she would be made available to envoys from other countries, their master wouldn't have been in such a hurry to buy her.

Gu Qing angrily started cursing.

But aside from her initial shock, Su Zhelan did not lose her temper or become angry.

He elegantly wiped his mouth and said with great interest:

“She has a temper, and this is a warning to me.”

"He's just a little mute, yet he's not afraid of me..."

"Hahaha... Interesting! Interesting!"

Su Zhelan was given the cold shoulder by Ye Li, but this only made her more infatuated with her.

It was probably on the way up that I encountered too many sycophants and two-faced people.

In the power struggle, everyone needs to observe his words and actions and submit to him.

He had already reached the top, and the entire Beichen was under his control.

It was precisely this woman from another country who could bring him such a pleasant surprise.

This time, he witnessed her talent, her gentleness, and her ruthless methods of retaliating.

This is the kind of woman who can ignite his desire to conquer.

Su Zhelan instructed:

"Gu Qing, send another copy of the gift intended for the General's wife to the General's residence, specifying that it is for the General's wife."

Gu Qing swallowed hard, then asked in a hoarse voice, "Another two thousand gold coins?"

"Yes."

Su Zhelan waved her hand dismissively, as if it were just a tael of silver, and gave the order without any hesitation.

Gu Qing obeyed and hurriedly left, but a sigh escaped her lips:

"My lord... could it be that you don't like the food itself, but rather the people who make it?"

……

In the palace.

Xuanyuan Ming was not particularly happy about the sudden surge of popular support.

All of this was caused by Mo Chen!

He could have accepted this kind of flattery if it were any other official.

But the thought that his lifelong reputation was built on Mo Chen's efforts, and that he couldn't do without Mo Chen, made Xuan Yuanming extremely angry!

Anyone can.

Mo Chen is the only exception!

This was a hurdle in his heart...

Xuanyuan Ming looked at the Grand Tutor seated below him and said in a deep voice:

"Why did Your Excellency have to kill Fu Xiyang? The matter has caused quite a stir, and Mo Chen has stolen the limelight! I am indebted to him for the support of so many people."

"How can I entrust you with important tasks again in the future?"

Xuanyuan Ming was in a bad mood and put on airs.

The emperor's father-in-law, being a shrewd man, immediately lowered his voice and became humble:

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger. This was due to my lack of foresight. However, I acted with utmost sincerity, knowing that Fu Xiyang might join forces against Your Majesty. That's why I wanted to help Your Majesty resolve this predicament and eliminate the hidden danger in one fell swoop..."

"It was this old minister who acted on his own initiative. I beg Your Majesty to punish me."

The emperor's father-in-law immediately knelt down, his posture extremely humble.

Seeing how ingratiating he was, Xuanyuan Ming figured it wasn't intentional and let him get up.

He said in a deep voice, "What should we do now?"

Just as the emperor's father-in-law was about to speak, a eunuch came to report that the retired emperor had an imperial edict for the emperor.

Xuanyuan Ming felt a surge of emotion.

Could it be that the Emperor Emeritus wanted to praise himself for organizing the birthday banquet because of the people's praises?

Xuanyuan Ming did so much, all for the sake of gaining the Emperor Emeritus's approval.

He immediately beamed with joy and ordered the eunuch to report it quickly.

The eunuch smiled and said, "The Emperor Emeritus said that Your Majesty is filial, benevolent, virtuous, and loves the people, which is truly a blessing for the people. However, those who have made contributions should be rewarded, and those who have made mistakes should be severely punished. This is the art of governing one's subjects."

"Therefore, the general's wife, Ye Li, should be granted the title of Lady of Imperial Decree of this Dynasty to commend her magnanimity and merits."

Xuanyuan Ming was laughing at first, but later he became incredulous:

"What? They're making this mute woman a titled lady?"

“Your Majesty, this lady has greatly benefited the people. Rewarding her will show the court’s high regard for her and let the Northern Chen Kingdom know that we, the ruler and his subjects, are of one mind and will not be easily alienated.”

The eunuch dutifully conveyed the Emperor Emeritus's message, hoping that the Emperor would consider the matter from multiple perspectives.

Granting her the title of Lady of the Imperial Decree would silence the rumors spread by other envoys.

This will not harm the country or its people.

Xuanyuan Ming had no one to confide in, so he could only force a smile and agree to the matter.

But deep down, she resented that she could never be as good as that person!

After the eunuch left, Xuanyuan Ming smashed all the cups and teacups in the palace to pieces...

the other side--

The retired emperor was enjoying feeding the birds when he heard from his servants that the emperor had already ordered someone to draft an imperial edict.

He nodded. "Okay, you can go now."

The eunuch stepped forward and asked, "Does the Emperor Emeritus have anything else to say?"

"Okay, then go check on that little girl and see what delicious food she's made lately..."

When the Emperor Emeritus heard the rumors circulating in the streets, he already knew it was a risky move, but the little girl still won.

Treating people's hearts as a battlefield, it's all about mental fortitude.

Now she's outsmarted that brat Su Zhelan, hahaha, she really has guts.

In that case, let's leave the aftermath to the elderly.

When the palace servants arrived at the general's mansion again in a grand procession.

Ye Li was dumbfounded. So many gifts and rewards?

The eunuch read out the imperial edict, and she became a Lady of Imperial Rank.

Ye Li looked at the pile of rewards and the court robes and headdresses of the noble ladies.

I was momentarily stunned.

The retired emperor previously said he wanted to elevate her status; could it be that he's taking advantage of this opportunity to do so?

That's an ascension that happened way too fast!

It felt like a dream.

What a remarkable promotion!

Ye Li said, "The more the merrier!"

Mo Chen listened to the eunuch finish reading, then looked at her radiant, sunshine-like smile.

My heart started pounding again.

She smiles so beautifully.

Ye Li excitedly walked up to him with the imperial edict and waved it.

An overwhelming joy spread through her body, and she twirled sweetly, laughing as she did so:

"I'm so happy! I'll be rich now, lots and lots of money!"

“Lady of the Imperial Decree, now I can officially stand by your side.”

"I'm no longer just an ordinary citizen!"

She smiled excitedly, and then happily went to count the rewards from the retired emperor and the emperor.

Just then, someone from the gatehouse came to report again:

"The Prince of Beichen has sent someone."

Upon hearing this, Mo Chen's face immediately darkened. What was he doing here?

After the envoy from Beichen Kingdom put down the heavy boxes, he explained his purpose.

Mo Chen's fists were clenched so tightly that the veins bulged, and he gritted his teeth as he said:

"Say it again?"

“Our Prince Beichen said that these two thousand taels of gold are a gift to the general’s wife, hoping that the young lady will be happy and cheerful.”

The servants respectfully relayed the message and then opened the boxes one by one.

It's all gold everywhere!

It's a good thing that someone is eager to give you money, but...

Seeing Mo Chen's expression, which was as black as the bottom of an iron pot, he rubbed his fists together, itching to fight.

Ye Li felt like she couldn't laugh anymore...

That's strange, you were the one avoiding me.

Now he has an unhappy expression on his face again.

A man's heart is like a needle at the bottom of the sea...

Ye Li eventually accepted the gift.

After all, even if they don't accept it, they might still send it tomorrow—don't reason with a pervert, perverts are unreasonable.

After receiving the gold, Ye Li planned to go out and spend it lavishly.

They would go to a shop and buy a lot of things.

She quickly bought up all the goods on half the street.

The little beggar and his henchmen followed behind her, carrying things in a flurry.

Halfway there, a carriage blocked their way.

A maid dressed in traditional ethnic style said respectfully:

"Madam General, my princess requests your presence."

Ye Li tilted her head. Princess?

Then the carriage curtain was lifted, and Ye Li saw the woman in red whom she had met once before in the palace.

"My princess is Princess Mingzhu. Please come aboard the carriage and have a chat for a while. It won't take up too much of your time."

Ye Li thought for a moment, and with so many underlings watching, nothing could go wrong, so she got into the car.

She sat in the carriage, dipped her hand in water, and wrote on the small tea table:

"What's the matter?"

Princess Mingzhu looked at her, her gaze seemingly piercing through everything:

"who are you?"

Ye Li wrote down her name.

But Princess Mingzhu lowered her eyes and said firmly:

No, you are not Ye Li.

"At least, you're no longer the Ye Li you used to be..."

! ! ! ! !

Did my identity get exposed?