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“Li Yunli, you’re quite bold!”
The Bai Guo Banquet at the Grand Princess’s residence was set for the eighth day of the eighth month. Besides close relatives and friends, nearly all key officials in the court received invitations.
The day was lively.
Li Yunli initially thought that, given the original owner’s notorious reputation, the invited guests might avoid the event. But surprisingly, due to the original owner’s status and the lingering influence of the late Jin King, nearly everyone who was invited showed up.
Soon, the garden filled with guests.
It seemed that while this body carried a bad reputation, its influence was still strong.
And that was enough for her to accomplish many things.
Standing at the entrance, Li Yunli greeted the guests, following Chu State etiquette as she exchanged courtesies. Servants Ya Xiang and Jiang Xiang then led the guests to their seats.
Thanks to several days of intense study in the book pavilion, she had already mastered Chu etiquette. As the servant announced each guest’s identity aloud, she performed the appropriate gestures without error.
While greeting guests, she also memorized their faces and identities at lightning speed.
Suddenly, the servant called out loudly:
“General Mingyi has arrived—”
Li Yunli looked up.
It was Xiao Linjia.
The man dismounted with ease. He was about 1.9 meters tall, with broad shoulders and a solid, muscular build, making him an imposing figure in the crowd.
Li Yunli silently clicked her tongue. No doubt, he was a battle-hardened general. Just looking at his physique gave off a strong sense of security.
She bowed according to protocol and was about to greet him when, unexpectedly, Xiao Linjia walked past her without sparing a glance.
Being much taller, he looked down from above and let out a cold snort as he passed.
Li Yunli: “?”
Did she have a grudge against Xiao Linjia?
That shouldn’t be the case.
Before she could ponder further, her attendant, Wang Quan, whispered in her ear:
“Your Highness, look! That Xiao Linjia really doesn’t respect you!”
Li Yunli’s brows furrowed as she realized something. “I asked you to deliver an invitation to General Mingyi’s residence. How exactly did you invite him?”
“Oh, Your Highness! That Xiao Linjia is extremely arrogant!”
Wang Quan immediately put on an aggrieved face and began complaining: “When I went to deliver the invitation yesterday, I was nearly thrown out! He even dared to toss away the invitation you personally wrote!”
“…So?”
“Since he dared to defy Your Highness, I took some men and smashed the stone lions at his gate!” Wang Quan said proudly.
Li Yunli: “…”
So that’s why so many guests showed up today. They were all ‘invited’ in this manner.
She shot Wang Quan a look as if staring at a dead man. Wang Quan finally realized something was wrong and began sweating. “Y-Your Highness?”
Hadn’t they always done things this way? What did he do wrong?
“Punishment hall. Twenty strikes.”
Li Yunli spoke coldly.
Wang Quan’s face turned ashen, and he shrank like a defeated rooster, his lips trembling as he withdrew.
The other servants trembled.
This master was still as unpredictable as ever.
After dealing with Wang Quan, Li Yunli returned to the banquet.
The feast began, music played, dancers performed, and guests toasted one another.
As the gathering grew, so did the whispers of political intrigue. Sitting at the head of the banquet, Li Yunli merely listened, absorbing the hidden affairs of nobility and court politics.
“Hey,” one female guest nudged her companion. “I don’t get it. Doesn’t Her Highness usually despise these scholars and officials? Why invite them today?”
She glanced around and clicked her tongue in amazement. “And she even invited that mysterious old National Teacher?”
Her companion lowered her voice. “I have no idea, but Her Highness never follows logic. Let’s not overthink it.”
The woman found this reasoning sound and fell silent.
Meanwhile, those usually at odds with Li Yunli sat uneasily, as if attending a Hongmen banquet (a trap-filled feast).
The old National Teacher, sweating, secretly cast divinations under the table. When his calculations were done, his eyes widened in shock.
Li Yunli had just finished three cups of wine when she glanced at the National Teacher, who was trembling as he finished his reading.
She set her cup down and cleared her throat. “National Teacher, what did you divine?”
The National Teacher hastily stashed away his bamboo sticks and coins, bowing deeply with sweat dripping down his face.
The hall grew quiet.
Years ago, when Li Yunli was born, this very National Teacher had predicted that her fate could only be stabilized if she were adopted out of the imperial lineage.
Ever since she grew up, she had tormented him at every opportunity. When in a bad mood, she had even ordered him beaten.
No matter how much the late emperor valued the National Teacher, he still had to bow before her.
Now, the old man bent even lower. “Your Highness, the Li hexagram represents fire—this is an auspicious sign! An excellent omen!”
Some snickered.
The esteemed National Teacher was now merely flattering to survive. How ridiculous.
Li Yunli chuckled lightly.
This hexagram matched the original novel’s plot.
The National Teacher had once predicted that chaos would soon erupt in the northwest. Later, he presented another divination to the emperor, claiming that the Grand Princess was destined to quell the unrest. As a result, she had been forced to journey to the northwest.
Her absence from the capital had been the perfect opportunity for Yun Chu’s hidden forces to grow.
In the original timeline, this prediction had been made at the annual imperial banquet. Yet now, by sheer coincidence, it had unfolded at her Bai Guo Banquet instead.
How convenient.
Suddenly, Xiao Linjia stood up. “If this is a good omen, then I have a question for Your Highness!”
“General Xiao, please speak.”
“The hexagram represents fire, yet while patrolling the northwest, I discovered that floods devastated Yongzhou this year. Yongzhou is Your Highness’s fiefdom. The people suffer, and bandits run rampant. Does this not prove that Your Highness lacks virtue, thus bringing calamity upon the land?”
Li Yunli gazed at him calmly. Xiao Linjia had just returned from suppressing bandits in the northwest and had firsthand knowledge of the crisis there.
His words aligned perfectly with the novel’s prophecy of impending chaos in the region.
But she absolutely would not let this accusation of “lacking virtue” land on her.
“Although Yongzhou is my fiefdom, it has never been the custom for princesses to govern their lands directly. I have never even set foot there—how, then, could I bring misfortune to Yongzhou?”
Her tone was steady, unshaken.
“Moreover, a flood is a natural disaster. No matter how noble my status, I am merely a princess—how could I provoke divine punishment upon the people?”
Her response was striking.
By subtly implying that if the heavens were punishing anyone, it would be the emperor, not her, she silenced the hall.
Xiao Linjia clenched his fists.
Li Yunli did not wish to antagonize him. She had planned to befriend him, and Wang Quan’s actions had been an unfortunate accident.
She softened her tone. “It was my steward’s misconduct yesterday. I will compensate for the damages to your residence.”
Xiao Linjia looked at her, his expression complicated.
After a moment, he took her offered cup and downed the drink.
“If Your Highness truly intends to go, I will assist.”
“General, you are righteous. I toast to you.”
Li Yunli smiled and drank as well.
This northwest expedition was inevitable—so why not take control and use it to her advantage?