Even with her profound internal energy, Li Man'er couldn't possibly possess the ability to electrocute someone unconscious. She had a stun gun in her spatial dimension, and by using her whip, she could discreetly incapacitate her opponents without anyone noticing. Yelü Hongge and his subordinates had all fallen to Li Man'er's covert moves, rendering them unable to stand.
Li Man'er knew how to gauge her strength. When she electrocuted the guards, she held back. But when she zapped Yelü Hongge, she unleashed her full power, wishing the stun gun would burst into flames. Consequently, Yelü Hongge was more severely injured, lying on the ground completely senseless.
"Excellent!"
"Princess Anning is indeed as valiant as any man."
"She has brought glory to our Great Zun Kingdom!"
The accompanying physician from Xizhou was nearly scared to death and quickly stepped forward to tend to Yelü Hongge.
The guards were about to charge, their eyes filled with a desire to devour Li Man'er. Li Man'er pointed her whip at them, "What, dissatisfied? Losing and now you want to gang up on me? Do you think this is Xizhou? This is Zun Kingdom."
"That's right, this is Zun Kingdom. If you Xizhou people can't take a loss, then scram back home."
"Do you think our Zun Kingdom has no capable people?"
"Xizhou is truly a barbaric land, and its people are savage and rude. The arena match was agreed upon by your own ruler. Are you reneging on the deal now that you've lost?"
"Indeed, are you even men?"
The guards, hearing these words, flushed and paled. They were caught between advancing and retreating.
Just then, Yelü Hongge regained consciousness under the physician's treatment. His body was weak, and he still felt the throbbing pain in his abdomen. He naturally didn't know what a stun gun was, but he found Li Man'er's martial arts to be incredibly strange, like a lightning strike that paralyzed him and caused unbearable suffering.
Yelü Hongge believed his own martial arts were not bad, yet under Li Man'er's bizarre techniques, he was unable to retaliate.
"Princess, your skills are superior. I concede defeat. As per our wager, I will immediately return to Xizhou and never see the Princess again in this lifetime." He spoke weakly, not yet fully recovered.
Li Man'er was not surprised. "Since that is the case, this Princess permits you to recuperate at the Four Directions Inn. Once you are well, you may return to your Xizhou!"
She turned to leave, but Yelü Hongge called out to her. "Princess."
Li Man'er frowned and turned back to face him. "Are you going back on your word?"
"A gentleman's word is his bond. How could I be untrustworthy? It's just that I have a question that I wish to ask the Princess."
Li Man'er thought he would ask about his defeat, but Yelü Hongge asked a different question.
"Princess, you are like the bright moon, yet you are willing to share a husband with others?" Yelü Hongge delivered a killing blow. "With your celestial beauty, have the teachings of Zun Kingdom made you a woman who believes her husband is everything?"
His implication was that Qi Yihan, with his high status and power, would not have only one woman.
Li Man'er sneered. "If I recall correctly, you are the King of Xizhou, and your harem is quite full. What right do you have to say such a thing?"
Yelü Hongge replied, word by word, "I am willing to dismiss my harem for the Princess."
The hall was stunned into silence.
Since ancient times, men of wealth and power were entitled to multiple wives and concubines. Although Xizhou was not as prosperous as Zun Kingdom, for Yelü Hongge, the King of Xizhou, to be willing to dismiss his harem showed immense resolve.
Li Man'er, however, laughed. "That is merely your wishful thinking. Yelü Hongge, we never met face to face, yet you have stubbornly clung to me. Your intentions must be impure. Tell me, why?"
Yelü Hongge's gaze flickered with evasion.
"Simply put, I am unconvinced," Li Man'er said. "Ah Si, let's go. Send people to keep an eye on them and leave quickly."
"Yes, Princess."
Li Man'er, with Ah Si, left the Four Directions Inn. The onlookers who had gathered to watch the spectacle lined the path to bid her farewell, making Li Man'er feel rather embarrassed.
The farcical event concluded just like that. Even Emperor Chenghua found it rather uninteresting. However, when his spies reported that Yelü Hongge had returned to Xizhou, he put the matter behind him.
The true power in Xizhou lay with the Empress Dowager, not Yelü Hongge. He was merely a king without real authority, posing no threat.
Huang Yuhe fell ill. Ever since she learned Yelü Hongge's true identity, she was both shocked and enraged. She wasn't foolish; she naturally understood Yelü Hongge's intentions in approaching her. The thought that the man who had once stirred her heart had used her to get close to Li Man'er filled her with grief and anger. Delicious food lost its taste.
Huang Yuhe feared that Li Man'er might misunderstand her, and she also worried that Yelü Hongge might cause further trouble. In just a few days, she had lost weight and appeared haggard.
"Miss, this won't do!" Little Peach was extremely worried. "Why don't you meet the Princess? Some things can be resolved by talking them through."
"How could I possibly have the face to see her?" Huang Yuhe's eyes had been swollen for days. Naturally timid and timid, she had been badly frightened by this incident and would cry whenever she thought of it.
"Miss..." Little Peach was about to persuade her when she heard that Li Man'er had sent an invitation asking her to visit a manor in the suburbs.
"She, how can she still invite me to play? Did the messenger leave? I want to see them."
Little Peach hurried to fetch the messenger, only to find that the person had been intercepted by Huang Yuzhu, who was trying to glean information.
"Your maidservant greets Second Miss."
As soon as Huang Yuzhu saw Little Peach, her expression turned sour. However, knowing that Huang Yuhe had Li Man'er's backing, she dared not go too far. Moreover, the old woman who had delivered the message didn't even spare her a glance. She could only huff and leave.
Little Peach, seeing that the messenger looked unfamiliar, asked, "May I ask if you are from the Princess's manor?"
"Yes. Miss Huang, have you received the invitation?" the wet nurse said. "Our Princess says that the fruits and pears are ripe at the manor, and it's the perfect time. If Miss Huang is in low spirits, it would be best to go for a stroll. Please prepare yourself well, and our Princess will come to pick you up tomorrow."
Little Peach was both excited and nervous. "Good, good, good, I will tell our Miss. After speaking, she fumbled in her pocket and directly handed her month's wages to the messenger. "Thank you, old woman. This is for you to have some tea."
"Miss, it is truly from the Princess. She said she will come to pick you up tomorrow herself." Little Peach was overjoyed. "Just now, Second Miss also wanted to chat with the old woman, but the old woman completely ignored her. Miss, please don't be sad, the Princess doesn't blame you at all."
If she blamed you, she wouldn't have sent someone to invite you to the manor to play.
Huang Yuhe understood this logic and then hugged Little Peach, crying and laughing. "I knew it, we are friends, and she won't blame me."
Little Peach sighed, "Oh, my dear Miss, please stop crying. Do you still want your eyes? If you cry any longer, you might not be able to go out tomorrow."