Chapter 139: The Sparring Match (Part 3)

Li Yi stepped out from his seat and slowly spoke, "Your Majesty, Yue'er is my maid, and her indenture is in my possession. According to the laws of our Great Tang, even Your Majesty the Son of Heaven cannot arbitrarily strip an ordinary subject of their domestic servant."

"Huh?" Hearing this, Li Shimin was slightly taken aback before nodding with a sudden flash of realization. With an expression of deep agreement, he said, "What Lord Li says is entirely correct. I almost became confused for a moment."

Then, Li Shimin smiled and asked, "Lord Li, do you perhaps have a method in mind that would allow me to keep my word and reward Inukami no Mitasuki, while at the same time ensuring I do not violate the laws of our Great Tang?"

Seeing Li Shimin playing along with his act, Li Yi smiled slightly, bowed his hands, and replied, "Your Majesty, this subject wouldn't dare to overstep. However, as for rewarding my maid to Your Majesty, that is completely out of the question."

"If he truly desires my maid Yue'er, Your Majesty, please grant this subject the audacity to request a match between myself and him."

"If Inukami no Mitasuki wins, this subject will have nothing more to say and will certainly present Yue'er to him as a concubine."

Pausing slightly, Li Yi's expression abruptly shifted.

With a cold look in his eyes, he turned to Inukami no Mitasuki and said, "But if I win, since Inukami no Mitasuki wished to saddle Your Majesty with the infamy of 'the Son of Heaven breaking the law without guilt' and publicly insulted both myself and my maid, I believe he must not be let off lightly."

"Furthermore, he must publicly apologize to Your Majesty, to myself, and to my maid Yue'er, and compensate both myself and my maid Yue'er for our emotional distress!"

Li Yi nodded solemnly, his expression extremely serious and resolute.

"Eh...?" Hearing these words from Li Yi, Li Shimin was stunned time and time again on the spot. Narrowing his eyes at Li Yi, he found himself truly amused and somewhat helpless.

He had not expected Li Yi to be foolish in the least; the man had actually come up with such a method.

Not only did Li Yi firmly pin the grave accusation of "inciting the sovereign to break the law" onto Inukami no Mitasuki's head, but he even conjured up such an absurd concept as "emotional distress."

Not only had he brought up such an absurdity, but he had spoken of it with such absolute gravity and righteousness, as if he had suffered the greatest injustice and grievance in the world.

Unawares, Li Yi had once again turned the tables on the men of Wa.

These few simple sentences achieved multiple goals at once!

On the spot, Li Shimin could not help but burst into hearty laughter in his heart.

"Excellent, Lord Li's words are extremely reasonable. This maid of yours is fundamentally your person, and with the laws of our Great Tang in place, even I cannot forcibly bestow her upon another."

With a beaming smile on his face, Li Shimin raised his brow, looked over at Inukami no Mitasuki, and asked with a smile, "Inukami no Mitasuki, what do you think of Lord Li's proposal?"

Seeing this, Inukami no Mitasuki pondered briefly while shooting Li Yi a resentful and furious glare.

Yet at present, Li Yi's words left him with no room for debate; he could only brace himself and push forward.

Clenching his teeth and taking a deep breath, Inukami no Mitasuki bowed in a salute and replied, "This subject will naturally obey. This subject also respects the laws of Tang and dares not act presumptuously. As the physician Li has suggested, this subject is willing to engage in a match with him."

Inukami no Mitasuki understood in his heart that only by defeating Li Yi could he vent his anger and redeem his previous mistake.

Therefore, he had no choice but to agree to Li Yi's proposal.

"Haha, very well then!" Watching Inukami no Mitasuki's stifled and aggrieved expression, Li Shimin nodded and smiled. After glancing at the two of them a few more times, he waved his sleeve and commanded with a laugh, "In that case, the two of you... may begin immediately."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Inukami no Mitasuki replied with a soulless bow, his expression rather gloomy.

Li Yi, however, smiled, pursed his lips, and offered his thanks, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

With that, Li Yi turned his gaze toward Yue'er and said casually and playfully, "Yue'er, to deal with such a despicable petty person, surely you don't need your young master to fight your battles for you, do you? If that were the case, wouldn't it cause your young master to lose all his face?"

With a slight, indignant pout and a clench of her teeth, Yue'er shook her head with a serious expression and said, "Young master, Yue'er wouldn't dare trouble you to soil your hands. Such a trivial matter, let Yue'er handle it for you!"

"Good!" Li Yi nodded in satisfaction with a smile, turned back to Li Shimin, bowed with a cheeky grin, and requested, "Your Majesty, might I cede this opportunity to my maid and let her handle it herself?"

"Lord Li, are you truly certain about this?" Seeing this, Li Shimin blinked in utter puzzlement.

"This subject is entirely certain!" Li Yi nodded with absolute confidence, bowed solemnly, and spoke with sincere earnestness, "I hope Your Majesty will grant this."

Seeing Li Yi looking so thoroughly assured, Li Shimin had no choice but to nod in agreement and say, "In that case, let it be as Lord Li has requested!"

"This subject thanks Your Majesty." Li Yi nodded in gratitude and immediately turned to shout at Yue'er, gently scolding, "Yue'er, what are you still standing there for? Why haven't you thanked His Majesty yet?"

"Yes, young master." Yue'er immediately acknowledged the command with a nod, hurried out from her seat, and walked swiftly before Li Shimin. Bowing respectfully in a deep curtsy, she expressed her gratitude, "Yue'er thanks Your Majesty for your heavenly grace!"

"No need for formalities. You may go," Li Shimin nodded and smiled, speaking to her.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Yue'er nodded solemnly and turned to leave.

However, as he watched Yue'er's retreating figure, Li Shimin felt a lingering sense of apprehension in his heart.

Li Shimin only knew that Li Yi's archery and horsemanship skills were quite formidable, but as for the true extent of his maid Yue'er's abilities, Li Shimin knew absolutely nothing and felt entirely uneasy.

After all, if Yue'er were to lose this match just as Cheng Chumo had, it would truly cause them to lose every shred of the Great Tang's dignity.

Yet, seeing Li Yi so full of confidence, naturally not daring to make a mockery of the entire nation's face, Li Shimin chose in his heart to trust him for the time being.

At that moment, Yue'er, having already walked a short distance, suddenly turned her head to look at Li Yi. Seeing him nod and smile with instructions, she heard him say, "Yue'er, if you don't beat this running dog right back into his original form for your young master, don't bother coming back to see me!"

"Yes, young master." Yue'er suddenly broke into a bright smile, two charming dimples cracking at the corners of her mouth. Nodding solemnly, she declared, "Young master, rest assured, Yue'er will definitely return to see you!"

"Very well, go ahead." Li Yi smiled faintly and gave a gentle wave of his hand. Only then did Yue'er proceed toward the martial practice field.

Upon hearing this exchange between Li Yi and Yue'er, all the Tang officials and Li Shimin present could not help but chuckle repeatedly, their faces breaking into various smiles.

Conversely, the expressions of Inukami no Odakimi and Hiyori instantly turned exceptionally unsightly, looking precisely as though they had swallowed something profoundly bitter.

"Hmph, has the Great Tang run out of men? They're actually sending a woman into the fray—how utterly disgraceful!" Inukami no Odakimi and Hiyori muttered quietly to one another in criticism.

Yet, while they dared to slander him in their hearts, they did not dare to voice it aloud with flagrant brazenness.

After all, their purpose in coming to the Great Tang was to study the advanced civilization and achievements of the Tang Dynasty.

The crowd on the viewing platform first chuckled happily, but shortly afterward, they couldn't help casting worried glances at Li Yi before turning their gazes toward Li Jing.

Cheng Zhijie and Qin Shubao both looked toward Li Jing as well.

Cheng Zhijie was the first to speak out of curiosity, asking, "Lord Li, what kind of mischief is your third son up to with this arrangement?"

"Haha!" Hearing this, Li Jing burst into a hearty laugh on the spot before waving his hand and saying with total composure, "Bojin, just sit back and watch with peace of mind. The skills of this girl Yue'er have been personally passed down by Chen'er."

"What?!" Cheng Zhijie was instantly rendered speechless, his mouth twitching slightly. Qin Shubao's eyes widened as well, both of their minds racing as if a stampede of ten thousand horses had just galloped past.

The formidable prowess of Red Sleeve was something Cheng Zhijie and the others were well aware of; it was as clear to them as a mirror.

After staring blankly for a long while, they finally snapped back to their senses, smiles blooming across their faces.

"Today's match is bound to be exceptionally spectacular!" Cheng Zhijie and Qin Shubao looked at Li Jing and smiled at each other.

Let's just stop at 3 chapters for today.
(End of this chapter)