Реi Wеnхuаn lookеd аt Li Rоng, rеmаining silent.
Li Rong quicklу sаid, "Five taеls eaсh—lооk аt hоw mаny therе are here."
"Can't hеlр."
Pеi Wenхuаn's smilе vаnished. Не stооd uр direсtly. "Going to slееp."
"Нey, wait," Li Rоng hurriedly fоllowed him. "Wеrеn't wе finе just nоw? Whу аre yоu suddеnly gоing tо slеeр?"
Pеi Wеnxuan ignоrеd her, сlimbed into bed, рulled up the соvеrs, laу down, and clоsеd his еyеs.
Li Rоng sаt bеsidе him аnd gentlу nudgеd him. "It's not а big deаl, is it? Just say а word tо thеm—thеy wоuldn't dаrе disrеgard your fаce. Forget abоut the sons of nоble familiеs, but ordinаrу schоlars should be fine, right?"
"Not going. Too embarrassing."
Pei Wenxuan spoke decisively with his eyes closed. Li Rong thought it over; perhaps there were some rules among men that she didn't understand. Pei Wenxuan usually went along with her, so if he said he couldn't go, it probably really was inconvenient. Since it wasn't a big deal anyway, she let it go. She placed the stack of papers on the table, washed up, undressed, and returned to the bedside.
Pei Wenxuan was sleeping on the edge, blocking her way. Li Rong patted him. "Move over. I need to get in."
Pei Wenxuan lay with his back to her, wrapped in the blanket, motionless. With his eyes closed, he said, "No. Climb over yourself."
Angered by his attitude, Li Rong stood by the bed and said coldly, "Will you move or not?"
Pei Wenxuan didn't respond. Li Rong reached out to pull him. Sensing she was about to take action, Pei Wenxuan sat up straight, cross-legged, making room for her.
Li Rong glanced at him mockingly and gracefully got into bed. Pei Wenxuan felt a bit aggrieved under her gaze, as if he had lost somehow. Watching her lie down, he muttered softly, "Fine, I moved. Why are you so fierce?"
Having said this, he felt he had regained some ground and finally lay down contentedly to sleep.
The next morning, Li Rong got up and carried the stack of papers back to the Supervisory Department. As soon as Shangguan Ya saw Li Rong arrive, she rushed over hopefully. "Your Highness, how did it go? That quickly?"
"Pei Wenxuan didn't want to do it. He thought it was embarrassing."
Li Rong handed the papers to Shangguan Ya and said directly, "Stop fussing over this. Hurry up and give me Liu Hanchun's files."
Shangguan Ya wailed at this. "Your Highness, you didn't keep your word..."
"When did I ever promise you I'd definitely get them back?"
Li Rong raised her fan and tapped Shangguan Ya on the head, then sat back down at the desk. "I tried to help. Don't push your luck."
Hearing this, Shangguan Ya sighed, not daring to trouble Li Rong further. She sat down and placed Liu Hanchun's files on the table, sighing as she said, "It's all here."
In the court, the longer an official served, the more likely there were things worth investigating. Li Rong had instructed the Supervisory Department to specifically investigate Liu Hanchun, and Shangguan Ya had quickly compiled a batch of materials.
This Liu Hanchun worked in the Ministry of Personnel. While he had no major offenses, he had a pile of minor ones. Li Rong would normally have ignored such a case, but this time, Liu Hanchun happened to be in charge of personnel transfers for officials below the fifth rank within the Ministry of Personnel. For Pei Wenxuan to enter the Ministry of Personnel without going through Wang Houwen's hands, it would be best to aim for a position below the fifth rank. That way, the list wouldn't need to be submitted to Wang Houwen, the Minister of Personnel, for review.At present, the imperial examinations were not yet given much importance. Once someone entered the Ministry of Personnel, they could easily be appointed as an Examination Merit Secretary or Vice Director and then arranged to oversee the imperial examinations as the Chief Examiner.
In her previous life, the imperial examinations of this year were known as the Dragon and Tiger List, producing an abundance of talented individuals. If Pei Wenxuan became the Chief Examiner for this year's examinations, his disciples would later fill many positions in the court, allowing him to build a strong network of supporters.
In her previous life, before so many incidents had occurred, these disciples had spent several years honing their skills in unimportant positions before beginning to distinguish themselves. But in this life, with so many officials now detained by her, numerous vacancies had suddenly opened up in the court. If these disciples entered the court now and they made some arrangements, their promotions would be much faster compared to her previous life.
Li Rong had Pei Wenxuan's path meticulously planned out in her mind. After briefly reviewing Liu Hanchun's information, she had the shadow guard report Liu Hanchun's location and then personally went to the street to intercept him.
According to the shadow guard's report, Liu Hanchun was at a tavern enjoying the company of dancing girls. Li Rong went to the tavern next door, reserved a private room, and then sent someone to notify Liu Hanchun.
Li Rong drank tea alone in the room. Before long, she saw Liu Hanchun rush in nervously, kneeling on the floor and urgently saying, "Your Highness, this humble official did not know you were here. I failed to welcome you properly and beg for your forgiveness."
"I'm just here for a meal. There's no need to be so formal, Lord Liu."
Li Rong smiled and raised her hand, saying, "Please take a seat, Lord Liu."
As it was currently a time of official transfers, although Liu Hanchun's rank was not high, he held a key position in the Ministry of Personnel. Naturally, he knew that Li Rong seeking him out personally was not just for casual tea and conversation.
Li Rong personally poured tea for him. Liu Hanchun sat stiffly, wiping the sweat from his forehead with his hand, not daring to speak.
"Time is short, so I won't beat around the bush with you, Lord Liu. I'll get straight to the point."
The sound of tea being poured echoed in the room. Li Rong's tone was calm, sounding as if she were merely making casual conversation. "I came here today to ask for your help, Lord Liu. I heard that the transfers of officials below the fifth rank in the Ministry of Personnel are entirely up to you. I have someone here who is exceptionally talented and of upright character. I would like to recommend him to you for the position of Examination Merit Secretary. I wonder if you could help with this?"
"Your Highness," Liu Hanchun showed a troubled expression, "the position of Examination Merit Secretary is currently fully occupied. The Ministry of Personnel has no plans to recruit for this position."
"If there's no position, we can create one," Li Rong said with a smile. "Isn't there currently a vacancy for a Director in the Ministry of Personnel? Move a Vice Director up to the Director's position, select an Examination Merit Secretary to fill the Vice Director's spot, and then there will be an opening, won't there?"
"Your Highness is going to such great lengths," Liu Hanchun suggested cautiously. "Why not directly recommend your candidate for the Director's position?"
Liu Hanchun did not want to handle this hot potato. Hearing his words, Li Rong smiled and looked at him. "Are you refusing, Lord Liu?"
"I wouldn't dare," Liu Hanchun quickly knelt down and said urgently. "If Your Highness is in need, this humble official will naturally do everything in my power to help. It's just that the position of Examination Merit Secretary is too lowly for Your Highness..."
"But I think his qualifications are insufficient. An Examination Merit Secretary is enough. I just want him to have this position."
Liu Hanchun fell silent. He knelt on the floor, desperately thinking of how to respond. Li Rong picked up her teacup and said leisurely, "Lord Liu, there is a box on the table. Open it and take a look."Glad to be able to leave that topic, Liu Hanchun breathed a sigh of relief and quickly stood up, opening the box.
As soon as the box opened, the gleam of gold bars caught his eye. Liu Hanchun was stunned for a moment, then immediately panicked. He let go of his hand, and the lid of the box snapped shut again with a "clack." Liu Hanchun hurriedly knelt down, kowtowing desperately as he pleaded, "Your Highness, spare my life! Please do not make things difficult for this humble official any further."
"Minister Liu, you jest," Li Rong said, stirring the tea leaves with her cup as she leaned against the table, speaking leisurely. "This princess knows your rules, which is why I specifically brought gold bars. Today, I also offer you two paths to choose from. Either, Minister Liu, you accept these gold bars. Or," Li Rong set down her tea cup and leaned forward slightly, smiling, "Minister Liu, how about a visit to the Supervisory Department?"
Liu Hanchun froze. Li Rong leaned back in her chair, speaking nonchalantly, "You know my style. If you help me with this, and Wang Houwen asks about it, just do your job properly, and he won’t be able to do anything to you. If you don’t help me, that’s fine too—I’ll simply find someone else to take your place. Minister Liu, you can’t walk both paths. You must choose one. So, tell me, do you want the gold, or would you prefer to have a cup of tea at my Supervisory Department?"
"My Imperial Son-in-Law is a talented man," Li Rong said, lowering her head to examine her painted nails. "As long as you don’t sabotage him, he is more than qualified to serve as the Examination Merit Secretary. I’m merely asking you to carry out your duties impartially. Minister Liu, are you saying you’d rather take the crooked path instead of the straight one?"
Liu Hanchun remained silent for a long time. Finally, he made a decision. Taking a deep breath, he said, "Your Highness, this matter is not something I can decide. Whether the Imperial Son-in-Law can enter the Ministry of Personnel and become the Examination Merit Secretary depends entirely on his own abilities. I can only carry out my duties impartially. I hope Your Highness can rest assured."
Li Rong understood Liu Hanchun’s meaning. Since offending either side was inevitable, he had chosen to help neither.
However, given Pei Wenxuan’s talent and learning, even without help, he was more than qualified to become the Examination Merit Secretary.
Thus, Li Rong smiled and replied, "If Minister Liu says so, this princess is reassured."
Liu Hanchun breathed a sigh of relief. "As long as Your Highness is satisfied. If there is nothing else, this humble official will take his leave."
Li Rong nodded and raised her hand. "Minister Liu, take care."
Liu Hanchun bowed respectfully, then wiped his sweat as he stood up and left. After he had gone, Shangguan Ya entered and, seeing the smile on Li Rong’s face, knew the matter had been settled. She sat down, looking quite pleased. "Now that the personnel transfer list for the Ministry of Personnel is almost finalized, within these few days, as long as Liu Hanchun adds the Imperial Son-in-Law’s name to it, once it’s done, even if Wang Houwen finds out later, it will be a fait accompli."
Li Rong nodded slowly. "Once Pei Wenxuan enters the Ministry of Personnel, and Xie Lanqing leaves, the Ministry of Justice will have Pei Liming temporarily acting as Vice Minister of Justice. By the time the Ministry of Personnel’s transfer list is released, the Ministry of Justice’s transfer list should also be out. Pei Liming’s position as Minister of Justice should be secure."
"The Pei family filling the position vacated by the Shangguan family will also put His Majesty’s mind at ease. However, Your Highness, I have a question."
Shangguan Ya picked up her cup, and Li Rong responded, "Go ahead."
"Your Highness, are you confident," Shangguan Ya looked up at Li Rong, "that you can absolutely control the Pei family?"
Li Rong did not answer. She sipped her tea, her expression calm and composed."Your Highness, allow me to offer one more reminder," Shangguan Ya took a sip of tea, her tone gentle. "I fully support Your Highness in building marital harmony—it is indeed excellent. But while raising a cat is adorable, raising a tiger requires careful consideration."
"I understand your concerns."
Li Rong replied softly, "But in extraordinary times, one must make use of certain people. The Shangguan family occupying those positions is too conspicuous. Once the Pei family fills them, it will ease His Majesty's suspicions. In recent years, he has been thinking day and night about suppressing the Shangguan family and seizing military power for Consort Rou. In the past six months, aside from Chuan'er's marriage, has he rarely interfered in these matters?"
"Now he believes that, under Pei Wenxuan's instigation, I am contending with Chuan'er for power. He thinks that Pei Wenxuan, as a commoner, is willing to use me for his own gain. So, we will put on this show for him. The Shangguan family will temporarily step back and, as he wishes, support commoners. When he finally discovers that Pei Wenxuan is also on our side," Li Rong smiled, "I wonder what he will think."
"He'll probably want to kill Pei Wenxuan."
Shangguan Ya also laughed, but after a moment, she added, "However, His Majesty cannot fully trust Pei Wenxuan either. Right now, he indulges Your Highness only because he believes that, whether you and Pei Wenxuan are truly loyal or not, you are indeed cleaning out the corrupt officials in the court. If Pei Wenxuan shows any disloyalty, he will cut his losses in time. But Your Highness, while His Majesty can cut his losses, you... must also be prepared."
Hearing this, Li Rong looked up at her and asked, "What are you worried about?"
"I'm worried Your Highness might be swayed by beauty."
"Your Highness," Shangguan Ya became serious, "I hope Your Highness finds harmony and happiness in your relationship, but I also hope Your Highness does not forget your position. After all, the honor and disgrace of the Shangguan family rest entirely on Your Highness."
"Don't worry," Li Rong said leisurely, "I understand this matter better than you."
"Excellent," Shangguan Ya nodded happily. "With such a wise master leading the way, I am reassured. Well, today's matters are settled. I must attend to other things now."
Hearing this, Li Rong grew curious. "What else do you have to do?"
"A favor for a sister. Since Your Highness won't help, I must find another way."
Li Rong raised an eyebrow as Shangguan Ya cupped her hands. "Your Highness, I shall take my leave."
With that, Shangguan Ya turned to leave. Seeing her demeanor, Li Rong couldn't help but send someone to follow and see what she was up to.
The shadow guard trailed Shangguan Ya all the way to a gambling den, where she found Su Ronghua and handed him a stack of papers. "Just these. Find the people whose names are written on these papers and have them sign or write something. Five taels per sheet. After it's done, we'll split the profits fifty-fifty."
Su Ronghua looked at the thick stack of papers in Shangguan Ya's hands and raised an eyebrow. "The eldest daughter of the Shangguan family, and you're busy with such small sums?"
"I lost it all gambling a few days ago, and I have no income this month," Shangguan Ya said earnestly. "I plan to gather some capital, go back, and win my money back!"
"Wouldn't it be better not to throw your money away?" Su Ronghua frowned. Shangguan Ya looked up at him. "Minister Su, tell me, will you help with this or not?"
"Hmm," Su Ronghua thought for a moment. "Whose signatures do you want?"
"So you'll help?"Shangguan Ya cheered up and handed a stack of papers to Su Ronghua. "These are mine. Have them write a few extra lines. Look, I want Cui Yulang, Lin Zifan, and that Xie Shangqing..."
Shangguan Ya listed a bunch of names. Su Ronghua maintained his smile, and after listening, he nodded, took the papers back, and said with a grin, "Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it."
"Really? Thank you so much."
"No need to thank me."
Su Ronghua said gently, "Helping you correct your taste is what I should do. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be good for the young lady of the Shangguan family to go blind at such a young age."
Shangguan Ya looked bewildered as Su Ronghua hugged the papers and walked away.
By evening, Su Ronghua had someone return the papers to Shangguan Ya. Overjoyed, she personally went to the gate to receive them. But as soon as she got them, her expression instantly changed.
On every sheet was the same handwriting.
It read:
Su Ronghua, Huajing’s Most Handsome Man
Su Ronghua, Dashing and Handsome
Su Ronghua, Talented and Good-Looking
Su Ronghua...
Shangguan Ya quickly flipped through the papers to see if there were any written by others. At the very bottom, she saw Su Ronghua’s wild cursive script:
"Please recite and memorize the above content."
He had also attached a handsome side-profile portrait of himself, with a note beside it: "Recommended to be framed in the bedroom for daily eye nourishment."
Shangguan Ya was infuriated by this narcissistic and outrageous act. Ignoring that she was still at the gate, she furiously tore up all the papers, leaving only the portrait. Pointing at the servant who had delivered them, she trembled with rage and said, "Go back and tell him—tell him to wait. He’s dead! He! Is! Dead!"
That night, these events were relayed to Li Rong by a spy. After hearing the full story, Li Rong spat out her tea, both amused and exasperated. "Su Ronghua, is he really this unreliable?"
Pei Wenxuan was reviewing documents nearby and overheard. He glanced at Li Rong as she continued, "But seriously, how was the portrait Su Ronghua sent Shangguan Ya? Was it good?"
The shadow guard thought for a moment and replied, "It seemed quite nice."
"Now I’m curious. Was the painting torn up?"
The shadow guard shook his head. "No, Miss Shangguan had it framed."
"She actually framed it to look at?"
Li Rong couldn’t understand Shangguan Ya’s intentions. Pei Wenxuan, listening nearby, closed the documents and said calmly, "Stop chatting. Time to sleep."
Seeing that it was late, Li Rong waved her hand to dismiss everyone.
After a night’s rest, Li Rong went to the Supervisory Department the next day to meet Shangguan Ya. Before heading home, she cleared her throat and casually remarked, "So, I heard Su Ronghua sent you a portrait, and you framed it? What’s the meaning behind that?"
"Do you know why I framed it?" Shangguan Ya sneered. Li Rong turned to look at her as Shangguan Ya clenched her fist. "I placed it in my bedroom. Whenever I’m upset, I throw darts at him and whip the portrait to vent my anger!"
"You..." Li Rong was momentarily speechless. After a long pause, she could only say, "You’re quite creative."
Shangguan Ya nodded coldly. "He’d better not give me any leverage, or I’ll make sure he regrets it."Li Rong let the remark pass with a nod. "Yes, I know. You're very capable."
The two chatted as they returned home. Recently, Pei Wenxuan had been coming back early, but when Li Rong entered the Princess's Manor and didn’t see him there to greet her, she turned to Jing Mei and asked, "Where is the Imperial Son-in-Law? Why didn’t he come to meet me?"
"The Imperial Son-in-Law is busy," Jing Mei replied with a smile. "Today, he brought home many of his own portraits and hung them up in the bedroom, dining hall, main hall, and garden."
"What is he doing?!" Li Rong exclaimed in shock. As she spoke, she spotted Pei Wenxuan painting something on the bedroom screen. Rushing forward, she saw it was her favorite gold-threaded cloud brocade screen with peonies and dancing butterflies. Fearing he might have gone mad, she hurriedly said, "Pei Wenxuan, what are you doing!"
Pei Wenxuan turned around, brush in hand, and smiled at Li Rong. "Your Highness."
Peering through the gap beside him, Li Rong saw a distant self-portrait of Pei Wenxuan admiring the moon from a high vantage point on the screen. With a gentle smile, he explained, "After hearing about Young Master Su’s actions yesterday, I gave it some thought and realized he was right. Recently, scholars have been visiting the capital frequently, and women’s hearts have grown restless. I was worried that unsightly appearances from the outside world might taint Your Highness’s eyes, so I thought it best to place more of my portraits around where Your Highness resides. This way, you can elevate your aesthetic taste and refresh your spirit."
"You all..." Li Rong stared at the screen in disbelief. "Did you all plan this together?"
"I did consult a few close officials, and recently, they’ve all been sending self-portraits home to their wives."
Li Rong: "..."
After a long silence, and in an effort to bring Pei Wenxuan back to his senses, Li Rong raised her hand and said to a nearby attendant, "Fetch some darts."
Pei Wenxuan looked puzzled.
Li Rong said earnestly, "Since you all planned this together, we, too, have made our plans."
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