The Princess Royal

"Аh," Shаngguаn Yа, sеeing Su Ronghuа, snарреd out of her briеf surрrise, "What is Yоung Mastеr Su dоing hеrе?"

Аs shе spokе, Shangguan Ya elegantlу smоothеd her skirt, сrоssing hеr lеft leg оvеr hеr right аnd рroрping her chin оn hеr hand. Shе smiled and said, "Did Yоung Mastеr Su escаре?"

"Yоu рlоttеd against mе."

Su Rоnghua sроkе direсtly. Shаngguаn Ya chuсklеd lightly, "Whу must Young Mastеr Su put it that waу? Тhis is likе Zhou Yu bеating Huang Gаi—оnе willing to hit, thе оthеr willing tо bе hit."

Нeаring this, Su Rоnghua lаughed in аnger, "You rеallу аrеn’t afrаid оf оffеnding me."

"As if not dоing this would mean I hadn’t offеnded you аlreadу. Why уоu cаme to the Supervisory Department is clear to everyone," Shangguan Ya’s face held a smile, but her eyes carried a hint of coldness. "Our positions were different from the start, so why pretend to be good? You came when I invited you, and while I plotted against you, weren’t you plotting against me too?"

"What did I plot against you?" Su Ronghua clenched his fist. Shangguan Ya poured herself tea leisurely and said, "You’d have to ask yourself that. What were you after, being so eager to get close to me?"

This question caught Su Ronghua off guard. He couldn’t help but retort, "I was eager?"

"Following me in the gambling den, pestering me at the Supervisory Department, writing letters, joking and flirting with me," Shangguan Ya listed Su Ronghua’s actions one by one, then glanced at him with a half-smile. "If I were an ordinary girl, I might have thought you liked me. Unfortunately, I’m quite clear-headed. You are Prince Su’s teacher, placed in the Supervisory Department as Deputy Director by His Majesty. Whether it’s the princess’s assassination or the usual obstacles in investigations, your shadow is behind it all. If you liked me," Shangguan Ya sighed, "that would truly be laughable."

Su Ronghua didn’t speak. He stared at Shangguan Ya.

For the first time, he realized how much effort he had unconsciously spent on this person.

Looking at Shangguan Ya’s utterly emotionless eyes, he felt an indescribable bitterness spreading in his heart. He couldn’t help but ask, "Don’t you believe in feelings?"

Shangguan Ya was taken aback, then said in surprise, "After all this, do you still think I’m easy to fool?"

Su Ronghua stared at Shangguan Ya, watching her for a long time before he suddenly spoke slowly, "How pitiful."

"What?"

Shangguan Ya didn’t understand. Su Ronghua repeated word by word, "I said you, like everyone else in Huajing, are pitiful creatures."

"You have brains, but no hearts."

"Aren’t you the same?" Shangguan Ya felt as if she had been insulted and sneered, "We’re two of a kind. Why pretend?"

"Who’s two of a kind with you?!"

Su Ronghua raised his voice, "If I were like you, I would have reported you the moment I saw you in the gambling den! A young lady coming and going in such a place—do you even care about your reputation?"

"Then go ahead and say it," Shangguan Ya laughed. "If you say it, you’ll lose your chance to get close to the young lady of the Shangguan family. I’ll just lose my reputation, and staying home without it would suit me even better. Do you think I want to marry? But you’re different—you’d miss a perfect opportunity to get close to me and use me."Su Ronghua nodded, laughing uncontrollably. "Impressive, truly impressive. I misjudged you. I thought you were different from the people of Huajing."

"Everyone grows up eating grain—how could we be any different?"

Shangguan Ya wore a mocking expression. "Don't flatter yourself, and don't flatter me either. If we were truly kind-hearted young masters and ladies, Pei Wenxuan wouldn't be serving as Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, and you wouldn't be in the Supervisory Department. But what goes around comes around. Your people hit my people, so I returned the favor with a slap. Why cry injustice?"

"You're right," Su Ronghua agreed with a nod. "No injustice here. I’d like to see just what your tricks can really do to me."

With that, Su Ronghua jumped down from the carriage. Shangguan Ya didn't look up, raising her voice to say, "Take care, I won’t see you off."

Hearing this, Su Ronghua paused in front of the carriage and suddenly spoke. "I just didn’t want to clip your wings."

Shangguan Ya’s hand, pouring tea, stilled. Su Ronghua’s voice outside the carriage was soft. "I think you’re truly alive when you’re gambling, cursing, and splashing tea outside."

After saying this, Su Ronghua mounted his horse and rode away.

Shangguan Ya held the teapot in mid-air for a long while before finally pouring the tea.

"Let’s go back," she said calmly.

By the time Shangguan Ya hurried back to the Shangguan residence, Li Rong’s people had already made arrangements layer by layer.

She couldn’t intervene too much in this matter; it was best handled entirely by Li Ming’s people. Their goal wasn’t to punish Su Ronghua severely—officials openly hiring courtesans in Great Xia wasn’t a major crime, just a few days in confinement and a fine would suffice. Given Su Ronghua’s family background, even if Li Ming was furious, he couldn’t do much to them.

What they wanted was simply for Li Ming to know that Su Ronghua had been in contact with Xia Wensi.

The plan wasn’t particularly refined. Su Ronghua and Xia Wensi could easily claim they were framed, but they had no evidence. The courtesan was someone Su Ronghua often favored, the teahouse was reserved in his name, and the invitation note from Su Ronghua was still in their possession. Combined with Li Ming’s prior suspicions, no further explanation was needed—Li Ming would draw his own conclusions.

Li Rong calculated Li Ming’s likely thoughts while keeping track of news about Su Ronghua.

Before long, word came that Su Ronghua had been arrested upon returning to the Su residence. Li Rong and Pei Wenxuan were playing chess at the time. She said leisurely, "What did Su Ronghua say?"

Su Ronghua would certainly try to defend himself, but how he did so was key.

Jing Lan hesitated for a moment before slowly replying, "The eldest young master of the Su family said nothing."

"What do you mean?" Li Rong frowned, looking up. "What do you mean, 'said nothing'?"

"After the eldest young master of the Su family rode back to the residence, he knelt and confessed his crime, admitting he had hired several courtesans outside. The Su Prime Minister immediately punished him with ten lashes and sent him straight to prison."

Hearing this, Li Rong hesitated for a long time before finally saying, "You may leave."

Jing Lan bowed respectfully and withdrew. After she left, Pei Wenxuan glanced at Li Rong. "What is Your Highness thinking?"

"I’m thinking," Li Rong said slowly, "why did Su Ronghua admit it outright?"

"Because he knows denying it now would be useless," Pei Wenxuan placed a chess piece. "He can’t explain the note. If he admits the note was written to Shangguan Ya, what His Majesty would consider wouldn’t be his collusion with the Ministry of Personnel to frame Your Highness, but his relationship with the Shangguan family.""Better to recognize things clearly," Pei Wenxuan said calmly. "The relationship between Consort Rou and the Su family was established by His Majesty himself. Consort Rou allowing him to approach the Ministry of Personnel to trouble us does not fundamentally disrupt the balance His Majesty desires. At most, His Majesty will be somewhat annoyed, but he won’t truly take action."

"After all, in His Majesty’s mind, the Su family supports Consort Rou, countering the Shangguan family behind the Crown Prince. The military power of Consort Rou’s brother in the northwest balances the military power held by the aristocratic families in the Crown Prince’s hands. In three years, when Prince Su..."

Pei Wenxuan trailed off. Li Rong, noticing his silence, looked up at him, somewhat puzzled. "What’s wrong?"

"It’s just that I feel you already know all this," Pei Wenxuan smiled. After hesitating for a moment, he continued slowly, "Repeating it might upset you."

Li Rong twirled a chess piece in her fingers, thinking for a moment before saying softly, "I’m not upset. It’s been so many years."

"Back then, I might have resented or despised Consort Rou, Prince Su, and Hua Le, finding them disgusting," Li Rong said, placing the chess piece on the board deliberately. "But later, I realized they were pitiable too."

"Father paved the way for them, never out of love. Father suppressed Chuan'er and me, never out of hatred. He loved no one and hated no one. It was simply the heart of an emperor, unwilling to let any single aristocratic family dominate."

Pei Wenxuan listened quietly as Li Rong circled back to the topic. "So, in your view, Su Ronghua is also advancing by retreating? The faster he acts, the less suspicion Father will have toward him?"

"Exactly."

"However, there’s one more thing," Li Rong pondered. "Why did Su Ronghua act so rashly? I remember he was a clever man too."

Pei Wenxuan rubbed a chess piece between his fingers, seemingly hesitant.

Seeing his silence, Li Rong couldn’t help but ask, "What are you thinking?"

"Your Highness," Pei Wenxuan said hesitantly, "when Young Master Su came today, he was deliberately dressed up."

"So what?" Li Rong was puzzled. Pei Wenxuan smiled and reminded her, "Young Master Su probably never expected Miss Shangguan to scheme against him."

"Isn’t that a joke?" Li Rong laughed at Pei Wenxuan’s words. "Which member of the Su family isn’t shrewd? Even if he has some affection for Aya, could he really be foolish enough to think she wouldn’t plot against him?"

Pei Wenxuan placed his chess piece firmly on the board, his expression gentle. "Your Highness, do you think I’m a clever person?"

"Of course you are."

Li Rong affirmed without hesitation, placing her chess piece next to his. Pei Wenxuan looked up with a smile. "Yet back then, until the very last moment, I believed Your Highness would never act against me."

Li Rong fell silent. Pei Wenxuan and she took turns placing chess pieces, his voice calm. "You and Miss Aya view human nature too harshly. But often, people aren’t as completely rational as you and Miss Shangguan imagine. Deep down, everyone holds some inexplicable reliance on and trust in others. Although Young Master Su stands on the opposite side from us, he is a person of genuine character. He values emotions deeply and would go through fire and water for someone he loves. Isn’t it normal for him to admire Miss Shangguan and not guard against her?"

"You speak as if you know him well."Li Rong raised an eyebrow. In her memory, Pei Wenxuan and Su Ronghua did not get along. Pei Wenxuan smoothed his sleeve beside him and placed a chess piece at the farthest corner of the board. "Although I was never close to him, I was involved in the Su Clan's case back then."

Hearing this, Li Rong's movements stiffened slightly. Pei Wenxuan noticed her unusual reaction but pretended not to, picking up his teacup instead. "Does Your Highness know why the Crown Prince was so determined to kill Su Ronghua back then?"

Li Rong did not expect Pei Wenxuan to suddenly bring up these past events. She hesitated, somewhat afraid to ask, yet knowing that this might be a hurdle she would eventually have to overcome.

She lowered her gaze. "Why?"

"Because the Crown Prince also suspected that Qin Zhenzhen died at Su Ronghua's hands."

At these words, Li Rong abruptly looked up, staring at Pei Wenxuan in shock. "How is that possible? Why would Su Ronghua kill her?!"

Back then, countless people had reasons to want Qin Zhenzhen dead, but none of them had anything to do with the Su Clan.

No women from the Su Clan had entered the imperial harem. What reason could Su Ronghua possibly have to poison Qin Zhenzhen?

"I couldn't understand it before either, so for a time, I thought the Crown Prince had made a mistake."

Pei Wenxuan took a sip of tea and looked up at Li Rong. "It wasn't until today that I finally confirmed that Su Ronghua might indeed have had a reason."

Li Rong dared not speak. Pei Wenxuan revealed the answer directly. "In this lifetime, Su Ronghua and Shangguan Ya were in the same gambling house, and this happened before Your Highness intervened in their relationship. So, in the previous lifetime, had they never met?"

"Qin Zhenzhen died from poisoning. Both mother and child should have perished, but the child miraculously survived. Your Highness, who do you think benefited the most from this?"

Before Pei Wenxuan could say more, Li Rong already understood.

"Ya'er... isn't that kind of person," Li Rong said with difficulty.

"Shangguan Ya isn't, but what about Su Ronghua?" Pei Wenxuan said calmly. "Given how favored Qin Zhenzhen was at the time and His Majesty's attitude toward the noble clans, the chances of Miss Shangguan's child being named heir were far too slim."

"In the previous lifetime, Su Ronghua never married until his death. When I investigated him, all the courtesans who had contact with him said he only appreciated song and dance, never spoke of love or affection. If there wasn't someone in his heart, why would he remain alone until death?"

Li Rong remained silent for a long time. She held a chess piece, staring at the crisscrossing lines of the board as if in a daze.

Pei Wenxuan looked up at her. "Why has Your Highness fallen silent?"

"Pei Wenxuan," Li Rong smiled bitterly, "I suddenly feel that in my previous life, I lived like a joke."

"I sided with the noble clans, and in this lifetime, you tell me they committed countless evils. I thought Chuan'er was cruel and unvirtuous in the previous life, but you say he was forced into it. I believed the Su Clan was innocent, and now you tell me Qin Zhenzhen died at Su Ronghua's hands. Living a second life," Li Rong felt a hint of mockery, "am I here to admit my mistakes?""What about me?" Pei Wenxuan looked up at her, his eyes also carrying a hint of helplessness that seemed to find life absurd. "I thought you were arrogant and rude, narrow-minded, yet even Qin Zhenzhen—you were willing to give her a world of her own. I thought you cared only for power, yet you also pleaded for the people and thoroughly investigated the military provisions case. I thought the noble families were beyond saving, rotten to the core, yet you could bring Shangguan Ya to show me that there are good people among them too. I thought you would never bow your head in your lifetime, yet you were willing to tell me to wait. If we’re talking about admitting mistakes," Pei Wenxuan smiled, "I’m the one who truly came back to admit them."

"Look, it hasn’t been long since we returned," Pei Wenxuan sighed, "how many times have I said sorry to you?"

"Your Highness, if someone has a bad stretch of time, they can blame others or fate. But if their entire life is miserable, more or less, it’s related to themselves."

"So," Li Rong picked up her teacup, as if resigned to fate, "we’ve both come to admit our mistakes."

"Your Highness, this isn’t about admitting mistakes." Pei Wenxuan reached out and took Li Rong’s hand. "This is about giving us a chance to start over."

Li Rong’s movements paused. Holding the teacup, Pei Wenxuan’s words echoed in her ears. She hesitated for a long time before finally looking up: "Then, about Ah Ya’s matter, shouldn’t we do something?"

"Do what?"

Pei Wenxuan was puzzled. Li Rong spoke with difficulty, her words jumbled and incoherent: "Well, Su Ronghua and her... if... if they missed each other in the previous life and don’t end up together in this one," Li Rong looked up at Pei Wenxuan, "wouldn’t that be a pity?"

Pei Wenxuan was taken aback, as if he hadn’t expected Li Rong to think this way. Li Rong sought his opinion: "If Su Ronghua likes Ah Ya, and Ah Ya uses him, wouldn’t he be heartbroken?"

"Does Your Highness think Miss Shangguan shouldn’t break Young Master Su’s heart?"

Pei Wenxuan looked at Li Rong earnestly. Li Rong frowned and said matter-of-factly: "If he isn’t sincere, then it’s mutual exploitation. But if he has genuine feelings, he deserves the respect he’s due."

Pei Wenxuan didn’t speak. Li Rong noticed him staring intently at her and felt a bit embarrassed: "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Nothing," Pei Wenxuan smiled, seeming somewhat flustered as he lowered his head. "I just realized how many years I’ve missed with you."

"Now you know how good I am?" Li Rong was pleased to hear him praise her. She stood up. "Alright, I’ll send a message to Shangguan Ya. While Su Ronghua is still in prison, it’s not too late to mend the situation."

With that, Li Rong had someone deliver a verbal message to Shangguan Ya, asking her to visit Su Ronghua.

Shangguan Ya was about to sleep when she received Li Rong’s message. She sat on her bed for a long time before finally getting up, changing her clothes, and heading to the Ministry of Justice prison.

Su Ronghua had already fallen asleep in his cell. Halfway through his sleep, he heard footsteps outside. Pretending not to hear, he kept his back turned to Shangguan Ya and didn’t look back.

Shangguan Ya stood at the cell door for a moment. After a long while, she finally said: "Su Ronghua, I’ve come on Her Highness’s orders to see you."

"See me for what?" Su Ronghua kept his eyes closed, his back still turned to Shangguan Ya. "Do I have three eyes or five hands that you need to come see me in the middle of the night?"Shangguan Ya pursed her lips and remained silent.

After hesitating for a long time, she finally said, "Actually, I thought carefully about what you said tonight."

"I think what you said might also be true."

"You dressed up so flamboyantly today, clearly taking this meal seriously. It was my fault to use you like that. How about this—let’s let it go this time, and it won’t happen again?"

Su Ronghua said nothing. It was the first time Shangguan Ya had seen him so cold, and she felt an indescribable discomfort. Muttering, she said, "Don’t ignore me. How about this—let’s make a bet?"

As she spoke, Shangguan Ya took out a deck of cards from her sleeve. "If I win, you stop being angry."

"And if you lose?"

Su Ronghua finally spoke. Shangguan Ya rubbed her nose and said, "Then... then you can stay angry a little longer?"