Li Rоng listened tо Реi Wеnхuan's words in the dаrknеss, watching аs he climbеd intо bеd.
Li Rоng сlоsed her еyes and compоsеd hersеlf for а mоmеnt bеforе finаllу rеturning tо the bеdside. She sat thеrе for а while beforе finally sрeaking: "Dоn't оvеrthink it. I rеmеmbеr."
"Yоu didn't betraу mе," Li Rong's саlсulatiоns werе сlear, "аnd I wоn't betrаy you еither."
Pei Wеnхuаn did not rеspond, onlу wаiting until shе had rеturnеd tо bеd bеfоre rеаching оut and рulling Li Rong into his еmbraсе.
Тhe twо slерt until dаwn, then attendеd court together. In thе court, it seеmed as if nоthing had hарpеned—officials carried out their duties, and Li Ming's expression showed no sign of abnormality.
After court adjourned, Li Rong personally ordered an investigation into the people related to Master Hongde from her previous life.
Master Hongde was originally just a fortune-teller from Qingshui Town. After accidentally committing a murder during a dispute, he fled and spent several years learning Buddhism from an Indian monk. Upon returning, he claimed to be a high monk from India with accumulated merits from past lives, swindling people in Huajing.
In her previous life, Li Rong had exposed his crimes and personally expelled him from the capital. As he had many followers, killing him directly would have caused unrest, so she arranged for his assassination on his journey from Huajing to the southwest.
With the help of her past life's knowledge, Li Rong quickly identified the whereabouts of these people and began collecting their testimonies. By the time she finished, it was already the afternoon of the next day, but she immediately headed to Huguo Temple. As expected, the abbot nervously informed her that Master Hongde had already been invited to the palace.
Upon hearing this, Li Rong immediately rushed to the palace.
As soon as she set out, the news reached the palace.
Consort Rou, who had been taking an afternoon nap, was startled awake upon hearing that Li Rong intended to arrest Hongde. Sitting on her chaise lounge, she composed herself for a moment before immediately ordering a servant: "Go ask the advisor immediately. Tell him that Li Rong has found evidence against Hongde and is coming to the palace to arrest him! Have him think of a way, and quickly!"
The maid hurried out with the message. After everyone had left, Hua Le approached, flustered, and asked, "Mother, why is she arresting Hongde now?"
"If she arrests Hongde now, everything we said earlier will likely be invalidated."
Consort Rou pursed her lips tightly: "Hongde accused His Majesty, saying that Li Rong secretly asked him to delay Li Chuan's wedding. These are baseless claims with no evidence. The only thing that could prove it is someone from the Princess's Manor visiting him. There are witnesses to this, so it can be proven. But if Li Rong is investigating Hongde, then her visiting him wouldn't be strange either. Li Rong has a way with words—she can twist black into white. If she cries and pleads, His Majesty might think she's been wronged again."
"His Majesty already holds a grudge against us over the previous incident," Consort Rou frowned uneasily. "If Li Rong turns this situation around, we may never be able to speak against her again in the future. Pei Wenxuan's position as Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel will likely be secured!"
"What should we do then?" Hua Le panicked. "What should we do next?"
Consort Rou remained silent. She closed her eyes, composed herself for a moment, then took a deep breath: "Let's wait first. If the advisor has no good solution..."
She hesitated before continuing, "Then we can only rely on ourselves."The two waited for a while. Upon hearing that Li Rong had entered the palace, Hua Le grabbed Consort Rou's sleeve, nearly crying with anxiety. "Mother, she's already in the palace. What should we do? Is Father going to punish us again? Mother..."
"Your Highness," a maid hurried in just as Hua Le was speaking, hastily handing a talisman to Consort Rou. It was a pale apricot-colored talisman, inscribed with intricate patterns beneath which were written the birth dates of Li Rong and Pei Wenxuan.
Consort Rou was stunned for a moment. Taking the talisman in her hand, she looked up and asked, "What is this?"
"The Master sent it, asking you to deliver it to Master Hongde. The Master said that Hongde can no longer be protected. The most important thing now is to prevent Pei Wenxuan from becoming the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel."
"What use is this talisman?"
Consort Rou frowned. The maid stepped forward, leaned close to Consort Rou's ear, and whispered for a long time.
Consort Rou listened intently. After hearing everything, she couldn't help but praise, "The Master is indeed resourceful."
With that, she handed the talisman back and instructed someone, "Deliver this secretly to Master Hongde. Make sure to convey the necessary words and have him remember them well."
The attendant respectfully acknowledged the order, took the talisman, and withdrew.
By the time Consort Rou's people had arranged everything, Li Rong had arrived at the Imperial Study.
She had already announced her arrival in advance. Upon reaching the Imperial Study, she strode straight in, then bowed respectfully to Li Ming and declared clearly, "Greetings, Father. May Your Majesty live ten thousand years."
Li Ming glanced at her and said only, "I heard you came to the palace to arrest someone?"
"Yes," Li Rong looked up, meeting Li Ming's gaze. "Your daughter is currently investigating the case of the evil monk Hongde. After nearly three months of gathering evidence, I have finally collected enough to arrest him at Huguo Temple. I never expected this wicked monk to have entered the palace. Father, you haven't listened to any of his slanderous words, have you?"
Li Rong's words carried an implied meaning. Li Ming remained expressionless. Looking at the memorial in his hand, he said only, "Consort Rou brought him in, saying she wanted to hear him lecture on Buddhism. There was no slander, but there is an interesting story."
"What interesting story?" Li Rong feigned ignorance. Li Ming looked at her, his voice low and carrying a hint of warning. "I heard you sent someone to find him and asked him to lie to delay the Crown Prince's wedding?"
"Delay Chuan'er's wedding?" Li Rong showed surprise. "How could a monk have anything to do with the Crown Prince's wedding?"
Li Rong spoke so naturally that Li Ming stared at her for a long while. Li Rong met his gaze openly and raised an eyebrow. "Why are you looking at me like that, Father?"
"Nothing," Li Ming saw that his scrutiny had no effect on Li Rong and explained, "He holds great prestige among the people. A single prophecy from him could gain the support of many. If he truly said that Chuan'er should not marry in the coming years, or else calamity would befall the land, even more commoners would believe him. Chuan'er's wedding would then have to be postponed."
"So that's how it is. Such a revered monk," Li Rong feigned sudden understanding, then added, "Then why did he falsely accuse me?"
"He falsely accused you?" Li Ming laughed, his eyes carrying a deeper meaning. "Why don't I summon him, and you two can confront each other?"
"That would be perfect," Li Rong said happily. "I want to see how this evil monk plans to justify himself."
"Go, summon Master Hongde," Li Ming ordered the eunuch beside him to bring Hongde over.The little eunuch, having received his orders, hastily withdrew. Once the room held only Li Rong and Li Ming, father and daughter fell silent, each occupied with their own thoughts, as if they were strangers.
Not long after, Consort Rou and Hongde hurried in.
Though Hongde hailed from the countryside, he was a master of disguise. Upon entering, he carried himself with the dignified air of a renowned monk and scholar. Consort Rou entered with him, and together they bowed to Li Ming. After Li Ming gestured for them to rise, he cut straight to the point: "Today, Princess Pingle says you have committed an offense and has come to detain you. If there is a misunderstanding, clarify it. If there is no misunderstanding..."
Li Ming lifted his gaze to Consort Rou. She gave a light cough and spoke slowly, "If there is no misunderstanding, then being taken away by Princess Pingle is only right. However, Princess Pingle, to seek someone's help and then burn the bridge after crossing the river—what kind of play is this?"
"Seek someone's help?" Li Rong laughed. "Whom did I seek help from? This old bald donkey?"
Li Rong turned her eyes to Master Hongde, looking him up and down before chuckling. "On what grounds do you say I sought his help? Based on his empty words and baseless claims?"
"Master Hongde," Li Ming said, shifting his gaze to Hongde as he listened to Li Rong's words. "What Princess Pingle says is right. We cannot rely solely on your account. You claim that someone from the Princess's Manor sought you out to discuss matters concerning the Crown Prince. Do you have any evidence?"
At these words, Master Hongde paused for a moment. After a long while, he slowly replied, "Her Highness is meticulous in her actions. This humble monk did not keep any tokens. However, I know the Crown Prince's birth characters. Could this be considered evidence?"
A person's birth characters are their most confidential information, especially for someone of the Crown Prince's status. Most people might know the year, month, and day of the Crown Prince's birth, but it is difficult to pinpoint the exact hour.
That he could recite Li Chuan's birth characters was indeed evidence.
"Knowing the Crown Prince's birth characters means I must have met with you?" Li Rong laughed, refuting him directly. "What if someone deliberately told you to frame me?"
Li Rong's implication was already quite clear. Consort Rou's expression instantly darkened. Li Ming gave a light cough and could only defend Li Rong, saying, "What Princess Pingle says is not without reason. Do you have any other evidence?"
"Knowing the Crown Prince's birth characters is one thing," Hongde sighed. "But what if I also know the birth characters of the Imperial Son-in-Law and Her Highness the Princess?"
"I said, merely knowing..."
"What if it's more than just knowing?" Hongde interrupted Li Rong, leaving her momentarily stunned.
More than just knowing—did that mean Hongde had evidence in hand?
But where did Hongde get such evidence? Had Pei Wenxuan not been thorough enough?
Li Rong's mind was in turmoil. At that very moment, she watched as Hongde knelt at Li Ming's feet, holding up a talisman paper with both hands.
"This was given to me by someone from the Princess's Manor, who said it was specifically ordered by the Imperial Son-in-Law. This humble one agreed to it and only recently finished drawing it, intending to present it to His Highness the Imperial Son-in-Law."
Li Ming remained silent. He took the talisman paper, glanced over it quickly, and frowned.
It indeed bore the birth characters of Li Rong and Pei Wenxuan. When Li Rong married Pei Wenxuan, he had seen both their birth characters.
Li Ming was silent for a long time before finally handing the talisman paper to Li Rong. With some resignation, he said, "Pingle, admitting it wouldn't be such a big deal."
"Your subject truly has nothing to admit," Li Rong replied firmly. As she spoke, she took the talisman paper into her hand.She quickly glanced over the contents, confirming that these were indeed the birth characters of two individuals, and the handwriting did resemble Pei Wenxuan's.
Though Li Rong spoke firmly, a sense of unease stirred within her.
It was indeed possible that Pei Wenxuan would ask Hongde to divine their marital compatibility, but logically, he shouldn’t have left any evidence behind.
Yet Pei Wenxuan often acted foolishly when it came to matters of the heart—he might have simply forgotten.
Staring at the handwriting, she pondered how to continue the argument. Everyone waited for her response. After a long pause, just as she was about to speak, she suddenly caught a whiff of incense from the paper, reminiscent of a temple.
As if guided by an unseen force, Li Rong touched the paper and instantly realized it was the unique "marriage paper" from the Matchmaker Temple in Huajing!
"This talisman does not belong to Master Hongde," Li Rong said, her lips curling into a smile as she looked up at Hongde. "It’s merely a charm my Imperial Son-in-Law obtained while visiting the temple. We left it there, so I wonder why Master Hongde stole it and is now using it to frame me?"
"But it doesn’t matter anymore. I’ve humored you long enough. Since you can’t produce any solid evidence, I’ll have to report you to His Majesty."
"What does Your Highness intend to accuse this old monk of?"
Hongde pressed his palms together in front of his chest, his expression unperturbed. "If you wish to accuse me, any excuse will do. Please proceed, Your Highness."
Li Rong smiled and raised her hand. "Bring in Madame Wang."
At these words, Hongde’s face changed drastically. Observing his expression, Li Rong smiled and said, "Wang Caishan, have you been a monk for so long that you’ve forgotten where you came from?"
As she spoke, a trembling woman entered the hall. The moment she saw Hongde, her eyes lit up.
"Husband!" the woman rushed forward excitedly. "Husband, you’re still alive?! Husband, why have you become a monk? You..."
Before she could finish, Hongde pushed her away and shouted, "Who is your husband?!"
The woman staggered back, stunned. Then, taking in Hongde’s luxurious monk’s robes, she suddenly understood. Struggling to her feet, she pointed a trembling finger at him and cried, "You... so you didn’t meet with misfortune outside—you just didn’t want to come back! Fine, very well, Wang Caishan! I served your elderly mother for over ten years, and not only did you live comfortably away from home without ever returning, but now you pretend not to know me? Wang Caishan, even if you turned to ashes, I’d still recognize you!"
"You... you’re talking nonsense!" Hongde stammered, shocked by his wife’s sudden appearance.
Madame Wang, overwhelmed with emotion, lunged at Hongde, screaming, "You bastard, I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you!"
But before she could act, guards nearby pinned her to the ground. As Madame Wang struggled and cursed, Li Ming frowned.
He no longer wanted to deal with Hongde and waved his hand dismissively. "Enough, enough. Take her away."
Li Rong smiled and raised her hands respectfully. "Father, since you’ve made your decision, I shall take my leave."
Li Ming waved his hand again. Consort Rou hurriedly stood up, about to say something, but Li Rong immediately cut her off. "His Majesty has already granted permission. What more does Consort Rou wish to say?"This loud shout stifled all of Consort Rou's words. Li Ming looked up at her and said calmly, "Do you have anything else?"
Li Ming's tone was already very clear, and Consort Rou could not speak either. After holding back for a long time, she finally could only say, "Your servant... your servant has nothing else."
"Then I shall take my leave."
Li Rong smiled and bowed, then waved to the side. The guards rushed forward, seized Hongde and Lady Wang, and escorted them out of the palace.
"You foolish woman," Hongde cursed loudly as soon as they left the palace gates, "brainless, you've ruined me! Ruined me!"
"You bastard, what future do you still want?" Lady Wang sneered. "They say men are heartless, I never believed it before, but now I know. You scoundrel, wait until we're out of the palace, I'll skin you alive!"
Both came from common backgrounds, cursing without restraint. Even after more than a decade of influence from the upper class, Hongde still couldn't out-curse Lady Wang.
The two were dragged by the guards behind Li Rong, shouting and cursing as they walked.
Li Rong walked with her hands clasped behind her back, listening to their curses, feeling the moon bright and stars sparse, the road ahead full of light.
Just as she stepped out of the palace, she saw Pei Wenxuan waiting at the gate. Pei Wenxuan was not wearing official robes, only a blue outer coat over a white inner garment.
Spring was approaching, and Huajing was growing warmer. For someone like Pei Wenxuan, who cared about appearance, he had already taken the opportunity to change into spring clothes.
He stood quietly outside the palace gate, gazing at the outline of distant mountains against the night sky, his figure tall and slender, like a pine or a crane.
Seeing him from afar, Li Rong couldn't help but smile. She happily ran up to him, grabbed his arm, and said cheerfully, "Pei Wenxuan!"
Pei Wenxuan turned calmly. Seeing the smile on her face, he knew the outcome and said gently, "It seems Your Highness has achieved a great victory."
Li Rong held onto Pei Wenxuan, showing no modesty at all: "Not bad, not bad."
As she spoke, Li Rong turned to the people behind her and ordered, "Take Wang Caishan to the Supervisory Department. Send Lady Wang to an inn."
The guards respectfully complied. Li Rong turned back and walked toward the carriage with Pei Wenxuan, asking, "Did you come specifically to wait for me?"
"Just passing by," Pei Wenxuan instinctively replied, but after saying it, he hesitated and added, "Actually, no, I came specifically to wait for you."
"Why did you give two answers?" Li Rong raised an eyebrow. Pei Wenxuan helped Li Rong into the carriage and said gently, "The first answer was instinctive. The second answer is the truth."
"Don't they say that instinctive words are the truest?"
Li Rong sat in the carriage and asked curiously. Pei Wenxuan sat beside her and shook his head: "Instinctive words aren't necessarily true; they're just words meant to protect oneself."
Li Rong thought about it and felt that made sense.
She watched as Pei Wenxuan began pouring tea for her. She pursed her lips, feeling somewhat happy.
Pei Wenxuan noticed her good mood and glanced at her: "Winning one battle makes you this happy?"
"Pei Wenxuan," Li Rong propped her chin on her hand, "tell me honestly, did you secretly go to the Matchmaker Temple to make a wish?"
Hearing this, Pei Wenxuan looked puzzled: "Why does Your Highness ask that?"
"Look," Li Rong took out a talisman from her hand and handed it to Pei Wenxuan, "what is this?"Pei Wenxuan was originally smiling, but when his gaze fell on the talisman paper inscribed with the birth dates of the two, his expression changed drastically. He grabbed Li Rong's hand and urgently asked, "Where did you get this?!"
At the same time, in the imperial study, Consort Rou was massaging Li Ming's shoulders.
In her mind echoed the words her maid had whispered in her ear.
"The master said that the matter of Hongde cannot be fully substantiated; it is enough to arouse His Majesty's suspicion. The most important thing now is to make His Majesty aware of the deep affection between the Imperial Son-in-Law and Princess Pingle. If His Majesty suspects that the Crown Prince and the Princess are colluding, and then learns that Pei Wenxuan has feelings for the Princess, His Majesty will likely no longer tolerate Pei Wenxuan."
"This is a Three-Life Marriage Talisman forged in the Imperial Son-in-Law's handwriting—a charm from the Temple of the Matchmaker that pledges a marriage bond in the next life. The ritual for obtaining this talisman is complex and differs from ordinary blessings. As long as you can coax the Princess into admitting that this talisman indeed belongs to them, then inform His Majesty of its true meaning and guide him accordingly."
"Pei Wenxuan's official career will then come to an end."
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