Тhе wаtеr sourcе wаs nоt fаr аhead. Aftеr thеir intense аrgument, both fеlt uttеrlу ехhаusted and сeased their quarreling. Li Rоng dеscеnded thе smаll slорe first, rеасhing thе flаt ground nеar the watеr. Sоme grаssy patсhes laу a little fаrthеr frоm thе wаtеr’s еdge. Tоо tired tо саre аbout сlеanliness, shе simрly sаt down.
Pei Wеnxuan arrivеd mоrе slowlу, having gatherеd sоmе dry firеwооd in thе wооds. When hе rеaсhed thе riverbank, hе saw Li Rоng sitting оn а pilе оf grаss. Shе seemed uttеrly exhausted уet still insisted on sitting uрright. The usuаlly dоminеering figurе now sat quietly, arms wrapped around her knees, her face buried in them without a sound, looking somewhat pitiful.
Pei Wenxuan felt he had grown too accustomed to being ordered around by her, and seeing her like this felt oddly unfamiliar. He set down the firewood, cleared a patch of muddy ground from the grass, then bent down to build a small pile, using a fire starter to ignite the flames.
As the firelight brightened, Li Rong lifted her eyes toward the source of warmth.
She was both weary and drowsy, but the soil in the grass was damp. If she lay down, her clothes would soon be soaked. So she resisted lying down, yet enduring like this was also uncomfortable.
Faintly, she heard Pei Wenxuan return to the woods. After a while, he came back, his outer garment bundled around a large pile of something. Li Rong glanced over and saw he seemed to have gathered a heap of dry leaves.
He piled the leaves thickly, covered them with his garment, then called to Li Rong, "Come here and press down on this so the wind doesn’t blow the leaves away."
After saying this, Pei Wenxuan turned away, rolled his trousers up to his knees, tied the hem of his robe into a knot, and with sword in hand, headed toward the water’s edge.
Li Rong was not one to refuse kindness. She rose and went to the garment, lying down on it. Instantly, she felt much more comfortable.
After lying there for a while, listening to the sound of water nearby, she found herself unable to sleep. She rolled over, propped herself up on her elbows on the garment, and gazed at Pei Wenxuan not far away.
Pei Wenxuan stood in the river, sword in hand, motionless.
His patience was remarkable. Li Rong watched him for a long time, and aside from his eyes, he didn’t move a muscle, much like his posture when hunting enemies in court.
Li Rong rested her chin on her hand, observing the young man from afar, gradually appreciating his demeanor.
When Pei Wenxuan wasn’t speaking, his face truly was unmatched in the capital—a blend of gentleness and sharp handsomeness, not overly soft, carrying an indescribable pride that wasn’t unpleasant. Under the moonlight, clad in white with a long sword, standing quietly in the flowing water, he truly resembled an immortal descended to the mortal realm, bathed in the moon’s pure glow.
Pei Wenxuan had flaws in every other aspect, but when it came to his face, Li Rong had nothing to criticize. Especially now, at twenty years old, in the prime of his youth, she found him far more appealing than the old man he would later become.
Li Rong watched Pei Wenxuan for a while longer until, with swift precision, he plunged his sword into the water and skewered a fish.
He tossed the fish onto the bank, then turned back to wait. After a moment, he repeated the trick, spearing another fish.
With the fish in hand, he crouched by the riverbank, quickly cleaned them, washed his hands, skewered them on pre-prepared branches, and carried them back to the fire.
Knowing Li Rong was awake, he handed her the fish as he approached and said impatiently, "Roast it yourself."There was nothing inherently wrong with Li Rong grilling the fish herself, but she simply couldn’t stand the tone Pei Wenxuan used when ordering her around. So she ignored him completely and lazily replied, “This princess doesn’t know how to grill fish.”
“Then don’t eat.”
“But this princess loves fish,” Li Rong said with a smile. “If you don’t grill it for me, I’ll snatch any fish I see!”
Pei Wenxuan fell silent. He was too tired to argue and had no desire to quarrel with Li Rong anymore. He sat down, propped the fish up with stones, and began turning it over the fire.
The sound of flowing water and the sizzling of the fish filled the air as the two sat in silence. After a long while, Li Rong spoke up, “When did you return?”
“Over a month ago.”
Pei Wenxuan looked up at her. “And you?”
“Around the same time.”
After this exchange, silence fell again. A moment later, Li Rong couldn’t help but sigh, “I never expected you wouldn’t hide it from me.”
“Why would I hide it?”
Pei Wenxuan replied calmly, “You didn’t hide it from me either, did you?”
“I’m not like you,” Li Rong said lazily. “I’ve always dared to take responsibility for my actions. Why would I hide anything from you? But you’re different,” she added, glaring at him. “A petty man.”
Hearing the words “petty man,” Pei Wenxuan sneered, “And you have the nerve to call me petty? Who was it that broke our alliance first and moved against me?”
“Ha,” Li Rong straightened up upon hearing this and clapped her hands. “So Rongqing really did kill you? Well done, splendid!”
Li Rong glanced at him sideways, celebrating as she said, “Someone as treacherous and ungrateful as you deserves a miserable death.”
“How dare you say that?!”
Pei Wenxuan was utterly enraged by her words. Furious, he clenched the stick he was using to tend the fire, controlling his tone as he stared intently at Li Rong. “Li Rong, I’ve never done anything to wrong you. Though we often quarreled and occasionally clashed, all these years, I never betrayed you, did I? Yet for the sake of the crown prince’s position, you had Su Rongqing take action…”
“And what about you?” Li Rong retorted coldly. “For the mere position of crown prince, you forgot the vows of our alliance. If you could kill me, why shouldn’t I strike first?”
“Killing you was merely fulfilling the promise between us.”
Hearing this, Pei Wenxuan was taken aback. Sensing something amiss, he quickly asked, “Who broke the vow and struck first?”
Li Rong, upon hearing Pei Wenxuan’s question, also realized something and immediately changed her expression. “Wasn’t it you who poisoned me first?”
She went on to describe, “You came to warn me, and there was a strange scent on you when you left. Shortly after, I drank a bowl of medicine and was poisoned. Wasn’t that your doing?”
“No,” Pei Wenxuan looked shocked, then quickly understood. He began recounting the events of their past lives with Li Rong, explaining, “I did plant spies in the Princess’s Manor as a precaution, but I only ordered the poisoning after you sent someone to kill me.”
“When did you die?”
Li Rong frowned. Pei Wenxuan thought for a moment. “On my way back from the Princess’s Manor, I was ambushed and killed by Su Rongqing and his men.”
“They were indeed my people.”Li Rong lowered her gaze. After a moment of silence, both had sorted through their thoughts. Pei Wenxuan pondered for a while before summarizing, "So, in your previous life, you actually didn’t intend to kill me. Someone made you believe I had killed you, and you retaliated against me just before your death. Is that it?"
"That should be the case."
Li Rong responded softly. Pei Wenxuan watched her quietly, pausing briefly before letting out a low chuckle. He wanted to say something but held back, patting his thigh instead and sighing. "Too clever by half, and cleverness often outwits itself. Li Rong, in the end, you still didn’t trust me."
"And did you trust me?"
Li Rong looked up at him, her expression calm.
If she had trusted him, she wouldn’t have immediately assumed he was the murderer, nor would she have been willing to transfer power to Su Rongqing just to have him killed.
And he wouldn’t have planted spies in her residence early on, always prepared to retaliate and kill her.
"You’re not wrong," Pei Wenxuan nodded. "Even true couples rarely share such heartfelt trust, let alone us? But I’m curious—how did you conclude I was the murderer?"
"I died from the poison of Fragrant Beauty," Li Rong recalled her final moments. "When you came to see me, there was an unusual fragrance on you. You almost never wear sachets, but you did that day. Then you spoke to me about the crown prince’s affairs, even threatening to kill me if I disagreed. After you left, I drank my medicine and succumbed to the poison."
Pei Wenxuan listened intently as Li Rong recounted the events before her death, his expression grave. Li Rong continued, "The evidence wasn’t exactly solid, but you had the motive and the means, and all the clues pointed to you..."
"So you assumed it was me."
Pei Wenxuan nodded in summary. Li Rong remained silent, and Pei Wenxuan seemed to find it somewhat amusing, lowering his gaze to the fish with a hint of self-mockery in his eyes.
Knowing she was in the wrong, Li Rong didn’t dare speak. After a while, she whispered, "Where did that fragrance on you come from?"
"If I tell you, you might not be pleased," Pei Wenxuan replied, a glint of schadenfreude in his eyes.
Li Rong thought for a moment, then frowned. "Su Rongqing?"
"Indeed."
Pei Wenxuan took the fish off the fire, inspected it, and seeing it was nearly done, handed one to Li Rong. She absentmindedly accepted it, turning it over the flames as Pei Wenxuan spoke leisurely, "When I arrived, Su Rongqing said you were gravely ill and that anyone entering from the outer chamber had to wear a herbal sachet, or else you’d cough upon seeing people. I had the sachet’s ingredients checked and tested—it wasn’t poisonous—so I wore it. Besides, all your servants were wearing similar sachets. Mine was just newer, so the fragrance was stronger."
Li Rong froze in place. Seeing her stunned expression, Pei Wenxuan, knowing she wasn’t one to easily trust him, added, "You don’t have to believe me—it doesn’t matter. Anyway, even if it wasn’t Su Rongqing, it certainly wasn’t me. Just don’t pin the blame on me."
Li Rong said nothing, staring blankly at the fire. Pei Wenxuan flipped the fish over the flames, watching her with a smile, seemingly quite pleased.
Listening to his tone, which seemed to relish the chaos, Li Rong couldn’t help but feel dazed.
She believed Pei Wenxuan’s words.
Su Rongqing was someone she had personally saved.Back when Prince Su rebelled, Su Rongqing's older brother spoke in his defense, only to be falsely accused of colluding with Prince Su, claiming the Su Clan was plotting rebellion together. Li Chuan, blinded by rage at the time, bypassed the joint trial of the Three Judicial Departments and directly imprisoned the entire Su Clan—executing the men and exiling the women.
She disagreed with this decision and rushed to plead with Li Chuan before the Su family met their doom. After enduring ten strikes of the cane, and with Pei Wenxuan mediating behind the scenes, she managed to secure a special pardon for the Su family.
Though the death penalty was spared, punishment was inevitable. Even if the Su men could survive, they were all subjected to castration. Unable to bear the humiliation, the others took their own lives in prison. By the time she arrived, the only Su man left "clinging to life" was Su Rongqing.
At the time, she had told Su Rongqing that she had rescued him not expecting any repayment. She could give him silver, find him a position, and let him live a good life elsewhere in the future.
Back then, her feelings toward Su Rongqing weren't particularly special. She was merely grateful for having been saved and cared for by him in the past, along with... a vague, indistinct tenderness. Her rescue of the Su Clan was more about considering Li Chuan's and her own conscience.
The Su Clan was a family of noble integrity. To see them suffer such an unjust fate was something she couldn't simply stand by and watch.
But at that time, Su Rongqing refused to leave.
He knelt before her, pleading respectfully: "This servant's body is no longer whole, and this world has no place for me. Only in the Princess's Manor can I find refuge. I wish to remain by Your Highness's side, repaying your life-saving grace with loyalty unto death."
Since he said so, she allowed him to stay. The Su family had many enemies outside, and Su Rongqing could never enter officialdom in this lifetime, nor would he easily find a position elsewhere. She couldn't bear to see him humiliated outside.
Because he had been castrated, it was only natural for him to remain in her manor. Later, as affection grew between them, Pei Wenxuan noticed but could say nothing. Neither Li Chuan nor court officials gave it much thought, so Pei Wenxuan's cuckolding remained less obvious.
It wasn't that she hadn't considered Su Rongqing seeking revenge. After all, it was Li Chuan who personally ordered the execution of all Su men and the exile of all Su women. No one could forget such a blood-soaked annihilation of their clan, let alone the once-celebrated First Young Master. So for all those years, she never dared to entrust him with real power, observing and guarding against him while trying to ensure he lived well.
She couldn't overcome her conscience to truly kill him, nor could she fully trust him with authority.
In the end, he still made his move. He killed her first, then used the pretext of eliminating Pei Wenxuan to smoothly take over the power she held. If she guessed correctly, he wouldn't leave with her advisors. Instead, under the banner of avenging her, he would rally support, ally with the Empress, promote Li Xin to the throne, and fight to the death against Pei Wenxuan's remaining faction.
This way, he would be inextricably bound to her people. With real power in hand, and given that Li Chuan had spent years immersed in Daoist cultivation, his political foundation had long been unstable. Coupled with his failing health recently, Su Rongqing might truly have the chance to kill Li Chuan with his own hands.
She had anticipated this from the moment she took Su Rongqing in, yet when it truly arrived, she couldn't help but feel a tinge of regret.
If only the Su family hadn't met such a tragic fate, perhaps she and Su Rongqing wouldn't have ended up this way.
Li Rong took a deep breath and, seeing Pei Wenxuan's cheerful expression, couldn't help but ask, "What are you so happy about?"Pei Wenxuan grilled the fish, drawing out his words: "I told you long ago this man couldn't be kept, but you wouldn't listen. Now look," he said, his eyes curving into a smile as he glanced over, "you've suffered a loss, haven't you?"
"You're this happy that I suffered a loss?" Li Rong's voice was cold.
"Exactly." Pei Wenxuan replied cheerfully. "For Her Highness the Princess to suffer a loss is a once-in-a-thousand-years event. To witness such a spectacle," Pei Wenxuan raised a hand and placed it over his chest, "brings me great comfort."
"Minister Pei is mistaken this time," Li Rong laughed in exasperation, speaking without thinking. "I at least had him serve me for twenty-five years. Even if he killed me, I'd be willing. You're just the fish caught in the crossfire—what are you so smug about?"
"He killed you, and you're still willing?" Pei Wenxuan sneered. Li Rong glanced at him sideways. "What, does Minister Pei not permit it?"
"What right do I have to permit or not?" Pei Wenxuan laughed in frustration. "The Princess is a noble branch of the imperial tree—she can do as she pleases. But I must remind Her Highness of one thing."
Pei Wenxuan turned his head toward the flickering flames, his voice growing colder: "In your past life, if you wanted to entangle yourself with him, that was a matter of taking a beating. But now, if you dare to entangle yourself with Su Rongqing, at best you'll be sent off for a political marriage; at worst, I fear you won't even keep your life."
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