The Princess Royal

Whеthеr Сui Yulаng was normаl оr nоt, Li Rоng didn't knоw either.

In anу сase, thе time was sеt, еvеrуthing wаs аrranged, аnd she only needed tо wаit for thе threе dауs until thе cоurt оffiсiаls' rеst daу to have а рroрer talk with Cui Yulаng.

It was incоnvenient fоr hеr tо mееt Сui Yulаng in the citу—thеre wеrе еyеs and еаrs everуwhеre—sо she could оnly arrangе tо mеet оutside the citу. Sinсе it would tаkе lоngеr, shе hаd to wаit fоr the rеst daу.

Coinсidentаllу, Рei Wеnхuаn wаs thinking the same thing.

Аfter moving into the Pеi residencе left by his fаther with Маdam Wеn, he spent some time making minor improvements before settling in.

He hadn't brought much with him, which made him feel more at ease, as if he were merely on vacation and would eventually return.

Whether it was because he had brought so little or because Li Rong wasn't there, the house always felt empty. At night, lying in bed, he would toss and turn, inexplicably feeling that the bed was too large.

When he finally managed to fall asleep, sometimes in the middle of the night, he would reach out in his sleep, feel no one beside him, and suddenly wake up. For a moment, it would seem as if he were still in his previous life, and everything in this life was just a fleeting dream. Waking up meant returning to the lonely, desolate days of his past life, startling himself awake before slowly remembering what had happened and calming down.

During the day, seeing Li Rong in court, he knew he shouldn't look, but he couldn't help wanting to gaze at her.

He also wondered how Li Rong slept without him and whether she missed him.

Enduring this torment, each day felt like a year. Unable to bear it for three days, as soon as the rest day arrived, Pei Wenxuan decided to see her.

Meeting in the city was inconvenient, so they had to go outside the city. In Great Xia, rest days came every ten days. If he missed today, he would have to wait another ten days. Before dawn, Pei Wenxuan sent Tong Ye to knock on Zhao Chongjiu's door and pass his message to Li Rong.

Zhao Chongjiu dutifully relayed the message to Li Rong, who had just woken up, dressed, and was preparing to leave the city to meet Cui Yulang.

Upon receiving Zhao Chongjiu's message, she felt conflicted.

She also wanted to see Pei Wenxuan, but she had already arranged to meet Cui Yulang, and the matter couldn't be delayed. After struggling for a moment, she suddenly realized something.

Was she really agonizing over such a thing?

"Tell the Imperial Son-in-Law that I have business outside the city today. We can meet on the next rest day. It's important business, so he shouldn't take it to heart."

Li Rong looked up and instructed Zhao Chongjiu before turning to have someone fetch what she needed.

Zhao Chongjiu immediately sent someone to inform Pei Wenxuan. By the time Pei Wenxuan received the message, Li Rong was almost out of the city.

But Pei Wenxuan was also ready by then. Hearing that Li Rong had turned him down, he couldn't help but frown. "What business does she have?"

"The messenger didn't say," Tong Ye replied, carefully observing Pei Wenxuan's expression. "Perhaps you should rest today, sir?"

Pei Wenxuan didn't answer. He sat for a while before standing up and murmuring, "No, I have to go see for myself."

With that, Pei Wenxuan hurried out the door.

Pei Wenxuan's residence was closer to the city gate than Li Rong's. Calculating the time, he took a shortcut and arrived at the city gate ahead of her, waiting there.

To avoid drawing attention, Li Rong naturally wouldn't use a carriage from the Princess's Manor. An ordinary carriage blended in with the crowds coming and going, making it impossible to tell which one was Li Rong.Pei Wenxuan was inside the carriage, holding the curtain aside as he watched. After a while, an ordinary-looking carriage approached, its curtain lifted as the occupant exchanged a few words with the guards. The guards then allowed it to pass. Pei Wenxuan observed for a moment before lowering the curtain and murmuring, "Follow them."

Li Rong's carriage moved at a leisurely pace toward the city outskirts. Not long after, she heard someone outside say, "Your Highness, it seems someone is following us."

Li Rong opened her eyes, tapping her fan against her palm. After a moment's thought, she instructed, "Send someone to the teahouse to find Cui Yulang. Tell him the meeting place has changed—have him wait for me at Reed Pavilion. Up ahead, find a grove to stop and let everyone rest. When I get out of the carriage," she lowered her voice, "leave two guards behind to keep an eye on the rear and clear the way."

The guard nodded and carried out Li Rong's arrangements.

The carriage continued forward for a while before coming to a halt. The guard quickly turned to ask Pei Wenxuan inside, "Sir, the carriage ahead has stopped."

Pei Wenxuan remained silent for a moment before replying, "Keep moving."

This stretch of road wasn't long enough to warrant a rest stop. If Li Rong had halted, she must have noticed him. If he stopped as well, he risked alarming her. The best course now was to let her think he had left, then wait for her further ahead.

Pei Wenxuan considered Li Rong's mindset. Given her personality, she wouldn't simply stop the carriage and get out. After disembarking, she would likely stage another diversion—having someone impersonate her to leave while she took a second route...

No.

Recalling Li Rong's tactics when she had ambushed Yang Quan at the mountain villa, Pei Wenxuan realized she might not even take a second route. She would be more cautious, keeping a group of guards with her. After the second diversion, she would finally depart on her own.

Having guessed Li Rong's plan, Pei Wenxuan ordered his carriage to stop. Taking two guards with him, he quickly slipped into the nearby woods. Rolling up his sleeves, he instructed the guards beside him, "When you see guards running past, chase after them."

The guards acknowledged and hid as instructed. Meanwhile, Pei Wenxuan climbed an old tree, crouching on a branch to survey the surroundings.

Inside her carriage, Li Rong exchanged clothes with Jing Lan. She had disguised herself as an ordinary woman wearing a veil, and once Jing Lan changed into her attire, the two became indistinguishable. Everyone gathered around noisily, chatting for a while before returning to the carriage.

The carriage moved forward again. After a short distance, Li Rong waved to the two guards hidden in the shadows, and they immediately ran off.

As the guards dashed ahead, Pei Wenxuan spotted them from the tree. He signaled to the men concealed in the grass, and once Li Rong's guards had passed, his own men pursued them.

Li Rong waited in the shadows for a while, estimating that most people had likely moved on. Finally, she emerged from under the trees and hurried toward Reed Pavilion.

With no one else around, she ran anxiously along the path. Pei Wenxuan, still perched in the tree, watched her sprinting figure and frowned.

What was Li Rong rushing off to do?

Though puzzled, he remained silent. Only after Li Rong had run past his tree and moved farther away did Pei Wenxuan climb down and chase after her.

Li Rong ran while glancing around nervously, while Pei Wenxuan followed, ducking and hiding along the way. Neither was a trained spy, yet they maintained an oddly harmonious rhythm. After running for some time, Li Rong finally arrived at Reed Pavilion.Cui Yulang was already waiting there early. He wore a blue robe, his hair half-tied with a ribbon, holding a jade flute in his hand. The moment he heard Li Rong’s footsteps, he turned around with a smile. From the curve of his lips to the grace of his turn, every detail exuded a refined affectation.

Li Rong gasped for breath, leaning against the pillar of the pavilion as she watched Cui Yulang’s performance. Though she had anticipated it, she still felt a momentary choke in her breath when he turned to face her.

If Li Rong felt this way, Pei Wenxuan, hiding in the shadows, could hardly restrain himself, regretting that he hadn’t struck him down the last time.

Though reason told Pei Wenxuan that Li Rong’s initiative to seek out Cui Yulang must be for serious matters, seeing the two of them standing together still grated on his eyes.

Fortunately, he managed to suppress his impulse, remaining hidden in the shadows and cooperating with Li Rong’s arrangements.

“Your Highness,” Cui Yulang greeted Li Rong respectfully as she entered the pavilion. Li Rong leaned against the pillar for a moment to catch her breath, then waved her hand to dismiss the formalities. She walked into the pavilion and said, “We’re being followed today, so let’s keep it brief.”

“That case you mentioned last time—was it about a local gentry seizing your friend’s examination quota?”

“Yes,” Cui Yulang replied, his expression turning serious as Li Rong broached the matter. Li Rong picked up a teacup and asked slowly, “Where did it happen?”

“Zhangping County, Wangzhou.”

“Your hometown?”

“Yes.”

“You’re an official in the Ministry of Rites,” Li Rong looked up with a faint, mocking smile. “Can’t you handle such a trivial matter?”

“Your Highness jests,” Cui Yulang replied with a bitter smile. “It’s merely a powerless, insignificant office. What can I possibly do?”

Li Rong sat on the bench encircling the pavilion, gazing at the small river outside. Her expression remained calm. “You harbor resentment.”

Cui Yulang remained silent. Li Rong turned to look at him and smiled. “Last time, you offered yourself…” She straightened up and walked over to Cui Yulang, staring directly at him. Cui Yulang smiled without a word.

Cui Yulang was a frequent visitor to pleasure quarters, accustomed to mingling with women. It was said he didn’t even need to pay when visiting brothels—he would simply compose a poem to settle the bill, and the next day, it would become the most popular tune in Huajing.

Faced with Li Rong’s scrutinizing gaze, such a man showed no hesitation. Instead, he took a step closer, leaning in toward Li Rong, looking down at her with a tender expression. “What does Your Highness think?”

A crisp snap echoed from afar. Pei Wenxuan, watching their movements from a distance, couldn’t quite hear their conversation, but he could no longer restrain himself and snapped the branch in his hand.

Li Rong thought she heard something but dismissed it as an illusion. She glanced around the reed fields but saw no one. After a moment’s thought, she gestured to Cui Yulang and moved farther toward the riverbank, lowering her voice. “Are you doing this for your friend or for yourself?”

“Why does Your Highness ask this?” Cui Yulang seemed puzzled. Li Rong chuckled softly and looked up at him. “Has Lord Cui never considered making a mark in the officialdom?”

In her previous life, Cui Yulang had been a libertine who frequented brothels, showing no interest in court affairs. Yet, having read his poems, Li Rong always felt that such verses could not have been written by someone entirely indifferent to the political arena.Most importantly, Cui Yulang’s family was not wealthy. His father was merely an ordinary private tutor, and the effort and dedication he had poured into his studies since childhood were beyond what ordinary people could imagine.

Having paid such a high price to enter the officialdom, could it be that he had no ambitions? His departure back then was likely nothing more than a disillusioned retreat.

After all, in the officialdom of Great Xia at that time, someone like Cui Yulang had no place to stand at all.

Yet in this lifetime, he came to her to lodge a complaint.

Not only did he come to complain, but he also offered himself to her, attempting to become her lover. As long as he became her lover, he would gain an extra source of support.

“Actually, I understand what Lord Cui means,” Li Rong leaned against a pillar, looking at Cui Yulang with a faint, ambiguous smile. “Lodging a complaint is merely an excuse; offering yourself is the real intention. And the reason for offering yourself is simply because Lord Cui,” Li Rong raised her hand to support her head, gazing at Cui Yulang, “wants a patron now.”

Cui Yulang smiled without saying a word. Li Rong thought for a moment and said, “But I’m also curious. If you want to attach yourself to someone, why didn’t you act sooner? And,” she raised her fan and pointed at herself, “why choose me?”