Аfter Li Rong finishеd sреаking with Рei Wenxuаn, shе returned аlone tо thе Рrinсеss's Мanor. Lуing on the bed in the manor, shе fеlt as if shе had lоst hеr fооting.
Without Реi Wеnхuаn by hеr side and no nееd to аttend the Mоrning Court Аssembly tоmоrrоw, hеr hеаrt fеlt emptу fоr a mоmеnt.
Shе stretсhed hеr hаnd into the еmрty аir, gazing at her slеnder palm, аnd suddеnlу felt thаt Shangguan Xu wаs right.
Тhе daughtеrs оf thе Shаngguаn fаmily sееmed bоrn to grаsp pоwer. Withоut роwer in hеr hаnds, shе fеlt lost and hollоw, as if she had lost her wаy forward.
Shе was cоmplеtеly diffеrent from Li Chuan. As the Crown Prince, every step he took seemed to stem from his responsibility toward those around him. Because he was the Crown Prince, his life had been tied to the lives of many since birth. He had no choice but to strive and move forward.
But every step she took originated from the deep-seated desire for power within her heart.
She loved the feeling of control and choice too much, and deep in her bones, she also cherished the thrill of taking risks for these things.
Thus, on such a peaceful night, she found herself at a loss.
She tossed and turned in the night. After a long while, she got up and went to the wardrobe, pulling out one of Pei Wenxuan’s robes. Holding it in her arms, she finally found a sense of calm and fell asleep clutching it.
She slept until the time for the Morning Court Assembly, waking up on schedule. Just as she was about to call for someone to help her get up, she remembered she didn’t need to attend court.
With the Supervisory Department handed over, the court had little to do with her anymore. She only needed to stay in the shadows.
Li Rong paused for a moment, buried her head under the covers, and simply went back to sleep.
She slept until noon before getting up to eat. Jing Lan helped her dress, smiling as she said, “Your Highness, not attending court seems to have left you looking rather listless.”
“No man, no career,” Li Rong sighed. “Where would I find any spirit?”
Jing Mei was amused by Li Rong’s words and tugged at her clothes, smiling as she said, “If Your Highness misses your sweetheart so much, why not go to the new residence tonight?”
Li Rong glanced at her leisurely. Jing Mei’s heart skipped a beat, thinking Li Rong would scold her, but instead, she heard Li Rong say, “That suits me perfectly.”
After having breakfast, Li Rong rested in the courtyard for a while before Zhao Chongjiu hurried back with news from the court.
“Today, His Majesty appointed Lord Pei as the Chief Examiner for the imperial examinations, granting him full authority over the matter. He also formally handed over the Supervisory Department to Prince Su, with Consort Rou assisting him, to thoroughly investigate the case of impersonation in the imperial examinations.”
Li Rong nodded. After a moment of thought, she couldn’t help but ask another question: “What about Vice Minister Su?”
“Vice Minister Su volunteered to oversee this imperial examination.”
“Oversee?” Li Rong laughed. “He’s not holding back at all now. And what about Cui Yulang?”
“He asked me to relay a message, saying that Consort Rou praised him today and asked him to help her and do his work well.”
Hearing this, Li Rong knew that Consort Rou had begun to trust Cui Yulang completely.
This was not surprising.
After collaborating with Su Rongqing for so long, she had gained nothing and had even been demoted from Consort to a lower rank. In such a short time working with Cui Yulang, she had not only regained her position as Consort but also helped Li Cheng secure the Supervisory Department. Coupled with Cui Yulang’s humble background, how could she not trust him more?
Li Rong nodded and said, “Tell Cui Yulang to stay put. Have someone keep an eye on him, and remember to come to me for the medicine at regular intervals.”Zhao Chongjiu responded, and Li Rong inquired about this year's harvest from her fief and the situation in the northwest.
"Xun has a request for the princess."
Li Rong looked up, and Zhao Chongjiu lowered his voice: "Xun wishes for the princess to secretly obtain a temporary Conscription Order for Qin Lin."
"Why is that?"
Li Rong lightly tapped her palm with a fan. Zhao Chongjiu raised his hand and presented the letter sent by Xun Chuan. Li Rong quickly glanced over it and understood Xun Chuan's intention.
Last year, due to the war in the northwest, the cities on the front lines had almost no farming. By this year, with no grain in the cities, they could only rely on imperial relief. However, the funds from the court were gradually siphoned off as they reached the northwest, leaving Qin Lin with very little. Military pay was barely sufficient, and disaster relief was even more difficult.
On one hand, Qin Lin could not bear it; on the other, he genuinely lacked troops and horses. Thus, Cui Qinghe suggested that Qin Lin recruit the common people from the cities into the army, using civilians to sustain the war.
Able-bodied men would serve as soldiers, while the elderly, weak, women, and children would be allocated land to farm. By this autumn, when the northern war was expected to resume, they would have the strength to fight.
Such actions were naturally against regulations, but Qin Lin believed that after doing this, the major noble families in the north would not need to allocate much military pay to him, nor would they have to go to the battlefield. They could keep themselves well-fed and their armies strong, so officials in the northwest would be happy to see it succeed and would not expose Qin Lin. Thus, Qin Lin had already begun doing this in secret.
However, this was still a violation of the law. In the worst-case scenario, it could be seen as privately amassing troops. Therefore, Xun Chuan specifically sent a letter to Li Rong, asking her to petition for a Conscription Order for Qin Lin. In ordinary times, it might not matter, but if trouble arose, presenting this Conscription Order would allow Qin Lin to claim he was conscripting troops under orders.
Upon reading this letter, Li Rong couldn't help but gasp.
Qin Lin was a talented general, but his biggest flaw was his excessive authoritarianism.
Such a commander was a hero in times of chaos but also the most troublesome presence for a ruler in times of peace. If Xun Chuan had not brought this matter to light, Li Rong could already foresee what might happen in the future.
The noble families remained silent now because they needed Qin Lin. But when the time came, this would become Qin Lin's death warrant. What was even more terrifying was not Qin Lin himself but the fact that part of the military pay for Qin Lin's troops came from her side.
Qin Lin was privately amassing troops, and she was supplying the military pay. As the eldest sister of the crown prince, if this crime were exposed, she would not survive even ten thousand deaths.
Li Rong steadied her mind and realized she had to obtain this Conscription Order for Qin Lin.
With the Conscription Order, the more troops Qin Lin had, the more stable Li Chuan's ascension to the throne would be.
But how could she obtain such a thing for Qin Lin?
The Conscription Order was a special military decree in Great Xia. During exceptional times, a general could use it to conscript troops locally within garrisoned cities.
The emperor granted such orders with great caution. How could she get Li Ming to secretly issue a confidential Conscription Order for Qin Lin?
As Li Rong pondered this, she heard commotion outside. Moments later, a maid hurried in from the courtyard and anxiously said, "Your Highness, Princess Hua Le has arrived with people from the Supervisory Department and sealed off the Princess's Manor."
Hearing this, Li Rong was stunned. After a moment, she laughed incredulously: "Hua Le, with the Supervisory Department, sealed off my manor?"Every word she understood, but strung together, they struck her as rather amusing.
Before she could step outside, she heard Hua Le's familiar voice from beyond, carrying an uncharacteristic haughtiness: "Sister Ping Le."
Li Rong looked toward the sound and saw Hua Le emerge from around the corner, clad in a gown of golden thread. Behind her followed a group of former Supervisory Department personnel, among them some new faces—likely fresh additions after Consort Rou's reorganization of the department.
Li Rong raised an eyebrow as Hua Le approached, curtsying gracefully before her. "By order of Prince Su, I have come to your manor to investigate a case, sister."
"Investigate a case?" Li Rong sounded amused. "What case are you investigating?"
"Do you remember a man named Chen Hozhao?"
"Of course," Li Rong replied, immediately grasping Hua Le's purpose. She couldn't help but smile. "Didn't he come to the Supervisory Department to lodge a complaint just a few days ago?"
"He has gone missing."
Hua Le watched Li Rong closely. Li Rong feigned surprise. "Missing?"
"Yes. On the very day he complained to you, he left Huajing. Later, his ship sank, and he himself vanished without a trace."
"I see."
Li Rong nodded, then seemed to recall something. "Then you should be looking for him. Why come to me?"
"Prince Su suspects that you killed him. Therefore, I must ask you to cooperate and accompany me to the Supervisory Department."
Li Rong said nothing, merely smiling as she regarded Hua Le.
Seeing Li Rong remain unfazed, Hua Le inexplicably felt her confidence waver. She steeled herself, meeting Li Rong's gaze, and declared, "Do you intend to resist arrest, sister?"
"I'm not resisting arrest. I simply wish to ask you a few questions."
Li Rong tapped her small fan against her palm. "I am a princess of the realm, a member of the imperial family. If you wish to arrest me, do you have evidence for this case?"
"How can we obtain evidence without interrogating you?" Hua Le frowned. "You know perfectly well how cases were handled in the Supervisory Department when you were there."
"When I handled cases, I always demanded evidence. Those of lower rank could be summoned to the Supervisory Department. But for those of higher rank, we had to ask if they were willing. You are new to court affairs, sister, and likely unfamiliar with court protocol. Jing Lan."
Li Rong turned and instructed Jing Lan, "Go inside and fetch the Supervisory Department's code of conduct. Bring it for Her Highness Hua Le to study carefully."
Jing Lan suppressed a smile and went to retrieve the code.
Provoked by Li Rong's retort, Hua Le's anger flared. She raised her voice sharply. "Enough nonsense! The Supervisory Department is investigating a case. You are a suspect. If you refuse to come for questioning and keep making excuses, are you hiding something?"
Hearing Hua Le raise her voice, Li Rong's eyes turned cold, though her smile remained. "Sister, it seems you have forgotten the hierarchy of the palace now that you serve in court. I am your elder sister. Is this how you speak to me?"
"I am acting on Prince Su's orders—"
"I know the Supervisory Department's affairs better than you!" Li Rong suddenly raised her voice. "Without evidence, get out!"
"Li Rong, you—"
"Throw her out!"
With a wave of her fan, Li Rong turned to leave. Hua Le grew frantic and tried to rush forward to seize her, but the Princess's Manor guards immediately surged forward. The two sides clashed in a chaotic standoff as Hua Le shouted angrily, "Ping Le, don't you dare leave!"Li Rong ascended the steps and, hearing Hua Le's shouts, turned back once more.
With a light lift of her phoenix-like eyes, she leisurely swept a glance over Hua Le, who was among the crowd, yelling for the soldiers of the Supervisory Department to arrest her. She smiled, about to mock a few words, when she suddenly realized something—
The Conscription Order had arrived.
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