Li Rоng hаd Pei Wеnхuаn stау at the Prinсеss's Manоr, both waiting fоr sоmеоnе frоm the pаlace to question Li Rоng аbout lеaving thе mаnоr withоut pеrmissiоn аnd tаking Рei Wеnxuan awау. Uneхpectеdly, the nеxt daу, nо оnе саmе to hold hеr аcсоuntаble. Instеad, nеws аrrived that Соnsort Rоu had forciblу detained Wаng Ноuwen.
Uрon recеiving this nеws in hеr roоm, Li Rоng wаs stunnеd. Shе сouldn't hеlр but loоk at Рei Wenхuan, sоmеwhаt astоnishеd, аnd sаid, "She actuаlly dared to direсtly arrest еven the Мinister оf Рersоnnel. Back then, I caught Xie Lanqing with both the person and the evidence. Has Consort Rou lost her mind?"
"If she dares to detain him, she must have evidence," Pei Wenxuan smiled, using his uninjured hand to pick up a teacup. He explained, "Wang Houwen had already sent her money before. She originally intended to release him, but now that I’ve stirred things up, everyone knows Wang Houwen is under suspicion. Even if she wants to release him, she has to consider appearances."
"But... does she even have the courage?" Li Rong frowned. "Wang Houwen sent her money. If she won’t help him, why arrest him instead?"
Hearing this, Pei Wenxuan smiled and took a sip of tea. Li Rong immediately caught on: "What trick did you play?"
"Last night, I arranged for someone to impersonate someone from Wang’s residence and deliver a message to the palace, including a poem mocking Consort Rou’s background."
Upon hearing this, Li Rong understood. Consort Rou certainly had her own methods, but there was one thing: both she and Hua Le cared too much about their origins.
If it were any other time, it might have been overlooked. But now that Consort Rou had taken charge of the Supervisory Department, everyone had to show her deference. At the peak of her influence, if Wang Houwen dared to rely on his noble family background to write a letter mocking her, she naturally wouldn’t be able to keep her composure.
After all, she held the Supervisory Department and was a high-ranking consort. Arresting someone was still easy for her. Pei Wenxuan could still be criticized for lacking sufficient rank, but as long as Consort Rou had enough troops, there was no one she couldn’t arrest.
However, arresting someone was easy; the difficulty lay in keeping them detained. Li Rong thought for a moment and couldn’t help but ask, "What if Consort Rou and Wang Houwen meet and compare notes about the poem?"
"What if they do?" Pei Wenxuan smiled. "Wang Houwen has still been arrested by her. The other noble families watching will only think she’s being too arrogant, and Wang Houwen won’t swallow this insult. Your Highness should quickly go and fan the flames, have the Censorate keep an eye on Consort Rou as she handles Wang Houwen’s case. That way, she’ll think the letter was written by Your Highness. If she believes Your Highness is vying for power, she’ll naturally become flustered. As for Wang Houwen’s case, if she doesn’t handle it, the Emperor’s plan to establish her authority among the common-born officials will fail. If she does handle it, her secret alliance with the Jiangnan noble families like Su Rongqing will be severed."
As Pei Wenxuan spoke, he set down his teacup and said slowly, "I’d like to see what she plans to do."
While the two were talking, a report came from outside that someone from the palace had arrived. Li Rong instructed her people to take good care of Pei Wenxuan, then stood up and went to the main hall.
Upon entering the hall, Li Rong saw Fulai leading soldiers, standing in the center. Li Rong stepped forward, bowed, and softly called out, "Eunuch Fulai."
"Your Highness."
Fulai smiled and returned the greeting. "It’s been a long time."
"What brings you here today, Eunuch? Have you come to visit?"Li Rong motioned for Fulai to sit, but he shook his head and remained standing, saying, "This old servant has come on His Majesty's orders to inquire about yesterday's incident—why did Your Highness forcibly leave the residence and abduct Minister Pei back to your manor?"
Hearing this, Li Rong's expression instantly turned cold. "Is the eunuch here to demand an explanation?"
"Not at all," Fulai quickly bowed, speaking urgently. "Your Highness, this old servant is merely following orders. I beg Your Highness not to make things difficult."
At these words, Li Rong softened her expression slightly and turned her head away. "Go back and explain clearly to my father. Yesterday, Madam Wen came to me and told me that Xiao Wei had sent an invitation to Pei Wenxuan. How long has it been since Pei Wenxuan and I divorced? And now Consort Rou dares to bully me like this? No matter what, Pei Wenxuan was once my Imperial Son-in-Law. How could she let—"
"Your Highness," Fulai interjected anxiously, "perhaps it would be better if you accompanied this old servant to the palace to speak. These words..." He showed a troubled expression. "This old servant finds it difficult to convey them."
"I won't make things difficult for you," Li Rong stood up and declared directly. "I'll go to the palace right now and explain everything to my father."
Li Rong appeared to be furious as she led her attendants straight to the imperial palace. When she arrived at the imperial study, Li Ming was admiring a painting of birds with Su Minzhi. Li Rong stormed in and cried out loudly, "Father, you must stand up for me!"
Li Ming was taken aback by Li Rong's sudden intrusion. Su Minzhi smiled and respectfully said, "Your Majesty, this old minister will take his leave first."
Upon entering the room and seeing Su Minzhi, Li Rong was momentarily stunned before quickly bowing, seemingly aggrieved. "Greetings, Elder Su."
Su Minzhi returned the courtesy with a smile and then departed.
Once Su Minzhi had left, Li Ming immediately scowled. "Look at your rude behavior—what kind of example is this!"
At these words, Li Rong's eyes reddened. "Yes, I am not a good example. I've been bullied to such an extent, and you neither ask nor care, yet you still say I'm not a good example!"
Li Ming glanced quickly at Fulai, who had followed them in. Fulai explained, "Your Highness has come to explain yesterday's unauthorized departure from the residence."
Hearing this, Li Ming nodded, sat down, and said calmly, "Speak, then. Why did you leave the residence without permission? I also heard you abducted Pei Wenxuan back to your manor?"
Li Rong quickly recounted how Xiao Wei had arranged to meet Pei Wenxuan and how Madam Wen had informed her of it. She then added angrily, "So I went to find Pei Wenxuan to demand an explanation. But before I could even trouble him, I saw someone attempting to assassinate him in broad daylight. Su Rongqing was responsible for escorting him to the Ministry of Justice, yet he allowed Pei Wenxuan to be severely injured in the street. So I brought him back to my manor to recuperate."
Li Ming listened quietly, stirring the tea in his cup with the lid. He said slowly, "Then you did a good deed. How is Pei Wenxuan now?"
"He's all right," Li Rong replied, her eyes reddening again. "He's alive, but he needs time to recover."
Li Ming frowned and thought for a moment. "Then send him back to the Pei residence."
"I won't send him back."
Li Rong refused outright. "If I send him back, who knows when Xiao Wei might show up again?"
"You and he are already separated!" Li Ming's tone carried dissatisfaction. "What are you doing keeping him forcibly in your manor?"
Li Rong turned her head away, her face filled with anger. "Then why must you insist on separating me from him?""He doesn't like you," Li Ming said impatiently. "You're a princess, what kind of behavior is this, chasing after a man like this?"
"You're the Emperor," Li Rong turned her head, as if puzzled. "I'm a princess, what is Pei Wenxuan? If you give the order, would he dare divorce me? Clearly, it's you who wants to separate us!"
"You're talking nonsense!" Li Ming slammed his hand on the table, though he felt somewhat guilty.
Seeing him yell at her, Li Rong immediately burst into tears: "You gave the Supervisory Department to Consort Rou, fine. You forced me to divorce, fine. You let Hua Le come to my residence and beat me, and even made me stay confined so Consort Rou could secure her position in the Supervisory Department. What have I done wrong? I obeyed you in everything, and now you still let Consort Rou humiliate me like this? I've never liked anyone in my life. Pei Wenxuan was chosen by you. Finally, I fell for him, and you agreed to let him divorce me. Now you even let Xiao Wei meet him right in front of me..."
As Li Rong listed her grievances one by one, Li Ming grew increasingly uneasy. Li Rong wiped her tears: "You're pushing me too far."
"Your Highness, don't be upset," Fulai stepped forward to comfort Li Rong, seeing Li Ming's embarrassment. "You are His Majesty's most beloved daughter. His Majesty is also concerned about your reputation."
"Fulai is right," Li Ming cleared his throat, grateful for the lifeline Fulai offered. "I am indeed concerned about your reputation. If you dislike Xiao Wei, then just don't let her see him."
"I don't trust anyone else either," Li Rong wiped her tears decisively. "He's injured now. If you send him elsewhere, I won't feel at ease."
Li Ming paused. Li Rong's concerns were valid. If Li Rong hadn't intervened during the assassination attempt, Pei Wenxuan might have died.
Pei Wenxuan was one of the most direct executors of his will. If he died, not only would others become even more reluctant to step forward, but he would also lose a capable subordinate.
In the entire court, no one cared more about Pei Wenxuan than Li Rong.
After all, others were mostly connected to Pei Wenxuan by interests, but Li Rong... she truly cared for him.
Thinking of this, Li Ming felt both relieved and uneasy.
He was relieved that he could use Pei Wenxuan and Li Rong's relationship to create more distance between Li Rong and Li Chuan. Yet, he also felt an inexplicable sense of... his own prized jade cabbage being trampled by a pig.
After hesitating for a moment, Li Ming finally made up his mind: "Fine, let him recuperate there. Once he's healed, he must return immediately."
"But..."
"What 'but'?" Li Ming looked up at her, annoyed. "Do you want to remarry or not?"
Hearing this, Li Rong seemed somewhat embarrassed: "Since he's staying at my residence... you must also consider my reputation. How about..."
"Now you're talking about reputation?" Li Ming scoffed mockingly, too tired to argue. "Leave."
"Father, what about Su Rongqing?" Li Rong stared at Li Ming. "He arrested Pei Wenxuan and took him to the Ministry of Justice, which gave someone the chance to assassinate him and caused such severe injuries. Are we just going to let it go?"
After some thought, Li Ming finally said: "I will punish him, but after all, he was only negligent in protection, not the perpetrator. You don't need to take it too personally."
"He must still be punished," Li Rong insisted immediately. "We must make an example of them. Otherwise, everyone will target Pei Wenxuan, and who would dare work for you in the future?"These words struck a chord with Li Ming. He waved his hand dismissively, saying only, "Go back and do more embroidery, practice your calligraphy, and don't think about these things anymore."
Li Rong pouted, knelt down to kowtow, and as she prepared to leave, she suddenly remembered, "Father, what about my house arrest order..."
"Consider it lifted."
It had only been for show in the first place, to establish Consort Rou's authority. Now that Consort Rou had already arrested Wang Houwen, there was no need to keep Li Rong under house arrest to bolster her image.
Consort Rou's prestige was now immense.
Li Rong smiled as she bowed and left happily. Returning to her room, Pei Wenxuan saw the joy on her face and knew everything had gone smoothly. He pointed to two letters on the table and said with a laugh, "I've finished drafting the memorials. Could you please deliver them to the Censorate and have someone keep an eye on Wang Houwen's case?"
"Even with your shoulder injured, you can still write memorials?" Li Rong chuckled as she sat down beside Pei Wenxuan. Pei Wenxuan looked up at her and gave a light laugh. "Not only can I write memorials," he said, propping himself up and leaning closer to Li Rong, "I can do many other things too, Your Highness. Would you like to try?"
"Pei Wenxuan," Li Rong pushed his head away with her fan, "you really are an old lecher."
"To die beneath the peony, even as a ghost, is to be a romantic," Pei Wenxuan leaned in, trying to kiss her. Li Rong, tickled by his antics, giggled and stood up. "I won't indulge you in this nonsense. I still have important matters to attend to."
With that, Li Rong went to the table to retrieve Pei Wenxuan's memorials. Pei Wenxuan sighed and fell back onto the bed. "Now that you've used me and I'm no longer of any use, Your Highness ignores me."
"That's right, useless scoundrel," Li Rong tapped his stomach with her fan as she passed by. When she reached the door, she paused, turned back, and gave him a meaningful look. "Focus on recovering properly."
Her gaze lingered, seemingly filled with endless flirtation, carrying a seductive charm that could melt one's bones.
Pei Wenxuan drew a sharp breath as the woman pushed the door open and walked out.
Li Rong delivered the memorials to the officials at the Censorate. The next day, while she and Pei Wenxuan were eating oranges in their room, news came back: the Censorate had impeached Wang Houwen and requested to assist Consort Rou in the investigation, but Consort Rou had refused.
Su Rongqing was punished with three months' salary deduction for failing to protect Pei Wenxuan adequately. At the same time, Pei Liming, the Left Vice Minister of Justice, was promoted to the new Minister of Justice.
The position of Minister of Justice had long been undecided between Su Rongqing and Pei Liming. Now that Su Rongqing had allowed Pei Wenxuan to be injured, the salary deduction was merely a superficial punishment. Everyone knew that for someone of Su Rongqing's background, salary was hardly significant. Thus, the real punishment for Su Rongqing was Pei Liming's appointment as Minister of Justice.
These two pieces of news made the two of them eat two extra bowls of rice. Li Rong also privately sent people to continuously gather information about Wang Houwen and Consort Rou.
After Wang Houwen was detained by Consort Rou, he reportedly cursed her in prison. In response, Consort Rou ordered "hidden punishments"—methods of torture that inflicted pain but left no visible marks.
Wang Houwen had never experienced such sinister methods and soon confessed.
Only after Wang Houwen had been tortured and confessed did Consort Rou finally go to see him. By then, Wang Houwen was already on the brink of death from her torment. Consort Rou smiled and asked, "Minister Wang, how does it feel?"After enduring several days of torment, Wang Houwen dared not speak much, yet he found it difficult in his heart to bow to Consort Rou. Thus, he remained silent. Consort Rou lightly tapped her fingernails and slowly spoke: "In Pig-Food Lane, crows and sparrows bustle, / Once perched on a branch, they boast of being phoenixes. / Clad in yellow, crowned in green, pearls in their beaks, / Yet unable to hide the filth that taints the night's fragrance. Lord Wang," Consort Rou turned to look at him with a light laugh, "do you still think this is a good poem?"
Hearing this, Wang Houwen couldn't help but laugh: "A fine poem indeed!"
He raised his voice: "It suits Your Ladyship perfectly!"
"Then it's settled," Consort Rou said softly. "When Lord Wang ascends the execution platform and faces the autumn beheading, I shall see whether you still think it a good poem."
With that, Consort Rou stood up and walked out. Once outside, she narrowed her eyes and turned to ask the guard beside her: "Has any evidence of Princess Pingle's involvement in Chen Hozhao's case been found yet?"
"Not yet," the guard whispered. "Princess Pingle has covered her tracks too well."
Consort Rou narrowed her eyes: "That girl is far cleverer than her mother."
"But, Your Ladyship," the guard expressed some concern, "the Dowager has sent word that Chen Hozhao's case was handled by your distant cousin. She asks that you show him some consideration."
Consort Rou paused, then urgently asked: "Who else knows of this?"
"Your Ladyship need not worry, it's all among our own people," the guard quickly reassured. "The Dowager said that once Chen Hozhao is gone, the rest is up to you."
Hearing this, Consort Rou pondered for a moment and said quietly: "I will merge this case with others. Tell my mother... not to worry. But from now on, such matters must be reported to me," her gaze sharpened, "and there will be no next time."
"Your Ladyship can rest assured. The Dowager has already said that the main family has been punished. Lord Wenzhang was also concerned that Your Ladyship might be short of funds in the palace and sent in two banknotes." Consort Rou watched as the guard discreetly revealed the two banknotes. She glanced at the amounts and her expression softened slightly. "After all, we are family. When there are difficulties, we must help."
With that, Consort Rou walked out with the guard.
Having offended Wang Houwen, Consort Rou naturally dared not provoke other noble families. Instead, she began reaching out to various clans, offering gifts and money.
However, her ruthless methods—secretly torturing Wang Houwen to extract a confession—spread among the noble families. They grew cautious and fearful of her, and thus their attitude toward her improved even more. Consort Rou took this as a sign of improved relations with the noble families and, without their restraint or the oversight of the Censorate, she acted with increasing recklessness.
In less than half a month, she officially announced the conclusion of the case.
She had arrested nearly thirty people, with close to eight sentenced to execution. Apart from Wang Houwen, almost all were officials connected to the Shangguan Clan.
Anyone with eyes could see Consort Rou's intentions, so some minor families and the original impoverished officials in the court scrambled to align themselves, becoming the "Prince Su faction" in the court.
Along with Consort Rou's conclusion of the case came the official list of scholars eligible to participate in the imperial examinations. On the day Consort Rou released the list of over a hundred petitioners confirmed to have been replaced, a group of officials from the Ministry of Personnel arrived at the Princess's Manor.
Pei Wenxuan and Li Rong were sitting playing chess when they heard that a group of officials from the Ministry of Personnel had come to the manor, asking to see Pei Wenxuan.
Pei Wenxuan and Li Rong exchanged glances. Li Rong couldn't help but smile: "I wonder if Lord Pei's illness has recovered?""How well I am, doesn't Your Highness already know?"
Pei Wenxuan smiled as he set down the chess piece, speaking gently, "Take them to the front hall. I'll be there shortly."
The visitors were all minor officials from the Ministry of Personnel, responsible for the specific operations of the imperial examinations. Seeing Pei Wenxuan arrive, the group immediately brightened up.
"Lord Pei," they greeted him with cupped-hand salutes, "Your health has finally improved."
"Thank you for your concern, colleagues."
Although Pei Wenxuan had been resting during this period, he had secretly maintained correspondence with these individuals, handling affairs through letters. Even though they hadn't met for over half a month, there was no sense of unfamiliarity. Instead, their private connections had grown, making them even more familiar.
After casually chatting for a while, several of them explained their purpose to Pei Wenxuan: "We came because we received news that Consort Rou privately inquired among us, asking if anyone could serve as Chief Examiner. We suspect Consort Rou may be planning to replace you, sir, so we specifically came to inform you of this matter."
Hearing this, Pei Wenxuan glanced lightly at the group. These individuals were all descendants of aristocratic families. Though not first-class nobles, in Huajing, top clans like the Su Clan and Shangguan Clan were after all few in number. Those handling day-to-day affairs were mostly minor nobles rooted in Huajing.
Their open visit to inform him of this matter clearly indicated their stance. Pei Wenxuan gave a faint smile and said gently, "Rest assured, everyone. I will return tomorrow."
"Regarding the imperial examinations, I must still trouble you all to remain diligent."
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