The Princess Royal

"Ноw dо thеse pаst еvеnts diffеr frоm what Su Rongqing told mе?"

Li Rоng forcеd a bitter smilе. "Just bесаusе thеy didn't havе it easy doesn't meаn I сan undеrstand thеm. If wе'rе tаlking abоut hаrdshiр, whо hаs truly hаd it easy?"

"Yоur Нighness sрeaks wiselу," Pei Wеnxuan nоddеd gеntlу. "Тоmоrrow, I shall асcоmраny Yоur Highnеss tо visit the Crоwn Рrincе, then escоrt you to mееt Su Rоngqing."

"You'rе willing to let me сооpеrаtе with him?" Li Rоng stаrеd at Реi Wenхuan, whо smiled cаlmly in rеsроnse. "Whаtеvеr Yоur Highness chоoses to do, Wenхuan is willing to follоw."

As he sрokе, hе leаned forward and embraced Li Rong. "As long as Your Highness understands what you truly want and has no regrets."

"Is this dream real or false?"

"I've verified it," Su Rongqing lowered his gaze. "It's real."

"So this is why you allied with Consort Rou—to prevent the Crown Prince from ascending the throne?"

Su Ronghua looked up at Su Rongqing, who responded, "Yes."

"Because killing the Crown Prince would inevitably make you Princess Pingle's enemy, so you gave up on Princess Pingle."

Su Ronghua stated with certainty. Su Rongqing clenched his fist, and after a long pause, he still replied, "Yes."

"Isn't it a pity? Since you already know the future, why not try to change it?"

"How can I change it?" Su Rongqing couldn't help but laugh at these words. "Elder brother, how can I change it? Is it because our Su Clan wronged Li Chuan? Or is it because our Su Clan holds too much power? It's because Li Chuan, as a ruler, has ambition but is reckless, ignorant, and acts wantonly!"

"He craves grandeur and achievement, launching a northern campaign as soon as he ascends. The ministers advocate for peace, but he dismisses them as cowardly and greedy for life, not realizing that we understand the deep-seated corruption within the court. Without clearing these flaws, how can we possibly win a reckless war? Yet he insists on fighting, ultimately depleting the national treasury. Halfway through the war, there are no more military funds. Then, as usual, floods strike the south, with no silver left for disaster relief. Corpses litter the fields, and people resort to exchanging children to eat."

"He shows no remorse, blaming only the accumulated ills of the noble families. He blindly pushes for reforms, leading to years of warfare. He favors low-born sycophants and acts without restraint. When he ascended the throne, Great Xia had a registered population of 130 million. Eight years later, the registered population was less than 80 million. Fifty million people," Su Rongqing looked at Su Ronghua, "where do I even begin to change this?"

"He had this same temperament back then, appearing virtuous and benevolent. Elder brother, I do love Princess Pingle." As he said this, Su Rongqing stared fixedly at Su Ronghua. "But I also have my principles."

Su Ronghua remained silent, picking up his tea and taking a light sip.

"Rongqing, have you ever been to the north?"

Su Rongqing was taken aback by the sudden question. Su Ronghua set down his teacup, his voice soft. "You grew up in Huajing and never traveled elsewhere. Human lives are just numbers to you—one million, ten million. I've been to the north. When I went, I witnessed the battlefield with my own eyes, saw commoners slaughtered like livestock. In my heart, I actually shared the Crown Prince's sentiment: Great Xia must stand strong, must campaign north."

"But we cannot rush it."

"When is it not rushing?" Su Ronghua looked at Su Rongqing, his expression calm. "You say the Crown Prince disregards reality, but tell me, what is reality?"Su Rongqing remained silent, while Su Ronghua smiled knowingly. "The truth is, the noble families stand tall like a forest, each unwilling to send troops or contribute funds to protect their own interests. Family ties are deeply entangled, leading to favoritism in appointments and corruption that is difficult to root out. I suspect the greatest reason for the failure of the Northern Expedition is that the money never reached the soldiers in the north. But whose fault is that? The Crown Prince's?"

"Rongqing, there's no need to dress up our reasons in lofty words," Su Ronghua said, his eyes carrying a trace of sorrow as he looked at Su Rongqing. "Let's admit it—the noble families are a cancer in Great Xia. One day, we will be swept away by the tides of history. Our so-called noble bloodlines are inherently tainted by sin."

Su Rongqing gazed at Su Ronghua. The two brothers locked eyes for a long time before Su Rongqing finally spoke. "So, Elder Brother, you still intend to support Li Chuan's rise to power, is that it?"

"I support no one," Su Ronghua set down his teacup. "I simply don’t want you to get too entangled in these matters. If you have time, leave Huajing and travel. Go north to see the battlefields, go south to witness the floods. Rongqing, seeing with your own eyes is different from hearing others speak of it. Reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles."

"Rest for now," Su Ronghua stood up and turned to leave. "I’m going to see Father."

Su Rongqing lowered his head in silence. Just as Su Ronghua reached the door, he softly asked, "Can it wait a couple of days?"

Su Ronghua did not reply. Su Rongqing coughed lightly. "I’m still injured, Elder Brother. I fear Father’s anger might be too much for me to bear."

Knowing Su Minzhi’s temperament, Su Ronghua hesitated at the doorway for a long time before softly saying, "Rest and recover first."

With that, Su Ronghua strode out.

Su Rongqing sat alone in the room. After a long while, he picked up the cold tea on the table and drank it in one gulp.

Li Rong and Pei Wenxuan slept soundly. The next morning, before they even opened their eyes, they heard Jing Lan knocking at the door.

"Your Highness," Jing Lan called out to Li Rong, "are you awake?"

"What is it?"

Pei Wenxuan was the first to wake. Hearing his voice, Li Rong opened her eyes, and then they heard Jing Lan whisper, "Your Highness, news has come from the palace. Prince Su is out of danger and is safe."

Hearing this, Li Rong slowly opened her eyes.

Pei Wenxuan glanced back at her and said softly, "At most by tonight, His Majesty will likely take action."

"Mhm."

Li Rong acknowledged. Pei Wenxuan held her close and whispered, "Shall we go see the Crown Prince now?"

Li Rong remained silent for a long time. Finally, Pei Wenxuan reminded her, "If you don’t see him now, perhaps there will be no chance in the future."

"Since you’ve already said that," Li Rong smiled bitterly, "do I really have a choice?"

As she spoke, Li Rong began to rise, but Pei Wenxuan pressed her back gently. "I’ll fetch your clothes. Don’t catch a chill."

After saying this, Pei Wenxuan went to the wardrobe to get her clothes and instructed the servants outside to come in and help Li Rong freshen up.

Today, he seemed particularly at leisure. He personally helped Li Rong into her clothes, styled her hair, and when it came time to apply makeup, he paused. Li Rong looked up. "What’s wrong?"

"Nothing. I just think Your Highness is naturally beautiful like a lotus emerging from clear water, with no need for excessive adornment."

With that, Pei Wenxuan set down the eyebrow pencil. "This will do."

Li Rong assumed he was simply eager to see Li Chuan and didn’t think much of it. Together, they left the room.The two of them went to the Eastern Palace together. After announcing their arrival, Pei Wenxuan escorted Li Rong to the entrance.

The weather had turned cold, and snow had fallen the night before. In the courtyard, people were still sweeping away the accumulated snow. Li Rong stood at the door, listening to Li Chuan’s faint coughing inside. For a moment, she felt dazed.

Pei Wenxuan reached out and took her hand, speaking softly, "The Crown Prince was slightly injured the day before yesterday while trying to save you. When you go in later, just treat it as a casual conversation. There’s no need to be nervous."

Hearing this, Li Rong turned to look at him. "To save me?"

As soon as she spoke, Li Chuan’s voice came from inside. "Is Sister here? Quick, let her in."

His voice sounded different from what she remembered. For some reason, Li Rong suddenly felt afraid to enter.

She gripped Pei Wenxuan’s hand tightly. Knowing she was nervous, Pei Wenxuan instructed the attendants, "The Crown Prince is not fit to receive guests at the moment. Given the propriety between men and women, set up a screen."

The servants complied, placing a screen in the room. Pei Wenxuan helped Li Rong inside. As soon as she entered and saw the screen, sensing the person behind it, Li Rong couldn’t help but tremble slightly.

Pei Wenxuan guided Li Rong to a chair. She and Li Chuan sat on opposite sides of the screen. In that moment, Li Rong felt as if she had returned to her previous life—the night before Li Chuan announced that she would oversee the state affairs while he pursued immortality and the Dao.

Her hands rested on the armrests, her head lowered.

Pei Wenxuan draped a blanket over her and knelt before her, looking up. "Your Highness, some paths must be walked alone. I will wait for you outside."

Li Rong tightened her grip on the armrests. She looked at Pei Wenxuan, who placed his hand over hers and whispered, "Don’t be afraid."

After speaking, Pei Wenxuan stood up, excused himself, and closed the door behind him.

Suddenly, only Li Rong and Li Chuan remained in the room. Both were quiet. Li Rong slowly raised her head, looking at the silhouette on the screen. Li Chuan seemed to have sat up. Through the screen, he appeared like a ghost from two lifetimes, lingering just beyond it.

For some reason, Li Rong’s eyes suddenly reddened.

The two remained silent for a long time before Li Chuan coughed lightly and spoke. "Is Sister well? Were you injured?"

"I’m fine," Li Rong replied, keeping her tone restrained, as if nothing were amiss. After coughing, Li Chuan caught his breath and said softly, "Sister need not worry. I’m fine too—just a minor injury. I’ll recover soon."

"How… were you injured?"

"I panicked when I saw Sister in danger and rushed into the woods," Li Chuan explained, then added hastily, as if uneasy, "I wasn’t reckless. I knew what I was doing."

Li Rong remained silent. Facing the seventeen-year-old Li Chuan, she didn’t know what to say.

After a long silence, Li Chuan hesitantly asked, "Did Sister come to see me for something?"

"Not really," Li Rong said softly. "I just had a nightmare and wanted to see you, to say a few words. Knowing you’re well is enough."

"What did Sister dream about?"

"Well…" Li Rong hesitated, then slowly said, "I dreamed that you killed me."

"How could that be?" Li Chuan laughed, his tone resolute. "Sister, don’t worry. No matter what, I would never harm you. Anyone who wants to hurt you will have to step over my dead body first."

Hearing this, Li Rong couldn’t help but smile. "I know."Her eyes grew sore, brimming with tears. "Ever since you were little, you said you would protect me. I remember that year when they said a princess would be sent to the north for a marriage alliance. I was so scared, afraid that when I grew up, I would be the one sent. You told me then that you would," Li Rong's voice choked with sobs. She paused for a long moment before continuing, "You said you would pacify the north, drive those barbarians all the way into the desert. You would never let such a thing as a marriage alliance fall upon any princess of our Great Xia, much less upon me."

"Why is Sister bringing up childhood matters now?"

Li Chuan sat up cross-legged, seeming somewhat pleased. "Is it because I'm not treating you well now, and you're reminiscing about the sweet past to contrast the bitter present?"

"No, it's just that hearing you were injured for my sake reminded me of how good you were to me when we were young."

"And wasn't Sister good to me?" Li Chuan's shadow on the screen carried the boldness of youth, gesturing as he spoke. "I remember when I was little, sharing a peach with Yuanbao. Empress Mother caught us and confined me, saying that as the crown prince, I must understand my superiority and others' inferiority—how could I share a peach with a servant? You know the confinement chamber—pitch dark, without a single ray of light. But you stood outside the door, talking to me the whole time. I was confined for three days, and you spoke to me for three days."

As Li Chuan spoke, his voice grew inexplicably hoarse. "And there was that big tabby cat I kept in the palace. That cat was so clever—it didn't warm up to anyone else, only to me. I always sneaked away to feed it, but eventually, I was discovered. They wanted me to bury the cat alive. Empress Mother said it was a lesson for me—how could a crown prince show favoritism to anything, especially a stray tabby cat?"

"I refused to bury it, so Empress Mother ordered people to seize the cat and beat it to death with clubs. I shielded the cat in my arms, thinking they might as well beat me to death. What was the point of being crown prince anyway? But then you stepped in front of me and took the blows from the clubs."

"But in the end, didn't you still bury that cat alive?"

Li Rong asked. Li Chuan fell silent. He remained quiet for a long time, sitting cross-legged behind the screen, seemingly tilting his head slightly as if gazing at something.

"Because I didn’t want Sister to be beaten for me again."

Li Chuan finally spoke. "It was just a cat. Burying it was burying it. I couldn’t let Sister and me both be buried with that cat, could I?"

Li Rong was speechless. She felt tears streaming down her face.

Suddenly, she realized that all these years, she had never truly understood Li Chuan, nor had she ever truly grasped how this younger brother of hers had grown up.

When he was young, she was young too. She couldn’t comprehend the struggles of the young Li Chuan, and as she grew older, she forgot.

Just like with that cat—she thought Li Chuan couldn’t endure the beatings, but in truth, what he couldn’t endure back then wasn’t the palace punishments, but his sister’s suffering.

What he buried with his own hands wasn’t the cat—it was himself.

He never wanted to be crown prince, but for Li Rong, for Shangguan Yue, for those he cherished, he became one.

His heart was soft, innocent, and pure, but for Li Rong, for Shangguan Yue, he learned to be tough, learned to be indifferent.

He restrained his tenderness and innocence, suppressed all his affections and desires, burying himself deep within this palace, hoping to nurture Li Rong and Shangguan Yue like soil, watching them grow, blossom, and live peaceful lives.

This was her brother.No matter how cruel or terrifying her brother might become in the future, at the age of seventeen, the figure behind the screen remained the youth who wished to give his life for the country, offering beautiful scenery to those he loved.

Through the screen, that silhouette intertwined repeatedly with the one from her past life.

They seemed like the same person, yet not quite. She couldn’t distinguish between them, feeling lost and confused.

“Elder Sister,” Li Chuan lowered his head, as if sensing Li Rong’s tears, his voice hoarse, “What exactly did you come here to ask?”

“Chuan’er, have you ever thought about the future?”

Li Rong leaned back in her chair, gazing at the withered branches trembling in the wind outside the window. “Have you ever thought about what kind of ruler you will become?”

“I don’t know,” Li Chuan’s voice carried a hint of uncertainty. “Since childhood, people have always asked me about the future, but I cannot see it. Elder Sister, truthfully, I am not suited to be a ruler, nor do I wish to be one. But since I am in this position, all I can say is that I will do my best.”

“I want to be a good son, a good younger brother, to protect Elder Sister and Mother. And then, I want to be a good person, doing everything I can to ensure that every citizen of Great Xia has enough to eat and lives free from the ravages of war.”

“Oh, if there’s something I truly wish to do,” Li Chuan seemed to recall something, “I want to launch a northern campaign.”

“Elder Sister, you don’t know—last year, when I went north, I saw the horrors of war with my own eyes for the first time. It was completely different from reading battle reports in Huajing. Every time I close my eyes, I can still hear the screams and pleas of the people. Whenever they saw me and learned I was the crown prince, they would kneel and beg me, begging me to send troops to pacify the north.”

“A noble aspiration.”

Li Rong listened, her throat aching with suppressed emotion.

She felt as though she were watching a carriage hurtling toward a cliff, yet powerless to stop it.

He was destined to launch the northern campaign after all, no different from his past life.

Yet, she couldn’t shake the feeling that he was different, not quite the Li Chuan she had imagined.

“Chuan’er,” Li Rong took a deep breath and asked her final question, “If fate decrees that one day, you will become a ruler like Father. No, even more outstanding than him, but just as cold and suspicious.”

“You will kill many people, plunging the world into chaos, but you will also succeed in the northern campaign, breaking the shackles of the noble families. You will imprison Mother, kill Uncle, slaughter half of our clan, and finally poison your elder sister. You will lose those you love, but you will ascend to the throne. Tell me, what should I do?”

“Are you saying,” Li Chuan seemed to understand everything, “that I will kill you?”

“Perhaps,” Li Rong smiled faintly. “But this is just a dream. You don’t have to…”

“Elder Sister,” Li Chuan’s voice was very low, “Is it really just a dream?”

Li Rong fell silent.

In truth, her brother was far more intelligent than she had imagined.

She had once believed that Li Chuan had gone mad for Qin Zhenzhen, becoming cruel and unpredictable, but in reality, he had feigned madness to weaken the noble families.

She had once thought that Li Chuan sought immortality and ignored worldly affairs, but in truth, this was his true method of maintaining balance.

Now, when Li Chuan asked such a question, she dared not dismiss it as idle curiosity. Perhaps he had long noticed clues but had never spoken of them.

After a long silence, she spoke softly, “No, it is the future.”

“I had a dream, and every part of it came true.”

Li Rong turned her head, staring at Li Chuan’s silhouette on the screen. “You killed me. Should I make you pay with your life?”Li Chuan did not speak. He remained silent for a moment before letting out a soft, bitter laugh. He seemed to take a deep breath, and then Li Rong heard the sound of a sword being drawn from its sheath. Immediately after, she saw Li Chuan step out from behind the screen, sword in hand, and stand quietly before her.

He held the sword, tear stains still fresh on his face.

Li Chuan gazed at Li Rong, then turned the hilt toward her, pointing the blade at himself as he knelt on one knee. His eyes brimmed with tears as he looked up at her, his lashes—dense as butterfly wings—damp and trembling. "If this is the future," he said, "then please, Elder Sister, kill me now."