The Princess Royal

Тhе two of thеm wеnt dirесtlу from the pаlаce tо the Pеi rеsidеnсе.

Аccоrding to custom, a new bride shоuld nоrmallу servе tеа tо her in-lаws еаrlу thе neхt morning. Howеvеr, beсause Li Rong wаs a prinсess, and Li Мing wаntеd tо dеmоnstrаte his favоr tоward hеr bу hоsting a bаnquet fоr сourt offiсiаls in the mоrning, the visit to the Рei family wаs роstpоned until the aftеrnооn.

Aftеr disсussing соurt аffаirs in the саrriagе, theу had intendеd to rеst fоr а while, but unехреctedly, thеy arrived directlу. As Pei Wеnxuan hеlpеd Li Rоng alight аnd they stepped through the main gate, he couldn’t help but whisper, “Do you still remember my family?”

“I remember.”

Li Rong answered quickly: “Your second uncle, Pei Lixian, is a smiling tiger; your third uncle, Pei Liwen, is a fool. You have three cousins and many sisters. The three cousins are, respectively, the eldest—envious, the second—wicked, and the third—a catamite. Your mother…”

“That’s enough.” Pei Wenxuan, afraid she would continue and insult his entire family, quickly stopped Li Rong. “I know you remember very clearly. I won’t introduce them. Aside from my mother, feel free.”

Li Rong glanced up at him. Seeing her look, Pei Wenxuan quickly offered a flattering smile: “I’ll massage your shoulders when we return.”

“Then this princess shall grant Lord Pei this favor.”

Hearing Pei Wenxuan’s offer, Li Rong immediately smiled.

Led by servants, the two entered the main hall. As soon as they stepped inside, Li Rong saw a large, dark crowd of people. Led by Pei Liwen, they stood up and paid their respects to Li Rong. Li Rong nodded, signaling everyone to rise, and then, guided by a nearby attendant, took her seat in the first row on the left side, below the main seats.

Pei Wenxuan sat beside Li Rong, while Pei Lixian sat opposite her. Pei Wenxuan’s mother, Madam Wen, and his grandfather sat on either side at the head of the hall, with Madam Wen’s chair placed slightly lower to distinguish her status from that of Pei Wenxuan’s grandfather, Pei Xuanqing.

Such an occasion clearly made her somewhat uncomfortable. Though Li Rong sat beside her without doing anything, Madam Wen felt an invisible sense of pressure emanating from her. She looked up at Pei Wenxuan with a pleading expression, and Pei Wenxuan quickly said, “Mother, this is Her Highness the Princess. Please don’t be reserved. Today is a family banquet; you can simply chat with Her Highness.”

Hearing this, Madam Wen relaxed slightly. Li Rong smiled without speaking, allowing everyone to observe her openly and covertly.

These gazes were something she was accustomed to, though the Pei family was slightly more exaggerated. Everyone, from top to bottom, including maids and servants from the inner courtyard, had crowded into every crevice to sneak a look at Li Rong.

Pei Wenxuan felt somewhat embarrassed. In his previous life, the situation had been similar. He remembered Li Rong had teased him about it back then. He quickly turned to look outside and whispered, “Clear the courtyard. How can anyone just come here?”

Hearing this, the nearby servant instinctively glanced at Pei Lixian. Pei Lixian coughed lightly, and only then did the steward step out to clear the area.

Li Rong glanced at Pei Wenxuan, then turned to Pei Lixian and said, “It seems Lord Pei is in charge of the household.”

“My elder brother is not here,” Pei Lixian replied respectfully. “My sister-in-law is usually in good health, so I merely assist in managing affairs.”

“I see.” Li Rong nodded. “That must be quite demanding.”

Pei Lixian’s expression remained unchanged as he replied respectfully, “It is only what should be done.”

As the two discussed this topic, everyone present felt somewhat apprehensive, fearing that Li Rong, in her inexperience, might propose that Pei Wenxuan take charge of the household.Having Pei Wenxuan manage things was impossible, but Li Rong was a princess, so conflicts were inevitable sooner or later.

Pei Xuanqing also noticed this trend and cleared his throat lightly, looking at Li Rong as he said, "How is my granddaughter-in-law today? Were you tired out yesterday?"

Pei Xuanqing was no longer serving in court, but he had once risen to the position of Minister. Though he couldn’t compare to Pei Lizhi, he was still someone who had held high office. Coupled with his seniority, he was the first to set aside Li Rong’s identity as a princess and treat this as a family gathering.

Li Rong smiled reservedly and nodded slightly, saying only, "Quite well."

Such a brief response made it somewhat difficult to continue the conversation. Everyone realized Li Rong was not someone to be trifled with and likely not a docile person. For a moment, they were at a loss. Seeing this, Pei Lixian smiled and said, "Shall we begin with the tea ceremony? You were married yesterday, and today there’s a banquet in the palace. Your Highness must be exhausted. Wenxuan," Pei Lixian looked at Pei Wenxuan, "you must be considerate and take good care of the princess."

Pei Lixian’s words pleased Li Rong somewhat. She glanced at Pei Wenxuan, who stood up with a smile and led Li Rong forward to serve tea to Pei Xuanqing and Madam Wen.

Li Rong did not need to kneel when serving tea; she only had to present it. In her previous life, however, Li Rong had feared that the Pei family would feel overly constrained by her status, thinking she was domineering, which might create distance between her and Pei Wenxuan in the future. So she had softened her demeanor and knelt before Madam Wen and Pei Xuanqing according to the customs for an ordinary bride.

Looking back now, she found her youthful self ridiculously naive.

With a family like the Pei’s, if you showed weakness, they would take you for someone easy to bully. When you stand at a height, there’s no need to lower yourself. Having power but not using it—that would be foolish.

After Li Rong served the tea, Madam Wen and Pei Xuanqing gave her red envelopes. Then Pei Wenxuan led Li Rong around, introducing everyone one by one.

Li Rong’s presence was too imposing. As she stood before the Pei family members, they were rendered speechless, hurriedly handing over red envelopes, uttering a few auspicious words, and urging Li Rong to move on quickly.

Thus, the entire process passed swiftly. After completing the rounds, the hall fell into silence, with no one daring to chat. Li Rong took a sip of tea and turned to Pei Wenxuan, asking, "Is there anything else?"

Pei Wenxuan turned to Pei Lixian. "Second Uncle, are there any other formalities?"

"Not really."

"Then let’s go," Li Rong said lazily. "This princess is tired."

Her tone made it sound as if she had merely graced some household with her presence for a meal. The Pei family’s expressions turned rather unpleasant. Pei Wenxuan’s face remained unchanged as he stepped forward to help Li Rong up. He turned to Pei Xuanqing and said, "Grandfather," then looked at Madam Wen, "Mother, I shall take my leave now."

Pei Xuanqing’s expression darkened, while Madam Wen was momentarily stunned. Li Rong nodded gracefully and slightly to everyone before walking out.

Only then did Madam Wen snap back to reality and quickly stand up. "Won’t… won’t you stay at home?"

In Madam Wen’s mind, even if one married a princess and would later live in the Princess’s Manor, when visiting the Pei family, they should at least stay for one night.

After all, although Pei Wenxuan was marrying a princess, he was not entering her family as a live-in son-in-law. Some face had to be preserved.

Originally, Madam Wen wouldn’t have dared to say such things, but the wives of the second and third branches had fanned the flames, making her feel that if the two left just like that, it would be somewhat humiliating. So now, seeing Li Rong leading Pei Wenxuan away, Madam Wen couldn’t help herself.

Li Rong stopped in her tracks and looked at Pei Wenxuan.She understood Madam Wen's temperament—what she wanted was face. Having promised Pei Wenxuan to give Madam Wen that face, she didn’t speak bluntly. Instead, she looked at Pei Wenxuan, then glanced at Madam Wen, and finally smiled. "It’s not impossible. I’ll listen to Wenxuan."

Hearing this, Madam Wen instantly breathed a sigh of relief and looked up at Pei Wenxuan. "Wenxuan, then—"

"Mother," Pei Wenxuan knew that if Li Rong said this, she would skin him alive if he dared to stay. So he smiled and said, "There’s still much to arrange at the Princess’s Manor. I’ll come back another day to accompany you. When things are less busy, the princess and I will visit you together."

Madam Wen’s expression stiffened, but with things having reached this point, she couldn’t say much. She could only stammer, "Then… then you two go ahead with your work."

Pei Wenxuan bowed to everyone and left with Li Rong.

Once they were in the carriage, Li Rong yawned and said, "Finally, we can rest."

As she spoke, she looked up at Pei Wenxuan, who was sitting opposite her, lost in thought. "What are you thinking about? Do you feel like I’ve embarrassed you?"

"No," Pei Wenxuan snapped out of it and smiled. "Isn’t that how it should be?"

"Oh?" Li Rong was curious and propped her chin on her hand. "Don’t you feel like you’ve lost face?"

"You have your own life," Pei Wenxuan poured tea calmly. "You shouldn’t have to suffer just because you married me. Live as you wish. They can’t do anything to you."

"What about your mother…"

"I’ll talk to her myself. You married me, not her."

"I suddenly realize," Li Rong mused after this conversation with Pei Wenxuan, "that marrying you is actually quite comfortable. If I had married into a family like Lu Yu’s, those high-ranking households have so many rules. Even if my husband tolerated me, the elders in those families wouldn’t. They’d probably send a memorial to my father tomorrow…"

Before she could finish, Li Rong suddenly remembered, "Wait, Pei Lixian won’t send a memorial tomorrow, will he?"

"What memorial?" Pei Wenxuan laughed. "Saying you left right after drinking tea?"

"That’s true."

Li Rong nodded. "I gave them face. It’s their own fault they couldn’t handle it."

At this, the two couldn’t help but laugh. The thought of Li Rong standing before those relatives, scaring them all into wanting her to leave quickly, brought them some joy.

Li Rong fanned herself cheerfully. "Today finally had something pleasant. But this Pei family," she glanced at him, "when do you plan to take it back?"

"When it’s time to take it back," Pei Wenxuan picked up his teacup and drank, speaking calmly, "it will be taken back."

Li Rong hummed in agreement.

The two chatted all the way back to the Princess’s Manor, then returned to their room together. They instructed the servants not to disturb them and planned to sleep soundly.

Pei Wenxuan originally intended to make a bed on the floor, but there was only one extra mattress in the room. When he asked for another, the servant looked confused and said, "Is the Imperial Son-in-Law feeling cold? Why do you need so many mattresses?"

Pei Wenxuan was momentarily speechless, so he didn’t ask for more and went straight back to the room.

As soon as he entered, he saw Li Rong had already removed her makeup and hair ornaments, taken off her outer robe, and was about to slip into bed. Li Rong slept on the innermost side, while the quilt he had moved over the previous night was neatly folded and placed on the outer side of the bed.Li Rong looked up as he entered. "What, couldn't get the bedding?"

"They asked if I was cold."

Pei Wenxuan sounded somewhat helpless as he walked over to wash his hands by the basin. "I didn't know how to answer, so I came back."

"Then just sleep," Li Rong said, reclining sideways with her head propped up. She gently patted her own hip, her tone soft. "After all, I trust that Lord Pei is a true gentleman, a reincarnation of Liu Xiahui. If I don't mind, what is Lord Pei worried about?"

"You..." Pei Wenxuan sighed in resignation. "Could you at least..."

"Could you be more reserved?" Li Rong rolled over, drawing out her words. "Can't you come up with something new? Don't you know whether I'm reserved or not?"

"Li Rong!"

Pei Wenxuan's voice dropped in a low reprimand. Li Rong stopped teasing and lay flat on the bed. "Alright, we still have such a long road ahead of us. Can you really sleep on the floor every day? Sending out a set of bedding to be washed daily, tidying up the quilts every morning—aren't you tired?"

Pei Wenxuan hesitated for a moment. Li Rong closed her eyes. "Alright, let's sleep. It's not like we haven't slept together before. Lord Pei, don't make things difficult for yourself."

With that, Li Rong closed her eyes and fell asleep. Pei Wenxuan hesitated a little longer, then finally removed his outer robe and walked over. He sat on the edge of the bed, paused for a moment, and lay down. After some thought, he added, "Don't worry, I have no interest in you."

Li Rong, with her back to him, let out a soft chuckle. Pei Wenxuan frowned. "What are you laughing at?"

Li Rong turned her head. Each of them had their own blanket, and she rested her hand under her cheek, smiling brightly. "If you have no interest in me, but I have an interest in you, what then?"

"Nonsense." Pei Wenxuan's face flushed instantly. He turned over, facing away. "You're just teasing me again without any seriousness."

"Pei Wenxuan," Li Rong propped her head up to look at him. "I've noticed that in this lifetime, you blush quite easily."

"Who's like you?" Pei Wenxuan closed his eyes. "Shameless and brazen."

"People have desires—why should I feel ashamed?" Li Rong spoke candidly. Pei Wenxuan covered his ears and urged her, "Sleep, sleep."

Li Rong watched him with a smile, seeing his back turned to her. She gazed for a while, somehow finding it immensely amusing to tease Pei Wenxuan like this.

After watching for a bit, she too grew sleepy, closed her eyes, and lay down.

Pei Wenxuan slowly opened his eyes. Staring ahead, he reminded himself over and over again.

Li Rong loves to joke—it shouldn't be taken seriously.