The Princess Royal

"Sinсе thе Рrinсess has sроkеn," Реi Lixian struggled fоr а moment bеfore finаllу sреаking, "thеn I have nоthing more to worry abоut."

"Тhen tоmorrоw I will sеnd реoрlе оvеr," Li Rоng said dirеctly, "to tаkе inventоry of the finаnces аnd move intо thе Рrinсеss's Маnor."

"Your Нighnеss," evеrуоne grеw anхiоus upon hеаring this, "arе you plаnning to have Wеnхuаn seрarate frоm thе fаmily?"

Li Rоng fеll silеnt, whilе Реi Wenхuаn smiled аnd said, "Оf coursе not. Неr Нighness is оnlу hеrе to take invеntory of the finanсes and takе over thе warеhоuse kеys. Wenxuan is a member of the Pei family and naturally will not leave. It is just that Her Highness is of noble status, so I will temporarily reside with her in the Princess's Manor."

After Pei Wenxuan's explanation, everyone felt reassured.

Pei Wenxuan turned to Pei Xuanqing and said respectfully, "Grandfather, if there are no objections, then it is settled. In the past, Wenxuan was not thoughtful enough and did not frequently interact with the clan, leading everyone to mistakenly believe that I had no regard for the family. From now on, Wenxuan will often return to visit Grandfather and look after the relatives. Those who share the same surname are bound by blood, and there is no stronger bond than this. I hope that in the future, the clan and Wenxuan can support each other and move forward together."

"Wenxuan, I am very pleased to hear you say this. You have grown up, and as for this matter," Pei Xuanqing looked at Pei Lixian, "shall we settle it like this?"

Pei Lixian bowed slightly, indicating his agreement.

With the matter resolved, Madam Wen finally could not hold on any longer and nearly collapsed. Li Rong quickly supported her and whispered a warning, "Stay strong!"

Madam Wen glanced at Li Rong with tears in her eyes and forced herself to stand upright again.

Pei Wenxuan exchanged pleasantries with everyone and saw the others off one by one. When only a few close family members remained in the hall, Li Rong, still supporting Madam Wen, said to Pei Wenxuan, "Mother-in-law is unwell. I will take her back first."

Pei Wenxuan acknowledged with a nod and bowed respectfully, "Thank you, Princess."

Li Rong nodded and helped Madam Wen out of the hall.

Pei Wenxuan sat in the hall for a while, chatting casually with Pei Xuanqing and the others. Pei Xuanqing, having sat for so long, was tired and left after a few words.

Finally, only Pei Lixian and Pei Wenxuan remained in the hall. Pei Lixian nodded to Pei Wenxuan and said, "Wenxuan, you may go back first. I won't see you out."

As Pei Lixian prepared to leave, Pei Wenxuan called out to him, "Second Uncle."

Pei Lixian paused. Pei Wenxuan walked up and stood beside him at the doorway, speaking calmly, "My father once told me that a family is never built by one person alone. The future of a family lies in inheritance, not conflict."

Pei Lixian remained silent. Pei Wenxuan continued slowly, "I remember when I was young, Second Uncle also took me to fly kites. I am not inherently rebellious. Perhaps Second Uncle could trust me a little more."

Hearing Pei Wenxuan's words, Pei Lixian turned to look at him.

He remembered Pei Wenxuan as a child. He never expected that in the blink of an eye, this person had grown so much—taller, younger, and with a brighter future than his own.

Pei Lixian quietly observed Pei Wenxuan for a long time before finally saying softly, "Do you not hate me?"

"To be honest, that depends on what Second Uncle does next."

Pei Wenxuan looked at Pei Lixian as he spoke, "But I believe that in Second Uncle's heart, there is still some regard for family and a desire to see the Pei family thrive."After speaking, Pei Wenxuan gave a light smile, bowed, and said, "Wenxuan will take his leave now and visit Second Uncle another day."

With that, Pei Wenxuan stood up and left, stepping out of the Pei family's main gate.

Li Rong had already settled the frightened Madam Wen and was waiting for him in the carriage. When Pei Wenxuan boarded, Li Rong leaned against the table, flipping through a book. "Had a chat with your second uncle?"

"Yes," Pei Wenxuan replied, then asked, "How is my mother?"

"She was trembling when she came out, but now she's resting in the carriage behind, being attended to."

"Is she alright?"

"What could possibly be wrong?" Li Rong chuckled. "Your mother has outlived quite a few people."

Hearing this, Pei Wenxuan felt completely reassured. His mother, who was always weeping and appearing frail, had indeed lived longer than several other elders.

Pei Wenxuan sat down. Seeing his smooth movements, Li Rong couldn't help but ask, "Has your injury healed?"

"How could it heal so quickly?" Pei Wenxuan smiled. "I'm no fierce general, so the wound is naturally still there."

"Did you aggravate it today?" Li Rong asked, growing somewhat concerned. She put down her book and beckoned. "Let me take a look."

Pei Wenxuan paused, instinctively wanting to refuse, but as the words reached his lips, he remembered something and smiled. "It does hurt a bit. Could you check if the wound has reopened?"

With that, Pei Wenxuan turned his back to Li Rong and began to slowly undress.

His movements were elegant, his clothes sliding gently from his shoulders like a curtain being drawn aside. Li Rong was captivated by his theatrical undressing and couldn't help but remark, "Is your robe stuck or something?"

Pei Wenxuan: "..."

As she spoke, Li Rong lifted her fan and pressed down the clothes on Pei Wenxuan's back. She glanced over and, seeing no visible bleeding from the wound, said, "It should be fine. Have someone change your dressing when we return. It looks like it's almost healed."

"Mm."

Pei Wenxuan remained calm, lost in thought as he slowly pulled his clothes back on.

Li Rong's mind was elsewhere as she said softly, "Tomorrow, I'll go to take stock of your assets. I'm afraid Pei Lixian won't let us get the money so easily."

"Whatever remains is fine."

Pei Wenxuan replied indifferently, "He's a clever man. Since the money is bound to slip through his fingers, he won't trouble you over such trivial matters. Tomorrow, you can just send someone to take inventory. The key is to retrieve the land deeds. Most of my father's properties are in other regions, so we'll have Tuoba Yan go and reclaim them one by one."

Since taking Tuoba Yan under their wing, his exceptional business talents had proven quite useful. However, Li Rong hadn't expected Pei Wenxuan to entrust even his father's inheritance to Tuoba Yan's management. After all, at the end of the day, Tuoba Yan was still her man.

Li Rong gave him a curious look. Pei Wenxuan snapped out of his thoughts, glanced at her, and smiled lightly. "Why is Your Highness staring at me?"

"Speaking of which," Li Rong said cautiously, "are you really comfortable letting Tuoba Yan handle the transfer of your father's assets?"

She didn't say it outright, but Pei Wenxuan understood her meaning. He paused, and for some reason, a pang of bitterness stirred in his heart.

On such crucial matters, he realized that Li Rong kept a clear boundary between them in her heart. In the end, she still had other considerations and had never truly imagined a future with him—not even by accident.But this was originally their agreement, so Li Rong's way of thinking was understandable. He could only laugh as if nothing was amiss and said gently, "Your Highness and I are now one. I have no reason to worry."

"What about the future..."

"Let's talk about the future when it comes," Pei Wenxuan interrupted her. Li Rong grew increasingly suspicious. "Pei Wenxuan, this isn't like you."

"Hmm?" Pei Wenxuan picked up his teacup and responded absentmindedly. Li Rong fanned herself lightly with her small fan. "Aren't you going to plan for the future? You have more schemes than a honeycomb has holes. If you're not thinking about the future at all, I'm afraid you're considering things you can't tell me. That makes me uneasy."

"Your Highness is overthinking," Pei Wenxuan replied, knowing his unusual behavior was too conspicuous. He spoke slowly, "It's not that I haven't thought about the future. It's just that every future I envision now includes Your Highness."

Li Rong paused while holding her cup, but before she could react, Pei Wenxuan continued, "Your Highness and I have been together for so many years. Even if we aren't husband and wife, we are like family. In this lifetime, I don't wish to part ways with Your Highness."

It was like a sudden breeze rippling the surface of a still pond, stirring waves in her heart before quickly settling back into calm.

Li Rong felt somewhat awkward, silently scolding herself for overthinking. She cleared her throat lightly and said, "You're right."

"So the title of Madam Pei," Pei Wenxuan looked up, smiling lightly at Li Rong, "is something Your Highness will likely have to bear for a while."

"A minor matter," Li Rong waved her hand grandly. "It's just a title."

"Your Highness truly is someone who achieves great things without getting caught up in trivialities," Pei Wenxuan praised softly. Li Rong blew lightly on her tea leaves, quite pleased. Just as she was about to respond modestly, she heard Pei Wenxuan gently call out, "Madam."

The two words seemed to linger on his tongue, carrying an indescribable tenderness when spoken. Li Rong's hand trembled slightly, and then she heard Pei Wenxuan laugh heartily. "Your Highness still isn't used to it."

"Just teasing," Li Rong waved her hand. "I don't mind."

Pei Wenxuan smiled without saying more and didn't press further. Instead, he asked, "But does Your Highness still plan to get the list from Su Rongqing?"

"If you can obtain the list from the Pei family, I naturally won't need to get it from Su Rongqing."

Li Rong lightly tapped her palm with her small fan. "Actually, what you said makes sense to me. It's better to keep things simple when it comes to feelings. Getting the list from him is possible, but not getting it is even better. What do you think?"

"I naturally agree with Your Highness," Pei Wenxuan grabbed a handful of melon seeds and lowered his head to crack them, speaking as casually as if they were just chatting. "So, does Your Highness plan to follow Shangguan Ya's suggestion and get closer to Su Rongqing?"

"Let it happen naturally," Li Rong sighed. "This is awkward. You and I are still married. It feels inappropriate for me to approach him. But if I approach him too late, I'm afraid he'll be married by the time we divorce."

"Does Your Highness like him?"

Pei Wenxuan kept his eyes down, cracking melon seeds, his expression unreadable, as if they were just friends chatting. Li Rong thought for a moment and said slowly, "Perhaps I feel regret."

"Like? Not exactly. Dislike? Yet there's lingering attachment. What you said..."

"Pretend I never said anything," Pei Wenxuan quickly interrupted her, speaking seriously. "I had water in my brain earlier. Anything I said about Su Rongqing doesn't count. Don't take it to heart."

"But I think what you said makes sense."Li Rong furrowed her brow, somewhat puzzled by Pei Wenxuan's sudden change. Pei Wenxuan tossed the uncracked melon seeds into the fruit tray, looked up, and chuckled lightly, "What I said makes no sense?"

Looking at Pei Wenxuan's smile, Li Rong's intuition told her something was off. She was about to speak when she saw Pei Wenxuan hiss in pain. Li Rong quickly asked, "What's wrong?"

"It seems the wound has reopened."

Pei Wenxuan frowned, "I was just trying to lean against the wall to rest for a while, but as soon as I moved..."

"You want to sleep?"

Li Rong glanced at the road, "It won't be much longer. Can you endure it?"

"I'm a bit tired," Pei Wenxuan said with a bitter smile. "To be honest with Your Highness, if you hadn't been there today, I wouldn't have been able to continue the conversation with my family."

"They are family, after all."

Li Rong nodded, understanding Pei Wenxuan's difficulties.

Pei Wenxuan lowered his gaze, seeming somewhat sorrowful. "With the family in such turmoil and my recent injury, I haven't had a moment of peace..."

"So what do you want?" Li Rong interrupted him after listening for a while. "For me to give up my seat so you can lie down?"

"How could I dare?"

Pei Wenxuan shook his head, looking at Li Rong with a hint of embarrassment. "I just wanted to ask if Your Highness could lend me your shoulder to lean on?"

"For something like this, you should have said so earlier."

Li Rong laughed, sat down beside Pei Wenxuan, and patted her shoulder. "Go ahead and lean."

"Your Highness is so kind."

Pei Wenxuan praised Li Rong and leaned against her.

Feeling Pei Wenxuan leaning on her, Li Rong couldn't help but ask, "Are you comfortable like this?"

"Very comfortable."

Pei Wenxuan replied decisively, "Would Your Highness like to try leaning on me?"

"No need," Li Rong gave him a strange look. He was tall, and leaning on her seemed no less difficult than leaning against the wall.

But if Pei Wenxuan thought it was fine, then she would assume it was fine.

Pei Wenxuan leaned quietly against Li Rong. After a while, he suddenly asked, "Li Rong, did you and Su Rongqing ever interact like lovers later on?"

"Hmm?"

Li Rong was puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," Pei Wenxuan thought for a moment and said slowly, "not as a princess and her consort, but as lovers."

"I don't quite understand. What's the specific difference between the two?" Li Rong pondered. Pei Wenxuan glanced at her hand resting on the table and said gently, "For example, if you were lovers, at a time like this, he would hold your hand."

As he spoke, Pei Wenxuan reached out and took her hand, then slowly intertwined his warm fingers with hers.

His movements were slow, and wherever his slightly rough hand gently touched, a silent tingling sensation traveled from her fingertips upward. He slowly intertwined their hands, then slightly bent his joints, locking their fingers together.

"Like this," he whispered, his voice low and husky, brushing against her ear.

Li Rong looked up at Pei Wenxuan. He was leaning against her, his gaze lowered and fixed on their intertwined hands. He didn't let go, nor did he make any further moves.

Li Rong restrained all her emotions and desires. She wanted to pull her hand away, but for some reason, her body remained still.

She found herself somewhat drawn to the sensation of their fingers intertwined.

Both physically and emotionally.

For a fleeting moment, she vaguely felt that this man was seducing her.

But before she could think further, she heard the urgent voice of a guard from outside: "Your Highness, something has happened."Hearing this, Li Rong immediately looked up with a cold glare. She withdrew her hand, rolled up the curtain, and said sharply, "What happened?"

"Luo Juan is dead."

The guard stood outside the carriage curtain. It seemed he had just received the news and rushed over to deliver it, still panting heavily.

"Lord Xun Chuan investigated for a long time before discovering that Lord Luo and the other witnesses are all dead."

Author's Note: [Mini Theater]

Pei Wenxuan: "What do you think of Su Rongqing? (Choose carefully—if you pick wrong, you're dead.)"

Li Rong: "A... a life-or-death question."

Pei Wenxuan: "Answer."

Li Rong: "Well, it's a pity, but I still feel something for him."

Pei Wenxuan: "You're done for. If you don't give me some sweetness, I'm going to make a scene today."

Li Rong: "What sweetness?"

Pei Wenxuan: "Let's interlace our fingers and make a vow."

Li Rong: "Huh?"

Pei Wenxuan: "From today on, you are my wife. Don't even think about running away anymore."