Реi Wеnхuаn was slightly tаkеn аbасk. Looking at thе уoung womаn in red pаlасе аttirе beforе him, he somehow sensed аn indеscribаble tеndеrnеss in hеr gazе.
Suсh tеndеrnеss was sоmething the yоung Li Rоng had nеver possеssed. Thе Li Rong standing bеfоrе him саrriеd thе mellow riсhnеss of уеаrs gonе by, аnd еven in momеnts оf softnеss, she exudеd a steadfаst соmpоsure that yоuth соuld scаrсеlу mаtсh.
A fаint stir tоuchеd Pеi Wenxuаn’s heаrtstrings. Не chuсklеd sоftlу, “Now that I’ve rеturned, will Your Highness grant mе a reward?”
“Аt a time likе this, yоu’rе still asking fоr a reward?”
“Your Highness knows this humble subject,” Pei Wenxuan lowered his gaze, speaking gently, “has never been one to suffer losses.”
“Very well,” Li Rong also smiled, “if you succeed, there will be a reward.”
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
Pei Wenxuan raised his hands in salute, then lifted his eyes to look at Li Rong. After gazing at her for a long while, just as Li Rong was about to urge him, he took three swift steps forward and pulled her into an embrace.
“Take care, and don’t worry about me.”
“You old fox,” Li Rong rested her head on his shoulder as he held her, “what is there for me to worry about?”
“That’s good,” Pei Wenxuan released her, straightening her robes. His eyes carefully traced her brows, eyes, nose, and lips, lingering on every detail until finally, he said, “I’ll be off now.”
With that, he finally let go. This time, he seemed unable to look back, hurrying away in haste.
Only after Pei Wenxuan had been gone for a long while did Li Rong slowly come back to herself. She felt as though winter was approaching, the night wind growing much colder.
She took a deep breath before turning around and boarding the carriage.
Late that night, Xun Chuan brought the Qin family back to the Princess’s Manor. Li Rong had them settled in, then recalled all personnel from the Supervisory Department and the Princess’s Guard to stand watch at the manor gates.
The Qin family had endured numerous tortures in prison, especially Qin Lang, who had been tormented to the brink of death. Physicians examined each family member one by one, the process dragging on for a long time.
The entire Princess’s Manor remained brightly lit throughout the night, and Li Rong did not sleep either. After pondering for a while in her study, she summoned Xun Chuan.
Xun Chuan had just finished overseeing the physician’s examination of Qin Lang’s condition, her expression beneath the mask weary with exhaustion. She entered the room and bowed to Li Rong, who was reviewing intelligence reports in her hands. Without looking up, Li Rong gestured for her to sit. “How is Qin doing?”
“He’s holding up,” Xun Chuan sat down, her voice slightly hoarse, “his life is out of danger, but he’ll need time to recover. After all, he’s getting on in years.”
“He raised you, didn’t he?” Li Rong set down the intelligence reports and looked up at Xun Chuan. “Haven’t you considered telling him about your situation?”
“It’s best not to say too much for now,” Xun Chuan replied calmly. “If I do, he won’t allow me to continue working outside. As long as he knows I’m alive and not to worry, that’s enough.”
Li Rong pondered for a moment, then nodded without pressing further. She handed Qin Lang’s written list to Xun Chuan, lowering her voice. “Keep this list. After tomorrow, I may be confined in the palace. From then on, you will have two responsibilities. First, protect the Qin family. Do not allow anyone to take them even half a step away from the Princess’s Manor.”
“Understood.”
“Second, find Shangguan Ya. From this list, identify suitable candidates and obtain witness testimonies regarding the embezzlement of military funds in Huangping County back then.”
“Understood.”"That's enough," Li Rong looked up, noticing the light rain that had begun to fall outside at some point, and said with a hint of weariness, "Is it almost dawn?"
Before she could finish her words, the sounds of soldiers and horses came from outside.
Xun Chuan reached for her sword, but Li Rong pressed a hand over it, calmly saying, "Stay calm. Someone will come."
Xun Chuan heeded Li Rong's words and slowly regained her composure. Li Rong withdrew her hand, watching the lanterns swaying in the wind along the corridor, and simply said, "Pour some tea."
Xun Chuan steadied herself and poured tea for Li Rong.
As Li Rong listened to the gentle sound of tea flowing, she also heard the chaos outside. Moments later, Jing Lan entered the room and said coldly, "Your Highness, Vice Minister of Justice Su Rongqing has led troops to surround the manor, demanding the handover of the imperial prisoner."
Li Rong remained silent. She picked up the teacup beside her, took a composed sip, and then looked at Xun Chuan, saying only, "If you die, remember to pour the cremation powder on your face."
Xun Chuan understood Li Rong's meaning. As a person who was "already dead," if her body were to appear elsewhere, it would cause trouble for Li Rong.
She replied respectfully, "Yes."
Li Rong fell silent for a moment before adding, "And don’t think about disfiguring your face beforehand. If you do that, you won’t be staying in the Supervisory Department anymore."
Xun Chuan stiffened slightly but finally said, "Yes."
Li Rong said no more. She changed into a grand red palace gown embroidered with golden peonies, adorned herself with a golden hairpin, and then led her attendants out through the corridor.
As soon as the main gate opened, a cold wind carrying rain swept over them. Outside the gate, Su Rongqing stood in plain clothes, holding a paper umbrella, with a contingent of soldiers arrayed behind him, calmly watching Li Rong.
One stood inside the gate, the other outside. The cold wind made the lanterns sway unsteadily at the entrance. Li Rong chuckled lightly, "Vice Minister Su, what an imposing display of authority. Leading so many men to stand before the Princess's Manor before dawn—have I violated some law? Even if so, it should be the Dali Temple coming, not you. I wonder what reason Vice Minister Su has for being here?"
"Your Highness," Su Rongqing's voice was steady, "Hand over the Qin family now, and I will pretend the prison break never happened."
"Prison break?" Li Rong laughed. "The Qin Shi case is one being investigated by my Supervisory Department. I believed the person I wanted was in mortal danger and specifically ordered her custody for interrogation. What is wrong with that?"
"Even if Your Highness wishes to interrogate a prisoner, it should be done according to the law, with approval from the relevant officials."
Su Rongqing's voice grew colder, "Your Highness, you should still hand her over. You must think clearly—" Su Rongqing looked up, the rain falling from his umbrella like a curtain, blurring his face behind it.
Li Rong had never seen this man look at her with such an expression. He spoke as if warning her, "The Supervisory Department has not yet been fully established."
The Supervisory Department had no notable achievements to its name, and no one was convinced of its authority. No matter how much Li Ming supported her, she was struggling. Now, having committed such a grave mistake, Li Ming was likely to be utterly enraged.
Li Rong stared at him for a long while before finally laughing, "You’re threatening me."
Su Rongqing remained silent, simply watching her. For some reason, Li Rong repeated with a laugh, "You’re actually threatening me?"
Su Rongqing pursed his lips and said slowly, "Your Highness, I am doing this for your own good.""You're not doing this for my sake," Li Rong spoke slowly, her tone firm. "You're doing it for the Su family behind you, for the power of the aristocratic clans you represent. Su Rongqing, it's actually fine for people to have selfish motives—there's no need to dress it up in such lofty terms."
With that, Li Rong stepped forward to leave. Jing Lan immediately raised an umbrella, escorting Li Rong toward the carriage waiting at the gate.
Li Rong walked with her head held high, speaking unhurriedly, "Minister Su need not threaten me either. If you wish to lodge a complaint, go ahead and do so. The Morning Court Assembly is about to begin. I will await Minister Su in the grand hall."
As she spoke, Li Rong brushed past Su Rongqing.
Su Rongqing unconsciously clenched his fist. Just before she walked away, he suddenly spoke, "Why won't you believe it?"
Li Rong turned to look at Su Rongqing, who stood not far away. His body trembled slightly, as if he were struggling to control his emotions. With difficulty, he said, "Your Highness, why must you always interpret everyone's goodwill as malice? What you are doing now brings no benefit and only harm. What is it that Your Highness seeks?"
"I don't know either."
Li Rong smiled bitterly. "Perhaps... I'm just seeking peace of mind?"
Su Rongqing was taken aback. Li Rong walked up to him. Su Rongqing held the umbrella, and Li Rong stood before him. Rain poured down the umbrella's surface, isolating a small world just for the two of them.
Li Rong looked up at him. In that moment, time seemed to lose its boundaries, past and present blending together. Su Rongqing's gaze grew momentarily distant. Li Rong smiled and said, "Minister Su, I once thought we were the same kind of people. But after thinking about it for many years, I realized we are not."
"You can abandon everything for the sake of your family—including conscience, righteousness, your life. One day in the future, you might become someone like Yang Lie. He, too, was once passionate in his youth, but in the end, for the prosperity of his family, he betrayed his country for personal gain."
"But I cannot."
"If I did such a thing, my entire life," Li Rong raised her hand and placed it over her chest, her voice calm, "would find no peace here. I cannot go against my principles. Today, I cannot stand by and watch the Qin family fall into ruin because of factional strife. If one day, your Su family faces injustice," Li Rong looked at Su Rongqing's gradually astonished expression and slowly smiled, "I will not sit idly by either."
"You are right, actually. If it were only for power, what I am doing today holds little benefit. I should align myself with the aristocratic families. I should not have established the Supervisory Department, nor should I be investigating the Qin Shi case. But I seek power not just because I want to rise above others."
"I also want... to live in the world I desire."
Su Rongqing stared at her blankly. Li Rong knew he could not understand. She raised her hand and gently brushed away a withered leaf that had fallen on his shoulder, whispering, "So, Minister Su, there is no need to persuade me or try to stop me. You cannot persuade me, and you cannot stop me. The Crown Prince and I are not on the same path. You may rest assured and assist him as you wish. My path, I will walk it myself. If Minister Su disagrees," Li Rong lifted her eyes and smiled, "feel free to come at me with all you have."
With that, Li Rong turned and swiftly boarded the carriage.
Once inside, she closed her eyes to rest.
Meanwhile, Pei Wenxuan had already led his men out of the city.
Carrying the Supervisory Department token and the princess's token, he traveled swiftly with elite shadow guards. Not long after leaving the city, a shadow guard approached him and reported, "Sir, we are being followed."Pei Wenxuan glanced around, thought for a moment, then lowered his voice and said, "Find an inn first, we'll rest there."
"Rest?" The shadow guard was somewhat surprised. Pei Wenxuan responded, "Yes, go ahead."
Once Pei Wenxuan made his decision, everyone could only follow. The group found an inn to settle in. As soon as they entered the room, Pei Wenxuan selected a shadow guard whose build was similar to his own, then ordered another person to prepare a rope tied to a large tree near a nearby cliff.
By the time everything was ready, the sky had already brightened. The clouds parted, revealing the sun, and the night rain had just ceased. Pei Wenxuan's party set off once more. This time, the carriage was changed, and Pei Wenxuan sat inside as it traveled into the distance.
Meanwhile, in the imperial palace, following the announcement of "Enter the hall," officials uniformly dressed in black robes with crimson trim and holding court tablets filed into the main hall in an orderly procession.
Li Rong walked at the very front, with officials behind her quietly observing her. After entering the hall, Li Rong gracefully took her place beside Li Ming. As soon as the court session began, Li Ming directly called her name: "Pingle."
Li Rong stepped forward, then heard Li Ming suppress his anger as he said, "Last night, I received a memorial stating that you broke into the Ministry of Justice and abducted the Qin family?"
Upon hearing Li Ming's words, Li Rong knelt down. Li Ming immediately picked up a memorial from beside him and hurled it at her, shouting angrily, "What, have you become addicted to causing trouble at the Ministry of Justice?! I didn't punish you last time, did you think I truly allowed you to act lawlessly and do as you please?! I assigned you to investigate the case, not to throw your weight around. Give me a reason—why did you abduct the Qin family in the middle of the night?!"
"Your Majesty," Li Rong kowtowed respectfully, "since the Qin Shi case has been entrusted to me, the Qin family should naturally be under my supervision. Previously, I was not even allowed to see the Qin family, let alone interrogate them. To uncover the truth of the case, I had no choice but to resort to the abduction."
"Then why didn't you return them?"
Li Ming frowned. Li Rong calmly replied, "Based on Qin's confession, I dare not."
"What does Your Highness mean by that?"
Xie Lanqing, the Minister of Justice, spoke with a hint of mockery: "Are you suggesting that the Ministry of Justice intends to harm Qin?"
"That is my concern."
Li Rong responded directly. Xie Lanqing laughed in anger: "Good, very good. Since it has come to this, Your Majesty, I must speak my mind."
Li Ming frowned deeply and said slowly, "Minister Xie, Pingle is young and speaks without thinking. Please do not take it to heart."
"Your Majesty," Xie Lanqing said with a sorrowful expression, "since you are well aware of Her Highness's youth, how can you treat the court as a playground and entrust such a critical matter as the Qin Shi case to Princess Pingle?!"
"Minister Xie..."
"Your Majesty, your love for your daughter is understandable, but granting such great authority to Princess Pingle is akin to giving a sharp blade to a child—it will cause harm. Look at how many absurd things Princess Pingle has done since investigating the Qin Shi case: breaking into the Ministry of Justice, assaulting Ministry officials, forcibly entering officials' residences, beating their servants, and now even abducting prisoners. It is utterly lawless and disregards royal authority! Not only does Princess Pingle show no remorse, but she continues to escalate her misconduct. Your Majesty, if we do not intervene and impose punishment, grave mistakes will surely arise!"As he spoke, Xie Lanqing knelt down, and the entire court echoed in agreement, following suit as they knelt, clamoring to have Li Rong "stripped of her fiefdom and severely punished."
The entire court was in an uproar. Xie Lanqing, overcome with emotion, declared loudly, "Your Majesty, if you insist on favoring Princess Pingle, this old minister will resign today and return home, lest I witness Her Highness committing evil in the court in the future and feel sorrowful. I implore Your Majesty to grant this request!"
As he spoke, Xie Lanqing removed the official cap from his head and placed it beside him.
The ministers around him followed suit, removing their caps and placing them by their sides, emulating Xie Lanqing.
Li Ming looked up at his daughter, who had remained silent all this time. After a long pause, he finally said, "Pingle, you heard them. You’ve caused such a great disaster. Have you uncovered anything?"
"Not yet."
Li Rong kowtowed on the ground and calmly replied, "After investigating the case, I discovered that all the witnesses have been killed, and most of the evidence has been destroyed. I am still pursuing leads and request Your Majesty to grant me more time."
"All the witnesses are dead?"
Li Ming exclaimed in shock, repeating the question, "They’re all dead?!"
Author's Note: [Mini Theater]
Xie Lanqing: "Your Majesty, if you insist on favoring Princess Pingle, this old minister will resign today! You decide."
Li Ming: "Leave quickly. I’m tired of looking at you."
Li Rong: "Oh? Excellent. Minister Xie, please go. I’ll have my people take over. I think the Imperial Son-in-Law is quite good."
Xie Lanqing: "...Am I not a respectable person? Won’t you even consider trying to persuade me to stay?"
Everyone: "Farewell, no need to see you off, goodbye."
Xie Lanqing: "Well, since everyone is so eager to keep me, I suppose I’ll stay."
Everyone: "..."
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