Li Rоng wаtсhed him quietlу.
Тwеntу-уear-old Реi Wenxuаn was far mоrе hаndsоmе thаn the man shе remembered, but the arrоgаncе in his bonеs rеmаinеd unchаngеd.
Just bу lооking at Рei Wenxuаn’s еyеs, she knew he wаs angry. In thе past, whеn hе wаs Рrimе Мinistеr Pei, hе сould аrguе with hеr when hе was аngrу, and she undеrstоod. Вut now, Pei Wеnxuan was mеrеlу a lоw-ranking officiаl оf thе eighth grаdе—whеrе did hе gеt the соnfidenсe tо quarrel with hеr?
Li Rong smilеd fаintlу. She stооd uр, lоoked down аt Pei Wenxuan knеeling on the grоund, and said gеntly, “Vеrу well. I, аs a princess, keep my word and distinguish clearly between gratitude and grudges. If you want to speak properly with me, that’s fine. But before that, how should we settle the mistakes you’ve made?”
“This humble official does not know where I went wrong.”
“You tore my book.”
Li Rong pointed to the torn pages on the table. “Also, why did Young Master Ning suddenly faint? Why couldn’t the others come? I suppose you know the answers in your heart?”
Hearing this, Pei Wenxuan’s heart skipped a beat. He hadn’t realized Li Rong could be so clever.
Had she sent someone to watch him earlier?
Pei Wenxuan’s mind raced with guesses, but his expression remained calm. “May I ask how Your Highness intends to punish this humble official?”
“Jump down.”
Li Rong tilted her chin upward. Pei Wenxuan pressed his lips tightly together and said nothing.
Seeing his silence, Li Rong knew he was furious. She laughed. “If you want to become my Imperial Son-in-Law, can’t you endure even this little grievance?”
“Your Highness knows that I wish to become your Imperial Son-in-Law?”
Pei Wenxuan raised his eyes to look at Li Rong. Li Rong found it somewhat amusing. “Otherwise, what are you doing here?”
With that, Li Rong didn’t want to drag this out any longer. She said directly, “Either jump down and speak, or get out. Let me make this clear: if you leave, it won’t be easy for you to come back.”
Pei Wenxuan clenched his fists, his face pale with anger.
For a moment, it felt as if he had returned to his previous life, arguing with Li Rong. She had always been sharp-tongued, capable of infuriating him until his blood boiled.
It was strange. With others, he was always composed and steady. He had been spat on and cursed in court, insulted at his own doorstep—there were plenty of infuriating incidents, yet he rarely lost his composure. Only with Li Rong did every argument feel like it shortened his life by ten years.
This woman was both willful and unreasonable when she argued. He used to think that perhaps married life had changed her, but now it seemed it wasn’t marriage that changed her—she had simply hidden her true nature too well when they first married, and he hadn’t noticed.
At her core, this woman was a shrew—domineering, unreasonable, and willful.
Pei Wenxuan could see she disliked him, and he had had enough. He knew clearly that Li Rong would definitely choose someone today, and that person would most likely become her husband in the future. Among the others outside, none were as suitable as him. Right now, she could only turn to him in this emergency.
Pei Wenxuan took a deep breath and said only, “Then this humble official will take his leave.”
He then kowtowed, stood up, and turned to walk away.
Li Rong hadn’t expected him to leave so decisively. She was momentarily stunned and hurriedly called out, “Don’t you want to speak with me anymore?”
“No.”
Pei Wenxuan refused loudly without looking back. Li Rong tapped her golden fan against her palm, gave Jing Lan a meaningful glance, and called out loudly to Pei Wenxuan, who was walking along the corridor over the lake, “But I want to speak with you now.”
“Embrace…”Before the word "sorry" could even leave his lips, a shadow guard suddenly darted out from the side, catching Pei Wenxuan off guard and shoving him straight into the pond!
Laughter erupted all around. Li Rong watched from a distance, smiling as she slowly made her way to the spot where Pei Wenxuan had fallen.
Pei Wenxuan knew how to swim. Though startled by the sudden plunge, he quickly regained his composure, adjusted his posture, and surfaced from the water.
Then he saw Li Rong standing above him on the edge of the corridor, dressed in a red palace gown embroidered with phoenixes, looking down at him with a smile as she said, "Alright, let's talk like this. I'm quite satisfied."
Pei Wenxuan said nothing, his eyes fixed intently on Li Rong above.
Servants nearby whispered among themselves, and some maids giggled softly, though it was unclear what they found amusing.
Li Rong watched as Pei Wenxuan, drenched from head to toe, with bits of waterweed clinging to his handsome face, looked utterly disheveled. Yet, this state of disarray gave him an indescribable kind of beauty.
He resembled a lake spirit emerging from the water’s edge, capable of bewitching hearts with just his face and eyes alone.
But there was no seductive pretense in those eyes—only anger and resentment, burning like fire within Pei Wenxuan’s gaze.
As such emotions surfaced, Li Rong’s earlier cheerfulness slowly faded away.
She suddenly felt it was pointless. After all, this Pei Wenxuan was not the man he would later become. Bullying him now felt like tormenting a child.
Looking down at him from above, her expression turned cold and detached. After a long pause, she turned away and said indifferently, "Enough, no more games. Come up."
With that, she instructed Jing Lan beside her, "Take him to change his clothes."
After giving her orders, she turned to leave. Glancing back, she saw Pei Wenxuan swimming to the shore and being pulled up by others.
The spring lake water was still chilly. He shivered as he stepped onto land, and servants hurried over to offer him an outer robe. To each person who helped him, he softly murmured his thanks, careful not to miss anyone. His cautious demeanor was almost pitiable.
After all, no young master from a noble family would carry himself with such unease.
Pei Wenxuan noticed Li Rong’s lingering gaze. Turning his head, he saw her watching him. His eyes instantly turned cold, and he quickly looked away, striding off in haste.
Seeing him glare at her, Li Rong couldn’t help but curl her lips into a smile.
So young, yet so fiery-tempered.
Li Rong sat by the lake, having someone warm tea for her. She read a book while waiting for Pei Wenxuan. After a while, he finally returned.
He had changed into a white brocade robe patterned with swirling clouds, his hair tied high with a jade crown. As he approached from a distance, he looked as if he had stepped out of a painting.
Li Rong stared for a moment, then discreetly shifted her gaze when Pei Wenxuan arrived. He knelt and bowed in greeting, and Li Rong said calmly, "Sit."
Pei Wenxuan rose and sat down, kneeling beside Li Rong. She lowered her head to read her book, saying nothing. After waiting a while, he heard her say in a flat tone, "If you have something to say, speak."
What was there to say?
Originally, he had come to analyze the pros and cons with Li Rong, to make her see that he was the best choice. But after these few encounters, he had come to realize that Li Rong likely understood everything perfectly well.
"Your Highness already knows all there is to say."Pei Wenxuan's voice was calm. After a moment of silence, he added, "If there is anything more to add, this humble official can only say to Your Highness that if you are willing to marry me, I will treat you with sincerity."
Upon hearing this, Li Rong looked up, eyeing Pei Wenxuan with a hint of amusement. "Sincerity?"
As she spoke, Li Rong leaned against the small table beside her, propping her chin on her hand. "Tell me, what does this sincerity entail?"
"The household will honor Your Highness above all."
"Should it be otherwise?"
"For the rest of my life, Wenxuan will have only Your Highness by my side."
This was true, but it was not for her sake that he remained chaste—it was for the sake of the former fiancée who had broken off the engagement, the one who still occupied his heart.
Li Rong's smile widened. "Isn't that only natural? Not only should you have only me by your side, but your heart should also belong solely to me."
Pei Wenxuan stiffened.
He was not one to lie, or rather, when it came to matters of the heart, he would not lie. Had he been willing to tell even the smallest lie back then, she would never have known there was another in his heart, and perhaps she could have been deceived for a lifetime.
Such honesty—one hardly knew whether to criticize or praise it.
Li Rong picked up her cup. She thought Pei Wenxuan would, as in her previous life, openly admit that this marriage was nothing more than an alliance. She waited with a smile for him to speak, but after a long while, Pei Wenxuan said, "Your Highness is right. From now on, Wenxuan will not think of anyone else."
Li Rong was taken aback. After a moment, she could not help but laugh mockingly. She suddenly realized that, compared to anger, she was more disgusted by deception.
She slammed her cup onto the table with a clatter and said coldly, "Eat the eggs."
Pei Wenxuan looked bewildered. He turned to look at the plate of jade-white eggs beside him. Li Rong let out a cold laugh. "Didn't you say the household should honor me above all? I worked so hard to peel these eggs, and you won't even eat them when I tell you to?"
Pei Wenxuan remained silent, frowning. After a long while, he finally said, "There are too many."
"Then eat them all!"
Li Rong snapped. The attendants had long since retreated to a distance, watching the two from afar. Pei Wenxuan did not know what had provoked her temper this time, but he did not want to become a spectacle for others. After a moment of hesitation, he decided to endure it and said, "I've just eaten. I'll have them later."
Li Rong snorted coldly. Remembering that they still had to put on a show for the old fox in the palace today, she beckoned to Jing Lan beside her and raised her voice, "Bring the chessboard."
Playing chess was the one way the two of them could coexist harmoniously under any circumstances, because all their battles and confrontations were confined to the chessboard.
Jing Lan fetched the chessboard, and Li Rong called Pei Wenxuan over. "Sit. Let's play."
Pei Wenxuan was puzzled. He had also thought that if the atmosphere was so awkward, they might as well play chess. He just did not understand why Li Rong had thought of this method before he could suggest it.
It was as if she already knew how they could get along better.
Pei Wenxuan's suspicions deepened. Li Rong directly took the black stones and began placing them on the board.
Just as in her previous life, she liked to open on the star points. Seeing her make her move, Pei Wenxuan had no intention of going easy on her. He immediately followed his usual strategy, placing his stone on the star point diagonally opposite Li Rong's.
The two began playing, their focus entirely on the game.In Li Rong's mind, facing a twenty-year-old Pei Wenxuan, she was likely to have a sure win. She would just go easy on him a little, giving him some face to avoid being accused of bullying a child again.
In Pei Wenxuan's mind, facing an eighteen-year-old Li Rong, he would still go easy on her a little. Li Rong had always been spoiled and willful. If she lost too badly, she would probably throw a tantrum again.
Thus, both harbored the mindset of going easy on the other while believing they would surely win. As they played the game, before even one-third of the opening had passed, both sensed something was off.
This style of play, these tactics, this pattern—what difference was there from when they played chess in their fifties in their previous lives?!
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