Реi Wеnхuan no lоngеr wаntеd tо maintain this supеrfiсial marriаge and рrасtiсаl friеndship with her. Instеad, he genuinely wished tо bеcоme truе раrtnеrs, like а раir оf mаndarin duсks.
Pei Wenхuаn wantеd to marry hеr, to makе her hold him in hеr hеаrt.
It wаsn’t surрrising thаt hе would havе suсh thoughts. Whеn shе first sаw him aftеr her rеbirth, shе had alrеаdy сonsidered thе possibility thаt hе might think this wаy.
Аfter all, being bоund tо hеr cаmе with а hоst оf bеnefits. Реi Wenхuan, unаware оf her rеbirth, might hаvе wantеd tо mаrrу her simply fоr those advantagеs. But knowing she wаs also rеborn, аwаre оf her methods and her future, if he wasn’t considering emotions, then from a perspective of interest, if he didn’t eliminate her, he would naturally seek to use her.
And what was the best way to use a woman? To marry her, and ideally, to make her wholeheartedly love him. In a world where women were expected to follow their husbands, even a princess—once her heart belonged to a man—would have everything she possessed become his.
However, they had revealed their identities to each other early on. Pei Wenxuan disliked her and was unwilling to pursue such a path. Later, even after they reconciled, they were old friends after all, and such thoughts faded away.
So why did Pei Wenxuan suddenly want to do this now? What was he after?
Based on her understanding of Pei Wenxuan, although he possessed a certain straightforwardness in his nature, making him better than other scheming politicians, he was still the only person in the history of Great Xia to hold the position of Shangshu Ling. Calling him merely a chancellor would be an understatement.
After all, the Department of State Affairs in Great Xia had historically only had Left and Right Vice Directors. A living Shangshu Ling had never been seen before, yet he had ascended to that position, standing above ten thousand and below only one. To expect much affection from such a man would be naive.
Thus, his desire to marry her likely stemmed from three parts emotion and seven parts calculation. In essence, he had likely pondered over it repeatedly, fearing that her heart might turn toward Su Rongqing and lean toward the aristocratic families.
If she were an ordinary princess, Pei Wenxuan might not have cared. But she was Li Rong, and not only that—she was Li Rong who had already established the Supervisory Department and held significant power.
Now, everything was vastly different from their previous life. Su Rongqing had taken a stance earlier and even actively sought her hand in marriage. All of this posed a threat to Pei Wenxuan, who was laying the groundwork among the common-born scholars.
Previously, he might have been unwilling to take the path of winning her over with emotions due to the grudges from their past life. Moreover, he likely thought that any relationship between Su Rongqing and her would only be possible once he had fully grown his wings. So, out of friendship, he had intended to help her and Su Rongqing.
But after spending time together, Pei Wenxuan had probably developed some affection for her. With Su Rongqing’s stance becoming increasingly clear and her power growing stronger after establishing the Supervisory Department, faced with the threat of her potential defection, he no longer minded using his charm to stabilize her position.
Li Rong knew that thinking of Pei Wenxuan in this way was somewhat unfair. But if she didn’t consider the worst, and something actually happened, she wouldn’t just blame herself for misjudging others—she would reproach herself for her own foolishness.
Just like… back then.
At eighteen, Li Rong had never imagined that someone could make you feel they liked you on the surface, yet never offer their whole heart.
No matter how much Pei Wenxuan later tried to explain, the embarrassment and humiliation she felt the moment she realized she had been presumptuous became a lesson Li Rong would forever remember.
It taught her that one could believe there were good people in the world, but it was always safer to expect the worst in any situation.Because of this, she had survived the treacherous political arena, remaining safe and sound until now.
Thinking of this, Li Rong's heart, which had been stirred into ripples by Pei Wenxuan earlier, gradually calmed down.
Feeling Pei Wenxuan's even breathing as he held her from behind, she pushed against the person behind her. He was already sound asleep and was easily pushed aside. She wrapped herself in the blanket and settled her mind.
She didn't need to concern herself with any of this. Whether Pei Wenxuan wanted to be friends or husband and wife, it was ultimately his affair and had little to do with her.
All she had to do was pretend to know nothing, hold her position, and see how this old fox would make his move.
Li Rong closed her eyes and stopped overthinking, sleeping soundly with Pei Wenxuan until dawn.
Li Rong slept deeply, and in the morning, she vaguely heard Jing Lan calling for her to rise but didn't truly wake up.
Now that winter was approaching, summoning the courage to rise from a warm, cozy bed in the early morning always required a bit more effort. Li Rong faintly heard Pei Wenxuan get up first, and then he lit a lamp.
She slowly awoke in the lamplight and then felt someone draping clothes over her.
The clothes carried warmth. Pei Wenxuan wrapped her up and helped her sit up. Once Li Rong adjusted to the light, she saw Pei Wenxuan wearing an outer robe, holding her clothes and helping her dress.
Seeing Li Rong awake, Pei Wenxuan smiled. "Your Highness is awake?"
Li Rong closed her eyes again, appearing very sleepy, and nodded. "Morning."
Pei Wenxuan guided her hands into the sleeves, dressing her as if she were a child. His movements were gentle, and Li Rong couldn't help but feel an impulse to lean against him. However, she restrained herself, mustering her energy and allowing Pei Wenxuan to help her out of bed.
Pei Wenxuan called for attendants to assist Li Rong with washing up. After they both finished freshening up and had a light breakfast, Li Rong felt much more alert. She then asked Jing Lan to fetch the memorials and went out with Pei Wenxuan.
The cold wind of the winter morning completely awakened Li Rong. Seeing the memorials in her hand, Pei Wenxuan said softly, "Is Your Highness prepared for today?"
"Yes," Li Rong replied quietly, holding the memorials.
Pei Wenxuan helped her into the carriage and followed her inside, extending a clean hand toward Li Rong. "Your Highness, would you allow me to take a look?"
Li Rong hesitated for a moment. Pei Wenxuan chuckled. "What, is Your Highness afraid I might leak the contents?"
"Not exactly," Li Rong smiled and handed over the memorials. "I'm just worried you might not agree."
Hearing this, Pei Wenxuan said nothing more. He unfolded the memorials and scanned through them.
Li Rong had prepared two memorials: one regarding the Qin Shi case and the other concerning the military provisions case.
For the Qin Shi case, during Li Rong's confinement in the Northern Yan Tower, Shangguan Ya and Xun Chuan had already investigated it thoroughly.
Although Xun Chuan wasn't particularly clever, his execution was exceptionally strong. Under Shangguan Ya's guidance, they had meticulously gathered everything from witness testimonies to material evidence.
Regarding the Qin Shi case, Li Rong left no room for leniency. She implicated everyone involved without exception. The three leading officials were sentenced to severe punishment, high-ranking officials like Shangguan Xu were to be investigated further, and the other participating officials faced demotions, exile, or other detailed penalties.As for the military provisions case memorial, its main content was organized based on the evidence Pei Wenxuan had brought. Pei Wenxuan’s evidence and testimonies were numerous and complex, but after working through them all night, she had already sorted them out clearly. Combined with some evidence provided by Shangguan Ya that corroborated each other, Li Rong had managed to piece together about seventy to eighty percent of the case. She listed a series of officials to be investigated and requested a strict inquiry.
Pei Wenxuan quietly scanned the memorial. After a moment of silence, he hesitated and said, "This memorial... His Majesty likely will not approve."
"I know."
Li Rong tapped her palm lightly and whispered, "But I must submit it."
"The Qin family was wronged, and this involves military provisions. If we let it pass without making a strong stand, those who committed these wrongdoings will only grow bolder in the future. If I push hard now, His Majesty will surely hesitate. After I argue with him and contend with the court officials, the outcome won’t be too bad. If I start off soft, they’ll still argue with me," Li Rong said, opening the tea bowl. Pei Wenxuan raised his hand to pour tea for her. Watching the tea flow into the bowl, she added calmly, "If I can’t even manage to exile a few officials, wouldn’t I have suffered this injustice for nothing?"
Listening to Li Rong’s words, Pei Wenxuan only said, "The number of people might be too many."
The founding emperor of Great Xia advocated for a streamlined official system and did not allow too many officials. Throughout Huajing, from the first to the ninth rank, there were fewer than six hundred formal officials. Beyond the formal officials, if manpower was still insufficient, a portion of "miscellaneous staff" would be hired to assist with tasks.
Miscellaneous staff held a vastly different status from officials, were not included in the rank system, and had no hope of promotion.
The list on Li Rong’s memorial included nearly fifty people, with close to twenty of them being sixth rank or higher. For Huajing, such a large-scale change involving over fifty people could be considered a major reshuffle.
Hearing Pei Wenxuan’s words, Li Rong smiled without replying and only said, "If I ask for ten, I’ll settle for seven."
Pei Wenxuan said nothing, nodding silently as he pondered.
When the two arrived at the palace, officials turned to look at them as soon as they entered the gates. Li Rong paid them no mind and took her place. Pei Wenxuan stood beside her, prompting Li Rong to ask curiously, "Why are you standing here with me?"
"I’ll return to my place in a moment," Pei Wenxuan said calmly. "In case someone comes looking for trouble."
Li Rong laughed at this, pointing at him with her fan. "You underestimate me. In such a public setting, would they dare to hit me? As long as no one lays a hand on me," she scoffed, "I’ll see who dares to make a scene."
Pei Wenxuan sighed helplessly but still didn’t leave, saying only, "Then this humble official will shield Your Highness from the wind."
Pei Wenxuan had always been this considerate. In the past, Li Rong hadn’t noticed it, taking it as a habit. But now that she understood his feelings, she found herself paying more attention. She paused, wanting to say something, but ultimately let it pass, pretending not to notice, and simply said, "Fine, as long as it makes you happy."
Not long after, Li Ming arrived. Seeing the imperial carriage from afar, Pei Wenxuan returned to his own place. Li Rong stole a glance at him, noticing the young man’s back—straight and solitary like a lone sword, a stark contrast to the gentleness he displayed when smiling.
Perhaps this was the real Pei Wenxuan.No matter how gentle and good-tempered he appeared on the surface, at his core, Pei Wenxuan had always been a sharp-edged man who refused to bow his head even half an inch.
Li Rong watched his retreating figure for a moment. Just before he was about to turn around, she realized she had been staring too long and quietly shifted her gaze away.
Li Ming’s imperial carriage entered amidst the eunuchs’ announcements. Everyone knelt in salute. After Li Ming entered, the crowd filed in one by one to the sound of further announcements.
Once inside the main hall, everyone knelt and paid their respects, shouting, "Long live the Emperor!" After the ceremonial formalities were completed, Li Ming followed protocol by inquiring about recent weather conditions across the regions, confirming the ice disaster in the north, and discussing solutions for a while. Finally, he turned to Li Rong and asked, "The case I tasked you with investigating—do you have results?"
"Yes."
Li Rong had long been prepared. She spoke respectfully, took out the memorial she had prepared the night before, knelt, and presented it, saying, "Your Majesty, the Qin Shi case has been largely clarified. This case originated in the Ministry of War, where improper custody of military campaign logs led to missing pages. An official inadvertently noticed that the battle in Huangping County seemed unusual and casually mentioned it. Later, an anonymous informant reported Qin Shi to Censor Wen Ping. Censor Wen Ping and Cui Shuyun, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, jointly investigated the case. During the process, they neglected their duties, leading to a wrongful conviction. Now that Qin Shi’s injustice has been cleared, I implore Your Majesty to severely punish Wang Xi, Director of the Ministry of War; Wen Ping of the Censorate; Cui Shuyun of the Ministry of Justice; and other relevant personnel."
As she spoke, Fulai descended from above, took Li Rong’s memorial, and handed it over.
Li Ming opened the memorial while listening to Li Rong’s report. As his eyes scanned the contents, his expression darkened. Li Rong discreetly observed Li Ming’s expression, awaiting his next question.
She had already considered that Li Ming could not punish them too severely. However, since Li Ming had established the Supervisory Department, he naturally intended to make an example of them and show the aristocratic families a lesson, so the punishment could not be too light either. Therefore, Li Rong’s task was to provide Li Ming with an excuse, shifting all responsibility onto herself.
It was not the Emperor who wanted to punish them—it was Princess Ping Le who refused to let the matter rest.
Only in this way could these deeply entrenched scions of aristocratic families truly be dealt with.
She had prepared a series of arguments and adopted the posture of a civil official ready to die in remonstrance, waiting for Li Ming to engage in a back-and-forth performance with her, after which they would negotiate and finalize all the charges.
"Besides the Qin Shi case, I have also sorted out the military provisions matter implicated in the case. A list of all relevant individuals involved has been submitted. I humbly request Your Majesty’s permission to conduct a thorough investigation."
After finishing, Li Rong waited for Li Ming’s response.
However, after a long wait, she heard Li Ming clear his throat lightly, then say cheerfully, "Well done!"
With that, Li Ming turned to the officials beside him, making no mention of the case itself, and said, "Look here—when I wanted to establish the Supervisory Department, you all objected, saying Ping Le was too young and couldn’t accomplish anything. Now, how has this case been handled?"
No one in the court spoke. Li Ming sneered, "I think it was handled excellently! Investigated clearly, without the slightest flaw. Pulling out each and every one of your little secrets. If it weren’t for Ping Le, I wouldn’t have known you all had such great capabilities!"Li Rong listened as Li Ming continued discussing matters of the Supervisory Department, and she couldn't help but frown, feeling somewhat uneasy inside. Seeing that no one spoke, Li Ming smiled and said, "So, with the formal establishment of the Supervisory Department, and with Princess Pingle serving as its head, I assume no one has any objections?"
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