The Princess Royal

Li Rоng rеturnеd tо thе rеsidencе, wrоtе а mеmorial, and thеn rеsted, drinking teа in her roоm whilе wаiting fоr sоmеone.

Рei Wenxuan first went to thе оfficiаl offiсе tо hаndle his dutiеs. Ву еvеning, he dinеd with Li Rong and notiсеd she wаs still dressed in formаl attire. Нe cоuldn't hеlр but sау, "Yоu shоuld rest first. Pеrhаps thе реrson hаsn't seеn уour memоriаl yеt."

"What if they hаve and cоmе in thе middle оf the night? If I'm not dressеd рrоpеrlу, wоuldn't I lасk рresеnсe?"

Li Rоng flipрed through thе pаgеs оf her bооk, rаising hеr chin slightly. "If yоu're tired, go to sleеp first."

"We just finished еating," Pеi Wenхuаn sat dоwn opposite Li Rong and took her book. Li Rong followed his movement with her eyes, only to see Pei Wenxuan smiling as he said, "Since we're waiting anyway, why don't you talk with me for a while, Your Highness?"

Hearing this, Li Rong's gaze swept from Pei Wenxuan's face down to his abdomen, then back up to his face.

Pei Wenxuan had just bathed. Despite it being winter, he wore only a single layer of clothing. His freshly dried hair was loosely draped behind him, and the collar of his robe was slightly open, revealing half of his collarbone. Though he usually appeared dignified and upright, there was an inexplicable, indescribable allure about him now.

Realizing this, Li Rong forced herself to look away, took back her book, and lowered her head. "No talking."

Seeing Li Rong seemingly avoiding him, Pei Wenxuan couldn't help but laugh. He leaned closer and said, "Your Highness seems a little afraid of me?"

"Aren't you cold?"

Li Rong frowned, stood up, fetched his clothes from the side, threw them at him, and said directly, "Put them on."

"There's a charcoal fire in the room," Pei Wenxuan smiled, his eyes curving. "I don't feel cold."

Just as Li Rong was about to order someone to remove the charcoal fire, she saw Pei Wenxuan leisurely put on his outer robe, elegantly swept his hair back, and said softly, "But since Your Highness has bestowed this clothing, no matter how warm I am, I must wear it."

As he spoke, Pei Wenxuan looked up, spread his arms, and smiled. "What does Your Highness think?"

Pei Wenxuan's attire was no different from usual, but there were subtle details—the collar slightly more open, the smile in his eyes and brows, the way he spread his arms as if waiting for her to embrace him—that made him appear unusually alluring.

Li Rong felt a bit warm. She kept her expression neutral and nodded. "Not bad."

Just then, hurried footsteps came from outside, followed by Jing Lan's respectful voice from the doorway: "Your Highness, Lord Shangguan has arrived."

Hearing this, Li Rong felt as if she had been granted a reprieve. She quickly said, "My uncle is here."

Pei Wenxuan stood up, nodded, and said to Li Rong, "I'll accompany Your Highness."

"You should change—"

Before Li Rong could finish, she saw Pei Wenxuan adjust his collar, straighten his robe, and tie his hair halfway with a ribbon. In an instant, he looked proper and respectable again.

Pei Wenxuan turned to look at Li Rong, who was clearly astonished. Knowing full well what she was surprised about, he deliberately pretended not to understand, tucking his hands into his sleeves. "What is Your Highness looking at?"

He was doing it on purpose!

Li Rong understood this, but she couldn't say it or ask. She knew that Pei Wenxuan was waiting for her to inquire. If she asked, he would start saying even more direct things.

So she had to stop it.

Thus, she smiled and pretended to admire him. "I still think the Imperial Son-in-Law looks better like this."

"Oh?" Pei Wenxuan raised an eyebrow. "Really?"Li Rong nodded with a sincere expression. Pei Wenxuan sighed with some regret, "As Your Highness grows older, your preferences have indeed changed. I recall you weren't like this in your youth."

"People always change with time," Li Rong sighed, raising her fan to rest against her chest. "For instance, I now only appreciate proper, honest people. Those flashy types are no longer to my taste."

Pei Wenxuan choked back a response. Li Rong stepped forward, not giving him a chance to reply, "Let's go. Uncle is waiting outside."

Li Rong walked to the main hall, where Shangguan Xu had already been waiting for some time. He appeared quite weary, with Shangguan Ya seated beside him. When Li Rong entered, Shangguan Ya and Shangguan Xu both stood up and bowed to her.

"Greetings, Your Highness."

"Uncle, you are too courteous."

Li Rong helped Shangguan Xu rise and quickly asked, "It's so late, Uncle. Why have you come to my residence?"

"It is truly improper to disturb Your Highness at such a late hour."

Shangguan Xu sighed, looking up at Li Rong, "But there are matters I must discuss, and I hope Your Highness will forgive the intrusion."

"Uncle, you jest," Li Rong smiled. "You are welcome here anytime."

"Your Highness still remembers some affection, and this old minister is deeply comforted," Shangguan Xu said meaningfully, glancing at Pei Wenxuan beside him. "This old minister wishes to speak with Your Highness alone. Might the Imperial Son-in-Law grant us some privacy?"

Hearing this, Pei Wenxuan looked at Li Rong. She smiled at him and said, "Imperial Son-in-Law, please go rest first. I will chat with Uncle for a while."

Pei Wenxuan feigned hesitation for a moment before smiling and saying, "The Princess and I are one family. How can I not entertain Uncle when he visits? What matters cannot be discussed among family? I will stay and serve tea to Uncle."

Li Rong instinctively glanced at Shangguan Xu. Pei Wenxuan wore a slightly aggrieved expression, "Does Your Highness not trust me?"

"Of course not," Li Rong smiled wryly, gesturing for Pei Wenxuan to sit down. "Then stay."

Turning to Shangguan Xu, she said, "Uncle, we are all family. Wenxuan will not speak of anything outside."

Shangguan Xu's expression darkened slightly, but since Li Rong had spoken, he could only agree.

Li Rong invited Shangguan Xu to sit, and Pei Wenxuan poured tea for him. After a moment of hesitation, Li Rong said gently, "Uncle, you look quite exhausted. You should rest well in the coming days."

"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness," Shangguan Xu sighed softly. "But age is catching up. Even a day of travel leaves me utterly fatigued."

"Then Uncle should rest earlier," Li Rong replied casually, as Shangguan Xu avoided getting to the point. Seeing that Li Rong was not taking the bait, Shangguan Xu fell silent for a while before finally saying, "Your Highness, this old minister does not have many years left."

"Uncle is only at the age of knowing destiny. Your life is still long."

"What I mean is that my days in the court will not last much longer."

Shangguan Xu sighed and said slowly, "As you know, your grandfather also resigned from his official post at the age of knowing destiny, allowing me to inherit his position. This old minister will not remain for long either. In a few years, the court will ultimately belong to you young people."Li Rong remained silent, raising her hand to sip tea. Shangguan Xu turned his head to look out the window at the branches swaying gently in the wind. "In a few years, when the Crown Prince ascends the throne, this old minister will be content and will no longer interfere. Your Highness should take your time to hone your skills. Whatever you wish to do, you can do it then—it won’t be too late."

Listening to Shangguan Xu’s words, Li Rong chuckled softly. "Uncle, speak plainly. What do you think I want to do?"

"Your Highness," Shangguan Xu raised his eyes to look at Li Rong, "this old minister knows that Your Highness has grown up and wishes to hold some power in your hands. That is why Your Highness established the Supervisory Department—simply to secure a foothold in the court."

Li Rong lowered her gaze as Shangguan Xu continued, "Your intentions have been conveyed to this old minister by Her Majesty the Empress. After much consideration, I must admit that Your Highness is right."

"The Shangguan family has grown too large for this old minister to control. Now that we have made mistakes, I have come tonight to beg Your Highness," Shangguan Xu said, taking a step back and respectfully kowtowing, performing a deep bow. "Let the Qin family’s case end here."

Li Rong did not speak. She held her cup as Shangguan Xu knelt before her, quietly waiting.

Li Rong drank her tea and said calmly, "Uncle, there is no need for this. Please rise first."

"If Your Highness does not agree, this old minister dares not rise."

"Uncle," Li Rong sighed, "the Qin family is currently implicated in two cases: the military funds case and the false accusation against Qin Shi. May I ask if Uncle is aware of these two cases?"

Shangguan Xu remained silent. Li Rong looked at Shangguan Ya, who bowed and said, "Reporting to Your Highness, my father is not aware of these two cases. To be frank, when the Qin Shi case was reported to my father, it was already a case with solid evidence. Although my father had his own motives, he is not someone who cannot distinguish right from wrong. I hope Your Highness will investigate thoroughly."

"Then what happened?"

Li Rong sipped her tea. Shangguan Ya glanced at Shangguan Xu, who was still kneeling on the ground, and explained, "In the struggle for military power in the northwest, His Majesty favored Lord Xiao. My father, fearing that His Majesty would listen to slander, sent someone to investigate the Qin family. My father’s intention was to correct any wrongdoing if it existed, and if there was none, to let the matter rest."

However, for those in the officialdom, no one is without fault—whether major or minor, there is bound to be something.

"But when the order was passed down, it became about finding fault with the Qin family. The Ministry of War investigated for a long time but found nothing. To fulfill the task, they tore up the military logs and handed them over to the Censorate, hoping to find an issue and consider the task completed. When the Censorate saw the matter was suspicious, they already judged the Qin family guilty in their minds. It wasn’t that they intentionally wanted to harm the Qin family, but Yang Quan himself had committed treason, and the Qin family was serving under Yang Quan at the time. In the city defense battle, three thousand soldiers surrendered without a fight against an equal number of enemies—it all seemed highly suspicious."

"So the Censorate fabricated evidence and created the witness Luo Juan?"

"Yes," Shangguan Ya continued. "And when Luo Juan’s confession reached the Ministry of Justice, it was still insufficient to convict the Qin family. The Ministry of Justice believed my father wanted to thoroughly investigate the Qin family, and the Qin family indeed seemed deserving of punishment. So the Ministry of Justice added another piece of evidence: during the search, they planted gold and forged letters in the Qin family’s home, which, together with Luo Juan’s confession, formed a complete chain of evidence. By the time my father received the Qin family’s case, it was already ironclad.""And Lord Shangguan believed that His Majesty had gone too far this time and should be given a warning, so he decided to proceed with this major case without conducting a strict review. At this point, no one dared to take responsibility, so they remained silent. When I began investigating, they desperately tried to cover up their crimes, and Lord Shangguan also believed I was being used and deceived, isn't that right?"

"Your Highness," Shangguan Xu said respectfully, "since things have come to this, this old minister does not wish to make excuses. I only hope Your Highness will stop and not persist any further."

As he spoke, Shangguan Xu raised his head and looked at Li Rong earnestly. "Your Highness's memorial, this old minister has seen it and understands Your Highness's determination. But has Your Highness considered that if you insist on investigating further, you will destroy the foundation of the Shangguan Clan. The Shangguan Clan is the foundation for both Your Highness and the Crown Prince."

"Foundation?"

Li Rong chuckled lightly. "Uncle, can a group of people you cannot control and who cause trouble for you truly be called a foundation?"

Shangguan Xu stiffened slightly. Li Rong set down her teacup and spoke calmly, "Uncle, don't you feel it yourself? Now you are their shield, protecting them from wind and rain. Outwardly, they treat you as their superior, but in secret, they act as accomplices to evil. In the Qin family's case, even if the person who initially submitted the military logs didn't know what it meant for the Qin family, didn't the one who forged the evidence know?"

While Li Rong was speaking with Shangguan Xu, Xun Chuan hurried in from outside. As soon as she entered the residence, a servant approached her. "My lady."

"Has Her Highness returned?"

Xun Chuan gasped for breath, her face filled with urgency. The servant replied respectfully, "She has returned. Is there something urgent, my lady?"

"I heard the Qin family's case has been transferred to the Ministry of Justice."

As she spoke, Xun Chuan moved forward. "I must see Her Highness. This case cannot be transferred to the Ministry of Justice."

No sooner had she finished speaking than the two arrived in the courtyard, where they heard Li Rong's loud rebuke: "They knew, yet they still gave you the false evidence. Even if the entire Qin family were to die, they could watch it happen without blinking! And you?!"

Li Rong slammed a small fan on the table and shouted, "Even if you knew, you could do nothing but cover it up, waiting for a future opportunity to deal with them!"

"Why are they so audacious? Because they know you will protect them! That's why they dare to frame loyal ministers, dare to embezzle military funds—what wouldn't they dare do behind your back?"

As Shangguan Xu listened to Li Rong's reprimand, he slowly straightened up. "Then what does Your Highness think should be done?"

Li Rong fell silent at his words. Shangguan Xu looked at her and said, "Does Your Highness know who they are? They are relatives by marriage within the clan. If I do not protect them, what does Your Highness think I am? In the future, who in the court will support this old minister?"

"If this old minister has no one to rely on, I am merely an isolated Left Vice Director. What will become of the Crown Prince? Now Prince Su is watching covetously. His Majesty has exceptionally appointed Su Ronghua as Prince Su's tutor. What does that mean? Can't you see it clearly? Your Highness, as a princess, why do you think His Majesty is willing to entrust the Supervisory Department to you?"

"It is only because you are the Crown Prince's elder sister, because you are a princess of the Shangguan Clan! Do you think that without the Shangguan Clan, you and I amount to anything?"

Shangguan Xu stared at Li Rong. "You and I are nothing.""Whether it is me or the princess," Shangguan Xu's voice was hoarse, "under the strife of powerful families, we are nothing but ants."