Тhе nехt day, Li Rоng аnd Реi Wеnxuan rosе tоgether. Аs usual, Pеi Wеnхuаn gоt uр first. As if nothing hаd happened betwееn them, hе helреd Li Rоng drеss befоrе ассomрanying her tо сourt.
Оnce theу were sеated in thе саrriаgе, Реi Wenxuаn аsked роintеdly, "Did Yоur Highnеss slеep wеll lаst night?"
Li Rong, still lоoking over hеr memorials withоut rаising hеr heаd, counterеd, "Whу dо yоu аsk? Did thе Imреriаl Son-in-Lаw nоt sleеp wеll?"
Seeing Li Rоng's cоmроsed dеmеаnоr, Pei Wenхuan couldn't tell whethеr she had truly slеpt or рretеndеd to slеep the previous night.
Amused by his hesitation, Li Rong changed the subject directly, asking, "Who in the Censorate is still submitting memorials against my people recently?"
"Only those from the Chen family remain," Pei Wenxuan replied, shifting to serious matters as Li Rong inquired. "They are relatives of Chen Guang from the Ministry of Revenue."
"He is beyond saving," Li Rong said lightly. "He was involved in both the Qin family case and the military funds case, personally orchestrating the latter. In the Qin family case, others might claim ignorance, but he deliberately sought to drive the Qin family to ruin. It seems he feared the military funds case would be exposed and wanted to silence the Qin family permanently, leaving no evidence for the future."
"The Chen family knows he cannot be saved," Pei Wenxuan remarked calmly. "But Chen Guang's branch refuses to give up. His mother has visited the Censorate several times, weeping and making a scene before Censor Chen Hui. Chen Hui likely cannot withstand his aunt's pleas, so although he submitted the memorial, it’s not a major issue. I can handle it."
Li Rong acknowledged with a hum. After a moment’s thought, she smiled and said, "Once this case is closed, it will be time for the New Year. The court will have a seven-day holiday. Have you thought about how to spend it?"
Pei Wenxuan was surprised by Li Rong’s casual tone, feeling a warmth in his heart. He replied, "If Your Highness has any ideas, please let me know. I will make the arrangements."
"We can’t travel far," Li Rong said regretfully. "After handling these two major cases, I’m sure many wish for my death. It’s best not to leave Huajing."
"Your Highness is wise to consider this."
Li Rong thought for a moment and sighed. "It’s been so long since I’ve seen flowers. This winter feels endless."
"Does Your Highness wish to admire plum blossoms?" Pei Wenxuan pondered.
Li Rong laughed. "Plum blossoms can be seen anywhere. Even the palace has them."
"Speaking of which," Pei Wenxuan placed his hand on the table and leaned closer to Li Rong, "though I’ve known Your Highness for many years, I only know you favor peonies. I’m unaware of other flowers or plants you might admire. Are there any you particularly like?"
"I like quite a few—peach blossoms, pear blossoms, orchids—they’re all lovely. But my favorites are the more vibrant ones: peonies, peonies, and roses. I enjoy them all."
Li Rong answered casually before suddenly realizing, "Why do you ask?" She grew wary. "Don’t you dare send me any. It’s a waste of money, especially now when funds are tight."
Feeling somewhat guilty, Pei Wenxuan averted his gaze and picked up his tea, instinctively saying, "Your Highness overestimates me. I wouldn’t spend so much money on such gifts for you."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Pei Wenxuan regretted his thoughtless remark and quickly added, "But if the price is reasonable, I might still send some."Li Rong remained silent, her eyes filled with disdain. Pei Wenxuan, swept by her gaze, wanted to say something to retort but forcibly restrained himself, turning his head away instead.
Watching the shifting expressions on his face, Li Rong couldn’t help but laugh. She poked him with her fan. "If you want to scold me, don’t hold back."
"Your Highness jests," Pei Wenxuan lifted his head with a smile. "Your Highness is this humble official’s dearest treasure. How could I bear to scold you?"
Hearing this, Li Rong immediately showed displeasure. "Look at you—talking is one thing, but must you insult people?"
Seeing Li Rong’s mockery, Pei Wenxuan scoffed softly and said no more, turning his attention to the memorials.
After reading for a while, Pei Wenxuan remembered what he had originally intended to say. He had wanted to discuss last night’s events and ask about Li Rong’s feelings, but now that the moment had been disrupted, the earlier atmosphere had faded. Asking now would only feel awkward.
A hint of regret stirred in Pei Wenxuan’s heart. He glanced at Li Rong across from him, noticing the smile on her lips as she sipped tea and read the memorials. Reflecting on their earlier conversation, he became certain that Li Rong had indeed been awake last night.
It was precisely because she had been awake that she didn’t want to talk about it and deliberately changed the subject.
Recalling how Li Rong had shyly turned away last night and her intentional diversion today, Pei Wenxuan began to sense something.
He suddenly realized that with Li Rong, direct confrontation and force wouldn’t work, but a gentle, subtle approach seemed to yield some results.
In truth, Li Rong had always been like this, though it was more pronounced in her youth. Back then, if he dared to kiss her forcefully, she would grab his face and kiss him ten times in return, holding her ground without backing down, always carrying an air of arrogance as if she could keep ten male consorts—utterly adorable.
Now older, she appeared more restrained and wouldn’t do things like returning ten kisses for one, but deep down, she hadn’t changed at all.
If he dared to kiss her forcefully, she could treat him like a consort. What truly left her at a loss was intimacy driven more by affection than desire.
When he kissed her, she could still pull his hand away to refuse.
But when he quietly kissed her forehead, she would blush and avoid his gaze, never even mentioning it.
Realizing this, Pei Wenxuan couldn’t help but smile. He didn’t press further, simply lowering his head to leisurely read the memorial in his hand, though his smile refused to fade.
Li Rong stole a glance at Pei Wenxuan and saw him smiling silently with his head bowed. Under the candlelight, the young man’s face was fair and gentle, his slender, elegant hand holding a brush as he turned the pages, quietly painting an indescribable handsomeness.
Li Rong’s heart skipped a beat, and she hurriedly averted her gaze.
She didn’t even dare to ask why he was smiling.
The two attended court together, and after the session ended, Li Rong parted ways with Pei Wenxuan and headed straight for the Supervisory Department.
The Supervisory Department was located in the outskirts of the city. Currently, it had two deputy directors: Su Ronghua, appointed by the court, and Shangguan Ya, appointed by Li Rong.
As Li Rong descended from the court and entered the courtyard of the Supervisory Department, she heard Shangguan Ya’s voice from inside: "I’ve already said it—I didn’t hit him. He inflicted those whip wounds on himself, and this confession is his own admission."
"Miss Shangguan jests," Su Ronghua’s voice rang out. "Who in their right mind would whip themselves?"
Li Rong stepped into the main hall. Seeing her, Shangguan Ya’s face lit up with joy as she exclaimed, "Your Highness!""Hearing you all arguing," Li Rong smiled as she walked to the table, glancing down at the papers on it. She picked up the pages and scanned them. "Minister Su seems to think this confession is unusable?"
"Your Highness," Su Ronghua bowed with a smile, "according to the Great Xia Code, punishment cannot be applied to the gentry. Today, when I visited Minister Chen, I noticed whip marks on his body. This confession was likely obtained through torture."
"One whip mark counts as torture?" Shangguan Ya sneered. "Minister Su, are you trying to fool a child?"
"A single whip mark is still a whip mark," Li Rong said gently. "Since Minister Su believes this confession is unsuitable, we can simply re-interrogate. I will handle it personally."
With that, Li Rong set down the confession and led Shangguan Ya toward the prison, saying calmly, "Let's go."
Taking her cue, Shangguan Ya shot a cold glance at Su Ronghua. "Minister Su, you should come along too, lest you accuse us of beating Minister Chen, obtaining the confession through torture, and rendering it unusable."
Su Ronghua bowed with a smile and gestured. "After you."
The three of them arrived at the prison, where Li Rong ordered the so-called "Minister Chen" to be brought out.
Li Rong smiled as soon as she saw him—it was Chen Guang, the man she had discussed with Pei Wenxuan that morning.
He came from a prominent family in Jiangnan and served as the Director of the Granary Department in the Ministry of Revenue.
As the director in charge of granaries, a sensitive position he had held for ten years, he was a seasoned and slippery character.
Li Rong reviewed his confession and had Shangguan Ya invite him to sit.
Once Chen Guang was seated, Li Rong set the confession aside and smiled. "Minister Chen."
"Your Highness."
Chen Guang clasped his hands and smiled. "Your Highness has come at the perfect time. This humble official has something to report."
"Minister Chen wishes to accuse Lady Shangguan of abusing her authority and torturing you," Li Rong said directly. "Is that correct?"
"Oh," Chen Guang feigned surprise. "Your Highness already knows?"
Li Rong nodded. "I heard. I heard Minister Chen was whipped in prison."
"Yes," Chen Guang hurriedly pulled open his robe. "Your Highness, look—this wound is quite deep."
"I wonder when and where Minister Chen received this whip mark?"
"Just last night," Chen Guang replied immediately. "When she was interrogating me. Look at this mark—it's still fresh."
"Call a physician to examine Minister Chen's wound."
Li Rong gestured to someone nearby before turning back, her tone exceptionally patient. "Well then, Minister Chen, I'm afraid this confession of yours cannot be used. Let's record another one."
Chen Guang smiled and gestured. "Your Highness, please proceed. With Your Highness present, this humble official will certainly speak the truth."
"Minister Chen," Li Rong nodded slowly, running her fingers over the confession. "You are, after all, a veteran of the Ministry of Revenue. You should know a few things."
"What might Your Highness be referring to?"
"The first is that, according to the Great Xia Code, officials who confess receive reduced sentences, while those who conceal the truth face harsher penalties."
"I know," Chen Guang nodded. "And then?"
"The second is that your current crimes, combined, would only cost you your official position. But if the penalty is increased further, it could cost you your life."
"Your Highness exaggerates," Chen Guang chuckled. "Not only am I innocent, but even if I were guilty, it wouldn't be to that extent, would it? Many ministers in the past have committed far worse crimes, yet...""But they were tried at the Ministry of Justice," Li Rong raised her eyes, suddenly slammed the table, and shouted, "This is the Supervisory Department! Do you still think I am here to play games with you?! I tell you, for your crimes, if you confess today, I can let you go back to enjoy your remaining years in peace. If you don’t, I guarantee your head will roll in the marketplace, and it won’t even land at your feet!"
Chen Guang’s face changed drastically. Li Rong raised her hand and grabbed a stack of confessions: "Do you think I’m asking you to confess just for fun? It’s only out of respect for your family that I’m giving you a chance to live. Otherwise," Li Rong looked up and sneered, "Minister Chen, think of Minister Wang, who was haunted by wronged souls."
Chen Guang fell silent. Su Ronghua coughed lightly: "Your Highness, Minister Chen is, after all, advanced in years. He..."
"Who gave you the right to speak here?"
Li Rong raised her eyes and said coldly, "I am not dead yet. If I don’t permit you to speak, what are you saying?"
"If you offend Her Highness again," Shangguan Ya smiled, "you’ll be slapped."
Su Ronghua shot a cold glance at Shangguan Ya, who scoffed and looked away.
Li Rong waited for a moment, quickly flipped through the confessions, and then casually asked, "When you were in charge of the granary department, how much grain was sent to Huangping County?"
Without waiting for Chen Guang to answer, Li Rong answered herself: "Three thousand, right?"
Chen Guang’s expression turned unpleasant. Li Rong frowned, flipped through a few more pages, tossed the confessions aside, stood up, and said, "Haven’t the others already confessed? Su Lin has already been implicated. Why must we insist on Minister Chen’s confession? This is utterly absurd!"
Hearing this, Chen Guang hurriedly looked at Su Ronghua, who was about to say something when Shangguan Ya blocked Chen Guang’s line of sight and said with a smile, "Minister Su, you’re quite talkative today, aren’t you?"
Su Ronghua’s face darkened. Li Rong led her people out, but halfway there, Chen Guang suddenly called out to her: "Wait, Your Highness."
Li Rong stopped and turned around. Chen Guang, his face pale, urgently said, "Your Highness, if I confess, will you spare my life?"
"That depends on what you confess. If what you say offers nothing new..."
Li Rong smiled, "I don’t like people who waste my time."
"I have solid evidence," Chen Guang blurted out anxiously. "Your Highness, what you have now are only confessions, right? I have proof!"
Li Rong turned back, sat down, and said, "Speak."
Then she turned to Su Ronghua and said, "Minister Su, since this involves noble families, perhaps you should excuse yourself?"
Su Ronghua remained silent, his eyes fixed on Chen Guang, who dared not look back. Shangguan Ya raised her hand and said, "Minister Su, please."
Chen Guang did indeed have solid evidence. Su Lin of the Su family was a distant relative, not closely related, but the Su family was of noble standing, and even a minor figure from their household was no ordinary person.
This Su Lin worked in the Ministry of War and had merely helped issue a travel pass, but if investigated, demotion was inevitable.
Li Rong listened quietly as he confessed everything, signed, and pressed his fingerprint. Then she stood up. Chen Guang anxiously asked, "Your Highness, my crime..."
"Await judgment," Li Rong said calmly. "The law will be followed. I will not show favoritism."Chen Guang's expression was not pleasant, but he lowered his voice and continued to plead, "Your Highness, you are young and new to the court, unaware of the dangers involved. When everyone investigates, we are all relatives. You cannot truly sentence me to death..."
"Why can't I?" Li Rong looked up at him and chuckled softly. "Does Lord Chen think I wouldn't?"
"Your Highness," Chen Guang frowned, "if you truly kill me, how will you explain it to the noble families?"
"When you all acted," Li Rong said coldly, "did you ever think of giving an explanation to the soldiers who died in battle at the border?"
"They were too greedy!" Chen Guang exclaimed angrily, seemingly extremely displeased. Li Rong gave him a cold glance and said, "You all say the same thing to me. Isn't it tiresome?"
With that, Li Rong walked out. After taking a few steps, Chen Guang could no longer control his emotions: "Your Highness, you are courting death!"
Li Rong stopped in her tracks, turned around, and sneered, "I think it's you who is courting death!"
After saying this, she walked out the door. At the entrance, Shangguan Ya approached her. Li Rong glanced around and, not seeing Su Ronghua, couldn't help but ask, "Where is he?"
"Gone to pass on a message, of course."
As she spoke, Shangguan Ya took the confession from Li Rong's hand and praised, "Your Highness, I truly admire you. Not only did you know that the grain dispatched from his warehouse was three thousand dan, but you also knew he was involved with Su Lin? How did you find out?"
"The three thousand dan was calculated by Pei Wenxuan based on his earlier investigations along the route. As for Su Lin..."
Li Rong did not finish.
That was something Su Rongqing had told her in her previous life.
Su Lin had once been implicated in a case involving military pay for the northwestern army. The Su family later dealt with him internally.
With Su Ronghua present, Chen Guang would not believe he had been betrayed by others unless he was given extraordinary details. By revealing Su Lin and the three thousand dan, Chen Guang would suspect he had been sold out, and Su Ronghua had been deceiving him all along, hoping he would not implicate Su Lin.
As long as Chen Guang doubted Su Ronghua, he would easily break down.
Thinking of what Su Rongqing had told her in her previous life, Li Rong felt momentarily weary. She said nothing more and, after a brief pause, instructed, "Find out who was on duty last night. His whip injuries couldn't have been self-inflicted. Locate that person and tell them: either whip themselves more or whip themselves. Afterward, dismiss them and expel them."
Shangguan Ya acknowledged the order. Li Rong looked at the confession in her hand and asked, "Who is left now?"
Shangguan Ya reported a few names. Li Rong nodded and said directly, "Let's go together."
Li Rong and Shangguan Ya busied themselves dealing with the remaining prisoners who had not yet confessed. By the afternoon, a guard suddenly rushed in from outside, urgently reporting, "Your Highness, there is something."
Li Rong sat in her chair, holding a cup of tea, and shifted her gaze to the guard's hands.
In the guard's hands was a kite, on which was written a single blood-red character: "Stop."
Seeing the kite, Shangguan Ya's expression changed, and she said coldly, "Who did this?"
"I don't know," the guard knelt and replied. "This kite suddenly fell into the courtyard just now. I have already sent people to capture the culprit, but we truly cannot find anyone."Shangguan Ya remained silent with a cold expression, as if wanting to curse, yet knowing such matters were indeed difficult to investigate. She turned to look at Li Rong, who held her teacup, pondered for a moment, then chuckled softly. "Only when driven to desperation would one resort to such ghostly tricks. Take more people with you on the way back, and let them be."
After speaking, Li Rong took a sip of tea, placed the cup on the table, and turned her attention back to the official being interrogated, continuing her work.
She had never feared assassination attempts—she had lived through them her entire previous life and was long accustomed to them.
Shangguan Ya, however, was encountering such a situation for the first time. After calming herself for a moment and steadying her nerves, she finally relaxed.
The two of them worked until late into the night. By then, Pei Wenxuan had also finished his own tasks, emerging from the palace, boarding his carriage, and heading toward the Princess's Manor.
Pei Wenxuan was weary. He leaned against the carriage wall, closing his eyes to rest. With little time for respite, he had to seize every opportunity to recuperate.
Halfway through the journey, the carriage abruptly halted. Pei Wenxuan, with his hands tucked into his sleeves, slowly opened his eyes. Tong Ye lifted the curtain and whispered, "Sir, someone is blocking the street to present a petition to the emperor."
Pei Wenxuan frowned. As a censor, receiving such petitions was indeed a common occurrence. He nodded wearily and said, "Bring the petition up."
Tong Ye acknowledged the order and jumped down from the carriage, walking toward the child blocking the street with the petition.
However, at that very moment, arrows shot out from the crowd, flying directly through the window into Pei Wenxuan's carriage. Pei Wenxuan reacted swiftly, raising his hand to close the window.
Simultaneously, a silver sword pierced through the carriage curtain, thrusting straight toward him. Pei Wenxuan watched coldly as the blade pressed against his chest. He reached for the sword hidden beneath his seat and, as the opponent's blade neared him, bent forward and stepped closer, driving his sword through the attacker's abdomen. The assailant, in a desperate move, swung his sword toward Pei Wenxuan, who pushed him outward with all his might. Still, the blade grazed his arm, and blood instantly began to spread.
Although Pei Wenxuan usually appeared to travel with only Tong Ye, his men were actually hidden everywhere. As soon as the attackers made their move, Pei Wenxuan's guards rushed forward. Except for this one who had slipped through, the others were all intercepted and subdued within moments.
Tong Ye hurriedly lifted the curtain and entered, sword in hand, asking anxiously, "Young Master, are you all right?"
Pei Wenxuan covered the wound on his arm without saying much and stepped out of the carriage. All the other attackers were dead, leaving only the child who had initially presented the petition. Pei Wenxuan walked directly toward the child, but upon seeing him approach, the child gritted his teeth, struggled, and actually broke free from the guards' control, lunging toward Pei Wenxuan. Fortunately, the guards reacted quickly, chasing after him and piercing him through with a sword.
Pei Wenxuan exclaimed in shock, "Wait—"
Before he could finish, the child was already dead. A guard crouched down, quickly examining the child's mouth, then looked up and reported, "Sir, it's a dwarf."
Assassins in the martial world often preferred to train dwarves as killers. These individuals appeared to be children, easily lulling others into a false sense of security, but in terms of strength and agility, they were fully grown adults.
Pei Wenxuan's expression turned grim. He stared at the assassin for a moment before finally saying, "Investigate this. Send more men to protect Her Highness."
"Yes, sir."
The guard acknowledged the order and immediately rushed off to inform Li Rong.However, Li Rong’s informant had already gone to the Supervisory Department earlier. Li Rong had just walked out of the Supervisory Department, wiping her hands with a warm towel while discussing follow-up matters with Shangguan Ya.
As the two stepped out of the main hall, they heard Jing Lan rushing in, urgently saying, “Your Highness, something terrible has happened.”
Li Rong looked up, and Jing Lan hurriedly reported, “The Imperial Son-in-Law has been assassinated.”
Upon hearing this, Li Rong’s eyes widened abruptly.
Shangguan Ya also showed a look of shock, but she quickly regained her composure and said, “Your Highness, please do not panic. Return to the residence first to check on the Imperial Son-in-Law. I will investigate.”
Li Rong snapped back to her senses and immediately rushed out. She pulled a horse, mounted it, and shouted, “Dig them out for me—I’ll slaughter them all!”
Author’s Note: 【Mini Theater】
The Pei Family: “Pei Wenxuan, we’re going to bully you.”
Pei Wenxuan: “I have a wife.”
Superior: "Pei Wenxuan, the official path is not easy. Please sigh."
Pei Wenxuan: "I have a wife."
Assassin: "Pei Wenxuan, we are here to take your life."
Pei Wenxuan: "I have a wife."
Everyone: "Can you say anything other than this?"
Pei Wenxuan: "You all better run, my wife is coming."
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