Li Rоng’s mind was prеоссuрied with the mattеr оf comрensatiоn, аnd shе unсоnsсiously сovered her forehеаd with her hаnd.
She glаnсеd аt Pеi Wеnхuаn, thеn turned аway. For sоmе reаson, she felt inеxpliсably wrоngеd.
Реi Wеnхuаn actеd аs if he knеw nоthing, lоwering his hеad tо rеad the mеmоrial in his hаnd without saying а word.
The twо rеmаined silеnt until they arrivеd аt thе Prinсеss’s Маnоr. Аs soоn аs Li Rong jumрed dоwn from the сarriаgе, shе saw Shаngguаn Yа wаiting in front of the mаnor. Shangguan Ya, notiсing Li Rong, exсlaimed in surрrise, “Yоur Нighness, whаt happened to your forehead?”
Hearing this, Li Rong turned to look at Pei Wenxuan behind her.
Even someone as rough as Shangguan Ya could see it—Pei Wenxuan was truly blind.
“It’s nothing. Let’s go inside first. Did you hear the news?”
Li Rong withdrew her gaze from Pei Wenxuan’s face and led Shangguan Ya into the manor. Pei Wenxuan watched the two of them walk together toward the study. He stood in the courtyard for a moment before turning to instruct someone nearby, “Go fetch the jade skin ointment and bandages for me.”
Once Li Rong and Shangguan Ya entered the room, Shangguan Ya immediately spoke up, “I heard Chen Guang’s mother dashed herself to death in the court today.”
“Yes,” Li Rong sat down and recounted the events. “Xie Lanqing came to inquire about the situation this morning. Then, in court, they brought out Chen Wangshi. Chen Wangshi insisted that we had tortured Chen Guang to extract a confession and claimed she had never attempted an assassination. To prove her innocence, she dashed herself to death.”
“How ruthless,” Shangguan Ya sighed as she sat opposite Li Rong. “Qin Zhenzhen gave them inspiration. You used Qin Zhenzhen’s death to force a retrial of the Qin family case, and now they’re using Chen Wangshi to force this case to an end. Your Highness,” Shangguan Ya leaned back in her chair, “does this case still belong to us?”
“How do you think my head got injured?”
Li Rong glared at Shangguan Ya before continuing, “My father has already agreed with me—the case will be handled by Pei Wenxuan.”
Shangguan Ya nodded, her expression easing considerably. Just as she was about to speak, someone knocked on the door. Li Rong called out, “Come in,” and saw Pei Wenxuan walk in gracefully, holding ointment and bandages.
He smiled and bowed to Shangguan Ya. Li Rong asked curiously, “What are you doing here?”
“Nothing much.” Pei Wenxuan walked over to her side with a smile and said calmly, “I’ve come to apply medicine for Your Highness. Please continue—don’t mind me.”
With that, Pei Wenxuan lifted Li Rong’s chin, applied the ointment to her forehead, and before the two could react, wrapped layer after layer of bandages around it. Finally, he tied a large bow, as if it wasn’t a memorial that had struck her forehead but an inkstone, and she hadn’t just broken the skin but had been smashed into a bloody hole.
After finishing, he said nothing more, took the ointment jar and the remaining items, and left. Before leaving, he even remembered to close the door for Li Rong. Only after he had gone did Shangguan Ya murmur, “What’s wrong with him? He’s acting so strangely.”
“Probably because I haven’t paid the compensation yet.”
Li Rong snapped back to reality, still wearing the bow on her head, and continued, “Don’t mind him. Let’s continue with what we were discussing. Now that the case is under Pei Wenxuan’s jurisdiction, we can rest assured. But I suspect Chen Wangshi’s matter won’t end so simply.”
“What does Your Highness plan to do?”Shangguan Ya immediately responded. Li Rong thought for a moment and said in a low voice, "Release Lin Feibai tonight."
"Tonight?" Shangguan Ya exclaimed in surprise. After some thought, she finally said, "Your Highness, at such a critical time, you still want to send Lin Feibai to assassinate Xie Lanqing? That's too risky."
"It's fine," Li Rong said calmly. "Release him secretly and make sure he understands. Remind him of his agreement with me."
"Your Highness..."
"Just do as I say. Don't worry," Li Rong looked up. "I'm confident."
Seeing Li Rong's expression, Shangguan Ya hesitated for a moment before respectfully replying, "Yes."
"There's one more thing," Shangguan Ya said, having finished discussing the matter of Chen Wangshi, she couldn't help but bring up another issue. "Last night, Consort Rou went to Mingle Palace."
Hearing this, Li Rong paused briefly before responding, "I understand."
"Your Highness," Shangguan Ya sounded somewhat uneasy, "should we perhaps slow down? If we push too hard, many among the noble families might defect to Prince Su's side."
At these words, Li Rong smiled.
"Aya, do you know why His Majesty dotes on Consort Rou?"
Shangguan Ya remained silent. Li Rong stirred her teacup. "He gives her unconditional favor and love. Everyone says he is deeply infatuated with Consort Rou, that she is a seductive beauty who brings disaster to the country. If he truly cared for her so much, how could he let her bear such a reputation?"
"Your Highness means that His Majesty doesn't love Consort Rou herself, but rather something she represents?"
"Consort Rou's favor is a means to balance the Empress."
Li Rong's voice was calm. "As long as she remains a bargaining chip, no matter what mistakes she makes or how great Prince Su's crimes are, His Majesty will never truly abandon them. If he were to abandon them, there could only be one reason."
With that, Li Rong looked up at Shangguan Ya, smiling meaningfully. "They are no longer useful as bargaining chips."
Shangguan Ya said nothing. She gazed at Li Rong for a long while before stiffly raising her hand and pointing at the bow on Li Rong's head. "Your Highness, please fix your hair properly before saying such things to me. Otherwise, I'm afraid I might laugh, which would seem disrespectful."
Li Rong's expression changed slightly before she snapped, "Get out and take care of things immediately."
Shangguan Ya laughed, stood up, and saluted. "Your Highness, I'll go release the rat from its cage now. You should rest well."
Li Rong nodded. Shangguan Ya walked toward the door. After a few steps, she suddenly remembered something, leaned back halfway, looked at Li Rong, and said with a smile, "By the way, aren't you angry about getting hit on the head? Do you want me to get revenge for you?"
"No need for you to handle such a small matter."
Li Rong waved her hand. "Hurry up and go."
Shangguan Ya smiled. "Then I'll be off."
With that, Shangguan Ya withdrew and disappeared from the doorway. Li Rong thought for a moment, touched her forehead, and looked up at Jing Lan. "Tell me, does my head really look that bad?"
"Should I bring you a mirror?"
Jing Lan asked hesitantly. Li Rong hesitated briefly before waving her hand. "Never mind, it's not a big deal."
Then Li Rong stood up and instructed Jing Lan, "Go to the accounts office and ask how much the Imperial Son-in-Law paid for the peonies. Return the money to him. I'm going to rest for a while."
"Your Highness," Jing Lan glanced at Li Rong and whispered, "perhaps you shouldn't dwell on this matter."Li Rong paused her movements, looking up to ask, "What's the matter?"
"I've inquired about those flowers—they cost half a year's expenses for the Princess's Manor. The treasury can't come up with that much money right now."
Hearing this, Li Rong nearly fainted from anger.
Ever since her rebirth, she had been frugal and thrifty in matters of money, all to save up more silver to develop her own power.
Raising shadow guards, funding intelligence networks, nurturing connections in the official circles, and now even supporting the Supervisory Department—which of these didn’t require money? Pei Wenxuan had spent half a year’s expenses of the Princess's Manor in one go. At these words, any sense of romance vanished, and she was so furious she immediately wanted to go and scold him.
But just as she took a step forward, she quickly calmed down. She and Pei Wenxuan had already clashed over this matter once, and it was over. There was no use saying more.
Pei Wenxuan was not someone who didn’t know the importance of things. If he was willing to go to such lengths, it meant he had put his heart into it. She had ruined his flowers, and if she now accused him of extravagance, it would only cause another conflict.
After calming down, Li Rong realized that Pei Wenxuan was well aware of her financial situation, and he knew exactly how much he had spent. He had probably known all along that she couldn’t afford to repay him.
Now that she couldn’t repay him for the flowers, and Pei Wenxuan was still angry, it was only natural that he was avoiding her.
Her rage turned into guilt in an instant, but when she thought of Pei Wenxuan’s distant attitude these past few days, especially today, her dissatisfaction resurfaced.
Jing Lan observed her ever-changing expression and cautiously said, "Your Highness, between husband and wife, there’s no need to be so clear-cut about money. If you really send the money to the Imperial Son-in-Law, he might even get angry. I think it would be better if you were a little kinder to him. The Imperial Son-in-Law has a good temper—if you say a few nice words and show some softness, he might even be pleased."
"Show softness? How much softer do I need to be?"
Li Rong replied coldly, "Am I not soft enough?"
"Your Highness," Jing Lan sighed helplessly, "the Imperial Son-in-Law is still sleeping in the study. Is this what you call soft?"
"What else should I do? Carry him back in a grand sedan chair?"
Li Rong’s temper flared as she walked over to the small couch and threw herself onto it. Jing Lan quickly covered her with a blanket and said gently, "Just talk to the Imperial Son-in-Law properly."
"What is there to talk about?" Li Rong closed her eyes. "I can’t repay him for the flowers, and he’s unhappy. Why should I go and face his cold shoulder? Today, I was wronged, and he didn’t comfort me. When he saw I was injured, he acted as if he didn’t notice, and he even wrapped my head so poorly. It’s clear what’s on his mind right now. I won’t go there to be treated poorly."
After Li Rong vented all this, Jing Lan fell silent. Somehow, she sensed a hint of grievance in Li Rong’s words. But then she thought, Li Rong wasn’t someone so delicate—she wouldn’t complain over such a small matter.
Unable to persuade her, Jing Lan sighed and said, "Your Highness, rest for now."
Li Rong hummed in response and closed her eyes to rest.
After Jing Lan left, Li Rong felt extremely agitated. She got up, grabbed a book that Pei Wenxuan usually liked to read, threw it aside, and then lay back down to sleep.
After a long and frustrating day, nothing had gone right. It was utterly maddening.
She drifted into a hazy sleep and didn’t wake until nightfall. When she got up, she heard that Pei Wenxuan was still at the government office and hadn’t returned.After finishing her meal, she returned to the study to handle matters of the Supervisory Department. Not long after, Jing Lan entered carrying a stack of small paper scrolls, respectfully placing them before Li Rong. "Your Highness, these are the intelligence reports from various sources delivered today."
Every day, the informants Li Rong had cultivated would compile valuable information about major and minor events in the capital and send it back. Li Rong acknowledged with a sound and began reading the slips of paper.
She had already learned that morning about Li Ming punishing Hua Le at Consort Rou’s place the previous day. It seemed trivial at first glance, but when she opened the next slip, she saw: "Princess Hua Le dined with the Emperor. She was reprimanded for wearing a white magnolia hairpin. The princess deceived the sovereign, and the sovereign, enraged, had her bound."
Seeing this, Li Rong couldn’t help but feel puzzled. As Consort Rou’s daughter and someone adept at shifting with the wind, Hua Le had always enjoyed immense favor. How could she be punished by Li Ming over a mere hairpin?
Lost in thought, Li Rong raised her hand and read through all the messages again but still couldn’t find the reason for Hua Le’s punishment. After a moment’s consideration, she reviewed Li Ming’s itinerary and noticed that before the evening meal, Li Ming had summoned Pei Wenxuan.
Li Ming met with Pei Wenxuan, then saw Hua Le, and subsequently disciplined her. After pondering for a while, Li Rong couldn’t help but wonder if Pei Wenxuan had done something.
Pei Wenxuan had never involved himself in the affairs of the inner palace. Why would he intervene in Hua Le’s matters today?
As this question arose, a vague answer began to form in her mind, leaving her momentarily dazed until Jing Lan asked, "What is Your Highness daydreaming about?"
Only then did she snap back to reality, hurriedly replying, "It’s nothing."
As she spoke, she began reorganizing the materials in her hands. Part of her wanted to ask Pei Wenxuan what had happened, but she felt it would be awkward to bring up such a trivial matter. So, she simply pretended not to know and continued with her work.
She waited restlessly until Pei Wenxuan returned. As soon as he entered the residence, Jing Mei rushed back excitedly, announcing, "Your Highness, the Imperial Son-in-Law has returned."
Li Rong’s expression remained unchanged as she continued reading the memorials, saying only, "So he’s back. Why all the fuss?"
"Your Highness," Jing Mei knelt before Li Rong, "won’t you go see him?"
"He hasn’t come to pay his respects to me, yet you expect me to go see him?"
Li Rong spoke mockingly, "What great authority he wields."
Jing Mei and Jing Lan exchanged glances. Li Rong kept her head down and said, "You may leave. I’ll retire soon."
Pei Wenxuan returned late and did not come to pay his respects to Li Rong. After washing up on her own, Li Rong extinguished the lamp and went to bed.
Once the light was out, Li Rong lay in bed for a while before turning over restlessly.
Without Pei Wenxuan there, the bed felt much larger. Yet, for some reason, she found herself unable to sleep.
Once something becomes a habit, it begins to feel like a given—such as his inevitable concern when she was injured, his habit of yielding to her, his willingness to laugh and play with her, and no matter what happened, lying beside her at night.
But when such taken-for-granted things were quietly taken away, even though reason told her it was also Pei Wenxuan’s right, she couldn’t help but feel an unreasonable sense of discomfort.
She disliked the feeling of her emotions being controlled by someone else, yet she had no choice but to accept it.
Whether it was the affection revealed in the corridor or the inexplicable daze and hidden joy she felt upon seeing Pei Wenxuan’s involvement in Hua Le’s punishment, both signaled the loss of control over this relationship.Li Rong tried hard to close her eyes, but her mind remained in turmoil. After a long while, for some reason, she kept thinking about Hua Le being tied up. Unable to hold back any longer, she threw off the covers and sat up.
She had to go find Pei Wenxuan and get to the bottom of this.
She thought to herself: she would ask him about the matter. If Pei Wenxuan’s attitude was good, she would take the opportunity to bring up returning to their room. If his attitude was poor, she would let him grow old alone in his study.
After all, she had promised him she would try to change her temperament.
Pei Wenxuan said he would wait, so she couldn’t always be as stubborn as before, insisting on waiting for him to yield in everything.
As this thought surfaced, Li Rong found it hard to restrain herself. It was as if she had found a reason to justify all her actions—a reason so magical it lured her to get up and quietly approach the window.
Even if she was taking the initiative to find Pei Wenxuan, she didn’t want anyone else to see. So she pushed open the window, leaned out, and looked around. Seeing no one outside, she slipped out wearing only a thin robe, jumped through the window, and hurried all the way to Pei Wenxuan’s study.
When she reached the study, she observed the surroundings and saw only two guards at the door, both dozing off. She circled to the back of the building and approached the window.
It was nighttime, and a charcoal brazier warmed the room. Pei Wenxuan had left the window open for ventilation. Li Rong gently pushed it open and climbed inside.
Once inside, the room was pitch black. Relying on memory, Li Rong carefully made her way toward the small couch. After only a few steps, her sleeve brushed against several books, knocking them down. She hurriedly caught them, unsure whether she had woken Pei Wenxuan.
Holding the books, she froze in the room for a moment. Hearing no movement, she let out a quiet sigh of relief and continued forward.
By now, her eyes had adjusted to the dim light, and she could vaguely make out Pei Wenxuan’s direction. Like a cat, she crept to his bedside. Before she could even think about why she had come, the person on the bed suddenly reached out and pulled her, dragging her entirely into the covers.
Warmth enveloped her. Pei Wenxuan covered her mouth with one hand, wrapped his other arm around her waist, and entwined his legs around her, holding her tightly in his embrace.
Li Rong’s heart raced as Pei Wenxuan leaned close to her ear and whispered softly, “What does the princess seek, venturing into this humble official’s bedchamber at night?”
As he spoke, he drew even closer, his lips almost brushing against her ear. His voice carried a hint of amusement, and as his thin lips moved with his words, they faintly grazed her earlobe. His usually clear voice now held a low, husky tone, like a gemstone sliding across silk, producing a rich, luxurious sound: “Did you miss me?”
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