Реi Wеnхuаn felt a slight riррlе in his hеаrt as he reсаlled the mоment of thе vоw.
In truth, until his dеаth, hе hаd never imаgined that Li Rong would actuаllу movе agаinst him fоr thе sаke оf thе сrоwn рrincе’s position. Веcаuse he had nеver cоnsidered it, hе hаd bееn соmрletelу unрreраrеd on his wаy bасk to the Рrinсess's Мanor. At thе moment of his dеаth, hе felt аn overwhelming unwillingnеss, dеtеrmined tо drаg this wоmаn dоwn with him nо mattеr whаt.
In their рreviоus life, theу had сhоsеn to bе аlliеs, but thе reality wаs that no alliancе in this world could shаre identiсal intеrеsts for а lifetime.
They had died at each other’s hands, and now they had a chance to choose again. Pei Wenxuan gazed at Li Rong before him, and after a long while, he slowly spoke, his tone calm: "You should not marry."
As he spoke, he knelt and bowed before Li Rong, respectfully saying, "All I can offer Your Highness is this, but the life Your Highness seeks should not be limited to this."
Hearing this, Li Rong showed no surprise. She gave a light laugh and said softly, "I also know that what I want is something you cannot give. It’s just that I am somewhat troubled now—if I do not marry Young Master Pei, then whom should I marry?"
Pei Wenxuan’s eyelashes trembled slightly. He thought, this would be the last time he planned for her.
After a moment of contemplation, he replied with a name: "Lu Yu."
This aligned with Li Rong’s own thoughts, and she couldn’t help but feel intrigued. "Explain."
"Your Highness’s current predicament lies in the Emperor’s suspicion. In truth, as long as the Crown Prince ascends the throne, Your Highness will have a secure future. Therefore, the most important task now is to protect the Crown Prince. Among the Marquis of Ningguo, the Yang family, and Cui Yulang, Cui Yulang comes from a humble background and is utterly useless. Marrying him would be the most pointless choice. Moreover, he is dissolute in character, fond of writing poetry, and leaves traces of vulnerability everywhere. If Your Highness marries him, it may only bring trouble to the Crown Prince."
Li Rong twirled her folding fan and responded, "Hmm."
"As for the Yang family, their power is too great, and Yang Quan’s temperament is overly sharp. The Emperor’s intention to arrange a marriage between Your Highness and the Yang family is, in essence, because His Majesty has begun to harbor suspicions toward them. If Yang Quan marries Your Highness, it won’t be long before the Emperor takes action. Your Highness would be implicated, and the Crown Prince could easily be dragged into it. Yang Quan is someone you absolutely must not marry."
"Indeed," Li Rong’s eyes turned cold. "His ambitions are too great."
"As for Young Master Ning, although the Marquis of Ningguo’s household is not a prominent clan, the Marquis was the Emperor’s study companion in his youth and once took a sword for His Majesty. The Emperor values loyalty and friendship, and though he may not often think of the Marquis now, there remains a measure of brotherly affection between them. This could be advantageous for Your Highness. The Marquis is steady and prudent, and Young Master Ning is simple-minded and rarely leaves home. While this may not be ideal for marriage, it certainly will not hinder the Crown Prince. Most importantly," Pei Wenxuan looked up at her, reminding her, "Young Master Ning is in poor health."
In their previous life, Lu Yu had passed away from illness in the winter three years later.
Li Rong understood Pei Wenxuan’s implication. She lightly tapped the small table with her fan. "You mean, since he is in poor health and simple-minded, if I marry him and wait for him to pass away in the future, once my younger brother ascends the throne, I can remarry?"
"Yes."
Pei Wenxuan said calmly, "This way, you can ease the current Emperor’s vigilance, allowing Your Highness to avoid drawing attention. In the future, given Your Highness’s status, remarrying would not be difficult."Li Rong nodded. In truth, she had been thinking the same, but hearing Pei Wenxuan voice it aloud gave her a bit more reassurance. However, she hadn’t expected Pei Wenxuan to say such things. She couldn’t help but smile, lifting her eyes to look at him with a hint of curiosity. “If I don’t marry you and find my own way out, what will you do?”
Pei Wenxuan picked up the tea beside him and took a small sip. “If Your Highness is willing to lend a hand, that would naturally be best. If not, I have my own path to walk.”
With that, he gave a slight nod. “Your Highness need not worry too much on my behalf.”
The way he nodded seemed to practically spell out “mind your own business” on his face. Li Rong was both angered and amused by him. She truly felt Pei Wenxuan had a talent for instantly making her blood boil with rage.
She turned to look at the sky and said lightly, “It’s getting late. You should go back, Young Master Pei. If you don’t leave soon, the borrowed carriage might get muddy on the way back, and I’m afraid the steward will scold you again.”
Hitting where it hurts, striking at the heart.
Hearing this, Pei Wenxuan felt that all the plans he had just laid out for her had been wasted on an ungrateful soul.
To still serve so diligently a woman who could stab him to death with a single word—he felt he must be a living Bodhisattva reincarnated.
So he gave a mocking smile, bowed respectfully, and said, “Yes, I shall take my leave now. I’ve wanted to leave for a long time. Thank you for Your Highness’s gracious pardon.”
“Leave quickly, I won’t see you out.”
“I’ll be on my way.”
After saying this, Pei Wenxuan stood up immediately, without the slightest hesitation, and strode straight out.
A servant waiting outside held an umbrella for him. Pei Wenxuan thanked him softly and followed the servant away.
Li Rong watched Pei Wenxuan’s retreating figure, feeling as though she were watching a memory fade into the distance. She gazed quietly for a moment before turning to Jing Lan behind her. “Prepare some money and ginger soup to send to him.”
Consider it a reward for him finally acting like a decent human being at the end.
Though Jing Lan couldn’t quite grasp what Li Rong was thinking, she never questioned her mistress’s decisions. After bowing respectfully, she went to prepare the money and ginger soup as instructed.
Pei Wenxuan left the villa seething with anger. By then, most people had already departed. With a stern face, he boarded his family’s carriage and was about to leave when he heard Jing Lan calling from afar, “Young Master Pei!”
Hearing Jing Lan’s voice, Pei Wenxuan frowned, lifted the curtain, and stepped out. He saw Jing Lan hurrying over, another maid holding an umbrella for her.
The palace maids under Li Rong were exceptionally well-trained. Even walking in the rain, they moved steadily, not splashing a single drop of mud.
She carried a box and, upon reaching Pei Wenxuan, bowed before standing up and handing it to him. “Young Master, the weather is cold and rainy today. Her Highness instructed me to prepare ginger soup for you to drink on your way.”
Pei Wenxuan was taken aback for a moment. After a pause, he looked at the box and said softly, “Thank Her Highness for her kindness.”
Jing Lan smiled and handed over the box. “Take care on your journey, Young Master.”
Pei Wenxuan acknowledged her words, thanked Jing Lan, took the box, and reentered the carriage.
The box had two layers. Pulling open the first layer, he found a bowl of ginger soup, still steaming with warmth. Pei Wenxuan was reminded of the first year of their marriage, when Jing Lan would give him a soup suited to the weather every day he went out—pear soup on dry days, mung bean soup on hot days, ginger soup on cold days…
These were all Li Rong’s habits.He did not speak, quietly watching as the carriage began to move. Suddenly, he realized with startling clarity that once the carriage departed, he and Li Rong would never meet like this again in this lifetime.
From this moment on, each would go their separate ways, and the grudges and grievances of their past life would be wiped clean.
Unable to resist, he lifted the carriage curtain and called out to Jing Lan, who was returning to the villa: "Miss Jing Lan!"
Jing Lan turned around and saw Pei Wenxuan sitting inside the carriage. He looked at her, opened his mouth to speak, then suddenly regretted not having said more to Li Rong.
Hearing his voice, the coachman outside stopped the carriage again. Jing Lan walked back, looking at Pei Wenxuan with confusion. "Young Master Pei?"
"Please convey a message to the princess for me," Pei Wenxuan said, gripping the curtain tightly and staring intently at Jing Lan. "Tell her that since I am leaving this time, she must take care of herself. In all matters, she should act with caution and not be too bold!"
Jing Lan was bewildered by these words. Before she could ask anything, Pei Wenxuan quickly dropped the curtain, his figure disappearing behind it.
The carriage began moving once more, its wheels clattering along the road. Pei Wenxuan leaned back inside, feeling as if he had suddenly lost all strength. He slumped against the carriage wall, a sense of suffocation washing over him.
After a while, he opened a drawer and took out a bowl of ginger soup that was still steaming hot.
He took a sip. The warmth, mixed with a spicy kick, flowed down his throat and into his stomach, carrying with it a hint of subtle sweetness.
He smiled faintly, a touch of nostalgia in his expression.
This was likely the last time in this life he would drink Princess Ping Le's ginger soup.
After Pei Wenxuan left, Jing Lan returned. Li Rong stared at the chessboard on the table, idly twirling a piece between her fingers.
It had to be said, Pei Wenxuan's chess skills were truly exceptional. Over all these years, among the people she knew, only he could match her so evenly, making their battles uniquely engaging.
Others lacked the skill, while Su Rongqing preferred to deliberately let her win. Only that scoundrel Pei Wenxuan was both daring and fierce.
Hearing Jing Lan enter, she said lightly, "He's gone?"
"He's gone," Jing Lan replied respectfully, then added, "Before leaving, he left a message for you."
"What is it?"
"Young Master Pei said that since he is leaving this time, you must take care of yourself. In the future, act with caution in all matters and not be too bold."
Hearing this, Li Rong was momentarily stunned. After a pause, she let out a bitter laugh. "That man really worries too much."
With that, she stood up, casually tossing the chess piece into its box. "Since when does this princess need him to worry about her?"
After speaking, she turned to look outside the courtyard, where rain beat against lotus leaves, causing them to tremble and sway.
Not far away, a group of people lay in ambush along the path, beginning to set up roadblocks.
"Young Master," a youth holding a knife spoke with apprehension, "After all, she is a princess. For us to take action like this, is it really..."
"Is it really what?" The young man beside him wiped the blade of his knife, glancing at the youth with a mocking smile. "Do you think if we don't seize the princess, His Majesty will spare us? Stop dreaming."
The young man turned his head, looking coldly toward the distant villa. "Only by marrying the princess and binding ourselves to the Crown Prince will we have a chance at survival."
Hearing this, the youth fell silent for a moment before finally nodding. "You are right, Young Master."
The sky gradually darkened, thunder rumbling in the distance.
Pei Wenxuan finished the ginger soup sip by sip, then rolled up the curtain. He gazed at the mountains and rivers beneath the heavy rain, feeling as though this downpour was washing over his new life.After a moment, he heard the sound of galloping horses, and soon a group of people rushed past him on horseback.
Their clothing was plain, making it hard to tell which family they came from, but Pei Wenxuan recognized at a glance that these horses were not breeds from Shengjing but warhorses specially supplied for the border regions.
These warhorses looked no different from ordinary horses, and most people wouldn’t notice quickly, but Pei Wenxuan had once overseen frontline logistics and spotted it immediately.
Now, with heavy rain, these people were rushing out of the city in such haste. The direction they were heading led to the royal villas. If they were heading to the border or on official business, they should have left through other city gates. So, what were they planning?
Pei Wenxuan thought for a moment and realized something was wrong.
They were targeting Li Rong!
Author’s Note: 【Mini Theater】
Li Rong: “If I don’t marry you and I find a way out, what will you do?”
Pei Wenxuan
(Inner thoughts): “Damn, I don’t know what I’ll do either. Why ask me such an awkward question? But a real man handles things himself. Am I supposed to beg you? No way, I’m a grown man—I’d never do something so embarrassing!”
(Outwardly, with a proud expression): “I have my own ways, Princess. Don’t worry about it.”
Li Rong: “Hmph, get lost.”
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