Аftеr Su Rоngqing sроkе, Li Ming was соmрlеtеly reassurеd. Нe noddеd and said, "Sinсе Мinistеr Su аlsо says sо, let Minister Pei handlе this сasе. Draft thе dесrеe."
Оnсе Li Мing finishеd spеaking, he ordеrеd somеone to drаft the deсree, арроinting Реi Liming tо investigatе thе cаsе.
With thе investigаtor dесided, Xiе Lаnqing's eхpression turnеd extremеlу grim. Li Мing wavеd his hand and said, "Таkе him awау."
Аt this mоmеnt, Хie Lаnqing finаlly rеaсted. Hе threw himsеlf аt Li Мing's feеt аnd рlеaded urgentlу, "Your Majesty, this оld minister is wronged! Yоur Majеsty, sоmеonе must have interfered in this matter. Bring the clear water here, test it again! Test it again!"
"Drag him out."
Li Ming waved his hand, and the guards on both sides rushed in, dragging Xie Lanqing out.
Xie Lanqing wailed, kicked, and struggled all the way, showing no sign of the severe injuries he had claimed earlier.
After Xie Lanqing was dragged away, Lin Feibai remained standing dazedly in place, staring at the bowl of clear water mixed with blood droplets. When the guards approached to pull him, he finally snapped back to reality, shook off their hands, turned around, and strode out, saying, "I'll go myself."
Once Lin Feibai had left, Li Ming seemed somewhat exhausted. He waved his hand and said, "I am a bit tired. All of you may leave. Pei Wenxuan, stay behind. I have a few words for you."
Everyone bowed respectfully upon hearing this and left one after another.
Li Rong followed the crowd out. Wiping her tears, her eyes red, she stopped on the long corridor outside the imperial study.
Shangguan Ya walked over to Li Rong and asked, "Your Highness, are you waiting for the Imperial Son-in-Law?"
"Yes," Li Rong sniffled, as if just recovering her composure. Shangguan Ya sighed, "Seeing Your Highness endure so much grievance without speaking up truly pains this subordinate. In the future, Your Highness should confide in me more and not bear everything alone."
"You are right," Li Rong smiled faintly. "You may return first."
Shangguan Ya nodded gracefully, glanced at the people still talking nearby, and considering the risk of gossip, finally bowed and withdrew.
As the surrounding crowd gradually dispersed after finishing their conversations, Li Rong felt a cold breeze brush against her face. She slowly composed her expression and stood on the corridor, quietly gazing at the courtyard.
Not long after, someone stood beside her. Li Rong did not speak, nor did the other person make a sound. After a long while, Su Rongqing's voice slowly rang out, "Your Highness's actions today greatly exceeded this humble official's expectations."
"Minister Su's actions today also exceeded this palace's expectations."
"Does Your Highness think I would not do anything?"
The distance between Su Rongqing and her was neither far nor close—just the length of a forearm, the same distance he had always maintained with her in the past.
Li Rong noticed this distance and felt a momentary daze. She collected her thoughts and said calmly, "I thought Minister Su would not yield the case of Xie Lanqing."
"He attempted to assassinate Your Highness," Su Rongqing said calmly. "This humble official would not shield him."
Li Rong gave a soft acknowledgment. After a long pause, Su Rongqing spoke again, "Your Highness, why do you wish to establish the Supervisory Department?"
"For the nation, for the people, for justice and righteousness," Li Rong replied flatly, her quick response betraying a hint of indifference. The withered branches in the courtyard nearby seemed to have frozen with frost in the wind. Su Rongqing quietly watched the ice and snow on the branches and whispered, "Your Highness, has opposing the noble families become the justice and righteousness in your heart?"Li Rong paused at the question. Su Rongqing lowered his gaze, his voice steady: "Even if there are parasites among the noble families, they are still the foundation of Great Xia. Water that is too clear breeds no fish. To shake the very roots of Great Xia for the sake of a few parasites—if war were to break out again and the nation were to falter, where then would Your Highness’s ideals of the people, the state, and justice reside?"
Li Rong gazed at the courtyard without speaking. Su Rongqing turned to look at her: "Your Highness, have you been well since marrying Pei Wenxuan?"
"Naturally, I have been well."
Li Rong smiled: "The Imperial Son-in-Law is a very good man."
"That is good."
Su Rongqing looked at Li Rong gently: "When Your Highness married, I had a small wish. I hoped Your Highness’s feelings would be free from the taint of power, pure and unblemished, leaving Your Highness with no regrets."
Li Rong, surprised by these words, turned back to look at him. Just then, Pei Wenxuan’s voice came from the doorway as he bid farewell to the attendant.
"Thank you for seeing me out, Eunuch Fu. I shall take my leave now."
"Take care, Imperial Son-in-Law."
After Pei Wenxuan spoke, footsteps gradually approached. Li Rong stared blankly at Su Rongqing, who turned away and said only: "Hearing that Your Highness is well puts my mind at ease. Su Lin will submit his resignation to retire tomorrow. I hope Your Highness will act with greater consideration in the future."
With that, before Pei Wenxuan could arrive, Su Rongqing bowed respectfully and withdrew.
Seeing Li Rong watch Su Rongqing depart, Pei Wenxuan paused for a moment before stepping forward to stand behind her. He tucked his hands into his sleeves, leaned in, and said with a smile: "Oh, you seem quite captivated."
"Has His Majesty finished speaking with you?"
Li Rong turned to look at him, withdrawing her gaze as she smiled: "What did he say?"
"And what did Your Highness and Minister Su discuss just now?"
Pei Wenxuan walked to Li Rong’s side and said leisurely: "You seemed quite moved, as if touched by something?"
"You are not wrong," Li Rong nodded, lightly tapping her small fan against her palm. She sighed, somewhat wistful: "He did tell me something very important, which moved me deeply. I couldn’t help but think more highly of him as a person."
"Haven’t you thought enough about him already?"
Pei Wenxuan sneered: "How much more? Just place him at the very tip of your heart—though that would be hard on Minister Su."
"Why would placing him at the tip of my heart be hard on him?" Li Rong raised an eyebrow.
Pei Wenxuan shook his head and sighed, as if in sympathy: "That spot on the tip of your heart is so small. To stand there, one would have to balance on one leg like a golden rooster. When the left leg tires, switch to the right; when the right leg tires, switch back to the left. Don’t you think Minister Su would find that exhausting?"
Li Rong nearly laughed aloud at these words, but she suppressed her smile and said slowly: "That would indeed be too tiring. Such exhausting work seems beyond Lord Pei’s capabilities. Best leave it to someone else."
"You are mistaken," Pei Wenxuan immediately replied. "Your Highness does not know me well. The golden rooster stance is my unique skill. If Your Highness wishes, I could stand on one leg at the tip of your heart for a lifetime."
Li Rong couldn’t hold back her laughter at this. Pei Wenxuan, no longer in the mood for banter, asked: "What did Su Rongqing say to you?"
"He said Su Lin will voluntarily request to retire tomorrow.""What does he mean by this?" Pei Wenxuan frowned. Li Rong tapped her fan against her palm, speaking slowly, "He is likely trying to show goodwill, to make me trust their way of handling things. He told me that the noble families are the foundation of Great Xia and must not be recklessly shaken. Stability is more important than pursuing absolute justice."
Pei Wenxuan remained silent. Li Rong turned to look at him. "What did Father say?"
"He asked me about the details of the assassination attempt and how capable my uncle really is."
Li Rong nodded. "Minister Pei has taken over Xie Lanqing's case. Once the case concludes, he will naturally take charge of the Ministry of Justice. After that, it will be much more convenient for us to handle matters."
Pei Wenxuan acknowledged her words. Li Rong walked along the corridor, and seeing her remain silent for so long, Pei Wenxuan couldn't help but ask, "What else is on Your Highness's mind?"
"I was thinking," Li Rong looked up, "don't you find Su Rongqing a bit too strange?"
"What does Your Highness find strange about him?"
"From the very beginning of this life, he told me he wanted to secretly pledge allegiance to the Crown Prince. But the Su family has always remained neutral. His attempt to use me to align with the Crown Prince seems rather rash."
"Perhaps he is still young," Pei Wenxuan said calmly. "He believes that Su Ronghua being appointed as Prince Su's teacher has affected the Su family's neutral stance, so he decided to balance the family's position this way?"
"But he didn't do this in his previous life."
"Or perhaps he did, and you just didn't know about it?" Pei Wenxuan spoke slowly. "After all, after the Crown Prince was deposed, the Su family was the first to switch sides to support him, wasn't it?"
Li Rong lightly tapped her fan against her palm, then continued, "Then what about now..."
"The main reason he supports the Crown Prince is that the Crown Prince is the legitimate son of the empress. And now, the Supervisory Department has infringed upon the interests of many families, so naturally, he wouldn't support it."
Li Rong fell silent. Pei Wenxuan went on, "As for why he discussed marriage with you at Northern Yan Tower, it was simply because he realized the impact marriage has on you. You married someone from a humble background and established the Supervisory Department. With the Supervisory Department in your hands and unwilling to let go, the noble families have only two options: either drive you out of the capital or keep you as a lingering threat."
"Driving you out of the capital would inevitably incur the Crown Prince's resentment. The Su family's stance is likely to avoid disrupting the current situation, hoping the Crown Prince and the noble families will work together to prevent Consort Rou from seizing any opportunity. But keeping you means you hold the Supervisory Department, which poses too great a constraint on the noble families. The only solution is to marry you during a moment of crisis."
"Your Highness is a princess, but after all, you are a woman."
Pei Wenxuan looked up at Li Rong. "To the outside world, Your Highness is a ruler, but if you have a husband who does not protect you, the so-called principles of husband and wife can crush you."
Li Rong remained silent for a long time before she smiled bitterly. "If what you say is true, Su Rongqing's intentions are truly somewhat repulsive."
"This is the Su family's thinking, which is why they are willing to risk suspicion by allowing him to marry Your Highness," Pei Wenxuan said flatly. "But he is not like that."
Li Rong turned to look at Pei Wenxuan, whose expression revealed neither joy nor anger. She couldn't help but ask, "Then what does he think?"
"What does he think," Pei Wenxuan turned to look at Li Rong, "does Your Highness not know?"
Hearing this, Li Rong chuckled softly. "I don't know.""I may have too high an opinion of myself," Li Rong turned her head away, walking ahead as she spoke slowly. "There are moments when I suddenly feel that someone likes me. Then I become anxious, my heart flutters, and sometimes I even think about how to reject them in advance. Other times, when I don’t plan to reject them, I take the initiative once or twice after seeing them hesitate, only to realize in the end that I was indeed overthinking it."
"So often, I can no longer tell whether what I perceive is true or false."
Pei Wenxuan watched Li Rong’s back as she walked ahead. He gazed calmly for a long while before slowly saying, "What Your Highness feels is all true."
Li Rong halted her steps and turned to look at Pei Wenxuan. He smiled gently and said, "It’s just that the person who responded to Your Highness spoke falsely. Some lies are told because they themselves do not understand their own hearts, while others are told because they cannot reciprocate Your Highness’s feelings."
Li Rong quietly watched Pei Wenxuan for a long time before finally smiling. "Didn’t you hate him? Why do you keep speaking up for him?"
"It’s true that I hate him, but that doesn’t mean I should slander him."
As he spoke, Pei Wenxuan couldn’t help but sigh. "Sometimes, I even regret that only the two of us have returned."
"Otherwise?"
Li Rong raised an eyebrow, curious. "What would you do?"
"If he had truly returned," a flicker of coldness passed through Pei Wenxuan’s eyes, "then it would be a matter of settling scores and grievances, each relying on their own means. It’s a pity that now we’re dealing with a young brat," Pei Wenxuan said with some regret. "Holding a grudge would only lower my standing."
"What a shame."
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