Li Rong listenеd tо Реi Wеnxuan's eхрression оf regret аnd соuldn't stор lаughing. She prеssed her lips together, lоwеred hеr heаd, аnd rаisеd her hаnd, sауing, "Lеt's nоt talk аbout these things аnуmorе. I still have mattеrs to attеnd to."
"What еlsе dоеs Yоur Нighnеss need tо dо?"
"Of соursе, I'm going tо seе Lin Fеibai."
As shе sрokе, Li Rong turned to lоok at Pеi Wеnхuan. "Nоw that Xie Lаnqing is gоnе, yоur unсlе in thе Мinistrу of Justiсе should hаve sоme influenсe, right?"
Реi Wеnxuаn rаisеd his hаnd in a respеctful gesture. "At Your Нighness's commаnd."
The twо of thеm lеft the рalace gates together. Pei Wenxuan first sent someone to find Pei Liming. By the time they arrived at the Ministry of Justice, Pei Liming was already waiting at the entrance. Li Rong and Pei Wenxuan alighted from the carriage, and Pei Wenxuan stepped forward happily, greeting respectfully, "Uncle."
Pei Liming first bowed to Li Rong. "Your Highness."
Then he turned and nodded to Pei Wenxuan. "You arrived quite quickly."
"Her Highness was in a hurry," Pei Wenxuan lowered his voice. "Has the person arrived yet?"
"He is already waiting in the Ministry of Justice, and Miss Shangguan has also come."
"Shangguan Ya is here too?"
Pei Wenxuan was quite surprised. Pei Liming nodded. "I let her in."
As he spoke, Pei Liming raised his hand and bowed respectfully to Li Rong. "Your Highness, please."
Li Rong nodded. "Minister Pei, you are too courteous."
"It is only proper."
Pei Liming then led Li Rong and Pei Wenxuan inside. When they reached the entrance, they saw Shangguan Ya sitting at the door of the prison. She held a handful of peanuts in her hand, crossed her legs leisurely, and watched Lin Feibai inside with ease.
Lin Feibai sat on the prison bed with his back to Shangguan Ya. As soon as Li Rong entered, Shangguan Ya stood up. "Your Highness."
Hearing this, Lin Feibai's ears twitched slightly. After Li Rong walked in, Pei Liming tactfully said, "Your Highness, I will lead the way only this far. You may stay here for half an hour, but it would be best to finish questioning as quickly as possible to avoid unnecessary gossip."
"Understood," Li Rong bowed slightly to Pei Liming. "Thank you, Minister Pei."
"I will escort my uncle out."
Pei Wenxuan then accompanied Pei Liming out, leaving only Li Rong, Shangguan Ya, and Lin Feibai in the prison. Shangguan Ya quickly brought a stool for Li Rong. "Your Highness, please sit."
"Why are you here?"
Li Rong was somewhat curious. Shangguan Ya smiled. "I guessed that Your Highness would come to interrogate Lin Feibai today, so I came ahead of time. I’ve been extremely curious and have been waiting for Your Highness to clear up my doubts."
"What doubts?" Li Rong took the tea from Shangguan Ya and looked at Lin Feibai. "What confusion do you have that Young Master Lin cannot tell you?"
"I’ve already asked," Shangguan Ya sighed. "He’s tight-lipped and hasn’t said a single word so far."
Li Rong smiled. She set the tea aside, leaned back on the stool, and said gently, "Young Master Lin, don’t you have anything to ask me?"
Lin Feibai remained with his back to Li Rong, silent. Li Rong waited patiently. After a long while, Lin Feibai finally spoke. "My mother never spoke of him to me."
Lin Feibai's voice was hoarse. "She only said my father was dead, that he had betrayed her and abandoned her at Qin Qu Mountain. I grew up hating my father alongside her. I always thought he wasn’t a good man, that he had abandoned my mother."
"What is it that you don’t understand?" Li Rong gently tapped her palm with a fan.
"She died two years ago.""The master of Seven Stars Hall died two years ago?" Shangguan Ya was somewhat surprised. Lin Feibai ignored her and continued softly, "Two years ago, at her last moment, she was still clutching this necklace. She said she wanted to see the owner of this necklace, that she had already sent someone to notify that person, and she would wait for him."
"She told me to wait at the mountain gate. From there, I could see people on the mountain path, so I could spot that person as soon as he arrived. He would be dressed in black, and if he came, I was to tell her."
"I stood there at the mountain gate and waited. It snowed heavily that day, and I waited for a long time."
"I waited until the heavy snow covered me completely, until the morning light melted the ice and snow the next day, but no one came. When I returned, she had already fallen asleep."
"Until her death, she held onto this necklace."
Lin Feibai raised his hand and grasped the necklace. "I thought this was her most important possession, so I kept it. Before she died, she left me many requests. One of them was that she owed Xie Lanqing three favors, and the last one she couldn’t fulfill herself, so she asked me to help her."
"That’s why when Xie Lanqing went to Qin Qu Mountain to ask for Seven Stars Hall’s help, even though I knew getting involved in such matters would bring disaster upon the hall, I still came."
"But I don’t understand."
Lin Feibai clenched his fist. "This man, he humiliated her, betrayed her, never gave her a proper status in his life. She clearly hated him so much, so why did she still ask me to help him?!"
"She was saying one thing but meaning another."
Shangguan Ya spoke directly, but Lin Feibai paid no attention to her. He turned and stared at Li Rong. "You know why, don’t you?"
"I don’t know," Li Rong replied calmly. "All I know is that she wanted you to live well."
"And I’m not here today to answer your questions, but to give you an opportunity."
"What opportunity?"
"A chance to survive," Li Rong straightened up and spoke slowly, "and also a chance for revenge."
While Li Rong and Lin Feibai were talking, Pei Wenxuan escorted Pei Liming to the door. The surrounding guards had been dismissed. Pei Liming sighed and said, "You acted too rashly. You should have informed me about this earlier."
"I didn’t expect this to happen today either," Pei Wenxuan said with a bitter smile. "Her Highness didn’t tell me, and she came too suddenly. When His Majesty asked for someone on the spot, I had no choice but to ask Uncle for help."
Although it was said that Pei Liming was helping, both Pei Wenxuan and Pei Liming knew very well that Xie Lanqing would inevitably be removed from his position as Minister of Justice. Whoever took over Xie Lanqing’s case in the Ministry of Justice would be implied as the successor to the minister’s position.
Pei Liming had been in the position of Right Vice Minister for nearly ten years and had finally gotten his chance. The one who gave him this opportunity was not Pei Lixian, the highly regarded Imperial Secretary of the Chancellery, but Pei Wenxuan. Pei Liming didn’t say anything outwardly, but he was gradually forming his own calculations.
Although Pei Lixian held a high official position, over the years, he hadn’t brought many tangible benefits to the family. In contrast, Pei Wenxuan, though young, was exceptionally capable, had Li Rong backing him, and was generous. Now, he had directly handed the opportunity for promotion to minister to Pei Liming. How could Pei Liming not be pleased?
Suppressing his thoughts, he waved his hand and said, "We’re all family, no need to be so formal.""Uncle is right," Pei Wenxuan said gently and politely. "We are all family, and I will need your care and guidance in the future."
Pei Lixian smiled. Now that he had accepted Pei Wenxuan's favor, not only did Pei Wenxuan not mention it at all, but he also gave him every opportunity to save face, avoiding any embarrassment. In just a few words, Pei Lixian had already grown extremely fond of Pei Wenxuan, regretting that he had not paid more attention to this nephew in the past.
After the two exchanged pleasantries, Pei Wenxuan took his leave and returned to the prison. There, he heard Li Rong speaking to Lin Feibai: "You only need to tell the truth without hiding anything. Xie Lanqing should face whatever punishment she deserves—that is enough. Although you attempted to assassinate me, I will still report to His Majesty that you have redeemed yourself through merit, so he may lift your punishment."
Hearing Li Rong's voice, Pei Wenxuan stood behind her. Lin Feibai's expression remained unchanged as he said, "Your Highness won't use me again, will you?"
"Don't worry about that," Li Rong laughed. "I used you before because you tried to use me. Now that you are no longer using me, I naturally won't take the initiative to use you either."
"I don't believe a single word from you people of Huajing," Lin Feibai said coldly. Shangguan Ya sneered, "Then whose words do you believe?"
"But I am willing to testify against Xie Lanqing."
With this response, Li Rong felt relieved. This time, she had truly obtained evidence against Minister Xie and could bring him down from his high position.
Li Rong stood up and nodded. "It's good that you're willing. Then I'll take my leave now. I wish you an early release from prison, Young Master Lin."
As Li Rong spoke, she walked out. Pei Wenxuan followed behind her, and Shangguan Ya also walked out with Li Rong. Halfway there, Shangguan Ya seemed to remember something. She turned back, took a deck of leaf cards from her sleeve, placed them in the cell, raised her chin, and comforted him, "Don't be too upset. Play some cards, and the days will pass quickly. There are many joyful things in this world—no need to ruin your own mood over a few unrelated people."
Lin Feibai ignored her. Shangguan Ya clicked her tongue. "Ungrateful."
With that, Shangguan Ya turned around and hurried after Li Rong. "Hey, Your Highness, wait for me! Don't walk so fast."
As Shangguan Ya's voice faded into the distance, Lin Feibai hesitated for a moment before walking to the edge of the cell. He reached out and picked up the leaf cards.
The leaf cards were drawn by Shangguan Ya herself. Her painting skills were inherited from a master, and not only were they exquisitely crafted, but she had also made many innovations.
For example, she added a floral crown to the warrior's head in the picture or placed a birdcage in the scholar's hand. Lin Feibai looked at them quietly for a moment, let out a disdainful chuckle, then tucked the leaf cards away into his robe.
Shangguan Ya chased after Li Rong and Pei Wenxuan. Li Rong turned to look at her. "What did you leave for him?"
"A deck of leaf cards," Shangguan Ya waved her hand. "So he won't be bored."
"You're quite considerate," Li Rong laughed. Shangguan Ya felt a bit embarrassed. "He's rather pitiful."
"Alright, where are you going now?"
"I'm going home. And you, Your Highness?"
"I'm returning to the Princess's Manor. Let me give you a ride."
With that, Li Rong led Pei Wenxuan and Shangguan Ya onto the carriage.Once they were in the carriage, Pei Wenxuan poured tea for the two women. Shangguan Ya sat to one side, thought for a moment, and finally said, "Your Highness, why do you think Lin Feibai's mother was so conflicted? She taught Lin Feibai to hate Xie Lanqing for a lifetime, yet in the end, she still had him help Xie Lanqing. What was she trying to achieve?"
Li Rong smiled, looking up at Shangguan Ya. "Have you ever died?"
"How could I have died?" Shangguan Ya exclaimed in surprise. "Your Highness, no one in this world has ever died."
Li Rong and Pei Wenxuan exchanged a smile. Li Rong spoke slowly, "I suspect that Lin Feibai's mother truly hated Xie Lanqing for a lifetime, but it was because of love that she hated. So, before her death, she waited for him. She waited and waited, until the very last moment, when it no longer mattered whether he came or not."
"When a person dies, what remains is not hatred, but the last beautiful moments of their life."
Li Rong smiled gently. "Look, Lin Feibai's mother said she owed Xie Lanqing three requests. I've actually heard this story before. Back then, Xie Lanqing and the martial arts heroine Lin Xia met by chance and fell in love at first sight. At the time, Xie Lanqing saved Lin Xia, and she promised him that she would fulfill three requests for him."
"Xie Lanqing's first request was for Lin Xia to stay by his side."
Shangguan Ya was somewhat surprised. "So Minister Xie was quite romantic back then."
"Xie Lanqing's second request was for Lin Xia to leave his side. In truth, Lin Xia never truly obeyed Xie Lanqing. She and her junior sister established the Seven Stars Hall on Qin Qu Mountain. Xie Lanqing knew about it but never went to see her in his lifetime."
"Perhaps he heard she had a child," Shangguan Ya mused. "He thought she had started a new life?"
"These three requests were the beginning of their story. I think that before Lin Xia died, what she remembered were Xie Lanqing's good qualities. She no longer hated him; she wanted this relationship to end in the most beautiful way possible. And once she let go of her hatred, she clearly realized that Lin Feibai was, after all, Xie Lanqing's son. She hoped that Lin Feibai and Xie Lanqing could have a good relationship."
"Put that way, I can understand it a little," Shangguan Ya nodded. "Lin Feibai is really quite pitiful."
"The poor are all pitiful," Pei Wenxuan chimed in at the right moment. "He's actually quite fortunate."
Shangguan Ya nodded. "Indeed, the greatest sorrow in this world is poverty. Birth, aging, sickness, and death are given by heaven, but poverty always makes one doubt oneself."
"It's like being caught in a spider's web—stuck, yet always wondering if it's because you didn't try hard enough to break free."
As they spoke, the carriage arrived at the Shangguan residence. Shangguan Ya bowed to the two of them and smiled. "See you tomorrow."
With that, Shangguan Ya jumped out of the carriage. Once only the two of them remained inside, Pei Wenxuan turned to look at Li Rong. "Actually, I'm very curious—what did you see before you died?"
"And you?" Li Rong raised an eyebrow.
Pei Wenxuan thought for a moment and said slowly, "It was that New Year when we celebrated together, setting off fireworks. We stood together on the long corridor, and you called my name, asking me to turn around."
As he spoke, Pei Wenxuan smiled. "When I turned around, you stood on your tiptoes, cupped my face, and kissed me."
"Then you asked me if we could watch the fireworks together every year.""I agreed." Pei Wenxuan lowered his head and picked up a cup of bitter tea. "But you broke the promise."
"Let's watch them again this year."
Li Rong suddenly spoke up. Pei Wenxuan lifted his head, somewhat surprised. Li Rong turned to look at him with a smile. "This year, I'll watch the fireworks with you. Pei Wenxuan, promise me one thing," she said, leaning closer. Pei Wenxuan lowered his gaze to meet hers. "What?"
"In this lifetime, any promise we make to each other—either we don't speak it at all, or we keep it to the very end. Alright?"
"Alright." Pei Wenxuan smiled, his voice hoarse. "Neither of us will break it."
"Pinky swear?" Li Rong raised her little finger. Pei Wenxuan looked at her and thought she was being childish, but because it was Li Rong, even this childishness seemed endearing.
He raised his hand and hooked his little finger with hers.
"One hundred years, no changing."
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