Listеning tо Реi Wеnxuan's wоrds, Li Rоng соuldn't hеlp but look uр аt him.
Pei Wеnxuan hаd thе uрright fасе of a sсholar, yet whenevеr hе loоked аt hеr, his еуes sееmеd tо bе naturаlly filled with laughtеr.
Li Rоng gazеd at him for a mоment befоre he smilеd аnd stерреd bаck, then lеd hеr to еаt.
Тhat night wаs verу livеly. Li Rong hаd nеver еxperiеnced anуthing likе it. Тhe еntire new yеаr сelеbrаtiоn wаs bоistеrous уеt pеaсeful, without а single wоrrу, nоr anу fеаr оf misspeaking. It fеlt as if the imperial рalacе and the rоyаl сourt wеre a world away.
Pei Wenxuan had some wine. He was currently nursing his stomach and usually avoided alcohol if he could, but since it was the new year and everyone was in high spirits, he joined in for a few cups.
After drinking, whether it was because he was happy or because the wine had lifted his spirits, he seemed exceptionally cheerful.
When he and Li Rong returned to their room, he pulled her along, walking ahead and humming a little tune like a child. Li Rong found it rather amusing. "What are you so happy about?"
"Two things."
Pei Wenxuan held her hand, walking backward along the corridor. Li Rong lifted her chin. "Tell me?"
"First, Your Highness took the initiative to kiss me today."
"That's enough to make you this happy?" Li Rong raised an eyebrow. "If you're happy about that, I can also take the initiative to sleep with you."
Pei Wenxuan smiled and shook his head. "The second thing," he said, stopping in his tracks. He took both of Li Rong's hands and brought them to his chest. "I made Your Highness happy."
"I'm usually quite happy as long as you say fewer outrageous things."
Li Rong retorted with a smile. Pei Wenxuan continued to shake his head. He thought for a moment, then raised his hands to cup Li Rong's head, pressing his forehead against hers. "Rongrong, you've come out of the palace."
"I know."
Li Rong's reply was calm. "I moved into the Princess's Manor the day I married you."
"From now on, I will give you a home. It will be different from the palace."
"Your Highness," he said with exceptional earnestness, "I will heal all the wounds in your heart. From now on, the Princess has her Imperial Son-in-Law, and Li Rong has Pei Wenxuan."
Li Rong didn't speak. She lowered her gaze, and after a long while, she said in a low, husky voice, "I know."
From now on, Li Rong has Pei Wenxuan.
Hearing her "I know," Pei Wenxuan smiled again. He turned and led Li Rong back toward their room.
Once they returned, they each washed up and went to bed.
Perhaps Pei Wenxuan was tired, as he fell asleep not long after lying down.
Li Rong watched him in the darkness. After a long time, she cautiously reached out to touch him.
First, she placed a hand on his chest. Seeing that he didn't wake, she, for reasons she couldn't explain, extended her arms to embrace him, then leaned against him.
She listened to the beat of his heart, felt his breath, and smelled the familiar fragrance he always wore. She felt a sense of peace and tranquility.
In that instant, she felt a little unlike herself, but... it didn't feel bad.
The two slept until dawn. Due to his habit of attending the Morning Court Assembly, Pei Wenxuan woke early. He opened his eyes to see Li Rong sleeping on his chest, and his movement to get up stilled.
After a moment, he smiled, simply propping one hand behind his head and using the other to gently stroke Li Rong's hair, combing through it again and again.
Li Rong's hair was very soft and carried her scent. The sachets she wore were all personally blended by him; this fragrance belonged to him alone. At this thought, Pei Wenxuan lowered his gaze to Li Rong, who was lying on his chest, and couldn't help but recall the kiss she had initiated on her tiptoes last night.
When he kissed her last night, he had felt with all his heart that it was like a pledge of love. Now, in the morning when one was naturally more sensitive, with a beautiful woman in his arms, the thought made Pei Wenxuan's body feel a little restless. His gaze inevitably fell upon Li Rong, from her hair to her thick eyelashes, her high-bridged nose, and her lips, as full and lush as flower petals.
He quietly watched the person before him, his gaze deepening.
When Li Rong woke up, the sky was already bright. She could vaguely hear the voices of people outside. Dazedly opening her eyes, she saw Pei Wenxuan looking down at her with a smile, his clear voice greeting her, "Good morning, Your Highness."
His smile was gentle, but the way he stared at her was a little strange. He looked perfectly harmless and peaceful, yet for some reason, there was an added, hard-to-describe hint of aggression.
Li Rong glanced at him and propped herself up, only to realize that half her body was numb. Pei Wenxuan noticed her discomfort and reached out to massage her arm.
His hand moved over her arm. The hot, broad palm of a man kneaded her sore muscles. After a short while, Li Rong felt much better. Then she felt that even though the hand kneading her arm was trying its best to remain crisp and efficient, it still couldn't help but add a few lingering caresses.
Li Rong couldn't help but feel a little puzzled and looked up at him.
Sensing her gaze, Pei Wenxuan smiled and looked over. "What is Your Highness looking at?"
There wasn't a single impurity in Pei Wenxuan's gaze, which made Li Rong even more curious. Pei Wenxuan wasn't exactly a man of perfect self-control by nature. They had slept so close for a whole night, and now it was morning. He was helping her massage her shoulder like this, yet he had no reaction at all?
When Li Rong had a question, she sought the answer. She raised a hand to lift the quilt. Quick of eye and swift of hand, Pei Wenxuan pressed down on the quilt, asking nervously, "What is Your Highness trying to do?"
Li Rong's gaze drifted downward suggestively. "Just a little curious."
"What is Your Highness curious about?"
Hearing her question, Pei Wenxuan seemed to grow even more nervous, the tips of his ears turning red. Seeing his expression, Li Rong found it rather amusing. "It's not our first time getting married. What are you being so reserved for?"
With that, Li Rong leaned in and lowered her voice. "Are you not interested in me?"
"Why must Your Highness ask what you already know?"
Pei Wenxuan gave a wry smile. "Let's get up. There's a palace banquet today."
"Pei Wenxuan," Li Rong raised an eyebrow. "Actually," she said, raising a hand and attempting to slip it inside his collar, "I don't mind that much."
"It is precisely because Your Highness doesn't mind," Pei Wenxuan said, grasping her hand with a sigh, "that I must mind all the more."
"In our last life, Your Highness and I did not begin willingly," Pei Wenxuan said, pressing Li Rong's hand onto the bed as he took his clothes from the bedside, draped them over himself, and began fastening the buttons. "We were forced into marriage, and Your Highness complied. But now, I hope that we can both be more solemn about this matter. We can't rush the progress just because we've been through it before."
"We should proceed one step at a time," Pei Wenxuan said, lifting the quilt and getting up. He sat on the edge of the bed to put on his shoes. "Let's not skip any steps."
Hearing him speak so seriously, Li Rong, for some reason, felt a sense of reassurance mixed with a desire to tease him.
If a man actively sought this, Li Rong would instead feel a little uneasy. But now that Pei Wenxuan was so earnestly refusing, her interest was piqued.
Just as Pei Wenxuan was about to stand up, she suddenly pounced on his back from behind, wrapping her arms around his neck. Pei Wenxuan's body stiffened as he heard Li Rong say coquettishly, "Brother Pei~"
Calling his name, Li Rong leaned forward, pressing her full weight against him and whispering in his ear, "Even if you only advance one pawn a day, you still have to move forward. Isn't it uncomfortable for you to hold back, Brother Pei?"
"Then what does Your Highness mean?" Pei Wenxuan turned his head to look at her, an eyebrow raised. Li Rong blinked, leaned her body a little closer, rested her head on his shoulder, and let her hands begin to move.
Pei Wenxuan sucked in a sharp breath.
"Lord Pei?"
Seeing his reaction, Li Rong leaned on his shoulder and chuckled. "Shall we sleep a little longer?"
Pei Wenxuan didn't speak. He closed his eyes, unable to stop his chin from tilting up slightly as he said in a low, husky voice, "At Your Highness's command, your humble subject dares not disobey."
Li Rong burst out laughing, rolled into the bed, and beckoned to him. "Come in."
With elegant and composed grace, Pei Wenxuan lowered the bed curtains and returned to the bed.
Even though it was daytime, once the curtains were down, the space within the bed became dim.
As Pei Wenxuan gathered her into his arms, he glanced down at Li Rong, who was pursing her lips in a triumphant smile. He pressed her head against his chest, not letting her see the smile he couldn't control.
The two dallied until noon before going to eat together. After their meal, Li Rong, following palace custom, took Pei Wenxuan to pay a visit to Shangguan Yue.
The palace usually held a banquet on the first day of the new year to entertain married princesses and important ministers. New Year's Eve was a small banquet within the palace, while the first day of the year was a grand banquet attended by many imperial relatives and nobles.
Li Rong hadn't seen Shangguan Yue in a long time, so she entered the palace early, wanting to chat with her a little longer.
When they arrived at Weiyang Palace together, they saw that Li Chuan was already there, sitting and talking with Shangguan Yue. The moment Li Rong entered, Li Chuan brightened up, stood, and walked toward the entrance to greet her excitedly, "Elder Sister!"
"Don't put on that 'I haven't seen you in ages and missed you terribly' expression," Li Rong said, poking away Li Chuan's outstretched arms. She walked toward Shangguan Yue, teasing Li Chuan, "We see each other every day at court. But as for Mother Empress and I," Li Rong turned to look at Shangguan Yue, "it has indeed been a long time."
"Your Majesty." Pei Wenxuan raised his hands and bowed respectfully to Shangguan Yue.
Shangguan Yue nodded at Pei Wenxuan and gestured for him to sit, then looked at Li Rong. "I heard you've been busy lately, so I didn't disturb you. I've heard about your affairs in the rear palace, one thing after another, it's quite alarming. But I figured you have your own plans, so I didn't ask too much."
"Mother Empress has lost weight." Li Rong looked at Shangguan Yue, sizing her up for a moment before taking her hand, her voice filled with emotion. "You are getting older, and we have grown up. You shouldn't overwork yourself. Take good care of your health. The one who lives the longest is the biggest winner."
"I'm not worrying about much these days," Shangguan Yue said with a wry smile. "You all have your own ideas, and I don't want to have any disagreements with you. In matters of the court, someone has to give way. You want to press forward now, and I'm old, so I can only be the one to yield."
"Is Mother Empress blaming me?" Li Rong raised an eyebrow. Shangguan Yue quickly explained, "Don't you dare wrong me. You're my daughter, how could I have such thoughts?"
"I'm just teasing you." Li Rong linked her arm with Shangguan Yue's and leaned on her shoulder.
Shangguan Yue looked down at the daughter leaning on her shoulder, her heart softening immensely. "I don't manage anything anymore. There's only one thing I worry about. Chuan'er," Shangguan Yue turned to look at Li Chuan, who was sitting to the side, "even if you don't marry Sister Yaya, there are so many young women in the world. Surely you can find one to be the Crown Princess?"
Pei Wenxuan and Li Rong exchanged a glance. Shangguan Yue looked at Li Chuan, who was trying his best to force a smile and explain, "Mother Empress, it's not that I don't want to, it's just hard to find someone suitable..."
"It's not that you can't find someone suitable, it's that you're afraid of getting married," Shangguan Yue cut him off, then immediately started nagging. "You have to learn to compromise in marriage. Look at your sister and the Imperial Son-in-Law. Theirs was also an arranged marriage, and now they're inseparable. What's so bad about that?"
Hearing this praise, Li Rong couldn't help but turn her head away and cough lightly.
Li Chuan looked aggrieved and said in a low voice, "Mother Empress, I'm still young. Let's discuss this later."
"Discuss it later? When do you want to discuss it?"
"Mother Empress, I've thought about it," Li Chuan said with a serious face. "How can I speak of marriage when the world is not at peace? As the Crown Prince..."
"You just don't want to get married, don't give me that nonsense about the world!"
Shangguan Yue cut him off directly. "I can't be bothered whether you get married or not right now. But since you're not married, as long as you remain so, there will be a whole crowd of people eyeing the position. That niece of Consort Rou is still wandering around the palace, 'coincidentally' running into you at the gates of the Eastern Palace every day. Who doesn't know what she's planning? If you can deal with her, you can get married whenever you want."
As she spoke, Shangguan Yue sat down and muttered under her breath, "Wanting to talk about love and romance without any ability whatsoever. It's the height of selfishness!"
Li Chuan felt uncomfortable being scolded and kept his head down. Seeing that the atmosphere was tense, Pei Wenxuan cleared his throat and suddenly asked Shangguan Yue, "Your Majesty, recently, this humble subject has noticed that the Princess's leg bones tend to ache in cold weather. Does Your Majesty know why that might be?"
Hearing that her daughter was unwell, Shangguan Yue was immediately distracted. Once she started talking to Pei Wenxuan, she couldn't stop. The topic was deftly shifted by Pei Wenxuan, and the four of them continued to chat about health and wellness. When it was almost time, Li Rong and Pei Wenxuan had to take their leave to prepare for the palace banquet.
The two bid farewell to the Empress and Li Chuan. After they left, Li Rong sighed. Pei Wenxuan looked over. "Why does Your Highness sigh?"
"Chuan'er's marriage. Mother Empress is right, it really can't be delayed forever."
Li Rong was worried. "With Chuan'er's personality, if I were to persuade and pressure him a bit, he would choose whomever he wanted for Crown Princess."
"But Your Highness won't do that now," Pei Wenxuan said in a calm voice, taking Li Rong's hand. "Your Highness hopes that the Crown Prince can also walk his path well."
Li Rong walked hand-in-hand with Pei Wenxuan along the long corridor, listening to his words in silence. Seeing her deep in thought, Pei Wenxuan thought for a moment and said, "Actually, I have a solution."
"Oh?"
Li Rong looked up at him. Just as Pei Wenxuan was about to answer, a laughing call came from not far away, "Isn't that Elder Sister Ping Le? You've come to the palace today?"
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