The Princess Royal

"Yоur Нighnеss is wise." Shangguаn Yа immеdiаtеly clasреd her hands in рraise uроn hеаring Li Rоng's dеcision. "Тransferring positions is currеntlу the Imрeriаl Sоn-in-Lаw's grеatеst wоrrу. If Yоur Нighness сan help him rеsоlve this, оnce he lеarns of it, hе will surely bе рrоfоundlу grаtеful and ovеrjоyеd, fееling Your Нighness's саre for him. Тhеn he will оpen his heаrt and join with Your Нighnеss in shаred dеlight, to acсоmрlish this goоd uniоn."

"Тhе lаttеr pаrt is unnеcеssarу." Li Rong clеarеd hеr thrоat lightlу. "Аs lоng аs he is hapрy, as for the rest..." Li Rоng thought for a mоment. "Aсtuallу, whаt he sаid might not be so bad."

"What does Your Highness mean?" Shangguan Ya was somewhat puzzled. Li Rong clasped her hands behind her back and smiled. "I have never properly experienced a relationship. After just one glance at a portrait, I hastily married someone. It was all rather muddled, and I truly don't know what it feels like for two people to fall in love, pledge their hearts, and then marry."

As she spoke, Li Rong turned to look at Shangguan Ya. The current Shangguan Ya was lively and beautiful. Li Rong gazed at her for a long while before slowly smiling. "You're not young anymore either. Don't spend all your time matchmaking for others. Keep an eye out for yourself as well. When the time comes to act, act. If you can't manage it yourself, just call on me," Li Rong raised an eyebrow. "This princess will help you."

"Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness." Upon hearing Li Rong offer to help, Shangguan Ya immediately said, "But your affairs are more important. A mere marriage matter, this subordinate can handle it herself."

Li Rong nodded and didn't inquire further. After all, this was Shangguan Ya's private matter; how she wished to proceed was not Li Rong's concern.

Thus, she returned to the matter of Pei Wenxuan's transfer, pondering methods in her heart.

For Pei Wenxuan to transfer to the Ministry of Personnel, first the Censorate must be willing to release him, and second, the Ministry of Personnel must be willing to accept him. The Censorate was under Shangguan Minzhi's control, so that shouldn't be too difficult. However, the Ministry of Personnel was headed by Wang Houwen. She had offended many of the Wang family before, so if Wang Houwen found out about Pei Wenxuan's transfer, it would absolutely be blocked. Therefore, the safest approach now was to find someone within the Ministry of Personnel who could make decisions and quietly place Pei Wenxuan into a minor position. Once it was settled, even if Wang Houwen later found out, it would be difficult for him to expel Pei Wenxuan.

First, infiltrate the Ministry of Personnel; promotions could be planned later.

What Pei Wenxuan needed now was someone willing to secretly add his name to the Ministry of Personnel's transfer list.

Li Rong thought of the name of the person currently in charge of internal and external personnel transfers at the Ministry of Personnel and made up her mind.

"Strange."

Just as Li Rong was thinking about Pei Wenxuan's promotion, she heard Shangguan Ya mutter. Li Rong looked up and noticed many scholars from outside Huajing coming and going along the street. Some were asking for directions, others chatting. Accents from all over mingled, filling the streets, making Li Rong take a few extra glances.

Shangguan Ya also noticed this situation and was curious. "There seem to be many scholars from other regions lately."

"Do you know why?"

Li Rong turned to look at Shangguan Ya, who shook her head. Though well-versed in the ways of the upper nobility, she was not very clear about the affairs of the common people below.

Li Rong, however, was very familiar with the origins of these scholars. "The imperial examinations begin in March. By early February, students and provincial candidates from all regions must arrive at the Department of State Affairs to register."

This was a major affair of state in her previous life's later years.

"Then why have they come so early?""Of course, it serves other purposes. The imperial examination not only tests the essays written during the exam itself, but candidates can also submit their usual writings to the Chief Examiner. If the Chief Examiner takes a liking to them, even if their exam essays are mediocre, they can still advance to the palace examination based on their usual works."

"But how do these ordinary students submit their usual writings to the Chief Examiner? Do they hand them over together during the exam?"

Shangguan Ya was somewhat puzzled. Li Rong glanced to the side and saw two scholars discussing their experiences visiting the Su residence. After overhearing a bit, she explained to Shangguan Ya, "That’s why they come to Huajing early, submitting their writings to the mansions of influential nobles who enjoy collecting poetry. If they are valued, these nobles will recommend them to the Chief Examiner at the time."

"So, in that case," Shangguan Ya pondered, "this imperial examination doesn’t seem all that meaningful."

"How so?" Li Rong noticed that Shangguan Ya seemed to have realized something. Shangguan Ya pursed her lips, "If nobles can recommend candidates and the Chief Examiner can adjust scores accordingly, wouldn’t the children of nobles all become top scholars?"

"Why would the children of nobles even need to take the imperial examination?" Li Rong laughed. "Children of prominent families already benefit from their ancestors’ legacy and can be directly recommended for court positions. For example, Su Rongqing attended court discussions with his grandfather at the age of twelve—did he need to take the imperial examination? So, those who take the exam are mostly from ordinary families or arrogant young men who want to test their own abilities. The unfairness of the imperial examination lies in the competition among these ordinary people, not interference from prominent families."

Listening to this, Shangguan Ya sighed. Li Rong couldn’t help but smile, "What are you sighing about?"

"Your Highness," Shangguan Ya lamented, "thank goodness we worked hard when we were being reborn."

The two chatted all the way as Li Rong escorted Shangguan Ya back to her residence. After returning home, Li Rong immediately ordered someone to investigate Liu Chunhang, the Director of the Ministry of Personnel.

Once all the matters were dealt with, she heard that Pei Wenxuan had returned.

After returning, Pei Wenxuan didn’t come to see her first. Instead, he went to the bathhouse, washed up, and only then returned.

Li Rong was reviewing memorials when she saw him enter after changing clothes. Without looking up, she said, "Where did you go to drink flower wine, Imperial Son-in-Law?"

"Your Highness wrongs me."

Pei Wenxuan laughed, walked over to Li Rong, and sat cross-legged. "With me around, who would dare to take me to drink flower wine?"

"The old dogs in the court are bold enough," Li Rong placed the reviewed memorial aside. "Didn’t they take you before? It’s not like I don’t know."

"Times are different now," Pei Wenxuan leaned to the left, smiling. "Back then, if they took me to drink flower wine, Princess Ping Le would at most complain to His Majesty, who would only give a verbal reprimand. Privately, he might even urge Your Highness to cultivate more wifely virtues. But now, if someone took me to drink flower wine," Pei Wenxuan grabbed a peanut from the plate and tossed it into his mouth, "the Supervisory Department would immediately show up at their doorstep to investigate, causing trouble for themselves."

"Women," Pei Wenxuan sighed, "become fierce when they have money."

"What, was I gentle before?" Li Rong raised an eyebrow at him. Seeing the warning in her eyes, Pei Wenxuan quickly added, "You’re gentle now too, especially gentle."

Li Rong was amused by him and didn’t bother with his frivolity. She simply asked, "Were you discussing the transfer matter today?""Exactly," Pei Wenxuan sighed. "I went to great lengths to invite all the officials from the Ministry of Personnel, but each one dodged and made excuses. I could practically recite their lines by now."

"Imperial Son-in-Law, it's not that we don't want to help you," Pei Wenxuan straightened up, mimicking their tone with a hint of sarcasm. "This matter must follow the rules. When the time comes, whoever is suitable should get the position. Imperial Son-in-Law, don't worry, just follow the rules."

After saying this, Pei Wenxuan gave a soft "tch." "These old dogs—what rules do they have in mind? All they want is money. They just don't dare take mine."

"What if," Li Rong tentatively suggested, "you leave this matter to me?"

"You think I can't handle it?"

Pei Wenxuan turned his head, raising an eyebrow. "Your Highness," he straightened up, looking quite serious. "You can say I'm a bad person. But," Pei Wenxuan pointed to his head, "you can't say I'm stupid."

"Then..." Li Rong asked cautiously, "you'll handle it yourself?"

"I'll handle it myself."

Pei Wenxuan rolled up his sleeves slowly, saying, "It's a small matter, no need to trouble Your Highness."

"What if I want to be troubled?" Li Rong hesitantly asked this question, and Pei Wenxuan paused. The words entered his mind, and he instantly analyzed the many possible motives behind Li Rong's statement.

What did she mean by wanting to be troubled? Did she hope he would rely on her?

Why did she want him to rely on her?

Could it be...

Pei Wenxuan reviewed all the moments they had spent together in his mind. He suddenly realized that whenever he was in trouble, Li Rong seemed to treat him a little better.

Pei Wenxuan couldn't help but recall what her grandmother once said to his mother: "In a marriage, you must learn to show weakness. If you do everything yourself and the other person can't do anything for you, no matter how good you are, it's hard for them to keep you in their heart."

In other words, if everything comes without cost, it naturally won't be cherished.

Looking at it this way, had he been too strong-willed in the past?

If it were an ordinary woman, she might be delighted by his strength, but Li Rong was used to being strong herself. Would showing a little weakness make her happier instead?

A flurry of thoughts flashed through his mind. Pei Wenxuan's sleeve-rolling paused for only a moment before he smiled and continued rolling his sleeves up to his arms, saying leisurely, "Then how does Your Highness wish to be troubled?"

"Why not leave this matter to me?" Li Rong's interest was piqued, and she said happily, "I don't think I've ever helped you with anything. Let me help you this once. I promise to handle it perfectly!"

"Alright."

Pei Wenxuan smiled slightly and looked up. "Then I'll trouble Your Highness. Honestly, this matter is quite difficult for me to handle. If Your Highness can help, that would be wonderful."

Hearing Pei Wenxuan say it was difficult for him to handle, Li Rong instinctively forgot his earlier remark about it being a "small matter" and immediately felt happy.

Seeing her joy, Pei Wenxuan reached out to tidy the stack of documents for her, then stood up and extended a hand to pull Li Rong up. "Alright, it's late. Let's sleep."

Li Rong let him pull her up and walked with him toward the bed. Once they were in bed and Pei Wenxuan had drawn the curtains, Li Rong suddenly remembered something. She turned to look at Pei Wenxuan beside her. "Did you drink today?"

"No, I didn't."Pei Wenxuan turned to look at her when she asked: "Nowadays, I avoid drinking whenever possible."

"Why aren't you drinking in this lifetime?" Li Rong found it strange, remembering how Pei Wenxuan had once navigated official circles with ease, his drinking capacity honed alongside his superiors. Pei Wenxuan responded to her question simply: "First, I don't want you to have to take care of me again—it's troublesome for you when I drink. Second, I value my life."

As he spoke, Pei Wenxuan gently tucked a stray strand of hair behind Li Rong's ear and said softly, "In our previous life, we both pushed our bodies too hard. You were plagued by severe illness in your early fifties, and I wasn't much better off. While you lay in bed, I was coughing up blood."

"I never knew," Li Rong sighed. "You hid it so well."

"Only my doctor and I knew."

Pei Wenxuan's voice remained gentle: "And not long after, we both passed away together. I think if I had lived on, it wouldn't have been for much longer. So in this lifetime, let's not push ourselves so hard. Let's live longer, so I can spend more time with you. I still have to wait for you. What if my life is short and I don't get to—"

"Don't talk nonsense," Li Rong interrupted, displeased with his words. Pei Wenxuan smiled and fell silent. After a moment, seeing Li Rong was in the mood to talk, he asked, "Did you visit Lin Feibai today?"

"Yes. I sent him to serve in the southwestern army to build his career and achieve merit."

"That's good. We can't rely solely on Qin Lin—he's already quite exposed now," Pei Wenxuan nodded. Li Rong thought for a moment before suddenly asking, "Pei Wenxuan, in your previous life, did you want children?"

The question caught Pei Wenxuan off guard. After a pause, he replied slowly, "Of course I did. Especially later on, whenever I returned home alone, I felt terribly lonely."

"Would you have wanted a boy or a girl?"

Li Rong was curious. Pei Wenxuan pondered before answering, "That didn't matter much to me—either would have been fine. But now, I don't really want children anymore."

"Why?" Li Rong asked in surprise. Pei Wenxuan gazed at her for a long time before gently pressing his forehead against hers. "I'm afraid something might happen to you. I don't want to take any risks, not even the slightest."

Hearing this, Li Rong lowered her eyes. Pei Wenxuan watched her expression before pulling her into his arms and saying gently, "Let's sleep."

Having promised to leave the matter of his transfer to Li Rong, Pei Wenxuan truly set it aside.

Freed from worries about his transfer, Pei Wenxuan found himself with ample free time. He placed a wooden tube at the entrance of the Princess's Manor, inscribed with the words "Seeking Talents."

This wooden tube was called the Talent-Seeking Tube. Before the imperial examinations, if influential families in Huajing wished to review scholars' works, they would place such a tube at their gates. Scholars could then deposit their writings inside, signed with their names, for the nobility to peruse.

If a scholar's work caught their eye, they would be invited to the manor as a guest.

After Pei Wenxuan set up the Talent-Seeking Tube, the manor began hosting frequent gatherings. Every day when Li Rong returned home, she could hear Pei Wenxuan discussing current affairs with a group of scholars. In addition to these scholars, some scions of noble families also attended. Before the imperial examinations, as scholars attended banquets all around, this period became the peak season for intellectual gatherings and elegant conversations.Sometimes Li Rong would secretly go over and see a room full of scholars engaged in lofty discussions. Pei Wenxuan wore a white single-layered robe with golden swirling cloud patterns, a jade crown on his head. He sat with one leg crossed and the other bent at the knee, one hand holding a teacup while the other rested on his bent knee. He appeared casual and unrestrained, with a hint of arrogance, but his smile as he observed others added a touch of steadiness and restraint.

At first, Li Rong went secretly only by chance—she had gone to see Pei Wenxuan and happened upon the gathering. Seeing so many people, she felt it inappropriate to enter and quietly left.

But later, she noticed that every time she went, it seemed there would be a group of maids gathered at the door, secretly peeking at the people inside.

Once, she not only saw maids but also spotted Shangguan Ya. She remained expressionless, pretending not to have seen her.

Later still, she discovered that not only had Shangguan Ya come, but a group of noble young ladies had also started visiting the Princess's Manor with her. Each time, they would report Shangguan Ya's name, and then the whole group would hide in the garden to watch Pei Wenxuan host his scholarly gatherings.

This was exposed when Li Rong, on a whim one day, decided to go see Pei Wenxuan. As soon as she arrived, she found a group of familiar high-born noble ladies following Shangguan Ya in her courtyard.

She confirmed that none of them had announced their arrival—only Shangguan Ya's name had been reported. From a distance, she observed that all the young ladies' eyes were fixed on the men in the gathering, with the majority focused on Pei Wenxuan.

She quietly walked over and lightly kicked Shangguan Ya from behind. Shangguan Ya turned around angrily and whispered, "What the—"

Before she could finish, she saw Li Rong looking down at her from above. Shangguan Ya stammered in fright, "Y-you... you..."

"Come with me for a moment."

Li Rong directly grabbed Shangguan Ya by the collar and dragged her away. After they had walked some distance, Li Rong crossed her arms and looked at Shangguan Ya, who stood before her with her head lowered, not daring to speak.

"Well done," Li Rong sneered. "Instead of doing your work, you bring a group of girls to my manor to look at my Imperial Son-in-Law?"

"Your Highness," Shangguan Ya stammered, "actually, it's not entirely to look at the Imperial Son-in-Law..."

"So I should thank you for sparing him?"

"Your Highness," Shangguan Ya took a deep breath, "actually, this is also a strategy of ours to win people over."

"Using my Imperial Son-in-Law's face?"

"No," Shangguan Ya immediately said, "Your Highness, you must understand that a handsome man alone doesn't have much impact, but a group of handsome and talented men is different. Especially with the feeling of secretly watching. If you don't believe me, let me show you."

Listening to Shangguan Ya's words, Li Rong allowed herself to be dragged along, half-convinced and half-doubting as she blended into the crowd.

There were too many young ladies here, all hiding outside. Li Rong felt somewhat awkward for a moment—she didn't understand why she had to sneak around to see her own husband.

Most importantly, why did those men get to sit comfortably in warm rooms wearing single-layered robes while they had to shiver in the cold wind?

She thought these girls had all lost their minds, but she was still curious why even Shangguan Ya's mind could have gone so awry.

So she decided to follow Shangguan Ya and experience it for herself.

Pei Wenxuan's scholarly gatherings had recently become the most popular among various families, so today there were many attendees. From high-born nobles like Su Ronghua to ordinary commoners like Cui Yulang, all were gathered in the main hall.Whether it was Su Ronghua or Cui Yulang, both were renowned figures of charm and elegance in Huajing. Yet Pei Wenxuan, dressed in plain robes with a jade crown, did not appear the least bit overshadowed among them. Whether sitting or standing, his posture was graceful and refined, and he was highly skilled in both poetry and debate.

Today, he was engaged in a pure discussion and debate with Su Ronghua on the topic of "Ritual."

The two sat on separate mats, placed directly on the ground. Pei Wenxuan raised his hand, gesturing for Su Ronghua to begin. Su Ronghua nodded and inquired, "Ritual is law, is it not?"

"What is law?" Pei Wenxuan asked calmly and composedly in return.

"Rules are law."

"What is regulation?"

"Law is regulation."

"What is the difference between rules and regulation?"

This question gave Su Ronghua pause for a moment before he finally replied, "Regulation is rules, but rules are not regulation."

"Ritual is rules, and regulation is also rules. Both are a type of rules, yet they are not the same. If you violate the law, you will be punished by the authorities. If you violate ritual, you may not necessarily be punished. Therefore," Pei Wenxuan picked up a cup of tea from beside him, looked up with a smile, "ritual is not law."

His smile seemed to carry a certain radiance. Li Rong, crouching in the garden to watch him, felt her heartbeat quicken for some reason.

She was momentarily entranced by the sight when, just then, a young lady behind her, apparently too excited, suddenly slipped and stumbled forward.

Thus, one pushed another, and Li Rong happened to be at the very front. Pushed in this manner, she tumbled out before she could even recover from the impact of Pei Wenxuan's smile.

Li Rong stumbled and fell to the ground, startling everyone, who collectively turned to look.

Pei Wenxuan was still holding his teacup. His smiling eyes shifted over, and when he saw that it was Li Rong who had fallen, he raised an eyebrow.

Under the gaze of so many people, embarrassment flooded Li Rong's heart.

Fortunately, she had thick skin. She tried her best to stand up gracefully, then elegantly brushed off the dust, commenting, "Well said, everyone, please carry on."

With that, she fanned herself and stepped into the crowd with a smile. As she walked away, she kicked Shangguan Ya, who had pushed her from behind, in the leg.

Shangguan Ya gasped in pain but dared not cry out, quickly limping after her.

Everyone watched as Li Rong swayed gracefully through the cold weather, fanning herself as she departed. It was then that a scholar finally snapped back to reality, turned to Pei Wenxuan, and asked curiously, "Lord Pei, who was that lady just now?"

Hearing the question, Pei Wenxuan turned back with an apologetic smile. "My wife is rather mischievous, I'm afraid we've amused you."

As he spoke, he took a sip of tea. Recalling the dazed look in Li Rong's eyes when she fell while staring at him, his smile deepened a little.

After leading Shangguan Ya some distance away, Li Rong could finally vent her anger. She turned around, pointing her fan at Shangguan Ya, fuming, "Look at you..."

"Isn't the Imperial Son-in-Law handsome!" Shangguan Ya reached out and grabbed Li Rong's fan. Li Rong was momentarily speechless at the question.

Shangguan Ya stared at Li Rong earnestly. "Your Highness, did you feel your heart flutter? Watching a group of men together feels different, doesn't it?"

Li Rong: "..."

"Have you investigated Liu Hanchun?" Li Rong felt there was no point in arguing with a teenage girl. After all, Shangguan Ya was still young, and young girls often harbored romantic feelings—she had been the same in her youth. Not wanting to answer whether Pei Wenxuan was handsome or not, she simply changed the subject.Shangguan Ya nodded: "I've checked, and I'll have everything you need on your desk tomorrow. Speaking of which, considering how much effort I've put into helping you, could you do me a small favor?"

"Go ahead," Li Rong nodded. As soon as she finished speaking, she saw Shangguan Ya pull out a pile of colorful papers.

"Your Highness, could I trouble you to ask the Imperial Son-in-Law to distribute these papers and have the people whose names are written on them write something on the paper? It could be their names, a poem, or anything at all."

"Are you out of your mind?" Li Rong looked utterly shocked. "You want me to ask Pei Wenxuan to do this?"

"Your Highness," Shangguan Ya said earnestly, "my relationships with the young ladies of the major noble families depend on you."

Li Rong fell silent. She quietly looked at the papers Shangguan Ya was holding, took them, and examined each name one by one. Finally, she took a deep breath. "Signatures don’t come for free. Five taels of silver per paper."

"Deal."

Shangguan Ya exclaimed happily. Li Rong tucked the papers into her sleeve and returned to her room.

By evening, Pei Wenxuan’s scholarly gathering had nearly concluded, and he returned to his quarters.

As soon as he entered, he saw Li Rong waiting for him inside. Hearing Pei Wenxuan come in, Li Rong thought of the afternoon’s events and felt somewhat awkward, so she chose not to greet him first. Pei Wenxuan strode in, sat down opposite Li Rong, and said with a smile, "Your Highness?"

"You’re back?" Li Rong didn’t look up, continuing to review memorials. Pei Wenxuan watched her with a smile for a moment. Li Rong knew he was observing her but pretended nothing was amiss. She lifted her head and looked at Pei Wenxuan. "Your scholarly gathering went well. Did you meet anyone who might be useful?"

"Of course. After all, this year’s Dragon and Tiger List has many talented individuals."

Li Rong nodded at this. Pei Wenxuan smiled as he watched Li Rong making small talk. Feeling somewhat awkward under his gaze, though she showed no sign of it, Li Rong cleared her throat lightly and said, "Then you should engage with them more."

"Naturally," Pei Wenxuan replied, picking up a peanut from Li Rong’s plate and toying with it leisurely. "How long did Your Highness secretly watch for?"

"Not long," Li Rong instinctively retorted, then realized the direction of the conversation was off and quickly corrected herself. "I wasn’t watching you."

"Oh," Pei Wenxuan replied casually. Only then did Li Rong remember she had a task for the day. She quickly softened her tone. "Um, Pei Wenxuan, could I ask you for a favor?"

"Please go ahead, Your Highness." Pei Wenxuan rubbed the peanut in his hand, noticing Li Rong’s somewhat awkward expression. He guessed that whatever she needed help with likely had nothing to do with official matters.

If it wasn’t official, it must be a personal favor. Recalling Li Rong’s expression when she looked at him earlier that day, as well as her previous efforts to help him with his transfer, he couldn’t help but suspect that whatever Li Rong was about to ask might also be something she wanted to do because she liked him.

Perhaps asking for a piece of his calligraphy to practice copying?

At this thought, Pei Wenxuan’s smile deepened. He tried to restrain himself as he listened to Li Rong say, "I know you scholars all have excellent handwriting. Do you think you could..."

"Of course," Pei Wenxuan replied happily. "Your Highness wants to practice copying..."

"Look at this stack of papers," Li Rong pulled out a pile of papers, adopting a somewhat ingratiating tone. "Could you distribute them according to the names written on them and ask your friends to sign them?"