Chapter 6: I Am The Princess, What’s Wrong With Making Things Difficult For A Mere Eighth-Rank Official Like You?

Li Rong surveyed the four individuals, remaining silent. Behind the pearl curtain was a light gauze, allowing Li Rong to clearly see their faces, while they could only vaguely perceive Li Rong’s posture. After a moment of silence between the two parties, Li Rong gestured with her chin towards Jinglan beside her.

Jinglan understood Li Rong’s meaning and, behind the pearl curtain, bowed to the four individuals. Then she respectfully said, “The princess has heard of the renowned reputation of the four gentlemen in the capital and is curious. Therefore, she summoned all of you to have a chat. Please relax and don’t be too nervous.”

Originally, they weren’t very nervous, but the atmosphere became noticeably tense after hearing these words.

Initially unsure of the purpose of their gathering, it was now clear that it was related to marriage. Which woman would randomly seek out several men for a conversation? It must be related to marital matters.

Yang Quan and Cui Yulang’s expressions changed slightly, while Lu Yusheng seemed unaware of what was happening, sitting quietly as if somewhat bored. Pei Wenxuan, accustomed to not showing emotions on his face, casually glanced at the three people beside him and deduced some thoughts from their expressions.

What he deduced, Li Rong naturally saw as well.

Holding a teacup, she quietly observed the four individuals.

Yang Quan’s gaze was eager, seeming to want to speak several times, but he felt it inappropriate and held back.

He wanted to marry the princess, and Li Rong instantly understood the purpose behind it. Yang Quan had a bad reputation, often marginalized within the Yang family. If he could marry the princess and treat her well, perhaps people would slowly forget the things he had done in the past.

If he didn’t have such intentions, Li Rong might have considered chatting with him again. After all, Yang Quan was a talented individual who later died on the battlefield. If the rumors about his craziness before were false, it would indeed be a pity. However, seeing his ambitious demeanor now, the imminent threat it presented made Li Rong believe that the rumors might be partially true.

Cui Yulang appeared somewhat cautious, as if pondering something. He leisurely tapped his fan against his palm, seemingly idle.

Li Rong could guess his thoughts. He was a bold person, perhaps finding some interest in her appearance but rejecting any connection due to her princess status, unwilling to be entangled. In the previous life, he was clearly talented but became disinterested in politics after a short period in the officialdom. He resigned and returned to Yangzhou, spending the rest of his life writing poems in the pleasure quarters. If he lacked talent, he wouldn’t have been a top scholar, nor would he have stayed in the officialdom for so long. He simply disliked involvement in political matters.

Pei Wenxuan still looked the same in her memory, with a calm expression on her face, revealing no emotions of joy or anger. Li Rong couldn’t be bothered to look at him and finally shifted her gaze to Lu Yusheng, quietly observing for a moment.

Lu Yusheng was the least outstanding-looking among the four.

Although not outstanding, he was very pleasant to look at. At first glance, he seemed decent, and after looking for a while, although not stunning, he felt like a clear stream flowing gently, very comfortable.

After observing for a moment, Li Rong spoke with a soft and charming voice, tinged with a hint of natural hoarseness, making it sound alluring: “Ning Shizi.”

Her voice carried the charm of a young girl, and with a hint of inherent huskiness, when mixed together, the lingering tone was slightly longer, giving a sensation of indescribable tingling that seemed to penetrate, truly a natural charm.

The expressions of the other three people were different, but Lu Yusheng, who was called, still looked a bit bewildered. Li Rong thought for a moment, added a word, and called again: “Shizi.”

This time, Lu Yusheng understood. He looked at Li Rong and asked directly, “What do you want me to do?”

His straightforwardness made Li Rong smile involuntarily. She softened her tone and continued to inquire, “Shizi, what have you done today?”

Lu Yusheng frowned, thought seriously for a moment, and then said, “Quite a few things. Got up in the morning, changed clothes, ten sets in total, one yellow, one blue…”

He spoke like a child, detailing every trivial thing, as if everything was interesting. Li Rong tapped her fan in her hand, finding it quite amusing, and the sound, like silver bells, came frequently from behind the bead curtain.

Li Rong found the conversation with Lu Yusheng quite interesting. The other three people, left aside, began to feel a bit awkward. Pei Wenxuan glanced at the people behind the bead curtain and felt a bit uneasy in his heart.

The current situation seemed to deviate more and more from what he remembered. Li Rong seemed to have no interest in him at all. Why was that?

Was there a deviation in the middle, or…

In fact, did he not understand the eighteen-year-old Li Rong?

Thinking of this, he felt a heaviness in his heart. After chatting with Lu Yusheng for a while, Li Rong turned to Yang Quan for a few words, then exchanged a few words with Cui Yulang. When it came to Pei Wenxuan, she asked if he had eaten and drunk well, then yawned and said, “This princess is tired. You may all leave.”

As she spoke, she had someone help her stand up and directly withdrew from the scene. After she left, the attendants led the four people away. Pei Wenxuan deliberately slowed his pace, surveyed his surroundings, and noticed that the person leading Lu Yusheng was Jinglan.

He knew the significance of Jinglan being by Li Rong’s side. He was also aware of Li Rong’s current situation.

Li Rong had talked to Su Rongqing for so long today, which was quite dangerous for her. If Li Ming thought she was interested in Su Rongqing, it would be disastrous for Li Rong. If Li Rong were smart, she would find a way to shift her focus and make the emperor think she had set her sights on one of the four people he assigned.

Now that Jinglan went to find Lu Yusheng, it seemed that Li Rong’s interest today was in Lu Yusheng.

Pei Wenxuan felt a heaviness in his heart. After a moment of thought, he hurriedly walked out and saw the attendant waiting for them at the door. Among them, the attendant wearing the jade pendant of the Marquis of Ningguo’s residence seemed the most anxious. As soon as the eunuch came out, the attendant hurriedly approached and said, “Gonggong, this servant is the personal attendant of the Marquis of Ningguo’s heir. Have you seen our young master?”

“Oh, you are the young master’s attendant,” the eunuch glanced at the attendant and then smiled, “The princess likes the young master and has kept him for a chat. Jinglan will send someone to pick you up later, so you don’t have to worry.”

Upon hearing this, the attendant was stunned for a moment. As the eunuch turned around, he bid farewell to Pei Wenxuan, “Master Pei, I’ve escorted you here. Please take care.”

“Thank you, Gonggong.”

Pei Wenxuan was very courteous and, while bowing, discreetly placed a silver coin in the eunuch’s hand. The eunuch bent over with a smile and quickly bid farewell to Pei Wenxuan.

After the eunuch left, Pei Wenxuan looked at the nearby attendant. Seeing the anxious expression on the attendant’s face, he approached and whispered, “Are you unwilling to let the young master accompany the princess?”

Upon hearing Pei Wenxuan’s words, the attendant hesitated for a moment. Then he became wary and asked, “Who are you?”

“I’m Pei Wenxuan,” Pei Wenxuan introduced himself quickly and continued, “I just met your young master together with the princess. May I ask, is your young master… prone to offending the princess?”

Pei Wenxuan’s words were tactful, but the attendant could also sense that Pei Wenxuan had figured out that the Marquis of Ningguo’s heir might be a bit simple-minded.

Lu Yusheng rarely went out, and his mother kept him well hidden. Even when he went out, attendants were always following him closely. Not many people knew about this. When the attendant heard Pei Wenxuan’s words, he directly replied, “Since master Pei already knows what I am worried about, what can be done now?”

“When you go in to see your young master later, just let him pretend to faint.”

“Will the princess blame us for that?”

The attendant asked anxiously, and Pei Wenxuan calmly responded, “If he’s sick, what blame can there be? Offending while conscious, that’s the real fault.”

Hearing this, the attendant remained silent. Pei Wenxuan turned away, saying, “I’ve said what I needed to. Think about it yourself.”

After saying this, Pei Wenxuan returned to the front courtyard. Glancing around, he saw that Cui Yulang was already sitting with several women, including a county princess who was having her palm read.

He wasn’t worried about Cui Yulang anymore; he was avoiding Li Rong.

Meanwhile, Yang Quan was still talking to the eunuch, frowning in apparent annoyance.

After a moment of thought, Pei Wenxuan picked up a cup of wine, moved through the lively crowd, casually took a jade pendant from a drunken person, and threw it under Yang Quan’s table when no one was looking.

Having done all this, Pei Wenxuan immediately turned around and returned to the entrance of the rear courtyard, waiting quietly. Before long, Yang Quan’s angry shout could be heard from the crowd.

“Whose jade pendant is this?”

With Yang Quan’s shout, the scene became chaotic. The identity of the person who lost the jade pendant was not low. He looked at the jade pendant in Yang Quan’s hand and became somewhat displeased, saying, “Why are you holding my jade pendant and shouting?”

This person responded, and immediately an argument broke out on both sides. Pei Wenxuan heard the shouting, sneered, turned around, clasped his hands in his sleeves, and stood respectfully.

In the backyard, Li Rong sat by the lake, had someone bring fishing gear, and prepared the boiled eggs in white water that Lu Yusheng liked. She peeled the eggs while waiting for Lu Yusheng to change clothes.

Just now, his attendant accidentally spilled a cup of wine on him, and took him to change clothes. Li Rong guessed that something might happen, but she wasn’t in a hurry. As she peeled the eggshells on the table, she casually said to the maid behind her, “Look how well I treat him. I haven’t peeled eggs for anyone with my own hands.”

While she was speaking, Jingmei hurriedly arrived with some people, looking a bit flustered. “Princess, something bad happened. Ning Shizi fainted.”

“If he fainted, find the imperial physician. Why come to me?” Li Rong placed the neatly peeled egg on a small bottle beside her and asked, “What do you want me to do?”

Li Rong’s indifferent attitude made the people around her silent for a moment. For a while, they even felt that Lu Yusheng fainting was not a big deal. After a pause, Jinglan, the maid, respectfully asked, “Princess, will you continue fishing by yourself, or…”

Li Rong didn’t speak. She clapped her hands, wiped her fingers with a handkerchief taken from Jingmei, and said, “Jingmei, go out and bring in that dog thing waiting at the backyard gate for me.”

Jingmei was puzzled for a moment and stuttered, “Th-there’s nothing at the gate?”

“Impossible,” Li Rong raised her eyes. “Pei Wenxuan must be there.”

Jingmei understood this time. She was supposed to find Pei Wenxuan. She quickly led the way out. When everyone left, Jinglan knelt behind Li Rong, poured wine for her, and asked with some confusion, “Princess seems to dislike Pei Wenxuan. Why announce him then?”

“Lu Yusheng has fainted,” Li Rong sneered. “Do you think anyone else will come?”

Jinglan was a bit puzzled, and Li Rong didn’t explain further. After a while, Jingmei led Pei Wenxuan in. Pei Wenxuan knelt down and respectfully saluted Li Rong, “This humble servant, Pei Wenxuan, greets Your Highness.”

Li Rong remained silent, continuing to peel the eggs. Pei Wenxuan kneeled, respectful and patient, showing no impatience.

After a long time, Li Rong finally said, “I peeled an egg and wanted to put it in a bottle, but the bottle’s opening is too small, and I can’t fit it in,” she looked up at Pei Wenxuan, “I’ve heard that master Pei is clever. How about helping? If the egg can’t be put into the bottle intact, master Pei would tarnish the reputation of being intelligent. Why not just jump into the lake, showing some integrity?”

“Is the princess suggesting that if I can’t do it, I have to jump into the lake?”

“Yes,” Li Rong directly replied, “that’s exactly what I mean.”

“Princess, this action is quite absurd,” Pei Wenxuan persuaded.

Li Rong rested her chin on her hand, appreciating the sight of Pei Wenxuan kneeling and interacting with her. Suddenly, she felt a subtle sense of joy, finding Pei Wenxuan at this moment quite pleasing and bringing an indescribable pleasure.

So, despite knowing that Pei Wenxuan was trying to handle the situation, she continued to playfully make things difficult for him, “Yes, I’m a princess. What’s wrong with being a bit willful?”

“Princess, as a noble princess, you shouldn’t trouble your subordinates like this,” Pei Wenxuan continued to advise.

Li Rong picked grapes, ate them, and continued to tease him, “Yes, I’m a princess. What’s wrong with making it difficult for a low-ranking official like you?”

“Princess, if this humble servant accomplishes the task, do I still need to jump into the lake, or can I sit up and have a good conversation with the princess?” Pei Wenxuan asked.

“Yes…” Li Rong began to speak instinctively, but before she could finish, Pei Wenxuan stood up directly, took the egg off the small bottle, tore a page from the book nearby, lit it with the incense burner, and then threw it into the bottle. He quickly put the egg back on top, then knelt down respectfully.

His actions were smooth and natural. Li Rong reacted only after he knelt down again, and she was furious, “Who gave you permission to tear my book?!”

As she spoke, the egg that was originally placed at the bottle’s mouth suddenly “thudded” into the bottle. Li Rong and the nearby attendants stared at the egg that disappeared into the bottle, wide-eyed.

Pei Wenxuan lifted his head and looked at Li Rong, “May I ask, Princess, can I now sit up and have a good conversation with you?”

The author has something to say: [Continue to choose:]

1. — Sure, let him sit down and chat.

2. — Dare to tear my book? Throw it into the lake!

【Short Play】

Pei Wenxuan: “Am I very clever?”

Li Rong: “I think you’re asking for death.”

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