Chapter 12: Who Was The One To Break The Oath And Strike First?

The water source is not far ahead. After the intense argument, both of them feel exhausted. Li Rong, ignoring dirt, sits down directly in an open area near the water source. There’s a grassy area a bit farther from the water source. Li Rong, feeling fatigued, sits down without caring about cleanliness at all.

Pei Wenxuan arrives later, having collected some dry branches in the woods. When he reaches the riverbank, he sees Li Rong sitting on a pile of grass looking exhausted. She seems tired but insists on sitting, appearing somewhat pitiful compared to her usual arrogant self. Pei Wenxuan, feeling somewhat unused to seeing her like this, starts a fire, clearing a spot and creating a small pile. After lighting the fire, Li Rong looks towards the warmth. Tired and sleepy, she doesn’t want to lie down as the ground is damp. She vaguely hears Pei Wenxuan returning to the woods, and after a while, he comes back with a bunch of dry leaves. He piles them up, covers them with his clothes, and then instructs Li Rong: “Come over and press it down, don’t let the wind blow the leaves away.”

After saying this, Pei Wenxuan turns around, rolls up his pants to his knees, ties a knot in his clothes, takes his sword, and heads to the water’s edge. Li Rong appreciates the gesture, goes to the clothes, lies down, and feels much more comfortable. After a while, unable to sleep while listening to the water nearby, she turns over, lies on the clothes, props up her upper body, and watches Pei Wenxuan standing in the river, holding his sword without moving.

His patience is quite impressive. Li Rong stared at him for a long time and didn’t see him move anywhere except for his eyes, resembling his posture of hunting enemies in the court.

Li Rong propped up her chin and observed the young man in the distance. Slowly, she began to sense a certain charm.

If Pei Wenxuan doesn’t speak, his face is indeed unparalleled in Shengjing. It blends gentleness with a hint of elegance, not excessively soft but with an indescribable arrogance that isn’t unpleasant. In the moonlight, clad in white with a long sword, standing quietly in the flowing water, he truly seems like an immortal descending to the mortal world, reflecting the clear radiance of the moon.

Pei Wenxuan might have flaws everywhere else, but Li Rong truly has nothing to say about that face. Especially now, looking at his appearance at twenty, it is the prime of his youth. Compared to the old man he later becomes, Li Rong finds him much more likable.

After staring at Pei Wenxuan for a while, she saw him act swiftly, plunging his sword into the water with a “swish” sound and pulling out a fish.

He tossed the fish onto the shore, then turned around, waiting. After a while, he repeated the skill, spearing another fish. Having caught the fish, he squatted down by the river, quickly cleaned the fish, washed his hands, and impaled them on a pre-cut tree branch. He grabbed them and walked back to the fire.

Knowing that Li Rong hadn’t slept, he handed her the fish impatiently and said, “Roast it yourself.”

Initially, Li Rong wouldn’t mind roasting the fish herself, but she couldn’t stand Pei Wenxuan’s tone of command. Completely indifferent, she lazily said, “This princess doesn’t know how to roast fish.”

“Then don’t eat.”

“But this princess likes eating fish,” Li Rong smiled and said, “If you don’t roast it for me, I’ll snatch it when it’s done!”

Pei Wenxuan fell silent, unable to argue anymore. He didn’t want to quarrel with Li Rong any further, so he sat down, propped the fish up with stones, and began roasting it over the fire.

The surroundings were filled with the sound of water, and the sizzling noise of the roasting fish. The two sat in silence for a while until Li Rong spoke, “When did you come back?”

“Over a month ago,” Pei Wenxuan replied, looking at her.

“And you?” he asked.

“About the same time,” she replied.

After the exchange, there was a moment of silence. After a while, Li Rong couldn’t help but sigh, “I never expected that you wouldn’t hide it from me.”

“What’s there to hide?” Pei Wenxuan said casually. “You didn’t hide it from me either.”

“I’m different from you,” Li Rong lazily replied. “I’ve always been straightforward in my actions. What’s there to hide from you? But you, on the other hand,” she glared at him, “are a deceiver.”

At the mention of “deceiver,” Pei Wenxuan sneered, “You dare call me a deceiver? Do you forget who broke the alliance first and attacked me?”

“Haha,” Li Rong, upon hearing his words, stood up and applauded. “So, Rongqing really tried to kill you? Excellent, what a splendid job!”

She looked at him askance, celebrating, “People who betray trust and forget gratitude like you will never have a good ending.”

“You still dare to say that?!” Pei Wenxuan, hearing her words, became thoroughly angry. He clenched the wood he was using to stoke the fire, controlled his speech, and stared at Li Rong. “Li Rong, I can honestly say that I haven’t done anything to betray you. Despite our frequent arguments and occasional conflicts over the years, have I ever let you down? For the struggle for the heir, you actually let Su Rongqing make a move…”

“And aren’t you the same?” Li Rong coldly interrupted. “You forgot the oath of the alliance made all those years ago. You can kill me, but I shouldn’t retaliate?”

“To kill you is merely to fulfill the promises between us.”

Upon hearing this, Pei Wenxuan paused, sensing something amiss. He quickly said, “Who was the one who violated the oath first and attacked the other?”

Li Rong, upon hearing Pei Wenxuan’s question, also realized the situation and immediately changed her expression, “Wasn’t it you who poisoned me first?”

She quickly explained, “You came to see me first, warned me, and there was a strange fragrance on you. Shortly after you left, I drank a cup of medicine and got poisoned. Isn’t it you who poisoned me?”

“No,” Pei Wenxuan showed a shocked expression, then quickly recalled the events of their past lives and explained, “I did arrange a hidden pawn in the princess’s mansion as a precaution. I had someone poison you after you sent people to kill me.”

“When did you die?”

Li Rong furrowed her brows, and Pei Wenxuan thought for a moment, “I was ambushed by Su Rongqing’s men on the way back home from the princess’s mansion.”

“Indeed, it was my people.”

Li Rong lowered her eyes. After a moment of silence, the two organized their thoughts. Pei Wenxuan pondered for a while before summarizing, “So, in the previous life, you didn’t actually want to kill me. Someone made you believe that I killed you, and you retaliated against me before dying, is that right?”

“It should be.”

Li Rong responded softly. Pei Wenxuan looked at her quietly. After a pause, he chuckled softly. He wanted to say something but held back. He patted his thigh and sighed, “Calculations can be too clever, and cleverness can be a trap. Li Rong, you still didn’t trust me after all.”

“Do you trust me?”

Li Rong looked at him with a calm expression.

If she trusted him, she wouldn’t have immediately considered him the murderer, even willing to transfer power to Su Rongqing and have him killed. Likewise, he wouldn’t have arranged hidden pawns in her mansion early on, always ready to counterattack against her.

“You’re right,” Pei Wenxuan nodded. “Genuine trust is rare even among real couples, let alone us. But I’m curious, how did you determine that I was the murderer?”

” I died from the poison of Xiang Meiren,” Li Rong recalled her state before death. “When you came to see me, there was a strange fragrance on you. You rarely wore sachets, but that day you had one. Afterward, you talked to me about the heir’s matter, threatening to kill me if I didn’t agree. When you left, I drank the medicine, and the poison took my life.”

Listening to Li Rong recounting her death, Pei Wenxuan’s expression became solemn. Li Rong continued, “The evidence wasn’t sufficient, but you had motive and capability, and the clues pointed to you.”

“And you believed it was me,” Pei Wenxuan nodded in summary. Li Rong remained silent. Pei Wenxuan seemed to find it amusing, looking down at the fish with a hint of self-mockery in his eyes.

Knowing she was in the wrong, Li Rong didn’t dare to speak. After a while, she spoke in a low voice, “Where did the fragrance on you come from?”

“I told you, you might not like it,” Pei Wenxuan’s eyes held a hint of schadenfreude.

Li Rong thought for a moment, furrowing her brows, “Su Rongqing?”

“Yes,” Pei Wenxuan picked up the fish from the fire, looked around, and handed one to Li Rong. Li Rong absentmindedly took the fish and began roasting it over the fire. Pei Wenxuan spoke slowly, “When I went there, Su Rongqing said you were seriously ill. You had to wear a herbal sachet when entering the inner room, or you’d start coughing upon seeing people. I had someone check the ingredients of that sachet. It was harmless, so I brought it with me. Besides, your servants all carried similar sachets. Mine was just newer, so the fragrance was stronger.”

Li Rong stood there in shock, and Pei Wenxuan looked at her, realizing she wasn’t easily convinced. He continued, “You can choose not to believe me, that’s fine. Anyway, even if it wasn’t Su Rongqing, don’t put the blame on me.”

Li Rong remained silent, staring at the fire. Pei Wenxuan continued to roast the fish with a smile, seemingly quite pleased. Seeing his nonchalant attitude, Li Rong couldn’t help but feel a bit dazed. She believed Pei Wenxuan’s words.

After all, Su Rongqing was someone she had saved with her own hands.

In that year, when lord Su plotted rebellion, Su Rongqing’s elder brother spoke in favor of lord Su. Later, he was falsely accused of colluding with lord Su, and it was claimed that the Su family conspired with lord Su. At that time, Li Chuan, in a fit of rage and without going through the three judicial offices for review, directly imprisoned the entire Su family. The males were executed, and the females were exiled.

She disagreed with this matter and rushed to plead with Li Chuan before the Su family faced disaster. She endured ten beatings and, with the intervention of Pei Wenxuan, managed to secure a special pardon for the Su family.

Although they were spared from capital punishment, the males of the Su family were subjected to palace punishment. Unable to endure the humiliation, many others in prison took their own lives. When she arrived, only Su Rongqing, who clung to a precarious existence, remained of the entire male Su clan.

At that time, she told Su Rongqing that she would save him, not expecting any repayment. She offered him silver and a position, allowing him to live well outside in the future.

At that time, she didn’t have any particularly strong feelings for Su Rongqing, just a sense of gratitude for his past help and care. She saved the Su family more out of consideration for Li Chuan and her own conscience.

The Su family was a noble and prestigious lineage, and their unjust tragedy was something she couldn’t ignore.

However, at that time, Su Rongqing was unwilling to leave. He knelt before her, respectfully pleading, “This servant is already incomplete, not accepted in this world. Only the princess’s residence can offer a peaceful life. I am willing to serve by the princess’s side, forming an unbreakable bond, and live and die to repay the princess’s life-saving grace.”

Hearing this, she decided to keep him. The Su family had many enemies outside, and Su Rongqing, having suffered palace punishment, couldn’t enter officialdom. She couldn’t bear to see him humiliated outside.

Because of the palace punishment, it was natural for him to stay in her residence. Over time, they developed a bond. Although Pei Wenxuan noticed, he couldn’t say anything. Li Chuan and the court officials didn’t think much of it, and Pei Wenxuan’s jealousy wasn’t so obvious.

She had considered that Su Rongqing might seek revenge. After all, it was Li Chuan who personally ordered the execution of all male members of the Su family and the exile of the female members. No one could forget such a blood feud, especially the former eldest son. So, for many years, she dared not entrust real power to him. She observed and guarded against him while trying to ensure he lived a better life.

She couldn’t truly kill him against her conscience, but she also couldn’t fully trust him with power.

In the end, he acted. He killed her first, then, under the pretext of removing Pei Wenxuan, smoothly took over the power in her hands. If she guessed correctly, he wouldn’t leave with her advisors. Instead, he would use the excuse of seeking revenge for her, consolidating people’s support, joining forces with the empress, pushing for Li Yan’s ascent to the throne, and engaging in a life-or-death struggle with Pei Wenxuan’s remaining followers.

This way, he could firmly tie himself to her people. With real power, Li Chuan’s foundation in the court had long been unstable due to his sovereign and declining health. Su Rongqing might indeed have a chance to personally kill Li Chuan.

From the moment she took in Su Rongqing, she had anticipated this matter, but when the moment truly arrived, she couldn’t help but feel a tinge of regret. If the Su family could have avoided tragedy, perhaps both she and Su Rongqing would not have ended up like this.

Li Rong took a deep breath, seeing Pei Wenxuan looking pleased, couldn’t help but ask, “What are you so happy about?”

Pei Wenxuan, while grilling fish, dragged his words, “I’ve long said this person shouldn’t be kept. You didn’t listen, and now, it’s not resulted well,” he said, smiling and looking over, “Suffering a loss, aren’t you?”

“I suffer a loss, and you’re happy?” Li Rong said with a cold tone.

“Exactly.” Pei Wenxuan joyfully exclaimed, “Our princess Rong eats a loss; that’s a rare sight. Witnessing such a spectacle, I’m deeply satisfied,” Pei Wenxuan raised one hand and placed it on his chest, “I am truly delighted.”

“Lord Pei, you’ve got it all wrong,” Li Rong laughed at his expense, speaking frankly, “At least I let him serve for twenty-five years. I would willingly let him kill me. Even if you’re just a fish in the pond, what are you proud of?”

“He killed you, and you’re willingly accepting it?” Pei Wenxuan sneered. Li Rong glanced at him from the corner of her eye, “What’s wrong, lord Pei, not satisfied?”

“Do I need your permission for this?” Pei Wenxuan laughed, “Princess, with your illustrious background, you can do as you please. But let me remind you of one thing.”

Pei Wenxuan turned to look at the leaping flames, his voice turning colder, “In your previous life, if you tangled with him, it was a matter of punishment. Now, if you dare to entangle with Su Rongqing, whether it ends well or not, I’m afraid your life won’t be guaranteed.”

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