Chapter 22: Rong Rong, Shall We Go Back?

Upon hearing this voice, Li Rong was momentarily stunned, then quickly realized it was Su Rongqing!

Why would he be here?

The question quickly crossed Li Rong’s mind, but at the same time, she relaxed. Since it was Su Rongqing, there shouldn’t be any immediate threat.

The two didn’t speak. The pursuers hurriedly ran past outside. Su Rongqing released Li Rong, took a step back, and performed a deep bow, saying, “Due to the urgency of the situation, offending Your Highness, I hope Your Highness can forgive.”

Li Rong nodded. She glanced around the room; it seemed to be a guest room. Su Rongqing looked different from usual, with disheveled hair and loosened clothes, resembling those who had attended the banquet. It seemed like he had taken a break here after being intoxicated.

Li Rong pondered with her fan in hand. She had deliberately sent Su Rongqing to the Ministry of War to check the account books. Without questioning why Su Rongqing hadn’t gone there and appeared here instead, based on Taibai Yan’s style, Su Rongqing shouldn’t have any dealings with him.

She hesitated on how to inquire, considering her words carefully. Then she heard Su Rongqing say, “Your Highness, I was in the guest room just now, heard the commotion outside, and a servant mentioned that two maids had been knocked unconscious. It seems someone has infiltrated. I also saw Your Highness being chased. I suspect the one who knocked out the maids must be Your Highness. Tonight, with the numerous nobles in the Taibai Yan mansion, his subordinates shouldn’t dare to investigate too much for the time being. Your Highness, it would be better to change into different clothes now, and I will escort Your Highness out of the mansion. As for other matters, Your Highness can discuss them with me on the way.”

Su Rongqing’s arrangements were meticulous, and Li Rong didn’t hesitate. She immediately said, “Alright.”

Su Rongqing turned around and promptly brought out a set of Persian dancer’s clothing, bowing respectfully, “Please forgive my impertinence, Your Highness. Please change into this outfit. It will be convenient for me to lead Your Highness out.”

The Persian dancer’s attire included a veil, allowing Li Rong to openly follow Su Rongqing. Li Rong was not one to fuss over clothing. She took the clothes in agreement and went behind a folding screen. Su Rongqing turned away, and Li Rong whispered softly from behind the screen, “Why are you here?”

“I speculated that checking the Ministry of War’s accounts is now meaningless. I wanted to try another approach. Taibai Yan has close connections with the aristocracy in Huajing. It is rumored that a considerable amount of illicit money in Hua Jing flows through his hands. In the past, when I was working at the Ministry of Justice for other cases, I had some interactions with Taibai Yan and developed a bit of rapport. So, when I wanted to investigate the Yang family’s accounts, I thought of trying my luck with Taibai Yan. I didn’t expect to run into Your Highness,” Su Rongqing explained.

After Su Rongqing finished speaking, Li Rong had changed into the clothes. She wore a veil and walked out, saying casually, “You are quite thoughtful.”

Upon hearing this, Su Rongqing turned around. As he raised his eyes, he froze in place.

The Persian dancer’s attire revealed a lot, and compared to a woman as beautiful and charming as Li Rong, it accentuated her beauty even more than palace attire. The short blouse and long skirt, with beads hanging from the waist, covered and revealed in just the right places. The waistline, partly hidden and partly exposed, swayed with Li Rong’s movements, making it difficult for anyone to look away.

“Lord Su?” Seeing Su Rongqing lost in thought, Li Rong couldn’t help but ask, “Why aren’t you leaving yet?”

Su Rongqing, upon hearing this, came back to his senses, forcibly shifted his gaze, and said, “Please, Your Highness.”

With that, Su Rongqing opened the door and led Li Rong out.

While Li Rong was busy, Pei Wenxuan accompanied Taibai Yan in the courtyard to appreciate the flowers.

Pei Wenxuan calculated Li Rong’s time, led Taibai Yan in the opposite direction of the artificial mountain for a while, and noticed someone in the distance holding a torch and running. He knew something was wrong. Seeing a waterside pavilion ahead, he praised, “The scenery here is beautiful, but alas, there’s no wine.”

“In my courtyard, how can there be no wine?”

Taibai Yan laughed heartily, pointed to a pavilion in front, and pulled Pei Wenxuan, saying, “Come, my friend, I’ll treat you to a drink in the waterside pavilion.”

Taibai Yan drank more, and his walking was a bit unsteady. Pei Wenxuan had a good tolerance for alcohol, but after a night of drinking, he felt a bit uncomfortable. He supported Taibai Yan and followed him into the pavilion.

There was indeed wine in the pavilion. Pei Wenxuan smiled and said, “This wine is not enough. Go,” he instructed someone nearby, “fetch more wine. I want to have a good drink with my brother.”

The guard agreed and went to get the wine. Pei Wenxuan knew that Li Rong probably wouldn’t be able to stay for much longer. He poured wine for Taibai Yan and leisurely said, “My brother can’t handle his liquor.”

“You’re talking nonsense!” Taibai Yan was displeased. “I’ve traveled to various countries, and there are not many who can outdrink me.”

“Then let’s make a bet, my brother. I’ll drink two cups, and you drink one. Let’s see who falls first, how about it?”

“You underestimate me too much,” Taibai Yan picked up the wine jug, filled his cup, drank it in one gulp, poured a cup for Pei Wenxuan, knocked on the table, and loudly said, “Drink!”

Pei Wenxuan remained calm and drank the cup in one go.

The two of them drank hastily. Pei Wenxuan felt his internal organs churning, his complexion turning extremely pale. After three cups, Taibai Yan couldn’t hold on and rushed towards the waterside pavilion. Pei Wenxuan signaled to the nearby guard. As soon as he stood up, the guard quickly went inside, pretending to serve, but effectively blocking Taibai Yan’s path and line of sight.

Pei Wenxuan went behind Taibai Yan, gave him a push, and Taibai Yan fell straight into the lake. Pei Wenxuan exclaimed, “Sixth master!”

The surroundings immediately became chaotic. Taibai Yan’s guards hurriedly jumped into the water, and Pei Wenxuan anxiously exclaimed, “Save him! Hurry, save him!”

As Pei Wenxuan spoke, he felt uncomfortable and turned his head to support himself on the pavilion, vomiting.

These actions alarmed the steward who was nearby. The steward hurried over, exclaiming, “How did it come to this with the drinking!”

Seeing Pei Wenxuan vomiting severely while leaning on the side, he quickly said, “Quick, bring some clean water, and take Lord Wang to the guest room!”

Upon hearing this, the attendants hurried over. While Pei Wenxuan rinsed his mouth, they pulled Taibai Yan out of the lake.

The steward, noticing that Pei Wenxuan seemed exhausted as he leaned against the attendant, respectfully bowed and said, “Lord Wang got heavily drunk tonight, startling Lord Wang. I hope Lord Wang can forgive him. If it’s not inconvenient, why not stay in the mansion tonight and return tomorrow?”

“No need.” Pei Wenxuan shook his head, waved his hand, and said, “It’s not early. I have official business in the city tomorrow morning. Please have someone inform my wife. I’ll return to the carriage first, and we can go home together when my wife arrives.”

As they were talking, Taibai Yan was pulled out of the water. Pei Wenxuan quickly said, “Please go and check on the sixth master first. I’ll be fine.”

The steward was concerned about Taibai Yan but nodded and didn’t say much. Pei Wenxuan signaled to the guard and took advantage of the chaos to leave.

Not long after leaving, as Pei Wenxuan just passed through a long corridor, a person suddenly emerged from the crowd and followed behind Pei Wenxuan’s guard. Lowering his head, he whispered, “My lord, I separated from His Highness. She went towards the guest rooms.”

Pei Wenxuan, still feeling a bit disoriented, was about to give instructions when he saw Su Rongqing in loose attire, holding a folding fan, with a dancer in his arms. Su Rongqing spoke to the guards at the back courtyard entrance, then smiled and walked out.

“Let’s go,” Pei Wenxuan, upon seeing Su Rongqing, immediately caught up and whispered, “Your Highness…”

“She’s fine.”

Pei Wenxuan quickened his pace, leading the people to follow Su Rongqing out of the backyard.

Once they reached the front yard, it instantly became lively. People were everywhere, and Pei Wenxuan vaguely saw Su Rongqing leading Li Rong’s figure, then turning through the corridor and disappearing.

His head was pounding, but his steps were urgent. While controlling his posture to avoid revealing any signs of discomfort, he had to catch up with the person in front.

Surrounded by fleeting lights and shadows, the air was filled with the sounds of string and wind instruments. Dancers’ light veils rose with the wind, occasionally brushing the cheeks of passersby with fragrant breezes. In an instant, Pei Wenxuan felt like he was in a long dream, unable to distinguish between reality and illusion. However, he knew clearly that the person beside Su Rongqing was Li Rong, and he needed to catch up and call her back.

A persistent idea seemed to have silently taken root in him. Deep and quiet, it drove him forward with an increasing pace. The two figures ahead occasionally caught his eye, laughing and walking intimately.

He didn’t know how long had passed, how far he had walked, until he finally reached a less crowded area. Suddenly, he called out loudly, stopping the person in front, “Rong Rong!”

Hearing Pei Wenxuan’s voice from behind, Li Rong instantly stopped. She turned around, seeing the young master in a blue robe and white shirt, a jade crown adorned on his head, illuminated by the lamplight.

It seemed like he had been looking for her for a long time. In that moment when she turned around, he managed to calm down the restlessness from hastily seeking someone.

Persian dancers excelled in the Daxian dance, a lively and cheerful melody accompanying the applause and laughter from a distance. On this corridor, illuminated by candlelight, Pei Wenxuan was surrounded by a tranquility akin to moonlight.

He approached her with large strides, stopping in front of her. His outer garment, carrying his warmth, floated through the air and gently fell on her. It covered the skin that had caught a chill in the night. He seemed a bit intoxicated, standing unsteadily. Placing his hands on Li Rong’s shoulders, he spoke with a hint of alcohol in his breath and a furrowed brow, “Shall we go back?”

“Good.”

Li Rong smiled and turned her head to look at Su Rongqing standing beside her. She nodded and said, “Lord Su, we’ll meet again another day.”

Su Rongqing smiled gently, bowed with both hands in front of him, and replied, “Until we meet again.”

With that, Li Rong took Pei Wenxuan’s hand and walked forward, saying, “Let’s go.”

Pei Wenxuan reluctantly followed behind her, and guards waited for them in the distance of the corridor. Seeing them moving, they quickly caught up.

Pei Wenxuan didn’t want to appear weak in front of Su Rongqing, driven by some inexplicable pride. He didn’t let anyone support him.

Walking ahead of him, Li Rong noticed that Pei Wenxuan seemed uncomfortable following her. She glanced at him with a playful smile, finding it amusing and somewhat helpless that he always wanted to compete with Su Rongqing.

She cleared her throat and whispered, “Following me like this, don’t you think I, as a dancer, appear too arrogant and conspicuous?”

Pei Wenxuan looked up at her, and Li Rong expected him to say something to continue the banter. However, he approached directly, raised his hand, and put it on her shoulder, pulling her into his embrace.

His warmth shielded her from the night chill. Li Rong, draped in his clothes, smiled, strolling with him in the corridor. She teased, “You drank quite a bit tonight.”

Pei Wenxuan remained silent. Li Rong continued, “But don’t worry, your drinking wasn’t in vain. We have the account book now. Tomorrow, we’ll start looking for Qin Lin. When the Yang family puts pressure on the court, we’ll have Chuan’er take Qin Lin to deal with the frontline matters.”

Pei Wenxuan still didn’t speak. Li Rong glanced at his troubled expression and raised her eyebrows, “What’s wrong? Has your aversion to Su Rongqing reached the point where you’re not happy even when I talk to him?”

Pei Wenxuan glanced at her and suddenly let go, rushing to a nearby tree and leaning against it to vomit.

Li Rong was startled and then realized. Pei Wenxuan hadn’t spoken earlier because he was feeling nauseous.

Pei Wenxuan knelt on the ground, vomiting as if he wanted to empty his entire stomach. Li Rong panicked and quickly crouched down to support him from behind, saying to the nearby person, “Go, get some water from the carriage!”

A servant went to fetch water from the carriage, and after Pei Wenxuan finished vomiting, he weakly collapsed forward. Li Rong hurriedly pulled him to her side, and surprisingly, Pei Wenxuan leaned directly against her, completely relying on her shoulder.

The smell of alcohol was overwhelming, and Li Rong wrinkled her brow. At this moment, the servant brought water, and Li Rong quickly fed Pei Wenxuan some. He leaned against her shoulder, gradually recovering. Li Rong softly asked, “Feeling better?”

Pei Wenxuan closed his eyes and took a moment before speaking, his voice hoarse, “That scoundrel Su Rongqing dressed you in all sorts of messy things.”

Li Rong: “…”

She expressionlessly fed Pei Wenxuan water and said calmly, “Rinse your mouth again. I don’t like what you’re saying.”

Author’s message: Li Rong: “You’re too arrogant, I can’t stand it.”

Pei Wenxuan: …

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