Chapter 43: Time Has Changed Not Only The Crown Prince, But Also You And Me

Pei Wenxuan heard Li Rong’s words, noticed her unusual expression, and gave her a once-over. He couldn’t help but say, “What’s wrong? Have you been bullied in the palace?”

“What nonsense are you thinking?” Li Rong tapped Pei Wenxuan’s head with her fan, turned around, and said, “Let’s go.”

Outside the palace gate, on the carriage, Pei Wenxuan caught up with Li Rong, held the umbrella over her head, and somewhat displeased, said, “Why hit my head when you talk? What’s the matter?”

“I like it.” 

Li Rong glanced at him, and Pei Wenxuan couldn’t help but feel a bit helpless, “I found you get along well with others, but why do you get handsy and talkative when you see me, Your Highness? You really need to change this habit of yours.”

“If there’s a problem, look for it within yourself more,” Li Rong listened to Pei Wenxuan’s complaints. Somehow, her previous emotions were diluted, and all she wanted to do now was to tease the person in front of her. So, as she got on the carriage, she continued educating Pei Wenxuan, “Think more about why I don’t bother others but choose to bother you.”

“Sigh, I’m well aware of this issue,” Pei Wenxuan sighed. As they both sat in the carriage, Pei Wenxuan put away the umbrella. Li Rong poured tea for herself and listened to Pei Wenxuan’s helpless words, “I can only blame myself for being too lovable. Your Highness also finds it hard to resist.”

Hearing this, Li Rong almost sprayed out her tea. She quickly held back and ended up choking, coughing hastily.

Seeing her coughing, Pei Wenxuan stopped joking around and quickly approached, gently patting her back, “Next time, don’t drink tea while talking.”

Li Rong glared at him, her beautiful watery eyes showing a hint of watercolor due to the coughing. Suddenly, she lost her usual momentum, like a pool of autumn water, looking at him with a mix of irritation and anger. Pei Wenxuan, for some reason, felt a sudden tingling sensation spreading from his heart to his fingertips, touching the warm and soft skin beneath his hand, then retracting. The back-and-forth sent a shiver down his spine and stirred his mind.

As Li Rong caught her breath, she saw Pei Wenxuan staring at her in a daze. She couldn’t help but use her fan to poke him, asking, “What are you looking at?”

Pei Wenxuan instantly snapped out of it, calmly stood up, moved to sit a bit away from Li Rong, and smiled, “Nothing much, just suddenly remembered something. Oh, by the way,” Pei Wenxuan changed the subject, “Why were you standing at the palace gate lost in thought earlier?”

Li Rong listened to Pei Wenxuan’s question and smiled, saying, “Today, the empress mother asked about the palace banquet. She said it was suggested by concubine Rou and His Majesty. I guess concubine Rou probably wants to seek an imperial decree for a marriage at the palace banquet.”

“Just this little thing makes you so worried?” Pei Wenxuan couldn’t believe it, scrutinizing her, “Doesn’t seem like you.”

Li Rong couldn’t be bothered to deal with him. She took out a chess set from the side and said, “Bored on the way, let’s play a game.”

Li Rong invited, and Pei Wenxuan gladly accepted, sitting across from her, taking the chess pieces, and starting to play with her.

The black and white pieces intertwined. Li Rong looked at the chessboard, and her emotions gradually calmed down. Whether it was joy or sorrow, it seemed to have become distant. It was only at this moment that Li Rong spoke up, asking, “By the way, I’ve always been curious.”

“Hmm?”

“Last lifetime, why did Chuan end up like that?”

Li Rong spoke slowly, “He became the emperor, unified the north, and eliminated the aristocratic families. He got everything he wanted,” Li Rong looked at Pei Wenxuan, “Why is he still living so painfully?”

Pei Wenxuan remained silent. Li Rong furrowed her brows, “Is it because Qin Zhenzhen died? Can love for someone last so long?”

“Your Highness, do you know why His Majesty insisted on unifying the north?”

Pei Wenxuan looked at the chessboard and asked only this, and Li Rong pondered, “Because the northern border was always unstable, and the people suffered?”

“That’s certainly a reason,” Pei Wenxuan smiled. He glanced at Li Rong and said, “But besides that?”

Li Rong shook her head, “He never told me.”

“One year, I drank with the crown prince. He mentioned to me that in the eighth year of Xuanzhi, there was intense conflict between the northern border and Daxia. The aristocratic families, for the sake of stability, chose to negotiate. So princess Yunyan was married off to the north, and Daxia gave two million taels of silver, five hundred beautiful women, and also sent cattle, sheep, and horses, as well as fine silk and satin. A year later, princess Yunyan died in the north. His Majesty publicly announced it as a natural death, but everyone in the palace knew that princess Yunyan died in the northern harem after going to the war state.”

“The crown prince told me that night you were so scared that you didn’t dare to sleep. You kept asking the empress if one day you would also go to the north like princess Yunyan, with no return.”

Li Rong’s eyelashes trembled slightly, her voice flat, “I forgot.”

“His Highness remembers. From that moment, His Highness told himself that one day, he would definitely campaign north, make the barbarians in the north bow down, and never let them to offend again.”

“I didn’t know,” Li Rong chuckled, “that he had such early thoughts of a northern campaign.”

“So, the crown prince is different from you,” Pei Wenxuan surrounded Li Rong’s pieces on the chessboard. He lifted a piece, speaking slowly, “Everything he wants and does in the court mostly stems from certain emotions within him. He wants to campaign north to protect the subjects, protect his family. His confrontation with the aristocrats is to ensure that what he wants to achieve becomes a reality. But in the end, although he seems to have achieved his goals in the court, he has forever lost what he initially wanted. Why would he be joyful?”

“Lost Qin Zhenzhen?” Li Rong scoffed.

“He lost you, lost the empress, lost his wife, lost himself. Even though he possesses mountains and rivers, for the crown prince, it means nothing.”

“He can’t find a way back, and there is no return. If you can’t understand this, you’ll never understand the crown prince.”

Li Rong stayed silent, gazing at Pei Wenxuan. “What does it mean to lose me?”

Pei Wenxuan raised his eyes, locking gazes with Li Rong.

“Your Highness,” he sighed with a bitter smile, “what changes over time is not only the crown prince.”

Li Rong paused, and Pei Wenxuan lowered his eyes, saying lightly, “There’s also you and me.”

Li Rong remained silent, her expression calm. Pei Wenxuan’s words seemed to have no impact on her. She calmly made a move in the game, then reached for the tea, but in the moment of touching the cup, she realized her hand was unconsciously trembling.

Pei Wenxuan pretended not to notice, looking at the chessboard with composure.

After observing the chessboard for a while, he raised his hand, gently pulled the wide sleeve, and placed a piece on the board.

“Those who abandon me can’t stay. The past is past.”

“Your Highness,” Pei Wenxuan looked up at her, a hint of a smile in his eyes, “it doesn’t matter if you lose this game. Shall we start a new one?”

Li Rong didn’t speak. After a while, she smiled, raised her hand, and placed a piece on the board.

In an instant, Pei Wenxuan lost most of the board.

Li Rong looked at the chessboard, lifted a piece, and while capturing another, she smiled at Pei Wenxuan, saying, “You lost, but I haven’t.”

Pei Wenxuan stared blankly at the chessboard, then reacted: “Were you intentionally teasing me into talking just now?”

Li Rong, seeing Pei Wenxuan’s shocked expression, burst into laughter and said joyfully, “In war, deceit is not tiresome. If I didn’t engage you in conversation today, how could I have won?”

“It seems that it’s difficult to deal with women and villains.” Pei Wenxuan folded his hands in his sleeves, shaking his head. “Today, I’ve learned that when playing chess, I can’t talk to you.”

“Don’t be like that,” Li Rong said with a smiling squint. “I enjoy it when you talk to me.”

Pei Wenxuan showed a disdainful expression, sitting aside and ignoring Li Rong.

As they bantered with each other, they arrived at the princess’s residence. After getting off the carriage, Li Rong went back to her room first, while Pei Wenxuan busied himself for a while before returning to his room. At the door, he saw Jingmei and Jinglan standing there. He beckoned to Jingmei, who approached with some confusion. Pei Wenxuan whispered, “Did Her Highness have a conflict with the crown prince in the palace today?”

“Not really,” Jingmei shook her head honestly. “They just talked for a while. It seems to be about the crown prince not wanting to marry a concubine. After saying that, Her Highness wasn’t very happy. Please comfort her.”

Speaking, Jingmei winked, “Her Highness is happier when talking to you, the son-in-law. Just chat with her, and she’ll be much happier.”

Pei Wenxuan smiled and didn’t say much, only advising, “Don’t tell Her Highness that I asked you these questions.”

“I understand, lord Pei, this is a subtle concern.”

Upon being teased by Jingmei, Pei Wenxuan felt a bit embarrassed. He cleared his throat and waved his hand, saying, “Stop making a fuss, go back.”

Jingmei pursed her lips, smiled, and returned to her original position. Pei Wenxuan entered the room. Li Rong had already fallen asleep. After freshening up in the darkness, he returned to bed.

He lay on the bed for a while, and Li Rong, in a muffled voice, asked, “Are you only sleeping now?”

In the night, Pei Wenxuan responded softly. Li Rong had her back to him, sleeping in another bed. Her figure looked petite and delicate.

In fact, with Jingmei’s remark, Pei Wenxuan almost guessed what Li Rong and Li Chuan had talked about. He knew Li Chuan’s importance in Li Rong’s heart and understood her temperament. Given their conversation today, Li Rong must be upset about something related to Li Chuan’s past life.

He felt an urge to comfort Li Rong but wasn’t sure what to say. Li Rong tended to hide her sadness if she felt upset and didn’t want others to know. If he expressed it too obviously, she might feel embarrassed and react negatively.

But if he remained silent…

Thinking about it, he realized that this Li Rong in this life wasn’t much different from the previous one. Whether he was present or not, she would go through all the bitterness and pain alone.

Feeling somewhat unfair, he pondered for a moment and finally awkwardly said, “Your Highness.”

“Hmm?”

“Are you happy that I came to pick you up today?”

Li Rong heard this and slowly opened her eyes in the night.

She wanted to scold him a bit but suddenly remembered the warmth he provided when the storm came. She couldn’t bring herself to say anything harsh, so she responded softly, “It’s okay.”

Pei Wenxuan smiled. He propped himself up and happily said, “From now on, every time you go out, I’ll come to pick you up. That way, when you come back, you’ll have someone to accompany you, and it won’t be boring.”

Li Rong listened to Pei Wenxuan’s words, turned over, and looked at him seriously.

“Pei Wenxuan,” she stared at him, “tell me the truth.”

“Hmm?”

“Are you asking for money again?”

Pei Wenxuan, looking at Li Rong’s serious eyes, was momentarily tongue-tied. He felt like he had been taken advantage of despite his good intentions. He simply turned over, pulled the blanket over himself, and muttered, “The dog bites Lu Dongbin.”

Li Rong found humor in his response. She lay on the bed, and after a while, she kicked Pei Wenxuan: “From now on, before we go our separate ways, come to pick me up every day, got it?”

“Not going.”

Pei Wenxuan closed his eyes. “Sleep, dream of anything you want.”

Li Rong, understanding his sarcastic remark, didn’t bother with him and went to sleep with a smile.

While lying in bed, for some reason, she felt much happier. It seemed that no matter how bad things were in the past life, they could be changed. Even Pei Wenxuan, this cunning guy, could have a good conversation with her. What couldn’t be changed?

Li Rong closed her eyes and slept with a smile.

The two stayed at home for a few days, playing chess and drinking tea. When Pei Wenxuan started attending court sessions again, Li Rong spent her time listening to scholars’ discussions in various tea houses and trying to meet potential allies. As the honeymoon period ended, Pei Wenxuan returned to official duties.

On the seventh day of the seventh month, the empress hosted a banquet in the palace, inviting all eligible young men and women among the court officials. Li Rong had been eagerly anticipating this day. She prepared early and led Pei Wenxuan into the palace in advance. Once inside, she looked at him and said, “With the money I gave you, it should come in handy, right?”

Pei Wenxuan helplessly gave her two names: “These two are the attendants today. If you need anything, find them.”

Li Rong nodded, then asked, “Did you find out if there’s anything special in today’s palace banquet?”

“Everything else seems normal, but I heard something.” Pei Wenxuan leaned against the table, looking at the document in his hand, and slowly said, “This time, the palace banquet has prepared many identical incense burners and added a lot of fragrances.”

“Hmm?”

Li Rong, upon hearing this, thought for a moment and asked, “Are they planning to fragrance the feast?”

“If they intend to request imperial permission for marriage, there must be some reasons.”

Pei Wenxuan directly said, “I heard that princess Rou intends to recommend that girl who is skilled in fragrance blending.”

Li Rong understood, and she smiled, “It seems tonight will be quite interesting.”

Pei Wenxuan agreed with a nod, not saying much. Li Rong leaned over to look at the document he was reading, finding it related to court affairs.

In the previous life, Pei Wenxuan came from the Imperial Censorate, his old profession. Li Rong, supporting her chin, commented, “You seem quite busy.”

“A new official sets three fires,” Pei Wenxuan smiled, “The emperor wants to use me as a tool, so I have to shed some blood for him. If I don’t work hard, can I get promoted? Just a little effort,” Pei Wenxuan raised his hand, pulling the curtain open slightly, and cast a disdainful glance at Li Rong, “You’re blocking my light.”

Li Rong shrugged, moved to a different position, grabbed a book from the side, read for a while, and then felt bored. Thinking about the palace banquet, she couldn’t concentrate. Turning to Pei Wenxuan, she said, “Don’t you have any other feelings today?”

“What feelings?” Pei Wenxuan looked at the official documents, unperturbed. Li Rong poked him with her fan, “You’re going to meet your real sister today.”

Pei Wenxuan’s movement stiffened, and he raised his eyebrows, “Are you bored?”

Seeing that he was really upset, Li Rong quickly stood up straight, coughed lightly, and said, “Let’s just chat casually. Today is the Qixi Festival. Don’t look at the documents for now,” taking away the papers from his hand, she looked at him and continued, “Let’s talk about personal matters. Today, Qin Zhenzhen is going to meet Chuan’er. Aren’t you worried?”

“I need to worry about what?”

“What if they hit it off?”

“Isn’t that something you should be concerned about?” Pei Wenxuan looked at her coldly, picked up his documents, and Li Rong saw that he didn’t want to talk to her at all. She propped her chin and said, “I’m thinking for your sake. If you don’t make a move first and cultivate some feelings with Qin Zhenzhen, what if we divorce and she gets married? What will you do?”

“It’s none of my business.”

Pei Wenxuan spoke directly, and before Li Rong could say anything, he immediately said, “Instead of worrying about that, why don’t you focus on the fact that Su Rongqing is coming tonight? How about talking to him a bit more.”

Li Rong was choked by him, and Pei Wenxuan saw her speechless, raised an eyebrow, and smiled, “But you shouldn’t talk too much directly now. Don’t worry, tonight I will subtly hint at him for you.”

“Subtly… hint at what?” Li Rong was somewhat scared now. Pei Wenxuan, seeing her fear, smiled, pursed his lips, and looked down at the documents without saying anything.

Li Rong stayed quiet for a while on the side, couldn’t help but use her fan to poke Pei Wenxuan, “What are you hinting at?”

“Hinting that we are a fake couple, planning to divorce in the future. This way, when you interact with him later, he won’t consider me.”

Pei Wenxuan looked down at the documents, and somehow, saying this made him feel a bit uncomfortable.

But he restrained his emotions. He had been used to not liking Su Rongqing for a long time, it had become a habit. If he wanted to help Li Rong, he needed to adjust his mindset.

Li Rong heard Pei Wenxuan’s planned and decisive approach, coughed lightly, and said, “Actually, I feel that Su Rongqing and I are not…”

Pei Wenxuan looked up, and Li Rong instantly remembered what Pei Wenxuan had said that night.

She was afraid that Pei Wenxuan would repeat his words like reciting scriptures, and vaguely, she also felt that perhaps, following Pei Wenxuan’s words and giving it another try might not be a bad thing?

Not knowing the true face of Mount Lu, only because I am in this mountain. Pei Wenxuan is an outsider, maybe he sees things more clearly than her.

Just like how she looks at Pei Wenxuan, she may understand herself better than Pei Wenxuan does.

Although she felt a bit strange in her heart, she reluctantly accepted, “Then I will talk to Qin Zhenzhen well.”

“No need,” Pei Wenxuan immediately said, “It’s not time yet.”

“Indeed,” Li Rong nodded, “I also think it’s a bit too early. So you don’t need to tell Su Rongqing too much.”

“Just casually mention it like that.”

The two of them spoke in unison, reaching some kind of inexplicable understanding.

As they chatted leisurely on the way to the palace, there were already many people when they arrived. Pei Wenxuan saw his colleagues and greeted them with a smile, Li Rong said hello to him and went to the female guest seat.

The banquet for male guests was in the main hall, while the female guests were seated in the Imperial Garden. When Li Rong arrived, many noble ladies were already there.

Shangguan Ya, being tall, was talking to Su Family’s young lady and several county princesses. Her voice was not loud, but because of its clarity, Li Rong could recognize Shangguan Ya’s voice as soon as she entered the garden. She looked over, and Shangguan Ya, upon hearing the announcement of her arrival, glanced lightly, as if she had never seen her before, then turned her gaze away.

Later, as they all stood up, they bowed to Li Rong together.

Shangguan Ya’s posture was elegant, showing dignified manners, just like the person in Li Rong’s memory. However, she was completely different from the girl at the gambling house.

Li Rong felt like laughing for a moment, but she suppressed the smile and walked to Shangguan Ya, taking her hand, saying, “Sister Ya is here today too.”

Shangguan Ya’s body stiffened slightly, she forced a smile and said, “Your Highness arrived early.”

“Sister Ya is not late either. Is it your first time in the palace today?”

“I came once when I was little.” Shangguan Ya gradually calmed down and relaxed, engaging in a polite conversation with Li Rong.

After chatting for a while, more people arrived. Li Rong noticed Qin Zhenzhen not far away, chatting and laughing with a few girls as she walked in, then being led to sit behind Shangguan Ya.

With so many female guests, the seating arrangement formed several rows. Due to Qin Zhenzhen’s status, she couldn’t be in the front row. She chose the first seat in the second row, right behind Shangguan Ya.

Li Rong glanced at Qin Zhenzhen and saw that she seemed to have never seen her before, bowing respectfully, “Greetings, Your Highness.”

Then she looked at Shangguan Ya, politely greeting, “Greetings, miss Shangguan.”

Li Rong and Shangguan Ya exchanged greetings, and Qin Zhenzhen sat in her seat, observing with a focused gaze, maintaining a proper demeanor and refraining from speaking.

The announcement of the empress’s arrival echoed from outside. Li Rong didn’t linger any longer, stood up, and smiled at Shangguan Ya, “This princess will return to the seat first. Take care, Sister Ya.”

Shangguan Ya bowed to see Li Rong off. Li Rong sat across from Shangguan Ya, and then the empress led four other noble concubines to their seats. Everyone stood up to bow, and after the empress took her seat, she signaled for everyone to sit down.

“Today is Qixi, and you should have been celebrating at home. However, this palace thought it would be more lively to gather everyone together,” the empress spoke, smiling, “Don’t hold any grievances, everyone.”

“Mother, you’re joking,” Li Rong, seated below, responded to the empress. “Young ladies all love excitement. You inviting everyone has made us all happy.”

As Li Rong spoke, there were successive voices of agreement from below, and the atmosphere became lively. Conversations started flowing.

The empress relaxed and, following the protocol, announced the commencement of the feast. In the main hall, Li Ming presided over and led the young officials in the celebration.

After the group of young ladies finished their meal, they began to play and have fun, spending some time with needles and threads before starting to make wishes. Li Rong was already married, and her interest in such things had indeed faded. She sat in her place, watching the lively group of girls.

Consort Rou had some wine and seemed a bit intoxicated. She looked up at the empress and said, “Empress, it seems like the right time. How about having someone bring the incense burner and let everyone compete?”

Li Rong heard this and looked up at consort Rou. Others were also somewhat puzzled, but the empress seemed to have known it early, nodding, “Then let them bring it up.”

Consort Rou, upon hearing this, immediately signaled everyone to return to their positions. She then said, “In the past, during the Qixi banquet, everyone had to find some fun. Now it’s a palace banquet, and there are too many people. The usual drumming and poetry might not work, so today the empress has changed the poetry to perfumery. Unmarried girls present today will create perfumes together. Later, they will be brought to the main hall, and the crown prince will choose the top three, with substantial rewards. How about it?”

Everyone was stunned by this proposal, showing different expressions.

As long as one wasn’t foolish, they could understand consort Rou’s intention. The empress had summoned unmarried girls from prestigious families into the palace, let them create perfumes, and the crown prince would choose. Currently, the crown prince was not married, and Li Rong had just been married. What could this mean? It couldn’t be more obvious.

Some showed excitement, while others appeared confused and uncertain.

Elite women from prominent families, like Shangguan Ya and Su Rongwen, maintained a calm demeanor, likely having known the news beforehand, or, like Qin Zhenzhen, seemed entirely detached, their faces expressing “this has nothing to do with me” with composure.

Li Rong observed the various reactions, smiled with a hint of mischief, and suddenly said, “Mother, I find this inappropriate.”

As soon as she spoke, everyone turned to look at her. Li Rong smiled and said, “Everyone is here to attend the banquet. Why can they create perfumes for rewards, but your child can’t? I want to join in too.”

“Rong’er, what are you meddling in?” The empress frowned, signaling her not to make a scene.

Li Rong understood from the empress’s expression that this matter was probably decided by the empress and consort Rou together.

Consort Rou’s purpose was simple. She wanted to request a marriage for her niece, and she needed a reason. Having Li Chuan choose her niece’s perfume was the perfect excuse.

The empress’s agreement was likely due to her belief that she could control the situation. She wanted Li Chuan to choose Shangguan Ya’s perfume, then the Shangguan family would take advantage of the situation and arrange a marriage between Shangguan Ya and the crown prince.

Each had their own calculations, treating the position of the crown prince’s consort as a reward and making the same decision. Li Rong didn’t know if Li Chuan was aware, but she was certain that today, anyone could be chosen except Shangguan Ya, consort Rou’s niece, and Qin Zhenzhen.

So, Li Rong didn’t back down, smiling at the empress, “Adding one more won’t hurt, mother, just agree to it for me, okay?”

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