Chapter 91: I Agreed, But Unfortunately, You Broke The Promise

Li Rong listened to Pei Wenxuan lamenting with a “what a pity,” laughing uncontrollably. She pursed her lips, lowered her head, and raised her hand, saying, “Enough of this talk. I still have things to attend to.”

“What does Your Highness plan to do next?” Pei Wenxuan asked.

“Of course, I’m going to meet Lin Feibai,” Li Rong replied, turning to look at Pei Wenxuan. “Now that Xie Lanqing is out of the picture, your uncle in the Ministry of Justice should have some influence, right?”

Pei Wenxuan saluted with a clasped hand. “At Your Highness’s command.”

The two left the palace together. Pei Wenxuan sent someone to fetch Pei Liming, and by the time they arrived at the Ministry of Justice, Pei Liming was already waiting at the entrance. Li Rong and Pei Wenxuan stepped off the carriage, and Pei Wenxuan cheerfully approached, respectfully greeting, “Uncle.”

Pei Liming first bowed to Li Rong. “Your Highness.”

Then he turned to Pei Wenxuan, nodding. “You got here quickly.”

“Your Highness was in a hurry,” Pei Wenxuan said in a low voice. “Is the person here?”

“He’s already waiting in the Ministry,” Pei Liming replied. “And Miss Shangguan is here too.”

“Shangguan Ya is here?” Pei Wenxuan was surprised.

Pei Liming nodded. “I let her in.”

With that, he gestured to Li Rong, bowing respectfully. “Your Highness, please.”

Li Rong nodded. “You’re too kind, Vice Minister Pei.”

“It’s my duty,” Pei Liming said, leading Li Rong and Pei Wenxuan inside.

At the prison entrance, they saw Shangguan Ya sitting casually, munching on peanuts with her legs crossed, leisurely observing Lin Feibai inside. Lin Feibai sat on the bed in his cell, facing away from her. As Li Rong entered, Shangguan Ya stood up. “Your Highness.”

Lin Feibai’s ears twitched at the sound. After Li Rong walked in, Pei Liming tactfully said, “Your Highness, I’ll leave you here. You can stay for half an hour, but the sooner you finish, the better, to avoid gossip.”

“Understood,” Li Rong said, nodding slightly to Pei Liming. “Thank you, Vice Minister Pei.”

“I’ll see my uncle out,” Pei Wenxuan said, escorting Pei Liming out.

In the prison, only Li Rong, Shangguan Ya, and Lin Feibai remained. Shangguan Ya quickly pulled a stool for Li Rong. “Your Highness, please sit.”

“Why are you here?” Li Rong asked, curious.

Shangguan Ya grinned. “I guessed Your Highness would come to interrogate Lin Feibai, so I came early. I’m dying of curiosity and waiting for you to clear things up.”

“Clear what up?” Li Rong took a sip of tea from Shangguan Ya and glanced at Lin Feibai. “What’s so confusing? Can’t Young Master Lin answer your questions?”

“I tried asking,” Shangguan Ya sighed, “but he’s stubborn. Hasn’t said a word.”

Li Rong smiled, set the tea aside, and leaned back in her chair, speaking gently. “Young Master Lin, don’t you have anything to ask me?”

Lin Feibai, still facing away, remained silent. Li Rong waited patiently. After a long pause, he finally spoke, his voice hoarse. “My mother never told me about him.”

“She only said my father was dead, that he betrayed her, abandoned her in Qincu Mountain. I grew up hating him with her. I always thought he wasn’t a good man, that he abandoned my mother.”

“What don’t you understand?” Li Rong tapped her fan lightly against her palm.

“She died two years ago,” Lin Feibai said.

“The leader of the Seven Stars Hall died two years ago?” Shangguan Ya interjected, surprised.

Lin Feibai ignored her, continuing in a low voice. “Two years ago, in her final moments, she clutched this necklace. She said she wanted to see its owner. She had sent word to him, and she was waiting.”

“She told me to wait at the mountain gate, where I could see the path. I’d spot him first if he came. He’d be dressed in black. If he arrived, I was to tell her.”

“I stood at the gate, waiting. It snowed heavily that day. I waited for so long.”

“I waited until snow covered me entirely, until the morning light melted the ice. No one came. When I returned, she had already passed.”

“She held this necklace until the end.”

Lin Feibai raised his hand, gripping the necklace tightly. “I thought it was her most precious possession, so I kept it. Before she died, she left me many requests. One was that she owed Xie Lanqing three favors, and the last one she couldn’t fulfill, so she asked me to do it for her.”

“That’s why when Xie Lanqing came to Qincu Mountain to ask for the Seven Stars Hall’s help, I came, even though I knew getting involved could bring disaster to the Hall.”

“But I don’t understand,” Lin Feibai said, clenching his fist. “This man humiliated her, betrayed her, never gave her a proper status. She clearly hated him so much—why did she still ask me to help him?”

“People say one thing but feel another,” Shangguan Ya said bluntly.

Lin Feibai ignored her, turning to stare at Li Rong. “You know why, don’t you?”

“I don’t,” Li Rong replied calmly. “All I know is she wanted you to live well.”

“And I’m here today not to answer your questions but to give you an opportunity.”

“What opportunity?” Lin Feibai asked.

“A chance to live,” Li Rong said, sitting up straight, her voice slow and deliberate. “And a chance for revenge.”

As Li Rong spoke with Lin Feibai, Pei Wenxuan escorted Pei Liming to the entrance, where they had dismissed the surrounding guards. Pei Liming sighed. “You’re too reckless. You should’ve given me a heads-up.”

“I didn’t know this would happen today,” Pei Wenxuan said with a bitter smile. “Her Highness didn’t tell me, and it was all so rushed. When His Majesty asked for someone, I had no choice but to pull you in.”

Though they called it Pei Liming’s help, both knew that with Xie Lanqing’s inevitable fall from the Minister of Justice position, whoever handled his case would likely take his place. Pei Liming had been a Vice Minister for nearly a decade, and now his chance had come—not from the Pei family’s favored official, Pei Lixian, but from Pei Wenxuan. Pei Liming kept his thoughts to himself but began to weigh his options.

Though Pei Lixian held a high position, he hadn’t brought much tangible benefit to the family over the years. Pei Wenxuan, though young, was resourceful, backed by Li Rong, and generous—handing Pei Liming this opportunity to become Minister. How could Pei Liming not be pleased?

Suppressing his excitement, he waved a hand. “We’re family. No need to be so formal.”

“Uncle is right,” Pei Wenxuan said politely. “We’re family, and I’ll rely on your care in the future.”

Pei Liming smiled. Having accepted Pei Wenxuan’s favor, he appreciated how Pei Wenxuan didn’t mention it, giving him face with every word. In just a few sentences, Pei Liming grew fond of him, regretting not paying more attention to this nephew earlier.

After some pleasantries, Pei Wenxuan took his leave and returned to the prison, where he heard Li Rong speaking to Lin Feibai. “You just need to tell the truth, hold nothing back. Whatever punishment Xie Lanqing deserves, he’ll get. That’s enough. Though you tried to assassinate me, I’ll report to my father that you’ve made amends, and I’ll ask him to lift your punishment.”

Pei Wenxuan stood behind Li Rong as Lin Feibai, expression unchanged, said, “You won’t use me again, will you?”

“Rest assured,” Li Rong smiled. “I used you before because you were trying to use me. Now that you’re not, I won’t exploit you either.”

“I don’t believe a single word from you Huajing people,” Lin Feibai said coldly.

Shangguan Ya sneered. “Then whose words do you believe?”

“But I’m willing to testify against Xie Lanqing,” Lin Feibai said.

With that, Li Rong felt relieved. This time, she had solid evidence to bring down Minister Xie.

She stood up, nodding. “Good. I’ll take my leave then. I wish you a swift release, Young Master Lin.”

Li Rong walked out, followed by Pei Wenxuan. Shangguan Ya trailed behind, but halfway, she remembered something. Turning back, she pulled a deck of playing cards from her sleeve and placed it in the cell, raising her chin. “Don’t be too down. Play some cards, and the days will pass quickly. There’s plenty to be happy about in this world. No need to let a few irrelevant people ruin your mood.”

Lin Feibai ignored her. Shangguan Ya clicked her tongue. “Ungrateful.”

With that, she turned and caught up with Li Rong. “Hey, Your Highness, wait for me! Don’t walk so fast!”

As Shangguan Ya’s voice faded, Lin Feibai hesitated, then walked to the cell’s edge and picked up the cards. They were hand-drawn by Shangguan Ya, her artistry refined by a master. The cards were not only skillfully crafted but innovative—warriors with flower crowns, scholars holding bird cages. Lin Feibai looked at them quietly, gave a dismissive snort, then tucked the cards into his robe.

Shangguan Ya caught up with Li Rong and Pei Wenxuan outside. Li Rong glanced at her. “What did you leave him?”

“A deck of cards,” Shangguan Ya said, waving a hand. “So he won’t be bored.”

“You’re thoughtful,” Li Rong teased.

Shangguan Ya blushed slightly. “He’s kind of pitiful.”

“Alright, where are you headed now?”

“Home,” Shangguan Ya replied. “And you, Your Highness?”

“Back to the Princess’s Mansion. I’ll give you a ride.”

Li Rong led Pei Wenxuan and Shangguan Ya to the carriage. Once inside, Pei Wenxuan poured tea for the two women. Shangguan Ya, after a moment’s thought, said, “Your Highness, why do you think Lin Feibai’s mother was so contradictory? She taught him to hate Xie Lanqing his whole life, yet in the end, she asked him to help Xie Lanqing. What was she after?”

Li Rong smiled, looking at Shangguan Ya. “Have you ever died?”

“How could I have died?” Shangguan Ya exclaimed. “Your Highness, no one in this world has died and come back.”

Li Rong and Pei Wenxuan exchanged a smile. Li Rong spoke slowly. “I suppose Lin Feibai’s mother truly hated Xie Lanqing her whole life, but that hate came from love. That’s why she waited for him until the end. When the final moment came, whether he showed up or not didn’t matter anymore.”

“When people die, it’s not hate that lingers most—it’s the last beautiful moments of life.”

Li Rong smiled gently. “You see, Lin Feibai’s mother said she owed Xie Lanqing three favors. I’ve heard this story. Years ago, Xie Lanqing met Lin Xia, a soldier from the martial world, and they fell in love at first sight. Xie Lanqing saved her life, and Lin Xia promised to grant him three wishes.”

“Xie Lanqing’s first wish was for Lin Xia to stay by his side.”

Shangguan Ya raised an eyebrow. “Minister Xie was quite the romantic back then.”

“His second wish was for her to leave him. In truth, Lin Xia didn’t fully comply. She and her junior sister founded the Seven Stars Hall in Qincu Mountain. Xie Lanqing knew but never visited her in all those years.”

“Maybe he heard she had a child,” Shangguan Ya mused, “and assumed she’d moved on.”

“Those three wishes were the start of their story. I think, before Lin Xia died, she remembered Xie Lanqing’s kindness. She let go of her hate and wanted their story to end beautifully. And once the hate was gone, she realized Lin Feibai was Xie Lanqing’s son. She hoped they could have a good relationship.”

“That makes some sense,” Shangguan Ya nodded. “Lin Feibai’s a bit pitiful, isn’t he?”

“The poor are always pitiful,” Pei Wenxuan interjected. “He’s doing alright.”

Shangguan Ya agreed. “True. The greatest tragedy in this world is poverty. Birth, aging, sickness, and death are heaven’s doing, but poverty makes you question yourself.”

“It’s like being stuck in a spider’s web—you’re trapped, but you wonder if it’s because you didn’t try hard enough to break free.”

As they spoke, the carriage reached the Shangguan residence. Shangguan Ya bowed to them, smiling. “See you tomorrow.”

She hopped off the carriage. Once it was just the two of them, Pei Wenxuan turned to Li Rong. “I’m curious—what did you see before you died?”

“And you?” Li Rong raised an eyebrow.

Pei Wenxuan thought for a moment, then said softly, “It was that New Year’s when we celebrated together, watching fireworks. We stood on the long corridor, and you called my name, asking me to turn around.”

He smiled. “When I did, you stood on tiptoe, held my face, and kissed me.”

“Then you asked if I could watch fireworks with you every year.”

“I promised,” Pei Wenxuan said, lowering his head to pick up a cup of bitter tea. “But you broke that promise.”

“Let’s watch them again this year,” Li Rong said suddenly.

Pei Wenxuan looked up, surprised. Li Rong turned to him, smiling. “This year, I’ll watch the fireworks with you. Pei Wenxuan, promise me one thing,” she said, leaning closer.

He looked down at her. “What?”

“For the rest of our lives, any promise we make to each other—we either don’t make it, or we keep it to the end. Alright?”

“Alright,” Pei Wenxuan said, smiling, his voice hoarse. “No one breaks their word.”

“Pinky swear?” Li Rong raised her little finger.

Pei Wenxuan looked at her, finding her childishness endearing because it was her. He raised his hand, hooking his finger with hers.

“For a hundred years, no changes.”

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