Chapter 93: Happy New Year, Pei Wenxuan

Li Rong quietly gazed at Pei Wenxuan. She looked at his profile in that moment—he was slender, like pine and bamboo dusted with snow. Just by standing in the hall, he embodied the ideal image of a civil official in the hearts of everyone in the Great Xia.

He held a brush in his hand, and his eyes were set on the mountains and rivers.

At that moment, what Li Rong saw in him was not just his handsome and elegant features, but also the image of the man a young girl would admire in her dreams.

The most attractive quality in a man is not how deeply he loves a woman or how wholly he devotes himself to her.

It is that he bears the weight of the world, his vision encompassing all under heaven, yet he is willing to lower his head for you and gently brush a fallen peach blossom from your hair.

Pei Wenxuan noticed Li Rong’s gaze. He turned his head and asked with some confusion, “Your Highness?”

Li Rong snapped out of her thoughts, forcibly shifting her gaze away. Looking toward Xie Lanqing in the prison cell, she smiled and said, “Lord Xie, I’ve told you what you wanted to know. You should be able to walk your path with peace now.”

Xie Lanqing seemed dazed. Li Rong gave a slight nod, then turned to Su Rongqing and said, “Minister Su, if there’s nothing else, I shall return to the residence.”

Su Rongqing bowed respectfully. Li Rong and Pei Wenxuan bid farewell to Xie Lanqing. Xie remained seated in the cell, not responding, staring blankly in one direction, as if he had seen someone—or something.

After Su Rongqing also bid farewell to Xie Lanqing, he followed Li Rong out.

When they stepped outside, the three of them realized it had started to rain. The winter rain fell fine and dense, mingling with snow. Pei Wenxuan sent someone to fetch the carriage, and the three stood silently under the long corridor.

Su Rongqing looked at the rain and snow outside. After a long pause, he slowly said, “What Lord Pei said earlier—I believe it was wrong. The way of Heaven has its own rules. To break them for the sake of one’s desires and harm others—that cannot be considered right. Lord Xie’s greatest mistake was getting involved with Lin Xia back then. There is a difference in status, a divide like clouds and mud. It was doomed from the start. He should have restrained himself. Even if love arises uncontrollably, it should not be indulged.”

“Like Minister Su, then?” Pei Wenxuan said calmly, watching the rain and snow. “In your world, would you even kill your wife for the sake of your family?”

As he spoke, Pei Wenxuan turned to look at Su Rongqing. Li Rong’s heart tightened, and she said coldly, “Consort, why speak such ominous words for no reason?”

“I was just asking casually,” Pei Wenxuan smiled, raising his hand in a polite gesture. “Minister Su, please don’t take offense.”

“I do take offense,” Su Rongqing replied, his voice slightly hoarse. “I hope Lord Pei will not joke about my wife.”

“But Minister Su isn’t married yet, is he?” Pei Wenxuan raised an eyebrow. “To be so protective of that title already—do you have someone in your heart?”

“Whether I do or don’t,” Su Rongqing stared at Pei Wenxuan, refusing to back down, “it’s not something Lord Pei should joke about.”

Pei Wenxuan smiled faintly and turned his head, casually reminding him, “It seems Minister Su has yet to address me as ‘Prince Consort’ even once?”

Su Rongqing stiffened slightly. Just then, the carriage was led over. Pei Wenxuan, seeing it arrive, naturally reached out and took Li Rong’s hand, reminding Su Rongqing, “At present, the rank of Prince Consort is still higher than that of a Censorate official. It’s one thing for Her Highness to be informal, but Minister Su, coming from such a prestigious family and known for observing propriety, should be more careful not to make such slips.”

As he spoke, Pei Wenxuan took an umbrella from a servant and held it over Li Rong’s shoulder, gently saying, “Your Highness, shall we go?”

Li Rong was led forward by him. Out of sight of others, she discreetly elbowed him in the waist and whispered, “Did you eat gunpowder today?” 

Pei Wenxuan only smiled without replying, continuing to guide her forward. After a few steps, Su Rongqing suddenly called out, his voice trembling and hoarse, “Your Highness…”

Li Rong and Pei Wenxuan turned back together. Su Rongqing was looking at Li Rong, his gaze fixed solely on her. He seemed to want to say something, with countless emotions—joy and sorrow—hidden in his eyes. Li Rong looked at him quietly. When he remained silent for a long time, she finally asked, “Minister Su?”

Her voice brought Su Rongqing back to his senses. Li Rong watched as his gaze gradually calmed. He took a deep breath and smiled, “The New Year is approaching. I wish Your Highness a happy new year and all the best in the coming days.”

Su Rongqing clearly wasn’t used to offering such simple, heartfelt blessings. Li Rong was a bit surprised to hear it, then smiled in return, “Then I also wish Minister Su a happy new year and a bright future.”

“Thank you, Your Highness.” Su Rongqing smiled. Li Rong turned back and entered the carriage with Pei Wenxuan.

Once inside, they sat on opposite sides. As the carriage began to move, Li Rong glanced up and caught a glimpse of a figure through the lifted curtain.

A man in white, holding an umbrella, walking alone through the wind and rain. The sky was vast, the earth wide—he stood solitary in it all.

Li Rong was momentarily dazed. Pei Wenxuan poured himself a cup of tea, leaned against the carriage wall, and said sourly, “Stop looking. He’s already gone.”

“He didn’t take a carriage?” Li Rong asked, puzzled. With the Su family’s wealth, why would Su Rongqing walk back?

Pei Wenxuan stirred the tea leaves with the lid and replied calmly, “Walking is good exercise. Very healthy.”

“You’re right,” Li Rong nodded, then turned to look at him. “I wonder where this vinegar you’re drinking today was brewed?”

Pei Wenxuan didn’t respond. He blew on his tea leaves. Li Rong glanced at him and couldn’t help but say, “Stop blowing. You’re making the tea leaves fly everywhere.”

“What a pity,” Pei Wenxuan looked up, “Too bad they didn’t fly into Your Highness’s face—could’ve washed your eyes a bit.”

“With you to cleanse my eyes,” Li Rong laughed, “I don’t need your tea leaves.”

“Li Rong,” Pei Wenxuan set his teacup down on the table, leaned forward with a smile, “you really know how to stab someone right in the heart.”

“I’m not in the habit of spoiling people,” Li Rong also placed her hand on the table, leaning in to meet him face-to-face. “After all these years, Lord Pei still hasn’t learned how to be a proper Prince Consort.”

“Then why don’t you teach me?” Pei Wenxuan raised an eyebrow. Li Rong lifted her chin slightly, “Figure it out yourself.”

“Could Your Highness at least point me in the right direction?”

Li Rong nodded and lowered her voice, as if sharing a top-secret matter: “Since you’re asking so sincerely, I’ll tell you your one and only strength. You’d better reflect on it carefully.”

“Please do, Your Highness.” Pei Wenxuan played along, lowering his voice and leaning in to listen. Li Rong dipped her finger into his teacup and wrote a character on the table as she spoke: “This is confidential. Prince Consort must not share it. Please take a look.”

When she finished writing, Pei Wenxuan turned to see the character clearly written: “Face.”

Pei Wenxuan said nothing. Li Rong patted his shoulder and said, “With such a face, Prince Consort must make good use of it.”

“How should I use it?” Pei Wenxuan looked up and sneered, “Dance the ‘Thirteen Touches’ for you?”
(“Thirteen Touches” is a flirtatious or comedic folk dance, often suggestive.)

Li Rong hadn’t expected that from him. She thought for a moment, then leaned in and whispered, “When? Where? I’ll definitely be there.”

“Get out of here,” Pei Wenxuan gave her a gentle push. “A proper lady, with not a shred of modesty.”

Li Rong laughed and leaned toward him, resting her hand on his shoulder, softening her voice: “Pei Wenxuan, did you forget? I’m already fifty.”

“Don’t talk like that,” Pei Wenxuan sat upright and pulled her away, speaking seriously, “You sound like a spirit—gives me chills.”

“Now that you mention it,” Li Rong mused, “you really do look like a little Taoist priest right now.” She threw him a flirtatious glance. “Quite charming.”

Pei Wenxuan’s expression didn’t change—he seemed to be lost in thought. Li Rong sat up straight and quietly poured herself a cup of tea. She said softly, “But seriously, why did you bring up the past life with Su Rongqing? He doesn’t remember any of it. What’s the point of telling him?”

“It was just a passing remark,” Pei Wenxuan smiled. “No need for Your Highness to dwell on it.”

“Speaking of which,” Pei Wenxuan suddenly remembered, “how does Your Highness plan to spend the New Year? Will you be going to the palace?”

“I’m already married out—what would I go back for?”

Li Rong shook her head. “I’ll just spend it at the Princess’s residence. You make the arrangements.”

Pei Wenxuan nodded and began thinking about the New Year preparations.

The two returned home, and starting the next day, they began their official holiday break as per court regulations. Li Rong slept in every day, waking naturally. Pei Wenxuan, however, kept to his usual routine. After getting up, he led the servants in cleaning the courtyard, hanging lanterns, putting up Spring Festival couplets, arranging the furnishings, and personally selecting incense.

From the grand layout down to the placement of a single vase, he handled everything himself. By the time New Year’s Day arrived, Li Rong woke up and found that the Princess’s residence looked almost exactly as it had in their previous life.

As she walked through the courtyard with Pei Wenxuan on their way to eat, she looked at the artificial mountain and couldn’t help but say, “You used to love this kind of aesthetic. Still do, it seems.”

“It’s not that I love it,” Pei Wenxuan laughed, “I just always felt that the way we parted back then left some regrets. I wanted to pretend none of it ever happened.”

“And then?” Li Rong turned to him. “If it never happened, what would you do?”

“Then I’d just stay with Your Highness like a newlywed couple—doing chores together, celebrating the New Year.”

Li Rong raised an eyebrow. “Doing chores? You dare let me do chores?”

“I’ll do them,” Pei Wenxuan quickly said. “You just watch.”

Li Rong laughed. “Then I’ll watch.”

Pei Wenxuan kept his word. He led Li Rong to the dining hall. As she sat down and saw the peach blossom soup, she couldn’t help but smile.

The peach blossom soup looked decent, but the details lacked refinement—it was obvious it wasn’t made by her usual cook. She pretended not to notice anything and sat down to eat the soup. Pei Wenxuan casually asked, “Your Highness, what do you think of the peach blossom soup?”

“Hmm,” Li Rong replied calmly, “It’s not quite as good as it used to be.”

Pei Wenxuan’s expression darkened slightly. Li Rong continued, “But I still quite like it,” she said, glancing at Pei Wenxuan with a hint of meaning, “I can finish it all.”

Hearing this, Pei Wenxuan seemed to cheer up. He picked up his chopsticks and said to Li Rong, “Later, I’ll help Your Highness put up the Spring Festival couplets and ‘Fu’ characters, then I’ll clean up.”

“You’re just looking for things to do.”

Li Rong found him a bit silly, but after the meal, she still went with him to put up the decorations.

At first, Pei Wenxuan was doing the pasting while she directed from behind. But no matter how long she instructed, he kept getting it wrong. Li Rong grew annoyed and scolded, “Why are you so clumsy!”

Saying that, she walked up, took the horizontal scroll from his hands, and said, “It should go here.”

Pei Wenxuan smiled without replying, just watching as Li Rong stood on tiptoe to reach up. Finding her effort endearing, he took the scroll from behind her and pressed it against the wall, looking down at her in his arms. “Your Highness, is this the right spot?”

As he raised his arms behind her, Li Rong felt as if she were completely enveloped by him. His presence was overwhelming, and for some reason, her ears grew warm. She murmured softly, “Mm.”

Pei Wenxuan smiled faintly. He had someone bring the paste and finished putting up the scroll. The people around them looked at the scroll with mixed expressions, as if they wanted to say something but didn’t dare. When the two stepped back to take a look, it was indeed crooked.

They stared at it in silence for a moment. Li Rong frowned, “I think I put it up crooked.”

“No,” Pei Wenxuan immediately said, “Your Highness’s scroll could never be crooked.”

“But I feel like…”

“It’s not crooked,” Pei Wenxuan tilted his head, “It’s people’s eyes that are crooked, not Your Highness’s scroll. Look, from this angle, it’s perfectly straight.”

“Pei Wenxuan, you really know how to tease me.”

Li Rong glared at him. Pei Wenxuan laughed, put his arm around her shoulders, and nudged her forward. “It’s already up, let’s move on to the next task. Come on.”

As he spoke, Pei Wenxuan gently pushed Li Rong into the house. She followed him, only to find that he had brought her into the kitchen.

The kitchen seemed to be fully prepared, with all the tools neatly arranged and everyone standing respectfully to the side. Li Rong raised an eyebrow and turned to him. “What are you doing?”

“Making dumplings,” Pei Wenxuan said with a smile. “I’m going to make dumplings with Your Highness.”

“You know how to make dumplings?” Li Rong looked intrigued. “A gentleman stays away from the kitchen. Was the Pei family ever that poor?”

“Not exactly,” Pei Wenxuan replied, walking over to the table with a smile. Li Rong watched as he took an apron and tied it on, then skillfully sprinkled flour on the table and began kneading the dough. As he worked, he said, “It’s something my parents enjoy. My father believes that making dumplings yourself is the only proper way to celebrate the New Year. Please, Your Highness, have a seat.”

Pei Wenxuan looked up with a smile. “Just watch me.”

A chair had already been prepared. Li Rong, finding the whole thing rather novel, sat down and rested her chin on her hand, watching Pei Wenxuan perform.

He moved with practiced ease—kneading dough, rolling it out, chopping the filling. Every motion was smooth and fluid. He was handsome to begin with, and his graceful demeanor made even the act of making dumplings look like a carefully choreographed solo performance.

Li Rong watched with her chin propped up, enjoying the show. After a while, she grew bored, sat up straight, asked a servant for an apron, and walked over to Pei Wenxuan. “Let me help you.”

Pei Wenxuan looked up and smiled. “Your Highness wants to make dumplings too?”

“I’ve got nothing better to do.”

Seeing her interest, Pei Wenxuan handed her a dumpling wrapper and began teaching her how to fold it.

Li Rong, though usually clever, was surprisingly clumsy with her hands. The dumplings she made were oddly shaped and far from as neat and plump as Pei Wenxuan’s—some were downright funny-looking.

She glanced at his dumplings—plump and perfect—then looked at her own: a bunch of sad, misshapen little things.

Feeling embarrassed, Li Rong grew frustrated. Pei Wenxuan gave her a sidelong glance and patiently explained the process again and again, but she still couldn’t get it right. Just as he was about to speak again, Li Rong snapped, “Don’t talk! Did I ask you to teach me?!”

Pei Wenxuan fell silent. Fortunately, there was no one else around—just the two of them—so Li Rong still had a bit of dignity left.

Even though she couldn’t make them properly, she wouldn’t let Pei Wenxuan do it either. She just kept messing with the flour on her own, while Pei Wenxuan resigned himself to kneading dough and mixing filling for her to ruin.

As night fell and the dumplings still weren’t ready, Li Rong sat fuming, staring at them. Pei Wenxuan finally couldn’t hold back anymore. He walked up behind her, gently took her hand, and said softly, “Your Highness, like this—pinch here.”

His breath brushed against her ear, and his voice was gentle and patient, without a trace of frustration. Li Rong had been annoyed, but when she saw the dumpling in her hand suddenly turn out beautifully, she couldn’t help but feel a little happy.

Pei Wenxuan held her hand and patiently repeated the dumpling-making steps and tips over and over.

After dozens of tries, Li Rong finally got the hang of it. Pei Wenxuan let go and stood beside her, making dumplings with her. Li Rong was so focused that she didn’t notice when she wiped her face with a flour-covered hand, leaving a white smudge. Pei Wenxuan turned to look and found it amusing, but didn’t say anything for fear of distracting her.

After they had made over a hundred dumplings, Li Rong’s dumplings finally looked good. She lit up with joy and turned to Pei Wenxuan. “Pei Wenxuan, look! Aren’t these dumplings beautiful? It’s my first time making them—wasn’t I amazing?!”

Pei Wenxuan looked at her—flour on her face, holding up a dumpling like a prized treasure—and couldn’t help but laugh.

“They’re beautiful,” he said warmly. “But Your Highness is even more beautiful.”

Li Rong was momentarily stunned. Just then, fireworks burst into the sky outside, echoing across Huajing. Both of them instinctively looked up at the dazzling display. Li Rong, still holding the dumpling, glanced sideways at the young man beside her, who was gazing up at the sky.

“Pei Wenxuan.”

She called his name softly.

Pei Wenxuan turned at the sound. In that moment, he saw her rise on tiptoe, cup his face in her hands, and gently kiss him.

Fireworks continued to bloom in the night sky, flickering bright and dim. A breeze quietly snuffed out the candle in the kitchen. Pei Wenxuan bent slightly, gazing at the girl with her eyes closed in the dark.

“Pei Wenxuan, Happy New Year.”

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