Chapter 98: I Must Be Nicer To Him

When Li Rong heard Pei Wenxuan respond with a soft “Mm,” she knew he was pleased. She linked arms with him and they walked forward together, boarding the carriage. Only then did Pei Wenxuan remember to ask, “Just now, you seemed a bit down. Did you speak with His Highness about something?”

“Chuan’er has decided to choose a consort,” Li Rong sighed. “Actually, that should be a good thing. It’s best if he’s come to terms with it. But I don’t know why—I just feel a bit unsettled.”

“What is Your Highness upset about?”

Pei Wenxuan poured tea for Li Rong. She remained silent for a moment, then smiled faintly. “It’s nothing, really. Things are easier for everyone now that he’s like this. It’s for the best. After all, he is the Crown Prince,” she looked up at him and smiled again, “isn’t he?”

Pei Wenxuan said nothing. He seemed unwilling to touch on the topic. He simply pushed the cup of tea toward her and said, “Your Highness, have some tea to ease the effects of the wine.”

Li Rong looked up at Pei Wenxuan’s slightly distant expression under the candlelight. She hesitated for a moment but ultimately said nothing.

The New Year holiday passed quickly. After spending a few more days at home, the court resumed its operations. On her first day back at the Inspectorate, Li Rong heard that a group of exiles was about to be sent out of the city. She thought for a moment, then suddenly remembered something and turned to ask Shangguan Ya, “Was Lin Feibai sentenced to exile?”

“Yes.”

Shangguan Ya nodded, a bit puzzled. “Why do you suddenly ask about that?”

“Let’s go,” Li Rong stood up and smiled. “Let’s go see him.”

Shangguan Ya was a bit surprised by Li Rong’s decision but followed her out, asking, “Why does Your Highness want to see him?”

“He’s a talented man,” Li Rong explained. “It would be a pity not to see him off.”

The two of them left and boarded a carriage. Before long, they arrived at the city gate.

By then, a line of prisoners had already gathered at the gate. They wore white prison garments, heavy shackles on their feet, and wooden cangues around their necks, saying their farewells to family.

The area in front of the gate was filled with weeping, but Lin Feibai stood calmly among the crowd, appearing completely at ease—out of place in the sorrowful scene.

Li Rong and Shangguan Ya approached him. Li Rong greeted him with a smile, “Young Master Lin.”

Lin Feibai responded with a simple nod, saying little. Li Rong looked at the restraints on him, then turned to Shangguan Ya and instructed, “Make arrangements with the officers escorting them. He should still be treated with dignity—there’s no need to put so many restraints on Young Master Lin.”

Shangguan Ya cupped her hands and stepped back. Li Rong turned to look at Lin Feibai. His expression remained unchanged. Li Rong looked him up and down and said, “Judging by your demeanor, Young Master Lin, it seems the people from Seven Star Hall are already prepared to intercept you on the road?”

“Oh?” Lin Feibai’s expression finally shifted slightly at the mention of Seven Star Hall. “Does Your Highness think that to eliminate the weeds, one must also remove the roots—and you’ve come here now to remove me, the root?”

“You’re mistaken, Young Master Lin. I’ve come to offer you a path forward,” Li Rong said gently, raising her folding fan to examine it. “Have you ever considered becoming an official?”

Lin Feibai frowned. Li Rong continued her analysis: “If Seven Star Hall tries to rescue you during the prisoner transfer, it will undoubtedly alarm the court. Given my father’s temperament, an organization like Seven Star Hall—already guilty of attempted assassination and now prison break—he will not let you go.”

“So what are you trying to say?” Lin Feibai stared at her.

Li Rong smiled. “I just want to know—since it’s all about killing and risking your life anyway—would you be willing to fight on the battlefield instead?”

“This time, you’re being sent to serve in the military.”

She looked off into the distance. “Military service is different from exile. Though both are in remote regions, those who are exiled have no future. But those who serve in the military can earn merit and atone for their crimes. If you’re willing, I can work with you. As long as you achieve a small military success, I’ll petition His Majesty to have you entered into the Xie family registry. You’ll go from being a criminal to a commoner. Then, you can build a career through military merit.”

“Wander the world as a fugitive, or trade your life for a future and climb the ranks through officialdom—” Li Rong leaned in slightly, “Young Master Lin, make your choice.”

In truth, there was no real choice to be made.

Lin Feibai looked at her, frowning, a trace of doubt in his eyes. “You trust me?”

After all, he had broken his word before. He had promised to work with her against Xie Lanqing, but then turned around and sided with Xie Lanqing against her.

Li Rong smiled. “I know whether I can trust you. Before, you were bound by your mother’s dying wish. But now, I believe you’ll make the choice that best suits you.”

“My choice?” Lin Feibai sneered. “You sentenced me to military service and now talk about choice? You come here pretending to be the good guy?”

“You’re being unreasonable,” Li Rong said, gently rubbing the fan in her hand. “You tried to kill me and framed me. I only sentenced you to military service—that’s already lenient. And now I’m offering you a way out. Shouldn’t you be grateful?”

“You’ve taken many lives, Young Master Lin. I imagine you’re no stranger to matters of vengeance. You and I are not enemies—you didn’t try to kill me out of hatred, and I didn’t sentence you out of dislike. Since that’s the case, and I can now offer you something of value, why not become allies?” Li Rong said calmly.

Lin Feibai didn’t respond immediately. He wasn’t a fool. After thinking for a moment, he agreed, simply saying, “I’ll follow Your Highness’s instructions.”

As they spoke, Shangguan Ya returned and said to Li Rong, “Everything’s arranged. We’re still at the city gate, so it’s not convenient to act now. Once they’ve left Huajing’s borders, they’ll remove his restraints.”

Then she turned to Lin Feibai and said, “Lin, aren’t you going to thank the Princess?”

“I’m thanking her, not you,” Lin Feibai replied bluntly, glancing at her. “What’s it got to do with you?”

“You’re like a dog biting Lü Dongbin,” Shangguan Ya snapped, clearly annoyed. She raised her hand and said, “Give me back my leaf token.”

“The southwest is poor and boring,” Lin Feibai said lazily. “I’m not giving it back.”

Just then, the escorting officer approached Li Rong and said with a smile, “Your Highness, this gentleman must be on his way. Perhaps you two can speak again another time.”

His words were tactful. Li Rong nodded and had Shangguan Ya reward him with silver. She then handed Lin Feibai a jade pendant engraved with the character “Peace” and said, “Write often.”

With that, she turned and left with Shangguan Ya.

As they re-entered the city, a servant approached Li Rong and said, “Your Highness, the Prince Consort said he won’t be coming home for dinner today. He asks that you dine without him.”

“What’s he doing?”

Li Rong was a bit surprised. Pei Wenxuan rarely missed dinner at home. Why wasn’t he coming back today?

“He said he’s hosting a banquet for some officials.”

Li Rong frowned at that. She didn’t want to make a scene in front of others, so she held it in, planning to ask Pei Wenxuan about it later.

Shangguan Ya, observing her expression, nudged her with her shoulder and teased, “The Prince Consort isn’t having dinner with you—feeling a little upset?”

“How could I be upset?” Li Rong withdrew her gaze from the departing servant and turned to reply, “I was just wondering why he’s hosting a banquet for others.”

“In February, the Ministry of Personnel will finalize the performance evaluations, and in March, the personnel transfer list will be announced—though that list is usually decided in February,” Shangguan Ya explained, clearly familiar with the process. “Officials who want to be transferred are all networking right now. If the Prince Consort is hosting a banquet, he’s probably trying to secure a transfer.”

Then she remembered something. “He’s been in the position of Censor for a while now, hasn’t he? As your husband, he should’ve been promoted after your marriage. Plus, he’s helped you handle several cases. By both sentiment and reason, he should’ve been promoted by now. Why hasn’t he moved at all?”

“Being a Censor is a position of real power,” Li Rong explained. “Though the rank isn’t high, it’s far more important than those with empty titles. If he’s going to be transferred, it’ll be to another position of real authority. Those aren’t easy to get into. My father is probably holding him back deliberately. Once the pressure builds up enough—” she made a squeezing gesture, “—when it rebounds, it’ll rebound high.”

“Then,” Shangguan Ya thought aloud, “his promotion is almost guaranteed. What’s he still busy with?”

Li Rong crossed her arms and considered her words. “He’s probably being obstructed by someone.”

Promotions like this—if you’re forced into a position, others will find ways to make things difficult for you. If Pei Wenxuan wants a position of real power, he’ll need his own allies.

“He’s probably being obstructed,” Li Rong murmured again.

Shangguan Ya glanced at her and couldn’t help but laugh.

Li Rong looked up, puzzled. “What are you laughing at?”

“Your Highness,” Shangguan Ya waggled her eyebrows, “you and the Prince Consort—your relationship’s going pretty well now, isn’t it?”

Hearing that, Li Rong looked around at the bustling street. After a moment, she replied softly, “Thanks to you, I suppose there’s been a change.”

“When are you planning to have a child?”

As they walked down the street, Li Rong looked at the spinning rattle drums by the roadside. Shangguan Ya’s question left her momentarily dazed.

She had never had a child in her life. When she was young, she didn’t want one. Later, she didn’t dare. And in the end, she couldn’t.

To her, having a child was like owning an expensive luxury—distant and out of reach. She had heard others talk about it, but aside from the first year of her marriage, she had never seriously considered having one.

But now, with Shangguan Ya bringing it up again, she suddenly realized that everything she once thought was unattainable in her past life—including having a child—now seemed within reach, if only she stretched out her hand and tried.

Li Rong began to seriously consider the question. Seeing her silent, Shangguan Ya continued, “What? You’ve never thought about it?”

“I’ll tell you the truth,” Li Rong glanced around, then leaned in and lowered her voice, “We haven’t consummated the marriage yet.”

Shangguan Ya’s eyes widened in shock. But after a moment, she composed herself and said seriously, “Your Highness, if there’s a problem, you can talk to me about it.”

“There’s not really a problem,” Li Rong frowned, thinking it through. “I don’t mind, really. It’s just that Pei Wenxuan…”

“He’s… not capable?” Shangguan Ya blurted out in surprise.

Li Rong quickly clarified, “He is. There’s nothing wrong with his health.”

“Then?” Shangguan Ya looked puzzled.

They had been married for over half a year. He was healthy, she was willing, and their relationship was harmonious. And yet he could still resist temptation? Was he the reincarnation of Liu Xiahui?

“He told me,” Li Rong said honestly, “that he wants to take things slowly, to build the relationship step by step.”

“I see,” Shangguan Ya nodded, a knowing look on her face. “Your Highness, I understand this perfectly.”

“You do?” Li Rong was surprised. She turned to look at Shangguan Ya. How could she understand something that even Li Rong, who had lived half a lifetime, didn’t?

“I do,” Shangguan Ya said seriously. “You two just haven’t reached the right stage yet.”

“Go on,” Li Rong was now curious about her theory.

Walking side by side, Shangguan Ya spoke as if reading her fortune. “Your Highness, in your relationship, it’s usually the Prince Consort who tries to please you, right?”

“Yes,” Li Rong admitted frankly. “He usually gives in to me.”

“Then have you ever done something for him—gone out of your way to make him happy?”

“No…”

Saying it out loud, Li Rong suddenly felt a little guilty. Shangguan Ya began to analyze, “See? The Prince Consort is dropping a very clear hint. He says he wants to take things slowly—why haven’t you two slept together yet? Because you haven’t reached that step. You’re ready, which means he’s made progress with you. But if you stay in place and don’t move forward, he won’t feel it’s the right time either.”

Li Rong tapped her palm lightly with her fan as she listened to Shangguan Ya continue: “So, if you want to sleep with him, don’t be too reserved. You need to take the initiative—attack, break into his heart, and then you’ll have him wrapped around your finger.”

As she spoke, Shangguan Ya made a gesture of curling her fingers one by one into a fist.

Li Rong frowned. She didn’t fully agree with Shangguan Ya’s theory. For instance, she believed that Pei Wenxuan’s “unwillingness” likely stemmed more from a deeper emotional mismatch between them.

But there was one thing she did care about.

She cared about what Pei Wenxuan had said that day—that she had never once tried to comfort him.

And yet, just a little comfort from her, and he was willing to forgive everything.

In truth, she didn’t want it to be like that. She didn’t know why, but she wanted Pei Wenxuan to be more unrestrained in front of her.

She had asked him to wait for her. She couldn’t just leave him waiting in place and do nothing.

With that thought, Li Rong made up her mind. “You’re right. I should treat him better.”

Then, with determination, she added, “As for his transfer—I’ll take care of it for him!”

—

**Like a dog biting Lu Dongbin—a Chinese idiom which means ‘failing to recognize good intentions or mistaking a good person for a bad one—essentially, biting the hand that feeds you.’

**Was he the reincarnation of Liu Xiahui?—a rhetorical or literary way of praising someone’s extraordinary self-restraint, especially in the face of temptation—often romantic or sexual.

• Liu Xiahui (柳下惠) was a historical figure from the Spring and Autumn period in China, renowned for his virtue and moral integrity. The most famous story about him is that he once sat with a woman on his lap to keep her warm on a cold night, but did not act inappropriately. This story became a symbol of extreme self-control and propriety.

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