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Hey lovely readers,

Thank you so much for your patience! After a bit of a bumpy ride with my old hosting site (yes, it gave me quite a few headaches), I’ve finally made the move to a new home for the blog.

The old site is still hanging in there—for now—but this new one is where all the fresh updates will live. And yes, this is the original space, just with a fresh start!

I’m not exactly a tech wizard (there were definitely some tears involved), but I’m slowly figuring things out. If you notice anything weird or funky on the site, please drop a comment and let me know!

I’m still here, I promise. Just needed a little time to heal and regroup. Now, I’m ready to rebuild, refresh, and make this space beautiful again.

Thanks again for sticking with me. Your support means the world!

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Chapter 101: Pei Wenxuan Couldn’t Catch His Breath And Fainted In Court

“What are you doing?” Pei Wenxuan was surprised to see her asking someone to fetch throwing darts.

Li Rong smiled faintly. “I know you learned this from Su Ronghua, but shouldn’t you ask Ah Ya why she kept his portrait?”

Pei Wenxuan thought for a moment and then understood. “She kept his portrait… to vent her anger?”

“What do you think?” Li Rong laughed. “Could it be to cherish his memory?”

Pei Wenxuan understood and nodded. Then he waved to the people nearby. “Take down all these portraits.”

At that moment, Jingmei had already brought over the throwing darts. Pei Wenxuan’s heart skipped a beat when he saw them. Before the darts reached Li Rong, he reached out and took the tray, handing it to a servant and instructing, “Sharp objects can hurt people. Don’t let Her Highness touch these. Quickly,” he turned and waved again, “remove the portraits.”

Li Rong watched Pei Wenxuan directing the servants with a smile. Once he finished, they walked together toward the study.

“I heard Your Highness recently met with Lord Liu,” Pei Wenxuan inquired. “Are you busy with a reassignment?”

“Don’t worry about it.”

Li Rong waved her hand. “Just a minor matter, not worth mentioning. You can rest easy.”

“It seems Your Highness is confident,” Pei Wenxuan smiled. “I’ll await your good news.”

“Don’t worry,” Li Rong lifted her fan and lightly tapped Pei Wenxuan’s chest. “I’ll definitely surprise you.”

Pei Wenxuan raised an eyebrow and saluted. “Then I thank Your Highness in advance.”

Li Rong noticed Pei Wenxuan’s formal demeanor, lacking the occasional flattery he used to show. She felt a bit disappointed, coughed lightly, and cautiously asked, “Pei Wenxuan, have you recently felt…”

“Hmm?” Pei Wenxuan tilted his head. “What?”

“Have you felt,” Li Rong gestured, “that I’ve been a little nicer to you?”

Pei Wenxuan understood what she was getting at and smiled softly. “Your Highness has always treated me well.”

“Do you feel it’s more than before? A bit better?”

Pei Wenxuan lowered his head, suppressing a smile, thinking she was like a child asking for candy. He replied gently, “I understand Your Highness’s kindness.”

“Good, then my efforts haven’t been in vain.”

Li Rong felt a wave of comfort after hearing Pei Wenxuan’s words. She turned her head and reached out her hand to him. Pei Wenxuan raised an eyebrow, and Li Rong laughed: “We’re building a relationship—I need to get used to it.”

Pei Wenxuan couldn’t hold back anymore and finally laughed aloud. He reached out and held Li Rong’s hand, walking with her toward the dining hall. “I’ll follow Your Highness’s arrangements.”

“Pei Wenxuan,” Li Rong said softly while holding his hand, “tell me honestly.”

“Hmm?” Pei Wenxuan glanced at her. Li Rong seemed quite pleased. “Are you jealous?”

“Your Highness must be joking,” Pei Wenxuan replied with a smile. “What would I be jealous of?”

“Oh, that’s good.” Li Rong nodded. “Tomorrow Ah Ya is hosting a salon. I plan to attend. I heard there’s a scholar named Yang this year…”

“Aren’t the salons at home enough? You still want to go elsewhere?”

Pei Wenxuan smiled teasingly. Li Rong turned to look at him, stared for a moment, then burst out laughing.

“Saying one thing but meaning another.”

She turned away, clasped her hands behind her back, and walked ahead happily.

Pei Wenxuan stood behind her for a moment, then chuckled: “A bunch of nobodies. Blind as bats.”

After saying that, he rubbed his face and returned to his usual gentle smile, catching up with Li Rong.

As the end of February approached, Li Rong had several more meetings with officials from the Ministry of Personnel. After confirming everything and ensuring Pei Wenxuan’s name was added to the reassignment list, she finally felt at ease.

Since Li Rong was handling the matter, Pei Wenxuan let go of it completely, only occasionally asking her about the progress.

Whenever he asked, Li Rong would get annoyed and raise an eyebrow: “Don’t you trust me?”

Pei Wenxuan was caught off guard and quickly replied, “Of course I do. I’m just curious.”

After that, he didn’t dare ask again.

But he was someone who liked to keep control of things. Now that his career path was in someone else’s hands, he couldn’t help but feel uneasy. He thought about it constantly, even losing sleep at night. Yet seeing Li Rong so enthusiastic about helping him, he didn’t want to dampen her spirits.

After all, she was doing this out of kindness. With such a good beginning, he couldn’t criticize her.

Fortunately, the difficult wait didn’t last long. On February 26, the court finalized the internal list. If no objections were raised within seven days, the reassignment would begin in early March.

February 25 was the last day for changes. Li Rong, still uneasy, visited Liu Hangchun again. After Liu Hangchun repeatedly assured her everything was fine, she finally relaxed.

As Liu Hangchun escorted Li Rong out of his residence, she put on her hat at the gate and turned to him, saying softly: “Lord Liu, no need to see me off. I’ll take my leave now.”

“Take care, Your Highness.”

Liu Hangchun quietly saw her off. Li Rong boarded the carriage, which clattered away into the night.

Once her carriage had gone far, Liu Hangchun wiped his forehead. From the shadows came an elegant voice:
“Lord Liu, please wait.”

Liu Hangchun looked up and saw a young woman in fine clothing standing in the darkness. Her hands were tucked into her sleeves, and her face was obscured by the shadows. She spoke with a smile:
“I come bearing a message from Consort Rou.”

Liu Hangchun’s expression changed at once. He quickly replied:
“Please speak, Your Ladyship.”

Meanwhile, Li Rong was in high spirits after settling the matter. Just thinking about how Pei Wenxuan would thank her for his promotion tomorrow filled her with satisfaction.

She twirled her fan and closed her eyes, as if savoring the moment. Beside her, Jinglan glanced at her and couldn’t help but laugh:
“Your Highness seems happier helping the Prince Consort than handling your own affairs.”

“I’m used to managing my own matters,” Li Rong admitted calmly with her eyes closed.
“This is the first time I’ve gone to such lengths for someone else.”

“Your Highness is quite unusual,” Jingmei said while pouring tea.
“Most women are happy when men help them. The Prince Consort pampers you, but you don’t seem particularly thrilled. Yet now that you’re helping him, you’re overjoyed.”

“What do you know?” Li Rong opened her eyes and looked at her with pride.
“Being pampered isn’t a skill. Pampering someone else—that’s real ability. If someone loves you, one day your beauty will fade. But if you love them, you can choose when to care and when to walk away. That’s true freedom.”

“Your Highness is truly open-minded,” Jingmei said admiringly.

Jinglan chuckled and shook her head:
“Her Highness is just being stubborn. Don’t take her words too seriously.”

“How am I being stubborn?” Li Rong raised an eyebrow.
“What’s your reasoning?”

“Your Highness,” Jinglan gently placed peeled sunflower seeds in front of her.
“Sometimes, when someone feels happy about being kind to another, there’s no special reason. It’s just because they like them.”

Li Rong paused for a moment, listening as Jinglan continued:
“And that’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

“Mm,” Li Rong nodded, her gaze drifting toward the window.
“It really isn’t.”

Jinglan smiled, thinking Li Rong was just shy, and said no more.

Li Rong looked out at the bustling streets. By late February, the weather had begun to warm, and more people filled the streets. The night market was livelier than before. Her eyes wandered over the passing crowds, watching young couples laughing and chatting. She suddenly realized—

Jinglan was wrong. Her instinct to avoid the topic wasn’t because she felt ashamed.

It was because she was afraid. But she quickly suppressed those emotions, sitting quietly while her two maids chatted and laughed. After confirming everything with Liu Hangchun, Li Rong no longer worried and slept soundly that night. Pei Wenxuan, however, had trouble sleeping.

This year’s imperial examination was crucial. Many future capable officials would emerge from it. If he didn’t get reassigned to the Ministry of Personnel tomorrow, applying to oversee the exam would be difficult.

Pei Wenxuan regretted letting Li Rong handle the matter, but then reminded himself—given her abilities, things should go smoothly.

He tossed and turned all night. Li Rong, half-asleep, murmured:
“What are you doing?”

Pei Wenxuan froze. After a moment’s hesitation, he turned and finally asked:
“Your Highness.”

Li Rong opened her drowsy eyes and saw Pei Wenxuan’s serious expression in the dark. His intensity woke her up, though not completely. She stared at him, his eyes burning into hers.

In that moment, a thought flashed through her mind—

Was Pei Wenxuan finally fed up and planning to make a move on her?!

Li Rong froze for a moment, feeling nervous. Her mind began to drift to memories from their previous life—scenes of their marriage and intimacy. Then she thought: What if they accidentally had a child? Would now be the right time for that child to arrive? If Pei Wenxuan left her, would she regret raising the child alone…?

Her thoughts spiraled in the middle of the night, her mind foggy from sleep. Pei Wenxuan saw her dazed expression and hesitated before carefully asking:
“Your Highness, did you meet with Liu Hangchun today? Was it confirmed that the position is Chief of Merit Evaluation?”

Li Rong snapped back to clarity at his question.

Instantly ashamed of her wandering thoughts, she calmed herself and replied:
“What’s the matter?”

“Liu Hangchun is someone who values profit over trust. Unless Your Highness gave him money…”

“Ugh, you’re so annoying!”

Li Rong groaned in frustration:
“It’s the middle of the night and you’re talking about this? You might as well just sleep with me! I’m done talking—I’m going to sleep.”

With that, she turned over and pulled the blanket over her ears.

Pei Wenxuan was left speechless. He lay down and, after a while, reflected that he should trust Li Rong more. He shouldn’t keep trying to be clever and end up sabotaging her plans, like he had in the past.

He recalled all the times he’d metaphorically “hit her over the head” and thought about her impressive achievements in court. Finally, he felt reassured and only managed to fall asleep when the roosters began to crow.

The next morning, Li Rong woke up refreshed, while Pei Wenxuan had dark circles under his eyes.

Li Rong looked him up and down and asked:
“Did you not sleep at all?”

Pei Wenxuan smiled bitterly:
“Your Highness, I’ve finally realized something.”

Li Rong raised an eyebrow. Pei Wenxuan said gently:
“This must be a test from you, right?”

“Huh?” Li Rong was confused.

Pei Wenxuan, looking like a ghost with his unsteady steps, “floated” out of the room with her toward the court. He wore a serene smile and comforted himself:
“We’ve spent years second-guessing each other. When it comes to important matters, we always handle them ourselves, never trusting others. This is the first time in two lifetimes that I’ve handed over something so crucial to someone else. I suppose this is my way of showing trust in Your Highness.”

Li Rong felt a bit guilty hearing this. Pei Wenxuan continued to reassure himself:
“Your Highness is extremely capable. As a rival, I’ve never doubted you. Now I must continue to trust you—not only that you have my best interests at heart, but also that your abilities are beyond question.”

“You don’t have to trust the former,” Li Rong replied confidently, “but you can absolutely trust the latter.”

“Indeed,” Pei Wenxuan said, eyes full of trust despite the dark circles.
“I’ve always believed in Your Highness.”

One was full of confidence, the other pretending to be strong—they entered the court together.

Since everyone knew the most important matter today was the announcement of departmental reassignments, there was little unnecessary chatter. After quickly reporting the essentials, the Minister of Personnel stepped forward respectfully:
“Your Majesty, the departmental reassignment list has been finalized. May I read it aloud?”

“Go ahead,” the emperor replied.

Li Ming served tea beside him as Wang Houwen took out the list and began reading, starting with the Ministry of Rites.

The departmental reassignment lists were already known to Li Rong and Pei Wenxuan—they had done their homework. In fact, most high-ranking officials present at court were aware of the names, so everyone simply listened quietly.

When it came to the Ministry of Justice, both Li Rong and Pei Wenxuan were waiting to hear Pei Liming’s name.

After all, Pei Liming was the current Vice Minister of Justice and had handled the high-profile Xie Lanqing case. In terms of seniority, achievements, and status, he was the most suitable candidate for promotion.

However, when Wang Houwen calmly read out, “Minister of Justice—”, the name that followed was:

“Su Rongqing.”

Pei Wenxuan abruptly looked up, only to see Li Rong staring back at him in shock.

Li Rong hadn’t expected Su Rongqing to swoop in at the last moment. Though he was also a Vice Minister, he was clearly too young for the top position.

And based on her understanding of Su Rongqing from their previous life, he wasn’t someone who craved fame or power. He rarely competed for anything. Even his current position had been arranged by his family. With Pei Liming being the obvious choice, Su Rongqing must have pulled some strings behind the scenes to secure the promotion.

Pei Wenxuan realized this too. After a brief exchange of glances with Li Rong, he frowned and turned to look at Su Rongqing.

Su Rongqing stood calmly at the front, eyes straight ahead, as if everything was unfolding exactly as he had expected. He looked composed and serene.

Pei Wenxuan, already exhausted from days of stress, felt a wave of discomfort. Seeing Su Rongqing’s detached, “above-it-all” demeanor made him feel suffocated.

Pretending again.

Who knows what tricks he used to snatch the Minister of Justice position—and now he’s acting like he’s indifferent to it all!

Pei Wenxuan gripped his ceremonial tablet tightly in frustration. Just then, Wang Houwen began reading the names for the Ministry of Personnel.

Since only officials of fifth rank and above were announced in court, and the Chief of Merit Evaluation was a sixth-rank position, Pei Wenxuan wasn’t expecting his name to be mentioned.

But just as he was completely unprepared, Wang Houwen raised his voice and read aloud:

“Vice Minister of Personnel—”

“Pei Wenxuan!”

The moment he heard it, Pei Wenxuan couldn’t catch his breath. His vision went black, the world spun, and he collapsed backward.

Just before losing consciousness, he had one last thought:

Well done, Li Rong.

They had agreed on a sixth-rank position, and now he was suddenly promoted to fourth-rank Vice Minister—a major leap.

With such a high position, the entire court would be watching him. Even the emperor, Li Ming, might have other thoughts.

Li Rong’s capabilities were truly… exceptional to the point of being overwhelming.

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