Chapter 107: She Will Never Forget That She Is Just A Blade

Looking at Shangguan Ya, Su Ronghua felt a bit angry, but also found it somewhat amusing.

How terrible Shangguan Ya’s gambling skills were—he knew very well. Her wanting to gamble was just a way to leave the outcome in his hands.

Seeing him silent, Shangguan Ya handed over the cards: “You play a round.”

Su Ronghua sat up, turned to look at the person in front of the cell. Shangguan Ya stretched out her hand, her eyes full of flattery. She pushed the cards forward: “Want to play?”

Su Ronghua hesitated for a long time, then finally stood up and took the cards from her.

“Do you think your hand is better, or mine?” Shangguan Ya asked with a smile. Su Ronghua rubbed the cards, looked at the person in front of him, and after a long pause, lowered his eyes and said slowly, “Yours is better.”

“Then let’s see how lucky we are.”

Shangguan Ya flipped her card, revealing a tiger.

Su Ronghua flipped his card, revealing a dog.

“Ah,” Shangguan Ya cheered up, “This might be the first time I’ve ever beaten you!”

Su Ronghua said nothing. He calmly sat down, leaned against the wall, bent one leg, placed his hand on his knee, and said slowly, “Alright, I’m not mad anymore. You can go.”

Shangguan Ya thought for a moment, grabbed a small stool nearby, brushed off the dust, and sat down: “Let’s chat?”

“I don’t dare.”

Su Ronghua refused decisively. Shangguan Ya laughed: “What, afraid I’ll trap you again?”

“Shouldn’t I be?” Su Ronghua gave her a cold glance. “Haven’t you tricked me enough?”

“I apologized, didn’t I?” Shangguan Ya said shamelessly. “Actually, I’m not that bad. I’m only cruel to enemies. Since we’ve cleared things up, we’re not enemies anymore. I won’t trick you again.”

“You say I’m not your enemy, and I’m just supposed to believe that?” Su Ronghua looked at her coldly and used her own words against her. “Do you think I’m a fool?”

“You are kind of a fool.” Shangguan Ya laughed awkwardly. Su Ronghua got up angrily to leave, but Shangguan Ya grabbed his sleeve and said urgently, “Wait, let me finish. We’re finally having a deep conversation—don’t leave so easily.”

Su Ronghua paused at her words, took a deep breath, and sat back down.

Shangguan Ya leaned forward, rested her chin on her hands, and looked at Su Ronghua: “Actually, don’t blame me. I’ve never met someone like you before. You come from a noble family, you’re smart, and you have so many identities. So I could only be suspicious of you. Since I was little, my family told me: the first people you can’t trust are politicians, and the second are men. You happen to be both.”

“And that’s my fault?” Su Ronghua sneered. “You just learned a bunch of twisted logic.”

“You’re the exception,” Shangguan Ya replied immediately. Su Ronghua ignored her. After thinking for a moment, Shangguan Ya cautiously asked, “By the way, from what I’ve heard, you don’t seem like someone who chases fame and fortune. So why did you become Prince Su’s teacher and join the Inspectorate?”

“The Emperor appointed me. Could I refuse?” Su Ronghua looked at her like she was being ridiculous.

Shangguan Ya grew more curious: “But by becoming his teacher, you’re tied to him. Aren’t you worried about your future?”

“My future?” Su Ronghua laughed. “Do I look like someone with a future? If I wanted one, I would’ve studied hard back then, like my younger brother, accepted the family’s careful grooming, taken on the family’s responsibilities, and entered the court. Why did I become Prince Su’s teacher? Because the Emperor needed someone from the Su family to do it. The Su family couldn’t refuse, but didn’t want too close a tie with Prince Su, so they threw me—the discarded one—into the role. I’m a madman, never representing the Su family’s stance. Can’t you see that?”

“I used to understand,” Shangguan Ya leaned against the cell door, “but when you joined the Inspectorate, I didn’t anymore. Why did you come here?”

Su Ronghua didn’t answer. He looked up at the sky, and after a long time, said softly, “My brother asked me to come, so I did. But deep down, maybe I also wanted to see—what you and His Highness are really trying to do.”

“Since childhood, everyone has called me an outlier, saying I lack responsibility. But I often wonder—what is responsibility? Is family responsibility, but the people under one’s official duty not? Are the common people responsibility, but the bonds of a wife, children, and friends not burdens one must shoulder? I’ve seen countless people—bright-eyed and righteous in their youth, bold and unrestrained—yet slowly, they change, as if becoming different people. They talk of status, duty, and responsibility, yet commit dark and filthy deeds. If a person can live well, fulfill their role, manage themselves, care for their parents above and raise their children below, be loyal to friends and faithful as a subject, abide by the laws of the court, and uphold propriety, righteousness, benevolence, and trust—then beyond that, why can’t they do whatever they wish?”  

“I despise those hypocrites. I don’t want to become a monster like them in this city. I want to live like a human being—to freely love whom I love and choose what I desire.”  

“But people like me are rare. Until last year’s Qixi Palace Banquet, I caught the scent of a particular incense at the feast,” Su Ronghua said, smiling. “That fragrance carried a familiar note. I voted for it, and later, I wanted to find its creator—only to discover it was made by the Second Miss of the Qin family. But when I dug deeper, I found that Second Miss Qin had no skill in perfumery. Eventually, I realized—there was a girl who didn’t want to enter the palace. So, in the end, Her Highness Princess Pingle was helping the Crown Prince delay his marriage.”  

“You see?” Su Ronghua spread his hands. “Turns out, everyone in this palace is struggling desperately. So I really wanted to see—what exactly are you and Her Highness scheming?”  

Shangguan Ya listened to Su Ronghua’s words, hugging her knees. Su Ronghua turned to her: “Why did you join the Inspectorate?”  

“At the core, perhaps for the same reason as you,” Shangguan Ya said with a laugh. “To live like a human being.”  

“I don’t want to change either. But I know I’m no saint—if I entered the palace, I’d likely end up no different from the elders I see now. Stopping at nothing for the family’s interests, compromising on everything. But I don’t want that.”  

“So I must be useful,” Shangguan Ya said earnestly, meeting Su Ronghua’s gaze. “I must provide irreplaceable value to my family—something more important than marrying for an alliance. Only then,” she smiled, “can I always remain Shangguan Ya.”  

“In the future, maybe we can gamble together, share a drink, or even argue,” Shangguan Ya mused, painting an imaginary future. “Never marry, own my own estate, adopt a few boys—or girls—from the family. Be an old spinster for life, raising many girls just like me.”  

“You even thought of gambling and drinking with me,” Su Ronghua raised an eyebrow. “Seems you think rather well of me.”  

“Probably,” Shangguan Ya shrugged. “Because we’re both outliers?”  

“Su Ronghua,” Shangguan Ya paused, then extended her hand. “Let’s make a promise.”  

“Hm?”  

“In the future, I won’t exploit your kindness to trap you,” Shangguan Ya met his eyes. “And you—don’t lie to me. Deal?”  

“Deal.”  

Su Ronghua reached out, linking his pinky with hers.  

The moment their skin touched, Shangguan Ya shivered involuntarily. She couldn’t explain the feeling—but just then, noise erupted outside. Shangguan Ya quickly stood, flustered. “I should go. I’ll treat you to a meal another day.”  

With that, she hurried away down another path.  

Not long after, a group of guards entered—clearly palace men. Su Ronghua glanced at them sidelong and said coolly, “What? Arresting a few dancers? Just punish them if you must. No need for interrogations—it’s tiresome.”  

“Take him away.”  

The guards moved straight into the cell, hauling Su Ronghua out for questioning.  

Su Ronghua openly admitted he had invited Xia Wensi to dine and called for a few dancers—but insisted it wasn’t solicitation, nothing more.  

After comparing his and Xia Wensi’s testimonies, the guards sent the records to the palace. Li Ming read them carefully, then set them down on the table.  

Fulai entered with the calming soup sent by Consort Rou. Seeing Li Ming’s furrowed brow, he said cautiously, “Your Highness, it’s late. Consort Rou sent over calming soup. Drink it and rest early.”  

Li Ming’s gaze shifted to the soup. His frown deepened. Fulai, sensing his displeasure, asked nervously, “Your Majesty?”  

“Don’t you think Consort Rou has overstepped?”  

“Your Majesty means…?”  

Fulai hesitated, unable to speak. Li Ming threw the testimony to the ground, leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and said irritably, “Read it yourself.”

Fulai placed the calming soup on the table, bent down to pick up the testimony, and read it carefully. After a moment, he asked in confusion, “Your Majesty, why would Young Master Su do such a thing?”

“Why would he?” Li Ming sneered. “He’s a nobleman—doesn’t he care about his reputation? I bet the whole ‘soliciting courtesans’ thing is just a cover. He’s really up to something else.”

Fulai didn’t dare respond. Li Ming reviewed the situation in his mind.

Someone deliberately promoted Pei Wenxuan to Minister of Personnel to make him suspicious of Li Rong. Once he doubted Li Rong, he’d no longer trust the Inspectorate under her control. So who benefits most from that?

If Li Rong had wanted Pei Wenxuan to be promoted, she wouldn’t have done it behind his back. For such a high position, she could’ve just asked him directly. Why be so sneaky?

And now Su Ronghua had met with Xia Wensi. Su Ronghua—who had never hosted anyone privately in all his years in court—met with Xia Wensi alone? If there’s no secret plot behind that, then something’s seriously wrong.

Li Rong’s tearful complaints and Hua Le’s mocking words echoed in his mind. Li Ming closed his eyes.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t tolerate Consort Rou’s little schemes. If she could build her own faction to rival the Empress, he’d actually welcome it.

What he couldn’t tolerate was Consort Rou stepping beyond his control.

The late emperor had already raised one Shangguan. Li Ming didn’t want to raise another Xiao. Consort Rou could only be a tool for political balance. If she started making her own moves outside his control, that was unforgivable.

The more Li Ming thought about it, the more uneasy he felt. He stood up and headed straight for the Mingle Palace.

Consort Rou hadn’t expected Li Ming to come so late. She was chatting idly with Hua Le.

Li Ming, still furious, stormed into the palace. The attendants didn’t even have time to stop him. As he entered the inner courtyard, he heard laughter from inside—Consort Rou and Hua Le joking around.

The attendants knelt as soon as they saw him, but Li Ming raised his hand to silence them. The courtyard fell quiet. No one dared speak or move. Inside, the mother and daughter continued laughing.

Hua Le said cheerfully, “If I ever marry, I definitely won’t marry someone like Pei Wenxuan. He’s only good-looking, has no real skills, comes from a humble background, and married my sister. Now he can’t even get a minor post. My sister was spoiled her whole life, and she ended up with someone like that…”

She couldn’t stop laughing. Li Ming, burning with rage, kicked open the door and stormed in. Consort Rou and Hua Le instantly turned pale.

“Your Majesty,” Consort Rou quickly stood up with a smile, “What brings you here?”

“You’ve taught your daughter well,” Li Ming pointed at Hua Le and glared at Consort Rou. “Is this how a princess behaves—gossiping and stirring up trouble behind people’s backs?”

“It was this consort’s mistake,” Consort Rou admitted quickly. “Hua Le, apologize to your father.”

“Apologize?” Li Ming nodded. “Is she the one who should be apologizing? Get out!”

Li Ming looked at Hua Le. She glanced at Consort Rou, who gave her a subtle signal. Hua Le quickly stood up and respectfully exited.

Once only Li Ming and Consort Rou remained in the room, she poured him tea and said gently, “Hua Le is still young and immature. She’s been misled by the palace attendants. I was just about to scold her…”

“Was it you who arranged for Pei Wenxuan to become Minister of Personnel?”

Li Ming asked bluntly. Consort Rou’s face showed alarm. “Why would Your Majesty say that? I’ve always remained in the inner palace—how could I influence such an important appointment? Who’s been spreading rumors to mislead Your Majesty?”

“Rumors?” Li Ming sneered. “I know your capabilities well. If you weren’t so capable, do you think someone of your lowly status could have risen to this position?”

Consort Rou maintained her smile and respectfully replied, “Your Majesty is right. But I truly had nothing to do with this matter. If someone is slandering me, why not summon them to confront me directly…”

Before she could finish, Li Ming raised his hand and slapped her hard across the face.

Consort Rou staggered from the blow and knelt on the floor, unmoving. Li Ming stood and looked down at her coldly. “I can tolerate your scheming, and I can tolerate your games in the harem. But I will not tolerate being lied to. I raised you up with my own hand—I can drag you down just as easily.”

“I hate lies. Today I’m giving you face and won’t pursue this further.” Li Ming crouched slightly and stared at her. “But Xiao Rou, remember what you told me back then. You said you were willing to be my blade. Don’t forget your place.”

“I will remember it always,” Consort Rou replied softly.

Seeing her obedient, Li Ming’s anger eased. He stood and looked at the delicate woman sitting on the floor, her skirt blooming like a lotus. Even now, she retained a heartbreaking beauty.

Li Ming was silent for a long time before finally turning and leaving.

After he left, Hua Le rushed in, forgetting all decorum. “Mother, are you alright?”

Consort Rou clenched her fists, slowly raised her head, and smiled. “I’m fine.”

She was a blade. She would never forget that.

Seeing her mother smile, Hua Le relaxed and hurried to help her up. “Mother, what did Father say?”

Consort Rou remained expressionless and was about to give instructions when a servant rushed in from the corridor.

He came to her side and whispered something in her ear. Consort Rou looked up in surprise and asked urgently, “Really?”

The servant nodded. “Absolutely. The person is already outside the palace.”

“Excellent!” Consort Rou exclaimed. “I’ll go find His Majesty right away. If Li Rong dared to do this,” she smiled, “she’s going to pay dearly.”

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