Chapter 108: You Must Remember, You Are My Wife

After Li Rong and Pei Wenxuan finished a game of chess, a servant brought news: Shangguan Ya had returned from prison and sent a message saying the mission was complete—she had turned enemies into allies with Young Master Su.

Li Rong couldn’t help but laugh when she heard this. She glanced at Pei Wenxuan and said gently, “If Su Ronghua hears this, he might get suspicious again.”

“Miss Shangguan is just that kind of person. Young Master Su will get used to it eventually.”

Pei Wenxuan looked at the sky and reminded her, “Your Highness, it’s time to sleep.”

“You hardly sleep yourself, but you’re always telling me to.”

Though she complained, Li Rong got up. Pei Wenxuan stepped forward to help her take off her outer robe. After washing up together, they went to bed. Li Rong lay down but couldn’t fall asleep.

Pei Wenxuan noticed she wasn’t planning to sleep right away, so he opened his eyes, turned to her, and asked, “What’s on your mind, Your Highness?”

“I’m wondering what will happen in the palace tonight.”

“There’s no need to worry,” Pei Wenxuan reassured her. “His Majesty is suspicious by nature. Consort Rou was merely a tool for him. You are now a key piece in his plan against the noble families. You’re still useful. If Consort Rou tried to harm you without permission, that would be crossing the line.”

“Mm.”

Li Rong responded softly. After a moment, Pei Wenxuan said, “There’s a lantern festival in a few days. Would Your Highness like to go?”

“A lantern festival?” Li Rong knew he was trying to change the subject and played along. Mimicking his posture, she turned to him and placed her fingers on his chest, speaking sweetly, “Lord Pei, are you asking me out?”

Pei Wenxuan couldn’t help but laugh at her words. His laughter was low, and Li Rong could feel the subtle vibrations in his chest beneath her fingertips.

Seeing him laugh, Li Rong gave him a slow glare. “Still laughing? If you keep laughing, I won’t have time for you.”

“Then I won’t laugh,” Pei Wenxuan said, though the smile lingered on his lips. “Will Your Highness have time then?”

“Just prepare for it,” Li Rong said casually. “Whether I have time or not, we’ll see.”

“Alright,” Pei Wenxuan nodded. “I’ve rented a boat. That night, I’ll row it for you. I’ve heard they’ll release sky lanterns. The shore will be crowded, so I’ll take you to the center of the lake to watch.”

“You reminded me—I almost forgot,” Li Rong said, now looking forward to it. She rested her hand under her head. “You know how to row a boat?”

“Luzhou has many rivers,” Pei Wenxuan recalled his youth. “During the three years of mourning, I loved rowing out alone, stopping wherever I liked, basking in the sun, taking a nap, then rowing back and picking lotus seeds along the way.”

Li Rong listened quietly. It was a world she had never experienced.

She had lived her whole life in Huajing, never knowing the peaceful moments Pei Wenxuan described—walking freely through the streets, having her own little boat, and seeing vast fields of lotus flowers on summer afternoons.

Finding a quiet spot for a nap, reading a book, or fishing all afternoon—even if she didn’t catch anything, it didn’t matter.

“Sometimes I’d bring lotus leaves back. An old lady taught me to wrap glutinous rice in them, add chicken pieces, chestnuts, and spices, then steam it all together. It had a unique flavor.”

“You learned how to make it?” Li Rong was getting hungry from his description. Pei Wenxuan laughed, “Want to try it?”

“I do want to,” Li Rong said openly. “You made it sound so good—how could I not? I don’t just want to eat it, I want to go to Luzhou.”

“Then when we’re old, I’ll retire and we’ll go there together.”

“When I’m old, I might not be able to walk,” Li Rong sighed. “My legs aren’t good.”

“No problem, I’ll carry you.”

Pei Wenxuan raised his hand and gently stroked Li Rong’s hair. He looked at her like she was a child and said, “Besides, in this life, I’ll take good care of you. Even when you’re old, you won’t suffer like you did in your past life.”

As he spoke, Pei Wenxuan thought of the painful final days of Li Rong’s previous life. He couldn’t help but pull her into his arms and sighed, “Sleep now.”

Li Rong leaned against his chest, and gradually began to feel sleepy.

It was a kind of indescribable sense of security—like a weary bird returning to its nest, or a traveler coming home.

Li Rong suddenly realized that at some point, she had come to feel this kind of safety with him.

Pei Wenxuan held her quietly, and after a long while, he heard her steady breathing. He lowered his head and kissed her gently, then finally closed his eyes and fell asleep too.

In the middle of the night, Pei Wenxuan was awakened by urgent knocking at the door. Li Rong stirred, but Pei Wenxuan held her down gently and said calmly, “I’ll go check.”

He got up, threw on a robe, and opened the door to find Tong Ye standing outside. Tong Ye spoke quickly and quietly to Pei Wenxuan, whose expression turned cold. “Are you sure?” he asked.

Li Rong had also put on a robe and walked to the door. She overheard Tong Ye saying softly, “Confirmed. Consort Rou brought Master Hongde into the imperial study. That old monk spoke the truth—he only said someone from the Princess’s residence asked him to change the Crown Prince’s wedding date.”

Pei Wenxuan didn’t respond. Tong Ye continued, “His Majesty was furious and was about to summon Your Highness immediately, but the messenger was called back just after leaving the palace.”

“Anything else?” Pei Wenxuan asked steadily, as if the matter didn’t affect him at all. Tong Ye, influenced by his calmness, began to settle down and replied, “Nothing more. His Majesty doesn’t seem inclined to investigate further.”

Pei Wenxuan nodded, thought for a moment, then said quietly, “Leave the city tonight. Go to neighboring Qingshui County and find a laundry worker named Tian Fang. Give her 300 taels of silver and tell her that her husband has been found. Ask her to bring her mother-in-law to Huajing to reunite.”

“Yes,” Tong Ye replied. Li Rong, having overheard, immediately understood what Pei Wenxuan was doing. “You’re going to expose Master Hongde’s scandal?”

“Yes,” Pei Wenxuan turned to her. “And I’ll have solid evidence soon.”

Li Rong walked straight to the desk and wrote down a list of names and addresses. She handed it to Tong Ye. “Follow this list. Tell them the charlatan who tricked them before has been found. Ask them to come identify him.”

Tong Ye was stunned—he hadn’t expected Li Rong to provide such a list. Seeing him hesitate, Li Rong pushed the list toward him and urged, “Take it.”

Tong Ye finally snapped out of it, took the list, and left.

After he was gone, Li Rong turned to Pei Wenxuan, adjusting her robe calmly. “What happened?”

“News from the palace—Consort Rou summoned Master Hongde to meet His Majesty.”

Li Rong’s expression didn’t change. She looked at Pei Wenxuan. “So what if he met the emperor? Why are you so anxious?”

“After the New Year, I sent someone to find him,” Pei Wenxuan admitted.

Li Rong frowned. “Why did you look for him?”

“I told Your Highness before—if we want to resolve the Crown Prince’s marriage issue once and for all, having this man make a prophecy about it would be the cleanest solution.”

“And didn’t I tell you,” Li Rong said, holding back her emotions, “Chuan’er already agreed to choose a consort. Why are you still worrying about this?!”

Pei Wenxuan didn’t speak. Li Rong stared at him. After a brief silence, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath before asking, “Did you leave any evidence behind?”

“No,” Pei Wenxuan replied decisively. “I sent a secret guard to find him. I didn’t reveal my identity or mention the Crown Prince’s marriage directly. I only had someone test him once. When I saw how timid he was, I didn’t pursue it further.”

“Then why is he in the palace now?” Li Rong asked quickly.

If Pei Wenxuan had only tested him once and hadn’t taken any real action, how did Consort Rou find this man and get him into the palace?

“That’s what I want to know too.”

Pei Wenxuan spoke calmly: “People in the palace said that after the old monk entered, he accused you—said someone from the Princess’s residence asked him to delay the Crown Prince’s wedding by five years.”

Li Rong looked at Pei Wenxuan in shock. He continued, “I wasn’t reckless in seeking him out. No one else should have known about it.”

Li Rong didn’t respond. Seeing her expression, Pei Wenxuan unconsciously clenched his fists.

He wanted to say something, but seeing her face, he didn’t dare.

He hadn’t wanted her to find out about this. If possible, he would have kept it hidden forever.

He was confident he could win against Su Rongqing in this lifetime—but what about the Su Rongqing who had been with Li Rong for over twenty years?

He didn’t dare compare.

This life with Li Rong had only just begun. He didn’t want to take any risks now.

After a brief moment of shock, Li Rong quickly composed herself and asked, “What do we do now?”

“His Majesty hasn’t summoned you yet because he’s wary of the Inspectorate you control,” Pei Wenxuan analyzed. “But if he’s already made up his mind, he’ll start to distrust you. What we need to do now is minimize the impact of this incident.”

“How?”

“In a couple of days, Your Highness should go to Huguo Temple to make an arrest,” Pei Wenxuan said, analyzing the situation. “Right now, His Majesty won’t release anyone from the palace. If you go to Huguo Temple and expose Master Hongde’s background, claiming you’re investigating a fraudulent monk who harms people for money, then the Princess’s residence visiting him becomes part of the investigation. As for what was said during the visit, just deny everything—say you don’t know.”

“These witnesses and evidence will take time to gather, but if we can wrap up the case in two days, it won’t look like a last-minute move. If it doesn’t look rushed, and you clearly knew Hongde was a fraud, then the Princess’s residence seeking him out makes sense. Instead, it’ll seem foolish to have used a charlatan to promote the Crown Prince’s marriage.”

“That’s the only way,” Li Rong nodded calmly. After speaking, the two fell silent again.

They both had countless things they wanted to say, but when the words reached their lips, they couldn’t speak them.

It was as if they had touched on a topic too painful to voice. After a long silence, Li Rong finally said, “Let’s sleep. Since Father hasn’t summoned me, he must be planning to let this matter go—for now.”

Outwardly, he may appear to let it go, but in secret, Emperor Li Ming likely wouldn’t allow her to retain so much power anymore.

If Pei Wenxuan hadn’t planted people deep within the palace, this news about Consort Rou might never have reached them—and Li Rong would’ve had to suffer the consequences alone.

With Consort Rou’s capabilities, she couldn’t have orchestrated this on her own.

Just the fact that she found Master Hongde was strange enough.

Li Rong pondered this, and a thought she’d once had resurfaced clearly in her mind.

She couldn’t help but recall the day she married Pei Wenxuan in this life—when Su Rongqing came to escort her. She suddenly remembered with striking clarity the cadence of his voice as he recited a parallel prose line:

“Longing can chase the sun and moon; promises bloom with next year’s peach blossoms.”

Only now did she realize that before Su Rongqing spoke that line, he had paused—oddly, uncharacteristically, even a bit emotionally—for a brief moment.

Li Rong instinctively clenched her fists. As she turned away, trying to suppress her emotions, Pei Wenxuan suddenly grabbed her hand and pulled her into his arms, kissing her!

Startled by his sudden action, Li Rong instinctively tried to push him away. But in that moment, she realized something and hesitated.

Pei Wenxuan didn’t notice her change in emotion. When she tried to push him, he gripped her hand tightly, pressed her against a pillar, and kissed her with a kind of desperate intensity.

His body trembled slightly, eyes tightly shut.

His actions were rough, though restrained—his kiss was so forceful it hurt.

Li Rong frowned. She knew she couldn’t provoke him right now, so she stood still and endured the pain silently. Pei Wenxuan gradually calmed down. After a long while, Li Rong spoke gently to remind him, “Pei Wenxuan.”

Pei Wenxuan placed both hands on her shoulders and pulled back, breathing heavily.

“I’m sorry…”

His voice was hoarse. “I’m sorry I…”

He didn’t finish. It seemed he didn’t even know what he was apologizing for.

Li Rong stood quietly. After a long silence, Pei Wenxuan finally spoke again: “Rongrong,” he said, lifting his head and forcing a smile, “Let’s have a child, shall we?”

As soon as he said it, he closed his eyes in pain.

He felt disgusted with himself.

How could he be so disgusting?

How could he think of using a child to keep Li Rong by his side?

How could he, Pei Wenxuan, have become someone like this?

“I’m sorry, just now I…” Pei Wenxuan withdrew his hands from Li Rong’s shoulders, trying to regain some composure. He spoke slowly, “Just now, I was only…”

Before he could finish, Li Rong suddenly reached out and hugged him tightly.

“How many children do you want?” she asked softly.

Pei Wenxuan froze. Then he heard her voice, gentle and full of quiet hope, as she leaned against his chest: “A boy or a girl?”

Hearing those words, Pei Wenxuan felt a sudden sting behind his eyes.

His eyelashes trembled. After a long pause, he finally replied in a hoarse voice:

“I want you.”

“I don’t want a child,” Pei Wenxuan said, holding Li Rong close and burying his face in the crook of her neck. “I want you.”

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