Chapter 114: Those Who Betray His Highness Deserve To Die

Pei Wenxuan had thought it through clearly. In fact, for Li Ming, everything he did was ultimately a test.

He was doubting Pei Wenxuan’s loyalty. If Pei Wenxuan went along with his test—if Li Ming wanted a divorce and Pei Wenxuan agreed—then no matter what, Li Ming would still be suspicious.

So it was better to take the initiative and turn defense into offense.

“What do you mean by this?”

Li Ming frowned. “You want to divorce Pingle? What’s wrong with my daughter that you would want to divorce her?!”

The more Li Ming spoke, the angrier he became. He slammed his hand on the table and shouted, “Pei Wenxuan, how dare you!”

Hearing Li Ming’s words, Pei Wenxuan quickly knelt and bowed. “Your Majesty, please calm your anger. But I… I also…”

As he spoke, Pei Wenxuan seemed somewhat embarrassed. He simply stood up and pulled open his official robe, revealing the marks on his body.

Bite marks and scratches, nearly down to the bone on his shoulder, were visible on Pei Wenxuan’s body. Everyone gasped, and Li Ming was stunned. “What is this?”

“Your Majesty,” Pei Wenxuan said with a look of grief and indignation, “These were all inflicted by the princess last night.”

Li Ming was momentarily embarrassed upon hearing this. He followed Pei Wenxuan’s words and asked, “Why did you two fight? And so seriously?” Then he remembered, “You didn’t hit her, did you?”

“She is of noble birth. I wouldn’t dare.”

Pei Wenxuan’s expression grew colder at Li Ming’s words. Li Ming, realizing that Li Rong hadn’t been wronged, felt relieved. “What happened? Tell me.”

“Your Majesty,” Pei Wenxuan said, pulling a talisman from his sleeve, “This matter begins with this talisman. Last night, when the princess returned from the palace, I went to meet her. At the palace gate, she handed me this talisman and accused me of carelessly writing spells outside, nearly causing her to fall into Consort Rou’s trap.”

Li Ming frowned but didn’t interrupt, allowing Pei Wenxuan to continue. “After examining the talisman, I confirmed it was not my handwriting.”

“This wasn’t written by you?” Li Ming asked seriously. Pei Wenxuan shook his head. “Your Majesty may summon a master to verify it. This is not my handwriting. You know how rare these talismans are. I’m busy with official duties—how would I have time to do such things?”

Li Ming said nothing and had someone take the talisman for verification. Then he turned to Pei Wenxuan. “If the talisman is fake, why did Pingle say it was real? And claim you went to the temple together?”

Consort Rou had accused Li Rong and Pei Wenxuan of secretly contacting Master Hongde to lie on behalf of Li Chuan, helping him avoid marriage. She presented the talisman as evidence that Pei Wenxuan had contacted Master Hongde. Li Rong claimed the talisman was real but obtained from the temple, using it to refute Master Hongde’s alleged lies.

But if the talisman was fake, why didn’t Li Rong just say so? Or was she simply arguing for the sake of arguing, and had indeed contacted Master Hongde privately to delay Li Chuan’s marriage?

Li Ming pondered silently. Pei Wenxuan respectfully said, “Your Majesty, instead of wondering why the talisman is fake and why the princess admitted it, why not consider why Master Hongde presented a fake marriage talisman supposedly written by me to prove the princess pressured him for the crown prince’s sake?”

“Even if I wrote the marriage talisman, it doesn’t prove the princess met Master Hongde, nor that she asked him for anything related to the crown prince. Whether she admits it or not, this talisman proves nothing. So why did Master Hongde make such a claim?”

Li Ming’s face remained calm, but his mind suddenly became alert.

The fake marriage talisman proves nothing. Why did Master Hongde go out of his way to present it?

“In truth, Your Majesty already has conclusions in your heart about many matters, and there’s no need to say more. Both the Princess and I understand this.”

For example, his suspicion of Li Rong and Li Chuan had long since become a subconscious certainty—that Li Rong would speak on Li Chuan’s behalf to Master Hongde. That’s why he didn’t notice how unreasonable the appearance of the talisman was, and now there’s no concrete evidence to prove anything.

Since Li Rong was aware of this, she naturally panicked. Faced with accusations, it’s possible she instinctively refuted all evidence.

Li Ming understood Pei Wenxuan’s implication. Though he didn’t directly explain why Li Rong lied, he had already led Li Ming to deduce the reason.

“Since I was promoted to Vice Minister of Personnel, the Princess and I have walked on thin ice, cautious at every step, fearing that one wrong move would give others leverage against us.”

“The noble families dislike me, the Crown Prince resents me, and we don’t even know who is behind it all. First, they placed me in a high-risk position, then used Master Hongde to frame us, and now this fake talisman incident. Though the Princess and I don’t know Master Hongde’s true intentions, they clearly have a plan. In my anxiety, I scolded the Princess for speaking recklessly about things she didn’t understand.”

“The Princess has long been dissatisfied with me. Because I come from a humble background and my career has been rocky, she faces much criticism among the court. I advised her to establish the Inspectorate to help Your Majesty, but now the court is full of complaints about her. The Crown Prince has grown distant, and even the Empress dislikes her. So last night… conflict between us was inevitable.”

“In her anger, the Princess insulted me, saying I was lowly—less than the performers at Nanfeng Pavilion. Then she took a flower boat out for a night cruise with those performers. In desperation, I tried to stop her, hoping to reason with her, but she beat and cursed me instead. Your Majesty,” Pei Wenxuan stood up, face full of grief, “Though I come from humble origins, I am still a man. Even if the Princess is of noble birth, how can she humiliate me like this? I married her only to fulfill Your Majesty’s command and serve loyally. Despite her arrogance, rudeness, and even harboring feelings for another, I endured it all. I have never overstepped my bounds as a husband or a subject. Yet she still goes on flower boat cruises, summoning dozens of…”

Pei Wenxuan couldn’t continue. He took a deep breath, knelt, and respectfully said, “Your Majesty, I know I’ve failed you, but for the sake of my late father’s loyal service and my own devotion, I beg you—please allow me to divorce the Princess…”

His voice was hoarse, nearly in tears. “I truly cannot go on…”

Pei Wenxuan’s heartfelt plea left Li Ming speechless.

As a fellow man, how could Li Ming not understand Pei Wenxuan’s humiliation?

Even if Pei Wenxuan was putting on a show, it wouldn’t make sense for Li Rong to summon so many performers…

Li Ming carefully considered Pei Wenxuan’s words, and a new line of thought emerged.

In fact, Pei Wenxuan’s words had awakened him. From the Vice Minister of Personnel to Master Hongde, it had always seemed like Li Rong and Pei Wenxuan were benefiting and being discovered by him—so he kept doubting their loyalty.

But what if it was the opposite? What if the Vice Minister position and Master Hongde were all part of someone else’s scheme? What were they really trying to achieve?

If he hadn’t known before, now that this talisman has surfaced, how could he still not see?

A talisman that proves nothing about Li Rong and the Crown Prince’s relationship was used to trick Li Rong into admitting it, only to later claim it was a marriage talisman symbolizing a strong bond between her and Pei Wenxuan.

The Vice Minister appointment was meant to make him worry about Li Rong’s growing power.

The Master Hongde incident was meant to make him worry about Li Rong and Li Chuan’s relationship.

The matter of the talisman was meant to make him worry that Pei Wenxuan and Li Rong were united as husband and wife. Why worry about that? Because deep down, he was already concerned that Li Rong held too much power and was colluding with Li Chuan. Now, if Pei Wenxuan and Li Rong were truly united—how dangerous would that be?

Thinking this way, it became clear: the real target of all these schemes wasn’t Li Rong or Pei Wenxuan—it was him.

Li Ming’s heart surged with emotion, though his face remained calm.

After all, this was only Pei Wenxuan’s side of the story. He couldn’t fully trust it, so he followed Pei Wenxuan’s lead and said, “If what you say is true, then Rongrong is indeed too arrogant. Since you wish to divorce, I won’t force it. Go back for now—I’ll draft the decree.”

Hearing this, Pei Wenxuan became visibly emotional and respectfully said, “Thank you, Your Majesty! Your Majesty is wise!”

Li Ming looked at Pei Wenxuan’s barely concealed joy and felt a mix of emotions. Li Rong was still his daughter—being rejected like this made him feel uneasy. He waved his hand and said lightly, “You may go.”

Pei Wenxuan bowed respectfully and left.

As he exited the imperial study, a young eunuch followed him to escort him out. Pei Wenxuan walked with a cold expression, and just before leaving, he quietly said, “Have His Majesty investigate how Master Hongde entered the palace.”

The eunuch didn’t respond, but clearly heard him.

After escorting Pei Wenxuan out of the palace gates, the eunuch quickly turned back.

Meanwhile, at the Su family residence, a young nobleman held a scroll in one hand and placed a chess piece with the other.

Beside him knelt a woman, her posture following palace etiquette. Though she appeared calm, her eyes betrayed unease.

“Her Ladyship said the talisman is fake, and Princess Pingle took it out. What if they verify it?”

The maid was flustered. “Now that Master Hongde has been taken away, sir, if he speaks recklessly, he’ll implicate Her Ladyship.”

“He won’t get the chance to speak recklessly. Tell Her Ladyship not to worry.” The young man placed another chess piece calmly. The maid understood his meaning and felt slightly reassured, but still asked, “What about the talisman?”

“The Princess already admitted to it. Even if it’s proven fake, so what? If they tell His Majesty the Princess lied, then why did she lie? His Majesty will still have doubts and will continue to test Pei Wenxuan and the Princess. And Pei Wenxuan will never pass His Majesty’s tests.”

“You’re that certain?” The maid frowned. “It’s not impossible for Pei Wenxuan to agree to the divorce.”

“He won’t agree.”

The young man set down the scroll and calmly began to tidy the chessboard. His voice was gentle: “He doesn’t dare, he won’t, and he doesn’t want to.”

“What if he does agree?” the maid pressed. The young man paused slightly, then after a long moment, frowned and said, “Then he deserves to die.”

“Anyone who betrays Her Highness,” the young man’s voice was so soft it was barely audible. He looked up slightly, watching a spring butterfly land in the courtyard. In his desolate eyes, there was a trace of mockery. “They all deserve to die.”

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