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Chapter 117: Burn Down The Hall Of Audience

Li Rong: “……”

She hadn’t expected Pei Wenxuan to say that, and felt a little embarrassed.

Fortunately, all the awkwardness was only in her mind; outwardly, she remained calm and composed, nodded, and said, “I’ll go right away.”

“And also,” Pei Wenxuan said softly, “if His Majesty starts questioning, just have Hongde enter the palace and confront Su Rongqing.”

Li Rong nodded in agreement and quickly headed to the palace.

Before, she might not have understood what Pei Wenxuan was doing, but now that Su Rongqing’s people had taken the memorial, Li Rong understood his intention.

The confession was indeed fake. If no one verified it, others wouldn’t know. With so many people in the Memorial Hall, it was normal for Su Rongqing to have planted a few men there. Seeing her bring evidence and accuse Su Rongqing by name, they would naturally take the confession away.

If the confession were real, their actions would be fine—they could just say the memorial went missing. At most, the guards would lose their positions or get a scolding, and Su Rongqing would remain unharmed.

But the problem was, the confession itself was fake. By taking it away, Su Rongqing could never clear his name. There would always be a missing confession from Hongde. Even if Su Rongqing’s people quietly returned the memorial, she could insist it had been switched.

The only flaw in this plan was that Hongde himself might not acknowledge the confession. So now, what she needed to do was immediately enter the palace, expose the missing memorial, and summon Hongde to testify.

Forcing Su Rongqing to kill Hongde.

Li Rong lifted her eyes, her gaze cold. Once Hongde died, the confession would vanish, but in Li Ming’s mind, this would become an ironclad case. This time, Pei Wenxuan was using a fake confession to trap Su Rongqing with a real crime.

Seizing the memorial from the Memorial Hall, secretly inciting Consort Rou to speculate on the emperor’s intentions and set a trap for her and Pei Wenxuan—all while keeping the emperor in the dark—every move struck at what Li Ming hated most: snatching power from his very palm.

Pei Wenxuan’s move was nothing short of brilliant.

As Li Rong pondered this, she arrived at the palace and asked to see Li Ming. It was still early in the night; Li Ming was in the imperial study reviewing memorials. Hearing that Li Rong had come, he frowned: “What is she doing here at this hour?”

Li Rong, of course, was prepared.

Coming to the palace so late—if she spoke directly of official matters, it would seem too deliberate. So she composed herself at the door, and when she entered, Li Ming saw her eyes red, as if she had suffered a great grievance. He paused and asked, “What’s wrong with you?”

“Father,” Li Rong sobbed, “please help me discipline the prince consort. He… he’s gone too far!”

Li Ming hesitated, realizing her intent. After a moment, he asked slowly, “What happened?”

“Father,” Li Rong lowered her sleeves, looking aggrieved, “a few days ago, the prince consort quarreled with me, and since then he’s ignored me. He said he wants to divorce me and even claimed you issued an edict! But I don’t believe it. What father would force his own daughter to divorce? If I separate from him, who will I marry in the future? Should I end up like Aunt, keeping male companions and being ridiculed?”

“If you don’t want a divorce,” Li Ming said, feeling a little guilty but pretending to scold her, “then why did you invite the people from Nanfeng Pavilion to go boating?”

Hearing this, Li Rong seemed surprised that Li Ming knew about it, and looked a little embarrassed: “I… I just wanted to make him angry…”

Li Ming gave a cold snort, unwilling to bother with her. Li Rong quickly put on a flattering smile and said coquettishly, “Father, I know I was wrong. Please go and talk to him. He’s been keeping his distance from me and even sleeping in the outer courtyard. What is that supposed to mean? Just give an order now and make him come back.”

“Nonsense.” Li Ming tossed the memorial aside. “I made you the head of the Inspectorate, and all you think about every day is these matters of love and quarrels. You don’t do your proper work—do you even use your brain?”

“Father, you wrong me,” Li Rong straightened up quickly at his words. “My quarrel with the prince consort hasn’t delayed my official duties. In fact, I should be the one complaining to you. I submitted my memorial days ago, and you still haven’t replied.” As she spoke, she leaned forward slightly. “What are your intentions, Father?”

“What memorial?” Li Ming frowned. Li Rong blinked, looking puzzled. “The one about Hongde’s confession, of course. I sent it in days ago, along with all the evidence and testimony. Whether or not to deal with Su Rongqing—it’s up to you to decide.”

“Su Rongqing?” Li Ming exclaimed in surprise. “What does Hongde have to do with Su Rongqing?”

“Well…” Li Rong started to explain, then waved her hand impatiently. “Just read the memorial yourself. Why should I repeat it? But that’s not important right now. Tonight I came to talk about family matters. Father, Pei Wenxuan always listens to you, so you just…”

“Stop changing the subject,” Li Ming said sternly. “This involves Su Rongqing?”

Li Rong seemed not to understand why Li Ming was so serious and nodded blankly. “Yes. Hongde said Su Rongqing told him to enter the palace and spread nonsense to Consort Rou…”

“Fulai!”

Li Ming raised his head and immediately called to the attendant nearby: “Go to the Memorial Hall at once and bring me the princess’s memorial! I want to review it immediately.”

Fulai bowed respectfully and hurried out.

Meanwhile, in the Su residence, Su Rongqing held Hongde’s confession and Li Rong’s memorial as an official knelt before him, saying respectfully, “My lord, if this memorial is submitted, the young master will hardly escape punishment. Now that the evaluation for the Minister of Revenue position is underway, I feared trouble, so I secretly removed the memorial…”

“We’ve lost.”

Su Rongqing suddenly spoke, cutting the official off. The man froze and looked up at Su Rongqing, who sat calmly above, holding the confession. “This confession is fake,” Su Rongqing said evenly.

The official was stunned. Su Rongqing continued slowly, “Her Highness deliberately used this false confession, waiting for you to steal it. If I’m not mistaken, she’s already gone to the palace. His Majesty must be summoning the memorial as we speak. Go back quickly.”

“Then I’ll return the memorial immediately.”

The official stood up at once, but Su Rongqing stopped him. “No need.”

The official looked confused. Su Rongqing lowered his head, sipping his tea, and said calmly, “If you return it now, the princess will insist the confession was switched. Once they investigate, it will lead back to you. It’s useless—and you’ll lose your position.”

“Then… what should I do?” The official was flustered. Su Rongqing took another sip of tea and said slowly, “Leave everything to me. Pretend you know nothing. Are you on duty now?”

“N… no.” The official still didn’t understand what Su Rongqing intended. Su Rongqing simply said, “Then go home and sleep. Be careful on your way back. Act as if you were never here.”

The official nodded nervously. Though panic filled his heart, Su Rongqing’s composure left him no room to question.

After the official left, Su Rongqing raised his hand and held the confession over the candle flame. The fire licked the paper, curling it as it burned. Watching the flames devour the page, Su Rongqing gave a cold order: “Send a servant to sneak in and burn down the Memorial Hall. When the fire starts, don’t let him come out. Leave him inside.”

“Master,” the subordinate hesitated, “burning down the Memorial Hall outright—wouldn’t that be far too reckless?”

“Reckless?” Su Rongqing chuckled softly. “It’s more than reckless—it’s audacious beyond measure.”

“Then, Master…”

“Just do it,” Su Rongqing said calmly. “Do it, and wait. Whatever’s coming will come sooner or later.”

As he spoke, he tossed the half-burned confession into the brazier, then turned back to the memorial spread out before him.

It was written by Li Rong, her bold strokes accusing him of crimes. Su Rongqing stared at it silently for a moment, then let out a low laugh. He raised his hand and gently traced the three characters of his name—“Su Rongqing”—lingering in silence.

Meanwhile, in the imperial study, Li Rong and Li Ming waited. Li Rong chatted idly about Pei Wenxuan, while Li Ming responded half-heartedly, clearly humoring her.

After a long wait, Fulai rushed back in. The moment he entered, he dropped to his knees and cried out, “Your Majesty, something terrible has happened—the Memorial Hall is on fire!”

“On fire?” Li Ming shot to his feet in shock. “Say that again—what’s burning?!”

“The Memorial Hall,” Fulai repeated. “They’re still trying to put out the flames, but it was already ablaze when I passed by. I heard many officials are trapped inside—they’re still rescuing people.”

“How could it catch fire?” Li Rong asked quickly. Li Ming’s brows furrowed deeply. Fulai shook his head. “The cause is unknown. We’ll need to investigate.”

Li Ming said nothing, his expression troubled. After a pause, Li Rong stood and said, “Father, should I go take a look? The building is nothing, but the people and the memorials inside are what matter most.”

“No need,” Li Ming replied in a low voice. “You go back. I’ll go myself.”

With that, Li Ming rose and left, Li Rong seeing him off respectfully.

After leaving the palace and returning to her quarters, Li Rong had barely stepped inside when a voice drifted through the darkness: “How did it go?”

Startled, Li Rong quickly realized it was Pei Wenxuan—he hadn’t left yet. She fumbled to light a lamp and saw him lounging on the bed, one hand propping his head, the other resting on his bent knee, looking utterly confident. “Did His Majesty give Su Rongqing trouble?”

“Trouble?” Li Rong let out a sharp laugh, tossing her outer robe onto the screen. “Su Rongqing set the entire Memorial Hall on fire. Tell me, how is Father supposed to trouble him now?”

“He burned the Memorial Hall?” Pei Wenxuan raised an eyebrow. “Bold move.”

“Exactly because it’s bold, I think you’d better prepare yourself.” Li Rong sat on the edge of the bed, worry creasing her brow. “He’s a clever man. He wouldn’t do something so drastic without a plan. I went to accuse him, Father mentioned my memorial, and then he burned the hall. That’s too obvious—he can’t be that foolish.”

“Worried about me?” Pei Wenxuan smiled at her, utterly unruffled. Li Rong looked up at him. “Tell me the truth.”

Pei Wenxuan looked puzzled. “Hmm?”

“Are you just pretending to be calm right now—while panicking inside?”

Pei Wenxuan: “…”

“What makes you think that?” He frowned slightly. Li Rong stared at him. “Do you know what he’s planning?”

“What he’s planning isn’t hard to guess. But that’s not important. What matters is—” Pei Wenxuan’s gaze suddenly softened into a smile as he looked at her face. In a swift motion, he reached out and pulled her into his arms. “I’ve waited this long. If I don’t do something now, it’d be a shame.”

“As for him—” Pei Wenxuan’s voice grew muffled as he tugged at her sash with his teeth, “don’t think about it, Your Highness. Leave the thinking to me.”

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