Chapter 123: Go To Chunfeng Tower And Block Pei Wenxuan

“Your Highness has spoken so plainly, it’s lost all intrigue.”

Cui Yulang listened to Li Rong’s words without feeling awkward. He leisurely stepped back, sat down on a nearby bench, leaned against the railing, and gently fanned himself with a folding fan. Smiling, he said, “But Your Highness isn’t wrong. I do wish to align myself with you, so this case—consider it a gift from me to you.”

“A gift?” Li Rong chuckled. “How so?”

“I know Your Highness has her sights set on Consort Rou,” Cui Yulang said, half hiding his face behind the fan and lowering his voice. “This Xiao Pingzhang, who stole the scholar’s spot, is a relative of Consort Rou.”

It’s not unusual for a few relatives to be corrupt. Consort Rou rose from palace maid to power, so it’s no surprise her kin act arrogantly in the countryside.

But to uproot a tree, one must first loosen the soil. If Consort Rou lacks a strong foundation, this incident alone could bring her down. However, if she’s deeply favored, stirring up this matter might not only be fruitless—it could lead to punishment for the investigator by Li Ming in secret.

Li Rong believed Cui Yulang understood this. She sat beside him, separated by the pavilion’s pillar, and said calmly, “Lord Cui jests. What does Consort Rou’s matter have to do with me?”

Cui Yulang glanced back at her with a half-smile, studying her expression.

Pei Wenxuan watched from afar and couldn’t help snapping another twig.

They were sitting so close, and Cui Yulang’s gaze was clearly off. How did a serious discussion turn into flirtation?

Li Rong caught Cui Yulang’s look and knew he understood her intentions. She glanced at the sky, realizing they didn’t have much time for wordplay, and asked directly, “Why are you helping me?”

“That, Your Highness need not concern herself with.”

Cui Yulang looked down, stroking the folding fan in his hand. “Your Highness only needs to know that I sincerely wish to serve you, even if it means making some sacrifices.”

“If you don’t explain clearly, how can I accept your goodwill?”

“Then I’ll say it’s because Your Highness is beautiful,” Cui Yulang looked up at her, fanning himself. “Is that reason enough?”

“What do you mean by that?”

Li Rong was puzzled. Cui Yulang sighed and said, “Think about it, Your Highness. My father was just a scholar. I became a top scorer in the imperial exams only because I came to Huajing with exceptional poetry and caught the eye of a noble. I have no wealth, no extraordinary talent—my only asset is this face.”

He smiled confidently. “To be honest, after I won the top spot, Princess Deyang once extended an olive branch. But I was not bold enough to accept such affection, so I declined. Then I was assigned to the Ministry of Rites, doing trivial work ever since.”

Li Rong nodded. Princess Deyang was her aunt, now nearly fifty. Cui Yulang’s age was closer to her grandchildren’s, so his refusal was understandable.

“I’d long heard Your Highness favors handsome talents, but never dared to confirm it. A while ago, when the Prince Consort was speaking publicly, the Princess was pushed out of the crowd. Later, Your Highness secretly visited the flower boats. So, I thought I’d give it a try.”

“That’s unfortunate,” Li Rong said, casually stroking her golden fan, knowing he wasn’t being truthful. “I’m not interested in that.”

“That is indeed a pity,” Cui Yulang sighed. “Your Highness invited me here, so I thought you had agreed.”

Li Rong waved her hand and stood up. “Since you won’t speak honestly, then forget it.”

As she spoke, she began to walk away. Cui Yulang paused at her words. Hearing her footsteps nearing the edge of the pavilion, he suddenly said, “Your Highness, I am not as incompetent as you imagine. Won’t you reconsider?”

“I don’t doubt your abilities,” Li Rong replied calmly. In her previous life, although Cui Yulang resigned early from his post, he had gone through several political struggles and emerged unscathed, which showed his intelligence. After returning home, he lived a smooth life. Though he didn’t achieve much in officialdom, he did have a peaceful end.

“I just can’t see the reason for your loyalty. I don’t believe the reason you gave. If it were true, someone like you—I wouldn’t dare use, nor would I need to.”

She turned to leave again, but Cui Yulang finally called out to her: “I can tell you, but I fear you won’t believe me.”

“Three seconds,” Li Rong didn’t want to waste words. “Three… two…”

“Because Your Highness handled the Qin case,” Cui Yulang finally spoke. Li Rong turned back, puzzled, and saw Cui Yulang looking away toward the nearby stream. He said softly, “I thought… Your Highness is a good person.”

Li Rong didn’t respond. Cui Yulang gave a mocking laugh. “See? I said it, and Your Highness doesn’t believe it.”

“I believe you.”

Li Rong spoke calmly. Cui Yulang looked up in surprise. Li Rong continued evenly, “I understand your meaning now, so I’ll be direct. I don’t want to take you in directly.”

Cui Yulang remained silent, waiting for her to continue. Li Rong stepped forward and said softly, “But I can arrange for you to go to Consort Rou.”

Cui Yulang looked at her in surprise. After a moment, he understood. “Your Highness wants me to be your informant?”

“You only need to say yes or no.”

“If Your Highness asks, of course I will.”

“Then, to put my mind at ease, you must take this.” Li Rong took out a prepared medicine bottle, crouched slightly, and handed it to Cui Yulang. “From now on, come to me on this day each month, and I’ll give you the antidote to delay the effects. Once I’ve dealt with Consort Rou, I’ll give you the full cure. Naturally, I’ll also reward you accordingly. If you’re capable, regardless of your background, you can reach the position of Chancellor.”

Cui Yulang listened to her words, thought for a moment, then chuckled, grabbed the bottle, and swallowed the pill inside. He then tossed the bottle into the lake and said with emotion, “Women really are suspicious.”

Li Rong smiled and stood up. “If there’s an urgent matter in the future, come directly to my residence. For now, you may go.”

“Where are Your Highness’s guards?” Cui Yulang asked unexpectedly. Li Rong paused, realizing she had come alone. She thought for a moment and guessed, “The carriage couldn’t come in, so they’re probably waiting near the main road.”

“It’s not proper for Your Highness to be alone,” Cui Yulang shook his head. “Allow me to escort you back.”

Li Rong didn’t refuse. She nodded and turned. “Let’s go.”

Cui Yulang responded, stepped forward, broke off a tree branch, and walked ahead to clear the path for her.

He used a tree branch to press down the thorns that had crept in from the side, making it easier for Li Rong to walk.

As they walked, he chatted with Li Rong. His words were witty and full of compliments, steering away from serious matters. Within just a few sentences, he had Li Rong laughing.

The two walked off, talking and laughing. Only then did Pei Wenxuan finally straighten up from the grass pile. He patted his numb legs, tossed away the last piece of tree branch in his hand, and after resting for a moment, Tong Ye finally came looking for him. Seeing Pei Wenxuan standing at the entrance of the pavilion, Tong Ye quickly approached and cautiously asked, “Young Master, what are you watching here?”

Pei Wenxuan didn’t respond. He waited until the numbness in his legs completely faded, then turned his head and asked in a calm voice, “Where is Her Highness?”

“Just now Her Highness walked off with Cui Yulang. They should be close to finding their carriage by now,” Tong Ye answered carefully. He knew his master’s temperament well—though Pei Wenxuan appeared calm, only he knew what was truly going on inside.

“How did Cui Yulang get here?”

Pei Wenxuan asked as he turned and walked with Tong Ye toward the main road. Tong Ye quickly replied, “He rented a carriage. It’s parked by the roadside. I even heard the driver talking—said Cui looked quite refined, but haggled over the fare for nearly half an hour. You have to admit, Lord Cui is really down-to-earth.”

“That’s because he’s poor.”

Pei Wenxuan said knowingly. After thinking for a moment, he instructed, “Go over there later and leave two taels of silver in the carriage. Then find a way to distract the driver and steal the wheels.”

“Steal… steal the wheels?”

Tong Ye was stunned. Pei Wenxuan frowned. “Do you have a problem with that?”

“N-no,” Tong Ye stammered. How could he dare object? He was just shocked.

To avoid Pei Wenxuan’s anger falling on him, he quickly said, “I’ll take care of it right away.”

Tong Ye ran off and relayed Pei Wenxuan’s orders to the guards. After a brief discussion, while Cui Yulang was still escorting Li Rong, Tong Ye ran to the roadside and tossed some coins, shouting, “Money? Who dropped their silver?”

Hearing this, the driver resting in the teahouse rushed over to see the commotion. Meanwhile, the guards quietly approached the carriage and pulled it away.

They dragged the carriage into the woods. One held the horse, while two others dismantled the wheels. In no time, they had removed the wheels and hurried off with them.

By this time, Cui Yulang had already escorted Li Rong to the carriage. The two had chatted happily along the way. As they boarded the carriage, Cui Yulang joked, “Your Highness, are you really not going to consider me? You’ve already divorced the Prince Consort, and I’m not worse than him, am I?”

Li Rong knew he was joking. She smiled lightly and said, “Don’t say things like that in front of others in the future, or someone might hold a grudge.”

“To fight over a beauty like the Princess, Yulang thinks it’s worth it.”

“All right,” Li Rong said, letting the curtain fall. “Let’s go back.”

Cui Yulang smiled and stepped back, watching Li Rong’s carriage roll away.

Pei Wenxuan stood in the nearby reed field, watching Cui Yulang as he saw Li Rong off.

Behind him, the guard who had carried back the wheel stood silently. Tong Ye whispered, “Young Master, what should we do with the wheel?”

“These carriage drivers will stay here overnight,” Pei Wenxuan said calmly. “Leave someone here. Put the wheel back on the carriage tomorrow.”

“Huh?”

Tong Ye was a bit confused, but then heard Pei Wenxuan add, “Also leave another tael of silver for the driver—as lodging and compensation.”

He only wanted to punish Cui Yulang, the flirt—not harm innocent bystanders.

Given the time of day, walking back would take until nightfall. The driver would definitely stay here overnight. But Cui Yulang had to attend court the next day, so he had no choice but to walk back.

After a failed attempt to haggle for more travel fare, Cui Yulang had no other option and decided to walk.

He could have hired another carriage, but at this hour, trying to catch one midway would be too costly.

Once Pei Wenxuan confirmed that Cui Yulang would have to walk back, he finally felt satisfied. He led the others back to their own carriage, and as they passed by Cui Yulang, he gave a cheerful order.

As the carriage neared Cui Yulang, Pei Wenxuan specifically instructed, “Speed up.”

The driver didn’t understand why but followed the order. As they passed, the wheels kicked up a cloud of dust, covering Cui Yulang’s face.

Cui Yulang stopped in his tracks, held his breath, and waited for the dust to settle. Looking at the carriage disappearing into the distance, he tried to console himself with the phrase, “When Heaven is about to place a great responsibility on a person…”

But he only got halfway through before he couldn’t hold it in anymore. Seeing no one around, he dropped all pretense and cursed aloud, “What’s the rush—trying to reincarnate? So what if you’re rich!”

Pei Wenxuan heard the cursing from behind and finally felt a wave of satisfaction. He picked up a cup of tea, took a sip, and looked quite pleased.

Tong Ye, observing his expression, couldn’t help but ask, “Young Master, what are you so happy about?”

Pei Wenxuan held the tea, tilted his head slightly, and praised, “Good tea.”

—

After her conversation with Cui Yulang, Li Rong returned to the Princess’s residence. She sat alone in her room for a while, reflecting on the current situation.

There were now less than two years until Li Ming’s death.

In her previous life, Li Ming deposed Li Chuan in three steps:

First, he dismantled the Yang family’s power and sent Xiao Su to the northwest, making him the Prince of the North and giving him military control of the region.

Second, he allowed Consort Rou to establish the Supervisory Bureau, which gave her political capital and the support of the cold-born clans, gaining her a faction in court.

Third, the Supervisory Bureau began investigating those around Li Chuan, exposing numerous scandals involving the Shangguan family. Meanwhile, infighting in Li Chuan’s harem escalated. His attempt to use marriage to build alliances with noble families backfired, turning into a chaotic power struggle among the families behind his consorts. This mess finally gave Li Ming the justification to depose the Crown Prince.

But the situation now is very different.

Although the military power in the northwest is nominally under Xiao Su, Li Rong had secretly arranged for Qin Lin to be embedded in the ranks early on, and even had Li Chuan personally lead the most difficult battles in the first half of the campaign. Although the Qin family case had prematurely exposed her ties to them, Xiao Su’s early reliance on Qin Lin in battle—and the later overturning of the Qin case—served as compensation, allowing the Qin family to secure a stable position in the northwest.

While Xiao Su technically commands most of the northwest army, these troops originally came from the Yang family’s era and are loyal to their own clans. They have no allegiance to Xiao Su, a cold-born general who parachuted in mid-battle to claim credit. If Li Rong cuts off court support from Consort Rou and Li Ming, Xiao Su will lose funding and supplies, and those troops will instantly become worthless.

So the military power move has already been half neutralized by Qin Lin.

Next is the Supervisory Bureau, which she also seized ahead of time.

Li Ming had planned for her to establish the bureau first, then hand it over to Consort Rou when the time was right. But only what you fight for yourself truly belongs to you. In the past, the bureau became Consort Rou’s political capital because she personally led and recruited all its cold-born members, earning their trust. Now, the bureau is entirely built by Li Rong, and her reputation was forged through decisive action. Even if Consort Rou is appointed as its head, Li Rong can easily sideline her.

So that move is also off the board.

The final step was to erode Li Chuan’s public support and exploit the noble families backing him through his consorts. But now, Li Chuan hasn’t married many women, and the Shangguan family has been cleared after Shangguan Ya’s self-investigation. No faults can be found. Li Chuan personally went north to supervise the army and fought the hardest battle. After that, it’s nearly impossible to damage his reputation.

As things stand, if they continue steadily, Li Chuan’s position as Crown Prince will be unshakable.

But the problem is—Su Rongqing has returned.

Li Rong isn’t sure exactly when Su Rongqing came back, but he must have returned by the time she got married.

Since he’s back, there’s no way he’ll just sit and watch her make moves without responding.

At the very least, he blocked Pei Wenxuan from becoming the chief examiner for the imperial exams.

If he hadn’t interfered, why would Wang Houwen, a perfectly fine Minister, suddenly take an interest in the exams?

Li Rong pondered these tangled matters and began to feel a headache coming on. She suddenly wished Pei Wenxuan were here—maybe talking it through with him would spark more ideas.

She stared at the flickering candlelight in silence. Jingmei brought in the footbath and glanced at her, smiling softly. “Is Your Highness thinking about the Prince Consort?”

Li Rong snapped out of her thoughts at the question. She chuckled lightly, and for some reason, felt a bit embarrassed. “What’s there to think about? I’ll see him tomorrow anyway.”

Jingmei giggled but said nothing. Li Rong instinctively felt she was being teased and asked, “What are you laughing at?”

Jingmei lowered her head and gently washed Li Rong’s feet, whispering, “The Prince Consort asked to meet you today, but you couldn’t make it. I thought you might be thinking about him.”

Li Rong hadn’t been thinking about it—until Jingmei mentioned it. Now she missed Pei Wenxuan even more.

She didn’t show it on her face and simply said, “You worry more than I do.”

Jingmei giggled but said nothing. Li Rong tried hard to focus on serious matters, so she wouldn’t keep thinking about Pei Wenxuan and lose control of herself by going to see him.

But having just finalized their separation, it wouldn’t be proper to risk meeting him again so soon.

They had been married for so many years—what was the point of being so sentimental?

After washing her feet, Li Rong lay down in bed. She tossed and turned, thinking it over again and again, and finally made up her mind.

She had to see Pei Wenxuan.

Of course, it wasn’t just to see him—Li Rong reassured herself. She wasn’t that irrational. She simply needed to talk to him about Cui Yulang.

Cui Yulang was someone she planned to use. Arranging for him to be placed near Consort Rou would take some effort. And while the information he brought wasn’t enough to bring down Consort Rou, it could be useful in dealing with Wang Houwen.

Whether it was placing Cui Yulang or targeting Wang Houwen, letters were too risky. She had to speak with Pei Wenxuan in person. Even if it meant taking a bit of a risk, she had to meet him.

Once she decided she had to see Pei Wenxuan, Li Rong suddenly felt much better. She turned on her side, hugged her blanket, closed her eyes, and fell asleep happily.

—

The next morning at court, Li Rong arrived at the palace at her usual time. Just as she stepped down from her carriage, she saw Pei Wenxuan arriving.

Taking advantage of the early hour and the lack of people around, she winked at him in the dim light. But Pei Wenxuan, seeing her “flirtatious glance,” pretended not to notice and turned away, walking straight inside.

Li Rong was stunned. She looked around to make sure no one had seen, then felt a bit surprised—was Pei Wenxuan really taking the act this far?

Pei Wenxuan, holding his ceremonial tablet, walked forward with a heavy heart.

She had postponed seeing him over something as trivial as Cui Yulang, and now she was acting like nothing had happened. Clearly, she felt no guilt at all.

Li Rong really was heartless to the core.

The two of them went through the entire morning court session without exchanging a single glance. Once back at the Princess’s residence, Li Rong quickly sent Zhao Chongjiu to deliver a message to Pei Wenxuan, asking to meet.

Pei Wenxuan received the message and immediately knew what it was about. He had overheard her conversation with Cui Yulang—though it was fragmented, he had grasped the gist: she wanted to discuss recruiting Cui Yulang and dealing with Wang Houwen.

He had already made arrangements for both. It wasn’t urgent. So he decisively sent back a reply: “Tell Her Highness to reflect on her recent actions. Once she’s thought it through, we can meet.”

Zhao Chongjiu nodded and left, giving Pei Wenxuan no time to take it back.

Pei Wenxuan stood in the courtyard for a while. After a moment, he couldn’t help himself and turned to Tong Ye. “Go find Zhao Chongjiu. Tell him to ignore what I just said. Just tell him to have Her Highness leave a door open tonight—I’ll come see her.”

Tong Ye nodded and hurried off to catch Zhao Chongjiu.

Pei Wenxuan stood in the courtyard, thinking: if Li Rong couldn’t figure this out on her own, he’d have to talk to her face-to-face.

But before he could get the message through, Tong Ye returned a short while later, flustered. “Young Master, Lord Zhao walked too fast—I couldn’t catch up.”

Pei Wenxuan: “…”

For some reason, he started to feel a little nervous.

He had a nagging feeling that maybe… he’d sounded a bit too tough earlier.

Tong Ye glanced at Pei Wenxuan and couldn’t help but say, “Um, Young Master, if you’re worried, maybe you could send someone to deliver another message?”

Pei Wenxuan shot him a cold glare. “What would I be afraid of? If the message didn’t go through, so be it. Let’s see what she thinks.”

Then he turned and asked, “Is Lord He hosting a banquet tonight?”

“Yes.”

“Get ready. We’ll attend.”

“Master,” Tong Ye asked cautiously, “Are you really going?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” Pei Wenxuan replied coolly.

Tong Ye hesitated. “It’s just… Lord He chose Spring Breeze Pavilion as the venue.”

Pei Wenxuan: “…”

While Pei Wenxuan was still struggling with whether or not to attend the banquet that night, Zhao Chongjiu returned to the Princess’s residence.

He relayed Pei Wenxuan’s message to Li Rong word for word, not missing a single syllable.

Li Rong took a sip of tea and asked, “That’s exactly what he said?”

“Yes,” Zhao Chongjiu replied calmly. “His exact words.”

Li Rong didn’t respond. She set her teacup down and said to Jingmei, “Switch it to chrysanthemum tea.”

Jingmei quickly went to change the tea. Li Rong looked up at Zhao Chongjiu. “Do you know where he’s going tonight?”

“I asked earlier,” Zhao Chongjiu replied. He had been keeping tabs on Pei Wenxuan’s schedule per Li Rong’s instructions, so he answered directly, “Lord He’s banquet.”

“Alright,” Li Rong nodded. “I’ll go wait for him.”

She stood up. “Where’s the banquet being held?”

“Spring Breeze Pavilion.”

Zhao Chongjiu said it calmly, but Li Rong’s eyes widened. “Say that again?”

This time, Zhao Chongjiu spoke slowly, as if worried she hadn’t heard clearly, enunciating each word:

“Huajing’s… bigg-est… pleasure… house—”

“Chunfeng. Pavilion.”

Previous

Next