Chapter 126: I’m Waiting For Him In Front Of The Temple

As soon as those words were spoken, everyone turned to look.

Li Chuan, as the Crown Prince, had always acted cautiously. Over the years, Li Ming had considered deposing him countless times but never found any concrete fault. Now, Cui Yulang, a minor official from the Ministry of Rites, was actually impeaching the Crown Prince?

Li Ming was intrigued and immediately said, “I recall that Lord Cui is an official of the Ministry of Rites. Why are you meddling in the affairs of the Censorate?”

“Though I serve in the Ministry of Rites and hold a low position, when it comes to matters of state, I dare not remain silent,” Cui Yulang replied with righteous conviction. Even Li Rong couldn’t help but turn her head, wondering if Cui Yulang had truly found some evidence against Li Chuan.

She began to feel a bit uneasy. She had asked Cui Yulang to impeach Li Chuan, but not to act recklessly.

Li Chuan raised an eyebrow from his high seat. He knew what he had done and couldn’t think of anything that would endanger the state. Curious, he said, “Lord Cui speaks so gravely—why not explain?”

“Your Majesty,” Cui Yulang braced himself and said, “In recent years, natural disasters and misfortunes have plagued the land. The people suffer. Take this year’s ice disaster, for example—public resentment runs deep. Such heavenly omens must be due to the Crown Prince’s lack of virtue…”

“You’re spouting nonsense!” Li Ming interrupted angrily before Cui Yulang could finish.

When disasters occur without clear cause, it’s usually the monarch who is blamed for lacking virtue, not the Crown Prince. Li Ming couldn’t tolerate such talk and hurled a memorial at Cui Yulang, shouting, “Drag this scoundrel out and beat him! How dare you speak of such superstitious nonsense in court?”

“Your Majesty,” Cui Yulang quickly knelt and said anxiously, “During last year’s autumn sacrifice organized by the Ministry of Rites, the Crown Prince sneezed during the ceremony. This may have offended the heavens and constituted grave disrespect!”

Now that Cui Yulang had pointed to a specific fault, Li Ming’s expression softened slightly. Minister Gu Zidao of the Ministry of Rites gave Cui Yulang a cold glance and stepped forward: “Your Majesty, last year the Crown Prince was ill with a cold but still completed the sacrifice. His sincerity was evident to the heavens. Heaven cherishes life and would not be displeased by a mere sneeze. While some regions have suffered disasters, they are not extraordinary. The Great Xia is vast, and annual disasters in some areas are normal. To forcibly link this to divine punishment is far-fetched.”

Gu Zidao turned to Cui Yulang and sternly said, “Such deceitful and misleading words deserve punishment!”

With Gu Zidao speaking, the other ministers echoed his sentiment. Li Chuan remained expressionless, clearly uninterested in engaging with someone like Cui Yulang. Li Rong also didn’t bother to look again, wishing she could have the fool beaten to death right there in court.

Of all the things to bring up, he chose something so absurd—he deserved punishment.

Seeing Li Rong’s dismissive gaze, Cui Yulang felt both wronged and embarrassed. It was his first time working with her, and things had gone so poorly. But what could he do?

He truly couldn’t find anything else to impeach.

After a round of shouting for punishment in court, Li Ming finally spoke: “Though Lord Cui’s words are somewhat absurd, they are not entirely without merit. Let it be so—Lord Cui will forfeit two months’ salary. As for the Crown Prince… he shall go to the ancestral temple tonight and kneel for one night as a gesture of accountability for last year’s autumn sacrifice.”

Li Ming’s words brought no change to Li Chuan’s expression, but a trace of coldness appeared in his eyes.

All the ministers frowned but said nothing.

After all, kneeling at the ancestral temple for one night to show sincerity and filial piety was not something that could be criticized. It wasn’t a serious punishment. Still, since it was Cui Yulang who stirred up trouble, punishing both parties seemed unfair.

Li Rong saw clearly—Li Ming’s intentions were obvious. He was deliberately making trouble for Li Chuan, and he wouldn’t face any consequences for it.

What Li Ming wanted was for others to keep stirring up trouble for Li Chuan.

Li Rong couldn’t help but smile, though her heart felt a bit cold. If even she felt this way, how much worse must it be for Li Chuan?

After all, Li Chuan was still young. Though he tried hard to endure it, his face still showed traces of anger. After court was dismissed, he walked out of the hall with his attendants. As he passed by Cui Yulang, he couldn’t help but stop and call out, “Lord Cui.”

Cui Yulang felt a chill in his heart when he heard this, but he couldn’t back down now—he was still waiting for support from others. So he braced himself and replied, “Your Highness.”

“In future matters of the court, you must weigh things more carefully. Lord Cui is new to office—perhaps it would be wise to seek advice from more experienced officials.”

“Thank you for your guidance, Your Highness.”

Cui Yulang broke out in a cold sweat. Li Chuan said no more and descended the steps with his entourage.

Li Rong followed, and as she passed Cui Yulang, she whispered, “It’s fine.”

No matter how angry Li Chuan was, he wouldn’t do anything to Cui Yulang.

If it were the Li Chuan from her previous life, later on, he might have. But the seventeen-year-old Li Chuan—she knew him too well.

He would never act out of personal grievance against Cui Yulang.

However, her mother might not be so forgiving once she heard of this. Li Rong knew she needed to go to the palace and speak with her.

Besides, ever since her separation from Pei Wenxuan, she hadn’t visited the palace. Her mother was surely thinking of her.

With that in mind, Li Rong sent someone ahead to notify Shangguan Yue, then headed straight to the inner palace.

As Li Rong made her way there, Cui Yulang had just reached the palace gates when a palace maid called out to him: “Lord Cui.”

He stopped. The maid approached and whispered, “Today, Prince Su’s painting tutor is ill and cannot attend. Lady Rou asked me to inquire—would Lord Cui be available today?”

Hearing this, Cui Yulang smiled and respectfully replied, “It is my honor to serve His Highness.”

When Li Rong arrived at Weiyang Palace, the place was in an uproar again.

This was a common occurrence—whenever something happened in the court, Shangguan Yue would always scold Li Chuan.

“You’re too soft-hearted! You can’t even handle such a small matter. How are your sister and I supposed to rely on you in the future? Now that Cui Yulang has started this, what will you do next? Just sit back and watch the ministers gain power and make trouble for you?”

Hearing her mother’s shouting, Li Rong turned to the maid who had led her in. This maid had come with Shangguan Yue as part of her dowry and was considered a trusted confidante. Seeing Li Rong glance over, the maid whispered, “Everyone has been cleared out, Your Highness. Rest assured—I’ll leave you here.”

Li Rong nodded. She knew her mother had been in the palace for many years and wouldn’t make mistakes in matters like this.

Li Rong stepped inside with a smile and said, “What’s this performance now? Every time I come back, I see Mother scolding my brother.”

“You still dare speak?!”  

As soon as Li Rong spoke, Shangguan Yue turned around and snapped, “Such a major matter as your separation, and you didn’t even discuss it with me beforehand. After it happened, you didn’t come to the palace to talk it over. How long has it been? And only now you show up—do you even still consider me your mother?!”

“Mother, Sister was just feeling sad,” Li Chuan quickly interjected. “Please don’t scold her…”

“You be quiet!” Shangguan Yue scolded both her daughter and her son, then turned back to glare at Li Chuan. “You need to reflect on yourself.”

Li Rong was used to Shangguan Yue’s temperament. She had always treated her relatively well, rarely scolding or hitting her. But she was extremely strict with Li Chuan. Now that Li Rong was married and her future was tied to Li Chuan’s prospects as Crown Prince, Shangguan Yue had started treating them more equally, wanting to control everything.

Li Rong smiled and helped Shangguan Yue sit down, gently saying, “Mother, don’t get too angry. It’s bad for your liver. Let’s talk things through calmly.”

She poured tea for Shangguan Yue and sat beside her. “What caused the argument today?”

“I heard that Cui Yulang impeached him,” Shangguan Yue said angrily, tapping her teacup on the table and pointing at Li Chuan. “I told him to teach that arrogant boy a lesson, and he refused. Don’t you see what your father is doing? Cui Yulang opened the door today—if Chuan’er doesn’t assert himself, who knows how many people will come after him next!”

Li Chuan pressed his lips together. Seeing his expression, Shangguan Yue grew even more frustrated. She turned to her daughter, and upon seeing Li Rong’s calm smile, she suddenly felt a bit uneasy. Remembering Li Rong’s tactics from last year, she hesitated to speak too harshly. Her tone softened, and she sounded almost aggrieved: “You and I may hold high positions, but we’re still women. Our honor and disgrace are tied to Chuan’er. If something happens to him, what will we do? I’m thinking for his sake, but he won’t listen. With a temperament like his, how can he be a proper Crown Prince? If only I had another son…”

“Mother,” Li Rong interrupted gently, “Have some tea first.”

Realizing she had spoken out of turn, Shangguan Yue fell silent. Li Rong stood and helped Li Chuan sit up. He kept his head down and didn’t speak, but when Li Rong tried to seat him beside Shangguan Yue, he chose to sit next to her instead.

Li Rong, caught between mother and son, felt a bit awkward. She took a sip of tea to calm herself, then cleared her throat and said, “I came today to talk about Cui Yulang.”

“Sister,” Li Chuan said softly, “Though Cui Yulang impeached me, he didn’t actually do anything wrong. There’s no need to…”

“Cui Yulang is my man.”

Li Rong cut him off. Li Chuan looked up sharply, and even Shangguan Yue was stunned. Li Rong took another sip of tea and said slowly, “I was the one who told him to impeach you. Neither of you is to touch him.”

She said “you,” but her gaze was mainly on Shangguan Yue.

Shangguan Yue stared at her in confusion. “Rong’er, what are you saying?”

“Mother,” Li Rong smiled gently, “Chuan’er is growing up. We can’t keep waiting for Consort Rou to gain more power, can we?”

“You want to move against Consort Rou?” Shangguan Yue frowned. “But what does Cui Yulang have to do with that? And your father has always protected her. If you want to act against her…”

“Don’t worry, Mother,” Li Rong reassured her. “I know what I’m doing.”

Shangguan Yue hesitated for a moment but eventually nodded. Once the serious matters were discussed, the atmosphere became a bit awkward. Shangguan Yue took a sip of tea, paused again, and then asked about Li Rong and Pei Wenxuan, “I’ve heard a bit about your separation from Pei Wenxuan.”

She spoke gently, “There was no other choice. If you still have feelings for him, you can be together again when the time is right.”

But she thought to herself: a man who would choose to separate for the sake of power might not be someone her daughter would choose again.

She knew Li Rong’s temperament better than anyone—after all, she was her mother.

But what she knew was the Li Rong of nineteen years old.

Li Rong smiled and didn’t say much more. She chatted casually with Shangguan Yue for a while. Shangguan Yue offered her some advice, and then the three of them had lunch together. Feeling tired afterward, Shangguan Yue went to take a nap, leaving Li Rong and Li Chuan sitting together.

Li Chuan remained silent. Li Rong glanced at him, “What’s wrong? Argued with Mother and now you’re ignoring me too?”

“How could I?”

Li Chuan gave a bitter smile, “I’m just feeling a bit tired and wanted to rest.”

Li Rong knew he was lying. Anyone would feel upset after being treated like that by their father in the morning and then hearing their mother say she wished she had another son. After a pause, Li Rong said softly, “Don’t take Mother’s words to heart. She was just angry.”

Li Chuan replied quietly, “It’s fine.”

He poured tea for Li Rong, “What Mother said… she wasn’t wrong.”

The sound of tea gently falling into the cup filled the air. Li Chuan truly seemed exhausted. Though still a youth, he carried a weariness that felt almost world-weary.

“If Mother had another son, maybe things would be better for everyone. I wouldn’t have to be Crown Prince, and she wouldn’t have to rely on me.”

Li Rong looked up at him. Li Chuan set down the teapot and leaned back in his chair, “If you were born a prince, I wouldn’t have to bear this burden.”

“Chuan’er…”

“I’m just talking,” Li Chuan smiled. “I know you wouldn’t blame me. I’m just saying. I know,” he said, not sure if it was to Li Rong or to himself, “you and Mother have both sacrificed a lot for me. Since I’ve received this honor, I have no reason to back down. Don’t worry, Sister. I’ll take it slow.”

Li Rong couldn’t respond. The siblings sat quietly for a while. Li Chuan lay back in his chair and closed his eyes to rest. Li Rong stayed by his side. They sat in the courtyard, surrounded by blooming spring flowers. Watching over Li Chuan, Li Rong suddenly felt a deep, indescribable sorrow.

In this life, she had Pei Wenxuan. Once Li Chuan became emperor and the power struggles among noble families were resolved, she would have power, love, and freedom.

But Li Chuan’s life had no end. He would be trapped in the palace forever—for their mother, for her, for the Shangguan family, for the people, for Great Xia—but never for himself.

“How is Qin Lin doing in the northwest?”

Li Chuan seemed to have recovered a bit. He began to ask about serious matters, and Li Rong turned back and nodded, “He’s doing fine. He and his uncle are stationed alone in a frontline city. There’s active conflict at the front, and Xiao Su didn’t want to send his own people, so he placed them at the very front. When Qin Lin asked for troops, he sent over the ones he couldn’t control. Once they reached the front, they became Qin Lin’s men.”

Li Rong continued slowly, “Right now, everything’s fine except for a lack of funds.”

Li Chuan nodded. After thinking for a moment, he said, “I’ll send money privately…”

“I’ll find a way,” Li Rong interrupted him. “If it’s traced back to you, you won’t be able to explain it.”

Li Chuan hesitated for a moment, then agreed.

After discussing the details for a while, it was time for Li Chuan to leave. Just before he left, he suddenly remembered something, “By the way,” he hesitated, then finally asked, “how is Xun Chuan?”

Li Rong hadn’t expected him to ask about Xun Chuan. She looked up and couldn’t help but smile, “What made you think of her?”

“She was forced to leave because of me,” Li Chuan said with a bitter smile, his words difficult. “So I’ve always felt a bit guilty and concerned. I want her to be doing well, but I also feel like I’m just trying to escape my own guilt. If she’s doing well, I won’t feel so bad.”

“Is that all?”

Li Rong asked with a teasing smile. Li Chuan thought for a moment, then turned to look at the blooming spring flowers in the courtyard and smiled, “Sometimes I dream of the first time I saw her. I don’t know why. Other than that, we’re not really familiar with each other, so what else could there be?”

Li Rong listened and believed him. After all, in this lifetime, they had barely spoken a few times.

“She’s doing very well,” Li Rong said slowly. “She wrote to me recently. Qin Lin took her into battle a few times and even gave her some people to command. Originally, she was supposed to stay in the northwest to gather intelligence and cause trouble for Xiao Su, but after going to the battlefield a few times, she found she liked it. She even asked me if she could keep doing it. How could I stop her?” Li Rong took a sip of tea and smiled. “Her recent letters have been much more cheerful.”

“That’s good.”

Hearing this, Li Chuan thought for a moment and smiled.

“As long as she’s doing well, that’s enough.”

With that, Li Chuan bowed to Li Rong and took his leave.

Li Rong stayed in the palace for a while before getting up and leaving alone.

She rode in her carriage for a while but found it a bit noisy. She lifted the curtain and saw a crowd gathered on the street—it looked like someone was distributing porridge.

Li Rong had the carriage stop and looked in that direction for a while, then sent someone to find out what was happening.

A guard went over, and while Li Rong waited, she saw a young man in white among the crowd, gesturing as he moved in and out of view.

Li Rong recognized him and roughly guessed what was going on. The Su family, during years of famine, would distribute aid on the streets for three days each month.

Li Rong lost interest once she understood the situation. Just as she was about to lower the carriage curtain and leave, she saw a young man in plain clothes walk up to Su Rongqing and hand him a piece of paper. Su Rongqing spoke a few words to him, and the young man nodded repeatedly. Then someone led him away.

Seeing this, Li Rong frowned.

She kept her eyes on Su Rongqing, and he seemed to notice her gaze. He looked up and met her eyes through the bustling crowd.

Their eyes met briefly. Su Rongqing nodded, then turned away and continued with his work.

The guard returned and whispered, “Your Highness, today is the Su family’s porridge distribution.”

Li Rong nodded, then asked, “I just saw someone hand a piece of paper to Young Master Su and get taken away. What was that about?”

“I asked earlier,” the guard replied. “This year, the Su family is offering special support to exam candidates. As long as someone is a scholar and presents a piece of their poetry, they can approach any member of the Su family and receive shelter and support until the imperial exam results are announced.”

Li Rong frowned deeply.

This move by Su Rongqing was far more effective in winning hearts than simply being an imperial exam examiner.

After a moment of silence, Li Rong said quietly to her guard, “Go find Lord Pei and tell him that tonight…”

She hesitated, thinking about the most suitable location, and finally said, “Outside the Yue Lao Temple. I’ll wear a mask painted with peach blossoms and wait for him on the street.”

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