Chapter 135: The Order Is In Place

She returned to the princess’s manor by herself. Lying in bed, she felt utterly adrift.

Without Pei Wenxuan by her side and no court attendance required the next day, her heart felt hollow.

She stretched her hand into the empty space, gazing at her slender palm, and suddenly felt that Shangguan Xu was right.

The daughters of the Shangguan family seemed born to grasp power. Without it in her hands, she felt lost and empty, as though she had lost her way.

She and Li Chuan were completely different. As the Crown Prince, Li Chuan’s every step seemed driven by a sense of responsibility toward those around him. Because he was the Crown Prince, countless lives had been tied to his since birth, forcing him to strive and move forward.

But her every step was born from a deep, inner craving for power.

She loved the feeling of control and choice too much; deep in her bones, she also loved the thrill of taking risks for these things.

So, on such a peaceful night, she felt somewhat at a loss.

She tossed and turned in the night. After a long while, she got up and went to the wardrobe, rummaging until she found one of Pei Wenxuan’s robes. Holding the garment in her arms, she finally found a sense of calm and fell asleep clutching it.

She slept until the usual time for court, waking up on schedule. Just as she was about to call her attendants to help her rise, she remembered she didn’t need to attend court anymore.

She had handed over the Inspectorate, and the court had little to do with her now. All she needed to do was stay in the shadows.

Li Rong froze for a moment, buried her head under the covers, and simply went back to sleep.

She slept until noon before finally rising to eat. Jinglan attended to her, smiling as she said, “Your Highness, without court to attend, you seem rather listless.”

“No man, no career,” Li Rong sighed. “How could I have any spirit?”

Jingmei was amused by Li Rong’s words and tugged at her robes, grinning. “Your Highness misses her lover so much—why not visit the new residence tonight?”

Li Rong cast a leisurely glance her way. Jingmei’s heart skipped a beat, thinking she was about to be scolded, but then she heard Li Rong say, “An excellent idea.”

After breakfast, Li Rong rested in the courtyard for a while before Zhao Chongjiu returned with news from the court.

“Today, His Majesty appointed Lord Pei as the chief examiner of the imperial examinations, granting him full authority over the matter. He also ordered Prince Su to formally take charge of the Inspectorate, with Consort Rou assisting him, to thoroughly investigate the imperial examination impersonation case.”

Li Rong nodded. After a moment’s thought, she couldn’t help but ask another question: “What about Vice Minister Su?”

“Vice Minister Su volunteered to supervise this year’s imperial examinations.”

“Supervise?” Li Rong laughed. “He’s not holding back at all now. And what about Cui Yulang?”

“He asked me to relay a message: today, Consort Rou praised him and tasked him with assisting her properly.”

Hearing this, Li Rong knew Consort Rou had begun to trust Cui Yulang completely.

This was hardly surprising.

After collaborating with Su Rongqing for so long, she not only gained nothing but was also demoted from her position as Consort to a lower rank. In contrast, after working with Cui Yulang for such a short time, she not only regained her consort status but also helped Li Cheng obtain the Inspectorate. Coupled with Cui Yulang’s humble background as a commoner, how could she not trust him even more?

Li Rong nodded and simply said, “Tell Cui Yulang to lay low. Have someone keep an eye on him, and remember to come to me for the medicine at fixed intervals.”

Zhao Chongjiu acknowledged the order. Li Rong then inquired about this year’s harvest from her fief and the situation in the Northwest.

“Lord Xun has a request for you, Your Highness.”

Li Rong looked up, and Zhao Chongjiu lowered his voice: “Lord Xun would like you to secretly seek a provisional enlisting order for Qin Lin.”

“Why is that?”

Li Rong lightly tapped her palm with a fan. Zhao Chongjiu handed over a letter from Xun Chuan. Li Rong quickly skimmed through it and understood Xun Chuan’s intention.

Last year, the Northwest was ravaged by war, and the front-line cities barely managed any farming. By this year, with no grain reserves in the cities, they could only rely on imperial relief. However, by the time funds from the court reached the Northwest, they had been skimmed off at every level, leaving Qin Lin with barely enough to cover military pay, let alone disaster relief.

On one hand, Qin Lin couldn’t bear the suffering; on the other, he was short on troops. So, Cui Qinghe suggested incorporating the city’s civilians into the army—using the people to sustain the war effort.

Able-bodied men would serve as soldiers, while the elderly, weak, women, and children would be allocated land to farm. By autumn, when hostilities with the North were expected to resume, they would have the strength to fight.

This approach was naturally against regulations, but Qin Lin believed that since the powerful families in the North wouldn’t have to contribute much to military pay or send their own troops to the front lines, they would turn a blind eye. Thus, he had already begun implementing this plan in secret.

However, this was still a violation of the law—at worst, it could be construed as privately amassing troops. So, Xun Chuan specifically wrote to Li Rong, asking her to seek a conscription order for Qin Lin from the higher-ups. In ordinary times, it might not matter, but if trouble arose, producing this order would allow Qin Lin to claim he was enlisting troops under orders.

Reading the letter, Li Rong couldn’t help but gasp in alarm.

Qin Lin was a talented general, but his greatest flaw was his authoritarian and arbitrary nature.

Such commanders were heroes in times of chaos but a headache for rulers in peaceful eras. If Xun Chuan hadn’t brought this matter to her attention, Li Rong could already foresee the consequences.

The powerful families were silent now because they needed Qin Lin. But when the time came, this would become a death warrant for him. Even more terrifying than Qin Lin’s actions was the fact that part of his military funds came from her.

If Qin Lin was privately amassing troops and she was supplying the funds, and given that she was the Crown Prince’s elder sister, such a charge would be a death sentence a thousand times over.

Steadying herself, Li Rong knew she had to secure this conscription order for Qin Lin.

With the conscription order, the larger Qin Lin’s army grew, the more secure Li Chuan’s position would be upon his ascension to the throne.

But how could she obtain such a thing for Qin Lin?

The conscription order was a special military decree in Da Xia, allowing generals to recruit soldiers locally in garrisoned cities during exceptional times.

Emperors were extremely cautious when granting such authorizations. How could she possibly get Li Ming to secretly issue a conscription order for Qin Lin?

As Li Rong pondered this, she heard a commotion outside. Moments later, a maid hurried into the courtyard and anxiously reported, “Your Highness, Princess Hua Le has arrived with officials from the Inspectorate and has sealed off the princess’s manor.”

Hearing this, Li Rong was momentarily stunned. Then, she laughed in disbelief. “Hua Le? With the Inspectorate? Sealing my manor?”

Every word made sense to her, but when put together, she found it somewhat absurd.

Before she could step out, she heard Hua Le’s familiar voice, now carrying an uncharacteristic arrogance: “Elder Sister Pingle.”

Li Rong looked toward the source and saw Hua Le, dressed in lavish gold-threaded robes, emerge from around the corner. Behind her were a group of former Inspectorate staff, along with some new faces—likely additions from Consort Rou’s reorganization of the office.

Li Rong raised an eyebrow as Hua Le approached and gave a graceful bow. “Little Sister is here under Prince Su’s orders to investigate a case at your residence.”

“Investigate a case?” Li Rong replied with amusement. “What case are you investigating?”

“Do you remember someone named Chen Houzhao?”

“Of course,” Li Rong said, immediately understanding Hua Le’s purpose. She couldn’t help but smile. “Didn’t he come to the Inspectorate to file a complaint just a few days ago?”

“He’s gone missing.”

Hua Le watched Li Rong closely. Li Rong feigned surprise. “Missing?”

“Yes. On the same day he filed the complaint against you, he left Huajing. His ship sank, and he himself has disappeared.”

“I see.”

Li Rong nodded, then added as if suddenly remembering, “Then you should be looking for him. Why come to me?”

“Prince Su suspects that you, Sister, are responsible for this man’s death. So, please cooperate and come with us to the Inspectorate.”

Li Rong didn’t respond immediately. She simply smiled and continued to watch Hua Le.

Seeing Li Rong remain unruffled, Hua Le felt her confidence waver. She forced herself to meet Li Rong’s gaze and said, “Are you refusing to comply, Sister?”

“It’s not that I refuse to comply,” Li Rong said, tapping her palm lightly with her fan. “I just have a few questions for you.”

She continued, “I am a princess of the current dynasty, a member of the imperial family. If you wish to arrest me, do you have evidence for this case?”

“How can we obtain evidence without interrogating you?” Hua Le frowned. “You used to work at the Inspectorate—don’t you know how it’s done?”

“When I handled cases,” Li Rong replied calmly, “I always required evidence. For those of lower rank than me, I could summon them to the Inspectorate. But for those of higher rank, I had to ask for their willingness. Little Sister, since this is your first time working in the court, you may not be familiar with its rules. Jinglan.”

Li Rong turned to her attendant. “Go inside and fetch the Inspectorate’s code of conduct. Bring it to Her Highness Hua Le so she can study it thoroughly.”

Jinglan suppressed a smile and went to retrieve the Inspectorate’s code of conduct.

Hua Le, provoked by Li Rong’s retort, flushed with anger. She raised her voice sharply, “Enough nonsense! The Inspectorate is investigating a case. You are a suspect. If you refuse to come for questioning and keep making excuses, does that mean you have a guilty conscience?!”

Hearing Hua Le raise her voice, Li Rong’s eyes turned cold, though her smile remained. “Little Sister, it seems you’ve been in court so long that you’ve forgotten the hierarchy of the palace. I am your elder sister. Is this how you speak to me?”

“I am here on official business for Prince Su—”

“I know the Inspectorate’s procedures better than you do!” Li Rong’s voice suddenly sharpened. “Without evidence, get out!”

“Li Rong, you—”

“Throw her out!”

With a flick of her fan, Li Rong turned to leave. Hua Le, frantic, urged her men to seize Li Rong, but the princess’s guards immediately stepped forward. The two sides clashed, forming a chaotic standoff. Hua Le shouted angrily, “Pingle, don’t you dare leave!”

Li Rong ascended the steps, hearing Hua Le’s curses. She turned back once more.

Her phoenix eyes lifted slightly, sweePingleisurely over Hua Le, who was still yelling at the Inspectorate soldiers to arrest her. A smile touched her lips as she prepared to mock Hua Le further—but then, something suddenly occurred to her.

The enlist order—she had found a way.

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