Thinking of the moment they made that vow, Pei Wenxuan’s heart stirred with ripples.

Actually, even until death, he’d never imagined that Li Rong would truly make a move against him for the position of heir. Because he’d never imagined it, he had no defenses on the road back to the Princess’s mansion. At the moment of death, he felt especially indignant—no matter what, he had to drag this woman to be buried with him.

In their previous life, they’d chosen to be allies. But the truth was, there were no allies in this world who could share identical interests for a lifetime.

They died at each other’s hands. Now they could choose again. Pei Wenxuan looked at Li Rong before him. After a long while, he slowly spoke, saying calmly, “You shouldn’t marry.”

With that, he kowtowed, kneeling before Li Rong, saying respectfully, “What your humble subject can give Your Highness is only these things. But the life Your Highness wants should not consist of only these things.”

Hearing this, Li Rong wasn’t surprised. She laughed lightly, saying flatly, “I also know you cannot give me what I want. But I’m somewhat troubled now—if I don’t marry Young Master Pei, then who should I marry?”

Pei Wenxuan’s lashes trembled slightly. He thought this should be the last time he would plan for her.

After pondering for a moment, he replied with a name: “Lu Yu.”

This was actually similar to Li Rong’s own thinking. Li Rong couldn’t help but become interested. “Explain.”

“The Princess’s current predicament lies in His Majesty’s suspicions. Actually, as long as the Crown Prince ascends the throne, the Princess’s future will be worry-free. So right now, the most important thing is to protect the Crown Prince. Among Marquis Ningguo, the Yang family, and Cui Yulang—Cui Yulang comes from a humble background, completely useless. Marrying him would be most pointless. Plus, his character is dissolute, he loves writing poetry, and he has vulnerabilities everywhere. If the Princess married him, I fear it would cause trouble for the Crown Prince.”

Li Rong spun her folding fan, responding with a sound of acknowledgment. “Mm.”

“As for the Yang family, their power is too great. Yang Quan’s temperament is too sharp. That His Majesty wants the Princess to form a marriage alliance with the Yang family—actually, essentially, it’s because His Majesty has designs on the Yang family. If Yang Quan marries the Princess, before long His Majesty will probably make his move. The Princess will be implicated, and the Crown Prince will easily be dragged into it. Yang Quan is absolutely someone who cannot be married.”

“Indeed,” Li Rong’s eyes turned slightly cold. “His ambition is too great.”

“As for Ning Heir Apparent—though Marquis Ningguo’s household isn’t considered a prestigious clan, Marquis Ningguo was His Majesty’s study companion in the past. He once blocked a sword for His Majesty. His Majesty is someone who values loyalty and friendship. Though he doesn’t often think of Marquis Ningguo now, there are still some brotherly feelings there. For the Princess, this also counts as a good thing. Marquis Ningguo is steady in character. Ning Heir Apparent is simple-minded and rarely goes out. For marriage matters, this may not be a good thing, but he definitely won’t drag the Crown Prince down. Most importantly,” Pei Wenxuan raised his head to look at her, reminding her, “Ning Heir Apparent’s health is poor.”

In the previous life, Lu Yu had died of illness in the winter three years later.

Li Rong understood Pei Wenxuan’s meaning. She tapped lightly on the small table with her fan. “You mean—his health is poor, and he’s also a simpleton. If I marry him, after he passes away in the future, when my Imperial Brother ascends the throne, I can remarry?”

“Yes.”

Pei Wenxuan said calmly, “This way, we can now relax His Majesty’s vigilance, allowing Your Highness to avoid his sharp edge. In the future, with Your Highness’s status, wanting to remarry will not be difficult.”

Li Rong nodded. She’d actually been thinking along these lines too, but having Pei Wenxuan say it out loud made her feel more at ease. However, she hadn’t expected Pei Wenxuan would actually say these things. She couldn’t help but laugh, raising her eyes to look at Pei Wenxuan, asking somewhat curiously, “If I don’t marry you and I have a way out, what will you do?”

Pei Wenxuan picked up the tea beside him, taking a light sip. “If the Princess can help, that would naturally be best. If unwilling to help, Pei has his own path to walk.”

With that, he gave a slight nod. “Your Highness need not think too much on your humble subject’s behalf.”

The way he nodded seemed to practically scream “don’t meddle in my affairs” across his face. Li Rong was amused by his irritation. She felt this man Pei Wenxuan truly had the ability to make her blood boil with rage in mere moments.

She turned her head to look at the sky, saying flatly, “It’s getting late. Young Master Pei, go back. If you don’t leave early, that carriage you borrowed will get muddy on the return trip. I’m afraid you’ll get scolded by the steward again.”

Hitting people, hit their face. Exposing people, expose their heart.

Getting these words, Pei Wenxuan felt that all the planning he’d just given her had been fed to dogs.

Facing this woman who could stab him dead with one blow and still be able to work so diligently for her—he felt he was simply a living bodhisattva reincarnated.

So he laughed mockingly, bowing respectfully. “Yes. Pei will take his leave now. Your humble subject has wanted to leave for a long time. Thank you, Your Highness, for your gracious pardon.”

“Get lost quickly, no need to see you out.”

“Getting lost right now.”

After Pei Wenxuan finished speaking, he immediately stood up without any hesitation, walking straight outside.

An attendant waiting outside held an umbrella for him. Pei Wenxuan thanked him softly, then followed the attendant to leave.

Li Rong watched Pei Wenxuan’s retreating figure, feeling as though she were seeing off a memory gradually disappearing into the distance. She watched quietly for a while, then said to Jing Lan behind her, “Prepare some money and ginger soup and send it to him.”

Consider it a reward for him finally acting somewhat human.

Though Jing Lan couldn’t fathom what Li Rong was thinking, she never questioned her master’s actions. After bowing respectfully, she went to prepare the money and ginger soup according to Li Rong’s instructions.

Pei Wenxuan, holding a belly full of anger, left the villa. By this time, most people had already gone. Pei Wenxuan boarded his family’s carriage with a stern face. Just as he was about to leave, he heard Jing Lan call from afar, “Young Master Pei!”

Hearing Jing Lan’s voice, Pei Wenxuan frowned, lifted the curtain, and went out. He saw Jing Lan with another maid holding an umbrella for her, hurrying over quickly.

Li Rong’s palace servants were all extremely well-trained. Even walking in the rain, they moved steadily without splashing any mud.

She carried a box and came before Pei Wenxuan. After bowing to him, she rose and handed over the box, saying, “Young Master, today’s rain is cold. The Princess had this servant prepare ginger soup for you to drink on the road.”

Pei Wenxuan froze for a moment. After a beat, he looked at the box, saying softly, “Thank you for the Princess’s gracious gift.”

Jing Lan smiled and handed over the box. “Young Master, travel safely.”

Pei Wenxuan acknowledged, thanked Jing Lan, took the box, then entered the carriage.

The box had two layers. Opening the first layer, he found a bowl of ginger soup, still steaming with heat. Pei Wenxuan suddenly remembered that in the first year of their marriage, every day when he went out, Jing Lan would give him a bowl of soup appropriate to the weather—pear soup when dry, mung bean soup when hot, ginger soup when cold…

These were all Li Rong’s habits.

He didn’t speak, just watched quietly, feeling the carriage begin to move. He suddenly clearly realized that once this carriage moved, in this lifetime, he and Li Rong would never meet like this again.

From now on, they’d go their separate ways. Past grievances from their previous life would all be written off.

He couldn’t help but lift the carriage curtain, suddenly calling out to Jing Lan who was returning to the villa, “Miss Jing Lan!”

Jing Lan turned her head and saw Pei Wenxuan sitting in the carriage. He looked at Jing Lan, opened his mouth, feeling somewhat regretful for a moment that he hadn’t said more to Li Rong.

The coachman outside, hearing him call out, stopped again. Jing Lan looked at Pei Wenxuan and walked back, asking somewhat puzzled, “Young Master Pei?”

“Help me relay something to the Princess,” Pei Wenxuan gripped the carriage curtain tightly, staring at Jing Lan, saying solemnly, “Tell her—now that Pei is leaving, tell her to take care, to act cautiously in all matters, and don’t be too bold!”

Hearing these words, Jing Lan was somewhat bewildered. Before she could ask anything, she saw Pei Wenxuan quickly drop the curtain, his figure disappearing behind it.

The carriage once again clip-clopped away. Pei Wenxuan leaned back in the carriage. He didn’t know why, but he suddenly felt as if he’d lost all strength, leaning in the carriage, feeling somewhat stifled.

He leaned there for a while, then opened the drawer and took out the bowl of still-steaming ginger soup.

He took a sip. Warmth mixed with spice traveled down into his stomach, with a touch of slight sweetness mixed in.

He smiled, carrying a few traces of nostalgia.

In this lifetime, this was probably the last time he would drink Princess Pingle’s ginger soup.

After Pei Wenxuan left, Jing Lan walked back. Li Rong looked at the chessboard on the table, turning the chess piece in her hand.

It must be said, Pei Wenxuan’s chess skills were truly excellent. Over all these years, among the people she knew, only he could play chess with her in such an evenly matched manner, their battles distinctly interesting.

Other people’s chess skills weren’t good enough, and Su Rongqing liked to deliberately let her win. Only that bastard Pei Wenxuan had both the audacity and the ferocity.

Hearing Jing Lan enter, she said flatly, “Saw him off?”

“He’s gone.” Jing Lan replied respectfully, then said, “Before leaving, he left words for you.”

“What?”

“Young Master Pei said—now that he’s leaving, he asks you to take care, to act cautiously in all matters in the future, and not to be too bold.”

Hearing this, Li Rong froze. After a moment, she laughed bitterly. “This person really worries too much.”

With that, she stood up, casually tossing the chess piece into the chess box, saying flatly, “Is it his turn to worry about this Palace?”

After speaking, she turned her head to look at the rain beating on the lotus leaves outside the courtyard, the leaves trembling precariously.

Meanwhile, not far away, a group of people lay in ambush on the pathway, beginning to set up roadblocks.

“Young Master,” a youth held his blade, speaking quite anxiously, “She’s still a princess after all. For us to make a move like this, isn’t it…”

“Isn’t it what?” The young man beside him wiped the blade in his hand, raised his eyes to look at the youth beside him, laughing mockingly. “You think if we don’t kidnap the Princess, His Majesty will spare us? Stop dreaming.”

The young man turned his head to look at the distant villa, saying coldly, “Only by marrying the Princess and binding ourselves to the Crown Prince will we have a way to survive.”

Hearing these words, the youth fell silent for a moment, then finally nodded. “Young Master is right.”

The sky gradually darkened, thunder rumbling.

Pei Wenxuan drank the ginger soup sip by sip, then rolled up the curtain. He looked at the mountains and rivers under the heavy rain, feeling this downpour washing over his new life.

Before long, he heard the sound of swift horses galloping past. Immediately, a group of people rode past him.

Those people wore plain clothes—one couldn’t tell which family they were from. However, Pei Wenxuan recognized at a glance that these horses weren’t from the capital breed, but war horses specially supplied from the border.

These war horses looked no different from ordinary horses. Common people couldn’t quickly detect them, but Pei Wenxuan had once managed frontline logistics affairs in the past and saw through it with one glance.

In this heavy rain, these people rushing out of the city so urgently, and in this direction lay the imperial villas. If they were heading to the border or going to conduct business, they should be going through other city gates instead. So what were they trying to do?

Pei Wenxuan thought for a moment and knew it was bad.

They were going after Li Rong!

Author’s Note: [Mini Theater]

Li Rong: “If I don’t marry you and I have a way out, what will you do?”

Pei Wenxuan:

(Inner thoughts): “Damn it, I don’t know what I’ll do either. You asking me this question—how awkward do I feel? But a real man carries his own burden. Am I supposed to beg you? No way. As a grown man, I absolutely won’t do something so humiliating!”

(Outwardly, proud face): “I have my own methods. Princess, don’t meddle in my affairs.”

Li Rong: “Heh. Get lost.”