Hearing these words, Pei Wenxuan’s expression remained unchanged, coldly watching Su Ronghua with an icy face. Gu Chusheng and Pei Wenxuan were completely different—Gu Chusheng couldn’t reunite with a broken mirror because he had truly hurt Chu Yu. But Pei Wenxuan, from beginning to end, aside from hiding his help for Qin Zhenzhen from Li Rong, had never actually hurt Li Rong at all. If Li Rong gave him one part, he returned one part to Li Rong; if Li Rong gave him ten parts, he returned ten parts to Li Rong. He said, “Master Su knows very well what you were just doing. Didn’t that slap deserve to be given?”
Seeing Pei Wenxuan ask so righteously, Su Ronghua was also confused: “What was I doing?”
“Her Highness has the body of a precious noble. Master Su actually coaxed Her Highness into jumping down from such a height—what if she had been injured?!”
“That…” Li Rong heard where Pei Wenxuan’s anger lay. She tugged at Pei Wenxuan from the side. “I was the one who wanted to jump.”
“Then shouldn’t he have stopped you?” Seeing Li Rong still trying to speak up for Su Ronghua, Pei Wenxuan grew even angrier. “You are the sovereign and he is the subject. If you act recklessly, should he also act recklessly along with you?!”
“You said it yourself,” Su Ronghua immediately picked up the conversation, “She’s the sovereign and I’m the subject. If she wants to jump and have me catch her, could I go against her words?”
“You…”
“Stop arguing,” Li Rong saw the two about to quarrel and quickly interrupted them. She said to Pei Wenxuan, “Finding people is more important. Let’s go first.”
With that, Li Rong grabbed Pei Wenxuan’s hand and dragged him outside.
Pei Wenxuan had still wanted to argue with Su Ronghua, but seeing Li Rong glare at him, his emotions calmed somewhat. Feeling that continuing to argue was truly undignified, he followed Li Rong out. The two had just reached the entrance when Pei Wenxuan suddenly stopped. He lowered his head to look down, then turned back around.
Li Rong followed his gaze and discovered the problem. On the path they had taken from the courtyard, there was a section of grass path, and on this grass path there were only their two sets of footprints—clearly no one else had walked there.
The two raised their heads together to look at Su Ronghua. Behind Su Ronghua was an upturned woven basket very conspicuous in the grass pile, and next to that grass pile, the low branches showed signs of being broken—clearly someone had trampled on them earlier.
Li Rong immediately walked toward Su Ronghua. Su Ronghua’s face carried a smile: “Why has Your Highness turned back?”
Li Rong ignored him and walked toward the woven basket. Su Ronghua raised his hand to block her, but Pei Wenxuan quickly stopped Su Ronghua: “Brother Su, let me apologize to you.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Li Rong had already grasped the edge of the woven basket. She raised her hand to pull it up, but the basket remained firmly fixed to the ground, not moving an inch.
Li Rong narrowed her eyes: “Shangguan Ya, let go.”
A deliberately altered voice came from inside: “What is this young lady doing? Why are you pulling on my woven basket?”
“Shangguan Ya,” Li Rong confirmed it was definitely Shangguan Ya inside. She straightened up and kicked the woven basket. “I’m looking for you for something. Come out and talk.”
After a moment of silence inside, Pei Wenxuan guessed at Shangguan Ya’s concerns and immediately said, “Miss Shangguan, rest assured, we didn’t come to arrest you on behalf of the Shangguan Mansion.”
Hearing this, Shangguan Ya decisively lifted the woven basket and stood up, saying, “Then why did you chase me for so long? You should have said so earlier.”
With that, she turned toward Li Rong, raised her hand respectfully yet with a hint of elegance, and smiled, “Greetings, Your Highness.”
Li Rong looked at the spirited young woman before her, her mood somewhat complex for a moment. The Shangguan Ya before her was very beautiful. She wore a servant’s male attire with her hair loose, and as she stood before her with such composure, she naturally carried a bearing few ordinary people possessed.
Seeing Li Rong in a daze, Pei Wenxuan walked behind Li Rong, lightly coughed, and said to Shangguan Ya, “Shall we move elsewhere to talk?”
Shangguan Ya nodded and raised her hand: “Please.”
With that, Shangguan Ya turned back, cupped her hands toward Su Ronghua: “Thank you, Young Master Su. We’ll meet again another day. However…”
Shangguan Ya gestured with her eyes to Su Ronghua. Su Ronghua smiled: “Don’t worry, I’ll keep it secret.”
He looked at Shangguan Ya with smiling eyes and cupped his hands: “Until we meet again.”
Shangguan Ya nodded, walked to the side to pick up the headscarf that had fallen on the ground, tied up her hair with it, and then, familiar with the way, led Li Rong and Pei Wenxuan to a tea room.
The Jucai Hall was favored by high officials and nobles not only because its management was strict and entry difficult, but also because as a gambling den, it had everything, making it extremely convenient.
The three sat down in the tea room, Li Rong and Pei Wenxuan on one side, Shangguan Ya sitting alone on the other side.
Li Rong used her fan to look at her palm. Shangguan Ya raised her hand to arrange her hair. Seeing the two young ladies not speaking, Pei Wenxuan poured tea while making small talk: “How long has Miss Shangguan been in the capital?”
“I arrived two days before you two were married.”
Shangguan Ya looked at Li Rong with a smile: “Calculating it, I should be considered Your Highness’s maternal cousin. This time coming to the capital was specifically to attend the ceremony. I felt regretful for not being able to personally congratulate Your Highness, but I didn’t expect to meet Your Highness here today.”
Shangguan Ya was still as strong-willed as in Li Rong’s memory, speaking directly to the point: “I wonder what Your Highness is so eager to find me for?”
“Sister Ya should be seventeen this year, right?” Pei Wenxuan handed Li Rong her tea cup and then brought one to Shangguan Ya.
Shangguan Ya nodded: “Just turned a month ago.”
“After I married, Mother Empress began to worry about Chuan’er’s marriage. I wonder what Miss Shangguan thinks of this matter?”
Hearing this, Shangguan Ya’s movements paused. She thought for a moment, then smiled: “So Your Highness came for this matter—Your Highness wants to discuss the Crown Prince’s marriage?”
“Yes.” Li Rong also didn’t beat around the bush and said directly, “I heard that the Shangguan family’s choice for Crown Princess is you.”
“Then today Your Highness came,” Shangguan Ya bent one leg and picked up her tea cup, turning to look at Li Rong, “because you feel dissatisfied?”
“I…”
“But it doesn’t matter,” Shangguan Ya put down the cup and smiled lightly. “The Shangguan family has plenty of girls. If Your Highness is dissatisfied with Aya, just tell my father directly. There’s also a Sister Awen who came to Hua Jing this time. As long as she’s born of the Shangguan clan,” Shangguan Ya turned her head, pressing some mockery into her eyes, “choose at your pleasure.”
Li Rong frowned. She heard the displeasure in Shangguan Ya’s tone. After calming herself for a moment, she said slowly, “I don’t think you’re unsuitable. It’s just that the Shangguan clan has already produced empresses for three generations.”
Li Rong raised her eyes to look at Shangguan Ya and said seriously, “Aren’t you afraid, little sister?”
Shangguan Ya turned to look at Li Rong. She put away her smile: “What do you mean?”
“Chuan’er and I both come from the Shangguan family, so naturally we will unconditionally support the Shangguan family. But if you marry Chuan’er, what do you think His Majesty will think?”
“Your Highness’s words are interesting,” Shangguan Ya’s eyes carried a cold color. “The Crown Prince was born to the Shangguan family—isn’t the current sovereign the same?”
“But Chuan’er governs the world with benevolence and virtue, only seeking stability. Does the current sovereign?”
Li Rong knew Shangguan Ya was not ignorant of court affairs. Li Rong reminded Shangguan Ya: “Why do you think the Yang family is no more?”
Shangguan Ya didn’t speak. She held her tea cup and took a light sip. Li Rong continued: “The Shangguan family and Chuan’er are already very close. There’s actually no need for you to enter the palace to consolidate this relationship. For His Majesty right now, this marriage alliance is too ostentatious.”
“So what you mean is,” Shangguan Ya looked at Li Rong solemnly, “His Majesty now wants to move against Your Highness?”
Li Rong remained silent. Shangguan Ya continued: “Actually, it’s useless to say these things to me. This matter isn’t something I can decide. I’m just having fun day by day before they decide. Your Highness,” Shangguan Ya raised her hand and lifted her cup in place of wine, “if you’re saying these things, this commoner must take her leave.”
With that, Shangguan Ya finished her tea, placed it on the table, and got up to leave.
As she walked out the door, she suddenly leaned back halfway, looking somewhat nervous: “Your Highness, you must not tell others about encountering me here today.”
Li Rong got a headache hearing this and waved her hand, telling her to hurry and leave.
After Shangguan Ya left, Pei Wenxuan sat beside Li Rong. He took a sip of tea and smiled: “It seems there’s no use approaching Shangguan Ya.”
“Not necessarily.”
Li Rong stood up and walked outside, her expression calm: “She will consider it.”
If she was the Shangguan Ya she knew, the old friend she remembered, after hearing these words, Shangguan Ya would most likely find a way.
As long as Shangguan Ya started thinking of solutions, she could help.
Li Rong thought about this while walking outside with Pei Wenxuan. Seeing Li Rong’s gloomy expression, Pei Wenxuan couldn’t help but say, “You seem unhappy?”
“Not really,” Li Rong smiled, somewhat helplessly: “I just suddenly realized that in the previous life, I actually didn’t understand many things clearly.”
“For example, Shangguan Ya?” Pei Wenxuan tucked his hands into his sleeves, his expression carrying some understanding.
Li Rong didn’t speak. She thought of Shangguan Ya from the previous life.
In the previous life, when she met Shangguan Ya, Shangguan Ya had already become the Crown Princess.
At that time, she wore heavily ornate palace dress every day, covering her features. She followed etiquette, understood propriety, had refined taste, and carried herself with grace—only occasionally in private would there be a few moments of unrestrained freedom.
She had always thought Shangguan Ya was a flower naturally grown in the palace court. But seeing Shangguan Ya’s bright eyes today, she suddenly understood that the Shangguan Ya of those years was like someone who had stepped one foot into a coffin—from the moment she entered the palace gates, she had pressed herself firmly inside with the coffin lid.
Thinking of those bright eyes she had just seen on Shangguan Ya, she couldn’t help but turn back: “Speaking of which,” she suddenly remembered, “you seem to know she has this temperament?”
“Whether or not she has this temperament, I don’t know,” Pei Wenxuan glanced at her sideways, “but I know she definitely isn’t some simple, proper young lady. I wouldn’t be surprised at anything she does.”
“Oh?” Li Rong was quite curious. “Did you have any interactions with her in the previous life?”
“I didn’t have interactions with her, but I had them with you.” Pei Wenxuan said directly, “Your friend—how could she be some proper young lady?”
Li Rong, getting this response, froze for a moment, then raised her hand to strike him with her fan: “What do you mean by that?”
Seeing her fan coming, Pei Wenxuan quickly dodged. Seeing him retreat backward, Li Rong didn’t know why, but she couldn’t help feeling her hands itch, chasing after him to pinch him.
While dodging and retreating, Pei Wenxuan cried out: “A gentleman uses his mouth, not his hands. Show some decorum! Hey hey, don’t pinch the waist… Aiya, I’m dying, I’m dying.”
Seeing Pei Wenxuan pretending to wail while leaning against a pillar, Li Rong couldn’t help but laugh. She stopped and said, “Why are you so childish?”
“How dare you ask me that?”
Pei Wenxuan leaned sideways against the pillar, looking at Li Rong with smiling eyes: “You’re eighteen years old this year—were you reincarnated from a monkey spirit?”
Li Rong stiffened. With Pei Wenxuan putting it this way, she suddenly thought of today’s entire chase with Shangguan Ya. She felt somewhat embarrassed for a moment. She didn’t know what was wrong with her—having been back for so long, especially seeing old friends, her mentality seemed to increasingly resemble that of a young girl.
Seeing Li Rong embarrassed, Pei Wenxuan chuckled softly. He—