Li Rong slept through the night at the Princess’s Manor. The next morning at dawn, she received a summons from the palace.

She had already prepared herself. As soon as the palace servants arrived, she followed them into the palace. She understood clearly in her heart that yesterday when she forcibly disrupted the plans of Consort Rou and the Empress, this matter could not possibly be resolved so simply.

On the way, she pondered how to respond to the Empress’s interrogation. She soon arrived at the palace. Just as she entered Weiyang Palace, she saw Li Chuan kneeling on the ground while the Empress sat on her high seat, covering her forehead as though her headache had returned. Everyone else in the great hall had been dismissed, leaving only the mother and son—one sitting, one kneeling—in the center of the hall. After Li Rong entered, she smiled, looked at them both and said, “What’s all this? Last time I came it was like this, and now it’s the same again. Did you two quarrel?”

“How dare you still speak?!” Upon hearing Li Rong’s voice, Shangguan Yue shouted loudly, “Kneel down!”

If Li Rong had been her younger self, hearing Shangguan Yue lose her temper like this would have frightened her long ago. But fortunately, she now possessed the mental fortitude of someone in her fifties, so she calmly knelt down and asked with a smile, “Mother Empress, what has you in such a temper today?”

Hearing Li Rong pretend not to understand anything, Shangguan Yue coldly raised her head and stared at Li Rong: “Must you and I, mother and child, be so hypocritical with each other?”

Li Rong looked at Shangguan Yue’s expression turning cold, and she too put away the smile on her face.

“What did you mean last night?”

“I should be asking Mother Empress that,” Li Rong said calmly, “What did Mother Empress mean?”

“My meaning is very clear!” Shangguan Yue shouted loudly, “I want Shangguan Ya to be the Crown Princess! I had already informed Chuan’er to select Ya’er’s incense, so why did you come in to stir things up? He is the Crown Prince!” Shangguan Yue raised her hand to point at Li Chuan, glaring at Li Rong in fury, “If he’s being foolish, must you be foolish along with him?!”

“It is this son’s fault,” Li Chuan heard Shangguan Yue scolding and immediately kowtowed to the ground, saying urgently, “Everything has nothing to do with elder sister. This son already said it was this son who asked elder sister for help. Please, Mother Empress, calm your anger.”

Li Rong understood—Li Chuan had taken all the responsibility upon himself, saying that last night’s events were done at his request.

Shangguan Yue felt her anger rising from her core. She stood up and paced rapidly back and forth on the high platform, scolding as she walked: “What a wonderful opportunity last night was, and you just wasted it! Are you insane or foolish? Your Imperial Father has been suppressing the marriage between you and A’Ya all along. Last night we had everything prepared—as long as you chose A’Ya’s sandalwood incense, your uncle would have brought people out immediately to force out an imperial decree. Why did you choose your sister’s instead? Do you know how much effort it will take to get another opportunity like that?!”

“It is this son’s fault. Please, Mother Empress, calm your anger.” Li Chuan numbly repeated, kneeling on the ground without rising.

Li Rong watched Shangguan Yue lose her temper above, and an indescribable sense of humiliation welled up inside her. Even though this person was her mother, she didn’t know why, but seeing Li Chuan kneeling there so quietly listening to the lecture, she felt it was pitiful and pathetic.

“What are you two thinking? You refuse to cooperate with the Yang family—fine, let that be. But now even the Shangguan family, you want to abandon them too?! A marriage alliance between families is such a momentous matter. If you don’t marry Ya’er, how can your uncle still trust you?”

“If he doesn’t marry one woman, he won’t trust him anymore?”

Li Rong suddenly spoke out. Both Shangguan Yue and Li Chuan froze. Li Chuan raised his head, staring blankly at Li Rong, and asked in surprise, “Sister?”

“What wrong has Chuan’er done?” Li Rong spoke calmly, looking at Shangguan Yue. “The Shangguan family has already produced empresses for three dynasties. Don’t you still understand where the conflict between Imperial Father and us comes from?!”

“That’s exactly why we must bind ourselves together!” Shangguan Yue leaned forward, staring at Li Rong. “Do you think Chuan’er still has a way out? He is a child of the Shangguan family. He’s destined to have no way out.”

“Since we’re already bound so tightly together and we must rely on the Shangguan family, then what does uncle still have to worry about? What value is there, what meaning is there, in insisting they marry?”

This question stunned Shangguan Yue. Li Rong looked at her and said calmly, “Mother Empress, actually we all understand clearly—what uncle wants is not the position of Crown Princess, but the position of Empress. It’s that in every generation of the Li family bloodline, half must be Shangguan family blood. You are already the Shangguan family’s present. What uncle wants Chuan’er to promise him is the future.”

“But this is the Li family’s empire,” Li Rong looked seriously at Shangguan Yue. “The Shangguan family should withdraw.”

“What did you say?” Shangguan Yue looked at Li Rong in disbelief. “Say that again?”

“I said,” Li Rong raised her voice, “if the Shangguan family still wants to do well, it should withdraw!”

The entire hall suddenly fell silent. Shangguan Yue stared blankly at Li Rong. Li Rong stood up, her expression composed: “When water overflows the cup, it spills. When prosperity reaches its peak, decline follows.”

She looked at Shangguan Yue, her expression calm: “Mother Empress, Imperial Father cannot possibly tolerate Shangguan Ya becoming Chuan’er’s Crown Princess. Once Shangguan Ya becomes Chuan’er’s Crown Princess, Imperial Father will absolutely not allow Chuan’er to ascend the throne. He cannot tolerate the next emperor still having an Empress from the Shangguan clan.”

“Let the Shangguan clan gradually withdraw from the imperial capital, Mother Empress,” Li Rong said in a low voice. “This is good for everyone.”

Shangguan Yue stood dumbfounded on the high platform. Li Rong turned her head to look at Li Chuan and said flatly, “Get up. Let’s go.”

Li Chuan glanced at Shangguan Yue. Seeing his hesitant appearance, Li Rong shouted loudly, “Get up!”

Startled by Li Rong’s shout, Li Chuan hurriedly rose. Li Rong nodded slightly toward Shangguan Yue, then said, “Mother Empress, we’ll take our leave first.”

With that, Li Rong led Li Chuan out.

After leaving Weiyang Palace, Li Chuan was still somewhat dazed. After walking a good distance, Li Chuan suddenly snapped out of it and said excitedly, “Sister, you were so amazing just now!”

Li Rong glared at him and tapped his head with her fan: “Worthless.”

Though Li Chuan got his head knocked, he was still very happy. He followed alongside Li Rong, and though he tried hard to restrain himself, one could still hear the excitement in his emotions: “I really never thought you would say that. I always thought elder sister also felt I was thinking wrongly, and would help Mother Empress persuade me.”

Li Rong and Li Chuan strolled into the imperial gardens. Hearing Li Chuan’s words, her expression became somewhat distracted.

Actually, in her previous life, it had indeed been she who persuaded Li Chuan to marry Shangguan Ya and the four side consorts.

At that time, she thought Li Chuan was being willful. But now thinking back on it, she realized it was she who had been naive.

No one would be willing to spare no effort to help simply because of a marriage.

The alliance between Qin and Jin was originally just each harboring their own schemes. When core interests conflicted, what could one woman count for?

Whether Li Chuan married someone from the Shangguan clan or not, as long as core interests aligned, the Shangguan family would definitely bind themselves together with Li Chuan.

Marrying someone from the Shangguan clan would bring Li Chuan nothing but harm and no benefit.

It was just that back then, the Shangguan clan took advantage of their youth, threatening not to support Li Chuan. At that time, she had not yet seen through the true intentions of all parties in the entire court situation, which is why she was controlled by others.

Her thoughts wandered far away. Li Chuan chattered on beside her about the specific circumstances of last night. After talking for a while, he carefully asked, “Sister, why did you suddenly help me?”

“Haven’t I always been helping you?”

“Not this kind of help,” Li Chuan thought for a moment and described, “It’s like, you suddenly seem to know what I’m thinking. You definitely wouldn’t have helped me with this before. You definitely would have joined Mother Empress in giving me trouble.”

“If I gave you trouble, would you have accepted it?”

Hearing this, Li Chuan fell silent. Seeing him go quiet, Li Rong turned her head and saw Li Chuan with his head lowered, seemingly somewhat guilty.

“Why aren’t you speaking anymore?”

“Actually, it really is me being willful,” Li Chuan smiled bitterly. “The person you married wasn’t someone you picked yourself, so what right do I have to demand such privilege? Forget it, let’s not talk about it anymore. That you’re willing to help me makes me very happy. How about finding a day when I’ll treat you to a meal?”

Hearing this, Li Rong lowered her head and smiled. They stopped in front of the waterside pavilion. Li Rong thought for a moment and said slowly, “Chuan’er, actually you’re not being willful. You’re just not strong enough.”

Li Chuan turned to look at Li Rong. Li Rong said calmly, “Only when one is strong enough does one have the power to choose. If you want the right to choose, I will always support you, but the premise is that you have that capability.”

“So,” Li Chuan gazed at Li Rong, “if I have the ability to do this thing without harming those who shouldn’t be harmed, then sister won’t think I’m wrong, is that right?”

“As long as you think you’re not wrong,” Li Rong withdrew her gaze from the water’s surface and looked at Li Chuan, smiling, “even if I think you’re wrong, it doesn’t matter. Because I’m not always right.”

“But what if my thinking is different from yours?” Li Chuan asked seriously, with some trepidation in his eyes.

Li Rong looked at the young man before her. From him, she could vaguely see some traces of the Li Chuan from later years.

She suddenly realized what a lonely, desperate path Li Chuan had walked alone back then.

His father hated him, his mother used him, his sister also stood opposite him, never supporting him, never understanding him.

Li Rong gazed at him quietly. After a long while, she said slowly, “Even if one day your thinking differs from mine, you are still my younger brother.”

“I will never abandon you.”

Hearing Li Rong’s words, Li Chuan didn’t know why, but his eyes reddened.

Noticing his loss of composure, he lowered his head and smiled, seeming somewhat embarrassed, and said hoarsely, “I’m sorry, sister. I’m just… I just… think you’re so wonderful, yet I couldn’t protect you,” Li Chuan paused, and after a long while, he finally spoke, “I’m sorry.”

The young man worried about Li Rong being married off in a political alliance, determined to pacify all quarters in the future. But before he had grown up, his sister had already been forced to marry someone she didn’t love.

Li Rong heard the guilt in Li Chuan’s words. She was stunned for a moment, then hesitantly said, “Actually… Pei Wenxuan is pretty good too.”

“You don’t need to worry about me,” Li Rong smiled. “My marriage is acceptable.”

Li Chuan laughed out loud: “I can feel it.”

Li Rong raised an eyebrow: “Hm?”

“I think since you got married,” Li Chuan looked up at her, “you’ve been smiling more and more.”

Li Rong was somewhat dazed. Just at this moment, a servant hurried over from the side path and said respectfully, “Your Highness Princess, the Prince Consort is waiting at the gate, saying he’s come to pick you up.”

“How annoying!” Hearing this, Li Chuan immediately said, “Can’t I send my sister back myself? Tell him to get lost!”

“Your Highness,” Pei Wenxuan’s voice came from not far away, “Your Highness has many affairs to attend to, so I won’t trouble Your Highness.”

“Am I busy but you’re not? Are you really that idle? If you’re idle, tell me—I have plenty of things for you to do!”

Hearing Li Chuan scold him, Li Rong couldn’t help but laugh. Pei Wenxuan smiled without speaking, then turned to look at Li Rong and explained, “I just left court and heard you were in the palace, so I thought I’d pick you up to go home together.”

“Fine,” Li Rong nodded, then turned to Li Chuan and said, “We’ll go first. You can see me off next time.”

“Then sister, whenever you have time, let me know,” Li Chuan quickly said, “I’ll treat you to a restaurant.”

Li Rong waved her hand with her back to him: “Anytime.”

The two walked out of the palace gates together. Li Chuan watched their retreating figures, and after a long while, he couldn’t help but smile.

At this time in Weiyang Palace, Shangguan Yue had more or less finished crying.

After she recovered, Cuiyu, the old nanny serving her, said in a low voice, “You shouldn’t be too upset. The Princess and Crown Prince have grown up now, and it’s precisely the age when they’re young and headstrong. Don’t hold it against them. Later on, they’ll understand your painstaking efforts.”

“If it were just Rong’er acting this way, that would be one thing,” Shangguan Yue said tearfully. “After all, she’s married out and doesn’t have much connection to the palace anymore. But with Chuan’er being like this, how can I explain it to my elder brother?”

“Your Majesty, don’t overthink it. The Crown Prince has always been filial. For him to suddenly be so rebellious, there must be a reason.”

These words awakened Shangguan Yue. She suddenly realized: “Why would he resist marriage so much? Does he have someone in his heart?”

Cuiyu brought tea from the side and said respectfully, “His Highness is not young anymore. Having some random people around him is common, and it’s not impossible that someone has bewitched his heart.”

Shangguan Yue pondered this. After a moment, she immediately said, “Have someone investigate whether there are any suspicious women around the Crown Prince recently. Where he’s been, what he’s done, whom he’s met—have the people around him report everything to me!”