Li Rong was startled by this news, then said coldly, “Where is Lord Xun?”

“At the long pavilion in the city outskirts.”

“Go there immediately.”

Li Rong gave this order, then instructed the carriage to change direction before sitting back inside.

She seemed quite furious, gripping her fan tightly, her expression extremely unpleasant. Pei Wenxuan poured her a cup of tea and consoled her, “Luo Juan has been missing for so long. This isn’t surprising. Your Highness should calm down.”

“They’re absolutely outrageous!”

Li Rong shouted angrily, “They knew I was already investigating this matter, yet they still dared to kill people directly. Do they think I’m a pushover?”

“It’s precisely because they know you’re investigating this matter.”

Pei Wenxuan said calmly, “That’s why they had no choice but to kill them.”

Li Rong didn’t speak. She looked up at Pei Wenxuan. His expression was terrifyingly calm. “If your Constabulary Bureau is successfully established, the threat to the aristocratic families would be too great. They’ll stop at nothing to force you to retreat at this moment. If you win this battle, the Constabulary Bureau’s position will be secured in the future. If you lose, then in the future, whether it’s His Highness the Crown Prince or His Majesty, if they want to establish another force to counter the aristocratic families, it will be difficult.”

“Of course,” Pei Wenxuan said slowly, “Your Highness’s and my future would also be finished.”

Pei Wenxuan spoke very calmly, as if discussing something inconsequential. Li Rong gradually calmed down from his words. Such confrontations weren’t new—she had experienced them countless times in her previous life. However, it had been many years since she and Pei Wenxuan had been bound together like this, sharing life and death.

She couldn’t help but look at Pei Wenxuan, observing the youth in his early twenties before her. Pei Wenxuan was leaning against the table, looking at the people coming and going outside the window, seemingly pondering something. Sensing Li Rong’s gaze, he turned his head to look at her. Seeing Li Rong watching him, he couldn’t help but smile. “Why is Your Highness looking at me?”

“I just remembered,” Li Rong smiled, “this seems to be the first time we’re working together like this.”

“In the first year of our marriage, our relationship was actually pretty good,” Li Rong tapped her fan against her palm, turning to look out the window with some nostalgia. “But we were still young then. We were ignorant about court affairs and hadn’t encountered such major incidents.”

“Later when we did encounter problems, you and I were already at the stage of frequent arguments. The only time you moved me was in prison. I thought at the time that you would abandon me and Chuan’er to join Consort Rou.”

As Li Rong spoke, she couldn’t help but look over again and smile. “Why didn’t you run then?”

Pei Wenxuan fell silent. Li Rong didn’t mind much and continued, “After that, our relationship wasn’t good—we were both guarding against each other while helping each other. We’ve never been as harmonious as now.”

“What if I told you I never thought of abandoning you?”

Pei Wenxuan suddenly spoke. Li Rong looked up in surprise to see Pei Wenxuan looking at her calmly. “I never violated the alliance between you and me in our last life.”

So that year, when Li Chuan was stripped of his crown prince status and Li Rong was imprisoned, though he held a high position, he never thought of joining someone else.

Subconsciously, even though he had been at odds with Li Rong for many years, in that first instant, he unhesitatingly chose to go to the prison, looked at that person and made a promise, telling her to wait for his return.

Li Rong was speechless, her eyelashes trembling slightly. Pei Wenxuan smiled. “We’ve been through so many trials. Isn’t it only natural that you trust me in this life?”

“After all, besides me,” Pei Wenxuan said seriously, “no one else can guarantee that under any circumstances, they won’t betray Your Highness for an entire lifetime.”

Hearing these words, Li Rong smiled softly. She said gently, “I don’t believe in promises.”

“I know.” Pei Wenxuan also smiled. “I was just saying it casually.”

“Then you shouldn’t say such things in the future,” Li Rong sighed. “When you say them, I want to take them seriously, but in my heart I know these words can’t be taken seriously. Thinking about it makes me uncomfortable. It’s better never to have heard them.”

“I didn’t speak well,” Pei Wenxuan was quick to apologize. “I’ve troubled Your Highness.”

The two chatted casually and soon arrived at the city outskirts. As soon as the carriage stopped, Li Rong immediately jumped down. Several people were standing by the long pavilion. Li Rong led Pei Wenxuan hurriedly over, asking urgently, “Where are they?”

“Your Highness, follow us.”

That person responded and led them into the woods nearby. Li Rong followed them for just a moment before seeing a group of people standing around a spot. Xun Chuan stood at the side wearing a mask, his fists clenched.

Li Rong walked forward and said coldly, “What happened?”

As soon as she got close, she smelled a foul odor. Before she could turn around, Pei Wenxuan stepped forward and blocked Li Rong’s view. “Your Highness need not look.”

“Move aside!”

Li Rong pushed Pei Wenxuan away and saw over a dozen corpses that had been dug up.

Li Rong looked at the bodies scattered on the ground and turned her head to look at Xun Chuan beside her. “Have the bodies been examined?”

“They have been examined.” Xun Chuan spoke, his voice hoarse. “We’ve also confirmed their identities. They are all witnesses involved in the case.”

“All dead?”

Li Rong asked incredulously. Xun Chuan nodded. “All dead, not one left. During this time, I investigated them one by one and found they all left the capital on the same day in succession. Before leaving the capital, they left large sums of money for their families, saying they were going back to the northwest. I chased along the route and found they never stayed at any post stations or roadside teahouses. At the last place they appeared, I carefully inquired around, constantly narrowing down the area, and finally found this place.”

Li Rong didn’t speak. After a moment of silence, she said, “Clean up the bodies and send them to the charity morgue. How did you find this place?”

“At the long pavilion not far away, there was a scholar who happened to be seeing off a friend at the pavilion that day. He encountered a group of people driving another group into the woods—their behavior was suspicious. I inquired from the teahouse owner about the whereabouts of customers he could trace and found this scholar.”

“Where is he?”

“Already under supervision.”

Hearing this, Li Rong felt relieved. She thought for a moment, then said, “Have people continue investigating based on the scholar’s testimony, then go find His Highness the Crown Prince.” Li Rong pressed her lips together. “Ask him to find someone for me and arrange a way for me to see Lord Qin in the Ministry of Justice.”

Hearing this, Xun Chuan stiffened. She looked up at Li Rong. Though she said nothing, Li Rong understood her meaning.

“You’ll come with me, but…”

Li Rong began, but before she could finish, Xun Chuan interrupted, “This humble official understands. Your Highness need not worry.”

Qin Zhenzhen had already killed herself by ramming her head in front of the Princess Manor. Deceiving the sovereign and breaking the law—no one could bear this responsibility.

Li Rong acknowledged with a sound, and Xun Chuan had people make arrangements.

Li Rong stood at the side for a while, quietly looking at these corpses. After a moment, she turned and said, “Let’s go.”

Pei Wenxuan accompanied her, following behind her as they got into the carriage together.

After getting in the carriage, Li Rong closed her eyes. In just a moment, she smelled a fragrance wafting to her nose and realized Pei Wenxuan had taken an incense burner from the drawer and lit the incense.

Li Rong smiled. “You’re in the mood for such leisure?”

“You’ve always been unable to bear seeing such things,” Pei Wenxuan’s voice was calm. “This incense calms the spirit.”

After Pei Wenxuan finished speaking, he covered the incense burner, then came to sit beside Li Rong. Before Li Rong could react, this person had already lifted his sleeve, reached around behind her neck, placed his hand on her shoulder, and pressed her head onto his shoulder with his other hand.

This posture seemed to completely isolate her from the outside world. At her nose was only the scent of the incense mixed with the faint fragrance on his body. These scents and his warmth isolated everything, constructing an extraordinarily warm and peaceful world for her.

“Close your eyes,” Pei Wenxuan spoke gently. “Don’t think about anything. I’m here with you.”

“Pei Wenxuan,” Li Rong closed her eyes as he said but still spoke, “this isn’t my first time seeing corpses. You don’t need to take such care.”

“I remember in the tenth year of Kangping, once you and I went to the Ministry of Justice together.” Li Rong leaned against Pei Wenxuan, listening as he slowly recounted the past. “You watched as they carried out a criminal’s punishment. I saw your hands trembling. To prevent others from noticing, you hid your hands in your sleeves, kept them bent and placed them on the armrest. You maintained that posture for an entire afternoon.”

“I don’t remember.”

“Then when you came out, you vomited. Su Rongqing stood beside you, constantly consoling you, serving you tea and water.”

Li Rong stopped talking. She listened quietly, then heard Pei Wenxuan say, “On the way back that day, I kept thinking, I should have held you, should have lit incense, should have talked with you. Perhaps you would have felt much better.”

“In our last life, there were many things I didn’t do well and didn’t accomplish.”

Pei Wenxuan spoke, looking down at Li Rong. “In this life, if there’s anything I don’t do well, Your Highness should tell me.”

Li Rong leaned quietly, listening to his heartbeat. Pei Wenxuan asked puzzled, “Your Highness?”

“It’s very good already.”

She spoke, saying no more.

She thought about Pei Wenxuan’s words, finally searching out those details he mentioned from those distant memories of their previous life.

But after finding them, she inevitably thought of Su Rongqing from those years.

She suddenly realized the difference between Su Rongqing and Pei Wenxuan. Su Rongqing treated her wholeheartedly and with utmost effort, but also respectfully and properly. In Su Rongqing’s eyes, she seemed naturally cold and strong, so he never thought she would be afraid, never thought she occasionally needed someone to support her.

Su Rongqing would always only stand behind her, like a shadow—there when she turned around, yet as distant as if separated by heaven and earth.

Her feelings for Su Rongqing were different from those for Pei Wenxuan in their youth. She always thought it was because she met Su Rongqing too late, so it was difficult to have a youthful flutter of the heart.

Only now did she understand—it was because Pei Wenxuan’s kindness toward her was without reservation, sincere and true.

It was a kiss stolen unexpectedly under the night sky, fingers interlaced on the bed while laughing about the future, even her slightest gesture letting him know what she truly wanted.

But Su Rongqing’s kindness toward her was always from a distance.

Accompanying her for over ten years, never once overstepping bounds. Even on the rare occasion of a kiss, it was cold and desperate.

Li Rong closed her eyes, not daring to think further. Pei Wenxuan held the person in his arms and said slowly, “I didn’t want you to see these things, but you had to. So I’ll prepare some calming incense for you to carry with you at all times. When you encounter such situations, you must bring me along.”

“Never mind the previous life. In this lifetime, I’ll always be with Your Highness. I won’t let Your Highness suffer even the slightest grievance.”

As Pei Wenxuan spoke, seeing no response from Li Rong, he looked down and saw Li Rong seemed to have fallen asleep.

Seeing her peacefully sleeping against him, he couldn’t help but smile.

He watched for a while, wanting to kiss her forehead, but afraid she would wake. Finally, after hesitating for a moment, he only lowered his head and gently kissed her hair.

Li Rong leaned against him all the way until entering the city. After entering the city, the two went straight to the Ministry of Justice. By the time they arrived at the Ministry of Justice, it was already nightfall. They ate in the carriage, and not long after dinner, Li Chuan’s people sent word that everything had been arranged.

After all, Li Chuan had been rooted in the court for many years and had far more people at his disposal than Li Rong. After Li Chuan made the arrangements, Li Rong immediately got out of the carriage. She led people to the entrance of the Ministry of Justice and saw a person in a black robe already waiting there.

Li Rong was quite surprised. She had some guesses in her heart and hurried forward. The other person turned around, revealing his still somewhat youthful face in the night.

“Elder Sister,” Li Chuan looked at Li Rong and said seriously, “I’ll go in with you.”

Author’s Note:

[Mini Theater – Official Complaints from Cannon Fodder]

Lord Qin (waving): “Your Highness, you finally remembered me?”

Luo Juan + witnesses: “The readers didn’t even have time to figure out what we were for before we were already written off…”

The enemy: “Why hasn’t Her Highness arrived yet? I’m in a hurry to get off work and eat my boxed meal.”

Pei Wenxuan: “Sorry everyone, for the sake of romance, I slowed down the plot.”

Everyone: “…Can we apply to have the male lead written off?”

Pei Wenxuan: “Do you all know that in novels, the male lead is generally called… the child of destiny? The kind where whoever wants to eliminate him dies instead, understand?”

Everyone: “…”