After Li Rong returned to the manor and wrote her memorials, she rested and waited in her room, drinking tea.
Pei Wenxuan first went to the office to handle official business. By evening, after dining with Li Rong, he saw she was still dressed formally and waiting. He couldn’t help saying: “You should rest first. Perhaps they haven’t even seen your memorial yet.”
“What if they have seen it and come in the middle of the night? If I’m not dressed well, wouldn’t that lack presence?”
Li Rong flipped through the pages of her book, raising her chin: “If you’re tired, sleep first.”
“I just finished eating,” Pei Wenxuan sat down across from Li Rong and took her book away. Li Rong followed his motion with her eyes, then saw Pei Wenxuan smiling as he said, “Since we’re waiting anyway, why doesn’t Your Highness chat with me for a while?”
Hearing this, Li Rong’s gaze swept from Pei Wenxuan’s face down to his abdomen, then back up to his face.
Pei Wenxuan had just bathed. Though it was winter, he wore only a single layer. His freshly dried hair hung loose behind him, his collar slightly open, revealing half his collarbone. He clearly looked like a proper and upright person, yet somehow, inexplicably, he exuded an indescribable allure.
When Li Rong realized this, she forcibly looked away, taking back her book and lowering her head: “I don’t want to chat.”
Seeing Li Rong seemingly avoiding him, Pei Wenxuan couldn’t help but laugh. He leaned closer: “Your Highness seems a bit afraid of me?”
“Aren’t you cold?”
Li Rong frowned, stood up, took his outer robe from the side, threw it on him, and said directly: “Put it on.”
“There’s a brazier in the room,” Pei Wenxuan smiled with curved eyes. “This subject doesn’t feel cold.”
Li Rong was about to order someone to remove the brazier when she saw Pei Wenxuan leisurely put on his outer robe, elegantly sweep his hair behind him, and say slowly: “However, since Your Highness has bestowed clothing, no matter how hot it is, this subject must wear it.”
With that, Pei Wenxuan raised his head, spreading his arms with a smile: “What does Your Highness think?”
Pei Wenxuan wore this outfit no differently from usual, but it was those indescribable details—like the collar being a bit more open, the smile at the corners of his eyes and brows, and his gesture of spreading his arms as if waiting for her to throw herself into his embrace—that somehow made his entire person display a seductiveness rarely seen in his usual demeanor.
Li Rong felt somewhat warm. Her face showed nothing as she nodded: “Not bad.”
Just then, hurried footsteps came from outside, followed by Jing Lan’s respectful voice from beyond the door: “Your Highness, Lord Shangguan has arrived.”
Hearing this, Li Rong felt as if granted amnesty and quickly said: “Uncle is here.”
Pei Wenxuan stood up, nodded, and said to Li Rong: “I’ll go with Your Highness.”
“You should still change—”
Before Li Rong finished speaking, she saw Pei Wenxuan pull up his collar, straighten his clothes, and with a hair ribbon half-tie his hair back. Instantly he became proper-looking, perfectly upright.
Pei Wenxuan turned to look at Li Rong’s shocked face. Clearly knowing what she was surprised about, he still tucked his hands into his sleeves, pretending ignorance: “What is Your Highness looking at?”
He did it on purpose!
Li Rong understood this in her heart, but she couldn’t say it, couldn’t ask. She knew in her heart that Pei Wenxuan was waiting for her to speak up and ask. As soon as she asked, he could start saying even more direct things.
So she had to stop this.
Thus she smiled, pretending to appreciate: “I still think the Prince Consort looks better this way.”
“Oh?” Pei Wenxuan raised an eyebrow. “Truly?”
Li Rong nodded with a sincere face. Pei Wenxuan said with some regret: “Your Highness’s age has advanced, so your preferences have truly changed. I remember Your Highness wasn’t like this when you were young.”
“Having experienced the years, people always change.” Li Rong sighed, raising her fan to her chest. “For example, now I only like proper people, honest people. Those flashy types—forget it.”
Pei Wenxuan choked. Li Rong stepped forward, not giving him a chance to respond: “Let’s go, Uncle is waiting outside.”
Li Rong walked all the way to the main hall. Shangguan Xu had already been waiting in the main hall for some time. He looked quite exhausted. Shangguan Ya sat beside him. After Li Rong came out, Shangguan Ya stood up together with Shangguan Xu and bowed to Li Rong.
“Greetings to Your Highness.”
“Uncle, you’re too polite.”
Li Rong helped Shangguan Xu rise, saying busily: “So late at night, why has Uncle come to my manor?”
“Disturbing Your Highness so late at night is truly inappropriate.”
Shangguan Xu sighed, looking up at Li Rong: “It’s just that there are some matters I had no choice but to come about. I hope Your Highness will forgive me.”
“Uncle jests,” Li Rong smiled. “Whenever you come, I must see you.”
“That Your Highness can still remember some sentiment, this old subject feels deeply gratified.” Shangguan Xu spoke with implied meaning, looking toward Pei Wenxuan beside them: “This old subject wishes to talk with Your Highness privately. I wonder if the Prince Consort could do me the convenience?”
Receiving these words, Pei Wenxuan looked toward Li Rong. Li Rong smiled at him, only saying: “Prince Consort, please go rest first. I’ll chat with Uncle for a while.”
Pei Wenxuan pretended to hesitate for a moment. After a moment, he smiled and said: “The Princess and I are one family. Now that Uncle has come, how can I not serve as host? What words can’t a family say together? Let me sit and serve Uncle tea.”
Li Rong instinctively glanced at Shangguan Xu. Pei Wenxuan’s face showed some grievance: “Could it be Your Highness doesn’t trust me?”
“How could that be?” Li Rong smiled bitterly, beckoning Pei Wenxuan to sit: “Then you stay.”
Saying this, Li Rong looked toward Shangguan Xu: “Uncle, we’re all family. Whatever the matter is, Wenxuan won’t speak of it to outsiders.”
Shangguan Xu’s expression didn’t look pleased, but since Li Rong had spoken, he could only agree.
Li Rong invited Shangguan Xu to sit down. Pei Wenxuan poured tea for Shangguan Xu. Li Rong hesitated for a moment, then said slowly: “Uncle looks very exhausted. You should rest well recently.”
“Thank you for Your Highness’s concern.” Shangguan Xu sighed, saying quietly, “It’s just that as one ages, a single day of rushing about leaves one utterly exhausted.”
“Then Uncle should rest early.” Since Shangguan Xu wasn’t getting to the point, Li Rong just exchanged pleasantries. Seeing Li Rong wouldn’t take the bait, after a moment of silence, Shangguan Xu finally said: “Your Highness, this old subject doesn’t have many years left.”
“Uncle is only at the age of knowing destiny now. Your life is still very long.”
“This old subject’s meaning is that this old subject’s days in this court won’t be too long either.”
Shangguan Xu sighed, saying slowly: “You also know that your grandfather was only at the age of knowing destiny when he resigned from office, allowing me to inherit his position. This old subject won’t stay too long either. In a few years, this court will ultimately belong to you young people.”
Li Rong said nothing, raising her hand to taste her tea. Shangguan Xu turned his head to look out the window at the branches swaying gently in the wind: “In a few years, when the Crown Prince ascends the throne, this old subject will be content and won’t interfere anymore. Your Highness should polish your skills more. Whatever you want to do, doing it then won’t be too late.”
Hearing Shangguan Xu’s words, Li Rong chuckled lightly: “Uncle, speak plainly. What does Uncle think I want to do?”
“Your Highness,” Shangguan Xu looked up at Li Rong, “this old subject knows that Your Highness has grown up and wants to hold something in your hands, so Your Highness establishing the Inspectorate Bureau is nothing more than wanting to gain a firm foothold in the court.”
Li Rong lowered her eyes, listening as Shangguan Xu said: “Your meaning, the Empress has also conveyed to this old subject. This old subject has thought for a long time and must admit that Your Highness is correct.”
“The Shangguan family has become too large. This old subject cannot control it. Now that mistakes have been made, this old subject has come tonight to beg Your Highness,” Shangguan Xu said, then stepped back and respectfully kowtowed, performing a great bow: “Please let the Qin family case end here.”
Li Rong said nothing. She held her cup as Shangguan Xu knelt before her, quietly waiting.
Li Rong drank her tea, saying slowly: “Uncle needn’t do this. Please rise first.”
“If Your Highness doesn’t agree, this old subject dares not rise.”
“Uncle,” Li Rong sighed, “The matters involving the Qin family now encompass two cases in total: the military provisions case and the case of falsely accusing the Qin family. May I ask, does Uncle know about these two cases?”
Shangguan Xu said nothing. Li Rong looked toward Shangguan Ya. Shangguan Ya bowed: “In response to Your Highness, Father was unaware of these two cases. To be honest with Your Highness, when the Qin family case was reported to Father, it was already a case with solid evidence. Though Father may have had selfish motives, he is not someone who cannot distinguish right from wrong. We hope Your Highness will investigate clearly.”
“Then what happened?”
Li Rong drank her tea. Shangguan Ya glanced at Shangguan Xu. Seeing Shangguan Xu still kneeling on the ground, she explained: “Regarding the struggle for military power in the Northwest, His Majesty favored Lord Xiao. Father feared His Majesty would listen to slander, so he had someone investigate the Qin family. Father’s intention was that if there were errors, they should be corrected; if there were no errors, then that would be the end of it.”
But for people in officialdom, there was no one without faults. Major or minor errors—there would necessarily be errors.
“But when the message was passed down, it became ‘find faults in the Qin family.’ The Ministry of War investigated for a long time without finding anything. To cope with the task, they tore out pages from the military journal and submitted them to the Censorate, thinking that finding some problem would complete the assignment. When the Censorate saw something suspicious, they predetermined the Qin family’s guilt in their hearts. It wasn’t that they deliberately wanted to harm the Qin family, but Yang Quan himself was a traitor who sold out to the enemy. The Qin family was working under Yang Quan at the time, and in the siege battle, three thousand against three thousand surrendered without fighting—it looked extremely suspicious from any angle.”
“So the Censorate fabricated evidence where there was none, forging the witness Luo Jun?”
“Yes.” Shangguan Ya continued: “After Luo Jun’s testimony reached the Ministry of Justice, it actually wasn’t sufficient to convict the Qin family. The Ministry of Justice thought Father wanted to thoroughly investigate the Qin family, and the Qin family did indeed appear guilty as charged, so the Ministry of Justice added another piece of evidence. During the search, they planted gold and forged letters in the Qin residence. Together with Luo Jun’s testimony, it formed a complete chain of evidence. By the time Father received the Qin family case, it was ironclad evidence.”
“And Lord Shangguan also felt His Majesty had gone too far this time and should be given a warning, so he decided to proceed with this major case without strict review. Once things reached this point, no one dared to come forward and take responsibility, so they remained silent. When I began investigating, they tried desperately to cover up their guilt, while Lord Shangguan also thought I was being used and deceived. Isn’t that right?”
“Your Highness,” Shangguan Xu said respectfully, “Things have come to this point. This old subject doesn’t want to make excuses. This old subject only hopes Your Highness will desist and not persist in this standoff any longer.”
Saying this, Shangguan Xu raised his head to look at Li Rong, saying earnestly: “Your Highness’s memorial, this old subject has seen it and understands Your Highness’s determination. But Your Highness should think clearly—if Your Highness insists on continuing the investigation, what will be destroyed is the Shangguan family’s foundation. The Shangguan family is the foundation for Your Highness and the Crown Prince.”
“Foundation?”
Li Rong chuckled lightly: “Uncle, a group of people you fundamentally cannot control, who cause you trouble—can they also be called a foundation?”
Shangguan Xu’s movements stiffened. Li Rong set down her teacup, saying peacefully: “Uncle, don’t you yourself feel it? Now you are their shield, shielding them from wind and rain. They treat you as their superior openly, but secretly they enable evil.”
“In the Qin family case, even if the person who initially submitted the military journal didn’t know what it meant for the Qin family, didn’t those who fabricated evidence know?”
As Li Rong spoke with Shangguan Xu, Xun Chuan rushed in urgently from outside. As soon as she entered the manor, a servant approached: “My lord.”
“Has Her Highness returned?”
Xun Chuan was breathing heavily, looking very urgent. The servant replied respectfully: “She has returned. Does my lord have some urgent matter?”
“I heard the Qin family case has been transferred to the Ministry of Justice.”
Xun Chuan said, moving forward: “I want to request of Her Highness that this case cannot be transferred to the Ministry of Justice.”
Just as these words fell and the two arrived in the courtyard, they heard Li Rong’s loud shout: “They knew, but they still gave you false evidence. Even if the entire Qin family had to die, they could watch with their eyes wide open! And you?!”
Li Rong slammed her small fan on the table and shouted: “Even if you knew, you were helpless! You could only cover things up and hide them away, finding some excuse to punish them in the future!”
“Why are they so audacious? It’s precisely because they know you’ll protect them! So they dare frame loyal ministers, dare embezzle military provisions. In places you can’t see, what wouldn’t they dare to do?”
Listening to Li Rong’s rebuke, Shangguan Xu slowly straightened his body: “Then what does Your Highness think should be done?”
Hearing Shangguan Xu’s words, Li Rong fell silent. Shangguan Xu looked at her: “Does Your Highness know who they are? They are clan relatives and in-laws. If I don’t protect them, what does Your Highness think this subject would be? In the court in the future, who would help this old subject then?”
“If this old subject has no one to use, just a lone Left Grand Councilor, what about the Crown Prince? Now Prince Su is watching like a tiger. His Majesty has exceptionally promoted Su Ronghua as Prince Su’s teacher—what does that mean? Can’t Your Highness see it clearly? Your Highness is just a princess. That His Majesty is willing to give you the Inspectorate Bureau—what do you think you’re relying on?”
“It’s nothing more than because you are the Crown Prince’s eldest sister, you are a princess of the Shangguan clan! Do you think without the Shangguan family, what are you and I?”
Shangguan Xu stared at Li Rong: “You and I are nothing.”
“Whether it’s me or the Princess,” Shangguan Xu’s voice was hoarse, “under the crushing pressure of the aristocratic families, we’re nothing but ants.”