“Oh my,” Shangguan Ya saw Su Ronghua and recovered from her brief surprise. “Why is Young Master Su here?”

As she spoke, Shangguan Ya elegantly smoothed her skirt, crossed her left leg over her right, propped up her chin, and smiled. “Did Young Master Su escape?”

“You schemed against me.”

Su Ronghua spoke directly. Shangguan Ya let out a light laugh. “Why must Young Master Su put it that way? This is called Zhou Yu beating Huang Gai—one willing to strike, one willing to take the blow.”

Hearing this, Su Ronghua laughed out of anger. “You certainly aren’t afraid of offending me.”

“You make it sound as if not doing this would mean not offending you. Everyone knows perfectly well why you came to the Constabulary Bureau,” Shangguan Ya said with a smile on her face, though her eyes carried a hint of coldness. “Our positions were never aligned to begin with, so why pretend to be good people? When I invited you out, you came. I schemed against you, but weren’t you also scheming against me?”

“How did I scheme against you?” Su Ronghua clenched his fists. Shangguan Ya poured herself tea leisurely. “That’s something you’ll have to ask yourself. Being so attentive in approaching me—what was it for?”

This question left Su Ronghua stunned. He couldn’t help but ask back, “I was attentive?”

“Following me in the gambling house, pestering me at the Constabulary Bureau, writing letters, teasing and bantering with me,” Shangguan Ya listed Su Ronghua’s actions one by one, then turned to look at him with a half-smile. “If I were an ordinary young lady, I might actually wonder if you liked me. Unfortunately for you, my mind is perfectly clear. You are the tutor of Prince Su, inserted into the Constabulary Bureau by His Majesty to serve as deputy director. Whether it was the Princess’s assassination or the obstacles in daily case investigations, your shadow is behind it all. If you actually liked me,” Shangguan Ya sighed, “that would truly be laughable.”

Su Ronghua said nothing. He stared at Shangguan Ya.

It was the first time he realized that unknowingly, he had spent so much energy on this person.

Looking at Shangguan Ya’s emotionless eyes, he felt an indescribable sourness spreading through his heart. He couldn’t help but ask, “Don’t you believe in feelings?”

Shangguan Ya was startled, then asked in surprise, “The conversation has come to this point, and you still think I’m easy to fool?”

Su Ronghua stared at Shangguan Ya. After a long while, he suddenly spoke slowly, “How pitiful.”

“What?”

Shangguan Ya didn’t understand. Su Ronghua repeated word by word, “I said you, like everyone else in Hua Jing, are all pitiful creatures.”

“You have brains, but no hearts.”

“Aren’t you the same?” Shangguan Ya felt as if she’d been insulted and laughed coldly. “Everyone’s the same—six of one, half a dozen of the other. What are you pretending for?”

“Who’s the same as you?!”

Su Ronghua raised his voice. “If I were like you, I would have reported you the moment I saw you at the gambling house! A young lady frequenting such places—do you still want your reputation or not?”

“Then why didn’t you say anything?” Shangguan Ya smiled. “If you had, you wouldn’t have been able to get close to this eldest daughter of the Shangguan family. I would’ve just lost my reputation—losing my reputation and staying home would be even better for me. Do you think I want to get married? But you’re different. You would have missed a good opportunity to get close to me and use me.”

Su Ronghua nodded, laughing continuously. “Impressive, truly impressive. I misjudged you. I thought you were different from the people in Hua Jing.”

“We’re all people who grew up eating grain—how could we be different?”

Shangguan Ya spoke mockingly. “Don’t gild yourself or me. If we were truly kindhearted young master and miss, Pei Wenxuan wouldn’t be Vice Minister of Personnel, and you wouldn’t be at the Constabulary Bureau. But tit for tat—your people hit my people, I slap you back. What are you complaining about?”

“You’re right.”

Su Ronghua nodded in agreement. “Not unfair at all. I’d like to see with these tricks of yours, what you can really do to me.”

Finishing his words, Su Ronghua jumped down from the carriage. Shangguan Ya didn’t look up and called out, “Take care, I won’t see you off.”

Hearing this farewell, Su Ronghua paused at the carriage entrance, then suddenly spoke, “I just didn’t want to clip your wings.”

Shangguan Ya’s tea-pouring motion stopped. Su Ronghua’s voice outside the carriage was very quiet. “I felt that when you were gambling outside, cursing people, and throwing tea, you were alive.”

After Su Ronghua finished speaking, he mounted his horse and rode away.

Shangguan Ya’s teapot hung suspended in the air for a while. After a long time, she finally poured it down.

“Let’s go back.”

She spoke calmly.

When Shangguan Ya was rushing back to Shangguan Mansion, Li Rong’s people had already made arrangements layer by layer.

She couldn’t be too involved in this matter—it was best if it was all handled by Li Ming’s people. Their goal wasn’t to do anything serious to Su Ronghua. For an official in Great Xia to openly hire courtesans wasn’t considered a major crime—being detained for two days with some salary docked would be the end of it. With Su Ronghua’s family background, no matter how angry Li Ming got, he couldn’t do much to them.

What they wanted was simply for Li Ming to know that Su Ronghua had contact with Xia Wensi.

This matter wasn’t done exquisitely. Su Ronghua and Xia Wensi could completely claim they were framed, but they had no evidence. The dancing girl was a close companion Su Ronghua liked to request, the teahouse was also reserved under Su Ronghua’s name, Su Ronghua’s invitation note still existed, and with Li Ming’s suspicion already present, there was no need to say more—Li Ming would make his own judgment.

Li Rong calculated Li Ming’s thoughts while inquiring about Su Ronghua’s news all along the way.

Before long, news came that Su Ronghua had been arrested upon returning to the Su residence. Li Rong and Pei Wenxuan were playing chess. She said leisurely, “What did Su Ronghua say?”

Su Ronghua would definitely argue, but how he argued would be key.

Jing Lan hesitated for a moment, then slowly said, “Young Master Su said nothing.”

“What do you mean?” Li Rong frowned. She looked up. “What do you mean he said nothing?”

“After Young Master Su rode his horse back to the residence, he directly knelt down and confessed, saying he had hired a few dancing girls outside. Chancellor Su punished him with ten lashes on the spot and sent him straight to prison.”

Hearing this, Li Rong hesitated for a long time before finally saying, “You may go.”

Jing Lan bowed respectfully and withdrew. After Jing Lan left, Pei Wenxuan looked up at Li Rong. “What is Your Highness thinking?”

“I’m wondering,” Li Rong said slowly, “why did Su Ronghua directly admit it?”

“Because he knows that denying it now would be useless.” Pei Wenxuan placed down a chess piece. “He can’t explain the note. If he admits this note was written to Shangguan Ya, what His Majesty would think about wouldn’t be him colluding with the Ministry of Personnel to frame Your Highness, but rather the relationship between him and the Shangguan family.”

“Better to admit it clearly,” Pei Wenxuan said calmly. “The relationship between Consort Rou and the Su family was built by His Majesty himself. Consort Rou allowing him to contact the Ministry of Personnel to cause us trouble doesn’t fundamentally destroy the balance His Majesty wants. His Majesty will at most be somewhat angry, but won’t really do anything.”

“After all, in His Majesty’s heart, the Su family is Consort Rou’s support, opposing the Shangguan family behind the Crown Prince. Consort Rou’s brother’s military power in the Northwest opposes the aristocratic families’ military power in the Crown Prince’s hands. After three years, Prince Su…”

As Pei Wenxuan spoke, his words stopped. Seeing him stop, Li Rong looked up at him, quite puzzled. “What’s wrong?”

“I just feel that you already know all this,” Pei Wenxuan smiled. He hesitated for a moment, then said slowly, “Repeating it might make you sad.”

Li Rong pinched a chess piece. She thought for a moment, then said softly, “I’m not sad. So many years have passed.”

“Back then I might have resented and loathed Consort Rou, Prince Su, and Huale, thinking they were disgusting,” Li Rong said, placing the chess piece on the board slowly. “But later I felt they were also pitiful.”

“Father Emperor paved the way for them, never because he loved them. Father Emperor suppressed me and Chuan’er, also never because he hated us. He neither loves nor hates anyone. It’s just the emperor’s heart—he simply doesn’t want any single aristocratic family to dominate.”

Pei Wenxuan listened. Li Rong brought the topic back. “So according to your explanation, Su Ronghua is actually advancing by retreating—the faster he admits it, the less His Majesty will suspect him?”

“Yes.”

“But actually there’s another point,” Li Rong thought about it. “Why did Su Ronghua come so rashly? I remember he’s also a clever person.”

Pei Wenxuan rubbed the chess piece, seemingly hesitating.

Seeing him silent, Li Rong couldn’t help but say, “What are you thinking?”

“Your Highness,” Pei Wenxuan said hesitantly, “when Young Master Su came today, he had specially dressed up.”

“So what?” Li Rong didn’t understand. Pei Wenxuan smiled and reminded her, “Young Master Su probably never thought Miss Shangguan would scheme against him.”

“Isn’t that a joke?” Li Rong was amused by Pei Wenxuan’s words. “Everyone in the Su family is shrewd. Even if he has some feelings for Aya, could he really be foolish enough to think Aya wouldn’t scheme against him?”

Pei Wenxuan placed the chess piece on the board, his expression gentle. “Your Highness, do you think I’m a clever person?”

“Of course you are.”

Li Rong answered affirmatively, pinching a chess piece and placing it next to Pei Wenxuan’s. Pei Wenxuan smiled and looked up. “But back then, until the very last moment, I believed Your Highness wouldn’t move against me.”

Li Rong fell silent. Pei Wenxuan and she alternated placing pieces, his voice calm. “You and Miss Aya both see people’s hearts as too dark, but many times, people aren’t as completely rational as Your Highness and Miss Shangguan think. Deep in a person’s heart, there are always a few inexplicable dependencies and trust in others. Although Young Master Su’s position differs from ours, he’s a person of true temperament who values feelings extremely highly. For someone he likes, he would go through fire and water without hesitation. He admires Miss Shangguan and didn’t guard against her—isn’t that quite normal?”

“The way you talk, you seem to understand him very well.”

Li Rong raised her eyebrows. In her memory, the relationship between Pei Wenxuan and Su Ronghua wasn’t good. Pei Wenxuan pressed his sleeve to the side and placed a chess piece at the farthest point on the board. “Although he and I never had close dealings, I participated in the Su family’s case back then.”

Hearing this, Li Rong’s movements stiffened slightly. Pei Wenxuan noticed her abnormality but pretended not to know, picking up his tea. “Does Your Highness know why the Crown Prince back then insisted on killing Su Ronghua?”

Li Rong hadn’t expected Pei Wenxuan to suddenly bring up these past events. She hesitated—she was somewhat afraid to ask, yet knew this might be a hurdle she would eventually have to overcome.

She lowered her eyes. “Why?”

“Also because the Crown Prince suspected that Qin Zhenzhen died at Su Ronghua’s hands.”

Hearing this, Li Rong looked up abruptly, staring at Pei Wenxuan in shock. “How is that possible? Why would Su Ronghua kill her?!”

Back then countless people wanted to kill Qin Zhenzhen for numerous reasons, but none could be connected to the Su family.

The Su family had no women entering the harem. Why would Su Ronghua poison Qin Zhenzhen?

“I couldn’t figure it out before either, so I thought for a time that the Crown Prince had made a mistake.”

Pei Wenxuan took a sip of tea and looked up at Li Rong. “Until today, I finally confirmed that Su Ronghua might truly have had a reason.”

Li Rong didn’t dare speak. Pei Wenxuan directly revealed the answer. “In this life, Su Ronghua and Shangguan Ya were at the same gambling house. This happened before Your Highness intervened in their relationship. So in the previous life, didn’t they meet?”

“Qin Zhenzhen died from poisoning. Both mother and child should have perished, but that child miraculously survived. Your Highness, who was the greatest beneficiary of this matter?”

Without Pei Wenxuan saying more, Li Rong already understood.

“Aya… isn’t that kind of person.” Li Rong spoke with difficulty.

“Shangguan Ya isn’t, but what about Su Ronghua?” Pei Wenxuan said steadily. “Given how favored Qin Zhenzhen was at that time, and His Majesty’s attitude toward aristocratic families, the probability of Miss Shangguan’s child being established as heir was too small.”

“In the previous life, Su Ronghua never married until his death. When I investigated him, all the dancing girls who had contact with him said he only appreciated songs and dances, never discussing romance. If he didn’t have someone in his heart, why would he remain alone until death?”

Li Rong remained silent for a long time, gripping her chess piece, staring at the crisscrossing board as if in a daze.

Pei Wenxuan looked up at her. “Why has Your Highness stopped speaking?”

“Pei Wenxuan,” Li Rong gave a bitter smile, “I suddenly feel that in the previous life, I lived like a joke.”

“I helped the aristocratic families, and in this life you tell me the aristocratic families committed countless evils. I thought Chuan’er was tyrannical and lacking virtue in the previous life, and you say he was forced into desperation. I thought the Su clan was innocent, and now you tell me Qin Zhenzhen died at Su Ronghua’s hands. Living a second life,” Li Rong felt somewhat mocking, “did I come back to admit my mistakes?”

“What about me then?” Pei Wenxuan looked up at her, his eyes also carrying a sense of helplessness at life’s absurdity. “I thought you were arrogant and unreasonable, narrow-minded, but even for Qin Zhenzhen, you were willing to give her a place in the world. I thought you only cared about power, yet you also petitioned for the people and thoroughly investigated the military provisions case. I thought the aristocratic families were beyond saving, rotten to the core, yet you could bring Shangguan Ya to tell me that there are good people among the aristocratic families too. I thought you would never lower your head in your life, yet you were willing to tell me to wait. Speaking of admitting mistakes,” Pei Wenxuan smiled, “I’m the one who truly came back to admit mistakes.”

“Look, it’s only been this long since we came back,” Pei Wenxuan sighed, “and how many times have I said sorry to you?”

“Your Highness, if a person has a bad period, we can say it’s others’ fault, heaven’s fault. But if one’s entire life is bad, more or less, it’s related to oneself.”

“So you’re saying,” Li Rong picked up her teacup, seemingly resigned, “we both came back to admit mistakes.”

“Your Highness, this isn’t about admitting mistakes.” Pei Wenxuan reached out his hand and grasped Li Rong’s hand. “This is giving us an opportunity to start over.”

Li Rong’s movements paused. She held her teacup. Pei Wenxuan’s words were in her ears. She hesitated for a very long time before looking up. “Then, about Aya’s matter, should we intervene?”

“Intervene in what?”

Pei Wenxuan was somewhat puzzled. Li Rong spoke with some difficulty, her sentences jumbled and awkward. “Just, Su Ronghua and her, if… if they missed each other in the previous life, and they don’t get together in this life,” Li Rong looked up at Pei Wenxuan, “wouldn’t that be a great pity?”

Pei Wenxuan was stunned. He seemed not to have expected Li Rong would think this way. Li Rong sought his opinion. “If Su Ronghua likes Aya and Aya uses him, won’t he be hurt?”

“Does Your Highness think Miss Shangguan shouldn’t hurt Young Master Su’s feelings?”

Pei Wenxuan looked at Li Rong seriously. Li Rong frowned, saying matter-of-factly, “If he’s insincere, then it’s mutual exploitation. But if he has genuine feelings, he deserves the respect he should have.”

Pei Wenxuan said nothing. Seeing Pei Wenxuan staring at her intently, Li Rong felt somewhat embarrassed. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Nothing,” Pei Wenxuan smiled, seeming somewhat flustered as he lowered his head. “I just realized how many years I missed with you.”

“Now you know how good I am?” Hearing him praise her, Li Rong was somewhat pleased. She stood up. “Alright, I’ll have someone send a message to Shangguan Ya. While Su Ronghua is still in prison, better late than never to mend the fold after the sheep are lost.”

As Li Rong spoke, she had someone send a message to Shangguan Ya, telling her to go see Su Ronghua.

Shangguan Ya was just about to sleep when she received Li Rong’s message. She sat on the bed for a long time, finally stood up, changed her clothes, and went to the Ministry of Justice prison.

Su Ronghua had already fallen asleep in the Ministry of Justice prison. He was sleeping when he heard footsteps outside. He pretended not to hear and faced away from Shangguan Ya without turning around.

Shangguan Ya stood at the cell door for a moment. After a long while, she finally said, “Su Ronghua, I’ve come to see you on Her Highness’s orders.”

“What are you looking at me for?” Su Ronghua kept his eyes closed, his back to Shangguan Ya. “Do I have three eyes or five hands that you need to come look in the middle of the night?”

Shangguan Ya pressed her lips together and said nothing.

After hesitating for a long time, she finally said, “Actually, about what you said, I thought carefully about it after going back tonight.”

“I think what you said might also be true.”

“You dressed up so beautifully today—you clearly took this meal to heart. My using you like this was indeed my mistake. How about this—let’s forget it this time, and there won’t be a next time.”

Su Ronghua said nothing. Shangguan Ya saw him with such a cold attitude for the first time and felt an indescribable discomfort. She said sullenly, “Don’t ignore people. How about this—let’s make a bet?”

As she spoke, Shangguan Ya pulled out a deck of cards from her bosom. “If I win, you stop being angry.”

“What if you lose?”

Su Ronghua finally spoke. Shangguan Ya touched her nose. “Then… then you can stay angry a bit longer?”