Li Rong heard Li Chuan’s great shout. She urgently turned back and vaguely saw Li Chuan pursuing like an arrow released from a bow from within the crowd.

Chasing along with him were Pei Wenxuan, startled by Li Chuan’s furious roar, and Su Rongqing from within the crowd.

She only caught a glimpse of shadows before the guard behind her reminded: “Your Highness, stay down!”

After speaking, the horse suddenly raised its hooves and leaped. Then came another shower of arrows—she didn’t know where they went.

“Elder Sister!” Li Chuan watched as Li Rong entered the forest. Like a madman, he whipped his horse, his eyes nearly splitting with rage. The people behind him followed, urging: “Your Highness, we’ll enter the forest to rescue the Princess. Your Highness must not risk yourself!”

Li Chuan paid no heed to anyone else’s words and charged straight into the dense forest.

From afar, Pei Wenxuan saw both siblings charge into the dense forest. He couldn’t help but curse Li Chuan’s recklessness in his heart. His horsemanship was far superior to Li Chuan’s. Although Li Chuan rushed over first, not long after entering the forest, he was overtaken by Pei Wenxuan.

Pei Wenxuan rode alongside Li Chuan, urgently saying: “Your Highness, the dense forest is dangerous. You…”

“Dangerous—do I need you to tell me that?!” Li Chuan turned his head in fury. “What are you following me for? Go save people!”

Hearing this, Pei Wenxuan suddenly realized—Li Chuan had deliberately entered the forest!

Those people forced Li Rong into the dense forest, but their actual target was Li Chuan. So as long as Li Chuan came in, the vast majority of their forces would be used to hunt down Li Chuan, which could give Li Rong more chances.

“Pei Wenxuan, I’m entrusting my sister to you,” Li Chuan gripped the reins tightly. He turned to look at Pei Wenxuan, speaking through gritted teeth: “If you dare fail her, I won’t spare you even as a ghost!”

After speaking, Li Chuan suddenly changed direction and charged toward another part of the dense forest. Pei Wenxuan watched as Li Chuan cursed while running deep into the forest. He didn’t hesitate much either, leading his people to rush urgently toward Li Rong’s direction.

Li Rong couldn’t figure out where exactly she was running or where she was going.

She only felt pursuers everywhere behind her. The guard protecting her was finally shot down from his horse by an arrow. Blood splattered all over her. Li Rong pulled a dagger from her bosom and stabbed it into the horse. The startled horse frantically ran forward. She clung tightly to the horse’s body, eyes closed, not daring to look back.

Pei Wenxuan watched Li Rong fleeing ahead. Between them were countless assassins. Li Rong couldn’t stop—if she stopped, he wouldn’t have time to save her at all.

But if Li Rong didn’t stop, at her current speed, he couldn’t save her either.

So he could only chase closely behind Li Rong. While having guards protect him and deal with assassins trying to block them, when danger approached Li Rong, he would draw his bow and directly shoot those getting close to her.

After such a stalemate for a while, a guard beside him finally reminded: “My lord, we must make Her Highness stop immediately. Ahead is a cliff!”

Pei Wenxuan pressed his lips together without speaking. He leaned forward slightly, staring intently at Li Rong ahead.

He calculated the distance between them. Li Rong’s horse could no longer stop. If it did stop, given the number of assassins around Li Rong, he probably wouldn’t have time to rescue her.

Someone had to reach Li Rong’s side in advance to protect her, giving them a chance to get before Li Rong!

Just at this moment, he heard a great shout coming from the distance: “Pei Wenxuan!”

Pei Wenxuan looked up to see Su Rongqing in the distance, charging toward Li Rong from the side at full speed.

Pei Wenxuan immediately understood. Su Rongqing was the person who would protect Li Rong for a moment, seeking a thread of life for her!

He saw it, and the hidden assassins also saw it. Before Su Rongqing could reach Li Rong, the final wave of arrows came like a blanket covering the sky!

Li Rong gripped the horse’s mane tightly as she charged forward. She only heard the horse cry out. Then Li Rong felt the world spinning. The horse, mad with pain, thrashed wildly. She finally couldn’t hold on and was violently thrown off by the horse.

Ahead of her was the cliff. When she realized she was falling through empty air, her will to survive made her desperately grab onto anything she could.

Just in that moment of despair, an ice-cold hand suddenly reached out and gripped her tightly.

That person had already extended half his body beyond the cliff’s edge. In such a position, he had almost nowhere to bear any weight.

So Li Rong only had time to raise her head and see that person’s face clearly before watching him fall with her.

In that instant when he fell with her, Pei Wenxuan finally arrived. But he only managed to touch half of Su Rongqing’s sleeve before watching helplessly as the two people fell straight down together.

Before he could react, Zhao Chongjiu grabbed him and shouted urgently: “Even if you jump, it won’t help!”

Pei Wenxuan seemed somewhat dazed. Zhao Chongjiu cut down an attacking assassin with one slash, gripping Pei Wenxuan’s arm tightly: “My lord, the most important thing now is to first protect the Crown Prince.”

Hearing this, Pei Wenxuan turned to look at him. His arm gripped by Zhao Chongjiu was tensed extremely tight. His entire person seemed to be forcefully controlling his emotions. Zhao Chongjiu couldn’t help but soften his voice: “My lord, you are now Her Highness’s greatest hope. Finding Her Highness one moment earlier gives Her Highness one more chance of survival.”

“I know.”

Pei Wenxuan lowered his head. He restrained his tone: “Immediately have people descend the cliff to search the bottom. Find the Princess.”

“Other personnel, go find the Crown Prince.”

When he spoke the first sentence, his voice still trembled somewhat. By the time he reached the second sentence, he had completely calmed down.

He supported himself to stand up, brushing off Zhao Chongjiu’s hand helping him, as if nothing had happened. Instead, he comforted the others: “I’m fine. I’m perfectly fine.”

With that, he turned around to look at the battle situation behind them.

Li Chuan had attracted most of the assassins in the dense forest. With Li Rong having fallen off the cliff, Pei Wenxuan no longer needed to worry about anything. Looking at the assassins surrounded by his people in the dense forest, he gave orders in a low voice: “Keep two alive for interrogation. Kill all the others.”

After giving the order, he was escorted by other guards toward outside the forest. As he walked, he arranged all matters, as if what just happened hadn’t affected him in the slightest. Only when Zhao Chongjiu glanced over did he see the hand holding the sword never stopped trembling.

When Pei Wenxuan led his people out of the dense forest, Shangguan Ya and Su Ronghua had already brought the Yulin Guards to control the situation.

Li Ming had returned to the palace early. Li Chuan had just been rescued from the forest.

His body was covered in wounds. Pei Wenxuan rushed over. Li Chuan struggled to open his eyes, gasping as he looked at Pei Wenxuan: “Where’s my sister?”

“The Princess is very well. Your Highness should rest first and take good care of yourself.”

Pei Wenxuan responded calmly. Li Chuan breathed a sigh of relief. With an arrow still lodged in his shoulder, he panted lowly and instructed Pei Wenxuan: “I… I need to sleep. When I… when I wake up, I want to see Elder Sister.”

With that, Li Chuan raised his eyes to look at Pei Wenxuan, his eyes carrying some pleading: “I’m afraid you… afraid you’re lying to me. I… I’m not at ease.”

“Your Highness can rest assured,” Pei Wenxuan stood up and instructed people to carry Li Chuan into the tent. Then he turned to look at Li Chuan, his expression bland: “If the Princess meets with trouble, I’ll bring my head to see you.”

With these words, Li Chuan finally relaxed. Gasping, he closed his eyes and let people carry him into the tent to tend his wounds.

After Li Chuan entered the tent, Pei Wenxuan turned to look at Shangguan Ya, instructing her on all matters to be handled tonight: “If Li Cheng isn’t dead, have people in the palace watch him. There will probably be some variables in the northwest. Have Lin Feibai’s troops ready to enter the border early at any moment. Keep watch over the Crown Prince’s injuries. Regardless of life or death, word cannot get out. There shouldn’t be major incidents tonight. Tomorrow, wait for my return.”

“Wait for your return?”

Shangguan Ya frowned: “At a time like this, where are you going?”

“Her Highness fell off a cliff. I’m going to find Her Highness.”

Shangguan Ya was stunned. Pei Wenxuan was too composed, making her completely unable to imagine that Li Rong had actually met with trouble.

“The remaining matters I entrust to Miss Shangguan.”

Pei Wenxuan bowed and, without waiting for Shangguan Ya’s response, turned and left.

Shangguan Ya finally reacted and quickly said: “Pei Wenxuan, you…”

“I’m very well. I’m unharmed.” Pei Wenxuan, with his back to Shangguan Ya, nodded slightly: “Miss Shangguan need not worry.”

After speaking, Pei Wenxuan walked forward.

Night had already fallen. He walked alone in the darkness. Each of his steps was very steady, but somehow, Shangguan Ya could see from the desperately controlled pace some long-lost-control determination and wretchedness.

As if this person had already exhausted all his strength and could hardly turn back.

In that moment, Shangguan Ya clearly realized—the one who fell off the cliff was Li Rong, but the one who fell into hell was Pei Wenxuan.

“Aya.” Su Ronghua walked up behind her. Shangguan Ya didn’t turn to look at him.

She gazed at Pei Wenxuan’s distant retreating figure, her voice very light: “Did you see, Su Ronghua?” With that, Shangguan Ya turned around to look at the young man standing behind her. She smiled: “Su Rongqing has long lost control. He formed an alliance with Consort Rou long ago to support Prince Su. He used Hongde to frame Pei Wenxuan. The military provisions case, the imperial examination case, even the current tax reform, the winter hunt assassination—your younger brother has been involved in all of it.”

“He can’t tolerate the Crown Prince ascending the throne, and the Crown Prince can’t tolerate him either.”

“I also once thought,” Shangguan Ya turned her head to look into the distance. Even in the outskirts, the winter stars couldn’t be seen very clearly. Shangguan Ya’s face carried a smile: “Between us, aside from His Majesty, there weren’t too many obstacles. As long as we waited for the Crown Prince to ascend, we could be together. Actually, all your calculations were correct. I calculated the same.”

“But later I slowly discovered that Su Rongqing can’t tolerate the Crown Prince, and you also can’t possibly abandon Su Rongqing. I asked you whether you were willing to become the Su family head. Now I’ll ask you one more time.”

Shangguan Ya raised her eyes to look at him: “If the price of the Crown Prince ascending the throne is Su Rongqing’s certain death, are you willing?”

Su Ronghua didn’t answer.

Shangguan Ya’s eyes were completely clear. She smiled: “You’re not willing. But the Crown Prince is the foundation of my Shangguan clan. I can’t possibly abandon the Crown Prince, nor can I betray my family. So you see,” Shangguan Ya’s eyes carried some moisture, “you and I are a dead knot.”

“I’m very grateful to you.”

Shangguan Ya walked before Su Ronghua. She reached out and produced a set of leaf cards Su Ronghua had given her.

“Grateful that you let me see that even as aristocratic family children, one can live with a sincere heart. But I’m sorry,” Shangguan Ya’s face carried a smile, her voice hoarse. “For the rest of my life, I’ll never touch leaf cards again.”

Shangguan Ya placed the leaf cards into Su Ronghua’s hands. She raised her eyes to gaze at the person before her. They were so close—close enough for her to feel their breaths, their warmth. All of this was like two wisps of incense smoke rising up, entangling as they ascended.

“Su Ronghua,” Shangguan Ya finally spoke, “leave Hua Jing. Travel and enjoy the scenery. Don’t ever come back.”

When the training ground was in chaos, Li Rong was tightly embraced by Su Rongqing as they fell directly into a pool at the bottom of the cliff.

The water slammed down violently. Li Rong instantly lost consciousness. When she woke up again, she felt herself lying on a pile of dried grass with a fire burning beside her.

Li Rong sat up abruptly, then immediately felt sharp pain in her foot. She drew in a sharp breath and quickly looked down to see a long wound on her lower leg that had already been bandaged. But it still hurt when she moved.

Li Rong looked around to find herself in a cave. The interior wasn’t particularly large. The fire was in the center. A small bed had been made with dried grass beside it, and Li Rong had been sleeping safely on it.

In a corner not far away, Su Rongqing hid in the darkness. Li Rong’s dagger from when she fell was placed by his hand. He wore only a white undergarment. He seemed covered in wounds all over his body. The white garment was stained red by seeping blood, looking quite horrifying.

He seemed to have fainted. His hair was loose, his face carried some sickly pallor. His entire body leaned against a protruding boulder, eyes closed, brows tightly furrowed. Even with Li Rong making such a commotion getting up, he didn’t wake.

Li Rong dragged her injured leg to Su Rongqing’s side and bent down to retrieve the dagger. The moment she touched it, Su Rongqing suddenly raised his hand and pressed down on hers. Li Rong raised her eyes coldly to see Su Rongqing gasping as he looked at her, revealing a trace of pleading.

“Don’t worry,” Li Rong understood his meaning. She pulled away his strengthless hand, drew away the dagger, and said calmly: “I still have questions for you. I won’t kill you for now.”

With that, she turned with the dagger and sat back by the fire.

The blade gave her some sense of security. She hugged herself, gripping the dagger, sitting blankly for a while.

Not knowing how long had passed, light rain began falling outside. The pitter-patter of rain came. Su Rongqing finally spoke. He seemed to have caught a cold, his voice somewhat hoarse: “What does Your Highness want to ask me?”

Li Rong didn’t speak. She looked at the leaping flames. After a long time, she finally spoke: “I don’t know where to begin asking.”

“Your Highness need not ask.”

Su Rongqing’s voice was very light.

But actually, they both knew that when Li Rong decided to ask him, everything was already in Li Rong’s heart.

Everything she did was merely confirmation.

“In my previous life, before I died, Pei Wenxuan came to see me. I smelled a fragrance on him. He’s skilled at blending fragrances and prefers restrained, deep scents. That fragrance shouldn’t have belonged to him, so I paid extra attention. Afterward, I argued with him. He declared he would kill me. After he left, you brought me a bowl of medicine. I drank it and the poison activated. You told me it was Xiang Meiren. So I assumed Pei Wenxuan had poisoned me to support the Second Prince. That sachet carried Xiang Meiren’s scent, and that bowl of medicine was Xiang Meiren’s catalyst.”

“Later, Pei Wenxuan and I were reborn together. We verified the circumstances at that time. Only then did I learn that the fragrance on Pei Wenxuan came from a sachet you gave him. You said my health was poor, and when outsiders entered, they needed to carry herbal sachets to avoid triggering my cough. So I assumed you killed me.”

“At first you weren’t reborn. How it actually happened didn’t matter much. I never investigated deeply. Later, learning you’d been reborn and returned, I asked you. You told me it was you who killed me. So I considered the matter concluded.”

“Then,” Su Rongqing’s voice was somewhat weak, “what does Your Highness want to ask today?”

“But today I feel this matter isn’t that simple.”

Hearing this, Su Rongqing slowly raised his eyes to meet Li Rong’s gaze.

“Today, Pei Wenxuan used Xiang Meiren to poison Xie Chunhe. But after Xie Chunhe was poisoned, he didn’t immediately succumb. This shows something was delaying the poison’s activation. When I arrived, I discovered Xie Chunhe carried a strange fragrance—exactly the same scent I smelled on Pei Wenxuan in my previous life.”

“At first, I thought this was Xiang Meiren,” Li Rong recalled today’s details. “But then the young servant took away this sachet. Once separated from the sachet, Xie Chunhe immediately vomited blood. The servant immersed the sachet in water, saying a master had instructed him that this was the antidote, then had Xie Chunhe drink the materials from the sachet mixed with water. Therefore, I have reason to suspect,” Li Rong paused, then raised her head to look at the young man in the shadows, “what you gave Pei Wenxuan back then wasn’t poison, but the antidote used to delay Xiang Meiren’s activation.”

“Your Highness isn’t skilled in the art of blending fragrances. Perhaps you smelled wrong.”

Su Rongqing answered steadily.

“You don’t even know what scent I smelled,” Li Rong couldn’t help but laugh. “Yet you’re so certain I smelled wrong?”

Su Rongqing didn’t respond. Li Rong looked at him: “Speak. Who killed me back then?”

“It was me.” Su Rongqing admitted decisively.

Li Rong, seeing he was impervious to reason, smiled: “Su Rongqing, I saved you.”

Su Rongqing’s eyelashes trembled slightly. Li Rong stood up and limped to Su Rongqing. She bent down, lowering her head to look at him: “I am your master. I’ve supported you for twenty years. In my entire life, I’ve never asked you for anything. Today I’m asking you—tell me.”

Her eyes held moisture: “Who killed me?”

“Your Highness…” Su Rongqing looked up at her. “This isn’t important.”

“If it’s not important,” Li Rong smiled, “you go back and help me assist Chuan’er to ascend.”

Su Rongqing’s gaze suddenly contracted. Li Rong observed all the details of his expression. She crouched down, looking up at Su Rongqing: “Back then, didn’t you say that entering my Princess Manor, you would repay with your life through gratitude that spans lifetimes? Su Rongqing, are you breaking your promise?”

“No…”

“Then assist Chuan’er to ascend the throne with me. What’s wrong with that?”

“Your Highness, Li Chuan—he killed my entire clan.”

“But now he’s done nothing,” Li Rong pursued relentlessly. “Why still not let him go?”

“You and I were both reborn. Many things we can avoid. We’ll assist Chuan’er to ascend together. You’ll be your Su family head. In this life, you can live well. I can be your matchmaker and let you marry a girl you like. With me here, Chuan’er won’t do anything to the aristocratic families. You needn’t worry too much,” Li Rong’s voice was gentle. “Together, we’ll make Chuan’er emperor. Then we can properly…”

“It won’t be proper!”

Su Rongqing finally couldn’t restrain himself. He raised his hand to place it on Li Rong’s shoulder: “Your Highness, you need not concern yourself. Just go back, take Pei Wenxuan, and leave Hua Jing. After one year, I’ll bring you back.”

“Come back to watch Chuan’er ascend?” Li Rong asked, full of hope.

Su Rongqing could no longer control himself and roared: “He cannot ascend!”

After shouting this sentence, neither spoke again.

Su Rongqing realized what he’d said. He didn’t dare raise his head. His hands rested on Li Rong’s shoulders as he lowered his head, panting slightly.

Li Rong looked at Su Rongqing with pity on her face.

“So what if you said it?” Li Rong’s voice was very calm. “It’s from the previous life. Do you think I care much? In the palace, whoever betrays me—it doesn’t matter. I won’t be sad.”

“If you don’t speak, actually I already know. Back then I must have been poisoned with Xiang Meiren. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have used Xiang Meiren’s antidote. After Su Ronghua died, only three people knew Xiang Meiren’s formula: you, Pei Wenxuan, and…” Li Rong found those two characters particularly difficult. She seemed to exhaust all her life’s strength before finally speaking those two characters: “Li Chuan.”

“If it wasn’t you, wasn’t Pei Wenxuan, then who else could it be?”

“Rongqing, I’m not a canary raised indoors. I can weather storms and have seen vast skies and seas. If you still consider me your Highness, look up at me and tell me,” Li Rong looked at him, her voice gentle. “Who killed me?”

Su Rongqing didn’t speak.

Outside, the rain pattered. Li Rong patiently waited for him.

After a long time, Su Rongqing finally spoke.

“Everyone.”

Li Rong was stunned. Su Rongqing’s hand gripping her shoulder trembled lightly. He raised his eyes to look at Li Rong: “It was me, it was Li Chuan, it was all of us—together, we killed you.”

Outside the cave, thunder suddenly crashed. Su Rongqing’s face was covered in tears, but he seemed to have finally let go of something, smiling with particular joy.

“So Your Highness, do you know now why, even reborn for another lifetime, I still cannot possibly let Li Chuan ascend?”

“Do you know why, even though I was reborn, I came back, I’m fine, I’m still a man—yet I have to watch helplessly as you marry another?!”

“Did I not want to compete? Did I not dare to compete? Could I not win against him?! None of those!”

“It’s simply because,” Su Rongqing lowered his voice. He smiled as he looked at Li Rong: “I’m not qualified.”

“People like Li Chuan and me only deserve to live in hell.”

“I deserve to die. Li Chuan,” Su Rongqing’s eyes resembled a graveyard overgrown with weeds, “also shouldn’t live.”