The two were extremely tired. When they woke from their sleep, it was already the next morning. Having slept too long, they woke hungry. After Li Rong and Pei Wenxuan washed up, they immediately called for a meal.
Li Rong was familiar with most people at the Princess Manor. Pei Wenxuan had long known them in his previous life as well. But now, starting over in this life, even though he knew in his heart, he had to pretend it was the first meeting.
So after eating, the two spent the entire morning familiarizing themselves with the personnel at the Princess Manor. Only then did they have time alone together.
Pei Wenxuan’s wedding leave was nine days total. He would resume court attendance after nine days. Having already paid respects to everyone they should, Li Rong thought for a moment and said to Pei Wenxuan, “Let’s go find Shangguan Ya first?”
What Li Rong was most concerned about now was Li Chuan’s marriage. Receiving her words, Pei Wenxuan had no objections. He directly called for people to prepare a carriage and went together with Li Rong to the Shangguan Manor.
On the road, Pei Wenxuan wrote a visiting card. As he wrote, he couldn’t help saying, “How do you know she’s arrived?”
“Before the wedding, I had people constantly inquiring,” Li Rong sat to one side reading an idle book, saying languidly. “She arrived before the wedding, but I was too busy then to manage it.”
With that, she looked up at Pei Wenxuan: “Is the card written? Let me see once you’re done.”
Pei Wenxuan smiled: “It’s just a visiting card. What’s there to see?”
“Aya is particular. If your card isn’t written well, she might not bother meeting us.”
“You can rest assured about that,” Pei Wenxuan passed over the finished card. “She wouldn’t dare not see me, but she certainly wouldn’t dare not see you.”
These words pleased Li Rong, but she still looked over Pei Wenxuan’s card once. Even judging only the calligraphy, Pei Wenxuan’s card was extremely beautiful. Li Rong couldn’t help praising: “You—handsome outside but worthless within. Your person is quite beautiful, and your characters are quite beautiful too.”
“Your words,” Pei Wenxuan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, “are you insulting me or insulting yourself?”
“How am I insulting myself?” Li Rong looked up strangely. Pei Wenxuan pulled the card back from her hand and moved farther away, smiling: “After all, your calligraphy isn’t good-looking either.”
Receiving these words, Li Rong tapped her fan against her palm: “Do you think this carriage is very large and can offer you some protection?”
“However,” Pei Wenxuan’s tone shifted, immediately saying, “Your Highness’s person—that’s beautiful outside and elegant within, perfect and flawless.”
Li Rong laughed aloud with a “pfft.” She didn’t continue bantering with Pei Wenxuan. Pei Wenxuan thought for a moment, somewhat worried: “If we go directly like this, what if Miss Shangguan isn’t there?”
“If she’s not at home, she’s definitely at some tea society or poetry gathering. Before she entered the palace in the past, she only went to those few places. We have plenty of time—she’ll be easy to find.”
Li Rong spoke with great confidence. Pei Wenxuan nodded and stopped worrying.
The two traveled all the way to the Shangguan Manor and submitted their visiting card. The gatekeeper sent the card into the manor. After a short while, the Shangguan family’s steward personally came out and said respectfully, “Your Highness, we apologize. Today our young miss received an invitation from the Literary Assembly Poetry Society to attend a tea gathering. Perhaps you could return to the Princess Manor first? When our young miss returns, this old servant will have her personally visit the Princess Manor to apologize?”
“We came uninvited to begin with,” Li Rong smiled. “How could we blame the young miss? Since she’s at the Literary Assembly Poetry Society, I’ll go there.”
Among the noble offspring of Hua Jing, forming poetry societies was popular. They would meet at teahouses for tea gatherings, composing poetry and engaging in refined discourse—considered a highly elegant social activity in Hua Jing.
However, such activities not only had high status requirements but also extremely high demands on participants’ learning. That Shangguan Ya could receive an invitation to the Literary Assembly Poetry Society within just days of arriving in the capital showed her extraordinary abilities.
Li Rong wasn’t surprised. Sitting in the carriage, she smiled at Pei Wenxuan: “I said she’d either be at home or at a poetry society. You believe me now?”
Pei Wenxuan nodded: “You certainly understand her well.”
“After all, we’ve known each other so many years.” Thinking about seeing Shangguan Ya soon, Li Rong couldn’t help feeling happy. The fan spun in her hand as she involuntarily recalled their first meeting. “Speaking of it, not knowing her earlier was truly regrettable. Though a woman, she doesn’t lack aristocratic elegance. Conversing with her—dignified and proper yet not without wit—brings utmost pleasure. The only pity,” Li Rong sighed, “is that she’s too adherent to propriety.”
Pei Wenxuan listened quietly without speaking, lowering his head to drink tea without adding commentary.
Li Rong casually talked about some amusing incidents with Shangguan Ya from years past, and they arrived at the Literary Assembly Poetry Society.
The Literary Assembly Poetry Society was the most renowned and wealthiest poetry society in Hua Jing. They had opened a separate Literary Assembly Teahouse where refined discourse and tea gatherings were usually held.
Li Rong and Pei Wenxuan descended from the carriage directly, gave Pei Wenxuan’s name, and walked inside. Just entering the teahouse, an attendant came forward to receive them, asking whose invitation they had accepted. Li Rong smiled and said directly to the receptionist, “I heard Miss Shangguan Ya is here today. I wonder if you could trouble yourself to announce us?”
“Miss Shangguan?” The poetry society member hearing this seemed bewildered. “Miss Shangguan isn’t here today.”
At these words, Li Rong stopped in her tracks. She turned around, somewhat surprised: “She didn’t come?”
“Didn’t come.”
The receptionist smiled: “Miss Shangguan arrived in Hua Jing some days ago and has only come once.”
Receiving these words, Li Rong immediately knew something was wrong. Pei Wenxuan, standing beside her, coughed lightly and looked at Li Rong with a smile: “I said she probably went somewhere else, and you didn’t believe me. This young man,” Pei Wenxuan turned to look at the attendant, “do you know what places Miss Shangguan usually frequents?”
“That I couldn’t…”
Before finishing, the attendant saw Pei Wenxuan flash a silver ingot from his sleeve. The young man looked up at Pei Wenxuan. Pei Wenxuan nodded. The young man hesitated a moment before finally saying, “We don’t know Miss Shangguan’s whereabouts. However, this humble one has heard people say someone saw Miss Shangguan with a pass to the Wealth Gathering Hall. You two might try looking there?”
At these words, Li Rong’s face showed shock. Pei Wenxuan wasn’t particularly surprised. He gave the silver to the attendant, then pulled the utterly incredulous Li Rong out.
Once outside, he instructed servants to borrow a token for the Wealth Gathering Hall from a good friend, then pulled Li Rong into the carriage and headed toward the Wealth Gathering Hall.
It took Li Rong quite a while in the carriage to recover. She immediately said, “You’re really going to the Wealth Gathering Hall?!”
The Wealth Gathering Hall was Hua Jing’s most famous gambling house. After recovering her senses, Li Rong felt it was unreliable and immediately said, “That person was absolutely lying. Don’t waste time going to such a place.”
“Having come this far,” Pei Wenxuan picked up his tea and looked up at Li Rong with a smile, “going once won’t hurt. Who knows, there might be a surprise?”
“Impossible.” Seeing Pei Wenxuan’s smile carrying a hint of schadenfreude, Li Rong immediately became unhappy and said coldly, “Stop wasting time. I know you have opinions about Aya…”
“Stop, stop, stop.” Pei Wenxuan raised his hand to halt Li Rong’s words. “I have no opinion whatsoever about Miss Shangguan. Don’t talk nonsense.”
“Then why did you mock her every time I praised her before?” Li Rong sneered. “What do you call that?”
“I truly have no opinion about her,” Pei Wenxuan took a sip of tea and casually pointed the tea bowl lid in Li Rong’s direction. “I have opinions about you.”
Li Rong: “…”
For a moment, she actually felt there was some logic to this.
“I’m just curious,” Pei Wenxuan smiled. “Living a second life—can we see some different scenery?”
“There might be differences,” Li Rong declared confidently, “but definitely not this kind of thing.”
“Then will Your Highness make a bet with me?” Pei Wenxuan placed his hand on the window edge, smiling. “If Miss Shangguan is at the Wealth Gathering Hall today, what will Your Highness do?”
“If Aya is at the Wealth Gathering Hall,” Li Rong was extremely bold, “I’ll immediately buy you a carriage.”
“Your Highness,” Pei Wenxuan waved his fan, “I’ve already entered the Princess Manor. Do you think I still covet a carriage? Are you looking down on me or looking down on yourself?”
Pei Wenxuan’s words were pleasing to hear. Li Rong nodded: “You make an excellent point. What do you want then?”
Pei Wenxuan thought for a moment but couldn’t immediately think of what to request.
He hadn’t never bet with Li Rong before. When they were young and first together, if he lost, he’d have Li Rong kiss him. Now he absolutely couldn’t bet on such things.
Pei Wenxuan thought left and right, then said, “Can’t think of anything for now. How about we bet big—the Princess will promise to do one thing for me. This matter concerns only the Princess herself, nothing to do with court, doesn’t violate the Princess’s principles—like washing clothes, cooking, drawing water, dressing,” Pei Wenxuan said, unable to help laughing, “acting as a little maid to attend me wouldn’t be bad.”
“You dare to dream.” Li Rong laughed coldly. “And if she’s not there?”
“Mm,” Pei Wenxuan thought, “what does Your Highness want?”
“After you build your secret guards, give me the Eagle Squad as my guards.”
Li Rong opened her mouth like a lion. Pei Wenxuan felt helpless for a moment, thinking this person truly had no sense of romance.
His secret guards were divided into four teams—Eagle, Tiger, Wolf, and Fox. Li Rong opened her mouth asking for an entire elite squad. Pei Wenxuan sighed. Li Rong thought Pei Wenxuan was unwilling to bet and was about to mock him when she heard Pei Wenxuan raise two fingers: “Twenty people from the Eagle Squad. Deal or no deal?”
“From the Heaven-grade team?”
“Yes.” Pei Wenxuan nodded. Li Rong immediately smiled as if she’d gotten some advantage: “Then this palace thanks Minister Pei first.”
Pei Wenxuan twirled the folding fan in his hand, smiling without speaking.
The carriage quickly arrived at the Wealth Gathering Hall entrance. As soon as they descended, they saw the guard who had gone to borrow the pass already waiting at the door. That person came up with the pass and handed it to Pei Wenxuan. Pei Wenxuan nodded and led Li Rong inside the Wealth Gathering Hall together.
Not wanting to be too conspicuous, they had the guards wait at the entrance and walked toward the Wealth Gathering Hall together. A doorman stood at the entrance. As soon as they reached the door, the doorman called out loudly, “The Wealth Gathering door opens to the east—with money or without, all come in! Are you two honored guests rich or poor?”
Hearing this code phrase, Pei Wenxuan handed over the pass and smiled: “Rich.”
The doorman took the pass and examined it carefully, then turned and said, “Heaven-grade honored guests, please—”
After the doorman called out, a middle-aged man came from inside to invite Li Rong and Pei Wenxuan in. The middle-aged man introduced the Wealth Gathering Hall to them along the way. The two listened absent-mindedly. After entering the main hall, Pei Wenxuan nodded: “No need to mind us. We’ll play by ourselves.”
The middle-aged man smiled in acknowledgment and turned to leave.
The two strolled through the crowd. It was extremely lively here with people coming and going. Whether men or women, all appeared extremely excited.
Pei Wenxuan, fearing people would jostle Li Rong, had to raise his hand to protect her in the middle, clearing a path for her. As he protected her walking forward, he said, “I’m helping you here. Don’t overthink it.”
Li Rong glanced lightly at Pei Wenxuan: “Those who say not to overthink are the ones who overthink most.”
Pei Wenxuan: “…”
There was some logic to that.
The two circled once through the crowd. Li Rong’s heart gradually settled. She couldn’t help saying, “See, I told you. How could Aya possibly come to such a place? Minister Pei…”
Before finishing, the two faintly heard a familiar voice from the crowd, excitedly shouting, “Big! Big! Big!”
The moment Li Rong heard this voice, she felt as if struck by lightning. The two turned around together to see, through the crowd, a shadow that looked extremely like Shangguan Ya lying on a gambling table, desperately pounding the character for “big” on the table. A pair of eyes stared fixedly at the dice cup about to be opened, eyes as if they could emit light.
But that person wore men’s clothing and her face wasn’t clear. Li Rong couldn’t be certain for a moment whether she had heard wrong, or…
Before she could react, the dice cup at that table opened. Amid cheers and laments, the short young woman shouted “Much obliged, much obliged” while sweeping the money toward herself.
But her money-sweeping motion only reached halfway before she seemed to realize something. She stood up, said a few words to people beside her, then walked toward a small door on the side.
Li Rong immediately reacted and said at once, “Chase her.”
She absolutely had to figure out whether this was Shangguan Ya or not.
If it wasn’t Shangguan Ya, that would be fine. But if it was Shangguan Ya…
Then in the previous life, had Shangguan Ya been pretending for her entire life?!
Li Rong’s heart was full of shock. She hurriedly chased in the direction the young woman had run. Pei Wenxuan quickly followed, squeezing out of the crowd with her.
The other party was quite clever. Having clearly discovered Li Rong was chasing her, she sped up, running wildly all the way outside.
Li Rong momentarily didn’t care about decorum, chasing after the young woman as she ran forward. As she ran, she urged Pei Wenxuan, “Chase her! Can’t you even outrun a girl?!”
Pei Wenxuan was helpless. He increased his speed to chase the girl.
Shangguan Ya, running ahead, realized Pei Wenxuan was closing in. Knowing she’d definitely be caught if she kept running like this, she scanned the surroundings. Suddenly raising her hand to brace against a small round window nearby, she jumped through it.
The window was too small for Pei Wenxuan to squeeze through. He froze in place for a moment. Seeing this from afar, Li Rong cursed under her breath, “Is this a monkey spirit?!”
Then she passed directly by Pei Wenxuan, somewhat clumsily bracing herself, and also jumped through the round window.
Pei Wenxuan’s eyes widened. He looked as if he’d seen a ghost. Then he heard Li Rong shout loudly, “Go around and chase, you fool!”
Pei Wenxuan snapped back to reality. He realized Li Rong truly wouldn’t give up on chasing Shangguan Ya. He could only quickly assess the route, hurrying around the wall to the next courtyard to continue pursuing them.
Li Rong chased Shangguan Ya all the way. Though she maintained some distance from Shangguan Ya and couldn’t catch her at all, she was extremely persistent. And in chasing people, as long as you could still see a shadow, you could keep pursuing.
To shake her off, Shangguan Ya simply scrambled up a small building in the rear courtyard specifically used for rest. Li Rong quickly chased up after her. When Pei Wenxuan entered the courtyard, he just saw the two young women going up the building one after another. After thinking briefly, he simply walked directly through the first floor. Shangguan Ya couldn’t keep circling the building. She would definitely find a way to exit the building and run out of the Wealth Gathering Hall.
Shangguan Ya indeed thought this. Once upstairs, she found a route from the second floor. This small building had a rather low window on the second floor. After jumping down, then climbing a tree to flip over a wall, she could leave the Wealth Gathering Hall. As long as she wasn’t caught red-handed, she’d have room to argue.
Shangguan Ya’s calculation was good, but Li Rong pursued relentlessly. She hastily shook off Li Rong by a stretch and rushed toward that window, planning to climb down slowly. But before reaching the window, she heard Li Rong roar, “Shangguan Ya, you stop right there!”
Shangguan Ya was so frightened her feet slipped. With a shudder, she fell directly from the window.
The headband she used to bind her hair had long since come loose from running. As she fell, it was caught by a tree branch extending nearby, and her full head of black hair instantly scattered.
Shangguan Ya softly exclaimed “Ah.” The feeling of weightlessness made her heart panic greatly.
In just that instant, a young man who had been resting with closed eyes beneath the tree opened them to see a young woman falling from the sky. The young man reflexively raised his hands and caught her in his embrace.
Summer sunlight shone on the person, making the young man seem to carry a radiance. The young man’s face was handsome and upright. He smiled slightly: “I was merely resting. I never expected a beauty would fall from heaven.”
Shangguan Ya immediately reacted with a “slap,” giving him a palm strike. Then she jumped out of the young man’s embrace and turned to run.
The young man was stunned for a moment, then immediately reacted and grabbed her with one hand.
Shangguan Ya shouted angrily, “Let go!”
The young man smiled slightly, only saying, “Hiding from someone? I’ll help you.”
Shangguan Ya was stunned for a moment before he shoved her into a nearby pile of hay, directly inverting a bamboo basket over her head.
The young man had just finished inverting the basket when Li Rong ran to the window. She immediately saw the young man standing below.
She was slightly startled, then said in surprise, “Young Master Su?”
Su Ronghua turned around with a smile. Seeing Li Rong, he was somewhat shocked. His gaze very quickly swept to the bamboo basket beside him, then rapidly withdrew as he smiled: “Why would Your Highness be here?”
“Did you see a young woman dressed in men’s clothing?”
“I did,” Su Ronghua pointed his fan outside the courtyard. “She ran off.”
Li Rong pressed her lips together. She looked at the distance between the window and the ground and made a decisive decision: “Can Young Master help?”
“Please speak, Your Highness.”
“I’m jumping down now. Catch me.”
Su Ronghua was stunned. After a moment, he reacted: “Oh, all right.”
With that, Su Ronghua extended his hands. Li Rong grabbed her skirt and stepped onto the windowsill. Before she could make a move, she heard Pei Wenxuan roar from beside her, “Li Rong!”
Li Rong was so frightened she threw herself downward. Before Su Ronghua could react, he saw someone rush over wildly and catch the suddenly falling Li Rong in his arms.
Pei Wenxuan had come too urgently and quickly. Li Rong’s entire person was dazed.
He was clearly angry. Li Rong lay in his arms, staring blankly at the inexplicably furious Pei Wenxuan.
Pei Wenxuan didn’t speak. He set her on the ground, only saying, “Are you all right?”
“I’m…” Li Rong rarely saw such a scene and felt somewhat guilty for a moment. “I’m fine.”
Pei Wenxuan nodded. He didn’t say much more to her. Su Ronghua still didn’t know what had happened. Standing behind Pei Wenxuan, he smiled and said, “That young woman just now…”
Before finishing, Pei Wenxuan turned around and directly slapped him with one hand. The “slap” stunned Su Ronghua completely.
Su Ronghua covered his face, shocked as he turned around to look at Pei Wenxuan: “Why did you hit me?”
After a moment, he thought of another question: “You hit me and that’s that—why did it have to be a slap?”
Anger arrived belatedly. Su Ronghua raised his voice: “Are you a woman?!”