After Li Rong gave the sword to Pei Wenxuan, she had people take her around the palace for a tour. She walked in the Imperial Garden for a short while, crouching on the ground playing with a newly bloomed crabapple flower, when she saw the person she’d sent to Pei Wenxuan return. Led before her, he said respectfully, “Your Highness, the matter is settled.”
Li Rong nodded. She took a handkerchief from Jing Lan and replied, “Yang Quan still couldn’t hold his temper.”
If he had acted later, he might have lived a few more days. But Pei Wenxuan was someone who, when he kept silent he truly kept silent, but once he spoke, he would certainly follow through. Since he said he would take Yang Quan’s life, he wouldn’t leave Yang Quan with a breath remaining.
Recalling what the Yang family had done in her previous life, Li Rong felt that leaving such a person alive would indeed be a disaster.
In the previous lifetime, the Yang family desperately caused chaos at the border for a long time, causing Great Xia to lose five cities in succession. It wasn’t until five years after Li Chuan ascended the throne and raised troops to attack Rong that they recovered those five cities.
Now, having the Yang family quieted down early was a good thing.
She roughly guessed what Pei Wenxuan had done, yet she was somewhat curious about the specifics of what Pei Wenxuan had said. She wiped her hands clean with the handkerchief, stood up, and said to Jing Mei, “Go announce me first. I plan to go to the Imperial Study to speak with Father Emperor.”
Jing Mei acknowledged. Li Rong, supported by Jing Lan, leisurely made her way to the Imperial Study.
When she reached the entrance of the Imperial Study, she saw Fulai waiting for her at the door. He smiled and said, “Your Highness, His Majesty is currently discussing matters with several lords. Please wait at the entrance for a moment.”
Li Rong lightly tapped her palm with her small fan and nodded, responding, “No matter. This palace will wait here for a while.”
“Then shall this slave bring a chair for Your Highness?” Fulai knew this princess was habitually favored, so he hastily spoke ingratiatingly. Li Rong nodded and simply replied, “Good.”
Fulai called someone over to bring Li Rong a stool, along with a small table. Tea and pastries were served on the table. Li Rong had someone fetch her a book. She basked in the sun, drank tea, and waited for Li Ming’s summons.
After a short while, a eunuch hurried over and whispered something in Fulai’s ear. Fulai’s expression changed drastically. After pondering for a moment, he said quietly, “Lead the person inside first. I’ll go report to His Majesty.”
Having said this, Fulai returned to the Imperial Study. Li Rong pretended she hadn’t heard anything and leisurely turned a page of her book.
After some time, Li Rong saw Pei Wenxuan being led over. Pei Wenxuan kept his head lowered, appearing somewhat panicked. The hem of his robe was stained with blood, making him look quite disheveled. The eunuch led him up the steps. Seeing her, Pei Wenxuan said respectfully, “This subject greets Your Highness the Princess.”
Hearing this, Li Rong raised her eyes to look at him. She looked him up and down and revealed a smile. “I just saw Lord Pei leave the palace moments ago. How have you returned?” As she spoke, Li Rong half-opened her folding fan to cover half her face and said quietly, “Could it be you missed me?”
Pei Wenxuan lowered his head, seeming somewhat bashful at Li Rong’s words, but still spoke rather composedly, “Your Highness jests. This subject dares not harbor such presumptions toward Your Highness. I merely encountered some trouble on the road and rushed back to inform His Majesty.”
“Tsk.”
Seeing Pei Wenxuan’s appearance, Li Rong couldn’t help but reveal a disgusted expression. Pei Wenxuan had dealt with her for years and had long become immune to her sharp tongue. Never mind just a casual joke like this—even if she told dirty jokes in front of him, Pei Wenxuan could probably respond without changing expression, or like those enlightened monks in temples, solemnly lecture her with a single word: “Preposterous.”
Of course, she understood Pei Wenxuan. After all, the life he lived wasn’t much different from a monk’s.
But now Pei Wenxuan was putting on an act, not only pretending to be young but also learning to feign innocence. This truly disgusted her. She raised her hand to cover her face with the fan and instructed, “Father Emperor is still in discussions. Find him a stool to sit and wait.”
Having said this, she closed her fan, picked up her book, and read by herself.
Pei Wenxuan glanced at the book she was reading—more of those messy storybooks. This hobby hadn’t changed from youth to the end.
She was truly nostalgic.
Someone nearby brought him tea. The two sat like strangers. Pei Wenxuan had just sat down when, moments later, Fulai emerged from inside and looked at Pei Wenxuan. “Lord Pei, His Majesty summons you inside.”
“Wait,” Li Rong interrupted Fulai’s words. “This palace has been sitting here for ages. Why is Father Emperor summoning him first instead of me?”
“Princess,” Fulai smiled bitterly, “Lord Pei has urgent business.”
“What urgent business could he have?” Li Rong looked astonished. “His matters… they’re all…”
Li Rong pointed at herself but didn’t finish speaking. She simply stared at Fulai, as if she wouldn’t give up unless she was allowed in.
Fulai’s face showed distress. He was about to speak when he heard Li Ming’s voice from inside: “Summon them both in together.”
Fulai breathed a sigh of relief and hastily invited both of them inside together.
Li Rong glanced at Pei Wenxuan with a smug expression. Pei Wenxuan raised an eyebrow and smiled silently.
After entering to pay respects to Li Ming, they discovered a group of important ministers seated nearby. Li Ming seemed to be discussing some important matter. The current Left and Right Prime Ministers, along with the ministers of all seven departments and several powerful figures from the Secretariat were all present. Seeing them, Li Rong’s face immediately showed shock. She said awkwardly, “Father Emperor, perhaps I should return first?”
Hearing Li Rong’s words, Li Ming couldn’t help but laugh. “Weren’t you quite arrogant when you came? Now that you’re already inside, why leave? Stand up,” Li Ming jerked his chin to the side, “stand behind me.”
Li Rong stood up somewhat embarrassed and obediently positioned herself behind Li Ming. Li Ming turned to look at Pei Wenxuan and said flatly, “Didn’t you leave the palace earlier? Why have you returned?”
“Your Majesty,” Pei Wenxuan’s voice trembled slightly, “when this subject left the palace, I encountered an ambush by Second Young Master Yang. To preserve my life, in a moment of desperation, this subject accidentally… Second Young Master Yang…”
As he spoke, Pei Wenxuan kowtowed with a resounding thud that echoed through the room, making Li Rong’s scalp tingle. Just imagining it felt painful. Then she heard Pei Wenxuan say, “Killed him!”
At these words, everyone present was shocked. The Left Prime Minister Shangguan Xu cried out in alarm, “What did you say?! Who did you kill?!”
“Yang…” Pei Wenxuan’s voice trembled, as if his emotions hadn’t settled. He couldn’t get the words out several times. “Yang…”
“Lord Shangguan,” the Right Prime Minister Su Minzhi, seated to one side, spoke leisurely, “this young master is still young and has suffered a great calamity. Lord Shangguan, you’re frightening him like this—how can he speak clearly? Young Master Pei,” Su Minzhi turned his head to console him, “don’t be afraid. Speak clearly. Who did you kill?”
Pei Wenxuan didn’t answer. After a long while, he took a deep breath and raised his head to look at Li Ming. “Reporting to Your Majesty, this subject killed the Yang family’s Second Young Master, Yang Quan.”
The entire hall fell silent. This time, Pei Wenxuan seemed to carry the resolve to face death. He smoothly recounted the entire sequence of events—from how he rescued the Princess and came into conflict with Yang Quan, to today’s conversation with Yang Quan before the Imperial Study where Yang Quan threatened to kill him, then the ambush by Yang Quan and his men on the way home, and finally how he killed Yang Quan.
After Pei Wenxuan finished speaking, he said in a low voice, “This subject knows I’m guilty today. Though Second Young Master Yang ambushed this subject first, the Yang family has rendered great meritorious service to Great Xia. With warfare at the front now, even if Second Young Master Yang wanted to take this subject’s life, for the sake of the nation, this subject should not have retaliated against the Second Young Master. But at that moment, there was no time to think deeply. I only sought a way to survive. Now having committed this monstrous disaster, Your Majesty…”
Pei Wenxuan choked up and lowered his head. “This subject deserves death by a thousand cuts, but I only beg Your Majesty to know of this quickly to prevent greater calamity.”
Pei Wenxuan’s words fell upon everyone’s ears, making their hearts tremble with fear.
Though Pei Wenxuan said he deserved death by a thousand cuts, which sentence wasn’t striking at the heart? Yang Quan was merely a young master of the Yang family, yet he dared to kidnap the Princess and, out of jealousy, ambush and kill a current court official. Either charge alone was a capital offense.
But Pei Wenxuan was right about one thing—right now the Yang family had maintained troops at the border for years, accumulating great prestige. Even having done these things, punishment had to be carefully considered.
Especially with the border situation so tense now, if they angered the Yang family and something went wrong, no one dared take responsibility.
So everyone present said nothing, remaining silent one after another. Li Ming’s expression was composed. He picked up his cup, took a sip of tea. After a moment, he said slowly, “What are you afraid of?”
Pei Wenxuan lowered his head, not daring to speak. Li Ming lifted his cup and smashed it down fiercely, roaring, “You are a court official of Great Xia. Yang Quan dared to assassinate you in broad daylight. If you killed him, you killed him. What are you still afraid of?!”