When Li Rong heard this, she subconsciously turned around and looked at Pei Wenxuan. Pei Wenxuan seemed to be stunned for a moment. Li Rong looked at the doctor again and whispered, "There is no rush. Does it mean that you won't get pregnant for the time being, or that you may never get pregnant in your lifetime?"

The doctor paused, as if hesitating to say something in the middle. Seeing his hesitation, Li Rong said directly, "Go ahead."

"Madam, your body is too cold. Judging from your pulse, you should have taken some treatment in the past. But you worry too much. I'm afraid it won't be effective with just medicine. If you can stop worrying, put aside your worries, and take good care of yourself for a while, then there won't be any serious problems. But it's easier said than done. If you can do this, I'm afraid I won't have to sit here anymore."

Li Rong nodded after hearing this. Pei Wenxuan frowned and asked, "Will it affect other things?"

"Imbalance of Yin and Yang," the doctor nodded, "will affect not only the child, but also the life span."

After hearing this, Pei Wenxuan held Li Rong's hand and said calmly, "Then you can prescribe the medicine."

The doctor responded and went out to write a prescription.

Li Rong turned around and looked at Pei Wenxuan, pretending to tease him, "It seems that Master Pei's wish to have a child is unlikely to come true."

Pei Wenxuan shook his head when he heard her words and said, "The child is a small matter. You should take care of yourself first."

In the previous life, they had been together for a year but had no children. He wanted to find a doctor to see her about women's matters, but he was too embarrassed to do so since he was still young. Now that he thought about it, he had neglected a lot.

The doctor we invited today is the most prestigious doctor in Huajing who specializes in treating women's health. Since he said so, there should be no surprise.

But Pei Wenxuan still asked someone to take out the doctor's prescription, and after several doctors examined it, they finally decided on the prescription.

At night, Li Rong slept with him. He seemed to have not slept at all. Li Rong closed her eyes drowsily and could not help asking him, "Why are you still awake?"

"Nothing," Pei Wenxuan smiled. He raised his hand and pulled the quilt, wrapping Li Rong in it, leaving only her head exposed. He looked down at her and said bitterly, "Have you seen these in your previous life?"

Li Rong knew he was asking about the child. She leaned against his chest and said, "Of course I have. There has been no movement for more than a year. Wouldn't the woman in the palace be anxious? She has already secretly asked a doctor to check it out."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Pei Wenxuan hugged her, feeling a little sad. Li Rong chuckled, "I'm not pregnant, so why would I tell my husband? Of course I have to keep it a secret and take care of myself, so that you don't have other thoughts."

"Why do you miss me so much?" Pei Wenxuan smiled bitterly. Li Rong hugged him, closed her eyes, and replied confidently, "I haven't known you for more than a year. How can I trust you so much?"

Pei Wenxuan listened, not knowing whether to feel angry or relieved.

The one year he spent with her, which was as fleeting as a flower, was the most beautiful time in his heart. But in fact, during that time, Li Rong was always wary and cautious of him.

It’s not that Li Rong should be blamed, he is actually the same.

Love can make people commit life and death to each other quickly in a short period of time.

But only time and suffering can make people open up to each other slowly.

"Tell me everything from now on."

"knew."

Li Rong found him annoying. After hesitating for a while, she whispered, "I'm afraid I'll never be able to have a child in my lifetime."

"That's fine," Pei Wenxuan said softly, "I'm only looking forward to having your child."

"Then why did you ask me to take the medicine?" Li Rong muttered, "You say one thing and mean another. You are lying."

"I'm worried about your health," Pei Wenxuan said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. "Why are you so unreasonable?"

Li Rong snorted and didn't say anything more. Pei Wenxuan hesitated for a while and said slowly, "You are here with me and there is nothing to do. Just take good care of yourself."

"Don't worry about anything else, I'll take care of everything."

Li Rong didn't say anything. Pei Wenxuan thought for a moment and finally said, "Look, no matter in the past or present life, I have always been on your side. No matter how much we quarreled or made a fuss, I would always protect you, right?"

Li Rong closed her eyes and listened to Pei Wenxuan's words. After a long while, she said softly, "I understand."

After hearing Pei Wenxuan's words and having this opportunity, Li Rong began to take good care of herself.

While Li Rong was drinking tea, playing with birds and reading books at home, Concubine Rou was working furiously.

Concubine Rou made three big moves as a new official. She first used the incident of Chen Houzhao's disappearance to surround Li Rong's mansion and put her under house arrest. Then she began to order people to be arrested everywhere in Huajing.

The first to be hit was the Shangguan family. She sent people directly to the Shangguan family's gate to arrest people, but they were rushed out as soon as they arrived at the door.

Concubine Rou was so angry that she almost cried. She quickly took the list of people she wanted to arrest into the palace and cried to Li Ming for a long time.

While reviewing the memorials, Li Ming said calmly, "If you can't catch the person, you have to find a way. Did I give you the Inspection Department to make trouble for me? Am I the head of the Inspection Department, or are you?"

"But the Shangguan family is too bullying. I really have no idea what to do."

"Is there no way I can stop thinking about it?" Li Ming was a little irritated. "I can't even arrest anyone at Shangguan's house. Pingle even sent Xie Lanqing to jail before. Did she tell me about it?"

"She is a princess of the Shangguan family," Concubine Rou emphasized. "I am from a humble family. Apart from your majesty's favor, I have nothing. If your majesty does not help me, what shall I do?"

Li Ming paused in his writing after hearing this. He looked up at the list, thought for a moment, and finally said, "Pei Wenxuan is in charge of the imperial examinations now. If you don't confirm the list of candidates, the imperial examinations can't be held. He is a capable person. I'll call him over to your place later to help you."

After hearing what Li Ming said, Concubine Rou felt a little uneasy. Pei Wenxuan had some relationship with Li Rong, and even though they were divorced now, she was still worried.

Seeing that she didn't say anything, Li Ming couldn't help but ask, "What else do you mind?"

Concubine Rou forced a smile and said, "Master Pei is still young after all. Your Majesty, why don't you find a calmer master to help me?"

"Who do you think the old fox in the morning will help you do this?"

Li Ming laughed sarcastically, "Only those children of poor families who want to climb up the social ladder will work hard for you. Pei Wenxuan is ambitious. You can leave the task to him. He can handle it. You have to do it beautifully, but don't rush to the front." Li Ming said, with a hint of meaning, "You are Cheng'er's mother. Just let Pei Wenxuan take the lead in everything."

After hearing this, Concubine Rou thought about it seriously.

She is not a fool.

Li Ming handed over the Inspection Office to her not for the sake of giving justice to the people. The emperor could not care about the fate of so many individuals. What he wanted was the "big picture" in his mind.

The Inspection Department was the source of power given to her by Li Ming so that she could set an example and establish her own prestige in the hearts of the poor. It was also so that she could use the Inspection Department as a support and have her own party wings.

Only if one gets actual benefits from being on good terms with her, will the people in the court truly take her, a noble concubine from a humble family, seriously.

Now he is on good terms with the aristocratic families, and uses the infighting among them to defeat the Shangguan family and help Prince Su ascend to the throne. After supplying talents through the imperial examination system, he uses the poor families to balance the remaining aristocratic families.

Li Ming's plan for her was indeed far-sighted.

So there was a question of degree in the middle. She couldn't go too far in reforming the imperial examinations this time, or she would completely offend the noble families. She also couldn't just scratch the surface and leave the court without any effort, which would chill the hearts of the poor scholars and also make her lose her prestige in the court.

Concubine Rou pondered over Li Ming's words for a moment and then agreed.

By the afternoon, Pei Wenxuan had planned to go home quickly, but when he was packing his things, Li Ming sent someone over and asked him to go to the Inspection Office to assist Concubine Rou in investigating the case and obey Concubine Rou's orders.

Pei Wenxuan received the imperial edict without any dissatisfaction on his face. He accepted it with a smile. But when the people left, his face immediately fell.

Tong Ye watched Pei Wenxuan's expression change and said cautiously, "Sir, you don't seem happy."

Pei Wenxuan had a cold face. After a long while, he said, "It's so annoying."

As he said this, he walked out, whispering, "Go back and tell my wife that I'll be back later tonight."

"Ah?" Tong Ye was stunned for a moment, then said slowly, "But didn't His Highness tell you to go back early to eat today?"

Pei Wenxuan paused for a long time before he said, "You... you ask someone to tell the truth and say that I was held captive by Concubine Rou and I have to go. I will come back as soon as possible and let her have a good meal."

Tong Ye nodded, and Pei Wenxuan got on the carriage by himself. He sat in the carriage with a stern face and walked towards the Inspection Office.

Li Rong had nothing to do at home, so she went to the small kitchen and directed the people in the house to cook while waiting for Pei Wenxuan to come back.

As a result, she got the news that he would not come back before she waited for him. Li Rong, who was originally commanding in the kitchen with great enthusiasm, lost interest in an instant and even felt a little angry.

She went back to the small dining room to eat by herself. Just as she was eating a few bites, she saw the housekeeper rushing in from outside and said excitedly, "Madam, please find a place to hide first."

Li Rong looked at the housekeeper blankly and repeated, "Hide?"

"The old lady came and said she must see the eldest son."

As soon as the housekeeper finished speaking, Li Rong immediately knew that it was Wen who came. She quickly stood up, instructed people to clean up the dishes, and wanted to go back to the bedroom.

But just as she reached the door, she heard Wen's voice coming from outside. Li Rong realized it was too late to go out, so she simply turned back and hid behind the curtain.

Just as she hid, she heard Wen's voice coming from outside: "Don't fool me, Aunt Qian saw it a few days ago, saying that Wenxuan called Doctor He Yu into the mansion. Don't I know what Doctor He Yu does?"

Wen said as she walked in through the door and asked in a threatening tone, "Is he hiding a woman?"

"Madam," the housekeeper knew that Li Rong was behind the screen, and was sweating anxiously, "the eldest master is not that kind of person."

"He can't be that kind of person!" Wen said loudly, "If she was a girl from a respectable family, he would have married her. Why hide her at home? If she was an impropriety girl..."

Wen said this with a sobbing tone in her voice. She simply sat aside and cried, "His father is so good, how could there be such a thing as him!"

Li Rong was listening behind the screen, fanning herself with a small fan and rolling her eyes silently.

"Your Highness has such a good daughter-in-law," Wen said. Li Rong quickly retracted her eye roll. She suddenly felt that Wen's words were also useful. Wen complained and sobbed, "What's wrong with him? Even if she is a little fierce and noisy, aren't all women like that? It's not easy for Your Highness to be willing to understand him, and he still wants to divorce her... He is simply insane!"

"Madam, you can't say that." The housekeeper smiled apologetically, "How about this, you wait for the eldest master to come back and tell me, okay?"

"I don't care," Wen wiped her tears and sat up straight, "You let that woman come out, I will make it clear to her that my son has His Highness in his heart, and now it's just a quarrel between the young couple, she shouldn't be so foolish as to ruin their marriage."

"Ma'am, there really aren't any women."

"I don't believe it." Wen sat in the hall, "If not, I will sit here and wait for Wen Xuan to come back!"

Li Rong felt a pain in her legs when she heard this.

She looked at the sky outside and waited from now until Pei Wenxuan came back...

I can hardly stand.

"Bring me a cup of tea," Wen said after calming down. "I'll wait here. Either I'll teach Wen Xuan a lesson, or I'll teach that little slut a lesson. As long as His Highness is alive, no one can enter the Pei family!"

As the little slut Li Rong listened to Wen's words, she had a subtle experience in her heart that slowly rose up.

Pei Wenxuan had no idea what was going on at home. After closing his eyes and taking a short nap, he heard the carriage arrive at the Inspection Office. He raised his hands and began to rub his face. When he felt his face became softer, he returned to his usual smiling face and got off the carriage.

Shangguan Ya had heard that Pei Wenxuan was coming, so she waited at the door. When Pei Wenxuan got off the carriage, Shangguan Ya came up to him and said with a smile, "I am here to wait for Master Pei on the orders of His Royal Highness Prince Su."

Pei Wenxuan smiled and said respectfully, "Thank you for driving."

Shangguan Ya raised her hand and made a "please" gesture, and walked into the Inspection Office with Pei Wenxuan. Shangguan Ya accompanied him inside and whispered, "The dozen or so scholars who were examined today are all related to the Shangguan family. You should be careful."

Pei Wenxuan nodded, said nothing more, and walked into the house.

As soon as he entered the room, he saw Concubine Rou and Li Cheng sitting on the high seat, Hua Le sitting on one side, and their usual guards in the palace standing next to them, and below them were the people from the Inspection Office.

Li Ming is short of money now and cannot help them increase manpower for the time being. As long as nothing serious happens, Concubine Rou can only use the people who served before Li Rong, which is why Shangguan Ya is still there.

Pei Wenxuan saluted first. Concubine Rou raised her hand to let him stand up and said with a smile, "Master Pei, have you received the imperial edict?"

"Yes," Pei Wenxuan said respectfully, "It is my honor to work for Her Majesty."

"Thank you for your help, sir," Concubine Rou seemed to be embarrassed and sighed, "I am a woman and I can't do many things well. I hope you can help me in the future. Don't mind."

"Your Majesty, you are too polite," Pei Wenxuan glanced at Concubine Rou with a hint of meaning, "I am also from a poor family, so I will do my best to help Your Majesty. Please rest assured."

Concubine Rou naturally didn't believe Pei Wenxuan's words, but she didn't reject it completely. She nodded and said, "Then bring the people up first."

Pei Wenxuan said nothing, but brought tea from the side and watched a dozen scholars being brought in.

The scholars knelt down one by one, and Concubine Rou said softly: "Everyone, please tell us how you found out that you were replaced."

After Concubine Rou finished speaking, she pointed to the person at the edge and said, "It's you."

The scholar at the edge stepped forward, knelt down and said, "I am Zhang Wenzhi, a scholar from Youzhou. I participated in the county examination last year. On weekdays, I am well-known for my studies in my hometown. I have been a good student in the academy since I was a child. After participating in the county examination this time, I failed to pass, but the county magistrate's son Zhao Ping passed. This Zhao Ping is my classmate, and he is usually unlearned. I was very surprised. Later, the essays of the successful candidates were posted in the notice booth. I could recognize that the handwriting of this essay was definitely not Written by Zhao Ping. I was upset and heard that there was a substitution in other places, so I went to the bulletin board at night and read the article carefully. I found that the paper was a little thin and the ink was smudged where the name was. It was obvious that someone had scratched and repaired the name. So I contacted friends from all over the country to help me check the articles on the bulletin boards in various places. Finally, I found my article on the bulletin board of the neighboring county. So I knew that I was replaced by someone in the Spring Examination. "

According to the rules of the Daxia imperial examinations, in order to ensure that there would be no favoritism or fraud in the local areas, the chief examiners and supervisors of the local examinations would be managed by people sent by Huajing. After the examinations, the test papers of the candidates would be uniformly collected in Huajing, and the Ministry of Personnel would mark them, and then the results would be directly transmitted back to the local area, and the essays of the successful candidates would be posted in the bulletin board. This was to showcase the talents of the scholars in the imperial examinations for everyone to appreciate and read, and to avoid such substitutions.

However, being able to enter the government was a huge temptation for the local nobles, so even though Daxia had banned it several times, it could not stop them from sending money to Huajing.

The imperial examination had long been a grand trading venue between the upper and lower classes of the nobility, and it was almost like selling official positions at a fixed price.

Pei Wenxuan was not surprised when he heard these scholars talk one by one about how they discovered the cheating.

After just listening for a while, he discovered the problem.

First, these people all came from Youzhou, which was the territory of the Shangguan family.

Second, the way these people discovered the problem was almost always by finding problems in the articles posted on the bulletin board.

Before the test paper enters Huajing, no one knows who has passed the exam, so no one should take action at this time.

The names will be changed on the test papers and the quotas will be replaced. This is just a two-step process. The first step is when the names are opened and classified according to regions after reading the papers; the second step is when the test papers are transported back to the local area.

The people who manage these two links are often the big clans that manage the territory.

Pei Wenxuan almost guessed what Concubine Rou meant. He listened to Concubine Rou's words and drank tea in silence. After everyone finished speaking, Concubine Rou looked at Pei Wenxuan and said with a smile, "Master Pei, did you understand too?"

"I understand." Pei Wenxuan put down his teacup and pretended to concentrate. Concubine Rou looked at him and asked tentatively, "Then what do you think we should do next, Lord Pei?"

"Of course we will check." Pei Wenxuan answered immediately, and said decisively, "Look at these scholars. A's test papers will appear on the bulletin board of B. This is enough to prove that the person who replaced their papers can at least manage the distribution of the entire Youzhou test papers. Let's check in order to see who handled these test papers and who is in charge of these matters."

If we investigate in this way, it is obvious that we will find the Shangguan family.

The Shangguan family has complicated connections, and this is a matter of sending money from the Youzhou territory, so how could there not be someone doing it?

But Pei Wenxuan was so determined to help her investigate that Concubine Rou couldn't help but frown. She couldn't tell for a moment whether Pei Wenxuan had set a trap for her to fall into, or whether she had always misunderstood him.

Pei Wenxuan saw that Concubine Rou had not answered for a long time. He looked clear-headed and could not help but remind Concubine Rou: "Madam?"

Concubine Rou recovered and said hurriedly, "Oh, you are right, but there are many officials involved in this matter. There are many aristocratic families in the capital. It may not be easy to figure out this matter."

"Your Majesty, I understand your worries. Your Majesty sent me here to understand your difficulties," Pei Wenxuan smiled and said gently, "If your Majesty trusts me, why not leave everything to me? I promise that I will do it for you beautifully."

When Concubine Rou heard Pei Wenxuan's promise, she laughed.

She knew clearly that the people involved were the officials of the Shangguan family.

It would be great if Pei Wenxuan could catch someone for her.

"Then I would like to thank you, Master Pei, for your trouble."

"It's my job." Pei Wenxuan nodded, "Your Majesty, don't worry too much."

After the two exchanged greetings, Pei Wenxuan was told to arrest someone. Seeing that he had understood the matter, Pei Wenxuan stood up and said goodbye. Concubine Rou took Li Cheng to personally see Pei Wenxuan off. As they walked, she chatted with Pei Wenxuan, "Since Lord Pei and Pingle divorced, there should be no one at home, right? You're going back so early. Don't you feel lonely in the dim light?"

"I still have an old mother at home."

Pei Wenxuan smiled and said gently, "You should go home early to serve your mother."

When Concubine Rou heard this, she showed admiration on her face: "Master Pei is really a filial son. In fact, there is one thing that I have never understood."

"Your Majesty, please speak."

"I have seen Lord Pei and Pingle in love before. They are very affectionate to me..." Concubine Rou smiled and said nothing more, but both sides understood what she meant. Concubine Rou turned her head and continued, "Now Lord Pei has come to assist me, and he seems to have no grudges at all. I wonder what Lord Pei's attitude is towards Pingle?"

"I will always follow Your Majesty." Pei Wenxuan answered seriously, "Does Your Majesty understand this answer?"

Concubine Rou frowned and arrived at the door while she was talking. Pei Wenxuan said goodbye to Concubine Rou and got on the carriage.

After the carriage started to go away, Hua Le stood behind Concubine Rou and asked in confusion, "Mother, what did he mean?"

Hua Le always called Concubine Rou "mother" in private. When Concubine Rou heard her daughter's question, she smiled and said, "What he meant was that he treated Ping Le well because your father arranged the marriage for him. Your father didn't agree with him and Ping Le being together, so he divorced Ping Le. He has always been loyal to your father."

As she spoke, Concubine Rou showed a bit of undisguised pride in her eyes: "This is him showing his loyalty to us."

"Then..." Hua Le said hesitantly, "Can you trust what he said?"

Hua Le said angrily, "He wanted me to marry him a few days ago!"

"This kind of person," Concubine Rou sneered, "Don't look at what he says, look at what he does. I want to see how he is going to bring Shangguan's people back to me."

"That's what mother said."

When the mother and daughter were discussing Pei Wenxuan's matter, as soon as Pei Wenxuan got on the carriage, she saw Tong Ye hiding in the carriage with a crying face.

"Sir, this is not good."

"What's the matter?" Pei Wenxuan frowned.

"The old lady came to our door," Tong Ye said sadly, "and forced Your Highness to hide in the corner. He has been hiding there for almost an hour."