"My Lord, why don't you take a rest?"

Lightning and heavy rain appeared in the sky, illuminating the two people clinging to the cliff.

Zhao Chongjiu and Pei Wenxuan were already soaked by the rain. Both of them were tied with hemp ropes and carried packages on their backs containing commonly used life-saving medicines, bandages, fire starters and other items.

Pei Wenxuan arranged all matters, told people to go into the mountain from outside and to the bottom of the cliff, then had people prepare a hemp rope and insisted on going down the cliff by himself.

It takes at least one night to climb down the cliff from the training ground. If you climb down the cliff without stopping, you can reach the bottom of the cliff in less than two hours. But because there are no long ropes, you need to tie many ropes to tie people down. In this way, if there is a mistake in the rope, or the climber slips and falls beyond the support of the rope, it will be extremely dangerous.

But Pei Wenxuan was worried about the others going down the cliff. He was afraid that they would not take it seriously, that they were not smart enough, or that one of them was a traitor. At this critical moment of life and death, Pei Wenxuan was worried about handing Li Rong over to anyone.

So he went down the cliff accompanied by Zhao Chongjiu.

They climbed all the way down from the top of the cliff. Although it was a high cliff with no clear bottom, Pei Wenxuan put his hands on the stones, stepped on the cliff wall, felt the night wind whistling past, and listened to the sound of stones falling to the bottom. He felt an inexplicable sense of security.

He is walking on the path that Li Rong has walked, if Li Rong has reached the end of her life.

Then, he was also on this dead end.

So he started to descend from nightfall. He controlled his speed evenly and did not utter a word from beginning to end. It was as if he had withdrawn all his emotions and was calculating carefully the next step, which stone to step on, and when to let go of his hand next time.

Halfway up the mountain, his hands were already covered with wounds from being crushed by stones, and the skin was already broken.

But his expression did not change. Zhao Chongjiu looked at his appearance, and although he could not tell anything, he could not help but remind him: "Sir, you can take a rest."

"I'm fine," Pei Wenxuan repeated. "I'm fine. Go on."

As he said this, he stepped down and landed on the next stone.

As soon as he stepped on the stone, it couldn't bear his strength and suddenly broke apart. He slid straight down the cliff. The sharp stone rubbed his clothes and cut his skin, leaving burning wounds. The rope slid down quickly. The people above were so shocked that several of them hurried to grab the rope. Zhao Chongjiu couldn't help but shout, "Sir!"

Pei Wenxuan didn't say anything. As he fell rapidly, he observed the entire cliff like a wolf, then suddenly reached out and grabbed a protruding point that he had observed earlier. After stabilizing his body, he gently raised his head, and was so calm that he didn't look like a first-time rock climber at all: "I'm fine, continue."

He won't die here.

Li Rong's life or death is unknown, he will never die here.

As Pei Wenxuan walked down the cliff, the light of lightning inside the cave shone on Su Rongqing's face.

Li Rong looked at him. She said nothing. There was no change in her expression. It was as if this was something she had already accepted, understood, and acknowledged. It was a very common thing.

"Why?"

Li Rong spoke in a hoarse voice: "Chuan'er... shouldn't have killed me."

She assisted Li Chuan throughout his life.

She was his sister, the person with the same blood and the closest relationship to him after their parents left.

Even if he was worried that she had too much power, he shouldn't have killed her like that.

"In the 25th year of Dexu, Your Highness was traveling outside and encountered an alchemist. It was said that he had extraordinary skills. Your Highness made inquiries from many sources and went up the mountain several times to invite the alchemist. Finally, he invited the alchemist down the mountain and introduced him to Your Majesty."

Su Rongqing's voice was very soft, and Li Rong slowly widened her eyes.

"In the 28th year of Dexu, His Majesty began to feel unwell and began to investigate the palace, but nothing was found. Not long after, the alchemist whom His Majesty had presented to him died after falling into a lake after drinking."

"Is there something wrong with that alchemist?"

"That alchemist," Su Rongqing pursed her lips, "was carefully selected by a noble family, arranged and guided by Shangguan Ya, so that Your Highness could meet him by chance."

"So, Chuan'er thought I wanted to kill him?"

Li Rong found it a little funny: "Why doesn't he ask me? Ask..."

"If that alchemist was really planted by His Highness to be next to His Majesty, would His Highness admit it?"

Su Rongqing asked back, and Li Rong was speechless.

Su Rongqing is right.

Regardless of whether she really wanted to kill Li Chuan or not, there was no way Li Chuan could get the truth out of her. If he couldn't get the truth, why bother asking?

"What happened next?"

Li Rong controlled her emotions: "Since he found out at the time, why didn't he investigate me directly? If the person I sent had a problem, he could have done it if he wanted to investigate."

"How does he do it?"

Su Rongqing asked directly: "At that time, you were the eldest princess representing the aristocratic family, and the eldest princess who held great power as the regent. If he wanted to make a big fuss about you, how confident would he be?"

"so what?"

"So he chose to poison you. You went to the palace once every seven days to play chess with him, and the chess piece was Lady Xiang. Over time, the poison had already penetrated into your bones and spleen, so after twenty-eight years of Dexu, you have been feeling unwell."

"From that time on, you knew." Li Rong looked at Su Rongqing, "You knew I was poisoned."

"Yes," Su Rongqing lowered his eyes, "I put the antidote in a sachet and asked everyone to wear it to delay the poison."

"Why didn't you save me?"

This question seemed to have no answer, and there was a long silence.

"Speak."

Li Rong clenched her fists and said, "It's already this late, is there anything you can't say?"

"Shangguan Ya and I made the decision together."

Su Rongqing's voice trembled as she spoke: "In fact, we all know that the most important thing to you is not your family. Once we come into conflict with Li Chuan, you will immediately turn against us. So we decided to wait and see. With Lady Xiang's antidote in hand, it's easy to detoxify you. Killing you is also a piece of cake."

"What happened next? Who decided to kill me?"

"Later, Li Chuan became increasingly ill. On the morning of your death, Li Chuan was vomiting blood in the palace. He summoned Pei Wenxuan to the palace to draft a will. After Pei Wenxuan received the will, Li Chuan asked him a question."

"He asked Pei Wenxuan what he would do if you rebelled after his death."

"Pei Wen declared to him that you are his sister and you would never do this."

When these words came out, Li Rong looked at him steadily, and tears finally rolled down her eyes.

Su Rongqing paused, and Li Rong just said, "Go on."

"So Li Chuan knew that Pei Wenxuan would never kill you. Because in his heart, you would never betray him."

"After Pei Wenxuan left, Li Chuan fell into a coma. Before he fell into a coma, he issued a death order, demanding that you be poisoned. When Shangguan Ya learned that he was in a coma, she immediately locked the palace and prevented everyone from entering and leaving, and then told me that this was the best opportunity."

"What opportunity?" Li Rong couldn't help laughing.

Su Rongqing also smiled: "The opportunity to take control of the Princess's Mansion."

"So, Pei Wenxuan came to me because he got the will and wanted to talk to me one last time. At that time, you didn't know about the palace lock-up. You were still worried that Pei Wenxuan was being used by Li Chuan, and he was carrying Xiang Meiren's poison, so you gave him the antidote sachet. Later, you learned about Shangguan Ya's message. When Li Chuan poisoned me, you could have detoxified me, but you chose to stand by and watch."

"yes."

Su Rongqing did not deny it, and Li Rong nodded to show her understanding: "But I still don't understand why Li Chuan wanted to kill me at the last minute. He could have killed me earlier, why did he wait until the last minute?"

"Because in your Majesty's mind, the entire palace and court are just a game of chess. His greatest responsibility in life is to maintain the balance of the chess game."

"When the noble families were prosperous, His Majesty used his ruthless hand to kill more than half of the Shangguan clan members, and even his uncle was killed by his own order. He also wiped out the entire Su clan and intimidated hundreds of families. In fact, at that time, the noble families had secretly formed an alliance and intended to rebel, but His Majesty suddenly announced that he would retire to the palace, cultivate immortality and ask the way, and Your Highness became the regent princess, so the noble families were appeased and decided to be patient. In fact, this is His Majesty's way of balance."

"Later, your majesty secretly promoted Pei Wenxuan, and Pei Wenxuan and Qin Lin, one civil and one military, supported the Han clan and formed a confrontation with your highness. So, your highness, think, if your majesty dies, will this balance still exist?"

"Why isn't he here?" Li Rong didn't understand. "Pei Wenxuan is the head of the Han clan..."

"But what if you want to kill him?"

Su Rongqing interrupted Li Rong, who was somewhat bewildered. Su Rongqing smiled bitterly, "Your Highness, for the past thirty years, when he told His Majesty, 'You are His Majesty's sister and will never rebel', didn't you know how Pei Wenxuan felt about you? He and you have been political enemies for so many years, but in the end, he never thought that you would betray him."

"Pei Wenxuan won't kill you, and you have me and Shangguan Ya behind you. If you want to kill him, it will be very easy."

Li Rong stared at Su Rongqing in a daze: "One chess piece against another chess piece. In Li Chuan's mind, the one who checks and balances you is never Pei Wenxuan, but himself. If he dies and you are still alive, the game will be unbalanced."

"Leave Pei Wenxuan and Qin Lin to assist Li Ping and fight against the aristocratic families headed by the crown prince. Only after a bloody struggle will the chessboard be balanced. The next monarch will not face the same situation as him, where he will be constrained by any party when he ascends the throne."

"If you were alive, as long as you killed Pei Wenxuan, the poor family would no longer be able to resist. As the eldest princess, you have so much power that the new monarch cannot tolerate you, and you cannot tolerate a new monarch who will control you."

"So, Your Highness, in fact, whether there is that alchemist or not, you and Li Chuan are both doomed to die. It's just a matter of time."

Li Rong was speechless.

Everything Su Rongqing said was actually correct.

Blinded by greed, she tolerated Li Chuan because he was her younger brother. If either Li Ping or Li Xin ascended the throne and disobeyed her like Li Chuan did, she didn't know how long she could endure it.

Once you are used to being in a high position, you have nothing but to hold on to power tightly.

Now looking back, everyone else has changed beyond recognition, so has she.

The alchemist was the reason why Li Chuan didn't trust her, but if Li Chuan was the 17-year-old Li Chuan, he would have knocked on her door and asked her what was going on.

However, the 48-year-old Li Chuan had already become a king who no one trusted and could be abandoned by anyone.

Li Rong took a deep breath and lowered her head: "So, everything you are doing now is for revenge?"

"Your Highness," Su Rongqing smiled bitterly, "What's the point of talking about revenge for the things in the previous life? Rongqing just feels that even if he were to live again in his previous life, Li Chuan would repeat the same mistakes."

"Li Chuan is too ambitious and too difficult to control. He can't tolerate aristocratic families, nor can he tolerate the future prince. Your Highness, you are not willing to be a woman kept in the backyard of the deep palace. When Li Chuan ascends the throne, sooner or later, you will have to face each other with swords."

"Did we treat Li Chuan badly in the last life? He was deposed by Li Ming and became a prince in distress. It was the noble family that gathered the military forces of hundreds of families and sent him to the throne. But what happened later?"

"He was so greedy that he wanted to launch a northern expedition and reform the system as soon as he came to power. He favored Concubine Qin in the harem, suppressed the ministers of the aristocratic families in the previous dynasty, killed his uncle and trapped his mother, imprisoned the queen mother in the temporary palace, and fabricated unjust cases to frame my Su family. Until the end, for the sake of power, he did not even let you go."

"How can I watch a monarch like this ascend the throne?" Su Rongqing stared at Li Rong.

"So," Li Rong tried to put all the scolding from Su Rongqing behind her. She didn't want to listen, didn't want to think about it. She controlled her emotions and just continued to ask, "From the beginning, when you came back, you had already made up your mind to get rid of him."

"Yes." Su Rongqing did not hide it. "From the beginning, I planned to depose him. I originally thought that I didn't need to do anything, just like in the last life. When Your Majesty deposed Li Chuan, I would not let the noble families accept Pei Wenxuan's lobbying to persuade my father to accept Li Cheng's ascension to the throne. Li Cheng is only eleven years old now, Xiao Su is cowardly and incompetent, and Concubine Rou is greedy and short-sighted. After Li Cheng ascends the throne, we can use Li Cheng as a puppet, and when he gives birth to a child, we will kill him and support the young emperor. By then, I will be in power and welcome Your Highness back to the capital."

"Then why did you approach me and pretend to join the prince?"

"First, I want to contact His Highness. His Highness has changed a lot in this life and needs to be observed. Second, if necessary, I am willing to act as an insider and take down Li Chuan."

"Since it was Li Chuan who ordered my murder in my previous life, and you wanted to be his enemy, why didn't you tell me earlier? And why did you admit it when I asked you if you were the murderer?"

Su Rongqing didn't say anything, and Li Rong forced a smile: "Are you afraid that I'll be sad?"

"Your Highness has only one relative in his life, Li Chuan. No matter what I say or not, Your Highness will not draw a knife against him. If that's the case, why bother saying more?"

"If I succeed, Your Highness will hate me. If I fail, it will not damage the relationship between Your Highness and me."

Li Rong was not surprised after hearing this. She remained silent. She could faintly hear voices coming from outside. Su Rongqing looked outside the cave and asked calmly, "Does Your Highness have anything else to ask?"

Li Rong was silent. She hugged herself and looked at the flickering fire in front of her. After a long time, she whispered, "Chuan'er doesn't believe me. He thinks I killed him and his child for power. But why don't you and Aya believe me? Why do you want to watch me die and then take power into your hands?"

"Your Highness, are you really interested in knowing this when you ask this question?"

Su Rongqing leaned against the wall, watching the fire burst with a "crackling" sound and sparks rising up.

They vaguely heard a calling voice, the voice was very far away, as if it was from another world, coming across thousands of mountains and rivers.

Li Rong couldn't help but hug herself tighter after hearing Su Rongqing's reply: "Go ahead."

"Because, Li Xin," Su Rongqing said with difficulty, "is not Li Chuan's child."

Hearing this, Li Rong froze. She slowly raised her head in disbelief. Su Rongqing lowered her head, seeming to feel embarrassed as well.

"Shangguan Ya was in love with my eldest brother, but because of her family, she was forced into the palace and became the Crown Princess. My eldest brother decided never to marry for her. It would have been fine at first, but after Li Chuan and Qin Zhenzhen got together, he never touched anyone in the harem again. Shangguan Ya soon realized that Li Chuan would never touch anyone in the harem again. She entered the palace for the Shangguan family and became the empress in order to keep the crown prince's position. She could remain a widow for the rest of her life, but she could not allow herself to remain a widow for the rest of her life without a child."

"So?" Li Rong felt her stomach churning.

"So Shangguan Ya found my eldest brother and got Li Xin just in time."

Hearing this, Li Rong felt as if she was being pushed into water. All her nausea, disgust and fear surged up in her.

Everything has a reason.

Why did Su Ronghua kill Qin Zhenzhen? Because Su Ronghua wanted to protect his child and Shangguan Ya.

Why did Li Chuan use castration to humiliate Su in the end? Because he knew that Su Ronghua and Shangguan Ya had an affair.

Why did Su Rongqing finally form an alliance with Shangguan Ya, and decide to watch her die when Li Chuan was on the verge of death, she was on the side of the aristocratic family, and he even still loved her - because he wanted to protect the last bloodline of his eldest brother.

She died, Pei Wenxuan died, and with the means of Su Rongqing and Shangguan Ya, the throne was almost within Li Xin's grasp.

So disgusting.

Too ugly.

These ugly human hearts and interests are intertwined together, making the previous life into a stinking spider web that entangles everyone.

Father and son are not father and son, sister and brother are not sister and brother, husband and wife are not husband and wife, and friends are not friends.

Everything in the previous life was just a rotten swamp, full of disgusting pus. At first, I thought it was just rotten branches and leaves, but when I pushed aside the rotten things piled up on the top of the swamp, I found that underneath were even uglier human bones. The flesh and blood had been boiled into a thick pulp, gurgling with a fishy smell.

Li Rong felt as if countless past events were passing before her eyes. Those past events overwhelmed her. She couldn't breathe and was almost unable to move.

But she couldn't indulge herself.

She had to go, she had to leave. She couldn't die in this mess with them anymore.

She vaguely heard someone calling from not far away; the voice was hoarse and mixed with the rain.

But she still heard it.

It’s Pei Wenxuan.

Pei Wenxuan was the one who never truly betrayed her in these two lives, always protected her, and was the only one who believed in her when everyone deserted her.

She wanted to leave, she wanted to escape, she wanted to be with him.

When this thought came to her mind, Li Rong could no longer control herself. She ignored everything, staggered to her feet, and stumbled towards the door.

Su Rongqing saw her appearance and quickly stood up and chased after her: "Your Highness..."

“Let go!”

Li Rong slashed with the dagger in her hand, staring at him with misty eyes: "I'm touched!"

After saying that, she rushed out like crazy.

Her foot was injured and every step was painful, but she still ran quickly in the direction of the voice.

“Pei Wenxuan!”

She shouted Pei Wenxuan's name loudly: "Pei Wenxuan!"

Pei Wenxuan turned his head suddenly in the dense forest and rushed towards the direction of the sound.

The two people were shouting at each other in the heavy rain, searching for each other's voices, until finally, Pei Wenxuan tore apart a piece of thorns with his hands, and then a girl seemed to be greatly frightened and suddenly threw herself into his arms.

The moment she hugged him, Li Rong seemed to have found the other side of her life. She finally let go of all her emotions and cried bitterly.

"Take me away," she was trembling all over, gritting her teeth, crying and begging him, "Pei Wenxuan, take me away. Don't let me stay there, take me away."

Take her away.

Take her away from all the unbearable, despairing and disgusting things.

Pei Wenxuan had never seen Li Rong like this before. She had almost completely collapsed. She was shrouded in despair and fear, and would break apart at the slightest touch.

He felt her crying was like a sharp knife, cutting back and forth in his heart. He had never felt such pain before, and it hurt so much that every fingertip seemed to be twitching slightly.

He stretched out his hands and held Li Rong in his arms.

The thorns fell and pierced him, but he was unaware of it. He controlled his emotions, suppressed the tears in his eyes, raised his arms to hug this girl who was so soft that she seemed unable to withstand the slightest wind and rain, and bent his head to gently kiss her hair.

"Don't cry," he said hoarsely, coaxing her gently, "Rongrong, I found you, I'll take you home."