The carriage suddenly stopped, as if it had arrived at its destination.

Even with the soundproofing panels, Tong Ye heard something strange going on inside early on, and when he got there, he did not urge Li Rong and Pei Wenxuan.

Pei Wenxuan looked at Li Rong, waiting for her answer. Li Rong took a deep breath, raised her hands to put on her clothes, and whispered, "Let's go down first."

Pei Wenxuan and Li Rong put on their clothes together. After getting out of the carriage, they found that Tong Ye had already asked someone to bring the sedan chair. Li Rong had an injury on her foot, so Pei Wenxuan helped Li Rong onto the sedan chair and asked someone to escort her to the bedroom.

After a night of tossing and turning, Li Rong looked very tired. Pei Wenxuan helped her lie down and immediately asked the doctor to come and see if there was anything serious.

The doctor was already prepared and was waiting at the door as soon as they entered the house. After the two of them entered the house, the doctor followed them in.

Pei Wenxuan was waiting for the doctor to diagnose his pulse. Before long, he saw Tong Ye standing at the door and whispered, "Young Master."

When Pei Wenxuan saw that Tong Ye didn't come in, he knew that it was not good to talk about it in front of Li Rong. He nodded, said hello to the others, took good care of Li Rong, and turned around and walked out.

When he reached the door, he saw Zhao Chongjiu standing in the courtyard. Zhao Chongjiu's face was not very good, and Pei Wenxuan knew the result.

"Where are the people?"

“Run away.”

Zhao Zhongjiu said with a straight face: "Young Master Su and his men came too quickly. I was too late."

Pei Wenxuan was not surprised. At that time, with Su Ronghua thinking about him, it was normal for him to find Su Rongqing.

He responded softly and nodded, "Go back and rest first. This matter..."

"I must inform His Highness."

Zhao Chongjiu interrupted him, as if he had misunderstood something. Pei Wenxuan smiled and said, "I'm not asking you not to tell His Highness. You are from the Inspection Department, and I know it in my heart. I'm saying that I will tell her about this matter, and you don't have to report it separately."

This request was not excessive, Zhao Chongjiu nodded.

"Is there anything else?"

Zhao Zhongjiu shook his head. Pei Wenxuan was worried about Li Rong and waved his hand: "Go down."

After saying this, Pei Wenxuan returned to the room.

The doctor had finished checking Li Rong's pulse when Pei Wenxuan came in. The doctor was packing up and preparing to go to the side room for a consultation and prescription. Pei Wenxuan said hello to Li Rong and followed her to the side room. The doctor looked a little nervous when he saw Pei Wenxuan coming in. Pei Wenxuan felt uneasy, but he still raised his hand: "Just say whatever you want to say."

"Sir, the princess has some external injuries, but it's nothing serious. Please rest assured." A doctor came up to report. Pei Wenxuan nodded, "Anything else?"

If it were just this one sentence, these doctors shouldn't have reacted like this.

"And that's it..." The doctor hesitated for a moment, then said slowly, "Your Highness, you are pregnant."

Pei Wenxuan was stunned when he heard this. The doctor said the most difficult words, and then continued: "The bumpy ride this time has caused the fetus to be unstable. I hope Your Highness will rest assured and take care of the baby in the future to avoid any accidents."

Pei Wenxuan listened without saying anything. Everyone was waiting for him, and he felt very nervous.

Princess Pingle had already been divorced, but she was diagnosed with pregnancy. The first person to know about it was her former husband. No matter whether the princess was pregnant or the former husband knew about it, either one was enough to make these doctors uneasy.

Pei Wenxuan was silent for too long. All the doctors looked at the leading doctor, who gritted his teeth and asked, "Sir?"

"Oh," Pei Wenxuan finally came to his senses after hearing this. He nodded, his face seemed calm, and immediately ordered, "Don't spread this matter. Is your highness in good health?"

"Don't worry, sir," everyone felt relieved when they heard Pei Wenxuan's tone, "Your Highness, just take a good rest, there will be no serious problem. We will keep this matter a secret and will never let outsiders know."

Pei Wenxuan nodded, seemingly absentminded: "You guys write the prescription first. If there are any taboos or what is better for pregnant women, tell me."

The doctor nodded repeatedly. The group talked to Pei Wenxuan for a long time. After Pei Wenxuan asked in detail how to take care of Li Rong, he finally went back. When he walked out of the door, he turned back and frowned and asked, "During pregnancy, are you suspicious, sensitive, sentimental, emotionally unstable, and irritable?"

Everyone was stunned, not understanding why Pei Wenxuan asked such a question, but they all nodded at the same time, and then instructed: "My Lord, just bear with it."

Pei Wenxuan nodded: "I understand."

After finishing speaking, Pei Wenxuan turned around and walked along the corridor.

No one knew what he was thinking. They just saw him walking all the way to Li Rong's room. The door of Li Rong's room was closed, but he didn't even notice it and just bumped into her. With a "bang", he covered his nose in pain.

Li Rong was in the room listening to Zhao Chongjiu reporting what happened that night when she was missing. Suddenly, she heard a "bang" and raised her chin. Zhao Chongjiu immediately went to open the door. As soon as he opened the door, he saw Pei Wenxuan hunched over and covering his face in pain. Zhao Chongjiu was stunned: "Master Pei?"

Pei Wenxuan waved his hands and took a deep breath. Li Rong looked up and called softly, "Pei Wenxuan?"

"I'm fine, I just bumped into the door."

Pei Wenxuan replied, then paused, and finally stood up. He looked at Zhao Chongjiu and asked, "Have you finished reporting?"

"Almost done," Zhao Zhongjiu nodded, turned around and saluted Li Rong, "Your Highness, I will take my leave first."

"Keep an eye on Li Cheng," Li Rong instructed, and said softly, "Go."

Zhao Chongjiu bowed and left. Pei Wenxuan was still standing at the door. Li Rong saw that Pei Wenxuan was still in a daze, so she raised her eyes and said, "Why are you still standing there? Come in and sit down."

Pei Wenxuan came to his senses after hearing this, nodded, closed the door and walked in.

He sat down, Li Rong looked at him and chuckled: "Am I terminally ill?"

"no!"

Pei Wenxuan denied it outright and quickly replied, "You are fine, don't worry about it."

"Sit down and I'll talk it over with you."

Li Rong took three sheets of paper from the side and said, "Chuan'er was assassinated last night, but it was not a serious matter. Li Cheng is now hanging on in the palace. Concubine Rou was summoned to the palace to take care of Li Cheng. His Majesty has not taken any action yet. Firstly, he is probably waiting for Xiao Su, and secondly, he is also waiting for the final news of Li Cheng."

Pei Wenxuan responded, and Li Rong took out the third piece of paper: "So there is the worst news here."

Pei Wenxuan raised his eyes, and Li Rong spoke calmly: "Xun Chuan brought news from the northwest that Cui Qinghe rebelled and assassinated Qin Lin, and took over the army under Qin Lin in the northwest."

Pei Wenxuan's eyes widened when he heard this. Li Rong put the paper on the table and said calmly, "The troops from the northwest can't come over. We have to keep this a secret. I have already notified Lu Feibai to transfer troops from the southwest, and asked Shangguan Ya to prepare the Shangguan family's troops."

"But the Shangguan family has no more than 30,000 troops in total, Lu Feibai has 20,000, I have 10,000 in Qingzhou, and your Pei family has less than 20,000, so the total number of troops is no more than 80,000. Originally, Qinlin in the northwest had 50,000 troops, so a total of 130,000 troops, but now Cui Qinghe has defected, and I'm afraid the 50,000 troops in the northwest can't be relied on."

"Xiao Su has 50,000 troops, your majesty has 50,000 direct subordinates, and Su has at least 20,000, a total of 120,000 troops."

"The remaining noble families have countless hidden troops, but just like in the previous life, they can't be moved without benefits. If they are asked to take action, their plan will fail now. Moreover, with Su Rongqing here this time, it is still unclear who the noble families will turn to in the end. I guess they are more like sitting on the mountain and watching the fight between tigers. Whoever wins, they will listen to."

"This is the situation now," Li Rong looked at Pei Wenxuan, "What do you think?"

Pei Wenxuan listened and thought quietly for a while: "Although it seems that the whole situation, your majesty has far more people than us, but as long as we can stabilize the situation in Huajing in advance, most of the world will be obedient. By then, even if Xiao Su and your majesty's direct lineage come back, they will be traitors and thieves, and the world will punish them. Moreover, once the prince succeeds to the throne, it is unknown whether your majesty's direct lineage will move or not. And Xiao Su has been in charge of the northwest for less than two years, and he led 50,000 troops to rebel, I am afraid he is also a mess. As for Su Rongqing..."

Pei Wenxuan thought for a moment and said, "It is still unknown whether he can take charge of the Su family."

"Stabilize the situation in Huajing..."

Li Rong murmured, she raised her head and looked at Pei Wenxuan: "Why don't you think about it? In fact, there is another way."

"What do you mean, Your Highness?"

"What I mean is," Li Rong's eyes were calm, but deep in them, there was an unspeakable sadness, "Once Li Cheng dies, the crown prince will be the only heir. The crown prince and Your Majesty are not absolute enemies, and he and my mother and I are not absolute allies. As long as he hands over Shangguan and me, Your Majesty will let him go."

Pei Wenxuan said nothing. Li Rong closed her eyes. "This is actually the best plan. He hands over my mother and me. Shangguan will be exterminated in the name of assassinating the prince. He will smoothly take over the throne and take over the army from His Majesty, becoming a pure Li king."

Li Rong couldn't help laughing as she spoke: "This way, the world will be peaceful, there won't be any need for war, and the people will live well."

"Your Highness is right." Pei Wenxuan answered calmly. Li Rong listened to this and looked at Pei Wenxuan. Pei Wenxuan met Li Rong's gaze and said, "But, does Your Highness agree?"

Li Rong said nothing. Pei Wenxuan raised his hand and held Li Rong's hand: "Your Highness, have you forgotten? Not long after I was reborn, I told you that behind power is the human heart. It is not a simple choice of interests. For the same thing, some people choose to gain, while others choose to lose."

"But I don't trust Li Chuan."

Li Rong spoke directly, and Pei Wenxuan fell silent.

"You arrange for someone," Li Rong ordered calmly, "Once Li Cheng dies, His Majesty will take action to arrest people. Before that, I will leave Huajing and go to Qingzhou. Don't let anyone know about this. I will leave by myself."

"Where is Shangguan Ya?" Pei Wenxuan looked at her.

"After I leave, you can notify the Shangguan family."

If she notified the Shangguan family after she left, it would be equivalent to placing the Shangguan family in Huajing as a cover, so that she could leave Beijing more safely.

However, this would also put the Shangguan family directly in risk. If she left, and once the opportunity was missed, no one in the Shangguan family would be able to escape.

Pei Wenxuan looked at her. Li Rong had an indifferent expression. She turned to look at Pei Wenxuan: "What do you think is wrong?"

"Your Highness," Pei Wenxuan asked seriously, "If something goes wrong, won't you regret it?"

Li Rong didn't say anything. She met Pei Wenxuan's gaze and asked, "Do you know what I heard last night?"

"I know."

Pei Wenxuan's eyes were calm and expressionless: "Li Chuan killed you, Shangguan Ya watched you die, and Su Rongqing brought you poison."

"You're not surprised?" Li Rong laughed. Pei Wenxuan shook his head. "Nothing in my previous life surprised me."

"If that's the case," Li Rong was a little surprised, "Why are you still trying to persuade me to do it? That was something from my previous life. I can ignore it, but just because I don't care doesn't mean I don't care."

"People have to have power to make choices. When it comes to power, you shouldn't mix emotions. I used to say that I like power, but in fact, when making decisions, I always trust them a lot and am willing to fight for them. So from the beginning, I always want to help Chuan'er and solve his current problems and future problems for him."

"My mother scolded me, saying that what I was thinking was what the emperor was thinking. I am a princess, and in the eyes of the future emperor, my nature is no different from that of aristocratic families. I thought she was stupid at the time, but now I understand that I am the stupid one."

Li Rong turned her head and looked at Pei Wenxuan. She reached out and held Pei Wenxuan's hand: "In my last life, I chose them, not myself. This time, I want to choose myself."

"Regret it or not," Li Rong stared at Pei Wenxuan, "let me go."

Let the filth and bloodshed of Huajing remain in Huajing, and let her stay away from this place. The sky is high and the sea is vast, and there will be a way home.

Pei Wenxuan looked at Li Rong's calm and steady expression with a hint of pleading. After a long while, he lowered his head and smiled, "Your Highness, do you remember? Your Highness and I made bets twice. One time was at Jucai Hall, betting on whether Shangguan Ya would be there, and the other time was betting on where the imperial edict would arrive first."

"Remember," Li Rong knew what Pei Wenxuan meant, "Are you here to make a bet with me?"

"Your Highness has already put on the Persian dancer's clothes for me. There is only one thing left. Please do it for me."

Li Rong looked at Pei Wenxuan and said affirmatively: "You don't want me to leave?"

"Whether to go or not is your Highness's decision. I think both are fine, but I am afraid that your Highness will have regrets, so I want to give you more choices."

Pei Wenxuan said, leaning forward: "Your Highness, please go with me to see His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

Li Rong's hands trembled slightly when she heard this, and Pei Wenxuan smiled: "Your Highness, don't you dare?"

"Look at him, what is there to be afraid of? But we still have to arrange for him to leave the city..."

"I'll arrange it."

Pei Wenxuan interrupted her: "Your Highness, go to see His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. You don't need to say anything. Just chat with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince as usual. After the chat, whether you stay or go, I will support Your Highness."

Having said this, Li Rong had nothing else to say. She raised her hand and patted Pei Wenxuan's hand: "Then I'll listen to you."

As Li Rong was about to stand up, Pei Wenxuan raised his hand to hold her down: "I'm going to get some clothes, don't catch a cold."

Pei Wenxuan finished speaking, went to the cupboard to get some clothes, and asked for a sedan chair to be prepared outside. He turned back to help Li Rong put on her clothes, and tied her hair. When he was about to put on makeup, he paused, and Li Rong looked up: "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I just think Your Highness is a beautiful lady, there is no need to adorn yourself too much."

Pei Wenxuan put down his eyebrow pencil and said, "That's it."

Li Rong thought he was in a hurry to see Li Chuan and didn't think much about it. She let him carry her out of the house and put her on the sedan chair.

The two of them went to the East Palace together. After reporting, Pei Wenxuan escorted Li Rong to the door. Li Rong stood in front of the door and heard Li Chuan coughing softly inside: "Sister is here? Come on, let Sister in."

Li Rong didn't know why, but suddenly she didn't dare to go in.

She grabbed Pei Wenxuan's hand, and Pei Wenxuan patted her hand and instructed others: "Your Highness the Crown Prince should not see guests now. There is a difference between men and women. Put up a screen."

The servant received the order and placed the screen in the room. Pei Wenxuan helped Li Rong in. As soon as they entered the room, they saw the screen and sensed the person behind the screen. Li Rong could not help but shiver slightly.

Pei Wenxuan helped Li Rong sit on the chair, and Li Rong and Li Chuan sat down behind the screen. At that moment, Li Rong seemed to have returned to her previous life, the night before Li Chuan announced that he would let her govern the country and he started practicing Taoism.

She rested her hands on the armrests and bowed her head.

Pei Wenxuan covered her with a blanket, squatted in front of her, and looked up at her: "Your Highness, some roads are best traveled by yourself. I will wait for you outside."

Li Rong held the armrest tightly. She looked at Pei Wenxuan. Pei Wenxuan raised his hand and placed it on hers, and said softly, "Don't be afraid."

After finishing speaking, Pei Wenxuan stood up, left and closed the door.

Suddenly, only Li Rong and Li Chuan were left in the room. Both of them were very quiet. Li Rong slowly raised her head and looked at the silhouette on the screen. Li Chuan seemed to sit up. He stayed on the screen across the screen, like a ghost that had come from two lifetimes.

Li Rong didn't know why, but her eyes suddenly became red.

The two of them were silent for a long time. Li Chuan coughed and asked, "Are you okay, sister? Are you injured?"

"I'm fine." Li Rong restrained her tone, sounding as if nothing had happened. Li Chuan coughed, took a breath, and said softly: "Don't worry, sister, I'm fine too, just a little hurt, I'll be well soon."

"Nothing is wrong."

After Li Rong finished speaking, she didn't know what to say. After a long silence, Li Chuan hesitated, "Sister, what's the matter with you looking for me?"

"It's nothing," Li Rong said softly, "I just had a nightmare. I wanted to see you and talk to you. I just wanted to know that you were okay."

"What did you dream about?"

"Just..." Li Rong hesitated and said slowly, "I dreamed that you killed me."

"How is this possible?" Li Chuan laughed and said decisively, "Sister, don't worry, no matter what, I won't hurt you. Anyone who wants to hurt you will have to walk over my dead body."

Li Rong couldn't help laughing as she listened: "I know."

Her eyes were a little sour, with a few tears: "Since I was little, you said you would protect me. I remember that year they said that the princess would be sent to the north to marry a foreign prince. I was very scared, afraid that I would have to marry a foreign prince when I grew up. You told me that in the future," Li Rong said, her voice choked with sobs. She paused for a long time before continuing, "You will pacify the north and drive those barbarians all the way into the desert. You will not let the matter of marrying a foreign prince fall on any princess of my Great Xia, let alone me."

"Why are you talking about your childhood?"

Li Chuan sat up with his legs crossed, looking somewhat happy: "Could it be that I'm not treating you well now, and you're starting to think about the good times and the bad times?"

"No, I just heard that you were injured because of me, and it reminded me of all the good things you did for me when we were little."

"Then is my elder sister not good to me?" Li Chuan's shadow on the screen was bold and daring as a teenager. He gestured as he spoke. "I remember when I was a child, I shared peaches with Yuanbao. My mother saw us and locked me up. She said that I was the crown prince and that I should be respected while others were inferior. How could I share peaches with a servant? You know the confinement room. It was dark without any light. You were the only one at the door, talking to me the whole time. I was locked up for three days, and you talked to me at the door for three days."

Li Chuan said, for some reason his voice became a little hoarse: "Also, didn't I raise a big tabby cat in the palace before? That cat was very smart, it kissed me instead of others. I kept hiding from people to feed it, but was later discovered. They wanted me to bury the cat alive, but my mother said it was a lesson for me. How could a prince favor something, especially a big tabby cat that no one has raised?"

"I didn't bury it, so my mother had someone snatch the cat away, saying they were going to beat it to death. I held the cat in my arms, and I thought they might as well just beat me to death. What's the point of that, you say? It was my sister who stood in front of me and blocked the stick."

"Didn't you bury the cat alive in the end?"

Li Rong asked, but Li Chuan didn't say anything. He was silent for a long time. He sat cross-legged on the screen, and seemed to be looking at something with his head slightly tilted up.

"Because I don't want my sister to be beaten for me again."

Li Chuan finally spoke up: "It's just a cat, right? Just bury it. We can't let my sister and I be buried with this cat, right?"

Li Rong was speechless and she felt tears just flowing down.

She suddenly realized that in all these years, she had never truly understood Li Chuan, nor had she truly understood how her younger brother grew up.

When he was young, she was young too. She couldn't understand the young Li Chuan and forgot about it when she grew up.

Just like this cat, she thought Li Chuan couldn't stand the beating, but in fact, what Li Chuan couldn't stand at that time was not the beating in the deep palace, but the suffering of his sister.

What he buried with his own hands was not the cat, but himself.

He didn't want to be the crown prince, but for Li Rong, Shangguan Yue, and the people he loved, he became the crown prince.

He is soft-hearted, innocent and kind-hearted, but for Li Rong and Shangguan Yue, he learns to be tough and indifferent.

He restrained his tenderness and innocence, suppressed all his love and desire, and buried himself deep in this palace, hoping that he could be like the soil, nurturing Li Rong and Shangguan Yue, watching them grow, bloom, and live a stable life.

This is her younger brother.

No matter how cruel and horrible her brother would become in the future, at the age of seventeen, he would always be the young man behind the screen who was willing to turn his body into mountains and rivers to give the one he loved a beautiful scenery.

"Sister," Li Chuan lowered his head. He seemed to know that Li Rong was crying. He said in a hoarse voice, "What do you want to ask by coming here?"

"Chuan'er," Li Rong took a deep breath, "If it is destined by God, one day you will become a monarch like your father. No, a monarch who is better than him, but as cold and suspicious as him."

"You will kill many people and cause unrest in the world, but you will also succeed in the Northern Expedition and break the shackles of the aristocratic family. You will imprison your mother, kill your uncle, slaughter half of your clan members, and finally poison your eldest sister. You will lose your loved ones, but you will also become the emperor. Tell me, what should I do?"

"You mean," Li Chuan seemed to understand everything, "I will kill you?"

"Right." Li Rong smiled, "But it's just a dream, you don't have to..."

Before she finished her words, she heard the sound of a sword being drawn from inside. Li Rong looked up in surprise and saw Li Chuan walking out from behind the screen with a sword in hand.

He held the sword, with tears welling up on his face.

"In fact, I have long discovered that Sister is different from before."

Li Chuan looked at Li Rong. He handed the scabbard to Li Rong, pointed the tip of the sword at himself, and knelt on one knee in front of Li Rong. His eyes were filled with tears, but they were firm and bright: "If this is the future, please, sister, kill me now."