Li Rong didn't say anything. Li Chuan knelt in front of her and looked up at her.

His eyes were filled with the fearlessness that only young people have, as if they could break through all the haze in this world.

They faced each other in silence for a long time, then Li Rong suddenly stood up and pointed her sword at Li Chuan's neck.

The overly sharp sword blade cut Li Chuan's skin with just a touch, and blood licked the sword tip. Li Chuan did not dodge or avoid, but met Li Rong's gaze.

"You think I dare not kill you?"

Outside the gate, a cold wind began to blow, blowing dead leaves past. Pei Wenxuan clasped his hands in his sleeves, turned his back to the gate, looked at the sudden cold wind, and raised his head to look at the dark clouds in the sky.

"It's not that I don't dare to kill me," Li Chuan answered calmly, "but I have no regrets about dying at the hands of my sister."

"If I am really going down that path as my sister said, then I would rather my life end here, as it can be considered a good ending."

Li Rong said nothing. She held the sword and stared at Li Chuan. They were in a stalemate and confronted each other. Li Chuan's expression was full of determination and he did not retreat at all. It seemed that he was really ready to die and was waiting for her judgment.

But how does she decide?

He didn't do anything, and he's still so good.

But if he ascends the throne and grows up, perhaps he will bring a cup of poison to her in thirty years.

Time is too cruel and too vicious.

Li Rong looked at the clear expression of the young man in front of her and suddenly raised her sword.

Li Chuan closed his eyes, and the sword fell quickly, suddenly cutting off the crown on Li Chuan's head.

Li Chuan's hair fell down, and he opened his eyes. Li Rong held the sword and panted quickly: "I will return to Qingzhou. In this life, I will never enter Huajing again. I will let you go."

Li Rong raised her eyes and looked at Li Chuan: "Please let me go in the future."

After Li Rong finished speaking, she threw the sword to the ground and turned away. Li Chuan knelt on the ground, and when she put her hand on the door, he said hoarsely: "Sister, why can't you trust me a little more?"

"It's not you I don't trust," Li Rong said with her eyes lowered, "it's this world."

There are too many dirty and filthy things in this world, and she doesn’t know what Li Chuan will become after he sits in a high position.

The moment he became emperor, she was from an aristocratic family. They would never have a unified stance and would continue to be suspicious of each other in the deep palace.

She knew very well who she was, and in fact it was right for Li Chuan to kill her.

If Li Chuan died, whether it was Li Ping or Li Xin, when they became a threat to her, she might not fail to destroy them.

Li Rong calmed herself down and her expression gradually returned to normal. Then she exerted force with both hands and slammed the door open.

A cold wind suddenly blew in, causing her wide sleeves to flutter. She looked up and saw Pei Wenxuan holding his sleeves with both hands and turning his head to look at her.

"Have you agreed?"

Pei Wenxuan smiled and Li Rong nodded: "Let's go."

Pei Wenxuan heard what was said and came over to hug her. Li Rong held him down and asked, "What are you doing?"

"With your legs like this, are you going to limp out of the Prince's Mansion?"

Li Rong hesitated for a moment, thinking that it would be too embarrassing to go out limping, so she didn't say anything and let Pei Wenxuan pick her up horizontally. She hung on Pei Wenxuan, lowered her head and said nothing. Pei Wenxuan didn't know what he was happy about, as he was smiling all the time.

She felt a little uncomfortable. She looked up at Pei Wenxuan and saw that he was still laughing. She couldn't help but get angry and frowned, "What are you laughing at all day long? Are you laughing at me?"

"ah?"

Pei Wenxuan heard Li Rong blame him, he came back to his senses, and hurriedly explained: "No, it's just that His Highness is back, I'm happy. Everything can be solved, His Highness is fine, I don't feel unhappy."

"Are you so happy?" Li Rong didn't believe it. Pei Wenxuan didn't dare to bother with her any more and quickly changed the subject, "How was your conversation with the Crown Prince?"

"I'm going back to Qingzhou."

Li Rong leaned on Pei Wenxuan's chest and said in a calm voice, "I won't be back in the future, but I will do my best to support Li Chuan in whatever he needs. If you have anything, tell me and you can handle it."

Pei Wenxuan responded: "Don't worry, Your Highness, I will handle it as appropriate."

Li Rong closed her eyes, responded, and was escorted to the carriage by Pei Wenxuan.

The two returned to the mansion together, and Pei Wenxuan asked Li Rong to rest for a while. Li Rong lay on the bed and watched Pei Wenxuan lower the bed curtains. When darkness completely covered the entire bed, she suddenly felt a little scared. She grabbed Pei Wenxuan and called out, "Wenxuan."

Pei Wenxuan paused. He saw the hand holding his. He hesitated for a moment, then hung the bed curtain again and coaxed her softly, "You lie down first. I'll go tell them and I'll be back soon."

Hearing Pei Wenxuan say this, Li Rong felt a little embarrassed for a moment.

She didn't know how she became like this. She pretended to be calm and said calmly, "I'm fine. You can do whatever you need to do. I'll just call you."

Pei Wenxuan smiled and said nothing more. He went out, told people to do what they needed to do, and then came back.

As soon as he entered the room, he saw that the bed curtains had been drawn. He was afraid that Li Rong had already fallen asleep, so he tiptoed into the room, took off his coat, and lifted the bed curtains.

As soon as he lifted the bed curtains, he found Li Rong sitting inside. She was leaning against the wall, with her knees bent, hugging herself like a child.

This appearance made Pei Wenxuan's heart stab slightly, but he did not show any abnormality. He lifted the bed curtains and climbed onto the bed, imitating Li Rong's way of leaning against the wall and sitting with his knees bent. He was a distance away from Li Rong, wanting to warm up the cold air brought back from going out before getting closer to her. Li Rong turned her head and looked at him, a little surprised: "Why are you so far away from me?"

Without waiting for Pei Wenxuan to explain, she moved over and leaned against him.

Pei Wenxuan tucked the quilt in for her, wrapped her up to her neck, and asked considerately, "Are you cold?"

Li Rong leaned on his shoulder and said in disgust: "It's so hot."

"Then you still rely on me?" Pei Wenxuan laughed. Li Rong was too lazy to pay attention to him. She smelled the incense on his body and said calmly, "I'm leaving soon. One more day of relying on me is one day of relying on me. In the future, I won't have anyone to rely on. Why don't you give me this little time?"

Pei Wenxuan listened to her words, pursed his lips and smiled secretly, and said: "Your Highness, you are leaving and not coming back. You don't want me anymore?"

"I told you, let's separate."

Li Rong closed her eyes and said bluntly. Pei Wenxuan thought for a moment: "I still don't understand, what did I do wrong that you want to break up with me?"

"Nothing is wrong. It's all my fault."

"You make me even more panicked."

Pei Wenxuan raised his hand and placed it on her shoulder: "I must have made a big mistake. I can't even be forgiven."

Li Rong didn't say anything. She knew Pei Wenxuan was teasing her. She leaned against him. After a long while, she whispered, "Pei Wenxuan, we are completely different people."

"Yes," Pei Wenxuan answered decisively, "I knew it the moment I saw you in my last life."

"I don't know how to treat you well. You always mess things up. I beat you, scolded you, and bullied you in my last life. I still beat you, scold you, and bully you in this life. I wanted to treat you better, so I gave you an official position, but you were so angry that you fainted in the court. This morning, I wanted to take the initiative, but you were so angry that you almost cried."

Li Rong said it seriously, and Pei Wenxuan didn't know why, but he wanted to laugh: "Li Rong, are you really reflecting on yourself?"

Li Rong froze. Pei Wenxuan thought about it and felt that Li Rong was like a child. He coughed lightly and pulled her into his arms: "Okay, I know you are upset. I won't laugh at you anymore. Tell me if you are unhappy about anything."

"Pei Wenxuan," Li Rong said softly, "I'm not feeling well."

"Oh, I know."

Pei Wenxuan raised his hand and pointed at me, "You look down on others, you are arrogant, you like to hit people, you are always pretentious, you are too careless and always ignore my feelings, you say things that are particularly unpleasant, you always talk about rules with others but you are the one who doesn't follow the rules the most, even going to bed requires someone to serve you, it's harder than climbing to the sky to take the initiative..."

“Pei Wenxuan!”

Li Rong yelled angrily. Pei Wenxuan faced her and continued to point his ten fingers down: "You don't allow others to criticize you, but only allow others to praise you. You are lazy and don't know the difference between grains..."

"Get out!" Li Rong couldn't stand him anymore and pushed Pei Wenxuan to push him off the bed, but her strength was far from enough to push a grown man off the bed. Pei Wenxuan just smiled and watched her push him, criticizing her in every detail.

He talked about how she kicked someone in her sleep and how she and Su Rongqing teamed up to piss her off. Seeing that Li Rong was about to cry, he finally stopped, smiled and hugged her, coaxing her, "But so what? I just like you."

"Whoever wants you to like him, get lost."

"I won't leave. I'll stick to you," Pei Wenxuan said as he kissed her. "I'll stick to you for the rest of my life."

"Pei Wenxuan," Li Rong scolded him with red eyes, "You are so shameless."

"How can I have the face to be my daughter-in-law?"

Pei Wenxuan watched Li Rong cry, and he held her in his arms and patted her gently: "Okay, stop crying, you've been crying for so long today, don't make me cry. Your temper is not bad, it's too good. You always take everything on yourself, but people always have limits. Mistakes may not be made by one person, but they are not made by you alone either."

"You don't know how bad I am."

"Don't rush to say you're not good. Tell me what happened. You've been crying for a long time, but I'm still confused."

"Didn't you say you knew everything?" Li Rong sniffed, and Pei Wenxuan laughed, "Then I have to make sure that what Your Highness knows is the same as mine, right?"

"You really have hidden a lot from me."

Li Rong immediately grasped the point. Pei Wenxuan choked up and held his breath for a long time before he sighed, "Li Rong, you really put all your intelligence and energy on me."

Li Rong froze for a moment. Before she could apologize, Pei Wenxuan continued, "I am indeed the one you love the most."

Li Rong burst into laughter. Pei Wenxuan pulled her against the wall, covered her with a blanket, and gave her a cup of warm water to drink. He then brought her a hot pack to hold and came back to her side: "Come on, talk. Your husband is listening carefully."

Li Rong turned her head and glared at him. She paused for a moment, finally sorted out her thoughts, and told Pei Wenxuan what Su Rongqing had told him.

These words made her feel painful and disgusted when she heard them for the first time. Perhaps it was because she had recalled them too many times, or perhaps it was because Pei Wenxuan was there. When she talked to Pei Wenxuan about it, she didn't have such great ups and downs. She just felt a little depressed, a little sour, and a little aggrieved.

"I did so much for them in my previous life, but in the end I ended up like this. I feel a little sad. I feel so wronged and sad, but I can't find anyone to scold."

"You think Chuan'er is wrong?" Li Rong chuckled. "He is the emperor. What's wrong with killing a princess who dared to openly say in the court that she would ask the empress dowager to depose him and could depose his son at any time?"

"Do you think Su Rongqing was wrong?" Li Rong lowered her head and sighed, "His entire clan was killed by my brother. He was soft-hearted for not killing me for revenge. For the sake of protecting the Su bloodline, for revenge, and for power, he stood by and watched my sister and I kill each other. What's wrong with that?"

"As for Shangguan Ya," Li Rong pursed her lips and finally smiled bitterly, "The Shangguan family is in turmoil. As the empress chosen by the Shangguan family, how could it be wrong for her to watch me die for the sake of the Shangguan family and her own son? She had an affair with Su Ronghua, which was certainly against human ethics, but if Chuan'er really favored Qin Zhenzhen, how cruel it would be to let her live alone in the palace until the end of her life?"

"We are all human beings, I understand."

Li Rong looked up and said softly, "Why do you think I'm with Su Rongqing? It's because I can't stand being alone."

After Li Rong finished speaking, she couldn't help but glance at Pei Wenxuan: "I'm saying this..."

"I'm willing to listen." Pei Wenxuan laughed, "I lost you for more than 20 years. If possible, I want to make up for it. You don't have to worry, I'm willing to listen to you say this."

Li Rong smiled, and she always kept her distance from Pei Wenxuan.

"Actually, after being with you, I always feel that it's unfair. You were alone for so many years in your previous life, and you were able to endure loneliness and misery, but I can't. I'm with Su Rongqing because I'm afraid of being alone, eating alone, sleeping alone, and feeling that no one cares about me when I'm sick. It seems that no one likes me or cares about me."

"He cares about me, treats me well, and likes me, so I like him. I like him, so I force him."

"What are you forcing him to do?" Pei Wenxuan didn't understand. Li Rong didn't say anything. She looked at the bed curtains for a long time before she spoke hoarsely, "I can endure it for a year, five years, or ten years. But I will always remember the feeling you gave me."

"He has a disability and he is embarrassed, but every time I ask, he will help me. He always wears his clothes very neatly, and I can't feel that he is happy, but I still can't help it."

"I thought about keeping a lover, and I even almost brought someone back once, but I couldn't tolerate being casual with someone, so I sent him away in the end."

"So you know what," Li Rong lowered her head and smiled awkwardly, "I am more hateful than you think."

"When I heard about Shangguan Ya and Su Ronghua, I felt particularly disgusted, but I wasn't disgusted with them, I was disgusted with myself."

"I can't blame Shangguan Ya, Li Chuan, or even Su Rongqing. From yesterday until now, I have been thinking, if I could have done better, I shouldn't have separated from you so abruptly, I should have cared more about Chuan'er, I should have helped Shangguan Ya leave the palace, I should have let Su Rongqing die, or not let him take advantage of the emptiness of life, or I should not have been so cruel to him..."

"There are many things I can change. I don't want to be so mean and hateful," Li Rong turned to look at Pei Wenxuan, "Will my life be different now?"

Pei Wenxuan didn't say anything. She looked into his eyes quietly. Li Rong smiled and said, "Do you know why I want to break up with you?"

"The time I spent with you was actually stolen by me. The day you confessed your love to me, I asked you to wait for me. I thought I could change. I thought I could start over again, forget the past, as if I were still 18 years old, I wouldn't be obsessed with desire, I wouldn't have done so many wrong things, I wouldn't have to worry about the gains and losses of a relationship, I could learn how to treat you well, and learn to accept love calmly. But now I know that I can't learn it."

"I have tried hard, I have tried hard all my life. Maybe our relationship was not good in the last life, and I was not good to you. But I have been very good to them now."

It’s very good, but I still can’t get the friendship I deserve.

Maybe our positions are different, but I haven't received even the slightest hesitation or warmth.

"When you are with me, you have to endure my changes, my stupidity, my ignorance, and my pretentiousness. Why? Don't wait until the feelings are worn out and become unbearable. Break up early. In fact, I am a very good ally," Li Rong looked at Pei Wenxuan with a bit of pride in her eyes, "If you don't talk about feelings."

Pei Wenxuan didn't say anything. He just looked at Li Rong quietly. Li Rong raised her hand and pushed him: "What are you looking at? You can't speak anymore?"

"Nothing, just reminiscing about the past."

"Um?"

"When I first met His Highness, I was very nervous."

Pei Wenxuan leaned against the wall with a smile on his face: "I heard that Your Highness is arrogant and knows that she comes from a poor family. I think Your Highness must be very unwilling to marry me. I am afraid that she will suffer."

"You must be thinking of how to deal with me." Li Rong must have spoken. Pei Wenxuan was a stubborn person who would not suffer any loss. Since he thought she was being mean, he must have thought of a way.

"Yes, I was fully prepared, but when you moved the fan away, you quietly looked up at me, and I suddenly forgot everything. The whole night I only remembered how beautiful you were. Then you looked at me, blushed, drank the wedding wine with me in a proper manner, and then sat on the bed with me. I didn't dare to say anything, for fear that you would dislike me in your heart, but you sat with me for most of the day and whispered to me, "Are you not going to rest, my dear?"

Pei Wenxuan imitated Li Rong's voice. When Li Rong pushed him, Pei Wenxuan smiled even more: "I never thought that the princess would not despise my humble family identity. That night when you cried out in pain, I was so scared that I broke out in a cold sweat, thinking that you might punish me the next day. I knew by heart the book of rules and regulations that the palace gave me to learn as a consort. But the next morning, not only did you not beat me, you even got up and tied my crown for me. You don't know how to do that at all. You pretended to be virtuous and kind. I was so embarrassed that my face turned red after a long time of torturing me."

"It happened a long time ago," Li Rong said, a little embarrassed, "Why are you talking about this?"

"You accompanied me to the Pei family at that time. You were not arrogant at all. You even knelt down and offered tea to my elders. After we came back, you took good care of me. When I had a cough, you asked someone to prepare pear juice for me. When I had a sore throat, you asked someone to make mung bean soup. I often drank alcohol. Every time I came back, you took care of me personally. You knew that I had a bad stomach, so you specially asked someone to prepare medicinal herbs. I vomited and made a fuss, but you also tolerated me."

"At that time, everyone looked down on me. Even though I was the top student in the academy for three years and I was nothing in the court, you didn't think so. You always praised me for doing well. You were the first person to praise me as better than Su Rongqing. You were also the first person who didn't say "what a pity" when talking about me. You were also the first person who didn't mention my father when talking about me. Li Rong," Pei Wenxuan turned his head and looked at Li Rong, "it was actually you who helped me walk out of the poor family and the shadow of my father. Don't think that I'm good. In fact, I was also extreme, inferior, and cowardly."

Pei Wenxuan said as he took Li Rong in his arms and let her lean on his shoulder.

"Later, you and I separated. I have seen a lot of things in the court. You are the cleanest person I have ever seen in the court."

"You're talking nonsense." Li Rong laughed, "Am I still clean?"

"Your Highness, you think you are disgusting because you set too high standards for yourself. You are a human being, not a saint. It doesn't matter if you have some desires. It is not easy for you to always keep your bottom line and the tenderness deep in your heart."

"You punish corrupt officials, you speak out against injustice, you hate intrigue, and even when you support the aristocratic families, it is not to protect your own interests, but because you think a stable government is better for the people."

"The court knows about Su's case. Su Ronghua did not collude with Prince Su, but no one dares to speak out. Only you dare to confront His Majesty. Even if you are punished, you must protect the elderly and children."

"When you are reincarnated again, in the court, Concubine Ning commits suicide in the hall, and everyone avoids her, you will also put clothes on her."

"You say you care about power, but you always treat the prince as your brother, Shangguan Ya as your friend, and you trust Su Rongqing. You are loyal to your king and righteous to your friends. You have always been practicing your gentlemanly ways in this deep palace. Look, in the past 30 years, who else has done this in this dye vat except you?"

"Aren't you still here?"

Li Rong thought for a moment and said, "This is what we should do."

"Your Highness," Pei Wenxuan shook his head, "I almost took the wrong path countless times. But when I faced those temptations, I would think of Your Highness. Every time I would think of how you would look at me, Your Highness is like a mirror for me, correcting my clothes. What I do is much easier than Your Highness. I follow Your Highness, but Your Highness is walking forward alone. My persistence is because I am bound by Your Highness, but Your Highness' persistence is Your Highness's original intention."

"After being reborn, it was His Highness who enlightened me, allowing me to walk out of the prejudice of my previous life and enjoy the joy of rebirth. It was His Highness who taught me how to deal with the conflict between my mother and me, allowing me to walk out of my young and humble heart. It was His Highness who always helped me and saved me. Without His Highness, there would be no Pei Wenxuan today."

"What are you saying?" Li Rong turned to look at him, "Are you going to learn from the White Snake and repay her kindness by giving herself to her husband?"

"I say this only to tell Your Highness that you and I are husband and wife."

"So what?"

"Your Highness, husband and wife are always troublesome to each other. As the saying goes, we should stick together through thick and thin, and never leave each other. I am insignificant, but Your Highness has never left me. Today, Your Highness is in trouble. How can I let Your Highness leave alone?"

Li Rong didn't say anything. Pei Wenxuan reached out and hugged Li Rong: "Rongrong, everything now is just a hurdle for you. It will be fine once you get over it."

"I am your husband, and I will go with you."

"But I'm afraid I can't get through." Li Rong's voice was hoarse, and Pei Wenxuan laughed: "It's good enough that you can't get through now."

"Humans are like fish in water. If they are born in a muddy pond, their mouths will be full of mud. If they are born in clear water, their bodies will be clear and bright. Your Highness, having desires, sinking into despair, and being shaken by darkness are not big mistakes. They are just flaws that all mortals have."

"You are an ordinary person. You can love and hate like ordinary people. You don't have to be particularly outstanding to deserve love."

"You're not wrong."

As Pei Wenxuan spoke, Li Rong didn't know what was wrong, she felt that she couldn't stop crying. Pei Wenxuan said softly: "You are right to trust Shangguan Ya, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, and Su Rongqing. If anyone lets you down, it is their fault."

"Besides, Your Highness, they are actually not as bad as you think. If you think about it carefully, you will find that this world is much kinder than you think."

"Really?"

"Really?" Pei Wenxuan hugged her tightly. "I'm here. Go and have a look. If the world gets stormy, come back."

Li Rong didn't say anything. She listened to the sound of the wind outside and leaned quietly against Pei Wenxuan.

They retained a unique tenderness in the darkness provided by the bed curtains.

At this time, Fulai came out of the palace and had someone enter the prince's mansion. He bowed respectfully to Li Chuan, who was kneeling in front of the sword, and said calmly: "Your Highness, His Majesty invites you."

Li Chuan turned his head indifferently and his eyes fell on Fulai. He was silent for a long time and finally stood up.

Su Rongqing was lying on the bed and slowly opened his eyes.

As soon as he closed his eyes, he heard a familiar voice from the side: "Awake?"

Su Rongqing turned around and saw Su Ronghua sitting in his seat. He put aside his usual playfulness and his eyes were serious with a hint of inquiry.

"Brother."

Su Rongqing spoke dryly, Su Ronghua stood up, poured a glass of water, brought it to Su Rongqing, and handed it to him.

"Have a glass of water." Su Ronghua said calmly, "After you finish drinking, I have a few questions for you."