Pei Wenxuan heard Li Rong's words and saw that Li Rong looked strange. He looked Li Rong up and down and couldn't help asking, "What's wrong with you? Were you bullied in the palace?"

"What are you thinking about?" Li Rong tapped Pei Wenxuan on the head with a fan, turned around and said, "Let's go."

The carriage was outside the palace gate. Pei Wenxuan chased after Li Rong and held an umbrella over her head. He said rather unhappily, "Why are you hitting my head when you want to talk?"

"I'm glad to."

Li Rong glanced at him, Pei Wenxuan was quite helpless: "I noticed that you were fine with other people, why do you use your hands, feet and mouth when you see me, Your Highness, you have to change this habit of yours."

"If you have any problems, look for them in yourself," Li Rong listened to Pei Wenxuan's complaints. She didn't know why she felt her emotions faded away. She only thought about how to get angry with the person in front of her. So she got on the carriage while teaching Pei Wenxuan, "Think more about why I don't bother others but you."

"Alas, I know this problem very well," Pei Wenxuan sighed. The two of them got into the carriage. Pei Wenxuan put away the umbrella. Li Rong poured herself some tea. Pei Wenxuan said helplessly, "You can only blame me for being too popular. It's hard for His Highness to keep his heart."

Hearing this, Li Rong was about to spit out a mouthful of tea, but she forced herself to stop herself in time, and the spit returned to her trachea, causing her to cough rapidly.

Pei Wenxuan saw her coughing rapidly, so he stopped playing around, hurried over, patted her on the back and said, "Don't drink tea when you talk next time."

Li Rong raised her eyes and glared at him. Her beautiful eyes were a little watery due to coughing. She suddenly lost her usual aura, as if she was filled with a pool of autumn water. She looked at him with anger and resentment. Pei Wenxuan didn't know why, but suddenly a shock spread from his heart all the way to his fingertips. After touching the warm and soft skin under his hands, it turned back. The back and forth movement made half of his bones numb and shook his mind.

Li Rong recovered her breath and saw Pei Wenxuan staring at her blankly for some reason. She couldn't help but poke Pei Wenxuan with her fan and asked curiously, "What are you looking at?"

Pei Wenxuan came back to his senses instantly, stood up calmly, and sat down to the side, a little further away from Li Rong. He smiled and said, "Nothing, I just suddenly remembered something. Oh," Pei Wenxuan changed the subject, "What were you standing at the palace gate in a daze just now?"

When Li Rong heard Pei Wenxuan's question, she smiled and said, "Today, I asked my mother about the palace banquet. She said that it was Concubine Rou and His Majesty who brought it up. I guess Concubine Rou wants to ask for an imperial decree to grant her marriage at the palace banquet."

"How can such a small thing make you so worried?" Pei Wenxuan looked her up and down in disbelief. "That's not like you."

Li Rong was too lazy to pay attention to him, so she took out the chess box from the side and said, "I'm bored, so let's play a game."

Pei Wenxuan gladly accepted Li Rong's invitation, sat down opposite her, took the chess pieces, drew black and white with her, and started to play.

The black and white chess pieces intertwined. Li Rong looked at the chessboard and her emotions gradually calmed down. Both the joy and the sorrow seemed to have become much more distant. Only then did Li Rong ask, "To be honest, I have always been very confused."

"Um?"

"In the previous life, why did Chuan'er become like that?"

Li Rong spoke slowly: "He became the emperor, unified the north, and eliminated the aristocratic families. He had everything he wanted." Li Rong looked up at Pei Wenxuan, "Why is he still living in such pain?"

Pei Wenxuan said nothing. Li Rong frowned. "Is it because Qin Zhenzhen died? Can you remember a lovely person for so long?"

"Your Highness, do you know why His Majesty is determined to unify the North?"

Pei Wenxuan looked at the chessboard and asked only this question. Li Rong pondered, "Is it because the northern border has been in turmoil for many years and the people are suffering?"

"That's certainly the reason," Pei Wenxuan laughed. He glanced at Li Rong and asked, "But what else?"

Li Rong shook her head: "He didn't tell me."

"One year, I was drinking with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, and he mentioned to me that in the eighth year of Xuanzhi, the Northern Territory and Daxia were at war, and the noble families chose to negotiate for peace, so Princess Yunyan married into the Northern Territory. Daxia gave 20 million silver, 500 beauties, and also gave away cattle, sheep, horses, silks and satins. A year later, Princess Yunyan died in the Northern Territory. His Majesty announced to the outside world that she died of illness, but everyone in the palace knew that Princess Yunyan died in the harem of Rongguo."

"Your Highness told me that you were so scared that night that you couldn't sleep. You kept asking the Queen if one day you would end up like Princess Yunyan, going to the north with your relatives and never coming back."

Li Rong's eyelashes trembled slightly, and her voice was flat: "I forgot."

"Your Highness, remember, from that moment on, His Highness told himself that one day, he would march north and defeat the barbarians in the north, forcing them to surrender and never dare to attack again."

"I didn't know that," Li Rong chuckled, "it turns out that he had the idea of ​​launching a northern expedition so early."

"So, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is different from you," Pei Wenxuan surrounded Li Rong's chess piece on the chessboard, raised his hand and said slowly, "Everything he wants to have and do in the court mostly stems from certain feelings in his heart. He wants to march north to protect his subjects and his family. He fights against the aristocratic families to ensure that what he wants to achieve can be achieved. But in the end, his goal in the court seems to have been achieved, but he has also lost what he originally wanted forever. Why is he happy?"

"Lost Qin Zhenzhen?" Li Rong laughed sarcastically.

"He has lost you, his mother, his wife, and himself. Even if he owns all the mountains and rivers, it is meaningless to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

"He can't find where he came from, and he has no way back. If you don't understand this, you will never understand His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

Li Rong said nothing. She looked at Pei Wenxuan quietly: "What do you mean by losing me?"

Pei Wenxuan raised his eyes and looked at Li Rong.

"Your Highness," he said with a helpless smile, "Time has changed more than just Your Highness the Crown Prince."

Li Rong was stunned. Pei Wenxuan lowered his eyes and said calmly, "There are also you and me."

Li Rong did not speak. Her face was calm. Pei Wenxuan's words did not seem to have any effect on her. She made her move calmly and then reached out to take the tea. However, the moment she touched the teacup, she found that her hand was shaking slightly unconsciously.

Pei Wenxuan pretended not to see it and looked at the chessboard with a calm expression.

He looked at the chess game for a while, then raised his hand and gently pulled his wide sleeves, dropping the chess piece onto the board.

"Those who leave me should not be kept. What is past is past."

"Your Highness," Pei Wenxuan looked up at her with a smile in his eyes, "It doesn't matter if you lose this round, let's start a new round?"

Li Rong didn't say anything. After a long time, she smiled, raised her hand and placed the chess piece on the board.

In an instant, Pei Wenxuan lost most of his territory.

Li Rong looked at the chessboard, raised her hand to pick up the chess piece, and smiled at Pei Wenxuan as she lifted it, saying, "You are the one who lost, not me."

Pei Wenxuan stared at the chessboard in a daze, and then reacted: "Were you deliberately teasing me just now?"

Li Rong saw Pei Wenxuan's shocked expression and burst into laughter. She said happily, "A soldier never tires of deceiving others. How could I win if I didn't talk to you today?"

"It is true that only women and villains are difficult to raise." Pei Wenxuan clasped his hands in his sleeves and shook his head, saying, "I have learned my lesson today. From now on, I cannot talk to you when we play chess."

"No," Li Rong said with a smile, "Talk to me more. I like it."

Pei Wenxuan showed a look of disgust and sat aside, not wanting to pay any attention to Li Rong.

Li Rong and he chatted with each other until they reached the princess's residence. After getting off the carriage, Li Rong went back to her room first and went to bed. Pei Wenxuan was busy for a while before going back to his room. When he reached the door, he saw Jingmei and Jinglan standing at the door. He waved to Jingmei, who came forward with some doubts. Pei Wenxuan whispered, "Did His Highness have a conflict with the prince in the palace today?"

"That's not the case," Jingmei shook her head and said honestly, "We just talked for a while. It seemed that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince didn't want to marry a concubine. After that, His Royal Highness was not very happy. You should comfort her."

As she spoke, Jingmei squeezed her eyes and said, "Your Highness will be much happier if you talk to your husband."

Pei Wenxuan smiled and said nothing more, "Don't tell Your Highness that I asked you this."

"I understand that the Prince Consort is secretly concerned about me."

Pei Wenxuan felt a little embarrassed after Jingmei said that. He coughed lightly and waved his hand, saying, "Stop messing around and go down."

Jingmei pursed her lips and smiled softly as she returned to her original position. Pei Wenxuan pushed the door open and walked in. Li Rong had already gone to bed. He washed up in the dark and returned to bed.

He lay on the bed for a while, and Li Rong asked vaguely, "You're sleeping now?"

Pei Wenxuan responded softly in the night. Li Rong was sleeping in another bed with her back to him. Her back was very thin and she looked very small.

In fact, as soon as Jingmei said that, Pei Wenxuan almost guessed what Li Rong had talked about with Li Chuan. He knew how important Li Chuan was in Li Rong's heart, and he also knew Li Rong's temper. After today's conversation, Li Rong must be unhappy thinking about Li Chuan's past life.

He intuitively felt that he should persuade Li Rong, but he didn't know what to persuade. Li Rong liked to hide her sadness by herself and not let others know. If you say it too obviously, she will be embarrassed and afraid that it will have the opposite effect.

But if he didn't say a word...

He also felt that Li Rong in this life was no different from the previous life. Whether he was there or not, Li Rong would go through all the bitterness and pain alone.

When he thought about it this way, he felt that he was not kind.

Although Li Rong was a little arrogant, she was actually a kind-hearted person and treated him well. He accepted Li Rong's kindness, so he could take better care of her.

So he thought for a moment, and finally said awkwardly: "Your Highness."

"Um?"

"Are you happy that I'm here to pick you up today?"

After hearing this, Li Rong slowly opened her eyes in the night.

She wanted to say something bad about him, but suddenly she remembered the warmth he had given her when he stood behind her during the storm. She couldn't speak for a moment, so she just said in a low voice, "Not bad."

Pei Wenxuan laughed, and he pushed himself up and said happily: "Then I will pick you up every time you go out in the future. This way, when you come back, you will have someone to accompany you, and you won't feel bored."

Li Rong listened to Pei Wenxuan's words, she turned over and looked at Pei Wenxuan seriously.

"Pei Wenxuan," she stared at him, "tell me the truth."

"Um?"

"Are you asking for money again?"

Pei Wenxuan looked at Li Rong's serious eyes and was speechless for a moment. He felt that his kindness had been taken for granted. He simply turned over, pulled the quilt, and said in a muffled voice: "The dog bit Lu Dongbin."

Li Rong was delighted to hear this. She lay flat on the bed, and after a while, she kicked Pei Wenxuan: "From now on, before we go our separate ways, come pick me up every day. Do you hear me?"

"No."

Pei Wenxuan closed his eyes: "Go to sleep, dreams can hold anything."

Li Rong knew he was speaking sarcastically, so she ignored him and went to sleep with a smile on her face.

When she was lying in bed, she didn't know why, but she felt much happier. She felt that no matter how many bad things she had done in her life, they could be changed.

Even Pei Wenxuan, that bastard, could talk to her so nicely, so what else can't be changed?

Li Rong closed her eyes and fell asleep with a smile on her face.

The two stayed at home for a few days. Pei Wenxuan drank tea, played chess with her, and went for a walk. Then the honeymoon ended.

When Pei Wenxuan began to attend court, Li Rong would go to various teahouses to listen to scholars' conversations during his time in court, to see if she could meet a few useful people, or to visit other aunts who lived outside to keep in touch with them.

In a blink of an eye, it was the seventh day of the seventh month. The empress held a banquet in the palace and invited all the young men and women of the court officials to celebrate the Qixi Festival together. Li Rong had been waiting for this day for a long time. She prepared early and led Pei Wenxuan into the palace in advance. After arriving at the palace, Li Rong sorted out the people in the palace in her mind, and then looked up at Pei Wenxuan: "I gave you so much money, it should be of some use, right?"

Pei Wenxuan was helpless and pointed out two names to her: "These two are the people who served today. If there is anything, you can find them."

Li Rong nodded, and then asked, "Did you find out what was special about today's palace banquet?"

"Everything else is normal, but I heard something." Pei Wenxuan leaned against the table, looking at the memorial in his hand, and said slowly, "This time, the palace banquet prepared many identical incense burners and also brought in a lot of spices."

"Um?"

After hearing this, Li Rong thought for a moment and said, "Are they planning to make perfume at the banquet?"

"If you want to ask for an imperial decree to grant a marriage, you naturally need some reasons."

Pei Wenxuan said directly: "I heard that Concubine Rou wanted to recommend a girl who is very good at making perfume."

Li Rong realized it, and she laughed: "It looks like tonight will be very interesting."

Pei Wenxuan responded without saying much. Li Rong leaned over and looked at the memorial he was reading and found that they were all impeachments.

In his previous life, Pei Wenxuan was born in the Yushitai, and this was his specialty. Li Rong propped up her chin and said, "You are very busy."

"A new official has three fires to start with," Pei Wenxuan laughed, "Your Majesty wants to use me as a knife, so I have to help him see some blood. If I don't work hard, how can I get promoted? Move over a little," Pei Wenxuan raised his hand to open the curtain a little, and looked at Li Rong with disdain, "You blocked my view."

Li Rong shrugged, she moved her seat, took a book, and after reading for a while, she felt bored again. When she thought of the banquet in the palace, she couldn't calm down, and turned to Pei Wenxuan and said, "By the way, don't you have any other mood?"

"What's your mood?" Pei Wenxuan looked at the document without any emotion. Li Rong poked him with her fan: "You're going to see your sister Zhenzhen today."

Pei Wenxuan froze, raised his head and frowned: "Are you bored?"

Seeing that he was really angry, Li Rong quickly stood up, coughed lightly and said, "Just a casual chat. Today is the Qixi Festival, don't read the official documents for now." Li Rong took the memorial from his hand and looked at him and said, "Let's talk about something personal. Qin Zhenzhen is going to see Chuan'er today. Aren't you worried?"

"What do I need to worry about?"

"What if they fall in love?"

"Isn't that what you're worried about?" Pei Wenxuan glanced at her coldly and went to get his memorial. Li Rong saw that he didn't want to pay any attention to her at all, so she propped up her chin and said, "I'm thinking about you. If you don't take the initiative and cultivate your relationship with Qin Zhenzhen, what if she wants to get married after we get divorced?"

"What does it have to do with me?"

Pei Wenxuan spoke directly, and then he did not wait for Li Rong to speak, and immediately said: "Instead of worrying about this, you should pay more attention to Su Rongqing who will also come tonight, how can you talk to him more."

Li Rong was choked by him. Pei Wenxuan saw that she was silent, raised his eyebrows and smiled: "But it's not good for you to say more directly now. Don't worry, I will help you hint to him tonight."

"What...are you hinting at?" Li Rong was a little scared. Pei Wenxuan saw that she was scared, pursed his lips and smiled, then lowered his head to look at the memorial and stopped talking.

Li Rong was quiet for a while, but couldn't help poking Pei Wenxuan with her fan: "What are you trying to imply?"

"I hinted to him that we were a fake couple and would divorce in the future. This way, he would not care about me when you come in contact with him in the future."

Pei Wenxuan lowered his head and looked at the memorial. He didn't know why, but he felt a little suffocated when he said this.

But he controlled his emotions. He thought that he had disliked Su Rongqing for a long time and it had become a habit. If he wanted to help Li Rong, he had to adjust his mentality.

Li Rong heard Pei Wenxuan was so organized and executive, she coughed lightly: "Actually, I think Su Rongqing and I are not..."

Pei Wenxuan raised his eyes and looked over. Li Rong instantly remembered what Pei Wenxuan said that night.

She was afraid that Pei Wenxuan would scold her again, and vaguely, she also felt that perhaps following Pei Wenxuan's words and giving it another try might not be... a bad thing?

I don't know the true face of Lushan Mountain because I am in it. Pei Wenxuan is an outsider, maybe he sees it more clearly than she does.

Just like she sees Pei Wenxuan more clearly than Pei Wenxuan sees himself.

Although she felt a little strange in her heart, she still reluctantly accepted it and said, "Then I will talk to Qin Zhenzhen about it."

"No need." Pei Wenxuan said immediately, "It's not time yet."

"Indeed," Li Rong nodded, "I also think it's a little early. So you don't need to say too much to Su Rongqing."

"Just mention it casually."

The two spoke in unison, reaching some kind of tacit understanding.

The two chatted all the way to the palace. When they arrived, there were already many people there. When Pei Wenxuan saw his colleagues, he smiled and greeted them. Li Rong greeted him and went to the ladies' table.

The banquet's male guests were seated in the main hall, while the female guests were seated in the Yu Garden. When Li Rong went there, many ladies from aristocratic families had already arrived.

Shangguan Ya was born in a high-class family and was talking to the eldest daughter of the Su family and several princesses. Her voice was not loud and she spoke slowly, but because her voice was clear, Li Rong recognized Shangguan Ya's voice as soon as she entered the garden. She raised her eyes and looked over. Shangguan Ya heard the voice announcing her coming in, looked over, and just glanced at her lightly, then looked away as if she had never seen her before.

Then she stood up with everyone else and saluted Li Rong.

She was graceful, dignified and polite, exactly like the person in Li Rong's memory, but completely different from the girl in the casino.

Li Rong wanted to laugh for a moment, but she suppressed her smile, walked to Shangguan Ya, took her hand and said, "Sister Aya is here today too."

Shangguan Ya's body was a little stiff. She forced a smile and said, "Your Highness is here really early."

"It's not too late, sister Aya. Is this your first time entering the palace today?"

"I came here once when I was a child." Shangguan Ya gradually calmed down and relaxed a lot, and started to talk to Li Rong in a proper manner.

After the two talked for a while, most of the people arrived. Li Rong glanced and saw Qin Zhenzhen walking in with a few girls, chatting and laughing. Then she was led to sit behind Shangguan Ya.

There were too many female guests, so the seats were divided into several rows. Given Qin Zhenzhen's status, she naturally could not sit in the first row on the left or right, so she retreated to the first seat in the second row, right behind Shangguan Ya.

Li Rong guessed and glanced at Qin Zhenzhen, and saw that Qin Zhenzhen seemed to have never seen her before. She looked straight ahead and bowed respectfully, saying, "Hello, Your Highness."

Then she looked at Shangguan Ya and bowed politely: "Hello, Miss Shangguan."

Li Rong and Shangguan Ya returned the greeting, which was considered a greeting. Qin Zhenzhen sat down in her seat, looked at the other person, and stopped talking in a proper manner.

The announcement of the Queen's arrival came from outside. Li Rong did not stay any longer and stood up. She smiled and said to Shangguan Ya, "I will go back to my seat first. Sister Aya, please do as you please."

Shangguan Ya bowed and saw Li Rong off. Li Rong sat opposite Shangguan Ya, and then saw the Queen leading the other four concubines to the table. Everyone stood up and bowed. After the Queen took her seat, she asked everyone to stand up and take their seats.

"Today is Chinese Valentine's Day. You should have celebrated at home, but I thought it would be better for everyone to have some fun together, so I specially invited you all here," the queen said with a smile, "Please don't feel resentful."

"You are joking, mother," Li Rong replied from the seat below, "young ladies love to make noises. If you invite everyone here, everyone will be so happy."

After Li Rong said this, voices of agreement came one after another, and the scene became lively. Everyone started talking one after another.

The queen relaxed and announced the start of the banquet according to the procedure. In the main hall in front, Li Ming hosted and led Li Chuan to entertain the young officials.

After dinner, a group of young girls started playing. They took needles and thread and spent a long time threading. Then they started making wishes.

Li Rong was already married, and she had indeed lost interest in these things, so she just sat there and watched the group of girls having fun.

Concubine Rou drank some wine and seemed to be a little tipsy. She looked up at the empress and said, "Your Majesty, it's almost time. Why don't you ask someone to bring up the incense burner so that everyone can compare it?"

When Li Rong heard this, she looked up at Concubine Rou. The others were also a little confused, but the Queen seemed to have known it for a long time. She nodded and said, "Then let someone present it."

After hearing this, Concubine Rou immediately called everyone back to their seats, and then said, "In the past, everyone had to find some fun at the Qixi banquet. Now it is a palace banquet, and there are too many people. The usual drum-beating and poetry-telling activities may not be able to be held, so today, the Empress will change the poetry-telling activities to perfume-making activities. The unmarried girls present here will make perfume together, and then send it to the palace. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince will select the top two or three winners, and there will be a generous reward. How about it?"

Everyone was stunned when they heard this, and then different expressions appeared on their faces.

Anyone who is not a fool can understand what Concubine Rou means. The Queen summoned all the unmarried girls from noble families into the palace and asked them to make perfumes and the Crown Prince to choose them. Now the Crown Prince has not yet married, and Li Rong has just gotten married. What this means is obvious.

Some people looked delighted and eager to take action, while others looked confused and at a loss.

Most of the ladies from high-class families like Shangguan Yasu Rongwen looked calm, probably because they knew the news long ago. Or they were like Qin Zhenzhen, who seemed to be completely out of the matter, with a calm and composed look that said "this has nothing to do with me".

Li Rong looked at everyone's expressions, smiled playfully, and suddenly said, "Mother, I think this is inappropriate."

As soon as she opened her mouth, everyone looked over. Li Rong smiled and said, "We are all here to attend the banquet. Why can they make perfumes and get rewards, but I can't? I want to join in, too."

"Rong'er, what are you mixing?" The Queen frowned, signaling her not to make trouble.

When Li Rong saw the Queen's expression, she knew that this matter was probably decided by the Queen and Concubine Rou together.

Concubine Rou's purpose was very simple. She wanted to ask for a marriage for her niece, so she needed a reason. Letting Li Chuan choose her niece's perfume was the best excuse.

The Queen would agree because, in her eyes, she could control the situation and let Li Chuan choose Shangguan Ya's incense. Then the Shangguan family would simply take advantage of the situation and arrange a marriage between Shangguan Ya and the Prince.

They each had their own calculations, regarded the position of Crown Princess as a reward, and then made the same decision.

Li Rong didn't know whether Li Chuan knew, but she was sure that anyone present today could be chosen, but it definitely couldn't be Shangguan Ya, Concubine Rou's niece, or Qin Zhenzhen.

So Li Rong did not retreat, and smiled at the Queen: "One more for me is not too much, Mother, just agree to it, right?"