The moment this thought flashed through his mind, Pei Wenxuan was somewhat surprised.

Behind him was the sound of Li Rong's steady breathing. Pei Wenxuan froze, staring into the darkness, not daring to think further.

But his mind couldn't stop imagining, he couldn't help but fantasize about Su Rongqing and Li Rong together. Such a scene was not unfamiliar, it was something he had seen countless times in his memory.

But what is even more cruel in this fantasy than in the memory is that this life is different from the previous one.

In his previous life, he knew clearly that Su Rongqing would never be able to truly take Li Rong away in his lifetime. He was disabled and of low status. He and Li Rong were separated by a blood feud. The two of them were just snuggling together for warmth in the dark night. He could not truly own Li Rong. Li Rong was Pei Wenxuan's wife, and would always be.

But now it’s different.

Su Rongqing is now a noble son, born into a family of several hundred years. He can marry Li Rong in a grand sedan chair and have children with her. From that moment on, Li Rong will not have any relationship with him at all.

When this thought came to his mind, Pei Wenxuan had never felt so clearly the sharp pain running through his heart. This pain seemed to be a reminder and also a foreshadowing.

Let him understand that letting Li Rong and Su Rongqing be together is just a case of Ye Gong liking dragons too much for him.

In fact, he coveted everything about Li Rong. It was like this in his previous life, and he has not really gotten rid of it in this life.

In his previous life, he knew that he could not get Li Rong, so he kept telling himself that he didn't care. He struggled hard in the lies and occasional lucidity. It was not until he looked back in this life that he dared to say that his biggest regret was Li Rong.

And now he seemed to be looking back on the path of his previous life. He knew clearly that he could not get Li Rong.

How could someone like Li Rong turn back so easily? Her love for him back then was just a superficial taste, let alone him now?

He had hurt Li Rong and hurt her trust. He was not a perfect person. He was stingy, indecisive, emotional, and deep-minded. There were a lot of messes at home. He was not comparable to Su Rongqing. Others might say he was the eldest son of Pei, but Li Rong saw through him and knew what a common bastard he was underneath his skin.

He knew that he could not make Li Rong turn back if he was like this, so he pretended that he had never turned back. But in fact, Li Rong was like strong liquor and opium to him. Once he got addicted, it was an addiction that he could never quit.

No matter how many times it happens, as long as the two of them meet, he will fall into it.

Pei Wenxuan realized this, closed his eyes, and felt a little painful.

He didn't want to think about it any further.

He closed his eyes, perhaps because he was too tired from the day, and finally fell asleep. However, in his dreams all night, he vaguely remembered scenes from his past life, and recalled the day when he married Li Rong. He saw Li Rong put down the round fan in her hand, then raised her eyes, smiled at him, and called out, "Rong Qing."

He woke up from his dream, gasping for breath in the dark. Someone outside whispered to remind him that it was time to go to court. Pei Wenxuan paused for a moment before responding. He was about to get up and go to the next room to wash up so as not to disturb Li Rong, when he saw Li Rong sitting up, rubbing his eyes and saying, "Are you going to the morning court?"

"yes."

As Pei Wenxuan spoke, she suddenly remembered that since Li Rong had established the Supervisory Office and held an official position, she also had to attend the morning court.

Li Rong struggled to get up on the first day of court, and she looked extremely painful. This made Pei Wenxuan laugh. He reached out to help her, called someone in, helped her get out of bed, and said with a smile: "You have to go to court today, and you didn't go to bed early yesterday. You suffered a lot, didn't you?"

"Pei Wenxuan," Li Rong closed his eyes, trying to sleep a little longer, and asked vaguely, "How do you get up every day?"

Pei Wenxuan was amused by her question, but did not answer. The maid came in and helped Li Rong put on her clothes.

The two changed their clothes, and Li Rong yawned as they went out together. It was still dark, and Li Rong got on the carriage and said to Pei Wenxuan, "Call me when we get there. I need to sleep a little longer."

Pei Wenxuan responded. He saw Li Rong sleeping with her head propped up against the side of the carriage. He stared at her quietly for a while, feeling mixed emotions.

He didn't know whether he should get closer to Li Rong or stay away from her. He just watched Li Rong, who was completely unaware of everything and was still dozing off with her head down, just like usual.

Pei Wenxuan watched for a long time, and finally held Li Rong just before she fell. Li Rong looked up blankly. Pei Wenxuan sat down beside her, raised his hand and pressed her on his shoulder, and whispered, "Lean on me."

Li Rong responded without noticing anything different and leaned on Pei Wenxuan's shoulder.

When they arrived at the palace, the sky was getting a little brighter. The two got off the carriage and walked into the palace together.

The cool breeze in the early morning made Li Rong feel much clearer. She turned to look at Pei Wenxuan, who had been silent the whole time, and said, "You are acting strangely today."

Pei Wenxuan held the tablet in his hand, his expression calm, and he said without any pain or itching, "Oh?"

"What were you thinking about today? You came to lean on me only when I was about to fall? You're not like this usually."

"Hmm?" Pei Wenxuan pretended to be calm, "I didn't notice it either. Maybe I didn't get enough rest, so I didn't expect it."

"That's right," Li Rong nodded, then she remembered something and smiled, "I haven't felt the feeling of not getting enough sleep for a long time, and now I finally feel it, and it's too uncomfortable. In the future, you should be moderate in your busyness and don't overwork yourself."

Pei Wenxuan responded and said calmly, "Thank you, Your Highness."

Seeing that Pei Wenxuan was in a bad mood, Li Rong looked at him suspiciously, unable to understand what he was thinking.

Fortunately, the two of them soon arrived at the entrance of the hall. Li Rong and he stood separately. Li Rong had a higher status, so she stood in the front row. Pei Wenxuan stood in the back row of the team. The two were far apart, so they didn't have much to say.

Li Rong stood in the crowd, and everyone was peeking in. The imperial edict for the establishment of the Supervisory Department had already come down yesterday, and then all the ministries were notified one by one. The people who were doing the work were all the emperor's close confidants, which showed that the emperor attached great importance to this matter.

Now that Li Rong had really come to attend the court session, everyone became curious and puzzled, and secretly glanced at Li Rong to see how she planned to attend the court session.

Everyone looked at Li Rong secretly. Li Rong knew in her heart that she had no shyness of a young girl at all. She was calm and composed. She closed her eyes and stood there to catch up.

After a while, Li Ming arrived and began to announce the start of the court session. All officials entered the hall in a stream. Li Rong and Shangguan Xu entered side by side, one in a row. After entering the hall, she did not feel awkward at all. She kowtowed with everyone else and stood up. Li Ming saw her standing in the middle of the hall and couldn't help laughing: "Why is Pingle standing with Lord Shangguan? Come, come to my side."

Li Rong heard this and said with a smile, "Yes."

As she spoke, she went up to the platform and stood on the step below Li Ming's left hand.

This was her place.

Once they stood at this position, everyone felt more confident that Li Ming had made up his mind to set up the Supervisory Department.

Li Ming arranged Li Rong's position, turned around and said with a smile: "My dear ministers, do you have anything to say today?"

After Li Ming finished asking, Su Rongqing and Pei Wenxuan stood up at the same time and said loudly: "Your Majesty, I have something to report!"

The two of them came out together, which made Li Ming stunned. After hesitating for a moment, Li Ming pointed at Su Rongqing and said, "Minister Su, please speak first."

"Your Majesty, I would like to investigate the Supervisory Clerk Pei Wenxuan. Yesterday, Pei broke into the Ministry of Justice without authorization, injured the Secretary Chen, and stole the files. Your Majesty, please severely punish such a wicked person!"

After Su Rongqing finished speaking, everyone's eyes fell on Pei Wenxuan. Li Ming laughed and looked at Pei Wenxuan: "Pei Wenxuan, what do you want to report?"

"Reporting to your majesty," Pei Wenxuan said in a steady voice, "I would like to report Chen Ping, the secretary of the Ministry of Justice, for disobeying the imperial order and deliberately making things difficult for His Majesty Pingle in handling the case, and even intending to murder His Majesty. Your Majesty, please investigate it strictly. At the same time, Su Rongqing is Chen Ping's direct superior, and he did not discipline him strictly, so he should be punished with the same crime."

"I understand," Li Ming nodded after listening to what the two said, "This matter is not Master Pei's fault, Pingle," Li Ming turned to look at Li Rong, "Explain it to me."

"Father," Li Rong said respectfully, "Yesterday I received your order to go to the Ministry of Justice to present the Qin case file. According to your order, the Ministry of Justice should fully cooperate with me, but the Ministry of Justice was in a dilemma. In a hurry, I had a conflict with Lord Chen. Lord Chen was furious and attacked, but was detained by my guards. Lord Su happened to arrive and thought it was the prince consort who did it."

"So," Li Ming nodded, and turned to look at Su Rongqing, "Sir Su, is what His Highness said the truth?"

"Your Majesty, there is a misunderstanding here," Su Rongqing said slowly, "The imperial edict just came down yesterday, and Lord Chen had not yet been notified by the superiors in the Ministry of Justice. The files are confidential. Although Your Highness took the imperial edict, he did not get permission from his superiors, so Lord Chen did not dare to let him go at will. It was not intentional. And when Lord Chen said he would take action, Your Highness misunderstood. Lord Chen's voice was a little loud, and I am afraid that he frightened Your Highness. All of these humble officials know that I feel deeply guilty for disturbing Your Highness yesterday. So what I am reporting is not about Your Highness, but Lord Pei."

As he said that, Su Rongqing turned around and looked at Pei Wenxuan: "The princess is the director of the Supervisory Department. It is reasonable for her to go to the Ministry of Justice to retrieve the files. Lord Pei is a man from the History Bureau. Who gave Lord Pei the power to break into the Ministry of Justice so arbitrarily? If Lord Pei does not punish him today, who can come to my Ministry of Justice so presumptuously? How can my Ministry of Justice govern people and handle cases in the future?!"

After Su Rongqing's questioning, Li Ming also felt a little embarrassed.

Pei Wenxuan looked up at Li Rong, and Li Rong shook her head gently at him.

It is not impossible to force the argument with Su Rongqing at this moment, but what Su Rongqing said is right. After all, the Ministry of Justice is the seat of justice for a country. They will be at fault in the end if they force their way in. If the argument continues, Li Ming will still have to give the Ministry of Justice some face in the end.

In any case, they have already got the files, which will at least give the Ministry of Justice a chance to step up.

Pei Wenxuan understood Li Rong's intention and sighed. He knelt down and kowtowed to Li Ming, saying, "Your Majesty, I went to the Ministry of Justice yesterday because I was worried about the princess. Although I am a minister, I am also the princess's husband. I was in a hurry and forgot my identity. Although it was reasonable, it was against the law. I hope Your Majesty and the officials in the Ministry of Justice will forgive me."

Pei Wenxuan gave in. Li Ming waved his hand and nodded, saying, "Okay, the matter is clear now. I asked the Supervisory Department to handle the matter, and Chen Ping held back. Not only did he hold back, he also hurt Pingle. It was wrong for Pingle and Pei Wenxuan to force their way into the Ministry of Justice, and it was also wrong for the Ministry of Justice to ignore their words. I will give them both fifty lashes, and Lord Chen will deduct three months' salary, and Pingle and Pei Wenxuan will also have their salaries deducted for three months. Is that ok?"

"Your Majesty, this..." Someone in the Ministry of Justice was about to speak, but Li Ming asked directly, "Why, the Ministry of Justice is still not satisfied?"

"Your Majesty is wise." Su Rongqing immediately spoke up and said respectfully, "I have no opinion."

After Su Rongqing spoke, it was difficult for others to say anything.

Li Ming nodded with satisfaction and said, "Okay, let's do this. Lord Pei, please get up. Do the other lords have anything else to say?"

Li Ming changed the subject, and everyone understood what was happening, stopped asking questions, and went their separate ways.

Li Rong secretly glanced at Pei Wenxuan's expressionless face, and seeing that he was still frowning, she couldn't help but think, for Pei Wenxuan now, is the three-month salary enough to make him feel heartbroken?

When the two were in court, just as the day broke, Shangguan Ya got dressed and went to the casino under the pretext of attending a discussion at a poetry society.

She got the news from Li Rong before she came back last night and knew that Li Rong had agreed to her request.

So she came to the casino early in the morning, and after searching all the way, she saw Su Ronghua beating the big and small at the gambling table.

She and Su Ronghua were not familiar with each other, but because they had met last time and Su Ronghua often came to gamble, they had some interactions. She came behind Su Ronghua and saw that Su Ronghua was gambling excitedly, so she patted Su Ronghua's shoulder gently and said, "Master Su."

"Hey, don't bother..."

Before Su Ronghua finished speaking, he realized who was standing behind him. He turned around with some surprise, looked Shangguan Ya up and down, and asked uncertainly: "Shangguan Xiao... Young Master?"

"Sir, do you have time to talk to me?"

Shangguan Ya smiled and spoke. Su Ronghua immediately laughed when she heard this: "If other people ask me, I don't have time, but if it's Master Shangguan..."

Su Ronghua looked her up and down, his expression full of teasing, which made Shangguan Ya frown. Then he bent down slightly, came in front of her, and smiled softly, "I'm always available."

"It seems that I didn't slap you enough last time," Shangguan Ya said slowly, turning around and saying, "Let's go."

Shangguan Ya led Su Ronghua up to the second floor, and the two entered a private room and sat on either side of the gambling table. Shangguan Ya asked someone to leave, and Su Ronghua put his fan on his belt, stood up and poured tea for Shangguan Ya, smiling and saying, "No one comes to visit you for no reason. Miss Shangguan, do you need me for anything?"

"I was just trying my luck, but I didn't expect to run into you."

Shangguan Ya crossed her arms over her chest, looked at Su Ronghua across from her, and sneered, "You're really out of character coming to the casino so early in the morning."

"Mutual," Su Ronghua put down the teapot and fanned himself. "Ms. Shangguan is a lady from a noble family, proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting, and the candidate for the Crown Princess of the Shangguan family. She spends her free time here. Compared with the eldest lady, I am just showing off my skills in front of Guan Gong. I am overestimating my own abilities. After all, I am just a seventh-rank official, not a special official of the Imperial Court. I don't have to attend the morning court. It's normal for me to stay here and gamble."

After a conversation, Shangguan Ya almost knew what was going on. She was too lazy to argue with him and said directly, "Let me discuss something with you. Her Highness the Princess wants to see your brother. Can you invite your brother out? Your Highness, please be the host and have a meal with him?"

Su Ronghua didn't say anything. He picked up the cup and took a sip of tea.

Shangguan Ya continued, "You will not miss out on the benefits. I know you have an appointment with the third son of the Xie family to have a cockfight next month. He has the best rooster in Huajing. You are looking for a big rooster that can beat him. I happen to have one. This rooster king came from Youzhou and has fought on the battlefield without a single defeat. How about I give it to you?"

When Su Ronghua heard this, she almost spit out her tea.

He was choked by the tea, and looked up, not knowing whether to laugh or cry: "Ms. Shangguan, you are right to exchange a chicken for my brother, right?"

"Of course this is a good thing," Shangguan Ya said calmly, "As for the bad things, there's no need to talk about them unless it's necessary. Talking about them will hurt feelings, right? Anyway, it's just a meeting and a meal. I think Mr. Su may have the same idea and may not disagree. What do you think?"

"Well," Su Ronghua thought, "If I ask him to come out and have dinner with the girl, he may not agree, but if it is His Highness, it will be different. But," Su Ronghua raised his eyes and looked at Shangguan Ya, "Why should I help him and you?"

"What does the eldest master want?" Shangguan Ya heard what Su Ronghua meant, and it was probably going to be good. Su Ronghua looked at the table and said with a smile: "How about a bet?"

"What?"

"Let's bet on the big or small, best of three. If you win, I'll help you. If I win..."

Shangguan Ya drank her tea without saying anything until she heard Su Ronghua say, "Put on some women's clothes and show them to me."

Shangguan Ya sneered when she heard Su Ronghua's teasing words.

"Then you can expect to lose. I have never lost in a bet on the size of a bet."

"Oh?" Su Ronghua raised his hand to cover his chest, "Then I'm too scared."

"Come here," Shangguan Ya called the servant at the door and ordered, "Wait at the palace gate. When the princess comes home from court, tell her to clear her time for dinner and dress up nicely. I want to invite her to dinner!"

The followers who came with Shangguan Ya were the ones assigned to her by Li Rong. After hearing her instructions, they immediately responded and left.

Shangguan Ya took the dice and said confidently, "Let's start?"

Su Ronghua propped up his chin, looked at Shangguan Ya with a fascinated look, and said with a smile: "Go ahead and shake it. I like to see you shaking the dice."

"ill!"

Shangguan Ya rolled her eyes.

Then they started rolling the dice like crazy. Su Ronghua closed his eyes, looking intoxicated as if he was listening to wonderful music.

After Shangguan Ya put down the dice, he tapped the fan lightly on "big" without blinking and said with a smile: "Big."

Shangguan Ya froze for a moment, then opened the dice and it was indeed a big one.

After three rounds of shaking, Su Ronghua hit all the numbers. Shangguan Ya got a little anxious and said coldly, "No, this doesn't count. I was the one shaking the dice, you do it."

"Okay." Su Ronghua stretched out her beautiful hand, took the dice, and said with a smile, "I dare not disobey the beauty's words."

When Shangguan Ya and Su Ronghua were in a stalemate, Li Rong and Pei Wenxuan were coming out of the court. Li Rong saw that Pei Wenxuan looked unhappy, so she comforted him and said, "I will compensate you for your monthly salary, don't think about it. Or do you feel that you have been offended? You are not such a pessimistic person..."

Pei Wenxuan listened to Li Rong's ramblings, and he whispered, "Your Highness, I was thinking about official business. Your Highness, don't worry. These are all trivial matters. I don't take them to heart."

Li Rong knew Pei Wenxuan well. She would never believe his lies, but she also felt it was inappropriate to force him to speak, so she could only nod and say, "Forget it. I won't delve into it. But if you feel uncomfortable, you must tell me."

Pei Wenxuan responded, and as soon as the two of them left the palace, they were stopped by someone sent by Shangguan Ya. The person relayed Shangguan Ya's original words, and Li Rong laughed when she heard it: "Invite me to dinner, and also ask me to dress up nicely? Where is she?"

"In the casino." The visitor reported in a serious tone, "Gambling with Master Su."

Hearing this, Li Rong raised her eyebrows: "Su Ronghua?"

"yes."

Li Rong paused for a moment, then said directly: "Come on, take me over to have a look."

Then, she turned to look at Pei Wenxuan: "Do you have anything else to do?"

"If Your Highness wants to go to the casino, then I will accompany you."

Pei Wenxuan frowned. He was worried about Li Rong going to such a place alone. Li Rong smiled and said, "If you have something to do..."

"We finished it last night." Pei Wenxuan interrupted her directly. Li Rong felt relieved after hearing this and said, "Let's go."

As they talked, they rushed to the casino together.

The two were led by the attendants to the private room. As soon as they entered, they saw Shangguan Ya and Su Ronghua sitting opposite each other. Shangguan Ya was holding cards in her hand, her eyes were red, and her hair was messy, like a desperate gambler. Opposite Su Ronghua, she was drinking tea leisurely and said slowly: "Miss Shangguan, His Highness is here. We have lost so many games, it's time to give up."

"No," Shangguan Ya said immediately, "I can win, I can win right away!"

Li Rong heard this and knew that Shangguan Ya had made a fool of herself. Pei Wenxuan whispered, "Take her away. There is no point in gambling any more."

Li Rong walked behind Shangguan Ya and patted her shoulder: "Aya."

Shangguan Ya was startled by Li Rong. When she saw Li Rong coming, she remembered something and stammered, "Your Highness... Your Highness!"

"What are you doing?" Li Rong laughed. She rarely saw Shangguan Ya so flustered. As she spoke, she looked up and nodded at Su Ronghua. Su Ronghua stood up and saluted. Pei Wenxuan saluted him as well: "Master Su."

"Master Pei."

"Why did Lord Su bet with Aya?" Li Rong saw that Shangguan Ya seemed a little embarrassed, so she turned around and asked Su Ronghua. Su Ronghua smiled and looked at Shangguan Ya: "Miss Shangguan wanted to invite my brother to dinner on behalf of His Highness, and said she wanted to bet with me. I agreed to her because I lost, but she ended up cheating until now."

"Oh?" Li Rong was amused by this. "I didn't expect that Lord Su is such a skilled gambler."

"Excuse me."

"Your Highness..." Shangguan Ya was a little embarrassed and whispered, "I'm not lucky today."

"You made a bet with him to treat Su Rongqing to dinner?"

"Yes." Shangguan Ya whispered, "I didn't get the job done..."

"Well," Li Rong thought for a moment, "I asked you to do this. You have done your best. How about this," Li Rong smiled and looked at Su Ronghua, "Why don't we let the Prince Consort and Lord Su have a bet?"

"Are you still betting on treating my brother to a meal?" Su Ronghua looked at Pei Wenxuan, who was standing next to him with a blank expression. Li Rong smiled and said, "Yes, if Master Pei loses, I'll let Aya have dinner with you."

"Ah?" Shangguan Ya was a little confused. Su Ronghua clapped his hands and said happily, "Excellent! Sir Pei, please."

Pei Wenxuan stood still. Li Rong personally pulled a stool for Pei Wenxuan and called him, "Wenxuan, come here and let Lord Su see your level."

Pei Wenxuan didn't say anything. Li Rong raised her eyebrows: "Wenxuan?"

Pei Wenxuan looked up at Li Rong and saw that Li Rong's eyes were filled with expectation. He took a deep breath and sat down on the chair.

Li Rong massaged Pei Wenxuan's shoulders, whispered in his ear, "Do a good job, there will be a reward if you win."

Pei Wenxuan lowered his eyes, and Su Ronghua raised his hand and said, "What does Master Pei want to bet on?"

"Let's push the cards." Li Rong made the decision for him. She knew what Pei Wenxuan was good at. Pei Wenxuan's expression remained unchanged. Su Ronghua looked at him and confirmed: "Master Pei?"

"I will follow your Highness' orders."

Su Ronghua nodded slightly and took the cards.

Pushing cards is to take a deck of dominoes and deal cards to two parties. Each time the two parties start to bid, they can choose to take a card, throw a card on the table, and then put it on the table when the next card is thrown out. Or take two cards at the same time. The total number of cards in hand cannot exceed ten, otherwise it will be lost immediately. Either party can stop at any time. After stopping, compare the size of the two parties. The one with the largest number that does not exceed ten wins. If no one stops in the middle, then until the cards are dealt, both parties will show their cards to compare the size.

Pushing cards is not only about luck, the most important thing is counting cards. Pei Wenxuan is not addicted to gambling, but he has few rivals in playing pushing cards.

The servant cleared the table and began to deal cards to both parties. Li Rong stood behind Pei Wenxuan and watched him take the cards.

Su Ronghua rested his chin on his hand leisurely, staring at his cards, choosing between one or two.

Pei Wenxuan didn't like to talk when he was pushing the cards. Li Rong stood behind him and watched him pick up the cards nervously.

Pei Wenxuan sensed Li Rong's nervousness. His expression remained unchanged, but he felt a little uncomfortable in his heart.

He wanted to just walk away after losing, but he knew he couldn't do that.

His feelings are his feelings, and he has to help Li Rong. He should help Li Rong with whatever she wants to do.

He couldn't stop Li Rong from taking the path she wanted to take just because he felt uncomfortable and he liked her.

He is her friend and she trusts him. He shouldn't let her down.

If he likes this person, he should help him.

He exerted force while holding the cards. Li Rong watched intently and saw that both of his cards had already reached eight points. He could choose to discard one card, take one card, or take two cards. Eight points was already too big. Seeing him hesitate, Li Rong hurriedly said, "Discard the cards."

Pei Wenxuan didn't say anything, Su Ronghua laughed: "It seems that Master Pei has a lot of cards."

"Lord Su's cards are not small either."

Pei Wenxuan's bony hands stroked the cards in his hand. Seeing that Pei Wenxuan didn't say anything, Li Rong didn't dare to say anything either. She suddenly understood why Shangguan Ya was addicted to the thrill of gambling. She stood beside Pei Wenxuan, waiting for his decision.

After a moment, Pei Wenxuan smiled softly, raised his clear eyes to look at her, and asked, "Want to win?"

"Of course I do." Li Rong replied as a matter of course.

Pei Wenxuan pushed the cards forward and said directly: "Two cards, open the cards."

"Master Pei is very courageous."

Su Ronghua raised his eyebrows. Pei Wenxuan didn't say anything. He brought the tea from the side and took a sip slowly.

The servant pushed two cards over and turned them over. Both cards were one point each, plus the card Pei Wenxuan already had, it was exactly ten points.

Su Ronghua laughed and pushed the cards away, it was exactly nine.

"When does Lord Su plan to set the time and location?"

Pei Wenxuan asked as if it was official business, and Su Ronghua was helpless: "Tonight, Mingyue Tower."

"Okay." Pei Wenxuan nodded, stood up, and said, "Since the matter has been settled, Your Highness and I will leave first. Excuse me."

Having said that, Pei Wenxuan pulled Li Rong along and walked out directly.

Li Rong gestured goodbye to Shangguan Ya, who looked at Pei Wenxuan with admiration. Su Ronghua hesitated and said, "Master Pei, do you want to play another round?"

Pei Wenxuan ignored the two and dragged Li Rong out of the door. After the two left, Shangguan Ya couldn't help but sighed: "So handsome."

Su Ronghua coughed lightly, walked behind Shangguan Ya, and waved his fan, saying, "My luck is not very good today, but Miss Shangguan has lost so many games to me, how do you plan to compensate me?"

"How do you want to compensate?" Shangguan Ya turned around, looking a little strange. Su Ronghua smiled and said, "How about a meal?"

"Forget it then." Shangguan Ya waved her hand, "I'm leaving."

"Then let's go to Shangguan Mansion to have dinner with Lord Shangguan?"

Su Ronghua continued to speak, and Shangguan Ya immediately turned around and said softly, "Master Su, where do you think is suitable?"

Li Rong was pulled out of the casino by Pei Wenxuan. As soon as she walked out of the door, Li Rong started laughing.

"What are you laughing at?" Pei Wenxuan held her tightly, and for some reason, he was reluctant to let go.

He pretended to know nothing and just pulled her along as if he had forgotten. Li Rong hadn't recovered from her nervousness yet. She pointed to her chest with her little fan and said, "I finally know why Aya loves gambling. When the cards were opened just now, my heart beat faster and I was actually a little nervous."

"Your Highness also gets nervous sometimes."

Pei Wenxuan pulled her forward slowly. Li Rong said slowly, "Yes, I didn't expect it myself. But to be honest, Pei Wenxuan," Li Rong smiled and looked at him, "you were really handsome just now."

Pei Wenxuan chuckled: "Your Highness sometimes likes me."

"Don't I like you most of the time?"

As Li Rong spoke, she slowly felt some warmth on her hand. She suddenly realized that Pei Wenxuan was still holding her, but he obviously didn't notice it.

She didn't know how to start talking for a moment. If she spoke out to remind him, she was afraid that Pei Wenxuan would feel awkward and embarrassed, and would apologize repeatedly. But if she didn't speak, she didn't know why, maybe because of embarrassment, she actually felt her heart beat faster.

She raised her hand and fanned herself to drive away the heat from her face, and continued to talk and laugh: "How did you know that the last two cards were one point?"

"Yes."

Pei Wenxuan's face was calm. He held Li Rong's hand, and there was a kind of stolen sweetness in his heart, which slowly spread. The two of them walked on the corridor. Li Rong listened to Pei Wenxuan's clear voice and explained calmly in the sound of her amplified heartbeat: "I remembered every card we both discarded, and roughly guessed the points in his hand, and also calculated the subsequent cards. This is not a difficult task."

"You are still smart. I just can't remember so much."

Li Rong smiled and said, "No wonder you always rank first in academics."

"Because Your Highness does not need to remember these. Your Highness is smart and focuses on the overall situation."

Pei Wenxuan talked to her and walked to the carriage together.

When they reached the carriage, he had no choice but to let go. He lowered his eyes, helped Li Rong get on the carriage, and then let go. He smiled and said, "I didn't even notice it just now..."

"It's nothing," Li Rong hurried to comfort him, "I didn't remind you because I was afraid you would mind it. Are you going to the government office?"

"Where is His Highness?" Pei Wenxuan looked at Li Rong. "Has he returned?"

"I have to go back and prepare."

Li Rong said happily: "Aya has put so much effort into setting this up, I can't let her down. I'll choose some clothes and put on some makeup..."

Li Rong smiled, as if a little embarrassed: "You have to look a little girly."

Pei Wenxuan stared at Li Rong quietly. Seeing the joy, shyness, and girlish anticipation in her smile, he blurted out, "Do you have to go?"

Li Rong looked at him strangely, and Pei Wenxuan hurriedly explained: "I mean, the files of the Qin case..."

“I’ve read them all.”

"Na Luo Juan and other people involved in the battle of Huangping County..."

"I asked Xun Chuan to look for him." Li Rong knew what he was worried about and explained, "Don't worry, I know what's going on. The most important thing now is to get the list of people who sealed up the Qin Mansion and Yang Lie's letter. As long as Su Rongqing agrees, everything will be easy. I'll go contact him today. What else are you worried about?"

“No more.”

Pei Wenxuan looked at her, and Li Rong smiled: "Don't worry, I will be back early today, and you should be careful. I estimate that many people in the court are watching you, so don't get into trouble."

"Yes." Pei Wenxuan lowered his eyes and saluted, saying, "Don't worry, Your Highness. Wenxuan will take good care of himself. I wish Your Highness," Pei Wenxuan felt bitter, "a successful start today and everything goes well."

"Thank you. Ok, go do your work first. I'll be home soon."

Li Rong made a gesture and got into the carriage.

Soon after she got into the carriage, Jinglan and Jingmei got in.

Normally, when Pei Wenxuan was around, Jinglan and Jingmei would follow in the carriage at the back. Now that Pei Wenxuan left in the carriage at the back, Jinglan and Jingmei came forward to take care of Li Rong.

One of them poured tea for Li Rong and placed cakes for her, while the other massaged her shoulders.

"The Prince Consort seems to be in a bad mood today. Did Your Highness have a quarrel with the Prince Consort?" Jingmei was quite curious. Li Rong hurriedly said, "Don't accuse me. I'm very nice to him."

"The prince consort has been worried these past two days," Jinglan said slowly, "Your Highness should pay more attention to him. The worst thing between a husband and wife is to hide secrets."

"You look so young," Li Rong laughed after hearing Jinglan's words, "and you don't even have a husband, but you talk like an old lady."

Jinglan smiled and said nothing. Li Rong thought about it and said, "It's true. You guys should keep an eye on me. I'm not careful. The prince consort is sentimental. I don't even know how I offended him."

After hearing what Li Rong said, the two of them couldn't help but laugh, and the three of them continued talking about Pei Wenxuan's topic all the way back.

Back in the princess's mansion, Li Rong confirmed that Xun Chuan had led people to look for Luo Juan and his old subordinates who had fought in Huangping County. Then she pulled out the names of the people from each tribe, thought for a while, and gave a list and the corresponding gift list, and asked someone to deliver it.

After finishing her work, she began to bathe, burn incense, choose clothes and makeup, and pick hairpins and jewelry.

These things seem simple, but for women to really do them, they are extremely time-consuming. After choosing from left to right, Li Rong began to regret not asking Pei Wenxuan to come over.

Pei Wenxuan had great aesthetic taste, and the clothes and accessories he picked were much better than those of the maids. After choosing for a long time, Li Rong finally decided on a red dress with peonies embroidered in gold thread, a slim waist and wide sleeves, which perfectly outlined her feminine figure.

After Li Rong finished dressing up, it was already dark. News came from outside that Shangguan Ya had arrived at the door. Li Rong got up and went out, and saw Shangguan Ya, who had changed back into her aqua blue dress and was waiting for her at the carriage window.

Li Rong tapped her lightly with her fan and said with a smile, "You are becoming more and more unruly in front of me."

"I've completely lost face in front of you," Shangguan Ya leaned over the carriage window, watching the people coming and going outside, and said with no desire for life, "I don't care about face anymore."

"What kind of blow has hit you to become like this?"

"I'll take you to Mingyue Tower in a minute," Shangguan Ya stood up and sighed, "You have dinner with Su Rongqing, and I have to have dinner with Su Ronghua."

"Why did you agree to have dinner with him?" Li Rong was a little puzzled. Shangguan Ya was helpless. "He said he would sue my father for gambling."

Li Rong was amused by her and laughed so hard that her stomach hurt.

Shangguan Ya was dormant for a while, then she perked up: "I'm very hungry, it's just a meal, I'm not afraid of her. The focus tonight is on Her Highness," Shangguan Ya said, looking up at Li Rong, and frowning after a quick glance, "Aren't you dressed too formally?"

"Hmm?" Li Rong raised her hand. "Doesn't it look good?"

"It's not that she doesn't look good, it's just," Shangguan Ya thought for a moment, "she's too imposing, and a little oppressive. But it doesn't matter," Shangguan Ya looked her up and down, "If she's good-looking, it doesn't matter what she looks like. Let's rehearse what we're going to do tonight."

"Huh?" Li Rong was surprised. "Do we still need to prepare?"

"Of course." Shangguan Ya said decisively, "Everything must be planned and prepared. After all, you are