The moment this thought came to his mind, Pei Wenxuan calmed down.

This was a very big matter. If he said it lightly at this moment, it would seem too casual. Even if he said it, Li Rong would not take it to heart.

More importantly, he wanted to tell Li Rong these words at the best time, so that Li Rong would be happy and remember them for the rest of her life.

Whether Li Rong accepts it or not, at least she will always remember that moment and Pei Wenxuan in her heart.

Pei Wenxuan was thinking about how to say this. Seeing that he was holding her without saying anything, Li Rong raised her hand and patted his hand, saying calmly: "Alright, go to sleep. Doesn't your hand hurt when you hold me like this?"

"It hurts," Pei Wenxuan leaned his head on Li Rong's back and whispered, "It won't hurt if I hold Your Highness."

"Nonsense." Li Rong sneered, gently pushed away his hand that was resting on her, closed her eyes and said, "Go to sleep."

The two of them closed their eyes. Li Rong paused for a moment and suddenly remembered, "I plan to go out of Beijing in a few days. Do you want to go?"

After hearing what Li Rong said, Pei Wenxuan became more energetic: "Leaving Beijing?"

"Well," Li Rong closed her eyes, "Let's find a place to hang out and just treat it as a trip."

Pei Wenxuan listened to Li Rong's words and had some ideas in mind. He thought about it and asked, "Your Highness, have you decided where to go?"

"Wait and see."

Li Rong thought about it and decided to find a place where it would be easy to ambush.

The two of them went to sleep with different thoughts in their minds. Pei Wenxuan woke up early the next day before dawn. Li Rong heard a rustling sound beside her and thought that Pei Wenxuan had gotten up. Then she felt a handkerchief gently placed on her eyes, and then there was light. After a while, Pei Wenxuan came back, shook her gently, and said softly, "Your Highness, get up."

In the past, Pei Wenxuan would never call her. He would usually let her fall asleep while he changed her clothes and would only call her when it was time for her to get out of bed.

Li Rong was a little confused. She opened her eyes and saw Pei Wenxuan's bandaged hand. Then she remembered that Pei Wenxuan's hand was injured and it was a little difficult for him to support her with one hand.

Li Rong opened her eyes dazedly and saw Pei Wenxuan waiting on the side and said, "Your Highness, sit up first."

"That's fine."

Li Rong shook her head and crawled out from under the quilt. Pei Wenxuan hurriedly put clothes on her. Li Rong pulled the clothes on herself and then said, "I can put them on myself."

As she spoke, Li Rong put on her clothes. She turned her head and looked at Pei Wenxuan, who was still wearing a single shirt: "Aren't you cold?"

"I'll put it on right away."

Pei Wenxuan smiled and went to pick up his clothes. Li Rong saw that it was inconvenient for him to put on one hand, so she yawned and walked to the bed, picked up his clothes and put them on him: "Let me help you."

Pei Wenxuan was stunned, but Li Rong didn't notice anything. She asked Pei Wenxuan to put his gloves into his clothes and raised her hand to button the inside of his clothes for him.

She had never done these things before, so she seemed a little clumsy. She stood in front of him with her head down, like a child who was just learning to do things.

Looking at Li Rong like this, Pei Wenxuan actually felt an indescribable emotion.

The most attractive thing is not that person's frank and unrestrained talk about countless coquettish things, but that she lowers her head in front of you like a little girl, revealing her slender and soft neck, learning to button a button for you, raising her hands from behind, as if hugging you, but also as if not, her fingertips lightly slide across the waist, and then pretend nothing happened, raising her hands in front of her body to tighten the belt and tie it into a knot.

Pei Wenxuan looked at the girl in front of him, trying to control all his impulses and keep his usual gentle expression. It was not until Li Rong raised her hand to tidy up his clothes that he hurriedly pulled her back. When he opened his mouth, he said in a somewhat hoarse voice, "Your Highness, that's not necessary."

Li Rong was still a little sleepy and didn't notice anything was wrong. She looked up at him and said, "Why is your voice hoarse? Are you cold?"

"Maybe a little." Pei Wenxuan quickly adjusted his voice to cover up the strangeness. Li Rong raised her hand and touched his forehead, and said, "You are injured now. If you have a fever, it will be terrible. Rest well and don't worry about other things. I will take care of everything."

"Your Highness..." Pei Wenxuan didn't know whether to laugh or cry, "Why do you always interrupt me?"

Li Rong smiled and said softly, "If you can't sleep, read a book. I'll call for the morning court for you. You can rest first."

Having said that, Li Rong called someone in to help the two of them wash up, and then she put on her clothes and went to court. Pei Wenxuan saw her off all the way out the door. He also wanted to go to court, but Li Rong forced him to stay and had someone stop him in the house.

After Li Rong went to court, she reported Pei Wenxuan's assassination to the emperor. Li Ming ordered a strict investigation, so Li Rong took the opportunity to report the incident. When she returned to the Inspection Office, she found that the door had been smeared with feces. Li Rong was so angry that she laughed. She turned to look at Su Ronghua who followed her and pointed at him and said, "Lord Su, you don't investigate this matter?"

Su Ronghua smiled bitterly: "Your Highness, this kind of thing is obviously caused by some village women and troublemakers. There is nothing we can do even if we find out."

"Why can't I do this?" Li Rong said coldly, "If you really can't do this, I'll have someone go to your Su Mansion tomorrow!"

Su Ronghua's face froze. He seemed to have seen the scene of Su's family's front door being splashed with feces. He immediately changed his tone and said, "Don't worry, Your Highness. I'll take care of it right away."

Li Rong was too lazy to say anything more, so she led Shangguan Ya inside. Shangguan Ya whispered, "Why did Your Highness let him take care of this matter?"

"How about you take care of it?"

Li Rong raised her eyebrows, and Shangguan Ya immediately responded: "Sir Su is indeed suitable."

The two of them talked as they entered the Inspection Office. Li Rong whispered, "Do you have any clues about yesterday's assassination?"

“Not yet.”

"Then let's look for a suitable ambush in the suburbs," Li Rong thought, "If we can't find any clues after seven days, we have to take the initiative to attack and get everything done before the New Year."

Li Rong smiled and said, "I'd like to celebrate the New Year as well."

"Your Highness is right."

Shangguan Ya was a person who would oppose anything when she was against it, but if she agreed, she would do it thoroughly. Li Rong felt relieved when she heard her agree, and led the people into the prison to do a final review of all the confessions and evidence.

Now all the evidence is almost there, and the only thing left is the final conviction. Once the guilt is determined, the memorial will be sent to the emperor for review. The Ministry of Personnel will conduct an inspection, and if there are not too many problems, the case will be decided.

The more times like this happened, the more things would happen. In the morning, feces would be splashed on the door of the Inspection Office, and in the evening, someone would bring silver to the door of the Princess's Mansion.

Li Rong had someone stop her outside and returned to the princess's residence. Seven days passed and the matter was almost settled. Shangguan Ya also found some clues.

"He's someone from Chen Guang's family. He took great pains to hire the killer."

Shangguan Ya followed Li Rong out of the cell. Li Rong wiped her hands with a handkerchief and listened to Shangguan Ya saying, "Chen Guang has a high status in the Chen family. He is the only son of Old Madam Chen. If he dies, the Chen family will be completely ruined. The Chen family should have the support of many big families, but now Your Highness has offended too many people, and it is unclear who is secretly supporting the Chen family."

"Any evidence?"

Li Rong asked in a low voice, and Shangguan Ya shook her head: "No, they did it very quickly. This conclusion is just an inference, there is no evidence."

"Has Chen Guang been convicted?"

"It's decided," Shangguan Ya said in a low voice, "According to your Highness's order, the sentence is beheading."

Li Rong responded, and after thinking for a moment, she whispered, "Have you found a suitable ambush location in the suburbs?"

"Found it," Shangguan Ya and Li Rong walked to the lobby. She took out a map and pointed to a location, saying, "It's right here, Butterfly Gorge. There are cliffs on both sides. At this location, we can find a suitable hiding place for Your Highness in advance. Your Highness just needs to lead people here and hide in a safe place, and we can catch the turtle in the jar."

Li Rong nodded and said, "Then let's do it here. Five days later," Li Rong raised her eyes, "I will take Pei Wenxuan out for an outing in five days. If they want to take action, this is the perfect time."

"Your Highness wants to bring your consort with you?" Shangguan Ya was a little surprised. "What do you want to do with him?"

"If I want to go out by myself, it would be too deliberate. I'm afraid they will be alert," Li Rong thought, "Taking Pei Wenxuan out is just a cover."

"Then you won't tell him?"

"Tell him, will he let me go?"

Li Rong asked directly. Shangguan Ya paused for a moment, then sighed and said, "Your Highness, with your temper, you'll be in trouble."

Li Rong was too lazy to pay attention to her and just said, "Since they dare to take action, they must be fully prepared. You should make a last-ditch plan for your ambush at Butterfly Gorge. Is there water there?"

"Yes," Shangguan Ya replied, "There was originally a stream there. I've been there and the water isn't too fast. There are many caves nearby, and the water is connected to the small caves nearby. If Your Highness is forced to do so, you can jump into the water."

"Prepare some gunpowder," Li Rong thought. "If the worst happens, just jump into the water and light the fuse. But if it comes to this," Li Rong raised her head and sneered, "you decide how to punish me."

"Don't worry," Shangguan Ya said immediately, "I will make sure it's arranged."

After Shangguan Ya and Li Rong finished talking and finalized the plan, they parted ways and went home.

When Li Rong returned to the princess's mansion, she saw Pei Wenxuan reading a book. She walked behind Pei Wenxuan and after watching for a while, she found that he was reading some folk stories.

"You really have too much free time at home," Li Rong laughed, took the storybook from his hand, flipped through the names, and looked up at him, "Master Pei has also started reading this kind of thing."

Pei Wenxuan and Li Rong stood up together and walked to the dining room. Pei Wenxuan looked at Li Rong and said tentatively, "I have nothing to do, so I just took a look. But after looking for a while, I found that there are many interesting things in it, which I can't understand."

"Oh?" Li Rong had read a lot of story books in the past, and when she heard Pei Wenxuan was actually interested in this kind of thing, she couldn't help but ask, "For example?"

"I just saw that scholar confessing his love to the girl he loves. I thought that love is just a matter of words, but the scholar was preparing again and again. Why is that?"

Li Rong couldn't help but laugh when Pei Wenxuan asked this: "Pei Wenxuan, I didn't expect you to be such a boring person."

"I don't understand," Pei Wenxuan walked into the restaurant with Li Rong, sat down, and said in a humble and polite manner, "Your Highness, please enlighten me."

"Like is indeed a word, but if a man says this to a woman, what does he actually mean to do?"

Pei Wenxuan looked puzzled, and Li Rong laughed: "What he wants to do is to confirm a relationship. From this moment on, they belong to each other. If there is no ceremony for such a major event, wouldn't it show that the girl is not valued?"

Pei Wenxuan listened and showed an expression of sudden enlightenment: "Your Highness is right. I am enlightened."

Li Rong sighed: "You have never pursued a girl, and you have never told anyone that you like someone, so you don't understand this."

As she spoke, Li Rong habitually served the soup. After Pei Wenxuan's hand was injured recently, Li Rong fed him soup. Pei Wenxuan watched Li Rong blowing the soup, pursing her lips to hide the smile in her eyes, and said curiously, "I don't understand. Seeing that Your Highness seems to understand it so well, you must have encountered many such scenes, right?"

Li Rong froze for a moment, then she put the bowl down and turned around and said, "Come and serve soup to the Prince Consort."

Pei Wenxuan saw that Li Rong was angry, and hurriedly said, "I was just asking casually, Your Highness. I thought that a woman like you, who is so beautiful, intelligent, dignified, and noble, must have countless men who like you, so I asked this question."

"Pei Wenxuan, I've noticed that you always have the ability to bring up things that are irrelevant," Li Rong looked at him and sneered, "I don't have that ability, do you?"

"I……"

Pei Wenxuan was confronted by Li Rong and subconsciously wanted to refute her. After all, he was such an outstanding man and had lived a lifetime, so he should have had a few girls confess their love to him.

But the moment he opened his mouth, he found that he didn't have it either.

Before he got married, when he was in Luzhou, some girls would throw flowers to him, but it didn't count as a confession of love.

Later in Huajing, the girls there looked down on him at first, but soon he became the consort of Li Rong. Li Rong had been almost in the clouds all his life, holding great power and having a strong personality. The girls in Huajing were afraid of death and would stay away from him when they saw him.

So the rebuttal was blocked in her mouth. Seeing Pei Wenxuan's embarrassment, Li Rong smiled and said, "It turns out that no one has ever told you that they like you in your life, Master Pei?"

Pei Wenxuan listened to this and used a smile to cover up his embarrassment; "Isn't it the same for Your Highness?"

"I'm different from Master Pei," Li Rong blinked, "I like it, and many people have told me so."

"who?!"

Pei Wenxuan asked subconsciously, his mind racing.

Su Rongqing might be one of them.

But Li Rong said a lot?

Before Li Rong got married, she didn't have much contact with men outside the palace. It shouldn't be many. Later, in the court, she was married, and someone dared to seduce her behind his back? !

Pei Wenxuan's face suddenly turned ugly. Li Rong observed and smiled at him. Pei Wenxuan quickly asked the names of several people who were close to Li Rong in the court. Li Rong saw that he was asking anxiously, and the more she looked, the more she wanted to laugh. Finally, she raised her fan and patted Pei Wenxuan's hand: "Don't make blind guesses. They are all second-rate characters. They think they are good-looking, so they recommend themselves to others and hope to have a successful career."

"Aren't they afraid of death?"

Pei Wenxuan was a little shocked. Li Rong thought for a moment and said, "Maybe I'm just not doing it right?"

After all, compared to ordinary women, she did not seem reserved enough in the outside world at that time.

When Pei Wenxuan heard this, he felt a little disturbed.

He didn't know that men in this world could be so spineless and yet so courageous, and that in order to seek a career in the industry, they were not afraid of him daring to recommend himself to her.

He underestimated these men. He failed to guard against them in his last life, so he had to be more vigilant in this one.

Pei Wenxuan calmed down the many thoughts in his mind, then remembered his original purpose and changed the subject: "Then how did they tell His Highness this?"

"I just... said it casually." Li Rong seemed to feel that it was not very decent, and did not want to say more, so she asked, "Why do you keep asking these questions?"

Pei Wenxuan smiled and said, "I just saw that the scholar in the storybook said he liked it, and he had to choose a place specifically. I think it's too grand. I want to ask Your Highness, are other people really like this scholar?"

"It depends on whether it's intentional or not."

Li Rong saw that Pei Wenxuan seemed to be asking a real question and not making a veiled allegation, so she said nonchalantly: "A person with a heart can do better than what is written in the book, but a person without a heart may not even say that he likes you."

Pei Wenxuan: “…”

He always felt that Li Rong was hinting at something, but looking at Li Rong's expression, he felt that he was overthinking it. He continued, "Your Highness, what do you think in your heart? How can it be considered intentional?"

"If you care about something, just take it seriously. Do you need me to think about it?"

Li Rong was a little puzzled. Pei Wenxuan continued, "What do you want to do?"

"At least you know what the other person likes, dislikes, and wants most," Li Rong thought and said slowly, "In this regard, you can actually learn from Su Rongqing."

Pei Wenxuan smiled when he heard the name. Li Rong said it, but then she felt that it was not right. She looked at Pei Wenxuan and saw that he was still smiling. She felt a little guilty. Pei Wenxuan said gently, "Your Highness, what did you say?"

"I... I don't mean to say that you are not as good as Su Rongqing."

Li Rong hurriedly explained, and Pei Wenxuan laughed: "Your Highness, am I such a stingy person?"

Really.

Li Rong didn't dare to say this, but seeing that Pei Wenxuan looked fine, she thought that Pei Wenxuan had let go of his grudge with Su Rongqing and had come to terms with it, so she continued, "Do you remember that every winter, there were peonies in the princess's mansion?"

"Yes, I remember." Pei Wenxuan nodded. Li Rong smiled with some nostalgia in her eyes. "Su Rongqing knew that I liked peonies and disliked plum blossoms, so every year he would specially cultivate peonies in the greenhouse. The peonies in the princess's mansion in winter were all raised by him for me."

“At that time, I thought, this is probably what it means to care.”

Pei Wenxuan listened without changing his expression. He picked up the tea and took a sip. Li Rong raised her eyes, looking a little uneasy: "Why don't you say anything?"

"I am just a little moved. I didn't expect Lord Su to be so kind to Your Highness at that time."

Li Rong always felt that Pei Wenxuan's words were very strange. She nodded reluctantly and replied, "Indeed."

"But I remember that His Highness's favorite should be peony."

Li Rong was stunned for a moment, then she laughed, "You actually know this."

"Peony is not noble enough," Li Rong said slowly, "and my mother taught me since I was a child not to let others know what you like easily, even if it's just a flower."

Pei Wenxuan listened to Li Rong's words. After a moment, he nodded and said, "I understand."

"Oh, by the way, you can take some time off in a few days."

As Li Rong was talking, she suddenly remembered something and said to Pei Wenxuan, "I want to take you to Butterfly Gorge. I heard that the scenery there is beautiful."

Hearing this, Pei Wenxuan smiled and said, "It is my honor to be able to travel with Your Highness."

As he spoke, he had already outlined Butterfly Gorge in his mind.

It is indeed a beautiful place, with a gurgling stream and hills on the banks. It is the perfect place to set up a place for love.

While Li Rong was drinking tea, she also imagined the shape of Butterfly Gorge in her mind.

It is surrounded by mountains on both sides with lush vegetation, making it the perfect place to set up an ambush.