"Your Highness, there's no point in being so direct."
Cui Yulang didn't feel awkward when she heard Li Rong's words. She leisurely stepped back and sat on a bench. Leaning against the railing, she opened and closed the fan in her hand and said with a smile, "But Your Highness is right. This humble one does want to rely on Your Highness, so this case is a gift to Your Highness."
"A gift to me?" Li Rong chuckled, "What do you mean?"
"I know that Your Highness intends to Consort Rou." Cui Yulang covered half of her face with her fan and lowered her voice, "This Xiao Pingzhang, who stole the scholar's position, is Consort Rou's relative."
It was normal to have one or two evil relatives. Consort Rou had gained power as a palace maid, so it wasn't surprising for her relatives to abuse their power in the countryside.
If Consort Rou didn't have a strong foundation, this incident would be enough to destroy her. However, if Consort Rou was favored by the emperor, this incident wouldn't be resolved. The investigators would also be secretly punished by Li Ming.
Li Rong believed that Cui Yulang was aware of this. She sat down next to Cui Yulang, separated from Cui Yulang by the pillar of the pavilion, and said leisurely, "Official Cui must be joking. What does Consort Rou's matter have to do with me?"
Cui Yulang turned around with a faint smile and looked Li Rong up and down.
Pei Wenxuan watched from afar and couldn't help but break off another branch.
Cui Yulang's gaze was strange because they were so close to each other. Why were they exchanging flirtatious glances when they were talking about business?
Li Rong saw Cui Yulang's gaze and knew that Cui Yulang understood. She looked at the sky and knew that they didn't have much time to bicker, so she simply said, "Why are you helping me?"
"Your Highness need not worry about this."
Cui Yulang lowered his head and touched the folding fan in his hand. "Your Highness, you only need to know that I'm willing to pledge my allegiance to Your Highness, even if I have to make some sacrifices."
"If you don't make it clear, how can I accept your kindness?"
"Then I'll say it's because Your Highness is good-looking." Cui Yulang looked up at Li Rong and waved his fan. "Is this reason enough?"
"What do you mean?"
Li Rong was somewhat puzzled. Cui Yulang sighed and said, "Your Highness, think about it. My father was only a teacher. The only reason he was able to become the top scorer was because when I first came to Huajing, my poetry was outstanding and was appreciated by the nobles. I have neither money nor amazing talent. The only capital I have is my face, isn't it? "
As Cui Yulang said, he smiled confidently. "To be honest, Your Highness, when I just became the top scorer, Elder Princess Deyang had already handed me a branch. However, I was unlucky and didn't dare to accept such a great favor, so I refused. Then I was sent to the Ministry of Rites and have been doing trivial things."
Li Rong nodded. Elder Princess Deyang was his aunt, and now she was nearly 50 years old. Cui Yulang was almost as old as her grandchildren, so it was normal for him to refuse.
"I've long heard that Your Highness loves talents, but I've never dared to confirm it. A few days ago, the princess was squeezed out of the crowd during the Prince Consort's Talk. Later, Your Highness secretly went to the flower boat, so I wanted to have a try. "
"That's a pity." Li Rong looked at the golden fan in his hand and knew that he was not telling the truth, so he said casually, "I'm not interested in this matter."
"That's really a pity." Cui Yulang sighed. "Your Highness invited me here. I thought Your Highness agreed."
Li Rong waved her hand and stood up. "Since you don't want to tell the truth, forget it."
As she spoke, she was about to walk out. Cui Yulang heard her words and paused. Hearing that Li Rong was about to walk out of the pavilion, he suddenly said, "Your Highness, I'm not as incompetent as you think. Your Highness, don't you want to think about it?"
"I don't doubt your ability." Li Rong looked calm. In her last life, although Cui Yulang resigned in advance, he was almost unscathed after several struggles. It could be seen that he was a man of wisdom. After returning, he had a very smooth life. Although he didn't make any achievements in the officialdom, he had a good ending in her last life.
"I just can't think of a reason for your loyalty. I don't believe your reason. If your reason is true, I don't dare to use someone like you, and there's no need for me to use you. "
After saying that, Li Rong was about to leave. Cui Yulang finally stopped her. "I can tell you, but I'm afraid that Your Highness won't believe me."
"Three." Li Rong didn't want to talk nonsense with him. "Three, two …"
"Because Your Highness handled the Qin Clan's case." Cui Yulang finally spoke. Li Rong looked back in confusion. Cui Yulang turned his head and looked at the river. He said slowly, "I think Your Highness is a good person."
Li Rong didn't say anything. Cui Yulang sneered. "See, Your Highness won't believe me."
"I believe you."
Li Rong said calmly. Cui Yulang looked up in surprise. Li Rong said calmly, "I understand what you mean. Then I'll say it directly. I don't want to take you in directly."
Cui Yulang didn't say anything. He waited for Li Rong. Li Rong walked forward and said softly, "But I can arrange for you to go to Consort Rou."
Cui Yulang looked at Li Rong in surprise. After a while, he understood. "Your Highness, you want me to be your informant?"
"You just have to agree."
"Since Your Highness has asked, of course I can."
"In order to make me feel at ease, you have to take this." Li Rong took out the medicine bottle that he had prepared beforehand. He squatted down and handed it to Cui Yulang. "From now on, come to me on the same day of every month. I'll give you the temporary antidote. Once I get rid of Consort Rou, I'll give you the complete antidote. Of course, I'll also give you corresponding benefits. If you have the ability, no matter what your background is, you can have the position of Consort Zhangshi. "
After listening to Li Rong's words, Cui Yulang thought for a moment. He chuckled, grabbed the bottle, and poured the pill into his mouth. He then threw the bottle into the lake and sighed. "Women are really suspicious."
Li Rong smiled and straightened up. "In the future, if you have any urgent matters, you can directly contact me at my residence. For now, you can go back first."
"Where are Your Highness's bodyguards?" Cui Yulang asked unexpectedly. Li Rong paused. Only then did he remember that she ran here alone. She thought for a moment and guessed, "It's not easy for a carriage to come in. They should be near the official road not far away."
"It's not appropriate for Your Highness to stay here alone." Cui Yulang shook his head. "This one will send Your Highness back."
Li Rong didn't refuse. He nodded and turned around. "Let's go."
Cui Yulang went forward and broke a branch from the side. He walked in front of Li Rong to open the way.
He used the branch to press down the thorns that poked out from the side in advance to make it easier for Li Rong to walk.
As he walked, he chatted with Li Rong. He spoke wittily and praised Li Rong. Putting aside the important matters, he made Li Rong laugh.
The two of them chatted and laughed as they walked away. Pei Wenxuan finally straightened up from the haystack. He patted his numb legs and threw away the last branch in his hand. After a while, Dong Ye finally found him. Seeing Pei Wenxuan standing at the entrance of the pavilion, Dong Ye hurriedly walked over and cautiously asked, "Young Master, what are you looking at here?"
Pei Wenxuan didn't speak. When the last bit of numbness in his legs subsided, he turned his head and slowly asked, "Where's His Highness?"
"Just now, His Highness and Cui Yulang walked past. They should be able to find their carriage soon." Dong Ye answered very carefully. He understood his young master's temperament too well. At this moment, he looked calm, but only Pei Wenxuan knew what was going on in his heart.
"Where did Cui Yulang come from?"
After hearing Dong Ye's words, Pei Wenxuan turned and followed Dong Ye towards the official road. Dong Ye hurriedly said, "He rented a carriage and just stopped by the roadside. I even heard the coachman say that he looked like a decent person. He rented a carriage and haggled with them for almost an hour. You don't say, this Official Cui is really close to the people. "
"That's because he's poor."
Pei Wenxuan deeply understood. He thought for a moment and ordered, "Go over there later and leave two taels of silver on the carriage. Then think of a way to lure the coachman away and steal the wheels."
"Steal … steal the wheels?"
Dong Ye was a little shocked. Pei Wenxuan frowned, "Do you have any objections?"
"No, no." Dong Ye stuttered. How could he dare to have any objections? He was just a little shocked.
In order to not let Pei Wenxuan vent his anger on him, he hurriedly said, "This servant will do it right away."
After Dong Ye finished speaking, he trotted back and told Pei Wenxuan's order to the imperial bodyguards. Everyone discussed a little. While Cui Yulang was still sending Li Rong off, Dong Ye directly ran to the roadside and threw the copper coins. He began to shout, "Silver? Who threw the silver? "
When he shouted, the coachman who was resting in the teahouse hurriedly gathered around to watch the commotion. The imperial bodyguards secretly ran to the side of the carriage and quietly pulled the carriage away.
After the carriage was pulled into the forest, the imperial bodyguards each pulled the horse while the two of them removed the wheels. After a while, they removed the wheels and hurriedly left the scene with the wheels.
At this time, Cui Yulang had already sent Li Rong to the carriage. The two of them chatted happily along the way. When they got on the carriage, Cui Yulang jokingly said, "Your Highness, you really don't want to consider me? You've already divorced the prince consort. I'm not inferior to him, right? "
Li Rong knew he was joking. She gently smiled and only said, "In the future, don't say this in front of others. Otherwise, someone will bear a grudge against you."
"Yulang thinks it's worth it to be jealous of a beauty like the princess."
"That's enough." Li Rong had someone lower the curtain. "Let's go back."
Cui Yulang smiled and retreated. He watched as Li Rong's carriage went away.
Pei Wenxuan stood in the reeds not far away and stared at Cui Yulang who had sent Li Rong off.
The imperial bodyguard who came back with the wheels stood behind him. Dong Ye whispered, "Young master, what should we do with the wheels?"
"These coachmen will stay here for the night." Pei Wenxuan lightly said, "Leave one person here. The wheels will be put back tomorrow."
"Ah?"
Dong Ye was a bit confused. Then he heard Pei Wenxuan say, "Leave one tael of silver for the coachmen. Count it as their accommodation fee and compensation."
He only wanted to punish Cui Yulang, this lecher. He didn't want to bring disaster to the pond.
At this time, if they wanted to walk back, they would have to walk until nighttime. The coachmen would definitely have to stay here for the night. However, Cui Yulang still had to go to court tomorrow, so he could only choose to walk back.
Therefore, after haggling with the coachmen in an attempt to get more travel expenses, Cui Yulang had no other choice but to walk back himself.
It wasn't that he couldn't call a carriage, but it wasn't worth it to take a carriage halfway back at this time.
After confirming that Cui Yulang wanted to walk back, Pei Wenxuan finally felt a bit better. He led the others back to the carriage. After getting on the carriage, he led the others and happily ran past Cui Yulang.
When the carriage approached Cui Yulang, Pei Wenxuan specially ordered, "Run faster."
The coachmen didn't understand, but they still ran faster according to the order. When they passed by Cui Yulang, the road was covered in dust. Cui Yulang's face was covered in dust.
Cui Yulang stopped in his tracks in the dust and held his breath. When the dust settled, he looked at the carriage running away and told himself that the heavens were about to give him a great responsibility …
However, he was only halfway through his recitation when he couldn't bear it anymore. Seeing that there was no one around, he couldn't help but curse, "Why are you running so fast? Are you rushing to reincarnate? So what if you're rich?! "
When Pei Wenxuan heard Cui Yulang cursing behind him, he finally felt relieved. He took a cup of tea from the side and drank it happily.
Dong Ye looked at Pei Wenxuan's expression and couldn't help but ask, "Young Master, what are you so happy about?"
Pei Wenxuan held the tea, tilted his head, and praised, "Good tea."
After Li Rong finished talking with Cui Yulang, she returned to the Princess Residence. She sat in her room for a while and thought about the current situation.
It was less than two years since Li Ming's death.
In her previous life, Li Ming took three steps to abolish Li Chuan.
The first step was to abolish the Yang Family and let Xiao Su go to the Northwest. He became the North Vanquishing Prince and obtained military power in the Northwest.
The second step was to let Consort Rou establish the Inspectorate. With the Inspectorate's ability, Consort Rou obtained political capital. He had the support of the Han Family and his own supporters in the imperial court.
The third step was to start a strict investigation of the people around Li Chuan and pull out all the big and small cases of the Shangguan Family. Li Chuan's harem was constantly fighting. Originally, he tried to use marriage to connect with the aristocratic families, but in the end, it became a struggle between the families behind the concubines in the East Palace. After pulling out a pile of mud, Li Ming finally had a reason to abolish the Crown Prince.
But now, the situation was very different.
Although the military power in the Northwest was Xiao Su's on the surface, she secretly arranged for Qin Lin to join the army in advance and let Li Chuan personally go to the battlefield to fight the most difficult first half. Although the Qin Clan case made people realize her relationship with the Qin Family early on, Xiao Su relied on Qin Lin on the battlefield early on. Later, after the Qin Clan case was overturned, the Qin Family could be considered to have a stable position in the Northwest as compensation.
Although Xiao Su controlled most of the army in the Northwest, these people came from the era of the Yang Family and belonged to their own families. They had no loyalty to Xiao Su, who was a general from a humble family who came out of nowhere to steal credit in the middle of the war. As long as she cut off Consort Rou and Li Ming's support in the imperial court, Xiao Su would have no money and food, and those soldiers and horses would immediately lose their value.
Therefore, she had offset half of the military power move by using Qin Lin.
As for the Inspectorate of Investigation, it had also been snatched by her in advance.
Li Ming wanted to let her establish the Inspectorate of Investigation first, and when the time was right, hand it over to Consort Rou. But only the things that one fought for were one's own. In the past, the Inspectorate of Investigation was able to become Consort Rou's political capital because everyone inside was from a humble family that she had single-handedly led. Therefore, the humble family trusted her. And now, the Inspectorate of Investigation was built by Li Rong, and its reputation was also built by her. Even if she directly promoted Consort Rou to the head of the Inspectorate of Investigation, she could quickly make Consort Rou a figurehead.
Therefore, this move of the Inspectorate of Investigation was lost.
Finally, it was to destroy Li Chuan's popular sentiment and use the imperial harem to support Li Chuan's noble families. Now that Li Chuan didn't want to marry so many women, and the Shangguan Family was clean after Shangguan Ya's investigation and couldn't find any fault with them, Li Chuan personally went to the north to supervise the army and fought the most difficult battle. After this, it was almost impossible to affect Li Chuan's reputation.
Now, as long as they steadily moved forward, Li Chuan's position as the Crown Prince would be difficult to shake.
But the problem was that Su Yongqing had also returned.
Li Rong wasn't sure when Su Yongqing would return, but at the very least, he should have returned by the time she got married.
Since he had returned, he couldn't just watch as she laid out her plans and did nothing.
At the very least, he had stopped Pei Wenxuan from becoming the chief examiner of the imperial examinations.
If it wasn't for him playing tricks behind the scenes, why would Wang Houwen, a good minister, take the initiative to manage the imperial examinations?
Li Rong began to feel a headache as she thought about these miscellaneous matters. She suddenly wished that Pei Wenxuan was here. The two of them could talk together and perhaps have more ideas.
She looked at the flickering candlelight and didn't say anything. Jing Mei came over with water to wash her feet. She glanced at Li Rong and pursed her lips into a smile: "Is Your Highness thinking about the prince consort?"
When Li Rong heard this, she came back to her senses and chuckled. She didn't know why, but she subconsciously felt a little embarrassed. She only said: "What's there to think about? Won't you see him tomorrow?"
Jing Mei giggled and didn't say anything. Li Rong intuitively felt that she was laughing at her. She couldn't help but ask: "What are you laughing at?"
Jing Mei lowered her head and washed her feet. She reminded her in a low voice: "The prince consort asked you to meet him today, but you didn't go. This servant thought that you were worried about him."
Jing Mei didn't say that Li Rong didn't miss him, but when Jing Mei mentioned it, Li Rong missed Pei Wenxuan even more.
She didn't show it on her face and only said: "You worry more than I do."
Jing Mei giggled and didn't say anything. Li Rong tried hard to make herself think about more serious matters. She didn't want to miss Pei Wenxuan so much that she couldn't control herself and wanted to see him.
But now that they had just separated, it wouldn't be right for her to take the risk to see him.
They had known each other for so many years. How could she be so emotional?
After Li Rong washed her feet, she lay down on the bed. She tossed and turned on the bed, thinking left and right. Finally, she made a decision.
She had to see Pei Wenxuan.
Of course, it wasn't to see him. Li Rong comforted herself. She wasn't such an irrational person. She just wanted to talk to Pei Wenxuan about Cui Yulang.
Cui Yulang needed to be used. It would take some effort to arrange for him to be by Consort Rou's side. Although Cui Yulang's news wasn't useful to bring down Consort Rou, it was useful to cause trouble for Wang Houwen.
Whether it was arranging for Cui Yulang or plotting against Wang Houwen, a letter wouldn't be reliable. She had to talk to Pei Wenxuan face to face. Even if she had to take some risks, she still had to see him.
When she thought about how she had to see Pei Wenxuan, Li Rong's mood suddenly became much better. She turned sideways, hugged the quilt, closed her eyes, and fell asleep happily.
The next morning, Li Rong arrived at the palace at the usual time. As soon as she got out of the carriage, she saw Pei Wenxuan who had just arrived.
She took advantage of the fact that there weren't many people around and winked at Pei Wenxuan in the dark. When Pei Wenxuan saw her "flirtatious eyes", he pretended not to see anything and turned around to walk in.
Li Rong was stunned. She looked around. After confirming that there was no one around, she couldn't help but be surprised. Wasn't Pei Wenxuan too good at acting?
Pei Wenxuan held the ceremonial tablet and walked forward. He felt a little depressed.
She pushed back the matter of meeting him because of Cui Yulang. Now that she wanted to meet him as if nothing had happened, she probably didn't feel the slightest bit of guilt.
Li Rong was really heartless.
The two of them passed the morning court without looking at each other. When they returned to the princess's residence, Li Rong hurriedly asked Zhao Chongjiu to send a letter to Pei Wenxuan and ask him to meet.
When Pei Wenxuan received Li Rong's letter, he knew what Li Rong wanted to say. He had heard the conversation between her and Cui Yulang. Although it was intermittent, it was not far from the truth. It was nothing more than wanting to talk to him about recruiting Cui Yulang and Wang Houwen.
He had already made arrangements for this, so it wasn't anything important. Thus, he decisively replied, "Let Her Highness think about what she has done recently and reflect on it. Once she has thought it through, we will meet again."
Zhao Chongjiu nodded and turned to leave. He didn't give Pei Wenxuan any time to regret.
After Pei Wenxuan finished speaking, he stood in the courtyard for a while. After a while, he couldn't help but turn to Dong Ye and say, "Go back and find Zhao Chongjiu. Tell him not to pass on the message just now. Tell him to ask Her Highness to leave a message in the residence tonight. I will go find her."
Dong Ye nodded and hurriedly chased after Zhao Chongjiu.
Pei Wenxuan stood in the courtyard and thought about it. Li Rong couldn't think clearly about this matter, so he still had to talk to her face to face.
But before he could pass on this thought, Dong Ye went out for a while, then turned back and said anxiously, "Young Master, Lord Zhao left too quickly. I couldn't catch up."
Pei Wenxuan, "…"
He didn't know why, but he felt a little scared.
For some reason, he felt that his words just now were a little too forceful.
Dong Ye glanced at Pei Wenxuan and couldn't help but say, "Young Master, if you are scared, why don't you find someone to pass on the message?"
When Pei Wenxuan heard this, he coldly glared at Dong Ye, "What do I have to be scared of? If she didn't pass on the message, then forget it. Let's see what she thinks. "
Pei Wenxuan turned around and said, "Is Lord He hosting the banquet tonight?"
"Yes."
"Get ready. We will attend the banquet tonight."
"Young Master," Dong Ye said cautiously, "Are you really going?"
"Why can't I go?" Pei Wenxuan glanced over indifferently. Dong Ye said hesitantly, "Lord He has set the venue at Chun Feng Lou."
Pei Wenxuan, "…"
While Pei Wenxuan was still struggling with whether to attend the banquet tonight, Zhao Chongjiu returned to the Princess Residence.
He reported Pei Wenxuan's words in full detail to Li Rong.
Li Rong took a sip of tea and said, "Are these his original words?"
"Yes." Zhao Chongjiu said calmly, "His original words."
Li Rong didn't say anything. He put the tea on the table and said to Jing Mei, "Change it to chrysanthemum tea."
Jing Mei hurriedly went to change the tea. Li Rong looked up at Zhao Chongjiu, "Do you know where he is going tonight?"
"I asked earlier." Zhao Chongjiu had already taken Li Rong's order and kept an eye on Pei Wenxuan. He knew Pei Wenxuan's dinner every night, so he directly replied, "He is hosting the banquet."
"Okay." Li Rong nodded, "I'll wait for him."
With that, Li Rong stood up. "Where is the banquet?"
"Chun Feng Lou."
Zhao Chongjiu said very calmly. Li Rong's eyes suddenly widened, "Say that again?"
Zhao Chongjiu spoke very slowly this time, as if he was afraid that Li Rong couldn't hear him clearly. He said word by word, "Hua. Jing. The. Biggest. Feng. Yue.
Chun. Feng. Lou. "
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
