After the founding ceremony, the Inspectorate officially began to operate.
That winter was the most intense winter in Da Xia's imperial court. Li Rong started with the Qin Clan case and the military pay case. After a series of investigations, he investigated nearly seventy officials.
When Li Rong's two cases came out, the distribution of military power in the Northwest was finally decided. As compensation to the Qin Family, Qin Feng was promoted to General Zhongwu, and Qin Lin was promoted to Deputy General. Consort Rou's older brother, Xiao Su, became the Northwest Marshal. He guarded Chenzhou and was in charge of the various armies in the Northwest.
The matter was pushed forward quickly, and everyone was busy. Li Rong was busy investigating cases, arresting people, and organizing evidence.
Pei Wenxuan was busy submitting memorials, arguing with those who opposed Li Rong, and finding ways to mediate private relations.
The memorials scolding Li Rong in the imperial court were overwhelming, and Pei Wenxuan scolded back ten times. He scolded those who opposed Li Rong, and he scolded those who scolded Li Rong. Before the end of the year, he alone had more memorials than all the people in the Censorate combined in a year.
After arguing in the imperial court, Pei Wenxuan didn't even want to talk to Li Rong when he came back. Sometimes, when he finally rested and waited for Li Rong, Li Rong would come back, take a bath, and then fall asleep.
Without time to interact, there was nothing to do. Fortunately, Pei Wenxuan wasn't in a hurry. Being busy had to come to an end, and since he didn't have time to do big things, he would start with small things.
As a result, Pei Wenxuan woke up early every day to dress her. In the afternoon, he ordered people to send her snacks and sweet soup, as well as a love poem. He carefully paid attention to all the details of her life, trying to silently infiltrate into her life.
Until the day before the Spring Festival, most of the matters were finally settled. The officials in the imperial court were also tired. They knew that no matter how much they argued with Li Rong, Li Rong didn't make any big mistakes. She was determined to handle the case, the Emperor was determined to protect her, the Shangguan Family pretended to be dead, and the Crown Prince couldn't persuade Li Rong. Unless they directly overthrew the imperial court, they couldn't stop Li Rong from arresting people.
In addition, the Spring Festival was coming, the officials in the imperial court lost their patience and didn't want to quarrel anymore. Pei Wenxuan finally had some free time. After the morning court, he calculated that Li Rong should be free today, so he specially came back from the official's office and waited in his room....
He asked people to prepare Li Rong's favorite dishes in advance. He was quite interested in it, personally made a calming incense, and dressed well.
It was now the coldest time of winter, but he still wore a white unlined shirt and an azure brocade white plum overcoat.
When he chose this set of clothes, Dong Ye couldn't help but remind him, "Gongzi, it's very cold today."
Pei Wenxuan straightened his collar. After a moment, he pointed to the cabinet and said, "Bring a thicker overcoat over."
Pei Wenxuan asked people to burn the charcoal in the room. He wrapped himself in the overcoat and read in the room. When it was time for dinner, he finally heard the sound of Li Rong returning to the residence. He took off the overcoat and stuffed it to Dong Ye, saying, "Quickly hide."
Dong Ye looked at him blankly. He saw Pei Wenxuan tidy his clothes in front of the mirror and quickly got up to greet him.
Pei Wenxuan hurried to the door. When he reached the front yard, he heard Li Rong talking to someone from afar, "You can't be careless about robbing land and killing people. This is a serious crime. His father can't do it. Take some slow-acting poison from the palace and let someone feed it to him. Treat it as a serious illness and deal with it for him. After dealing with it, go find his father and persuade him that since his son is dead, he shouldn't cause trouble. Let the Shangguan family apologize to the family in private and compensate the money. In this way, when they investigate in the future, they will say that he committed suicide because he felt guilty and uneasy. They won't be able to track him down. "
As Li Rong spoke, Pei Wenxuan saw her and Shangguan Ya walking in together.
The winter was getting colder, but Li Rong didn't wear a thick coat like the others. Her clothes looked slightly thicker and she wore a white fox fur coat. She looked fluffy and cute.
Pei Wenxuan smiled and waited for her in the corridor. Li Rong was still talking seriously with Shangguan Ya. The two girls didn't seem to see her at all. Shangguan Ya said in a low voice, "I understand. I will clean up the Shangguan family before His Majesty officially takes action against the Crown Prince."
"Do they listen to you?" Li Rong frowned. Shangguan Ya smiled, "I'm investigating the case. At the same time, I promoted some concubine-born sons who weren't valued in the past to help me. Your Highness helped me recommend them. They see that if they follow me, they will get benefits. If they don't, I will find trouble with them. They are currently cooperating. After all, at most, they will resign. As long as they don't kill anyone, it's fine. "
"Then your hands and feet must be clean." Li Rong instructed. Shangguan Ya nodded.
As the two talked, they walked past Pei Wenxuan. Pei Wenxuan quietly followed them. The two didn't notice that there was an extra person behind them and continued to talk about business.
"Did those people from the aristocratic families look for your father?"
"They did." Shangguan Ya smiled, "How could they not? They want to find someone to persuade you. I heard that the Empress Dowager in the palace talked to them. I went to inform the Empress Dowager in advance. The Empress Dowager has closed her door and refused to see anyone. Don't worry. "
"That's good."
Li Rong and Shangguan Ya talked. She pondered for a moment, "Then they only have one way to go."
Shangguan Ya nodded. She understood Li Rong's meaning and said in a low voice, "Your Highness, take care of yourself."
"Yes." Li Rong thought for a moment and said, "You too."
As the two talked, Shangguan Ya sat down and talked about many details. When Shangguan Ya and Li Rong finished their discussion, it was already late at night. Shangguan Ya said her goodbyes and left. When she stood up, she realized that Pei Wenxuan was standing there. She was stunned. Then, she smiled at Pei Wenxuan and cupped her hands, "Sorry to disturb you. Prince Consort, please don't take offense."
Pei Wenxuan smiled and raised his hand, "Miss Shangguan, take care."
Shangguan Ya hurried out of the door. Li Rong took a breath and drank a mouthful of tea. He looked up tiredly and said slowly, "I heard that you plan to be promoted to the Ministry of Personnel?"
"His Majesty plans to hold an imperial examination this year."
Pei Wenxuan walked behind Li Rong and placed his hand on Li Rong's forehead. He said calmly, "Now that you have taken care of so many people, the imperial court doesn't have enough people. His Majesty plans to hold an imperial examination in advance and select a group of people. Now that I am transferred to the Ministry of Personnel, there will be a group of students."
Da Xia's method of selecting talents was based on family background and the imperial examination. Most people with discerning eyes knew that the imperial examination was a method used by the Emperor to suppress the aristocratic families. However, most of the people who passed the imperial examination were from aristocratic families. Even if there were some who passed the imperial examination, they would be placed in some insignificant position.
For example, last year's top scorer, Cui Yulang, was placed in the Ministry of Rites as a fifth rank official. It sounded nice, but it was insignificant and did not have any real power.
Therefore, even if the imperial examination was important, the powerful ministers in the imperial court did not care about it and did not bother to fight for the position of an examiner. However, if it was not important, some people would want to take a bite out of it when it was time to select people to make money.
Pei Wenxuan and Li Rong both knew that the most important thing to become an examiner of the imperial examination was not to be able to make money from the descendants of the aristocratic families, but to have a natural bond with the examiner. If the examiner knew how to manage things, these people would even treat the examiner as a "teacher" in the imperial court. They would promote and take care of each other.
This was one of the sources of Pei Wenxuan's large number of supporters. Li Rong was not surprised that Pei Wenxuan wanted to take care of the imperial examination.
Especially when she cut out a large number of empty seats.
"I'm afraid it won't be easy for you to go directly from the Censorate." Li Rong thought for a moment. "There are many people bothering you now."
"It's all thanks to Your Highness." Pei Wenxuan smiled. He gently pressed Li Rong's temples and said in a low voice, "But it doesn't matter. I'm already working on it."
Li Rong responded. Pei Wenxuan rubbed her acupuncture points. She smelled the incense on Pei Wenxuan's sleeves, which gave her a rare moment of peace. She did not know why, but she did not want to think about the matters of the imperial court. She did not speak. Pei Wenxuan looked at her expression and said in a low voice, "Your Highness, let's eat together?"
Li Rong nodded. Pei Wenxuan helped her up. Then his hand slid down and gently held her.
The cold winter made the temperature of his hand feel a bit nostalgic. Li Rong was too tired and did not think. Pei Wenxuan saw that she did not speak and did not resist. He could not help but feel uneasy. He glanced at her and carefully looked at her expression. He coughed lightly and said, "Your Highness, do you want to eat in the bedroom or in the dining room?"
"You decide."
Li Rong heard his words and returned to her senses. Pei Wenxuan immediately said, "Let's go to the bedroom."
Li Rong saw that he replied so quickly and could not help but feel a little suspicious. At this time, she looked at him carefully and found that Pei Wenxuan was still wearing such thin clothes in the middle of winter. It was as if it was still the height of spring.
But it had to be said that Pei Wenxuan was very handsome in this way. The way he pulled her forward was very much like a playboy leading his lover on a walk. There was a bit of silent youthful spirit in his tenderness. If she was a little girl, she would probably be able to look at him for a lifetime if she looked up like this.
Li Rong's gaze fell on his face and he led her into the room. When the door was opened, Li Rong saw the small table set up inside. She saw the new winter plum blossoms and the incense that had been specially mixed. She knew what was going on.
She did not show it on her face and only glanced at the serious Pei Wenxuan from the corner of her eyes. She pretended not to notice anything and entered the room. She slowly said, "It seems a bit colder today than usual."
Pei Wenxuan responded and closed the door. He entered the room and said, "Yes, I had people add charcoal to the fire. Does Your Highness still feel cold?"
"I'm not cold." Li Rong looked up at him with a smile that was not a smile. "It's just that you're wearing thin clothes. Don't you feel cold?"
"My body is strong and healthy. I don't usually stay outdoors." Pei Wenxuan said and walked into the room. He sat across from Li Rong. "Wearing this is enough."
Li Rong nodded, but in her heart, she was laughing.
Pei Wenxuan was a civil official. She knew what he was capable of, but he wanted to show off. She did not say anything and only said, "Let's eat."
As she said this, Li Rong raised her hand and put down her chopsticks.
It was obvious that she had put in a lot of effort into this meal. In the past, she did not notice it, but today, Li Rong paid more attention. When she looked carefully, she found that not only were all the dishes she liked to eat, but they were also well-matched with meat and vegetables. There was no coriander, the meat was thin, and there was a lot of chopped green onions.
Li Rong looked and did not know whether to be surprised or gratified.
Pei Wenxuan had lived with her for many years and knew her habits very well.
Since he knew her so well, it would not be difficult to poison her to death. Fortunately, he did not have such thoughts at that time. Otherwise, she would have died a long time ago.
When Li Rong thought of this, she could not help but feel a little scared. She looked up at Pei Wenxuan.
Her gaze was so complicated that Pei Wenxuan felt a little scared. He could not help but ask, "Why is Your Highness looking at me?"
"I want to persuade you to eat more."
As Li Rong said this, she casually asked Pei Wenxuan some business matters. Pei Wenxuan answered one by one. While answering, he did not forget to ask Li Rong some trivial things: "Your Highness, did you receive yesterday's candied fruit?"
"I received it."
"How did it taste?"
"I didn't eat it. It was all divided by this subordinate."
Pei Wenxuan was stunned by this answer. For a moment, he felt that the braised pork in his mouth was not delicious.
So he could not help but ask, "Your Highness, did you receive the poem I wrote?"
"I received it."
Li Rong thought of the sour poems he wrote every day and felt a little sour. Pei Wenxuan saw her response and asked with some expectation: "What does Your Highness think?"
Li Rong looked up at him and saw that Pei Wenxuan seemed to be planning to write poems for her every day. She hurriedly said: "Don't write these things."
Li Rong earnestly advised him with the tone of an elder: "You are originally a great talent. If you always indulge in these elegant ways, I'm afraid it will affect your mind. If others see you, they will think that you are a poet. They will inevitably think that you only know poetry and don't know politics. Look at the politicians who do their work. How many of them write these romantic poems? "
Pei Wenxuan was stifled by Li Rong's lecture. He could not help but say: "I only write for Your Highness to see."
"I understand," Li Rong nodded and pretended not to understand. She said with understanding: "You don't dare to write for others to see. I know you have a sense of propriety. "
Pei Wenxuan was speechless. Li Rong finished eating. She put down her chopsticks and said calmly: "I'll go read a few more memorials to help with digestion. You can continue with your work."
With that, Li Rong stood up and walked out. Pei Wenxuan sat at the table by himself and felt a little annoyed.
A meal like this was really not interesting at all.
Li Rong walked two steps and turned around. She saw that Pei Wenxuan was still sitting in his seat and looked somewhat disappointed. Li Rong could not help but feel a little pity for him. She could not help but laugh and reminded him: "You should wear more clothes."
Pei Wenxuan did not speak. Li Rong watched him stand up and walk to the side skillfully. He opened the cabinet and took out a thick coat. He skillfully put it on and said expressionlessly: "Your Highness, don't worry. I won't feel cold."
With that, Pei Wenxuan put on the coat and returned to the table. He picked up his chopsticks and began to eat.
Li Rong saw how skillfully he put on the coat and was certain that he would not feel cold.
Li Rong went back to read a few memorials. After an hour, she felt tired. She went to the bathroom to take a bath and leisurely walked back.
When she entered the room, Pei Wenxuan was already asleep. He was also tired recently and did not sleep well. Li Rong was not surprised.
Li Rong did not light the lamp. She groped her way into the room and fell asleep quietly.
Not long after she fell asleep, she felt the person next to her turn over. Li Rong thought he did not mean it and continued to sleep with her eyes closed.
After a while, that person turned over again, as if he was a little unhappy.
Li Rong pretended to sleep soundly and did not intend to pay attention to him.
She did not know what he was thinking about that made him angry. She had offended him too much. He should think about it more carefully.
Pei Wenxuan kept tossing and turning. He seemed to be angry. After waiting for a long time, Li Rong was in a daze when she felt the person next to her suddenly get up and approach her.
He came over aggressively. Before Li Rong could react, the person stopped.
Pei Wenxuan was hanging above her. Li Rong held her breath. She did not know if she should open her eyes to defend something or close them to avoid embarrassment.
The two of them were in a deadlock for a moment. Pei Wenxuan frowned. After a long time, Li Rong felt the person lower his head and gently kiss her forehead.
He seemed to be afraid that she would wake up and kissed her very carefully.
This person was very strange. If Pei Wenxuan's kiss landed on her lips, or even if he stuck his tongue in, it would be a battle of desire. She would not feel anything. She was not afraid of a head-on battle.
But he restrained himself and carefully kissed her on the forehead. Then, he chuckled and left in satisfaction. She felt that the man was not kissing her forehead, but her heart.
Like a wave of autumn water blown by the wind, ripples appeared layer by layer.
Li Rong did not know why, but she blushed in the middle of the night. She could not help but turn over with her back facing Pei Wenxuan.
Pei Wenxuan saw her turn over and lay on his side on the bed. He supported his head with his hand and looked at her back. He lowered his head and chuckled.
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