Chapter 11: Quarreling

“I have returned, Your Imperial Highness the Grand Princess.”

Pei Wenxuan carried Li Rong and ran into the reed fields. While the shadow guards and Yang Quan’s men were still fighting, he untied the horses’ reins and hit their rears. The horses fled in two different directions. Pei Wenxuan put the unconscious Li Rong on his back and laid flat on the ground, motionless.

When both sides reacted, Li Rong was gone. When they discovered something dashing through the reed field, both sides immediately moved in different directions in pursuit. Pei Wenxuan saw that they were chasing after the horses and quickly sat up. He carried Li Rong and madly dashed towards the dark forest in the distance.

Normally, he was not this strong, but in this life and death situation, he surprisingly didn’t feel that Li Rong was heavy at all. With Li Rong on his back, he ran like the wind and did not dare to stop.

Lying against his shoulder, Li Rong slowly regained consciousness. As soon as she came to her senses, she felt something painfully poking her stomach.

She let out a hiss. Pei Wenxuan heard it and hurriedly asked: “Are you awake?”

Li Rong was so shaken up by him that she wanted to vomit. Her stomach was hurting again, and the jolting made her dizzy and her vision blur, so she urgently said: “Put me down!”

Pei Wenxuan confirmed that she was awake and immediately put her down. Before Li Rong could react, he dragged her while running ahead, saying, “Run!”

“Pei Wenxuan…” Li Rong, who still did not understand the situation, was dragged by him all the way into the dense forest. She trembled and said, “I…I want to vomit…”

“Force it down!”

Pei Wenxuan said decisively and began to explain: “There are soldiers chasing after us, we…”

Before he could finish, Li Rong vomited straight down in Pei Wenxuan’s direction with a “ua.” Pei Wenxuan quickly let go of her hand and leapt to the side, watching Li Rong kneel on the ground and vomit.

After Li Rong gave Pei Wenxuan a great shock, he quickly glanced around. Once he confirmed that there were no soldiers pursuing them, he walked to her side and handed Li Rong a handkerchief, frowning, “Are you okay?”

Li Rong used the handkerchief to wipe her mouth and gracefully stood up. She looked around and asked, “Where is this place?”

Pei Wenxuan was silent. Seeing that he was not speaking, Li Rong’s heart cried out in unease and frowned, “You don’t know?”

“I ran too fast just now,” Pei Wenxuan calmly said, “I wasn’t paying attention to the road, this should be somewhere in the woods now.”

“You don’t say!” Li Rong shouted angrily, “Would Bengong not know that this is the woods? I’m asking you how to get out of here!”

“Just wait for someone.” Pei Wenxuan immediately got upset when she started yelling at him. He turned his head, walked straight ahead and said: “Let’s find a suitable place to rest first then talk. There’s no guarantee that Yang Quan’s men won’t find us.”

When Li Rong heard this, she recognized that there was some truth to it, but she was unhappy when she saw Pei Wenxuan’s pretentious face. The thought that she was injured while he was not made her even more unhappy. So she stood in place, not moving. Pei Wenxuan walked a few steps and noticed that Li Rong wasn’t following. He turned his head back to look at her, frowned and said, “What’s the matter now?”

“I have a headache.”

Li Rong lifted her hand to caress her forehead and sighed: “Alas, I can’t walk anymore.”

“You have a headache, not lame legs,” Pei Wenxuan subconsciously replied, but after he said that, he remembered where the injury on her head came from. He momentarily had a guilty conscience, and his attitude made a 180 degree turn. He coughed and said, “But it’s not a trivial thing, let me carry you on my back.”

With that, Pei Wenxuan walked up to Li Rong and crouched down with his back facing her.

Li Rong saw that Pei Wenxuan suddenly had a very good attitude and couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty. She suspiciously looked over Pei Wenxuan once. After confirming that there were no traps, she cautiously climbed on. Seeing that he seemed to have determined a direction to head towards, Li Rong couldn’t help but ask, “Where are we going?”

“Look for a water source first.”

Pei Wenxuan said frankly. Li Rong couldn’t help but feel happy: “You know where the water source is?”

“There are several ways,” Pei Wenxuan was very patient when facing serious situations and explained, “For example, by looking at the types of plants, plant growth density, the topography, and also clouds…”

While he was speaking, Pei Wenxuan paused, and then said: “You don’t need to know these things anyway. It’s not like you will ever do this kind of thing.”

“You’re right,” Li Rong nodded, “This kind of thing is something only you people like to do.”

“Li Rong,” Pei Wenxuan took a deep breath, “Will you die if you speak politely?”

“I’m not like that with others,” Li Rong softly chuckled, “It’s different with you though. I think Pei daren looks much better when he’s angry.”

“Then you must be sick.”

Pei Wenxuan did not hold back and snidely said: “Definitely blind.”

“How presumptuous of you,” Li Rong said lazily as she laid on his back, “You dare to speak to Bengong like this? Quickly apologize to Bengong!”

“You’re still domineering even when you’re no longer in the Palace,” Pei Wenxuan sneered, “Believe it or not, I will throw you down right here and now. Let’s see what you can do once Yang Quan finds you.”

“I’m so scared,” Li Rong raised an eyebrow. “Can he kill me? At most, he will have to marry me. Can a short-lived character like him even survive this winter? I’m afraid he will have gone to face judgment in the Underworld before the new year even comes. Then I will be a widow, and when my Father Emperor dies, I will immediately raise a dozen Guest Officials.1 Wouldn’t I be happy then?”

“Still thinking about raising Guest Officials at this moment,” Pei Wenxuan let out a mocking laugh, “You’re really something.”

[1] Guest Official — high-ranking non-native official, but here it is used euphemistically to refer to male companions.

“This is called optimism,” Li Rong said, sighing, “But speaking of that, I didn’t expect Yang Quan to be so smart. I purposely sent two people out in different directions, but he could still predict which route I would take and set up an ambush with traps. He can be considered a formidable opponent, so why did he die so easily in his previous life?”

Pei Wenxuan: “……”

He was a bit afraid to answer. Li Rong wrapped her arms around Pei Wenxuan’s neck and suddenly looked at him a little strangely: “What are you doing here though? Didn’t you go back?”

Pei Wenxuan: “……”

Although he had never lied to Li Rong, he had no courage to tell the truth at this moment. Seeing that he was silent, Li Rong had to laugh: “You didn’t come back to save me, did you? Pei Wenxuan, even the likes of a dog like you can be pretty decent.”

“Talk less,” Pei Wenxuan said awkwardly, “Save your strength.”

“Why didn’t I see you in the first place? Where were you hiding? Besides, you came here alone to rescue me? Doesn’t seem right, you aren’t…”

Before the word “stupid” was uttered, Li Rong suddenly realized that something was off.

Was Pei Wenxuan such a foolish person?

Even if he had no power or influence now, how could he rush over here by himself without making any preparations and confront Yang Quan head-on?

Besides, there were also a few inconsistencies on Yang Quan’s end. If Yang Quan had guessed her plan from the beginning and set up an ambush for her on the road, why did he not ambush her then and there but came back around the mountain to chase her?

Li Rong reacted at once. She couldn’t help but clench her hands and said with a sneer: “Pei daren, I have something to ask for guidance on.”

“I did it.”

Pei Wenxuan knew that Li Rong had understood everything and immediately said: “But I can explain, I actually wanted to help you. Those stones…”

“They all fell down on me.”

Li Rong let out an angry laugh: “Pei Wenxuan, you tell me the truth,” She took a deep breath, “Did you come to take revenge on me?

Pei Wenxuan was silent. Li Rong’s anger continued to boil even more furiously. She tried to calm herself down as much as possible and restrained her tone of voice: “Put me down.”

Pei Wenxuan quickly put her down. Li Rong angrily walked on ahead. She wanted to stay away from this person in case she lost her temper.

Pei Wenxuan knew that he was in the wrong, so he hurriedly followed and said: “If I said I didn’t want revenge, would you believe it? Even I wouldn’t believe it.”

“Do you have a reason for me to believe you? I think it’s because there’s nothing you can do now, you have no way out, so you must marry me at any cost, but you can’t let go of your pride, so you thought of a trick to profit like the fisherman!”2

Li Rong turned around and pointed at Pei Wenxuan and indignantly shouted: “You just can’t sit by and watch me marry Lu Yu!”

[2] “When the snipe [a bird] and clam fight, the fisherman benefits” — Two parties fight, but a third party arrives at a convenient time to defeat both and becomes the ultimate winner.

“Why would I be like that?” Pei Wenxuan frowned and explained in all seriousness, “You have nothing to do with me. Can I control who you like and marry? Do you think I need to?”

“Nothing to do with each other?” Li Rong sneered, “Do you think that I don’t know you? You’re just reluctant to let me go!”

“What nonsense!” Pei Wenxuan was infuriated by this ‘reluctance’ and jumped like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. “I don’t have you in my heart at all. The only person I’m reluctant to let go of is Zhenzhen, or do you not understand that?”

“Very well, you still dare to mention Qin Zhenzhen to me?” Li Rong heard ‘Qin Zhenzhen’ being brought up and couldn’t care less about concealing her identity at that moment. She bluntly said: “If you like her, then why don’t you go and marry her, what did you marry me for in the previous life? Yes, that’s right, you feel like I’m a thorn in your eyes, but you can’t let go of my status as a princess! Pei Wenxuan, you really are the most brazen, most indecent, and most shameless little pretty face3 I have ever met!”

“Me, a little pretty face?” Pei Wenxuan angrily laughed, “Does it compare to your Guest Official Su’s little pretty face? Think about it, Li Rong, aside from early in our marriage when I relied on you, since when did I rely on you for a living? In the beginning, we both relied on each other. You helped me expand my career, but didn’t I help your little brother ascend the throne? Moreover, did you take advantage of me any less later on? Other than that, with the food and daily necessities in the Princess’s mansion alone, whose money did you use?”

[3] little pretty face — literal: little white face; men with beautiful appearances and fair complexions who are financially supported by women, similar to a gigolo.

“Then I really have to thank you,” Li Rong laughed. “Thank you for giving me money to raise men every year, how generous of you! But in your heart, didn’t you keep score of the money that I used? Do you think my Father Emperor would trust you that much if you weren’t my Prince Consort? Please, don’t put gold on your face anymore. That doesn’t count as financially supporting me when it just was to gain favors from me. Pei daren, are you in your right mind?”

“Oh, if I actually wanted to gain favors from you, then why did you use my intelligence network and underground contacts without even giving me a cent?”

“Then what about when you used my name to suppress others and asked me to persuade my Brother Emperor? Why won’t you talk about that?”

“Heh, weren’t there times when His Majesty suspected you? When His Majesty argued with you, saying that you were guilty of misconduct and wanted to drive you back to your fief, who came to me to put on an act and plead on your behalf?”

“In the end, His Majesty is still my own blood brother. When His Majesty had you dragged out to be beaten, who needed me to go to the Imperial Study to plead on your behalf?”

“You have the nerve to say that? That year…”

The two of them took turns scolding each other, recounting old affairs one by one, and after scolding for half the night, both of them were panting heavily.

Earlier, Pei Wenxuan had carried Li Rong for a while and walked a long way with her on his back, so he had already run out of strength.

Li Rong was a woman herself and had suffered some injuries, so she had long lost her strength.

The two of them seemed to be pitted in a cockfight. You’re looking at me, and I’m looking at you. They obviously have no strength left, but neither was willing to give up.

After a while, Pei Wenxuan’s stomach growled.

He had camped out on the ground for so long and didn’t even eat dinner.

When those growling sounds rang out, Pei Wenxuan suddenly froze. Li Rong found a reason to stop at last. It was rare for her to not mock him. Instead, she turned around and said: “Forget it, Bengong is tired. Let’s rest first. You find something to eat, and once we finish eating, we will argue again.”

“This humble official thinks that seems about right.”

Pei Wenxuan nodded and followed Li Rong.

After the two quietly walked for a while, Li Rong sighed, “I didn’t expect that you would actually come back.”

Pei Wenxuan was stunned. After a few moments, he lowered his head and responded softly: “En, I have returned,” Having said that, he couldn’t help but call out in a low voice, “Your Imperial Highness the Grand Princess.”

The author has something to say:

【Mini Theater】

Mo Shu Bai: “Please summarize your actions today.”

Li Rong: “Eagles fighting for dominance.”

Pei Wenxuan: “Fierce tigers battling one another.”

Reader: “Chickens pecking each other.”