Chapter 26.2: Imprisoned

“It’s been a long time, Eldest Brother Pei.”

Before long, she arrived at the Ministry of Justice’s prison. Wang Qing walked in front in a humble and respectful manner. Everyone knew in their hearts that as Li Chuan had not fallen, Li Rong would only be coming to the Ministry of Justice as a formality.

“Wang daren,” Li Rong gently said, “Can I choose which cell to live in?”

“Of course,” Wang Qing’s heart was still trembling when he looked at Li Rong at this moment, terrified that he might offend this person who was a golden branch with jade leaves among nobility. He hastily asked, “Which room has caught Your Highness’s fancy?”

“Can I stay in the room next to Pei daren?”

Li Rong smiled: “It won’t be as scary if you have an acquaintance.”

“Your Highness is right,” Wang Qing said with flattery, “The Princess and Pei daren are involved in the case and should naturally be together.”

Having said that, Wang Qing led Li Rong to the very back of the prison.

The prison cell at the end was set up in a particular manner, obviously for high-ranking officials and nobles to stay in. It occupied a single corner with a few neighboring cells scattered in the vicinity. There was no one else here apart from Pei Wenxuan, who was lying down in his cell and reading a book.

Pei Wenxuan had been lying in bed, looking through a travelogue. Seeing Li Rong come in, he immediately got up and put the book down on the small table. He folded his arms over his chest and leaned against the wall, looking at Li Rong with a beaming smile.

Li Rong saw him looking over, but she chose the cell next to Pei Wenxuan and had people go in to prepare it first. Afterwards, she walked up to Pei Wenxuan. Pei Wenxuan looked her up and down and laughed: “Your Highness came so quickly. Could it be that Your Highness missed this humble official?”

A laugh escaped from Li Rong with a “pfft.” She covered the lower half of her face with a fan: “It seems that other people in prison have not had much of a learning experience, but Pei daren’s mouth has made quite a bit of progress.”

“Just as per usual,” Pei Wenxuan nodded and said in all seriousness, “Your Highness originally said that she would come to visit this humble official once a day. As a result, this humble official has waited for so many days but had yet to see Your Highness’s slightest shadow. This humble official thought about it day and night, tossing and turning in bed as he thought about gazing into translucent autumn waters.[1] All while anxiously waiting, finding joy in the sorrows, reminiscing the bitterness of yesterday and cherishing the sweetness of the present. Now that this humble official is able to see Your Highness, there are thousands of words in this one’s heart and so many surging emotions. If there is anything that offends Your Highness, may Your Highness be forgiving.”

[1] Gazing into translucent autumn waters — a metaphor for looking into a woman’s clear and bright eyes.

Hearing Pei Wenxuan’s light-hearted musing, Li Rong kept smiling all while covering her face with the fan.

Pei Wenxuan saw that Li Rong was in a good mood and knew that nothing serious had happened outside. He lowered his voice and whispered, “Is it all settled?”

“One of two things have been settled.”

Li Rong said. She glanced around before whispering: “Let’s talk later.”

Jing Lan and Jing Mei brought everything inside, cleaned the entire cell, lit incense and prepared a curtain to cover the cell entrance. Within moments, the entire cell looked almost the same as Li Rong’s bedroom. After everything had been set up, Jing Lan and Li agreed on a daily visiting time. Li Rong moved into the cell, then everyone else left.

There was a cacophony of voices just now, but in an instant, only Li Rong and Pei Wenxuan were left in here. The two of them were separated by a wall. Pei Wenxuan leaned against the wall and asked, “Which one has been settled?”

There was no answer. Pei Wenxuan found it a bit strange. He was just about to ask again when he saw a hand with five lacquered red nails hold out a slip of paper. Pei Wenxuan leaned over to take the slip of paper and opened it up to see Li Rong’s handwriting, which read: “Collecting evidence.”

“This isn’t important.” Pei Wenxuan shook his head and brought his eyes up to glance off at the side. Although he could not see Li Rong, the action itself still made him feel at ease, “What about that person? Has His Highness successfully recruited him?”

“Still recruiting.” Li Rong saw that Pei Wenxuan didn’t bother to conceal anything and knew that this place should be safe. She no longer wrote it out on a slip of paper and directly said, “Is he someone who can be easily invited down the mountain?”

“Just as expected.” Pei Wenxuan tore the slip of paper to pieces. He could not help but frown as he ripped it up and asked Li Rong, “Say, how was he invited down the mountain the previous life? I remember it wasn’t too difficult to recruit him.”

Although Qin Lin was arrogant in the previous life, it didn’t feel too overwhelming. Li Chuan has come to extend an invitation to him for four days. Why hasn’t there been any movement?

Li Rong also felt a little anxious after hearing Pei Wenxuan’s question. She couldn’t help but say, “Could it be that we’ve changed this by acting in advance?”

It was like how she held the spring banquet, and that led to Yang Quan’s involvement. Now that they were recruiting Qin Lin in advance…

“There’s nothing keeping him from being invited, right?” Li Rong couldn’t help but express some doubt.

Pei Wenxuan hastily said, “Don’t say anything ominous.”

“What can we do if he can’t be recruited?” LI Rong completely ignored Pei Wenxuan’s objection in the least and frowned. Pei Wenxuan saw that Li Rong wasn’t listening to him at all, so he could only say, “What else can be done? Our lead goes cold.”

“Pei Wenxuan,” Li Rong tapped her fan in the palm of her hand, listening to Pei Wenxuan as he made cynical remarks before leisurely saying, “If Qin Lin cannot come down the mountain, I will stuff you into the Northwest. Either you bring back what I need from the Northwestern border station or I will be burying you there.”

Li Rong’s voice was rather steady, but Pei Wenxuan could hear a bit of bloodthirstiness when she said “burying” at the end.

Pei Wenxuan’s heart felt a bit cold, but it wasn’t as if this kind of thing could frighten him. He slightly coughed and somewhat said in embarrassment: “The main thing is that I’m afraid you will mind, but if you don’t mind, then I still have a way.”

“Such as?”

“After all, he is Zhen…” Pei Wenxuan had not finished his sentence when he heard Li Rong immediately ask, “What ‘Zhen’?”

Pei Wenxuan noted the turn of conversation and changed to another form of address: “Second Miss Qin’s older brother.”

“So what?”

Li Rong waved her fan, her voice carrying a hint of soft laughter, but Pei Wenxuan kept hearing a distinct chill that could not be put to words. Pei Wenxuan didn’t know he felt a little flustered, but nevertheless, he braced himself in spite of it and struggled to say: “I think I might still have a bit of face?”

“Heh,” Li Rong couldn’t help but laugh, “What kind of face would they have for a man for whom they had broken an engagement off? Do you not have a sense of shame?”

“She must have been forced to break off the engagement with me.”

“Pei Wenxuan, what I’ve discovered about you as a person is that while your abilities are generally average, your ability to deceive yourself and others is your particular strength.” Li Rong couldn’t listen to him anymore and knocked her fan against the ground. “Heaven and earth can bear witness to her heart towards Chuan’er, but what about you? Truthfully speaking, if it wasn’t for the fact that she was wholeheartedly devoted to Chuan’er and didn’t have the slightest thoughts about what kind of position a wretched dog like you would occupy in her heart, if she dared to respond in the slightest after you rushed to help her in the previous life and dared to hide it from me, I would have deposed her at once!”

“Your logic is wrong,” Pei Wenxuan heard Li Rong’s words and seriously said, “Her liking His Highness is naturally something that came to be later on. I was observing my period of filial piety when she broke off the engagement. She had not met His Highness at that time yet, so she must have been forced by her family to break off the engagement.”

Li Rong almost vomited blood when she heard Pei Wenxuan say that. Is the issue at hand here a matter of when Qin Zhenzhen came to like Li Chuan? The fact is she has never liked Pei Wenxuan at all! Breaking off the engagement was a completely voluntary, unambiguous and self-explanatory matter!

She took a deep breath, suppressed her emotions and said: “Pei Wenxuan, you should be very grateful that you and I are currently in prison.”

“Otherwise?” Pei Wenxuan couldn’t understand what Li Rong meant by those words. He was still thinking about the matter regarding Qin Lin when he heard Li Rong grimly say, “If not for this wooden grate stopping me, I would have already gone over and poked your eyes out!”

Pei Wenxuan: “…”

He felt that Li Rong was rather irritable at the moment. He was silent for a moment, then he cautiously said: “You are a princess. You must keep your identity in mind. It won’t look good if you take things into your own hands.”

“If it won’t look good when I take it into my own hands,” Li Rong sneered, “Then I’ll just let someone else do it.”

“Women in the family,” Pei Wenxuan spoke without thinking too deeply about it, “It’s not good for women in the family to talk about fighting and killing. You should drink some tea to cool down, then we will continue our discussion.”

“I have nothing to discuss with you.”

Li Rong stood up and coldly said: “Why not find your Zhenzhen and chat?”

“Why are you so short-tempered today? I thought the two of us had argued enough on this subject,” Pei Wenxuan sighed. After thinking about it, he couldn’t help but ask, “Did you interrogate someone recently?”

Li Rong’s movements stopped. Pei Wenxuan saw that she wasn’t responding, and in his mind, it was already clear.

Li Rong has always been like this, easily overwhelmed by the sight of blood and losing her composure and self-control over it.

This was the case in the previous life. Although the two of them were allies, they still had their own calculations. Li Rong did not fully trust him. There were many things that she could not hand over to him, so he could not help her much in that sense either.

Fortunately, it’s different in this life. At least the two of them were certainly on the same side now.

Pei Wenxuan was quiet for some time, then he slowly said: “Let me handle these things in the future. You don’t have to touch them.”

“No need.” Li Rong coldly said, “It’s none of your business.”

“Can you think of it as something I’m asking you for?” Pei Wenxuan sighed in lament. He knew that Li Rong was upset, so he gently said, “We will be living together in the future. Don’t be so stubborn. If you go and interrogate people, your heart and state of mind will be uneasy, then when you come back and take it out on me, wouldn’t I be the one who suffers the most?”

“I’m begging you, Your Highness of mine,” Pei Wenxuan drew out the syllables, “Give this humble official a way out. Let this humble official do these things for you, alright?”

Li Rong let out a sneer and did not answer. She walked over to the bed, prepared to lie down when she heard voices outside.

Before long, Li Chuan walked in with someone. Li Chuan was still wearing clothes of the common folk. It was clear that he had not come over from the Palace. He hurriedly walked over to Li Rong’s cell and urgently said: “Jie, I heard that something happened to you and immediately came here after coming back from Jiulu Mountain. Are you alright?”

“I’m doing well,” Li Rong nodded, “Don’t worry, it was all within expectation. Has Qin Lin finally been recruited?”

“Not yet,” Li Chuan shook his head, then he seemed to remember something and hastily said, “But I will be able to soon.”

Li Rong gave a hum in response when she heard approaching footsteps off to the side.

The person that Li Chuan had brought with him donned a black cloak. Her facial features were hidden beneath the cloak and could not be clearly made out. Li Rong noticed her the moment she came in. Li Rong originally could not guess who this person was, but seeing this person walk up to Pei Wenxuan’s cell, she had a vague idea in her mind.

Pei Wenxuan must have guessed the identity of the visitor as well, but he did not say anything and only watched in silence.

The other person didn’t speak. She simply lifted a slender, fair-skinned hand and took off the oversized hood of the cloak, revealing her delicate and elegant features.

She wasn’t born beautiful, but she made people feel at ease with the tranquility in her indifference. The most remarkable thing was an eminent aura of someone who seemed detached from the secular world even though she was born a mortal in this world of dust and earth.

Pei Wenxuan quietly looked at her as if he had expected it and had been aware of it.

The young woman gently smiled.

“It’s been a long time,” She calmly spoke up, “Eldest Brother Pei.”

The author has something to say:

Here it comes, someone is about to die!

【Mini Theater】

(Mo Shu Bai sits on the steps and smokes a cigarette.)

Pei Wenxuan: “Great Bai, you shouldn’t smoke. It’s bad for your health.”

Mo Shubai: “Can’t, I’m too stressed.”

Pei Wenxuan: “Over what?”

Mo Shubai: “You’re too much of a wretched dog, I’m getting nervous just watching.”

Pei Wenxuan: “……”

Mo Shubai: “Son, promise me, don’t add oil to the crematorium, add wine, okay? Mother’s kidneys aren’t good, now my lungs aren’t good either. Spare me…”[1]