Chapter 42: Concubine Selection

“A-jie, I’m tired.”

Li Rong looked at Pei Wenxuan, who was leaning against the pillar in front of her, then she saw his smile that was not quite a smile and was a little stunned for a moment. Pei Wenxuan saw that she hadn’t said anything and raised his eyebrows: “Hm, why aren’t you saying anything anymore?”

“It’s nothing,” Li Rong returned to her senses, leading Pei Wenxuan out as she smiled and said: “Let’s go.”

Pei Wenxuan followed after Li Rong. It was only then that Li Rong suddenly remembered something: “Why were you so impatient just now?”

“Huh?” Pei Wenxuan seemed a little confused, so Li Rong reminded him: “Why did you hit him?”

Pei Wenxuan said nothing at first, but a moment later, he laughed and said: “I just felt like it.”

“Oh?” Li Rong turned her head and laughed, “You had something you felt like it was worth doing?”

“I thought you were going to jump from the building.”

Pei Wenxuan was a little flustered: “I was too impatient.”

“Pei Wenxuan,” Li Rong revealed a look of astonishment, “I thought you were looking forward to me dying young so that you can claim my inheritance.”

“If you die young,” Pei Wenxuan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, “I wouldn’t be able to inherit any of your assets anyways. Besides, if you’re going to die in a place like this, I’m afraid I’d have to be buried with you.”

“These are the words I like hearing from you.”

Li Rong nodded. Pei Wenxuan expressed some doubt: “What kind of words?”

“Having to be buried with me,” Li Rong looked up at him with a clever look in her eyes, “If I were to die without taking Pei daren with me, I’d always feel a little lonely.”

“You must really love me,” Pei Wenxuan helplessly sighed and lamented, “You always think of me when it comes to the bad things.”

“That’s right,” Li Rong’s mood improved, “I may not necessarily think of you when something good happens, but I never fail to think of you when it comes to the bad things.”

Pei Wenxuan gave her an empty stare and ignored her, picking up his pace to walk right out of the courtyard.

When he walked out through the doors, he lifted his head and glanced back at the gardenias in full bloom in the distance.

In truth, he also wanted to know why he had acted so impatiently just now.

The two of them got into the carriage and returned to the Princess’s mansion together. As soon as Li Rong returned to the residence, she sent out an order for her people to keep watch over Consort Rou and Shangguan Ya.

Pei Wenxuan couldn’t help but find it a bit odd: “Just keep an eye on Shangguan Ya. Why are you keeping a close eye on Consort Rou?”

“Don’t you know…” Li Rong leaned back against her chair as she held a cup of tea, “Whenever the women in the harem want to do something, they are bound to rely on another woman.”

Pei Wenxuan gave it some serious thought after hearing this, then he nodded and said: “That’s true.”

The two went back to rest for a while. Pei Wenxuan went to check on the progress of the current expansion of their secret intelligence network. He found all of his former subordinates again, began to communicate with the beggars in the cities, and planted spies in every major family residence. Every day, money was used up like running water, but once the money was used up, he naturally wanted to see the results, so he had to pay close attention to each and every situation every day.

Li Rong would check the accounts whenever Pei Wenxuan spent money. Pei Wenxuan was busy with his affairs, so Li Rong began to look into the cash flow and expenditures for the month. After reading the reports from the spies that had been planted in every family residence, she burned the papers one by one.

Between the two of them, one was busy building up a secret intelligence network while the other was busy going door to door, visiting friends from all walks of life and bringing money and gifts to their doorsteps. Soon enough, half of their nine day honeymoon leave quickly came to pass.

At this time, a few folk songs began to circulate in Huajing.

As soon as this folk song appeared, it was immediately passed onto Li Rong’s ears. She hadn’t fully woken up at the time, still lying in bed in a hazy trance, catching bits and pieces as Pei Wenxuan read it out loud off to the side: “The phoenix is born in the official’s brick courtyard, the flower blooms for four generations of everlasting prosperity.”

Li Rong suddenly woke up with a start when she heard this. She looked up at Pei Wenxuan, who was sitting beside her as he tossed a piece of paper into the brazier. She slightly shook her head to clear her mind and asked: “What were you reading aloud just now?”

“The recent rumors in Huajing.”

Pei Wenxuan laughed: “Looks like this friend of yours really has taken action.”

Huajing had no such folk songs that circulated without rhyme or reason, especially the kind of folk song that foretold the rise of a phoenix.

Pei Wenxuan drew another piece of information from the side, paying no mind to it as he said: “She is rather daring. You told her that the Emperor had his eye on the Shangguan family, and yet she even dared to spread such a folk song.”

“It shouldn’t have been her.”

Li Rong yawned and stood up, calling for Jing Lan to come in and serve.

Jing Lan, Jing Mei and the others came in and began to help Li Rong get dressed. While Li Rong let the girls take care of things, she told Pei Wenxuan: “She’s not some lunatic. Even if there was something that she wanted to do, she absolutely would not resort to using such methods.”

Pei Wenxuan pondered over it, then he reacted: “You’re referring to that person in the palace?”

“Didn’t she say she wanted her niece to marry into the palace last time?”

“His Majesty won’t allow it.” Pei Wenxuan lowered his head, looking down at the report as he indifferently said: “Her status is too low.”

“So that is why she wants everyone in Huajing to sing along to this folk song.” Li Rong looked up at Pei Wenxuan and smiled, “With this folk song being sung here and there, who is to say it won’t make Father Emperor have other thoughts?”

Li Ming was never a benevolent ruler. For the Shangguan family to spread this kind of folk song, Li Ming might perceive it as a form of provocation.

If it were any other day, Li Ming would not agree to allowing the likes of Consort Rou’s niece to become Crown Princess. But now that this folk song was circulating throughout the entire city, Li Ming may have other ideas.

If she was Consort Rou, she would do the same too.

But why did Consort Rou suddenly choose to do this now…

Li Rong laughed, feeling that there were some rather interesting aspects and another side to this story.

Li Rong guessed that there would be some movement in the palace as the folk song became more widespread. As expected, she received news from the palace that afternoon, saying that the Double Seventh Festival[1] was in five days and the Empress planned to host a banquet. All aristocratic men and women of suitable age were invited to attend.

[1] Double Seventh Festival — an evening festival held on the 7th day of the 7th month of the lunar calendar; Chinese equivalent of Valentine’s Day

For a palace banquet to be held on the day of the Double Seven Festival, no matter how you look at it, it must have something to do with Li Chuan. Li Rong thought about it, then she ordered someone to make arrangements to head directly to the palace.

Li Chuan also happened to be there when she arrived. The Empress had been saying something to Li Chuan when Li Rong announced her arrival. Seeing that neither of their expressions looked too good, she couldn’t help but laugh: “Oh my, what could you two be talking about to be frowning so much? Can I hear it too?”

“Why are you here?” When the Empress saw Li Rong, her expression immediately lit up with joy. Li Rong laughed and sat down next to the Empress, “Mother Empress, you must be joking. I just left the palace to live outside, it’s not as if I was married off to a distant foreign land. I’m in Huajing all day long, so I wanted to take some time to see you. What’s so strange about that?”

The Empress also laughed when she heard these words. She looked at Li Rong from head to toe for a moment and said with some concern: “That Pei Wenxuan…”

“He’s very good.” Li Rong knew what the Empress wanted to ask and interrupted her, “Things are pretty good. You can rest assured, how could I let myself be wronged?”

The Empress looked at her daughter. She wanted to say something, but once again, she only sighed and helplessly said: “Forget it. Since you are already married, you must live well. After all, it’s not as if you are relying on him.”

“Let’s not talk about him anymore,” Li Rong knew that the Empress had always held Pei Wenxuan’s background in contempt. She didn’t know why she could regard Pei Wenxuan with disdain on a subconscious level and not think anything of it, but she always felt a little uncomfortable whenever others regarded him with disdain, so she changed the subject and directly asked: “I received an invitation from the palace. I heard that you were planning to hold a banquet in the palace on the day of the Double Seventh Festival. Is this because of Chuan’er’s marriage?”

“How could this be something I’d want to do?” The Empress smiled bitterly, “This is something Consort Rou wants. She asked for His Majesty’s decree and is fully intent on having it done.”

“Oh,” Li Rong nodded, “She really had such intentions.”

“Those nonsensical folk songs are being sung day by day out there,” Li Chuan sneered, “She certainly has bad intentions.”

“You’ve also heard it?” Li Rong turned to look at Li Chuan, smiled and said: “You’re actually not that foolish.”

“Sima Zhao’s heart is known to all those passing by.” Li Chuan’s eyes revealed a hint of disdain, “Playing these same old dirty tricks all day long.”

“This isn’t something she’s been up to for a day or two,” Li Rong remembered something, “Do you two know why she plans to hold a banquet for the Double Seventh Festival?”

“Probably to make a recommendation for that niece of hers,” The Empress mused, giving it some thought before slowly saying, “I’m afraid there is an ulterior motive behind this banquet. I will have someone bribe people on her side and see if I can find any information.”

Li Rong nodded, roughly understanding the situation. The Empress saw that she was concerned and consoled her, saying: “It’s alright, it’s not a big deal. The people in charge of the palace banquet are all my people. When the time comes, reinforcements will come to the defense just as water washes over the soil.[2] They’re seeking an imperial decree, so they must find a reason. As long as we remain vigilant when the time comes, they can’t do anything. Provided that they actually did do something, they must not want to leave Chuan’er any face in seeking a marriage decree during a banquet,” The Empress coldy sneered, “In that case, don’t blame Bengong for not giving them any face.”

[2] Lit. soldiers come to guard, water covers the soil: there will inevitably be a solution; one must respond based on circumstances and wait for the right time

His strategy of trapping and suppressing Li Chuan came from almost every direction. He supported the gentry, secretly supporting these second-class families in their fight against th

“Mother Empress, would you listen to yourself?” Li Rong stood up and went up behind the Empress to massage her shoulders, “How could she have the ability to do so? Don’t worry, Mother. You are the Tathagata Buddha, and Consort Rou is merely Sun Wukong, unable to escape the palm of your hand that is the Five Elements Mountain.”

Hearing this, the Empress burst into laughter.

Li Rong felt much more at ease after confirming the news. The three of them no longer brought up the subject just now but began to discuss Li Rong’s newlywed life.

It was the first time Li Rong returned to the palace after getting married. The Empress was reluctant to let her just leave like this, so she kept her back for a meal in the palace. When Pei Wenxuan didn’t see Li Rong return around dinnertime, he looked up at the sky and decided to go and pick her up.

He had been eating dinner with Li Rong these past few days, so now that it was just him in the room, for some reason, he didn’t have much of an appetite anymore.

Tong Ye saw that Pei Wenxuan hadn’t touched his food but wanted to go and pick Li Rong up, and he couldn’t help but laugh: “Gongzi is really good to the Princess. It hasn’t been very long since she left, yet you’ve already begun to yearn?”

Pei Wenxuan glared at him and looked over at a couple umbrellas that were placed in a nearby corner. After taking a look, he chose an umbrella with a painted reed design and said in a low voice: “Worry about driving the carriage properly, stop worrying about my affairs.”

Tong Ye chuckled and didn’t say anything more. Pei Wenxuan took the umbrella and carried it in his arms as he got onto the carriage and sat down. He reached a hand out to lift the curtain and looked at the clouds gathering in the sky, thinking to himself that he must have too few official duties and too much time to be so bored that he wanted to go and pick up Li Rong.

But on second thought, Li Rong was someone who did indeed enjoy being in the company of others. If she had to come back all by herself, she would probably feel bored. If he went to pick her up and played Go with her while bickering with each other on the road, perhaps that would cheer her up a bit.

Thinking of how happy she would be, Pei Wenxuan didn’t think that there was no point in him doing these kinds of things. He felt that he was a good person indeed and considered this as doing a good deed every day.

He cheerfully went to the palace in high spirits. Meanwhile, the Empress, Li Chuan, and Li Rong had finished their meal. The Empress usually went to bed early, she was a little tired, so she asked Li Chuan to see Li Rong out. Once Li Rong and Li Chuan walked out of the Empress’s small courtyard, Li Rong said: “Earlier, I saw that your and Mother Empress’s faces didn’t look too good. Did you two quarrel?”

“It can’t be called a quarrel.” Li Chuan replied with some reluctance, “It was just…a bit of a disagreement.”

“Isn’t that still considered a quarrel?” Li Rong laughed, “What were you two arguing about?”

Seeing that Li Chuan didn’t say a word, Li Rong smacked him with her fan: “You’re just a bit older now, but since when have you started hiding things from A-jie?”

“That’s not it either,” Li Chuan smiled bitterly, “I’m just afraid you’ll laugh if I say it out loud.”

“Hm?” Li Rong raised her eyebrows, “Well, just say it.”

“Earlier, Mother Empress was telling me that she didn’t just want me to marry a Crown Princess. She also thought I should look for a few other young ladies at this time. Nearly everything has been decided from the beginning. The people she had her eyes on have already been chosen, and I was told to choose among them.”

“Are you not happy about it?” Li Rong heard the dissatisfaction in his words. Li Chuan only remained silent.

Li Rong laughed, “What are you not happy about? You can marry so many good young ladies, there’s no telling just how many people would envy you.”

“But what if one day, I have someone I like?”

Li Chuan suddenly spoke up, causing Li Rong’s expression to stiffen. Li Chuan lifted his head and looked at her in earnest: “If one day, I like someone, and she likes me too, but I have too many wives, what should she do then? If I agree to do as Mother Empress said today, then that would mean that in this life, I’m no longer qualified to love anyone anymore.”

“You already have someone you like?” Li Rong forced a reluctant smile. There was some uneasiness in her heart.

Li Chuan shook his head: “Not yet.”

Li Rong calmed down and breathed a sigh of relief before asking: “Then why are you foolishly thinking about this sort of thing?”

“Because if you wait until you have to think about it…” Li Chuan smiled bitterly, “It would be far too late.”

When Li Rong heard this, she didn’t know how to respond for a period of time. People really seemed to know themselves best. So it turns out that Li Chuan back then had already thought of the future early on, and those words truly turned into a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Li Chuan saw Li Rong wasn’t saying anything and continued to slowly walk alongside her as he continued to say: “Moreover, taking a step back from that, if I’m not qualified to like anyone, then I will not bring myself to like someone again. I will hold myself back even if I do like them, I can just pretend like I don’t like her, and that would be enough. But what about my wife?”

“I’ve seen too many women in the inner palace, they are pitiful, and Father Emperor is just as pitiful. Because they strive for favor, they can use just about any means to fight for favor, living inside this cage, making one another jealous, and making each other resentful. Among them, there is no one who truly loves Father Emperor, and Father Emperor does not dare to truly love anyone either.”

“I’ve thought about it, and if possible, it would be enough for me to marry one Crown Princess.” Li Chuan looked into the distance, letting his mind roam, “As long as I am good to her, there will be no disorder in the imperial harem. It doesn’t matter if the two of us don’t love one another, we can just treat each other as courteous guests. No one will be able to harm her, and she won’t have to be jealous of anyone either. You see, Mother Empress has already suffered all her life, how could I ruin another person’s life and inflict that much suffering of a lifetime once more?”

Li Rong lowered her gaze. Seeing that Li Rong didn’t answer him, Li Chuan forced a bitter laugh, a little embarrassed as he said: “I know, A-jie. You must think that I’m being very childish. I also just said that on a whim. I know that I’m the Crown Prince, and I have responsibilities I must take on in order to live up to your and Mother Empress’s hopes, so I cannot be willful.”

“It’s alright, I understand.”

Li Chuan seemed a little tired. He looked towards the palace gates and softly said: “A-jie, you head back first. I will send you off until here, I’m tired.”

With that, Li Chuan saluted and turned away to leave, leading the attendant at his side back in the direction of the Eastern Palace.

Li Rong quietly looked at his retreating back. At that moment, she seemed to see the future Li Chuan, he was separated from her by a silk screen, the thin outline of his person a mere silhouette on the silk screen.

At that time, he was taller than he was now but also much thinner. He was so close to her, yet so far away.

He said: A-jie, there is a ferocious beast living in my heart.

Since when was this beast locked inside? Who was the one that fed it?

Li Rong didn’t know why she felt an unspeakable sense of bitterness welling up all the sudden. She suddenly felt that this imperial city was like a great behemoth that swallowed people whole. It was clearly just the summertime breeze of early July, but its slight crisp chill swept over her as the sound of thunder rumbled overhead, sending a chill through her mind and body.

Large raindrops fell, startling Li Rong.

At that moment, an intangible warmth suddenly enveloped Li Rong from behind. A paper umbrella with a painted reed design was held over her head.

In the blink of an eye, that person had shielded her from the blistering wind and rain. There was some astonishment and a hint of amusement in the voice that rang out behind her: “What are you doing just foolishly standing here? Don’t you know to go home when it’s raining?”

Li Rong absentmindedly turned back and looked at Pei Wenxuan who had suddenly appeared. When Pei Wenxuan saw her look of surprise, he raised his eyebrows: “What? Not happy to see me here?”

“No,” Only then did Li Rong react, she slowly began to say, “You came at just the right time.”

The author has something to say:

Pei Wenxuan: “I’m going to do a good deed every day and go pick up my wife!”