Episode 3 recap: Li Rong and Pei Wen Xuan have mutually revealed their identities as reincarnated individuals.
Since they both had an inkling of the answer, the two acted calm on the surface, waiting for their emotions to settle before considering how to face the situation going forward. As Pei Wen Xuan hesitated to speak up, Li Rong directly questioned him about why he had obstructed her from choosing someone else as her husband. But in the moment of responding, Pei Wen Xuan showed some hesitation, which only further reinforced Li Rong's suspicion, leading the two to openly confess their reincarnation secrets.
Reflecting on their previous life, the ending between Li Rong and Pei Wen Xuan could not be considered a good one, as they had spent half their lives together, constantly fighting each other to the death. Even if Pei Wen Xuan made his intention to marry her clear again, Li Rong strongly refused, stating that she did not want to go through the days of sincerely misjudging each other's motives and scheming against one another, only to end up alone in the end.
Though there was a moment when Li Rong had thought about spending her life with Pei Wen Xuan, the matter regarding Qin Zhen Zhen made her fully realize that she had never had a place in his heart. Their arranged marriage was merely a mutual exploitation, a political alliance - one relying on the princess's power and influence in the court, the other needing to stabilize his brother the Crown Prince's, and eventually the Emperor's, position. There was never any real emotion involved.
Even if there had been feelings, Li Rong dared not entrust her heart again. That's why back then, she had given Pei Wen Xuan two choices - either publicly announce their divorce and never cross paths again, or maintain an ally relationship while living separate lives as husband and wife. Pei Wen Xuan chose the latter, agreeing with Li Rong to never betray each other, but fate had other plans.
That night, just as today, thunderous roars echoed, and even with the storm passed, Pei Wen Xuan fully understood how uncompromising Li Rong was when it came to matters of the heart - it had to be pure and unadulterated, even if it meant everything was reduced to ashes. Therefore, Pei Wen Xuan no longer hoped for Li Rong to agree to marry him, and instead personally analyzed the current situation for her, as if it was his last time planning for her.
Li Rong's current predicament was difficult, as the Emperor was suspicious, and she had to try her best to preserve her younger brother, the current Crown Prince Li Chuan's position. Compared to Pei Wen Xuan, if Li Rong had to choose from the remaining three candidates, Pei Wen Xuan advised her to set her sights on the Prince of Ning.
Firstly, Cui Yu Lang came from a humble background and was useless. Secondly, the Yang family wielded too much military power and had become a thorn in the Emperor's eye. Only the foolish Prince of Ning could be truly trusted, and moreover, the Prince of Ning had been the Emperor's study companion, having even shielded him with his sword, so there may still be some affection there, which could serve as protection for the Princess.
On the other side, Crown Prince Li Chuan couldn't help but complain to the Empress Dowager Shang Guan Yue about the Emperor selecting such useless husbands for his eldest daughter. The Empress Dowager patiently explained to Li Chuan that the Emperor was wary of the Su Clan, and would certainly not allow Li Rong to marry into another prominent family again. Although the imperial house had relied on the influence of prominent families in the founding of the dynasty, now that the reign was stable, those families had become the greatest threat to the imperial power. The Crown Prince's position and the Princess's happiness could only be one or the other.
As the sky was getting darker, Li Rong promptly issued an eviction order, stating that their previous positions were different, and the grievances and rights and wrongs had become past history. Since heaven had given them a chance for rebirth, there was no need to meet each other again in the future, and they could each live their own lives in peace. Pei Wen Xuan stubbornly responded that this was exactly his intention, insisting on leaving immediately after finishing the tangerines. Li Rong watched his back, as if bidding farewell to a fading memory, and then instructed the maid to quickly prepare some things for him, as a final courtesy.
Although Jing Lan could not fathom Li Rong's thoughts, she still obeyed and carried out the order. The originally agitated Pei Wen Xuan's mood suddenly brightened upon seeing the box and cloak brought by Jing Lan. Looking at the chessboard, Li Rong had to admit that Pei Wen Xuan's chess skills were quite impressive. Over the years, he was the only one who could match Li Rong's prowess, and their fierce battles were quite enjoyable. But unfortunately, there would be no more such exhilarating contests in the future.
That night, Li Quan had his men ambush along the way, intending to kidnap Li Rong and stage a heroic rescue to vie for the position of imperial son-in-law. Pei Wen Xuan learned from Tong Ye that a group of people were heading towards the imperial palace, and based on Tong Ye's description, he guessed they were Yang Quan's men. He instructed Tong Ye to rush to the palace and report the news to rescue Li Rong, while he set up a roadblock and hid in the nearby bushes.
While Pei Wen Xuan was busy with these arrangements, Li Rong, who was in his room, heard the report from his secret guards and immediately guessed that it was related to the Yang family, and discovered that there was a mole among his people. Li Rong had Jing Lan disguise as himself, and they each led a troop of soldiers to leave, luring Yang Quan into the ambush, mistaking Jing Lan for Li Rong.
At this moment, Li Rong was running frantically in the dark night, trying to escape Yang Quan's pursuit. However, Pei Wen Xuan did not recognize the person, and suddenly pulled the rope, causing Li Rong's horse to trip and Li Rong to fall unconscious. In the chaos, Pei Wen Xuan quickly carried Li Rong and fled into the woods, calling his name until Li Rong finally regained consciousness.
While searching for a water source, Li Rong and Pei Wen Xuan suddenly started arguing, trading insults and bringing up past grievances, until they were both panting and exhausted, and finally decided to sit by the river and roast fish.
At the same time, Ning Fei Yang Wan visited the Empress and reached an agreement with her, promising not to reveal anything about the events of that night to the Emperor.
During their conversation, Li Rong and Pei Wen Xuan unexpectedly learned that Pei Wen Xuan's wearing of the fragrance pouch was at the request of Su Rong Qing, who would not let him enter the princess's palace without it. Pei Wen Xuan admitted that he had planted hidden agents in the princess's palace to guard against Su Rong Qing, and had no intention of harming Li Rong's life. Instead, it was Su Rong Qing who had a deep-rooted vendetta against the Li family.
In the past, Li Chuan had uncovered the Su family's plan to ally with Empress Shang Guan Ya to install the Third Prince on the throne, which was considered a treacherous crime punishable by the extermination of the entire family. This led to the Su family being imprisoned, the men beheaded, and the women exiled. Even Li Rong's repeated pleas for Su Rong Qing could not prevent him from being subjected to palace punishment.
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