The Grand Princess

TGP Chapter 9: Farewell

"This humble Pei is leaving for good this time, so take care, Princess."
___________

At the moment when Pei Wenxuan thought of swearing, a wave surged across his heart.

In fact, until he died, he never thought that Li Rong would actually do something to him over the matter of the next successor. He had never thought of it as a possibility, so he didn't defend against anything on the way back from the Princess's mansion. When he died, he was extremely unwilling and furious. In any case, he had to drag that woman to the grave with him.

In their previous lives, they chose to be allies, but the truth is that there are no allies in this world that will share common interests for a lifetime.

They used one another for a lifetime and then died under each other's hands. Pei Wenxuan looked at Li Rong in front of him. After a while, he spoke in a slow and calm manner: "Should not marry then."1

As he said that, he knelt down in front of Li Rong, kowtowed and respectfully said: "These are the only things that this humble official can give Your Highness, but certainly these are not the only things that Your Highness wants in life."

Li Rong was not surprised when she heard this. She let out a small laugh and calmly said: "I also know that you can't give me what I want. It's just that I'm in a bit of a tricky situation now. If I don't marry Pei gongzi, who should I marry?"

[1] Before Pei Wenxuan's long flashback in the last chapter, Li Rong asks him: "Does Pei gongzi feel I should live a life like that after marrying you?"

Pei Wenxuan's eyelashes slightly trembled. He thought to himself that this would be the last time he helped her plan.

After thinking for a moment, he responded with a name: "Lu Yu."

This matched up with Li Rong's thoughts. Li Rong couldn't help but be interested: "Continue."

"The Princess's current situation is a result of the Holy One's2 wariness. Actually, as long as the Crown Prince ascends the throne, the Princess will have no worries in the future, so the most important thing right now is to protect the Crown Prince. The Marquis of Ning, Yang family, and Cui Yulang... Among these three choices, Cui Yulang came from a humble background with nothing to take advantage of. It's useless to marry him. With his carefree, romantic personality and penchant for writing poetry, it will be easy for people to grasp his flaws wherever he goes. If the Princess marries him, he may end up causing trouble for the Crown Prince."

[2] the Holy One - referring to the Emperor, who is also known as the Son of Heaven.

Li Rong turned her folding fan around and responded: "Mm."

"The Yang family has too much power, and Yang Quan is too short-tempered. When His Majesty asked the Princess to marry into the Yang family, His Majesty actually wanted to stir up the Yang family's ambitions. Perhaps His Majesty will act shortly after Yang Quan marries the Your Highness the Princess. Your Highness will be implicated, and the Crown Prince will be involved as well. This person, Yang Quan, is someone that Your Highness must not marry."

"Indeed," Li Rong's eyes were slightly cold, "He is too ambitious."

"And as for the Heir of Ning, while the Marquis of Ning Manor is not considered a prominent family, the Marquis of Ning was once His Majesty's study companion and used to block swords for His Majesty. His Majesty is a man who puts great importance on camaraderie. While he does not often think of the Marquis of Ning nowadays, there is still some brotherhood between them. This may be a good thing for Your Highness Princess. The Marquis of Ning has a steady position, and the Heir of Ning has a mental disability and rarely goes out. It may not be a good thing in marriage, but it will never adversely affect the Crown Prince. The important thing is," Pei Wenxuan raised his head to look at her and reminded her, "The Heir of Ning is not in good health."