TGP Chapter 37.2: Late Night Conversation

“From today onwards, we will be best friends.”

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“I…what am I afraid of?”

Li Rong was a little nervous after hearing Pei Wenxuan’s words.

She vaguely felt that what Pei Wenxuan said was correct, but at the same time, she felt like it was not quite right. She just felt that this conversation put her in an awkward spot, so embarrassing that she even had some regrets about inquiring about this matter.

But she wanted to hear more.

She wanted to know what kind of person she was in Pei Wenxuan’s eyes and what he thought of her.

“You’re afraid that it will be the same as before when it comes to him, afraid that his love for you in this life will be just like what it was in the previous life. Family meant more to him than you, and power meant more to him than you. Li Rong, you’ve always said that you understood Su Rongqing, you understood his choices and do not resent him for it, but if you never held it against him, then why did you choose to give up on him from the start?”

Li Rong just blankly sat there. Pei Wenxuan let out a laugh: “You still hold it against him. It was because he killed you and that led you to see that you and him are the same kind of people, but in your heart, you know that when it comes to someone who could abandon their feelings without the slightest hesitation for the clan, you would rather not have that kind of love at all. So, even though you understand that you have a chance to live again, and you understand how the fate of the Su family will change, you could have had countless opportunities to be with him and live a better life, but you had already chosen to give up from the very beginning.”

“So you’re saying all of this, but…” Li Rong smiled bitterly, “In the end, what is it that you want to say?”

“But Su Rongqing isn’t like that.” Pei Wenxuan’s words were wholeheartedly genuine, “You think he will certainly choose his family if it had to be his wife or his family, and you think think that he will not truly love anyone, but do you truly know who Su Rongqing is at the age of twenty? If he didn’t have you in his heart, if he was really as calm and detached like you said, and there was no place of importance for love in his life, then he would not have come that day at the waterside pavilion.”

“Before the wedding, I asked him…” Pei Wenxuan had somewhat of a smile on his face, “I asked who he would choose if there was a conflict between his wife and his family. He told me that his wife is also a member of the family, and he will choose to stand by reason. He’s not like what you thought, and he can give you the kind of love you yearn for.”

“He can give me that,” Li Rong felt a little helpless, “But why would I want it?”

“Because you want to live a happy life.” Pei Wenxuan looked into her eyes, “You can’t imagine living the same way you did in the previous life and living like that for the rest of your life now. You want His Highness the Crown Prince to have a bright future in the days to come. You want to have a perfect family, and you also want someone who loves you and who you love too. You want adoring children running around your knees, you want someone you can mutually rely on in old age and go down to the other world together, isn’t that right?”

Li Rong could not utter a single word. Pei Wenxuan took a deep breath: “You want all of this. He may have been the person you love most, and things could have gone well between you, so given the chance to start over, why not try to fight for it and give it a shot?”

“Don’t keep thinking that you’re too old. You’re just eighteen now, you’re in the best time of your life, so why do you want to close off all the possibilities? When Su Rongqing came to escort you today, didn’t you have thoughts of when there would be a day when the two of you get married, wouldn’t you be happy then?”

“I…I never really thought about it…” Li Rong heard Pei Wenxuan’s impassioned speech and felt a little embarrassed for a moment because she never had anything like that in mind and failed to live up to Pei Wenxuan’s good intentions.

Moreover, she felt that there was some truth to what Pei Wenxuan said. The truth was the truth, but for some reason, she had no desire to immediately act on it.

Seeing that Li Rong was still against it, Pei Wenxuan slightly resented iron for not becoming steel and immediately said: “Then you can start thinking about it now. If the two of you can marry, then wouldn’t you both live a little better?”

“I… I’m a little sleepy.”

Li Rongg felt that she couldn’t continue discussing this matter anymore, so she hastily said: “There are still things to do tomorrow. Let’s go to sleep first.”

“No,” Pei Wenxuan reached out to stop Li Rong from lying down to go to sleep and pulled her up: “It’s not easy for me to have a proper heart-to-heart conversation with you. We have to be clear on this issue.”

“What issue?” There was confusion across Li Rong’s entire face, but Pei Wenxuan had a solemn face, “How are you going to marry Su Rongqing?”

“Let’s just go to sleep.”

Li Rong immediately wanted to lie down again, but Pei Wenxuan stopped her midway once again and pulled Li Rong up into a sitting position: “Don’t make trouble. Listen to me, you need to be honest with your feelings. This is going to be the first step in opening up your heart. You have to start being honest with yourself because only then will you be able to live a good life this time.”

Li Rong’s head went completely blank after hearing these words. She took a deep breath and sat with her legs crossed, then lifted her sleeves: “Alright. Tell me, and I will hear you out. I want to see who will be the first to give in and fall asleep tonight. If you have any high-sounding truths to preach, you better throw it all out! First of all, tell me, what good would it do  if I were to marry Su Rongqing?”

“Firstly, you and Su Rongqing are on similar levels in terms of status and share similar ideals. Together, both of you can be considered soulmates for life like qin and se zithers in perfect harmony, caring for and accompanying one another like roaming Immortals.”

“Secondly, Su Rongqing comes from a noble background from the ranks of aristocracy. It could be said that together, you and him can be likened to a tiger that has grown wings. In the future, no matter what His Highness the Crown Prince wants to do, things will be much easier with Su Rongqing on your side.”

“Thirdly, you are naturally one in heart and mind with him…” Pei Wenxuan brought out the fullest extent of his talents and channeled the presence he had in the imperial court. He told Li Rong about Su Rongqing’s best qualities one by one, describing the bright and beautiful future they would share after marriage.

Li Rong’s eyes widened as she continued to blankly stare at Pei Wenxuan.

She couldn’t believe it. Pei Wenxuan was so sleepy just now, but at the moment, he hardly seemed sleepy at all.

However, Pei Wenxuan was fully aware of Li Rong’s intentions, but he was the kind of person who would be just as stubborn when faced with a stubborn person. If Li Rong wanted to compete with him to see who would fall asleep first, then he would never let Li Rong succeed.

So, that was why he gathered all of his strength and fixed his gaze on Li Rong, racking his brains to earnestly discuss and fully demonstrate the necessity of Li Rong marrying Su Rongqing.

Pei Wenxuan could speak very eloquently. He took to the stage by himself, slowly talking through his points, and he would not stop until the rooster crowed. Li Rong had her head propped up in her hands, dozing off as she listened to the sound of Pei Wenxuan’s voice pouring into her ears like the whispers of evil spirits.

As for Pei Wenxuan, he became more and more vigorous as he spoke. When he saw that Li Rong was about to fall over, he immediately grabbed her and shook her awake, earnestly asking: “Your Highness, have you given it some consideration?”

Li Rong was immediately startled awake with that jolt and put forward a solemn issue: “For the time being, whether what you said is valid or not remains uncertain, but even if it is true, I’m married to you as your wife now. How could I marry him?”

“I have already taken this into consideration for Your Highness.” Pei Wenxuan replied and immediately got out of bed. Li Rong saw him running off and let out a sigh of relief, intending to lie back down when Pei Wenxuan returned, climbed back into bed, and respectfully presented her with a folded memorial to the throne, “This is the proposal that I drafted for Your Highness. I have thought about it. If Your Highness and Su Rongqing were to continue pursuing true love, we need to divide it into several stages. First step: understand yourself. Your Highness needs to properly acknowledge your emotions, lower your defenses against the events of the previous life, and acknowledge Su Rongqing in all fairness.”

Li Rong took the booklet and listened to the sound of Pei Wenxuan’s voice in the dark of the night like music to her ears. She was shocked to open up the booklet and find a detailed solution written down on how to marry Su Rongqing. The booklet itself was no bigger than Li Rong’s palm, so Li Rong relied on the moonlight to read the densely packed words there while Pei Wenxuan proceeded to say: “Second step: know your enemy. We must determine what kind of attitude Su Rongqing has towards Your Highness and how he feels. Leave this to me,” Pei Wenxuan said, putting his hand over his chest with an earnest expression that made people feel at ease, “I will go and establish a good relationship with Su Rongqing, then find out how he feels about Your Highness.”

“After confirming how Su Rongqing feels, we will start to move onto the third step: leak information to the enemy. I will also handle this step. The main goal is to let Su Rongqing know that Your Highness and I are purely allies and that he still has an actual chance.”

“Fourth step: capture the enemy. After Su Rongqing has a chance, we will create some opportunities for Your Highness to come into contact with Su Rongqing. With Your Highness’s abilities, Su Rongqing will simply fall into the palm of your hand and kneel at the feet of your pomegranate skirt. Then, Your Highness will once again fulfill your promise to him.”

“You…” Li Rong was dumbfounded, “Aren’t you…putting a little too much faith in me?”

“No,” Pei Wenxuan earnestly said, “This is based on my comprehensive assessment of Your Highness. Based on Your Highness’s looks, intellect, and character, if there was a suitable opportunity, which man under the skies would not admire you? Your Highness must not think too poorly of yourself.”

“You’ve said it so well…” Li Rong murmured, “I’m starting to believe it too.”

“Your Highness doesn’t believe me?”

Seeing that Pei Wenxuan had the look of a defiant and reproachful civil official of the imperial court, Li Rong couldn’t help but sharply inhale a cold breath of air. She heard the rooster crowing outside and picked up the booklet. She suddenly realized that Pei Wenxuan had come prepared, and she feared she would not win this battle between fierce birds of prey.

She took a deep breath and decided to beat him at his own game, adopting the strategy of using the enemy’s spear to strike their shield in order to let Pei Wenxuan know how it made her feel. Therefore, she nodded and said: “What Pei daren said is reasonable. Bengong has reached an epiphany and became enlightened by the truth that this rebirth was to make up for past regrets. Pei daren has put in so much thought for Bengong’s sake. Bengong is very grateful and will repay Pei daren’s kindness with sincerity. Therefore, Bengong has decided to help you marry your true love!”

Pei Wenxuan froze on the spot and repeated: “Marry my true love?”

“Indeed,” Li Rong solemnly nodded, “Fate also forced Pei daren and Second Miss Qin to separate back then. Now that you’ve been reborn, Second Miss Qin has yet to enter the Palace, so Pei daren should muster up the courage and start pursuing her at once!”

“No…no need.” Pei Wenxuan paused slightly when he heard Li Rong bring up Qin Zhenzhen and couldn’t sit still, “Let’s talk about you, Your Highness…”

“No,” Li Rong placed a hand on Pei Wenxuan’s shoulder and sincerely said, “Pei daren has put in so much consideration for my sake, how could I not consider it for Pei daren’s sake? Pei daren need not decline, though if Pei daren insists on declining, then Bengong wouldn’t understand why you are so determined to set me up to marry Su Rongqing.”

Pei Wenxuan suddenly froze upon hearing this. After a moment, he gritted his teeth and said: “Your Highness is right, but Su daren is an utmost priority, whereas there is no rush when it comes to Second Miss Qin.”

“Su daren isn’t actually an urgent priority either.”

At this point, the two of them were silent. Pei Wenxuan took a deep breath: “Rest assured, Your Highness. Leave it to this humble official to handle the affairs concerning Su daren, I will definitely do a satisfactory job for Your Highness.”

“Rest assured, Pei daren,” Li Rong happened to say right after, “Leave it to Bengong to handle the affairs concerning Second Miss Qin, I will definitely be of assistance to Pei daren.”

Pei Wenxuan: “…”

Li Rong: “…”

The rooster crowed again, and Pei Wenxuan hesitantly asked: “Since Your Highness has already decided on this matter, why don’t…we go to sleep now?”

Li Rong nodded. The two of them hurried to get under the blankets and rushed to close their eyes and sleep.

After closing her eyes, Li Rong couldn’t help but call out to him to ask again: “Pei Wenxuan?”

“Hm?”

“What would you say you’re trying to achieve by doing these things?”

Pei Wenxuan did not answer. Li Rong thought about it for a moment. In fact, there was no need for Pei Wenxuan to say it because she could also guess that Pei Wenxuan genuinely wanted to do what was good for her. Maybe his approach wasn’t quite right, but in Pei Wenxuan’s heart, he truly wanted her to have a good life.

She couldn’t help but wordlessly laugh into the darkness: “You tell me, our relationship is that of husband and wife but we’re not exactly husband and wife, and we are allies but not merely allies either. Here we are after thirty years of wind and rain, trials and hardships alike. On one hand, we mock one another, but on the other hand, we also want to be good to one another. After getting married, we still want to help the other person strategically marry their true love, who is someone else, so what would you say this kind of relationship is?”

Pei Wenxuan was silent. There was a kind of stifling feeling in his heart that could not be put to words. He turned his back to Li Rong and said in a low voice: “If you hold me in high regards, you can consider me a big brother.”

“Never mind it then,” Li Rong instantly rejected the suggestion, “I don’t have the hobby of looking for a ‘big brother.’”

“Up to you then.”

Pei Wenxuan was too lazy to bother with her. Li Rong thought about iit for a moment and suddenly turned around, moved closer to Pei Wenxuan and happily asked: “Would you be considered my dear bosom friend then?”^[1]

“You stay away from me.” Pei Wenxuan shrank back. “Don’t come over and scare me like this.”

Li Rong laughed and turned away from him. She didn’t know what happened, but she suddenly found a new term to define the relationship between her and Pei Wenxuan.

“Pei Wenxuan,” She used her finger to poke Pei Wenxuan’s back, “I think this term suits you quite well. From today onwards, you will be my bosom friend.”

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[1] bosom friend — (usually a woman’s) best friend, a close friend you would confide in.

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“Then what should I consider you to be? My fellow brother in arms?”

Pei Wenxuan shot back. Li Rong burst into laughter, no longer sleepy for the moment as she continued to go on about: “Now that you’re in my boudoir chambers, you…”

“Oh my great aunt,” Pei Wenxuan couldn’t bear it anymore and turned around, bringing his hand up to cover her mouth before he solemnly said: “Go to sleep, okay?”

Li Rong innocently blinked. Pei Wenxuan took a deep breath: “Okay, I’m your bosom friend. Can you sleep now?”

Li Rong smiled and closed her eyes in satisfaction.

Seeing that Li Rong closed her eyes, Pei Wenxuan let out a sigh of relief, but he forgot to turn around and went to sleep face to face with her.

Before he went to sleep, he was vaguely thinking to himself that—

He would have to find more bedding tomorrow, so it would be softer and warmer when he made his bed on the floor.

He was afraid that he would die young if he kept this up.

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The author has something to say:

【Mini Theater】

Question: “Pei Wenxuan, what is the secret behind your success?”

Pei Wenxuan: “As long as you persevere to the very end, no matter how brilliant someone is, you can also trick them into being brainwashed.”

With that said, someone pushed Li Rong, who was sitting in a wheelchair, onto the stage.

Li Rong: “Who am I? Where am I from? Where am I going? Where am I? What is my dream? I love Su Rongqing? I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know anything…”

Pei Wenxuan: “See. These are precisely my results. Now onto the next one.”

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Autumn: Sorry for the delay! This was by far the hardest chapter to translate—they should lay off the dating advice + life coaching (I can’t do this >_<). On another note, I’ll be on hiatus until July 26th, but uhh…there is a countdown you can periodically revisit now?

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2021-07-26T22:00:00

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Chapter 38.1: Palace Banquet

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