To make 'forceful acquisition' sound so pleasant was something only Wen Chan could do. Although he knew she was just humoring him, Pei Rusong was still very happy to be coaxed. With a slight smile, he asked, half-teasingly and half-curiously, "There are countless talented men in the Capital City. Why did Your Highness take a fancy to me alone?"

Wen Chan silently picked a cherry from the plate and ate it, looking at the sky and the ground, as if she had suddenly developed a great interest in the sunset clouds.

Pei Rusong: ?

"Your Highness, to remain silent at a time like this is quite hurtful." He covered his face with his sleeve, feigning tears. "We've already been married twice. What is there that cannot be said frankly?"

But in all fairness, in their past life, the two had never met before their marriage. All they knew of each other were evaluations heard from others. After they married, they mostly treated each other with mutual respect, more like friends helping each other than husband and wife. It was far from a case of 'it must be you and no one else'.

But Pei Rusong would probably never know that her words were actually true, not just sweet nothings she spoke casually to humor him.

Wen Chan couldn't stand his whimpering and had no choice but to say, "Because the eldest young master of the Pei Clan is renowned in the Capital City, and I think a Prince Consort should be good-looking."

Pei Rusong had been observing her subtle expressions. Upon hearing her words, a look of 'as I expected' appeared on his face.

"I knew it..."

Wen Chan: "What do you know now?"

But Pei Rusong smiled slyly, deflecting. He hummed in a light, sing-song tone, "I know Your Highness has me in your heart."

Wen Chan: "...Fine, it's good to be optimistic. It would be best if you remain this confident in the future."

Pei Rusong said, "And then? Your Highness didn't delay your return to the city until dusk just to bring me a bowl of cherries, did you?"

The moment the matter was brought up, Wen Chan's brows started to furrow. "I ran into an old acquaintance."

"Was it 'White Egret'—Censor Yang Tingying?"

Wen Chan looked at him suspiciously. "Did you even go to the morning court session? Did you secretly follow us out of the city?"

"What's there to be so surprised about, Your Highness?" Pei Rusong chuckled, reaching out to smooth the space between her brows with his cool fingertips. "I am, after all, someone who has been reincarnated. I can remember some things from my past life. Speaking of memorable major events in the fifth month of the Twelfth Year of Yanshou, there was only the matter of Censor Yang impeaching the manor of Grand Princess Chengyang."

"Yes." Wen Chan sighed. "It was a coincidence this time. I happened to run into him as he was arguing with the Grand Princess's servants. I originally wanted to help him out and keep him from wading into these muddy waters, but Censor Yang is truly a tough character. He insisted on entering the fray himself and fighting to the end, so I could only let him be."

Pei Rusong said, "To speak impartially and frankly, without regard for personal gain or loss, is the true character of a censor. If he had followed Your Highness's wishes and sought safety behind others, then he would not be the 'White Egret' whom Your Highness so deeply trusts and values."

"I sometimes wonder, to come back and change one's own destiny is normal, but to try and control the destiny of others, isn't that too arrogant?"

Wen Chan gazed at the setting sun slowly sinking in the west and said languidly, "After all, one's nature is hard to change. Even if he escapes this time, there will be a next time. The so-called 'fate' is that even if the same thing happens ten thousand times, one will still make the same choice as the very first time."

The twilight etched her silhouette with greater depth. Half of her profile was hidden in shadow, her skin the color of white jade, yet it revealed an almost contradictory, piercingly cold and hard quality.

"Perhaps."

Pei Rusong said, "Some people's destiny is to 'persevere,' while others' is to 'change.' Isn't being persistent in changing the fate of others also a form of perseverance? Your Highness, you are the same."

Wen Chan met his gaze wordlessly, feeling for the first time that there was something different in Pei Rusong's eyes.

Beneath the gentle, lingering affection, like a pool of spring water, a small, deep whirlpool had quietly appeared.

"Why do you say that?"

"Your Highness once said that Master Tongming predicted a tribulation in your destiny, that you would face hardship at the age of thirty, and it indeed came true in your past life. But even though Your Highness firmly believes in that master's prophecy, in this life you still chose to enter the world, instead of turning back to cultivate in the mountains and forests." Pei Rusong said softly, "Even after truly starting over, you still made the same choice as before. How is Your Highness not also 'one whose nature is hard to change'?"

Wen Chan: "..."

She couldn't quite fathom Pei Rusong's depth. It felt as though every sentence had a hidden meaning, yet she also suspected she was just overthinking it.

Pei Rusong, however, stopped the topic in time and changed the subject. "We've strayed too far. Let's return to the matter at hand. Censor Yang will impeach Grand Princess Chengyang at court tomorrow. Regardless of how His Majesty handles it, the Grand Princess will surely retaliate against him. It's up to Your Highness whether you want him to be demoted to Xichuan to be tempered, like in his past life, or if you'll find a way to mediate and let him suffer less."

Wen Chan fell silent in thought, weighing the matter in her mind for a long time before finally saying, "If it's possible to protect him, I should still try to help him. He has family at home, so it's better for them to be closer to look after each other. I remember his wife was a noble lady from a prominent family. Her family valued his talent and married their daughter to him. But Yang Tingying's official career was fraught with difficulties, and he was repeatedly demoted. His in-laws, fearing they would be implicated, forced them to divorce."

As she spoke of this, she seemed to recall some old matters. A wistful look appeared on her face, and she sighed softly.

"Yang Tingying, such an unyielding man who wasn't afraid to challenge powerful eunuchs and the Grand Princess, actually bowed his head before his in-laws. It was probably because he felt he had wronged his wife. Later, after his mother passed away and the mourning period ended, he was reinstated as a Palace Attendant Censor but never remarried."

Pei Rusong rested his chin in his hand and said with a grin, "I've discovered that Your Highness seems to have a particular fondness for loyal and steadfast men."

Wen Chan: "Where did you get this 'particular fondness' from? How come I didn't know I had such a preference?"

Pei Rusong gave a cold snort, giving her a look that said, 'I will definitely leave you speechless.'

"The legend of Censor Yang doesn't end there. In the third year of Dingxing, Yang Tingying was appointed Grand Censor. When he learned that his former wife of the Lu Clan had not remarried, he went to her home to ask for her hand and rekindle their old love. The court and the common people all delighted in telling this story of a broken mirror made whole again. Performers created plays based on it that were sung throughout the land. I heard that for a few years, the saying 'Seek not Young Master Pan, but only Young Master Yang' was widely spread in the Capital City."

Wen Chan was unfamiliar with this reign title. She was stunned for a moment before realizing it was the new reign title after the Prince of Yan, Wen Zhuo, ascended the throne in her past life.

"Really?" Her eyes lit up. "And then?"

"Later..."

"Later, it should have been a story of a loving couple growing old together—that's how legends are usually written." Pei Rusong said in a flat tone, his eyes lowered. "It's just a pity I didn't see the end, so I don't know what this 'broken mirror made whole' was all about."

Wen Chan: "..."

Such veiled sarcasm, such thick sorrow and resentment.

"Censor Yang is indeed a loyal and steadfast man, worthy of admiration." She gave a light cough and declared with great emotion, "But the most moving story of all is that of our Young Master Pei, who is blessed with both talent and looks, and is deep in love and righteousness. It is only a pity that the deeds of Young Master Pei's life are not known to the world, all because I have monopolized him for myself. I am ashamed, truly ashamed."

Pei Rusong had to hold back his laughter, feeling both embarrassed and a little indignant at being so easily handled. The tips of his ears turned as red as freshly picked cherries. Utterly defeated by Wen Chan, he finally said resentfully, "...You got lucky."

At the morning court session the next day, Attendant Censor of the Left Censorate Yang Tingying submitted a memorial impeaching the Grand Princess Chengyang for allowing her household servants to abduct the children of commoners to serve as slaves, and requested the Emperor to handle the matter impartially.

As soon as the Emperor saw the words "Grand Princess" in the memorial of impeachment, he fell silent. Setting it aside without mention, he called for the next official to present their report. As it happened, it was the turn of the Magistrate of the Capital Prefecture, He You. He reported that Princess Chiming had encountered a carriage carrying more than ten children, whose cries filled the road. The Princess ordered someone to inquire about the situation. The other party claimed to be servants from the Grand Princess Chengyang's manor, but their speech was insolent and their manner was boorish. The Princess suspected they were actually human traffickers and ordered her guards to bind them all and deliver them to the Capital Prefecture.

Everyone: "..."

In the dead silence, the Emperor asked the most crucial question on behalf of all the officials: "And then?"

He You answered respectfully, "Reporting to Your Majesty, as this matter concerns the reputation of the Grand Princess's manor, your subject did not dare to delay. I ordered an interrogation overnight and sent bailiffs to nearby villages to investigate whether any children were missing. The investigation revealed that the fifteen children are all from the villages of Baishui and Jishui. The oldest is thirteen, and the youngest is not yet ten years old."

"The culprits are servants from the Grand Princess Chengyang's manor. They claimed to have gone to the countryside to purchase servants and insisted they had already negotiated a price with the parents, denying that it was an abduction and sale of people. The children's parents, however, testified that the culprits forced their way into their homes and abducted the children, leaving behind one string of cash. The money has not been touched and has been sealed as evidence and handed over to the authorities."

If Yang Tingying's impeachment was a crisp but painless slap, then He You's report was a merciless iron fist descending from the heavens, hammering the Grand Princess's manor straight into the earth's core.

The Emperor rubbed his temples, feeling a faint sense of annoyance. Although the Grand Princess was his sister and had the merit of helping him ascend the throne, she was, after all, an imperial relative. How could her actions be so improper? If she needed servants, she could just buy them; it wasn't as if they were unavailable. Was it worth forcibly abducting children from good families just to save a little money?

"Minister He, according to the law, how should this case be handled?"

He You replied, "According to the Law of Qi, abducting and selling a commoner into servitude is punishable by strangulation. Mutually agreeing to sell a commoner into servitude is punishable by exile for two thousand li. For an attempted sale, the punishment is reduced by one degree. As Princess Chiming apprehended the criminals and brought them to justice in time, it counts as an attempted abduction and sale. Thus, according to the law, the punishment is reduced. The principal offender shall be exiled for three thousand li. Any villagers who willingly sold their children will be charged with attempted mutual sale and sentenced to three years of penal servitude."

The Emperor felt his analysis was clear and logical, sticking closely to the statutes without exaggerating the crime due to the special status of the Grand Princess's servants. Unlike the censors who deliberately poked at sore spots, He You's approach satisfied him. He nodded. "Then proceed as you have said. The Capital Prefecture will continue to handle this case."

However, he did not get to relax for long. Not long after he returned to Chunxi Palace after the court session, Liang Jiang hurried in to announce that the Grand Princess Chengyang requested an audience.

The Emperor sighed and waved his hand. "Summon her in."

The Grand Princess Chengyang was not very old and had been spoiled by the Late Emperor and her Prince Consort. Her style was flamboyant. The Emperor sometimes looked at her as he would a daughter. Seeing her storm in, he even teased with a smile, "Little sister, you came quickly. Liang Jiang, grant her a seat."

Grand Princess Chengyang felt she had lost face and was in no mood to sit and talk slowly. The moment she saw him, she complained furiously, "That girl Chiming is so insensible! Now that she's married, she's gotten bold. She hasn't learned anything good, but she's already learned to 'place righteousness above family'! She has no respect for me, her aunt, at all!"

The Emperor's expression changed abruptly.