The Deliberations of Love – Zhao Jiamin, Li Fei

Liu Yueqing looked at Pei Xun, with two glasses of wine in front of them. Liu Yueqing couldn't understand why Pei Xun, who could have lived a carefree life as a prince, insisted on competing for the perilous position of heir. Pei Xun mentioned that the moonlight tonight was just like the night when Liu Yueqing entered the palace as a bride. He asked if she regretted her decision. Liu Yueqing was at a loss, thinking that it was too late to regret now, given how far they had come. They both drank the poisoned wine.

When Liu Yueqing woke up, she was surprised to see her personal maid by her side. She never expected to see her again. Liu Yueqing felt that something was wrong and asked the maid what time it was. The maid told Liu Yueqing the current time, and Liu Yueqing realized that she had traveled back to the day before Pei Xun's rebellion. She believed that she still had a chance to change everything.

Liu Yueqing quickly packed her belongings, thinking that if she escaped, she could distance herself from the impending conflict. Unexpectedly, Pei Xun appeared and stopped her, insisting that she couldn't leave today.

Liu Yueqing called Pei Xun over and revealed that she was pregnant, estimating that it had been two or three months. Pei Xun pointed out that he wasn't even here two or three months ago and threatened Liu Yueqing, demanding to know the true father of the child. To escape Pei Xun's grasp, Liu Yueqing used a sleeping potion on him, but to her surprise, General Wang, one of Pei Xun's subordinates, initiated a rebellion even though he didn't see Pei Xun.

When the eunuch brought the poisoned wine, Liu Yueqing stated that she was familiar with the process and could handle it herself. She drank the poisoned wine. Pei Xun was shocked to see this.

Upon waking up, Liu Yueqing's mother was by her bedside, crying profusely. She said that even if Liu Yueqing didn't want to marry Pei Xun, it didn't have to be this way. Liu Yueqing felt something was amiss and asked what time it was. She learned that she had just been betrothed to Pei Xun and had not yet gotten married, which made her very happy.

Liu Yueqing was unwilling to marry Pei Xun and contemplated self-harm. Her father went to see the emperor. In the garden, a maid brought medicine for Liu Yueqing, but she mentioned that she didn't know what her future held and was not in the mood for medicine.

Liu Yueqing's father returned, saying that the emperor, in recognition of their family's hard work, agreed to cancel the marriage. Liu Yueqing was thrilled and immediately drank the medicine. Pei Xun also learned of this and his subordinates commented that Liu Yueqing lacked foresight and would surely regret it in the future.

Both Liu Yueqing and Pei Xun dreamt of the nightmare where Pei Xun strangled Liu Yueqing. They woke up. Pei Xun now didn't recognize this woman but continued to have nightmares. Liu Yueqing attended an event, and Pei Xun saw her. Liu Yueqing joined a lantern riddle guessing game and encountered a refined and elegant young man.

Pei Xun had someone inquire and learned that the man was named Yu Minghe. The matchmaker came to Liu Yueqing's home to propose a marriage between her and Yu Minghe, finding him to be an excellent and stable match for Liu Yueqing. Liu Yueqing's mother informed her of this proposal, and Liu Yueqing readily agreed. Her mother was concerned that they had not known each other for long, but Liu Yueqing listed Yu Minghe's virtues and believed he was a suitable match. Her mother advised her, as a young woman, to be modest.

Liu Yueqing's father returned from the palace, looking quite dejected. Liu Yueqing's mother quickly asked what was wrong and learned that the Emperor had named Pei Xun as the Crown Prince that day. Liu Yueqing's father was disheartened, feeling like they had missed a good opportunity. Liu Yueqing also couldn't believe that Pei Xun had actually succeeded in becoming the Crown Prince and thought that she was clearly not destined to become a Crown Princess.

After Pei Xun became the Crown Prince, many people came to congratulate him. Some brought gifts, but the ink on their presents was not even dry, indicating their surprise at Pei Xun's unexpected rise. Yu Minghe's father also came, and Pei Xun spoke to him about Yu Minghe, asking about his current position. Yu Minghe's father mentioned that Yu Minghe had not entered official service. Pei Xun expressed a desire to meet Yu Minghe if the opportunity arose.

Pei Xun planned to host a banquet for the ministers and sent an invitation to the Shang family, ensuring that Liu Yueqing would also attend.

Liu Yueqing was unwilling to attend the banquet; she didn't want Pei Xun to see her. Her father thought that with so many people at the banquet, Pei Xun wouldn't notice Liu Yueqing and insisted on bringing her along. Pei Xun's second brother, Pei Hao, also arrived, and Pei Xun mentioned that everyone was waiting for him, urging him to join the gathering.

Pei Xun stationed himself near the back entrance, waiting for an opportunity. Liu Yueqing also brought her father to this area. Her father questioned why she was so familiar with this place and even knew where the back door was. Liu Yueqing didn't answer but thought to herself that after living in this place for two generations, how could she not be familiar with it? To her surprise, as soon as the door opened, she saw Pei Xun.

Liu Yueqing's father quickly greeted Pei Xun, who suggested that Liu Yueqing's father should go inside since the area was being renovated, and he hadn't seen it yet. He arranged for someone to take Liu Yueqing's father on a tour.

Pei Xun mentioned that upon seeing Liu Yueqing, he felt a sense of familiarity. Liu Yueqing explained that it might be because she had a common appearance. Liu Yueqing finally managed to break free from Pei Xun and went inside, where she saw someone offering tea. She took the tea and drank it, despite the servant's comment that the tea wasn't meant for her. She ignored it. The servant then glanced at Pei Hao, who didn't instruct the servant to say anything.

After drinking the tea, Liu Yueqing started feeling dizzy, and the servant guided her to a resting place. She realized that this was Pei Xun's place and felt quite upset.

Pei Hao, upon meeting Pei Xun, expressed his disappointment that Pei Xun had become distant from him after becoming the Crown Prince. This left him feeling quite hurt. Pei Xun had spilled wine on himself and gone to change. Upon his return, Liu Yueqing rushed over and kissed him.

Pei Xun carried Liu Yueqing to the bed, realizing that she had been drugged by someone. He reassured her that it wasn't a poisonous drug and that resting would help. Liu Yueqing's father inquired about his daughter's whereabouts, and Han, the leader, mentioned that Liu Yueqing felt uneasy in crowded places and had gone to rest in the guest room. Liu Yueqing's father quickly confirmed her condition.

Pei Hao mentioned that the banquet was about to begin, and Pei Xun hadn't arrived yet. He wanted to take everyone to find Pei Xun. When Pei Hao arrived at the scene, Pei Xun explained that he had taken a short break. Pei Hao hadn't seen Liu Yueqing and was surprised. Earlier, Pei Xun had called for someone to check on Liu Yueqing, and she was now fine. The palace guards here were all identity-verified, so it seemed that someone had managed to infiltrate the event. Pei Xun emphasized that this place was not a place where anyone could come and go as they pleased.

Pei Xun had the servant who drugged Liu Yueqing brought forward, accusing him of plotting to harm the Crown Prince. The servant begged for mercy, but even Pei Hao didn't intervene. Liu Yueqing, witnessing the situation, felt that she didn't want to be involved in this mess and quickly pulled her father to leave. The upcoming Spring Hunting Festival was an event that should be organized by the Crown Prince, Pei Xun.

Pei Hao suggested that since Pei Xun had just become the Crown Prince and was not yet familiar with many matters, it might be better to let him handle this issue.

The Emperor asked for Pei Xun's thoughts, and he admitted to his lack of experience. However, he also believed that he couldn't only do what he was experienced in, and he needed to learn how to handle such matters. He hoped the Emperor would trust him. Seeing their disagreement, the Emperor suggested using the method of drawing circles, placing their military achievements on a piece of paper, and allowing them to shoot arrows to mark their respective military achievement areas. The person whose arrow landed closest to their own achievements would be responsible for organizing the Spring Hunting Festival.

The result was that Pei Hao's arrow marked only a tiny part of his achievements, so he had to concede to Pei Xun. Han Chun congratulated Pei Xun, and Pei Xun mentioned that he had expected this outcome. Han Chun asked if Liu Yueqing should also attend the event, as it would be a good opportunity for her to learn more about Pei Xun.

Han Chun delivered a letter from Pei Xun to Liu Yueqing. Pei Xun reminded Liu Yueqing of a favor she owed him. He threatened that if she didn't attend the Spring Hunting Festival, he would seek help from her fiancé. Liu Yueqing reluctantly agreed to attend.

The envoy from the Qiang kingdom, Shang Yan, had always concealed her face with a veil, and nobody knew her true appearance. Pei Hao planned to send assassins to kill Shang Yan, as this would impede Pei Xun's organization of the Spring Hunting Festival and surely result in consequences. When Liu Yueqing arrived at the Spring Hunting Festival, she put on a veil and slipped away.

Han Zhen informed Pei Xun that he had made arrangements. Since nobody had ever seen Shang Yan's true face, Han Zhen would send someone to pretend to be Shang Yan and lure her to the western side of the hunting grounds, where they would capture her. The assassins noticed two masked women and hurriedly pursued them.

A group of assassins chased after one of the women. Han Zhen had prepared for this and managed to capture all of them. Pei Hao saw the signal and thought they had succeeded, feeling very pleased. Liu Yueqing found herself being pursued by unknown assailants and had no idea who she had offended. Pei Xun turned to fight the assassins, but Liu Yueqing accidentally fell off a cliff. Pei Xun quickly rushed to catch her.

Both of them ended up at the bottom of the cliff, thankfully unharmed. Shang Yan admitted that she had been having a recurring dream for many years in which a woman poisoned herself for her lover. This woman bore a striking resemblance to Liu Yueqing. Liu Yueqing quickly promised never to appear in front of Pei Xun again, not allowing him to see her face.

Liu Yueqing wanted to return home, but Pei Xun mentioned that the woods were full of poisonous snakes and fierce beasts, so she had to stay. Han Zhen came to inform Liu Yueqing's parents about their situation, explaining that Pei Xun had been injured while rescuing Liu Yueqing. She would stay to take care of him, so they shouldn't worry. The next morning, Liu Yueqing returned, sat down, and started eating heartily.

Liu Yueqing's father asked her why she had gone to the Spring Hunting Festival, and why Pei Xun had gotten injured trying to save her. Liu Yueqing didn't provide a direct answer and simply ate a large bowl of rice. She mentioned that she hadn't had much of an appetite since she skipped lunch. After speaking, she went back to her room. Her father was left feeling quite frustrated, and her mother suggested that he shouldn't press for more answers.

The Emperor inquired about how the Spring Hunting Festival was going. Pei Xun reported that it was progressing smoothly. He mentioned that there had been some individuals with ill intentions towards the envoy, but they had already captured them. After interrogating them, he believed they would be able to uncover the mastermind behind it. The Emperor was angered to hear that someone had dared to harm the envoy and instructed Pei Xun to thoroughly investigate the matter.

Pei Hao was also concerned and asked where Pei Xun had detained the culprits. He wanted Pei Xun to hand them over to him for interrogation, confident that he could extract the truth from the mastermind. However, Pei Xun ignored Pei Hao's request, which left Pei Hao quite frustrated upon his return.

Pei Xun remembered Yue Minghe and mentioned that he already had someone in mind for the position at the Bureau of Historiography. Liu Yueqing, upon hearing this, felt disheartened. Yue Minghe had previously said he only wanted to open a bookstore, but now he claimed that his position was different due to the Crown Prince's favor. Yue Minghe asked if Liu Yueqing would be willing to wait for him for two more years. Tomorrow was the Lantern Festival, and he invited her to go see the lanterns together.

Yue Minghe mentioned that tomorrow was the Lantern Festival and invited Liu Yueqing to go see the lanterns with him. He explained that they had first met near the lanterns and wanted to experience it again. Liu Yueqing didn't refuse the invitation. Yue Minghe arrived at the Eastern Palace, where Pei Xun showed him the palace's books. Liu Yueqing came to find him and was pleased to hear that Pei Xun now highly appreciated Yue Minghe, believing he would surely rise in the ranks. She asked her father if power was indeed that important, to which her father replied that it was for many people.

Yue Minghe approached Pei Xun, wanting to leave the palace early. Pei Xun asked if Yue Minghe had made plans with a lady, and Yue Minghe confirmed that he had a rendezvous with Liu Yueqing to see the lanterns. Upon seeing a rare white Liangbi, Yue Minghe expressed his desire to take a look. Pei Xun acknowledged Yue Minghe's talent for writing and asked him to compose a poem. If the poem turned out well, he would bestow the brush upon him.

Yue Minghe wrote the poem, but he had also had quite a bit to drink. Pei Xun had someone take Yue Minghe to rest, noting that he had become a bit tipsy while composing the poem. Liu Yueqing arrived at the lanterns, feeling that their relationship had begun there, and perhaps it should end there too. Pei Xun also came and asked Liu Yueqing to win a lantern for him. She won the lantern and gave it to Pei Xun, accompanied by a poem with a hidden jest. After writing the poem, Liu Yueqing left.

The next day, Yue Minghe visited Pei Xun, apologizing for his drunken behavior the previous day. Pei Xun didn't say much. Yue Minghe noticed a lantern on Pei Xun's table and asked if he had attended the Lantern Festival yesterday. Pei Xun confirmed that he had. Yue Minghe recognized the handwriting on the lantern and knew it belonged to Liu Yueqing.

Pei Hao's guards noticed that Pei Xun had gone out with a lady to enjoy themselves and promptly informed Pei Hao. Initially, Pei Hao didn't think much of it, but upon learning that the lady was Liu Yueqing, who was already engaged to Yue Minghe, and Yue Minghe was working in the Eastern Palace, he found it very intriguing. Pei Hao called Yue Minghe over and informed him about the situation. Pei Xun heard about it but didn't dwell on it too much. However, he had come to understand that Yue Minghe was not a person solely focused on his work.

Pei Hao told Yue Minghe that his people had seen Liu Yueqing and Pei Xun attending the Lantern Festival together, and he added that Liu Yueqing had been engaged to Pei Xun before. He couldn't understand why the engagement had been broken, and now that Yue Minghe was working in Pei Xun's palace, he suspected that Pei Xun had ulterior motives. It was possible that Liu Yueqing and Pei Xun had rekindled their old flame during the Lantern Festival. Yue Minghe was furious upon hearing this news, and Pei Hao praised Yue Minghe's talents.