Chapter 244 Confession

"Is that so?" Pei Siyan's voice was deep and cold.

The eldest princess's face turned deathly pale, and her eyes were filled with terror. "Consort Tan has always been jealous of Empress Wen. I don't know where she found out about this, but she told such a convincing story that the Emperor actually believed her."

The gleaming dagger reflected Pei Siyan's sharp features, his eyes filled with a chilling light. "That's not what she said before she died."

At that time, Consort Tan was of little power and not favored at all. It was extremely difficult for her to even see the emperor. How could her slander have any effect on Emperor Muzong?

"If the Crown Prince does not believe me, he can find some older palace servants and investigate carefully."

Pei Siyan chuckled lightly, "Someone come here!"

His voice was cold and deep, making the princess tremble with fear.

The Crown Prince's guards suddenly appeared, immediately opened the cell door, and forced her out, pressing her firmly into a water vat beside him. The princess struggled desperately but could not move at all. She was almost on the verge of death when someone pulled her up.

"Aren't you going to confess yet?"

The princess, disheveled and covered in dirt, stubbornly roared, "I truly didn't know that Wen Wan committed suicide. Even if you want revenge, you should seek it out on the Emperor. What does it have to do with me!"

Pei Siyan chuckled, "Someone, go find a few beggars."

The princess was startled. She was born into a noble family and was treated with the utmost respect. Although she kept many male lovers, it was always just for her to amuse men.

When have I ever been insulted like this?

Out of consideration for her royal bloodline, even if she were convicted of 'treason,' the court officials would spare her life to demonstrate the new emperor's benevolence.

The eldest princess wiped the water from her face, her eyes flashing with hatred, and angrily rebuked, "Pei Siyan, you scoundrel, aren't you afraid of disgracing the royal family—"

With a whoosh, the dagger in his hand flew past the princess's neck like lightning, a strand of her hair fell to the ground, and the dagger was deeply embedded in the opposite wall.

The princess trembled violently, her hand shaking as she touched her neck, her fingers instantly stained with a few drops of blood.

She had no doubt that if the dagger had gone in any deeper, she would be dead by now.

She could clearly sense the intense killing intent hidden beneath Pei Siyan's calm eyes.

He's a complete madman who doesn't care about anything!

The princess's throat tightened, all the imposing manner she had displayed when confronting him vanished, and her entire body went limp. He had a thousand ways to kill her.

Pei Siyan sat in his chair, leisurely sizing up his ruthless 'aunt'. "Speak, but my patience is limited."

The princess was still in shock when she realized that Pei Siyan had probably been plotting revenge for Wen Wan for more than a decade, and he had been waiting for this day for a long time!

Once she is accused of murdering Empress Wen, the hatred for her mother's killer will be irreconcilable, and she will have no chance of survival. She may even implicate Fu'an.

Even historians couldn't defend her.

She merely fueled the flames back then, but some people have kept their secrets for a lifetime, so it's time to share the burden!

She has to take a gamble.

The eldest princess suddenly calmed down. "The source of the rumors is indeed not her. Has the Crown Prince forgotten that she was favored during that period? Everyone says that she received guidance from a master, which is why the Emperor treats her differently. But that's not the truth."

Pei Siyan's expression was inscrutable, his long eyes slightly closed. "Isn't he the Prince Xian?"

Seeing that he truly didn't know about what happened back then, the eldest princess felt slightly relieved. "The Prince Xian understands His Majesty's preferences very well and can figure out his thoughts, but he is, after all, a man. When it comes to love, how can he be as naturally adept as a woman?"

Pei Siyan curled his lip in a mocking smile and said, "Am I listening to you tell stories?"

The eldest princess's black hair was disheveled and dripping water. "Consort Tan has always been very close to the Wen family in private. Why don't you investigate the Wen family?"

Pei Siyan squinted. The Wen family was Pei Siyan's maternal family. Could the death of Empress Wen be related to the Duke of Wen's mansion?

absurd!

He suddenly stood up, put his hands behind his back, and looked down at her. "Good, well done. If I find out that you have told even a single lie, I will have to make things difficult for your Fu'an."

The eldest princess shuddered, her teeth chattering. "I'm not lying at all! The rumors started coming from the Wen family! If you don't believe me, ask His Majesty."

Watching Pei Siyan leave the prison, the princess's lips curled up, and a strange glint flashed in her eyes.

Once he investigates the Wen family... many things will be exposed.

The Wen family is unlikely to withstand Pei Siyan's furious wrath; he will surely eliminate the Wen State Duke's mansion himself.

By then, Pei Siyan will be disloyal and unfilial, murdering the emperor and his father, unable to tolerate his own aunt, and even his maternal family... Bearing so many infamy, how could he still hope to sit firmly on the emperor's throne?

I'm afraid no aristocratic family in Tianning City would agree to this!

——

Dou Wenyi hadn't seen Pei Siyan for two days, but he still accepted the medicine that Cuizhi had delivered that night.

Normally, whenever he was in the East Palace, he would make time to have dinner with her. Could it be that instead of standing up for her, he was going to hold a grudge against her?

They're so hard to please!

I wonder how well his back wound is healing.

After the rain, the scenery was beautiful, and spring was in full bloom. Willows in the courtyard drooped with golden threads, and a sweet breeze carrying the fragrance of flowers slowly drifted into the hall.

With nothing else to do, Dou Wenyi led the palace maids to collect magnolia buds in the garden of the East Palace for medicinal use.

"Your Highness, do you only want the kind with plump buds and thick fuzz? Are the ones that are already blooming not acceptable?"

Dou Wenyi nodded. "Yes, magnolias are delicate. If the flowers bloom, the medicinal effect will be greatly reduced."

The palace maids carried baskets and picked flowers.

As Dou Wenyi watched the girls darting around in the courtyard, she couldn't help but recall the poem, "If you have no worries on your mind, then every day is a good day."

That afternoon, she enjoyed a rare moment of leisure and tranquility, but the arrival of a rare guest broke the peace.

"...A member of the second branch of the Wen State Duke's family came to visit me? Who is it?"

The guards of the Eastern Palace respectfully replied, "Qi Shi, she is His Highness the Crown Prince's second maternal aunt."

Dou Wenyi frowned slightly, looking very puzzled.

She had only met Pei Siyan's maternal grandparents once, on New Year's Eve. What was the purpose of their visit?

"Consort Sheng also came with her."

Dou Wenyi was slightly taken aback. Was Sheng Xiyue here to provoke her again?

She thought they could live in peace, but after what happened with Feng Tingyun, she realized that Feng Tingyun probably wished for her death.

In that case, no matter who she tries to involve, she will retaliate without hesitation.

Dou Wenyi ordered someone to invite the person to Wutong Garden, and she slowly walked back, carrying the fragrance of flowers with her.