Chapter 257 Who's in Whom?

An eerie silence fell over the hall.

Physician Hu hesitated. He had told the truth as instructed by His Highness the Crown Prince. Besides, matters of the bedroom were a matter of human ethics and should not be avoided.

He probably won't get angry.

Dou Wenyi's heart skipped a beat, and her head felt buzzing, the words "intercourse" echoing in her ears.

"..."

Sheng Xiyue has revealed her true colors; has she even resorted to such despicable means as drugging someone?

But now, Pei Siyan specially sent someone to summon her to Chaohua Palace. Could it be that he wants her to be the antidote?

Pei Siyan's lips curled into a chilling smile. "All of you, step back!"

Physician Hu secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, the Crown Princess was here, so there was no need to worry too much about many problems.

After everyone withdrew, the atmosphere in the hall became tense and cold.

Dou Wenyi looked up and met Pei Siyan's dark, scarlet eyes. For some reason, she felt a little scared. She thought he would be furious after what had happened, but at this moment, he was shrouded in a calm that seemed to be brewing a storm.

You don't need to guess to know he was in a terrible mood.

"What's wrong?"

Pei Siyan slowly opened his eyelids, a chilling glint in his eyes. "You were here earlier, why didn't you just come in?"

Dou Wenyi was surprised by his directness, and smiled, saying, "Seeing that you're busy, I didn't want to bother you..."

Before she could finish speaking, she saw Pei Siyan stand up with a dark expression, approach her directly, raise his chin slightly, and look at Dou Wenyi, saying, "Inconvenient to disturb? Then you can disturb Shen Yanzhou?"

His tone and expression were very casual, as if he were just asking a casual question, but the deeper meaning was known only to the two of them.

Dou Wenyi suddenly realized that he already knew about her chance encounter with Shen Yanzhou in the suburbs.

She secretly groaned inwardly, knowing that if she wasn't careful, she would upset him and make him jealous!

"I was looking for Zhang Chengxian, but I just happened to run into him."

As soon as she finished speaking, she realized that this was not a good excuse. It was really hard for her to think of a better reason to cover it up, so she could only smile awkwardly and explain, "The Consort Shu is worried that he will break off the engagement in a moment of impulse, and wants me to persuade him. Maybe he and Shen Lishu can get together."

"Really? Then congratulations to him."

Dou Wenyi couldn't tell whether it was praise or criticism; she only knew that he was in a very bad mood.

"Don't you want to know what happened?" Pei Siyan's heart was burning with anger, his dark eyes staring straight at her.

You have the leisure and inclination to care about others, but you don't know how to care about him?

Do you care about her own husband?

He was betrayed by his own aunt and almost fell victim to her scheme...

Dou Wenyi still had a faint smile on her lips, but suddenly she became clear-headed. He was always very suspicious. If she said that she didn't actually care at all, he would inevitably feel that she was being cold to him. If she didn't care about Sheng Xiyue at all, then why did she leave Chaohua Palace in a huff?

The former made them sound like strangers, while the latter was the answer he wanted, but she didn't want to become a fool who only had eyes for love.

Her throat tightened slightly, and she tried to make her question sound sincere: "Did Sheng Xiyue drug you?"

The next moment, a large hand wrapped around her waist and pulled her into an embrace.

Pei Siyan's Adam's apple bobbed, and he gave a slight smile. "Not just her."

Dou Wenyi's almond-shaped eyes widened in disbelief. "What? Could it be that the people from the Duke of Wen's mansion were involved too? How dare they?"

Pei Siyan sensed her concern, and the anger between his brows instantly dissipated. He pulled her to sit down and asked, "Have you had dinner?"

"We were just about to eat when Eunuch Anxi invited us over," Dou Wenyi said through gritted teeth, feeling inexplicably guilty.

Pei Siyan's usually sharp and stern face was unusually calm, as if after a storm, with a faint smile playing on his lips. "Yi'er, are you so angry that you don't even want to eat dinner? Are you worried about me? Or are you jealous too?"

"Are you really willing to let your husband suffer? If it happens again, will you stand by and watch?"

Dou Wenyi blinked, not expecting the matter to involve her again. "I didn't..."

"No? Why didn't you reprimand Sheng Xiyue with a straight face? Instead, you left."

Pei Siyan suddenly grabbed her hand and placed it on her chest. "Find your conscience. Haven't I been devoted to you? And what about you? You can't even be bothered to care about your own husband?"

Dou Wenyi choked.

She had long witnessed Pei Siyan's shamelessness; his relentless attitude made him seem like a creditor who had stolen her heart.

She knew what Pei Siyan wanted to hear, but she found it difficult to say those mushy love words to him, expressing how much she cared for him.

Pei Siyan said calmly, "You're not allowed to ignore me anymore. If I upset you, you can scold me or hit me, but you're not allowed to turn around and leave, and you're not allowed to sulk by yourself, understand?"

A look of embarrassment flashed across Dou Wenyi's eyes.

She had slapped Pei Siyan a few times before, which was already quite excessive. She had always been prepared to fight him to the death. How could things be the same now?

Things are different now; he is the future emperor.

Let her hit him?

That's incredibly arrogant and ignorant.

She sighed softly, then, quick-witted, said, "Your Highness, I'm a little hungry. Shall we have dinner together?"

"Someone come here! Bring the meal."

Pei Siyan's expression finally returned to normal, no longer shrouded in gloom.

The palace servants quickly brought out the wine and dishes. Dou Wenyi took the initiative to serve him the food. Pei Siyan took the silver chopsticks and ate a few bites slowly. His expression softened a lot, and he briefly told her what had happened.

"...It was always your aunt who held that fan," Dou Wenyi said thoughtfully.

"In that case, the Wen family is indeed a suspect, though we can't rule out the possibility that they were used by Sheng Xi."

A dangerous glint flashed in Pei Siyan's eyes. "You don't need to speak up for them. After Mother passed away, the Wen family was indeed implicated. They also treated me with some kindness, and I have always felt indebted to them."

"But if someone takes advantage of a favor without any moral boundaries, that's a different story."

No emperor would allow too much interference from his maternal relatives; Duke Wen couldn't possibly be unaware of this.

"Yi'er, let's not talk about these upsetting things. How are you going to make it up to me today?"

Dou Wenyi was slightly taken aback. Why was he pushing his luck?

He seems to have mastered this skill without any formal instruction, becoming increasingly adept at manipulating himself!

The palace servants in Wutong Garden had actually prepared dinner long ago, but she had no appetite earlier, so she ordered it to be taken away as soon as she returned.

Pei Siyan probably already guessed that she had misunderstood and was feeling uncomfortable and jealous, so he specially ordered someone to invite her over so that Physician Hu could explain what had happened and clear his name.

He wanted her to understand that he had no feelings for Sheng Xiyue and was also a victim.

After she entered the hall, he preemptively dragged Shen Yanzhou into the picture, putting himself in the wrong and weak position.

After such a series of punches, how could she possibly have the energy to question him about his relationship with Sheng Xiyue?

That's really something, he puts all his energy into himself!

Thinking of this, Dou Wenyi spoke softly, "Your Highness, why didn't Sheng Xiyue succeed? How far did you go?"