Chapter 302 Shocking Change

At the court assembly, Pei Yunche wept bitterly and volunteered to attend to Emperor Muzong during his illness. This statement sparked a great deal of discussion among the court officials, who were deeply moved.

Pei Siyan sat high on the throne, his expression disdainful, coldly watching the performance of the people in the court, and indifferently left a sentence, "Fourth brother is thoughtful. The gates of Funing Palace are always open, and anyone who wants to see the emperor can go."

From that day on, Pei Yunche never mentioned the matter of returning to his homeland again, and stayed by Emperor Muzong's side for several days in a row.

On the surface, he was attending to the sick, but what he was actually plotting was obvious. Pei Siyan did not interfere; instead, he withdrew most of the imperial guards.

Prince Duan's actions naturally drew praise from many court officials, who said he was a person of utmost purity and filial piety.

Tianning City appears calm on the surface, but undercurrents are surging beneath.

Several powerful and influential families took the initiative to express their goodwill, offering to marry their daughters to Prince Duan. Most surprisingly, Prince Duan flatly refused, and soon news spread that he already had someone else in his heart.

Dou Wenyi was furious when she heard the news. Pei Yunche's infatuated posturing would only make Lin Zhiyi even more confused.

Pei Siyan returned home quite late that night. Dou Wenyi was already fast asleep, but he still woke her up by the noise. "Your Highness, why are you so late?"

Pei Siyan gazed fondly at the delicate body on the bed, "I've been working all night, my hands are sore from writing, don't you feel sorry for me?"

Dou Wenyi rubbed her sleepy eyes. "Do you review memorials? You can't get fat overnight. Some unimportant matters can be handled by the cabinet."

"Sigh, no one can do it for me, it's all my fault..."

Pei Siyan's eyes were deep and unfathomable. He rubbed his aching left wrist and felt a pang of regret. If he had known this would happen, he shouldn't have acted impulsively and burned his mother's things.

"What’s wrong with you?"

"It's alright, I'll come over after I shower and change."

After a stick of incense had burned, Pei Siyan came out of the clean room, brushed his thumb across her bright red lips, and kissed her. He then grabbed her waist with his large hands and pulled her into his arms. After their lovemaking, he did not immediately call for water, but instead held her tightly in his arms, gently stroking her black hair.

"Your Highness, what is troubling you this time?"

Dou Wenyi pressed further, "Are you worried about Pei Yunche?"

He was most relaxed and least guarded when he was with her, but tonight, she could clearly sense that Pei Siyan's emotions were a bit off, and even in the bedroom just now, he didn't seem very satisfied.

Pei Siyan remained silent for a moment, then chuckled softly. She noticed his slight change in demeanor.

"Princess Fu'an accompanied Xie Guidu to see a play today, and the two of them disappeared from Tianning City without a trace. The Princess's residence has also long since vanished without a trace."

"Your Highness, I'm sorry, I was too sentimental." Dou Wenyi felt a pang of pain in her heart, a hint of regret flashing in her eyes.

Pei Siyan survived because he listened to her advice.

If he had eliminated the problem completely, wouldn't he have avoided all these troubles?

Pei Siyan held her tightly, gently stroking her bare back. He had been walking alone for more than twenty years and was already used to facing all kinds of conspiracies and schemes.

Since he met her, he has never felt lonely. How lucky he is to be with her.

“Fool, sparing her life was my choice, but I knew all along they had ulterior motives…”

The rain was pattering down outside the window, falling from the eaves.

Dou Wenyi knew that Pei Siyan must have done this on purpose to enable them to escape successfully, but when exactly did he plan to close the net?

"Your Highness, has the handover of the Princess's merchant guild not been completed yet?"

Pei Siyan kissed her neck again and explained, "Yes. Indeed, the Princess's rebellion last time more or less affected her, and the handover of the official merchant guilds is almost complete. However, she is too cunning. The silver on the books was moved away months before the incident, and the Princess's mansion didn't have much silver hidden at all."

"Zheng Zhilong secretly discovered that she had invested all the money she had accumulated over the years in underground banks, black markets, and even raised a private army. These forces hidden in the shadows would never have surfaced if it weren't for the princess herself."

“Recently, Zheng Zhilong has successfully won the trust of the eldest princess. The treasury of the Great Zhou Dynasty is very empty. I am still waiting to use the huge amount of wealth she has embezzled to fill the treasury.”

Hearing him say this, Dou Wenyi did not feel relieved; instead, she became even more worried.

The eldest princess not only had money, but also kept a private army and wanted to unite with the Prince of Shangduan. In addition, Emperor Muzong's imperial edict of abdication made the situation extremely unfavorable for them!

As if sensing her worry, Pei Siyan said quietly, "Don't worry, Pei Yunche has done his part, and we'll be able to wrap things up soon!"

——

For the people of Tianning City, this was just an ordinary night.

But for the imperial city, it was a day that would go down in history. Prince Duan, Pei Yunche, found the secret passage of the palace and left Tianning City without anyone noticing.

When Eunuch Anxi delivered the message, Pei Siyan was playing chess with Dou Wenyi. "Oh?"

Dou Wenyi's hand trembled, and the black chess piece fell to the ground. "What about Consort Yun?"

Anxi, the eunuch, felt a chill run down his spine and replied tremblingly, "She's gone. Consort Yun took poison. The imperial physicians tried their best to save her, but it was too late."

"The fourth son is too foolish. How could he kill his mother?" He said calmly, placing the white piece in his hand.

Dou Wenyi was stunned. Could it be that Pei Yunche, in order to prevent Consort Yun from becoming a burden, had gone so far as to force her to her death?

"Gu Yufeng personally led a group to pursue them?"

"Yes. All the city gates of Tianning City are sealed off, so they should have no chance of escaping."

That being said, the fact that a living person disappeared right under the noses of the Imperial Guards is a huge blunder and ultimately a dereliction of duty on the part of the Imperial Guards.

Pei Siyan glanced regretfully at the chessboard. "Yi'er, when playing chess, you must not be impatient. Look, you've lost again."

Dou Wenyi couldn't help but feel ashamed.

In this situation, how could she possibly concentrate on playing chess?

Just then, a young eunuch rushed over, "Your Highness, something terrible has happened! His Majesty... His Majesty has also disappeared!"

Emperor Muzong had difficulty walking; how could he possibly disappear so easily?

Furthermore, if he leaves the capital, it would be tantamount to voluntarily giving up his status as 'emperor'.

Even if he were to die, he would die in the palace.

Eunuch Anxi immediately scolded, "Shut up! Have you searched inside and out? Have you even searched the Cold Palace?"

"Yi'er, let's go together into the palace to see His Majesty." Pei Siyan stood up gracefully and flicked the wrinkles off his robe.

All the actors are in place; how could this grand show be complete without him?

Dou Wenyi was quite astonished. Pei Siyan must have been planning this for a long time. What exactly did Emperor Muzong want to do?

Under the cover of night, the two had just arrived at the palace gate when a young eunuch, sweating profusely, ran up and said, "Your Highness, the Emperor is in the Cold Palace, and several important officials on duty have also arrived."