Chapter 313 Evil Begets Evil

Dou Wenyi sneered inwardly. Judging from the current situation, Prince Duan must have left behind Pei Zhirou's back. At the very least, she couldn't possibly be so heartless as to let her mother die.

But she knew that Pei Yunche had kidnapped Lin Zhiyi, so there was only one possibility: it was Manager Tian who told her!

Manager Tian instigated her to deliberately cause trouble at the East Palace, without considering her situation at all, but only wanting her to save Prince Duan's life.

Manager Tian was so frightened that he trembled and kowtowed repeatedly, begging for mercy. Soon his forehead swelled up and blood flowed down his cheeks.

Pei Zhirou was overwhelmed with emotion, desperately clinging to her and refusing to let any palace servants near, weeping bitterly, "No... Zhirou knows she was wrong, she was really wrong, please spare her life, I don't ask for anything else. Crown Prince, she's my wet nurse, she's been by my side since I was little, she's like a mother to me..."

Old Master Pei's face was filled with grief. "Your Highness, please show mercy when you can!"

"My mother is dead, and I have no family left—"

"Sixth Princess, you're confused!"

Dou Wenyi interrupted her directly, "You not only have the Emperor and the Crown Prince, but also your uncle. How can you say such things without making people feel disheartened?"

Pei Zhirou was only fifteen years old and lacked the composure to understand others. Her words just now were a slip of the tongue, inadvertently revealing her true thoughts.

Pei Zhirou realized she had misspoke and froze on the spot.

Dou Wenyi made no attempt to hide the subtle expression on her face and bluntly stated, "No matter what happens, the Crown Prince has never made things difficult for you. Now that things have come to this, can't you tell who truly cares for you and who is encouraging you to make mistakes? I remember that Steward Tian is not only your wet nurse but also Prince Duan's wet nurse!"

"Even among siblings, parents can sometimes be biased. Sixth Princess, what makes you think that Steward Tian wouldn't sacrifice you for Prince Duan?"

Manager Tian was related to Consort Yun. After Prince Duan was born, Consort Yun brought her to the palace to work as a wet nurse for several years before she left the palace. After Consort Yun became pregnant with the sixth princess, she brought her back to the palace.

Manager Tian will treat Prince Duan even more kindly than he treats the Sixth Princess.

The saying goes, "To kill someone is to destroy their spirit." The Sixth Princess had deep paternal love for Steward Tian, ​​but Steward Tian only wanted to use her to save Prince Duan.

Pei Zhirou stared wide-eyed in disbelief, looking at Steward Tian with despair and indignation, and subconsciously loosened her grip.

She shouldn't have listened to Manager Tian.

The Crown Prince and Crown Princess are both too perfect; any trick would seem clumsy and stupid in their presence.

Just then, the palace maids forcefully pulled the two apart.

Pei Zhirou was distraught. "Crown Prince, please spare her life..."

Pei Siyan's expression remained unchanged. "Grand Uncle, you've seen it yourself. In Xiao Liu's heart, a palace maid holds a more important place than you or I. Do you still think she won't instigate Xiao Liu to cause a rift between us siblings?"

"If she dares to come to the East Palace in mourning clothes today, what trouble will she cause tomorrow? Your beloved son has a long-term plan for her, and you should not indulge her."

Old Master Pei looked embarrassed.

To everyone's surprise, the advice originally given to the Crown Prince was returned to him verbatim.

Pei Siyan said coldly, "Guards, hand over Steward Tian to the Imperial City Guard and let them handle the matter according to palace regulations. As for the Sixth Princess, you listened to the instigation of treacherous officials, so you are punished with three months of confinement and copying the 'Admonitions for Women' and the 'Diamond Sutra' three hundred times each. Do you accept this?"

With things said to this point, Pei Zhirou dared not raise any further objections. She looked at Steward Tian in despair, knowing that her life was in danger and that no one could leave the Imperial City Guard alive.

Old Master Pei had other business to attend to at the Eastern Palace. After exchanging a few more polite words with the Crown Prince, the two went to the Chaohua Hall.

Dou Wenyi handed Pei Zhirou a clean handkerchief, her gaze sharp and her words like knives, "Your brother has acted improperly and his rebellion is a foregone conclusion. If you insist on standing on his side, I'm afraid no one can protect you. You have already come of age and can start your own household and recruit a husband next year."

"Which path you choose to take from here on out is up to you. Do you know what it means to be indecisive and wavering?"

Pei Zhirou's eyes were already swollen and red, but as if she understood what she was saying, she said, "Zhirou understands."

"Also, was it Granny Tian who told you about Prince Duan's elopement?"

Pei Zhirou looked bewildered, but still nodded.

"Regardless of whether Prince Duan eloped or not, I do not wish for you to bring this up again. Do you understand?"

Pei Zhirou nodded solemnly.

After everyone dispersed, the palace maids carried buckets of water and wiped the bloodstains off the ground.

Dou Wenyi frowned, her mind in turmoil. It seemed that Lin Zhiyi's affair could no longer be kept secret, and Pei Yunche might have already spread the news.

...

Zhang Chengxian lived up to expectations and rescued Lin Zhiyi before Gu Yufeng escorted Prince Duan back to the capital.

After being sent back to the Lin family, Lin Zhiyi felt ashamed to face her parents and her personality changed drastically. She locked herself in her dark room, never seeing the light of day, refusing to eat or drink, and punishing herself in a self-destructive manner.

The Lin family was so worried about her safety that they had no choice but to ask Dou Wenyi for help.

Dou Wenyi could certainly empathize with her. Back then, she was kidnapped from the temple. Although her innocence remained, the gossip and rumors in the streets could still bury her.

That day, she went to the Lin family specifically to comfort her.

"...All of you get out of here, don't worry about me, just let me die!"

"Zhiyi, don't do this! You're tearing my heart out!" Lin's mother stood outside the door, clutching a handkerchief tightly, weeping as she covered her face.

"Yi'er, open the door quickly, the Crown Princess has come to see you."

Lord Lin was anxious and looked at Dou Wenyi with a guilty expression. "It was our fault for not protecting her well, Your Highness. I have already submitted a memorial to the Crown Prince, requesting that she be sent to a post outside the capital. As long as she leaves this place of sorrow, she will surely recover slowly."

Dou Wenyi was moved. "Zhiyi, it is truly a blessing for her to have parents like you. Life is unpredictable, and misfortune can turn into fortune. She will definitely pull herself together."

The door suddenly opened, and Dou Wenyi stepped into the room.

She frowned as she pulled back the curtain and opened the window, letting in a fresh evening breeze.

Lin Zhiyi had dark circles under her eyes, wore only plain clothes without any adornment, and looked dull and lifeless.

"Wenyi, thank you for sending someone to save me. Without you, I would probably be dead by now. But I'm really in so much pain. I've brought shame upon the Lin family; I deserve to die..."

Dou Wenyi grasped her hand. "Back then, I was kidnapped from the temple. When I came back, my father beat me severely. They felt that I had lost my innocence and should atone with my death."

"After the worst comes the best; I'm still living a good life now, aren't I?"

"And your parents, after the incident, thought of you in every way, only blaming themselves for not protecting you well, and dared not say a harsh word to you. Your father even thought about being transferred to another place. They truly love their daughter."

"Are you really going to let them down like this, giving up like this?"

"Besides, there was a reason for this, and it wasn't your fault. In the future, you can still find a satisfactory husband."

Lin Zhiyi's expression softened slightly, and she was greatly shocked.

Pei Yunche had made unwanted advances towards her, but at least they hadn't consummated their marriage. "Can I really do this? Do you believe I'm innocent?"

Dou Wenyi said slowly, "Why don't you believe it? The one who did evil is Prince Duan, and he deserves to die. You can't punish yourself for his mistakes!"

"So many women in the Great Zhou Dynasty remarried. How did they survive? Zhiyi, it's a miracle you came back alive. Don't worry about those empty titles."

"Setbacks make people grow, and as long as you're alive, there's hope! Believe me, you can definitely turn things around and defy fate!"