Chapter 327 Meng Jingshu's Scheme

Hearing this, Dou Wenyi was genuinely surprised. She was truly skilled and daring, catching everyone off guard.

Madam Luo revealed a mischievous smile, "Don't look at me like that. These tricks are ones we've used before, and they work! This method was actually devised by the master. I don't know where he found a 'fake concubine,' but it really shut his mother-in-law up."

"However, we need to find a suitable candidate for this 'fake concubine,' since His Highness is different from us."

Dou Wenyi seemed lost in thought, power and wealth were dazzling.

Even the most virtuous woman can easily be blinded by desire once she has the opportunity to climb the social ladder; this person is indeed the key.

Madam Luo rarely opened up, and said leisurely, "You don't need to worry so much. Your starting point is much higher than mine. Back then, I was still a bandit, and I knew nothing about the intricacies of aristocratic families. My mother-in-law fought with me every day. When she saw that taking a concubine was not going to work, she deliberately made things difficult for me by talking about issues such as offspring and filial piety."

“I’m used to being headstrong, and if I’m not careful, they’ll have a hold on me. The master has to try to mediate between us, but anyone would get annoyed if this happened too often.”

Recalling the past, Madam Luo's eyes shone with a wisdom that had seen through the world.

Dou Wenyi was deeply moved, and with the atmosphere so well set, she dared to make a few jokes.

"And then what happened? Didn't you ever think about giving up?"

She looked wistful and spoke in a softer tone, “It was so annoying that I just threw them a letter of divorce and went off to live a carefree life.”

"Ah?" Dou Wenyi's face instantly filled with reverence, looking up to him with awe.

She had thought about this before, but given Pei Siyan's personality, he would probably capture her and bring her back before she even escaped Tianning City.

"As a result, he searched for me for more than three years, and even said that the letter of divorce was not registered in the government office and therefore invalid!"

Mrs. Luo rarely chatted about these past events with outsiders; she was truly on the same page with her. "Looking back now, I realize that I was too young and daring back then, and I didn't consider the consequences of my actions at all."

Actually, she was pregnant at that time and ran away while pregnant. Her eldest son, Du Ziyi, was over two years old and still thought his biological father was dead.

Dou Wenyi couldn't help but feel ashamed; her personality was truly unrestrained and admirable.

“Master and you are truly loving and compatible. It is a destiny ordained by Heaven. Therefore, no matter how many hardships and tribulations there are, they cannot separate you.”

Madam Luo agreed wholeheartedly. "Later, I rarely went back to live there, and I lived outside with my husband for many years. It was my father-in-law who couldn't bear it and came to apologize to me, saying that I had been wandering outside for three years, and he had also lost his son for three years. He invited us back and repeatedly assured me that he would not force me."

"Thanks to Ziyi, this child was smart and capable when he was young, and he had a sweet tongue, which pleased the old man. He was just like his father."

She paused, then added, "The Crown Prince treats you very well, doesn't he?"

Dou Wenyi glanced sideways at a crabapple tree in the courtyard, lost in thought.

Her mind was filled with that day; the scent of tung oil flooded her nostrils like a tide. He seemed to descend from the heavens like a god, unstoppable. Even though his back was already covered in wounds, his gaze towards her remained gentle and firm.

She remembered the crisscrossing scars on his back, the carefulness with which he returned the 'letter of denunciation,' and his confrontation with Lord Du.

He had to deal with the insatiable Dou family for his own sake... How could all of this be considered bad?

Dou Wenyi thought about many things, and after a long while, she murmured in reply, "Yes, Your Highness is very well."

"Then let's live well. As for the old man, I only have a way to deal with him."

"As long as you're doing well, that's enough."

Madam Luo added, "But he is, after all, an emperor. If he keeps a low profile in public, he will treat you better than worse. You are a perceptive person, and I believe you will understand immediately."

"Thank you for your guidance, Madam."

Just then, the old nanny beside Madam Luo rushed over anxiously and whispered a few words in her ear.

Madam Luo's expression changed abruptly, a fierce glint flashing in her eyes. "What? Immediately seal off the news and forbid anyone from entering the inner courtyard."

"Hmm." The head maid withdrew.

Meeting her questioning gaze, Madam Luo didn't hide anything. Suppressing her anger, she sighed, "The Meng family's darling daughter has been drugged..."

Meng Jingshu?

Was she drugged and caught in the act of adultery?

How could someone as cautious as her fall for it so easily?

Unless, she deliberately plotted against someone, such as Shen Yanzhou?

Dou Wenyi's heart was filled with turmoil.

He inexplicably recalled the time when they went on a spring outing and flew kites in the suburbs, and how Meng Jingshu had been so malicious towards him. Did she really want to be a bitter couple with Shen Yanzhou for the rest of her life, and still resort to any means to get him?

The two quickened their pace, and a moment later they arrived at a quiet and secluded house.

Two head maids stood guard at the door, and the faint sound of a woman sobbing could be heard from inside.

"Madam, the person is inside."

Madam Luo's expression was not good. "Wenyi, whatever you see later, don't tell anyone. In a person's life, there are only a few important turning points. It's such a pity about this girl."

The relationship between the second-in-command and the first-in-command is too delicate. Since Meng Jingshu's incident occurred in the Du family, the Du family naturally cannot escape responsibility.

What if Meng Jingshu wanted to deliberately use Madam Luo to escalate the situation?

Dou Wenyi didn't mean to speculate maliciously about her, but she didn't want Madam Luo's kindness to be taken advantage of. "Teacher's wife, what are your plans for handling this matter after we go in?"

"Should we grant Miss Meng's wish and let them get married immediately?"

Madam Luo frowned slightly and looked at her with surprise. "Why don't we invite their parents over and let them discuss and resolve this among themselves?"

Dou Wenyi gently reminded her, "Back then, Miss Meng almost became the Princess Consort of Prince Rui, and now she is in need of a suitable husband."

Madam Luo was aware of this matter, but she hadn't thought of it in her haste.

Her face suddenly turned serious. "Could it be that you suspect her..."

Dou Wenyi whispered in her ear, "Before she got engaged to Prince Rui, she already had someone she loved in her heart, someone she could be considered her childhood sweetheart, but it all came to nothing later."

Madam Luo understood instantly. However, the Meng family later turned their backs on her childhood sweetheart and broke their promise. They thought that as long as they got involved with Prince Rui, they could help her become empress. Who knew they made the wrong bet and now they want to go back to their old flame.

Inside the courtyard, the bedding on the bed looked quite messy, and a sticky fragrance filled the air.

Meng Jingshu was disheveled, wiping away tears incessantly. "Why won't you... how can you be so heartless? Don't we have any affection left between us?"

The man's eyes were bloodshot, and his once elegant white brocade robe was now stained with glaring blood, making him look utterly disheveled. He struggled to suppress the rage within him, knowing he couldn't hold on much longer, even if it meant self-harm.

The veins on his forehead bulged, and he was both angry and furious. "Meng Jingshu, haven't you made enough of a scene?"

As he spoke, he pushed open the window, preparing to escape.

Disregarding her composure, Meng Jingshu gripped his clothes tightly, refusing to let him leave.

"Even if you secretly leave now, the Du family already knows that I was drugged and had a secret rendezvous with someone. Do you think I'll keep quiet for you? My reputation is ruined, and you think you can get away with it?"

"I didn't touch you!" the man gritted his teeth.

"We'll run into each other eventually," Meng Jingshu said, her face streaked with tears, uttering words of utter shame.

Despite her pitiful appearance, she appeared repulsive to Shen Yanzhou.

A stubborn madness shone in Meng Jingshu's eyes. "It's come to this. If you marry me, we'll be a perfect couple. I can pretend I don't know anything about what happened between you and her."

"I only ask that you live a good life with me in the future. If you insist on running away, do you really want to abandon your reputation, your official position, your ideals, and your ambitions?"

"Cousin, I have loved you for so many years, how can you be so heartless?"

"Stubborn and unyielding!"

With a creak, the door was pushed open from the outside, and a crisp voice rang out, "No!"