Chapter 45 Holding her in his arms

Pei Siyan drew his bow and nocked an arrow with fluid, graceful movements. The arrow, like lightning, grazed her hair before striking the eagle with deadly precision. The beast fell to the ground, thrashed a few times, and died instantly.

Dou Wenyi panicked. The wind howled in her ears. Instinctively, she lay down on the horse and clung tightly to its neck. Her whole body swayed violently with the mad horse, and she was in danger of falling off at any moment.

Almost instantly, Pei Siyan spurred his horse to catch up with the mad horse and rode alongside it, shouting, "Sit up straight!"

Upon hearing his unquestionable command, Dou Wenyi resolutely sat up. The man swung his long arm and grabbed her waist, forcefully lifting her off the mad horse and placing her in front of him.

The horse, like a madman, broke free and galloped wildly into the depths of the dense forest, completely out of control.

Just then, two arrows shot towards them from behind. Pei Siyan shielded her tightly, spurred his horse's flanks with his legs, and swiftly drew his sword with his right hand, easily severing the two arrows.

In the dense forest not far away, a dark blue hem of clothing suddenly disappeared...

The guards of the Eastern Palace chased after them like lightning.

“This eagle has bloodshot eyes; it’s probably been given a drug that makes it go berserk. It only attacks your horse, so there’s something wrong with your horse too!” Pei Siyan’s eyes were sharp, and his hot breath brushed against her ear.

The wind seemed to slow down, and a familiar fragrance wafted into her nose. She subconsciously snuggled closer to the man's tender embrace, inevitably touching his hard waist and abdomen. The leather texture seemed to have another hard sensation!

Even through the fabric, her skin felt as if it had been burned.

She froze, no longer daring to let her mind wander!

Noticing that she was trembling, Pei Siyan's dark eyes held a cold sneer. "I'm here, don't be afraid!"

Upon hearing his voice, the fear in Dou Wenyi's eyes gradually faded. Her lips moved slightly, and her voice was strained as she said, "...Thank you!"

Her voice was soft and carried away by the wind. In the corner of my eye, I saw that her eyes were filled with tears, but she was pretending to be strong and holding back her tears.

A strange feeling welled up in Pei Siyan's heart, and he asked jokingly, "How shall I thank you?"

Dou Wenyi's ears burned, and she didn't dare to utter a sound.

Pei Siyan noticed a pile of withered branches ahead, reined in his horse with one hand, his face turned completely cold, and he exuded a terrifying aura.

If they walked a few more feet forward, they would fall into a trap carefully set during the hunt, which was also equipped with mechanisms and hidden weapons made of fine iron.

First the horse was startled, then it fell into a trap.

If it weren't for his sudden decision today, she would have been seriously injured, if not killed, or at least left paralyzed!

In a moment, Pei Siyan had already softened his tone and lifted her down from the horse. Her waist was both supple and strong. He glanced at her face and said gently, "Who have you offended?"

Who did I offend?

If you've offended Xie Guidu, Dou Mingxiu, Dou Mingyan... who else could you offend?

Dou Wenyi's pupils dilated in shock, as if she had fallen into an ice cave, and she felt her heart ache so much that it was almost numb.

Even though she loathed them, their feud wasn't a blood feud, so why would they want to take her life?

They weren't this ruthless in their past lives!

"I don't know." Dou Wenyi's chest heaved violently due to excessive tension, her back was already covered in a layer of cold sweat, and her legs trembled uncontrollably.

The fact that someone could tamper with falcons and poison them in the hunting grounds suggests that the person behind it must be connected to falconers and horse breeders. Following this line of inquiry will surely lead to clues.

Pei Siyan held her hand tightly; his palm was warm and gave her a strong sense of security. Perhaps he had forgotten, which was why he had never let go.

She wanted to pull her hand away, but she was worried that she would make too much of a move and offend her savior, so she had no choice but to let him hold her hand.

Pei Siyan pointed to a broken piece of wood not far away, "When hunting, there are signs for traps. The sign here was deliberately vandalized, which is why you stumbled onto this path."

Dou Wenyi felt a chill run down her spine. Were these people afraid that she wouldn't die?

Pei Siyan stared at her clean and charming face, her messy hair adorned with fine beads of sweat, and a patch of sweat stain spreading across her neckline, revealing a section of her fair neck, inexplicably stirring up all sorts of fantasies...

He swallowed hard, took out a fragrant handkerchief, and gently wiped the sweat from her forehead.

Dou Wenyi's body stiffened, her cheeks burned, and her long eyelashes trembled. She tried to avoid the handkerchief, but when she looked down, she realized that her hand was still being held in his.

Pei Siyan took in her embarrassment, a smile playing on his lips. "Don't move!"

Just then, several birds fluttered past, and Chi Yan hurriedly returned with a blood-stained knife and several guards.

Dou Wenyi hurriedly withdrew her hand and subtly distanced herself from Pei Siyan by a few steps.

"Your Highness, that beast has been killed, but... its sudden charge startled Prince Duan's horse, causing him to fall and injure his leg..."

Chi Yan knelt before Pei Siyan, her face filled with shame, her voice growing softer and softer.

Dou Wenyi swayed, her heart churning as if a thousand ants were gnawing at her. The mad horse, the trap, the Prince Duan—each element was intricately linked; to murder a prince, the punishment should be the most severe.

They really think highly of her.

Pei Siyan's phoenix eyes were dark as he smiled, "Dou Wenyi, did you hear the King of Hell summoning souls?"

Dou Wenyi: "......"

"Has the imperial physician gone?"

"We've already made our way there."

Pei Siyan's gaze darkened. "This matter is of utmost importance; it must not be leaked. Men, investigate thoroughly for me. I want to see who is behind this!"

In the previous life, after the autumn hunt, Prince Duan seemed to have been injured as well. For some unknown reason, his leg later became lame, almost making him crippled. Pei Siyan was confined to the Eastern Palace, so the biggest winner of the autumn hunt was Prince Rui.

In her previous life, she had never been to the hunting grounds, which meant that no matter whether she startled the horse or not, Prince Duan would be injured.

Therefore, it can be inferred that she may have suffered another undeserved disaster, and these people behind the scenes are using her as a scapegoat. In fact, the one they really want to harm is Prince Duan.

Dou Wenyi had regained her composure. She touched the silver needles she carried with her. "Your Highness, I want to go see Prince Duan and make amends for my past mistakes."

Pei Siyan's deep gaze swept over her, and he smiled, "Alright!"

The guard brought over another horse, and Pei Siyan moved in front of her, staring intently into her eyes. "Do you still dare to ride a horse?"

"I dare!" Dou Wenyi nodded without hesitation.

Pei Siyan was slightly taken aback. After this ordeal, he thought she would be afraid of riding horses, and he was even prepared to let her ride with him. Her reluctance only made his lustful thoughts seem a little sordid.

Dou Wenyi gritted her teeth and nimbly mounted her horse.

At this moment, Pei Siyan rode up to her side, his voice seductive, "Do you want me to uphold justice for you? Think carefully before you answer."

Dou Wenyi naturally understood this matter and knew that she couldn't be weighed at all.

If we're being serious, as the main culprit who allowed the horse to run rampant, she is undeniably guilty and will certainly be punished.

If we can help Prince Duan heal his foot injury, we might be able to appeal to his emotions and make amends.

But besides Pei Siyan, who else can she rely on?

Prince Duan fell from his horse and was injured. In the chaos, he was also shot with an arrow, so the hunt was naturally interrupted.

As she expected, the arrowhead did indeed contain a kind of poison that was not easy to detect. Fortunately, she discovered it in time and detoxified him, and his foot injury was not serious.

......

A gloomy atmosphere hung over the Yuqing Palace. A large number of animal trainers, horse breeders, and falconers were detained and investigated by the Imperial Guards. The palace eunuchs and female officials were also purged once again.

For a time, people were filled with anxiety.

Because news of Prince Duan's injury did not spread, Dou Mingxiu was completely unaware that he had committed a terrible crime when the Imperial Guards found him.

He was arrogant and defiant. "Where do you think you're taking me? I'm not going! Do you know who I am? My third sister is the Crown Princess, you... dare!"

Eunuch Anxi stepped out from behind the Imperial Guards, beaming. "Young Master Dou, one of the falconers confessed that he received money from you. We were just following orders. If you insist on not going, we'll have to take you there by force. You should go and speak with His Highness the Crown Prince yourself!"

Dou Mingxiu's pupils dilated in shock. He didn't intend to scare Dou Wenyi with the eagle and teach her a lesson, so why did it alarm the Crown Prince?

Impossible. Even if the Crown Prince wanted to uphold justice for her, he would definitely favor her third sister.

Otherwise, with Dou Wenyi's abilities, she probably wouldn't even be able to see the Crown Prince.

Could something really have happened to her?

Dou Mingxiu was suddenly filled with fear. "What happened to my fourth sister?"

A hint of disdain flashed in Eunuch Anxi's eyes. "It's nothing serious. You'll find out when you get there."

When Dou Mingxiu was escorted to Chenghua Hall by the Imperial Guards, Dou Wenyi had already changed into a clean set of clothes, and sat calmly and properly on the rosewood chair.

The Crown Prince was nowhere to be seen in the palace. Apart from a few palace maids, Dou Mingyan and Xie Guidu were also present.

Seeing that she was unharmed, Dou Mingxiu's worry vanished instantly.

He walked up to Dou Wenyi in a few steps and said suddenly, "You, Dou Wenyi, aren't you doing just fine now? You've even learned to complain! Isn't there enough trouble at home for you? You have to take every little thing to His Highness the Crown Prince? Do you think everyone is as idle as you?"

Dou Wenyi jumped up and, without saying a word, slapped Dou Mingxiu hard across the face.

With a snap.

The slap was crisp and loud.

Dou Mingyan covered her mouth in shock and stood up from her chair. "Fourth sister, what are you doing? You're too hot-tempered! What right do you have to hit your brother!"

She and Xie Guidu had just arrived and were still confused about the situation. She secretly guessed that Dou Mingxiu's attempt to teach Dou Wenyi a lesson might have been caught red-handed by the Crown Prince.

Xie Guidu was equally astonished, "Yi'er, what exactly happened?"

"Dou Mingxiu, what deep grudge do I have against you that you would hire someone to kill me? It wasn't enough that the falcon went crazy and scared me; you even destroyed the signpost and set a hunting trap for me. If I fall in, I'll be crippled if not dead."

“I am not worth dying for, but my horse went out of control, causing Prince Duan to fall and get injured. This is a crime of plotting against the royal family, and he deserves to die. Dou Mingxiu, you are confused and don't want to live. Why did you implicate me? How dare you!”

Did Dou Mingxiu indirectly harm Prince Duan?

Everyone present was shocked.

Dou Mingyan was so anxious that she burst into tears and became incoherent, "No, that's not right, Fourth Sister... Brother definitely didn't do these things, there must be someone else behind these things."

"Brother, explain yourself quickly! It must have been Fourth Sister who angered you first. You just wanted to scare her, right?"

Dou Mingyan's voice was trembling with tears. She wanted to remind Dou Mingxiu to find a reasonable reason. If there was no reason, she had to make one up, even if it was just something she had to make up.

Dou Wenyi sneered inwardly. She had almost died and become crippled, yet Dou Mingyan only used the word "scare" lightly?

Is he trying to scare his own sister with his life?

It's truly unbelievable and an eye-opener!

Xie Guidu found it unbelievable; he had already realized the seriousness of the matter, otherwise Pei Siyan wouldn't have invited them all here. But to accomplish the series of things Dou Wenyi had mentioned, Dou Mingxiu probably didn't have the ability.

"Did you bribe the falconer?"

"Yes, I just wanted to scare her a little, I didn't do anything else!" Dou Mingxiu came to his senses and felt extremely aggrieved. "Dou Wenyi, if you hadn't been so malicious, I wouldn't have resorted to such a tactic."

"Ask yourself honestly, do you want to ruin your third sister's reputation? Do you also want to destroy her marriage?"

Dou Wenyi laughed, "How did I ruin her reputation?"

Dou Mingxiu sneered, "You want to tell her about her affair with Xie Guidu—"

"Shut up!" Xie Guidu and Dou Mingyan said in unison, trying to stop them.

Dou Mingyan suddenly took a step back, trembling with anger.

At that moment, she felt a chill run through her body, and fear surged within her. She cursed Dou Mingxiu a thousand times in her heart. This was Chenghua Palace, Pei Siyan's territory.

It's over...

Is he trying to kill her?

Unbeknownst to anyone, Pei Siyan had already stood at the palace gate, a half-smile playing on his lips, watching this absurd scene unfold before him...