Chapter 7 First Battle Victory

Dou Wenyi's heart pounded like a drum. She looked at it carefully again and again. It was a confession accusing Dou Bochang of accepting bribes!

"You are the eldest daughter of the Dou family. You have put righteousness above family ties and reported your own father. You will surely be rewarded by the Emperor. According to the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the men of the Dou family will be exiled to the army, and the women will be forced into prostitution."

Pei Siyan's voice was slow, each word like a sharp thorn piercing her heart.

"As long as you don't say anything out of line, this confession will never appear in the Ministry of Justice. If you dare to betray me, the Crown Prince, I will make sure you die a horrible death."

The crown prince of a nation is incredibly shrewd and suspicious!

How could she dispel her doubts with just a few words?

Dou Wenyi stood frozen in place. Once she signed the confession, it would be tantamount to handing over the lives of herself and even the entire Dou family to Pei Siyan.

"If I can cure you, can I have this piece of paper back?"

Even though Dou Wenyi was disappointed in her father and mother, she couldn't bring herself to send them to their deaths.

Pei Siyan pondered for a moment, then said, "Agreed!"

After careful consideration, Dou Wenyi finally signed her name.

She wanted to defy fate and change her destiny, so she needed something to rely on. If she could cure Pei Siyan's headache, she might be able to change her fate!

After Dou Wenyi left, Pei Siyan returned to the room.

The guard Chi Yan handed over a bowl of medicine and couldn't help but ask, "Your Highness, why did you let her see this... I could have knocked her unconscious with one blow."

“Last time at the temple, we were almost ruined by her. This time she saved the young master of the Zhang family. Don’t you think it’s too much of a coincidence? What if she is a spy sent by Prince Rui on purpose?” Pei Siyan took the medicine and drank it all in one gulp.

Pei Siyan's eyes were deep and unfathomable. If he hadn't intervened in time, she would have fallen into the hands of those thugs long ago, and the soldiers wouldn't have been attracted, almost exposing him. He was truly being ungrateful for his kindness.

"But Your Highness shouldn't have used such confidential information to set up this scheme. What if she really leaks it out..."

Pei Siyan picked up a bright red cherry and put it in his mouth, sneering, "Her acupuncture technique seems to be working a bit. Let's send someone to keep an eye on her."

“Isn’t she going to enter the palace? Once she becomes the Imperial Physician, if she has any disloyal intentions, we can just find a pretext to kill her,” Chi Yan added.

Pei Siyan toyed with the cherry in his hand, remaining noncommittal.

——

A few days later, Dou Wenyi entered the palace and passed the initial selection by the Imperial Food Bureau, successfully entering the second round of re-examination.

As soon as the news got back, the peaceful Dou family mansion was in an uproar.

Dou Mingyan of Lanyue Pavilion was in a bad mood and smashed several Jian ware teacups.

Her personal maid, Amber, knelt on the ground, trembling, picking up the broken pieces. "Miss, please don't get upset."

Dou Mingyan casually tossed the wolf-hair brush in her hand onto the table, instantly staining a sheet of snow-white paper black with ink. "Those thugs your cousin hired, did they not come to collect their money?"

Amber found it strange, "My cousin went looking for them several times, but he couldn't find them anywhere..."

Dou Mingyan's eyes were cold and sinister. According to her plan, they had kidnapped Dou Wenyi at the temple and tarnished her reputation. She would find an opportunity to make a big fuss about it.

Even if those thugs failed to get things done, Dou Wenyi's reputation would be ruined if she didn't return home all night.

Even if she marries Xie Guidu, she will never be able to hold her head high in the world.

They just wanted to tarnish her reputation, but they didn't take her life and even found her a perfect husband.

She even wants to call off the engagement. What more could she possibly want?

Where exactly did things go wrong?

Dou Wenyi had already figured out a way to break the deadlock. Now, even if she found someone to cause trouble again, she might not be able to nail her to the pillar of shame forever!

When did she become so troublesome?

Dou Mingyan suppressed her anger, changed into a set of Shu brocade clothes, and took the copied Buddhist scriptures to Madam Gu's courtyard.

Madam Gu had just been ridiculed by Old Master Dou, and her eyes were red; she was seething with anger.

"...She blames me for not treating her like my own daughter and for being harsh on her. But she has no respect for her elders and acts willfully. She wanted to run off to the palace as a servant without saying a word. If it weren't for the message from the palace, we would still be in the dark. How could she possibly have any regard for me as her mother?"

"She's so arrogant and unruly because she was raised by the old lady since she was a child and has your grandmother's support. I think she's hopeless!"

"Your grandmother's words were so awful..."

Madam Gu felt that ever since she brought her back, misfortunes had been constantly happening in the family. When she thought about how her daughter had suffered a postpartum hemorrhage and almost died when she gave birth to her, her anger intensified.

Dou Mingxiu couldn't stand it any longer and interrupted her, "Mother, the palace selects maids, not servants, and they have ranks. The selection criteria are stringent, one in ten thousand. If you don't have real skills, you simply won't be chosen!"

“Starting from the fourth year of Jingkang, the selection of female servants even included strict checks on a woman’s chastity…” He paused, his chopsticks pausing, as if suddenly realizing something.

The fourth sister has successfully passed the preliminary test, which means she did not...

Dou Mingxiu was overjoyed. How come he hadn't thought of this way to prove his innocence?

Madam Gu was taken aback, then instantly understood his meaning, and snorted coldly, "She certainly has a quick mind."

Dou Mingyan pinched her palm with bright red nail polish under her sleeve and said with a smile, "Fourth Sister has always been clever, so this is good. Those malicious rumors will be dispelled on their own. Mother, please rest assured, I always said that Fourth Sister is a blessed person."

A glint flashed in Dou Mingyan's eyes. Old Madam Dou was Dou Wenyi's support. Why wasn't that old geezer dead yet?

It seems that if we want to get rid of her, we must first eliminate the obstacle of Old Madam Dou!

Dou Mingyan presented the copied Buddhist scriptures, saying, "Mother, these are the scriptures I copied for you. When you have time, you can put them in the temple."

Madam Gu opened the Buddhist scriptures, her brows relaxing. "Yan'er is so filial. If she were half as sensible as you, I would thank God!"

Dou Mingxiu's anger suddenly flared up.

With a bang, he slammed his chopsticks on the table. "Mother, because of your suspicions, Fourth Sister was unjustly whipped dozens of times by Father! Rumors are flying all over the mansion. How can you be the mistress of the household? Have you even bothered to check on Fourth Sister these past few days?"

"Even if she lost her virginity, isn't she still your daughter? She braved the rumors, going to the palace—a place that eats people alive—to prove her innocence, even as a slave. And you, without even asking a question, blame her for being immature and disrespectful. What kind of mother are you?"

"I think Grandmother is absolutely right, you don't care at all whether she lives or dies!"

Dou Mingxiu glanced at them with disappointment, then turned and left.

Madam Gu was shocked and suddenly burst into tears.

Dou Mingyan's face turned pale, and she froze on the spot, feeling that things were developing in an uncontrollable direction.

She couldn't just sit and wait to die; she had to make a good plan.