play off
Lin Xu dared not hide anything from the Princess, and simply nodded and said, "Of course, it cannot escape your eyes."
Seeing that she was about to get up to apologize, the princess frowned, her delicately drawn eyebrows furrowing. "I told you long ago, there's no need for such formalities. If you continue to be so distant, I will punish you."
Lin Xu could only respond in a low voice.
The magnificent bedchamber was eerily quiet, with only the rich, warm fragrance lingering in the air.
Dou Zhen, standing to the side, had lost some color in her lips. These days, she had been preoccupied with her love life and had been kept in the dark about the seriousness of Dou Yanzhou's situation. When she was summoned by Madam Bai today, she thought it was just a routine visit to pay her respects to the Princess.
But now that Lin Xu has personally come to ask the Princess, it must be a critical life-or-death situation. She recalled that Dou Yanzhou hadn't been home these past few days, and even when they occasionally met, he always had a gloomy face. She hadn't expected things to be so serious! After all, he was her own brother, born of the same mother!
She immediately became flustered and couldn't help but panic.
A profound silence fell over the hall. Neither Lin Xu nor the Princess spoke. Dou Zhen, filled with anxiety, quickly welled up with tears. When she looked up at the Princess again, her eyes were brimming with tears. In that instant, her previously smooth journey suddenly made her dizzy. She hurriedly stood up and knelt on the spotless yet icy floor of the hall, her voice fragile and weak:
"...Zhen'er humbly begs Your Highness, please save my elder brother!"
This abrupt action caused the princess to frown even more deeply. She straightened up and walked towards the foot of the bed, her wide robes brushing the ground, each step leaving a fragrant trail.
"Why did you suddenly kneel down while we were just talking?"
His voice, however, was extremely sharp, clearly indicating that he was gradually becoming dissatisfied.
Lin Xu knew something was wrong. She hadn't expected that bringing Dou Zhen today would be the wrong thing. How could Dou Zhen still be kept in the dark! Before she could even speak, she saw Dou Zhen realize the Princess's attitude, her face paled even more, and she lowered her head and began to weep sadly.
“…Your Highness, even if my elder brother has done some foolish things, I'm afraid he doesn't deserve this punishment. You have always been kind and magnanimous to the Dou family, so Zhen'er begs you to consider our past relationship and show my elder brother a way out!”
If this continues, I'm afraid my pleas for mercy today will not be successful, and even Dou Zhen will displease the Princess!
Lin Xu could no longer care about anything else and hurriedly explained from the side, "The family is in complete chaos right now. Although my elder brother has made some mistakes, he was always under orders and had no choice in the matter. My third sister was just a little anxious because of our deep sibling bond. Please forgive me, Godmother."
The eldest princess raised an eyebrow at Lin Xu. The man who had been somewhat shy just moments before was now calling her "godmother" so naturally, which she couldn't help but find amusing. She sighed helplessly again before helping Dou Zhen to her feet, her tone softening once more:
"Why is this child crying like this all of a sudden? It makes people think that I've wronged you. I think Ye'er should be back soon, why don't you go to the front yard and wait for her?"
But it's obvious to anyone with eyes that this is simply an attempt to get Dou Zhen to leave first.
Lin Xu watched Dou Zhen leave, her face full of grievances, and felt a mix of emotions. She thought that Dou Zhen was probably not going to be able to get out of this mess today.
After the hall returned to calm, several palace servants came in again to change the tea, and then bowed their heads and withdrew.
Lin Xu was pondering how to bring up the matter again in a way that would minimize the chances of being punished for Dou Zhen's earlier breach of etiquette in front of the palace, while at the same time he couldn't help but find it secretly laughable—
Bai was full of scheming, and today she had really calculated to the extreme. That's why she made sure that her precious daughter was completely unaware of the purpose of coming to the Princess's mansion to plead for mercy, and that all the work of swallowing her pride and asking for favors fell on her own shoulders, so as to preserve Dou Zhen's reputation as a talented and virtuous woman who didn't care about worldly affairs.
Bai family, oh Bai family... you actually schemed to this extent.
She lowered her eyes and fiddled with the tea lid, her neatly trimmed nails gleaming with a lustrous sheen.
The eldest princess glanced at Lin Xu, whose expression was displeased. Being a clever woman, she quickly guessed what Lin Xu was thinking. She raised an eyebrow and smiled, her tone full of mockery:
"What's wrong? Are you worried about how to explain things to your mother-in-law today?"
Before she was familiar with the princess, Lin Xu only felt that she was noble and cold-hearted. However, after getting closer to her several times, the princess always teased her, which temporarily extinguished some of her anxiety.
"As you know, Mother, the political situation in the court is turbulent. I, a mere woman, have no desire to get involved, nor am I capable of doing anything. But unfortunately, my eldest brother is the only legitimate son in the Dou family... Mother is now filled with anxiety and cannot eat or sleep..."
The eldest princess flicked the handkerchief beside her, then chuckled and interrupted her, "You're being modest. If you were truly just an ordinary woman, you wouldn't have risked your life to save Ye'er's life."
Before Lin Xu could respond, the eldest princess continued:
“I know the Dou family very well. I’m not unaware that Dou Huaisheng and the others have gotten to where they are today by relying on the Prince Consort all these years. It’s just that the Prince Consort and I don’t interfere with each other. The people he’s close to are not worthy of my attention, but as long as they do their jobs diligently or are competent in serving the people, it’s not necessarily a bad thing.”
Lin Xu's heart sank; as expected, nothing could escape the eyes of the eldest princess.
Before he could answer, the eldest princess said coldly again:
"However, this time, since it involves bribery, the eldest son of the Dou family has indeed gone too far."
She had more or less guessed that this matter was beyond repair, and that Bai's desperate hope of preserving Dou Yanzhou's official position was wishful thinking. It was already a stroke of luck that this matter didn't implicate the entire Dou family. Therefore, Lin Xu wasn't surprised by the Princess's words, and simply lowered her eyes and nodded, saying:
“What my godmother says is very true.”
Upon hearing this, the eldest princess paused, a look of confusion crossing her beautiful eyes, seemingly quite surprised:
"Why are you so calm? Don't you want to plead for him? Although your husband's career is going well, if his brother is convicted, he might also be implicated. Isn't that why you came here today?"
Lin Xu's expression remained as calm as ever, and he said softly:
"I dare not conceal the truth. I have come to pay my respects to you today because my mother-in-law did indeed intend for me to plead for my elder brother. However, embezzlement has always been a serious crime. Even as an accomplice, I have committed a heinous offense and deserve to be punished. I have agreed to my mother-in-law's request out of filial piety, but I do not wish to put you in a difficult position because of this matter."
The eldest princess gave Lin Xu another long look, her gaze inevitably lingering for a moment on the dazzling luster of the ruby between her fingers, before she clapped her hands and laughed:
"Now I understand why Ye'er values you so much!"
When the princess smiled again, her gentle expression had vanished, replaced by an incomparably sharp and piercing look.
"Good! Since you are my adopted daughter, you must learn to be prudent and cautious. You have passed the test today!"
Lin Xu looked up and saw the Princess's sharp voice resound throughout the hall:
"I will spare Dou Yanzhou's life. As for his reinstatement... that depends on his own fate and the future of the Dou family."
Lin Xu's long-anxious heart finally settled down. Only after hearing the Princess's words could she truly let down her guard.
As she rose to express her gratitude, the princess's gaze once again fell upon the dazzling ring on her hand.
This is a unique item from the past of Princess Zhaocheng, the only one of its kind in the world. It is of supreme value and supreme honor. If Ye'er is willing to entrust this to Lin Xu, then Lin Xu is someone she can trust no matter what.
She had once been deeply displeased that her only daughter was entangled in the vortex of power, and had tried desperately to keep her as far away as possible. But what was the result? Her Ye'er almost never returned… Perhaps she had initially underestimated the situation. Rather than repeating the same mistake, it was better to let the younger generation handle things. It was better than her own actions back then…
The princess pondered for a moment, her expression already showing signs of weariness, and her voice was faint:
"...Since Ye'er values you, I'm happy for you both. But from now on, you must be more careful in your actions. You two should help each other, and as for the road ahead, you'll have to figure it out yourselves."
Lin Xu's heart stirred. Both of them were extremely intelligent, and naturally they understood the meaning of the princess's words in no time. They quickly lowered their heads and agreed.
.
After finishing her business, she sat with Dou Zhen in the back garden for a while, but Liao Yan, who was supervising the martial arts training, was nowhere to be seen. Seeing that it was getting late, she simply left her things behind, got into the carriage, and went back to her residence.
Dou Zhen kept her head down the whole way, her heart filled with sorrow. She knew that she had acted foolishly in her panic today, and had probably further displeased the Princess. But this matter involved her own brother, how could she not be anxious!
Upon returning to the Dou residence, the two went back to report to Madam Bai. Lin Xu sat for a short while before taking her pregnancy-stabilizing medicine and left. Dou Zhen, seeing that only she and Madam Bai remained in the hall, was overwhelmed with grievances and panic, and tears welled up in her eyes.
"My son..."
Seeing this, Bai sighed and gestured for Dou Zhen to come forward.
As the saying goes, a mother's heart is always connected to her daughter's. Dou Zhen's recent hardships and disappointments were becoming increasingly overwhelming, and she burst into tears in Bai Shi's arms.
After listening quietly to what the two had done at the Princess's residence that day, Lady Bai sighed and lovingly stroked Dou Zhen's soft hair, still deeply saddened.
“Our Yu Se has always been clear-headed and kind to others since childhood, which is why she is so innocent. I have also always encouraged you to read extensively. I never imagined that the world would be so treacherous, and that my son would still be schemed against. Do you know who the Fifth Prince, whom you once refused so many times, is going to marry now?”
Dou Zhen stopped sobbing, and her shoulders shrugged slightly.
"She's the eldest daughter of the Duke's mansion. Everyone says that the Yao family has fallen from power, Consort Ming has been deposed, and General Yao is trapped in Cizhou. Now that she's married into the royal family, she's transformed herself and will probably become a princess sooner or later. How could she possibly lack wealth and honor?"
Looking at the speechless Dou Zhen, Bai sighed and continued:
“I once found a suitable husband for you, but you said you already had someone in your heart. I was all for you, so be it. The Jiang family was a good family to marry into. But now, the Jiang family is gone again. My son, you have been clever since you were little, but your marriage has been so difficult... If this drags on any longer, it will probably become even more difficult. Think about it carefully, is there no possibility that someone else is trying to stop you?”
Dou Zhen's face flushed red and then turned pale. She had grown up in luxury and had become famous in the capital for her exceptional talents at a young age, so she had always held herself in high esteem. If she couldn't marry well… that would be worse than death for her!
Dou Zhen wiped away her tears and choked out:
"But my second sister-in-law has no ill intentions; I know that. I was too naive before, which is why I misunderstood Young Master Jiang's intentions..."
The sigh in Bai's eyes deepened, and she slowly shook her head.
“My son, you are still young and naive, and I don’t blame you. But your marriage cannot be delayed no matter what. I’ve noticed that the Prince Gong’s family has been visiting us frequently these days, so they must have some interest in you. That young master is handsome and about your age…”
Dou Zhen couldn't help but recall the image of that prince. She had only met him a few times before; he was tall and handsome, but naturally, he couldn't compare to Jiang Heng. But how many men in this world could compare to Jiang Heng?
But now Jiang Heng is clearly out of the question, and she has already come of age; she can't delay any longer. Who else can she choose...?
Just as he was hesitating, he heard Bai say again:
"You must listen to your mother on this matter; we can't delay any longer. The young master is a handsome man, and many women are interested in him. I've heard that the Song family, the tutor to the crown prince, is quite eager to marry him... If we don't make plans now, it will truly be too late!"
"...As for your second sister-in-law, she has caused so much trouble for our Dou family since she married into the family. Now I am utterly disappointed. You should think about it carefully in the future."
Dou Zhen walked out of Bai's room in a daze, her mind in turmoil the whole way.
She was now completely panicked. Her elder brother's official position was on the verge of collapse, and if the Dou family fell into misfortune, it would be even more difficult for her to marry... She had always prided herself on being a talented woman, and naturally, she was somewhat aloof. If she truly couldn't find a good marriage and a respectable husband's family, how would she face the noble ladies of the capital in the future!
Dou Zhen felt increasingly saddened as she thought about it. Lost in thought, she heard a man's voice not far behind her:
"Third Miss".
She turned around and saw her cousin, Dou Tonghan, standing under a pine tree. Dou Tonghan was in Beijing to participate in the imperial examination and was staying at her home.
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