Chapter 139 Requesting an Imperial Decree to Make Her a Concubine
Consort Tan frowned slightly, unable to bear it any longer, and directly rebuked, "Dou Wenyi, are you still trying to deny it! How exactly did you plot against Shaoqin that he is still unconscious!"
Dou Wenyi was genuinely puzzled.
That shouldn't be the case. There wasn't much medicine on the silver needle. Prince Rui should have woken up by now.
A hint of surprise flashed across Shen Yanzhou's eyes, but his attitude remained respectful. "Your Majesty, I am truly worried about His Highness's safety. I do not know what the situation is after the imperial physicians examined him. Just now, after helping the Seventh Princess find Xue Tuan, I encountered His Highness Prince Rui, which delayed my audience with him."
"He was drunk and fast asleep in the side hall, with no one to serve him. At that time, we did not see the assassin. Soon after, Chief Secretary Feng from Prince Rui's residence arrived, and then Eunuch Feng found me."
"If we're talking about assassins, I'm afraid I might also be a suspect."
As he spoke, he glanced at Dou Wenyi casually, his eyes clear and smiling. Having already hinted at it to this extent, Dou Wenyi naturally understood his unspoken meaning. Her long eyelashes trembled, and the uncertainty in her heart became clearer.
Shen Yanzhou deliberately mentioned the Seventh Princess to give her an alibi. Given the situation, should we also say that the Seventh Princess was an assassin?
Upon being suddenly mentioned, Eunuch Feng replied truthfully, "What Lord Shen said is true. When this old servant went there, Prince Rui was indeed asleep."
Emperor Muzong remained expressionless, giving Consort Tan a cold glance. "Someone, go and check on Prince Rui's condition."
Eunuch Feng immediately accepted the order and left.
In a quiet room, Pei Shaoqin suddenly woke up, touched his forehead, and felt a lingering pain in his neck. Only after Feng Tingyun repeatedly reminded him did he realize that he had likely been tricked by Dou Wenyi, but he couldn't remember any details of what happened after their encounter.
A flash of ruthlessness crossed Pei Shaoqin's eyes, and he felt a mix of emotions. It seemed that the woman who didn't know her own mortality could not be allowed to live!
He rubbed his temples, not having time to ask for details, when he saw Eunuch Feng's smiling face.
Pei Shaoqin changed his clothes and, urged by Eunuch Feng, hurried to Chongzheng Hall.
Before long, Pei Shaoqin stepped into the hall. With the presence of Dou family members, Consort Tan, and several court officials, the hall suddenly became somewhat crowded.
Pei Shaoqin's dark gaze swept over Dou Wenyi, who was kneeling in the hall, before he respectfully bowed to Emperor Muzong.
When Emperor Muzong saw that he was unharmed, the worry in his eyes instantly turned into a hint of anger.
Pei Shaoqin was completely unaware and sat down with a clear conscience.
Emperor Muzong lowered his eyes, his expression sharp, and suddenly roared, "Consort, is this what you meant by Prince Rui being assassinated and unconscious?"
Ever since the Tan family's property was confiscated, Emperor Muzong disliked her more and more.
Consort Tan was filled with resentment. Her face turned pale and then red. She twisted the handkerchief in her hand into a ball and knelt down to reply, "Your Majesty, I have spoken the truth without a single falsehood. My son was indeed unconscious just now. He was not drunk at all!"
None of those quack doctors were competent; they couldn't figure out the cause and, fearing responsibility, they simply told her that Prince Rui's pulse was normal and he would wake up after sleeping a little longer.
Dou Wenyi must be a witch; she must have poisoned her son. She's lived for over thirty years; surely she knows the difference between sleeping and being unconscious?
She came here in such a hurry because she wanted to expose her secret meeting with Prince Rui, so that she could use it as an excuse to bring her into Prince Rui's mansion and then they could decide how to torture her in the future.
But how come she's the one lying now?
Emperor Muzong let out a cold snort and pointed at Pei Shaoqin, asking, "Prince Rui, what were you doing before? Where did you encounter the assassin? What did the assassin look like? Answer me carefully!"
Pei Shaoqin patted his head, frowned, and thought for a long time before saying, "I really can't remember the assassination attempt before I fell into a deep sleep. I only vaguely remember chatting with Miss Dou and having a very enjoyable time..."
He suddenly knelt down, "Your Majesty, I am deeply in love with Wenyi and wish for her to become my concubine. I beg you to grant my request!"
Shen Yanzhou's eyes darkened, and he decisively changed the subject: "Your Majesty, the safety of Prince Rui is of great importance. We should interrogate the people around him, and also question the imperial physicians."
Emperor Muzong gave Pei Shaoqin a cool look, as if he hadn't heard his plea.
"Summon the Imperial Physician!"
The imperial physician glanced at Consort Tan, trembling with fear, and repeated his diagnosis.
Upon hearing the imperial physician's account, Emperor Muzong's anger flared up immediately. "Consort Tan, do you have anything else to say?"
At this moment, a young eunuch brought over a sweet soup that Consort Jiang had personally prepared.
Emperor Muzong suddenly remembered that she was also unwell today, so he casually asked, "Isn't Consort Jiang still ill? Why is she making this soup? Imperial Physician, is she alright?"
The imperial physician hesitated for a moment, but finally mustered his courage and whispered to Eunuch Feng that she had been drugged with aphrodisiacs.
Upon learning this, Emperor Muzong's expression changed drastically, and his scrutinizing gaze swept over everyone.
"Guards! Consort Tan has behaved improperly before the palace; she is to be immediately confined to her quarters!"
——
After a whole night of commotion, the Dou family, including Dou Bochang, returned safely to the Dou residence.
Everyone in the Dou family was terrified, as if the disaster of having their property confiscated and their clan exterminated had just passed them by.
Dou Bochang thanked his God all the way, and was moved to tears by his beloved daughter. He knew that she was the real 'lucky star' who would turn misfortune into good fortune no matter how great the crisis.
Dou Wenyi, on the contrary, was unusually calm. Old Madam Dou held her hand and asked, "Yi'er, what exactly happened? How did you offend Prince Rui?"
Emperor Muzong had already agreed to consider having Dou Mingyan annul the engagement. This trip to the palace was quite fruitful for them; they not only cleared their names but also escaped unscathed.
"Grandmother, it's a long story, I'll tell you later." Dou Wenyi was in a complicated mood and could only tactically delay because she didn't want to lie to her.
This trip to the palace was too dangerous. She shouldn't have acted rashly. But in that situation, did she have any other choice?
"Yi'er, Consort Tan is vindictive and will not tolerate even the smallest grievance. This time, because you were confined to your quarters, I'm afraid she will retaliate fiercely. Prince Rui openly requested to marry you, which is probably not a friendly move."
"Shen Yanzhou took a huge risk to help us tonight. I think that kid is really good, a hundred times better than Xie Guidu. Don't you want to consider him?"
Grandmother is indeed insightful; she wants me to get engaged immediately to avoid being harmed by Prince Rui!
Dou Wenyi was overwhelmed with thoughts and didn't want to lie to her. "Grandmother, I'm afraid I'm destined to be apart from him."
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