Chapter 141 A Lucky Wedding
Rumor has it that His Highness the Crown Prince fell off his horse and subsequently lost consciousness.
News of his critical illness spread quickly in Tianning City. At first, it was just idle gossip among the people.
Even the officials in the court and the countryside didn't take it seriously. But it wasn't until the emperor summoned all the imperial physicians and even sent out invitations to wandering doctors to come to the Eastern Palace to treat the Crown Prince that the news of the Crown Prince's serious illness spread more and more widely.
It wasn't until a court official suggested that the Crown Prince's fiancée, Dou Mingyan, should be married into the Eastern Palace as soon as possible to bring good fortune, that Dou Wenyi understood his intentions.
Dou Wenyi smiled knowingly. So this was his perfect plan!
After all, Dou Mingyan is Pei Siyan's true fiancée. If they don't invite her to marry him to bring good luck, would other powerful and wealthy families be willing to send their daughters to the Eastern Palace to live as widows?
——
Dou Mingyan has been having a very difficult time lately.
She never imagined that she would fall from grace and into the mire simply because of a seal.
This marked the beginning of her nightmarish life.
After the Dou family went through this ordeal, everyone's gaze towards her completely changed. They looked at her with disgust, contempt, and gave her the cold shoulder at every turn. The original maids and servants of Lanyue Pavilion had long been replaced by several fierce-looking guards, leaving only two unfamiliar old women to watch over her.
Dou Mingyan was locked up for several days, never seeing the light of day. She even had time restrictions on going out to sunbathe in the yard. There was no news of Amber, and everyone said that she had been beaten to death!
The food delivered each day was getting worse and worse, and it even smelled rancid. She couldn't even take a bath because she felt sticky and miserable all over. She was almost driven crazy!
She is the future Crown Princess, how dare they treat her like this?
Dou Mingyan was at her wit's end, so she had no choice but to take out her valuable gold and silver jewelry to bribe the old woman. She asked her to pass on a message to Madam Gu to come see her, and she also tried to get some useful information out of her.
"...Have you heard? After His Highness the Crown Prince fell from the horse, he vomited several pools of blood and lost consciousness. The imperial physicians all said he wouldn't live past the winter."
"Isn't our master from the Ministry of Rites? He's been so busy lately, saying he's preparing for the Crown Prince's wedding."
"Sigh, the one locked up inside is probably going to be used for a wedding to bring good luck."
"Yes, it'll be soon. If we just hold on for a few more days, we won't have to stay here guarding this yard all day long. It's such bad luck!"
"Wouldn't marrying into that family mean living as a widow?"
"What's wrong with living as a widow? You have money, it's just that you don't have a man..."
Dou Mingyan leaned against the window, her face deathly pale, listening to the old women's gossip, feeling as if she had fallen into an ice cave.
Pei Siyan already had a severe headache, and she knew that at the time, but she never imagined that he would die at such a young age!
Although the old woman disliked her, she accepted her gold hairpin as usual and said indifferently, "Third Miss, what do you want to ask now?"
Having been severely punished, Dou Mingyan had learned her lesson. Her attitude had changed from being arrogant and ruthless at the beginning to being humble and submissive. "Is what you just said true?"
The old woman weighed the red gold hairpin in her hand, her eyes filled with undisguised disdain, and smiled meaningfully, "You really are a lucky one. You'll soon be marrying into the Eastern Palace. It's just a pity that after that incident, the Crown Prince probably doesn't have much time left and won't live past this winter."
"His Majesty has set a wedding date. In a few days, you will be able to marry him as you wish!"
Dou Mingyan felt a chill run down her spine, filled with shock and anger. Her fingernails, hidden under her sleeve, dug fiercely into her palms, almost drawing blood.
Dou Wenyi stole the favor, the honor of being the Crown Princess, and Pei Siyan's true love that originally belonged to her, and now she wants to push her out to live a life of widowhood.
No wonder she was always unwilling to marry Pei Siyan!
That very day, Dou Bochang showed extraordinary leniency by lifting her confinement. The guards who had been watching over her seemed to have disappeared, and the maids and servants who used to roam the courtyard were back to their former selves. Her treatment in the Dou family was restored to normal, as if she were still the pampered and beloved third young lady of the Dou family.
Madam Gu rarely visits Lan Yue Pavilion, and Dou Mingyan thought she had been forgiven, so she forced a smile and said, "Mother, Mingyan missed you so much."
As she spoke, she affectionately tried to throw herself into her arms.
Madam Gu's face immediately turned cold, her entire being radiating rejection.
"In a few days, it will be your wedding day. I have already prepared your dowry. From now on, you will be a member of the Crown Prince's household. In the future, whether you become rich or successful, we will go our separate ways. The Dou family owes you nothing!"
Dou Mingyan's blood boiled, and she immediately shouted, "Pei Siyan is about to die, how long does Mother intend to keep this from me? Aren't you the one who loves me the most? Why are you making me live like a widow?"
"Isn't your precious daughter Dou Wenyi coveting Pei Siyan? Why won't you let her marry him!"
Madam Gu felt as if her heart was being torn apart, and her eyes instantly reddened. "Dou Mingyan, have you ever treated us as your parents? We owe you nothing! You almost caused the entire Dou family to be destroyed, and you still have the nerve to talk back?"
"No, I won't marry her. Dou Wenyi has been having an affair with Pei Siyan for a long time. If anyone should marry, it should be her."
"Shut up!" In a fit of rage, Madam Gu slapped her across the face!
Dou Mingyan was knocked so hard that she stumbled and fell to the ground.
She brought this upon herself, and she deserves to live! If she hadn't wronged the Dou family, she wouldn't have stood by and watched her become a widow.
"This is a marriage bestowed by the Emperor. If you are not satisfied, go and reason with the Emperor."
Dou Mingyan cried heartbrokenly, clinging to her mother's leg and pleading, "Mother, Mingyan was wrong, please forgive me this time."
Seeing that she was in complete disarray, Madam Gu felt that all her careful upbringing over the years had been in vain. Feeling disgusted and disappointed, she turned and left.
The room was deathly silent.
Dou Mingyan stood by the wall, gazing at the few withered wisteria vines, a sense of sorrow welling up in her heart. The wisteria blossoms bloomed without order, ten thousand flowers opening at once.
She recalled the envious glances from countless people when she was betrothed to the Crown Prince.
Madam Gu and Dou Bochang wished they could bring the best things to her. If someone had told her before that the Crown Prince would die young and she would live as a widow, she probably would have ordered them to be beaten out with sticks.
But now...
Reality was even crueler than she had imagined.
She was born with a noble destiny and should have been the most honored woman in the Great Zhou Dynasty. The Great Zhou had many princes, and the crown prince could be changed.
She would never sit idly by and wait for her fate. She still had her adoptive father and others to rely on. She couldn't let them manipulate her because of a small setback!
As dusk fell, Dou Mingyan personally replaced the incense in the purple-gold incense burner with specially made spices. Then she instructed her servants to prepare hot water for a bath. After thoroughly washing herself, she chose a gorgeous dress and came out again. The old woman who was guarding her had already fallen asleep.
She pulled the black hood tightly around her body, took a bunch of keys from the old woman's waist, and quickened her pace under the cover of night, successfully exiting through the side gate. She headed straight for the Fulai Inn, where her godfather's men were waiting to meet her.
Before long, a discreet black carriage drove out of the Fulai Inn and disappeared into the twilight.
——
Cuizhi pushed open the door and came in, her face beaming. "Miss, you were absolutely right! The Third Miss really did run away!"
Dou Wenyi smiled.
I'm afraid that if she does nothing, things will get more complicated. This time, we must find out who's behind her.
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