Chapter 175 Pei Siyan Begins to Take His Rival in Love Seriously
Pei Siyan's fiery face stiffened slightly. He had been careless; their unintentional intimate actions had already exposed their identities.
Shen Yanzhou had already seen through his feigned illness.
There was no sign of anything amiss in his expression, completely unlike the imposing and sharp demeanor he displayed as the Crown Prince. "Thank you for your concern, Lord Shen. His Highness is not in any serious illness and will recover soon when the time is right. I am very grateful for your righteous assistance today, Lord Shen."
Shen Yanzhou shook his head. "It's my duty, just my responsibility."
Pei Siyan said politely, "I will definitely thank Lord Shen properly another day."
Wanting to liven up the atmosphere, Dou Wenyi mustered her courage and smiled as she continued, "How about we take some time to invite Shen Lishu and Lord Shen to Fanlou for some fish sashimi?"
Pei Siyan lifted his eyelids, and his calm gaze was like a sharp blade. Even with his fiery red face, it made Dou Wenyi's heart skip a beat.
You cheapskate!
She thought he genuinely wanted to thank Shen Yanzhou.
Dou Wenyi shrank back, ultimately chickening out, and stopped talking.
Pei Siyan said calmly, "It is appropriate to invite Lord Shen for a drink."
Shen Yanzhou politely declined, "I am busy with official duties, but I appreciate your kind offer. Shen Lishu is free, and I will pass this on to her. Miss Dou, take care!"
After saying that, he turned and left.
Shen Yanzhou knew that Pei Siyan had always been a ruthless person.
In his view, Pei Siyan had done his best to provide disaster relief and even gave the credit to Prince Duan. Even just for the sake of the people's livelihood, he would not expose Pei Siyan's pretense of illness to deceive the emperor.
This disaster relief effort made him realize even more clearly that if Prince Rui were to ascend the throne, it would likely bring disaster to the entire nation.
If I absolutely had to choose between these two people...
Even though he personally disliked Pei Siyan no longer, he had to admit that he was indeed superior to Prince Rui.
I hope he will treat her well.
The night was deep, and Dou Wenyi lay on the bed after washing up.
Pei Siyan pulled her into his arms and held her quietly, without kissing her passionately or eagerly as usual, and without saying a word.
He seemed preoccupied, which was unusual for him.
The man's broad, warm embrace enveloped her, completely dispelling the winter chill. Dou Wenyi's long eyelashes trembled; she wondered what was troubling him now, and after waiting for a long time, she still hadn't heard him speak.
Dou Wenyi was very sleepy and fell asleep in no time.
He smiled slowly when he saw the sleeping woman in his arms.
Today, he directly felt Shen Yanzhou's love and protection for her. If he were a despicable hypocrite like Xie Guidu, he would have plenty of ways to destroy him.
Ke Chen Yanzhou was an impeccable gentleman, incorruptible and devoted to the people.
Even though he knew that the Crown Princess was in love with him, he was temporarily helpless because he could not use those despicable tricks to deal with him.
Shen Yanzhou is an opponent that deserves to be taken seriously.
——
Having stayed up too late yesterday, Dou Wenyi didn't get up until almost noon, simply because she was hungry.
She yawned, "Cuizhi, why didn't you call me?"
Cuizhi blushed slightly. "His Highness said that you were too tired last night and instructed us not to disturb you."
Dou Wenyi was taken aback. Cuizhi had no idea when she had returned yesterday. She must have misunderstood Pei Siyan's words, thinking that he had tormented her again last night...
Dou Wenyi's face flushed. She dressed herself neatly and was just about to have her meal when someone came to report that Dou Bochang had arrived.
"...I wanted to come and talk to you a couple of days ago, but Eunuch Anxi wouldn't let me in. Xie Mengyao has been found, and they say Xie Guidu put her in jail." Dou Bochang felt lingering fear when he thought about it.
The entire Dou family was worried for days. Lady Xue, the wife of Marquis Dingyuan, even brought people to the Dou family and made a scene, but was directly chased out by the old lady of Dou.
Dou Wenyi asked, "What are they saying outside?"
Dou Bochang was somewhat surprised and uncertain. "The specific reasons are not very clear. It has only been found that Wei Yuanzhen, the second young master of the Wei family, pushed Xie Mengyao into the water. Wei Yuanzhen was also arrested. Rumor has it that the body that was taken back looks very much like Xie Mengyao, so the Xie family made a mistake. There has been no news about your matter."
"The Emperor was furious, saying that Xie Guidu had deceived the Emperor, abused his power for personal gain, and cheated the world out of his reputation, and was unworthy of being the top scholar. Not only was Xie Guidu stripped of his status as the heir apparent, but he was also dismissed from his post and investigated, and the court would never employ him again."
"Xie Guidu is still imprisoned in Dali Temple. His life is ruined. The Marquis of Dingyuan lost an excellent heir in exchange for a daughter who went to jail. Old Master Xie was so angry that he almost passed away. The Xie family is now in complete chaos."
"It's a good thing you broke off the engagement with him in time."
Dou Wenyi fell silent.
How could someone as proud and arrogant as Xie Guidu be willing to be locked up in prison?
Besides, he's someone who's been given a second chance at life; he'll definitely rack his brains and find every possible way to turn things around.
Unless Prince Rui successfully ascends the throne, Xie Guidu's official career has indeed come to an end.
Dou Bochang then grinned shamelessly: "What exactly is the Crown Prince's illness...?"
"Things will get better when the time is right."
“Your second brother is back. He brought you a lot of local specialties, and I brought them all over for you. In the future, please help him out. After all, we're all family. He's not as stubborn as your eldest brother.”
Dou Wenyi suddenly remembered when Madam Gu mentioned Dou Ruzhang's promotion, and her face darkened.
"Whose connections did Second Brother use to get promoted?"
Dou Bochang recalled his own path to promotion, his expression becoming extremely unnatural. He coughed lightly and said, "He was exceptionally capable and valued by his superiors, so naturally he was promoted. You wouldn't understand these things."
“Father thinks too highly of me. I am just a young lady from a respectable family and I really don’t understand the ways of officialdom, so there is no way I can offer any guidance or assistance.”
Dou Bochang was furious and angrily rebuked, "How can you not understand the principle that we all prosper together and suffer together?"
"Of course I understand. If Father had been more cautious back then and hadn't been so indulgent towards Dou Mingyan, the Dou family wouldn't have fallen into the crisis of rebellion and almost been destroyed! Second Brother's path to promotion is too unusual. There's no such thing as a free lunch. Who do you think they're after?"
"Even as the Crown Princess, I live in constant fear and trepidation. Don't you and your second brother face any traps set for you in the court?"
"Father, wake up!"
Dou Bochang left the Eastern Palace with a belly full of anger, but he did take some of her words to heart. As soon as he returned to the Dou family, he went to talk to Dou Ruzhang in detail.
At the same time, Prince Rui was so angry that he smashed several precious vases.
It turns out that Dou Wenyi is so formidable. They lost both their wife and their army, and even Xie Guidu, who has the ability to foresee the future, could not defeat her.
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