Chapter 180 Your Highness, No!
The lamplight was dim, and an ambiguous atmosphere permeated the entire tent.
Dou Wenyi blushed and turned her face slightly away, not daring to look at him at all. Didn't they have important business to discuss?
How did I end up in bed with him again without even realizing it?
"Your Highness..."
Pei Siyan's eyes were deep and unfathomable. He personally helped her unbutton her collar and skillfully peeled away her clothes layer by layer until her crimson bodice was revealed.
Dou Wenyi trembled, her whole body flushed, and hurriedly pulled the brocade quilt to cover herself. "Your Highness, although Dou Ruzhang successfully stepped down from that position, he served for a month after all. Has he been framed?"
She still needs to thoroughly investigate Dou Ruzhang's background tomorrow.
Pei Siyan's gaze was deep. "That's right, my men are looking for the account books. You don't need to worry about these things."
"Your Highness, it is the Dou family that has dragged you down..."
Pei Siyan pulled him into his arms, a smile playing on his lips. "We are husband and wife, what's this talk of being a burden? If it weren't for me being the Crown Prince, how could the Dou family have suffered so many calamities?"
“Yi’er, the Meng family originally intended to bring me down, so if they want to frame me, they will definitely start with the people around me.”
"It is because of me that you, and even the Dou family, have suffered injustice. If Dou Ruzhang has real talent and ability, he will have many opportunities in the future."
Dou Wenyi rested her head on his arm, her cheek against his broad chest, her black hair disheveled, his chest warm, his heart beating steadily and powerfully.
His warm, large hands caressed her smooth lower back, then gently stroked her spine upwards.
Dou Wenyi trembled slightly, a tingling sensation running down her spine. She instinctively snuggled into his arms, crying, "Your Highness, no!"
"Don't want? Don't want what?"
The night breeze was slightly chilly, and the candlelight flickered, but it couldn't dispel the spring-like atmosphere inside the tent.
She tilted her head back, her rosy lips almost touching his Adam's apple, "Your Highness, the Dou family is not suited for high-ranking official positions and salaries, you don't need to bother with them."
Pei Siyan lowered his eyes, his fingertip brushing against her lips: "You don't want high office and great wealth, or you don't want me to touch you?"
Her ears burned, and she buried her face in the crook of his neck, her heart pounding.
She didn't actually want the Dou family to become rich and powerful, since none of them were very smart, and the higher they climbed, the more likely they were to cause trouble.
She just couldn't understand why Dou Ruzhang, who was clearly part of the Crown Prince's faction in his previous life, seemed to have escaped the attacks and targeting of Prince Rui and had always had a smooth career. What was it that allowed him to thrive in the officialdom?
Dou Wenyi looked dazed and murmured, "Your Highness need not pay any attention to the Dou family, nor do they need any special treatment."
"Do you really think so?" Pei Siyan's eyes darkened, and he suddenly stopped what he was doing.
She was his Crown Princess, so it was only natural for him to treat her and her family well. But she didn't want this wealth at all, and she didn't want to owe him any favors.
Is it because she never intended to be with him forever?
Or is there someone else in her heart?
He had made her that promise, that she could leave at any time if she didn't want to stay with him anymore...
"Yi'er, do you not trust your own judgment? Or do you not trust me?"
Dou Wenyi: "......"
Pei Siyan withdrew his arm and silently turned his back. His tall figure was like a mountain, exuding immense pressure.
Dou Wenyi was completely bewildered. She had been provoked into this state, and he suddenly became angry?
...This emotion came out of nowhere. What had she done to offend him?
If we let him sulk on his own, who knows what earth-shattering things he might do tomorrow.
She had no choice but to turn around, her slender white fingers resting on his waist and abdomen, pressed tightly against his back, and softly explained.
“Your Highness, I’m not really close to the Dou family, so I don’t want you to promote them exceptionally. Besides, Prince Rui is always watching you, trying to find something to use against you. I’m just worried they might cause you trouble, nothing more.”
"Your Highness, what are you thinking about now?"
Pei Siyan turned around and gave her a nonchalant look. "You really think that way?"
"Otherwise what? What does Your Highness think?" Dou Wenyi asked in astonishment.
"Dou Wenyi, please don't refuse any of the kindness I do for you from now on, okay?" Pei Siyan's eyes flashed with a hint of pain, and his low, hoarse voice seemed to carry a pleading tone.
Dou Wenyi's eyes flickered slightly, and she quickly came up with a plan. "Your Highness, I don't want to be a wicked concubine who brings ruin to the country! If you indulge me like this, I will become arrogant and complacent! At that time, not only will the court officials curse me, but the whole world will curse me. Most importantly, if anything happens, they will not only make me take the blame, but also want me to be infamous for eternity!"
In her past life, Jiang Wan was a wicked concubine who brought ruin to the country. When the Northern Di besieged Tianning City, she was the first person to be sacrificed by the court officials, and her fate was predictable.
Pei Siyan chuckled, his chest heaving: "What? A vixen? That's incredibly treasonous. It seems Yi'er has long believed I will ascend the throne?"
Looking into her watery eyes, with her stunning beauty, he felt incredibly fortunate that heaven had arranged for Dou Wenyi to come to his side.
The bitterness in his heart vanished, and he pulled her tightly into his arms, gently rubbing her head, seemingly unable to control himself. "Yi'er, it's late..."
Dou Wenyi sighed resignedly. Pei Siyan's growing obsession with her made her uneasy.
He was like a frog being slowly boiled in water, gradually trying to take over her mind, wanting her to belong to him completely and fall in love with him.
However, the lessons she learned from her past love affair were too painful, and she really didn't want to repeat the same mistake!
If she cannot reciprocate his feelings, will he eventually turn to hate like Emperor Muzong did?
She originally only wanted to play the role of a qualified crown princess, to treat him with respect rather than being inseparable. But things are unpredictable, and she couldn't foresee how the future would unfold, nor did she want to think about it.
——
The next day, when Dou Wenyi woke up, Pei Siyan was nowhere to be seen on the bed. If it weren't for the red marks all over her body, she would have thought she was dreaming.
"...His Highness left before 3:45 AM, and told us not to disturb you." Cuizhi brought hot water to help her wash up.
Pei Siyan arrived late last night and left so early, so he didn't get to rest for more than two hours.
"Dress simply, we're going to see Second Brother later."
Dou Ruzhang's injuries were not actually serious, but he had a fracture and needed to rest in bed.
When Aunt Xu heard that Dou Wenyi had come in person, she was first taken aback, but then she smiled and warmly greeted the maids, serving tea and preparing pastries.
Dou Ruzhang sat on the bed, leaning against the pillows, looking listless, but in good spirits. "...Mother, don't bother. Fourth sister, oh, not quite the Princess Consort, should have something to say to me."
Dou Wenyi lifted her eyelids and glanced at him. As expected of someone who had been in officialdom, her ability to read people was superb.
"Alright, alright, you two siblings have a good chat." Aunt Xu smiled awkwardly, then got up and left.
Dou Lianyi said with concern, "Second brother has suffered."
"Crown Princess...it's also my fault for causing trouble, and you've come to advise me to let things go, right?" Dou Ruzhang's eyes were red-rimmed, and her throat choked as soon as she opened her mouth.
He thought his luck had turned around and that he had gained the appreciation of Prime Minister Meng, just like Xie Guidu, which is why he gladly accepted the hot potato of a job. But reality is often cruel.
"Second brother, it's not your fault. Anyone would feel ashamed if they were bullied like this."
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