Chapter 221 Lessons of Life
Dou Wenyi accompanied Pei Shuyue back to Jingkun Palace. Just as she was about to enter, she was stopped by the Imperial Guards.
"Your Highness, His Majesty has decreed that no one may visit Consort Zhang during her confinement. Please wait until His Majesty's anger has subsided before you come. We beg Your Highness not to put us in a difficult position..."
Dou Wenyi was stunned when she heard this. She actually wanted to go in and check on Consort Shu's condition.
Emperor Muzong was truly heartless. He deliberately embarrassed Consort Zhang and at the same time declared to everyone that even though he was inconvenient and had lost feeling in his legs, he was still the master of this palace.
Pei Shuyue was furious. "What about me? Am I not allowed to see my mother either?"
"Well... His Majesty didn't say anything," the Imperial Guard replied somewhat awkwardly.
Princess Pei Shuyue originally lived with Consort Zhang in Jingkun Palace, so there was no way she wouldn't go home!
Dou Wenyi turned her head and affectionately pinched Pei Shuyue's cheek. "Shuyue, don't be afraid. Go back quickly. The only one His Majesty has confined is Consort Shu. You can still come and go freely. When you get back, tell Consort Shu what happened in detail. She will understand you. She suffered injustice to protect you. You should comfort her properly."
"Little Seven will protect your mother from now on, right?"
Pei Shuyue felt a surge of regret, sniffed, and said, "Hmm!"
She ran inside, and as soon as she saw Consort Zhang, she threw herself into her arms, "Mother, it's all my fault, I've dragged you into this..."
Consort Zhang hugged her, looking at her carefully again and again, trying to hold back her tears, but her heart was aching.
She soothed him gently, "Were you frightened? What happened today wasn't your fault. Granny Xu has already told me what happened. It was my fault for not protecting you properly. You were just used by someone with ulterior motives."
Pei Shuyue raised her head. "Mother, that bastard Wei Siyuan has such audacity. He actually dared to break Xue Tuan's leg. I was so angry that I wanted to teach him a lesson. Shuyue was wrong. I shouldn't have pushed him into the lotus pond."
Consort Zhang looked sorrowful, her thoughts a jumble of emotions.
Now that things have come to this, she knows perfectly well who is pulling the strings behind the scenes. She just didn't expect the princess to choose this opportunity to attack her, and to use a child as a scapegoat. Her methods are too despicable.
Isn't she afraid of retaliation for treating her like this today?
Or was she still trying to obstruct Pei Siyan's ascension to the throne by influencing Emperor Muzong?
wishful thinking!
What she found most unacceptable was that Emperor Muzong pretended to love Xiaoqi on ordinary days, but at crucial moments, he showed no regard for the mother and daughter. He didn't love his daughter at all!
Consort Zhang's eyes flashed with a hint of ferocity, and her mouth tasted bitter. "Yue'er, the Yongchang Marquis's mansion doesn't have that kind of guts. Wei Siyuan is completely unfamiliar with Jingkun Palace, so how could he possibly steal the snowball?"
Pei Shuyue's eyes widened, tears still clinging to her long eyelashes. "Does Mother mean someone is secretly helping him? Is it someone in the palace? Or someone close to us?"
Consort Zhang felt a surge of indescribable emotions. Although she didn't want Yue'er to be exposed to these sordid matters so early, she felt she should take this opportunity to teach her a lesson. Yue'er, now in the royal family, had finally ended her innocent and ignorant childhood.
Consort Zhang's tone became increasingly firm, "Yes, some people are hiding among us with ill intentions. They are very likely to be your relatives whom you see every day. So we must open our eyes wide and carefully observe and feel who is truly kind to us."
Pei Shuyue tilted her head thoughtfully, "Does Aunt Kangping dislike me? But my sister-in-law, the Crown Princess, truly cares for me?"
One has to admire the keen intuition of children. Consort Zhang nodded, "Yes, so we have to be wary of these bad people."
The fireworks in the night sky were colorful and dazzling. Consort Zhang looked up at the sky and hoped that Pei Siyan would return victorious soon.
Dou Wenyi walked along the palace path, draped in a cloak. Her footsteps on the jade pavement felt empty and desolate. Fireworks exploded overhead, and she felt a profound emptiness in her heart.
She suddenly stopped in her tracks. Not far away, a crimson official robe stood out dazzlingly in the glow of the fireworks.
"Lord Shen, it's so late, aren't you going home yet?"
Shen Yanzhou lowered his eyes and said in a deep voice, "It was my turn to be on duty today, and we have wronged the Seventh Princess. It was our dereliction of duty, and I will definitely give her an explanation."
Dou Wenyi gazed at the dazzling fireworks and said softly, "Your work in the Imperial City Guard is really too much trouble."
"I'm used to it." Shen Yanzhou glanced at her sideways, then looked away, as if he could hear a hidden meaning in her words.
Dou Wenyi remained calm, inexplicably thinking of Pei Siyan and his evaluation of Shen Yanzhou: "I thought you didn't like the job of the Imperial City Guard."
Shen Yanzhou stood on the steps, utterly dazed. Why could she always see through his thoughts? "Eating the emperor's salary and sharing his burdens is just a job. How could I be so picky?"
Shen Yanzhou was indeed a man of deep thoughts and had a habit of deceiving people.
Dou Wenyi blinked and asked again, "What if there's a chance to change things? Would you still want to stay in the Imperial City Guard?"
“My father once suggested that I leave Tianning City and gain experience in local counties, but these are turbulent times… What does the Crown Princess think?”
Shen Yanzhou remained silent for a long time before slowly speaking.
Dou Wenyi said very seriously, word by word, "With your talent, it is a waste to spend it in the Imperial City Guard. I think you should have a greater role to play."
Shen Yanzhou, who was always restrained, finally couldn't help but look up at her again, staring intently into her pupils, as if he had a thousand words to say, but in the end he only uttered a few words, "You really think so?"
"Um!"
"The news of the Crown Prince's great victory over the main force of the Prince Xian has reached the Ministry of War. Zhang Chengxian has also defeated the Prince of Chen in Huaiyang. If the current situation continues, the war may only need two to three months to end."
This is simply the best New Year's gift.
A surge of ecstatic joy flashed in Dou Wenyi's eyes. "Really?"
Shen Yanzhou mustered her courage and asked in a low, hoarse voice, "Is he good to you?"
Dou Wenyi nodded without hesitation, "He treats me very well. The insight I just shared was actually his idea."
Shen Yanzhou remained silent, his heart seemingly riddled with holes.
She never expected Pei Siyan to know her so well, and she never expected that she had truly fallen in love with Pei Siyan!
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