Chapter 242 A soft heart easily leads to hesitation and indecision.
Pei Siyan's expression darkened, shifting repeatedly, and he remained silent.
A hint of confusion flashed across Dou Wenyi's eyes. "Your Highness, are you unhappy?"
"I thought you would blame me." Pei Siyan held her hand tightly, his eyes filled with a complex mix of emotions.
Dou Wenyi laughed and teased, "Your Highness, do you think I'm too magnanimous? Or do you want me to be a petty person who's as thin as a needle and nitpicks over everything?"
Pei Siyan let out a cold snort, "You really are magnanimous."
It sounded like a compliment, but the tone was definitely unfriendly.
"Doesn't the Imperial Clan Court lack concrete evidence?"
Pei Siyan stared at her intently. "In your past life, when you were bullied, Xie Guidu didn't stand up for you. You were the same way, never making a fuss and letting people bully you. Weren't you ever disappointed?"
Dou Wenyi was stunned.
She suffered too many grievances in the Dingyuan Marquis's mansion. Her repeated hopes were ultimately met with nothing but knives stabbing into her heart, leaving her bloodied!
She had long since learned not to rely on anyone, and Pei Siyan was no exception.
Can he become someone I can rely on?
She admitted that by virtue of her status as the Crown Princess, she had gained many benefits and lived a more comfortable life than in her previous life.
But Pei Siyan wished she could be like a seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl, jealous and coquettish in his arms, treating him like a lifeline.
That would be asking the impossible.
After all, she had already died once, and even if Pei Siyan were to go through fire and water for her, she wouldn't dare to fully trust him.
To be precise, it's about not believing in yourself.
He didn't believe that the love between the two of them could sustain the fairytale he desired.
Dou Wenyi lowered her eyes and said softly, "Your Highness, it was also in my past life. Back then, I was young and ignorant. I wanted to grasp everything, but I ended up grasping nothing. I was very foolish. People always have to learn to grow up."
Pei Siyan released her waist and stared straight at her, his gaze calm and slow, unfathomable.
He knew perfectly well that he was just being emotional. When she first entered the Eastern Palace, she had expressed that she didn't care about Sheng Xiyue and didn't want to argue with him over such trivial matters.
She was gentle, kind, frugal, and considerate in every way, without any of the spoiled temperament that women should have. Being with her was like a gentle breeze, making him feel comfortable.
In bed, she was completely at his mercy, but she was like a drifting cloud in the sky, unpredictable and ever-changing, visible yet unfathomable!
That divorce letter was like a guillotine hanging over their heads, ready to end their beautiful relationship at any moment.
It was as if she had never intended to stay in the Eastern Palace for long...
Dou Wenyi's palms suddenly became sweaty. She sensed a huge sense of loss from his scrutinizing gaze. She hadn't done anything wrong, so why did it seem like she had committed a terrible mistake?
"Your Highness, would you like to rest?"
Pei Siyan's dignified brows showed signs of fatigue. He smiled faintly at her, "It's alright, I still have memorials to review. You should go to sleep first."
With that, he turned and left Wutong Garden.
Dou Wenyi understood his problem. Having lived through two lifetimes, she was no longer the girl who could only depend on others. Suffering brings sorrow, but it also inevitably brings something in return.
Once a woman is free from the entanglements of love, she can look down upon the world with pride.
The palace maid cleared away the dishes and left. Cuizhi's leg injury had healed considerably, and Dou Wenyi intended for her to rest for a few more days and not come to serve her.
When she had nothing to do, she would often come over to chat.
After the palace maid helped Dou Wenyi with her washing and dressing, she placed the hot water bottle on the bed and then left.
Cuizhi looked worried and couldn't help but speak up, "Your Highness, I heard that His Highness clashed fiercely with the court officials today, especially the Second Grand Secretary Du, who was once His Highness's teacher."
Dou Wenyi's heart skipped a beat; he had done his best to protect her.
Who told you that?
Cuizhi answered truthfully, "I ran into Eunuch Anxi outside just now. He was worried about His Highness's back injury and hoped you would urge him to change the dressing, so we talked for a bit longer. Lord Du also said that you should be punished, and you should be punished too..."
Dou Wenyi's eyelids twitched violently, and her previous sense of ease vanished instantly.
Pei Siyan's back injury is her responsibility.
However, being too soft-hearted can easily lead to hesitation and indecision...
Dou Wenyi took out a lustrous sky-blue jade bottle from the drawer. Inside was the mutton fat ginseng ointment she had been making for Pei Siyan these past few days. It was very effective in removing scars, and she had originally planned to give it to him tonight.
When Cuizhi saw the jade bottle, her face lit up with delight. "Why don't we send this ointment to Wutong Garden?"
Dou Wenyi held the jade bottle in her hand for a long time, so long that Cuizhi couldn't wait any longer, before she instructed, "Take it over for me."
She took off her outer robe and went straight to the bed. Even though a hot water bottle had been placed under the quilt, she still felt a little cold. Habits really do kill you...
That night, Dou Wenyi tossed and turned, finally falling asleep late into the night.
The next morning, just after breakfast, a palace servant announced that Princess Fu'an was requesting an audience.
Although the eldest princess is the emperor's sister, treason is a serious crime. Now she is imprisoned in the imperial prison, and she is very likely to be stripped of her title, her fiefdom, or even her life. Meanwhile, Princess Fu'an grew up with Pei Siyan.
He certainly wouldn't implicate her, but since there's a life between them, even the closest blood relatives would only incur resentment.
Dou Wenyi sighed and ordered someone to invite her in.
Princess Fu'an, her eyes red and swollen, bowed respectfully to her and cried out in grievance, "Sister-in-law, please plead for my mother. She is only in her forties and is loyal to the Emperor. She has never thought of rebelling."
"She didn't set the fire either; she was framed, the evidence was fabricated. Qin Shuo, the head guard of the princess's residence, was a spy. He stole my mother's token and led the guards to raid the imperial city..."
“He has vanished without a trace. If we can catch him, we can definitely clear my mother’s name.”
Dou Wenyi was slightly stunned. When she and Yin Congjian planned to use this scheme against each other, he had mentioned using people from the Princess's residence. She never expected them to do it so perfectly, it was practically flawless.
Princess Fu'an showed no sign of holding a grudge against him...
I don't know if she's genuinely naive or trying to trick me into revealing information.
Could it be that she was completely unaware of the life-or-death struggle between the Crown Prince and the Eldest Princess?
Unfortunately, their friendship had already been fractured.
Dou Wenyi asked doubtfully, "How could a mere head guard steal the token?"
Princess Fu'an's face turned pale; she found it extremely difficult to speak, "Qin Shuo is my mother's husband..."
She used to think that controlling men was an extremely easy thing. She had met Qin Shuo a few times. He was neither humble nor arrogant towards her mother, but gentle and considerate. He had been with her for almost three years. Who would have thought that he was actually a venomous snake lurking in the dark, waiting for his chance to strike!
She had to admit that any man who was good-looking harbored malicious intentions.
Without power, she was completely unable to control Xie Guidu.
Dou Wenyi sighed. Even a wise princess like the eldest could be blinded by lust and suffer betrayal from a man. Love really can kill!
Princess Fu'an cried bitterly, "If only my brother, the Crown Prince, could spare her life, I would persuade her to hand over the Chamber of Commerce without reservation!"
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