Chapter 261 She is the true mistress of the Eastern Palace
She stayed with Pei Siyan all night, indulging in absurd behavior, and no one came to inform her.
But how could he be kept in the dark about what happened in the Eastern Palace?
Pei Siyan did not summon the imperial physician for Sheng Xiyue. Was he trying to use this opportunity to tell them that she was the Crown Princess and the mistress of the Eastern Palace?
He really went to great lengths just to help her gain a false reputation for being 'virtuous'.
This old woman, Yao, ran away from Yingyue Pavilion without thinking of going back to the Sheng family for help; instead, she came directly to beg her. They should have realized that this was Pei Siyan's way of putting them in their place, but whether Sheng Xi will change her mind at the end of the month is still unknown.
Even if Sheng Xiyue was too frightened, it was impossible for her to not wake up all night unless she suffered severe intracranial trauma.
Dou Wenyi had already made up her mind. Her gaze was deep as she stared intently at Granny Yao. "Has Consort Sheng injured her head? Is there any bleeding?"
Granny Yao hesitated for a moment, then shook her head, "No."
"During this time, she showed no signs of waking up?" Dou Wenyi raised an eyebrow, her calm tone exuding an air of authority.
A cold sweat broke out on Granny Yao's back. Feeling exposed under her sharp gaze, she dared not fabricate any more lies. "She did wake up briefly, but this morning she was completely drowsy and looked quite frightening..."
Sheng Xiyue did wake up briefly, but they deliberately exaggerated her condition to make it sound more serious so they could summon the imperial physician.
Dou Wenyi roughly understood Sheng Xiyue's intention, and she smiled lightly, "You should go back first, the imperial physician will be there soon."
Granny Yao was slightly taken aback, quite surprised. She had thought that Dou Wenyi would make things difficult for them, but she hadn't expected her to be so easy to talk to.
After rising and respectfully thanking her, she hesitated, then said, "Your Highness, I have another request..."
"What is it?"
"Could you please keep the Imperial Guards quiet about what happened last night... After all, it concerns the reputation of the concubine. If it gets out of hand, His Highness the Crown Prince will also lose face."
Dou Wenyi's voice was icy cold. "You think I'm the one causing trouble?"
Granny Yao knelt down again with a thud, trembling as she said, "This servant dares not, but a woman's reputation is of utmost importance. My mistress has absolutely no intention of competing with you. I hope the Crown Princess will be understanding."
Dou Wenyi narrowed her eyes and chuckled softly, "I have never bothered to use a woman's chastity as a pretext, and I imagine His Highness the Crown Prince feels the same way. As long as Consort Sheng behaves herself, there will be no rumors or gossip."
After Granny Yao left, Cuizhi couldn't help but remind her, "Your Highness, Consort Sheng is vicious and will definitely have other plans. Are you still going to help her clean up the mess?"
"It's alright, this is none of our business. The Crown Prince knows what he's doing, and Sheng Xiyue is probably faking her illness." Dou Wenyi said calmly, seemingly unconcerned.
Cui Zhi's almond-shaped eyes widened. "What? Is she deliberately feigning weakness in an attempt to attract the Crown Prince's attention?"
Dou Wenyi shook her head. "The people in Yingyue Pavilion are all under house arrest. Naturally, she wants to send the message out through the imperial physician."
Once the Sheng family finds out she has been wronged, they will naturally support her, and might even deliberately make things difficult for Pei Siyan in court.
Cuizhi asked in surprise, "Then, you still promised her to fetch the imperial physician?"
Dou Wenyi smiled meaningfully, "Someone, go and invite Physician Hu over."
Sheng Xiyue was determined to kill her, so how could she give up easily? This time, she probably wouldn't learn her lesson at all. She wanted to die, so naturally, she would grant her wish.
However, she'll probably have to put in some effort to win over Pei Siyan's people.
Dou Wenyi picked up her medical book and continued to study prescriptions for eliminating scars. Just before lunchtime, Han Zongnian, the head of the Eastern Palace, came over with two sandalwood boxes, as well as the key and token of the storeroom.
“Your Highness, these are all His Highness’s private properties, including Empress Wen’s dowry and the rewards he has received over the years. His Highness intends that all affairs of the Eastern Palace’s inner court, as well as these shops and lands, will be entrusted to you for management.”
Dou Wenyi was slightly taken aback; Pei Siyan really treated her like a wife.
With a gentle smile, she declined, saying, "I barely manage my own shop; you manage it just as well, why entrust it to me?"
Han Zongnian was somewhat anxious and patiently advised, "Your Highness, please rest assured. The managers below are all reliable. His Highness executed two managers before. After that, no one dared to act recklessly. They will regularly submit their account books and report their profits. His Highness only checks the accounts occasionally. He is very busy and probably really doesn't have time to manage them anymore. Please accept this advice, Your Highness, and don't put your subordinates in a difficult position."
"That's enough." Dou Wenyi accepted the box and then asked a few token questions about the shop's profits.
Han Zongnian answered fluently, showing that he was doing his best to help the Crown Prince.
After he left, Dou Wenyi casually opened the boxes. One of them contained a thick stack of silver notes, while the other box contained land deeds and relevant information about shops.
Cuizhi was overjoyed, "Your Highness, this is to put you in charge of the Eastern Palace!"
Dou Wenyi smiled, but her fingers paused slightly when she saw Baohui Pawnshop's name on the list.
"Cuizhi, which pawnshop did you pawn your things at back then?"
"Your Highness, are you referring to the gifts bestowed upon us by the palace? Bao Hui, Bao Hui was reasonably priced." Cui Zhi always had a good memory and remembered it very clearly.
Dou Wenyi's smile froze.
Cuizhi realized something was wrong. "What's wrong? Is something the problem?"
"Baohui Pawnshop is the prince's private property."
Cuizhi was also startled and whispered, "Then...wouldn't the Crown Prince know that we secretly pawned the treasures he gave you?"
“How is it secretly? The Crown Prince has been secretly monitoring my movements all along; he knows this very well,” Dou Wenyi said quietly.
He was just hiding in the shadows, watching her make a fool of herself!
Dou Wenyi felt a moment of disorientation. She had tried so hard to sever ties with him back then, so why was it that this morning, seeing the scars on his back and his dejected expression, she couldn't help but want to comfort him and felt a pang of heartache...?
She suddenly felt the contract in her hand was burning hot. Did Pei Siyan want to use this wealth to test her humanity?
Cuizhi sighed with deep emotion, "His Highness the Crown Prince has truly been very attentive to you."
It's more than just being dedicated.
He was even willing to risk his life to protect her. She saw all of Pei Siyan's good qualities. He had almost no flaws that she could criticize, but why was she still worried?
Just after lunch, Physician Hu came to see me, carrying his medicine chest.
Dou Wenyi ordered someone to serve him tea. Hu Taizi took out several silver notes from his sleeve and respectfully reported, "Your Highness, these were all given to me by the concubine. I cannot accept gifts without merit, and I dare not keep them for myself."
Dou Wenyi glanced at it and saw that there were a full three thousand taels of silver there.
Sheng Xiyue really went all out.
Unfortunately, Physician Hu had always been Pei Siyan's man. If it weren't for the Imperial Hospital's cover, how could he have faked his illness so smoothly?
Sheng Xiyue's wishful thinking is about to fall through.
Dou Wenyi smiled enigmatically, "Why would she need your help?"
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