Chapter 264 Sheng Xiyue's Confidence
The Eastern Palace was unusually quiet that night. From a secluded room, faint, shrill screams could be heard.
Granny Yao craned her neck to look out the window, muttering, "Why does that voice sound so familiar?"
Several Buddhist scriptures were laid out on the table in front of Sheng Xiyue. She picked up her brush, glanced with satisfaction at the Heart Sutra she had painstakingly copied, and then placed the wolf-hair brush on the jade brush holder. She looked up and said, "Granny is really interesting. Where in the Eastern Palace do we have any acquaintances?"
She let out a long sigh, and as she gazed at the unfamiliar Eastern Palace, her eyes gradually reddened again.
She was the apple of the Sheng family's eye, pampered and spoiled as she grew up. Who would have thought that after coming to the Eastern Palace, she would be confined to a small space?
Granny Yao could tell that she was preoccupied and advised, "Miss, it's getting late, you should get some rest."
Sheng Xiyue recalled Pei Siyan's heartless face, "Granny, does he really not like me?"
"Consort, don't overthink things. The Crown Prince still cares about you. Otherwise, why would he only punish you with confinement after something like this happened, without any other punishment?"
Sheng Xiyue believed her. "Where is Yuzhu? Where did she go?"
Granny Yao was taken aback; indeed, she hadn't seen her for quite some time.
As the night passed and the sky began to lighten, a palace maid hurriedly ran into the Wutong Garden, whispered a few words to Cuizhi, and then went to the door of the inner room. "Your Highness, the Sheng family has arrived."
Dou Wenyi lifted the bed curtains and got up from the bed. Pei Siyan had gone to the morning court early in the morning, and the large bed seemed to still retain his warmth.
"Didn't anyone from the Duke of Wen's residence come?"
The grand show is about to begin, how could it be complete without them?
Cuizhi whispered, "Only Madam Shen from the Duke of Wen's mansion came, but the Sheng family sent several people. Where are they being taken?"
Dou Wenyi recalled the report from the guards last night that Wen Jingchu had watched helplessly as Granny Tao was tortured beyond recognition, and was almost scared to death.
She curled her lips into a smile and said in a raised voice, "Bring the person to Chaohua Palace."
"Your Highness, these people are up to no good. You might not be able to handle them alone. Why don't you go and invite His Highness the Crown Prince back first?"
Dou Wenyi shook her head. "No need. His Highness will naturally return after the morning court session. Let Wen Jingchu change her clothes and take her there first."
After dressing neatly, Dou Wenyi hurried to the main hall, where she saw Wen Jingchu crying her heart out. Lady Shen, the wife of the Duke of Wen, frowned and kept trying to comfort him. Many people from the Sheng family had come, all with mournful faces, sighing and lamenting on the side.
She only vaguely recognized Sheng Xiyue's mother, Madam Jiang. She was wearing a dark purple brocade jacket and skirt, with a graceful figure, her hair styled in a cloud-like bun, and adorned with a white jade hairpin. Even when she was just sitting there, she exuded an air of elegance and nobility.
When Madam Jiang saw her arrive, she smiled politely, a few wrinkles appearing at the corners of her eyes, "Crown Princess, you've come."
Dou Wenyi ordered tea to be served and asked in a low voice, "Lord Sheng isn't here?"
Jiang's expression stiffened slightly, and she said evasively, "He is busy with national affairs, so let's not trouble him with these trivial matters of the inner quarters."
"It seems that Madame Chiang is still unaware of the truth of the matter."
Jiang gave Wen Jingchu a deep look. "Didn't you say that Fourth Sister-in-law made a mistake?"
Lady Fan, the wife of the Duke of Wen, understood and burst into a tirade, "Jingchu, you are truly foolish! You have committed such a grave mistake, and you have utterly disgraced the Wen family! The old lady has been bedridden for a long time. If she knew how reckless you had acted, she would be furious!"
Wen Jingchu had suffered a lot last night and had already figured it out: if Sheng Xiyue were dragged into this, the entire Sheng family would never forgive her.
Only by taking all the blame upon herself could she find a glimmer of hope. She cried out, "Sister-in-law, I was really wrong. I originally intended to give that fan to Sheng Runeng's concubines, to make them suffer a bit."
"How could I have known that the maid would take the wrong fan and give you the one stained with medicine... I really didn't mean it, I'm innocent!"
"I have disgraced the Wen and Sheng families. My two sisters-in-law, you may hit me or scold me as you please. I am willing to accept the punishment. I only ask that you forgive me!"
Jiang breathed a sigh of relief. As long as Sheng Xiyue wasn't implicated and no evidence was left in the open, Xiyue still had a chance to turn the tables.
Madam Jiang was heartbroken. "How could such a thing happen? How could you be so careless? The safety of the Crown Prince is related to the safety of the entire Great Zhou Dynasty. You are his aunt. How could you face the late Empress Wen?"
Jiang deliberately mentioned Empress Wen, wasn't she just trying to remind Dou Wenyi that they were still blood relatives?
"Why aren't you apologizing to the Crown Princess right now?"
Wen Jingchu wiped away her tears, crying sincerely, "Your Highness, I was a fool. Please forgive my aunt and don't hold it against me."
Even at this point, they still have the ability to distort the truth. Do they really think everyone is a fool?
Dou Wenyi's hands under her sleeves had clenched into fists. Wen Jingchu was indeed shrewd; she quickly shifted the focus to the misunderstanding, concealing her motives and obscuring the truth of the matter.
Instead, she's the one who's making a fuss over such trivial matters?
Is the Sheng family the source of Sheng Xiyue's confidence?
They took advantage of their kinship to commit such outrageous acts, and now they want to downplay it all?
Dream on!
Seeing that she remained silent, Madam Jiang continued to persuade her, "It seems that it's all a misunderstanding. These things can be resolved once they are explained... After all, we are family, and family scandals should not be aired in public, especially since His Highness is involved. Crown Princess, you are the most sensible person, don't you think?"
Lady Wen, looking ashamed, also spoke up to advise, "This is my fault. I thought the fan looked nice, so I just took it and used it. I never expected that I would bring danger to the Crown Prince. Fortunately, His Highness was not hurt, and I am willing to accept the punishment."
"Your Highness, what do you think should be the punishment?"
Dou Wenyi smiled slightly. "Aunt, Madam Jiang, so you still think this is a misunderstanding? But things didn't go as planned. This time, it was Consort Sheng and Aunt who plotted together to murder the Crown Prince."
"This is no trivial matter concerning the inner quarters; it cannot be dismissed with a mere misunderstanding!"
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