Chapter 274 I Won't Forgive
Dou Mingxiu wore a long, light blue brocade robe, had a beard, and his face showed a hint of melancholy.
Dou Wenyi gave a self-deprecating laugh. "Brother, is there something you need from me?"
Dou Mingxiu recalled the past, and his heart felt increasingly heavy. He had already prepared his words, wanting to apologize to her and reconcile with her, but when the words came out, he felt more and more ashamed.
He desperately wanted to forget the past, especially the conflicts between them.
Dou Mingxiu's eyes were deep and unfathomable. She still earnestly called him "brother." Did that mean she was no longer so resistant to him?
He swallowed hard and said bitterly, "Fourth sister... I was wrong before, please forgive me?"
Dou Wenyi remained calm and composed, unmoved by his apology, which was more than half a year overdue. After all, Dou Mingxiu had genuinely hoped she would learn a lesson at the hunting grounds.
"Is there anything else?"
Dou Wenyi's casual remark left him completely flustered.
The rift between them had been haunting him like a nightmare, but Dou Wenyi seemed completely unconcerned.
Dou Mingxiu's heart sank. He had been bewitched by Dou Mingyan, which led him to act impulsively and do so many irrational things.
He has already received the punishment he deserved for what happened at the hunting grounds, but they are siblings from the same mother, brothers and sisters. Should they never see each other again for the rest of their lives over such a trivial matter?
Dou Mingxiu felt extremely distressed, and his eyes reddened. "Fourth sister, are you still angry with your brother? I really know I was wrong... What will it take for you to forgive me?"
"What wrong have you done?" Dou Wenyi asked impatiently.
Dou Mingxiu served as a compiler in the Hanlin Academy without much success, while Dou Ruzhang held an important position in the Ministry of Works.
This stark contrast was unacceptable to him.
As a legitimate son, he was outshone by a son born out of wedlock. Whether in the court or among relatives and family members, people would compare the two of them, and he would only become more and more defeated.
Dou Mingxiu came to apologize today not because she had a change of heart and realized her mistake, but because she holds a high position, is the Crown Princess, and will be the future Empress.
He was merely yielding to the oppression of imperial power, just as they had done when they tried to curry favor with Dou Mingyan.
Flattery, humiliation, shame!
Dou Mingxiu's eyes revealed a deep pleading look, and his lips trembled slightly. "Back then, you stopped Shuang'er because you wanted what was best for me, and I shouldn't have impulsively hit you. I've let you down."
“I shouldn’t have set a trap in the hunting grounds…and put you in danger. I shouldn’t have listened to Dou Mingyan’s instigation, and I shouldn’t have acted like an older brother without ever seriously considering your feelings…”
“But fourth sister, these mistakes are not capital offenses. You can’t sever all ties with me and disown me as your brother.”
Can a perfunctory apology resolve the feud between them?
In her past life, Xie Guidu conspired with her own brother to send her to the barbarians.
Dou Wenyi didn't want to waste words with him, and looked at him with a half-smile, "Brother, if Third Sister were still the Crown Princess today, would you still think you were wrong?"
Dou Mingxiu's breath hitched, his face turning pale and then flushed. "Dou Wenyi, you know perfectly well that's not how it is. If I didn't sincerely want to apologize, why would I come here to humiliate myself..."
"Your Highness, the banquet is about to begin in the front courtyard. The master has specially sent someone to invite you over." Cuizhi lifted the curtain and entered, breaking the awkward atmosphere.
Dou Wenyi stood up and said slowly, "Brother, let's have our meal first."
Dou Mingxiu had so much to say, but it all stuck in his throat.
Normally, she is in the East Palace, and even Madam Gu rarely gets to see her. Given her stubborn and cold nature, is it possible that they can never reconcile?
As they emerged from Yilan Courtyard, they ran into the Crown Prince. The gloom that had been hanging over Dou Wenyi's brows vanished instantly, and she smiled, "Why don't you go straight to the front courtyard?"
Pei Siyan also had a slight smile on his lips, "I'm not familiar with the road."
Dou Mingxiu lowered his eyes and brows, bowed carefully, and left first.
The two walked side by side toward the front yard. Pei Siyan, somewhat curious, couldn't help but ask, "What does your brother want with you?"
A hint of playfulness flickered in her sparkling almond-shaped eyes. "Want to know?"
Today, Dou Wenyi wore a purple silk brocade dress with silver threads, the cuffs embroidered with intertwined crabapple blossoms, and a light purple long skirt. Her hair was simply styled, adorned only with a jade hairpin with a phoenix tail. With minimal makeup, she appeared radiant and charming, exuding a calm and composed demeanor, seemingly unassuming yet captivating.
Only her closest relatives understood how stubborn she truly was. She was like a winter plum blossom standing proudly alone in the cold wind, a spirit that no other woman could match.
That was also one of the reasons that attracted him and made him addicted to it.
"It's better not to say anything." Pei Siyan tugged at the corner of his lips, feigning anger.
"...He came over to apologize to me, but deep-seated problems don't arise overnight, so let's not dwell on these unpleasant things." In fact, apart from her grandmother, she had long since stopped caring about anyone else.
Pei Siyan felt a pang of heartache; she had almost died because of Dou Mingxiu at the hunting grounds.
"Don't forgive them."
Dou Wenyi smiled and nodded, "Of course."
When she was falsely accused of being a jinx by Master Xuanming, everyone in the Dou family except for the grandmother looked at her differently, as if she could really bring bad luck to others, and the family wished she would disappear.
Madam Gu made no attempt to hide her disdain for her, while Dou Mingyan seized every opportunity to flatter and fawn over her, monopolizing her every day. She thought Dou Mingxiu loved her, but it turned out that the person he loved was always Dou Mingyan.
As a child, she even did many silly things to get her parents' attention, such as taking off her cotton-padded coat and running in the snow wearing only a thin shirt.
"Actually, I was quite happy during the years I spent at Yuqing Temple after leaving the Dou family."
She also had the opportunity to become an apprentice of a renowned doctor. Besides studying medical books diligently, she put all the troubles at home behind her.
Pei Siyan looked at her anxiously, "And what about you in the East Palace? Are you happy?"
Dou Wenyi suddenly remembered that he seemed to be in a worse situation than she was.
After all, no matter what, the Dou family never said they really wanted her dead, except for Dou Mingyan.
But Pei Siyan's brothers wanted to kill him at any moment.
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