Chapter 312 Contest
Old Master Pei was ushered in by the palace servants. When Pei Zhirou saw him, she was like seeing a savior. She immediately turned around and went to greet him, crying with snot and tears streaming down her face. "Greetings, Grand Uncle."
Her pitiful appearance made it seem as if Dou Wenyi had just humiliated her.
Old Master Pei's sharp gaze swept over everyone present, his expression one of anger and resentment. "Crown Princess, what are you all doing? This is far too much!"
Pei Zhirou explained understandingly, "It has nothing to do with the Crown Princess. It's all my fault. The Fourth Prince did not commit treason. He simply eloped with someone. The person he eloped with is Lin Zhiyi, a close friend of the Crown Princess. That's why she doesn't want to make this public."
"Grand Uncle, you must stand up for us!"
Old Master Pei was clearly surprised. "Is that really true?"
Dou Wenyi suppressed her anger and coldly said, "Grand Uncle, the story that Prince Duan eloped with someone is completely unfounded and just hearsay."
The last time she saw someone so good at pretending was Dou Mingyan. Pei Zhirou, despite her young age, relied on her intelligence and often caused trouble for others.
Since that's the case, don't blame her for bullying the weak.
She turned and stared at Pei Zhirou. "Sixth Princess, you are spreading rumors and ruining people's reputations. This is a disgrace to the royal family. I ask you, from whom did you hear about this? Could it be that Prince Duan told you about his plan before he left?"
"So you also know about Consort Yun's death?"
Pei Zhirou's face turned deathly pale with fright, and she subconsciously looked at Manager Tian, whose cheeks were red and swollen from being slapped.
She dared not take the bait. If she knew the truth but refused to save her mother, wouldn't she become the most heartless person?
Old Master Pei looked at Dou Wenyi, his tone full of sarcasm, "The case of Prince Duan has not yet been decided, and the Crown Princess is quite impressive!"
Dou Wenyi replied calmly, “Uncle, you are wise. The Sixth Princess is young and doesn’t know the rules. She is easily instigated, but she should never have deliberately deceived you.”
"For example, her coming to the East Palace in mourning clothes today is a great disrespect to His Highness the Crown Prince. She has been learning palace rules since childhood, so it is impossible for her not to understand such a thing."
“As the eldest sister-in-law, I am like a mother to her. That’s why I just disciplined these unruly servants.”
Old Master Pei's expression was complicated, as if he had only just noticed the inappropriate robes worn by the Sixth Princess.
Pei Zhirou, unaware of his subtle change, continued in one breath, "Grand Uncle, I came here with the intention of dying. My mother's coffin is in Shangqing Palace, and my brother's fate is unknown. There is no place for Zhirou in this vast palace."
That's incredibly hurtful!
Dou Wenyi was suddenly startled, realizing that Pei Zhirou was not a naive and innocent girl at all; she was doing it on purpose.
She arrived blatantly dressed in mourning clothes. If she hadn't been able to restrain herself and punished her earlier, with the witness of the imperial clan, they would surely have exaggerated the matter later, saying that she and the Crown Prince were intolerant and even wanted to kill a mere princess.
If she is not punished, where is the Crown Prince's authority?
She deliberately provoked herself to be punished, using feigned weakness and pitifulness to gain the sympathy of her relatives and get them to speak on her behalf.
Pei Zhirou's plea for her biological mother and brother is understandable.
These relatives might even think she was extremely kind and filial, and her courage was commendable. Her act of wearing mourning clothes could even be interpreted as her coming to plead for mercy with a death wish—how tragic!
How cruel she and the crown prince were!
She was trying to find a way to give herself and Prince Duan a chance for the future through this method.
Old Master Pei, standing in front of him, immediately assured him, "Nonsense! Your father is still alive. As long as I am here, no one will dare to touch you!"
“Princess Consort, even if the Crown Prince is present, I must make this clear: Prince Duan is Prince Duan, and the Sixth Princess is the Sixth Princess. She is His Majesty's bloodline, and no one should implicate the innocent, not even the Crown Prince.”
Dou Wenyi was furious and immediately retorted, "Grand Uncle, you're exaggerating. His Highness treats the Sixth Princess like a younger sister and has never intended to implicate her. As for the Duan Prince's case, why should we argue about it?"
"Prince Duan was captured alive within the Princess's fiefdom. The evidence is conclusive, and the Ministry of Justice, the Court of Judicial Review, and the Imperial Clan Court will all investigate. How could the Sixth Princess overturn the case with just a few words?"
When Old Master Pei saw the sixth princess with teary eyes, he finally felt a pang of pity.
He sneered, "What a sharp tongue! As expected of the Crown Prince's chosen principal wife. You two are of one mind, eliminating dissidents. I'll risk it all today. I want to see if the Crown Prince intends to exterminate the entire Pei family..."
Dou Wenyi felt utterly absurd. She took a deep breath and said loudly, "Grandpa, please go back. Why are you making things difficult for me? If you have anything to say, go talk to the Crown Prince."
Old Master Pei's face was full of anger. "Not only does the Crown Princess dare to interfere in state affairs, but she also dares to disobey her elders. In that case, I will definitely impeach you for being a hen crowing at dawn!"
"What do you mean, 'a hen crowing at dawn'?" A deep voice sounded from outside the door.
Pei Siyan, dressed in a beige-gold python robe, strode into the hall. As soon as he entered, he saw the Sixth Princess dressed in mourning clothes. His handsome face was filled with a storm of anger, and his cold and sharp eyes frightened Pei Zhirou.
He heard that the Sixth Princess had come to the Eastern Palace without permission while wearing mourning clothes, and that the Minister of the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs, Old Master Pei, had also come. He knew something was wrong and hurriedly returned.
Old Master Pei composed himself and spoke first, "Your Highness, your Crown Princess is extremely arrogant and domineering. She doesn't respect us elders at all and is a disgrace to the royal family. You must not tolerate her any longer."
Pei Siyan exuded a chilling aura. "The Crown Princess is respectful and virtuous, a model of noble ladies in our Great Zhou Dynasty. What exactly has she done to displease Grand Uncle? Please explain in detail. If anyone dares to criticize her without cause, I will be the first to object!"
Old Master Pei was speechless.
Pei Siyan looked coldly at the Sixth Princess.
She was, after all, his half-sister, and he never intended to implicate her because of the Prince of Duan. But she seemed to take his kindness towards her as a sword to stab them in the back.
To say she's immature and ignorant is ridiculous. She's already reached marriageable age, and in another year, she'll be old enough to be married. As a princess raised in the palace since childhood, if she weren't intelligent, she should have stayed put, behaved herself, and not caused any trouble.
Coming to the Eastern Palace in mourning clothes, isn't that a deliberate provocation?
Did she waste all the royal etiquette she learned in elementary school?
"Little Six, do you know your mistake?"
Pei Siyan's expression was slightly cold, and his voice was extremely calm.
But to Pei Zhirou, it sounded like a thunderbolt, sending chills down her spine and making her hair stand on end.
Pei Zhirou's lips trembled, her voice trembling with suppressed sobs, "Crown Prince, I know I was wrong, but Imperial Brother, please, spare Imperial Brother..."
Pei Siyan already knew the gist of the matter, and he softened his tone, "You did nothing wrong, but the person who gave you the advice deserves to die!"
He paused, then said, word by word, "Guards, Granny Tian is spreading rumors and harboring ulterior motives. Drag her away and behead her as a warning to others!"
Pei Zhirou visibly panicked, screaming and crying, "Your Highness, I was wrong, I was really wrong. Ahh..."
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