Chapter 317 Thunderous Fury
In just a moment, Pei Yunche fell completely silent.
Dou Wenyi was in a daze, feeling that it was all unreal. Prince Duan was gone just like that?
Pei Siyan coldly ordered, "Drag him away."
"Yes." Anxi bowed and replied, directing the eunuchs to carry Pei Yunche out. The traces on the ground were quickly cleaned up, as if the scene had never happened.
The hall returned to silence, with only a faint smell of wine remaining.
Pei Siyan turned around and his gaze fell on Shen Yanzhou. He saw that Shen Yanzhou was still sitting upright, but his face seemed to be frozen.
He chuckled lightly: "His Majesty is merciful and spared his life. All I gave him was a drug to make him mute. Even after faking his death, the Wise King can still cause trouble. The Great Zhou Dynasty cannot afford any more turmoil."
Shen Yanzhou seemed to suddenly realize something and hurriedly said respectfully, "Your Highness is wise!"
In fact, a thin layer of sweat had already appeared on his back. He originally thought that Pei Siyan was going to defy the imperial will and directly poison Pei Yunche.
"Alright, you may leave." Pei Siyan waved his hand, his tone devoid of any emotion.
"Your humble servant takes his leave." Shen Yanzhou bowed and withdrew.
Only Pei Siyan and Dou Wenyi remained in the hall.
Dou Wenyi came out from behind the screen, deliberately keeping a distance from the place where Pei Yunche had been lying.
Pei Siyan took her hand and suddenly asked, "Do you think I'm too ruthless?"
Dou Wenyi raised her head and met his deep eyes, where there was a hint of weariness that was not easily detected, as well as an innate imperial aura.
She gently shook her head, her voice clear and calm: "He didn't deserve anyone's pity when he allowed his birth mother to commit suicide to fulfill his ambitions. Your Highness has already done more than enough for him."
Pei Siyan stared at her for a moment, his taut jawline softening slightly, before pulling her into his arms.
His voice was deep and resonant. "Yi'er, the palace is a place of treacherous intrigue and betrayal. There's no room for mercy; a single misstep can bring endless trouble upon yourself."
“It would be easier to just kill him, but if we execute him, everyone else involved in this treason case should be severely punished. I don’t want to add to the bloodshed.”
"It is true that His Majesty misled him."
Dou Wenyi felt the warmth emanating from his palm; how could she not understand?
He was not a murderer. To this day, the person he most wanted to avenge was Emperor Muzong, but he had to suppress his hatred and maintain a superficial father-son relationship with him.
He also had his own helplessness.
She gently squeezed his hand back and whispered, "I know."
Emperor Muzong could not bring himself to kill Pei Yunche, and ultimately issued an edict to demote him to commoner status and exile him to the harsh and cold region of Qianzhou.
The imperial guards set out overnight, ransacked the residences of the officials involved, and exiled them.
For a time, rumors spread like wildfire, especially among those who had curried favor with the princess, who trembled with fear that the executioner's blade might fall on their heads at any moment.
The imperial court also issued a document forbidding anyone from making any further comments on the case of Prince Duan and the Princess's rebellion. Anyone who dared to violate the taboo or overstep their bounds would be detained and punished.
Dou Wenyi finally breathed a sigh of relief. Since Prince Duan had not been publicly tried, the fact that Lin Zhiyi had been kidnapped would be buried forever and no one would know.
Of course, the fact that this matter was kept completely secret was thanks to the Imperial City Guard arresting two storytellers. Because Pei Yunche was making a ruckus in the imperial prison, Shen Yanzhou reasonably suspected that he had a backup plan, and immediately ordered people to stake out the major restaurants in Tianning City.
Sure enough, just as two storytellers were preparing to enthusiastically promote their newly published stories, they were arrested by the Imperial City Guard. Pei Yunche had originally arranged for more than ten storytellers, and the remaining storytellers, fearing trouble, dared not spout any more nonsense.
However, Shen Yanzhou did not tell Dou Wenyi about this matter at all. In his mind, no one should try to escape punishment by taking advantage of a weak woman's innocence.
The weather became somewhat gloomy after the start of early summer.
Just as Pei Siyan was about to ascend the throne, the Eastern Palace welcomed two unexpected guests: Madam Gu brought Xie Mengyao to visit.
Dou Wenyi stopped turning the pages of the book.
Because of the involvement of the eldest princess in the rebellion case, the Xie family of the Marquis of Dingyuan's mansion has not yet been raided, but it has long been surrounded by the imperial guards, and it is not long before the family is destroyed and the people are killed.
Dou Wenyi sighed inwardly, wondering what benefits Xie Mengyao had offered Madam Gu to make her lower herself to beg her.
The two were led into the Wutong Garden, and Dou Wenyi dismissed the palace servants who were attending to them.
After Mrs. Gu took her seat and exchanged a few pleasantries, she couldn't wait to get to the point.
"Not long after Xie Guidu married Princess Fu'an, he was expelled from the Xie family's genealogy. Miss Xie is also engaged. Do you think you could persuade the Crown Prince to make an exception for her..."
Xie Mengyao looked uneasy. She never imagined that Xie Guidu would actually dare to follow the Princess in a rebellion. He was utterly heartless and didn't care about the lives of the Xie family at all.
Fortunately, her father had arranged a hasty marriage for her before Xie Guidu disappeared, so at least she was a daughter married out of the family and her life was spared. But the entire Dingyuan Marquis's mansion was ruined by Xie Guidu!
Xie Mengyao knelt down with a thud. "Your Highness, I was blind before, and my mother was indeed a bit gossipy. Please, don't hold it against us. Xie Guidu is utterly rebellious and deserves to die. I beg Your Highness not to implicate the innocent. Mengyao begs you..."
Dou Wenyi looked at them quietly, a half-smile on her face. "The Marquis of Dingyuan is indeed righteous in his betrayal of his own family, but since he has realized that Xie Guidu harbors ill intentions, why doesn't he take the initiative to surrender?"
Even if he is expelled from the Xie family, it doesn't change the fact that he was once a member of the Xie family.
According to the law, not only would Marquis Dingyuan be dismissed from his post and stripped of his title, but the entire Xie family would also be exiled. Even the execution of nine generations of relatives would not be excessive.
Xie Guidu was well-versed in the law and was willing to abandon the entire Xie family to join the princess in rebellion. He should bear the emperor's wrath.
Xie Mengyao's face drained of all color. "Your Highness... it was all our fault back then. We were sorry to you, but the Xie family of over 360 people is innocent! You have always had the compassionate heart of a Bodhisattva. Please, have mercy!"
Dou Wenyi remained unmoved, her voice cold and sharp, "You don't need to flatter me. This is a matter of state, and the inner palace is not allowed to interfere in politics. You and I have no personal grudges, and even if we did, they are long gone. Please leave."
Xie Mengyao had already experienced her cold-heartedness and ruthlessness, and seeing her resolute attitude, she had no choice but to leave dejectedly.
Madam Gu felt a little uneasy under her sharp gaze. She gripped her fan tightly and stood up. "Wenyi, it's getting late... I'll head back now."
Dou Wenyi lifted her eyelids and looked at her coldly. "Your Highness is about to ascend the throne. I will be the Empress in the future. Throughout history, which family that has interfered in politics with the maternal relatives has ever had a good ending? Does Mother intend to have the Dou family wiped out and exterminated?"
Madam Gu was shocked and speechless after being rebuked by her, "No, it can't be that bad."
"Tell me, what benefits did Xie Mengyao promise you?"
Madam Gu looked embarrassed and stammered, "What benefits could there be? I only did it out of pity for the Xie family. For the past ten years or so, our two families have always had a close relationship..."
Marquis Dingyuan, a seasoned official, knew something was wrong as soon as he learned of Xie Guidu's disappearance. He immediately arranged for Xie Mengyao to marry with a generous dowry, without even having time to hold a wedding banquet.
They offered 5,000 mu of fertile land and 20,000 taels of silver as a reward to the Dou family, and promised to give them an additional 50,000 taels of silver to repay several shops after the matter was settled.
The Dou family was already in dire straits, so Xie Mengyao gave her five thousand taels of silver as tea money, saying that as long as she was brought into the East Palace, she would not have to return the silver even if she failed to accomplish the task.
How could she and Dou Bochang not be tempted by such temptations?
Dou Wenyi was utterly disappointed. "Mother, you live a secluded life in the inner quarters and don't understand the intricacies involved. Does Father not understand either? Or do you want to sever ties with me?"
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