Chapter 326 Journey to the West
The powerful families all had their own standards for judging the empress, but regardless of the standard, they all felt that she was unworthy.
The Second Grand Secretary's hostility towards her was obvious. Dou Wenyi didn't want Pei Siyan to be made things difficult for her. "Your Highness, what if the Second Grand Secretary makes things difficult for you?"
Pei Siyan sensed her worry. "I will try my best to persuade him."
Emperors sometimes take on concubines for political reasons, to maintain balance in the court, and sometimes it is because they need to produce imperial offspring. They are young and at the time when they should be making great strides, and they should not bring in random women who will make the harem chaotic.
The next day, Dou Wenyi dressed neatly and saw the Crown Prince's carriage as soon as she left the East Palace.
Pei Siyan, dressed in a set of gold-embroidered brocade robes, with his hair tied up with a jade hairpin, stood tall and straight under the crabapple tree. His whole being exuded a refined and noble air, making people feel relaxed and happy just looking at him.
Dou Wenyi was somewhat dazed. He seemed to have deliberately restrained his imperial aura, and his gentle and refined demeanor was revealed, making him seem like a completely different person from the tyrant he had been in his previous life.
She took graceful steps and walked towards him. "Your Highness, have you been waiting long?"
His eyes were smiling, as gentle as a spring breeze in March, as he extended a large hand to her. "Not yet, I just arrived too."
The couple boarded the carriage, and Dou Wenyi asked, "Your Highness, do I really not need to worry about the wedding gift?"
Pei Siyan held her hand and said gently, "My teacher is an old scholar with interests that are different from others. I specially found some rare calligraphy and paintings and inscriptions by famous masters from the previous dynasty for him to ensure there are no mistakes. In addition, I also gave him a reward in the name of the emperor. He will not be treated unfairly, either publicly or privately."
"And what about your wife?"
Pei Siyan was slightly taken aback, then suddenly chuckled, "It was I who didn't think it through."
Dou Wenyi smiled slightly, "I've prepared a small gift. It's my first time meeting my teacher's wife, so I have to be careful."
Soon, the Crown Prince's imperial carriage arrived at the Du residence.
The Du family had been waiting for a long time. After Pei Siyan led Dou Wenyi to pay her respects to the matriarch of the Du family, he followed Du Hao to the study.
Madam Luo, the teacher's wife, was very virtuous and kind. She especially liked the congratulatory gift she prepared, which was a meter-tall red coral and a rare health-preserving pill that was priceless in Tianning City.
"Wenyi, thank you so much!"
Dou Wenyi smiled and said, "His Highness respects his teacher and often mentions the interesting stories of how the Grand Tutor taught him when he was young in the Eastern Palace. As his juniors, we should be more filial to him."
Madam Luo was increasingly satisfied. "It's rare that the Crown Prince still remembers something that happened more than ten years ago."
Although Dou Wenyi was born into an obscure family, she was poised and graceful in her speech and manners, beautiful and gentle in appearance, and suitable for both family and home, making people feel happy at first sight. Therefore, I had a very good impression of her.
When Madam Luo recalled how her husband had become estranged from Pei Siyan because of Sheng Xiyue, she felt sorry for him.
Sheng Xiyue is now disgraced and has brought this upon herself. No matter how well she tries to cover up her scandals, some rumors have inevitably spread throughout the court.
Given the Sheng family's relentless nature, the fact that they would stop after losing a concubine and remain remarkably low-key in court can only mean one thing: Sheng Xiyue has committed an unforgivable crime.
The court officials were well aware of the situation, which is why they jointly submitted a memorial requesting the Crown Prince to expand his harem.
"I heard that Consort Shu is unwell, and in some serious condition? I should take some time to visit her, but I'm afraid of disturbing her." Madam Luo cautiously probed for the answer.
Dou Wenyi smiled faintly, "Her Majesty is feeling unwell and has been taking medicine for the past few days. She needs to rest for a while. Please send your invitation to the palace; she's been quite bored in the palace with no one to talk to."
Madam Luo glanced at her in surprise. Her words were tactful, but in fact, they were watertight.
In fact, some members of the Du family worked in the Imperial City Guard, so they actually knew more about Sheng Xiyue than others.
She never expected that Sheng Xiyue would be so ruthless and audacious, not only poisoning Consort Zhang but also framing the Crown Princess.
On the contrary, Dou Wenyi did not take the opportunity to kick someone when they were down, and she did not reveal a word about Sheng Xiyue to outsiders when talking about her.
It is clear that she is a broad-minded person.
"Recently, court officials have submitted memorials urging Your Highness to expand your harem. Are you aware of this?" Madam Luo kindly reminded him.
Dou Wenyi's heart skipped a beat, but her face remained impassive. "Oh? I didn't know that."
Madam Luo's gaze was deep and unfathomable. Women understand women's suffering best, and the suffering of women in the palace is even more indescribable.
"Once His Highness ascends the throne, he will be the emperor. After all, the succession of the princes is related to the foundation of the country, so these old fogies are naturally anxious. But you don't need to worry too much about your matter. His Highness is a reliable person."
Given Pei Siyan's clinginess towards her, how could one not see that he had truly fallen for her?
The young couple is still enjoying their time together, and these outsiders are just pointing fingers and interfering, which is really spoiling the mood.
Dou Wenyi smiled calmly, "I believe Your Highness will handle everything well."
Madam Luo felt that she was indeed sensible and much more insightful than she had been before, so she simply said bluntly, "His Highness is busy with countless affairs of state, and it is truly good to have you supporting him behind the scenes. In all matters, you should not take the lead; let him figure out the solutions."
"What's important for you now is to live a good life with him, be harmonious and happy, and give birth to an imperial heir as soon as possible."
If a man is a libertine at heart, always seeking novelty and easily bored, he will naturally want to keep a bunch of beautiful women.
If they truly love a woman, they will find countless ways to resolve any pressure or conflict.
"real?"
Hearing her speak with such certainty, Dou Wenyi's curiosity was piqued, and she tentatively whispered, "...Master's wife knows more."
"Of course."
To everyone's surprise, Madam Luo spoke frankly in a calm tone, "When I married the Grand Tutor, his family considered themselves a scholarly family, and my mother-in-law always looked down on me. She forced two concubines into the family. At that time, I was young and ignorant, and relying on his promise of being with me for life, I went to see those two women with a knife in hand."
"It was all a fight to the death, and as you can imagine, I ended up being wrong even when I was in the right... I suffered quite a bit of losses!"
From then on, she became a notorious shrew in Tianning City.
Lady Luo was born into a mountain bandit family, and the two of them became acquainted because Lord Du granted her amnesty during the suppression of bandits.
She naturally possessed a certain heroic spirit, like that of a chivalrous person from the martial arts world.
Dou Wenyi had already heard the Crown Prince mention these things.
Du Hao was the quintessential weak scholar, and the Du family was a prominent and powerful clan. When the two first married, the entire city of Tianning was waiting to see what would happen to them.
Who would have thought that it was this fiery-tempered Lady Luo who would grow old with Lord Du?
Dou Wenyi was greatly shocked, "Really?"
The two had a very pleasant conversation and regretted not meeting sooner.
Madam Luo took her hand and slowly walked towards the flower hall. "By the way, actually, it's easy to shut these ministers up. Just have His Highness pretend to take two fake wives, wouldn't that solve the problem?"
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