Chapter 331 One Wave Subsides, Another Rises
Madam Meng dared not object and nodded repeatedly in agreement.
Pei Siyan stood up and handed his hand to Dou Wenyi, whose jade-like wrist fell into his large palm.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the Crown Prince and Crown Princess left first.
Pei Siyan took her hand and they walked slowly along the lush, green cobblestone path.
Various thoughts flashed through Dou Wenyi's mind. She looked up at him with a puzzled expression, only to be caught red-handed by him.
Pei Siyan curled his lips into a smile, his eyes sparkling. "What do you want to ask? Go ahead."
Is it Zhang Chengxian?
Pei Siyan raised an eyebrow. "Hmm. Didn't you ask Cuizhi to find a way to go in from the back first? It just so happened that Zhang Chengxian and the Seventh Princess were also in the back, so the two of them took on the task."
"Really? That's such a coincidence." Dou Wenyi found it unbelievable.
Pei Siyan chuckled softly, "There aren't that many coincidences. Zhang Chengxian has finally figured it out. He noticed Shen Lishu the moment she left the flower hall. In the past, do you think he would have shown up at today's birthday banquet?"
Men understand men best.
Men, especially those in love, will always create opportunities for chance encounters.
Zhang Chengxian probably already knew that Shen Lishu was coming to the birthday banquet, so he made a big fuss by bringing the Seventh Princess to the feast.
“Zhang Chengxian followed the Seventh Princess all the way to the backyard. In fact, Meng Jingshu made a mistake from the beginning. She shouldn’t have used Shen Lishu as a raft.”
Upon hearing this, Dou Wenyi felt even more hopeful, thinking, "Then maybe the two of them really do have a chance."
Seeing her beaming with joy, her happiness almost overflowing from her face.
Pei Siyan raised an eyebrow slightly, his tone objective and calm, "It's not optimistic. Yin Congjian once asked me to marry Shen Lishu."
"What?"
"Gu Yufeng also likes her, so Zhang Chengxian is under a lot of pressure!"
Pei Siyan didn't deny it, "In this kind of thing, it's not about who's more outstanding who gets the upper hand; it's all about fate." Pei Siyan felt a little uneasy when he thought of Shen Yanzhou. Actually, he wanted to say that it depended on who had the thickest skin.
At least he should save some face.
——
Meanwhile, the crowd dispersed, and Madam Meng pinched Meng Jingshu's thigh hard. Startled, Meng Jingshu sat up abruptly, tears streaming down her face. "Mother, why did you hit me! I was framed..."
Madam Meng raised her hand and slapped her across the face; she now felt like she wanted to beat her to death.
"You wretched child, you've disgraced the Meng family! Weren't you the one who plotted against others first? Wait until your father finds out, you'll regret it!"
“We told you long ago that Shen Yanzhou is not a good man. Does he have any pity for you today? Even if you succeed in marrying him, he will only resent you for the rest of his life because of your schemes against him.”
“Your father originally intended for you to marry his student, Zhao Wenhuan, but you insisted on going your own way.”
"Now everything is ruined, serves you right! You brought it on yourself. I think you should just marry that spendthrift son of the Wei family!"
Meng Jingshu screamed in disbelief, "Mother! Are you my real mother? How could you just stand by and push me into a pit of fire?"
Madam Meng was utterly disappointed. She left the house with a cold face. Meng Jingshu was stunned for a moment, and when she came to her senses, she only saw Madam Meng's back.
She hurriedly chased after him.
"relatives by marriage!"
Madam Wei chased after Madam Meng and grabbed her arm. "My dear in-law, don't walk in such a hurry!"
Madam Meng's expression changed, and she shoved her away, shouting, "How dare you! Who is your in-law? If Madam Wei wants to find an in-law, why isn't she in a brothel? What are you doing here making such a racket?"
Madam Meng had been dignified her whole life, but all her lifelong cultivation was ruined here.
Madam Wei remained unfazed by her sarcasm, smiling confidently. "Tsk tsk, in-laws, it's best to settle the children's marriage as soon as possible. If any rumors get out, your daughter will be the one who suffers!"
Madam Meng glared at her fiercely, "If you keep making trouble like this, I'll tear your mouth apart! Even if my master has lost his former favor, don't forget how many officials in the court are his protégés. They might not care about the monk, but they should care about the Buddha. The Meng family is not one you can afford to offend. A marriage alliance is not an enmity. If you want to fight to the death, the Meng family will fight you to the bitter end!"
Madam Wei's smile froze on her lips as she awkwardly said, "Don't put it so harshly. We... we just sincerely want to take responsibility."
"Wei family, I'm warning you, if even a whisper of what happened today gets out, I'll make sure your Wei family suffers a terrible fate!"
Madam Wei's expression changed instantly, and she was speechless.
They felt the opportunity was rare and wanted to use it to curry favor with the Meng family, but ultimately they hoped to gain the favor of Prime Minister Meng, rather than completely offend him.
...
As the banquet began, a stage was set up in the lakeside pavilion, and as the musical instruments played, the famous actors began to sing.
Dou Wenyi, of noble status, was seated to the lower left of Madam Luo. This was an excellent position, and looking around, she saw that many noble ladies had arrived.
The ladies chatted and laughed, creating a very harmonious atmosphere.
Seeing that no one was talking about Meng Jingshu, Dou Wenyi secretly admired Madam Luo's ability to control the inner quarters.
Mrs. Luo briefly introduced several ladies to her.
"...She is so beautiful, like a fairy."
"It has truly broadened our horizons. In all my years, apart from Empress Wen, I have never seen anyone more beautiful than her."
"Yes, yes, her skin is so moisturized. What skincare products does the Crown Princess use?"
A chorus of women, chattering and praising, poured in one after another.
Dou Wenyi always wore a warm smile, occasionally offering a few simple replies, but inwardly she was quite disdainful, knowing that not all of these people were strangers.
Among them were several acquaintances. How had they treated him in the past?
It's just because she's now the Crown Princess and will eventually become the Empress of the Great Zhou Dynasty; her status has risen accordingly.
People around them will greet them with smiles, showering them with praise and flattery.
What they really valued was the identity, not her as a person.
Madam Luo tugged at her hem and whispered, "Do you see that girl on the left wearing a light blue pleated skirt? That's Xu Yujiao, the daughter of the Minister of Personnel."
Dou Wenyi followed her gaze and saw that she appeared to be a dignified and elegant noblewoman.
"These past few days, the cabinet has jointly submitted a memorial urging Your Highness to take in more concubines to fill the harem. Among them is Xu Zhongsi from the Ministry of Personnel. Even if these families don't have daughters of marriageable age, some are taking the opportunity to search for beauties, all eager to find a chance to present them to the Crown Prince. These people all want a share of the pie and a better future."
A joint petition?
Dou Wenyi frowned slightly; Pei Siyan had never revealed a word about this matter.
Has he already come up with a solution?
Seeing the hint of melancholy in her eyes, Madam Luo immediately realized that she had spoken out of turn. She smiled and tried to make amends, "When husband and wife are of one mind, their strength can break metal. Perhaps the Crown Prince didn't tell you because he didn't want you to worry."
"Madam, it's alright."
Dou Wenyi smiled faintly; she still had some trust in Pei Siyan.
Madam Luo originally wanted to tell her that there were several others over there who were also determined to enter the palace, but she swallowed the words back down.
After the banquet, all the women sat in the flower hall to listen to the opera.
Dou Wenyi was a little bored, so she sat for a while before taking her leave with Pei Siyan.
After leaving the Du family, Pei Siyan suddenly had something to attend to and got off the carriage midway, heading directly outside the city.
The carriage swayed and rocked, and Dou Wenyi soon drifted off to sleep. She didn't know how much time had passed when the carriage suddenly stopped.
In a daze, she heard a familiar cry for help.
"Fourth sister, help me..."
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