Chapter 63 In both past and present lives, she owed him a debt of gratitude.
At night, after Dou Wenyi served her grandmother her medicine, she carefully took her pulse. The pulse was normal, indicating that she should live to be a hundred years old.
But in my previous life, my grandmother passed away a year later.
Seeing her serious expression, Old Madam Dou patted her hand and said, "Don't worry, this old woman is waiting to see you get married and wants to hold your great-grandson. You're not going to die anytime soon."
Dou Wenyi frowned. "Grandmother's pulse is fine. If you mention that word again, I'll get angry!"
With a beaming smile, Madam Dou coaxed, "Alright, alright, I won't mention it, I won't mention it."
The grandmother and granddaughter chatted for a while longer, and after Dou Wenyi helped her into bed, she slowly returned to Yilan Courtyard.
"...I heard that Xuanming was driven out of Tianning City?"
Granny Cao was genuinely happy for Dou Wenyi. "Isn't that right? Everyone said he was a sorcerer. Finally, no one believes those harmful nonsense he spouted. I always said our Fourth Miss is truly blessed!"
Old Madam Dou felt a pang of sadness. It seemed that Dou Wenyi had been cursed by Xuanming to be "harmful to her six relatives" since the second year Dou Mingyan came to the mansion. How much injustice had she suffered over the years?
Mr. Gu regarded Master Xuanming's words as the ultimate truth every day, but he inexplicably fell from power.
The Gu family's piety has become a complete joke.
Xuanming is so amazing, how come he didn't foresee that he would also have his unlucky day?
Madam Dou felt incredibly happy, and there was something to look forward to in life. "What do you think of Zhang Chengxian?"
After a moment of thought, Granny Cao hesitated before speaking, “He should be better than Xie Guidu. Although he is a playboy, he really cares about the Fourth Miss. He used to fight with the Eldest Young Master and beat him up on the ground. He is such a spirited person, but he becomes cowardly when he sees the Fourth Miss.”
"Is that so?"
"I saw it with my own eyes."
Granny Cao added, "Why don't we find an opportunity to call her over for a closer look? Fourth Miss has finally overcome her hardships; she really should find a husband who will cherish her."
Madam Dou nodded in agreement, "My birthday is in a few days, isn't it? Tell that boy to come and offer his birthday wishes."
——
The Yilan Courtyard, shrouded in twilight, was exceptionally tranquil.
At this moment, the rain had just stopped, the green shade was lush and inviting, and the chrysanthemums blooming in the courtyard emitted a faint fragrance that was very pleasant to the nose. Dou Wenyi, of course, had no idea that Old Madam Dou was heartbroken over her marriage.
"...This month's pay is more than ten days late, why hasn't it been paid yet?"
"I heard from Xi'er that all the money in the manor has been diverted to make more money."
"How is it done?"
"It seems to be a loan sharking business..."
Two maids were whispering in the courtyard, not noticing her.
Dou Wenyi stopped in her tracks. Xi'er was Tong Mama's daughter, and Tong Mama was Madam Gu's confidante. So, someone in the Dou family was really making money at exorbitant interest rates.
Back inside, Cuizhi beamed and pointed to the neatly folded cloak, "Miss, where should this be?"
After all, it's a man's thing. If it's not properly taken care of, it might attract gossip and rumors.
Dou Wenyi stared at the sky-blue cloak, a ripple of emotion welling up in her heart. "Leave it here for now, I'll pack it up myself later."
She never expected that things would go so smoothly, even exceeding her expectations.
She had no idea how many risks Shen Yanzhou had taken or how many connections he had used to successfully place the bottle of 'Crane Fragrance Powder' on Emperor Muzong's desk.
Having lived two lives, she only ever had feelings for Xie Guidu.
Pei Siyan was the high and mighty Crown Prince, a world apart from her, and she was merely an accident.
But Chen Yanzhou is different...
In her past life, she had received a great favor from him, and in this life, he still helped her solve the problem of Xuanming without hesitation.
I remember in my previous life, on a quiet night, Xue brought a man who died in her bedroom!
The twilight was terrifying, like a demon. Under the cover of Cui Zhi, she fled the scene wearing a black cloak. The Xie family's inner courtyard was teeming with Xue family members; she had no way to make the male corpse disappear into thin air.
By then, her grandmother had already passed away, and the Dou family regarded Liu Rushuang as a jinx because of her affair, and their relationship had become extremely strained.
With nowhere else to go, she finally knocked on the side gate of the Shen family's house.
After learning of her purpose, Shen Yanzhou silently lowered his eyes and said in a low voice, "Thank you for your request, Madam, but I am afraid I cannot comply. This is a matter of life and death; why don't you go and ask the Crown Princess for help?"
The night was deep, and the man and woman were alone.
One was a married woman, and the other was a cruel courtier; they should have avoided each other.
If outsiders were to see this, the rumors and gossip could destroy him.
Because of Dou Mingxiu and Shen Lishu's divorce, their two families had long since broken off relations and were no longer on good terms. At that time, Shen Yanzhou was already a tool in Prince Rui's hands, while she was Pei Siyan's sister-in-law, a clear member of the Crown Prince's faction; they were mortal enemies.
She had unspeakable suffering.
Because Dou Mingyan would only kick her when she was down, and would rather she suffer than offer her any help.
She couldn't even get through the gates of the East Palace.
After saying just that, Shen Yanzhou picked up his teacup to see the guest off, but Dou Wenyi reached out and grabbed his wide sleeve without hesitation.
Shen Yanzhou's hand paused.
Her snow-white fingers rested on the dark blue sleeves of his robe, her eyes blurred with tears as she looked up at him, her voice trembling with nervousness: "My lord, that Xue woman not only wants to frame me, but she also wants my life. My daughter is only three years old; she can't be without her mother..."
"My lord, Guidu is far away in Yunnan. I really have nowhere else to go."
Chen Yanzhou remained silent.
Her fingers gripped his sleeve tightly, as if afraid that if she let go, she would lose her lifeline. Bright red nail polish stained his sleeve, the colors contrasting sharply and clearly.
The candlelight flickered, casting long, intertwined shadows, and she felt like a beautiful ghost on the verge of death.
Dou Wenyi did not like to ask for favors in a weak manner, especially from men like him, but her back had never been straight since she married into the Dingyuan Marquis's mansion.
She had no choice but to plead, "Could you please spare my life for the sake of how kind I once treated Li Shu?"
She was not as lucky as Shen Lishu; she didn't have an older brother like Shen Yanzhou, who would risk his life for his younger sister.
At that moment, Shen Yanzhou froze, his hands clenching slightly beneath his wide sleeves. He said gently, "This matter is actually a political struggle. If Xie Guidu were to sever ties with you, the Marquis of Dingyuan's mansion would be rightfully Prince Rui's. They actually want to force you to take the initiative to divorce..."
Dou Wenyi shook her head firmly, "I cannot fail Guidu."
It was unclear which of her words had moved him, but Shen Yanzhou said in a deep voice, "The rise and fall of a nation should not be tied to a woman's skirts. Even if you hadn't come to beg me tonight, I, Shen, would not have shown favoritism. You should go back now; investigating cases is simply my duty..."
Perhaps it was Shen Yanzhou's words that gave her hope, because even though Dou Wenyi later suffered various forms of torture in prison, she never admitted to her crimes.
Every day in prison was agonizing, but Shen Yanzhou eventually managed to rescue her.
——
Dou Wenyi placed the cloak at the very bottom of the sandalwood wardrobe, intending to thank him in person another day.
Whether in her past life or this one, she has once again incurred his debt of gratitude!
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