Chapter 81 Demanding a Grace
Pei Siyan paused, his hand stroking her cheek, and the smile on his lips vanished. "No, my marriage to her is not something to be taken lightly."
The answer was as expected.
Dou Wenyi never expected anything from him. Pei Siyan seemed to have fallen for her, but Dou Mingyan was his savior and the Crown Princess whom the Emperor had betrothed to. They were husband and wife.
Who is she?
It was merely a pastime for him in his spare time, prey he wanted to conquer, insignificant and not worth mentioning.
In both past and present lives, whether it's Xie Guidu or Pei Siyan, they both favor Dou Mingyan, while she is always the one who is abandoned.
She disdains competing with Dou Mingyan for a man!
Dou Wenyi sighed self-deprecatingly, "Your Highness need not trouble yourself with these troublesome matters."
The hint of disappointment in her eyes went straight into Pei Siyan's eyes, making him realize that her emotions could affect him so much that he was so agitated.
His knuckles tightened, his tone cold and hard, "Regardless of who is behind this matter, I will investigate thoroughly and give you an explanation!"
Dou Wenyi was somewhat surprised. She slowly raised her head and looked up at him. "So what does Your Highness want this time?"
No one can get the better of Pei Siyan.
In that instant, even the air seemed to freeze.
Pei Siyan suddenly remembered the time he tricked her into eating candy, and his face turned cold. "Good, good, very good!"
He looked down at her. The woman on the bed was slender with thin shoulders and her jet-black hair cascaded down like a waterfall, the colors distinct. She appeared fragile, yet her bones exuded resilience and stubbornness.
In her eyes, even in a life-or-death crisis, she would not ask him for help, and was only thinking about making a deal with him.
That's really great!
"Whatever I want, you'll give it to me?"
Pei Siyan raised an eyebrow, staring at her rosy face. His deep gaze moved inch by inch downwards, following her fair neck, then to her barely visible collarbone, and finally to the alluring scenery beneath her sheer undergarment...
Before you know it, you're drawn in.
He wanted her to be his woman willingly.
"I can't give it to you." Dou Wenyi felt flustered under his deep gaze and awkwardly pulled the blanket over her body.
She changed the subject, "Your Highness once promised me a favor: if I cured your headache, you would promise to grant me my wish."
He is Dou Mingyan's biggest backer. Without Pei Siyan's help, it would be difficult to expose her true colors. She wants to use this as leverage to exchange for a lifetime of freedom.
Pei Siyan's phoenix eyes were dark and deep. He stared at her for a moment, then asked, "What do you want?"
His voice remained cold and indifferent, revealing no emotion.
Dou Wenyi's thin lips tightened, but there was still a hint of expectation in them. "This humble woman wishes to leave the Dou family and establish her own household."
Once she establishes herself as a woman, she can decide her own marriage, and she can enjoy her old age with her grandmother. She no longer wants to get involved in the Dou family's troubles.
Pei Siyan's gaze was deep. "A female household? That's beyond my authority. I'll allow you to think of another one."
Establishing a household as a woman requires the emperor's special permission; she has the final say on marriage arrangements and choosing a husband. Under his very nose, would she still be planning to marry someone else?
Dou Wenyi's eyelashes trembled. This bastard man really wouldn't let her off easily.
She had no choice but to find another way out.
——
What Pei Siyan didn't know was that in his previous life, he had defied public opinion and personally helped Dou Wenyi get a divorce, establish a female household, and posthumously conferred upon her the title of Princess Ni'an, setting an example for women all over the world.
Of course, Dou Wenyi was already dead by then!
In the autumn of the third year of Tianyou, the Northern Di launched a surprise attack on Tianning City, the capital of the Great Zhou Kingdom. Xie Guidu led the Tiger and Leopard Battalion in a desperate struggle to hold on.
At that time, Zhang Chengxian was Pei Siyan's left vanguard. They led the Xuanjia Army on a night raid and marched for twelve days before finally arriving at Jingyang near Tianningcheng to set up camp.
Having honed his skills on the frontier for many years, Zhang Chengxian was already as sharp as a sword, striking fear into the hearts of the surrounding barbarians. They successfully drove the Southern Rong barbarians more than 400 miles away from the border, and were originally preparing to expand their territory.
The fall of Tianning City caught everyone off guard, all due to Prince Rui's wolfish ambitions. While sending Pei Siyan away, he also deliberately colluded with the Northern Di people, transferred away the Imperial Guards of the Xishan Camp, and had the city defense map stolen by enemy spies. These were the reasons for the fall of Tianning City.
A chilly night breeze blew, banners fluttered, and the Xuanjia Army rested on the spot.
"Is she alright?" Zhang Chengxian gazed in the direction of Tianning City and took a big gulp of wine.
Pei Siyan knew who he was referring to, and his gaze instantly darkened. His tone was extremely disdainful, "As always, your husband who adores her, what are you still thinking about after all these years?"
Zhang Chengxian's brows furrowed with hatred. "Back then, I should have listened to you and killed him. Even if she hates me, it's better than being strangers for life."
Pei Siyan thought of the woman under the magnolia tree and gave a self-deprecating laugh.
"Her daughter died young, and she attempted suicide but was saved; she didn't die."
Zhang Chengxian's eyes were bloodshot, and his anger surged. "What is that bastard Xie Guidu doing? Didn't he say a while ago that he was going to marry Princess Fu'an as his concubine?"
"Your Highness, I'll use all my military merits to exchange for a divorce from her, is that alright?"
Pei Siyan let out a sarcastic laugh, "Zhang Chengxian, don't be so self-righteous! You want her to get a divorce, but do you think she'll just do it? She loves Xie Guidu to the bone, she sees him as her everything. Do you think she'll listen to you? You think she's having a hard time and is unhappy, but she's happy with her life!"
"What right do you have to interfere?"
Zhang Chengxian was rendered speechless by the rebuttal.
After being besieged by the Northern Di cavalry for nearly two months, Crown Prince Pei Siyan led the Xuanjia Army to a great victory over the Northern Di and recaptured Tianning City.
At the victory banquet, dancers sang and danced, and many soldiers were waiting for Crown Prince Pei Siyan, but they couldn't find him anywhere.
Zhang Chengxian was a little drunk. He staggered and swayed as he walked to the Imperial Garden. Not far away, he seemed to see Xie Guidu, that bastard, slumped on the ground. Wasn't he a germaphobe?
Why are you covered in injuries? And bloodstains?
Zhang Chengxian burst into laughter, his tone mocking, "The dignified Grand Secretary, beaten up like this, doesn't Dou Wenyi think you're pathetic?"
Xie Guidu felt weak all over. He suddenly looked up, tears and snot streaming down his face. "She can't see anymore."
Zhang Chengxian instantly sobered up a bit. "What did you say?"
In a daze, Zhang Chengxian saw Xie Guidu crying his heart out, murmuring, "I lost her..."
Zhang Chengxian stared intently at him, then grabbed his collar roughly. "You bastard, what do you mean by 'lost'?"
Xie Guidu cried until he was almost breathless. Just now, Pei Siyan had thrown him a divorce agreement, which was in Dou Wenyi's own handwriting.
She actually killed Wanyan Tai, the tyrannical minister of the Northern Barbarians, with her own hands, and she even gave the divorce papers to the dancer beforehand...
Dou Wenyi would rather die than be a ghost of the Xie family!
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