Chapter 285 Cause and Effect
Pei Siyan paused, remaining silent.
Dou Wenyi sensed his unusual behavior and simply sat up.
A pang of sadness welled up inside her. "What's wrong? Are you worried that the Wen family members are involved..."
Pei Siyan's brows furrowed with melancholy. He did not answer her question, but instead began to talk about his childhood.
His voice was low and slow. "In the first year after my mother's death, one day, Pei Shaoqin conspired with palace eunuchs to frame me for stealing from them. I saw through their scheme, and Grand Tutor Du Hao reprimanded him. He was not convinced, so he surrounded me in a secluded place in the palace, intending to teach me a lesson."
“They are definitely no match for you?” Dou Wenyi listened quietly and took his hand.
"Yeah, I beat them all up and left them with black eyes and swollen faces."
"Consort Tan took the matter to Emperor Muzong, who, without asking the reason, punished me by making me kneel in front of the palace gate of Funing Palace. I knelt for almost two hours before Grand Tutor Du Hao pleaded with the emperor to spare me from punishment."
"The next day was the anniversary of my mother's death. My only thought at that time was to go and be with her. I really wanted to talk to her. But the next day, I still had schoolwork and didn't have time to go see her at all."
"So, that very night, I changed into my usual clothes and crawled out through the dog hole in the Cold Palace. That night, snow fell heavily, and I wandered aimlessly through Tianning City. Only when I was completely exhausted did I remember that my mother seemed not to have been properly buried, and even if I wanted to go see her, I didn't know where to go..."
"And then?" Dou Wenyi felt heavy-hearted, her chest tight with worry.
On such a cold day, he knelt for several hours, and his body must have caught a chill. He also wandered around outside in the middle of the night. I don't know how desperate he must have been at that time!
Pei Siyan's tone was calm, tinged with sadness, "I collapsed near the Duke of Wen's mansion, and it was my maternal grandmother who found me. I had a high fever that wouldn't go down, and she stayed by my side for three whole days before I woke up."
That night, he had actually reached the city gate. He thought about committing suicide, abandoning his status as the crown prince and leaving the capital forever, and even killing Pei Shaoqin. But what he thought about most was avenging his mother.
That's why he kept walking back step by step. He wanted to live, to live uprightly, to stand at the highest position, and to trample all those who bullied him and his mother underfoot.
If his maternal grandmother hadn't discovered him in time, he probably would have died long ago.
Pei Siyan had always believed that Emperor Muzong was the culprit who forced his mother to her death.
I learned from the eldest princess that the rumor was not unfounded; it turned out that the Wen family was also involved.
"I only learned when I woke up that my maternal grandmother was kneeling at the gate of Chonghua Hall, begging Emperor Muzong to depose the crown prince. She wanted to take me back to my hometown in Longyou."
Dou Wenyi's heart skipped a beat. She couldn't help but admire Old Madam Wen; she was truly courageous and resourceful, using retreat as a means of advancement.
Those who came to Chonghua Hall were all important officials of the court. After this disturbance, the fact that the Crown Prince had been humiliated was essentially made public. Pei Siyan was the heir apparent, and he had done nothing wrong. For the emperor to favor Pei Shaoqin was a violation of ancestral laws, and the court officials would not accept it.
Even if the emperor dislikes the crown prince, there is no reason to depose him unless he commits a serious mistake, as this would threaten the stability of the country.
Pei Siyan remained silent and continued slowly, "Pei Shaoqin was naturally punished, and the eunuchs around him were all beaten to death. After that, he dared not openly deal with me."
Not daring to come openly, he resorted to stealth? That's why Consort Tan later gave him poison.
“My maternal grandmother truly loved me. She even used her dowry to help me in various ways in the palace, and invited famous teachers to take me as their apprentice. General Zong Rui was the patron she found for me. Consort Zhang was able to rise step by step thanks to her guidance.”
"Over the years, if she hadn't risked her life to protect me, I might have been killed by Consort Tan and others long ago."
"But……"
Pei Siyan choked on his words and couldn't say anything more.
Dou Wenyi's eyes welled up with tears; how could she not understand his unfinished words?
But what if it was truly the Wen family who betrayed Empress Wen, leading to her suicide?
After Empress Wen's death, his situation became extremely difficult.
Madam Wen genuinely loved him, and Pei Siyan's affection for her was even more profound.
Did Madam Wen know about it or not?
Pei Siyan's pain stemmed from the Wen family, so what about the tenderness and affection that Old Madam Wen showed him?
Is it compensation, guilt, atonement, or something from the heart?
He didn't want to speculate on this family affection, nor did he want to be an ungrateful person, but the hatred for killing his mother was irreconcilable. How could he face his blood relatives, the Wen family?
Facing the old lady of the Wen family?
At this moment, Dou Wenyi suddenly felt that all of this was too cruel for Pei Siyan!
She just hoped that all her guesses were wrong.
Meanwhile, a gloomy atmosphere hung over the Duke of Wen's mansion.
In the outer study, Duke Wen paced anxiously. He deeply regretted bringing Wen Jingchu back. He should have let her fend for herself at Cuifeng Nunnery. Once she revealed the truth of what happened back then, the Wen family would face annihilation.
Wen Yannian dragged his heavy steps in, shaking his head weakly. "My friend has already replied that no one inside the Imperial City Guard knows anything about Wen Jingchu!"
"Brother, why don't we just let her fend for herself? The more we do now, the more mistakes we'll make."
He was well aware of these principles, but the fact that the Crown Prince had imprisoned her in the imperial prison meant that the events of that year could be brought up again at any time.
Duke Wen's expression was solemn. "Wen Jingchu is disobedient and unfilial, mean and vicious. She should be properly disciplined. But do you believe that if we don't save her, she will drag the entire Wen family down with her?"
Wen Yannian's face was filled with sorrow as he sighed deeply, "She's a menace!"
The whole affair that happened back then was all because Wen Jingchu was jealous of her older sister, wasn't it?
Duke Wen took a sip of tea, a ruthless glint in his eyes. "No, we have to find a way to shut her up."
An eerie silence fell over the room.
Wen Yannian tightened his grip on the folding fan, remained silent for a long time, and then said, "It seems that this is the only way now. We can't let her ruin the entire Wen family. Her three children are pitiful. We'll have to take good care of them in the future."
Duke Wen nodded, “Sheng Runeng is a spendthrift and doesn’t know how to discipline them properly. As their uncles, we should put in more effort.”
When I left the palace today, Xiao Dengzi, the godson of Eunuch Anxi, greeted me very politely.
A glint of light flashed in Duke Wen's eyes. "Is this the one who saved his mother back then?"
"Exactly."
Several years ago, Xiao Dengzi's family land was flooded, and they fled to Tianning City. At that time, his mother contracted the plague, and it was Wen Yannian who kindly gave him a few taels of silver to save her. Later, by a twist of fate, he was castrated and entered the palace.
Therefore, the Wen family tried every means to transfer him to the Eastern Palace.
Now that Eunuch Anxi is a favorite of Pei Siyan, his status has risen, and Xiao Dengzi will definitely be able to get along with the people in the Imperial City Guard.
Duke Wen made up his mind, "Is Xiao Dengzi reliable? If I ask him for a favor, will it work?"
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