"Whether I've done wrong or not, everyone can see clearly. Why are you so anxious? If you're so fond of apologizing, go ahead and apologize yourself."
Dou Wenyi's indifferent expression darkened Xie Guidu's face several shades.
When had she become so unreasonable? Acting so willfully in front of everyone – what would others think?
Just as the atmosphere grew tense, someone entered to announce:
"Young Master Xie, you're hard to find! They've already started composing poems and are only waiting for you. Ladies, The Eldest Princess has sent word inviting you to Tingtao Pavilion to watch the poetry composition."
Xie Guidu reined in his imposing aura, returning to his usual gentle demeanor. "I wouldn't dare disobey such an honor."
As his words fell, the crowd chatted and laughed, departing with Xie Guidu.
It was as if the earlier confrontation had never occurred.
Dou Mingyan adjusted the golden hairpin in her bun and walked directly to Wenyi, intimately taking her hand with sincere tone. "Dear sister, could we go to Cuiyu Pavilion for a proper talk? I failed to discipline my maid properly and wish to apologize to you."
Dou Mingyan spoke so earnestly that if Wenyi refused outright, these noble ladies would surely criticize her.
Dou Wenyi exchanged a glance with Cuizhi and replied calmly, "Very well!"
Dou Mingyan had chosen an excellent location indeed. Cuiyu Pavilion faced Yanming Pond directly, backed against mountain rocks, with a seventy- to eighty-foot waterfall nearby whose roaring sound was so deafening that no one could possibly eavesdrop on their conversation.
"Fourth Sister, you've admired Young Master Xie for so long. Why would you reject the engagement now?" Once they reached Cuiyu Pavilion, Dou Mingyan got straight to the point.
Dou Wenyi smiled. "Third Sister, weren't you going to apologize?"
Dou Mingyan imperceptibly moved closer to the railing, a strange glint flashing in her eyes. "Have you considered that if you insist on this engagement annulment and miss your chance with Young Master Xie, your marriage prospects might become exceptionally difficult? As children, we should naturally be filial to our parents."
"Sister, if you hold resentment, direct it at me. Stop making things difficult for our parents."
This pair of lovers—she and Xie Guidu—were truly nauseating! Even their hypocritical arguments were identical!
Marry Xie Guidu again? Live a miserable, tragic life? Remain her foil forever?
Dou Wenyi took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the fury in her heart. "What if I insist on the engagement annulment?"
Dou Mingyan pressed her lips together. "Could it be that Fourth Sister already has someone else in mind? Is it Young Master Zhang, or perhaps someone else?"
In her peripheral vision, Dou Wenyi noticed what seemed like a crack in the railing, which appeared almost moldy from the waterfall's constant spray. A chill ran through her. "Third Sister, who do you think I would admire?"
Why was she so fixated on her marriage prospects?
She would become the lofty Crown Princess eventually—Wenyi wouldn't obstruct her path!
Below the railing, the water shimmered, their reflections intertwining on the surface. Dou Wenyi's pupils contracted—she felt she had overlooked something important…
Suddenly, Dou Mingyan's feet slipped, and she lunged toward Wenyi unexpectedly.
Almost instantly, her body jerked backward as if spring-loaded. Before Wenyi could grab her, they heard the railing creak as rotten wood snapped.
"Fourth Sister, why did you push me—"
With a startled cry, Dou Mingyan tumbled into Yanming Pond.
Water splashed everywhere. In that dazed moment, Dou Wenyi clearly saw the triumphant provocation in her eyes.
Dou Wenyi was rendered speechless with disbelief. Without hesitation, she immediately leaped into the water after her.
At the same moment, a snow-white figure came sprinting from the end of the cobblestone path and plunged headfirst into the lake.
"Help! The Third Young Miss has fallen into the water—"
The maids and matrons on the shore stood frozen in shock as two more figures dove into the water one after another.
The lake was clear. Dou Mingyan struggled in the water, but before Dou Wenyi could even grasp the hem of her clothes, she saw Xie Guidu carefully holding Mingyan and swimming toward the shore.
From beginning to end, he never once glanced in her direction.
……
"Master, something terrible has happened! The Fourth Young Miss pushed the Third Young Miss into Yanming Pond!"
The servant delivering the news spoke in a hushed, frantic tone, whispering directly into Dou Bochang’s ear.
"What?" Dou Bochang’s heart tightened, his expression shifting dramatically, drawing curious glances from the guests engaged in scholarly discussion in the West Courtyard.
Forcing a strained smile, Dou Bochang said, "Brother Zhang, I must take my leave."
He lifted the hem of his robe and hurried out. "Where are they now? Who rescued the Third Young Miss?"
His attendant looked uneasy. "Both have been rescued—likely by the maids and matrons. They’ve been taken to the Biya Pavilion in the West Courtyard."
Madam Gu received the news almost at the same time. By the time she rushed to Biya Pavilion, Dou Wenyi had already changed into fresh clothes, her dark hair cascading like a waterfall. With clear, innocent eyes, she sat calmly savoring a bowl of crystal lotus cakes, eating unhurriedly as if nothing had happened.
Meanwhile, Dou Mingyan lay pale and fragile on the bed, unconscious. Already delicate by nature, she now appeared even more pitiable.
Madam Gu’s willow-leaf eyebrows shot up in fury, a surge of bitter anger rising in her throat.
How could this fool still be thinking about food at a time like this?
Blind with rage and without bothering to hear the full story, she charged forward and slapped Dou Wenyi hard across the face, shouting, "Still eating? You wretched creature, kneel down!"
Dou Wenyi instinctively caught her mother’s wrist. In the scuffle, the Jian teacup on the table was knocked to the ground and shattered, scattering crystal lotus cakes across the floor.
"Mother, why are you hitting me?"
Madam Gu’s wrist ached from the grip, fueling her shock and anger. "Why did you try to harm your sister?"
Dou Wenyi glanced at the spilled lotus cakes, released her mother’s hand, and replied coldly, "Why would you say such a thing? Sister fell into the lake because the railing was old and broke. Must you always blame me?"
Hu Po, Dou Mingyan’s maid, knelt on the floor and tearfully accused, "Master, Madam, our Third Young Miss kindly urged the Fourth Young Miss to marry Lord Xie, but she not only refused—she hurled insults and cruelly pushed the Third Young Miss into the lake! The Third Young Miss cannot swim—how heartless the Fourth Young Miss is!"
"If the Crown Prince learns that someone tried to murder the Crown Princess, he would surely be outraged as well…"
Dou Bochang’s face darkened like a storm cloud. "Do you understand the consequences of falsely accusing your mistress?"
"We saw it with our own eyes—we are not lying!" the matrons present chorused.
Cuizhi retorted angrily, "You’re lying! She fell on her own! You… you’re framing our young miss!"
Hu Po lifted her head and declared loudly to Dou Wenyi, "Ever since the Fourth Young Miss returned, she has resented our Third Young Miss, saying she’s a usurper in a magpie’s nest and should go back to her hometown in Youyang!"
Dou Bochang's fury was completely ignited, "You disgrace! Mingyan's father lost his life saving your own father! Without her father, where would you get these fine clothes and sumptuous food?"
"She is gentle and sensible, all these years she has been fulfilling filial duties on your behalf. How dare you question her status? You are truly shameless!"
Dou Wenyi met his gaze calmly, "Father, Mother, are you going to condemn me based on one-sided accounts again?"
Madam Gu's chest heaved with rage, her eyes blazing with intense hatred, "Silence! You jealous, wicked-minded creature! How many messes have we cleaned up for you over the years?"
"How did our Dou family end up with such an incompetent fool who can't even present herself properly!"
The heated argument finally roused the feigning Dou Mingyan from her pretended faint.
She sat up abruptly, weeping like a pear blossom bathed in rain, "Father, Mother, please don't blame Fourth Sister. She surely didn't mean it. Family shames shouldn't be aired in public – this place has too many eyes and ears. We should discuss this back home."
Seeing how she could still consider the Dou family's reputation despite suffering such grievance, Madam Gu was deeply moved. She immediately gathered Dou Mingyan into her embrace, soothing her gently,
"My child, you've been wronged. Your sister lacks proper discipline. We will certainly see justice done for you. When we return home, we'll make sure she tastes the severity of jiafa!"
Though orphaned, Dou Mingyan received more care than she, who had both parents.
The Gu family couldn't bear to see her suffer the slightest grievance. But when she first arrived at Yuqing Monastery, enduring countless bullying and mockery, had anyone ever shown concern for her?
Dou Wenyi stared fixedly at them, her lips curling in a faint, ambiguous smile, "Father, are you certain you want to hold my trial here in the West Courtyard?"
Dou Bochang was beside himself with rage, his voice rising sharply, "So many eyes witnessed it! Do you still dare to deny it?"
"These are all Third Sister's servants – they could easily have conspired to frame me. What if I have witnesses too? How would you deal with them then, Father and Mother? And how would you punish these servants who attempted to slander me?"
Since family shames shouldn't be aired publicly, today she would help them air it thoroughly!