An hour later.
Dou Wenyi changed her dress, dried her hair, and brought the nearly drowned Zhang Chengan to the Zhang residence.
Upon hearing what had happened, Zhang Chengxian hurried out to greet them. After repeatedly confirming his younger brother was unharmed, he instructed the nursemaid to take him away.
Zhang Chengxian, with his sharp eyebrows and straight nose, exuded an air of intensity. He was a notorious playboy in the capital, known for his eccentric temperament, clear-cut likes and dislikes, and his vengeful nature.
To be honest, they had quite a history of conflict—she had even once held a dagger to his neck.
This time, however, it was a life-saving favor. He probably wouldn’t brush her off.
Sure enough, Zhang Chengxian got straight to the point. “Dou Wenyi, the Zhang family owes you a life. If you need anything, just say it.”
Dou Wenyi snapped out of her thoughts and smiled gently. “You exaggerate, Young Master Zhang. It was merely a small act.”
Zhang Chengxian was suddenly stunned.
Her lips were red, her teeth white, and her eyes clear as cut water. Her face, free of makeup, was radiant and enchanting—she was simply too beautiful.
The depths of Emerald Lake held undercurrents; even a grown man who could swim might not have had the courage to risk his life for a rescue. For a woman to dare such a feat was no small matter.
“Dou Wenyi, after all these years, you’re still so dull. Go on, what do you want? I don’t like owing favors!” Zhang Chengxian picked up his teacup and took a lazy sip.
Dou Wenyi didn’t stand on ceremony. “I’ve heard the Palace Food Service is recruiting female attendants. Can you get me a spot in the preliminary selection?”
Zhang Chengxian nearly choked on his tea, staring in disbelief. “Is the Dou family so poor they can’t support you? You want to become a servant in the palace? Or are you aiming to be a concubine?”
“No, I want to become an Imperial Pharmacist. The Palace Food Service’s initial screening includes a chastity examination for women…”
“Stop! How can you…” Zhang Chengxian’s ears turned bright red. How could a delicate noblewoman like her discuss such matters so openly with an unrelated man?
“About the incident at the temple… I need an opportunity to prove my innocence,” Dou Wenyi stated frankly.
Zhang Chengxian had been keeping an eye on the Dou family’s affairs, but he never expected they would blow such a trivial matter out of proportion.
He scratched his ear. “And your fiancé isn’t doing anything? I’ve always said Xie Guidu is a heartless scoundrel, yet you’ve always treated him like a treasure. Aren’t you considering calling off that worthless engagement?”
“Indeed, it should be annulled,” Dou Wenyi replied with a faint smile.
In her past life, she had loathed Zhang Chengxian, largely because he was always badmouthing Xie Guidu in her ears.
Looking back now, he had never actually harmed her. Unlike Xie Guidu…
“I’ll pass your request to my aunt. Go home and wait for news,” Zhang Chengxian agreed readily.
“These cherries are for you. If the young master wants more in the future, tell him to come find me. He shouldn’t climb trees again,” Dou Wenyi said, pointing to the basket on the table.
With that, she stood up and took her leave.
Zhang Chengxian gulped down several mouthfuls of tea, his mind fixated on one thought: She wants to annul the engagement.
He didn’t even notice a figure gliding out and leisurely seating himself opposite.
“Can’t take your eyes off her, huh? Smitten?” Pei Siyan’s face was pale, his tone languid.
Dressed in a black brocade robe woven with gold threads, intricate beast patterns embroidered in fine gold, his handsome features were sharply defined. Yet his expression was cold, his deep, dark eyes harboring a trace of ruthlessness.
Zhang Chengxian’s face turned pale as he hastily scanned their surroundings. “My lord, why have you come out? Prince Rui’s men are still hunting for the assassin everywhere!”
The Empress had passed away early, and Consort Zhang, who had been as close as a sister to her, had always looked out for the Crown Prince. Though the two were not brothers by blood, their bond was stronger than kinship.
As the Crown Prince, Pei Siyan ought to have succeeded to the throne. However, Emperor Muzong had grown increasingly muddle-headed, doting exclusively on Consort Tan and showing undue favoritism toward Prince Rui, throwing the imperial court into chaos.
During this period, the Crown Prince should have been detained in Jiangsu and Zhejiang overseeing salt inspections. But having completed his duties ahead of schedule, he had rushed back day and night to Tianning City in secret. Taking advantage of Prince Rui’s carelessness in a brothel, he had stabbed him.
“It’s only polite to return the favor. Pity he didn’t die—he got off cheap!” Pei Siyan sneered coldly.
The last time he had been pursued and severely injured, even losing his eyesight temporarily, it had all been Prince Rui’s doing.
“Who is she?”
Zhang Chengxian was utterly helpless against him and sighed in resignation. “She’s the daughter of the Ministry of Rites official Dou Bochang—Dou Fourth Miss. Ah, she’s the Crown Princess’s younger sister, your sister-in-law! Don’t you recognize her?”
“Sister-in-law?” Pei Siyan raised his hand to touch his wrist, where a faint bite mark remained. “Why should I know her? If you like her, why not snatch her for yourself? Coward!”
Zhang Chengxian’s face flushed with a mix of emotions. “I don’t…”
“Don’t? Then how did she manage to hold a dagger to your neck? We both studied under Zong Rui—do you think I don’t know your skills?” Pei Siyan’s expression was full of disdain.
“She’s just too fierce…” Zhang Chengxian swallowed hard.
He might be a playboy, but he wasn’t a fool. “I’m no top scholar, and my literary skills are poor. She’d never fancy me.”
“Useless!” Pei Siyan fumed at his lack of ambition, about to scold him further, but a sharp headache overwhelmed him.
“Damn this wretched head!”
It was an old ailment of his, one that even the physicians in his residence couldn’t cure.
“I’ll send someone to fetch medicine.” Anxious and flustered, Zhang Chengxian turned and hurried out.
Dou Wenyi was halfway back when she realized she hadn’t made things clear to Zhang Chengxian.
She hadn’t truly intended to enter the palace—it was merely a formality. What if Zhang Chengxian took it upon himself to pull strings and get her in? She’d be trapped in the palace for life.
Retracing her steps from memory, she headed toward Zhang Chengxian’s study.
With a creak, Dou Wenyi pushed the door open. “Zhang Chengxian—”
The room was dimly lit, and a strange, pungent fragrance assaulted her senses. The man hunched over the desk suddenly lifted his head, revealing a face as pale as snow.
His crimson lips exuded a bewitching hue, exactly like the symptoms of someone who had consumed Five Minerals Powder!
“Ah—”
Before she could even process how he moved, the next moment, the man had restrained her from behind, a large hand firmly clamping over her mouth.
“Fourth Miss, are you so relentless? Do you have a death wish?”
Dou Wenyi shuddered all over. That voice…
He was the ruffian who had abducted her that day!
Pei Siyan raised an eyebrow slightly, a faint, mocking smile playing on his lips. “What, planning to bite me again?”
That day at the temple, when he had covered her mouth, she had bitten his wrist. Annoyed by the hindrance, he had simply knocked her out.
His tone was gentle, giving Dou Wenyi an eerie sense of indulgence.
No, not indulgence—more accurately, it was the ease of one toying with prey, holding the power of life and death in his hands.
Dou Wenyi’s long eyelashes fluttered as she dared not move a muscle.
So reckless, treating human life as trivial—just who was he?
Pei Siyan glanced at the peonies blooming vibrantly outside the window. "I've heard that flowers nourished by corpses grow even more exquisite. Where would Fourth Young Lady like to be buried after death?"
Dou Wenyi struggled to suppress her trembling.
She remembered now—he was Pei Siyan, the Crown Prince of Great Zhou!
While reckless nobles consuming Five Minerals Powder might merely become short-lived wastrels, he was the Crown Prince, the foundation of the state. With such a vulnerability, if discovered by his political enemies, it would inevitably unleash a storm of bloodshed.
And she had stumbled upon this secret—no wonder he was moved to kill her.
Heavens above!
Was her rebirth merely a cruel joke?
Had she returned only to witness the disgraceful side of this deranged Crown Prince before being sent back to the King of Hell?