Greetings, Ninth Uncle

Chapters 129 - 130

Another thing made Empress Dowager Yang feel indignant — she was still here, yet Dou Xiyin dared to talk nonsense and shift all the responsibility to her. What would Dou Xiyin do if she was not here?

Annoyed and angry, Empress Dowager Yang was no longer in a hurry to protect Dou Xiyin. Seizing the opportunity of Empress Dowager Yang's passiveness, Cheng Yujin quickly opened her mouth again: "Empress Dowager spends most of her time practicing Buddhism, full of benevolence and kindheartedness. Why does such a compassionate person suddenly wants to attack a child who has not yet been born and whose gender is still unknown? There must be a reason hidden behind it. Besides, Empress Dowager has been recuperating in seclusion these past few days. Even the imperial physicians cannot tell if I am carrying twins or not, so why did Empress Dowager suddenly have this suspicion? Very coincidentally, everything happened right after Shou Wangfei visited the Cining Palace, and the Empress seemed to also come here after being informed by Shou Wangfei. Shou Wangfei, could you please explain these too many coincidences?"

Dou Xiyin hesitated for a moment and quickly turned to Empress Dowager Yang for help. However, Empress Dowager Yang didn't even look at her, so Dou Xiyin could only bite the bullet and say: "I went to the palace today to pay respect to Empress Dowager, and then later went to Kunning Palace for the same reason. It's been a long time since I have last seen the Crown Princess, and naturally, I have no idea if the Crown Princess may be carrying twins or not."

"Oh, so Shou Wangfei doesn't know anything? However, you clearly went to Kunning Palace after I left Cining Palace. You actually claimed that you haven't seen me, and you also don't know what happened in the main hall?"

Dou Xiyin was stunned, completely speechless. In fact, Cheng Yujin didn't have clear evidence. She couldn't reveal that she was truly pregnant with twins, so it was impossible to reveal the matter of Imperial Physician Liu spying on Imperial Physician Zhao and him going to Shou Wang Manor to report his finding. All Cheng Yujin could use to attack Dou Xiyin was the latter's suspicious itinerary after entering the palace today.

These alone can't prove anything. To put it bluntly, everything was just based on a guess, including Cheng Yujin's accusation that Dou Xiyin was the one who instigated Empress Dowager Yang. But this was enough. Just as the Emperor didn't need evidence to suspect Empress Dowager Yang, he also didn't need evidence to dislike Dou Xiyin.

The Emperor was already displeased by Dou Xiyin's improper action prior to the marriage and how she used her family connection to forcibly tie herself with the Second Prince. Despite all the things that happened, Dou Xiyin still had the face to walk around in the palace with great fanfare, causing even more trouble. The Emperor's annoyance with Dou Xiyin had practically reached its peak.

Glancing at Dou Xiyin in disgust, the Emperor sternly said, "Shou Wangfei. As a wife, you disregard the virtue of a wife and disrespect your eldest sister-in-law. Not only that, but you also dare to take advantage of the Empress and Empress Dowager's love towards you to incite their disharmony with the Eastern Palace. Today onward, you don't need to enter the imperial palace again. Stay behind the closed door in Shou Wang Manor and reflect on yourself. You should ponder over the Women's Precept and other classics and once again learn what it means to be virtuous. Only after you truly learn to be virtuous will you be allowed to enter the palace again to pay respect to Empress Dowager."

As if struck by lightning, Dou Xiyin slumped to the ground in shock. Empress Dowager Yang frowned. Her inaction just now was merely to teach Dou Xiyin a lesson, but she never intended to truly punish this girl. The Emperor's reprimand was truly harsh, as he not only grounded Dou Xiyin, but also accused her of lacking in virtue. The most important thing for the women who married into the imperial clan was their reputation. With a Wangfei who bore the stigma of being unvirtuous, even the Second Prince would also be affected.