Duan Huirou felt like everyone in the Earl’s Mansion had lost their minds, and Duan Qi, who had only just returned, was no exception.
What’s so special about Duan Mingxi?
She ran off crying, refusing the gift and feeling utterly heartbroken.
Duan Qi glanced at the gift left on the table, called over a servant girl, and instructed her to deliver it to the Second Miss.
Instead of returning to his study, Duan Qi stood alone by the window, silently gazing at the sweet osmanthus tree in the courtyard.
By noon, Qiancao entered the Second Young Master’s courtyard holding a small box.
Duan Qi looked at her. “Did Eldest Sister send you?”
“Yes, the Eldest Miss asked this servant to deliver something to you.” Qiancao placed the box on the table and said with a smile, “If the Second Young Master doesn’t have other instructions, this servant will take her leave.”
Duan Qi nodded. “Thank my eldest sister for me.”
After Qiancao left, Duan Qi opened the box and froze in surprise.
It was the Collected Works of Scholar Yunhua, the second volume.
He already had the first volume, but despite sending people to search far and wide, he had been unable to locate the second. Now, it was right in his hands.
As Duan Qi held the book, his grip tightened slightly, and his eyes reddened faintly.
Scholar Zhou was a book enthusiast, and this particular set had become a rare treasure because it was nearly destroyed in a fire during the previous dynasty. After the current dynasty was established, the text was officially recognized, but copies were exceedingly scarce.
The first volume in his possession was a reproduction, but upon closer inspection, this second volume was an original.
Duan Qi chuckled softly. His eldest sister truly was remarkable.
He carefully stored the book with great reverence, then reconsidered and decided to present it to his grandfather.
When the Old Master saw what his grandson had brought, he raised his eyes. “Your eldest sister just sent this to you?”
“Yes.”
“She’s thoughtful,” the Old Master sighed. “So young, yet already so thorough.”
In just half a day, they had found out that Scholar Zhou had a great love for books—this wasn’t difficult. It wasn’t hard to learn what book he was looking for either. The challenge lay in actually acquiring that book.
“Grandfather, eldest sister is amazing,” Duan Qi remarked with genuine admiration, a hint of youthful innocence in his tone.
The old master valued this legitimate grandson highly. While Duan Ning was an exceptional scholar, he was, after all, born of a concubine.
“Don’t let your eldest sister’s efforts go to waste.”
“I won’t, grandfather. Rest assured,” Duan Qi nodded. “Grandfather, I’ve heard from the servants that eldest sister is preparing something for the Dragon Boat Festival. Our family hasn’t participated in years—are we joining this year?”
The old master nodded. “Yes, your eldest sister is destined to become the Duan Wangfei. Our household can no longer remain idle; we need to bring her some prestige.”
At this, the old master sighed. “You and your elder brother must strive to better yourselves. Once your eldest sister becomes Duan Wangfei, it will be a boon for all of you. A good wind can propel you forward—but if you’re useless, even the best wind won’t help you take flight.”
“Then I’ll go assist eldest sister. Scholar Zhou isn’t free to see me for the next few days, so I might as well learn from her,” Duan Qi suggested.
The old master gave him a measuring look before replying, “Then go find your second uncle. He’s currently helping your eldest sister with these matters.”
“Alright, I’ll go now.”
“Go on, then.”
***
Duan Mingxi was a bit surprised when she heard the news. She hadn’t expected Duan Qi to involve himself in these tasks alongside Second Uncle. It wasn’t typical for scholarly young masters to lower themselves to such work—they were all so prideful.
Duan Qi was becoming harder for her to read.
Nevertheless, she didn’t dwell on it. If Duan Qi wanted to assist Second Uncle, so be it.
Within a few days, Duan Pingchang brought back news—he had gathered two teams from Jiangcheng for Mingxi.
Mingxi promptly took charge, assigning one team to Second Uncle to break through the competition and elevate the reputation of the Marquis’s Residence. With this team, Second Uncle successfully connected with many prominent dragon boat teams in the capital.
As for the other team, Mingxi had Duan Pingchang position them under Xu Donglin’s sphere to gain favor. The Internal weaving and dyeing bureau hadn’t participated much in prior years, but with such a formidable team this year, Mingxi doubted Xu Donglin could resist.
Sure enough, Xu Donglin was tempted, and Duan Pingchang handed the team over to him, allowing them to compete under the Bureau’s banner.
Half a month before the Dragon Boat Festival, most of the capital’s teams were finalized. After official registration, nameplates for each team were hung along the lakeside.
When the nameplates were unveiled, the sight was astonishing: even the Eastern Palace and several princely households were participating.
Duan Mingxi’s gaze lingered on the nameplate for Duan Wang’s team. Liu Yunhua, standing beside her, nudged her lightly. “Look at that—it’s perfect. Now you don’t need to pick another team.”
Initially, they had planned to pool funds and sponsor a team. However, this year, with such fierce competition, not a single team was left unsponsored. It was almost impossible to catch a break.
The situation hadn’t been this challenging at first. Someone must have leaked the news about Mingxi assembling a team, prompting her rivals, Bai Zhiwei and Fu Hongxiao, to jump into the fray.
This was like pouring cold water into boiling oil—it caused an uproar.
Liu Yunhua and the others were furious. Such blatant interference was infuriatingly shameless.
Bai Zhiwei and the others were quick to act. After securing their teams, they spread the word, leaving Liu Yunhua and her group with nothing. Their inexperience showed—they had assumed there would be plenty of options, even at the last minute.
Seeing Liu Yunhua’s indignant expression, Duan Mingxi smiled and said, “Don’t be upset. There’s nothing to be angry about. No matter how hard they try, they’re just handing us money.”
“What do you mean?” Yao Yunyi asked, intrigued. She, too, was annoyed at losing the chance to invest her savings.
Chu Qingying leaned in as well. “Mingxi, do tell. I can’t stand the smug look on Bai Zhiwei’s face. It’s disgusting.”
No one had expected Bai Zhiwei to ally with Fu Hongxiao. The latter was set to become a Liangdi of the Eastern Palace, a future rival to Bai Shixi. Bai Zhiwei’s collaboration with her was clearly a direct challenge to Bai Shixi. Yet the Duke’s household remained indifferent, as if blind to the obvious tension.
Mingxi tapped the nameplate for the Internal weaving and dyeing bureau and then pointed to the Marquis’s Residence’s nameplate. “I recommend you bet on these two teams. Don’t hold back.”
The three were momentarily puzzled. It wasn’t surprising for Mingxi to suggest the Marquis’s Residence’s team—it was her family, after all. But the Internal weaving and dyeing bureau?
As they were mulling it over, Mingxi added softly, “I suggest picking the Internal weaving and dyeing bureau.”
The Internal weaving and dyeing bureau was an underdog, with no notable track record. This year’s sudden participation was widely assumed to be for fun, so there would likely be minimal bets placed on them.
Mingxi herself placed a significant wager on this team and another on the Marquis’s Residence’s team. As for Duan Wang’s team…
She wasn’t interested.
Chu Qingying, who trusted Mingxi implicitly, immediately declared, “Alright, I’ll bet on them.”
On the day of the dragon boat race, she placed her wager.
“Ah, so it’s you all here. What a coincidence. Such a pity, though. I heard you were planning to sponsor a team, but we got there first. My apologies.”
That irritating voice belonged to Fu Hongxiao. Duan Mingxi turned slightly and saw her standing with Bai Zhiwei.
Tch.
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