“When we purchased this estate, you knew about the grievances we had with Gao Zhan, right?” Mingxi said with a smile, looking at You Sanping.
You Sanping nodded. “Are you planning to drag him into the mess?”
“Yes. When it comes to grievances tied to this estate, it all points to him. And Gao Zhan is backed by the Crown Prince. Be cautious in what you do,” Mingxi reminded him.
Her ultimate goal was to implicate the Crown Prince, but she didn’t want the crown prince to focus his attention on You Sanping.
You Sanping’s expression softened slightly. He looked at Mingxi and said, “I will be careful. It’s not difficult to drag the Crown Prince into this through the hands of Gao Zhan, but I’ll need to act based on the movements of the authorities to choose the right timing.”
Mingxi nodded. “Discuss it with Second Uncle as well.”
Xiao Muchen observed the seamless understanding between the two and narrowed his eyes slightly. He then turned to Mingxi and said, “You two go ahead and discuss. I’ll check the surrounding area to see if there are any other clues.”
Mingxi had just finished her discussion with You Sanping and said, “I’ll go with you. I haven’t properly inspected this estate since we bought it. This is a good opportunity to take a closer look.”
You Sanping watched the two walk off together before turning back to handle his tasks.
At this moment, Miao Sheng glanced back at You Sanping’s retreating figure. After watching him walk away, he turned and hurried to follow the Wangye.
Mingxi and Xiao Muchen walked around the estate together. The property was nestled against a small mountain—not very tall but rugged, with unique rock formations and pleasant scenery. The path up the mountain was steep and rarely frequented.
The hot spring water on the estate originated from the mountain, with a spring also located on the property. Even at the start of summer, the spring water retained its warming effect.
“Why did you build so many wooden structures?” Xiao Muchen asked, looking at the numerous wooden cabins surrounding the hot spring.
The cabins were unlike ordinary wooden houses; they extended deeply, and he estimated them to be at least ten zhang (about 30 meters) in depth. There were over a dozen such cabins. The recent fire had caused significant damage, resulting in a substantial loss for Mingxi.
Mingxi replied casually, “In Jiangcheng, winters are much milder than in the capital. I’m used to having fresh vegetables in winter. I heard that vegetables are scarce in the capital during winter, so I wanted to prepare in advance.”
She then glanced at Duan Wang. “Wangye wouldn’t think me extravagant for doing this, would you?”
Xiao Muchen looked at Mingxi and replied, “You don’t have to go through so much trouble. My residence has a regular supply of vegetables, and I can share half with you.”
“I know the Imperial Kitchen Bureau supplies vegetables from the imperial estates, but with so many noble families in the capital, there’s never enough to go around. If Wangye is willing to share, I’d be deeply grateful. But surely I can’t just keep everything for myself, right?”
The vegetable supply from the prince’s residence was allocated solely for Xiao Muchen’s personal use. Sharing half with Mingxi would suffice for her, but what about the rest of the Marquis family? Could she let them watch while she enjoyed it alone?
That wouldn’t be appropriate.
Xiao Muchen, who had never paid attention to such mundane details, suddenly realized that what seemed trivial to him could be of great importance to others.
Seeing Xiao Muchen in thought, Mingxi added nonchalantly, “I’ve looked into it. The vegetables supplied by the Imperial Kitchen Bureau during winter are all grown in heated greenhouses. Those greenhouses are fueled by coal, making the cost extraordinarily high.”
Xiao Muchen furrowed his brow. He had never paid attention to such matters before. Now he looked at Mingxi. “So you thought of using the hot springs to grow vegetables?”
Mingxi smiled. “Something like that. I happened to hear about a hot spring near the capital and had someone investigate. Once I confirmed it, I decided to make use of it. I don’t have grand ambitions; I just enjoy eating and having fun.”
And making some money along the way.
Xiao Muchen studied her. “Does this estate have blueprints?”
“It does.”
“Let me see them.”
Mingxi sent for the blueprints, and Xiao Muchen unfolded them. Seeing the markings and annotations in red ink, he glanced at her in surprise.
Mingxi touched her face. “What’s the matter, Wangye? Is there something on my face?”
Xiao Muchen pointed to a section on the blueprint. “Did you draw this?”
Mingxi casually nodded. “The estate only has one spring. When winter comes, it won’t be enough. There are more springs on the mountain behind the estate, so I plan to dig channels to redirect the water. Such a valuable resource shouldn’t go to waste.”
“Did you dig an underground channel?”
“Of course. If it were an open channel, the spring water would be ice-cold by the time it reached the estate. What would be the point then?”
Xiao Muchen casually found a stone to sit on, pulling Mingxi to sit beside him.
Mingxi hesitated but eventually leaned against him, pointing to the route she had designed. “There were places where we encountered rocks while digging, so we had to reroute the channel several times.”
“You could use gunpowder to blast through them.”
“If we did that, it would cause too much noise. I don’t want to attract attention,” Mingxi replied earnestly.
Xiao Muchen glanced at her. If she hadn’t had that mischievous glint in her eyes, he might have believed her.
She definitely had other plans, but she wasn’t willing to share them.
Xiao Muchen took a deep breath. Fine, if she didn’t want to talk about it, so be it. It wasn’t a big deal—just a vegetable-growing estate.
But a few months later, Xiao Muchen would regret not asking more questions today.
“You’ve built so many wooden houses and are still digging channels to bring in water. With so few people on the estate, you won’t finish before winter,” Xiao Muchen remarked.
“It was an issue, but now it’s solved,” Mingxi said with a bright smile.
Xiao Muchen gave her a deep look before speaking directly, “I’ll have Qi He bring people over. Officially, it’ll be to investigate the arson. In reality, the people he brings will help you dig the channels and build the houses.”
“That doesn’t seem proper. Qi He is one of your men. How can I trouble him?” Mingxi said, though her eyes lit up with excitement, clearly tempted.
Xiao Muchen noticed the sparkle in her eyes and chuckled softly. “No problem. If you find him useful, you can keep him.”
“That won’t do. Just lend him to me for now,” Mingxi immediately declined. Having Qi He work for her long-term would hinder his career prospects. Following Xiao Muchen was the path to promotions and wealth.
Blocking someone’s future was a surefire way to make enemies, and that wasn’t something she wanted to do.
Xiao Muchen didn’t insist, nodding slightly. “Alright, he’ll assist you for now. If you need anything, just tell him.”
Duan Mingxi quickly responded, “Great. Once everything is done, I’ll make sure to give Guard Qi a big red envelope.”
Xiao Muchen raised an eyebrow slightly. “What about me? How will you thank me?”
“Didn’t you say there’s no need to distinguish between us Wangye? And now you want a reward?”
Xiao Muchen grabbed her hand and helped her up, holding it as they slowly walked back. With a soft chuckle, he said, “You’re right.”
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