Mingxi’s surprised gaze pleased Xiao Muchen. “Surprised?”
Duan Mingxi nodded. “A little.”
He chuckled softly. “How rare.”
It was rare for something to astonish her.
Duan Mingxi pressed her lips together, feeling that Duan Wang was acting a bit silly at this moment.
“What did you find?” Duan Mingxi asked.
“I thought you weren’t interested.”
Listening to Xiao Muchen’s sarcastic tone, she…
Ugh, such a moody dog of a man.
“I’m very interested.”
“Alright.” Xiao Muchen couldn’t suppress the smile spilling from his eyes.
Duan Mingxi gritted her teeth. Where was her three-meter-long blade when she needed it?
Perhaps her gaze was too sharp, as Xiao Muchen quickly reined in his smile and adopted a serious expression. “We found a letter in Gao Zhan’s study—a personal missive from Meng Ji.”
Meng Ji was the superior officer of Fengcheng Marquis on this campaign.
Mingxi’s expression darkened. Her suspicions seemed partially correct. She fixed her gaze on Xiao Muchen and asked, “Did Meng Ji really fall ill due to acclimation issues when he reached Qinan? If so, was it natural, or was someone behind it? And later, when he recovered only to suffer a grievous injury during the campaign, was that coincidence or something more?”
“Half true, half false.”
Duan Mingxi glared at him. What kind of answer was that? Utter nonsense.
Ugh.
Officials’ hearts are full of schemes, and royals lack hearts altogether—how true.
Xiao Muchen noticed the meaningful look in Mingxi’s eyes and furrowed his brow. Now what?
He was telling the truth—how could the truth still be so unwelcome?
Duan Mingxi didn’t want to deal with his enigmatic answers and refrained from pressing further. She could guess the rest herself.
“With Yu Wang and Jin Wang both allying with the Crown Prince, aren’t you worried?”
“Why should I be?” Xiao Muchen sneered. “When profit unites them, profit will also divide them.”
Duan Mingxi translated in her head: nothing more than a rabble of opportunists.
Duan Wang was as arrogant as ever—just like in their past life, stubbornly going against the Crown Prince to the bitter end.
“The key lies with Kang Wang and Fengcheng Marquis’s letter,” Duan Mingxi remarked, turning her gaze toward the window, her curiosity piqued about its contents.
“We’ll have to wait,” Xiao Muchen replied.
Mingxi understood. Even if Kang Wang now had the letter, getting him to willingly bring it forward wouldn’t be easy.
The Crown Prince had gone so far as to trouble Qian Jieyu for this letter, proving how significant the information it contained must be.
“Why do you think Fengcheng Marquis gave the letter to Kang Wang?”
When His Majesty married the Marquis’s daughter to Kang Wang, was it intentional or merely coincidental?
Had the Marquis and Kang Wang been in league before the marriage, or only after?
“Kang Wang has always been timid and cautious.”
Duan Mingxi concluded that there had been no prior connection between Kang Wang and Fengcheng Marquis.
“Then the Marquis must trust his son-in-law deeply,” Mingxi observed.
Xiao Muchen chuckled at her comment. “You’re quite right.”
Duan Mingxi frowned. Why did his tone always sound sarcastic?
After finishing their conversation, Mingxi stood to take her leave. Xiao Muchen looked at her in surprise. “Won’t you stay for lunch?”
“My uncle and aunt have arrived in the capital. I need to visit them.”
From the joyful tone of her voice, Xiao Muchen could tell her relationship with her maternal relatives was excellent.
And since she said “arrived in the capital,” it couldn’t be the Jiang family—it must be the Xu family.
“I’ll go with you,” Xiao Muchen said, rising to his feet.
Duan Mingxi looked at him suspiciously. “Why are you coming?”
As a Wangye, wasn’t he worried about startling people?
“Your family is my family. As a junior, it’s only proper for me to greet the elders,” he replied.
Duan Mingxi pondered his words. They seemed reasonable—if he weren’t a Wangye.
For once, she was speechless.
Xiao Muchen, however, had already stepped out the door. He glanced back at her. “Not coming?”
He had realized that asking Mingxi anything with a questioning tone would always elicit rejection. But if he made a decision himself, she usually wouldn’t refuse.
After a brief moment of hesitation, Duan Mingxi followed him.
It seemed… not entirely unreasonable.
Xiao Muchen’s expression softened, his lips curling slightly upward as his mood lifted considerably.
The carriage took them to the Duan family residence, where the household was bustling with activity.
As soon as they entered, Mingxi’s aunt, Madam Zhang, spotted her and hurried over, pulling her into a tight embrace. Choking back tears, she said, “You little troublemaker! You endured so much without telling your family. Your uncle and I were heartbroken!”
“Auntie…” Mingxi stiffened, her gaze falling on the vibrant, healthy woman before her—not the prematurely aged and frail figure she remembered.
“Yes, it’s me,” Madam Zhang replied joyfully, her eyes scanning her niece up and down. “You’ve gotten so thin! You need to eat well, understand?”
Uncle Xu stepped forward, gently tugging at his wife’s sleeve. “Let her breathe, dear. Don’t scare her.”
“My Xixi isn’t easily scared. She’s just too emotional to speak,” Madam Zhang retorted, holding tightly onto Mingxi’s hand and bombarding her with concern.
It was then that her uncle noticed the man standing at the entrance. With a glance toward his sister, he asked, “Who is this?”
Madam Xu quickly introduced him. “This is Duan Wangye.”
At these words, Madam Zhang froze, her hand tightening on Mingxi’s. Even her words stalled mid-sentence.
Seeing her aunt’s reaction, Mingxi couldn’t help but smile. She clasped her aunt’s hand and whispered, “Auntie, what do you think of my fiancé? Isn’t he handsome?”
“You little brat!” Madam Zhang exclaimed, trembling slightly in shock. This was a Wangye—an imperial son! And she dared to ask such a frivolous question. Did she think she had nine lives?
“Greetings to Wangye.”
Madam Zhang and her husband respectfully greeted Duan Wang, their hearts filled with apprehension. Would the Wangye hold a grudge against her for failing to recognize him?
Truthfully, she hadn’t noticed him earlier. The moment she saw Xixi, everything else faded into the background.
“Uncle and Aunt, no need for formalities.”
The words “Uncle and Aunt” startled the couple. Was he already addressing them so familiarly?
Could a Wangye truly be this approachable?
Madam Xu, however, was accustomed to such interactions. Smiling, she said, “Wangye, please have a seat. You haven’t eaten yet, have you? Why not stay and join us for a meal?”
“Alright, I’ll trouble you, Aunt,” Xiao Muchen replied with a warm smile, nodding.
Madam Xu quickly instructed the kitchen to prepare additional dishes, carefully selecting ones that she knew Duan Wang favored.
As for her daughter, Madam Xu set her aside for the moment—her eyes were now fully on her future son-in-law.
Duan Mingxi cast a brief glance at Xiao Muchen, noticing how he spoke gently with her uncle.
Madam Zhang gave Mingxi a nudge and led her into a private room. Only then did she let out a deep sigh. “I was scared to death!”
“Aunt, what are you so afraid of?”
“How could you not tell me beforehand? I was worried I’d embarrass you. That’s a royal—a figure high above us, like someone standing on clouds!” Madam Zhang said, patting her chest.
Mingxi looped her arm through her aunt’s, guiding her to sit down. Only then did she reply, “What does it matter if he’s a Wangye or something else? He’s just your niece’s husband-to-be.”
Madam Zhang: …
Hearing such brazen words, she oddly felt a sense of reassurance.
“You’ve always been fearless, even back in Jiangcheng. But Jiangcheng is a small place where your father could protect you. Now that you’re in the capital, you need to tread more carefully. We can’t shield you here,” her aunt said worriedly. After all, they were simple merchants and couldn’t possibly contend with high-ranking nobles.