Xiao Muchen fixed his gaze on Mingxi. “I hear Miss Li has been causing trouble for you?”
Mingxi raised her eyes to him. “Wangye’s sources are certainly swift.”
“News of palace intrigue always spreads quickly,” Xiao Muchen replied, his words carrying a hint of meaning.
Hearing his remark, Mingxi smiled faintly. The harem was not ruled by one alone. Below the Empress were four consorts, each with comparable family backgrounds and intertwined powers. This naturally resulted in the constant jockeying for influence.
Despite the Empress’s seemingly exalted position, she still had to contend with these four consorts. It was no surprise that someone had spread word of the previous incident in the imperial garden.
“It’s just a trivial matter,” Mingxi said as she studied Xiao Muchen. “Someone tipped me off earlier, so I was prepared.”
“Someone?” Xiao Muchen took a step closer. “Who?”
Finding their proximity a bit too close, Mingxi stepped back. Her heel brushed against a stone bench, and she sat down, gesturing to the opposite side. “Please, have a seat, Wangye.”
Xiao Muchen: …
Instead of sitting across from her, Xiao Muchen chose the stone bench beside her.
Mingxi glanced at him, hesitated for a moment, and decided not to say anything.
Seeing her pause, Xiao Muchen interrupted her thoughts. “You haven’t told me who it was.”
“Can’t Wangye guess?” Mingxi replied, exasperated. She was beginning to find him rather persistent.
“I’m dull-witted,” he said with mock humility. “Please, enlighten me.”
Duan Mingxi, who had encountered all kinds of people—from hypocrites like Gao Zhan to schemers like the Crown Prince, to outwardly amiable yet inwardly venomous figures like Duchess Gao—found Xiao Muchen’s current demeanor unprecedented.
Not wanting to waste time, she simply said, “It was Miss Bai.”
Xiao Muchen was unsurprised. “I didn’t expect you two to have such a connection.”
“It’s not a connection,” Mingxi replied lightly. “It’s just a matter of mutual benefit.”
Her stance was clear. She and Bai Shixi’s positions were fundamentally at odds, as the people they were set to marry were rivals.
Still, due to the Crown Prince’s previous entanglement with Bai Zhiwei, Mingxi had inadvertently helped Bai Shixi by accelerating Bai Zhiwei’s marriage into the Gao family.
Bai Shixi, in turn, had repaid the favor by tipping Mingxi off about Li Peilan’s scheming.
It wasn’t out of goodwill but rather a calculated move to weaken Li Peilan, who hadn’t been particularly kind to her prospective sister-in-law.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Her relationship with Bai Shixi had always been somewhat unclear—she acted only in ways that benefited her.
Bai Shixi had tipped her off, allowing her to avoid Li Peilan’s schemes, so she owed her a favor. At the same time, she could use this opportunity to suppress Li Peilan’s influence—a classic case of killing two birds with one stone.
“I hadn’t received any prior news about Li Peilan’s matter,” Xiao Muchen said.
Mingxi smiled. “Affairs between women rarely spread outside so easily. It’s only natural that Wangye wouldn’t know.”
Hearing her understanding tone, Xiao Muchen couldn’t help but furrow his brows slightly.
Mingxi looked at him curiously. “You’re free now?”
“Father has gone to rest, so we can all tend to our own matters for the time being.”
Now that the emperor was absent, his sons could finally relax.
“Though, I doubt it’ll stay peaceful for long,” Xiao Muchen added.
Before Mingxi could grasp his meaning, she saw Miao Sheng jogging over. He bowed respectfully to the two of them. “Wangye, my lady. A message from the Crown Prince—he invites the Wangyes, princesses, and ladies Sun and Zheng to the Eastern Palace for a gathering.”
Mingxi glanced at Xiao Muchen, already having anticipated this.
Xiao Muchen also looked at her. “Do you want to go?”
“Do I even have a choice?” Mingxi asked.
After all, this was an invitation from the Crown Prince.
Xiao Muchen gave a faint smile, though there was a trace of coldness in his eyes. “It’s just a casual gathering. His Highness is broad-minded—surely, he wouldn’t take offense.”
Hearing his sarcastic tone, Mingxi actually found it rather familiar.
Tsk.
Now he’s starting to resemble his past self.
“I’ve always been considerate—why would I make things difficult for Wangye? Since I have nothing else to do, I might as well go and see for myself,” Mingxi said.
If you want to catch a tiger cub, you have to enter the tiger’s den.
If she wanted to know what the Crown Prince was up to, she had to attend in person.
Xiao Muchen nodded. “If you want to go, I’ll accompany you.”
Mingxi: …
Why did that sound so odd?
Miao Sheng led the way, while Qi He and the others followed from a distance.
Mingxi and Xiao Muchen walked side by side. The Eastern Palace was connected to the imperial palace by a single gate.
After stepping through the gate, they walked along a corridor, crossed a small garden, and soon arrived.
The palace attendants were already waiting. Seeing the two approach, they quickly stepped forward to greet them and then led the way inside.
Halfway there, they ran into Kang Wang and Zheng Siyu, who had arrived from another direction.
Kang Wang quickened his pace. “Fourth Brother.”
Xiao Muchen nodded. “You just got here too?”
“Yes, I came as soon as I heard the news,” Kang Wang replied with a warm smile.
Mingxi looked up and met Zheng Siyu’s gaze. They exchanged a smile.
The marriage between Xu Heng and Xiao Ling was nearly settled. Zheng Siyu’s mother had mentioned to her that Mingxi had played a role in facilitating it.
Their families had a good relationship with Duke Wei’s household. Since Xu Heng had secured a good marriage and avoided being ensnared by Duke Cao’s faction, Zheng Siyu was happy for him.
Because of this, she now viewed Mingxi quite favorably.
She thought to herself, though her family background was better than that of Dingyuan Marquis, Kang Wang was far inferior to Duan Wang. Her calculations weighed heavily on her mind.
Duan Wang and Kang Wang walked ahead, while Mingxi and Zheng Siyu followed behind. Despite their infrequent interactions, they quickly became familiar through their shared involvement in Xu Heng and Xiao Ling’s marriage arrangements.
Zheng Siyu, not one to gossip, lowered her voice and spoke to Mingxi, “For those few days, my aunt was so worried she couldn’t eat. She didn’t dare to offend the other side lightly, so she had to ask Jieyu to plead with Consort Shu for help.”
Mingxi nodded slightly. “Consort Shu is a kind-hearted person. Naturally, she would help if she could.”
Zheng Siyu looked at Mingxi’s earnest expression and swallowed the words on the tip of her tongue. After all, Miss Duan had only recently returned to her family, so how could she know about Consort Shu’s past deeds in the palace? Any consort who raised a son and maintained a place among the four consorts of the imperial court was no easy character.
Otherwise, why would Qian Jieyu, despite having also borne a son, remain a lesser-ranked jieyu?
It wasn’t due to a lack of beauty.
Nor was it due to not having a son.
Zheng Siyu recalled Consort Shu’s great affection for Duan Wang, even personally pleading with the Emperor on his behalf to marry Mingxi.
Truly a devoted mother.
Moreover, because of her fondness for Duan Wang, Consort Shu also cherished Mingxi. From Mingxi’s perspective, Consort Shu must indeed seem like a good person.
“You’re absolutely right. Consort Shu is indeed a kind, understanding, and helpful person.”
You mustn’t stir up trouble between the daughter-in-law and her mother-in-law. If Consort Shu finds out what she’s been saying behind her back, she might just eat her alive.
She barely has a few ounces of flesh on her; she wouldn’t be able to withstand a beating.
Zheng Siyu’s tone was so sincere that Mingxi was momentarily stunned.
If she hadn’t seen what Consort Shu was like in her past life, she might have actually believed it.
