By the time Mingxi returned to the Marquis Manor, it was already late. Not wanting to alarm anyone, she quietly made her way back to her courtyard with Qiancao.
Seeing their young lady covered in blood, Li Mama and Xiangxiang were shocked. They quickly fetched hot water and assisted her in bathing and changing clothes.
Soaking in the warm water, Mingxi finally relaxed completely.
She began recalling the night’s events—the assassins had struck swiftly and without warning.
That meant they had been lying in wait.
But that raised a question—this was the road leading to her home, not Xiao Muchen’s route back to his manor.
When Xiao Muchen had questioned her earlier, she had been too tense to consider this.
So, these assassins were after her?
Who wanted her dead?
Since her rebirth, she had always acted with caution, never forcing Gao Zhan and Bai Zhiwei into a desperate situation, nor driving them to their deaths.
Who had she offended so badly that they wanted her gone?
The Crown Prince?
Mingxi shook her head slightly. At this point, the Crown Prince had yet to solidify his power. He was still in a phase where he was careful about his reputation—he wouldn’t take such drastic action over someone like her.
The Empress?
Unlikely.
While the Empress didn’t favor her, neither Consort Shu nor Duan Wang had posed a major threat to the Crown Prince yet. As an unmarried future consort of Duan Wang, she wasn’t worth the Empress risking exposure over.
Then who?
Mingxi thought long and hard but couldn’t figure out who would want her dead.
Her head ached the more she pondered. Emerging from the bathing room, she let her two maids dry her hair with warm towels.
Li Mama brought over a bowl of calming soup, her eyes red with worry. “Miss, drink this while it’s hot. It’ll help you sleep.”
Mingxi nodded, taking small sips.
The soup didn’t taste particularly good, but she didn’t want to worry those who cared for her.
Once she had finished, Li Mama finally seemed slightly relieved. She helped Mingxi to bed, murmuring, “I don’t know which heartless wretch would do something so cruel. You’re such a good person, yet they still dared to attack you.”
“Tomorrow, I’ll go to the temple to pray for you, asking the Buddha to keep you safe and blessed. Ever since we returned to the capital, you’ve been facing one ordeal after another. If the master and madam knew, they’d be heartbroken. Please, Miss, be extra careful when you go out. If necessary, we can hire more guards to ensure your safety.”
Lying down, Mingxi listened to Li Mama’s rambling, her tension gradually easing. In a soft voice, she instructed, “Don’t tell my parents about tonight. They wouldn’t be able to help—only worry unnecessarily.”
With that, she slowly closed her eyes. The bed curtains fell, blocking out the flickering candlelight.
Li Mama, eyes still red, gently adjusted the curtains before tiptoeing out.
Mingxi had thought she wouldn’t be able to sleep. But perhaps it was the calming soup—before she knew it, she had drifted off.
“Miss! Miss, wake up! Something terrible has happened!”
Mingxi felt as though she had only just fallen asleep when Xiangxiang’s urgent voice jolted her awake. She immediately sat up, tossing back the bed curtains. “What happened?”
“The palace has sent a decree summoning you!” Xiangxiang’s face was pale.
Mingxi narrowed her eyes. If it was just a summons, why was Xiangxiang so frightened?
“What exactly is going on?”
Xiangxiang took a deep breath to steady herself before answering, “The palace says that last night, County Princess Muhua was poisoned by the dishes from your table. They’re summoning you to explain.”
Xiao Yan was poisoned?!
Mingxi immediately got out of bed.
Outside, Li Mama and Qiancao were already waiting with fresh clothes in their arms. Seeing their lady emerge, they quickly stepped forward to help her dress.
Li Mama, looking worried, asked with deep concern, “Miss, could there be trouble? What does this have to do with you? The food in the palace was the cause of the issue.”
Qiancao, with a pale face, said, “The more I think about it, the more afraid I become. County Princess Muhua poisoned herself by eating the food from Miss’s table. Does that mean someone was originally trying to poison Miss, but since she didn’t eat it, she narrowly escaped danger?”
“Wan Mama has arrived.”
Mingxi remained seated while Xiangxiang was brushing her hair.
Wan Mama entered, bowed, and spoke, “Miss, the old madam says you need not worry. Please go to the palace first. The manor will handle things here.”
“Please thank my grandmother for me,” Mingxi replied. “The incident happened so suddenly, and I’m unclear about the details. I’ll reassure Grandfather and Grandmother that I have done nothing wrong. It has nothing to do with me.”
Mingxi understood that the old madam had sent Wan Mama to deliver this message not only to calm her down but also to hint that the manor would support her. Of course, Mingxi needed to reassure them in return.
Sure enough, Wan Mama sighed in relief and said, “The old master and the palace eunuch have been inquiring about the situation. The eunuch only mentioned that the incident was sudden. Since County Princess Muhua ate the food from Miss’s table and was poisoned, the palace has asked for Miss to come and clarify things. The old madam told me to convey to Miss that if anyone falsely accuses you of poisoning, you must make sure to speak out in the palace. If the poison appeared in Miss’s food, it’s clear that someone meant to harm you. You must hold on to this point.”
Mingxi thought to herself that the old madam was very sharp and immediately grasped the key issue. “I understand.”
After delivering the message, Wan Mama hurried to leave and report back.
Mingxi changed her clothes and stood up to leave. The palace eunuch was waiting in the front hall. In the room were her grandfather and two uncles, who looked at her with concern when she entered.
Mingxi relaxed slightly, smiled at them to reassure them, and then stepped forward to greet her grandfather. Turning to the eunuch, she said, “Thank you for delivering the message. I am not late on purpose. Last night, I was attacked on my way back to the manor, and the shock caused me to sleep restlessly, which is why I am late.”
At these words, everyone in the room froze.
“Mingxi, what happened?” The old master suddenly stood up, angry.
Mingxi looked at him and said, “I returned late last night and didn’t want to disturb your rest, so I didn’t wake you. I was planning to tell you today, but this incident happened. Please forgive me, Grandfather.”
The old master wanted to ask for details, but the eunuch was urging her to hurry. He could only tell Mingxi to go ahead to the palace, and then he ordered for Qiancao, who had been with Mingxi yesterday, to be called in for questioning.
In the carriage on the way to the palace, Mingxi felt a bit dizzy and had a headache. She gathered her thoughts. One event after another was happening, leaving her unprepared.
It seemed that this was truly directed at her.
But she couldn’t understand who would want her dead.
The carriage stopped outside the palace gates. Mingxi got out and followed the eunuch.
The eunuch had been respectful in front of the old master at the manor, but now, as they left, he didn’t say a word to Mingxi the entire way.
Now that they were inside the palace, his steps became faster, and Mingxi narrowed her eyes, her gaze heavy.
This path was all too familiar. It led directly to Kunde Palace.
Inside the palace, the Empress was not present. The Empress’s maid, Lu Momo, met Mingxi with an unfriendly expression and immediately led her into the side hall before walking away.
The door to the hall shut, and everything fell silent.
Mingxi’s heart sank. What were they planning to do?
The people of Kunde Palace seemed to have already decided that she was guilty. Was this an attempt to intimidate her?
