Bai Shixi’s words put the Empress in a difficult position. She glanced at her son—this was all his fault.
Crown Prince: …
“Why are you looking at me like that?” he asked, puzzled.
The Empress simply turned to Bai Shixi and asked directly, “I heard that your elder sister is making a scene about getting a divorce. Do you know about this?”
Bai Shixi’s expression flickered with surprise before turning slightly anxious. “I did not know. No one from my family has sent word to me. Royal Mother, my sister and her husband have known each other since childhood and have always been deeply in love. How could they suddenly talk about divorce? Could there be some misunderstanding?”
Although everyone knew that Bai Shixi and Bai Zhiwei did not get along, no one knew the full extent of their animosity.
Bai Zhiwei was good at maintaining a facade, and Bai Shixi had learned to follow suit—especially in front of the Empress and the Crown Prince.
“I heard that you two have never gotten along since childhood. Are you sure you’re not pretending not to know?”
The Empress’s words were laced with accusation. Bai Shixi’s heart grew colder.
Your son is the one who caused this mess—don’t you already know that?
Yet now, you turn around and pin the blame on me? Truly impressive.
Bai Shixi let out a small sigh, her face showing a hint of sorrow. “It is my own failing. My sister and I have had our disagreements, but they were always minor. Which siblings do not have small quarrels? We had long since put those matters behind us.”
Besides, she had already made her stance clear to Bai Zhiwei on her wedding day. If Bai Zhiwei and the others still dared to cross her, she would not hold back.
The Empress listened to Bai Shixi’s words, then fixed her gaze on her and asked, “Then why didn’t Duke Zhen’s household inform you about the matter concerning Duke Gao’s residence?”
“Perhaps my family knew that I had just married into the Eastern Palace and that I was still getting accustomed to handling its affairs. They wouldn’t want to burden me with family matters and cause me unnecessary worry.”
Bai Shixi frowned slightly. “Royal Mother, I will have someone look into this when I return. Divorce is no small matter—there might be some misunderstanding. As long as everything is discussed openly, things can be resolved.”
The Empress carefully observed Bai Shixi’s expression. Seeing her sincerity and the clarity in her eyes, she cast a glance at her son and then said in a warning tone, “Since that is the case, you must handle this matter properly. Do not cause trouble for the Crown Prince.”
Bai Shixi responded softly, “Yes.”
So, the Empress wanted her to step in and resolve the conflict between Bai Zhiwei and Duchess Gao? Was she trying to make a fool of her and push her into the role of the villain?
What a well-calculated move—worthy of an Empress who sat securely on her throne. She could deal a fatal blow without even drawing blood.
“Royal Mother…” The Crown Prince had already caught on to the implication and was about to intervene, but the Empress cut him off. “Crown Princess, you should return and handle your family affairs first.”
“Yes, this daughter-in-law takes her leave.” Bai Shixi obediently saluted and withdrew.
The Empress left the Crown Prince behind, undoubtedly to discuss Bai Zhiwei’s matter in secret.
As soon as Bai Shixi left, the Crown Prince asked, “Royal Mother, what do you mean by this?”
“You still dare ask me? Look at what you’ve done!” The Empress scolded angrily. “That hot spring estate outside the city—why did you suddenly give it to Bai Zhiwei? Are you just handing people leverage against you?”
The Crown Prince replied indifferently, “That estate originally belonged to Gao Zhan. Even if Bai Zhiwei receives it, others will only assume it was a gift from Gao Zhan to appease his wife.”
“And what about Gao Zhan?”
“I told him that Duan Mingxi had already achieved her goal through that estate. It no longer served any purpose for me, so I gave it to him as a reward,” the Crown Prince explained.
“You didn’t tell Gao Zhan that you were giving it to Bai Zhiwei?”
“How could I say such a thing? I only mentioned that one must first manage their household before governing the country.”
The turmoil within Duke Gao’s household had been escalating, tarnishing Gao Zhan’s reputation. Being a clever man, he naturally understood that gifting the estate to Bai Zhiwei would be a way to pacify her.
Who would have expected that Duchess Gao would find out, creating yet another commotion?
“Duchess Gao is a fool—grasping onto trivial matters so stubbornly. Does she not realize she’s jeopardizing her own son’s future?” The Empress fumed.
“She doesn’t understand the underlying schemes. I will inform Gao Zhan myself,” the Crown Prince replied.
The Empress was still dissatisfied, her gaze sharp with displeasure. Slowly, she remarked, “With a mother like that, Gao Zhan may not be as capable as we hoped. In my opinion, you should look elsewhere for a more suitable ally. You once claimed Bai Zhiwei was competent, but look at how she handled the matter with Duke Wei’s household. Not only did she fail, but she also alerted the enemy. It will be even harder to win over Duke Wei and his son now.”
“The matter concerning Qiu Yun is already set in stone. The reason it wasn’t exposed earlier was precisely for this moment. Since Duke Wei refuses to cooperate, there’s no need to shield him any longer,” the Crown Prince said coldly.
The Empress studied her son and asked, “Are you planning to have him impeached?”
“Duke Wei was involved in the previous incident with Fengcheng Marquis. I had tolerated it for the sake of future utility, but now that he has walked himself into a dead end, he has no one to blame but himself.”
“Who do you intend to use for the impeachment?”
“Censor Zhong. What does Royal Mother think?”
“Zhong Yuqing is proud and self-righteous. He may not be willing to take orders from the Eastern Palace,” the Empress pointed out.
“I won’t approach him directly—I’ll simply leak the matter regarding Qiu Yun to him. He is known for his righteous indignation and will not stand idly by once he learns the truth.”
“A borrowed knife to kill,” the The Empress mused, a smile playing at her lips. “Not a bad plan. Duke Wei and Fengcheng Marquis are close allies. Once Duke Wei falls, Fengcheng Marquis will be isolated. Even if Xiao Lin ends up under his wing, he’ll eventually have no choice but to slink back to the capital in disgrace.”
The Empress harbored deep resentment toward Ning Qin Wang. If not for him, the Emperor would not have grown so displeased with the Crown Prince.
Xiao Yan’s poisoning, Xiao Lin’s departure from the capital—incident after incident had solidified the enmity between the Eastern Palace and Ning Qin Wang’s household.
***
As dawn broke, Mingxi indulged in rare laziness. The previous night’s family banquet had led to a few extra cups of fruit wine, and she had slept soundly, losing all sense of time. When she opened her eyes, she still felt a slight dizziness.
“Miss, are you awake?”
“Come in,” Mingxi sat up and heard Qiancao’s footsteps approach. Moments later, the golden peony-patterned bed curtains were lifted and hung onto the jade hooks.
“Miss, you’re awake.” Qiancao stepped forward to help her up and assisted with her morning routine.
As Mingxi slipped on her shoes and walked out, she asked, “What’s the matter?”
“The housekeeper from Duke Rong’s household came by. Their young lady invites you to have tea at Peony Terrace.”
Tea? Out of the blue?
Mingxi stretched out her arms as Xiangxiang and the other maids helped her get dressed. She asked again, “Did they mention why?”
“No, just that she wants to have tea with you,” Qiancao replied while fastening Mingxi’s sash, not lifting her head.
How peculiar. Knowing Liu Yunhua’s personality, if it weren’t important, she would have sent a clearer message.
This vagueness was suspicious. Duke Rong’s household hadn’t been involved in anything notable lately—except for the poisoning incident of Xiao Yan. Liu Yan had been terrified and reportedly spent several days guarding Ning Qin Wang’s residence.
Now their families were discussing marriage.
