“Qinan previously requested reinforcements, but the court refused,” Duan Yu said gravely. “I heard from the Ministry of War that someone deliberately blocked the reinforcements and advised His Majesty that Marquis Fengcheng was overly ambitious. Because no reinforcements arrived, Marquis Fengcheng lost the battle against Qinan.”
Mingxi had heard Xiao Muchen mention the situation in Qinan before, but she hadn’t expected things to escalate so severely.
“Marquis Fengcheng was defeated—will the court hold him accountable?”
“The court is in an uproar,” Duan Yu explained. “One faction demands severe punishment for Marquis Fengcheng, while another argues that his request for reinforcements was denied and that he fought alone with no support, making his defeat understandable.
“Right now, no one knows where His Majesty stands on the issue. Everyone is hesitant to speak too forcefully, but I heard that Marquis Fengcheng is in serious danger this time.”
Mingxi immediately thought of how the Crown Prince had used Imperial Censor Zhong to impeach Duke Wei. Had he already known about this and was simply using it to cut off Marquis Fengcheng’s support while dragging Duke Wei down with him?
If Duke Wei had his hands full dealing with his own troubles, he wouldn’t be able to help Marquis Fengcheng.
A rare chill settled in Mingxi’s heart. These people—did they ever consider the lives of the soldiers fighting on the battlefield?
Did they really think those soldiers and the common people deserved to die?
The Crown Prince…
“Mingxi, what’s wrong? Your face looks terrible.” Duan Yu was startled and quickly asked.
Mingxi shook her head, glanced at her brother, and asked, “Eldest Brother, can you communicate with the Minister of War?”
“I can still pass a message through,” Duan Yu replied. “What do you want me to do?”
“Let me think about it first.” Mingxi stood under the eaves, gazing up at the sky.
Marquis Fengcheng must not fall. Duke Wei must not fall either. If they were both taken down and the Crown Prince replaced them with his own people, it would be disastrous for both Xiao Muchen and herself.
In this life, the Crown Prince was acting much more aggressively than in the last.
She hadn’t expected him to move against Marquis Fengcheng so soon.
It all came down to Xiao Lin.
The Crown Prince and the Empress had offended Ning Qin Wang, making it extremely difficult for them to recruit new allies.
Meanwhile, Ning Qin Wang had sent his son to serve under Marquis Fengcheng. If Xiao Lin achieved military success and returned to the capital, Ning Qin Wang’s influence would only grow—something the Crown Prince and the Empress absolutely did not want to see happen.
Mingxi slowly calmed herself and looked at her brother. “This is a serious matter. You shouldn’t get involved lightly.”
The Military Selection Division was useful, but it didn’t hold enough weight.
If her brother stepped in and drew unwanted attention, he could end up in danger himself.
Duan Yu frowned. “What? You don’t trust me?”
Mingxi: …
“Of course, I trust you. I just think that, at your current rank, your position isn’t quite high enough yet.”
Duan Yu felt as if he had been struck. He immediately fell silent.
The siblings stared at each other for a long moment before Duan Yu let out a deep sigh. It was his own sister—what else could he do? He just had to endure it.
“Ye Shangshu is different from Zhou Yuan. He is relatively fair in his decisions,” Duan Yu said seriously. “After the last incident, I’ve also learned a lot.”
“It’s good that you’ve improved,” Mingxi said. “Besides, you can’t stay in the Military Selection Division forever. If you want to advance, you’ll need to study harder.”
Duan Yu: …
Another critical hit. He deeply regretted not studying harder when he had the chance.
“Since you don’t need my help, what do you plan to do?” Duan Yu asked. “You can’t always rely on Duan Wang. If you marry him in the future, how will you hold your head high?”
Mingxi looked up at him, seeing his furrowed brows and the concern in his eyes. He seemed genuinely worried.
In her past life, Duan Yu had been aimless, drifting through life without ambition. He had little affection for his siblings and always prioritized himself above all else.
But the Duan Yu before her now—he was still the same person, but perhaps his experiences in the Military Selection Division, rising from a minor official to a court censor, had given him a new perspective. He had learned the importance of family unity and had grown significantly in character.
Thinking of this, she smiled. “Thank you, Big Brother, for your concern. Duan Wang already knows about this matter. I just don’t know yet whether he has received any news about Qinan.”
Duan Yu cleared his throat. Alright then.
“This matter also involves the previous rejection of Marquis Fengcheng’s request for reinforcements. Back then, quite a few officials obstructed it. For the sake of their own reputations and personal interests, they’ll probably want to trample on Marquis Fengcheng now,” Duan Yu said, returning to the previous topic.
“Did you come up with this yourself?” Mingxi asked curiously.
Duan Yu glanced at his sister before slowly replying, “I overheard it by accident when the Ministry of War officials were discussing.”
By accident?
Mingxi looked at Duan Yu and said, “You have a point. This is indeed something to guard against. But our family has never had any dealings with Marquis Fengcheng. If you step forward rashly, people will inevitably suspect Wangye, so we must be cautious.”
Duan Yu immediately understood why his sister didn’t want him to intervene.
It made sense—Duan Wang would be his brother-in-law in the future. If he stepped in now, people would naturally connect it to Wangye.
Thinking this through, he said, “Then what should we do? I can’t think of a good solution right now.”
If only he were a bit smarter.
“I’m already pleasantly surprised that you shared this information with me,” Mingxi said with a smile. “As for what to do, I don’t have a solution yet either. I’ll have Li Quan deliver the news to Wangye’s residence first and see if His Highness has a plan.”
Perhaps Xiao Muchen had already received the news.
“That’s all we can do for now. I’m just too useless. When you need me, I can’t be of any help,” Duan Yu said, feeling a rare sense of frustration. He had been working hard to improve himself, but it still wasn’t enough.
“How can you say that? Not everyone is born naturally gifted. Many people make up for their shortcomings through diligence. You’ve already done very well.”
Duan Yu looked at his younger sister comforting him, and an indescribable feeling of sorrow welled up in his heart. As the elder brother, he should have been her shelter, but instead, he was the one relying on her.
“I’ll keep working hard.”
One day, I will truly fulfill my duty as an elder brother.
Mingxi didn’t catch the deeper meaning behind his words. She only thought that his desire to improve was a good thing, so she encouraged him before they both returned to the main hall.
By the time Second Master Duan and Third Master Duan arrived at the residence, there was still no sign of Dingyuan Marquis. Madam Jiang struggled to maintain a composed expression, forcing a smile despite her embarrassment.
The old master hadn’t been in good health recently and didn’t join them for the meal today, but the Old Madam was in good spirits. Seeing that it was getting late, she decided not to wait for her eldest son and had the servants begin serving the meal.
The room soon filled with lively conversation. Mingxi sat at the Old Madam’s table, while Madam Jiang sat with her two sisters-in-law, Second Master, Third Master, Duan Yu, and Madam Xiao, who was helping serve the dishes. The Old Madam invited her to sit down as well.
Only then did Madam Jiang say, “You should eat too.”
Madam Xiao smiled and obediently went to sit at Duan Huirou’s table. Meanwhile, Duan Jin and his younger brothers sat together, chatting and laughing.
As the maids brought out the dishes, the Ols Madam smiled at her two sons and asked how their work was going.
Third Master Duan had already established himself at the Imperial Stables and nodded repeatedly, assuring her that things were going well. However, as he spoke, his eyes swept over to Mingxi.
Mingxi immediately understood—her third uncle had something to discuss with her. She gave him a slight nod, signaling that they would talk after the meal.
