Mingxi’s shock was probably too obvious because Liu Yan belatedly realized—maybe he shouldn’t have said that.
Yu Wang was his cousin. Shouldn’t he at least pretend to be a little sad?
But he really couldn’t fake it.
Xiao Yan, on the other hand, had no idea what Liu Yan was thinking. She simply nodded seriously. “Exactly. Cousin is truly foolish. if you ever dare to indulge in debauchery outside, I’ll break your legs.”
Liu Yan: …
Yu Wang was the one who made the mistake, so why was he the one getting threatened?
Mingxi watched these two troublemakers and felt her mood lighten.
How nice. In this world, aside from people like her who carried heavy burdens, there were still so many who lived happily, freely, and easily.
To go through life having all that one wished for and finding joy in what one obtained—wasn’t that the greatest fortune?
Liu Yan noticed Mingxi’s improved mood, hesitated for a moment, then asked, “What do you think His Majesty will do about Yu Wang’s situation?”
Mingxi looked at him and countered, “How much do you actually know about Yu Wang’s affairs?”
Liu Yan was taken aback, then fell silent.
He had heard bits and pieces from his Father, which had left him frustrated. That was why he had come out to the lake with Xiao Yan today—to distract himself.
He wasn’t particularly capable, nor could he do anything to help Yu Wang, but he still felt that Yu Wang’s actions were unwise.
Xiao Yan frowned at Liu Yan. “What do you mean? Is there more to this?”
She knew nothing about it.
Liu Yan didn’t want to burden her, so he quickly said, “Whatever the case, the elders will handle it. We shouldn’t add to the mess.”
“That’s true.” Xiao Yan agreed completely. Then she turned to Mingxi. “Sister Xi, nothing bad will happen, right?”
Mingxi shook her head. “Who dares to predict the Emperor’s will?”
“Right, I certainly don’t.” Xiao Yan laughed. “Even if Yu Wang made a mistake, His Majesty will probably just scold him. The real pity is for Yu Wangfei—having to deal with someone like He Wanyi. She’s going to have a hard time.”
Even if He Wanyi were to become a side consort, she had the backing of Xingan Marquis’s household. Meanwhile, Yu Wangfei’s mother had passed away early, her maternal family’s influence had waned, and her stepmother was He Wanyi’s biological aunt. How could she not be caught in the middle?
Liu Yan snorted. “That all depends on the Wangye.”
Xiao Yan shot him a glance. “That’s such an empty statement. if Yu Wang were that kind of man, would he have ended up entangled with He Wanyi in the first place?”
Liu Yan: …
Fair point.
Mingxi watched them. It seemed they weren’t aware yet that Chu Yaonian had gone to the palace to file a complaint. otherwise, they wouldn’t be so carefree.
But she didn’t say anything. Even if they knew, what could they do? It would only add to their worries. They might as well enjoy their happiness while they could.
After finishing her tea, Mingxi stood up to take her leave, estimating that there should be news from the palace soon.
Xiao Yan was reluctant to part, so she decided to ride back with Mingxi and promptly kicked Liu Yan out of the carriage.
Liu Yan: …
Who had been the one following him around like a little tail all those years? Now that they were officially engaged, suddenly he was an eyesore?
Sure enough—once you get something, you stop cherishing it.
Liu Yan walked away with a heart full of sorrow. Mingxi watched his retreating figure and silently lit a candle for him in her heart. He had worse things waiting for him at home.
Sitting in the carriage with Mingxi, Xiao Yan grinned. “My mother says I can’t get married until all three of my older brothers do. That’s going to take forever. Sister Xi, do you know any ways to get them married off quickly?”
Mingxi chuckled. “That, I have no solution for.”
Xiao Yan sighed. “It’s such a headache.”
“Are you that eager to get married?”
“Of course! I’ve liked him for so many years—how could I not want to?” Xiao Yan looked at Mingxi and teased, “Sister Xi, with how good Duan Wang is to you, don’t you want to marry him soon?”
No, she didn’t.
Mingxi simply smiled and changed the subject. “You just came of age. Waiting another two years is reasonable.”
Xiao Yan: …
She didn’t want to wait.
But for the sake of her brothers, she supposed she could.
She could only hope her future sisters-in-law would show up soon and take her brothers off her hands.
The carriage first stopped at Ning Qin Wang’s residence to drop Xiao Yan off. Xiao Yan was reluctant to part and wanted to invite Mingxi inside, but Mingxi politely declined.
After saying her goodbyes, Mingxi’s carriage slowly made its way toward the marquis’s estate.
Xiao Yan entered the residence and went straight to the main courtyard, where she found her mother handling household affairs. She had no patience for such trivial matters, so she simply went into the inner room to wait.
Ning Qin Wangfei shook her head helplessly, hurriedly finished her work, and then went to see her daughter. “Why are you back so late?”
If not for the guards accompanying her, she would have sent someone to fetch her long ago.
“I ran into Sister Xi by the lake, so we had some tea together.” Xiao Yan leaned against a silk pillow, smiling.
The Wangfei paused. Mingxi still had the leisure to visit the lake at a time like this?
“What did you two talk about?”
“Not much. We just mentioned Cousin Yu Wang’s situation.”
“What did Miss Duan say?”
“Big Sister Xi said something about different desires leading to different outcomes, but I don’t quite understand. I don’t understand, and neither does Cousin. Mother, what does this mean?”
Ning Qin Wangfei felt a pang in her heart. Her daughter was too naive, and her future son-in-law didn’t seem very reliable either. Two fools living together—who knew what their future would look like?
“Miss Duan’s words make sense. it’s like making a wish before Buddha—everyone wishes for something different, so naturally, they receive different outcomes.”
“Mother, you’re amazing! Now that you put it that way, I understand.”
Seeing her daughter’s cheerful expression, Ning Qin Wangfei gently pinched her cheek. “You’ve had a long day. Go back and rest. Your Father doesn’t know when he’ll return, so have dinner in your own courtyard and don’t wait for him.”
Xiao Yan agreed happily and left.
Once her daughter was gone, Ning Qin Wangfei’s smile slowly faded.
It seemed that Miss Duan and Yu Wang were not on the same path. What Yu Wang wanted was fundamentally at odds with Duan Wang’s position.
The question was whether the Eastern Palace could still remain untouched after this.
Thinking back to how the Empress and Crown Prince had protected Li Peilan when her daughter was poisoned, Ning Qin Wangfei couldn’t help but seethe with anger.
However, given Ning Qin Wang’s current stance, even he couldn’t openly express his position on this matter. He could only subtly push things along but couldn’t be too obvious about it.
Ever since their eldest son left the capital, the Emperor’s attitude toward Ning Qin Wang’s household had subtly changed.
She could only hope that this time, Duan Wang would achieve his goals. That way, her husband’s future path would be easier to navigate.
As for Xingan Marquis’s household…
Ning Qin Wangfei thought about how Xingan Marquis Madam had sent a request for a meeting that very morning. Naturally, she hadn’t agreed to it.
There was no need to guess why the Marquis Madam wanted to see her at this time—she wanted to drag them into this mess. Ning Qin Wangfei wanted no part of it.
Clearly, Xingan Marquis Madam and Jingyuan Marquis Madam were in league with each other. The matter of He Wanyi was far from simple.
if it weren’t for Ning Qin Wang’s warnings, she would have pushed things along herself. But for now, she could only wait for the results.
Hopefully, everything would go as planned.
—
Meanwhile, Mingxi had just returned to the Marquis Manor. After paying her respects to the Old Madam, she hadn’t even reached her own courtyard when a message arrived from the Duan Wang’s residence.
