Madam Jiang felt bitterness spread from her mouth to her heart. Her eyes stung, slowly turning red as she clutched her handkerchief and sat on the couch by the window, her face full of dejection.
At this moment, Duan Qi’s mood was just as terrible. The Jiang family was no longer the maternal home he remembered.
The mother and son sat facing each other. The intensity of their earlier argument now gave way to an equally awkward silence.
Duan Qi took a deep breath, looked at his mother, and said, “I was too impulsive and didn’t ask for clarification before jumping to conclusions. I apologize for misunderstanding you.”
He then stood up and bowed deeply.
Madam Jiang was startled and quickly got up to support her son, feeling a bit uncomfortable. “As long as we’ve cleared things up, that’s what matters. There’s no need to dwell on right and wrong between mother and son.”
After saying that, she cautiously glanced at her son. “So, what do you think should be done about this matter?”
As for Duan Mingxi, this daughter of hers—she truly had no idea how to communicate with her. Even when they met, she didn’t know what to say.
Madam Jiang couldn’t get past the cold attitude Mingxi showed her, but at the same time, she couldn’t bring herself to love her the way she loved Huirou.
Whether it was estrangement or resentment, once it took root, it became incredibly difficult to resolve.
Especially when both sides were unwilling to compromise, making reconciliation even more unlikely.
“Mother, who else knows about this matter?”
“Who else would I tell about something like this?”
She wished no one knew. After the incident at the Duke’s Manor, she had already become a laughingstock in the capital. Even someone as stubborn as her understood that, for Huirou’s sake and for her younger son’s future marriage, she couldn’t afford to make any more foolish mistakes.
Duan Qi understood—this meant that their grandparents and father were still unaware. Looking at his mother, he said, “You should return to the Jiang family and explain everything to Grandmother. Otherwise, if Aunt happens to bring it up at a family gathering during the holidays, it’ll be impossible to contain the situation.”
“They wouldn’t, would they?” Madam Jiang’s heart pounded. Would her mother and sister-in-law really go that far?
“If they weren’t planning to, they wouldn’t have misled me in the first place. The Jiang family has been kind to me, but that doesn’t mean my eldest sister should bear the consequences on my behalf.”
Duan Qi looked at his mother seriously. He worried that she might try to evade the issue, so he gave her a harsher warning. “You know what kind of person Eldest Sister is. Because of Third Uncle, she already resents the Jiang family deeply. if she finds out they tried to scheme against her, I can’t predict what she’ll do. And if she does act, don’t blame her.”
Madam Jiang: …
Thinking of Mingxi’s temperament, Madam Madam Jiangvered.
She couldn’t let this daughter of hers turn her against her own family. It was better to go back now and settle the matter quietly. Getting scolded or even beaten behind closed doors was still better than having things escalate publicly and completely severing ties.
“I’ll go.”
The moment she spoke those words, she almost burst into tears.
She had lived a smooth-sailing life for half of her years. Ever since becoming the wife of a Marquis, she had always been treated with respect. Who would have thought that bringing this daughter back into the family would make her life increasingly difficult?
Clearly, she was born to bring her misfortune.
But now that Mingxi was back, Madam Jiang couldn’t afford to provoke her—nor could she escape from her.
“Would you like me to go with you?” Seeing his mother in such distress, Duan Qi felt bad and offered to accompany her.
Getting scolded was one thing, but she couldn’t let her son witness it. Madam Jiang refused without hesitation.
That very afternoon, she returned to the Jiang family. When she came back, she was so worn out that the next day she claimed illness and skipped her morning visit to the Old Madam.
When Mingxi found out, she didn’t even bat an eye. As it happened, Duan Qi had also returned from the Jiang family that day in a fit of rage. Though he tried to avoid being seen, Li Quan still caught a glimpse of his state.
Sensing that something was off, Li Quan did some discreet inquiries, and that was how Mingxi learned what the Jiang family had been planning.
She could already guess what would happen next—after failing to withstand the pressure from her family, Madam Jiang would likely come to negotiate with her.
However, Duan Qi had intervened, resolving the matter before it ever reached her.
He hadn’t even mentioned a word of it to her.
This younger brother of hers…
Mingxi chuckled softly. The more she interacted with him, the more she found him quite decent.
Duan Qi also got along well with Duan Ning. Despite their difference in status, Duan Qi, having studied under Teacher Zhou in the capital, had made many scholarly acquaintances and often took Duan Ning along to introduce him to others.
Duan Ning was later accepted as a disciple under Chen Qiting, and with that association, he gained some recognition among the scholars of the capital.
Upon learning this, Yang Yiniang personally made a pair of shoes as a thank-you gift for Duan Qi and crafted a beautifully embroidered dress for Mingxi.
Even Duan Qingyin prepared small handmade items like fan covers and shoes for Duan Yu and Duan Qi. The bond between the siblings seemed to be growing stronger.
Yang Yiniang was pleased by this development, but Madam Jiang was not.
She wasn’t happy, but she also knew better than to interfere.
Her son was grown now and had his own thoughts. Since she couldn’t stop him, she chose to feign ignorance.
Ever since her last meeting with Jiang Sujie, Duan Huirou had been listless. And after Duan Qi updated her on the aftermath of the situation, she felt even worse.
Even within the household, she barely left her courtyard except to pay respects to the elders.
Noticing this, Duan Qingyin felt something was amiss and deliberately invited Duan Min and Duan Rong to chat with her. They also brought along some needlework to keep things lively. Only then did Duan Huirou’s spirits lift somewhat.
Mingxi, however, stayed out of it. As long as there was no major trouble, she didn’t concern herself with what happened to Duan Huirou.
After the Small New Year, His Majesty ceased official duties, and the capital became even livelier. Banquets were increasing in number, and Mingxi received many invitations, all of which she politely declined.
The Marquis family was thriving. With both the second and third masters securing official positions, their wives were receiving more invitations and had been attending more social gatherings as the year-end approached.
In contrast, Madam Jiang, the official Marquis Madam, had become far less prominent.
Madam Jiang: …
She was furious but could do nothing about it.
Her husband had no ambition and was merely living off his noble title. Now that the second and third masters had official appointments, it was only natural that they were in the limelight.
As the year drew to a close, the palace remained relatively quiet—likely due to previous incidents involving Yu Wang. At the grand annual banquet, Mingxi accompanied Madam Jiang, but for the smaller palace gatherings, the Empress did not invite the young noblewomen who had yet to marry into the royal family.
The Crown Prince’s residence was also unusually subdued this year. Fewer banquets were hosted, and even officials visiting the palace were not granted entry.
The news reached the palace, and the emperor was naturally pleased.
However, upon receiving the news, Mingxi’s expression grew even more solemn.
On New Year’s Eve, Mingxi stayed up with the entire Marquis family. Dozens of people from the three branches gathered together, setting off fireworks, playing cards, and enjoying a game of pitch-pot.
With her martial arts skills, Mingxi stood out effortlessly.
None of the young masters in the household were a match for her.
The old master’s beard trembled with anger as he declared that after the new year, he would invite a martial arts master to the estate to train the younger generation—lest they truly become weak, bookish scholars incapable of even catching a chicken.
The young masters of the Marquis family: …
Mingxi’s eyes carried a faint smile. She found this idea quite agreeable.
She was delighted.
Outside the curtain, Qiancao’s silhouette flickered. Upon seeing her, Mingxi quietly stepped outside and stood by the curtain, asking, “What is it?”
Qiancao looked somewhat puzzled and whispered, “Miss, Wangye’s carriage is outside the estate. He requests to see you.”
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