That night, Mingxi didn’t sleep well. Her dreams were filled with confrontations against the Empress and her son. She woke up with a headache.
After freshening up and eating breakfast, she went to pay respects to her grandmother.
The scholars in the household were off studying, the officials had gone to court, and most of the men were nowhere to be seen. Of course, Marquis Dingyuan was an exception.
Lately, it seemed he had been enchanted by someone outside—three out of five days, he wasn’t even coming home at night.
Normally, Mingxi didn’t pay these matters much mind. As a junior, it wasn’t her place to meddle in the private affairs of her elders.
But with things being so sensitive right now, she naturally paid more attention.
After leaving the Old Madam’s quarters, she went to visit Yang Yiniang’s courtyard.
As soon as Cai Juan, Yang Yiniang’s maid, looked up and saw the young lady, she quickly stood to greet her. “Greetings, young lady.”
Mingxi asked, “Is Yang Yiniang in?”
“She is, she is,” Cai Juan answered quickly. “Please come in, young lady. I’ll go fetch Yang Yiniang right away.”
Mingxi followed her into the main sitting room and sat down. Cai Juan ordered a little maid to bring tea and hurried off to call her mistress.
But Yang Yiniang had already heard Mingxi’s voice and came out on her own before Cai Juan could enter.
“Greetings, young eldest miss,” Yang Yiniang said as she stepped forward.
Mingxi helped support her gently. “Sorry to come uninvited, Yiniang. I hope I’m not disturbing you.”
“Young lady visiting is a blessing for me,” Yang Yiniang said warmly. “If it weren’t for my lowly status, I’d wish to greet you every day. Truly.”
Yang Yiniang was sincerely grateful. If it hadn’t been for the young lady, her son wouldn’t have risen so quickly in his career.
The little maid brought tea and bowed out, while Cai Juan stayed by the door to keep watch, giving them space to talk.
Mingxi took a sip of tea and, after a moment of thought, slowly began, “Yang Yiniang, we’ve known each other a long time. There are some things I can’t ask others, so I came to ask you.”
Hearing this made Yang Yiniang happy—it meant the young lady trusted her. She quickly replied, “Young lady, whatever you want to ask, just ask. If I know, I’ll tell you everything.”
Mingxi hesitated, then gathered herself and asked, “I want to know—has the Marquis been spending less time here with you lately?”
Seeing Mingxi’s uneasy expression, Yang Yiniang immediately understood. For a daughter to ask about her father’s bedroom matters, it was indeed awkward.
But Mingxi wasn’t an ordinary girl—she was different from the rest.
Yang Yiniang quickly replied, “So the young lady already knows. This kind of thing couldn’t be hidden for long anyway.”
Mingxi looked at her. “What do you mean by that, Yiniang?”
Yang Yiniang sighed and said, “Young lady, I’m getting on in years, and my child is already an official. Beauty doesn’t last forever. If the Marquis has someone outside, I don’t dare complain.”
Mingxi’s heart gave a small jolt. She looked at Yang Yiniang and asked, “If the Marquis fancies someone, he can have Madam formally bring her into the household. For you to say this… could it be that the woman isn’t from a proper family?”
Yang Yiniang sighed again. “This is something I can only say to you, young lady. I don’t dare mention a word of it in front of Madam. We women who serve with our looks are especially sensitive to this kind of thing. To tell you something that might make you laugh—I can even smell the change in his scent.”
Mingxi: …
That really wasn’t something she wanted to hear.
“Young lady, it’s not your place to interfere in this. Forgive me for saying something bold—but if word of this got out, it wouldn’t be good for your reputation.”
Mingxi understood this.
She looked at Yang Yiniang and asked, “Does Madam know about this?”
“She probably doesn’t know yet; the master has often been away from home before.”
Mingxi looked at Yang Yiniang and said, “Now that Second Brother has entered the Hanlin Academy and Madam treats him better than before, you should take this opportunity to express your gratitude to her and clarify things.”
“What?”
Yang Yiniang was taken aback. “Miss, do you think this will work?”
Mingxi explained patiently, seeing that Yang Yiniang didn’t understand the complexity of the situation: “If the person outside is good, then bringing her into the household as a Yiniang wouldn’t be a problem.”
Yang Yiniang nodded. Now that her son had made a name for himself, she no longer had to cling to the master as she did before. She also understood that, despite her efforts to maintain her youthful appearance, she couldn’t compare to younger girls, which she was fully aware of.
“But what if the person outside has bad intentions? If she lures the master into something improper, it’s our eldest and second brothers who will suffer the most.”
Yang Yiniang’s face paled as she suddenly understood Mingxi’s meaning. She stood up with a snap. “Miss, I understand now. I’ll go speak to Madam.”
Even if it meant bowing her head to Madam, she was willing to do it—for the sake of her son.
“Don’t rush, Yiniang, let me finish,” Mingxi said.
“Please go ahead, Miss.”
“When you meet Madam, just say that the future of the eldest and second brothers is at stake and ask her to investigate the situation outside. Madam may not be concerned about other matters, but the future of eldest brother is crucial to her. Also, by informing Madam, you are doing her a service. In the future, whether it’s because of Second Brother or the credit you’ve earned, Madam will be less likely to meddle in Third Sister’s marriage. It’s ultimately a good thing.”
Yang Yiniang hadn’t expected Mingxi to plan this out so carefully. She tightly gripped her handkerchief, overwhelmed with gratitude. “Miss, you’ve been so considerate toward Third Miss and toward me. I can never repay you.”
“Yiniang, don’t mention it. Second Brother, Third Sister, and I are all family, we should help each other,” Mingxi said, standing up. “I hope we’re wrong about this situation, but if not…”
“If not, Miss, don’t worry, I’ll take care of the rest,” Yang Yiniang said through gritted teeth. “Anyone who tries to harm my son’s future, I won’t let them off easily.”
Mingxi could investigate and deal with it herself, but since she didn’t have much emotional connection to the couple, they would likely be wary of her no matter what she did. It was better to let Yang Yiniang handle it.
Besides, she didn’t want to get her hands dirty with this matter.
She only hoped she was overthinking it.
If it weren’t for Jin Wangfei’s miscarriage, making her realize that the Empress people had already infiltrated Jin Wang’s residence, she wouldn’t have even considered the fact that her father had been staying out late recently.
If this was indeed a malicious scheme, what was the goal?
Could Mingxi not be worried?
Yang Yiniang acted swiftly. After Mingxi left, she immediately went to see Madam Jiang.
“Madam, I know I’ve offended you in the past, but this matter is truly strange,” Yang Yiniang said, aware of how to approach the situation to make Madam more receptive.
Madam Jiang let out a hum at her words. Yang Yiniang had often opposed her in the past, but now, for her son’s sake, she was willing to bow down?
It felt somewhat satisfying, but as Yang Yiniang continued speaking, Madam Jiang’s expression shifted, and she asked, “Are you telling the truth?”
Yang Yiniang sighed. “Madam, how could I dare speak nonsense about such a matter? The master used to stay half the time in my quarters, but now, even when he stays overnight, it’s mostly just to rest. If he weren’t exhausted by those temptresses outside, how could this happen?”
Madam Jiang: …
She really dared to say anything!
As the rightful wife, hearing such things was almost enough to make her ears burn.
But Yang Yiniang, who had once been a concubine, wasn’t embarrassed to speak so bluntly in front of Madam Jiang, since she knew her place. She needed to be even harsher in order for Madam Jiang to take her seriously.
