The power plays among the palace consorts were far removed from Mingxi’s world, but the issue before her now had her troubled.
Liu Yunhua and Zhong Sheng were set to marry in August. Meanwhile, Yao Yunyi and Xu Nanxi were also being matched for marriage by their respective families.
Those two had relatively stable family situations, and while Duchess Wei favored her niece, she still cared deeply for her own daughter. Plus, the Old Madam of the Duke Wei household kept things in order.
Yao Yunyi’s engagement had seen some twists and turns, partly because of Yu Wang’s exile, but Guangxiang Marquis’s family was well-established and unwilling to let their daughter suffer. Guangxiang Marquis Madam had been actively networking.
Only Chu Qingying was in a dire situation. Her stepmother wished she could skin and sell her. Her own elder sister was pregnant and suffering from severe morning sickness, so naturally, she was preoccupied. Chu Qingying’s marriage had been affected by interference from Xingan Marquis’s household, making it very difficult to find a suitable match.
Chu Qingying invited Mingxi out for tea, looking worried. In a soft voice, she said, “It’s not like I’m aiming to marry into nobility. I just want a stable family—someone who could maybe even help my sister and little brother.”
Hearing that she didn’t mention anything about the man’s character, Mingxi’s heart sank slightly.
Duan Ning was good-looking and ambitious, but unfortunately a shu son. Chu Qingying’s position was already precarious. If she married a shu son, she’d become a laughingstock for both Jingyuan Marquis Madam and Xingan Marquis’s household.
The other young men in her circle were already married. Duan Qi was too young to even be considered.
Mingxi looked at her and said, “Don’t rush. That side wants to see you panic and lose control so they can manipulate you more easily.”
“I know. My sister says the same,” Chu Qingying sighed. “But I really can’t afford to delay. If I keep waiting, who knows when my brother can get married.”
“Has Chu shizi marriage been arranged already?” Mingxi asked.
Chu Qingying nodded slightly. “Father arranged it himself. He’s marrying the daughter of Guo Zi, the Shilang of Ministry of War—Lady Guo Yun.”
Guo Zi…
Mingxi recalled that her eldest brother had a good relationship with Guo Zi. Back when Duan Yu was promoted to langzhong, Guo Zi had lent a helpful hand.
“Lord Guo is a good official,” Mingxi said. Back then, in that difficult situation, he’d analyzed the pros and cons swiftly and made a sound decision with good results. He was certainly capable.
Chu Qingying sighed again. “It’s just that his rank is too low. I’m afraid my future sister-in-law won’t have the confidence to face a certain someone.”
Mingxi smiled. “Lord Guo may not have a lofty rank, but he’s in the Ministry of War—just below the shangshu himself. He holds real power.”
There were plenty of high-ranking officials in the capital, but not many who wielded actual authority.
Though a shilang couldn’t compete with the old noble families, he had his own advantages.
Thinking of this, Mingxi looked at Chu Qingying and said, “From the look of it, Jingyuan Marquis still has some fatherly affection for his shizi.”
This match seemed thoughtfully arranged.
Chu Qingying gave a faint smile. “It’s too soon to say. Let’s see what kind of match he finds for his younger son first.”
Mingxi could tell that Chu Qingying still held resentment toward her father. She thought for a moment and said, “Since that’s the case, why not ask the Marquis to take charge of your marriage?”
Chu Qingying pressed her lips together and stayed silent.
Mingxi knew she resented her father and didn’t want to bow her head.
“The more you act like this, the more delighted Jingyuan Marquis Madam will be. She’s eager for you and your father to be at odds—makes it easier for her to drive a wedge between you. You know this. Why still play into her hands?”
“I just… can’t swallow my pride!” Chu Qingying’s eyes turned red.
“Compared to your lifelong happiness, what does this little matter amount to? Besides, he is your father—asking him to make a decision for you is only natural.”
Chu Qingying looked at Mingxi. “But…”
Mingxi knew she had a knot in her heart and looked at her, saying, “Just think—if Jingyuan Marquis is willing to personally arrange your marriage, how do you think the Marquis Madam will react?”
“She’ll probably be furious.”
“Exactly. So if she’s upset, you should be delighted.”
Chu Qingying: “…”
She looked at Mingxi, hesitating. “I don’t know if I can persuade Father.”
After all, just a few days ago, she had a huge fight with him—she even smashed a vase in the study.
“From how the Marquis treats the shizi, there’s clearly still fatherly affection. That means he must also have feelings as a father toward you. You can’t be too headstrong. A girl should be a little softer—cry a bit in front of him, and he’s bound to soften.”
Chu Qingying had been going against her father for so many years that it was really difficult for her to lower her guard and show vulnerability.
Mingxi could only offer her advice—whether she could come around or not was up to her.
Chu Qingying didn’t want to talk about it anymore. She turned to Mingxi and asked, “Do you know which family’s proposal Yunyi is considering?”
Mingxi shook her head. “Which one?”
“The third young master of Duke Cao’s household—Li Weisu.”
Who?
“That matchmaker’s got some nerve. Guangxiang Marquis must’ve wanted to throw her out the moment she brought it up, right?”
Yu Wang had been exiled, and everyone knew the empress and her son were behind it—even if there was no solid evidence.
Now the empress actually wanted her nephew to marry Yao Yunyi? Yunyi was the legitimate eldest daughter of the Guangxiang Marquis’ household, destined to become the legal wife. The third young master of Duke Cao’s family? What a joke.
There was already old resentment between the families, and now they wanted their eldest daughter to marry some young upstart—this was just plain insulting.
“I haven’t seen Yunyi yet, so I don’t know how things are going,” Chu Qingying said.
A few days later, Yao Yunyi invited everyone out for tea and—at the Yuxian Tower—furiously cursed out loud. It was rare to see her so enraged.
“Who does Li Weisu think he is? He’s useless at everything—neither scholarly nor martial. All he does is laze around all day, playing with cats and dogs, and now he dares to propose to me?” Yao Yunyi’s eyes turned red with anger. “It’s outrageous!”
Just because Duke Cao’s family had an empress, they thought they could do anything?
Xu Nanxi tried to calm her. “Cool down. Didn’t your family already reject the proposal?”
Yunyi’s expression twisted. She couldn’t hold it in and burst into tears. “What good does that do? Li Weisu’s got a face thicker than a city wall. He keeps coming to our house—if this goes on, he’ll ruin my reputation.”
A shameless scoundrel, backed by the empress—clearly, they were trying to force the family to agree.
If this continued, what decent family would still want to marry her?
“Guangxiang Marquis didn’t do anything?” Chu Qingying asked quickly.
The Marquis wasn’t like her cold-hearted father—he’d always doted on his daughter.
“He just comes by, asks for a cup of tea, speaks politely, observes all etiquette—what are we supposed to do?”
They didn’t even have a chance to beat him up—it was clear someone was coaching him.
Now it was really troublesome.
Everyone turned to look at Mingxi.
Meeting their gazes, Mingxi gave a helpless smile. “Why are you all looking at me? My methods aren’t suitable for you.”
Yao Yunyi’s head snapped toward her. “You have an idea? Tell us. As long as it gets rid of that clingy b*stard, I’ll do it!”
“I’m serious—just say it, and we’ll figure out if it works,” Xu Nanxi urged.
“Yes, yes, let’s hear it,” added Liu Yunhua, who had left her embroidery behind to come see her friend. “We’ve got to come up with something.”
“Soft ones fear the tough, tough ones fear the crazy, and crazy ones fear those who have nothing to lose. Scoundrels like him are only afraid of people who care about their reputation. The key is whether Yunyi is willing to go all in.”
