Later, when Mingxi learned that Yang Yiniang had gone to speak with Madam Jiang, she immediately guessed that Yang Yiniang had stepped in to clean up the mess for Duan Qingyin.
To have such a birth mother was a blessing for Third Sister.
Even if that mother was just a lowly concubine, she truly loved her child.
With Yang Yiniang involved, Mingxi was confident that Madam Jiang wouldn’t just sit back and do nothing.
And she was right—once Madam Jiang found out, she immediately summoned Duan Huirou. It turned out she had no idea about the invitations the Jiang family had been sending her daughter.
That made Madam Jiang absolutely furious.
“You should’ve seen it, Miss,” Qiancao said with satisfaction. “Madam was so angry she almost fainted on the spot. Back when the Jiang family treated you like that, she didn’t stand up for you. But now that they’re secretly trying to use Second Miss, Madam suddenly cares so much.”
“How did the Jiang family manage to get those invitations into Duan Huirou’s hands without Madam knowing?”
“It was one of Second Miss’s maids. Who knows what benefits the Jiang family promised her. She smuggled them in secretly—not just once, either.” Qiancao shook her head. “The servants around Second Miss are really out of line.”
Traitors seeking profit.
“That explains it,” Mingxi said with a smile. If it weren’t for an insider, the Jiang family’s invitations would’ve had to pass through the household affairs department first, and then to Madam Jiang.
If they went through proper channels, it would’ve been easy for Mingxi to find out. But by avoiding them, everything stayed hidden.
“How was the maid punished?” Mingxi asked.
Just then, Xiangxiang lifted the curtain and came in with a cup of tea. She placed it beside Mingxi and replied, “She was beaten and thrown out of the household. I heard Second Miss begged for her, otherwise Madam would’ve had her beaten nearly to death and sold off.”
Hearing that, Mingxi went quiet. Punishing a maid from Duan Huirou’s side would surely reach the Jiang family’s ears. It would only make them resent Madam Jiang even more.
Was Madam Jiang too angry to think straight, or was she perfectly aware and did it anyway?
That would show her true attitude toward the Jiang family.
To Mingxi, the Jiang family had always been a volatile threat. It would be best to sever ties between them and Madam Jiang completely.
But Madam Jiang was born into the Jiang family and still maintained close ties with them. Severing that bond wouldn’t be easy.
Now that the Jiang family was in decline, they desperately wanted one of their men to get a government position and restore their standing. They wouldn’t let go of Madam Jiang—in fact, they’d want to use her to climb higher.
So it all depended on Madam Jiang. Would she choose to support her maiden family by stepping on her husband’s family, or stay loyal to the Marquis Household?
After all, Duan Yu and Duan Qi were her own sons. Even if not for herself, she had to consider their futures.
Would she prioritize her family of birth, or her children?
Mingxi knew things weren’t over yet. The real drama would begin when Duan Yu and Duan Qi found out.
Mingxi couldn’t be bothered to deal with Madam Jiang and the Jiang family—she was just waiting to see what the two brothers would do.
Besides, His Majesty had already set the wedding date, and Mingxi still had her bridal preparations to focus on. She didn’t have time for these petty household squabbles.
Her marriage was happening without Madam Jiang lifting a finger, so anything related to the Jiang family had nothing to do with her.
Meanwhile, Second Madam had gone to speak with Third Madam.
“I think Eldest Sister-in-law has completely lost her mind. She’s really not lifting a finger for Mingxi’s marriage?” Second Madam said angrily.
“When has she ever cared about Mingxi?” Third Madam said with a mocking smile. “Second Sister-in-law, what’s Mother’s take on all this? Mingxi’s dowry is mostly ready anyway, so honestly, it doesn’t matter whether Eldest Sister-in-law helps or not.”
The Second Madam had come precisely for this matter. She sighed, “Mother means that the Eldest Sister-in-law should at least put on a show of effort. But judging by her attitude, it seems she’ll only step in if Mingxi goes and begs her. Do you think Mingxi is the type to lower her head?”
The Third Madam was furious. “She’s the mother! She already owes Mingxi a great deal, and now she expects Mingxi to humble herself and beg? How shameless can she be? If she can’t lower her own pride, does that mean Mingxi has to?”
The Second Madam shrugged helplessly. “She’s just putting on the airs of a senior, assuming Mingxi has no choice but to plead with her.”
This was such a good opportunity—if Madam Jiang had just made the first move and helped Mingxi with her wedding preparations, their mother-daughter relationship might have slowly repaired itself.
But no—she just stubbornly held on to her resentment.
“Foolish woman,” the Third Madam said through gritted teeth.
Second Madam: “…”
Well, that was blunt.
“I’m worried about something else, which is why I came to discuss it with you.”
“Second Sister-in-law, go ahead,” the Third Madam said, turning serious.
Originally, the two of them hadn’t been particularly close, but ever since they started helping with Mingxi’s affairs, their relationship had grown stronger. Whether it was house matters or outside affairs, the two often sat together to talk things over.
“I’m worried that on the day of Mingxi’s wedding… when it comes time to formally bid farewell to her parents—what if Madam Jiang…” The Second Madam sighed, “We really should find a way to rein her in ahead of time.”
“There’s nothing we can do directly. Only the Old Madam or Eldest Brother can intervene.”
“Eldest Brother? I don’t think he can control her.”
“Then maybe we should have our husbands speak to Father and have him step in.”
They exchanged a glance and agreed that this was a good idea.
Nowadays, both the Second and Third Masters held official posts. Their outlook and demeanor had improved greatly—even if the ranks weren’t high, they carried themselves quite differently than before.
And serving in the Twenty-Four Bureaus was a great test of one’s mettle.
Both Madams told their husbands about the situation. The Second and Third Masters then met up to discuss.
After some thought, they agreed that they couldn’t just override their eldest brother without a word—it was better to inform him first.
But after searching for a while, they couldn’t find him. After much inquiry, they discovered their eldest brother was keeping a woman outside. The two brothers were furious.
Mingxi was about to marry into the royal family, and this scandal? Their eldest brother had truly disgraced the family. The two of them dragged him back and took him straight to the Old Master.
No one expected Qiao Wan’s scandal to explode in the family in such a dramatic way.
Madam Jiang felt utterly humiliated. She stood there silently, face ashen, in front of the Old Master and Old Madam.
As a concubine, Yang Yiniang had no right to speak and waited in her courtyard for news.
Mingxi and the other younger members of the family, as juniors, had no business involving themselves in the elders’ disputes.
But before the Old Master could even weigh in, Qiao Wan showed up at the gate demanding to be given an official title.
In that instant, the entire Marquis family was the talk of the capital.
At such a critical time—so close to her wedding—Mingxi took a deep breath.
She hadn’t expected Qiao Wan’s backers to push her forward at this moment. Originally, she thought they’d wait until the family was in a tight spot before using Qiao Wan as the final blow to crush them.
But now it had come out early—just before Xiao Muchen’s return to the capital, just before their wedding.
It was clearly meant to sabotage the marriage.
As the daughter of Dingyuan Marquis, any stain on his reputation would reflect on Mingxi as well.
The situation had spiraled so badly that the Old Master nearly passed out from anger.
Yet even then, Dingyuan Marquis refused to believe Qiao Wan had ill intentions. He insisted she merely wanted to be taken in as a concubine and even said he’d just do that and settle it.
The Old Master was so furious that he threw a teacup at his son’s head, hitting him square on the forehead and drawing blood.
