Li Mama hesitated for a moment before speaking. “Miss, you’re getting married tomorrow. By custom, you shouldn’t see each other before the wedding.”
If it were in her past life, Duan Mingxi would have abided by the rule without question, but now, she no longer believed that following such rules would lead to a happier life.
She looked at Li Mama and said, “Wangye must have an urgent matter to discuss if he’s come at this hour. I’ll go and be back soon, don’t worry.”
Li Mama knew she couldn’t persuade her, but still couldn’t help saying, “Miss, don’t stay too long.”
Mingxi smiled and nodded, then walked out.
Xiao Muchen was waiting in the garden. At this time of night, the garden was already cleared of people — likely thanks to Duan Yu’s arrangements.
Mingxi smiled to herself. Duan Yu was becoming more meticulous these days.
“Wangye.” Duan Mingxi stepped into the stone pavilion.
Xiao Muchen turned around to look at her. Her attire was the same as usual, and she didn’t seem especially joyful about the upcoming wedding.
This calm composure, at this moment, gave him a strange sense of melancholy.
“Xixi.”
“My steward Mama said we shouldn’t be meeting. Did you come because there’s something important?” Mingxi got straight to the point. Li Mama was surely watching the time, waiting for her return.
Xiao Muchen froze for a moment. He’d just wanted to see her. Faced with her seriousness, his mind quickly turned to a topic she would care about.
“There’s news from Duke Wei’s side.”
Mingxi was surprised at first, then delighted. “Has Qiao Yu been caught?”
“He’s in the Eastern Palace. It won’t be easy to force him out. But Duke Wei is using the incident of Xu Heng’s injury to bring down two of the Crown Prince’s top men.”
Mingxi caught the implication and frowned. “So Xu Heng’s injury was connected to the Eastern Palace? Why would the Crown Prince do that?”
In her past life, even if the Crown Prince failed to win over Duke Wei, he only targeted Xu Heng when he was close to seizing power — not this early.
For him to act now seemed overly hasty.
Xiao Muchen said quietly, “Don’t forget about Fengcheng Marquis.”
Mingxi suddenly understood. “So the Marquis rejected the Eastern Palace again? With Duke Wei’s support, the Eastern Palace can’t move against the Marquis for now — so they’re trying to weaken Duke Wei first?”
Xiao Muchen loved talking with Mingxi. No matter what he said, she always followed quickly and understood everything clearly.
“Yes. As long as Duke Wei stands, Fengcheng Marquis remains untouchable.” Xiao Muchen’s lips curled into a sneer. “So the Crown Prince is trying to force Duke Wei to take a side.”
“But he didn’t expect that pressing him like this would make the Duke push back and lean toward you instead.”
“To be honest, I have you to thank. If you hadn’t saved Xu Heng, Duke Wei wouldn’t have done this.”
Mingxi glanced at Xiao Muchen and smiled.
At least he knew to give her credit.
“We’re about to be married. We’re on the same side now. It was the right thing to do.”
Xiao Muchen: …
Couldn’t she put it in sweeter words, just once?
Forget it. Getting sweet talk from Duan Mingxi was harder than climbing to the heavens.
He took a deep breath to calm his heart and said, “Tomorrow’s the wedding. It should go smoothly, but with the Eastern Palace losing two top men, and word spreading that you saved Xu Heng, we should still be cautious. I’ll have Qi He arrive early at the Marquis Household to escort the procession. He’ll lead the guards and ensure everything is safe. Does that work for you?”
Mingxi was stunned. “How did the news spread so fast?”
The people involved in saving Xu Heng were all trusted and loyal. It shouldn’t have leaked this quickly.
“It was someone from the Fuchang Marquis’s household. The Marquis has already dealt with them.”
The Crown Prince had bribed a servant from the Fuchang Marquis’s house — swift and ruthless.
Mingxi sneered, then glanced at Xiao Muchen. He figured out so quickly who’d been bought — that was no small skill.
No wonder he’d fought the Crown Prince to the end in her previous life.
This time, because she had joined Xiao Muchen’s camp early, investing both money and effort, he rose in power much faster. The Eastern Palace couldn’t stay as untouchably dominant as before.
Now they were the ones lashing out in desperation.
Money really was a great thing.
Xiao Muchen noticed her strange expression and stepped closer. “What’s wrong?”
Mingxi composed herself and smiled. “I was just thinking — we’ve always been reactive. The Eastern Palace makes a move, and we respond. Most of the time, we can’t even strike back properly and end up at a disadvantage.”
Xiao Muchen hadn’t expected her to say this. “The Crown Prince is the heir. Father has always supported him. If I strike first and get caught, my fate would be no better than Yu Wang’s.”
They had to be passive — to show the Emperor that it was the Crown Prince who forced his hand, not Xiao Muchen seeking power.
Mingxi instantly understood. That kind of restraint — few people could manage it.
If Xiao Muchen had to endure so much while standing against the Eastern Palace, then for her — a woman not yet married into royalty — her own hardships didn’t seem quite so bitter anymore.
Rank crushes people. Let alone going up against a giant like the Eastern Palace — the fact she’d lasted this long without suffering huge losses meant she had been extremely cautious and calculating.
But that might not always be the case going forward.
She looked at Xiao Muchen. “Once I marry into the family, what do you think will happen if I cross paths with the Empress?”
Xiao Muchen said seriously, “That depends on your methods.”
If she didn’t get caught, the Empress would be the one at a disadvantage. But if the Empress caught her in a weak spot, then she’d be the one to suffer.
Duan Mingxi understood—she could strike, but only if she was confident.
That was enough.
“I understand,” Duan Mingxi exhaled deeply.
Seeing her like this, Xiao Muchen suddenly smiled and said, “What’s this? You’re already thinking about wrestling with the Empress before you’ve even entered the palace?”
Such ambition.
Duan Mingxi glanced at Xiao Muchen. “There’s no need for me to make the first move—I’m afraid Her Majesty the Empress is already waiting for us.”
That “us” instantly lifted Xiao Muchen’s spirits. He softened his voice and said, “Wait for me to come and marry you.”
Duan Mingxi looked at him in confusion—what an odd thing to say. Wasn’t she already waiting for him to marry her?
Meeting Mingxi’s puzzled gaze, Xiao Muchen just smiled and said nothing more. Not wanting to linger, he bid her farewell and left in big strides.
Duan Mingxi frowned. How strange.
But her mood was good. Duke Wei had just taken down two of the Crown Prince’s top generals, and Xiao Muchen had clearly played a major role in that. Even if the Crown Prince wasn’t gravely wounded, he’d certainly lost a lot of blood, metaphorically speaking.
Finally, she felt a bit of relief over what happened to Qiao Wan.
Next, it would depend on how Duke Wei and Xiao Muchen pressured the Crown Prince to send Qiao Yu out of the capital. That would be the best time to act and snatch him.
When she returned to her courtyard, it was already lively. From afar, she saw a familiar figure and blinked.
Was she seeing things? How could her mother be here?
