After Bai Shixi left, the Empress instructed Lu Momo to stand guard at the door, then looked at the Crown Prince and said:
“You saw what happened today. Your royal father actually rewarded Duan Mingxi with dishes. That is not a good sign. You need to pay closer attention.”
The Emperor had never been one to show much interest in his daughters-in-law. Even when it came to the Crown Princess, the only reason she received slightly more generous gifts during festivals was because she was the Crown Prince’s wife.
When the Crown Princess first entered the palace, the Emperor hadn’t given her any special recognition. Even the reward she received today, in the Empress’s eyes, was thanks to Duan Mingxi.
The Emperor was simply trying to save face for the Crown Prince—which was why he extended courtesy to the Crown Princess.
But Duan Mingxi had earned that recognition herself. The Crown Princess? Not so much.
The more she thought about it, the more stifled the Empress felt, until she finally snapped: “She’s a merchant’s daughter—no wonder she’s full of tricks!”
The Crown Prince frowned slightly upon hearing this. “Still, those are Duan Mingxi’s own capabilities. If it were someone else, even with that much silver, would they be willing to spend it so freely? And from what I’ve heard, she gave more than just four hundred thousand.”
“What do you mean by that?”
The Crown Prince shook his head, “Right now there’s no evidence, just rumors.”
The Empress thought for a moment, then seemed to realize something, “Are you saying that the money from Ning Qin Wang and Fengcheng Marquis is also related to Duan Mingxi?”
The Crown Prince didn’t deny it, but he didn’t confirm it either.
The Empress’s heart sank. That was eight hundred thousand taels of silver—how could she have that much money?
Even Duke Cao’s family could only take out eight hundred thousand taels at the cost of making life difficult for themselves afterwards.
But Duan Mingxi wasn’t affected at all, and her dowry was especially generous.
As she thought of this, the Empress looked at the Crown Prince and asked, “I’ve heard that Duan Pingchang gave the horse ranch to Duan Mingxi, is that true?”
The Crown Prince was surprised, “There’s such a thing?”
Lately, the Crown Prince had been so worried about the matters with Qiao Wan and her sibling. He was constrained by the situation, unable to take action, and killing her to silence her seemed unfeasible. If Qiao Yu were gone, Qiao Wan might go mad. Meanwhile, Duke Wei had been systematically removing officials from the Eastern Palace, and he was caught up in all this, feeling overwhelmed.
He regretted listening to his mother’s advice and wished he had waited a little longer. If Duan Mingxi had married someone else, it would have been easier to deal with the situation after she left the Marquis house.
But it was too late now; the situation had already happened. Chen Chang had been busy negotiating with Duke Wei, and the Crown Prince couldn’t blame him too much, for fear of losing support.
Everything was going wrong, and it was truly frustrating.
Today, seeing Duan Mingxi and Xiao Muchen get along so harmoniously only made him regret not listening to his own judgment and marrying Duan Mingxi as the Crown Prince’s side consort back then.
His face was dark, and the Empress became a little nervous, thinking that if she hadn’t interfered in the past…
But at the time, who would have thought that a small merchant’s daughter could have such power?
Who could have predicted that?
Now it was too late to regret, and the Empress looked at her son, saying, “Duan Mingxi can’t be underestimated. With the help of Duan Wang, she’s a serious threat to you. We must remove her, no matter what.”
The Crown Prince looked up at his mother and slowly said, “How do you suggest we remove her? She’s already in the house, Consort Shu is protecting her, and she’s also skilled in martial arts. She’s very cautious. If we don’t have a foolproof plan, we must not act rashly.”
When the Empress heard this, it felt like a heavy stone in her heart. Duan Mingxi was like a thorn in her side—she couldn’t get rid of her, yet couldn’t leave it alone, driving her crazy.
“Do you have any good ideas?” The Empress asked her son.
The Crown Prince shook his head, “Right now, I’m still dealing with the matter of Qiao Wan. I don’t have the time to focus on Duan Mingxi. Let’s wait a while.”
Hearing Qiao Wan’s name, the Empress furrowed her brows, “It’s not resolved yet?”
“Qiao Wan is hidden by Xiao Muchen, and we can’t even find a trace of her. Eliminating her won’t be easy.” The Crown Prince regretted this decision deeply. He should have dealt with Qiao Wan when she was first taken away, but back then, with Qiao Yu in his grasp, he wasn’t in a rush.
Who would have thought that now, Duke Wei and Xiao Muchen must have teamed up? How else could he have been so disadvantaged and unable to mention a word in front of the Emperor?
“Why don’t I have your uncle think of a way?” The Empress suggested.
The Crown Prince: ….
His face darkened as he remembered the things that Duke Cao had done recently—he had only made things worse. He waved his hand, “No, I’ll find a way myself.”
The Empress could see what her son meant. However, her brother had failed recently, and it had caused several setbacks for the Crown Prince.
The mother and son sat in silence. The Crown Prince stood up to leave, and the Empress did not try to stop him.
After he left, the Empress turned to her maid, Lu Momo, and said, “I think the Crown Prince might resent me now.”
“Your Majesty, why would you say that? The Crown Prince is the most filial,” Lu Momo quickly reassured her. “There have been many distractions recently, and the Crown Prince hasn’t had time to pay attention to anything else. Duan Wangfei is clever and full of schemes. Once things settle down on the Crown Prince’s side, everything will be fine.”
The Empress leaned back against the soft pillow, furrowing her brows deeply. A breath of frustration caught in her chest, and after a long while, she sighed, “If I had known, I wouldn’t have interfered back then.”
“Your Majesty, we can only say that Duan Wangfei was not destined for the Eastern Palace. Things seem to be going well now, and the future is long. His Majesty fully supports the Crown Prince, and once he ascends the throne, everyone will have to bow down to him,” Lu Momo said in a reassuring tone.
The Empress listened, and her face softened a little. She hoped that day would come soon.
However, deep down, the Empress knew that since the incident with Xingan Marquis, the Emperor had been somewhat dissatisfied with the Crown Prince. Now, with the assassination attempt on Xu Heng, she could feel that the Emperor’s attitude toward the Crown Prince was different from before.
But she couldn’t say these things to her son; she didn’t want to upset him. If he acted rashly in a moment of desperation, and Consort Shu and her son found a way to exploit it, things would become even more difficult.
The more the Empress thought, the more upset she became. Duan Mingxi, such an unremarkable person, was constantly involved in matters that interfered with her plans.
Take the incident with Yuxiang City for example: they had been planning for so long to capture Fengcheng Marquis, but Duan Mingxi immediately revealed the eight hundred thousand taels of silver, which ruined their plans.
They had thought it was four hundred thousand taels, and the Empress had still been able to cope. But today, her son tacitly acknowledged it was eight hundred thousand taels. The Empress’s mind was in turmoil.
This eight hundred thousand taels had bought her today’s dish of vegetables from the Emperor, and it had given her a unique position in the Emperor’s heart. Even Duan Wang had become more involved in political affairs because of her.
The more the Empress thought about it, the angrier she got. Finally, unable to control herself, she slammed the tea cup onto the floor!
Duan Mingxi!
