“From what I’ve heard, the second young master of the Gan family went to Daen Temple to burn incense on behalf of Zhengbei Wangfei. While there, he ran into Li Peilan. After returning, the two families began discussing a marriage proposal.”
“Just one encounter and they started talking marriage?” Mingxi frowned. “If that’s all it was, why would Zhenbei Wang agree?”
“Apparently, the second young master of the Gan family ran into Li Peilan—literally. They fell into each other’s arms.”
Mingxi: …
Madam Xiao let out a sarcastic chuckle. “This kind of trick isn’t common, but it’s not unheard of either. Looks like Duke Cao’s family really wanted this match and feared Zhenbei Wang would refuse. So, they struck first.”
“In this way, no matter the reason, the second young master embraced Li Peilan. For the sake of her reputation, the marriage couldn’t be avoided.”
Mingxi sneered, “The Empress and Duke Cao are truly siblings—disgusting in the exact same way.”
Just like how they orchestrated Gan Li’s fall into the water to force the Crown Prince into a rescue that would lead to a fairytale romance.
Only that time, she and Xiao Muchen had stepped in and ruined their plan.
Now, the Empress still wouldn’t give up on Zhenbei Wang and was trying to use Li Peilan again—and this time, she succeeded.
“Yes. At first, Zhenbei Wang’s household refused the marriage, saying it was all just a misunderstanding. They even offered compensation. But that very night, Li Peilan hanged herself to protect her chastity.”
“Duchess Cao stormed into the Zhengbei residence. Zhengbei Wangfei herself went to see Li Peilan. The bruising on her neck was very real—dark and severe.”
Seeing Mingxi’s face darken, Madam Xiao sighed, “Seems Li Peilan really did go all in for this marriage. They say the bruises were so bad she nearly lost her life.”
“If she didn’t go that far, the Zhengbei couple wouldn’t have been moved,” Mingxi said grimly.
“Exactly.” Madam Xiao nodded, then added, “Duke and Duchess Cao are ruthless. One misstep and Li Peilan might’ve actually died.”
“‘Can’t catch a wolf without sacrificing a lamb’—to tie Zhenbei Wang to the Crown Prince’s side, they had to go all out,” Mingxi said. “But we can’t let this slide.”
Madam Xiao looked at her and said, “The marriage is already set. What can you do? From the looks of it, there’s no backing out now.”
“The marriage might be set, but we must not let Zhenbei Wang fall into the Crown Prince’s camp!” Mingxi’s eyes flashed coldly.
Madam Xiao’s heart skipped a beat. She took another sip of tea to calm herself, then said, “Mingxi, what do you want me to do?”
Mingxi looked at her. She hadn’t asked what Mingxi planned—but what she needed her to do.
“Sister-in-law, I really do need your help this time,” Mingxi said frankly.
“Tell me.”
“Zhenbei Wang’s household must be simmering with resentment after being forced into this marriage.”
“You can’t force a bull to drink water. Who would be happy being pushed like this?”
“Exactly. That’s why we must let the world know the truth about what Duke Cao’s family did.”
“Zhenbei Wang’s Residence definitely can’t speak of this publicly—they still care about saving face,” Madam Xiao pondered aloud. “But after suffering such a loss, if someone were to spread the truth, they naturally wouldn’t stand in the way.”
“Yes, the key is Zhenbei Wang’s second son. His reputation must remain untarnished,” Mingxi said.
“What stain could there be? It was clearly Duke Cao’s residence scheming for this marriage. Second Young Master Gan was just unfortunate enough to be targeted. After all, Duke Cao’s house has a prior history of trying to force a marriage on Guangxiang Marquis’s household. If this incident gets out, people will only feel sorry for Second Young Master Gan.” Madam Xiao smiled.
“Exactly,” Mingxi nodded at her. “As long as we preserve the reputation of Zhenbei Wang’s residence and ensure that Zhenbei Wang himself doesn’t fall under the Crown Prince’s control, then he won’t be forced to join the Crown Prince’s camp.”
Although Madam Xiao didn’t fully understand the intricacies, she did grasp one point: Second Young Master Gan must not suffer from this.
“I’ll take care of it,” Madam Xiao said, thumping her chest with confidence.
Their Marquis Fuchang residence still had a score to settle with the Eastern Palace. This was a perfect opportunity to repay it, with interest!
“Then thank you, Sister-in-law.”
“Mingxi, there’s no need to be polite with me. If not for you back then, Xu Heng might not have survived.”
“You overstate it. Even without my ointment, the imperial physicians would have done something.”
“Still, it would have taken longer—and he might’ve been left with hidden ailments.”
Madam Xiao didn’t believe Mingxi’s modesty for a second. “You must not step forward in this matter, lest people trace it back to you.”
Of course, Mingxi wasn’t going to sit back and do nothing. She looked at Madam Xiao and said, “I’ll leak the information to Consort Shu.”
As long as the message reached the Emperor—that the Crown Prince was desperate enough to win over Zhenbei Wang’s residence by resorting to such low tactics—could the Emperor truly remain indifferent?
Of course not.
Even a thousand-mile dam can be destroyed by an ant’s nest. She wasn’t in a rush—she had time to wear down the Eastern Palace.
Madam Xiao thought Mingxi merely intended to pass a message through Consort Shu and didn’t take it too seriously.
After all, even if Consort Shu knew the truth, what could she do? The marriage would still go through.
She didn’t expect that Mingxi planned to send the message directly to the Emperor’s ears.
After their discussion, Madam Xiao quickly took her leave—not to return to the marquis’s residence, but to her parental home.
When Fuchang Marquis Madam heard her daughter’s words, her expression turned grim with contempt. “This is the best they can do? Using such dirty tricks to force others to submit?”
Last time they failed to win over Duke Wei, so they turned around and struck at her son-in-law in the dark. Every time she thought of it, the Marchioness was filled with rage.
“Mother, how should we spread the news?” Madam Xiao asked.
“You must not step forward—if you do, they’ll definitely suspect Mingxi.” Fuchang Marquis Madam said immediately.
Madam Xiao nodded. “That’s what I was thinking too.”
“I’ll go visit Guangxiang Marquis Madam.”
Madam Xiao’s eyes lit up. “That’s a great idea.”
“Guangxiang Marquis Madam has loathed Duke Cao and his wife ever since the last incident. She’s been holding in her anger. If she finds out about this, she’ll surely want to help.”
“Right. And behind her is Consort Xian, who detests He Wanyi. Since Xingan Marquis’s residence is backed by Duke Cao and the Eastern Palace, if there’s a way to make the Duke suffer, Consort Xian would certainly lend a hand.”
“Yes, public opinion has power.” Fuchang Marquis Madam let out a long breath and smiled at her daughter. “I’ll also speak to Duchess Wei.”
Xu Heng’s severe injuries had created a bitter grudge between Duke Wei’s residence and the Eastern Palace. Duke Cao is the Crown Prince’s maternal uncle—making him suffer would definitely please Duchess Wei.
Mother and daughter exchanged a smile. Fuchang Marquis Madam said softly, “You should head back now. Remember—you know nothing of this.”
Madam Xiao embraced her mother. “Sorry to trouble you.”
“I’m more than willing,” Fuchang Marquis Madam replied, full of energy. She had long been waiting for a chance to vent her anger—finally, the opportunity had come.
—
Meanwhile, Mingxi returned to the residence. Xiao Muchen wasn’t home—he had just received an imperial decree the previous day. The Emperor had appointed him to observe governance at the Ministry of Revenue. This was not good news for the Eastern Palace.
So Xiao Muchen had been very busy. When he came home last night, Mingxi had already been fast asleep.
She had just changed clothes and was preparing to enter the palace when, unexpectedly, she ran into Xiao Muchen at the gate.
His expression was dark, and he was walking quickly. He hadn’t noticed Mingxi and nearly bumped into her.
