Seeing You Sanping brought Mingxi joy. She looked at him and said, “Sit down. What brings you here at this hour? Is something urgent?”
Only after sitting down did You Sanping nod. “After you left that neighboring manor causing trouble the other day, I’ve been keeping an eye on it.”
Mingxi: …
What do you mean ‘caused trouble’?
They were just investigating and gave the enemy a little scare, that’s all.
Perhaps the discontent on her face was too obvious, and You Sanping couldn’t help but smile. He softened his tone and said, “Late last night, a carriage entered that manor. It was too dark, and our people couldn’t see clearly who was inside.”
Someone went up to the manor in the latter half of the night?
Mingxi looked at You Sanping. “You suspect the person who went this time is the same as before?”
“It’s hard to say, but all that sneaking around, acting like a thief—clearly someone who can’t afford to be seen in the light.”
Mingxi liked how blunt You Sanping was. She preferred this kind of straightforward honesty.
She looked at him and said, “Recently, Duke Wei has been pressuring the Eastern Palace to hand over Qiao Yu, which has cost them several top aides. Looks like they’re cornered now, trying to sneak Qiao Yu out in secret.”
“If that’s the case, we’ll need to make a move,” You Sanping said immediately.
Mingxi nodded. “Exactly.”
She gave a cold chuckle. “They’re acting so hastily—it’s likely we’ll need to act tonight. We’ll intercept first and ask questions later.”
Whether it was Qiao Yu or not, they’d find out soon enough.
You Sanping stood up at once. “I’ll go make arrangements. Before I came, I had our people deliver goods near the manor. If we suddenly show up in numbers, those inside might panic and think they’ve been discovered. They’ll definitely be too scared to make a move.”
“Good.” That would prevent anyone from escaping during the day. You Sanping’s tactic would trap them inside. “If they can’t move in daylight, they’ll definitely try to escape tonight.”
“As long as we apply a little pressure during the day and unsettle their nerves, they won’t dare linger.”
“Tonight, I’ll personally go and intercept them.”
You Sanping froze. “You’ll go in person?”
Mingxi nodded. “Of course. Why not?”
You Sanping looked at her, lost for words. “My lady, you’re a Wangfei now.”
“So what? With a mask and nightwear, who would know it’s me?” Mingxi replied. She glanced at You Sanping again. “If it really is Qiao Yu, we absolutely cannot let the Eastern Palace take him back. We must force Qiao Wan to talk. We can’t let the Marquis family suffer this loss for nothing.”
Seeing her resolve, You Sanping stopped trying to dissuade her. “Will you inform Wangye about this?”
Mingxi nodded. “Of course. But Wangye has been busy with Ministry of Revenue matters. I’m not sure when he’ll be back tonight.”
If they saw each other, she would naturally explain. If not, she couldn’t afford to miss this opportunity—she would tell him afterward.
You Sanping gave a small nod. “Then I’ll go prepare everything.”
“Alright. Thank you for your hard work.”
After You Sanping left, Mingxi returned to the inner courtyard and had her nightwear brought out—it had been a long time since she last wore it.
Qiangcao, worried, asked, “Wangfei, you’re really going out dressed like this? What if someone finds out? That would be no small matter.”
“Then I’ll make sure no one finds out.” Mingxi smiled.
Qiangcao was speechless. Knowing her mistress’s personality, she knew persuasion was useless, so she went to find Li Mama.
Just as it happened, Fang Momo was there too. Hearing this, she was shocked.
Nightwear?
What was the Wangfei planning?
Her first instinct was to inform Wangye, but then she paused. No, if the Wangfei found out she’d gone behind her back, she’d be heartbroken.
So she immediately went to speak to Wangfei directly.
Mingxi hadn’t expected Fang Momo to come so quickly, nor that she’d approach her so directly. She smiled and briefly explained the situation.
Fang Momo already knew Wangfei was capable, but she hadn’t realized just how capable.
“It’s still best to inform Wangye. Your safety must come first,” Fang Momo insisted.
Mingxi nodded. “I never intended to keep this from him. If I had, you wouldn’t have heard anything.”
Fang Momo quickly nodded. “Of course.”
If Wangfei didn’t want her to know, Qiangcao would never have spoken in front of her.
Seeing the concern on Fang Momo’s face, Mingxi said gently, “I’ll take Guard Qi with me. Don’t worry. Wangye has been busy lately and often returns very late. If I leave first, you can tell him everything when he gets back.”
So there would be no misunderstanding.
Fang Momo agreed readily. Hearing Qi He was going too eased her worries—she knew Qi He was highly skilled.
Not long after, Mingxi sent someone to fetch Qi He. He immediately prepared his team, but had the foresight to secretly send someone to the Ministry of Revenue to inform Wangye.
Coincidentally—or perhaps not—Xiao Muchen had been called away by an official from the Eastern Palace. There were discrepancies in the accounts between the Ministry and the Eastern Palace, and they’d asked him to verify them.
Xiao Muchen didn’t want to go, but the Crown Prince had personally summoned him, so he had no choice.
At first, the books were indeed disordered, and by evening, he had already reviewed and resolved most of it.
But then, the Eastern Palace suddenly brought out account books from two years ago. Suspicious, Xiao Muchen made an excuse to change clothes and left discreetly through the back door with his men.
Meanwhile, Ji Huai waited and waited, but Duan Wang never returned. Sensing something was off, he sent someone to check. Just then, Chen Xiao appeared slowly and said apologetically, “The accounts have been sorted. Wangye was exhausted after a full day’s work and asked me to inform you. He said the minor details can be left to you.”
Ji Huai: …
The Crown Prince had only told him to delay Duan Wang but hadn’t said why.
Now that Duan Wang had left, Ji Huai grew uneasy. He exchanged some polite words with Chen Xiao and quickly returned to report.
The Crown Prince was reading in his study. After hearing Ji Huai’s report, he said after a moment, “Old Four is quite well-informed. Too bad he’s just a bit late.”
Ji Huai felt a chill run through him but dared not ask more. Seeing no further orders, he bowed and withdrew.
At that moment, Mingxi was already lying in ambush ten li from the manor—this was the only road out.
The moon was dim, the night wind rising, and the chirping insects made the air feel restless.
Hidden in the grass, Mingxi kept a sharp watch on the distance.
Qi He sent scouts ahead, then returned and said quietly, “It’s this late already, Wangfei. Shall we keep waiting?”
“Wait.” Mingxi said in a low voice.
Qi He nodded without trying to persuade her further. As he saw the scout returning from afar, he stepped forward to meet him.
Mingxi gripped the whip in her hand. Soon, Qi He came back, his tone tinged with excitement. “Wangfei, there’s movement on the other side.”
