After wrapping up her affairs and finishing breakfast, Duan Mingxi changed into appropriate attire, did her hair and makeup, and set off by carriage to Ning Qin Wang’s residence.
At the same time, in the palace, Jin Wang was in Consort Gui’s Yuchen Palace.
The mother and son were deep in conversation. After listening to her son, Consort Gui remained silent for a long time.
In front of his mother, Jin Wang rarely hid his true feelings. Gritting his teeth, he said, “I never liked her from the start. You insisted I marry her. Look at the mess we’re in now.”
Consort Gui looked like she had aged years in an instant. She slowly said, “You are the emperor’s eldest son, yet not born of the empress. Your Royal Father favors the crown prince. The empress and her son guard against you. What could I do?”
“If I chose a wife for you from a powerful family, we’d both be dead within years. Do you really think your Royal Father is unaware of the empress’s schemes over the years?”
“Royal Mother, what do you mean by that?” Jin Wang asked, stunned.
Consort Gui gave a cold laugh. “That one word—legitimate—suppresses everyone. Your Royal Father says he treats all sons equally, but deep down, he favors the crown prince.”
“If it weren’t for my family’s support, if your grandfather weren’t a Gelao, I would’ve been dead long ago. Honestly, Consort Shu was the smart one. When we vied for Consort Gui title, she backed down.”
“I was the foolish one. I thought your Royal Father treated me differently. I insisted on winning that position. So I became Consort Gui—so what? Since then, your Royal Father rarely visited Yuchen Palace.”
This was the first time Jin Wang had heard his mother speak of such matters. His expression was complex.
Consort Gui looked at her son. Though his accusations pained her, she didn’t want a rift between them, so she laid everything bare.
“What about the deaths of the Fifth and Sixth Princes…?” Jin Wang asked hesitantly.
Consort Gui looked indifferent. “The Fifth Prince’s mother was Consort Yu, the Sixth Prince’s was Consort Ming—both stunning beauties. Once they entered the palace, they captured all the emperor’s attention.
“They became pregnant one after another and bore the Fifth and Sixth Princes. Didn’t you see how much your Royal Father adored those two sons? It wasn’t just the empress who was afraid—everyone in the palace was terrified.”
“I didn’t kill them, but I didn’t stop it either. Beautiful they were, but with weak family backgrounds and shallow roots. With one move from the empress, they fell.”
Though she hadn’t acted herself, she had certainly gone with the flow.
Which of the Four Consorts could claim to be innocent?
As for the empress, the chief culprit—there was no need to speak of her. Everyone had blood on their hands.
Only after their deaths did the palace reach a strange balance.
And for years, this uneasy balance held.
But now the princes were grown. Factions were forming in court. Though the crown prince held the title, not everyone supported him.
The balance was bound to break—she just hadn’t expected it so soon.
“Royal Mother, what should I do now? I really can’t bear to see that venomous woman’s face any longer. We’ve been married for years and still have no children. I’m miserable.”
“What do you want to do?”
“I want to divorce her!”
“Do you have solid proof?”
Jin Wang was silent.
Of course he didn’t. If he did, why would he be so conflicted?
“To divorce her without evidence—Xingan Marquis won’t let it go. The empress and the crown prince will use the chance to pull you down. Is that what you want? You want to end up like that fool Yu Wang?”
Jin Wang: …
“If you can’t divorce her, then she’ll have to ‘fall ill’!” Jin Wang said viciously. “Royal Mother, I don’t want to end up like Old Four’s father-in-law—stripped of his title, with his wife and concubine nearly dying.”
“She cannot stay. Not only is she not loyal, she sides with outsiders. Keeping her is asking for disaster. It’s my fault—I feared the empress and handpicked her after careful consideration. Who knew she was in the empress’s camp? She played her part too well.”
“Then let’s join hands with Old Four and take down Xingan Marquis first,” Jin Wang said with resolve. “Once the Marquis household is gone, let’s see what waves she can still make.”
“In that case, now is the perfect opportunity,” Consort Gui said, eyes half-lidded. “Once Qiao Wan’s matter is exposed, the crown prince will surely look for a scapegoat. First it was Liang Xun, now it’s Xingan Marquis’s turn.”
“That’s exactly what I thought.” Jin Wang sneered. “I’ll get started right away.”
“Wait.” Consort Gui looked at her son. “Go speak to your grandfather first. Explain everything clearly.”
Jin Wang frowned. “grandfather has always been loyal to the emperor. He may not want to get involved in muddy waters.”
“You foolish child. If your grandfather weren’t loyal, we would’ve been dead long ago.” Consort Gui knew her son had long resented his maternal family for not supporting him.
But he didn’t realize that the more his maternal grandfather refrained from helping him openly, the greater the support he was actually providing.
Jin Wang frowned. Although he was displeased, he still nodded. “I’ll go make a trip. But before that, please summon He Wanyu to the palace to keep her occupied.”
He called his wife by her full name—his disgust ran deep.
“That’s easy enough. I’ll send someone to summon her now. But you must act quickly.”
“Of course.”
After Jin Wang left the palace, Consort Gui ordered someone to summon Jin Wangfei to the palace.
At this time, Mingxi had already arrived at Ning Qin Wang’s residence.
The street in front of Ning Qin Wang’s residence was already bustling with activity. Everywhere one looked, there were carriages arriving for the banquet. As soon as the carriage from Duan Wang’s residence entered the alley, a servant from the host’s side came to guide them.
Mingxi got off the carriage directly and followed the servant into the residence. The coachman followed another to park the carriage.
She hadn’t yet reached the hanging-flower gate when, instead of Ning Qin Wangfei, County Princess Muhua ran out first. As soon as she saw Mingxi, she rushed over.
“Sister-in-law!” Xiao Yan cheerfully grabbed Mingxi’s arm. “I’ve been waiting for you since early morning. Why did you arrive so late?”
“If I had known you came so early, I would’ve grown wings and flown over!”
Xiao Yan giggled foolishly and led her inside. “My mother got held up, so she told me to take you to a side hall to wait.”
Mingxi’s heart stirred. “Isn’t there a banquet today? Does Wangfei want to speak to me in private?”
“Yes,” Xiao Yan nodded. “Come with me, sister-in-law.”
Mingxi followed her around a corner, passed through a decorative wall, crossed a long corridor, and arrived at a small floral hall in the inner courtyard. The winding path, layered eaves—everything here was quiet and secluded.
Xiao Yan had refreshments sent over and sat beside her. “Sister-in-law, let’s chat for a while. My mother will come later. Have you heard what happened at the Yu Wang’s residence?”
“With all the noise it caused, it’s hard not to know,” Mingxi said with a smile.
Xiao Yan leaned closer and lowered her voice, “Let me tell you, I heard from my mother-in-law that it’s more complicated than it seems. Something’s wrong with Yu Wangfei. Chu Qingying has already gone to look after her.”
Mingxi was stunned. “Didn’t they say Yu Wangfei was fine?”
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