After the talent performances, the atmosphere at the venue grew subtly tense.
The Empress stood and addressed the crowd, “Everyone, take a short break. We’ll continue after the luncheon.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty,” the group responded in unison, bowing their heads in gratitude.
The Empress and the four consorts left the room, and only then did the attendees breathe a collective sigh of relief. Maintaining composure under the gaze of such high-ranking figures was exhausting.
Duan Mingxi also felt worn out. Yao Yunyi led her to find Chu Qingying, and the three gathered to chat.
Duan Mingxi’s peripheral vision caught a glimpse of Gan Li speaking and laughing with another young lady. Without betraying her thoughts, she retracted her gaze.
At that moment, Chu Qingying suggested, “Shall we head to the tea room over there for a cup of tea? There’s still some time before lunch.”
Yao Yunyi nodded in agreement and glanced at Duan Mingxi, who noticed Gan Li heading in the same direction as the tea room. Naturally, she agreed as well.
The tea room, though not large, was divided into multiple small pavilions, each separated by clusters of flowers, trailing vines, artificial hills, or trickling streams. The arrangement was a feast for the eyes.
Clearly familiar with the area, Chu Qingying guided them to a pavilion with the best view. Once seated, palace attendants served them tea.
From their pavilion, they spotted He Wanyi chatting with other young ladies before heading into a nearby tea room. Chu Qingying rolled her eyes so dramatically they nearly disappeared into her head.
“The Xingan Marquis’s family wants another Wangfei? With someone like He Wanyi, they’d have to be blind to make that choice,” Chu Qingying scoffed, her disdain evident.
Yao Yunyi cautioned, “You should curb your temper in such settings. If she catches wind and reports you to the Empress, it won’t end well for you.”
The Empress and Consort Xian didn’t get along well, and since Yu Wang, born to Consort Xian, was also Chu Qingying’s elder sister’s husband, it was only natural for the Empress to humiliate Consort Xian and her son, tarnishing Chu Qingying’s reputation in the process.
“Marquis Xingan’s family is truly insatiable, like a snake trying to swallow an elephant. Having a Xian Wangfei from their family isn’t enough; now they’re trying to grab another Wangfei title. Aren’t they afraid of bursting?” Chu Qingying mocked.
A jolt ran through Duan Mingxi’s heart. In her past life, He Wanyi had indeed become Yu Wang’s secondary consort!
After marrying in, she and Chu Qingling, the legitimate consort, had fought bitterly, practically to the death.
Back then, Duan Mingxi hadn’t paid much attention to such matters. Her life in Duke Gao’s household had been fraught with difficulties, leaving her no energy to worry about others. She had only passively heard such gossip without much thought.
But this time was different. Although she and Chu Qingying couldn’t be called close friends yet, there was a budding sense of camaraderie between them.
Thinking this over, she casually remarked, “I’ve heard that the relationship between His Highness Jin Wang and His Highness Yu Wang is rather ordinary?”
Chu Qingying turned her head to look at Duan Mingxi, amused. “Now even you are listening to this kind of talk? It’s not just my brother-in-law and Jin Wang; the relationships between these Wangyes are all rather lukewarm.”
Yao Yunyi sighed and reminded Duan Mingxi, “These are the kinds of comments you can think to yourself but must never say aloud.”
Duan Mingxi nodded thoughtfully and added, almost offhandedly, “I’ve noticed that He Wanyi seems particularly hostile toward Qingying. Xingan Marquis’s family already has a Wangfei, so securing another would be tough—but a secondary consort? That’s much more achievable.”
“What do you mean by that?” Yao Yunyi’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Duan Mingxi shook her head. “It’s just a thought. I find it odd how overtly antagonistic He Wanyi is toward Qingying. It makes me wonder if she has some ulterior motive. After all, such hostility doesn’t arise without cause.”
Chu Qingying’s expression shifted dramatically as she grasped Duan Mingxi’s implication. “You mean…?”
“I was only musing,” Duan Mingxi cut her off, smiling lightly. “When I traveled with my adoptive father, I often heard curious stories.”
“What kind of stories? Speak plainly,” Chu Qingying pressed, gripping Duan Mingxi’s hand.
“Yes, Mingxi, do tell. Look how you’ve riled Chu Qingying up,” Yao Yunyi chimed in with a nervous laugh, though her smile was strained.
Duan Mingxi glanced at them both and chuckled. “Once, I heard about two rival merchants. They weren’t outright enemies but didn’t trust each other enough to collaborate. To bridge the gap, one merchant’s wife arranged for her younger sister to become the other’s concubine.
“The concubine, once in the household, manipulated her way into the merchant’s trust, facilitating several profitable deals with her brother-in-law. With her acting as a bond, the two merchants became close allies, and the concubine’s status in her household skyrocketed, nearly eclipsing the wife.”
Chu Qingying’s face turned ashen. Clutching her handkerchief tightly, she murmured, “He Wanyi would stoop to being a concubine?”
Yao Yunyi, closely connected to Yu Wangfei’s household through her cousin, naturally didn’t want someone as scheming as He Wanyi anywhere near him.
Yet she remained skeptical. He Wanyi didn’t seem like someone who’d accept being a mere concubine.
However, a secondary consort is different from a regular concubine as they are listed in the royal genealogy.
Seeing Yao Yunyi’s somber expression, Chu Qingying’s face darkened further. “Yunyi, could it be that Brother-in-law truly has such intentions?”
Yao Yunyi quickly dismissed this, “What nonsense! My cousin and my cousin-in-law are deeply in love. How could he do such a thing?”
Yu Wang might not, but that doesn’t mean Consort Xian wouldn’t.
What if the He family managed to convince Consort Xian?
Or worse, if He Wanyi resorted to some means to force Yu Wang to let her into his household?
Chu Qingying’s mind was a whirl of confusion, though she tried to reassure herself, “Impossible. He Wanyi wouldn’t stoop to being a concubine. If word got out, how could she hold her head up?”
Duan Mingxi had said all she needed to say. The rest now depended on Chu Qingying and Yao Yunyi.
The key lay with Chu Qingying. While Yao Yunyi, as Yu Wang’s cousin, would naturally prioritize his interests, Chu Qingying, as Yu Wangfei’s sister, would undoubtedly place her sister first.
See, relationships in this world are like this—intertwined and ever-changing, influenced by the people and matters around them.
Just as in her past life, Duan Mingxi was trapped by familial ties—not because others trapped her, but because she confined herself.
“Help! Someone fell into the water! Help!”
A frantic cry suddenly shattered the tense atmosphere in the tea room.
Chu Qingying shot to her feet immediately, her mind preoccupied with the fear that He Wanyi might resort to lowly tactics to bind her brother-in-law. She dashed out without waiting for Yao Yunyi or Mingxi.
Yao Yunyi, flustered, quickly called for Mingxi to follow.
Duan Mingxi’s expression hardened. She couldn’t help but worry that this incident might involve Gan Li.
The Shangyang Palace had a massive lake, and a crowd was already gathering by its shore.
From the crowd came a sharp voice, “Oh my, which young lady fell into the water? In broad daylight, no less. If a guard rescues her, her reputation will be tarnished, and she’ll have to marry the guard!”
