Su Ying quickly caught on and echoed, “Crown Princess is right. No matter what, Jiang Liangdi is part of the Eastern Palace. Naturally, we can’t allow outsiders to speak ill of her. But Crown Princess, if Duan Wangfei spreads this matter, it would damage His Highness’s reputation.”
“I’ll try to think of a way to handle it properly. But if Jiang Liangdi insists on her own way, and knowing how forthright Duan Wangfei is, I’m afraid I won’t be able to mediate in time and might end up disappointing His Highness.”
Su Ying said angrily, “Jiang Liangdi has only just entered the Eastern Palace and is already stirring up such trouble. His Highness still protects her, while you’re carrying His Highness’s child. The Imperial Physician already said you shouldn’t overthink or stress, or else this pregnancy… Crown Princess, you must prioritize His Highness’s heir!”
“Silence! I’m His Highness’s wife, the Crown Princess. Of course I must share His burdens. Stop saying such things.” Bai Shixi scolded.
Su Ying covered her face and cried, but didn’t say anything further.
The room quieted down. Su Ying continued pretending to sob softly while also listening closely to any movements outside. After a long while, she finally heard the faint sound of footsteps slowly fading. Her legs almost gave way beneath her.
Who would’ve thought that His Highness now trusted the Crown Princess so little? Her face had turned pale with a greenish tint, and her legs were weak.
The two locked eyes. Su Ying slowly stood up by bracing on her knees, holding her handkerchief as she stepped outside. She casually swept under the eaves, confirming that no one was around, and only then did her heart finally settle.
She didn’t return immediately. Instead, she leaned against the column, dabbing her eyes like she had been wronged. Only after the time of one incense stick did she return inside.
She quietly closed the palace door behind her, walked past the screen into the inner chamber, and found the Crown Princess already changed into casual clothes, sitting at the vanity and undoing her hair. Su Ying hurried over to help. “Let me do it.”
Bai Shixi let her take over and looked at her reflection in the mirror, then at Su Ying.
Tears were now truly falling from Su Ying’s eyes. “Miss, what will we do in the future?”
Back in the Duke’s Mansion, things had already been hard. The Duke and Duchess favored the eldest daughter. When Bai Shixi married into the Eastern Palace, they thought she’d finally live a prestigious and comfortable life. Who knew it would be like this?
“What’s there to cry about?” Bai Shixi smiled. “I am the Crown Princess, granted by the Emperor himself. As long as I don’t commit a major fault, the Crown Prince cannot dismiss me. In this Eastern Palace, aside from His Highness, who else dares to order me around? Life now is already easier than before.”
“But…” Su Ying’s heart ached. The Crown Prince and Crown Princess weren’t of one mind, and yet, despite her pregnancy, the Crown Princess had to mediate between Jiang Liangdi and Duan Wangfei.
Who was Duan Wangfei? Could anyone easily go up against her?
“But what?” Bai Shixi said. “Su Ying, I’ve never relied on anyone else. The only person I can count on is myself.” She picked up a handkerchief and wiped Su Ying’s tears. “As long as I’m here, so are you. What is there to fear? Besides, we have a way out.”
Upon hearing that, Su Ying laughed through her tears. “This servant’s life is worth nothing—I will naturally stay by your side. I just fear that the ‘way out’ may not be dependable either.”
Bai Shixi smiled. “We carve our own path.”
It’s just that hers was full of thorns and hardship.
“So what should we say to Duan Wangfei?” Su Ying lowered her voice as she combed the Crown Princess’s hair.
Bai Shixi thought for a moment. “You’ll need to go in person. Just tell the truth. Duan Wangfei is a smart woman—once you speak, she’ll understand.”
Su Ying nodded. “Very well. I’ll visit Duan Wang’s Manor first thing in the morning.”
After washing up, Bai Shixi laid in bed and stared blankly at the embroidered peony pattern on the canopy above her.
She was walking a tightrope, with no end ahead and no retreat behind.
She should be standing side by side with her husband, but she didn’t want to.
The Crown Prince married her only for the sake of her family background. His relationship with Bai Zhiwei was still unclear.
Now, her good brother-in-law’s relationship with Bai Zhiwei was also deteriorating. It was said he’d even fallen out with his mother-in-law. His life was far more dramatic than hers.
Ever since entering the Eastern Palace, Bai Shixi had been walking on eggshells. Though outsiders thought the Crown Prince treated her with grace and courtesy, only she knew how cold and heartless he truly was.
She subconsciously touched her belly and then smiled. So what if the Crown Prince was indifferent? All she ever wanted was the title of Crown Princess and a child. Now she had both—no regrets.
Everything else didn’t matter. She didn’t care.
As for the future…
Her eyes gradually became vacant. Because of He Wanyi, Yu Wang had already lost favor in the Emperor’s eyes. Jin Wang clashed openly with Xingan Marquis’s household, which meant he was also challenging the Crown Prince.
Kang Wang had restrictions on his status. That left only Qi Wang and Duan Wang. Qi Wang was still hard to judge, since he hadn’t married yet. But since returning from the Yuxiang City affair, Duan Wang had been rising steadily and now openly opposed the Crown Prince.
That’s why the Crown Prince used Qiao Wan to frame Dingyuan Marquis’s household and had Jiang Sujie draw in Duan Huirou—he wanted to drag Duan Mingxi down with them.
Mingxi was clever. That letter she sent was no accident—it was meant for the Crown Prince, not Bai Shixi.
To her, it was a silent declaration of war.
And Bai Shixi was stuck in the middle—unable to rise, unable to fall.
If she had to choose just one, she chose Duan Mingxi.
Bai Shixi pulled the brocade quilt over her face. How ridiculous. She didn’t choose her own husband—she chose someone else.
Because in her heart, she trusted Duan Mingxi’s character more.
Duan Wang might seem constantly restricted and reactive, but only she knew—the Crown Prince’s growing fury and ruthlessness were all caused by Duan Wang’s steady pressure, pushing him step by step into a corner.
If the Crown Prince won, she would still be the Crown Princess.
If the Crown Prince lost, and the honor of being the Crown Princess was gone, Duan Mingxi would still protect her and the child, ensuring their safety and prosperity.
If the Crown Prince had even a sliver of true affection for her, she wouldn’t be so resolute.
But alas, all her life she had only ever been a supporting role — a foil to her elder sister in her maiden home, and an ornament to her husband after marriage. No one truly valued her or stood up for her.
She still remembered what Duan Mingxi once told her: “One should not resign to fate — the road must be carved out by oneself.”
Now, she too was walking her own path. She didn’t know if it was right or wrong, but it was the path she chose.
She just wanted to live well, and with dignity.
That was all.
Bai Shixi didn’t sleep well that night. By morning, dark shadows rimmed her eyes. Su Ying had someone boil eggs to roll over her face, but Bai Shixi instead sent her off early to Duan Wang’s residence, along with a sternly worded letter she wrote herself, speaking righteously on behalf of the Crown Prince.
Su Ying, carrying the letter, got on a carriage bound for Duan Wang’s manor.
At that moment, Mingxi had just seen off Xiao Muchen. Lately, he had been getting busier and busier. The fall of Marquis Xingan was a major event, and Yu Wang had once again suffered a crushing blow.
Consort Xian protected Yu Wangfei, but Yu Wang was left completely disgraced. He had lost both face and power. He Wanyi was even forcibly sent by Consort Xian to a secluded estate, under the pretense of “resting during pregnancy.”
Now Jin Wang and his wife were quarreling behind closed doors, making a mess of things. Mingxi had been quietly watching the drama unfold. When she heard that Su Ying had come in person, she was quite surprised.
