Upon entering the palace, she first went to Consort Shu’s Cuiwei Palace. Consort Shu was delighted to see her and waved her over to sit by her side.
After paying her respects, Duan Mingxi sat beside her and smiled, saying, “Royal Mother looks radiant today. It must be a good day.”
Hu Momo brought over tea and added with a smile, “Wangfei doesn’t know—there was quite the scene at Kunde Palace this morning.”
Mingxi was surprised. “Who dares to cause a stir in Kunde Palace so early?”
“The Crown Princess came to greet the Empress this morning and brought Jiang Liangdi with her. For some reason, Jiang Liangdi displeased the Empress and was scolded harshly.”
Hu Momo was well aware of the animosity between the Jiang family and Mingxi, so she deliberately shared this bit of good news.
As expected, Mingxi’s eyes lit up, and she smiled. “That really is unexpected. But Jiang Liangdi is quite hard to read. When she first entered the Eastern Palace, she often sent letters to my younger sister, asking her to keep her company there.”
“She did that?” Consort Shu frowned. “Why didn’t you mention it to me?”
“It wasn’t anything important, no need to trouble Royal Mother with it,” Duan Mingxi replied.
“How is that not important? You…” Consort Shu knew Mingxi was deeply filial and didn’t want to burden her with palace matters.
She held Mingxi’s hand and asked, “From the way you speak, it seems your little sister was sensible enough not to cause trouble for you.”
Consort Shu knew everything that needed to be known about the Marquis Household’s situation.
“My third brother often advises her. She’s finally come around and behaves with more restraint now,” Mingxi replied with a smile.
“A lesson learned through hardship. She had to suffer enough to start being cautious,” Consort Shu said calmly. She didn’t think much of the Marquis Household, especially those who didn’t get along with Mingxi.
“You’re right, Royal Mother. At least this time, by refusing Jiang Liangdi’s invitation, she saved me a lot of trouble.”
“If she still doesn’t wise up, she won’t even have a foothold left in the capital,” Consort Shu said bluntly.
Her own Father had lost his noble title. The title of Marquis now belonged to her older brother, and her sister-in-law wasn’t someone who would tolerate a troublesome sister-in-law.
Thinking of this, Consort Shu softly asked, “So then, has Jiang Liangdi tried contacting her again?”
Mingxi shook her head. “There’s been no more word from the Marquis residence. I don’t think so.”
She also told Consort Shu about the letter she had written to the Crown Princess.
Consort Shu looked at her with a hint of surprise. “Seems your relationship with the Crown Princess isn’t too bad.”
Mingxi thought for a moment and said, “Royal Mother, the Crown Prince treats the Crown Princess just ordinarily. You also know about the grudges between the Crown Princess and the shizi’s wife from Duke Gao’s family. Now with Jiang Liangdi added to the mix, it’s only natural that she would think for herself first.”
Consort Shu still didn’t quite understand. She looked at Mingxi and slowly said, “Since she married the Crown Prince, she should naturally prioritize him. After all, he’s the heir to the throne.”
Consort Shu’s thoughts were typical of a regular woman’s. In her past life, Duan Mingxi had thought the same. Even though the Gao family wronged her, she still endured ten years there.
Believing that true feelings would be returned in kind.
She let out a soft sigh. “If the Crown Princess had been truly loved and protected by her parents in her maiden family, she might have acted as you said, Royal Mother.”
“I didn’t expect that twist,” Consort Shu sighed. “The Duke and Duchess Zhen were fools, favoring one daughter over another. But then again, if they hadn’t been unjust, you wouldn’t have had this opportunity. It’s all due to your kindness and virtue over the years.”
If the Crown Princess could even slightly lean toward Mingxi, Consort Shu’s mood would immediately improve.
She didn’t expect the Crown Princess to betray the Crown Prince, but just having her current attitude was already a big help.
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law exchanged a glance, and Consort Shu immediately said, “Now that the Crown Princess is pregnant, don’t worry. I’ll keep an eye on things for her in the palace.”
“Thank you, Royal Mother.” Mingxi understood exactly what Consort Shu meant by “keeping an eye”—it was a gesture of goodwill toward the Crown Princess, a way to leave a line of retreat open.
Consort Shu pondered to herself. No one knew yet if the Crown Princess was carrying a boy or a girl. If she leaned toward Mingxi, then it didn’t matter much. But once the Crown Prince fell from power, even a boy wouldn’t be much help.
Still, to avoid trouble, she secretly hoped it would be a girl. That way, protecting mother and child would be easier. A boy would only bring more complications, and might not be so easy to safeguard.
Some matters, once they reached a breaking point, were no longer something she or Mingxi could change.
But it was too early to speak of such things, and Consort Shu didn’t want to burden Mingxi with worries.
Seeing the time was right, Consort Shu brought Mingxi along to Kunde Palace.
Unexpectedly, halfway there, they ran into Consort Gui and her daughter-in-law.
Consort Gui walked side by side with Consort Shu, so Mingxi had to walk behind them with Jin Wangfei.
She glanced at Jin Wangfei’s face—it was pale with a faint bluish tint, poorly hidden even under powder.
It was obvious the Wangfei had just been scolded by Consort Gui, judging by her gloomy expression.
Mingxi didn’t want to invite any bad luck, so after greeting her, she kept silent.
Clearly, Jin Wangfei had no intention of chatting either. She kept her mouth tightly shut the whole way, while the two consorts laughed together and entered Kunde Palace.
Inside, Consort Xian and Yu Wangfei had already arrived. The Crown Princess and Jiang Sujie were also there. Not long after, Consort De and Qi Wangfei arrived too.
The hall suddenly became lively. Once everyone had arrived, the Empress came out, supported by Lu Momo.
Everyone bowed as the Empress took her seat.
After she was seated, the Empress said, “Be seated.”
Everyone thanked her and took their seats. Mingxi sat beside Consort Shu. When she looked up, she could see the Crown Princess slightly diagonally across from her, and by her side, Jiang Liangdi.
Mingxi hadn’t seen Jiang Sujie much since being reborn, so her impression had faded a bit. But now, upon seeing her again, those sealed memories seemed to come back to life.
At that moment, Jiang Sujie’s gaze also landed on Mingxi. In terms of beauty, everyone here was of noble status and looked stunning.
But there are many kinds of beauty, and someone like Duan Mingxi—whose beauty was striking and distinctive—was rare. Her features were vivid, even bold, giving her a sense of strength rather than delicate femininity.
And yet, when she sat beside Consort Shu, and the consort occasionally said something to her, her expression softened, and her strong features became gentle, blending her aura into a graceful presence.
Jiang Sujie still remembered how Duan Mingxi used to be—cold, harsh, and sharper than most men. What man would love a woman like that?
But somehow, Duan Wang had chosen her. Jiang Sujie had always believed it was because of the Duan family’s wealth. Otherwise, how could he have taken a liking to her?
For tens of thousands of taels of silver, it was worth putting on an act.
Just wait—once Duan Mingxi lost her value, would Duan Wang still be so patient with her?
What a dream!
