Jin Wangfei’s death caused barely a ripple. Xingan Marquis had already fallen; who would go out of their way for her now? If there was anyone left who would grieve, it would be He Wanyi.
But He Wanyi was resting in a separate estate during her pregnancy. Consort De had people guarding the place tightly. No news from the outside was getting in—He Wanyi had no way of knowing her sister was dead.
Jin Wangfei had died disgracefully—her corpse thrown into a mass grave. Jin Wang’s residence wouldn’t even hold a funeral for her.
Inside Jin Wang’s manor, Side Consort Qian sat alone in her chamber, her face pale to a frightening degree.
She was trembling. She was afraid.
She never imagined Jin Wangfei would end up like this. She had served the Empress for years, hoping for wealth and glory. And in the end? Not only did she die, but she wasn’t even granted a royal burial—just dumped in a pit with the nameless dead.
Then what about her?
Jin Wangfei was a known supporter of the Empress. She, on the other hand, served her in secret.
Even until her death, Jin Wangfei never knew that the Empress had ordered Side Consort Qian to suppress her presence in the household. She never knew that they were on the same side.
Side Consort Qian was terrified. She had no idea what her own fate would be.
She’d seen Jin Wang the day he was carried back, sitting blankly in his study. He didn’t even notice when she entered the room.
That had never happened before.
Jin Wang had told her he despised the Wangfei, but he had never wanted her to die such a pitiful death.
Side Consort Qian’s legs nearly gave out when she heard that. She knew full well—after years of rivalry, if Jin Wang were truly ruthless, he would have made his choice long ago.
Even if he loathed the Wangfei, he never wanted her dead.
And yet, she hadn’t died at the hands of the husband who disliked and neglected her—but by the hand of the very master she had served so loyally.
What a cruel joke.
What about her?
If even Jin Wangfei ended up like that, what hope did she have?
Side Consort Qian fell ill from fright.
The imperial physician came and diagnosed her as already being over a month pregnant. Side Consort Qian couldn’t even smile. The timing of this child’s arrival couldn’t be worse.
If only it had been discovered before the Wangfei died—or a few months later—it would’ve been better than now.
With the Wangfei dead, and then this pregnancy discovered… what would Jin Wang think?
Side Consort Qian felt like she had swallowed bitter medicine. Even in death, Jin Wangfei refused to let her go.
But she had already suffered two miscarriages—this child was hard-won, and she couldn’t give it up.
The atmosphere in Jin Wang’s manor turned strange. The news of Side Consort Qian’s pregnancy was suppressed by Jin Wang.
Whether it was the frightened Yu Wangfei, the Crown Princess, or even Mingxi, who had helped save lives that day—there was no word from the Emperor.
No gestures of comfort. Which meant… the Emperor was angry.
Mingxi had long understood the Emperor’s temperament and didn’t take it to heart. But Xiao Muchen felt deeply aggrieved.
He knew that because he wasn’t his Royal Father’s favorite son, even his wife had to be treated with less respect.
Even after all the terrible things the Crown Prince had done, the Emperor still chose to shield him.
Before they knew it, the auspicious day of Kang Wang’s wedding had arrived. Jin Wangfei’s death still hung overhead like a dark cloud. The Emperor didn’t care much about Kang Wang, so he showed no reaction.
The wedding proceeded as planned. Fengcheng Marquis returned from Yuxiang City to escort his daughter. His wife, full of resentment, dared not voice it and instead tried to soothe their daughter repeatedly.
Zheng Siyu put on a brave face in front of her mother but cried bitterly in private. She couldn’t help thinking—why was she the one to marry under such unlucky circumstances?
Mingxi had arrived at the Kang Wang residence early to help out. With Jin Wangfei gone and the Crown Princess and Yu Wangfei still unable to attend, the newlywed Qi Wangfei showed up a bit later.
Qi Wangfei treated Mingxi coolly, clearly looking down on her—just a lucky woman who’d caught Duan Wang’s eye.
Mingxi didn’t care in the slightest. Xingqin Marquis Madam had always been the kind to judge people by appearances; her daughter naturally followed suit.
This made the atmosphere between the two women a bit awkward.
Because Kang Wang wasn’t favored, few court officials attended his wedding—it was noticeably quiet and subdued.
Qi Wangfei felt better seeing this. After all, her own wedding had barely ended when Jin Wangfei hanged herself. At least this time, the gloom fell before the ceremony.
Not many guests came, but Xiao Muchen arrived early to help manage the outer court of the wedding.
Qi Wang chattered alongside him, while Jin Wang, looking deeply despondent, showed his face briefly and left. News from the Eastern Palace said the Crown Prince was unwell and didn’t appear at all.
In the palace, Qian Jieyu received the news and couldn’t stop crying—but she didn’t dare let Li Zhaoyi see. Afraid of puffy eyes, she shut them tightly and forced herself to hold back tears.
Duan Wang and Mingxi stayed busy at Kang Wang’s residence the entire day and only left after the banquet ended.
Kang Wang personally saw them off at the gate, red-eyed. “Fourth Brother, Fourth Sister-in-law, thank you for everything today.”
Xiao Muchen patted him on the shoulder. “Go on back. Today is your big day—be happy. Your wife is waiting for you.”
Kang Wang understood what his brother meant. His wedding hadn’t been as grand as his older brothers’, and his wife was probably feeling disappointed. Fourth Brother was telling him to go and comfort her.
Xiao Muchen first took Mingxi home to their manor, then quietly left again that night.
Mingxi knew he had gone to see Fengcheng Marquis. This time, Fengcheng Marquis had secretly brought Xiao Lin back to the capital as well—disguised as a soldier. Once inside the city, Xiao Lin changed clothes and quietly returned to Ning Qin Wang’s residence.
Duchess Wei told her today that quite a few noble ladies had originally planned to attend the wedding. But after the incident with Jin Wangfei and seeing that the emperor hadn’t bestowed any special honors on Kang Wang’s marriage, most of them only sent congratulatory gifts and didn’t show up in person.
Duan Mingxi had been busy all day. Even though she was physically strong, she couldn’t help feeling a bit tired. After a quick wash, she changed clothes and went straight into the bedchamber.
She thought she might have trouble sleeping, but as soon as her head hit the pillow, she fell asleep. She didn’t even know when Xiao Muchen came back.
The next morning, they had to enter the palace early. Duan Mingxi woke up and turned to see the person beside her. Propping herself up halfway, she looked down at Xiao Muchen.
Xiao Muchen had already sensed her movement when she got up. He opened his eyes and locked gazes with her, then reached out and pulled her into his chest. “Why are you up so early?”
Following his pull, Duan Mingxi rested on his chest and said, “Today, Kang Wang and his consort have to enter the palace. We shouldn’t be late.”
Xiao Muchen had no mood to tease her. He frowned slightly and said, “They’ll surely suffer some grievances.”
Duan Mingxi understood what he meant. An unloved prince, plus a mother who held no favor, marrying under such circumstances—luck like that was even worse than hers in her past life.
