Duan Mingxi read the letter at lightning speed and looked up at Duan Ning. “Second Brother, did you all plan this from the start?”
Duan Ning hesitated, unsure how to respond.
Duan Mingxi cut to the chase. “Tell me the truth.”
After a moment’s pause, Duan Ning finally nodded. “This matter was discussed between me and Third Brother. Then we told Eldest Brother, and he agreed too.”
Duan Mingxi was both amused and exasperated, her emotions difficult to put into words.
She had let go of past grievances with the Marquis Residence and had deliberately promoted their people, thinking to secure herself some backing. Though the Marquis Residence wasn’t powerful yet, it had potential.
But she never expected that with her support, they would grow so quickly behind her back!
She turned to Duan Ning. “Second Brother, did you send that letter to Duan Qi because you saw the Crown Prince’s increasing clashes with Duan Wang’s household?”
Duan Ning didn’t deny it. He looked at her and said, “Mingxi, Eldest Brother and I are already in official positions. Third Brother is also clever. We can protect you now—you don’t need to bear it all alone.”
“How did you get the list?” Mingxi asked. That kind of document wasn’t something the Marquis Residence could get their hands on.
“I asked Wangye for it.”
Just as she suspected!
Mingxi glared at Duan Ning. “You guys really pulled this off!”
They had kept it from her so well—she hadn’t noticed a thing.
“No wonder Duan Qi was so interested when I said to send Sirui off to study… You’d already made plans, hadn’t you?”
Duan Ning didn’t deny that either.
Duan Mingxi couldn’t help but laugh. They had actually gotten the list of the Crown Prince’s close associates from Xiao Muchen, then followed their appointments all the way out into the provinces. At each place, they quietly asked questions—and they’d really managed to dig something up.
She wondered how Sirui was doing with Duan Qi now. A soft, naive dumpling paired with a dark sesame filling—hopefully, the journey would broaden his horizons.
Xiao Muchen didn’t return for more than an hour. During that time, Duan Ning and Duan Mingxi discussed all the hidden currents in court. Things weren’t going smoothly for Xiao Muchen behind the scenes.
The Emperor had ordered him to rotate between the six ministries—not as a promotion, but using him like a workhorse, without granting him real power.
Truly unfair.
“Wangye,” Duan Ning rose to greet him.
Xiao Muchen nodded and said, “Second Brother, sit. Let’s talk.”
Mingxi glanced at Xiao Muchen and smiled before sitting down beside him and handing him the letter.
Xiao Muchen’s eyes gleamed as he finished reading. He looked at Duan Ning and said, “I didn’t think Third Brother and Sirui would actually uncover anything.”
“Neither did I,” Duan Ning laughed. “But it’s good news. I believe we’ll need you to send someone to verify it.”
“Embezzling taxes and state grain—that’s a bold move,” Mingxi added in disbelief.
Xiao Muchen looked at Duan Ning. “Write to Third Brother. Tell them to move on immediately and not linger. I’ll send someone to investigate. Their safety comes first—they must not take any risks.”
If what the letter said was true, then this could be a real blow to the Crown Prince.
Sibling rivalries were one thing—those the Emperor could overlook—but crimes against the empire and its people? Could the Emperor still shield the Crown Prince from that?
Even if the Emperor wanted to, Xiao Muchen wouldn’t let it go this time.
“Alright. I’ll write the letter as soon as I return,” Duan Ning agreed.
Mingxi watched the two of them, then suddenly asked, “What’s the earliest this matter could reach the Emperor?”
Duan Ning looked toward Duan Wang—it depended on his speed.
Xiao Muchen looked at Mingxi. “You have something in mind?”
Duan Mingxi: …
Sometimes, having someone who knows you too well can be a little too much.
She nodded. “I do.”
“How much time do you need?” Xiao Muchen asked again.
Off to the side, Duan Ning’s lips twitched. What—was Wangye just going to make time if she asked?
This kind of operation took time!
Duan Mingxi blinked at Xiao Muchen, her eyes sparkling. She smiled and said, “What if it happened on the day of the wedding at Zhenbei Wang’s estate?”
Both men froze.
“What are you planning?”
“What are you planning?”
They spoke in unison.
Duan Mingxi: …
She explained her plan in simple terms.
Both men fell silent.
Duan Ning cleared his throat—suddenly grateful he’d gotten on his sister’s ship when he had.
Xiao Muchen thought to himself, Thank the heavens this brilliant wife is mine. If the Crown Prince had gotten to her first… he’d be the one getting dismantled now.
Unthinkable.
“It’s not impossible,” Xiao Muchen said solemnly. “But if you really do this, the Empress will…”
Lose her mind.
Mingxi snorted. “She can scheme all she wants, and I’m just supposed to suffer in silence? Opportunities like this don’t come often—I’m not about to waste it.”
Politically speaking, the Empress was head of the inner palace. Mingxi, as a mere Wangfei, was of lower rank.
But personally? The feud between them ran deep. The Empress had repeatedly made life difficult for her. Mingxi had few chances to retaliate—after all, she was just a Wangfei, while the Empress was not only the matriarch of the palace but her formal mother-in-law.
If Mingxi was to strike back, she had to do it in a way that was justified politically, personally, and morally.
Zhenbei Wang’s wedding?
A once-in-a-lifetime chance.
If she didn’t take it, she’d regret it forever.
“You make a compelling case. In that case,” Xiao Muchen said with a straight face, “your husband will fully cooperate.”
Duan Ning: …
At that moment, he desperately wished he could vanish into thin air.
He still remembered the day he passed through the Ministry of Revenue and saw Duan Wang in a fierce argument with the officials—pointing at their noses and cursing them out.
How did people talk about Duan Wang behind his back?
They called him inflexible, harsh, too rigid, too uptight.
Because he was impartial in his work, he stepped on many toes—and many officials bore grudges against him.
Because of Duan Wang’s personality, he was quite liked and supported by those court officials who valued fairness and integrity. Though he held no real power in his duties within the Six Ministries, his reputation was so widespread that no one dared to offend him deliberately. As long as the matter wasn’t too critical, people were still willing to cooperate with him.
Duan Ning looked down on behaviors like the Crown Prince’s—overlooking certain matters just to win over the hearts of court officials.
A person must have backbone; a minister must have principles.
Though he was ambitious and eager to rise, he wasn’t someone who would abandon justice for personal gain.
Mingxi looked at Duan Ning.
“Second Brother will support you too.” Duan Ning forced a smile.
What else could he do?
His own younger sister—of course he had to protect her. Was he supposed to lose to Duan Wang?
Mingxi was overjoyed, her face rarely showing such excitement. Looking at the two men, she said, “If this works out, it will completely disgrace the Empress and the Crown Prince, and let out a breath of long-held anger.”
Xiao Muchen rarely saw Mingxi so visibly pleased, so he followed her lead and said, “And more than that—if the embezzlement of tax funds and the medical bureau’s grain gets exposed, the Crown Prince will suffer heavy losses.”
So, Mingxi should be even happier, right?
