Madam Xu knew that she couldn’t hide it from her daughter, so she smiled helplessly: “Your father didn’t let me tell you, for fear that you would worry. I thought I should at least tell you, otherwise I would be worried.”
Mingxi put down the teapot, looked at Madam Xu, and asked, “Mother, what’s the matter?”
Madam Xu pursed her lips and sighed lightly. “Ever since your Father returned from the horse farm, he’s been looking for bodyguards. I found it strange and asked him about it. Only then did I learn that someone had tailed him all the way back from the farm.”
Mingxi’s expression instantly turned serious. “How could Father not tell me about such an important matter?”
“I thought he should tell you too,” Madam Xu said. “But your Father didn’t want to trouble you. Still, since the horse farm was given to you, you should at least be aware of what’s going on.” Madam Xu hadn’t wanted to burden her daughter, but she was also worried about her husband.
Her daughter had Duan Wang backing her — far more powerful than any merchant family.
“Don’t worry. I’ll have Qi He find a few skilled bodyguards to send over. From now on, whenever Father goes out, they’ll follow him,” Mingxi said, then added, “The royal household will pay them a monthly wage, but make sure Father gives them a hardship bonus too.”
“Of course, of course,” Madam Xu’s eyes lit up. “Wangye won’t be upset, will he?”
“How could he be upset over something like this? It’s just a few people. Of course Wangye would agree,” Mingxi said with a smile.
“That’s good,” Madam Xu felt a heavy burden lift from her heart, and she relaxed noticeably. She couldn’t help but grumble to her daughter, “Your Father is so stubborn. The older he gets, the more stubborn he becomes. I really can’t deal with him. Only you can persuade him now.”
“Mother, Father has many things to deal with in the capital. Sometimes he has to be decisive. Please try to understand him at home. If you have some free time, I’ll have you come over for tea,” Mingxi said.
“How can I be free? Your Father’s out running around, and I have to manage things at home,” Madam Xu sighed. “Buying horses this time didn’t go smoothly either. A business deal that was already agreed upon suddenly fell through. Your Father had to make several trips to settle it. Fortunately, it’s been finalized now. Afraid of any further changes, he rushed to bring the horses back to the farm.”
As Madam Xu spoke, Mingxi silently noted the possibility that someone was targeting her Father. She made a mental note and said to her mother, “I already told Father to bring more people along when he goes out, so he doesn’t have to run around alone.”
It was too dangerous otherwise.
“Your Father said he’ll have the stewards go once he figures things out,” Madam Xu said, unable to persuade her husband. “Speaking of which, how’s Sanping doing? If he’s free, let him lend a hand.”
Madam Xu trusted You Sanping.
“He’s helping me manage the business. I’ll ask him,” Mingxi replied.
“Your business is getting bigger and bigger now; he might not have time. If not, have him recommend a few trustworthy people.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll handle it,” Mingxi assured her.
With her daughter’s promise, Madam Xu felt at ease. To her, if her daughter said so, then there would be no problem.
Madam Xu didn’t stay for lunch at the residence. After having some tea and chatting for a bit, she got ready to leave.
Mingxi couldn’t persuade her to stay and personally escorted her out.
When she returned, she saw Li Quan rushing in like a whirlwind. Upon seeing Mingxi, he immediately saluted and said, “Your Highness, there’s an uproar at Zhenbei Wang’s Residence!”
Mingxi’s eyes lit up. “What happened?”
“Everything was going fine. But during the wedding ceremony, a sudden gust of wind blew off the bride’s red veil. The bride got upset and accused Zhenbei Wang’s Residence of humiliating her. Right in front of the guests, she started arguing with Second Young Master Gan.”
Mingxi: …
Strange events happen every year, but this year there’s a lot more of them.
“Did the veil really get blown off?” she asked.
“Yes, I asked around carefully. It’s true,” Li Quan nodded.
Mingxi pondered whether this was an accident or deliberate. If it was deliberate, the person behind it was quite formidable.
“And then?” Mingxi pressed.
“The argument caused them to miss the auspicious hour. Second Young Master Gan even got scratched on the face by Miss Li. The wedding couldn’t go on. Zhenbei Wangfei fainted from anger. It’s a huge scene right now.”
Mingxi: …
She hadn’t expected things to blow up this much. Zhenbei Wangfei was a tough woman — clearly she didn’t want Li Peilan to marry into their family at all.
But it wouldn’t be easy.
The Empress was still involved.
However, with the wedding ceremony ruined and such a scandal breaking out, even if Li Peilan entered the family, she’d become a laughingstock.
“Go find out more and report back,” Mingxi ordered.
“Yes, I’ll go immediately,” Li Quan saluted and dashed off.
Fang Mama, who had been listening on the side, chuckled and said, “Wangfei, without completing the wedding ceremony, even if she enters the household, it won’t be legitimate.”
Mingxi’s eyes gleamed as she looked at Fang Mama. “You make a good point.”
“Zhenbei Wang is a decisive man. Forced into this marriage by the Empress, he must be truly enraged. This move is to show Li Peilan who’s boss — once she enters the household, she’ll have to behave.”
Hearing this, Mingxi couldn’t help but think further. So after she had sent that secret letter to Zhenbei Wangfei the other day, the Wangfei must have changed her mind — and taken drastic action.
The Empress forced their hand first; Zhenbei Wangfei’s retaliation was completely justified.
It was just that Li Peilan, caught in the middle, was about to get roasted alive. If she had any sense, she should suppress her temper and secure her footing first.
But with how spoiled she was, that would be difficult.
As the two spoke, Qi He arrived.
“This morning, some court officials submitted a memorial directly to His Majesty, accusing officials from Qiping Prefecture of embezzling taxes and misappropriating grain from the state granary, and requested a thorough investigation.”
Mingxi immediately lit up with excitement. She hadn’t expected it to succeed so quickly — Xiao Muchen had really pulled it off!
“That’s wonderful!” Mingxi beamed at Qi He. “Any word from the palace yet?”
Qi He shook his head. “The court session hasn’t ended yet, so no specific news. His Highness was worried you’d be anxious and had me come back to report first.”
Mingxi nodded and then filled Qi He in on the chaos at Zhenbei Wang’s wedding. Qi He’s expression turned wonderfully colorful as he couldn’t help but comment, “Today, Her Majesty and the Crown Prince must be having terrible headaches.”
“Exactly,” Mingxi let out a long breath — truly delighted.
Qi He left to wait on standby at the palace, taking along news of Zhenbei Wang’s wedding to report to Duan Wang.
Meanwhile, at Kunde Palacer, Duchess Cao was weeping bitterly, begging the Empress to uphold justice for Li Peilan, saying that Zhenbei Wang’s family had gone too far.
The Empress was so furious that her head throbbed and her vision blurred. Before she could catch her breath, another piece of news from the front court was delivered. The Empress’s vision went black, and she nearly fainted.
Duchess Cao was so frightened she didn’t even dare to cry. If something were to happen to the Empress, what would happen to the Duke Cao’s household in the future?
Even though she was still worried about her daughter, she knew she couldn’t say a word more right now.
Lu Momo quickly ordered someone to summon the imperial physician and helped the Empress lie down on the soft couch. “Your Majesty, are you alright? How do you feel now?”
The Empress was so choked with anger that she couldn’t breathe properly; her face even showed a hint of blue. Only after the physician rushed in and administered a needle did she manage to catch her breath.
