Although Mingxi was already preparing herself, she still sent a message to Yu Wangfei.
In return, Yu Wangfei sent a plate of victory cakes.
Mingxi smiled and picked up a piece, eating it in one bite.
When Xiao Muchen returned to the manor, Mingxi told him about the upcoming Qixi banquet.
Xiao Muchen paused mid-step, turned his head, and said to Mingxi, “You don’t need to worry about the matter of the concubines. I’ll handle it.”
Mingxi wasn’t concerned either. She nodded casually and said, “I wonder who will choose the new Wangfei—Her Majesty the Empress or Consort Gui?”
“That depends on what Consort Gui decides to do,” Xiao Muchen replied offhandedly. If the Empress were allowed to control his son’s marriage again, the future of the Jin royal household would be far from peaceful.
After the disaster with He Wanyu, Consort Gui would certainly be more cautious this time.
“And how are things going on your side? What did Duke Rong say?” she asked as they moved into the inner room.
Sitting on the soft couch, Xiao Muchen looked at Mingxi and said, “That old fox, Duke Rong, didn’t make any clear promises. But since he’s already half-involved, it won’t be easy for him to back out now.”
Mingxi laughed. “Exactly. It’s not like anyone can just get on and off the boat of Duan Wang’s household whenever they like.”
Xiao Muchen stared intently at her. “Are you afraid?”
At this point, there was no turning back.
Victory or defeat, it was all or nothing.
“Afraid of what?” Mingxi poured him a cup of tea. “Once you draw the bow, you can’t turn back the arrow. We can only move forward—and we will succeed.”
The two exchanged smiles.
Yes, they would succeed.
The next morning, Xiao Muchen got up early to report for duty at the yamen. Before leaving, he told Mingxi, “I’ve already brought Kang Wang to Dali Temple to start working.”
Mingxi was stunned. She slipped on her shoes and walked over. “Royal Father has allowed it?”
“Yes.” Xiao Muchen’s expression was complicated. He lowered his head, looking at Mingxi. “I thought it would be difficult, but surprisingly, as soon as I mentioned it, Royal Father agreed. Xixi, maybe Royal Father’s thinking isn’t quite what we assumed.”
Mingxi’s feelings were complicated too. The Emperor was a man who always managed to surprise people.
“Since Kang Wang will be working with you, you should mentor him well. If he can accomplish something, he’ll be able to stand on his own in the future,” Mingxi said with a smile. “I’m sure Kang Wangfei will be thrilled. I’ll invite her over soon to celebrate with tea.”
Xiao Muchen was pleased that Mingxi was building a close relationship with Kang Wangfei; it meant Mingxi would have someone she could rely on within the royal family.
The news of Kang Wang joining the Dali Temple under the guidance of Duan Wang spread quickly that day.
In the Eastern Palace, the Crown Prince slammed his teacup to the ground, took a deep breath, and struggled to calm his boiling rage.
Well played, Fourth Brother.
Well played, Duan Wang!
He should have expected this. Ever since he left for Yuxiang City, the relationship between Fengcheng Marquis and him had changed.
They had just hidden it well—until now. The matter with Kang Wang exposed everything.
But Kang Wang? A useless fool who always slouched around—what great accomplishments could he possibly achieve?
The Crown Prince sneered inwardly. Duan Wang must be delusional.
“Your Highness, Jiang Liangdi is suffering from abdominal pain. She requests your presence.”
“Get lost!” the Crown Prince roared.
The eunuch paled and retreated without another word.
Useless trash!
The Crown Prince regretted everything. If he had known the Jiang family woman was so incompetent, he never would have let her into the Eastern Palace.
By contrast, Duan Mingxi was truly formidable. Even though her relationship with her sister was strained, she hadn’t allied with Jiang Liangdi.
It was clear that Duan Mingxi had thoroughly taken control of the Dingyuan Marquis’ household.
He had underestimated her back then.
If only his mother, the Empress, hadn’t hesitated, Duan Mingxi would have entered the Eastern Palace as his side consort—and things wouldn’t be so difficult now.
Thinking of how Duke Rong rejected him recently, the Crown Prince’s suppressed rage flared up again.
Qi Wang was an idiot—not worth supporting at all.
Yet Duke Rong’s standing in court was still valuable, so the Crown Prince had tried to use the case of Zhong Yuqing to win him over.
Unexpectedly, Duke Rong rejected him!
Zhong Yuqing was his in-law. If something happened to Zhong Yuqing and Duke Rong stood by doing nothing, wouldn’t that harm his own daughter’s future?
Or… did Duke Rong have another way to deal with the situation?
But how many people in the capital were capable of that?
The Crown Prince’s expression shifted unpredictably. After a long while, he slowly calmed down.
Fine. He would wait and see.
Before Qixi arrived, news came from Qiping Prefecture: Zhang Guangan had attempted suicide out of guilt.
The court was in an uproar.
Fortunately, he had been discovered in time and his life was saved, but he remained unconscious.
The news spread quickly, and Mingxi also heard about it.
“Unconscious”—those words held many meanings.
Either he would never wake up, or he might wake up eventually—but no one could predict when.
At this moment, You Sanping requested an audience.
Mingxi was a little surprised. You Sanping rarely came to Duan Wang’s residence; normally he just sent messages. They agreed to meet at the Yuxian Tower.
“Invite him in,” Mingxi said as she changed into a fresh outfit and went to the reception hall.
Inside the reception hall, You Sanping was standing there. Hearing footsteps, he turned and saw Mingxi striding in.
“Greetings, Wangfei.”
“Sit down and speak.”
After Mingxi sat down, she gestured for You Sanping to sit as well. “Why have you suddenly come? Is it urgent?”
You Sanping nodded and said in a low voice, “It is. Something very important.”
Mingxi glanced at him, then looked at Qiancao.
Qiancao nodded slightly, led the maidservants out, and then stood guard at the door.
“Speak. What is it?”
Only then did You Sanping say, “I caught someone who claims to be the head steward under Xingan Marquis.”
“What?” Mingxi was truly shocked. “Say that again? Is it true?”
It felt like a golden pie had just fallen from the sky and smashed into her head!
You Sanping nodded. “That’s what he says himself, and he even produced a token from Xingan Marquis’s estate.”
As he spoke, You Sanping handed a token to Mingxi.
Mingxi reached out to take it and saw that it indeed had the words “Xingan Marquis” engraved on it. But she couldn’t be sure if it was genuine, so she looked at You Sanping and asked, “How did you catch him?”
You Sanping hesitated for a moment, then said, “He sneaked into the cellar on the manor to steal food and was caught. They tied him up and brought him to me.”
Mingxi: …
Truly, fortune had fallen straight into their laps!
“Why would he appear on our manor?”
That was quite strange.
You Sanping’s expression grew even odder, as if thinking how best to explain. After composing himself, he said, “According to him, Duke Wei has been hunting him everywhere. Not just Duke Wei, others too — all wanting his life.”
“He hid in the mountains for over half a month but eventually grew too hungry to bear it. So he came down to steal food. He had no idea whose manor it was — he only saw that our place had many people coming and going and that the gates were often open, making it easier to sneak in. So he chose Wangfei’s.”
Mingxi laughed — what an unexpected stroke of luck!
The manor gates were always open because they were constantly transporting vegetables and hot spring produce out.
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