Mingxi took a deep breath and stared straight at Duan Huirou, who didn’t dare meet her gaze at all. Looking guilty, she stood beside Madam Xiao, her head practically trying to bury itself into her collar.
Mingxi quietly made her way through the crowd and stood next to Duan Huirou.
Duan Huirou trembled all over in fright. Mingxi looked at her—just this little bit of courage, and she dared to act on her own?
Madam Xiao’s head was about to explode. Seeing Mingxi approach, she finally breathed a little easier and said softly, “Little Eldest Sister, please talk to Second Sister. I don’t know what she’s thinking—this is pure nonsense!”
“Follow me.”
Duan Huirou didn’t want to go; she dragged her feet and resisted. Madam Xiao tugged her along, and they followed Mingxi over to Consort Shu. The two quickly stepped forward to pay their respects.
Consort Shu gave a slight nod, glancing at Duan Huirou without saying anything, but was quite gentle toward Madam Xiao.
Duan Huirou was so nervous from Consort Shu’s look that she was trembling, her head lowered, not daring to speak.
Mingxi had a chair brought over and whispered something into Consort Shu’s ear. Consort Shu nodded, and Mingxi led her sister-in-law and Duan Huirou to sit behind Consort Shu.
Since Madam Xiao and Duan Huirou were from Mingxi’s natal family, sitting nearby wouldn’t draw attention.
Mingxi looked at Duan Huirou and asked directly, “What exactly are you trying to do?”
Duan Huirou lowered her voice and said, “I’m not trying to do anything.”
“You think I don’t know you? Your needlework looks like it was done by a dog. Every year, your handkerchiefs and sachets are either made by your maid or by Qingyin. And now you want me to believe you can thread a needle so quickly?”
Duan Huirou pressed her lips together, refusing to speak.
Mingxi stared at her. “Is it because of Jiang Sujie? Or did someone approach you with some kind of deal again?”
“No!”
Duan Huirou answered too quickly, and Mingxi immediately knew the truth. She said, “Someone from the Empress’s side approached you, didn’t they?”
Duan Huirou: …
Watching Duan Huirou’s face turn pale and then flushed, Mingxi sighed lightly. “With your brain, you think you’ll survive in the Eastern Palace? You can’t even handle Jiang Sujie—going there would just be serving yourself up as a sacrificial lamb.”
Duan Huirou clutched her handkerchief tightly and stayed silent.
Beside them, Madam Xiao’s face had changed completely. “Second Sister, when did you meet someone from the Empress’s side?”
She didn’t dare speak loudly and kept her voice low, trembling slightly. Then her eyes froze. “Was it that day when you and Qingyin went out?”
Duan Huirou still said nothing, but her silence confirmed it. That was the only time she had gone out recently.
Mingxi looked at her and said, “What are you thinking? Tell me, I’ll help you find a way. You absolutely cannot enter the Eastern Palace. You have to remember, behind you stand Big Brother, Second Brother, and Third Brother. If you enter the Eastern Palace, they’ll have no choice but to abandon you. Do you understand?”
“I understand,” Duan Huirou whispered.
Madam Xiao clutched her chest. “Then why would you still go?”
Duan Huirou finally broke down. “If I don’t go, what am I supposed to do? They’re watching me all the time. I know I’m the dumbest one in the Marquis Household. That’s why they keep pressing me. If I go, at least everyone else can be left in peace. You can just treat it like I never existed.”
Mingxi froze. “They’ve been watching you all this time?”
Duan Huirou refused to answer. She felt utterly humiliated. She had never realized that being foolish could make someone a target.
Because she wasn’t close with Mingxi, the Eastern Palace and the Empress had latched onto her, wanting to use her hand to hurt Mingxi.
She wanted to—but she didn’t dare.
If she harmed Mingxi, she would be dragging her brothers down with her. No matter how much she resented Mingxi, she couldn’t do that.
But she had no way to break out of this trap. She wasn’t as smart as Mingxi, nor as capable as her brothers. She was just an ordinary, powerless girl.
With Duan Qi away from the capital, she didn’t even have anyone to ask for help.
She was about to go crazy!
After thinking it over, she had decided—what was the big deal about going into the Eastern Palace? Once she went, they wouldn’t bother her anymore.
At worst, she’d just refuse to cooperate once she was there and end up forgotten in some corner for the rest of her life.
Seeing right through Duan Huirou’s pitiful thinking, Mingxi’s emotions grew complicated. She asked, “You really think once you enter the Eastern Palace it’ll all be over? You think you can just refuse to cooperate and live peacefully? Trying to bargain with a tiger—do you really think you’ll get out of it alive? You’ll be lucky if even your bones are left.”
Duan Huirou’s face turned stark white. “Don’t scare me—you’re always good at scaring people.”
“What would I get from scaring you? The Empress and the Crown Prince—neither of them are easy to deal with. Even I have suffered at their hands more than once.”
Duan Huirou was stunned. You—Mingxi—you’ve suffered too?
“If even I suffered losses, what do you think would happen to you?”
Duan Huirou was dumbfounded. “Then… what should I do?”
“If you were afraid, why didn’t you consult the family earlier? Even if we don’t get along, I wouldn’t have stood by in something so serious.”
Duan Huirou stayed silent. How could she have dared to discuss it with Mingxi back then?
“It’s my fault,” Madam Xiao quickly said. “If I had been more careful…”
“At this point, there’s no other way. If you want to survive, there’s only one path left. Duan Huirou—do you dare to listen to me?”
She didn’t dare!
But she was even more afraid to refuse.
In front was the wolf, behind was the tiger. At least Mingxi, though fierce, was still her own family. She might still survive.
Anyone who could live, who would willingly choose death?
“What do you want me to do?” Duan Huirou asked, voice trembling.
Hearing her question, Mingxi finally breathed a secret sigh of relief. “Next is the spider box selection, right? They must have already tipped you off about which box to choose, haven’t they?”
Duan Huirou: …
Even this she could guess?
She swallowed hard and nodded slightly. “Yes.”
The spider boxes contained spiders chosen the day before. The spiders were left to spin webs. The box with the largest and densest web would indicate the most “lucky” girl.
The Empress wanted Duan Huirou to be that lucky one.
Originally, you were supposed to pick your spider yourself, wait for it to spin its web, and then everyone would compete based on the webs.
However, the Empress and the Crown Prince had other plans. The Qixi banquet was organized so suddenly that the palace had to prepare everything, and the young ladies were to select from the prepared boxes to see whose luck was the best. Of course, this made the event even more entertaining.
Who would have known the Empress and her son had ulterior motives?
“When it’s time, don’t choose the box they told you to pick. Choose the one right next to it.”
Duan Huirou swallowed hard. “…Okay.”
The Empress would surely skin her alive for this.
Mingxi asked her again which box the Empress had instructed her to choose. After Duan Huirou explained carefully, Mingxi nodded slightly and said to her, “Now, you and Sister-in-law leave and pretend like you’re upset with me.”
Duan Huirou: …
Alright.
Her reputation was already in ruins—how much worse could it get?
She steeled herself. Half her life was already buried in this mess; if she could use today to escape this nightmare, it would be worth it!
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