“Elder sister-in-law, this is still speculation and hasn’t been confirmed. Please don’t spread it around to avoid empty joy and making me a laughingstock for being thought arrogant.” Duan Mingxi’s gaze rested on Madam Xiao as she spoke.
“You’re right, Meimei. I’m just genuinely happy for you. Don’t worry; I won’t say a word,” Madam Xiao promised readily.
She was a bit disappointed, though—she wouldn’t get to boast about it to the Old Madam or her mother-in-law. But compared to them, Madam Xiao now prioritized avoiding offending a potential future Crown Prince’s side consort.
Once Madam Xiao left, glowing with joy, Duan Mingxi was left with a belly full of anger.
Becoming the Crown Prince’s concubine? Dream on!
“Miss, why are you unhappy?” Xiangxiang asked, puzzled as she noticed her mistress’s furious expression.
If what Madam Xiao said was true, wasn’t this a great marriage?
If miss became the Crown Prince’s side consort, who in the Marquis’s residence would dare look down on her anymore? Even the second young miss would have to bow respectfully.
Wasn’t that cause for celebration?
Unable to share the truth, Duan Mingxi addressed Qiancao and Xiangxiang. “That day in Shangyang Palace, I inadvertently disrupted the Empress and the Crown Prince’s plans. Do you think they might hold a grudge against me? I fear this marriage proposal is nothing but a trap—a way to bring me into the Eastern Palace for revenge. How could I be happy about that?”
Hearing this, the two maids grew anxious. Their mistress had a point.
What should they do?
Duan Mingxi refused to sit idly by. She turned to Qiancao and said, “Go and summon Li Quan.”
“Yes.”
Qiancao quickly fetched Li Quan.
After ensuring the doors were secured, Mingxi instructed him, “Spread the news that the Empress and the Crown Prince intend to select me as the Crown Prince’s side consort. Ensure it reaches Marquis Deqing’s household.”
“Do it swiftly. Spend more money if you must, but make sure it’s done cleanly without exposing yourself. Understood?”
Li Quan was taken aback. The Crown Prince’s side consort?
However, seeing the serious look on Duan Mingxi’s face, he didn’t dare question her. “Rest assured, miss. Money talks—I’ll handle it immediately.”
Duan Mingxi nodded. “Hurry.”
If the Empress and the Crown Prince truly intended to make her a side consort, then Fu Hongxiao’s position would not be as a side consort but as a lower-ranking liandi.
Fu Hongxiao’s temperament would make her begrudgingly accept a lower rank at first. But now that she’d caught wind of Mingxi’s supposed promotion, she would undoubtedly grow dissatisfied and scheme for the higher position.
To sit as the side consort, she will definitely think of a plan.
Once Fu Hongxiao made her move, she could leverage the situation to disrupt the marriage arrangement entirely.
What Mingxi didn’t anticipate was that her efforts to contain the news were thwarted by Second Master Duan.
“Is this true?” The Old Madam was elated, her face aglow with excitement.
Second Master Duan nodded. “Marquis Deqing’s shizi wouldn’t spout nonsense. Though he didn’t say it outright, his words implied high praise for Mingxi and mentioned the Eastern Palace. Isn’t it obvious?”
The Old Madam’s joy was boundless. “At last! We no longer need to fear the Empress and the Crown Prince’s wrath.”
Second Master Duan hesitated before speaking again. “Mother, I don’t think this marriage is appropriate.”
“What’s inappropriate? Mingxi is the Marquis’s legitimate eldest daughter. Why wouldn’t she deserve to be a secondary consort in the Eastern Palace? It’s not as though we’re asking for her to be the Crown Prince’s main consort.”
“That’s not what I mean. I’m worried that Mingxi’s prior offense to the Empress and the Crown Prince might lead to her suffering grievances if she marries him,” Second Master Duan replied with a frown.
He was somewhat aware of the Crown Prince’s character.
“What do you know about the inner palace, as a man? This is no grievance—it’s an official title in the royal genealogy, a legitimate consort of the Eastern Palace. She’d be a mistress there. Who would dare mistreat her?”
Second Master Duan was about to say more but was shooed out by his mother.
He sighed and returned to his courtyard, where he saw his wife busy with the maids packing up boxes. When she noticed his return, the Second Madam of the Duan family set aside her work, leaving the maids to continue, and greeted her husband with a smile as they went into the main room.
“What’s the matter? Are you still troubled about official duties?” The Second Madam couldn’t think of anything else that might be bothering him. His furrowed brow could only be due to work-related issues.
Second Master Duan shook his head. “No, not that.”
After hesitating for a moment, he shared the matter with his wife.
Second Madam Duan’s expression turned complicated, and after a long pause, she finally said, “Our eldest miss is truly fortunate.”
This was a secondary consort position in the Crown Prince’s residence—formerly Taizipin. If the Crown Prince ascends the throne in the future, at the very least, she could be conferred a consort rank.
“You don’t understand. There’s more to this matter…” Second Master Duan explained the underlying connections. “Do you really think Mingxi marrying into that family is such a good match?”
Second Madam Duan locked eyes with her husband for a long time before replying, “If you put it that way, it’s hard to say. Her Majesty the Empress is not known for her magnanimity.”
The couple exchanged a long, tense glance. What should have been a joyous occasion now left neither of them smiling.
“From what you’re saying, this matter is confirmed?” Second Madam Duan asked.
“For Duke Cao shizi to hint at this, it seems the palace is leaning in that direction. But since the decree hasn’t been issued, nothing is certain,” Second Master Duan said.
Palace matters are never finalized until the very last moment.
Second Madam Duan, conflicted, rose and began pacing the room, making Second Master Duan dizzy.
“I say, what are you spinning around for? My head’s spinning just watching you.”
Second Madam Duan retorted irritably, “I just feel something isn’t right. If Mingxi hadn’t saved Miss Gan, entering the Crown Prince’s residence would indeed be a blessing. But now, it might not be so.”
Second Master Duan sighed. “Even so, what can we do about it?”
A man without an official position has no power to act.
Second Madam Duan tapped her fingers rhythmically on the table. After a while, she said, “No, I have to talk to Mingxi about this. That child has strong opinions. Once she knows, she’ll definitely have thoughts of her own.”
“Hey, if you tell Mingxi, what can a young girl do about it? Don’t make things worse for her,” Second Master Duan quickly stopped her.
Second Madam Duan paused mid-step. “You’re right. I’ll first visit my family and gather some information. I’ll decide after I return.”
Second Master Duan couldn’t stop her and watched her hurry off.
Meanwhile, Mingxi had just met with Li Quan.
“I’ve already sent the message in. I bribed the gatekeeper’s son at the Deqing Marquis’ residence. He knows the cook in the kitchen, whose daughter serves by the side of Second Miss Fu.”
Duan Mingxi was delighted and surprised at how well Li Quan had managed things. “What happened after the message was delivered?”
“Miss, I waited at the street corner outside the Marquis’ residence and saw Marquis Deqing hurriedly get into a carriage. I followed him all the way to the Guangxiang Marquis’ residence.”
Marquis Deqing went to the Guangxiang Marquis’ residence?
That was a terrible move.
The relationship between Xian Wang and the Crown Prince was not as harmonious as it seemed on the surface. Gathering information at the Guangxiang Marquis’ residence was essentially feeding their private matters directly to Xian Wang.
Duan Mingxi didn’t know what to say. This was a disaster. Xian Wang definitely wouldn’t stand idly by.
One Crown Prince was already difficult to handle. Adding a Xian Wang into the mix, wouldn’t she end up as collateral damage?
Duan Mingxi’s face turned dark with anger.
The entire Marquis Deqing’s household was a bunch of fools!
