Duan Mingxi had not anticipated this turn of events. She tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep.
Her anger boiled to the point where she felt like storming into Marquis Deqing’s residence to beat the Marquis himself.
Every part of her—heart, lungs, spleen, stomach, and kidneys—was simmering with rage.
After a sleepless night, she felt dizzy and had no appetite in the morning. She only managed a few sips of porridge.
In the current situation, breaking the stalemate with her own strength was impossible. She could only rely on someone else’s power.
But whose power? And how?
The image of Duan Wang surfaced in her mind again. His dark, inscrutable eyes loomed large in her thoughts.
Only he would have no reconciliation with the Crown Prince. But how could she meet Duan Wang now?
Just as Duan Mingxi was troubled, Qiancao rushed in. “Miss, the Old Madam requests your presence immediately. Someone from the palace has arrived.”
Duan Mingxi’s eyebrows twitched. “Who from the palace?”
“Kunde Palace.”
The Empress?
Duan Mingxi rose and headed toward Rongan Hall. As soon as she entered the courtyard, she heard laughter coming from the main hall. The Old Madam’s tone was the warmest Duan Mingxi had heard since her rebirth, even carrying a hint of flattery.
A maidservant by the corridor saw Duan Mingxi and quickly announced, “The eldest young miss has arrived.” She then curtsied to Mingxi and lifted the curtain for her.
Duan Mingxi stepped into the hall and was greeted by a sight of nearly the entire household. Even the Old Master had made an appearance.
Notably absent were Marquis Dingyuan and Second Master Duan. Third Master sat next to his Third Madam.
Unexpectedly, Duan Huiyu was present as well. She sat closely beside Madam Jiang, her face bearing a smile that gave off a chilly vibe.
In addition to the household, a woman in an iron-rust-red palace gown stood in the hall. Her jet-black hair was impeccably styled, adorned with golden hairpins. Although she stood there quietly, she exuded an intimidating presence.
An old acquaintance— Lu Momo, the head stewardess of the Empress’ household.
Duan Mingxi stepped forward to greet the Old Madam, all the while feeling Lu Momo’s sharp gaze appraising her, as if the woman were calculating her worth.
The Old Madam smiled warmly at Mingxi. “Mingxi, this is Lu Momo, who serves Her Majesty the Empress. She has come specifically to see you on the Empress’ orders.”
The word “see” was particularly loaded.
Suppressing her anger, Duan Mingxi turned to Lu Momo and offered a shallow bow. “Mingxi greets Lu Momo.”
Lu Momo frowned slightly, clearly displeased with the lack of etiquette. As the Empress’ chief stewardess, even noble ladies and madams were deferential to her.
Lu Momo’s face grew stern, and she said coldly, “By Her Majesty’s orders, I bring a golden hairpin for Miss Duan.”
The vagueness of Lu Momo’s words made it clear the Empress was dissatisfied with her and was likely still hesitating on whether to allow her entry into the Crown Prince’s residence.
At the banquet of Shangyang Palace, if any Pinfei took a liking to a young lady from a particular family, she would bestow a gold hairpin as a signal.
Duan Mingxi glanced at the simple gold hairpin lying on the brocade tray held by a young palace maid beside Lu Momo. It was a plain design, unadorned except for being crafted from gold, with only the simplest floral engravings.
Was this meant as a show of dominance?
Did they take her for a fool?
Did they think that just because she was from Jiangcheng, she wouldn’t know the rules surrounding the bestowal of hairpins?
Such an unremarkable gold hairpin—likely something even someone like Lu Momo, a stewardess, would normally dismiss?
Duan Mingxi didn’t reach out to take it herself but instead shot a glance at Qiancao.
Qiancao stepped forward immediately, accepted the hairpin from the maid, bowed, and retreated behind Mingxi.
Lu Momo was momentarily stunned. She hadn’t expected Duan Mingxi to act so boldly. She was just about to reprimand her when she heard Mingxi speak:
“All this humble daughter did that day was dive into the water to save someone. It was a trifling matter, and receiving Her Majesty’s favor is an honor for me.”
“However, as someone of low status, I cannot personally enter the palace to thank Her Majesty in person. I humbly request Lu Momo to convey my deepest respect to Her Majesty on my behalf.”
Hearing Mingxi so openly treat the hairpin as a reward for her rescue efforts, Lu Momo’s expression shifted. For a moment, she didn’t know how to respond.
Could it be that Duan Mingxi was aware of the palace’s standards for bestowing hairpins?
When a lady from the palace favored a young woman and granted her a gold hairpin, it typically started with one adorned with gemstones. If she was quite satisfied, tassels would be added. For those particularly favored, kingfisher feather embellishments would be included.
The more luxurious the hairpin, the greater the honor for the recipient.
Lu Momo felt a twinge of guilt. She maintained her composure and avoided addressing Duan Mingxi directly, instead turning to the Old Madam. “I have delivered the hairpin to Miss Duan. I’ll take my leave now.”
The Old Madam, leaning on Wan Mama’s hand, rose to see Lu Momo off with a few polite steps.
Madam Jiang and the second and third madams personally escorted Lu Momo out. Mingxi followed behind. Once Lu Momo left, everyone returned to Rongan Hall.
Only then did Duan Min, Duan Qingyin, and Duan Rong appear. None of the three had smiles on their faces, especially Duan Min, who looked at Duan Mingxi with worry.
Once everyone was seated, Madam Jiang’s expression darkened, and she remained silent.
Duan Huirou softly tugged at Madam Jiang’s sleeve, speaking in a not-so-low voice, “Mother, is Eldest Sister about to enter the Eastern Palace? But this hairpin doesn’t seem like one meant for the Crown Princess. Oh, could it be that Sister is entering the Eastern Palace as a concubine?”
Duan Mingxi glanced at the overly delicate and affected Duan Huirou and retorted bluntly, “Even Ronger, who is younger than you, knows the standards for palace-issued hairpins. Second Sister, who prides herself on being proper, can’t even recognize a gold hairpin?”
Duan Huirou dropped her pretense and snapped, “What, you deliberately jumped into the water at Shangyang Palace to show off, hoping to enter the Eastern Palace? You saw the crown prince dive in, so you followed suit, didn’t you?”
“Do you think your little schemes are that hard to see through? Too bad for you—your wishful thinking is in vain. The position of Crown Princess is far beyond your reach!”
“You’re really something—like the King of H*ll telling stories, full of lies! Eating noodles in a hailstorm—how do you even open your mouth?” Duan Mingxi, already fuming, showed no mercy as Duan Huirou walked right into her line of fire.
“Duan Mingxi, are you upset because I hit the nail on the head about your shameful little secrets? Typical—acting out of embarrassment. Born in some backwater, and it shows in your filthy mouth. If word of this gets out, you’ll disgrace the whole family!” Duan Huirou, having torn away all pretense, no longer bothered to feign civility.
Duan Mingxi sneered. “Sure, I’m from a small place, but at least I’m not as vicious as you, poisoning your own siblings. You’re nothing but a bad seed, rotting from the head down, seeing everyone else as less than human.”
“You…” Duan Huirou, enraged, nearly fainted on the spot and turned to throw herself into Madam Jiang’s arms. “Mother, you have to stand up for me!”
Madam Jiang, her face darkened, was just about to speak when Duan Mingxi cut in sharply. “Marquis Madam, if you keep blindly favoring her and spouting nonsense to accuse me, don’t blame me for being ruthless. I’ll go straight to the family elders to demand justice, lay everything bare, and sever all ties with this household! From then on, we’ll be strangers, whether alive or dead!”
