Xiao Muchen entered and immediately saw Mingxi fast asleep against the soft pillow, her under-eye skin faintly tinged with blue. Both of them had been busy recently — he with the Qiping affair, she with Duan Huirou’s marriage arrangements — and she had visibly lost weight.
Sitting down beside her, he gently took her hand. Her hand was not as smooth and delicate as others’, with faint calluses at the fingertips. Despite her daily care, the traces of her early martial arts training could never be entirely erased.
Mingxi suddenly opened her eyes, and when she saw Xiao Muchen, she hurriedly sat up. “You’re back?”
Xiao Muchen nodded. “You waited a long time, didn’t you?”
Mingxi rubbed her eyes. “I accidentally fell asleep.”
“You’ve worked hard these past days,” Xiao Muchen said softly.
Mingxi shook her head, her gaze falling on his knees. “How are your legs? Kneeling for so long — are you alright?”
Xiao Muchen lowered his voice and said, “I had a feeling something would go wrong when I was summoned to the palace early this morning, so I deliberately wore the kneepads you made for me.”
Mingxi: …
You really are something. She immediately laughed. “Really?”
“Of course,” Xiao Muchen said, lifting his pant leg to show her.
Mingxi saw that his knees were only faintly bruised and finally breathed a long sigh of relief. “That’s good.”
Since his knees were fine, Mingxi perked up and asked, “What exactly happened?”
Xiao Muchen looked at her and said, “Zhang Guangan is dead.”
At these words, Mingxi almost lost her composure. “Dead? Wasn’t he under official guard?”
“He bashed his head against the wall and committed suicide. Before he died, he left a blood-written letter that bypassed us and was delivered straight to the Emperor.”
Mingxi felt a chill run down her spine. “So that’s why the Emperor made you all kneel this morning? But that doesn’t make sense — what does this have to do with the other Wangyes? Why would you all have to kneel?”
Xiao Muchen said coolly, “The Emperor probably wanted to shield the Crown Prince one more time. But this time, he truly was furious. The Crown Prince knelt inside the inner hall, while we knelt outside. He thought that having the Crown Prince kneel inside would keep things quiet? I’m afraid word has already spread far and wide.”
Mingxi looked at him. “So how will this matter be dealt with?”
Xiao Muchen let out a cold laugh. “The Emperor wants to cover it up. But how could it possibly be suppressed? My mother has already let slip that she’s eighty percent certain she can persuade Consort Gui to ask Zhang Gelao to intervene. If he agrees, I’ll help push the momentum. If he refuses, Censor Zhong will petition in court.”
This time, even if the Crown Prince didn’t die, he’d still be badly crippled. Even if the Emperor didn’t want to deal with him, they’d force his hand for the sake of public confidence.
“Are you confident?” Mingxi asked.
“For matters like this, there’s never a hundred percent certainty. Having a fifty percent chance is enough.”
Mingxi: …
She thought she was already ruthless, but her husband was even fiercer.
“Good, let’s gamble on it!” Mingxi immediately agreed. “If that’s still not enough, I’ll have You Sanping leak the news among the commoners and let the people demand justice!”
The people’s voice?
Xiao Muchen’s eyes lit up. He looked at Mingxi and said, “Good idea. Why didn’t I think of that? If we use both methods together, the effect will be even better. And if the people of Qiping come forward, that would be perfect.”
It wasn’t that Xiao Muchen hadn’t thought of it — it was just that they rarely considered the commoners first. Mingxi was different; she had grown up among them, and her way of thinking was naturally distinct.
Xiao Muchen immediately stood up. “I’ll go arrange it now.”
Mingxi pulled him back. “At least eat something first. I had the kitchen prepare it.”
“I’ll eat after I return. This can’t be delayed,” Xiao Muchen said, striding away quickly.
Mingxi watched his brisk steps and smiled, knowing that his knees must really be fine. The kneepads — a method her mother invented long ago when she was still practicing martial arts and often injured — had proven truly useful.
Later, since Xiao Muchen was often punished to kneel before the Emperor, Mingxi made him a pair of kneepads — and unexpectedly, they truly came in handy.
Xiao Muchen didn’t return until half an hour later. Mingxi had the meal set up on the table, and the two of them finally sat down to eat.
Fang Momo served them rice and dishes, then quietly led the servants away.
Mingxi was truly a bit hungry. She first took a sip of porridge, then picked up a pan-fried bun about the size of a wine cup’s mouth — her favorite shrimp filling — and took a bite, fresh and fragrant.
Xiao Muchen added another bun to her plate. “Eat slowly. If you’re hungry, just eat first. No need to wait for me.”
“What fun would that be?” Mingxi replied lightly and, in turn, picked up a bun for Xiao Muchen. “Try it. The shrimp is farmed on the estate — big, tender, and not at all fishy.”
Hearing it was from their estate, Xiao Muchen knew it must have been delivered by You Sanping. These days, most of the food and drink at the Manor came from the hot spring estate.
Although he wasn’t particularly fond of You Sanping, if it meant Mingxi could eat well, then he had to acknowledge the man had some merit.
After finishing the meal, Mingxi felt like she had come back to life — her exhaustion was swept away. She looked at Xiao Muchen and said, “Don’t you think I’ve been eating more lately?”
Xiao Muchen hadn’t really noticed, so he said, “Being able to eat is a blessing. Eat more.”
Mingxi: …
Isn’t everyone a little vain? If she ate too much, wouldn’t she get fat?
But she didn’t seem to have gained any weight yet, so Mingxi didn’t dwell on it. She turned to Xiao Muchen and said, “Tomorrow’s court session will definitely be lively.”
Xiao Muchen nodded and took her hand to go for a walk and help digest their meal. Walking under the moonlight, he turned his head and looked at her. “We’ll see tomorrow.”
Mingxi squeezed Xiao Muchen’s hand tightly. “If it doesn’t work this time, it’s okay. We’ll keep pushing next time.”
Because of what she had experienced in her past life, Mingxi found it hard to predict just how far the Emperor would go to protect the Crown Prince.
But as long as they kept adding pressure again and again, they would eventually succeed.
This wasn’t about framing the Crown Prince — it was about exposing the things he had truly done, revealing them to the world.
Mingxi was patient, and Xiao Muchen wasn’t willing to just drag things out endlessly either.
This time, it had to work.
That night, countless households stayed awake. The Gelao’s study was lit until late into the night, and Censor Zhong’s residence was also brightly lit.
Duke Cao’s mansion was even busier, with people coming and going, unable to settle down.
After Mingxi had fallen into deep sleep, Xiao Muchen quietly slipped away to the study again, where Qi He and others were already waiting to discuss matters.
In the darkness of the night, a soft knock came at the door. Qi He personally opened it, and Duke Wei and Fengcheng Marquis, both cloaked in black, entered.
“We got it.” Fengcheng Marquis placed a letter on the desk. “Who would’ve thought the Crown Prince would send Gao Zhan to deliver it? He almost succeeded.”
Gao Zhan had always been inconspicuous in the Eastern Palace, especially after the disgrace between Bai Zhiwei and the Gao family had ruined his reputation in the capital. He had pretty much faded into the background.
Who knew that, at such a critical moment, the Crown Prince would use him?
Xiao Muchen picked up the letter. “Not the Crown Prince’s handwriting?”
“It was written by one of the Eastern Palace officials,” Fengcheng Marquis said a little regretfully. If they had gotten a letter in the Crown Prince’s own hand, it would have been even better.
Still, this showed how cautious the Crown Prince was — even at this stage, he wasn’t giving up easily.
