Suddenly, Mingxi thought of something and looked at Xiao Muchen. “Last time you said you wanted to follow the clues from Gao Zhan. What came of that?”
“The letter Qu You later obtained was the fruit from that trail traced back to Gao Zhan.”
Mingxi slowly calmed herself, suppressing her anger bit by bit. After a long pause, she said, “At the time, the Crown Prince had Gao Zhan send that letter to Qiping Prefecture to eliminate evidence. If that letter had been handwritten by the Crown Prince, today’s outcome might have been very different.”
There was some regret in her voice.
Xiao Muchen nodded. “But how could the Crown Prince be so reckless as to write it himself? One of his subordinates from the Eastern Palace took the blame, shouldered the entire matter, and pulled the Crown Prince out of it.”
Mingxi gave a cold laugh. “I didn’t expect someone so loyal to exist among the Crown Prince’s people. What a pity—they didn’t serve a wise master. Better luck next life—choose more wisely.”
Seeing her anger rise again, Xiao Muchen said to her, “This is only the beginning. You must understand, getting started is always the hardest part. Now that the path is open, the rest will be easier. Besides, the Empress is still in the palace. Only when she’s brought down will the Crown Prince suffer a real blow. Once that happens, deposing him will be much easier.”
Right—there was still the Empress!
Mingxi looked at Xiao Muchen and asked slowly, “What about my poisoning? When will there be progress on that?”
“We’ll wait until Ding Zhao submits the confessions from the palace maids of Kunde Palace to the emperor.”
“The Empress’s involvement is certain. Once we crack open their testimonies, the rest will be easy. Is everything prepared with the Xiao Ji San?”
“Don’t worry. Everything is arranged.” Xiao Muchen patted her hand. “I understand what you mean—strike while the iron is hot, press forward in one go. Don’t worry, I’ll be keeping close watch on this.”
Mingxi looked at him and said, “This kind of opportunity is rare. If we miss our chance and fail to achieve our goal, who knows how long we’ll have to wait for another?”
“We won’t fail. Royal Father was furious enough to let Liu Chuxian go—there are now many vacancies in the capital. It’s the perfect chance for me to place my people.”
Mingxi had been so focused on her anger she hadn’t considered this. Now, hearing him say it, she brightened. Looking at him, she said, “If it works, you’ll have your own eyes and influence in court. You’ll be able to truly contend with the Crown Prince.”
Before the Qiping Prefecture scandal, most of the court still supported the Crown Prince. Now that his reputation was in ruins, it was the perfect time for Xiao Muchen to build his own standing.
But it couldn’t be done too obviously, or the emperor might start getting suspicious.
“I’m thinking of transferring your second brother to a new position. What do you think?”
“Where to?” Mingxi asked. “He’s doing well at the Hanlin Academy. If he’s suddenly reassigned, won’t it raise suspicion?”
Xiao Muchen raised an eyebrow. “He’s the brother of Duan Wangfei. With so many vacancies in the court, Royal Father will only personally appoint a few critical ones. The rest will be filled by the Ministry of Appointments. Given my status, giving him a slight push wouldn’t draw attention.”
Mingxi understood. Duan Ning was her brother, and with Duan Wang as his backing, it was only natural for his official career to be smooth.
Moreover, Duan Ning was capable in his own right. He had done well at the Hanlin Academy. Even if he were transferred, no one could find fault.
“Where do you want to send him?” Mingxi didn’t want to miss such a good opportunity. Only if the Dingyuan Marquis household rose quickly could they be her strongest support.
“The Ministry of Revenue is too hot to handle right now—best to avoid the mess. I plan to make him a Geishizhong. What do you think?”
Mingxi: “…”
“Are you serious?” Mingxi’s expression turned serious as well. “The position of Geishizhong involves reviewing imperial decrees, rejecting improper memorials from the various ministries, supervising the Six Ministries, and impeaching officials. The rank isn’t high, but the authority is significant. Can he really handle it?”
“Why not?” Xiao Muchen replied. “Your second brother has already made a name for himself at the Hanlin Academy. Everyone knows that although Duan Wangfei’s brother is a concubine-born son, he is upright and impartial. He’s just right for this position.”
Mingxi was surprised. “Second Brother has such a good reputation in court?”
She really hadn’t known that.
Whenever Duan Ning visited her, he never boasted about his work at the yamen.
“To gain such benefit is to bear the burden as well. He’s your brother, so naturally he benefits from our standing. But correspondingly, more eyes are on him. To have such a good reputation despite that isn’t easy.”
Among all the men from the Marquis Mansion in official positions, Xiao Muchen held Duan Ning in the highest regard—ruthless when needed, quiet, methodical, skillful, and able to maintain good relations with colleagues and superiors alike.
Give him one more year, and he would grow into a dependable ally.
“Among the Six Ministries, I believe only the Ministry of Revenue has a vacancy for a Geishizong. Didn’t you say you didn’t want him involved with the Ministry of Revenue?”
“Geishizong supervises the Six Ministries. He’s going there to oversee the Ministry of Revenue, not to collude with those people. What’s the harm?”
That… actually made sense.
Mingxi fell silent. She turned to look at Xiao Muchen again. “You’re really set on this?”
Xiao Muchen couldn’t help it—he reached out and pinched Mingxi’s nose. “Of course not. The Ministry of Revenue is Great Chu’s purse strings. Of course, we must keep it in our own hands. You saw it yourself: Liu Chuxian was loyal to the Emperor all his life, yet he was still played by the other Ministry officials. I need someone who can help me monitor the Ministry closely.”
Mingxi nodded instinctively. If that was the case, Duan Ning was indeed a good candidate.
Suddenly, she looked at Xiao Muchen again. “Don’t tell me… you’re planning to take the Minister of Revenue position too?”
Xiao Muchen smiled. “What? Surprised?”
“A little.” Mingxi covered her chest. “But that position must be personally appointed by the Emperor. How can you be sure His Majesty will pick your man?”
Xiao Muchen’s tone cooled slightly. “There are only a few possible candidates in Royal Father’s eyes. As long as the other options are unsuitable, the last one standing naturally gets the role.”
Mingxi drew in a deep breath—ruthless!
It seemed Xiao Muchen was fully confident. That was, perhaps, the best news she’d heard all day.
The two of them locked eyes and couldn’t help smiling.
“With the Crown Prince placed under house arrest, the Empress must be getting anxious. She won’t sit idly by.” Mingxi said quietly. “I can’t enter the palace right now. We’ll have to rely on Royal Mother.”
A golden opportunity like this—Consort Shu definitely wouldn’t miss it.
“I’ve already sent a message to Royal Mother. You just focus on recovering.”
With the Emperor present, a Wangfei like Mingxi couldn’t intervene directly in the inner palace.
Mingxi rarely saw Xiao Muchen this cheerful—it showed that the Crown Prince’s house arrest really wasn’t a blow to him. Or rather, this outcome was exactly what he had anticipated and prepared for.
“What about Gao Zhan?” Mingxi suddenly remembered. “The moment Qu You produced that letter, the Crown Prince must have realized where things went wrong.”
Gao Zhan had botched the task and implicated the Crown Prince, who was now under house arrest. He surely wouldn’t get off lightly.
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