Whether or not Yu Wang was depressed, Yu Wangfei didn’t care in the slightest. The Crown Prince had been under house arrest for over a month when she finally sent a message to Mingxi to visit.
“I was very worried when I first heard the news,” said Yu Wangfei softly, looking at Mingxi. “But under those circumstances, it wasn’t appropriate for me to visit. First, you were unwell, and my visit would only have been a burden. Second, I feared showing up uninvited would draw unwanted attention from certain people.”
Mingxi smiled at her words. “With the friendship between us, there’s no need to be so cautious. It’s enough that I know you had the thought.”
Yu Wangfei’s eyes curved into a smile. “Yes, I knew you would understand. But even so, I couldn’t let it go—I had to see with my own eyes that you were well to truly feel at ease.”
Mingxi instructed Qiancao to bring tea and said to Yu Wangfei, “This is a nourishing herbal tea prescribed by Ren Mian. It’s especially good for women during pregnancy. Try it. If you like it, I’ll send some home with you.”
Yu Wangfei didn’t refuse. She took a sip, finding it refreshing, lightly sweet without being cloying, and said frankly, “I think it’s excellent.”
Mingxi smiled and instructed Qiancao, “Pack some up for Yu Wangfei to take home later.”
“Yes,” Qiancao replied with delight.
Yu Wangfei liking it so much clearly showed her trust in their mistress, and just that made Qiancao happy.
Once Qiancao left, Yu Wangfei set down her teacup and lowered her voice slightly. “I went to the palace yesterday—guess what news I heard?”
Mingxi shook her head. “Ever since my last illness, I haven’t returned to the palace and have been resting ever since. I haven’t dared go anywhere, so I haven’t heard any palace gossip.” She paused, then added, “Did something happen?”
Yu Wangfei nodded. “Yesterday, Jiang Liangdi from the Eastern Palace dragged her body, still recovering from a miscarriage, to the gate of Kunde Palace to ask the Empress to seek justice for her. It caused an uproar in the palace.”
Mingxi was genuinely unaware. She blinked in surprise. “Jiang Sujie had a miscarriage?”
Yu Wangfei nodded again. Knowing Mingxi didn’t get along with the Jiang family, she explained in detail: “The Crown Prince has been confined to the Eastern Palace. The Crown Princess is pregnant and known for being virtuous and magnanimous—she never competes for favor. But Jiang Liangdi is strong-willed and relied on her own pregnancy to frequently clash with Chen Liangdi.”
Mingxi wasn’t surprised. Back then, Jiang Sujie had egged Duan Huirou into going after her. She’d known Jiang wasn’t a peaceable sort—vicious and selfish.
The Crown Prince had only accepted Jiang Sujie into the palace for ulterior motives. When she failed to serve his ends—when he couldn’t use her to harm Mingxi—her worth in his eyes diminished.
It was Jiang Sujie’s luck that she got pregnant. If she’d been sensible, she’d have quietly focused on nurturing the baby. Once the child was born, she’d have more leverage going forward.
But Jiang Sujie’s personality couldn’t stand such repression. She knew full well why she’d entered the palace, and was determined to curry favor with the Crown Prince, assuming he’d treat her better for the child’s sake. What she didn’t understand was that the Crown Prince wasn’t someone moved by compassion.
Failing to get what she wanted from the Crown Prince, Jiang Sujie naturally directed her resentment at Chen Liangdi, the one who had won his favor.
Yu Wangfei, noticing the complexity in Mingxi’s expression, let out a cold laugh and said, “Both Jiang and Chen hold the same rank of Liangdi, neither outranks the other. But Jiang always thought herself superior because she entered the palace first and was pregnant, so she often made things difficult for Chen.
This time, apparently the two ran into each other in the Eastern Palace garden. Chen Liangdi didn’t bow to Jiang Liangdi, so Jiang Liangdi seized the chance to punish her with a kneeling order. Tell me, isn’t that just brainless? Naturally, Chen Liangdi didn’t take it lying down, and the two got into a quarrel.
In the scuffle, Jiang Liangdi reached out to slap Chen Liangdi, but Chen Liangdi pushed her away. Jiang Liangdi fell to the ground, and unfortunately struck her lower back on a stone table. That’s how she lost the baby.”
As she described the incident, Duan Mingxi could vividly picture the scene in her mind.
It wasn’t necessarily a chance encounter. It could have been planned—and who ensnared whom was hard to say.
But from how things ended, it was clear: Jiang Sujie was no saint, but Chen Liangdi also had strategy. Whether she’d gone along with the situation or deliberately provoked Jiang, it was calculated.
“What did the Empress rule on this?” Mingxi asked Yu Wangfei.
“The Empress sent someone to inspect the Eastern Palace, then rebuked both women and told Jiang Liangdi to rest and recover.”
Mingxi gave a light chuckle. “Looks like Her Majesty is displeased with both of them.”
“You think so too? What a coincidence, so do I.” Yu Wangfei laughed. “If the Empress truly wanted to investigate, how could she not get to the truth? The Eastern Palace is full of her spies. Clearly, she didn’t want to deal with it—just gave them both a slap on the wrist to quiet them down.”
Mingxi looked at her. “How was it equal? Chen Liangdi only got scolded, but Jiang Liangdi lost a child.”
It was obvious who got the short end of the stick.
“Regardless, the Eastern Palace is in chaos, which is good for us,” Yu Wangfei said gently.
Mingxi nodded. “Yes, if they were united, that would be real trouble.” Then she looked at Yu Wangfei and asked, “I heard Yu Wang got scolded by Consort Xian again?”
Yu Wangfei nearly rolled her eyes and couldn’t help complaining. “Ever since he got entangled with that He family girl, has his brain even been functioning?”
Mingxi couldn’t help laughing. “Come on, tell me what happened.”
Yu Wangfei looked exasperated. “Is Qi Wang the kind of honest, simple man? Back then, Yu Wang already suffered under him—he’s a smooth talker and always badmouthed Yu Wang in front of the Emperor. Back then, at least Yu Wang still had his wits and could fight back. Now? He’s completely played by Qi Wang, still thinking he’s winning.”
“What did Qi Wang do?”
“Tch, you’d never guess—Qi Wang actually encouraged him to plead for the Crown Prince, and he really considered doing it! If Royal Mother hadn’t gotten wind of it and stopped him, I think we’d have had another one under house arrest.”
Mingxi: …
It really did seem like his brain had taken a vacation—she couldn’t figure out what Yu Wang was thinking anymore.
“He just does whatever Qi Wang tells him to do?”
“Qi Wang said that Royal Father probably wasn’t seriously punishing the Crown Prince, just putting on a show. At a time like this, if his brothers speak on his behalf, it would show their brotherly affection, and Royal Father might be moved and overlook past offenses. Even I, a woman of the inner court, didn’t believe it—and yet he actually believed it. When I heard about it, I was so angry I couldn’t calm down for half a day.”
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