Mingxi was speechless for a moment upon hearing the news. An early labor… Who knew what the situation was? What about Bai Shixi now?
Though deeply worried, there was nothing she could do.
This concerned the Eastern Palace—everything must be handled with utmost caution.
“I heard that once the news reached the palace, Her Majesty the Empress, despite her illness, personally went to oversee things. Wangfei, you can rest assured. The Crown Princess will most likely be fine,” Qiancao said softly.
Mingxi nodded slightly. Ever since the Crown Prince’s confinement, the Empress had feigned illness—an act of submission to the Emperor, hoping he would show favor and lift the punishment on her son.
But with Consort Gui keeping a tight watch and Zhang Gelao pulling strings behind the scenes, all court petitions for the Eastern Palace ultimately went nowhere.
As time dragged on, how could the Empress not know who was playing tricks?
Even her brother, Duke Cao, had fallen out of favor with the Emperor. Though still holding his noble title, he was stripped of all duties and couldn’t even attend court—let alone speak up for the Crown Prince.
The Eastern Palace’s power continued to wane, and now with the early labor, Mingxi knew the Empress would surely use this opportunity to elicit sympathy from the Emperor.
It remained to be seen how Consort Gui would respond.
Just before nightfall, Xiao Muchen returned to the manor. Mingxi looked at him in surprise. “Why are you back so early?”
Xiao Muchen looked at her with a grim expression. “The Crown Princess is having a difficult labor. The Empress personally pleaded with the Emperor to send the chief imperial physician to the Eastern Palace.”
Mingxi was stunned. “Her Majesty could have issued a decree herself. Why go as far as seeking the Emperor’s audience?”
Xiao Muchen met her gaze and lowered his voice. “Xiao Lin has already sent word to Ning Qin Wang, who in turn managed to get the message into the Empress’s hands.”
Mingxi’s heart skipped a beat. “They’re trying to use the Empress as a weapon against Consort Gui and Jin Wang?”
“When the snipe and clam fight, the fisherman benefits. We’ll hold our position and watch,” Xiao Muchen said, squeezing her hand. “The Eastern Palace matter is anything but simple. Just focus on your recovery. Leave everything else alone.”
Mingxi knew Xiao Muchen was making a major move. “Did Consort Gui do something?”
Otherwise, how could Xiao Muchen strike so fiercely all of a sudden?
His expression turned cold. “Consort Gui conspired with the newly appointed Guiren to target Royal Mother. Fortunately, she was quick-witted.”
Mingxi’s face also darkened. “With Zhang Gelao backing her, Consort Gui has really grown arrogant. When the Empress held power before, I never saw this side of her. Is Royal Mother alright?”
Xiao Muchen shook his head. “No serious harm.”
No serious harm still meant there was some harm.
Mingxi frowned. “When Consort Gui proposed bringing new beauties into the palace, I knew something was off. But it wasn’t something we could stop, even if we tried.”
“Triennial palace selection has always been a court regulation. Moreover, Royal Father used the excuse of an empty treasury to delay selection for five or six years already—many officials had long voiced dissent,” Xiao Muchen said calmly.
The husband and wife exchanged a look. Xiao Muchen squeezed Mingxi’s hand, saying, “I might return very late tonight—or possibly not at all. Don’t wait up for me. Go to bed early.”
Mingxi nodded. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of myself.”
With a heavy heart, Xiao Muchen strode off. Watching his retreating figure, Mingxi also felt uneasy.
Sure enough, Xiao Muchen didn’t return that night. Early the next morning, Kang Wangfei came over. Her dark circles showed she hadn’t slept well either.
“I just can’t shake this uneasy feeling. Fourth Sister-in-law, Kang Wang didn’t return all night either,” said Wangfei. Ever since her Father left for the East Sea, she had become increasingly low-key.
“Perhaps they all stayed at the palace,” Mingxi said gently.
Kang Wangfei understood at once that even Duan Wang hadn’t returned last night. She frowned deeply. “The Crown Princess is giving birth—why would a group of Wangyes stay in the palace? What a joke!”
“Perhaps… for safety?”
“Safety?” Kang Wangfei asked, skeptical.
Mingxi nodded. “The Crown Princess went into labor early. The Crown Prince has been confined to the Eastern Palace for a long time now—why the premature birth? No one knows the real cause yet.”
Kang Wangfei paled. “Fourth Sister-in-law, do you mean…”
Mingxi shook her head. “It’s all speculation. Say nothing.”
Kang Wangfei’s face changed again and again before she finally said, “Let’s hope everything turns out fine.”
Mingxi thought to herself: that was surely impossible.
The matter of Yuxiang City might break wide open in the next day or two.
Too many things were entangled in it. Mingxi couldn’t explain it all to Kang Wangfei—she could only drop hints like this.
Kang Wangfei left, visibly troubled.
That day passed peacefully.
The next morning, just after Mingxi finished breakfast, Madam Xiao arrived.
“Eldest Sister-in-law, what brings you here all of a sudden?”
“Mingxi, something’s happened,” Madam Xiao said, her face pale.
“What happened?” Mingxi’s heart tightened.
“Your eldest brother asked me to tell you—there’s something suspicious about the military officer transfer in Yuxiang City. As Langzhong of the Military Selection Bureau, he was the last to find out, which clearly means someone suppressed the news. He suspects he’s being set up.”
Mingxi’s gaze sharpened. Good grief—who would have thought the first one to suffer would be her own brother!
Thanks to Xiao Muchen’s prior explanation of the stakes, Mingxi immediately figured out the likely culprit: Zhang Gelao must’ve made a secret move. A random swing of the axe, and her brother was the one hit. Taking him out was the same as cutting into Xiao Muchen’s power.
“Did Big Brother tell you—if the news was suppressed, how was the official seal used?”
Madam Xiao froze. “He didn’t say.”
“Can you send word to him now?”
“Yes.”
“Then tell Big Brother right away—gather up all relevant documents, keep them secure, carry the official seal with him, and deliver everything to Second Brother. He’s a Geishizhong and has the authority to impeach. Tell him to escort Big Brother straight to the Emperor to confess!”
“Confess?”
“Negligence isn’t a crime? If he confesses voluntarily, he might just turn the tables. But if he gets kicked into a trap by someone else, even if they pull him out, he’ll lose a layer of skin.”
Madam Xiao didn’t fully understand the deeper stakes, but she trusted Mingxi. She nodded immediately. “I’ll go make arrangements right now.”
After she left in haste, Mingxi tried to calm herself. Miao Sheng had gone into the palace with Xiao Muchen. Qi He had vanished from view lately. Ever since Fengcheng Marquis left for the East Sea, Qi He also became hard to track down.
Suddenly, Mingxi remembered Chen Xiao. He hadn’t appeared in front of her many times. She called in Fang Momo and asked, “Momo, can you find Chen Xiao?”
“Lord Chen?” Fang Momo was a bit surprised, not knowing what Wangfei needed with him. “I’ll send someone to check. Lord Chen’s had a lot of tasks lately—I’m not sure if he’s in Wangye’s residence.”
She hurried out. If Chen Xiao couldn’t be found, Mingxi thought, then she’d send a servant to try their luck at the palace gates to see if a message could get through.
Fang Momo finally returned after a long while—not only herself but with Chen Xiao in tow. “Just happened to be in luck, My Lady. Lord Chen had just returned, and I ran right into him.”
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