That evening, Mingxi handed the child over to Xiao Muchen and brought Duan Sirui to the study to assess his schoolwork.
Duan Sirui: …
Having an all-capable older sister was really just too hard.
He barely passed and broke into a cold sweat. Early the next morning, he took off running.
Mingxi: …
When Xiao Muchen got up in the morning and changed clothes to attend court, he saw Mingxi with a darkened expression. He pulled her into his arms and said with a smile, “Don’t be mad. In a few days, I’ll catch him and bring him back.”
Mingxi shot him a glare. “Mind your own business. The more you help, the worse it gets. Now he even dares to sneak off.”
“He’s a young man—how can he not even have that bit of courage? You’re raising a younger brother, not a son.”
Mingxi paused upon hearing that.
Seeing her reaction, Xiao Muchen’s heart skipped a beat. Worried he’d said too much, he quickly added, “Raise him however you want.”
“You’ve said both the good and the bad—I might as well keep my mouth shut.”
Xiao Muchen pulled her into his embrace. “I just thought, he’s grown now and has his own thoughts. We can’t just keep suppressing him.”
“I know,” Mingxi replied, understanding that Xiao Muchen meant well. But every time she thought of her younger brother’s fate in her past life, she couldn’t help but want to keep a tighter watch on him.
Yes, this wasn’t the previous life anymore. As the brother-in-law of Duan Wang, no one would dare lay a finger on him lightly.
“You should go to court. I understand everything.” Mingxi straightened Xiao Muchen’s robes. Last night when he came into the tent, he hadn’t done anything proper—there were things she hadn’t had the chance to say. Now she said to him, “There’s word from Xie Muhua—apparently the Crown Prince has been privately meeting with quite a few people lately. Be cautious.”
Xiao Muchen said, “It’s fine. The Empress and Consort Zhang have both been hurt in the struggle. After all this time, the Crown Prince must have realized there’s someone behind the scenes stirring the pot. Sooner or later, he’ll suspect me. I’ve been prepared for that—don’t worry.”
Mingxi nodded slightly. “As long as you’ve thought it through.”
Xiao Muchen lowered his head and kissed her lips before turning to leave.
Mingxi didn’t know whether it was because they had a child now, but she felt Xiao Muchen was treating her differently from before.
It was a strange feeling—now that they had a child of shared blood, there seemed to be some kind of invisible bond between them.
After breakfast, the wet nurse fed Zhiyi and brought her back. Mingxi sat on the couch by the window, watching her daughter while listening to news from Fang Momo and the others.
“Word from the palace is that the Empress is supporting Tan Meiren. Among the newly entered concubines, she is the most favored. The Emperor has summoned her to his bed almost every night for the past half-month—she’s riding high,” Fang Momo reported.
Mingxi frowned. Ever since the Crown Prince had stumbled multiple times, the Emperor had grown cold toward him—and toward his other sons as well.
In fact, the Emperor had assigned tasks to all of them, even Kang Wang, the least favored. Kang Wang had previously been following Xiao Muchen, but now they had been separated.
After the incident with Side Consort Qian, the Empress had fallen out of favor. The Crown Prince hadn’t been deposed, but he was no longer allowed to attend court. Meanwhile, his brothers all held official posts. Compared to them, the Crown Prince’s situation was quite awkward.
The Empress now pushing Tan Meiren forward was understandable. But what Mingxi couldn’t figure out was whether the Emperor was simply going along with it—or if he truly didn’t know Tan Meiren had been promoted by the Empress.
More importantly, Tan Meiren’s Father was the governor-general of Dongjiang, while Fengcheng Marquis was stationed in the East Sea—their jurisdictions almost overlapped.
A few days later, news came that Tan Meiren had been promoted to the rank of Guiren.
Mingxi chose an auspicious day and sent a visiting card to enter the palace and see Consort Shu. The next day, she went in.
The moment Consort Shu saw Mingxi, she asked about Zhiyi. Mingxi replied, “She’s still too little. When she’s older, I’ll bring her to the palace to see you.”
Consort Shu understood but was still disappointed not to see her granddaughter. If only she could leave the palace…
“What brings you here so suddenly?” Consort Shu asked.
Hu Momo personally brought tea. Mingxi gave her a soft smile. Hu Momo said, “This is Liuan melon slices, Wangfei’s favorite.”
“You always think of me,” Mingxi said with a grin.
“It’s my duty,” Hu Momo replied with a smile, standing quietly at the side.
After taking a sip of tea, Mingxi finally said to Consort Shu, “I came today because I heard about Tan Guiren, and I’m feeling a little uneasy.”
“I thought it was something serious. It’s just a Guiren—nothing to worry about,” Consort Shu said casually.
But Mingxi said, “Royal Mother, Tan Guiren’s Father is the governor-general of Dongjiang. Don’t forget that Fengcheng Marquis is still stationed in the East Sea.”
Consort Shu hadn’t considered this. When Mingxi pointed it out, she looked at her. “You think the Emperor is promoting Tan Guiren to keep Fengcheng Marquis in check?”
“I dare not speculate recklessly, but it’s not out of the question. When trouble broke out in Yuxiang City, Fengcheng Marquis went to sea to suppress pirates and hasn’t returned yet. I wonder if the Emperor bears a grudge.”
Consort Shu’s expression turned more serious. “I thought the Empress just wanted to promote Tan Guiren to contend with us three consorts. I overlooked the Fengcheng Marquis angle.”
Mingxi added, “Jie Guiren’s Father is Commander of the Central Army. Of the three Meirens who entered the palace this time, two come from military families—it’s quite the coincidence.”
Consort Shu looked at Mingxi. “This year’s Qiqiao Festival will be held in the palace, with only the concubines participating.”
“Last year, the Empress invited many people. This year, only those in the palace are attending. Royal Mother should be careful.”
Consort Shu nodded. “Don’t worry, I’ll send someone to look into it.”
“I may just be overthinking,” Mingxi said.
“Better safe than sorry.”
Mingxi didn’t stay long in the palace. After discussing serious matters, she took her leave. Consort Shu sent her back with a large box of things for Zhiyi, insisting they were just trinkets. But when Mingxi opened it back at the manor, she couldn’t help but laugh—those were no trinkets. Zhiyi couldn’t use them yet, so they’d have to be put away for when she was older.
As it happened, the very next morning after her palace visit, she received a letter from her Father.
As soon as she opened it, her expression turned grave.
The East Sea port had been her and Xiao Muchen’s joint plan for development, but now it seemed Tan Yingtai wanted to meddle.
If he stuck his hand in, then Fengcheng Marquis and her Father would inevitably be constrained in future plans.
Sure enough, her instincts had been right. The Crown Prince hadn’t been idle—he must have reached an agreement with Tan Yingtai.
There had been no word from Xie Muhua, which meant the Crown Prince was still guarding against her and withholding important matters.
Mingxi burned the letter. At noon, when Xiao Muchen came home for lunch, she told him everything.
Xiao Muchen looked at her and said, “I received a letter from Fengcheng Marquis too. Don’t worry—if Tan Yingtai dares reach out, I’ll chop off his hand!”
“You have a plan?” Mingxi’s eyes lit up.
Xiao Muchen smiled faintly. “Tan Yingtai’s jurisdiction also borders the sea. I’ve already instructed Fengcheng Marquis to drive the pirates in that direction—let him get busy with that.”
Mingxi: …
What a good idea!
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