“She’s a bit naughty. I fear she might wake and disturb Your Highness,” Mingxi took a subtle step back and handed the baby to the wet nurse. Then she stepped forward again and looked at the Crown Prince, speaking slowly, “Your Highness must be quite fond of Princess Ruian. You surely know how easily children are startled when woken from sleep—they cry and fuss endlessly. I hope Your Highness will forgive us.”
“What a pity,” the Crown Prince said in a tone of mock regret. “We’ll have to wait for next time then.”
Mingxi smiled faintly but didn’t respond.
The Crown Prince appeared unaware of how wary everyone from Wangye’s household was. With his hands behind his back, he stood at the prow of the boat and turned to Qi He. “You look quite tanned. What kind of errands are you running for Fourth Brother these days?”
Qi He replied, “This humble official is of limited ability and can only do small errands for His Highness, hence the sun exposure.”
“Errands?” the Crown Prince chuckled lightly. “Lord Qi, you’re too modest. Everyone knows you’re one of Fourth Brother’s most capable men.”
“This humble official doesn’t dare accept such praise.”
Mingxi’s sense of unease deepened. After a moment’s pause, she asked, “It’s been a long time since I saw the Crown Princess. Is she doing well?”
“If you miss her, you’re welcome to visit her at the Eastern Palace,” the Crown Prince said as he turned to glance back.
Mingxi’s expression didn’t change. She replied, “I heard the Crown Princess has been weak since giving birth. I wouldn’t dare disturb her.”
The Crown Prince stared at Duan Mingxi for a moment, then smiled faintly.
Just then, the boat finally reached the shore. Mingxi subtly let out a breath and immediately said farewell, “Thank you, Your Highness. I’ll take my leave now.”
The Crown Prince said nothing.
Duan Mingxi gave a slight bow and quickly disembarked with her people.
After walking a few steps on land, she turned around suddenly and saw the Crown Prince still standing at the prow, staring in her direction. That look made her feel extremely uneasy. She gave a small nod and turned to leave.
Qi He followed behind her and spoke in a low voice, “Wangfei, the Crown Prince’s boat came charging out quickly—he likely came prepared.”
Mingxi nodded. “We’ll need to be more cautious in the future. Send someone to investigate—see what can be found.”
“Yes,” Qi He replied.
Mingxi boarded the carriage with a heavy expression and headed straight for the residence.
By evening, Qi He returned to report, “I made thorough inquiries. The Crown Prince indeed went to Longhu early in the morning. Wangye and Wangfei’s trip there was a last-minute decision. It seems it really was just a coincidence.”
Mingxi had been playing with her daughter using a cloth tiger doll. Upon hearing this, she handed the little princess to Li Mama to be taken to the wet nurse next door, then looked at Qi He and asked, “The Crown Prince didn’t enter the palace today either? Was he the only one on the boat?”
“Yes, the Crown Prince only had a few guards with him.”
Mingxi’s brows furrowed. Coincidence?
“Any news from the palace?”
Qi He shook his head. “The palace gates are tightly closed—nothing’s come out yet.”
There was nothing to do but wait. Mingxi looked at Qi He and said, “Thank you. If you hear anything from the palace, report to me at once.”
“Yes.” Before leaving, Qi He added, “Master Duan is doing well in the East Sea. He asked me to tell you not to worry.”
Mingxi smiled, “If my Father can work on maritime affairs, I imagine he’s quite pleased.”
“Yes. Master Duan is well-versed in seafaring and has taken to the work smoothly. The coastline is beginning to take shape. Fengcheng Marquis has been clearing out sea bandits, and the maritime territory is gradually expanding. Some merchant ships have even started docking along the coast.”
Mingxi let out a long breath. “If this continues, by mid-next year, things should really start improving.”
“Yes, Wangfei. Good news is on the way.”
After Qi He left, Mingxi still hadn’t heard any word from the palace. She went to the study and tried to calm herself, turning her thoughts to the matter of Tan Guiren being poisoned.
It was possible that the Crown Prince’s appearance at Longhu was a coincidence—but his ramming her boat certainly wasn’t.
But if it wasn’t, then for what? Just to say a few meaningless things?
Mingxi felt something was wrong, but couldn’t quite put her finger on it. She thought about writing a letter to Xie Muhua to ask his opinion but suddenly froze. She immediately burned the half-written letter.
If the Crown Prince had someone watching her and she sent a letter to Xie Muhua now, she could end up exposing him.
Could it be that the Crown Prince suspected a mole in the Eastern Palace and was deliberately testing her?
Mingxi couldn’t figure it out. Just then, she heard movement outside. She stood up and stepped out—only to see Xiao Muchen returning under the moonlight.
She hurried to meet him and asked, “How is Royal Mother?”
Xiao Muchen’s face was grim. “Fortunately, she had taken precautions.”
Mingxi’s heart sank. She followed him inside, sent everyone out, and asked, “What exactly happened?”
“Tan Guiren bribed someone close to Royal Mother and tried to frame her, hiding poison inside Cuiwei Palace. During the palace search, the poison was discovered. Luckily, Royal Mother had switched the items in advance. Otherwise, it would’ve been impossible to explain.” Xiao Muchen said with a heavy voice.
Mingxi hadn’t expected things to be so dangerous. “Tan Guiren is bold indeed. But now that she’s been exposed, what does she gain?”
“She’s claiming she knew nothing. She says it was her attendants who suspected Cuiwei Palace and begged His Majesty to investigate—calling it all a misunderstanding and hoping to deescalate the situation.”
“How can we just let her off like that? Tan Guiren clearly wouldn’t have had such boldness on her own—there must be the Empress backing her from behind,” Mingxi said angrily.
Xiao Muchen looked at Mingxi’s furious face and continued, “It was Royal Mother herself who pleaded on Tan Guiren’s behalf, saying she was newly entered into the palace and unaware of the full truth. But it’s a pity—those palace maids by her side were all seasoned servants of the palace, and even they could make such a grave mistake. So Royal Father reappointed new attendants for her, dismissed those involved in the false accusation, and replaced the rest.”
Mingxi’s eyes narrowed in thought. “Royal Mother is trying to isolate Tan Guiren?”
Xiao Muchen gave a slight nod. “Tan Guiren is currently favored. If she were directly punished, it would displease Royal Father. But punishing a few palace maids won’t bother him. Replacing them with our own people is equivalent to gaining control over Tan Guiren—this is far more effective than simply removing her.”
“The Empress will just let Royal Mother do as she pleases?” Mingxi asked.
“Of course she tried to stop it. But since Royal Mother was wronged, Royal Father had to make some amends.”
Mingxi understood. A new favorite and an old love—if the Emperor wanted to maintain balance, the Empress would have to be set aside for now.
With that, she told Xiao Muchen about the Crown Prince’s ship ramming into theirs earlier that day.
Xiao Muchen’s face darkened. “No wonder I didn’t see him today.”
Mingxi slowly said, “I suspect the Crown Prince might know there’s a traitor in the Eastern Palace and was trying to test me.”
Xiao Muchen replied, “Not necessarily. Over in the East Sea, Marquis Fengcheng has made significant moves, and his success in suppressing the pirates has earned repeated praise from Royal Father. The Crown Prince is probably getting restless. Tan Yingtai must’ve sent some kind of report to the Eastern Palace.”
He narrowed his eyes and said coldly, “Then let me send them a grand gift.”
He had planned to wait a little longer, but since the Empress and Crown Prince couldn’t, he would act first!
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