Tan Jieyu gave Duan Mingxi a deep look, then slowly opened her mouth with implied meaning, “I hear Zhenhai Marquis is currently basking in glory on the island.”
Mingxi looked utterly surprised. “Oh? Now that’s strange. I’m still in the capital and haven’t heard anything about my foster Father’s situation on the island, yet Jieyu, confined to the inner palace, seems to know everything clearly.”
Tan Jieyu’s expression stiffened slightly. “It’s merely something I heard from others.”
“So it was just hearsay.” Mingxi let out a light laugh.
Tan Jieyu hadn’t expected Duan Mingxi to be so sharp and difficult to deal with. Caught off guard, she was immediately cornered. She no longer paid her any attention and turned instead to look toward the emperor.
But Duan Mingxi felt a heaviness settle in her heart. She turned slightly and exchanged a glance with Xiao Muchen.
Xiao Muchen gently squeezed Mingxi’s hand on the low table and said in a low voice, “Those who grow arrogant with success often don’t get the last laugh.”
Listening to Xiao Muchen’s soft words, Mingxi quietly replied, “If she dares to be so brazen, she must have something to rely on. We need to stay alert tonight.”
The hall was lively and cheerful. Ever since the Crown Prince was deposed, the emperor hadn’t been this joyful.
Tan Jieyu raised a wine cup and offered it to the emperor. With a new favorite by his side, a beautiful woman who was also pregnant, the emperor was thrilled and had her sit beside him.
For a brief moment, the hall fell into silence. The four consorts were present, the empress had not yet been deposed—such behavior from the emperor was truly excessive.
Still, since the emperor was willing to indulge and favor her, who would dare to speak up and risk angering him?
Even with delicious food and drink, it all tasted like wax to Mingxi. She had no appetite and merely sipped tea to moisten her throat, her mind still preoccupied with what Yu Wangfei had told her earlier.
Jin Wang took the lead in toasting the emperor, followed by Yu Wang, Duan Wang, and the others. The atmosphere in the hall became increasingly festive.
Feeling stifled, Mingxi stood and stepped outside the hall for some air.
She hadn’t been out long when Tan Jieyu followed closely behind and stood at her side.
Mingxi gave a respectful bow, unsure of what Tan Jieyu was up to now.
“Duan Wangfei,” said Tan Jieyu, “you’re a clever woman. You should know that a wise bird chooses the right tree to nest in.”
“You’re right, Jieyu. Since I’ve married Wangye, I naturally follow my husband.”
Tan Jieyu’s face changed slightly. She snorted softly, “Duan Wangfei, you do have a sharp tongue.”
“You flatter me.”
Tan Jieyu glanced sideways at Mingxi and said coldly, “There’s no need to play dumb. You know exactly what I mean.”
Mingxi’s expression turned cold as well. She raised her eyes to look at Tan Jieyu. “A heart that is never satisfied ends up like a snake trying to swallow an elephant. Excessive greed leads only to self-destruction.”
Suddenly, Tan Jieyu grabbed Mingxi’s wrist tightly. “What do you think would happen if I jumped off from here? How do you suppose His Majesty would punish you?”
A flicker of light passed through Mingxi’s eyes. Then she feigned shock and panic. “Tan Jieyu! You’re carrying a child. How can you not think of the baby? If you jump, the child won’t survive.”
“I only want to get what I deserve,” Tan Jieyu said, tightening her grip on Mingxi’s hand. “Have you made up your mind?”
Mingxi hadn’t expected Tan Jieyu’s target to be her—she’d assumed it was the emperor’s eldest grandson.
“For the sake of that silver mine?” Mingxi didn’t pull her wrist back. After her initial tension, she grew composed, almost leisurely.
Tan Jieyu looked at her suspiciously. But seeing that Mingxi was finally no longer dodging the subject, she nodded readily. “Wouldn’t it be better if we worked together?”
“Work together? How? What can Tan Jieyu offer me? I lack nothing right now.” Mingxi scoffed, her posture arrogant and dismissive.
“Don’t you want Zhenhai Marquis to be elevated further? If you agree to cooperate, my Father will make sure he’s granted the title of Duke. The daughter of a Duke Zhenhai would surely be more glorious than a mere Marquis’ daughter.
When you first returned to the capital, the Dingyuan Marquis household gave you much trouble and looked down on the Duan family. If your foster Father became a duke, you’d finally hold your head high.”
After all that talk, all she offered was a dukedom.
Mingxi deliberately gave a mocking smile. “Tan Jieyu, even if I do nothing, in a few years my foster Father becoming a duke wouldn’t be just wishful thinking, right? You must know—the overseas territories are vast. If he can discover one island, he can find another. This one is a silver mine; the next could very well be gold, jade, or iron.”
With each word Mingxi spoke, Tan Jieyu’s face darkened further.
Mingxi finally confirmed it: Tan Yingtai had his eye on her Father’s treasure-hunting skills.
It made sense. Though the sea was vast, its weather was unpredictable. Most people didn’t dare venture out, and sea voyages were rare, because nine out of ten never returned.
A chill crept into Mingxi’s heart, though her face remained unchanged. “Jieyu’s sincerity is… lacking.”
Tan Jieyu’s expression turned icy. “If you won’t drink the wine offered, you’ll have to drink the punishment wine. Don’t blame me, then.”
Mingxi’s face tightened. She saw Tan Jieyu grab her hand and press it to her chest. Then Tan Jieyu leaned back—her upper body hanging dangerously over the railing, a single breath away from plunging into the lake.
Out of the corner of her eye, Mingxi caught sight of a glimmer of gold at the hall entrance. She reacted instantly—sinking her center of gravity and lowering her stance. The hand Tan Jieyu had pressed against her chest was grabbed back, Mingxi’s fingers digging tightly into her collar. Then, gritting her teeth, she said, “Tan Jieyu, His Majesty loves you deeply. Even if you don’t want to give birth to his child, you can’t go seeking death!”
Tan Jieyu’s upper body was halfway off the platform when Mingxi yanked her back with all her strength. One hand grasped her collar, the other steadied her waist. With a twist, she threw her to the ground.
Dizzy and disoriented, Tan Jieyu laid collapsed on the ground, vision swimming with sparkles.
“Tan Jieyu, are you alright?” Mingxi pinned her to the ground, then crouched beside her, a face full of concern. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the flash of gold approaching, and her voice grew even more anxious. “His Majesty cares for you so much… How could you harbor feelings for the Crown Prince and not want to bear the Emperor’s child?”
“Shut up!” Tan Jieyu’s head was spinning. She had no idea Mingxi had jabbed a pressure point when pulling her back, causing the dizziness and loss of control.
“Alright, alright, I’ll be quiet. Don’t worry—I’ll pretend nothing happened tonight.” Mingxi, still facing away from that flash of golden light, said with deliberate helplessness.
“Old Four’s wife, who did you just say is infatuated with the Crown Prince? And who is unwilling to bear my child?”
The Emperor’s voice suddenly rang out. Tan Jieyu, her mind dizzy and spinning, was struck as if by thunder. Her face instantly turned pale. She abruptly looked up, forcing herself to endure the dizziness and cried out, “Your Majesty, Duan Wangfei tried to harm me, please uphold justice for your concubine!”
Mingxi looked blankly at Tan Jieyu, then at the Emperor, as if shocked and frightened.
Xiao Muchen strode quickly to Mingxi’s side, grasping her hand tightly, and fixed his gaze on Tan Jieyu, saying, “Tan Jieyu accuses my wife of harming her—why would she do that? There must be a reason, no? Are you saying that if you were seeking death and she tried to save you, she saved you wrong?”
Xiao Muchen and Mingxi were of one heart. Just from her brief words, he already knew it wasn’t simple. Naturally, he sided with his wife—first crush Tan Jieyu thoroughly, then talk!
To dare harm Mingxi—she must be courting death!
