Tan Jieyu’s fake pregnancy enraged the emperor so much that he issued a decree for her death. All those involved in the matter were punished.
Her palace attendants, the implicated imperial physicians, and even Governor-general Tan Yingtai were affected. The emperor issued a decree to the east—Tan Yingtai was dismissed, his home raided, and he was exiled. The entire bureaucratic system of Dongjiang was shaken.
From one Mid-Autumn palace banquet, the entire political landscape of the capital changed once again.
The more glory Tan Yingtai had enjoyed in Dongjiang, and the more flamboyant Tan Jieyu had been after gaining favor, the more tragic their fall was now.
As autumn descended upon the capital, dry leaves rustled to the ground, and the night air began to feel chilly.
Since Tan Yingtai’s downfall, Xiao Muchen had become increasingly busy. Mingxi, preoccupied with business in Donggang, also barely touched the ground. The two were each busy in their own realms and rarely had time to sit down and talk.
When the name of the newly appointed governor-general of Dongjiang was released, Mingxi sat in silence for a long time.
Gao Zhan!
No one expected Gao Zhan to be the one to win.
That day, Mingxi finished her work early, coaxed her daughter to sleep, and sat in the courtyard looking up at the stars.
Why Gao Zhan? No matter how she thought about it, she couldn’t believe Xiao Muchen would place Gao Zhan in that position.
Footsteps approached, but Mingxi didn’t turn her head.
“Why aren’t you wearing a cloak?” Xiao Muchen was surprised, took off his own and draped it over her shoulders. He sat beside her. “Why the interest in moon-gazing tonight?”
Mingxi looked at him, her gaze still gentle, her eyes full of affection.
Right—Xiao Muchen didn’t know about the past-life grudge she bore against Gao Zhan. She looked at him and asked: “Why did you choose Gao Zhan to be the new governor-general of Dongjiang?”
Xiao Muchen didn’t catch the deeper meaning behind Mingxi’s words. He sat beside her, visibly tired, and looked up at the bright moon in the sky with her.
“Tang Yingtai definitely has the Empress’s hand behind him. The Crown Prince is currently confined in the Donghua Palace. He may appear weak now, but the network he’s built over the years isn’t something that can be wiped out overnight.”
“There are still some stubborn officials at court who insist on the legitimacy of the Donghua palace’s prince and want to help the Crown Prince regain his position.”
“As long as the Empress is not deposed, the Crown Prince still has a chance to rise again.”
Mingxi gradually understood and asked, “So who does Gao Zhan belong to now?”
“It doesn’t matter whose man he is. As long as he’s useful, that’s enough,” Xiao Muchen said carelessly. “He’s just a knife.”
The breath Mingxi had been holding finally eased. That’s right—Xiao Muchen had always disdained Gao Zhan’s conduct. Back during the Qiping incident, Gao Zhan had already betrayed the Crown Prince and ended up with leverage in Xiao Muchen’s hands.
“You’re planning to use Gao Zhan to lure out the bigger fish behind the scenes?” Mingxi asked again.
Xiao Muchen smiled. “What do you think?”
“It’s extremely risky. Gao Zhan is the type to hedge his bets. You’d better be prepared,” Mingxi replied bluntly.
If he could betray the Crown Prince, then naturally, he could betray Xiao Muchen too.
It would just depend on whose wind—Xiao Muchen’s or the Crown Prince’s—blew stronger.
“When the Tang family’s daughter entered the palace, it must have been through a deal between the Empress and Tang Yingtai. At this Mid-Autumn banquet, Tang Jieyu tried to use a fake pregnancy to frame you, and then pin on me a charge of coveting the Eastern Palace and plotting to harm the heir.”
“If that had succeeded, you and I might have fallen into ruin. Once I was removed, the path to reinstating the Crown Prince would have become much smoother.”
At this point, Xiao Muchen turned to look at Mingxi. “The Empress has been plotting from the shadows for so long with such patience. If you hadn’t known a bit of medicine, I might really have taken a fall.”
Mingxi smiled. “Too bad her luck was bad—she ran into me.”
That one lighthearted sentence from Mingxi blew away the heaviness of the conversation.
Xiao Muchen tightly held her hand. “Yes, I’ve always said you’re my lucky star—and it’s true.”
“With Tang Jieyu sentenced to death and Royal Father cleaning up the inner palace this time, I’m afraid the Empress’s remaining influence is almost completely purged,” Mingxi said softly.
With Consort Shu in the palace, this was the perfect time—favorable in timing, location, and people. She would surely make a strong move to cut off the Empress’s wings.
The fact that Tang Jieyu could fake a pregnancy in the harem without a single flaw already showed how capable she was.
Xiao Muchen nodded slightly. “Consort Zhang has long hated the Empress. Royal Mother might not even need to act personally—any of the other three consorts wouldn’t pass up such a good opportunity.”
The four consorts had long-standing grievances with the Empress. Even with the Crown Prince deposed, she remained Empress. The Emperor showed no signs of deposing her, but this incident with Tang Jieyu—though she never confessed to implicating the Empress and took full blame—still likely gave the Emperor a strong hint.
The commotion in the inner palace didn’t leave no trace. The Emperor simply chose not to stop it, silently permitting the others to divide and marginalize the Empress’s power.
The heart of an emperor was always unfathomable.
Mingxi remained silent for a while, staring up at the moon.
She wondered what it would be like in the future when Xiao Muchen ascended that position and became the Son of Heaven—what kind of relationship they would have then.
She used to think the Emperor’s feelings for the Empress were genuine. Even though the Crown Prince was deposed, he still protected her position.
He had raised the Crown Prince with care and affection, giving him chance after chance to correct his mistakes.
But now she wasn’t so sure that what she had thought of as deep affection had really been that deep.
“How is Royal Father lately?” Mingxi asked softly, looking at Xiao Muchen.
“The imperial physicians take his pulse every day—everything is as usual.”
Xiao Muchen’s reply gave Duan Mingxi pause. She sighed after a long while, unsure of what to say.
That’s how people were. When you’re still at the foot of the mountain, all you think about is climbing it with everything you have. When you’re halfway up, you breathe a sigh of relief and think, “I’m getting there.”
But when you’re about to reach the summit, your feelings become complicated.
There’s the joy of impending success—but more than that… it’s like how she felt now: complex, melancholy, and contemplative about the road ahead.
A few days later, Qi Wang took in a new side consort, a side consort selected personally by Consort De, the daughter of the Minister of Rites, given to him by the Emperor.
With his new side consort, Qi Wang held a banquet to celebrate.
As a royal sister-in-law, Mingxi had to attend and offer congratulations.
Duan Huirou’s belly was already showing. She followed behind Mingxi, step by cautious step, as if she were entering a tiger’s den.
Yu Wangfei and Kang Wangfei were sitting together chatting. When they saw Mingxi and Duan Huirou approaching, they greeted them with smiles.
Mingxi looked at Yu Wangfei and said, “Second Sister-in-law, as I came in just now, I couldn’t help but feel something’s not quite right with Qi Wang’s residence.”
Yu Wangfei gave a slight cough before lowering her voice and saying, “Qi Wangfei had a fight with Qi Wang over Side Consort Zhao. I heard they even got physical this morning.”
Mingxi: …
How was it that Qi Wangfei was regressing as she aged? Even Duan Huirou had learned to turn back after repeatedly hitting a wall, but Qi Wangfei insisted on butting heads until the end.
Kang Wangfei couldn’t hold back and added, “I heard Qi Wang slapped her hard across the face. Qi Wangfei claimed illness and isn’t even receiving guests today.”
Mingxi: …
Tsk, well then. Looks like the new Side Consort Ming is about to steal the spotlight.
