Mingxi couldn’t help but worry. Dongjiang and Donggang were adjacent—touch one, and the whole would be affected.
Especially with someone like Gao Zhan, a complete petty man—he could turn on you in a blink. Relying on him was absolutely out of the question.
If he ever got hold of any leverage, that would be truly dangerous.
Because of her previous life’s memories, which she couldn’t explain clearly to Xiao Muchen, she could only send her own people to Dongjiang to keep an eye on Gao Zhan in secret.
At the same time, Mingxi began to pay attention to the Duke Gao’s household.
She had originally wanted to stay far away from the people of Duke Gao’s residence in this life, given all the past grudges—just let things be, and peacefully stay out of each other’s way.
But now, that didn’t seem possible anymore.
She had known that Bai Zhiwei and Gao Zhan didn’t get along, but hadn’t expected things to have deteriorated this badly.
Weren’t the two of them supposed to be deeply in love?
In her past life, Gao Zhan had remained celibate for ten years for Bai Zhiwei. How had they become like strangers in just a few short years in this life?
Seeing the Wangfei’s expression turn grim, Li Quan didn’t dare speak at first and stood quietly to the side.
Mingxi came back to herself and looked at him. “Gao Zhan brought a concubine with him to his post? Bai Zhiwei, not getting along with the Duchess, went to a country estate to recuperate?”
Well now. The man who once prided himself on chastity had taken a concubine, and the woman who had once been loved deeply had voluntarily gone off to the countryside. What a joke.
“They say she went to the estate,” Li Quan replied, “but Madam Bai only stays there a few days each month. The rest of the time, she lives in her own residence in the capital.”
Mingxi frowned. “Any movement from Duke Zhen’s household?”
“The people watching Madam Bai say that every now and then, Duchess Zhen visits her.”
Mingxi fell silent. Bai Shixi was confined in Donghua Palace along with the Crown Prince, but not once had the Duchess gone to visit her.
There are always those children who are not favored by their parents. Born of the same womb, yet treated as if from different worlds.
“Other than the Duchess, has anyone else gone to see Bai Zhiwei?”
“No one else has been spotted, but every two weeks, Madam Bai summons a seamstress to take her measurements and make new clothes. This has been going on for months.”
Mingxi knew Bai Zhiwei loved luxury and indulging herself, but even among noblewomen, few had new clothes made every two weeks. Even with a generous dowry from Duke Zhen’s household, that level of extravagance couldn’t last.
Not everyone could afford to be as wealthy as herself. She usually only made new clothes every two or three months. Since Zhiyi had been born, they made more often because children grow quickly and change clothes frequently.
Even Xiao Muchen didn’t indulge in excess—his wardrobe wasn’t constantly updated either.
The more she thought about it, the more it felt wrong. Mingxi looked at Li Quan and said, “Keep a close eye on that seamstress. Investigate the workshop behind her. The next time she visits, see if we can plant someone on the inside.”
It was hard to insert someone new, but bribing someone already in the workshop would be much easier.
Li Quan agreed readily and went off to make arrangements.
Mingxi still had a nagging feeling that something was off. She quietly sent word to Bai Shixi.
Xiao Muchen happened to come home early today. Seeing Mingxi’s troubled face, he asked, “What’s wrong? Who upset you? Did Zhiyi cause trouble again?”
“No, not this time.” Just mentioning their daughter made Mingxi sigh. Neither she nor Xiao Muchen were the troublesome type, yet somehow their daughter always managed to stir up unexpected mischief—enough to leave one laughing and crying.
Mingxi pulled Xiao Muchen to sit down and briefly explained what Li Quan had found. Then she added, “Something just doesn’t feel right. How could someone like Bai Zhiwei have such patience? I suspect there’s more going on.”
Xiao Muchen, as a man, usually didn’t concern himself with the women’s quarters. But hearing Mingxi say this made him take it seriously. “You’re right. Let’s be cautious. I’ll have Qi He look into it more thoroughly.”
That was the best option. She nodded and added, “I’ve arranged to meet Bai Shixi tonight. Everything’s been set on the Donghua Palace side.”
Xiao Muchen didn’t quite understand the Crown Princess Bai Shixi—betraying her husband to side with his enemies. After all, when one rises, all rise; when one falls, all fall.
“Then be careful when you go. It just so happens I have nothing tonight—I’ll stay at the manor and watch over Zhiyi,” Xiao Muchen said.
That evening, the three of them had dinner together. Afterward, Xiao Muchen took their daughter to the back garden to admire the moon. Mingxi changed into clothing suitable for going out and left the house.
The carriage stopped three streets away from Donghua Palace. Mingxi made her way on foot under the cover of moonlight.
Donghua Palace had a small side gate, meant for palace staff who went out to procure supplies.
Because the Crown Prince was under house arrest, most of the palace’s supplies were provided by the Twenty-Four Bureaus, including daily fruits and vegetables.
Siyuan Bureau was responsible for this. The eunuch guarding the gate was the godson of the head of that bureau. The bureau chief was now working under Second Master Duan, so it was easy to ask for a favor.
The side gate quietly opened a crack, and Mingxi slipped inside.
The young eunuch whispered, “The Crown Princess is waiting in the side room over there. Wangfei, take note of the time—there’s a patrol every half hour.”
“Thank you.” Mingxi handed him a heavy pouch of silver and strode toward the side room.
The eunuch weighed the pouch in his hand with joy and stuffed it into his robe. Duan Wangfei was indeed generous.
At the sound of the door opening, Bai Shixi looked up. When she saw Mingxi, she immediately stood. “You shouldn’t have come. It’s too dangerous.”
Mingxi frowned at how much weight Bai Shixi had lost. “I’ve already taken care of everything. Supplies won’t be lacking. How did you get so thin?”
Bai Shixi took Mingxi’s hand and sat down with a sigh. “Ruian was sick for a while. I stayed by her side day and night. That’s how I lost the weight.”
“Why didn’t you tell me? How is she now?” Mingxi asked with concern.
“Just a cold. But she’s so little, and she had a fever for several days—naturally she cried a lot,” Bai Shixi said softly. “She’s better now, don’t worry. If not for your arrangements, the imperial physicians wouldn’t have put in much effort.”
After all, no one pays attention to those under house arrest.
“That’s good. It’s normal for children to fall ill. Every spring and autumn, I get especially anxious about Zhiyi,” Mingxi comforted her a bit, then got to the point.
After hearing what Mingxi had to say, Bai Shixi responded immediately, “Bai Zhiwei has always thought highly of herself. She loves being flattered. When would she ever be so quiet and humble? Perhaps your suspicion is right—she must be hiding something.”
“I think so too. I came to ask if you could think back to before she married—did she have anyone close to her, or perhaps someone she liked? Aside from Gao Zhan, of course.”
Bai Shixi frowned more deeply. “Other than Gao Zhan, I really don’t know. But she did have a trusted steward. You should look into him. If something’s going on, you might be able to find something starting with him.”
Bai Shixi gave Mingxi a name.
Mingxi remembered it and reminded Bai Shixi to take care of herself. If anything happened, she must send word. Then Mingxi wrapped herself in a dark cloak and quietly disappeared into the night.
