The next day, Mingxi received the message from the Xie household. It was quite unexpected, and she immediately gave the information to Li Quan, asking him to find Qi He so the two could discuss their approach.
Li Quan and Qi He worked differently. For investigations like this, Li Quan’s methods might be more efficient, but if it came to controlling that second steward afterward, Qi He’s tactics were more effective.
Sure enough, by the afternoon, Qi He came to report in person. “That second steward, Zhang Pingtai, does indeed have a mistress. Not only that—he has two illegitimate children with her. The mistress lives outside in a grand manner, as if she were the official wife. The neighbors all believe she’s his lawful spouse, and she herself claims her husband is a traveling merchant.”
Duan Mingxi chuckled lightly. “That’s not just bold—that’s absolutely brazen.”
“Indeed, Wangfei. And the mistress’s Father and older brother were even placed by Zhang Pingtai into jobs at Duke Zhen’s estate, without leaving a trace. Quite the crafty bunch. My men followed the lead from the mistress and discovered something very interesting.”
“Oh? What is it?” Mingxi asked.
Qi He’s expression was rather odd. “The mistress, Liu Huiyue, has a younger half-sister named Liu Xiangyue. Liu Xiangyue is now with Gao Zhan as his concubine—and she has borne him a son.”
Mingxi: ……
This was a scandal of epic proportions!
She was stunned speechless for a while.
“You’re saying Gao Zhan has an illegitimate child?”
And the child’s mother is the younger sister of the mistress of the steward who is the confidant of Bai Zhiwei, Gao Zhan’s own wife. Now that is spicy!
“Yes,” Qi He replied. He hadn’t expected this either—what a shocking thing to uncover.
Mingxi had a faint sense that something was off. She looked at Qi He and asked again, “What about surveillance on Bai Zhiwei?”
“She’s extremely cautious. Though she’s moved into her own residence, she rarely goes out. Everyone serving her are her close confidants. It’s hard to plant anyone inside for now.”
“If we don’t have an opportunity, we’ll create one,” Mingxi said to Qi He. “The way she’s sealed off her home so tightly—it’s already abnormal. Do this: start a fire in her back courtyard.”
“Wangfei means to reveal Zhang Pingtai’s affair to his wife?”
Mingxi nodded. “Yes. As long as Zhang Pingtai falls out with his wife’s family, Bai Zhiwei won’t be able to sit back and do nothing. The moment she makes a move, we’ll have our chance.”
Qi He’s eyes lit up. “This subordinate will take care of it at once.”
After Qi He left, Mingxi still felt there was a thread missing. Just then, Zhiyi pestered her to come play, so she set the matter aside and accompanied her daughter to the backyard to practice on the plum blossom posts.
Mingxi didn’t want to fall behind on her martial arts and had built a small practice field beside the back garden. It wasn’t large, but it served as a place for her and Xiao Muchen to train.
Unexpectedly, Zhiyi had discovered the place and grown fond of it. Her legs were short, but she insisted on climbing the plum blossom posts.
Xiao Muchen had no choice but to have a special set of child-sized posts made for her—closer together and lower to the ground, better suited for a child.
After a few months, Zhiyi wasn’t exactly swift and agile, but she could walk across steadily and even run a few steps at times. She had indeed inherited Mingxi’s martial arts talent.
Zhiyi liked it and didn’t shy away from hard work. Mingxi had already asked Xiao Muchen to find her a female martial instructor. Now she trained for an hour every day, and as she grew older, the time would gradually increase.
In front of her daughter, Mingxi performed a long spear routine. Dressed in fitted training clothes, she looked valiant and heroic. Zhiyi was utterly mesmerized, hugging the spear and refusing to let go.
Mingxi promised to have a smaller spear made for her. But if she really wanted to wield a spear, she’d have to suffer through tough training.
Horse stance was a fundamental requirement. Remarkably, Zhiyi managed to stick with it. At first, she couldn’t hold the stance for long without falling on her bottom, but over time, she could hold it for the duration of a tea’s steeping.
This child was mischievous but had real perseverance.
Xiao Muchen shamelessly said, “With a tiger for a Father, the daughter won’t be a dog.”
Mingxi: …
At this moment, mother and daughter had run across the plum blossom posts, practiced their horse stance, and—at Zhiyi’s request—performed a long spear routine. Mingxi was drenched in sweat just as Xiao Muchen returned home.
He took a handkerchief and wiped her sweat, smiling. “You two seem to be having fun.”
He was out all day working like an ox.
“I’ve become too lax. I really should pick it back up.”
She used to feel refreshed after a set of spear moves, but now she was breathless.
Xiao Muchen quietly placed the long spear back on the weapon rack. Not stable?
He looked at her and said gently, “No rush. Take it slow. As you train with Zhiyi, you’ll naturally get back into form.”
Mingxi called her daughter to go wash up and change clothes, but Zhiyi refused. She wanted to keep training with her martial arts teacher. Mingxi let her be—she had things to discuss with Xiao Muchen anyway.
After washing and changing, Mingxi saw Xiao Muchen reading dossiers and asked, “Where are they from?”
“Dongjiang.”
Mingxi nodded. If they wanted to get to the bottom of things in Dongjiang, they’d need to comb through past records thoroughly.
Seeing Mingxi’s hair hanging loosely down her back, Xiao Muchen set the dossier aside and picked up a handkerchief to help her dry her hair.
“It’ll dry on its own soon,” Mingxi said, finding it a bit of a bother. The weather wasn’t cold, and the room wasn’t chilly—air drying would do.
“And who was it last time that complained of a headache?”
Mingxi shut her mouth. That had been an accident.
“How’s the investigation Qi He’s handling?” Xiao Muchen looked at her, noticing her guilty look, and chuckled.
“I was just about to tell you. It’s actually pretty amusing…” Mingxi explained everything in detail, then summed it up: “Tell me, why would Gao Zhan secretly keep Liu Xiangyue as a mistress? Liu Xiangyue is Bai Zhiwei’s person. This isn’t just undermining her—it’s undermining her at the root.”
Born to slave parents, the children would also be servants.
Xiao Muchen couldn’t guess the motive right away. He looked at Mingxi and said, “Gao Zhan and Bai Zhiwei have long been husband and wife in name only, but even so, that alone isn’t enough reason for him to take Liu Xiangyue as a mistress. There must be something more we don’t know.”
“Exactly. That’s what I thought too. Since we haven’t found a breakthrough, I had Qi He stir up the waters thoroughly. Let’s see how Bai Zhiwei reacts,” Mingxi said seriously.
“Want me to help?”
“No, we mustn’t get involved. If it comes back to us, we’ll suffer the consequences,” Mingxi replied.
“You had Qi He find someone else?”
“Yes. Ge Rong’s son, Ge Chong, loves gambling. He’ll do anything for money. If he finds out his brother-in-law is keeping a mistress, things will get interesting.”
Xiao Muchen chuckled. “I’m afraid Ge Chong will bleed Zhang Pingtai dry.”
“Exactly. Once they fall out over money, everything will erupt naturally,” Mingxi said slowly.
Once this fire is lit, whether they’re human or ghosts—it will all be clear.
chapter 58 is not availabale..please updated
chapter 558 is not available