Suppressing the fury boiling within, Mingxi smiled faintly. “The person you’re dealing with wouldn’t happen to be named Feng Ji, would it?”
Duan Pingchang was taken aback. “How do you know?”
Of course, Mingxi knew.
She flashed a wide smile. “What can I say? Like father, like daughter. Our business instincts are so alike. I was even considering working with the Internal Eight Bureaus, so I had someone get information.”
The imperial palace’s twenty-four yamen, four divisions, eight bureaus, and twelve agencies!
To uncover the truth behind her adoptive parents’ deaths, she spent most of her dowry, forcibly prying open a crack to uncover just a small part of these people’s backgrounds.
Duan Pingchang showed no suspicion and instead happily asked, “Do you think this business is worth doing?”
“Father, Feng Ji got his connections through the Internal weaving and dyeing bureau. The Internal weaving and dyeing bureau has nothing to do with sea goods. How could he tell you he’s doing sea goods business?”
“The Internal weaving and dyeing bureau? Didn’t he say he was with the Shangshanjian?” Duan Pingchang was stunned.
“The Shangshanjian belongs to the Twelve Agencies, which is not something the Internal weaving and dyeing bureau can compare to. Besides, even if the Shangshanjian used sea goods, do you think such a lucrative deal would fall into your hands?”
Hearing his daughter’s words, Duan Pingchang’s expression darkened. Had he spent a fortune knocking on the wrong door and been scammed?
Thinking this through, he looked at his daughter. “So he’s actually with the Internal weaving and dyeing bureau. Why would he lie to me?”
Duan Mingxi shook her head. “I’ll look into it further.”
In truth, she already knew but couldn’t reveal it yet. Otherwise, how would she explain how she knew?
“This scoundrel took 50,000 taels of silver from me!” Duan Pingchang said angrily.
Even when feeding a dog, it wags its tail in gratitude. These eunuchs are blinded by money, and even though they wear human skin, they act inhumanly, devouring others without spitting out the bones.
Duan Mingxi asked again, “Who introduced you to Feng Ji?”
“The vice president of the capitals Chamber of Commerce, Wang Xian.”
Hearing the name, Duan Mingxi’s eyes flickered. She deliberately showed some anger as she said, “So it was him.”
“Xixi, do you know him?”
“Father, haven’t I told you? Marquis Madam doesn’t like me, and because of her, the Jiang family dislikes me too. Wang Xian is backed by Huang Yong. Do you know who Huang Yong works for?”
Duan Pingchang felt a sense of foreboding. “The Jiang family?”
Duan Mingxi nodded. “The third master of the Jiang family. By blood, he should be my third uncle.”
Duan Pingchang’s face darkened. “So you suspect they set a trap to target me deliberately? Why?”
Duan Mingxi explained in detail the grievances between her and Duan Huirou, including what Huirou did to her after she returned to the household, and her own retaliations.
Duan Pingchang remained silent for a long time before saying, “Well done! So the Jiang family wants to stand up for Duan Huirou and target me?”
He was Mingxi’s adoptive father. If something happened to him, it would undoubtedly be a major blow to Mingxi.
How ruthless!
“That’s my guess,” Duan Mingxi nodded. “Father, don’t be angry. I feel nothing for these people; they’re just passersby. But we can’t let this matter go. If the Jiang family dares to act, it must be connected to Madam Jiang.”
“What do you plan to do?” Duan Pingchang knew his daughter wasn’t the type to suffer in silence.
“Turn the tables on them,” Duan Mingxi sneered. If she didn’t squeeze the Jiang family dry, she’d take their surname!
Duan Pingchang was startled by the fierceness in his daughter’s demeanor. Then he remembered how much she must have endured. She was the treasure he had raised for years, and look what these people had done.
As a merchant who lived on the edge, he had faced bandits and bloodshed many times.
“You won’t need to handle this—I’ll take care of it!” Duan Pingchang said decisively. “Tell me more about Feng Ji.”
“Feng Ji is nothing. He hasn’t even set foot inside the Internal weaving and dyeing bureau. Behind him is Liang Cheng, whose godfather, Chen Yisheng, is the deputy steward of the bureau, second only to the Chief Eunuch, Xu Donglin…”
Duan Mingxi thoroughly explained the workings of the twenty-four bureaus. Despite their intimidating reputation, they were internally a chaotic mess.
“This time, Feng Ji deceived you by claiming connections with the Shangshanjian, essentially betraying the Internal weaving and dyeing bureau. In that case, we can use him as a tool to open a path to the bureau,” Duan Mingxi said firmly.
Duan Pingchang frowned. “The Internal weaving and dyeing bureau mainly deals with silk and fabric dyeing—our family isn’t familiar with that trade.”
“Father, does familiarity matter? You just need to spread the word that I’m your adopted daughter and that we have access to the bureau’s permits.”
“Mingxi, this is too risky—it’s not happening.”
What if his daughter got dragged into trouble?
Duan Mingxi countered, “Father, have I ever done anything reckless? If I’m suggesting this, it means I can connect with the bureau.”
Even if there wasn’t a path, she’d carve one out!
“Really?”
“When have I ever lied to you? Besides, my primary target in having you spread the word is the Jiang family. After what they did to you, I can’t rest until we retaliate.”
“Xixi, don’t act on impulse. After all, they’re your maternal family.”
“No, they’re not. If the Jiang family doesn’t treat me as their granddaughter, I won’t treat them as family either. Besides, knowing how much you’ve done for me and still targeting you? Not becoming sworn enemies is already me showing mercy.”
She had initially intended to let the past life’s grievances go. But the Jiang family couldn’t help but dig their own grave, even earlier than in her previous life.
It was clear that Duan Huirou must have complained to them.
Since that was the case, she wouldn’t hold back.
Jiang Bingyuan dared to target her father, thinking that the Duan family in Jiangcheng was just a small merchant house he could crush with a flick of his finger!
Although Duan Pingchang was hesitant, hearing how the Jiang family treated his daughter made him furious. “Fine, I understand.”
Father and daughter discussed their plans until they came to a conclusion.
When Duan Mingxi left the Duan household, she boarded a carriage to return to the Marquis residence. In this life, her father and mother would be safe and sound.
How wonderful.
Midway through, the carriage suddenly stopped. Mingxi asked, “What’s going on?”
From outside the curtain, Qiancao replied, “Miss, someone is blocking the carriage.”
Duan Mingxi was surprised. Soon, Qiancao handed her an invitation. “Miss, it’s from the person who stopped the carriage.”
Duan Mingxi reached out to take it and opened the letter. Inside, there wasn’t a single word—just a red seal.
Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be the seal of Duan Wang.
“What else did he say?”
“He said that an honored guest is waiting for you at Yuxian Tower.”
Duan Mingxi’s brow twitched. Duan Wang deliberately chose Yuxian Tower as the meeting place—could it be that he already knows the tower is her property?
If that’s the case, then this was at least a gesture of sincerity.
Just as well—she had been fretting about how to establish a connection with Duan Wang. She hadn’t expected him to take the initiative to approach her first.
“To Yuxian Tower,” Duan Mingxi declared decisively.
This time, she intended to properly meet with Duan Wang and discuss a big business deal.
