The Crown Prince’s gaze swept briefly over Duan Mingxi, only to notice her chatting cheerfully with his future Crown Princess. He then said, “Let’s all go together.”
Gao Zhan and Bai Zhiwei, who were just contemplating how to excuse themselves, were promptly roped in by Qi Wang.
Duan Mingxi glanced at Qi Wang, her eyes filled with a knowing smile.
This royal highness was far too eager to stir the pot—he didn’t even bother to hide his excitement.
Xiao Muchen turned his head at just the right moment to catch Duan Mingxi smiling at Qi Wang. He stepped forward slightly, blocking her line of sight.
Duan Mingxi didn’t think much of it. With her view obstructed, she turned back to continue her conversation with Bai Shixi, deliberately ignoring Bai Zhiwei.
Bai Shixi, aware of the animosity between Duan Mingxi and Bai Zhiwei, naturally played along. The two of them grew increasingly engrossed in their conversation, making Bai Zhiwei appear even more isolated and pitiable.
The Crown Prince had chosen a three-sided pavilion at Linshui Xuan, a spacious and comfortable spot with a gentle lake breeze wafting through—an utterly pleasant retreat.
“This is such a wonderful spot. Third Brother, you have the best eye for places. I’ve been to Jinrui Garden a few times and never noticed such a gem,” Qi Wang exclaimed, circling the pavilion with amazement.
The Crown Prince ordered his attendants to bring tea and invited everyone to sit before turning to Qi Wang. “All you care about is playing and chasing excitement. You never have the patience to appreciate quieter places like this.”
“Third Brother, at least give me some face. We’ve got so many people watching,” Qi Wang responded with a hearty laugh, entirely unbothered.
Duan Mingxi watched the exchange, feeling somewhat dazed. She only knew that in the future, the Crown Prince and his brothers would fight fiercely against one another. She had never imagined there were times when they seemed to get along so well.
Bai Zhiwei sat not far from Duan Mingxi and Bai Shixi. With only the three women present, Mingxi and Shixi intentionally excluded her, leaving her to sit alone and embarrassed.
Bai Zhiwei decided not to go over either, sitting alone in front of the railing. She leaned slightly on a swan-neck chair, gazing at the lake, her face tinged with a hint of desolation and grievance.
She wanted everyone here to see clearly what kind of people those two really were.
On the other side, Duan Mingxi wasn’t familiar with Bai Shixi either, so there wasn’t much to chat about. However, the two shared a common goal: to make Bai Zhiwei uncomfortable.
They chatted sporadically when they heard Qi Wang suddenly look at Xiao Muchen and ask, “Fourth Brother, that batch of materials I ordered from the Internal Weaving and Dyeing Bureau last time, there won’t be any problems with it, right?”
Duan Mingxi was stunned. What did the Imperial Weaving and Dyeing Bureau have to do with Xiao Muchen?
Just as she was pondering, Xiao Muchen replied, “You’ll need to ask Xu Donglin about that. I’ve already handed over the tasks from that department, so even if you ask me, I wouldn’t know.”
Duan Mingxi was shocked to learn that Xiao Muchen had been an official in the Twenty-Four Bureaus.
Hearing that he’d already changed posts, she breathed a small sigh of relief. If Xiao Muchen were still managing the affairs of the Weaving and Dyeing Bureau, her current plans might have dragged him into trouble.
“Xu Donglin is such an old stubborn fool. Asking him is pointless,” Qi Wang said, then turned to the Crown Prince. “Third Brother, can you help me out? I’m at my wit’s end here. That batch of materials is crucial and can’t have any issues.”
The Crown Prince looked at him with a smile. “What have you done now? What do you need all that silk for? If Father finds out, he’ll surely scold you again.”
“Please, Third Brother, just this once. Next time, if you need my help, I’ll roll up my sleeves without a second thought. How about it?” Qi Wang moved closer to the Crown Prince, ingratiatingly.
Duan Mingxi kept a blank expression. It seemed unlikely that Qi Wang would get his silk.
Her father had invested over half a million taels of silver in that shipment from the Imperial Weaving and Dyeing Bureau. There couldn’t be the slightest mistake.
She lifted her teacup, lowering her head to sip, masking the surprise in her eyes.
The Crown Prince, unable to shake off Qi Wang’s persistence, finally said, “Just this once. Don’t make it a habit.”
“Thank you, Third Brother!” Qi Wang bombarded the Crown Prince with flattery as if it cost nothing.
Watching this display of brotherly camaraderie, Duan Mingxi found it absurd.
If they were truly harmonious brothers, why had they been so ruthless to one another in her previous life? In the end, only Xiao Muchen and the Crown Prince had survived among the Wangyes. Even then, Xiao Muchen was ultimately defeated by the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince who now acted the role of a good elder brother, laughing and chatting, bore no resemblance to the tyrannical, ruthless, and domineering figure in her memory.
Instinctively, she glanced at Xiao Muchen.
Sensing her gaze, Xiao Muchen turned to look at her.
At that moment, Duan Mingxi couldn’t quite describe how she felt. She smiled at him instinctively.
Xiao Muchen froze for a moment before turning his head away.
Duan Mingxi’s smile gave him an inexplicable sense of unease.
It felt like someone was about to suffer misfortune.
Thinking of this, Xiao Muchen glanced at Gao Zhan and saw him sitting with a sullen expression beside Zhong Sheng.
Zhong Sheng was the one joking with Qi Wang earlier, the son of Imperial Censor Zhong Yuqing.
Duan Mingxi, hearing that they’d moved on from the topic of the Imperial Weaving and Dyeing Bureau to other affairs in the capital, lost interest.
Bai Shixi withdrew her gaze from the lake and turned to the composed Duan Mingxi, saying softly, “Sometimes, I truly feel that Miss Duan and I are kindred spirits.”
Duan Mingxi looked at Bai Shixi. “Second Miss Bai, I disagree. Though you and Miss Bai have your differences as sisters, your parents have always treated you fairly.”
Bai Shixi was momentarily stunned, then remembered the rumors about Duan Mingxi’s strained relationship with Marquis Dingyuan. Her gaze flickered.
“Once you spend more time with your family, you’ll grow closer,” she said.
“I hope so.” Duan Mingxi didn’t want to discuss the Marquis’s residence further but wasn’t about to let others think she was blindly filial.
She was well aware of Madam Jiang’s machinations in the capital, trying to use filial piety to pressure her into submission. But she wouldn’t fall for it.
Seeing that it was getting late, everyone began to disperse.
The Crown Prince, ever the gentleman, escorted Bai Shixi back to Duke Zhen’s residence. Qi Wang, having no one to send off, left ahead with his friend.
Xiao Muchen accompanied Duan Mingxi back to Marquis Dingyuan’s residence, leaving only Gao Zhan and Bai Zhiwei behind.
Bai Zhiwei, having been tense all day, felt her nerves snap as she watched the Crown Prince carefully escort Bai Shixi away. She looked at Gao Zhan, who was still staring at Duan Mingxi’s departing figure.
Bai Zhiwei’s expression darkened completely. Suppressing her anger, she said to Gao Zhan, “I’m leaving first.”
Gao Zhan came to his senses and watched her leave in a huff. For some reason, he didn’t feel like chasing after her to console her.
Thinking of Duan Mingxi’s earlier remarks, he felt stabbed in the heart and walked away.
Bai Zhiwei thought Gao Zhan would come after her. When she turned back after walking a few steps and saw no sign of him, her vision darkened, and she nearly fainted on the spot.
This had to be the darkest day of her life!
***
Duan Mingxi’s return to the Marquis’s residence, accompanied by Xiao Muchen, alarmed everyone there. However, Xiao Muchen didn’t enter the house. He left after escorting her to the door.
With various scrutinizing gazes upon her, Duan Mingxi entered the residence. Before she even reached the side gate, the Old Madam came out with a group of female relatives to greet her.
Duan Mingxi hadn’t expected such a grand reception and simply mentioned that Duan Wang had already left.
Even so, the Old Madam’s face was beaming with joy. For Duan Wang to personally escort Mingxi home showed how pleased he was with this match.
Duan Mingxi didn’t care about the Old Madam’s thoughts. After returning, she instructed Li Quan to investigate Duan Wang’s involvement in the Twenty-Four Bureaus.
She hadn’t anticipated that her very first move in this match would almost implicate Xiao Muchen.
Their engagement truly seemed to be undergoing a trial by fire.
