Youthful Glory

Noon, Qiaofang Street, residence of Deputy Capital Military Commander Lu Ting.

Zhou Jingwan stood before the desk in the study practicing her calligraphy. She usually wrote five large characters before her midday rest, but today she couldn't calm her mind. Her brushstrokes lacked spirit, and she didn't even notice the ink bleeding through a stack of fine rice paper.

Her personal maid hurried in, and Zhou Jingwan immediately looked up to ask, "Well?"

"Miss, the young master said the Palace Command is busy with affairs. He asked you to rest early tonight as he won't be able to return until late."

Hearing this, Zhou Jingwan paused for a moment before suddenly slamming down her brush with force. Without a word, she strode out of the study.

"Miss, where are you going?" Seeing Zhou Jingwan heading straight for the main gate, the maid quickly followed.

"If he refuses to come back and is avoiding me, then I'll go to the Palace Command to find him," Zhou Jingwan's voice was soft yet firm.

"Miss..." The maid pulled at her sleeve hesitantly, her expression troubled as she stammered, "Miss, perhaps you shouldn't go. The young master... the young master said you should stay home these two days and not go out."

"What does that mean?" Zhou Jingwan's back stiffened.

The maid steeled herself to answer, "This servant... this servant just returned from the Palace Command. The young master has stationed some guards outside our gates. We're not allowed to leave anymore..."

"He's confining me?" Zhou Jingwan's question was full of disbelief.

The maid didn't know how to respond, lowering her head nervously, not daring to breathe loudly.

......

Late at night, when all was quiet, Lu Ting returned home.

Finding the rooms unlit, Lu Ting sighed in relief and slowed his steps as he pushed open the door.

But just as his left foot crossed into the inner chamber, there was a sudden "snap" as a firestarter ignited on the daybed.

Then the lamp was lit.

Zhou Jingwan sat upright on the daybed, watching him calmly.

He paused for a long moment before calling somewhat awkwardly, "A Wan."

Zhou Jingwan didn't respond.

So he stood there, uncertain whether to advance or retreat. "Why aren't you resting?"

Seeing he didn't intend to volunteer any information, Zhou Jingwan didn't beat around the bush either. She went straight to the point: "Was it you who arrested Uncle Ming?"

"......"

Indeed, what was coming couldn't be avoided.

After a long silence, Lu Ting stepped forward and sat on the other side of the daybed. "A Wan, as commander of the Palace Command, I was merely following orders."

"If you were just following orders, why avoid seeing me? What exactly is going on? Why so sudden? Did you know about this beforehand?"

Lu Ting opened his mouth, but no words came out.

Zhou Jingwan's eyes reddened as she suddenly stood up.

Lu Ting rose as well.

"Don't come near me! Get out!"

"Where else would I sleep?" Lu Ting sounded somewhat helpless.

"I don't care where you sleep!"

Lu Ting wanted to explain, but ultimately said nothing, silently withdrawing from the main chamber instead.

Tonight's sky wasn't particularly clear, the moon hidden behind clouds. Lu Ting stood with hands clasped behind his back before the house, quietly reflecting. A Wan was usually gentle and refined—this seemed to be the first time since he'd known her that she'd raised her voice so loudly, the first time she'd been so angry with him. Apparently, the Consort's importance in her heart was greater than he'd imagined—

Meanwhile, at Duke Pingguo's Mansion, Bai Minmin was similarly pestering Zhang Huaiyu for answers. But Zhang Huaiyu paid no attention to court affairs, and no matter how Bai Minmin questioned him, he remained completely ignorant.Seeing Bai Minmin sulking, he still dared to complain: "Though I am on good terms with Lu Ting, it’s hardly appropriate to casually inquire about court affairs, is it? Duke Pingguo’s Mansion is related to the imperial family—it’s unsuitable to meddle in matters of treason and collusion with the enemy. So, getting angry with me won’t help. If Marquis Jing’an is truly innocent, the Court of Judicial Review will surely clear his name."

Clear his name? Clear his name? How could they clear his name when incriminating letters had already been found! Bai Minmin didn’t even want to speak to him anymore.

She had returned to Duke Changguo’s Mansion to question her father, but he too knew nothing, only insisting repeatedly that Ming Tingyuan couldn’t possibly have done such a thing.

Her father paced back and forth in the room, even more anxious than she was. Suddenly, he slapped his forehead as if struck by inspiration and decided to seek an audience with the emperor. His advisor, Master Zhou, hurriedly dissuaded him.

Treason and collusion with the enemy were grave crimes. If the charges were confirmed, Duke Changguo’s Mansion—being the maternal family of Marquis Jing’an’s late wife—should focus on distancing itself from the implicated nine clans, not rushing to get involved.

Moreover, his audience with the emperor would be futile. Whether Marquis Jing’an had committed treason still required investigation. Such matters couldn’t be resolved with a few words, whether to condemn or exonerate. Besides, Marquis Jing’an had a capable son-in-law like Prince Dingbei. Since the prince had yet to return to the capital, nothing was certain yet.

Master Zhou’s reasoning was sound, and Bai Minmin found herself unable to refute it.

Prince Dingbei’s Manor was now under strict surveillance—no one could enter or leave. For now, the only option was to wait for Prince Dingbei’s response.

For three consecutive days, Jiang Xu sent no word from outside, and there was no progress in the Court of Judicial Review’s prison. The only consolation was that Lu Ting had reportedly arranged for Marquise Jing’an, Madam Pei, who was pregnant, to be given a separate cell.

During these three days, Ming Tan hadn’t been idle. Though the manor was surrounded by soldiers, they weren’t barred from receiving daily deliveries of fresh provisions or from disposing of waste at night. Ming Tan seized these unavoidable comings and goings to exchange several letters with Bai Minmin, gleaning some news from outside.

Of course, sending these letters was no easy feat. If discovered, it would only worsen their predicament. Fortunately, Ming Tan had always enjoyed reading miscellaneous texts and had once experimented with an ancient method described in a book: "Write with alum water and let it dry. Pour a decoction of five seeds over it, and the characters will turn black."

The exchanged papers appeared blank until treated with this special method, revealing the hidden messages.

But on the fourth day, when Ming Tan soaked the paper in the five-seed decoction and waited patiently for the writing to appear, she was met with unfamiliar handwriting. The message read: "Prince Dingbei has secretly returned to the capital and is hiding at Bieyu Tower. At the latest, within three days, he will muster troops for the northern campaign."

This letter wasn’t from Bai Minmin.

Ming Tan’s mind buzzed with a sudden rush of thoughts. If not from Bai Minmin, then who? Was the message true or false? What was the sender’s motive? How had they intercepted the letter, and how had they discovered her method of communication with Bai Minmin?

Her heart pounded with suspicion. Then, as she touched the paper, she realized something else was amiss.

This letter was written on Xianyun paper—a medium-quality sheet, far less refined than the delicate Wumu paper Bai Minmin usually used.However, the raw materials for Xianyun paper came from Lingzhou. After the disaster in Lingzhou, the supply of materials became scarce. If the price were to be raised due to this, there were already many better alternatives available. Thus, it became too expensive for common use yet not refined enough for the elite, leading to the paper mills in the capital ceasing production of this type of paper this year.

If memory served, because Prince Dingbei's Manor had long supplied Xianyun paper to its servants, the last batch produced in the capital before discontinuation had all been acquired by the manor.

Thinking of this, Ming Tan calmly ordered, "Suxin, Lǜ'e, quickly investigate everyone in the manor who might have had access to this letter today."

"Yes."

Suxin and Lǜ'e, after all, were seasoned senior maids, and investigating the servants was no challenge for them. Before long, they identified the culprit—an old woman from the menial labor section, Granny Wang, was brought to the Qǐ'ān Hall's parlor.

Granny Wang had graying hair and a plain, honest face, looking like an ordinary servant accustomed to rough work. She had been in the manor for over a decade, blending into the background, quietly toiling in the menial labor section, filling in wherever help was needed. She had never been assigned important tasks nor was she particularly resourceful, so despite her years of service, she remained a third-class servant.

When Suxin and Lǜ'e went to investigate, they noticed her nervous demeanor—evasive and shifty. After a few rounds of questioning, she quickly gave herself away. Now, dragged before Ming Tan, she confessed everything within moments.

It turned out she was a spy planted in the manor by Empress Dowager Su many years ago. She had never been exposed before because she had never acted. Having grown accustomed to her humble life, she was extremely nervous when suddenly tasked with a mission, hence her panic when questioned. Now, after confessing, she knelt on the ground, continuously kowtowing and begging for mercy, appearing utterly cowardly and desperate to survive.

Ming Tan gave her an inscrutable glance, leisurely stirring the lid of her teacup. After a long pause, she said with icy calm, "Going to such lengths to expose yourself—do you not wish to live? Empress Dowager Su certainly knows how to train her people. Patience, sacrifice, loyalty—you are quite impressive."

At these words, Granny Wang stopped kowtowing. After a moment of silence, she suddenly raised her head to look at Ming Tan, her earlier timidity gone. "The Consort has sharp eyes," she said.

Hearing this, Suxin and Lǜ'e immediately stepped forward to shield Ming Tan.

But Ming Tan waved them aside, signaling them to step back.

To prevent Yun Yi from overhearing the interrogation, she had not stationed her in the parlor. As a precaution, Granny Wang had been tightly bound and forced to drink a bowl of muscle-relaxing medicine before being brought in. The parlor was also filled with incense designed to weaken physical strength, and Ming Tan, Suxin, and Lǜ'e had all taken antidotes beforehand.

This woman was clearly dangerous—without such thorough preparations, Ming Tan would not have dared to confront her.

"To lie low for over a decade without exposure—you are no ordinary traitor willing to betray your master for survival. Staying a third-class servant was only because every promotion in the manor requires tracing one’s ancestry, and you could not afford the slightest risk." Ming Tan scrutinized her. "And that handwriting of yours—quite impressive indeed."

As the saying goes, handwriting reflects character. Just from her calligraphy, it was clear she could not be an ordinary servant who had done nothing for years and simply wished to continue her quiet life.

"Speak. What message did Empress Dowager Su send you to deliver?"

"The message I was to deliver is all written in the letter," Granny Wang replied calmly, kneeling upright.

"Why should I believe you? And even if the Lord returns to the capital, what of it? Does the Empress Dowager think that just because he avoided me and did not save my father, I would resent him?""Collaborating with the enemy and betraying the nation—if it were merely a matter of not rescuing, it wouldn’t be such a grave offense. But what if it was a deliberate frame?" The old woman, Madam Wang, raised her eyes to look at her.

Ming Tan paused, then quickly masked her reaction, maintaining an air of composed indifference.

Madam Wang continued, "Does the Consort truly believe His Highness married you out of affection? Or was it merely an imperial decree he couldn’t refuse? Or perhaps… the gratitude you assumed?"

Ming Tan abruptly lifted her gaze.

Madam Wang chuckled. "The Consort is truly naive. What kind of man is Prince Dingbei? A coincidental act of kindness, not even intentionally given—was that truly enough to warrant the hand of a prince who holds sway over the entire court? No… it was because you have a father whose military achievements overshadowed the throne, yet he never learned to obediently surrender his authority. Though the sins of the father do not extend to a married daughter, your so-called ‘favor’ might at least spare the Jing’an Marquis Manor from complete annihilation."

"Go on."

"The Empress Dowager doesn’t have many days left. They say a dying man speaks from the heart. Her Majesty simply couldn’t bear to see the Consort being used, kept in the dark until the very end—watching your family exterminated, your home seized, all while showing understanding toward your enemy." Madam Wang paused. "Of course, if the Consort believes Her Majesty is merely sowing discord between you and your husband, that’s understandable. After all, the Empress Dowager, His Majesty, and Prince Dingbei have been lifelong adversaries. Naturally, she wouldn’t wish to see them prosper."

Ming Tan remained silent.

Madam Wang added, "By now, there must already be an edict outside the manor. It likely reads something like this: ‘Upon investigation, Marquis Jing’an has been found guilty of colluding with the northern kingdom of He, leaking military intelligence. He is hereby sentenced to execution, and his household shall be confiscated. With the northern kingdom eyeing the western Yangxi route and stirring unrest at the border, Prince Dingbei is appointed commander of the northern expedition. In three days, he shall lead troops to march against He.’"

Ming Tan said nothing for a long while. Finally, she ordered, "Take her away and keep her under strict guard."

Lǜ'e bowed slightly, then signaled the sturdy maids waiting outside to escort the old woman out.

Ming Tan sat in silence for some time before instructing Suxin, "By any means necessary, I must know whether an edict investigating and sentencing my father has already been issued."

Though she had not actively cultivated influence since marrying into the prince’s household, she was not entirely without means to gather information from outside.

An hour later, Suxin returned.

Her face was deathly pale. Without a word, she dropped to her knees before Ming Tan with a heavy thud.