Youthful Glory

Ming Tan had no idea how long she had been asleep. It felt as though she had fallen into an endlessly long dream.

In the dream, she saw her father pushing her on a swing when she was little. The swing soared so high it seemed she could fly over the high walls of the marquis’s estate, catching glimpses of the swaying willow catkins in the summer breeze, the golden ginkgo leaves in autumn, and the swirling snowflakes of winter.

In the blink of an eye, the scene shifted to her coming-of-age ceremony. The hall was filled with dazzling jewels and distinguished guests. She wore a resplendent brocade gown, its intricate embroidery of golden sparrows perched on cardamom branches so lifelike, and the lustrous pearls adorning her hairpin gleamed with clarity.

Before she could step forward to receive the ceremonial hairpin, the vision blurred again, transporting her to her wedding day.

The room was aglow with brilliant red. Her husband held the ceremonial wedding scale, lifting her crimson veil. They drank from the nuptial cup, and then, with trembling hands, she lowered her head to untie the jade belt at his waist.

Suddenly, a cold arrow shot through the window. She stared in shock, but her husband abruptly shielded her—

"Husband!"

Ming Tan jolted awake.

Her vision was blank for a moment before her eyes refocused, revealing the pale pink canopy above her.

It was just a dream. Thank goodness—just a dream.

Her heart raced, and a thin layer of sweat coated her back. But when she tried to sit up, a sharp pain shot through her shoulder, draining the color from her face. She slowly settled back into a position that eased the pain, not daring to move another inch.

"Miss, you're awake!" Lǜ'e happened to enter with fresh water and, hearing the rustling, rushed over in disbelief. Covering her mouth, her eyes reddened. "Miss, you’ve finally woken up! This servant—this servant was nearly worried to death!"

"I'm fine..." Ming Tan tried to speak, but her throat was parched, her voice barely audible. Her entire body felt weak and powerless.

Seeing her delicate brows furrow and her unconscious swallow, Lǜ'e, despite her joy and panic, quickly stepped forward to offer her water to soothe her throat.

"Here, Miss, drink slowly."

After a few sips, Ming Tan finally felt revived, her voice returning.

"Am I... still at Bie Yu Lou?" The canopy, the room—everything was exactly as she remembered before losing consciousness.

Lǜ'e nodded eagerly. "Imperial Physician Feng said you shouldn’t be moved before waking. The poison was just cleared from your body, and you’re still very weak. The jostling of a carriage or unnecessary movement could reopen your wounds, so His Highness ordered Bie Yu Lou sealed off for your recovery. Rest assured, everyone serving inside and out is from our manor—no improper women are allowed near, and outsiders won’t know you’re here." She thought Ming Tan might be repulsed by the brothel’s reputation and hurried to explain.

But Ming Tan only caught one detail. "I was poisoned?"

"Yes, the arrow was tipped with poison. Thankfully, Imperial Physician Feng is highly skilled, and His Highness swiftly sealed the acupoints around the wound to prevent the poison from spreading." Lǜ'e looked at her with heartache. "But the physician said the arrow and poison have severely weakened you. Even after the wound heals, it will take at least a year or two of recuperation to fully recover. And your right hand—you must never again embroider for long periods. Still, we’re lucky you survived! If the arrow had struck just a little lower... how could this servant go on living?"

Ming Tan was about to comfort her when something suddenly flashed in her mind. She asked, "How long was I unconscious?"

"You’ve been asleep for five whole days! This servant almost thought you’d never wake up!" Lǜ'e wiped her tears, her voice trembling.

Five days?

Ming Tan froze."Has the... Lord already set off for battle?"

"The army departed five days ago, but since you remained unconscious, His Highness stayed behind to care for you. However, he must leave tonight—any later and he won't catch up with the troops..." Lǜ'e suddenly slapped her forehead. "Oh no! His Highness just checked on you earlier. Seeing you still asleep, he went to change into his armor. He might have already left!"

She hurriedly stood up. "This servant will go inform His Highness immediately. He's been watching over you these past few days while you remained unconscious. If he knows you've woken before his departure, it will surely ease his mind on the battlefield. Oh, and I must also send word to the master and Madam..."

Ming Tan was still dazed by the news of someone's imminent departure from the capital. After a delayed moment, she suddenly called out to Lǜ'e. "What did you just say? The master and Madam?"

Only then did Lǜ'e realize her oversight. "Look at this foolish servant—I was so overjoyed I forgot to tell you! The master has been cleared of all charges!" she said happily. "The accusations of treason and colluding with the enemy were actually a plot by the Empress Dowager. Those letters were forged—it wasn't the master who committed treason, but remnants of the Su faction and the master's former subordinate, Guo... Guo Bingmao! Yes, that's right—Guo Bingmao, the current commander of the Western Yang Route! The Dali Temple has already uncovered the truth and exonerated the master!"

Hearing this, Ming Tan's thoughts wandered for a long moment.

So, was Father's arrest merely a temporary stratagem, or had he ultimately shown mercy and spared Jing'an Marquis Manor?

While Ming Tan remained lost in thought, Lǜ'e had already gone out to deliver the messages.

Jiang Xu was leading a small contingent about to leave the city when Lǜ'e suddenly arrived with news of Ming Tan's awakening. Raising his hand to halt his men, he said in a deep voice, "We depart in half an hour." With that, he swiftly dismounted and, still clad in full armor, went straight to see Ming Tan.

Before long, Jiang Xu entered the room.

Ming Tan looked up and met Jiang Xu's gaze from across the room. As usual, he remained silent as he walked to her bedside and sat down quietly.

"How do you feel?" His voice was slightly hoarse.

Ming Tan didn't respond. Suppressing her pain, she turned to face the inner side of the bed.

But Jiang Xu turned her back. "Facing inward will press on your wound."

She didn't resist him, but neither did she speak or look at him.

He studied her intently for a while before brushing aside the stray locks of hair from her thin face. His voice was calm and measured. "In half an hour, I must leave the city. This campaign will last at least six months, possibly a year. There are things I should explain to you, whether you believe me or not.

"Your father's situation was part of a stratagem to turn the enemy's own plot against them. He was fully aware and cooperated willingly. Those so-called treasonous letters were actually forged by your father himself. The stakes were too high—the slightest misstep could have alerted our enemies. That's why we had to keep it secret. The reason I didn't return to the manor immediately upon coming back to the capital was to lure Empress Dowager Su's elite archers into revealing themselves. I never intended to scheme against Jing'an Marquis Manor."

After a pause, he added, "At least, not anymore."

During the autumn hunt, he had already dispatched the Jinyun Guard to the Western Yang Route to investigate Guo Bingmao's collusion with the Northern He.

It turned out that the Northern He possessed evidence of Guo Bingmao accepting bribes in the Western Yang Route, using this to coerce his cooperation while also promising vast sums of money. However, Guo Bingmao held no real authority—what the Northern He truly wanted was to collaborate with the actual power holder of the Western Yang Route: Ming Tingyuan.

After uncovering the full details of this plot, Emperor Chengkang summoned Ming Tingyuan to the palace.According to Emperor Chengkang's intention, since Beihe had such ideas, it would be better to turn their scheme to our own account—pretending to communicate with them to probe their actual situation and gather intelligence. Then, using the crime of colluding with the enemy, we could create a justifiable reason for Daxian to strike first by launching a preemptive expedition.

Once the army set out with no possibility of turning back, the blame could be shifted onto Empress Dowager Su. She had committed countless evils and was clearly on her last legs. It wouldn’t do for all the past wrongdoings to be borne solely by the Su family while she still managed to be buried in the imperial mausoleum with full honors as an empress dowager.

However, the empress dowager of a nation could not be easily moved against. Previously, when the Su family attempted a palace coup, the entire clan suffered, yet Empress Dowager Su retreated to Shoukang Palace unscathed. Upon reflection, only an unforgivable crime like treason could ensure she received the punishment she deserved.

Ming Tan remained silent for a long while before suddenly asking, "There’s no evidence now, so there was evidence before, right?"

Some things were quite obvious. Back then, when the marriage was arranged, both the Emperor and the Empress Dowager had rushed to bestow it. His Majesty was uneasy about her father holding too much military power—unable to suppress it immediately yet unwilling to let him be swayed by the Empress Dowager—so he intercepted this marriage first. But what she hadn’t considered before was that intercepting this marriage might not have been about winning her father over but about making him disappear entirely.

Jiang Xu said nothing, tacitly acknowledging it.

Ming Tan continued calmly, "As for colluding with the enemy, it seems my father had no choice but to cooperate. If he obeyed willingly, there might still be room for maneuver, as there is today. If he refused, then the crime could easily be pinned on him to confirm his guilt. This scheme—half-truth, half-falsehood—was also a hint to my father that a ruler could never let his guard down against a heavily armed minister he couldn’t fully trust. The sensible thing would be to surrender his military power after the matter was settled. Am I right?"

"It’s not as you think."

"Then how is it?"

Jiang Xu had no answer, because Emperor Chengkang might indeed have thought exactly that.

The Emperor was wary of Marquis Jing'an. Even knowing he had no rebellious intentions, he wouldn’t rest easy until he stripped him of his military power. Though the current plan was to turn the enemy’s scheme against them, putting Marquis Jing'an through this ordeal undoubtedly carried the implicit message of how much a ruler detested ministers who held too much power.

Half an hour passed in mutual silence between them. Below, the signal from the generals had already been given. Jiang Xu stood up, gazing intently at Ming Tan as he said solemnly, "No matter what happened before or what you think now, I love you. So as long as you remain Princess Consort Dingbei for even a single day, I will spare no cost to ensure the Jing'an Marquis Manor retains its full glory."