Youthful Glory

Three months later, in the capital.

The people had exchanged their winter coats for spring attire, and the willow trees by Xianjiang River were sprouting anew—spring had arrived once more. Chunzheng Street in front of Duke Pingguo's Mansion was jam-packed with carriages from various noble households, all because Madam Pingguo and the wife of the heir apparent had jointly taken charge of this year's Spring Banquet.

As the wife of the heir apparent to Duke Pingguo's Mansion, Bai Minmin was naturally responsible for assisting in household affairs. While she enjoyed attending banquets, hosting them was another matter entirely and hardly sparked her enthusiasm.

Fortunately, the household had Zhang Hanmiao, a sister-in-law who was passionate about such events.

Due to the frequent mishaps at the banquets Zhang Hanmiao had previously organized, Madam Pingguo had long forbidden her from taking charge again. However, considering she had now reached the age for matchmaking, Madam Pingguo turned a blind eye and allowed her to handle a few more events as practice.

"It was Hanmiao who did the work—I was wondering when you'd become so thorough and considerate," Zhou Jingwan remarked softly, inhaling the fragrance of the bamboo-green tea specially prepared for her.

"Though Hanmiao did the work, this bamboo-green tea was my idea! Remember when we watched the opera last time, and you mentioned you'd been feeling bloated and out of sorts lately? I kept that in mind," Bai Minmin insisted, unwilling to let her own contribution go unnoticed. "And this cup for A Tan—it's brewed with snow collected from winter plum blossoms. A Tan loves it the most!"

Hearing this, Ming Tan lifted the teacup, took a delicate sniff, sipped lightly, and set it down. "Marriage has certainly refined you. I never saw such thoughtfulness from you before."

Bai Minmin was about to retort, but noticing Ming Tan's thin face and pale lips, she swallowed her words and instead turned to order, "Bring a hand warmer for the Consort."

A maid bowed in acknowledgment, but Ming Tan stopped her. "No need. It's already spring—why use a hand warmer?"

"Even though it's spring, the weather is still unpredictable between warm and cold. Your injuries haven't fully healed, and your constitution is weak—you mustn't catch a chill." Bai Minmin lowered her voice slightly.

Ming Tan's injuries were unknown to outsiders. Her months-long absence had been explained away as a bout of illness. After all, the scandal at Jing'an Marquis Manor had been resolved with their innocence proven, yet not long after, the Marquis had resigned on grounds of lingering illness. It was only natural she wouldn't want to draw attention by appearing in public.

The matter of Jing'an Marquis surrendering his military authority was also rather delicate.

If one said the Emperor was magnanimous, the fact remained that the military power had been firmly reclaimed.

Yet if one said the Emperor could not tolerate Jing'an Marquis, why then had he been exonerated from the grave charge of treason?

When Jing'an Marquis tendered his resignation, the Emperor played along with the customary ritual of three refusals and three persuasions before reluctantly accepting the surrender of military authority. However, he absolutely refused to accept the Marquis's resignation from his position as Deputy Military Commissioner. Later, the Emperor even personally visited the Marquis's home with imperial physicians and exceptionally promoted Ming Heng, the heir of Jing'an Marquis, to the dual posts of Tongpan of Quanzhou and Superintendent of Maritime Trade at Tonggang Harbor—a clear sign that imperial favor remained undiminished.

"By the way, I heard from my father-in-law that your father had a dispute with Censor Liu at court yesterday?" Bai Minmin ventured cautiously. "It seems to be about Prince Dingbei executing a general in the northwest. Because of this, Censor Liu even dredged up the old matter of how he delayed for five days before catching up with the main army."

Ming Tan appeared to ignore the latter half of the remark and replied nonchalantly, "It's not the first time my father has argued with Censor Liu. They may quarrel fiercely in court, but privately they still share drinks—their relationship isn't bad."

She took a small bite of candied pear with cheese and added, "Speaking of which, since Father returned his military authority, he's been much more at ease. Once Mother gives birth, he'll have more time to spend with the child. It's a good thing."Bai Minmin and Zhou Jingwan exchanged glances.

That day when Prince Dingbei left the city, someone had insisted on chasing after him, hastily arranging for a spacious carriage and even inviting Imperial Physician Feng to accompany them the entire way, lest his wounds reopen.

Fortunately, the night rain was relentless, and the troop had camped just outside the city. By dawn, they finally caught up.

Everyone assumed her actions indicated she had forgiven the past, yet after returning to the mansion, she never mentioned Prince Dingbei again.

Over these three months, news from the northwestern front frequently reached the capital, but she never sought it out. Whether the reports spoke of victories or defeats, she remained indifferent, not even glancing at the letters sent home, let alone replying.

Bai Minmin, being bold, took advantage of the crowd at the mansion today—knowing she wouldn’t risk losing face by making a scene—and cautiously asked, "A Tan, I don’t quite understand. That day Prince Dingbei left the city, you chased after him and told him not to die. Yet these past months, you’ve been so indifferent to news of the prince..."

Ming Tan shot her a cold glance. "I told him not to die for the sake of the greater good. If his life or death had no bearing on the borders of Daxian or its soldiers, I wouldn’t have cared who dealt with it."

"Then you truly are selflessly serving the nation, enduring humiliation for a greater cause..."

Used to bickering with Zhang Huaiyu, Bai Minmin retorted without thinking.

"...?"

"Is Duke Pingguo's Mansion now turning guests away?"

"Minmin speaks without thinking. Pay her no mind." Zhou Jingwan pushed a plate of pear custard toward Ming Tan and shot Bai Minmin a look. "Go attend to the guests up front instead of bothering A Tan here."

Bai Minmin looked utterly bewildered, stammering "I—" without finishing, and was promptly shooed away by Zhou Jingwan to tend to the guests.

But Bai Minmin wasn’t the only one who spoke carelessly. Ming Tan, having stayed out of sight for so long, suddenly reappeared, and many noble ladies came forward to chat with her.

Someone teased, "Today’s spring banquet reminds me of a verse: 'A spring banquet, a cup of green wine, a song sung once, bowing thrice to make three wishes: first, may my lord live a thousand years; second, may I always stay healthy; third, may we be like swallows on the beam, meeting year after year.' I heard Prince Dingbei recently led his troops into Lù County in Rongzhou. The battle there was exceptionally perilous. Surely, as his consort, you’ve been praying daily for your lord’s long life?"

Ming Tan smiled faintly but said nothing.

Zhou Jingwan deftly shifted the topic. "Whether the lord lives a thousand years is uncertain, but staying healthy is no easy feat. A Tan’s cold lingered for so long—we haven’t seen her in ages."

"Indeed, are you feeling better now? You look much thinner."

"One must stay warm in this lingering spring chill. Falling ill again wouldn’t be worth it."

...

With the conversation steered elsewhere, the group chatted for a while, watched a couple of opera acts, and then headed to the polo field. Ming Tan, still recovering from her illness, couldn’t overexert herself, so she decided to return.

As they bid farewell outside the mansion, Ming Tan was about to board her carriage when a guard from the capital garrison hurried over, needing to report something to Zhang Huaiyu.

Bai Minmin, finding him familiar, was about to let him pass without much thought. But when he bowed and caught sight of Ming Tan, he couldn’t help but stare. Sensing something amiss, Bai Minmin suddenly asked, "What do you need to report to the heir? News from the northwestern front?"

"This..." The guard hesitated. "Yes, this subordinate has news from the northwestern front. The... the Dingbei Army was ambushed at the river crossing and retreated to Lù County. Prince Dingbei... Prince Dingbei..."

"What about Prince Dingbei? Speak quickly!""Prince Dingbei is severely wounded and unconscious!" The soldier gritted his teeth and spoke rapidly, keeping his head firmly lowered.

Ming Tan's figure seemed to sway for a moment, her lips suddenly turning pale.

Bai Minmin and Zhou Jingwan instinctively stepped forward to support her.

"A Tan, are you alright?" Bai Minmin asked with concern and a hint of regret. The soldier's expression hadn't shown any joy earlier—perhaps it would have been better not to ask!

Zhou Jingwan also comforted her, "Prince Dingbei is blessed by heaven and will surely wake up. Military reports are often delayed—who knows, by the time we hear this news, His Highness might already be awake."

"Whether he wakes or not has nothing to do with me." Ming Tan quickly regained her composure, steadied herself, and turned away expressionlessly. "I'm returning to the manor."

Bai Minmin and Zhou Jingwan watched her board the carriage, their eyes filled with unconcealed deep worry.

Prince Dingbei's Manor's carriage traveled down Chunzheng Avenue. Seated inside, Ming Tan suddenly lifted the curtain and instructed, "Head to Lingmiao Temple."

Siege warfare had always been arduous. From the depths of winter to the warmth of spring, the northwestern borderlands were already strewn with corpses. The battlefield was scorched and smoky, the stench of blood mingling with the rot of uncollected bodies, staining the entire sky a dull, ashen hue.

The war in the northwest had begun because Beike coveted Yangxi Road, but now the main combatants had become Daxian and Qiangyu.

Beike, caught off guard by Daxian, suffered successive defeats and no longer dared to covet Yangxi Road, retreating shamefully a hundred li north and even abandoning their ally Qiangyu.

There was no need to pursue a desperate enemy, especially since Daxian's goal wasn't Beike to begin with. With insufficient troops in the northwest to divide their forces, Jiang Xu seized upon the alliance between Qiangyu and Beike to target Yangxi Road, advancing toward Rongzhou, occupied by Qiangyu, to launch a campaign of recovery.

If Rongzhou had been easy to reclaim, it wouldn't have become the last of Daxian's lost thirteen prefectures. Qiangyu's soldiers were strong and their horses sturdy, and they held every terrain advantage. Even with Jiang Xu and his top generals personally leading the charge, the offensive was grueling—often gaining three inches only to be pushed back two.

No one knew how much longer this would last. Now that Prince Dingbei himself was injured, even the soldiers sometimes wondered if they would ever see their families again.

...

"The Lord has awakened! The Lord has awakened!" A soldier guarding the commander's tent suddenly ran outside to announce the joyous news.

Soon, the military physician and trusted generals hurried to the tent.

After checking the pulse, the physician sighed in relief. "His Highness is out of danger. With a few more days of proper rest, he can leave his bed."

Jiang Xu had indeed been unconscious for several days after the ambush, but his condition wasn't as severe as the message had claimed. His prolonged unconsciousness was mostly due to exhaustion from continuous toil without proper rest.

However, the information spread externally was always exaggerated—how else would the enemy let their guard down?

The physician advised several more days of rest, but for an army on the march, each day of delay burned through supplies and lives. There was no room for proper recuperation.

After waking, Jiang Xu listened to reports from his generals for an hour. A thick stack of confidential letters and memorials was presented to him, and under the oil lamp, he had the most urgent matters brought forward.After he finished reading and replying to each letter one by one, his subordinate reminded him, "My Lord, there is also a letter of concern from His Majesty. Duke Pingguo's Mansion, Duke Changguo's Mansion, Jing'an Marquis Manor, and the Left Chancellor's residence have all sent letters, as well as the Yi family."

"The Prince's Manor still hasn't sent anything?"

"No..."

Jiang Xu fell silent for a moment. "Bring me the one from Jing'an Marquis Manor."

His subordinate hurriedly presented it.

He unfolded the letter and skimmed through it.

It was written by his father-in-law, discussing the court debate with Censor Liu over whether he should be reprimanded for executing the cowardly generals without prior imperial approval. The lengthy letter spanned over a hundred words but made no mention of a certain someone.

He quickly glanced through the remaining letters, all expressing concern for his injuries. His expression remained indifferent as he read.

Just then, Shen Yu, having heard he had awakened, came to visit him along with another general.

Jiang Xu lifted his eyelids slightly and saw Shen Yu beaming with joy. He abruptly asked, "Has Rongzhou been taken? What are you so happy about?"

The general beside him teased, "Young General Shen just received a fresh letter from Nanlü—no wonder he's so delighted."

Shen Yu scratched the back of his head sheepishly, cleared his throat awkwardly, and offered a stiff greeting, "My Lord, you're awake. Are you... doing well?"

Jiang Xu lowered his gaze to the topographic map of Rongzhou, his voice icy. "This prince is doing just fine. You’d make it even better by staying out of my sight."