Youthful Glory

The borderlands were harsh and cold, while the capital basked in the depths of spring.

The news of Prince Dingbei's awakening reached the capital a month later, arriving alongside reports of his army crossing the Yue River and advancing to the walls of Rongzhou's main city.

When Ming Tan heard the news, she was in the family shrine offering a fruit platter to the memorial tablets of Crown Prince Yuzong and his consort. With a clatter, the platter fell to the ground. Ming Tan paused for a moment, not bothering to pick it up, and turned around in a daze to ask, "What did you say?"

Lǜ'e's eyes brimmed with joyful tears as she repeated, "Lord has led the army across the Yue River and now stands before the walls of Rongzhou's main city. Victory and his return to court must be imminent!" She hastily wiped away her tears. "It turns out His Highness had already awakened long ago, but the complexity of the frontlines kept the news from reaching the capital. Miss, you've been so worried about the lord these past days that you've grown visibly thinner. Now that we have this joyous news, you can finally rest easy!"

Ever since word of the lord's injury had spread, Lǜ'e had watched her mistress suffer from nightmares, waking in the middle of the night, and eating no more than half a bowl of food at meals. The few pounds Ming Tan had gained after recovering from her arrow wound had all melted away again in this short time.

As servants, they could only watch anxiously, helpless in the face of such grave matters. Even Suxin had been at a loss for words to comfort her. But now, at last, the clouds had parted to reveal the moon.

The news had come so abruptly that Ming Tan's mind went blank, unsure how to describe her current emotions.

After a long pause, she regained her composure, her fingers twitching slightly as she retorted stubbornly, "Who's worried about him?" Unconsciously, she touched her own gaunt cheeks. "I—I'm still recovering from my arrow wound. Besides, summer is almost here, and lighter clothes require a slender figure to carry off that graceful, wind-swept elegance. What would you know—" She glanced at the scattered fruit on the ground. "Hurry up and clean this mess."

"Yes," Lǜ'e replied, smiling through her tears as she curtsied, choosing not to argue with her mistress's obvious denial.

By the time Lǜ'e returned with a fresh fruit platter, Ming Tan had finished her devout prayers before the memorial tablets and risen from the kneeling cushion.

As she stepped out of the shrine, she hesitated briefly before suddenly instructing, "Prepare for a trip to Lingmiao Temple tomorrow morning."

When it came to fulfilling vows of gratitude, delay was unwise. What if laziness and broken promises angered the Buddha, causing the answered prayers to unravel in an instant?-

While the capital's households rejoiced at the progress of the northwestern campaign, the situation in Rongzhou grew increasingly murky.

Though they had crossed the Yue River and reached the walls of Rongzhou's main city, the triumphant return Lǜ'e had spoken of seemed far from imminent.

Crossing the Yue River had been surprisingly easier than the soldiers had anticipated. Once past the river, the path lay unobstructed all the way to Yaocheng—Rongzhou's main city, which the Qiangyu had renamed Suiyang after seizing it.

Whether called Yaocheng or Suiyang, it was a strategically vital stronghold. For them to cross such a natural barrier and deploy troops beneath its walls with such ease struck the generals as highly unusual.

"Scouts surveying the enemy from high ground report that Suiyang's garrison is sparse—patrols of six soldiers appear only once every two hours in the eastern district, and the granary is lightly guarded—"

Someone frowned and added, "The city walls are manned by just one patrol unit. This defies logic. The Qiangyu's forces must be larger than this. Could it be... they're playing the 'empty fort strategy' against us?""With the Qiangyu people's brains, do they even know what an empty fort strategy is?" A burly general scoffed dismissively. "I think you're all overthinking this. With eighty thousand elite troops, are we afraid we can't take Suiyang? By now, the defending forces in the city probably number less than twenty thousand. In my opinion, we should just charge in and be done with it—enough talk!"

"That's not the way to look at it. Last time, they nearly succeeded in ambushing us, which shows the Qiangyu people aren't lacking in strategy. General Sun, don't underestimate them. As the old saying goes, pride goes before a fall."

"Exactly. Everyone thinks the Qiangyu are straightforward, but after many encounters, we've seen there are plenty of cunning ones among them. Why not set up camp outside the city first and request twenty thousand reinforcements from Qingzhou? That way, we'd have better odds in a direct assault."

"Wait for reinforcements from Qingzhou? How long would that take? While we're waiting, they might be doing the same. If we give them this breathing room, we could be stuck in a prolonged stalemate!"

...

The generals argued endlessly while Jiang Xu stood silently before the sand table, hands clasped behind his back, not uttering a word for a long time.

After what seemed like an eternity, the debate finally died down as the officers grew hoarse and red-faced from shouting.

"Finished quarreling?" Jiang Xu lifted his calm gaze, sweeping it across the group before settling on Shen Yu, who had remained silent throughout. "What do you think?"

Shen Yu, suddenly addressed, pondered for a moment before speaking deliberately: "This humble general believes the siege should not be delayed further. Summer approaches, and in the northwestern borderlands, autumn and winter bring bitter cold while summer brings scorching heat. When the heat comes, restlessness is inevitable. Moreover, this campaign has dragged on from year's end until now—nearly half a year. The troops are exhausted. Any further delay would likely prove unfavorable.

"The Qiangyu are not without strategy, but precisely because of this, they must also know that if our army discovers the city's true situation, we might suspect they're employing an empty fort strategy and hesitate to act. So how can we be certain they're not exploiting our doubts to buy time?"

This reasoning was sound, yet with the city's true defenses uncertain, many cautious generals still opposed an immediate assault.

Shen Yu understood clearly—their opinions mattered little compared to what the man who issued the orders thought.

Gathering his courage, he asked: "Might His Highness already have a plan in mind?"

Jiang Xu ignored the question, instead picking up a small flag and twirling it in his fingers. "Prepare the troops. We attack Suiyang at the second watch tonight."

"Your Highness, reconsider!"

"Isn't this too rash..."

He looked up. "An hour ago, I received intelligence—the Qiangyu are in internal strife. The third son of their chieftain has withdrawn his troops, refusing further aid to Rongzhou. Now the city holds only the Qiangyu chieftain and his eldest son with ten thousand soldiers, trapped in desperate straits." His voice deepened as he planted the flag firmly on Suiyang.

...

Night fell, the sky pitch black without a single star.

Jiang Xu stood clad in black battle robes embroidered with coiling dragon patterns, reins in hand, gazing steadily at Suiyang's gates in the distance.

Behind him stood eighty thousand Da Xian soldiers in silent, orderly ranks—motionless yet radiating overwhelming martial intensity.

Jiang Xu had never been the type of commander to deliver rousing speeches that set soldiers' blood boiling. Yet whenever he led from the front, his steadfast bearing alone filled his troops with fearless courage and conviction.

For this was none other than Prince Dingbei—the god of war who had fought alongside them through life and death for years, Da Xian's northern guardian.Jiang Xu raised his hand, and the thunderous war drums immediately resounded. Battle flags fluttered in the night sky, the great Xian eagle emblem on them seemingly ready to take flight under the glow of the flames.

"For too long, the thirteen northern provinces have been lost to the barbarians. Through three dynasties, countless soldiers have fought with their blood and lives, leading to this final battle today. Rongzhou is our Great Xian's lost territory—not an inch shall be yielded. In previous dynasties, the Son of Heaven guarded the nation's gates, but for our Great Xian's borders, we soldiers shall stand guard without need for the Emperor himself!"

His voice wasn't particularly loud, yet in the stillness of the night, each word seemed to strike deep into the hearts of the soldiers behind him.

"Defend our land! Reclaim Rongzhou! Defend our land! Reclaim Rongzhou!"

......

"The name Suiyang too shall now be restored to Yaocheng." Jiang Xu drew his sword, its gleaming edge pointing decisively at the city gates, the cold light outlining his sharp, heroic features. "Storm the city!"

"Charge!!!"

Thousands of soldiers surged forward, scaling ladders and siege engines rolling into position. The outskirts of Suiyang blazed with firelight, illuminating countless resolute and battle-hardened faces.

......

Three days later, under the relentless assault of the 80,000-strong Dingbei Army, Rongzhou's main city, Suiyang, fell.

The defending enemy forces were clearly at their last gasp, yet the Qiangyu barbarians, with their inherently savage nature, had earlier feigned an empty city in an attempt to sow hesitation among the Dingbei Army, buying themselves a fleeting chance to survive.

Now, seeing the situation was hopeless, and knowing the Dingbei Army would not harm civilians, the Qiangyu defenders abandoned the city's inhabitants without a second thought, dousing the streets with oil in a desperate bid to take the Dingbei Army down with them.

"Young General Shen!"

A soldier cried out in horror as he watched a burning beam, collapsing from the oil-fed flames, plummet directly toward Shen Yu's position.

Hearing the shout, Jiang Xu swept aside the enemy before him and moved with inhuman speed to Shen Yu's side, single-handedly catching the falling beam.

"Go," he said tersely.

"My Lord!"

The beam was immensely heavy, and the effort likely shattered the bones in his left hand. Shen Yu's breath hitched for several moments before he belatedly snapped back to awareness.

Ahead, several more beams had already crashed down, blocking the exit. With one man holding the beam, only one could escape. Though Shen Yu himself bore grave injuries, if he left now, Jiang Xu would be trapped. Without hesitation, he stepped forward to help Jiang Xu support the beam.

Jiang Xu shot him a glance but said nothing.

Other soldiers tried to assist, but they were still locked in combat with the enemy. Shen Yu, for reasons even he couldn't explain, looked at Jiang Xu and forced out through gritted teeth, "Some time ago, this subordinate thought... thought I had done something wrong. Only later did I realize... it was because my Lord had never received... Consort's letters—"

Jiang Xu: "..."

Shen Yu continued, "But... but I received a letter from my cousin of the Ming family. It said nothing, only... only contained a dark piece of jade. Two days ago, I discovered... there was actually a message hidden inside."

Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead as he strained to speak. "When I took the letter out, it accidentally fell to the ground. There was a line written on it, instructing me to deliver the... the Wuheng Jade, yes, the Wuheng Jade... to my Lord. And... and my cousin's letter also mentioned it was entrusted by someone. I wondered... if it might have been... Consort who entrusted it..."

"Where is the jade?" Jiang Xu demanded darkly.

"This subordinate... forgot where I placed it. So... so I didn't dare to tell my Lord immediately."

"......"

"I shouldn't have saved you."At the onset of summer, news of the fall of Suiyang City spread rapidly across the land.

With Suiyang City breached, Rongzhou was effectively within grasp. However, it took nearly three months to clear out and garrison the numerous counties and towns beneath it before the army finally began its march back to the capital.

After over a month on the road, as the autumnal equinox arrived, word of the Dingbei Army's triumphant return began circulating through Shangjing City.

"It should be any day now. With all thirteen northern provinces reclaimed, what glory this is! Zhang Huaiyu says His Majesty intends to personally greet them at the city gates this time," Bai Minmin remarked briskly as she trimmed flower stems.

Zhou Jingwan glanced subtly at Ming Tan, noticing the faint tremble of her lashes—proof she wasn't entirely unaffected. Selecting a fresh, plump peony, Jingwan continued the conversation while trimming: "Lu Ting has been at the Palace Command these past few days. It seems the news of His Majesty's personal reception is true."

She placed the trimmed blossom in Ming Tan's vase and added casually, "Lu Ting won't have time for me that day. A Tan, why don't you come fetch me so we can watch the spectacle together?"

"Ask Minmin to take you. I'll be at the suburban estate doing accounts," Ming Tan replied, absorbed in arranging the flowers.

"Accounts can wait—why must it be those particular days?" Bai Minmin couldn't help muttering.

Ming Tan leveled a look at her. "It's my estate. I'll go when I please." Setting down the bronze shears, she added, "It's getting late. Both of you should return home. Suxin, Lǜ'e, see our guests out."

Soon, Bai Minmin and Zhou Jingwan found themselves firmly escorted out.

The courtyard well suddenly fell silent. After sitting quietly for a moment, Ming Tan suddenly beckoned Yudie, a second-tier maid waiting by the entrance.

"Yudie, I hear your brother serves as assistant manager at Huichun Tower?" Ming Tan inquired casually, as if making small talk.

"Yes, Consort."

"And I've heard... their window seats are notoriously difficult to reserve."

"Normally it's manageable, but during notable events—like when imperial examination results are announced and the top scholars parade through town, or say, when our Lord returns victorious leading troops through the city gates—this time they'll enter through the western gate, passing Huichun Tower. Those window seats will be packed tighter than a fish barrel." Yudie smiled brightly, eager to share.

Ming Tan naturally knew all this. After consideration, she phrased carefully: "Here's the thing. A friend of mine happens to want a window seat at Huichun Tower precisely during those days. Do you think your brother might... arrange something?"

Yudie hesitated momentarily. "Consort... is this 'friend' actually you?"