Youthful Glory

Caught off guard by the suddenness and sheer audacity of the situation, Ming Tan's mind went blank for a moment. By the time she thought to intervene, it was already too late.

Though Shen Hua denied the accusations and countered with admonitions about discretion and not making baseless claims, Ming Chu somehow managed to fire back ten retorts for every one of Shen Hua's rebuttals.

Worse still, Ming Chu seemed utterly incapable of keeping their dispute between the two of them, dragging Ming Tan into it at every turn. Within moments, she had painted Ming Tan as a two-faced, affected coquette who flaunted herself shamelessly in public.

"...Do you really think groveling like this will make her respect you? Just look at how gaudily she’s dressed today—she doesn’t even need to be here for matchmaking, so who’s she dolling herself up for at the temple? Clearly, she just wants to catch the eye of the men we’re meeting and ruin our marriage prospects!"

The back mountain was quiet, making Ming Chu’s voice all the more piercing and grating.

Ming Tan’s head buzzed with fury. She could practically feel the carefully cultivated image of grace, beauty, and propriety she had built today crumbling to pieces before her future husband’s eyes.

Even more disastrously, her usually sharp mind was failing her—she couldn’t think of a single way to salvage the situation.

It wasn’t until Ming Chu started ranting about Feng Zhao that Ming Tan remembered her trump card from that day—when in doubt, faint!

"A—A Tan?"

"A Tan, are you alright?"

Seeing Ming Tan suddenly sway and clutch her forehead as if dizzy, Bai Minmin and Zhou Jingwan hurried to steady her.

Mindful of Zhou Jingwan’s delicate health, Ming Tan steeled herself, tilted her head, and slumped dramatically into Bai Minmin’s arms before squeezing her eyes shut, fully committed to the act.

Jiang Xu: "..."

Zhang Huaiyu, Shu Jingran, and the practically invisible Lu Ting all twitched their lips in unison.

Bai Minmin, however, was torn between suspicion and concern. Given how prideful Ming Tan was, it wasn’t impossible for her to faint from sheer rage after being publicly humiliated by her half-sister in front of her betrothed.

Nearby, the commotion finally silenced Ming Chu’s ceaseless chatter.

She strode forward, taking in the chaotic scene—Ming Tan limp in Bai Minmin’s arms, Zhou Jingwan and a cluster of maids anxiously calling her name—and if not for the four composed, unfamiliar men standing nearby, she might have thought divine justice had struck the little vixen dead on the spot.

Delighted, she blurted, "Faking it again, huh?"

Ming Tan, still mid-faint: "..."

Just as Ming Chu moved in for a closer look, the man in pine-green brocade robes spoke.

"Chuiying."

A shadowy figure materialized out of nowhere, bowing in deference.

The man continued, "Fetch a physician. Heatstroke."

"Heatstroke? Please, she’s obviously faking." Ming Chu’s tone was less brazen now as she openly appraised the man in pine-green robes, hands clasped behind her back, admiration plain in her eyes. "Might I ask who you are and why you’re here?"

Still pretending to be unconscious, Ming Tan caught the flirtatious lilt in Ming Chu’s voice and nearly sat bolt upright in Bai Minmin’s arms.

A miscalculation. She’d been so preoccupied with the imperial marriage arrangements lately that she’d neglected to deal with this idiot. And now this fool had grown bold enough to set her sights on her man!Fortunately, her man did not respond.

The fool continued, "My fourth sister's condition doesn't require your intervention. Moreover, she is an engaged woman, and your involvement might harm her reputation. I think—"

Ming Chu suddenly felt a numbness in her neck and lost her voice mid-sentence. Having learned some rudimentary martial arts, she recognized this as someone having sealed her mute acupoint. She clutched her neck in shock, scanning her surroundings and then glancing at the man before her. No, impossible—she hadn’t even seen him move!

Not far away, Zhang Huaiyu witnessed the scene and fanned himself with a sigh of relief. Today, for once, he wasn’t the one receiving such treatment.

...?

Ming Tan, with her eyes closed, had no idea what was happening. She only knew that Ming Chu, the fool, had abruptly stopped talking, and the surroundings had fallen into silence. She wanted to peek through a slit in her eyelids, but the direction she had "fainted" in made it awkward.

Zhou Jingwan, ever observant, leaned in and whispered in her ear, "It seems your future husband sealed her mute acupoint."

Mute acupoint? Hearing this, Ming Tan instinctively squeezed Bai Minmin’s hand—except, with her eyes closed, she accidentally grabbed a maid’s hand instead. The maid exclaimed in surprise, "The fourth young lady seems to be moving!"

"......"

I did not.

Jiang Xu glanced at her indifferently, then swept his gaze toward Shu Jingran at the back.

Shu Jingran quickly snapped out of his amused state, coughed lightly behind his hand, and stepped forward to mediate. "Since the fourth young lady is suffering from heatstroke, perhaps she should rest in the side chamber while waiting for the physician."

Zhou Jingwan nodded. "Thank you, Your Highness, and thank you, Second Young Master Shu."

Shu Jingran replied, "In that case, we shall not disturb further. The midday heat is intense—if there’s nothing else, the young ladies may consider descending the mountain by dusk."

With that, their group soon departed.

Without onlookers or Ming Chu’s incessant chatter, the farce quickly came to an end. Ming Tan gradually "regained consciousness," sitting up from Bai Minmin’s lap.

She stared blankly at the retreating figures of the group. After a long pause, she suddenly stood up and wordlessly returned to the side chamber.

Bai Minmin and Zhou Jingwan, sensing something amiss, hurried after her. As soon as the door closed, Ming Tan began pacing frantically around the table. After a few rounds, she sat down, poured herself a cup of tea, downed it in one gulp, and then lay flat on the couch with her hands folded over her stomach.

"Let me be."

Bai Minmin: "......"

Zhou Jingwan: "......"

Though Ming Tan claimed she wanted peace, her mind raced with thoughts about the impression she had left on her future husband and whether she would receive a notice of annulment upon returning home. But the Emperor’s word was absolute—there was no way he would go back on his decree.

Yes, exactly.

As long as the marriage remained intact, there was still hope. Once married, her husband would surely realize she was the epitome of virtue, grace, and talent—the perfect wife.

But—it was still so! humiliating! Wuwuwuwu!

Ming Tan covered her face with her hands and rolled around on the couch.

She didn’t even dare to recall the earlier scene in detail—just a fleeting thought of it made her feel suffocated.

Meanwhile, Ming Chu’s mute acupoint seal had worn off. Hearing Zhou Jingwan say "Thank you, Your Highness" had left her full of questions. Once she could speak again, she summoned a maid and finally learned that the handsome man in the pine-green brocade robe was none other than Ming Tan’s betrothed—His Highness, Prince Dingbei!Ming Chu froze for a moment, her jealousy surging like a tide, completely overwhelming her already limited rationality. She drew her soft whip and lashed it heavily against a tree in frustration! At the same time, she abruptly changed her original plan—

Since Ming Tan had no desire to linger at the Great Xiangguo Temple, the group prepared to return to Marquis Jing'an's residence after the midday meal.

The noon heat was oppressive, and the main road offered little shade. The coachman suggested to Madam Pei that they take a quieter, more secluded path—less traveled but pleasantly cool.

Considering they had guards and it was broad daylight, Madam Pei saw no danger in the detour and agreed.

On the way there, Ming Tan had ridden with Madam Pei, while Ming Chu shared a carriage with Shen Hua. But for the return trip, Ming Chu stubbornly insisted on squeezing into the same carriage as Ming Tan and Madam Pei, clearly unwilling to sit with Shen Hua.

Her reluctance was mutual—Shen Hua had no great desire to share a carriage with her either. Sensing the tension between them, likely due to some petty conflict during the earlier matchmaking, Madam Pei rearranged the seating: she and Ming Chu in one carriage, Shen Hua and Ming Tan in the other.

Inside the carriage, Shen Hua briefly recounted the events of the matchmaking—

Initially, Madam Pei had arranged for Shen Hua and Ming Chu to meet their prospective suitors separately—one by the release pond, the other beneath the prayer tree. This way, they could openly linger for a while, feeding the pond's koi or tying wish ribbons to the tree, while conversing with the young men.

Consort Liu, having planted an informant near Madam Pei, knew of these arrangements in advance and secretly switched the locations where the two girls were to meet their suitors.

Unbeknownst to her, Shen Hua had already caught wind of the scheme and decided to play along. She followed the guiding maid to the release pond to meet the sixth son of the Fengchun Marquis's family, while sending her maid ahead to inform the second son of the Li family that the meeting place had been changed.

Ming Chu arrived at the prayer tree only to find no one there. By the time she realized what had happened and rushed to the release pond, both young men were already captivated by Shen Hua.

Though the two suitors maintained propriety, they eagerly vied for Shen Hua's attention, their conversation tinged with rivalry. Witnessing this, Ming Chu was naturally furious!

Hearing this twist of events lifted Ming Tan's previously gloomy mood slightly.

The midday heat was stifling, but the shaded path offered some relief, with a cool breeze drifting through the trees.

As Ming Tan and Shen Hua chatted, sudden shouts erupted outside the carriage. They paused, lifting the curtain to look—only to see a group of burly bandits charging toward them in broad daylight!

"Audacious! Do you know whose carriage this is? Do you value your lives?" the lead guard shouted, brandishing his scabbard.

The bandit leader raised his chin and waved his blade. "We brothers want only wealth, not lives! Hand over your gold and jewels, and no one gets hurt!"

The guards of Marquis Jing'an's household were no pushovers. If any riffraff could rob them, what was the point of their duty?

Two guards at the front exchanged a glance and, without another word, charged forward with their swords. The rest split into two groups—one advancing, the other guarding the carriages—and the skirmish began.

But as the fight progressed, the guards sensed something amiss. These bandits moved with disciplined precision, unlike reckless thugs swinging blades wildly. They were alarmingly skilled.

After a brief exchange, the bandit leader signaled, and suddenly, a group of them converged on the carriage carrying Shen Hua and Ming Tan.The guards around the carriage were momentarily overwhelmed. A long blade sliced through the curtain, startling both Shen Hua and Ming Tan.

However, the bandit who cut the curtain was also taken aback. Weren’t they only supposed to kidnap the one who didn’t know martial arts? Yet these two delicate-looking girls were just sitting there dumbfounded, utterly defenseless—neither seemed skilled in combat.

He glanced behind him, but none of his companions were free to help identify the right target.

Then, in unison, the two girls pulled out hairpins and shouted, “Stay back!”

The bandit: “…”

These little girls really thought they were intimidating.

The Marquis Jing’an’s guards were exceptionally fierce, and the situation was urgent—there was no time to waste. The bandit looked back again, then decided to just grab the prettier one. If she weren’t absolutely stunning, that person wouldn’t have spent such a fortune or taken such a risk to eliminate the threat. Satisfied with his reasoning, he yanked Ming Tan out of the carriage.

Ming Tan’s face was pale, her entire body trembling. Once pulled out, she raised her hairpin to stab the man.

But in the next moment, the bandit threw her onto a horse. The hairpin struck the horse, sending it into a frenzy—rearing up on its hind legs, neighing wildly!

The skirmish was already intense, and the sudden turn of events caught everyone off guard.

Just as Ming Tan was about to be thrown off the enraged horse, at the critical moment, a martial artist’s armband shot out like a whip, wrapping tightly around her waist.

Dizzy from the sudden movement, Ming Tan caught a faint whiff of sandalwood and glimpsed a pine-green figure from the corner of her eye.

The next second, the band pulled her forward, and she landed in an unfamiliar embrace.

Instinctively, she clung to something. Looking down, she saw the intricate, slightly familiar embroidery on the now-loosened band—woven with black and silver threads, two fingers wide.

In a flash, she remembered something.

The Lantern Festival. Falling into the water. The armband.

Still shaken, Ming Tan swallowed hard. After a long pause, she lifted her gaze to meet a pair of cool, indifferent eyes and whispered, “H-husband… is it you?”