Youthful Glory

Jiang Xu asked with a serious expression, not at all perfunctory.

Ming Tan was momentarily at a loss for words and instinctively explained, "The eyebrow ink... just needs to be dipped in water for use. As for the curved water brow and distant mountain brow, at Great Xiangguo Temple that day, A Tan painted the curved water brow. The night before at the marquis's residence, it was the distant mountain brow."

After explaining, she glanced at Jiang Xu's expression.

Good. From her husband's expressionless yet faintly puzzled handsome face, it was clear he hadn't noticed any difference between her brows that night at the marquis's residence and that day at Great Xiangguo Temple.

Ming Tan had previously thought her husband's cold temperament might make him unwilling to paint her brows, but she never imagined he genuinely didn't know how.

Currently, young masters in the capital frequented courtesans, and poems about painting brows and applying ornaments were frequently circulated. Even her father had some skill in this.

Ming Tan solemnly pondered for a moment, unwilling to give up. She had intended to offer some guidance, but Jiang Xu suddenly assumed an air of "it's just painting brows, this prince can learn without a teacher," quite calmly picked up the eyebrow ink, dipped it in water, and then—

swiped a thick line across her brow.

That thick stroke was executed with remarkable boldness.

Ming Tan stared at the bronze mirror, stunned.

What... what did he think he was painting? Majestic pines and bamboos? Or the capital's defense map? It's just painting brows—no need for such imposing grandeur!

Seeing the man about to wreak havoc on the other side, Ming Tan snapped back to reality and hurriedly covered her forehead, even freeing a hand to block him. "Hus... husband, A Tan will do it herself. Husband is a military commander's talent, how could we trouble you with such trivial matters? A... A Tan can paint her own brows!"

"......"

Jiang Xu stopped.

She wanted it painted, then didn't want it painted.

Marrying a noble young lady was indeed troublesome in every way.

He set down the eyebrow ink without further ado. "This prince is going to the military camp."

Watching Jiang Xu rise and walk out, Ming Tan covered her half-ruined brow and couldn't help silently cursing in her heart: "Brute!"—

This was Ming Tan's first day married into Prince Dingbei's residence. Originally, they were to enter the palace to express gratitude and pay respects, but Jiang Xu had sent word to postpone it, leaving the first day unexpectedly free.

Suddenly leaving the Marquis Jing'an residence where she'd lived for over a decade, Ming Tan naturally felt unaccustomed. The furnishings in the rooms, the trees and flowers in the courtyard—all bore the joy of the new marriage, yet all were unfamiliar.

After breakfast, wandering around the courtyard, she felt it all somewhat unreal, as if she were merely a passing guest in this residence, not truly belonging here.

But before she could sort out the indescribable emptiness and melancholy in her heart, the residence's chief steward, Uncle Fu, arrived with stewards from various departments to see her.

"This old servant Song Laifu pays respects to the princess consort."

Ming Tan had heard about Chief Steward Song from Suxin and Lü'e. Chief Steward Song had once served in the Eastern Palace. After Crown Prince Mincong's passing, he had steadfastly cared for the young master—their prince. Everyone in the residence respected him and addressed him as "Uncle Fu."

Ming Tan hurried forward to assist him up. "Uncle Fu, please rise. Such grand gestures are unnecessary."

Helped by her, Uncle Fu didn't stubbornly insist on kneeling. Instead, his eyes crinkled into slits as he smiled, exclaiming, "This old servant has been hoping against hope, and finally, the princess consort has entered our residence!""This Prince Dingbei's residence occupies the entire Changyu Street. It's frighteningly large, but His Highness lives simply and isn't often in the capital, so it truly lacks liveliness. Why, this old servant has been guarding it for over a decade, always hoping our prince would take a princess consort to properly have a mistress of the household!"

Ming Tan smiled faintly, her lips curving slightly.

She was extraordinarily beautiful—not in an aggressively striking way, but with bright eyes and white teeth, delicate and touching, the kind of appearance that naturally inspired goodwill.

Uncle Fu was already grateful to the major patron of Cuojin Pavilion. Now seeing her in person, he felt his judgment had been particularly astute—their new princess consort clearly had a kind face! His enthusiasm grew even more fervent.

Before long, Uncle Fu had progressed from welcoming the new princess consort with prepared renovations to envisioning future little masters not yet born. He even presented Ming Tan with all the storeroom keys in one go—claiming that since the princess consort had entered the household, she should rightfully manage its affairs.

In truth, when a new bride entered a household, no matter how legitimate her position, obtaining authority from the previous manager was never easy.

For brides with mothers-in-law above them, it was common to wait seven or eight decades without ever gaining independent control. Even without a mother-in-law, making the existing stewards submit obediently was no simple matter.

Ming Tan had expected some struggle, never imagining they'd deliver it straight to her doorstep while showing genuine fondness for her as the new mistress. This actually made her less inclined to take charge.

"Uncle Fu is a veteran of the household and has managed the residence so methodically. I've just arrived and am still unfamiliar with everything—I'll need to rely on your assistance."

Uncle Fu hurriedly replied, "Your Highness mustn't say such things! Any way this old servant can be of use is an honor—I'd go through fire and water without hesitation. But this residence should rightfully be under your management. If there's anything unclear, this old servant will gradually help you sort it all out."

With things put this way, Ming Tan couldn't refuse.

She'd never lacked for material comforts and was indifferent about household management. But she knew a proper lady of the household must be skilled in such matters, so as a maiden she'd studied diligently under Madam Pei.

Taking the account books, she flipped through them—then paused.

The lavishness of Prince Dingbei's household had been evident from the betrothal gifts, but the scale of wealth seemed even more extravagant than she'd imagined.

"...Jinxiu Pavilion, Cuojin Pavilion—these are both properties of the prince's household?"

Uncle Fu seemed to have been waiting for this question. He eagerly confirmed, then vividly recounted her past connections with these establishments.

Ming Tan suddenly realized, "So that set of pearl headpieces Cuojin Pavilion sent me before—that was arranged by you, Uncle Fu."

Not daring to claim credit, Uncle Fu modestly replied, "It was mainly with His Highness's approval."

Ming Tan paused slightly, nodded, then lowered her eyes to continue reviewing the accounts—though the corners of her lips kept curling upward uncontrollably.

Within half a day, Ming Tan had become quite familiar with Uncle Fu. Jiang Xu had always been unpretentious, making do with what was available. Uncle Fu had been stuck guarding vast sums with nowhere to spend them—quite a predicament. Now, with someone who could spend freely arriving, Uncle Fu felt he'd finally met a kindred spirit.

"These two trees are quite tall—we could build a swing here. The trees back at the marquis's residence weren't this tall, so the swings were rather low."

..."The garden in the mansion seems a bit small. It could be expanded westward by another five zhang. I haven’t seen the flowers and plants in the garden yet—let me take a look first before deciding whether to hire more skilled craftsmen to tend to it."

……

"How can His Highness practice martial arts with just this small area? The eastern courtyard here could be renovated into a small training ground, close to the mansion’s armory. We could build an archery range here, so when His Highness’s friends visit, they could spar together." Ming Tan gestured over the mansion’s layout map. "And here—this patch of wild grass could be cleared and turned into a cuju field. The Pingguo Duke’s mansion is much smaller than ours, yet they have a cuju field."

……

"Oh, and with summer approaching, what about converting this empty pavilion by the western lotus pond into a cooling room? We could line the surroundings with bamboo screens and channel water over the eaves… The Marquis’s mansion has a small cooling room like this, though the scenery isn’t as nice. If we could build one by the lotus pond, it would surely be very pleasant in the summer!" Ming Tan already felt delighted at the thought, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Uncle Fu.

Uncle Fu nodded repeatedly. "Good! Good!"

He hurriedly dipped his brush in ink and recorded the idea in his ledger.

Meanwhile, Jiang Xu, having returned from training troops at the military camp, found himself with rare free time.

In truth, under his leadership in recent campaigns, the northern barbarians had grown much more subdued. Unless winter shortages stirred unrest, they rarely caused trouble anymore. Moreover, before his wedding, he had made a second northern tour to inspect the troops and settle lingering issues from the Dongzhou campaign. This year, the northern frontier would likely remain peaceful.

As he read through a court bulletin, Shen Yu suddenly lifted the tent flap and entered.

After reporting official matters, Shen Yu hesitated for a moment before finally asking, "Your Highness married yesterday, and there are no urgent matters in the camp today. Why aren’t you keeping the Consort company at the mansion?"

Jiang Xu replied indifferently, "It seems I’ve assigned you too few tasks if you’re meddling in my household affairs."

Shen Yu stiffened his neck. "The… the Consort is, after all, this subordinate’s cousin. Surely it’s not excessive to show some concern?"

Jiang Xu paused briefly in his movements. "The Consort is tired and resting at the mansion. Do you have any other questions?"

…?

Tired?

How could she be tired?

He had attended the wedding banquet yesterday. The bride had been supported and carried the entire time, barely taking a few steps on her own—hardly enough to warrant exhaustion.

Jiang Xu added, "Dismissed."

Shen Yu stood dumbfounded for a long moment before obeying and leaving the tent. Even after exiting, he remained dazed, unable to grasp whether the prince’s dismissiveness meant he disliked Cousin Tan.

It wasn’t until he overheard a group of soldiers nearby boasting about their recent escapades at the Yihong Courtyard that a vague understanding dawned on him.

"That Meier girl has such a sweet little voice—calling me ‘big brother’ this and ‘big brother’ that—it just melts a man! So satisfying!"

"I say the Yanzhi girl is better—that tiny waist, heh heh heh… The next morning, she cooed about how exhausted she was!"

……

Shen Yu numbly poured himself a cup of water, suddenly afraid to imagine Cousin Tan with the prince—calling him "big brother" in that sweet voice, or coquettishly complaining about her back being broken from exhaustion—

Perhaps it was because Shen Yu had come to question why he wasn’t accompanying his new Consort on the first day of their marriage, but as dusk fell, Jiang Xu returned to Prince Dingbei’s mansion.

Upon entering, he saw servants bustling about everywhere, carrying flower pots or gilded boxes.

Without a word, he made his way to the Qi’an Hall, where his new little Consort now resided.Compared to the outside, Qǐ'ān Hall was even livelier. At the entrance, he happened to meet Uncle Fu, who was just about to leave.

Upon seeing him, Uncle Fu poured out his words like beans from a bamboo tube, happily recounting the day's discussions with the Consort about the manor's renovations. His enthusiastic narration was peppered with praises like "The Consort has such brilliant ideas," "The Consort is truly remarkable," and "Everything the Consort says is right."

"..."

Such extravagance.

Jiang Xu paused for a moment before stepping inside.

Inside, Ming Tan was flipping through a book while extending her hand for a maid to paint her nails with rouge.

When she saw Jiang Xu enter, her eyes brightened. She quickly rose and moved closer to him, lifting her delicate, boneless hand to his eyes. "Husband, you're back. Do they look pretty?"

She stood close, her faint fragrance lingering in the air. Jiang Xu recalled the previous night, and his thoughts began to wander. His Adam's apple bobbed slightly, and the words of reproach he had intended to say transformed on his tongue into—

"Pretty."