Youthful Glory

Originally, Ming Tan had intended to report Lu Ting's misdeeds to her husband, but when he returned to the estate last night, she hadn't had the chance to speak. Later, amidst their passionate entanglement, she was too overwhelmed with sobbing and exhaustion, completely forgetting this important matter.

Yet her forgetfulness didn't matter much, for today happened to be the once-a-month military drill day for the Palace Command's Imperial Guards. Lu Ting was also waiting for Jiang Xu to arrive and clarify his doubts.

Lu Ting's attendant had a good memory—he still recalled the words Zhou Jingwan had spoken by the release pond yesterday. However, he only remembered the words without grasping their meaning, stumbling slightly in his retelling and inevitably making errors in phrasing.

After listening, Jiang Xu couldn't help but glance at Lu Ting.

A rare ripple of emotion crossed Lu Ting's perpetually stern face. "Your Highness, what exactly did Miss Zhou mean?"

"..."

"She doesn’t want to marry you."

Lu Ting fell silent. After a long pause, he couldn’t help but ask, "How can you tell?"

Jiang Xu watched the soldiers drilling on the field as he calmly explained, "'Knowing the fish are unhappy' means she dislikes your method of proposing. When you replied with 'feed them more fish food,' she likely misunderstood it as you intending to increase the betrothal gifts to force the marriage. Hence, she’d rather die than comply."

Rather die than comply?

How could it come to that?

When the drills concluded, Jiang Xu headed back. As they passed each other, he paused briefly and inexplicably let out a soft scoff. "'Feed them more fish food'—what eloquent phrasing."

Lu Ting: "..."

Jiang Xu had no intention of meddling in the Zhou-Lu affair, nor did he have the time. But Ming Tan, ever mindful of her dear friend, remembered the matter even after he had departed for Qingzhou, sending a letter after him.

After reading it, he still took up his brush to reply.

"Academician Zhou holds considerable prestige. With his eldest daughter already married into the Li household, it would be unwise to arrange another marriage with a high-ranking civil official."

Though brief, the sentence laid out the stakes clearly.

In matters of marriage, Zhou Jingwan’s willingness or unwillingness was never the deciding factor.

Her father presided over the Hanlin Academy—a talent groomed for the chancellorship. While prestige was beneficial, excessive prestige, coupled with marital alliances exclusively among the elite civil officials, would inevitably raise suspicions of faction-building and political maneuvering for the chancellorship.

By comparison, Lu Ting’s position in the Palace Command, though prestigious and powerful as the leader of the Imperial Guards, was directly subordinate to the emperor, taking orders from His Majesty alone. This made him a far more suitable match than the other suitors who had come knocking.

At this thought, Ming Tan couldn’t help but feel a pang of melancholy.

No matter how suitable Commander Lu was, Jingwan simply didn’t like him. Yet in matters of marriage, it had never been solely about a young woman’s preferences.

Indeed, perhaps she had grown too complacent in her own happy marriage. If, in the end, Lord Zhou and Madam Zhou deemed it suitable, who else had the right to object?

The late spring breeze carried the fragrance of flowers, and time seemed to pass more swiftly than usual. Before she knew it, ten days had flown by, and the Pingguo Estate’s late spring gathering quietly arrived.

Jiang Xu, still away in Qingzhou, missed the event entirely. But Ming Tan consoled herself—this was just as well. With her husband absent, she could freely flaunt her status as the princess consort.

Suxin had caught a chill these past few days, so Ming Tan let her rest in her own quarters, bringing along Yun Yi—disguised as a maid—instead.

Yun Yi, a skilled operative from the Jinyun Guard, had been temporarily assigned the role of a concubine in the prince’s household. As such, she had to pay her respects to Ming Tan every now and then.

After meeting her a few times, Ming Tan found her personality quite intriguing.Logically speaking, shadow guards trained from childhood would have bloodied hands and naturally be somewhat cold and ruthless. Yet Yun Yi killed with such ease, while appearing innocent and simple in daily life, finding everything curious and fresh.

Because the clothes rewarded by Ming Tan were too exquisite and intricate, every time she came to pay respects, she would carry the garments to Aunt Fang first, having someone help her dress before going out together. Today, she needed to dress as a maid, so she brought the clothes to Qi'an Hall again, asking Lü'e to help her change.

Once dressed as a maid, Yun Yi followed behind Ming Tan and suddenly asked out of the blue, "Your Highness, I bought a roast chicken outside the manor yesterday. Can I charge it to the household account? My monthly allowance is almost spent."

"How is it already spent? Wait—why did you go out to buy a roast chicken?" Ming Tan was baffled.

Yun Yi answered bluntly, "I was a little hungry last night and didn’t want to trouble anyone, so I thought of sneaking to the kitchen for some food. But the manor is too big—I searched for a long time and still couldn’t find the kitchen, so I climbed over the wall and bought a roast chicken outside. I also bought you a package of osmanthus sugar cakes, so can I charge it to the household account?"

"...?"

"Where are the osmanthus sugar cakes?"

"After finishing the roast chicken, I was still a little hungry, so I ate them too."

"No cakes, no reimbursement."

Even Lü'e couldn’t bear to listen—was this Consort Yun serious? Such a trivial matter and she had to trouble her mistress.

And her mistress, faced with Consort Yun, was acting like a child too! A dignified princess-consort, early in the morning, haggling over roast chickens and sugar cakes with a concubine!

Fortunately, Yun Yi was an honest person and immediately promised to buy another package of osmanthus sugar cakes for Her Highness tomorrow. She then sincerely praised Her Highness’s unparalleled beauty, comparing her to a celestial maiden.

Ming Tan, pleased by the flattery, naturally became agreeable and quickly changed her mind, granting permission.

"By the way, you still haven’t explained—how did your allowance get spent?"

"A few days ago, I went to the east of the city and met a little beggar. He looked so pitiful, so I bought him a few buns. But then a whole crowd of little beggars suddenly swarmed around, asking for buns—"

"..."

Well, at least she was kind-hearted.

Today, the Pingguo Duke’s residence was crowded. Bringing Yun Yi served two purposes: as a precaution and to let her experience the lively scene, as she had never seen such excitement before.

Before boarding the carriage, Ming Tan reminded her, "When we arrive at the Pingguo Duke’s residence, stay close to Lü'e. Do as she does, and don’t wander off."

"Yes, Your Highness."

At last year’s late spring poetry gathering, Chunzheng Avenue outside the Pingguo Duke’s residence was packed with carriages and horses, causing a chaotic congestion. Feng Zhao’s carriage had blocked the Marquis Jing'an’s entourage, leading to a brief spat between Ming Tan and Ming Chu over the matter.

This time, Chunzheng Avenue was just as bustling. But when the carriage bearing the insignia of Prince Dingbei’s manor arrived, no matter how crowded the street was, a path was cleared for it to pass.

Feng Zhao watched from afar, sneering coldly, though no one knew what she was thinking.

After the absurd incident at Daxiangguo Temple, Consort Yi had adopted a humble stance, not only sending gifts to apologize but also personally visiting Princess Wenhui’s residence.

Though Zhai Nianci didn’t want to let the matter slide, Princess Wenhui had no intention of escalating conflicts between young ladies and thus suppressed the issue.

Hence, these days, the two households had remained peaceful.However, the Prince of Yi and his wife were determined to marry Feng Zhao off to the distant lands of Shu. These days, they had kept Feng Zhao confined, forbidding her from going out and causing more trouble. As for allowing her out today, it was only at the request of Marquis Jiangyang, so he could meet the princess he intended to marry as his second wife at the elegant gathering—

Zhang Hanmiao, ever ingenious, had designed the gathering to embody the utmost refinement in every aspect.

The spring scenery was splendid, with a gentle breeze and flowers vying for attention. Early lotuses swayed in the lake, their delicate fragrance carried by the wind.

The men were arranged to play polo or compete in archery, while the ladies were led by the maids of the Duke of Ping’s residence to an undisclosed destination. Only the sound of murmuring water hinted at their path, and it wasn’t until they arrived that they realized today’s event would be an exquisitely refined "Floating Wine Cup" banquet by the clear stream.

"Floating Wine Cup" was an old literati custom—nothing more than placing wine cups on bamboo rafts and letting them drift downstream from the upper reaches of the stream. Those who wished to drink would simply pick one up.

However, today’s event had a slight twist. The ladies’ luncheon was also set up here.

Everyone sat along both banks of the clear stream, savoring delicacies while the wine cups continued to float downstream on bamboo rafts. Only one cup would stop at a time, and the person before whom it halted would be given a challenge by the one who had last received the cup.

The challenge could be composing a poem or solving a riddle—entirely up to the challenger’s whim.

If the recipient failed to answer, they had to drink the wine. If they succeeded, they could choose anyone else to drink in their stead.

As the consort of Prince Dingbei, Ming Tan naturally sat at the head of the gathering, closest to the stream’s source. Given the wine cups’ downstream drift, it was nearly impossible for one to stop before her. In essence, this game had little to do with her, and she was content to enjoy the leisure.

The clear stream gurgled, occasionally carrying fallen petals downstream. Some composed impromptu poems, others sang softly for amusement. In the distance, the lively clamor from the polo field added to the pleasant atmosphere.

Yet this rare harmony didn’t last long before Zhai Nianci and Feng Zhao threatened to ruin it once again.

It so happened that the wine cup drifted to a stop before Zhai Nianci. The previous recipient, not daring to challenge the Yongle County Princess, had posed an exceedingly simple question. After answering, Zhai Nianci pointed at Princess Feng Zhao to drink the wine in her stead.

Though Feng Zhao’s expression darkened, she drank it nonetheless.

The two exchanged a few sharp words, but with Zhang Hanmiao smoothing things over, the situation remained barely stable. Yet who could have guessed that by sheer coincidence, the next cup stopped right before Feng Zhao?

Following the rules, it was now Zhai Nianci’s turn to issue the challenge.

Seizing the opportunity, Zhai Nianci laughed and stood up without courtesy. "Then let us request Princess Feng Zhao to compose a poem about peonies."

The moment these words were spoken, the crowd exchanged uneasy glances!

Previously, it had only seemed that Princess Feng Zhao was the troublemaker. Who knew the Yongle County Princess was just as adept at stirring up trouble?

Ming Tan watched the spectacle from afar. Given Feng Zhao’s temper, it wouldn’t be surprising if she simply threw the wine in Zhai Nianci’s face.

Yet, against all expectations, Feng Zhao visibly seethed, her words on the tip of her tongue—only to swallow them back. Even more astonishingly, she actually composed a peony poem while holding the wine.

Though it was a terrible poem, no one had stipulated it had to be refined. The stunned silence that followed was broken when Feng Zhao provocatively declared, "Since this princess has answered, let Consort Dingbei drink this wine instead."

Ming Tan, who had been waiting to enjoy the drama: "…?"

Why did these never-ending conflicts always drag her in?

Soon, the wine cup was delivered to Ming Tan by a maid.Ming Tan was suspicious. Feng Zhao had touched this wine—could there be something wrong with it? Why did she feel so uneasy about it?

Yet under the watchful eyes of everyone, she couldn’t refuse to drink it, nor could she openly test the wine. If she tested it and found something amiss, that would be one thing. But if there was nothing wrong, the offense wouldn’t just be against Feng Zhao—it would be a slap to the entire Duke Ping’s household.

As Ming Tan hesitated, Yun Yi’s voice suddenly whispered in her ear, “Consort, don’t worry. I switched it.”

Switched it?

Hearing this, Ming Tan drank the cup without a change in expression.

When no one was paying attention, she asked softly, “How did you switch it? Where did you put the original?”

Yun Yi paused. She only cared about her own consort—why would she bother about anyone else’s life or death? She had simply swapped it with one of the many untouched cups floating down the stream.

But she had marked it with a scratch.

Oh, what a coincidence—it seemed to be the very cup the Yongle County Princess was drinking from now.