Youthful Glory

Two days later, the Yu family of Magistrate Yu in Pengcheng hosted a Lotus Breeze Banquet. Ming Chu dressed up meticulously and made a graceful appearance in that Yaohua satin gown from Jade Silk Workshop.

Since her marriage, Ming Chu had come to understand the pleasure noble ladies in the capital took in fine silks and brocades. Of course, this was mainly because the two sisters-in-law at home were so bold and straightforward, leaving her no room to compete in terms of heroic spirit.

Moreover, what men truly loved was beauty. When she married into the family, her husband already had a maidservant in his bed.

Though, out of respect for the Jing'an Marquis Manor's reputation, he had never elevated her to the status of a concubine, her husband showed her great care, spending ten or so nights a month in her quarters—hardly less than the time spent with Ming Chu, his rightful wife.

That maidservant had some charm and was skilled at playing the delicate, fragile role. Since Ming Chu's arrival, she had set many traps and obstacles for her.

At first, Ming Chu was furious and wanted to assert her authority as the legitimate wife to discipline her. But that little wretch dared to turn the tables, seeking the Elder Madam and her husband to defend her. Ming Chu was hot-tempered and not as adept at playing the victim. After several such incidents, her husband couldn't help but grow weary of her.

However, after enduring the trials of the inner courtyard for so long, she gradually realized something: men weren’t necessarily ignorant of these matters, but when their hearts were biased, they often chose to feign ignorance.

Fortunately, Liu Xin, a maid who had once served her mother, came seeking her help. Liu Xin was full of ideas and carefully analyzed the current state of the Feng family's inner courtyard. She advised Ming Chu to learn how to dress up, to practice patience, and to restrain her temper in front of her husband. Slowly, this approach began to yield results.

Now, the Elder Madam was too ill to interfere, and that maidservant had been disposed of under a pretext. Life was finally becoming more comfortable—

At the Yu residence, as soon as Ming Chu appeared, many Madams and Misses gathered around her, offering flattering and ingratiating words.

On occasions like these, Ming Chu had recently made a habit of casually mentioning her dear younger sister.

This, too, was Liu Xin's advice.

Liu Xin said that with the powerful backing of both the Jing'an Marquis Manor and Prince Dingbei's Manor, it would be a shame not to make use of them. Besides, Hezhou wasn’t the capital, and as long as she didn’t use their names to commit any outrageous acts of bullying, it would be hard for anyone to find out.

At first, Ming Chu felt deeply uncomfortable. Why should she borrow the influence of that wretch Ming Tan?

But Liu Xin pointed out: since she despised her, why not use her name to act arrogantly? Not only would she gain benefits, but it would also tarnish Ming Tan’s reputation. Wouldn’t that be satisfying?

Upon reflection, Ming Chu realized this made perfect sense.

"This gown is merely passable. If it were my sister, the Consort, she probably wouldn’t even glance at it," Ming Chu remarked dismissively when someone complimented her Yaohua satin dress. "My sister has the most extravagant tastes—she might even cut fine silk just for amusement."

"After all, she is a Consort. There’s no treasure she hasn’t seen."

"Exactly. I heard the Su family’s daughter tried to snatch this gown the other day. How presumptuous."

As the lively chatter continued around Ming Chu, someone suddenly exclaimed in surprise. The crowd turned and froze for a moment, murmuring among themselves as they watched a woman approach slowly.

Ming Chu’s expression darkened the moment she saw who it was.

Su Rongrong?

How dare she wear Yaohua satin too!

This Su Rongrong was the very same Miss Su whose gown had been snatched by Ming Chu’s maid at Jade Silk Workshop two days prior.She was dressed today in an entire outfit of Yaohua satin with embroidered butterflies playing among crabapple blossoms—a red and white ensemble adorned with tinkling jade ornaments that made her movements seem as if real butterflies were fluttering about.

Compared to Ming Chu, who only had a short upper garment made of Yaohua satin, this attire was clearly far more luxurious, with intricate and delicate embroidery that spoke of exquisite craftsmanship and considerable expense.

Not just the dress, but even the embroidered shoes, hairpins, and earrings seemed deliberately chosen to match, all of them visibly refined pieces that made her appear even more radiant and captivating than usual.

"Rongrong, is your outfit also made of Yaohua satin?" someone couldn't resist asking.

Su Rongrong nodded modestly.

"Could it be that the Jade Silk Workshop had other Yaohua satin garments that day?"

"Not exactly," Su Rongrong replied, casting a seemingly casual glance at Ming Chu. "I originally couldn’t afford such fine clothing. This outfit today was a gift from a noble patron."

"A noble patron? Who?"

The crowd buzzed with curiosity. The Su family was considered wealthy in Hezhou, but they were merely rich—without high-ranking officials or noble titles in their circle. No one had ever heard of them being acquainted with any distinguished figures.

Su Rongrong smiled faintly. "Actually, I owe it to the Third Young Madam. That day at the Jade Silk Workshop, I was the one who intended to buy the very outfit she’s wearing now. But Madam’s maid, Lingzhi, was quite domineering—she insisted that since I hadn’t paid for it, the dress wasn’t mine. She even pressured the workshop to sell it to her instead, threatening to write to Princess Consort Dingbei and ruin their business otherwise. I thought, it’s just a dress—no need to make trouble for the workshop—so I conceded."

The crowd: "…?"

This… The Third Young Madam of the Feng family had always been overbearing, but for Miss Su to speak so boldly today—had she lost her mind? They exchanged bewildered glances, momentarily speechless.

Su Rongrong continued, "To be honest, I was quite upset at the time. Having something snatched away from you—wouldn’t any of you be angry? But what’s the use of anger? Anger won’t earn you a sister as exalted as Princess Consort Dingbei. Back then, I even thought—Prince Dingbei is a legendary war hero who pacified the northern borders for our Great Xian. How could he marry a consort who bullies others with her influence?"

"……"

The crowd was stunned into silence. Had Su Rongrong grown tired of living? To openly accuse Princess Consort Dingbei of abusing her power?

"I stewed over it for a day. But then, the next day, a distinguished guest visited me. She said her mistress had witnessed Lingzhi seizing my dress at the workshop and felt terribly guilty. Coincidentally, her mistress had just had a new Yaohua satin gown made—one she hadn’t even worn yet—so she specially brought it to me as an apology."

Some keenly noted the words "felt guilty" and "apology," while others were simply dying to know who would dare act so boldly. Wasn’t this openly opposing Princess Consort Dingbei?

Yet no matter how they pressed, Su Rongrong only smiled mysteriously before leisurely turning her gaze toward Ming Chu, whose expression had already darkened.

"Third Young Madam, you still have the leisure to attend the Lotus Breeze Banquet today? Aren’t you in a hurry to return home and receive Princess Consort’s decree?" she asked softly.

"Princess Consort’s decree?"

"What decree?"

"Miss Su, how do you know about this?"

Sensing something amiss, the crowd erupted into a flurry of questions.At that very moment, the extremely arrogant maid Lingzhi by Ming Chu's side suddenly came running over in a panic. She leaned in and whispered urgently into Ming Chu's ear: "Madam, something terrible has happened! Princess Consort Dingbei has sent someone to our residence to deliver a reprimand! And... and the master happens to be home right now."

Ming Chu's already livid face turned ashen in an instant.

It was then that Su Rongrong continued her explanation with a smile: "Do you all know who that noble person was who sent clothes to my home? None other than the dear younger sister that Third Young Madam never stops mentioning - Princess Consort Dingbei herself."

The crowd erupted in murmurs.

"Her Highness the Princess Consort was quite puzzled - how could she possibly have such an imposing 'dear elder sister' who goes around flaunting her name? So she specially sent an edict to General Xuanwei's residence for this 'dear elder sister'."

The guests exchanged glances. Though they didn't understand all the details, they grasped the main point - not only was Princess Consort Dingbei not close with this stepsister of hers, their relationship was extremely poor.

Having known about this situation two days prior but deliberately waiting until today's Lotus Banquet to have Su Rongrong publicly humiliate her, then sending an edict of reprimand to the Feng residence - the Princess Consort must have been furious upon learning how this stepsister had been throwing her weight around in Hezhou using her name.

Meanwhile, the Feng household was equally furious.

With the family matriarch seriously ill, the others hadn't dared restrain this woman too much. They were somewhat aware of how she'd been presenting herself everywhere as "Princess Consort Dingbei's elder sister," but what could they do? She was indeed the Princess Consort's elder sister. If the Princess Consort herself hadn't said anything, who were they to comment?

Moreover, she had previously beaten to death Third Young Master's concubine. As the principal wife, punishing a concubine wasn't considered a major offense, and with the Princess Consort's backing, though her methods were cruel, no one dared pursue the matter.

But if their relationship wasn't as close as she boasted, what kind of deep-seated enmity could this be? To provoke the Princess Consort into disregarding sisterly affection to publicly humiliate her, issuing an edict condemning her for "abusing the Prince's household's influence to act tyrannically" and "lacking personal virtue suitable for public display," even including a warning of "lax household governance" for their entire residence!

When Ming Chu returned to the residence with her ashen face, matrons immediately escorted her to the main hall's reception room. Before she could offer any defense, General Feng bellowed: "You foolish woman, kneel!"

At first she refused, looking around for Feng Sanlang, only to find her husband already kneeling there for failing to control her. In the blink of an eye, servants kicked the back of her knees and forced her down beside Feng Sanlang.

General Feng was a blunt military man who had never bullied others using his status. Today, being reprimanded by a young Princess Consort had utterly humiliated him!

He unleashed a torrent of abuse at the couple, ordering them both to kneel in the ancestral hall, warning Feng Sanlang never to let this foolish woman out to cause trouble again. As for those two maids of Ming Chu's - Liu Xin and Lingzhi - one for stirring trouble and the other for abusing power, they were to be beaten to death!

Naturally Ming Chu resisted, struggling furiously: "If my father learns how the Feng family is treating me—"Before she could finish speaking, General Feng flung a letter into her face and said gruffly, "This is the letter from your father! He says that now you're the daughter-in-law of the Feng family, how you're disciplined is up to us! If we ever decide to divorce you, there's no need to send you back to the Jing'an Marquis Manor. We'll just pack you into a carriage and send you off to Mei'an to join your concubine mother in a life of prayer and austerity!"

Upon hearing this, Ming Chu's ears rang, her eyes widened in disbelief.

After a long moment, her face deathly pale, she unfolded the letter with trembling hands. The handwriting and seal were unmistakably her father's.

"Marrying such a foolish woman as you is the misfortune of our Feng family! If you cause any more trouble, we'll divorce you immediately!"

All strength left her body. The fear and helplessness she had felt when Madam Pei locked her in the ancestral hall of the Marquis Manor came flooding back, and she dared not act out anymore—

While the Feng household was in turmoil, Jiang Xu and Ming Tan's party was already far from Hezhou, their carriage moving at a steady pace along the official road to Yuzhou.

Noticing that Ming Tan hadn't turned a page of her book for a while, Jiang Xu suddenly asked, "What are you thinking about?"

Ming Tan slowly set down the book and said thoughtfully, "I was thinking that by now, my third sister should understand the true cost of using my name for her schemes."

She couldn't have her husband delay their journey in Hezhou for no reason, so she had only left Yun Yi behind to deliver items to the Su family's young lady, specifically waiting until today's Lotus Banquet. She had also sent a letter to the Jing'an Marquis Manor. With Madam Pei's influence, she was confident her father would see reason in this matter.

...

"Honestly, if she had only used the name of the Jing'an Marquis Manor, I would have at most written to Father. He always had some affection for Third Sister. But she should never have invoked the name of Princess Consort Dingbei.

"Her actions don't just damage my reputation—they tarnish the reputation of the Prince's household and my husband. My husband's military achievements and prestige were earned through blood and sacrifice on the battlefield. How could I allow someone so unrelated and foolish to ruin them from behind?"

Seeing her earnest and indignant expression, Jiang Xu was both surprised and moved. It hadn't occurred to him that his young princess consort was disciplining her half-sister with his reputation in mind.

Ming Tan took a sip of tea to calm herself, then added angrily, "I haven't even had the chance to ruin it yet!"

Jiang Xu paused.

Silently, he withdrew that earlier flicker of emotion.