Youthful Glory

Perhaps it was because Ming Tan had a solid grasp of theoretical knowledge, or perhaps Qing He was simply quick to learn—despite their haphazard efforts, no mishaps occurred.

Before long, Yun Yi arrived.

As a proper member of the Jin Yun Guard, Yun Yi could kill as easily as chopping cabbage, so riding a horse was naturally no challenge for her. Ming Tan, well aware of her own limitations, gladly relinquished her role as instructor and let Yun Yi take over teaching Qing He properly.

Seeing Qing He’s genuine interest in riding, Ming Tan even quietly mentioned to Jiang Xu that they should leave the horse behind as a gift for her.

After lunch, reluctant as they were, the group had to continue their journey. Fortunately, Ming Heng would return to the capital for his official review in a year, so their farewell wasn’t too sorrowful.

Before parting, Ming Heng handed Ming Tan another box. "These are little trinkets I’ve collected for you over the past six months. I’d planned to send them to the capital next month, but since you’re here, take them with you—they’ll help pass the time on the road."

"Thank you, Brother."

Ming Tan smiled, accepting the brocade box and opening it for a glance.

Inside were intricate Luban locks, jade interlinked rings, painted clay dolls, and dazzling gemstone hairpins—all in styles rarely seen in the capital.

Just as she was about to close the box, her gaze caught on a barely noticeable black shadow in the corner. Curious, she reached in and pulled out a dark jade stone buried there.

This black jade bore a striking resemblance in texture to the one she’d seen in Jiang Xu’s hidden pocket that morning, though its shape differed—this one was oval, more like a pebble.

"Brother, what is this?" She held it up to the sunlight, but no light passed through.

Ming Heng explained, "Ah, this is a unique jade from a small Western Region country called Wuheng. It’s called ‘Wuheng Jade’—completely black and extremely hard. Though Wuheng produces it, the yield is minimal. I happened to acquire this piece and thought its rarity might make it useful for your jewelry, so I included it."

Ming Tan nodded in understanding.

Then Ming Heng added, "But I actually sent you a piece of this jade before—don’t you remember?"

Ming Tan: "…?"

Had he? She was briefly puzzled but quickly dismissed it.

Her collection of gemstone hairpins was endless. Even the exquisite pearl headpiece Uncle Fu had once sent under the guise of the Cuojin Pavilion had only been opened once and never worn.

If her brother said so, then it must be true. That would also explain why the jade in her husband’s pocket had seemed so familiar that morning.

Without dwelling on it, Ming Tan later took out the Wuheng Jade in the carriage and waved it in front of Jiang Xu, examining it as she chattered, "Husband, this jade seems to be the same as yours—it’s called ‘Wuheng Jade,’ right?

"Brother said he’d sent me a piece before, no wonder yours looked so familiar today. But really, what was he thinking? This pitch-black thing for jewelry—what girl would use such a dark jade for accessories? Brother truly doesn’t understand women at all…"

Mid-sentence, Ming Tan suddenly paused.

Jiang Xu simply watched her quietly.

Wait—she remembered now. Years ago, she had indeed received a piece of this black jade. At the time, she’d found it novel and had actually used it to make jewelry—a slender jade pendant just like the one in Jiang Xu’s pocket, hung from her waist as an ornament.That waist pendant must have been locked away in a chest three years ago, along with other clothes and jewelry, deemed unlucky after returning from a spring outing to the Cold Mist Temple, never to be taken out again.

Speaking of the Cold Mist Temple, Ming Tan couldn't help but recall an old incident.

In earlier years, the Cold Mist Temple in the capital had been a thriving place of worship. But three years ago, a sudden fire burned it to the ground overnight. After that, people in the capital avoided mentioning it altogether.

Ming Tan remembered that the fire which consumed the Cold Mist Temple had broken out during that year's Spring Outing Festival.

At the time, she was just thirteen or fourteen, joining other young ladies from noble families in the capital to visit the Cold Mist Temple to enjoy the spring blossoms.

The temple was located in a remote area, famous for its efficacy in granting prayers for children. Later, for some reason, it also gained a reputation for being particularly effective in answering prayers for marriage.

Young men and women, just beginning to harbor romantic feelings, were somewhat naively enthusiastic about matters of marriage. Thus, they went to great lengths to make the trip out of the city to the Cold Mist Temple.

Back then, Ming Tan was betrothed to Liang Zixuan. Having seen little of the world, she was quite pleased with the match.

During her visit to the temple, she took the opportunity to pray for a smooth marital future. However, after drawing a divination stick, she got the worst possible omen, which left her furious.

Because of that unlucky stick, she was in a bad mood. Later, when she and the other young ladies gathered in the temple's rear mountain to admire flowers and play games, she couldn't muster much enthusiasm.

She couldn't recall which young lady suddenly decided to fly a kite then. The wind carried it high and far, and as the girl chased after it, distracted and careless, she ended up stepping on Ming Tan's pale skirt, leaving several muddy footprints.

Suffering this undeserved misfortune, Ming Tan's already poor mood grew even gloomier.

Of course, she couldn't show her displeasure just because her dress had been dirtied, so she fumed silently inside. And when her maid escorted her to a side chamber to change clothes, someone happened to cross paths with her at the height of her irritation.

Midway through changing, a temple monk knocked urgently on the door, saying an assassin had entered the temple and requesting her permission to search the room.

Her temper flared instantly! How dare they come searching here? What would such rumors do to her reputation?

She lectured them sternly on propriety, listing points one through four without pausing for breath.

The monks outside exchanged uneasy glances. Searching a lady's quarters was already improper, and after some deliberation, they decided not to force their way in, opting to check elsewhere first.

However, as Ming Tan finished changing and prepared to leave, she suddenly noticed traces of blood in the corner behind the screen. Panic froze her mind, and her body stiffened so much she could barely move. Fortunately, she managed to compose herself and walked out calmly as if nothing had happened.

That spring outing had been truly ill-fated. Ming Tan, both angry and frightened, felt the Cold Mist Temple was cursed in every way. Upon returning home, she slept in a foul mood, only to wake up to news that the temple had burned to the ground overnight.

The capital's authorities claimed that during the Qingming Festival, the burning of incense and paper offerings had sparked a wildfire, and the Cold Mist Temple had tragically fallen victim.

But the incident was riddled with oddities. Though called a wildfire, no mountains were reported scorched—only the temple had burned. Moreover, only a small number of monks had perished, while the rest had been relocated to other temples.

Though young at the time, Ming Tan sensed something amiss. She even feared that letting the assassin escape might have caused the temple's disaster.

Later, she vaguely learned from Madam Pei that the temple's destruction was no accident—it had been deliberately purged by higher authorities. Some monks there had apparently been involved in unspeakable deeds.Madam Pei didn't elaborate further, perhaps fearing it would sully her ears. But that year in the capital, several noblewomen either hanged themselves or died of illness—all of whom had previously prayed for children at Hanyan Temple and had their wishes granted.

Connecting the dots, along with the occasional hushed rumors circulating among the people, Ming Tan began to form a bold suspicion: the so-called "monks" at Hanyan Temple were likely depraved impostors, and the temple's famed fertility blessings were nothing more than coercion for carnal favors.

Later, she discreetly followed up on the families of the deceased noblewomen. Without exception, the children born to them had all died young for various reasons. Only one family claimed their child was frail and sent them to recuperate in their ancestral home south of the Yangtze River—after which no further news ever surfaced. This only further confirmed her suspicions.

Lost in thought, Ming Tan fell silent for a long moment until Jiang Xu suddenly asked, "What are you thinking about?"

Snapping out of her reverie, she instinctively shook her head. "Nothing... By the way, Husband, you mentioned earlier that the Wuheng Jade once saved your life?" She was far more interested in that story.

Jiang Xu gave a faint hum. "Three years ago, during the campaign to reclaim Yuzhou, one battle was particularly grueling. After barely escaping the battlefield, I was pursued by assassins. My breastplate had already shattered, and the jade blocked a poisoned arrow meant for me."

Ming Tan suddenly understood, recalling her brother's words about the jade's extraordinary hardness. But the thought of her husband enduring such peril sent a chill down her spine. "Then the jade truly did save your life. Thank goodness you were unharmed."

Jiang Xu said nothing. He had described it lightly, but the dangers he had faced could never be fully captured in words.

Before the recapture of Yuzhou, the Great Xian Empire had appeared peaceful and prosperous on the surface, but beneath it, internal strife and external threats had reached a breaking point.

Empress Dowager Su, ever watchful, had repeatedly targeted Emperor Chengkang. She had even exploited the depraved impostors at Hanyan Temple to manipulate the families of several high-ranking officials, coercing them step by step and muddying bloodlines—all to turn them into her pawns and extract critical intelligence.

Jiang Xu had infiltrated the temple to investigate but, underestimating the enemy, fell into a trap. Wounded, he hid in one of the chambers—coincidentally, the very same room where Ming Tan had changed her clothes.

At the time, he had concealed himself behind a folding screen while Ming Tan changed on the other side.

She had draped her outer robe over the screen, along with a glittering waist pendant. Then, for some reason, a small black jade token slipped from the pendant, its crisp clink unmistakable.

In that instant, Jiang Xu's killing intent flared.

But the young girl on the other side paid no mind to the fallen object. Instead, she grumbled indignantly about how inaccurate the temple's divination slips were and how expensive her clothes were. When guards later came searching for an assassin, she seemed incensed, refuting them point by point with razor-sharp logic until they finally left the chamber.

Unable to resist, Jiang Xu glanced through the gap in the screen. The girl appeared no older than thirteen or fourteen, her delicate features still carrying traces of childishness.

She had used etiquette as a shield, then deliberately dragged out her changing to buy him precious time. In that critical moment, he managed to recover half his strength through healing and escaped Hanyan Temple unscathed.

That night, the temple was burned to the ground, and arrests were made. By day, the court seethed with hidden turmoil. Many things were never spoken of openly, yet the world had turned upside down overnight.

The Hanyan Temple incident became the pivotal reason Empress Dowager Su's faction was forced into retreat that year. The scheme had gone too far, provoking several neutral high-ranking officials to openly declare their opposition, vowing never to align with her faction again.His little Consort had unintentionally helped him once at the Cold Mist Temple, and that black jade token he casually took with him later saved his life during the Yuzhou campaign not long after.

The recapture of Yuzhou was the most perilous battle he had ever faced. The front lines were in dire straits, the court was embezzling military funds, and the Daxian army suffered successive defeats, with tens of thousands dead or wounded.

Severely injured, he lured the enemy into pursuit through the forest, using himself as bait. Suddenly, multiple arrows rained down, one of them aimed straight for his heart. He thought escape was impossible, yet the black jade token he had casually placed over his chest turned out to be unbreakable Wuheng jade, shielding him from the poisoned arrow.

Fate is a curious thing. Some people may know each other for years yet remain mere acquaintances. Others, encountered but once in a lifetime, are destined from the start.