Youthful Glory

The Prefect's Wife turned deathly pale in an instant. Xianquan Pavilion? Then... then her husband must be... and Prince Dingbei and the son of the Right Prime Minister too!

A flash of white light seemed to pass before her eyes. She had just stood up to look when she collapsed back into her seat, utterly bewildered and unable to speak for a long moment.

The opera on the stage had stopped, and the people on the pleasure boat were all chattering, waiting for the Prefect's Wife to make a decision:

"Heavens! With this wind, all the boats are likely to burn to ashes!"

"It's Xianquan Pavilion! Mother, what should we do? Father is still up there!"

"Madam, shouldn't we send someone to help put out the fire?"

"With such a big fire, the fire brigade must have already been dispatched, right?"

......

The young misses and madams on the pleasure boat chattered away, some even secretly thinking with a touch of schadenfreude: This fire came at just the right time—let those seductive vixens on those boats burn to cinders! That would save them from their daily coquettish antics, playing the victim to lure men away from their homes!

The Prefect's Wife had never encountered such a situation before. Accustomed to a life of ease in the inner chambers, her experience was limited to handling trivial disputes among female relatives. Suddenly being called upon to make decisions left her mind completely blank.

At that moment, Ming Tan suppressed the rising panic in her heart and spoke calmly, "Madam, please immediately send someone to notify the fire brigade and the city defense office, instructing them to go and fight the fire. It would be best to mobilize all the available soldiers from the prefectural office as well!"

The Prefect's Wife, lacking any sense of direction in her panic, snapped back to attention upon hearing Ming Tan's words and nodded hurriedly, "Yes, yes, the Consort is right! Hurry and do as the Consort says!"

The servants exchanged uneasy glances. Notifying the fire brigade was one thing—they would surely send people, and might already be on their way to fight the fire. But the city defense office and the prefectural soldiers? How could they be mobilized just because they went to report it? Neither the Prefect's Wife nor the Consort had the authority for that.

The Prefect's Wife, currently in a state of panic, didn't think of this at all. Seeing their hesitation, she flusteredly commanded, "Hurry up and go!"

One of the servants looked troubled. "Madam, without the Prefect's written order, the city defense office and the prefectural soldiers won't listen to us even if we report it."

Hearing this, Ming Tan immediately retorted, "The Prefect is currently trapped on the boat—how could he issue an order? Just go and say it's my decree as the Consort!" With that, she untied the jade token of the Consort from her waist. "If they refuse to obey, tell them that if anything happens to the Prince and Second Young Master Shu in Quancheng tonight, no one in the city defense office or the Quancheng prefectural office will escape punishment!"

She was well aware that a Consort's decree couldn't mobilize the city's soldiers, but at this moment, she had no choice but to resort to cold threats. "I still carry enough weight to say such words before the Emperor."

At this, the servants broke out in a cold sweat and hurriedly bowed to accept the jade token, no longer daring to refuse.

As expected, the fire brigade had already rushed to the boats to fight the fire. However, the city defense office and the prefectural soldiers initially refused to act without the Prefect's written order. It wasn't until the messengers presented the Consort's jade token and repeated Ming Tan's words that the officials in charge began to hesitate.

As the saying goes, necessity knows no law. With a prince of the realm, the son of the Right Prime Minister, and the Prefect all present, sending only the fire brigade to fight the fire was truly unacceptable. If anything went wrong and the Emperor flew into a rage, demanding heads to accompany them in death, even the Su family might not be able to protect them.At this thought, both the city defense office and the prefectural yamen acknowledged the order and hurriedly dispatched their men.

The pleasure boat for watching the opera had already docked, and everyone stood on the shore waiting for updates on the fire. Ming Tan kept her eyes fixed on the raging flames in the distance.

Seeing her tension, Yun Yi quietly reassured her, "Do not worry, Princess Consort. With the Master's skills, he could never be trapped by mere flames. Moreover, he has shadow guards with him. There is no need for concern."

Yun Yi's words were actually quite conservative. In her opinion, not only was it impossible for the Master to be trapped by fire, but it would be more likely that he had set the fire himself.

Yet Ming Tan could not find peace. She knew full well her husband's formidable abilities, but this was enemy territory. What if the fire had been set specifically for him, with ambushes prepared in advance? Who could predict the current situation?

With the fire brigade, city defense office, and prefectural yamen all mobilized, news soon arrived from the boat.

"Reporting to the Princess Consort and Madam, the fire started at Xianquan Lane. The wind over the river is spreading the flames rapidly. We have yet to locate Lord and his party!"

The prefect's wife turned deathly pale, her voice trembling as she cried, "If you haven't found them, why are you reporting back? Go and search immediately!"

"Don't forget the water—send people to search underwater as well," Ming Tan calmly instructed.

"Yes!"

The messenger left, and soon another came running with urgent news: "My lord, we've found the prefect!"

Ming Tan stepped forward anxiously. "The prefect has been found? What about Lord and Second Young Master Shu?"

The messenger gasped for breath, his words fragmented. "Re—reporting to the Princess Consort... we only found the prefect underwater. Lord... and Second Young Master Shu are still missing."

The prefect's wife rushed over. "How is my husband? Where is he?"

"The prefect inhaled water and lost consciousness. We don't yet know if he's injured, but... his life is not in danger. The yamen guards are preparing to carry him back to the residence."

The prefect's wife, already shaken by the earlier shock, suddenly heard that her husband was safe. Clutching her chest, she murmured, "As long as my husband is unharmed, as long as he is unharmed..." Yet the next moment, her strength gave out, and she collapsed limply backward.

"Mother!"

"Madam!"

Everyone scrambled to support the unconscious prefect's wife.

"..."

Fainting over such a trivial matter.

Ming Tan pressed her lips together, her hands hidden in her wide sleeves clenched so tightly that her fingertips turned white. She thought of Jiang Xu, still missing without a trace.

Reason told her that no news was the best news. If even the prefect was unharmed, how could the God of War, decisive and invincible on the battlefield, be in danger? Yet her mind raced with possibilities—what if someone had targeted her husband, drugged him with some rare poison, and set the fire to cover their tracks?

Countless thoughts flashed through her mind every second. She even wondered if this was a trap the prefect's wife had knowingly set to lure her in and use her against her husband.

These chaotic thoughts all reminded her that she should trust her husband would be safe, that she should wait here for good news, that she must protect herself and not act rashly. As Princess Consort Dingbei, any reckless decision could lead to irreversible consequences.

But no matter how she tried to convince herself to stay calm, the mere thought that her husband might—even with the slimmest chance—be trapped in a fiery scheme was unbearable. She couldn't stand idly by, passively waiting for updates.Finally, she made her decision.

"Escort Madam back to rest, and everyone else may disperse now. I will stay here alone," Ming Tan suddenly instructed.

Since her father had already been found and her mother had fainted, the daughters of the prefect's household had long wanted to leave. After bidding farewell, they hurriedly helped their mother back to the mansion. The remaining ladies and misses, seeing that this matter no longer concerned them, quickly took their leave and scattered.

Once everyone had gone, Ming Tan suddenly turned to Yun Yi, her gaze intense. "Yun Yi, I must go over there."

Yun Yi was taken aback. "Go over there?" Afraid she had misunderstood, she glanced at the burning Xianquan Pavilion. "Your Highness... it's dangerous now. There's nothing you can do there, and the Master will be fine."

"I must go and see for myself."

"I beg your pardon, but I cannot obey. The Master has said—"

"If my husband assigned you to protect me, then you are mine to command," Ming Tan interrupted. "I also remember my husband saying that the Jinyun Guards serve no second master. So tell me, who is your true master now? Whose orders do you follow?"

Yun Yi was stunned, sensing something amiss but unable to pinpoint it immediately.

Ming Tan glanced around and raised her voice. "Aren’t there two shadow guards as well? Where are they? If something happens to the Lord, what use is protecting me?!"

Silence enveloped the surroundings, broken only by the gentle rippling of water.

Yun Yi was still puzzling over Ming Tan's words when, caught off guard, Ming Tan suddenly lifted her skirts and stepped onto the small boat moored at the shore.

Biting her lip, she untied the ropes with determination and even picked up the oars, as if fully prepared to row herself across.

Seeing this, Yun Yi swiftly leaped onto the boat and snatched the oars from Ming Tan's hands.

Ming Tan knew she couldn’t possibly row there herself—her plan had been to trick Yun Yi onto the boat all along.

As Yun Yi boarded, Ming Tan's eyes reddened instantly, her voice softening into a small, pleading tone as she tugged at Yun Yi's sleeve. "Dear Yun Yi, please take me there. Nothing will happen, I promise. I won’t let anything happen to me."

Yun Yi: "..."

This was the first time she had seen her mistress so distraught. Though her expression remained composed, her heart seemed like that of a child denied candy, on the verge of tears.

She remembered how, back in Duke Pingguo's Mansion, even when falsely accused and in mortal danger, the mistress had remained calm and collected—so much so that after escaping, she had meticulously checked for any missing belongings.

For some reason, Yun Yi's usually unshakable heart rippled faintly.

After a moment of silence, she suddenly whistled. The shadow guards, who had been lurking in the dark, finally emerged, lightly stepping onto the water before boarding the boat.

Yun Yi instructed, "Your Highness, you must not approach the pavilion. You may only stay on the boat."

As long as Yun Yi agreed to take her, Ming Tan was willing to comply with anything at this point. She nodded obediently and promised, "I’ll stay on the boat. I won’t put myself in danger."

Soon, the boat reached the middle of the river.

Not far away, the fire had spread to other boats, though the flames at Xianquan Pavilion had mostly died down. The burning boats had either sunk or collapsed, leaving charred beams and corpses floating on the water.

Firefighters, city defense officers, and government soldiers were searching through the wreckage still billowing smoke, lifting charred bodies one by one to the shore.

"Hurry, go and search," Ming Tan urged the two shadow guards at the stern, their faces completely concealed.

The shadow guards obeyed without question. With a slight nod, they skimmed across the water, landing swiftly on the ruined boats.The pleasure boats at Xianquan Dock were all built to be spacious and luxurious, with the shortest being two stories high and the tallest nearly five stories. Even though many had burned and sunk, searching the remaining boats was still quite a task.

After waiting for half a moment without any news, Ming Tan grew impatient. The rumors and imaginings about the Su family in her mind expanded endlessly, intertwining with memories of the times she had spent with her husband.

She turned and began to pester Yun Yi: "The fire at Xianquan Dock is almost out. Let's go search too."

"Your Highness, you promised me you wouldn't leave the boat or put yourself in danger."

"The fire is nearly extinguished; it's not dangerous anymore." Seeing that the distance to Xianquan Dock wasn't far, she added stubbornly, "If you won't let me go, I'll swim there myself."

Yun Yi: "..."

With Ming Tan insisting like this, Yun Yi had no choice but to let her board one of the pleasure boats.

Though the fire had been put out, thick smoke still filled the air, making it hard to breathe. Ming Tan covered her nose and mouth with a damp handkerchief as she searched the boats that hadn't yet been checked, calling out, "Lord! Lord! Husband!" Whether from the smoke or her anxiety, tears welled up in the corners of her eyes.

Yun Yi stayed close by her side, searching every room with her.

These boats not only had multiple stories above deck but also deep hull compartments. Ming Tan reasoned that if someone were trapped, they would most likely be in the lower compartments. After searching the upper levels, she insisted on checking the hulls as well.

The lower compartments were like steamers, unbearably hot. After just one trip up and down, Ming Tan was already drenched in sweat and covered in grime.

Though they didn't find Jiang Xu or Shu Jingran, they did unexpectedly discover a woman tightly bound and nearly unconscious in one of the hulls. Ming Tan and Yun Yi worked together to rescue her.

"No sign of them?" Jiang Xu stood among the reeds by the shore and suddenly asked the approaching messenger.

The messenger shook his head. "None. Zhui Ying has gone to check the female corpses."

Jiang Xu gave a quiet "Hmm," ready to move on, when another figure landed beside him and reported in a low voice, "Lord, the Consort is at Xianquan Dock."

"What did you say?" Jiang Xu paused.

"The Consort went to Xianquan Dock to search for you."

"..."

His heart suddenly clenched.

In the deep darkness of night, no one could see the expression on Jiang Xu's face. After an inexplicably long silence, he suddenly started forward.

After rescuing the bound woman from the lower compartment, Ming Tan became even more determined to search the hulls of the other boats. But her stamina was weak, and after all the exertion, her hair was disheveled, sweat poured down her face, and she was covered in soot—utterly exhausted.

She didn’t even know why she was still persisting. Logically, since the fire was out and he still hadn’t been found, someone of his abilities would surely have escaped already. But until she received definite news of his safety, she couldn’t rest.

She wanted to search the remaining boats.

The boats were connected by narrow wooden planks. As Ming Tan stepped onto one, Yun Yi quickly set down the rescued woman and hurried after her.

"CRACK—"

At first glance, the plank seemed intact, but the other end had been charred by the fire. After just two steps, the far side began to collapse. Ming Tan panicked momentarily, losing her balance, and seemed about to fall forward.Yun Yi was about to reach out to steady her when suddenly someone flew over, sweeping Ming Tan's slender waist into his arms before she could. They spun midair, his toes skimming the water's surface before landing steadily on the painted boat.

Seeing who it was, Ming Tan froze. "H-Husband?" Her voice was hoarse from the thick smoke.

"Running here—are you mad?"

Jiang Xu ruffled her hair and asked softly.

Ming Tan had so much to say, but she couldn't bear to blink, her gaze lingering on his face, tracing every detail of his features.

After a long moment, the heart that had been lodged in her throat finally settled. "Husband, it's good that you're safe... so good that you're safe."

As she spoke, the tension in her mind snapped completely, leaving her lightheaded. Her vision blurred inexplicably.

Before losing consciousness, only one thought remained—how embarrassing. She had fainted over something so trivial, just like that Prefect's Wife...