Youthful Glory

Lixian County was considerably smaller than Pangshan County, with only one not-so-wide main street. Fortunately, it was lively, with vendors calling out their wares and bright lanterns illuminating the streets at night.

As they passed the inn where they were staying, Ming Tan pretended not to see it, constantly diverting the conversation to other topics. Jiang Xu, acting as though he didn’t notice her scheming, simply followed along.

When they neared the western city gate, Ming Tan suddenly said, "By the way, Husband, a few days ago when we passed through Lixian, I heard people say there’s a Reflection Snow Lake outside the western gate. The water is exceptionally clear—you can even see the stones at the bottom. When the moonlight reflects on it, it’s incredibly serene and beautiful."

"Then why isn’t it called Reflection Moon Lake?"

...?

Ming Tan hadn’t expected Jiang Xu to ask this. She paused before answering, "Maybe it’s even more beautiful when it snows?"

She then tugged at Jiang Xu’s hand and swayed it playfully. "Husband, let’s go take a look, alright? The western gate is just ahead."

"The gates closed at Shen hour."

"But don’t you have a pass, Husband?"

Jiang Xu couldn’t help but glance at her. "You really keep track of everything, don’t you?"

"Of course," Ming Tan replied matter-of-factly.

When they had ridden alone to Shuzhen late at night before, the city gates had already been closed. Yet when her husband produced that pass, the guards had let them through without a word, seemingly without revealing their identities.

Jiang Xu glanced at the western gate in the distance.

Lixian wasn’t a strategically important location, so its walls were simple and low. At night, only two guards were stationed on the watchtower. With his skills, leaving the city wouldn’t require alerting the guards at all.

"Hold on tight," Jiang Xu murmured in warning.

Before Ming Tan could react, Jiang Xu had already lifted her and flown up to the city wall, then effortlessly leaped down. Even after landing safely outside the walls, the words "hold on tight" still seemed to echo in her ears.

Between lingering shock and a faint thrill, Ming Tan pressed a hand to her chest and hurried after Jiang Xu, whispering in awe, "Husband, you can actually fly this high with someone else! I asked Yun Yi once, and she said if she had to carry someone, the most she could manage was a tree or a rooftop. This wall is much taller than a rooftop."

"Why did you ask her? Were you planning to sneak out with her?"

...?

How was her husband so sharp?

She had only asked Yun Yi once—on a day when she didn’t feel like receiving guests and had claimed she was unwell and needed to rest in bed. But that night, when he hadn’t returned to the residence, she had wanted to go out for some air. Since she couldn’t very well walk out the front gate after claiming to be bedridden, she had casually asked Yun Yi about it.

Defensive, she retorted, "Not at all! I’m the Consort—if I want to go out, I can do so openly. Husband, don’t measure the heart of a noble person with your own mean standards."

The corner of Jiang Xu’s lips twitched. "Mm. This prince is mean, and the Consort is noble." Then he glanced pointedly at her abdomen.

Flustered, Ming Tan quickly covered it with both hands.

Fortunately, Reflection Snow Lake wasn’t far from the city gate, and they caught sight of it after just a few more words.

Ming Tan couldn’t help but sigh in relief. After dragging her husband around all evening, her legs were already sore and swollen. If the lake had been any farther, she might have collapsed before even reaching it.

Reflection Snow Lake wasn’t large, but the water was indeed calm and crystal clear, revealing the bottom. A small boat prepared by Yun Yi was tied at the shore, stocked with wine and snacks.

Now that they were here, Ming Tan no longer hid her intentions. She pulled Jiang Xu toward the boat eagerly. "Husband, come quickly!"Upon boarding the small boat, Ming Tan intended to properly explain her arrangements to Jiang Xu. However, he remained unfazed, skillfully untying the rope and letting the boat drift with the current while pouring himself a cup of wine with lowered eyes.

...?

"Husband already knew?" Ming Tan asked hesitantly.

Jiang Xu didn’t answer, merely glancing at her.

Ming Tan couldn’t help but feel disappointed—and a little angry. She had gone to great lengths to distract him and make excuses, racking her brains to lead him to Yingxue Lake, only to find out he had known all along. Where was the surprise in that?

Noticing her expression, Jiang Xu paused before explaining, "The shadow guards reported Yun Yi’s solo movements to me, but I didn’t know what my Consort had prepared."

Oh. That wasn’t comforting at all.

Still, since they were already here, Ming Tan took a moment to compose herself before cheerfully refilling Jiang Xu’s cup. Then, as planned, she steered the conversation to her childhood, sharing stories from her early years.

Jiang Xu listened quietly without interrupting.

"...I thought life would become much easier after my stepsister left, but instead, it only grew more exhausting. Every day, I had to practice the qin, embroider, and attend the private school at Duke Changguo’s residence." Ming Tan nearly counted on her fingers. "Originally, Mother wanted me to attend the Zhou family’s private school. The Zhous are a scholarly household, renowned for producing many distinguished scholars, and their women’s school was quite famous in the capital. Do you know why I didn’t end up going, Husband?"

"Why?" Jiang Xu humored her with a response.

"Back then, South Magpie West Street wasn’t connected yet, so going to the Zhou residence required a long detour. I’d have had to leave by mao hour (5–7 a.m.), which meant waking up by yin third quarter (3:45 a.m.) at the latest—far too early! Duke Changguo’s residence was much closer. Even waking at yin second quarter (4:30 a.m.) wasn’t considered late."

"If you left at mao hour, why did you need to rise at yin third quarter?"

"Washing up, dressing, doing my hair, having breakfast... All that required waking by yin third quarter."

Jiang Xu thought of her morning routines at home and suddenly understood.

Ming Tan rested her chin on her hand and continued, "Luckily, I didn’t go. The Zhou family’s school was terrifying—three hours of study each day, plus endless assignments after returning home. If I had to learn anything else afterward, there’d be no rest at all."

She rambled on about her school days, including how she was punished by her teacher for not practicing the qin diligently.

Her intention was to comfort Jiang Xu. Since birth, she had lacked a mother’s love, and her father—who had other daughters—had been away on official posts for years. She had worked tirelessly to become a model noble lady in the capital, enduring much hardship. In a way, she and Jiang Xu shared similar misfortunes.

Unexpectedly, after a moment’s thought, Jiang Xu suddenly said, "When you were attending private school, I was likely stationed with the northwestern army. The northwest is arid, and daily water rations in the military were strictly measured. I recall once being discovered while scouting the enemy camp. After escaping, we got lost. Two days under the scorching sun without a single drop of water—my companion and I nearly died of thirst on the way back to camp."

"......"

Ming Tan was speechless.

Why had she ever thought her life was hard? All she had done was attend school, complete assignments, learn etiquette, and do some embroidery. If she had stubbornly refused, no one would have forced her. Compared to her husband’s experiences, she had truly lived in comfort.

Imagining Jiang Xu nearly dying of thirst on his return, her heart ached—but she had no idea how to respond.Jiang Xu had yet to realize the purpose behind Ming Tan's earlier words, nor did he notice that he had effortlessly killed the conversation. He poured himself another drink and, unusually, also poured one for Ming Tan.

Ming Tan hastily picked up the wine cup and took a sip, her other hand hidden behind her back as she subtly gestured. The topic was clearly going nowhere—it was better to move on to the main event.

Yun Yi had been waiting for so long that her back had stiffened. Finally, she saw Ming Tan give the signal. Hiding behind a tree, she stretched her neck and arched her back.

Soon after, a strange sound rose into the sky, reaching a certain height before—

"Bang!"

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

"Husband, look!" Ming Tan set down her wine cup, tugging at Jiang Xu's sleeve with one hand while pointing at the night sky with the other.

Jiang Xu lifted his gaze.

Tonight, the sky was a clear, deep blue, the moon bright and radiant, dotted with sparse autumn stars. Not far away, clusters of fireworks soared into the air, bursting into dazzling brilliance against the night canvas, their shimmering reflections dancing on the tranquil lake surface.

These fireworks were special—nothing like what he had ever seen in the capital.

After the fireworks exploded, they should have been static, yet they appeared dynamic, like flipping through a picture book where the images seamlessly flowed together. One cluster after another rose into the sky, their shapes subtly shifting, swiftly forming the image of a man practicing swordplay.

Though the fireworks weren’t lifelike, Jiang Xu could already tell—those sword moves were all ones he had demonstrated in front of her.

"Is that me?" he asked.

Seeing that he recognized it, Ming Tan suppressed a small surge of pride and eagerly claimed credit. "Does it look like you? It took me two hours to sketch it! I couldn’t remember some of the moves, but luckily Yun Yi helped me figure them out."

Jiang Xu stood up, tilting his head to gaze at the sky with an unprecedented intensity.

Ming Tan also rose and stepped to his side, chattering away. "I heard that Li County could make any kind of firework, so I had Yun Yi take my sketches and commission them in advance. I only wanted to try it out—I didn’t expect them to finish in time. But if we had more days, they might have made it even more realistic...

"Husband, when we return to the capital, why don’t you suggest to His Majesty that the palace use these? Don’t they set off fireworks every year? I heard the palace fireworks are also made in Li County, but the designs aren’t very novel. I’ve seen the same ones outside the palace several times—they seem the same every year. This year, maybe they could make moving ones, like children celebrating the New Year? It’d be refreshing."

"No."

"Why not?" Ming Tan was puzzled. Did the palace have rules even for firework designs?

"These are the designs you thought of for me. Why should others see them?"

He spoke softly, then turned to look at her, his gaze profound.

Ming Tan was momentarily stunned, never expecting him to say such a thing. After meeting his eyes for a while, her ears grew warm again.

The words sounded somewhat domineering, but for some reason, they made her inexplicably happy—and satisfied.

Lowering her gaze to avoid his, she inched closer and shyly took his hand. "Then... does Husband like the fireworks A Tan made for you?"

"Mn. I like them."

"As long as Husband likes them. Actually, A Tan did this because... I was afraid that seeing Qingyu might remind you of Her Highness the Crown Prince Consort and make you sad. A Tan just wants Husband to be happy." Her face flushed as she mustered the courage to explain.Jiang Xu kept his gaze lowered, watching her. Over the years, there had been people who genuinely cared for him, but no one had ever said they wished for him to be happier. Happiness seemed to have no connection to his life at all.

After a long silence, he clasped Ming Tan's hand in return. "A Tan is very thoughtful. This prince... is very happy."

It was the first time he had called her by her name. His palm was slightly damp, uncharacteristically moist with sweat.