Youthful Glory

After returning to the mansion and spending three days in seclusion to recuperate, Ming Tan finally got down to business.

She had the gifts she brought back sorted and personally wrote short notes, instructing servants to deliver them to various households in the capital. She also sent messengers to Duke Changguo's Mansion and the Zhou residence to invite Bai Minmin and Zhou Jingwan for a gathering at the lord's mansion.

In late autumn, the capital was at its best for flower viewing at noon—clear skies with a gentle, cool breeze.

The three of them sat in the pavilion of the mansion's garden, while a young maid brought a stove and teapot, fanning the flames to brew tea nearby.

"How was your several months down south? Must have been fun, right?" Bai Minmin, ever the playful one, bombarded Ming Tan with questions as soon as they met.

Zhou Jingwan, however, studied her carefully and asked gently with concern, "You seem to have lost weight. Have you been exhausted these past months?"

"Of course I was exhausted, don’t even mention it. Along the way, I stayed in leaky houses, dilapidated temples, and even camped in the woods. In Quanzhou, I went three days without bathing!"

Ming Tan had so much to share with them that once she started talking, she rambled on for nearly two hours.

Her complaints were expected by Bai Minmin and Zhou Jingwan, but to their surprise, after venting, she suddenly shifted to recounting her reflections from the journey. The two exchanged glances, their expressions mirroring Lǜ'e's earlier reaction.

"What’s with those looks?"

Zhou Jingwan, always tactful, avoided mentioning her lengthy monologue and simply asked if she had suffered any grievances during her time away, urging her to share rather than bottle things up.

Bai Minmin also swallowed hard and quickly chimed in, "Exactly! If you’ve been wronged, don’t keep it to yourself. Let’s talk it over together. You’re acting really strange..."

Ming Tan finally understood—they thought she’d been traumatized!

Annoyed, she picked up her teacup and drank half of it without even skimming the foam.

Zhou Jingwan hurriedly soothed her, "A Tan, we didn’t mean anything by it. Actually, I think what the lord said was right—having kindness and practicing frugality are good, but you don’t need to suddenly become overly harsh on yourself. Moderation is key in all things."

"I’m not being harsh on myself," she muttered, propping her chin on her hand gloomily.

After her husband’s words, she had reflected deeply. She knew she couldn’t endure a life of hardship forever—she’d still eat well and dress well, but simply avoid excess and waste when unnecessary.

She even planned to sort out her unused belongings once she finished handling social obligations, sell them for silver, and use the money to provide winter supplies for people in impoverished regions—a small gesture of goodwill.

Thinking of this, she tried to persuade Bai Minmin and Zhou Jingwan to join her cause.

After hearing her out, both agreed it was a worthy endeavor and promised to gather their own unused valuables, ready to donate them once the Empress gave the signal.

Satisfied, Ming Tan took a sip of tea and suddenly remembered something. "Oh, enough about me—how have you two been lately?"

"What do you mean, how? Same old routines—flower viewing, tea drinking, watching polo matches, learning embroidery..." Bai Minmin counted off boredly. "Oh, right, Duke Pingguo's Mansion held another birthday banquet last month. Seriously, why is that place so..."She paused, then corrected herself, "Why must there be so much trouble? That scandal involving men and women at the birthday banquet—though it was covered up on the surface, it was whispered about for ages in private. I heard Madam Pingguo was so furious she forbade Hanmiao from hosting any more such gatherings. Poor Hanmiao, what did it have to do with her?"

"Stop, stop. You know that’s not what I was asking about."

Before leaving the capital, her aunt had been busy arranging potential matches for Bai Minmin, and the Zhou family also seemed interested in Commander Lu.

After months apart, there must have been some progress in the marriage discussions. Bai Minmin and Zhou Jingwan were neither of them young anymore.

Bai Minmin and Zhou Jingwan exchanged glances again, both seeming somewhat uneasy—especially Zhou Jingwan, whose cheeks flushed pink.

In the end, Bai Minmin was quicker to speak: "Commander Lu and Jingwan are already engaged. The wedding is set for next spring."

Zhou Jingwan shot her a reproachful look, hiding her face behind a handkerchief in embarrassment before finally saying, "Don’t talk about me." She turned to Ming Tan, hastily changing the subject. "What Minmin mentioned earlier isn’t entirely unimportant."

Ming Tan listened as she recounted the story.

"At the birthday banquet hosted by Duke Pingguo's Mansion, everyone was dining in the main hall when a scandal broke out near the back garden lake. It was witnessed by a cousin of the Pingguo household."

"That cousin is only seven, still a child who wouldn’t understand such things. When she returned to the banquet, she actually asked about the scandal in front of everyone. Madam Pingguo’s expression was quite unpleasant—"

"Unpleasant? I felt suffocated just watching Madam Pingguo. What a mess!" Bai Minmin couldn’t help but interject.

Zhou Jingwan continued, "Do you know who was involved in the scandal? It was Grand Preceptor Zhang’s granddaughter and the third son of the Bu family."

The third son of the Bu family? That notorious rake, the kind whose marriage proposals would be outright rejected at the door. It wasn’t surprising he’d cause a scandal in someone else’s home.

But wait—Grand Preceptor Zhang’s granddaughter?

Ming Tan snapped back to attention, shocked.

She remembered her husband mentioning during their journey south that the Empress had personally arranged a match for Zhang Huaiyu, the heir of Duke Pingguo—with Grand Preceptor Zhang’s only granddaughter. The Grand Preceptor doted on her greatly.

Seeing Ming Tan’s expression, Zhou Jingwan wasn’t surprised she already knew about the engagement. After all, Prince Dingbei was close to Zhang Huaiyu.

She went on, "When the Empress heard of this, she was furious. Grand Preceptor Zhang, already advanced in years, had been living quietly in the capital, awaiting his posthumous honor of being enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple."

"But because of this incident, he went to the palace in plain clothes, weeping and begging for forgiveness before the Emperor at the Hall of Diligent Governance. He even admitted to lax family discipline and improper upbringing, requesting His Majesty revoke his posthumous honor."

Ming Tan thought for a moment. "Grand Preceptor Zhang is a revered official of three reigns, upright and incorruptible, his achievements recorded in history. The Emperor would never revoke such an honor over this."

Zhou Jingwan nodded. "Not only that, but I heard the Emperor even comforted the Grand Preceptor and sent imperial physicians to escort him home and check his health. Still, with this scandal, the Emperor couldn’t disregard the dignity of the Empress or Duke Pingguo's Mansion."

No need to guess—the Bu family would be the ones to suffer."Official Bu lost his position, and the third son of the Bu family, a carefree fellow, still had the leisure to drink at a brothel. But when he woke up, he found himself castrated."

Zhou Jingwan found the matter rather vulgar and covered her lips slightly as she spoke.

"The Zhang family personally went to Duke Pingguo's Mansion to apologize. Out of respect for Grand Tutor Zhang's reputation, Duke Pingguo's Mansion suppressed their anger and didn’t make much of a fuss. Of course, the marriage arrangement was definitely called off."

After speaking for a while, Zhou Jingwan took a sip of tea to moisten her throat.

"The heir of Duke Pingguo is no longer young. With this marriage falling through, the Empress has become even more particular when considering other matches. Recently, there was a polo match in the capital where Prince Yu participated. Everyone bet on Prince Yu to win—except Minmin, who bet on the heir of Duke Pingguo. Guess what happened?"

"Did the heir of Duke Pingguo win?" Ming Tan guessed while nibbling on fresh fruits.

"How could that be? Prince Yu is the top polo player in Daxian—of course he won."

"..."

Ming Tan gave her a look that said, "Then why are you being so cryptic?"

"But when the Empress heard about it, she thought Minmin had excellent judgment. This past month, she summoned Madam Duke Changguo to the palace twice." Zhou Jingwan teased Bai Minmin with a glance. "It seems the Empress has taken a liking to Minmin as a potential sister-in-law."

"What nonsense are you spouting!" Bai Minmin flushed with embarrassment. "I wanted to bet on Prince Yu too! If it weren’t for that scoundrel Zhang Huaiyu privately seeking me out and asking me to bet on him to save face—promising to repay me tenfold later—who would’ve bet on him? With his polo skills, thinking he could beat Prince Yu was nothing but a pipe dream!"

Zhou Jingwan smirked. "Then why didn’t he ask anyone else and came specifically to you?"

"You! Shouldn’t you be busy worrying about your own Commander Lu instead of meddling in such nonsense?"

"Burp—" Ming Tan, watching their back-and-forth, suddenly let out an undignified hiccup from eating too much fruit.

When the two turned to look at her, Ming Tan quickly gestured for them to continue and took a sip of tea, her eyes flashing with satisfaction.

Excellent. As expected of her dear friends—none of them were idle.

That evening, Jiang Xu returned to the mansion. During dinner, Ming Tan brought up the marriage matters of Zhou Jingwan and Bai Minmin.

Zhou Jingwan’s situation had been more or less settled before leaving the capital. Hearing that the betrothal was already confirmed, Ming Tan wasn’t particularly surprised.

But as for Bai Minmin and the heir of Duke Pingguo—she truly hadn’t expected those two to end up together.

Jiang Xu, evidently already aware, remarked calmly as he served food, "Duke Pingguo's Mansion and Duke Changguo's Mansion are well-matched in status, so discussing marriage is only natural. However, your cousin’s lively temperament isn’t exactly the Empress’s ideal choice. But since Zhang Huaiyu is her only full-blooded younger brother, she prioritizes his preferences in everything."

Here, Jiang Xu paused and glanced at Ming Tan. "It was Zhang Huaiyu who told the Empress that he favors your cousin."

Ming Tan: "...?"

"The Emperor also advised her, saying that the granddaughter of Grand Tutor Zhang—whom she had painstakingly selected before—turned out to lack virtue anyway. It would be better to grant Zhang Huaiyu’s wish. The Empress found this reasoning sound, which is why she’s been summoning your aunt to the palace frequently lately."

Ming Tan: "..."

She also found it very sound.