Youthful Glory

After Jia Guiren's palanquin departed, the passageway before Hongyong Gate suddenly became much more spacious.

The approaching figure swayed a folding fan as he walked forward, the mutton-fat jade pendant at his waist swaying lightly with each step.

Bai Minmin was visibly startled for a moment upon seeing him: "That noble lady is with child—how could you speak to her like that—"

"What's there to fear? She's not the only pregnant woman in the palace. Even Shufei doesn't put on such airs." Zhang Huaiyu was unconcerned. "You're usually so bold—why the cowardice now?"

"You!"

Forget it! He's the Empress's brother, naturally fearing nothing under heaven.

Bai Minmin asked irritably, "What brings you to the palace at this hour?"

Zhang Huaiyu glanced at her: "What, must the Empress seek your permission before summoning me for dinner?"

Then he closed his fan and cupped his hands in salute to Ming Tan beside them: "Consort."

Ming Tan nodded in return: "The Heir Zhang."

After this greeting, she fell silent, quietly pondering Zhang Huaiyu's earlier words—

She's not the only pregnant woman in the palace. Even Shufei doesn't put on such airs... Could it be that Shufei is also pregnant?

Though aware this wasn't the best place for conversation, Bai Minmin couldn't resist retorting: "Her Highness clearly said she had overeaten at noon and wouldn't be serving dinner tonight. Couldn't you at least make your lies somewhat believable?"

Zhang Huaiyu raised an eyebrow: "Precisely. The Empress gave you that excuse because she didn't want to dine with you. Did you really take it at face value?"

"Zhang Huaiyu, you—!"

Bai Minmin nearly exploded with rage right there in the palace.

Finally, Zhang Huaiyu gave her an appraising look and remarked nonchalantly: "That outfit suits you today. Well, the palace gates will soon be locked. The Consort naturally has her own quarters, but as for you..."

Bai Minmin rolled her eyes dramatically and stormed off, dragging Ming Tan along: "I truly don't understand how Second Young Master Shu could befriend someone like you!"

Zhang Huaiyu: "There's much you don't understand."

Bai Minmin resisted the urge to kick him, deliberately bumping into his arm as she passed.

Zhang Huaiyu turned to watch her furious figure disappear rapidly into the distance, then smiled leisurely and strolled toward Changchun Palace.

In Changchun Palace, Empress Zhang was reviewing the inner palace accounts when she heard the heir had arrived. Closing the ledger, she summoned him in and ordered his favorite Golden Junmei tea to be prepared.

"Greetings to Your Highness the Empress."

"Sit." The Empress responded casually.

Zhang Huaiyu sat unceremoniously on the other side of the daybed.

The maids soon served his tea. Though still hot, the familiar fragrance rising from the cup made Zhang Huaiyu smile knowingly: "As always, elder sister spoils me."

"If you know I spoil you, why rush here in such a hurry? Afraid I might devour your sweetheart?" The Empress shot him a sidelong glance.

"Sister, what nonsense is this? I merely feared she might breach etiquette and offend you."

The Empress chuckled lightly at this: "A young lady from a good family—would she really be less proper than you?"

"A young lady from a good family? Sister, you must be mistaken. What kind of proper young lady is she? She—" Halfway through, Zhang Huaiyu realized that discussing marriage prospects might not be appropriate in front of his sister, and swallowed his words.

"What about her?"

Zhang Huaiyu took a sip of tea and praised insincerely: "She's more proper than I am."

The Empress couldn't help another light scoff.Zhang Huaiyu sat there without a hint of embarrassment, pretending not to notice his sister's mockery. He even attempted a feeble explanation: "Of course I know you wouldn't do anything to her, but there are so many noble figures in the palace. With her temperament, she might accidentally offend someone. Sister, you really shouldn't let her come to the palace anymore."

"If she can avoid it now, what about when she becomes the future Madam of the manor? During festivals and celebrations, she'll have to attend court. How can she keep hiding forever?"

"Enough. I know what I'm doing. You don't need to come to the palace so frequently either. With me here, do you really think anyone would dare mistreat her? Since you're here, go to the Hall of Diligent Governance and pay your respects to your brother-in-law."

The Hall of Diligent Governance was quite far. Reluctantly, Zhang Huaiyu stood up and responded with a resigned "Yes."

Meanwhile, Ming Tan and Bai Minmin successfully left the palace before the gates were locked for the night.

Once outside, Bai Minmin finally felt free to speak her mind. She chattered nonstop, criticizing Zhang Huaiyu without even pausing for breath—until Jiang Xu emerged from Prince Dingbei's carriage, at which point she immediately fell silent.

Jiang Xu glanced at her briefly before turning to Ming Tan. "Let's go home."

Ming Tan was momentarily startled but quickly bid farewell to Bai Minmin and boarded the carriage.

"Husband, why are you here?" she asked, surprised, as she settled into the carriage.

"I had business at the Palace Command today. After finishing, I saw it was about time, so I came to pick you up."

Ming Tan nodded slowly, then remembered something and eagerly recounted the task Empress Zhang had assigned her earlier in the palace.

This was within Jiang Xu's expectations, so he wasn't surprised.

They chatted all the way back to the manor. After dinner, Jiang Xu even allowed her to join him in his study. He placed an additional huanghuali chair opposite his desk, and the two shared an inkstone—one drafting official documents, the other writing proposals, occasionally exchanging a few words under the warm glow of candlelight, the study enveloped in quietude.

Earlier in the palace, to give Bai Minmin a chance to shine, Ming Tan had held back many suggestions.

She remembered that when traveling south through Hezhou, the women there had been enamored with extravagant clothing. However, most of their garments and accessories followed styles that had been popular in the capital a season earlier.

In smaller, more remote areas, wealthy local women were still wearing fabrics and patterns that had been in vogue in the capital two years prior.

From her observations, it wasn’t that these families couldn’t afford newer items—it was simply that trends took time to spread. Occasionally, someone would pay a hefty sum to acquire the latest fashionable item, and owning just one could be a significant social boost.

So she thought: why degrade the collected garments by selling them at a discount? If they could be taken to places where such items were in demand, fetching a good price wouldn’t be a problem.

She shared this idea with Jiang Xu, who pondered briefly before saying, "It's a good thought, but you must also consider the time and transportation costs involved. If the expenses equal or exceed the price difference between regions, it wouldn’t be feasible."

Ming Tan still lacked experience, and it was only when Jiang Xu pointed this out that she realized.

She nodded, diligently noting this down as she added, "Then we’d first need to calculate the costs and the potential resale price difference..."

Her small, neat script flowed gracefully across the page, her cheeks puffing slightly as she muttered to herself.

Jiang Xu watched her, momentarily distracted. A drop of thick ink fell from his brush, quickly spreading across the paper. He snapped back to attention, calmly crumpled the sheet into a ball, set it aside, and began anew with a fresh sheet, resuming his official documents.Three days later, the Empress invited several prominent titled ladies from the capital to the palace. While enjoying flowers and tea, she discussed the charity donation initiative with them.

The ladies naturally expressed unanimous agreement, praising Her Highness's compassion, and dutifully spread the news after leaving the palace.

Donating unused items to gain reputation while helping others was considered a noble cause, and the official households' women participated enthusiastically.

In less than two days, over eighty chests of gold, silver, and fine goods were collected. By the third day, the number exceeded two hundred.

In the following days, some who felt their donations were inadequate compared to others hurried to contribute more, while others brought newly sorted items... The collection continued to grow.

Ming Tan oversaw the registration and cataloging, while Bai Minmin organized the items by category and quality.

Zhou Jingwan was also recruited by Ming Tan to assist. With her literary talent and excellent calligraphy, she was tasked with writing thank-you notes to be sent respectfully to each household after the event's completion.

As this was Empress Zhang's initiative, few dared to contribute shoddy items. Each young miss donated at least four or five hairpins, with some offering complete sets of jewelry. Though no longer fashionable in the capital, many pieces appeared brand new and unused.

Notably, Shen Hua sent a full box of jewelry. Being pregnant, she also included many newly made clothes that no longer fit.

During Ming Tan's absence from the capital, the former Chancellor of the Imperial Academy had retired, and Li Siye was promoted to the position. Second Young Master Li also received imperial praise for his excellent essays, marking the Li family's rising prominence.

Upon returning, Ming Tan sent gifts to the Li household but hadn't yet found time to visit Shen Hua. However, judging by the items she donated, it was clear she was living comfortably there.

Remembering she still had some maidenhood belongings at Jing'an Marquis Manor, Ming Tan decided to return to sort them out, while also delivering gifts from her southern trip.

She had originally planned to visit earlier, but Madam Pei was away attending a wedding celebration at her maternal home.

Learning of Ming Tan's plans, Jiang Xu offered to accompany her since he had free time. While acknowledging that a husband's escort would bring great face, Ming Tan declined, knowing his presence would cause excessive commotion at the manor and hinder her practical business there.

The next day, Ming Tan returned alone to Jing'an Marquis Manor, where Madam Pei personally welcomed her at the gate. The mother-daughter pair retired to Lanxin Courtyard for an extended conversation.

After Ming Tan left Hezhou, the Feng family had been sending monthly letters to the manor. Ming Chu had become remarkably obedient, regularly attending to Old Madam Feng's medicinal needs. The Feng household strictly followed the princess consort's orders, keeping Ming Chu confined to prevent trouble.

However, as Ming Chu remained a daughter of the marquis manor, the Feng family avoided conflicts by seeking permission before taking any actions regarding her.

Ming Tan found this arrangement satisfactory - as long as Ming Chu caused no trouble, she had no intention of pursuing further grievances.

After discussing Ming Chu, Madam Pei unsurprisingly turned to Shen Hua: "Her pregnancy shows excellent signs - with that pointed belly, it's likely a boy. Since the Feng family lacks male heirs yet, if she delivers a healthy son, Madam Feng will probably transfer full household authority to A Hua.""Of course, a girl is good too. Her family's second son has long said he prefers little girls—having a daughter would be ideal. In any case, as long as the child is born safely, it’s all good. And A Hua is truly blessed. Other women suffer from such severe morning sickness they’re left with nothing but bile, unable to keep anything down, yet she only had a few days of nausea and now has a hearty appetite. The last time I saw her, she had even rounded out a bit—the child in her belly is a thoughtful one."

At first, Ming Tan listened without much reaction, even nodding along in agreement.

But then Madam Pei went on to mention how the celebratory wine she drank at her family home was for a pair of twins’ full-month banquet, and she kept gushing about how adorable and clever those twins were… Gradually, Ming Tan began to sense a hint of something more in her words.

Sure enough, Madam Pei shifted the topic and glanced at Ming Tan’s belly, probing, "Speaking of which, you and the Lord have been married for some time now—has there been any news?"

Ming Tan shook her head hesitantly. "My husband says I’m still young and there’s no hurry. He also mentioned that early childbearing isn’t beneficial for a woman’s health."

Madam Pei sighed sympathetically. "That’s the Lord being considerate of you. You may be young, but at his age, many men already have children old enough to attend school. How can there be no hurry?"

But that’s because he married late. Even if she had conceived immediately after their wedding, the child still wouldn’t be of school age. Ming Tan silently mused to herself.

When Ming Tan didn’t respond, Madam Pei rambled on at length, repeating the usual old sayings about the importance of heirs and how a woman’s standing in the household depended on bearing children.

Ming Tan had always respected her, so she didn’t argue, though her head was spinning as she forced herself to sip tea and nod along.

It wasn’t until after lunch that Ming Tan finally caught her breath. She led Lǜ'e back to Zhaoshui Courtyard to rest and instructed the servants to sort through some old belongings.

"By the way, keep an eye out. If you see the waist pendant I wore when I returned from Hanyan Temple, let me know."

Lǜ'e agreed verbally, but her eyes were overwhelmed—her Miss had far too many things. As they opened chest after chest of old belongings, each was still filled with dazzling items, and she couldn’t even remember which outfit Miss had worn to Hanyan Temple back then.

In the end, it was Ming Tan’s sharp eyes that spotted it—

"Stop."

She suddenly stood and walked over to a sandalwood chest, examining the set of clothes inside.

Yes, this was the outfit she had worn to Hanyan Temple. The marks from being stepped on were still there, and beneath it was the change of clothes she had later switched into in the side chamber.

Next, she opened an embroidered box inside the chest.

Unsurprisingly, lying within was an exquisitely intricate waist pendant that still looked exceptionally unique even now.

Ming Tan lifted it and examined it carefully.

Sunlight streamed in from outside the main room, making the heavy pendant gleam dazzlingly. Her gaze moved inch by inch, but she couldn’t find the small black jade plaque that should have been attached to it. Finally, her eyes settled on a tiny gap at the lower left corner—

This empty spot suggested a missing ornament.

Suddenly, she recalled the jade plaque in Jiang Xu’s hidden pocket.