Youthful Glory

Before they knew it, Frost's Descent had passed, and there were less than two weeks until the Start of Winter. The gold, silver, and fine goods donated by the noblewomen of the capital had all been registered and categorized. There were over forty chests of jewelry, hairpins, and ornaments, more than two hundred chests of clothing and fine fabrics, along with various other items.

Ming Tan had originally entrusted Bai Minmin with the task of inquiring about transportation costs, thinking that with her uncle and Bai family cousins involved, it shouldn’t be too difficult.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Huaiyu caught wind of this and quietly sought out his connections, bypassing numerous complicated steps to directly approach the Western merchants entrenched in the Yuxi region.

These Western merchants were willing to purchase the donated valuables at Yuxi’s market price and exchange them for an equivalent amount of winter supplies—clothing and materials to ward off the cold.

After careful consideration, Ming Tan realized this seemed like a mutually beneficial and highly advantageous deal.

Time was pressing. At the latest, the supplies needed to reach the common people before the winter solstice—otherwise, how could they be called "winter relief"?

Selling the items for silver and then purchasing supplies would have been a tedious process. Now, someone was willing to skip the middle steps and barter directly, saving both time and effort. Though Yuxi’s market price wasn’t the best, it was certainly more favorable than hastily pawning the goods in the capital.

No matter how she weighed it, Ming Tan found this method excellent and saw no reason to refuse.

But Bai Minmin wasn’t entirely convinced. She muttered reluctantly, "Who knows if the people he found are reliable?"

"Do you think I didn’t verify that?" Ming Tan found it amusing.

Bai Minmin persisted, "Then who would casually agree to take so many goods and offer an equivalent trade at Yuxi’s market price? Either they’re unreliable, or Zhang Huaiyu secretly promised them something else.

"If he made some underhanded deal to facilitate this, then what’s the point of us accomplishing this? We’d just be riding on his coattails, seeking undeserved fame!"

"That’s not the case. You’ve misunderstood."

Bai Minmin looked puzzled.

Ming Tan explained leisurely, "I looked into it. The Western merchants can resell our goods to the smaller kingdoms of the Western Regions.

"In places like Wuhuan, items from the Great Xian’s capital are considered rare and expensive. Moreover, these valuables originally belonged to the imperial consorts and noblewomen of Great Xian. Selling them to the Western kingdoms yields far greater profits than elsewhere. They agreed because they stand to gain."

"But—"

"But what?"

Bai Minmin wanted to say that Zhang Huaiyu was only doing this to make her owe him a favor. But since this matter was proposed by the Empress, even if he helped, wasn’t it just assisting his own sister? If she took it personally, wouldn’t that seem presumptuous?

Seeing Bai Minmin fall silent, Ming Tan assumed she had no further objections. Resting her chin on her hand, she mused regretfully, "My own brother is also in Yuxi, yet I never thought of this method. I’ve rarely paid attention to The Heir Zhang before, but now it seems he’s no ordinary man."

Of course he wasn’t ordinary—what ordinary man could excel so brilliantly in both sharp-tongued debates and making others miserable?

Bai Minmin turned away in frustration, still deeply annoyed at being forced to owe Zhang Huaiyu a favor.

Soon, the twelfth month arrived, and the winter solstice approached. Among all the seasons, aside from New Year’s Eve, the winter solstice was the most significant.With the successful delivery of winter supplies to the impoverished regions, the task assigned by Empress Zhang was finally completed with satisfaction.

Censors submitted memorials one after another, praising Empress Zhang for her compassion, concern for the people, virtue, and kindness, declaring her a model for women across the realm. They proclaimed that having such an empress was a blessing for the people of Daxian.

Though praise poured in from both the court and the common folk, Empress Zhang did not claim the credit for herself. She repeatedly emphasized that it was the kindness of the noblewomen in the capital who willingly donated supplies and funds, and that helping the people in the borderlands was a collective effort.

As the actual facilitator of this endeavor, Ming Tan naturally received her share of commendations. Emperor Chengkang even issued a special imperial decree praising her for her intelligence, wisdom, and quick wit. He specifically ordered a eunuch to read the decree aloud outside the lord's mansion, making it widely known.

Now, fame was no longer of great importance to Ming Tan. The mere fact that the first project she had worked so hard to accomplish had been successfully completed filled her with pride and satisfaction.

However, with the New Year approaching, there was no time for rest. After finishing this task, she immediately threw herself into managing household affairs.

Though Uncle Fu was usually in charge of the lord's mansion, he was already stretched thin overseeing the estate and external shops, leaving no time to handle the social obligations of the household.

In the past, when there was no lady of the mansion, the estate had been solemn and quiet, with little social interaction. But now, with Ming Tan as the lady, the mansion had become much livelier, and the additional responsibilities naturally fell to her.

"The gift for the Li family is too modest. How was this prepared? Add some nourishing supplements suitable for a pregnant woman, along with a premium-quality ginseng root—perfect for the Li family's elderly matriarch. Oh, and include a few high-quality furs. Though His Lordship and I were away from the mansion recently, I recall that among the rewards from the autumn hunt sent by His Majesty was a white fox pelt?"

The maidservant acknowledged.

"Add the white fox pelt as well, and make sure to mention that it is specifically for my cousin to keep warm. It’s winter, and being pregnant makes it cumbersome to wear heavy clothing when going out. The white fox pelt is warm yet lightweight, perfect for her."

The maidservant acknowledged again.

"And for Duke Pingguo's Mansion—this time, the Duke’s heir helped tremendously. The gift should be three times more generous than usual..."

Having been trained in household management, Ming Tan handled these matters with efficiency and precision.

She spent a day preparing gifts for the Winter Solstice, another day reviewing account books, and then most of the following day strolling through the mansion, pointing out areas in need of repair to the accompanying steward and instructing him to oversee the work diligently. After all, once the Winter Solstice passed, the New Year would not be far behind, and the mansion should be fresh and spotless for the celebrations.

By the time she finally caught her breath, it was already the eve of the Winter Solstice. Only then did Ming Tan remember that the emperor would be visiting the ancestral temple the next day, and as a royal prince, her husband would naturally accompany him. She had originally hoped to share a meal of dumplings with him for the Winter Solstice, but now it seemed impossible.

Lately, she had been so exhausted that she often retired to bed before her husband returned home, leaving little time for conversation between them.

Now, they wouldn’t even be able to spend the Winter Solstice together... Lost in thought, Ming Tan, before Jiang Xu returned, had Lǜ'e light a lamp and dug out a pair of winter boots she had stashed at the bottom of a sandalwood chest.

She examined them for a while before finally recalling how to continue sewing them.She had been so busy lately that she nearly forgot. During her previous trip to Tonggang, while resting at a hunter's home, she had overheard a conversation between the couple. The warmth of their ordinary married life had stirred her heart, making her want to learn from them and do something for her own husband.

On the way back, Jiang Xu had left her at the inn for a few days while he went alone to inspect the troops at the Dingbei Army garrison. With nothing else to do, she dug out some fur and began making winter boots for him.

Fortunately, she had a good sense of her own crafting speed. If she had chosen to make ordinary boots, she might not have been able to finish them until after the new year.

"Miss, these deerskin boots are so exquisitely stitched. Are you planning to gift them to Your Highness?"

Ming Tan gave a soft "Mm" and quickly resumed her focused stitching.

Seeing her sit diligently by the bedside after a tiring day, threading needles and sewing, Lǜ'e couldn't help but ask again, "Miss, you must be exhausted today. Why not rest first? You can continue sewing in the morning."

"No, I want to finish them before my husband returns to the estate."

"Then let me help you, Miss. It doesn’t look like there’s much left. Sewing under the lamp is tiring—it’s not good for your eyes."

"No need. You can wait outside." Ming Tan yawned, clearly sleepy, but her determination remained firm.

Lǜ'e had no choice but to replace the candle with a brighter one before quietly stepping out.

With Lǜ'e gone, the room suddenly became eerily quiet. Ming Tan steeled herself and continued stitching the left boot, occasionally patting her cheeks to fend off the encroaching drowsiness.

Perhaps because she was too tired, the needle pricked her fingers several times, missing the boot’s surface. Tiny beads of blood welled up at her fingertips. She hissed softly, sucking on the injured finger. Thankfully, the brief pain seemed to sharpen her focus.

The next day was the Winter Solstice, when the imperial procession would leave the palace to worship at the ancestral temple. Military posts across the capital were on high alert. The Imperial City Guard bore the responsibility of defending the city, while the Palace Commandant’s Imperial Guards, led by Lu Ting, were tasked with escorting the emperor throughout the journey.

Jiang Xu had been deep in discussions with them and returned late at night. He had assumed his young consort would have retired early as usual, but to his surprise, the room was still lit.

When he entered, Ming Tan was stifling a yawn as she finished the edges of the winter boots. Just two stitches remained. As she pushed the needle through, the sound of movement outside the curtain distracted her, and she pricked her finger again. A small bead of blood appeared. She hissed and instinctively sucked on the wound.

Jiang Xu lifted the curtain just in time to see this.

"Husband." Ming Tan looked up, surprised.

Jiang Xu didn’t respond. Instead, he stepped forward and took her wrist, examining her reddened fingertips, dotted with tiny needle marks. When he pressed lightly, fresh blood seeped out.

"What are you doing?"

Ming Tan withdrew her hand sheepishly, finished the last stitch, and snipped the thread with scissors.

"Winter boots for you. The soles are thick and soft—they’ll be very comfortable to walk in. The fur inside is warm too, so even in snow, your feet won’t get wet."

Her drowsiness vanished as she looked at him expectantly. "Would you like to try them on?"

Jiang Xu studied her for a moment before giving a quiet "Mm" and accepting the deerskin boots.

They were meticulously crafted. As he examined them, his gaze inadvertently caught the characters "Qizhi" embroidered on the inner side of the left boot. Instinctively, he checked the right boot—there, too, were the characters "A Tan."

"You embroidered names in hidden places."

Ming Tan nodded eagerly, waiting for his praise.Yet after staring for a long while, instead of offering praise, he blurted out, "Won't it stink if it's embroidered inside the boot?"

"......"