Youthful Glory

Early in the morning, while snow still fluttered outside, Ming Tan was pinned down on the bed for another round of mischief.

By the time she rose, her hair was disheveled, and her cheeks were flushed. The maids who came to attend to her kept their eyes demurely lowered, but whether it was guilt or something else, Ming Tan couldn’t shake the feeling that their expressions carried knowing smiles, making her rather self-conscious.

New Year’s Eve—a time to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new.

Today, everyone in the mansion, from top to bottom, was dressed in festive attire. The maids wore bright new jackets, and Ming Tan had deliberately draped a fiery fox fur cloak over herself. Only Jiang Xu stood out, still clad in a thin, dark robe.

Ming Tan wanted him to change, but he excused himself, saying he still had to go to the training ground and that heavy clothing would be inconvenient. Ming Tan thought it made sense. "Then at least wear this crane-feather cloak for now, Husband. I’ll hold it for you when you reach the training ground."

With that, she picked up the cloak, stood on tiptoe, and draped it over Jiang Xu.

After a night of snow, the rooftops and tree branches were blanketed in white. The training ground, however, had already been cleared by servants, leaving a clean space for their lord to practice his swordsmanship.

Ming Tan sat to the side, hugging his cloak, a small hand warmer nestled in her palms.

Jiang Xu, whether intentionally or not, didn’t confine himself to the cleared area. With a few swift moves, he stepped into the snow. Clad in black, his sword gleamed against the snow, each strike sharp and formidable.

It was… oddly mesmerizing.

Ming Tan found herself entranced, her heart and eyes filled with admiration:

Husband is so handsome! Husband is so impressive!

Her gaze never left Jiang Xu as his blade sent snowflakes dancing into the air. Even when he sheathed his sword, she remained spellbound, cupping her cheeks in her hands.

Only when Jiang Xu walked toward her, hands behind his back, did she belatedly notice the small snow lion he had sculpted with his sword in the snow behind him.

Ming Tan’s eyes widened. She hurried over to examine the snow lion, its rough outline already taking shape in the snow.

After a long pause, she exclaimed sincerely, "Husband, you’re amazing! You almost finished it just with your sword—it’s so adorable!"

Jiang Xu casually snapped off a dry twig and handed it to her. "You do the rest."

Ming Tan nodded, crouching down to sketch the lion’s fur with the twig. But her hands, suddenly away from the warmth, grew painfully cold. She alternated between left and right, tucking one into her sleeve while the other worked.

Fortunately, there wasn’t much left to do. Soon, she stood back to admire her handiwork—it looked quite lifelike. She smiled, eyes crinkling with satisfaction.

Jiang Xu glanced at her slightly reddened hands and subtly slipped the hand warmer back into her grasp.

…

Bai Minmin and Ming Tan were kindred spirits. Waking up to the snow, Bai Minmin had also enlisted the help of children in her household to build a snow lion.

But working with children was nothing like working with Prince Dingbei. The little ones understood nothing, offered no help, and only made a mess.

After a morning of toil, Bai Minmin was nearly driven to frustration by the brats, her hands frozen stiff and numb. Back in her room, soaking them in warm water brought a painful itch, and her maid fretted over her, hastily applying ointment for frostbite.

A few days later, during New Year visits between households, Bai Minmin brought up the snow lion incident to Ming Tan. Before she could even complain, Ming Tan eagerly gushed about the adorable and majestic snow lion she and her husband had made, declaring how fun it was and suggesting they build another one the next time it snowed.

Bai Minmin hesitated before asking, "Weren’t your hands cold?"

"Why would they be?"Bai Minmin found it quite strange. Upon closer questioning, she realized—oh, so her so-called "building a snow lion" meant her husband had already done most of the work, and she just haphazardly scratched at it with a branch a couple of times before immediately hugging her hand warmer. That counted as them building it together.

Well, having a husband was truly something. Somehow, after nearly two years of troubled marriage prospects, she felt the first stirrings of an impulsive urge to marry.

But let’s set aside what came later. For now, on New Year’s Eve, after finishing the snow lion, Ming Tan pulled Jiang Xu along to distribute three months’ worth of extra wages as rewards to the servants in the manor, along with some words of encouragement. The servants were all moved and delighted.

Truthfully, the manor had never treated them poorly before, but the household had always been cold and solemn, lacking liveliness during festivals. Now that there was a consort, the holidays finally felt like holidays, the New Year like a proper New Year.

Ming Tan didn’t know that this was the first time Jiang Xu had celebrated the New Year in his own manor since coming of age and establishing his household.

In the past, he had sometimes been at the borderlands, sometimes in the palace.

At the borderlands, it wasn’t so bad. Though conditions were harsh, the army cooks would prepare a lavish feast, and everyone would gather around a bonfire roasting lamb—it was lively and warm. But in the palace, it was dull. Alone, even the grand fireworks seemed cold and desolate, nothing worth watching.

Actually, from the southern-facing part of Prince Dingbei’s Manor, one could still see the fireworks blooming over the imperial palace. But tonight, it seemed no one in the manor was particularly interested in that fleeting brilliance.

In Qǐ’ān Hall, Ming Tan was laughing and playing with her maids, chasing after them to set off firecrackers and fireworks.

A fire was lit in the courtyard, and the lamb marinated by the chef was turned over and over on the spit. Occasionally, drops of oil splattered into the flames, the skin golden and glistening, sizzling loudly.

Nearby, a table and chairs had been set up. A pot of milky-white broth bubbled vigorously, surrounded by thinly sliced beef and lamb, fresh crisp vegetables, and an array of dipping sauces prepared by the chef—the deliciousness went without saying.

Jiang Xu sat at the table, pouring himself drinks, his gaze never leaving the petite figure wrapped in a fiery fox-fur cloak.

The maids had always been terrified of him, not daring to act out of line in the slightest. But tonight, His Highness seemed unusually tolerant. For a moment, they forgot their place and laughed and played with the consort, yet he showed no signs of anger or reprimand.

Still, with the lord present, the maids naturally knew to keep their play with Ming Tan within bounds. Before long, when Ming Tan grew tired and sat down to rest, they tactfully curtsied and withdrew.

Tiny beads of sweat had formed on Ming Tan’s forehead. She took a sip of the fruit wine Jiang Xu had poured for her and smiled, her eyes crinkling with satisfaction.

Seeing that no one else was around—and confirming that there were definitely no hidden rooms nearby—she let her lingering excitement carry her as she got up and moved to sit on Jiang Xu’s lap.

“Husband, today is the happiest New Year’s Eve I’ve ever had,” she said earnestly, looking at him. “Spending it with you feels like… like having a family. Anyway, I’m really, really happy.”

Jiang Xu gazed at her, about to respond, when Ming Tan suddenly remembered something. “Oh, right! I have a gift for you.”

She had been carrying it close to her all along. After a moment of searching, she proudly presented it—a mandarin duck-patterned sachet, the same as the one he had received before, though this time the color scheme was slightly different, and at the bottom dangled a tassel tied into a love knot.

He took the sachet and opened it. Inside was a lock of hair tied together with a red string—some strands long, some short, unevenly cut.Ming Tan explained sheepishly, "I take very good care of my hair and couldn't bear to cut it, and I didn't dare cut Husband's hair either. So these were all gathered from the bed and dressing table." As she spoke, she grew more confident in her reasoning, "Anyway... in short, it's either yours or mine. I am in you, and you are in me, so it still counts as 'tying hair to become husband and wife, loving without doubt'!"

Jiang Xu examined it silently without speaking.

Ming Tan felt slightly embarrassed—what kind of hair-tying ceremony didn't involve cutting hair? Was her husband perhaps displeased?

Hesitating, she was about to ask if it was still possible to cut a lock now when Jiang Xu tightened the pouch and tucked it back into his robe: "This prince likes Consort's gift very much."

Then realizing his mistake, he corrected himself naturally: "I like A Tan's gift very much."

Ming Tan sighed in relief: "As long as Husband likes it!"

"But I didn't prepare a gift," Jiang Xu pondered. "How about this—do you have any wishes? If I can fulfill one for you, consider it your gift."

Ming Tan hadn't even considered getting a return gift and was momentarily at a loss when presented with this promise.

"Hmm... let me think," Ming Tan said awkwardly.

"No rush, think carefully. Just remember that New Year's gifts don't count after tonight," Jiang Xu stated solemnly.

How unreasonable!

Ming Tan shot him an accusatory look but still racked her brains for an idea.

As she pondered, she nibbled on snacks and sipped fruit wine.

Soon it approached midnight. At the request of her slightly tipsy self, Jiang Xu carried her up to the roof.

Prince Dingbei's Manor, built to imperial prince specifications, had higher roofs than ordinary homes. Tonight, the capital's myriad household lights shone brightly across the city. At midnight, clusters of fireworks suddenly ascended into the night sky—not just from the palace but also from wealthy families—instantly illuminating the darkness as bright as day.

Leaning against Jiang Xu while admiring the dazzling display, Ming Tan quietly reminded him: "It's beautiful, but not unique."

Jiang Xu gave an acknowledging hum.

At Yingxue Lake in Lixian County, he'd already seen the finest fireworks of his life.

After the clamor faded, the night sky returned to silence. Drowsily gazing at the quiet darkness, Ming Tan suddenly murmured, "It's snowing."

Jiang Xu looked up to see crystalline snowflakes drifting down through the night.

They sat quietly for a while until the snowfall grew heavier, when Jiang Xu finally carried her down from the roof.

As he moved to take her inside, Ming Tan reminded him: "We're supposed to stay awake tonight."

"There's much to do on New Year's Day. No need to stay up—rest awhile."

That made sense. While New Year's Eve was relaxed, the following days would be busy. Realizing this, Ming Tan didn't insist—after all, with just the two of them in the manor, whether they stayed up or not made little difference as long as they were together.

When settling into bed, Ming Tan clung to Jiang Xu without letting go.

Just before drifting off sleepily, she finally decided on her wish.

Nestling close to his ear, she murmured drowsily: "Husband, my wish is... in the new year, could you like me just a little more than before? That way, each year I make this wish, you'll keep liking me more and more..."

Jiang Xu gazed at her quietly.

This wish—he wasn't sure he could fulfill it for her. Because right now, it seemed he already liked her very, very much.